Geocultural image of Manchuria in the novel “The Root of Life” by Mikhail Prishvin

Abstract

This article is dedicated to examination of geocultural space of Manchuria in the novel “The Root of Life” (Ginseng) by M. Prishvin. In the early 1930s, the writer participated in ethnographic expedition to the Far East. Being a professional ethnographer and a highly qualified agronomist, the artist meticulously explored the nature of Manchuria, interpreting it from the perspective of European (rationalistic) and Eastern (mythological) worldviews. The formed as a result of contact of the two diverse cultures “geocultural dualism”, expanded the boundaries of the novel, revealing a deep philosophical content: the problem of co-creation of nature and man. The article provides a list of geocultural markers of the eastern province of China, as well as gives a detailed interpretation of the artistic content of all the authentic attributes of ancient Chinese culture (among them: spotted deer, velvet antlers, ginseng, etc.). The article offers the interpretation of key philosophical concepts of the novel: “kindred attention” of the Chinese traditionalism, concept of co-creation of man and nature; special attention is given to the natural philosophical views of Mikhail Prishvin. The conclusions are based on the material of zoological, botanical, and seasonal-climatic descriptions of Manchuria. The novelty of this research consists in culturological and philosophical interpretation of the title symbol – the “root of life”. Ginseng assembles the entire semantic charge of the oeuvre, and draws together its geocultural plan. The collected geocultural inventory (naturalistic notes on the life of spotted deer, botanical and entomological observations of M. Prishvin, lifestyle of the ancient Chinese culture) is included into the dialectical structure of the central symbol, suggesting constructive interaction of the Eastern and Western types of worldview. The "root of life" as a demiurgical potential, revealed in the act of individual creativity, is the initial unity of a man (“gin”) and nature (“seng”) in the process of improving the universe. For proving this hypothesis, the author employs the method of culturological; analysis of the behavior of the protagonist, who is experiencing a moral breakthrough in communication with the carrier of Chinese mythological culture.