“RELIGIOUS FEELING” IN THE SHORT NOVEL (POVEST') BY V. F. ODOEVSKY “THE UNSPENT HOUSE”

Abstract

The article offers an analysis of V. F. Odoevsky's short novel (povest’) “The Unspent House” (1840) in the context of its reflection of the “religious feeling” that was characteristic of writer-encyclopedist V. F. Odoevsky throughout his life. In the “The Unspent House”, which combines the traditions of a romantic short novel (povest’) with elements of fiction, ancient Russian legend, hagiographical texts, apocrypha, spiritual verse, “religious feeling” is manifested not only in the syncretic poetics of the work, where the gospel text sounds most clearly, but also at the level of understanding Christianity as a nationwide “religious feeling” with the most diverse connotations, but with the general meaning of forgiveness, mercy and love. The spiritual poems, whose publication V. F. Odoevsky later actively participated in, were the likely sources of the short novel (povest’). Works of medieval literature (“The Walk of the Virgin in Torment”, “The Tale of Savva Grudtsyn”) may have been the sources of the “legend”; parallels are also found with hagiographic literature. The “religious feeling” of V. F. Odoevsky, as stated in the article, intended to unite different layers of the Russian Christian culture. It asserted “joyful Christianity,” which was characteristic of book culture and oral folk art, and based on the belief in the power of mercy, compassion for sinners and the ultimate salvation of the soul.