The image of Venetian mirror in the magic storylines of P. P. Muratov and A. V. Chayanov

Abstract

This article examines the role of the image of Venetian mirror in the novella “The Venetian Mirror” by P. Muratov and “The Venetian Mirror, or Remarkable Adventures of the Glass Man” by A. Chayanov, as well as their connotation with the literary tradition of the mirror image. Representation of the mirror as a bearer of supernatural power takes its roots in folklore. Image of the mirror and principle of mirroring hold an important place in the poetics of romanticists and symbolists, and gain popularity in literature of the 1920s. Analysis of the image of Venetian mirror in the works of Muratov and Chayanov demonstrates that both texts fall under the tradition of Venetian text of the Russian literature, as well as reveal similar motifs that indicate their typology for small magical prose. However, the author also determines the individual interpretations of the role of magical item in the life of the protagonists: if in A. Chayanov’s novella, the Venetian mirror changes the usual order of things, then in Muratov's novella it sets the tone of narration. The scientific novelty lies in functional comparison of the texts with magical storylines, in the center of which is the image of Venetian mirror. The author comes to the conclusion that the extensive use of magical elements in the romantic context by A. Chayanov is antipodal to  neutral intonations of P. Muratov. It is noted that Chayanov creates a neo-mythological story of the pursuit and cognition of “Self”, personal becoming; while Muratov in his novella realizes the myth of lost harmony.