Abstract
This paper illustrates the meaning of memory by the fate and change in spiritual orientation of Ivan Bunin and Zinaida Hippius, two prominent literary figures of the late tsarist Russia and interbellum émigré Paris. Most importantly, it examines the post-revolutionary transformation of values and reconciliation with external circumstances and internal afflictions of these two writers. The significance of memory becomes prominent in Bunin after his realization of the tragic and frightening consequences of the revolution, which results in his turn to the past as the source of tranquility and comfort. Hippius’s diaries and poetry, especially after her husband’s death, also show her turn toward eternal values and away from the hitherto paramount terrestrial, fleeting aspirations. The oeuvres of both writers are placed in the context of pre-revolutionary orientation towards the past that is contrary to the modernist shift to the future, which announced and precipitated the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Highlights
A lot of the Russian writers who entered the literary scene at the end of the 19th century were aesthetically and psychologically driven by some kind of mysticism and a pursuit of higher, sublime goals
Zinaida Nikolaevna reacted to the October coup with disgust. She calls it “the darkest, most idiotic and filthy social takeover” (Gippius 1928, 210), the “power of darkness” (Ibid, 219), and she prophecies a “civil war without an end or finish” (Ibid, 221). After spending all their savings, and even selling most of their furniture and belongings to survive the famine in the city, the couple fled to Poland in late 1919, and a year later moved to Paris, where they spent the rest of their lives
Understanding the specific meaning of a certain word in a language opens up a whole new world of profound ideas, colorful images and riveting stories related to a particular time and place
Summary
This paper illustrates the meaning of memory by the fate and change in spiritual orientation of Ivan Bunin and Zinaida Hippius, two prominent literary figures of the late tsarist Russia and interbellum émigré Paris Most importantly, it examines the post-revolutionary transformation of values and reconciliation with external circumstances and internal afflictions of these two writers. Эта статья иллюстрирует значение памяти через обращение к судьбам и переменам в духовной ориентации Ивана Бунина и Зинаиды Гиппиус – двух выдающихся литературных деятелей поздней царской России и эмигрантского Парижа межвоенной эпохи. Значение памяти становится очевидным в миросозерцании и творчестве Бунина после осознания им трагических и пугающих последствий революции, что заставило писателя обратиться к прошлому как к источнику покоя и утешения. Ключевые слова: память, воспоминание, Иван Бунин, Зинаида Гиппиус, революция, русское религиозное сознание
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