The novella “Fatal Sacrifice” by A. A. Dyakov (A. Nezlobin) and motif of the “counsel of the wicked”

Abstract

This article explores the impact of the elements and techniques of romantic and gothic literatures of the XVIII – XIX centuries upon anti-nihilistic novella “The Fatal Sacrifice” (1876) by A. A. Dyakov (A. Nezlobin). Attention is focused on the gothic-romantic motif of the “counsel of the wicked” and its adaptation to the relevant sociopolitical context of Russia and Russian émigré of the 1870’s. It is demonstrated that a mythological image of “witches’ sabbath” and characteristic to it motifs of “sacrifice”, “veneration of idols”, etc. become the techniques for depicting in the “Fatal Sacrifice” of a Swiss “club” of nihilists, revolutionists-socialists, and Narodniks. The author applies the biographical, comparative and historical methods of research, motif analysis, as well as analysis of storyline and characterology. The ideological component of nihilistically oriented Russian society of the 1860’s – 1870’s is taken into account.  The novella “Fatal Sacrifice”, which is included into the cycle “Kruzhkovschina” (1876-1879) is being analyzed for the first time, since there is no special scientific literature on these works within the Russian or foreign literary studies. The novelty of this research also consists in raising a question of the influence of romantic and gothic prose upon the works of A. A. Dyakov. Such influence is related to the two common to Russian anti-nihilistic literature semantic lines: eschatological and prophetic.