“The Secrets of Modern Petersburg” of V. P. Meshchersky and “The Remote House on Vasilyevsky Island” of V. P. Titov and A. S. Pushkin

Abstract

This article examines the influence of the romantic-gothic novel The Remote House on Vasilyevsky Island” (1829) by V. P. Titov and A. S. Pushkin upon the anti-nihilistic novel “The Secrets of Modern Petersburg” (1877) by . P. Meshchersky. In the limelight is the evolution and sociopolitical adaptation of the romantic-gothic themes “invitation of evil spirits into the house” and “evil spirits obsessed with romantic passion towards a human”. The article demonstrates how the religious-mythological image of “evil spirits” (destructive beginning) undergoes “ideological transformation”, and in the conditions of development of realistic art in the middle XIX century “blends” at the artistic level of anti-nihilistic level with the image of a “nihilist”. The research is based on biographical, comparative and historical methods, as well as motif analysis. The sociopolitical context of the 1870’s is being considered. Problematic of the continuity of Pushkin’s storyline, characterology, and system of themes in the works of V. P. Meshchersky is an unexplored area. The study of influence of the narrative “The Remote House on Vasilyevsky Island” upon anti-nihilistic novel “The Secrets of Modern Petersburg” along with their comparative analysis have not been previously conducted. The article also comments on the historiosophical ides, which led Meshchersky to reconsideration of Pushkin’s storyline and its adaptation to the relevant sociopolitical realities of the 1870’s.