Russian Literature Research Articles

Opening the boundaries of a literary text: Anton Chekhov’s novel “Kashtanka” and its film adaptation in teaching Russian as a foreign language

The article describes the work with a literary text and its adaptation in the classroom of Russian as a foreign language. In particular, we focus on the ways of understanding a literary text by including a film adaptation into classroom activities. Special attention is paid to the characteristics of the intersemiotic translation and its basic concepts: adaptation, film adaptation and interpretation. For the methodology of teaching Russian as a foreign language, this distinction is conditional and is of great interest from the point of view of understanding the idea and content of the literary text and the peculiarities of its interpretation. When working with international students, the use of screen versions of Russian literature texts helps, on the one hand, to simplify the process of understanding their meaning and key points by visualizing verbal and nonverbal components of the text, on the other hand, to complicate this work - to increase the amount of information provided. The present paper presents the algorithm of working on the text of the short story “Kashtanka” by Anton Chekhov and its film adaptations and formulates sample tasks for classroom and independent work.

The image of China in Yuri Galich’s travelogues “Golden Ships. Wanderings”

This article studies the ways of constructing the image of China in the travelogue “The Golden Ship. Wanderings” (1927) by Yuri Galich. Structurally, the study consists of two parts. Proceeding from the theory of imagology and using the historical and literary methods, we conducted an overview analysis of the formation and evolution of the image of China in Russian literature and culture of the 15th–19th centuries. The study shows that under the influence of national ideology and public collective consciousness, the image of China in Russian travelogue literature was constantly developing and changing, different writers showing its qualities from different points of view in their works. The second part examines in detail Yuri Galich’s travelogue “The Golden Ship. Wanderings” and interprets the image system and cultural values of China rooted in Russian cultural tradition, exploring the spiritual essence of the image of China in Russian travelogue literature and the cultural identity embedded in it. In order to clarify Yuri Galich’s writing strategy, his work is compared with another travelogue of this time, B. Pilnyak’s “China Story”. Yuri Galich portrays a relatively objective and realistic image of China in an affable manner, while his disapproving attitude towards Chinese art reflects a strong sense of his own cultural confidence. In contrast, B. Pilnyak’s image of China is completely negative, reflecting the influence of European thought in portraying foreign countries.

THE IMAGE OF THE PHILOSOPHER IN THE LETTERS OF A. P. CHEKHOV

A. Chekhov is known as a classic of Russian literature, but modern research turns to the study of Chekhov’s philosophy. The main focus of such studies is focused on the analysis of the philosophical content of the literary work of the great writer. The present study shifts attention to the author’s letters: it is important to understand what he thought about philosophy and how he saw the image of the philosopher. This will make it possible to clarify the existing approaches to the study of A. Chekhov as a thinker. The article analyzes the texts of Chekhov’s letters. The context of the use of the concept “philosopher” is revealed and the main features of the philosopher in the representation of A. Chekhov are described. The results obtained are correlated with existing concepts based on the analysis of the works of the writer and playwright. Laziness, poverty, eccentricity, calmness in the face of adversity are features that form a collective image of a philosopher similar to the ancient Cynic or Stoic. These features arouse in A. Chekhov a predominantly ironic attitude, which is reflected in the intonation of the letters and generally coincides with the ideas of his works. The writer does not identify himself with the philosopher, although he is keenly interested in contemporary philosophical ideas and reflects on them through literary creativity. The author believes that A. Chekhov does not position himself as a philosopher, he is a “philosophical writer” , a follower of the great tradition of Russian literature laid down by his predecessors — A. Herzen, V. Belinsky, F. Dostoevsky, L. Tolstoy.

Armenian Cochineal and the Red Color of Armenia in Russian Literature

The article examines the genesis of the red color, which acts as a pattern of the «Armenian text of Russian literature» on the basis of Russian poetic texts (B. Pasternak, F. Sologub, O. Mandelstam, N. Konchalovskaya, P. Antokolsky, I. Snegova, P. Pyanykh, L. Shahverdyan) and prose (B. Kuzin, O. Mandelstam,
 Yu. Karabchievsky, M. Saryan, V. Grossman). The subject of the article is the connection of the insect code presented in the discourse with the color red. Analytics is based on biographical, quantitative methods, linguistic analysis of the text and is carried out on the basis of a historical and cultural approach. The
 recent works that reveal the patterns of the «Armenian text» do not mention the connection between cochineal and red color metaphors found in this article. The conclusions obtained enrich the cultural and philological concept contained in the framework of the «Armenian text» and expand the poetic context of the biological organism mentioned in the poems of Russian poets. The article presents an additional (to the already existing) perspective in the analysis of O. Mandelstam's poem «Inside the mountain, an idol is inactive...»: the image of the idol is
 embedded in an ekphrastic sculptural row with the mythological Golem.

Formation of schoolchildren's ideas about the Russian speech ideal based on literary texts

Formation of schoolchildren's ideas about the Russian speech ideal based on literary texts

Macro- and Microstructure Model of the Dictionary of Names of Own
 Electronic Resource «Armenian Text of Russian Poetry»

The article presents the characteristics of the structure of the dictionary of proper names, functioning in the studied local text, developed within the framework of the project «Electronic resource “Armenian text of Russian poetry”: representation of the local text of Russian literature». In the macrostructure of the dictionary, it is supposed to single out the «core», which includes onomastic units (mainly anthroponyms and toponyms) with high indices of frequency of use within the entire analyzed material, and a peripheral area of low-frequency names that form the so-called onomastic background. The microstructure of the dictionary
 will be made up of three vocabulary zones: subject information, language information and additional information. The subject area of a dictionary entry includes basic information about the bearer of the name and is built in accordance with the type and status of the heading unit. The elements of the language zone
 are the accentological, grammatical and derivational characteristics of the name and information about its etymology. The additional information zone contains links to all texts of the collected corpus in which the analyzed onomastic unit is
 found (the most significant texts, for example, where they are included in the title, can be given in the text of the dictionary entry), as well as information included in the associative and cultural background of the name (in case of its presence and explication). The volume and content of dictionary entries will be determined by the individual properties of the specific onym being described.

Kafka in Russia

Despite the ‘infinite attraction’ (Diaries, entry from 14 Feb. 1915) that Russia exerted on Franz Kafka and despite his undoubtedly deep attachment to Russian literature, to Gogol, Dostoevsky and Chekhov, in whose works the origins of his poetics can be found, the Bohemian writer was long ignored in the Soviet Union. The present article follows two streams of thought: it first traces the relationship between Kafka and Russian culture and later focuses on the troubled reception of his works in the Soviet Union until today.

Features of book naming in classical and modern Russian literature

The title is the most important element of every book, it attracts the reader's attention and creates a first impression. The reader first pays attention to the title, so the title should be catchy, clearly convey the idea and content of the book. The purpose of the study is to identify and compare the characteristic features of book naming (titles) in classical and modern Russian literature. In the course of the work, the patterns of book naming, the opinions of famous scholars, and the classification of the titles of books of Russian classical literature were studied. The research method for classification was 84 titles of books from the classics. Further, to identify distinctive features, a classification of the titles of books of modern Russian literature was given. To confirm the idea 71 modern popular books were selected. The study uses the method of the situational analysis and the method of classification and generalization. The author comes to the main conclusion that classic writers approach book naming with special care, and modern authors use various experiments with book title techniques.

EARLY LITERARY COLLECTIONS

The article examines ancient Russian literature. Old Russian literature -Russian literature in the period from the 11th to the 17th centuries. As of the beginning of the 19th century, ancient Russian literature was poorly studied, despite the fact that they were studied by the largest representatives of academic science.

The image of a rebel writer (based on the novels "The Revolt of Denis Bushuev" by S. S. Maksimov and "The Revolt of the Sunflower" by L.D. Rzhevsky)

The article examines the image of the writer in the novels "The Sunflower Rebellion" by Leonid Rzhevsky and "The Rebellion of Denis Bushuev" by Sergei Maksimov. The subject of the study is the poetics of the image of the writer in the works of major writers of the second wave of Russian emigration. Russian literature is based on the general problems of the novels, the similarity of the destinies of the main characters and the authors belonging to one direction of Russian literature of the XX century – the second wave of Russian emigration. Using the example of the fate of an emigrant writer and a writer of the metropolis, the uprising against the ideological restrictions dictated by the political regime is considered. Special attention is paid to the literary tradition of depicting the hero-creator at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as autobiographical and historical facts that influenced the transformation of the image in question in the work of second-wave emigrants. The methodological basis of the study is an integrated approach that includes biographical, historical, typological and comparative methods. The author's attention is focused on the conflict "artist-power", which is at the center of the novels "The Revolt of Denis Bushuev" and "The Revolt of the Sunflower". The novelty of the study is due to the introduction of previously little-studied material, and for the first time a comparative analysis of novels authored by representatives of the second wave of emigration is presented. As a result of the analysis, the following typological similarities were revealed in the depiction of hero-artists by S.S. Maksimov and L.D. Rzhevsky: the personal experience of the authors lies at the heart of the images of rebellious hero-creators; the main conflict of both works is the aggravation of contradictions between the writer and the authorities; this conflict underlies the creativity of the majority of emigrants of the second wave. Russian literature also proved that the depiction of the literary hero in the works of the second wave of Russian emigration continues the tradition of classical Russian literature in depicting the conflict between the artist and power, but emigrant creativity interprets it in a tragic way.

Magomed Akhmedov's Artistic Reflections on Russian Poetry (on the Development of Dagestan-Russian Literary Relations)

The subject of this research is M. Akhmedov's literary reflections and his poetic works dedicated to Russian writers and Russian poetry. The purpose of this article is to present a picture of the development of artistic reflections on Russian poetry in the works of M. Akhmedov. The concept of the article is based on the material of works related to Russian literature and Dagestan-Russian literary relations. Introducing into the study a part of artistic reflections related to Russian poetry, we set ourselves the task of defining and identifying the principles and techniques of artistic expressiveness and figurativeness of M. Akhmedov, serving to embody the national and international character of his artistic thinking. The methodological basis of this research is based on the analysis of artistic works and is designed to determine the following research methods: comparative-historical, through which the nature of M. Akhmedov's literary connections is interpreted as an artistic phenomenon that has passed certain historical stages and is developing to the modern stage; comparative, which allowed to compare the ideological and artistic significance of Russian writers in the person of his predecessors and like-minded people; a method of holistic analysis of a literary work, which made it possible to determine the specifics of the evolution of M. Akhmedov's artistic thinking and its connection with the history of national and Russian literature. The results of the study can serve as a promising support for further study of Dagestan-Russian literary relations, as well as M. Akhmedov's artistic creativity in the context of the national and international literary process. Russian poetry and poets The scientific novelty of the study is due to the fact that the analysis of the works of M. Akhmedov devoted to Russian poetry and Russian poets was undertaken for the first time. The obtained results have shown that M. Akhmedov's artistic reflections on Russian poetry make it possible to highlight the role and significance of Dagestan-Russian literary ties.

Student obstruction at Moscow University in the second third of the 19th century as a form of protest activity

The object of the study is the phenomenon of student obstruction at the Moscow University of the XIX century as a form of student protest against lecturers who caused dissatisfaction. The subject of the study is the reasons for student protests against professors, reasons for demarche, as well as the results and consequences of obstruction for the teachers, the most active students as well as the organization of the educational process and ways of student management by the university authorities. In addition, within the framework of this article, based on official sources, memoir literature and archival documents, an attempt is made to reconstruct the mechanics of student protest itself using the example of two of the most high-profile and significant cases in the history of Moscow University of the specified period, namely the "stories" with professors Malov and Varnek. The research methodology is classical for works on social history: It is based on the fundamental principle of historicism and a number of traditional methods for historical science (historical-genetic, historical-typological, comparative). The novelty of the research lies in the fact that in the Russian literature there have been practically no attempts to study the phenomenon of student obstruction at the pre-reform Moscow University. A special contribution of the author of the work is the study of the topic of student protests in the context of the formation of a student corporation with its inherent ethics, an unspoken set of rules, special ways of defending their rights in conflicts with teachers and university authorities. The author of the study also concludes that the university leadership in this era was generally quite lenient towards cases of obstruction and protests against teachers, although after the "Varnek's story" the university authorities treated the instigators and participants of the protest more strictly than the initiators of the obstruction against Professor Malov in the 1830s.

National identity in the context of historical trauma in the stories of Vasily Shukshin

In the era of globalization and cultural interaction, the themes of national identity and historical trauma gain prominence in literature. Vasily Shukshin, an esteemed Russian writer and filmmaker, adeptly addresses these themes through his portrayal of the Russian countryside and the lives of ordinary people. His works provide a deep understanding of cultural interactions and the effects of globalization on individuals and society. Shukshin explores complex issues of human existence, such as the search for meaning, the struggle to preserve tradition, and resistance to cultural assimilation. His storytelling offers valuable insights into contemporary global challenges, making his work highly relevant for literary studies.This article presents a literary analysis of Vasily Shukshin's short stories, with a focus on how themes of national identity and historical trauma influence the narrative and character development. The research is innovative in its approach, intertwining these themes to assess their impact on character formation and plot progression. It highlights Shukshin's significant contributions to Russian literature and his role in elucidating Russian national identity and historical memory.The study finds that national identity in Shukshin's works is deeply intertwined with the culture and traditions of the Russian village, while historical trauma reflects the repercussions of significant events on individuals' lives and consciousness. The interaction of these themes forms unique life stories of the characters, allowing for a deeper understanding of the Russian psyche and its connection to the past. This analysis underscores the importance of Shukshin's works in the context of Russian literature and their contribution to the understanding of Russian national identity and historical memory.

Meta-genre formations in the poetry of Valery Bryusov

The subject of the article is the peculiarities in the formation of genre trends in the work of Valery Bryusov. Author pays attention to Bryusov's appeal to supercycles-catalogs, which occur when the evolution or transformation of the genre is carried out in several collections. Among such genre supercycles-catalogs, the genre of the poem-"monument", or historical and mythological medallion, stands out. This genre can take different forms from Bryusov (lyrical ecphrasis, the poem -"glory", which combined various types of genres). In this context is also considered the issue of continuity and transformation of the lyrical genres of World and Russian literature in the Bryusov's work. In the proposed article, the author aims to identify the features and nature of the interaction of traditional and non-traditional genre formations in Bryusov's poetry. The author uses systematic-typological and structural-semiotic, as well as comparative-historical and cultural-historical methods and focuses on the works of M. L. Gasparov and L. G. Kikhney as a methodological base. The novelty of the research lies in the study of the genre in Bryusov's lyrics as a changeable category that undergoes changes and transformations in the poet's work. The article draws following conclusions: 1) the formation of sections of Bryusov's lyrics was carried out not only on the content side, but also on genre affiliation; 2) large-volume supercycles-catalogs created by Bryusov was almost a new phenomenon for the Russian literary tradition; 3) the poem-"monument" as a genre of the supercycle -catalog often takes different forms in Bryusov's work; 4) mythological and historical portraits reflected in the poems-"monuments" originate in sculptural images of great people; 5) poems-"glory", in turn, includes various genre types (for example, requiem and testament).

Fictional faces of female suicide: Qualitative analysis of selected Russian-language texts of the school reader

IntroductionIsaiah Berlin’s (1948) exploration of the self-searching of Russian thinkers includes studies of the writers – Tolstoy and others (now – Russian-language texts of the school reader). These studies refute a widespread misconception about the relations between Russian writers and thinkers: namely, that in Russia literature and radical thought form two distinct traditions related only by mutual hostility. The works of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Karamzin, Leskov, Ostrovsky, and of minor novelists too, are penetrated with a sense of their own time, of this or that particular social and historical milieu and its ideological content, to an even higher degree than the ‘social’ novels of the west. The personal characteristics of suicide victims, heroines of Russian literature, along with the gender aspects, deserve attention in suicidal behavior (SP) focus.ObjectivesTo study personal characteristics of suicide victims, heroines of fiction.MethodsQualitative analysis of selected Russian-language texts of the school reader.ResultsAt the dawn of literature, we have seen fiery heroines and tremulous victims in the arms of death. Аs psychology approach was developed, and we get acquainted with the tragiс backstory. Psychotypes of suicides are exaggerated and overlapped. «Hysterical»: manipulative, frigid nymphomaniac (e.g., Anna Karenina). «Freedom-loving rebel» (i.e., Katerina reincarnations from A. Ostrovsky) in conditions of excessive regulation. «She-Devil, or Rebel Without a Cause». The obsession with death turns into a criminal and a victim (e.g., «Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk» by N. Leskov, Turgenev’s Susanna or Klara Milich). The image of a vindictively furious («velvet and tiger claws») woman descends to the Victorian view of female self-will. «Mimosa» is a sensitive, dreamy person, unable to resist the hardships of life, dependent (dies with her beloved, objection). In suicide, the strength of weakness is the outcome of a humiliating life (e.g., Karamzin’s «Poor Liza», «A Gentle Creature» by F. Dostoevsky. The meaning of suicides is the following: a call (to compassion, salvation), a «cry for help», atonement for one’s (imaginary) – someone else’s (by proxy) guilt, and release from encumbrance.ConclusionsFiction and life are united by emotionally unstable characters and/or depression as markers of unsatisfactory resilience. The cultural diversity of gender patterns and interpretations of SP challenges the essentialist view that «femininity» and marriage are protective factors. SP patterns illustrate and complement the explanatory concepts of SP. The inner world of suicidal people is fascinating and contributes to the evidence-based optimism in the «patient-centric» crisis care model.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Уровень жизни в регионах Севера России: статистический анализ

This research focuses on the statistical analysis of the standard of living in the Russian North. The objectives of the study encompass a theoretical review of both Russian and international literature on living standards and an analysis of key indicators from the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), examining income, expenses, and consumption patterns in the northern regions of Russia. The standard of living is recognized as a multifaceted social and economic category, reflecting the level of providing the population with consumer goods and services. This provision aims to shape a mix that best satisfies demands. In Russia's northern regions, this domain is influenced by distinctive factors, including challenging natural and climatic conditions, limited transportation, and the application of a regional pay system, which includes Northern benefits. The research identifies a gap in Russian studies concerning the differentiation of the standard of living by regions, particularly in lacking tools to assess rational consumption patterns. The use of the living wage proves challenging due to its monetary nature, and the utilization of a fixed market basket overlooks the necessity to consider difficult natural and climatic conditions. The scientific novelty of this study lies in terminology updates and an integrated approach to analyzing regional differentiation in the standard of living within the Russian North. The long-term implications of further research revolve around the imperative to develop a method for assessing such differentiation and to upgrade research and practical recommendations for improving living standards in the northern regions of Russia.

A Man of His Time. To the 100th Anniversary of Yuri Bondarev

The article deals with the artistic originality of Yu.V. Bondarev’s work, themed at a man in war. Attention is paid to the so called “lieutenant’s prose”, a special phenomenon in Russian literature in late 1950s.

Media Texts as a Means of Improving Communicative and Cultural Competencies in Preparing Teachers of Russian Language and Literature

Media Texts as a Means of Improving Communicative and Cultural Competencies in Preparing Teachers of Russian Language and Literature

“Morton’s Neuroma” — Term Etymology: A Review

Background. The urgency of the problem is explained by a high morbidity rate and the need to verify the diagnosis with related specialists (ultrasound physicians, radiologists, trauma surgeons, pathologists), as well as by significant difficulties in patient routing and high probability of primary referral to neurologists, neurosurgeons, and general practitioners. In modern Russian literature, neuromas of all interdigital spaces are identified with Morton’s neuroma.
 Aim of the review was to determine the accuracy of modern medical terminology, in particular of the term «Morton’s neuroma», to reveal the spectrum of eponyms unacceptable for communication with related specialists and patients, to fill the historical gap and to attract the scientific medical community to discussion on this topic.
 Methods. We identified 40 articles on this topic published from 1845 to 2022. The search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE and eLIBRARY databases.
 Results. Evolution, history, and etymology of several terms used for intermetatarsal neuroma are covered in the study, based on the analysis of literature sources. It has been found that a number of eponyms used to designate neuromas are historically inaccurate. In addition, we have discovered that the reports of «nerve fibrosis» were encountered prior to the introduction of the term «neuroma». However, most authors have popularized the nominal term «Morton’s neuromas».
 Conclusions. An obvious contradiction between the etiopathogenesis of neuroma and the term itself can be confusing for clinicians and diagnosticians. In our opinion, the disease known nowadays as «Morton’s neuroma» should be named «fibrosis of the plantar nerve of the third toe», and the name terms denoting the number of the corresponding interdigital space should be replaced by the number of the corresponding common plantar digital nerve.

A Study on the “Second South Slavic Language Influence” in the History of Russian Literary Language

A Study on the “Second South Slavic Language Influence” in the History of Russian Literary Language