2023 Issue №2

Science fiction can be defined as the literature about cognizable unusual phenomena which represents hypothetical scientific, technical and social products of their rational exploration. Before the genre emerged, the subject of exploring the unusual was developed mainly in the field of mythological fiction, which became the basic element of Gothic literature. In Gothic, the features of science fiction began to form: in M. Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus”, the motives of the supernatural are rationalized through the use of scientific and technical issues. The goal of the presented research is detecting the nature, methods and specif­ics of the transformations of the Gothic plot that led to the formation of the science fiction genre. It is achieved by the use of comparative, historical-genetic, hermeneutic, mythopoetic methods. Gothic literature reacted to the growing interest in scientific and technological progress by attempting to rationalize the elements of the supernatural plot: demons, werewolves, the living dead could be presented either as a result of experimentation or as an object of scientific exploration. In Russian literature, V. F. Odoevsky made a move from Gothic poetics towards long-term social, scientific and technological forecasting in a fiction text. The role of Gothic in the genesis of science fiction is clearly visible in the artistic world of H. P. Lovecraft who elaborated supernatural horror in the form of nonhuman manifestations of the indifferent Universe. The protagonist scientist is involved into the knowledge of it and, therefore, is put in the situation of a mythological cultural hero, reinterpreted in the coordinates of the plot of scientific research.

The article focuses on the genre characteristics of P. A. Viazemsky’s miniature “Commemoration of the battle of Borodino”. Connections of the work with genres of an ode and an elegy are explored. The poem contains in itself elements of traditional ode of the Classicism epoch and largely intertwine with poetic of battle ode, this is largely about praise of the great historical event and Russian arms (Battle of Borodino) and commanders (Miloradovich and Kutuzov), colorful description of the battle, many tropes and figures (rhetorical exclamations, metaphors), image of lyrical hero-observer, the effect of presence, epic narration. Meanwhile, the poem is not so much dedicated to the great battle, but to the death of a poet’s friend and fallen warriors. Theme of death is central in the poem by Viazymsky, and many elements of work are close to the genre of elegy on death. It is important to note that the poem “Commemoration of the battle of Borodino” can be regarded as a documentary poem, reflection of the poet-soldier, later described in his memoirs “Memories of 1812”.

The article studies the onomastic space of the science fiction trilogy “People as Gods” by the Soviet science fiction writer of the second half of the 20th century. Literary abionyms related to the habitats of the heroes of the work are in the focus of the research. It is noted that the space objects of the solar system in the novel retain all real names, on the contrary, the forces hostile to humanity are distinguished by invented names that reflect the specifics of their life philosophy and destructive activity in space. The significance of another literary abionyms in the novel is determined. The author comes to the conclusion that the onomastic space of the work is connected with the writer’s picture of the world, who models the possible path of development of human civilization, based on the priority of the moral law. Literary abionyms perform an ideological and aesthetic function and at the same time endow the novel with additional deep meanings that contribute to a more holistic perception of artistic reality.

The author considers a lengthy program of research (that will be continued in a series of articles) on the artistic geography (geopoetics) of Alexander Galich, one of the brightest representatives of the author’s (bard’s) song of the 1960s—1970s. The construction of Galich poetic world actualizes the opposition of the center / periphery, while Moscow (or another capital replacing it) acts as the frequency expression of the structural center, and the periphery can be represented as a) the Russian province, b) a place of memory, c) the space of otherness. This article is devoted to the description of Moscow as a component of this poetic system, the establishment of a circle of motives associated with Moscow, and their role in the Galich plot building. According to the conclusions, the capital in the artistic world of the poet, as a rule, has a negative connotation. In the poetic subsystem of Moscow, the motives of departure and arrival are emphasized, and the metropolitan space is primarily associated with the departure (exile) of the hero, and arrival or static stay in Moscow is morally devalued as the lot of a layman, a loser or a careerist. At the same time, Moscow is presented as the native, “home” space of the hero. Such a paradoxical negative assessment is associated with the idea of the world shattered as a result of historical catastrophes.

The Easter archetype, with its main idea of the resurrection, focuses on the spiritual reality of the Heavenly World, which requires the transformation of the soul, while the Christmas archetype carries the idea of the incarnation of God, and hence there is a need for this type of literature which refers to earthly change and earthly joy. Varlamov’s short story is distinguished by an appeal to the plot of the prodigal son, according to I. A. Esaulov, that is Easter-oriented at its core, with a three-part composition “creation (prosperity)—fall into sin (temptation/trial) — resurrection”. The Easter archetype is also embodied through the author’s referring to the hagiographic tradition, such as hagiographic topics, motifs of trial and temptation, a smart heart, in the correlation between the main female character and the image of Christ, which is manifested by the meek bearing of reproach. The Christmas archetype is presented through a multi-level star symbol, which becomes a prototype of Paradise and eternal life. The symbolism of the image of the star becomes more complicated, combined with the image of Liza; the girl, like a little star, is able to show the way to God, and this is also reflected in the title of the story.