2026 Issue №1

The study addresses the problem of prototypes for the central figure of P. I. Melnikov-Pechersky’s dilogy “In the Woods” and “On the Mountains” — the Old Believer merchant Patap Chapurin. The analysis examines established theories regarding the genesis of literary characters within scholarly discourse. Biographical details, religious beliefs, and social connections of historical figures are compared with the characteristics of Melnikov’s character. Particular attention is given to arguments supporting or refuting each hypothesis. It is established that, despite a significant similarity between Chapurin and P. E. Bugrov (trade in salt and bread, contracts for paving streets, loyalty to the official church while maintaining Old Believer identity), several traits (age, guardianship of a fugitive-priest chapel) correspond more closely to the biography of Bugrov’s son, A. P. Bugrov. The influence of autobiographical elements is also noted: Chapurin’s irony toward the Old Believer clergy primarily reflects Melnikov’s own views. Additionally, the potential influence of the Saratov merchant L. S. Maslennikov on Chapurin’s image is considered, as his biography (visiting Irgiz monasteries, involvement with the ideas of Edinoverie, extensive charitable activity) also parallels aspects of Chapurin’s character. The study proposes the hypothesis that Melnikov used elements of Maslennikov’s life in “constructing” the images of three Old Believer merchants represented in the dilogy: Patap Chapurin, Makar Maslyannikov, and Danilo Snezhkov. The research is based on a comparative analysis of literary texts, epistolary materials, and documentary evidence. The study concludes that Chapurin’s character has a polygenetic nature, combining traits of several real individuals with the author’s creative design.

The article examines musical motifs in the poetry of N. P. Gronsky, a representative of the first wave of the Russian diaspora, drawing on mythopoetic and hermeneutic approaches. It identifies the connection of his works with the concept of Pythagoreanism and the idea, characteristic of world art, of dividing the cosmos into Musica Mundana, Musica Humana, and Musica Instrumentalis, a concept particularly prevalent in Silver Age lyric poetry. In Gronsky’s lyrics, music is primarily associated with ancient motifs, as well as pagan and Christian themes. The poet-singer figure is considered separately; in Gronsky’s émigré poetry, this figure appears in the archetypal images of David and Orpheus, with the former serving as a hero bridging biblical and archaic epochs, while the latter represents the pagan singer. In Gronsky’s poetry, however, both poles are united within a single Cosmos, and Christian motifs coexist organically with ancient ones, manifested in the integration of multiple musical motifs within a single poem or lyric. The article also examines the most common musical symbols in Gronsky’s work, including bells, trumpets, brass instruments, and “singing luminaries.” Special attention is given to the analysis of the poem “Alla,” where, alongside musical symbolism related to the theme of the creator’s vocation, the musicality of the poem itself is explored, expressed at the levels of phonetic composition, rhythm, and syntax.

The article analyzes the final plays from the surviving repertoire of the Neues Schauspielhaus (New Dramatic Theater) in Königsberg, staged in April 1944, four months before the destruction of the city’s historic center due to Anglo-American bombing. The aim of the study is to identify the specifics of the theater’s dramaturgical repertoire selection during the Nazi era in a frontline city, in the context of its historical fate. The plays of Hermann Sudermann — “Teya,” “Fritzchen,” and “The Last Visit” — as well as Johan Braun’s comedy “Through My Eyes” are examined. A comparative analysis of the works is conducted, and a hermeneutic interpretation of their imagery and semantic features is provided. The study reveals the ambiguity of the chosen repertoire, which combines Sudermann’s propagandistic plays with Braun’s entertaining comedy that reflects mythological motifs. The selection of plays is shown to be symptomatic, conveying the eschatological moods of society in Nazi Germany against the backdrop of the city’s impending catastrophe.

Jean Anouilh’s play “La Grotte” (“The Basement”) is examined as an example of “theater within theater,” where different levels of fiction overlap: there is no clear separation between the main play and the embedded play, and they intertwine throughout the action. At the center of the analysis is the figure of the Author, who functions simultaneously as a character and narrator, elevated above the other characters. However, his position is unstable, as, being the creator of the embedded play, he cannot fully control it and struggles to manage his characters. This duality highlights the central theme of the play — a conflict between the author and his creation, inherently metatheatrical. The play has a complex structure, developing two main threads: one concerns the murder of a cook in a mansion in the Saint-Germain suburb, and the other follows the Author’s attempts to keep his play afloat without losing face before the audience. These threads intertwine, connecting different levels of fiction. The study emphasizes the metatheatrical conflict, linked to self-reflection and the search for authorial identity. Another indication of metadrama is intertextuality: Anouilh references other metaplay works, explicitly and elegantly situating himself and his text within the metatheatrical tradition. The article demonstrates Anouilh’s virtuosity in using theatrical techniques to create a profound philosophical subtext that explores the nature of theater and the relationship between the author and his creation.