The Sixth Gogol Readings "Gogol and Russians Abroad"

International scientific Conference
March 31 – April 3 2005, Moscow, Russia

Gogol and Modern Culture

Foreword

Lyubimov B.N.


Gogol in Modern Culture Study

Andruschenko E.A.

The report deals with the main tendencies, which have been set in modern culturological researches devoted to Gogol. The gap between culturological interpretations and Gogol’s heritage functioning in "mass" consciousness is being emphasized.
Gogol’s Legacy and Some Modern Frames of Mind

Mildon V.I.

The main idea of Gogol’s creative work and his central book Dead Souls is an intention to save mankind from its cult of material world and from boredom of life as a result of this world. Both evils are the important part of frames of mind in our days. That is why Gogol’s legacy is topical.
The Peculiarities of the Modern Perception of Preachers Discourse in the Artistic Work of N.V. Gogol

Gusev V.A.

This article deals with the place of N.V. Gogol in Russian culture of the end of the XX and the beginning of the XXI centuries. It is stressed that Gogol is one of the significant figures of the national-mythological space and the great importance of his artistic inheritance couldn’t be eliminated by any events of the civil history. It is emphasized that fantastic and grotesque-satirical vision of the world, which are characteristic not only for Gogol’s works but also for the modern literature, though the preacher’s discourse in its traditional form is not actual; and the Modern Russian Prose depicts the search for positive ideology and the vitality of the faith.
Articles on N.V. Gogol’s Life and Works in Le Monde Newspaper from 1971 to 2005

Zamyslova E.E.

The author of the report presents her review of the different articles on N.V. Gogols' life and work which were published in the French national newspaper Le Monde from 1971 through 2005.

Aspects of the Modern Study of Gogol

The Dialectics of the National and the Universal as the Central Problem of the Study of Gogol

Barabash Yu.Ya.

The dialectics of Gogol’s national and universal, the contradiction of his “ground and destiny” is regarded in the article as one of the central problems of “Gogol’s studying”. In the author’s opinion its actuality in the broad cultural aspect can be explained by those challenges and menaces which face the national cultures under the conditions of globalization.
Gogol and "the Other" Baroque: Is it Only "a Prophetic Pathos?"

Kalashnikova O.L.

Examining the variegated picture of modern opinions and researches about Gogol, the author of the article designates a new actual vector of study of traditions of the XVIII century Russian baroque novel in the N.V. Gogol creation.
The Poltava "Trace" in Nikolai Gogol’s Ukraine Stories (on Influence of V.A. Gogol and I.P. Kotlyarevky on Works of the Writer)

Matsapura V.I.

The article deals with typological and intertextual "resemblances" of early N.V. Gogol’s narratives with preceding literary tradition, in particular, with creation of his father – V.A. Gogol, and also with works of I.P. Kotlyarevsky. The basic object of analysis in the article is the play of V.A. Gogol Simpleton, stories of N.V. Gogol Fair in Sorochyntsi and Night before Christmas, and works of I.P. Kotlyarevsky.
On the Semantics of Names in Gogol's Early Historical Prose

Denisov V.D.

The symbolism of personal names in Gogol’s early historical prose and its role in comprehension of the text are being studied in this paper. The research is based on the chapters of the historical work (1829-1830 presumably), The Chapter from the Historical Novel (1831), the fragment Bloody Bandura-Player (1832-1834) and the story Taras Bulba (1835).
Gogol's story Viy: From the History of Interpretations

Vinogradov I.A.

The article highlights the most important, key points in the interpretation of Gogol's story Viy. The analysis of these interpretations allows to describe in detail that "cultural space" – ideological context, which was formed for more than one and a half centuries not only when interpreting separate images of this work, but around – Gogol's heritage as a whole.
On the Modern Interpretation of Piskaryov`s Dreams in the Story Nevsky Prospect by Nickolai Gogol

Nechaenko D.A.

Author investigates the mythological basis of Piskariov`s dreams. This research is connected with subject and structural originality of antique drama and ritual «literary sacrifice».
The Way and the Border in Gogol’s Story The Portrait

Krivonos V.Sh.

In the present paper the problem of the way and the border in Gogol’s story The Portrait urgent of his poetics is considered. The special attention of ontology of the border and of specificity of its spatial manifestation is given. The correlation of the crossing of the border, the movement in the way choosing by the heroes, the fate and the fortune of the heroes is revealed. As a result of the analysis a new fashion of the important aspects of the semantic contents of The Portrait are opened.
Physiology of the Disease in Gogol’s Consciousness and the Christian Tradition

Annenkova E.I.

The article analyses Gogol's letters which reflect the anamnesis, physiological and psychological aspects of the writer's disease. The study of Gogol's epistolary of the 1830–1840s allows to account for the priority of physiology in Gogol's description of the disease; to reveal the changes in the author’s state, to discern the notional leitmotifs and key narrative forms in the writer's handling of this theme, to show the interrelation between Gogol's letters and his works.
“Gogol and Dante” as a Modern Scientific Problem

Goldenberg A.H.

Different approaches to studying the problem of Gogol and Dante that exist in update scientific literature are being analyzed in this article. The conclusions from exploring this issue are being drown and new aspects of its research are being planned.
Eugenio Montale Reads Gogol

De Lotto Ch.

This paper deals with the writings about Russian literature of the poet Eugenio Montale: articles, reviews, notes. In particular, it considers some comments on Gogol’s works read by the poet in translation. The author marks out his remark to the Gogol’s humorous note in the album of M.A. Vlasova, (published only in 1972), where Gogol’s writing is compared to “the game of a cat with a mouse”. This metaphor serves as a synthetic formula relevant to various aspects of Gogol’s work – from rhythm to plot and style. Some works of other Italian writers, who commented on the note of the Genoese poet, are also being mentioned in this article.
Vitaliano Brancati, the Sisilian Gogol

Strano J.

In 1932 the Italian publisher Leo Longanesi defined Vitaliano Brancati (1907–1954) as “Gogol from Catania”; since then critics have often emphasised the influence of Gogol’s work on the Sicilian writer. In Brancati’s novels and novellas the theme of the boredom of provincial life leads us back to Gogol, as does the depiction of marionette characters, grotesque situations, the ironic tone and narrative artifices, including attention to faces, clothes and details. Brancati has a sort of “elective affinity” with Gogol, in whose writings he finds a stylistic model, suggestions for the construction of characters and spaces, a particular conception of the comic as an overturning of the dramatic nature of existence, as a response to individual and social untruths.
Gogol and Kaverin

Skandura Kl.

The article examines the polemic around Gogol within the history of the Russian intelligentsia. The great author to a very large extent influenced the Russian literature of the 20th century and the works of Veniamin Kaverin (1902-1989) in particular. His works such as The Big Game (1925), The Inspector-General (1926), The Brawler or the Evenings on the Vasiljevsky Island (1928), The Artist is Unknown (1931) telling about the tragic destiny of the Russian intelligentsia, comprise the themes, characters and plot development that resemble Gogol’s St. Petersburg stories The Portrait, The Diary of a Madman, The Nose, The Overcoat.

At the time when the method of social realism was propagated (and Gorky due to his authority played a very important part in its formation) “the principle of Gogol” temporally dropped out of the official belles-lettres style, but it never lost its influence over the Russian literature. The example of Kaverin proves that it was possible “not to give up” and to remain true to oneself even in hard times.
Image of the Child in the Works of N. Gogol and Ja. Barschevsky

Tselekhovich T.P.

Considering the books of N. Gogol and Ja. Barschevsky from a Christian outlook, we notice the peculiarities of the child’s image as one of the main parts of the religious and mystic level of the both writers’ artistic worlds.
“Selected Passages from Correspondence With Friends” by N. Gogol` and “The Long Way Home” by V. Bykov: to the Problem of Genre Specific

Berezko A.F.

This article shows the principal similarity of literary confessions of N. Gogol and V. Bykov.

Gogol and Postmodernism

Gogol’s Works as a Spiritual Source of Russian Avangard

Klyagina L.R.

The article is devoted to the analysis of Gogol's works as one of the sources of Russian avangard, which lets us not only reveal the sources of Russian avangard in the classical art of the 19th century but also realize how the dialogue with the 20th century culture improves our understanding of Gogol's poetics and way of thinking.
Dark Angels of Hans Henny Jahnn from the Standpoint of the Gogol Tradition. To the Problem of the Demon Archetype

Vasilchikova T.N.

The article is focused on the problem of the archetype of the demon, revealed in the fictional characters of Gogol’s stories. In the works of the German writer of the XX century H.H. Jahnn we can find the similar regularity of the appearance of ambivalent fictional characters (“dark angels”) which arises out of the writer’s refusal of the Christian ethics and is indicative of his religious crisis.
“Gogol’s Text” in Postmodern Prose

Ossipova N.O.

The article is focused on the problem of interpretation of Gogol’s biography, his characters and symbols in the intertextual space of Russian and foreign postmodern prose. The research is based on stories and novels by A. Korolyov, T. Landolfi, Ch. Uhansson.
Gogol in the Context of “Postmodern Practices” (Gogol’s Wife T. Landolfi, Gogol’s Head A. Korolyov, The Case with Dead Souls Yu. ArabovP. Lungin)

Koblenkova D.V.

The paper considers the motives and poetry of the postmodern writings both of T. Landolfi’s Gogol’s Wife and of A. Korolyov’s Gogol’s Head where the authors’ critical attitude to the writer’s creations is partly called forth by F.M. Dostoevsky’s and V.V. Rozanov’s conceptions. Deep-rooted reasons of the postmodernists’ interest in Gogol’s prose in the second half of the XX century is explored. The Yu. ArabovP. Lungin’s film The Case with Dead Souls is also examined in the light of postmodern technologies.
Gogol’s Motives, Characters and Artistic Methods in the Works of Viktor Pelevin

Gordovich K.D.

The basis for comparison of Pelevin’s and Gogol’s novels is a community of motives and shapes. Both of the writers often represented the world of the dreams of their heroes. We perceive happening in a dream perfectly real. The world surrounding characters is drawn spectrally and foggy. Absurdity and alogism of reality is one of the rapid appeals of the authors to consciousness of a “madman”. Both Gogol’ and Pelevin represent the bearers of “evil spirit”. Among the methods general for the writers it’s possible to note the extensive appeals to the reader, switching his attention, leading into everyday situations of a political contest.
Post-Modern Transformation of Gogol’s Motives in a “Petit-Bourgeois” Novel “Ivan Bezuglov” by Bakhyt Kenzheyev

Sapchenko L.A.

The article shows how close the problems discussed in both Gogol’s novel and the “petit-bourgeois” story by the contemporary writer are.

The novel about the life and adventures of Ivan Bezuglov enables the author to paint the picture of that time and to express his views on the most important tendencies of our epoch. However, the distinctive features of the “petit-bourgeois” genre, shocking situations and the hidden irony that the author uses instead of “the laughs seen by the world and unseen tears, unknown to it”, are able to call out not sorrow and not hope, but simply a smirk, possibly a sad one.
“Obvious” and “Improbable” in the Art Space of N.V. Gogol and V.A. Petsukh

Eryomin M.A.

This article is dedicated to a problem of interaction of the art space by N.V. Gogol and V.A. Petsukh. The author investigates the basic motives, subject and plot structure of the art world of the writers. Features of the poetics of stories by Gogol and Petsukh indicate pour development of an invariant myth about Russian space. “Obvious” and “improbable” are basic categories of this myth.

Gogol' Images in Paintings, Theatre, Cinema

Gogol’s Work in Painting (A. Agin and E. Bernardsky as Illustrators of the Dead Souls)

Voropajev V.A.

The article focuses on the illustrations of A.Agin and E.Bernardsky to the Dead Souls made during the life of N.V. Gogol and regarded as classical.
V.A. Favorsky on N.V. Gogol’s Work

Gladilin M.S.

The article was given the artist’s opinions about N.V. Gogol and peculiarities of art style. The illustrations to the novel Ivan Fedorovich Shponka and his Aunt were well analyzed by author.
Bodies Exchanged. Not Souls. (Nina Chusova’s The Inspector-General playtext as commedia dell’arte of contemporary Russia)

Litavrina M.G.

The paper focuses on post-modern interpretation of Gogol’s The Inspector-General (Nina Chusova’s production at Mossovet Theatre, Moscow, 2005) by the new generation of Russian directors. Earlier this production was a subject for intensive criticism in current theatre journalism. M. Litavrina analyses the intertextual pattern of this unconventional performance and referential character of director’s discourse (which elaborates and parody criminal soap-operas and TV talk-show cliche’s). Having actualized the scenary of the production – by bringing Gogol’s characters from the X1X century classical “city of N” to current Russian being – and having ironically presented the life of modern N-sk as reviewed by mass-media, Chusova pointed out to latent resources of the play’s semantics and presented a commedia dell’arte – type performance of well-known political masks of Yeltsin’s and Putin’s Russia.
Two Inspector-Generals on the Contemporary Stage

Elnitskaya L.M.

Speculations about the principal character of the comedy Inspector-General by N.V. Gogol are propounded in this article. They are based on the material of two performances, staged by well-known theatre directors Valery Fokin and Vladimir Mirzoev. Different interpretations of the classical character represented in those performances allow to understand the state of morals of contemporary society in Russia at different stages of its history.
The Destiny of the Stage Direction (The Inspector-General by Gogol among Russian theatre production of the XX century)

Zorin A.N.

Gogol wrote in his works and plays that Russian theatre needed a producer. Only in this way of staging plays Gogol saw an opportunity to find the best playwright’s ideas’ expression. In The Inspector-General he created a well-structured system of comments, which looks a lot like producer’s explication, for example, he explained in detail the final “dumb scene” of the play. Theatre producers of XX century created lots of interpretations of the great comedy, especially of its “dumb scene”.
Everyone/ Everything as a Sigh of Integrity in N. Gogol’s Story Viy and N. Sadur’s Play Pannochka

Ischook-Fadeeva N.I.

Viy is a special story whose plot and motifs join the first – mythological cycle (Evenings on a Farm near Dikan’ka) and the second – profane one (Mirgorod). Opening the second part of Mirgorod, Viy combines the two principles in its very plot. In Viy three types of integrity are created: the seminary community, the sotnik's village and the infernal world which ruined Khoma Brut who found himself out of his circle and had not been accepted by the sotnik's surroundings. The conceptual motif of the vision accounts for the death of the philosopher who saw what a mortal cannot see without being punished.

By changing the title N. Sadur reduces the opposition of the two worlds, the day and the night ones, bringing together their representatives; here of principal importance is not only the fact that they are a philosopher and a witch, but also that they are a man and a woman. The disastrous influence of the sexual passion is also affected by the atmosphere of the “end of the century”.
Rhythms of Gogol’s Prose in the Plays of Nina Sadur

Orlitsky Ju.B.

The article shows how the modern Russian playwright Nina Sadur in her plays Pannochka (1985-1986) and Brother Chichikov (1993-1998) based on N. Gogol’s prose takes into account the peculiarities of the metrical structures of the great writer`s prose, metrically organizes the most important scenes thus emphasizing their importance in the structure of the play.
A Good Ending is Not the Crown of the Matter

Patapenko S.N.

The final scenes Gogol`s plays are considered in the article as the major element of the writer`s dramatic poetics. They prove that Gogol`s theatrical thinking has an open character and aimed at comprehending infinite metamorphoses of life and art.
Interpretation of Gogol's Text in A. Alexev's Cartoon Film The Nose

Krivulya N.G.

Analyzing the animated film we trace how artist and director A. Alexeev interprets the well-known Gogol’s work representing major characters and symbols of the story through image language of cinema.

Gogol at Moscow

Churches near Arbat, where Gogol Prayed

Spevyakina D.V.

The article is devoted to the history of three churches near Arbat Street in Moscow in the vicinity of the house where Gogol lived from 1848 to 1852 – the Church of St. Simeon the Stylite in Povarskaya Street, Apostle Philip Church and St. Nicholas Church in Staroye Vagankovo. Gogol knew these churches very well and often visited them. Today they turn out to be interconnected in various ways, sometimes rather unexpectedly, with different sides of Gogol’s life and work. Their history and relicts are able to tell us something new about the great author.
Literary and Theatrical Parties in Gogol's Rooms as a Means of Broadening the Museum’s Space

Mitarchuk E.A.

This article is devoted to the history, content and prospects of the literary and theatrical parties in “The Gogol House” as a very important part of the literary museum activity.