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“THE FRESH WIND, AND BLACK THOUGHTS” OF ST. PETERSBURG (BASED ON THE NOVEL BY N. F. PAVLOV, “THE DEMON”) // Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin. 2020. Issue 3 (209). P. 7-13

Introduction. The author investigates the novel “The Demon” by Nikolai Filippovich Pavlov, whose name is little known to a wide range of modern readers. The purpose of the article is to analyze the main motives and images of the story about “the poor official”, which is based on one of the main subjects of Russian literature of the XIX century. Material and methods. The material of the study was the work included in the collection “New stories”, published in 1839. A comprehensive analysis of the text using cultural-historical and comparative-historical methods is undertaken. Results and discussion. The main techniques used by Pavlov to create motives and images are antithesis and contrast. In the system of characters of the story the central place is occupied by the image of St. Petersburg. “The giant of the North”, combining good and evil, appears as an independent character with a contradictory fantastic force that suppresses the will, changes the minds and destinies of people. Such a city is close to Dostoevsky’s Petersburg, who called it “the most fantastic” and “intentional”. The main character is an elderly, poor official, whose image is close to the characters of Dostoevsky (Makar Devushkin) and Gogol (Akaky Akakievich). Marrying a young beauty only increases dissatisfaction with life. The order of St. Anne, which the character dreams of, becomes a symbol of happiness and success. For the sake of this, he goes to a step contrary to morality and common sense-skillfully offers his wife as a lover to his boss. This idea comes to him as a “diabolical obsession” sent by St. Petersburg. A similar development of the storyline “official-wife” occurs in the story of A. P. Chekhov “Anna on the neck”. Similar are the reasons for the marriage of women, the ways chosen by their husbands to improve their situation, as well as the result of family and human relations of characters. Conclusion. In the disclosure of the theme of “the little man” Pavlov was the successor of the traditions of A. S. Pushkin and the predecessor of Gogol, Dostoevsky, Chekhov. The novel “The Demon” was a confirmation of the judgment that the works of writers “not the first magnitude” should not be forgotten.

Keywords: romantic story, image, “little man”, St. Petersburg, plot, motive

N. F. PAVLOV’S NOVEL “SCIMITAR” IN THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT // Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin. 2021. Issue 6 (218). P. 112-120

Introduction. The author seems it relevant to appeal to the works of Nikolai Filippovich Pavlov, who left a significant impact on the Russian literature of the first half of the XIX century. He, being one of the first, raised the topic of social injustice and inhumanity of public orders. Though, the readers and critics of the 30s of the XIX century highly appreciated Pavlov’s works, the name of the author of the collections “Three Stories” and “New Stories” had become already among the “forgotten” by the end of the century. The scientists of Romanticism still mention N. Pavlov as a writer whose works were of a transitional nature and note his “movement” from romanticism to realism. Aim and objectives. The aim of the article is to analyze the ideological and thematic originality of Pavlov’s story “Scimitar” from the point of view of reflecting the social and cultural realities of Russia of the first third of the XIX century. Material and methods. The author examines Pavlov’s novel “Scimitar” included in the first collection of prose “Three Stories”, which became a triumph in the social and literary life of Russia of the 1830s. The author uses biographical, historical, cultural and comparative methods of research. Results and discussion. In the story “Scimitar” the author creates a true picture of the social relations and mores of the Russian society of the first third of the XIX century: he presents the social hierarchy, a special attitude to the military men and service, and the dueling tradition. The dramatic circumstances in which the main character finds himself reflect the moral and social problem of injustice, army brutality, escalating during the reign of Nicholas I. At the beginning of the story, the main character, undertaking the first steps in life, is full of enthusiasm for the future romantic dreams, which the reality subsequently cruelly destroys. The motif of doom refers to the image of the scimitar. The “bad” omen coming from folk mythology becomes prophetic, while the mother’s gift symbolically results in the hero’s death. Conclusion. In the romantic novel “Scimitar”, Pavlov artistically describes social relations and cultural traditions of the Russia of the first half of the XIX century. The themes of corporal punishment and social injustice in the army, which were topical for the 1830s, are reflected in the realistic literature of the early twentieth century.

Keywords: romantic novel, a seqular novel, theme, conflict, social problems