The theme of Palestine in the creative dialogue of V. A. Zhukovsky and A. N. Muravyov

In the section Study of literature
The theme of Palestine in the creative dialogue of V. A. Zhukovsky and A. N. Muravyov
Авторы (текстом)
I. A. Ayzikova
Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russian Federation
Ключевые слова
the theme of Palestine, V. A. Zhukovsky, A. N. Muravyov, creative dialogue
Abstract

The paper presents the first attempt to study the creative dialogue of V. A. Zhukovsky and
A. N. Muravyov on the subject of Palestine. The study clarifies the peculiarities of the poetics and genre-stylistic system of creativity of both writers, their spiritual, religious and aesthetic
searches due to the originality of individual worldview and the general atmosphere of the era. The
author reveals an unknown chapter in the history of cultural contacts of Palestine and Russia
in the 19th century. The dialogue begins with the enthusiastic response of Zhukovsky to the tragedy
of Muravyov «The Battle of Tiberias, or the fall of the crusaders in Palestine» (1827).
Zhukovsky was also immersed in a chivalry theme. Like Muravyov, he unites the image of the
knight with the mythologeme of fate. However, unlike Muravyov, Zhukovsky increasingly focuses
not so much on religious as on philosophical interpretation of chivalry. The paper also considers
the interpretations of the Palestine theme in prose and lyric-epic works of Zhukovsky of 1800–
1840s and spiritual prose of Muravyov of 1830–1840s The typological nature of their convergence
and divergence in the area of meaningful reception of the theme and search for forms
of interaction between religious and artistic principles in its implementation is stated. The meaning
of the works of Zhukovsky is concentrated around the question of freedom of moral choice of
the first inhabitants of the Promised Land, painted with educational author’s intentions. Whereas
Muravyov focuses on superpersonal reality – the «great destiny» of Palestine and Jerusalem.
In this regard, the emphasis is placed on the position of the author-narrator in the writings
of Muravyov – position of «humble Christian». At the same time, attention is drawn to the fact
that Muravyov combines in his works the image of mental and spiritual religious life of the
author-narrator, taking place in the situation of execution of a vow to the Lord in Holy places, and
historical-cultural, ethnographic, geographic and socio-political material. Paying tribute to, like
Muravyov, the interest in ethnography, culture, history of Palestine in the early translations
of «Journey to Jerusalem» by R. Chateaubriand, Zhukovsky is to show interest in the sociopolitical
aspect of the Palestine theme, largely literally echoing the pathos of Muravyov. It is to be
reflected in religious-philosophical prose, correspondence of Zhukovsky in the 1840s and the socalled
Jerusalem project. The poem «Wandering Jew», the central image of which along with
Ahasver is Jerusalem, located in the centre of the spiritual Muravyov’s prose of 1830–1840s, will
present the version of the synthesis of religious and artistic principles in the understanding of the
Palestine theme, its substantive nature and forms of its embodiment.

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Bibliographic reference
I. A. Ayzikova The theme of Palestine in the creative dialogue of V. A. Zhukovsky and A. N. Muravyov // Сибирский филологический журнал. 2018. № 2. Pp. 67–78. DOI: 10.17223/18137083/63/6.