of Ivan Turgenev: from reading to explication
The paper addresses the problem of Ivan Turgenev’s perception of the literary work of
Nathaniel Hawthorne. For the Russian writer, the turn of the 1840s and the 1850s was a time of crisis of artistic manner. During a period of intense creative reflection, the writer came
across Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter” with its blend of romantic and realistic traits of
the characters. It was the London edition (1852), its pages still bearing nail and pencil marks
revealing a sensitive perception and understanding of the romantic world of puritan Boston
and the ways of its artistic recreation. The Russian writer discovers the image of Esther and
the pictures of nature intended to reveal her character. In addition, Turgenev acquires the
author’s complex allegory embracing the images of Pearl and the letter “A.” The marks on the
pages of The Scarlet Letter trace a creative perception of the novel manifested when Turgenev
worked on “Rudin” (1856). The pages of Turgenev’s first novel provide a picture of Russian
reality, with important questions about the social and spiritual life of society being addressed.
This prioritization reflects the impact of “The Scarlet Letter”. “Rudin” echoes Hawthorne’s
novel, both in the general framing of the moral and philosophical issues and the specificity of
the main characters.
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of Ivan Turgenev: from reading to explication // Сибирский филологический журнал. 2023. № 1. Pp. 102–116. DOI: 10.17223/18137083/82/7.