I.SHMELYOV’S POETIC NOVEL “THE SUMMER OF THE LORD” AS AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX HOLIDAYS
Rubrics: ARTICLES
Authors:
1.
Municipal Budget Institution “TV Nizhnevartovskogo rayona” (Nizhnevartovsk District Television)
Type:
Article
Pages:
from 71
to 76
Status:
Published
Received:
06.12.2014
Accepted:
15.12.2014
Published:
25.12.2014
Subject area:
UDC 82.091
Language:
Russian
Keywords:
pravoslavie, prazdniki, detstvo, kolorit patriarhal'noy Rusi
Abstract (English):
Ivan Shmelyov is a firmly religious, truly Orthodox writer. The writer’s religiosity was can be attributed to three main reasons. First, he was brought up in a patriarchal family in the spirit of the Orthodox traditions. Second, he married a religious woman. And third, he had a pure Orthodox attitude towards the excesses of the revolutionary period and the death of his only son Sergei. This article analyses Shmelyov’s prose poem “The Summer of the Lord” and the way Russian Orthodox holidays and related traditions are reflected in the poem. The overall purpose of the analysis is to prove that Shmelyov’s novel can be interpreted and used as an encyclopedia of Orthodox holidays. This literary work, being the quintessence of Shmelyov’s creativity, is based on the writer’s childhood experience of the Russian patriarchal society. Using his childhood experience, the author shows the beauty of Russian Orthodoxy, its value for a particular family and for society as a whole. The chapters of “The Summer of the Lord” - “Holidays”, “Joys”, “Sorrows” are organized within the annual circle and church calendar. Using the stories from his childhood, Shmelyov tells the reader how this calendar defines the entire family life reflected in three major aspects, such as the house, the church, and Moscow. At first glance, the chapters of “Holidays” and “Joys” repeat each other, as they tell about Christmas and Lent. However, the “Joys” are much more “personal”, autobiographical. The former chapter deals with national holidays, the latter tells the reader about family events and about the inner world of a little boy, about his thoughts, feelings, experiences, relationships, especially about the relationship with his father who becomes the protagonist of the novel. That’s why the writer devoted two chapters to the father’s life, such as “Nameday”, a chapter about father’s holiday, and “Sorrows”, a chapter about his illness, death, and funeral. Using biographical, cultural, historical, and hermeneutical methods and elements of the system analysis, the author of this study argues that Shmelyov’s novel describing a range of religious holidays in detail may be used as an encyclopedia of Orthodox holidays for teaching the course of “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” in schools.
Ivan Shmelyov is a firmly religious, truly Orthodox writer. The writer’s religiosity was can be attributed to three main reasons. First, he was brought up in a patriarchal family in the spirit of the Orthodox traditions. Second, he married a religious woman. And third, he had a pure Orthodox attitude towards the excesses of the revolutionary period and the death of his only son Sergei. This article analyses Shmelyov’s prose poem “The Summer of the Lord” and the way Russian Orthodox holidays and related traditions are reflected in the poem. The overall purpose of the analysis is to prove that Shmelyov’s novel can be interpreted and used as an encyclopedia of Orthodox holidays. This literary work, being the quintessence of Shmelyov’s creativity, is based on the writer’s childhood experience of the Russian patriarchal society. Using his childhood experience, the author shows the beauty of Russian Orthodoxy, its value for a particular family and for society as a whole. The chapters of “The Summer of the Lord” - “Holidays”, “Joys”, “Sorrows” are organized within the annual circle and church calendar. Using the stories from his childhood, Shmelyov tells the reader how this calendar defines the entire family life reflected in three major aspects, such as the house, the church, and Moscow. At first glance, the chapters of “Holidays” and “Joys” repeat each other, as they tell about Christmas and Lent. However, the “Joys” are much more “personal”, autobiographical. The former chapter deals with national holidays, the latter tells the reader about family events and about the inner world of a little boy, about his thoughts, feelings, experiences, relationships, especially about the relationship with his father who becomes the protagonist of the novel. That’s why the writer devoted two chapters to the father’s life, such as “Nameday”, a chapter about father’s holiday, and “Sorrows”, a chapter about his illness, death, and funeral. Using biographical, cultural, historical, and hermeneutical methods and elements of the system analysis, the author of this study argues that Shmelyov’s novel describing a range of religious holidays in detail may be used as an encyclopedia of Orthodox holidays for teaching the course of “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” in schools.
Keywords:
pravoslavie, prazdniki, detstvo, kolorit patriarhal'noy Rusi
pravoslavie, prazdniki, detstvo, kolorit patriarhal'noy Rusi
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3. Lyubomudrov A.M. Duhovnyy realizm v literature Russkogo zarubezh'ya: B.K.Zaycev, I.S.Shmelev. SPb., 2003.
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5. Shmelev I.S. Leto Gospodne. M., 1991. T. 2.
