Article

Name: The poetics of wedding plot in the literary works of N. Gogol: failed wedding

Authors: Maria Yu. Zhavoronkova

Kemerovo State University, Kemerovo, Russian Federation

In the section Study of literature

Abstract: The paper is devoted to the poetics of the wedding plot with the failed main ritual event in the works of N. V. Gogol. This invariant of the archetype of the «sacred marriage» is found in folklore, defining the poetics of a number of lyrical and lyrical-epic genres such as song, folk ballad, legend. With Romanticism being focused on folklore, a number of fantastic plots developed their poetics. The ballads of V. A. Zhukovsky «Ludmila» (the translation of the ballad of Bürger «Lenora ») and «Svetlana» were one of the first experiences of romantic assimilation of the motif of the dead groom’s return to the bride to be used by Russian poets in 1820s – 1830s. The ballad tradition with a distinctive motif of rivalry, death of the groom, afterlife faithfulness of the groom to the bride, triumph of destiny was actualized in the works of Lermontov («Love of the dead», «Demon»). In the works of Gogol, the motifs of the failed marriage are in contrast to the romantic tradition and dramatic development of the events. In the early unfinished novel of Gogol «Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and his aunt», an ironic version is planned, with the romantic content of the marriage plot subjected to travesty. The immersion in the people’s everyday life gives rise to the motif of the hero’s disagreement with the ritual status of the groom. Shponka is afraid of the very possibility of marriage, distinguishing him from the heroes-grooms of the other novels of «Evenings ...» where there is a complete agreement with the ritual role. Shponka’s disagreement with the status of the groom is emphasized by the contrast with the strong-willed and active aunt Vasilisa Kashporovna who wants to marry her nephew. Ivan Fedorovich being afraid of the wedding and the wife destroys the possibility of further development of wedding rite. The plot scheme, typical of the romantic tradition, is rethought in the comic light. The characters do not want the wedding, but the circumstances are forcing them. The ironic version is developed in the comedy «Marriage», where the failure of the wedding is associated with the duplication of the ritual roles and the rivalry between the two matchmakers – Fyokla Ivanovna and Kochkarev. In later works, the social status of heroes begins to play a significant role, and the wedding becomes one of the ways of gaining the higher position in society, the direct enrichment. In «Dead souls», the uniqueness of marriage motifs is related to their entry into the world of the picaresque novel and the image of Chichikov as groom-rogues. Based on the observations, a conclusion is made about the development of interest in this plot in the works of Gogol, about the different genre forms of the embodiment of its content. A comparison with the romantic tradition reveals the features of the poetics of the author which have not been noted before.

Keywords: Gogol, wedding ceremony, the failed wedding, plot, poetics

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