Ships in Russian Literature: Folklore Aesthetics

Abstract

The paper studies a genesis of the ship image in the Russian literature and folklore, an idea of “other kingdom” in the Russian literature poetics of the 19-20 centuries. An emphasis is put on the issues related to the metaphor of a ship, a boat in the artistic world of Lermontov, Turgenev, Dostoevsky and in the poetry of the early 20th century. A paradigm “the Moon – boat” is studied in detail.
The image of a boat, which regularly appears in Russian literature, various word-painters’ art works, is associated with semantics of funeral ceremonial boat typical for different folk genres. Addressing to riddles about death, to Russian epic tradition, to plots dedicated to Razin demonstrates complexity and significance of the symbol of a boat/ferry/ship for the national culture. This symbol encapsulates the supreme idea of death as cosmic regeneration, character’s initiation, which appeared highly sought by Russian literature, both realistic prose and avantgarde and modernism poetry.