The Image of the Land and Its Functions in Tolstoy’s Novel Resurrection

The paper argues that Leo Tolstoy uses the national disaster paradigm represented in the epic novel War and Peace to depict the relatively peaceful time in his novel Resurrection as he raises the question of the growing crisis in Russia and the problem of the survival of Russian people. One of the c...

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Main Author: Valeria G. Andreeva
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences 2020-09-01
Series:Studia Litterarum
Subjects:
Online Access:http://studlit.ru/images/2020-5-3/Andreeva.pdf
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author Valeria G. Andreeva
author_facet Valeria G. Andreeva
author_sort Valeria G. Andreeva
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description The paper argues that Leo Tolstoy uses the national disaster paradigm represented in the epic novel War and Peace to depict the relatively peaceful time in his novel Resurrection as he raises the question of the growing crisis in Russia and the problem of the survival of Russian people. One of the central images of this latter novel is the image of the land. Its function is to support a system of Tolstoy’s antitheses that in his late period, aimed not only to rebuke the existing order but also to create a large-scale image of national unity. The image of the land in Resurrection ties together thematic and ideological strata of the novel that manifest its epic features. I argue that although Tolstoy abandoned his initial intention to make the acute social and political landrelated issue the center of his work, the motif nevertheless remains relevant. The image of the land is ciphered in the description of the severity of prisoners’ life and Nekhlyudov’s attempts to help the prisoners. Moreover, it is closely connected with all spheres of Russian life, it is a marker of Nekhlyudov’s spiritual growth that allows not only place the character’s “resurrection” within specific realities of historical time, but also presents it in the traditions of Christian anthropology. The image of the land allots the novel with trans-historical meaning and contributes to the implementation of the religious consciousness in Tolstoy’s work.
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spelling doaj.art-2ec30050e05b44038eda5cb811e04d492022-12-22T01:56:42ZengA.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of SciencesStudia Litterarum2500-42472541-85642020-09-0153236251https://doi.org/10.22455/2500-4247-2020-5-3-236-251The Image of the Land and Its Functions in Tolstoy’s Novel ResurrectionValeria G. Andreeva0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4558-3153A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of SciencesThe paper argues that Leo Tolstoy uses the national disaster paradigm represented in the epic novel War and Peace to depict the relatively peaceful time in his novel Resurrection as he raises the question of the growing crisis in Russia and the problem of the survival of Russian people. One of the central images of this latter novel is the image of the land. Its function is to support a system of Tolstoy’s antitheses that in his late period, aimed not only to rebuke the existing order but also to create a large-scale image of national unity. The image of the land in Resurrection ties together thematic and ideological strata of the novel that manifest its epic features. I argue that although Tolstoy abandoned his initial intention to make the acute social and political landrelated issue the center of his work, the motif nevertheless remains relevant. The image of the land is ciphered in the description of the severity of prisoners’ life and Nekhlyudov’s attempts to help the prisoners. Moreover, it is closely connected with all spheres of Russian life, it is a marker of Nekhlyudov’s spiritual growth that allows not only place the character’s “resurrection” within specific realities of historical time, but also presents it in the traditions of Christian anthropology. The image of the land allots the novel with trans-historical meaning and contributes to the implementation of the religious consciousness in Tolstoy’s work.http://studlit.ru/images/2020-5-3/Andreeva.pdftolstoyepic novelepicimage of the earthland questionstatestages of spiritual growthchristian anthropology.
spellingShingle Valeria G. Andreeva
The Image of the Land and Its Functions in Tolstoy’s Novel Resurrection
Studia Litterarum
tolstoy
epic novel
epic
image of the earth
land question
state
stages of spiritual growth
christian anthropology.
title The Image of the Land and Its Functions in Tolstoy’s Novel Resurrection
title_full The Image of the Land and Its Functions in Tolstoy’s Novel Resurrection
title_fullStr The Image of the Land and Its Functions in Tolstoy’s Novel Resurrection
title_full_unstemmed The Image of the Land and Its Functions in Tolstoy’s Novel Resurrection
title_short The Image of the Land and Its Functions in Tolstoy’s Novel Resurrection
title_sort image of the land and its functions in tolstoy s novel resurrection
topic tolstoy
epic novel
epic
image of the earth
land question
state
stages of spiritual growth
christian anthropology.
url http://studlit.ru/images/2020-5-3/Andreeva.pdf
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