Title of the article:

“THE HEART OF A DOG” OF M. A. BULGAKOV IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RUSSIAN CULTURE: RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECT

Author(s):

Tatiana G. Savelyeva

Information about the author/authors

Tatiana G. Savelieva — PhD in Philosophy, Siberian Federal University, pr. Svobodny 79, 660041 Krasnoyarsk, Russia. E-mail: Saveleva_tatyana@mail.ru

Section

Philological sciences

Year

2020

Volume

Vol. 55

Pages

pp. 138–145

Received

December 15, 2018

Date of publication

March 28, 2020

DOI:

10.37816/2073-9567-2020-55-138-145

Index UDK

821.161.1

Index BBK

83.3(2Рос=Рус)6

Abstract

The study demonstrates that the philosophy of the heart is immanent in Russian culture, since the tradition of addressing it has not been interrupted for centuries — from Theodosius of Pechersk and Sergius of Radonezh to V. N. Lossky and V. A. Sukhomlinsky. The paper argues that among many cultural mythologies present in the story “the Heart of a dog”, Orthodox symbolism of the heart is of major importance for the interpretation of Bulgakov's conception. The paper goes on to describe the evolution of the “heart”`s concept in the works of Russian thinkers G. S. Skovoroda, I. P. Pavlov, Archbishop Luka (Voino-Yasenetsky), and others. The author dwells on duality of this concept: as a sensory organ and as an equivalent of person`s spiritual essence, however, in general, heart is understood as a main motivating and coordinating center of a person, guiding his actions. The paper is to prove that through the concept of “heart” M. A. Bulgakov delivers a critical reflection of values of the young Soviet society. The images of Sharik/Sharikov and Professor Preobrazhensky are analyzed from the point of view of the predominance of spiritual or material motives in their actions. The study allows concluding that the writer attests to the transformation of the value criteria of humanity in the era of revolutionary upheavals and asserts the priority of the moral principle in human nature.

Keywords

philosophy of the heart, M. A. Bulgakov, “Heart of a Dog”, values, opposition.

References

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