Title of the article:

“ANGELIC CHRONICLES” BY VLADIMIR VOLKOFF: TEXT-GAME AS A WAY OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

Author(s):

Olga P. Plakhtienko

Natalya N. Bedina

Nadezhda S. Elokhina

Information about the author/authors

Olga P. Plakhtienko — PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Lomonosov Northern (Arctic) Federal University, Severnaya Dvina Emb. 17, 163002 Arkhangelsk, Russia. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8493-8167. E-mail: plahtienkoolya@yandex.ru

Natalya N. Bedina — PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Lomonosov Northern (Arctic) Federal University, Severnaya Dvina Emb. 17, 163002 Arkhangelsk, Russia. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1613-4164. E-mail: bedina-nat@yandex.ru

Nadezhda S. Elokhina — Master of Philology, Teacher of Russian language and literature, Intermediate school № 36, Arkhangelsk, Smolny Buyan St. 18, building 2, 163002 Arkhangelsk, Russia. E-mail: n.s.elohina@yandex.ru

Section

Philological sciences

Year

2020

Volume

Vol. 56

Pages

pp. 156–169

Received

November 26, 2019

Date of publication

June 28, 2020

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37816/2073-9567-2020-56-156-169

Index UDK

821.161.1

Index BBK

833 (2 Рос=Рус)75

Abstract

Vladimir N. Volkoff (1932–2005) was a French writer of Russian origin, whose works have not gained wide popularity in Russia yet. Currently, only the “Angelic Chronicles” (1997), one of the most unusual European literature works of the late twentieth century, has been translated into Russian. In his novellas V. Volkov implements a literary strategy of defamiliarization. He withdraws the well-known world and sacred history events from our usual perception and shows them from an unexpected point of view — the point of angels` view. The game nature of the text reveals its affinity to the European Baroque aesthetics. There the play of images, plots and meanings, as artist's creative thought manifestation, becomes a way of knowing the world as a meaningful whole. Unexpected crossing of space and time strata (biblical past, paintings of modern life and end of all history) in “Angelic Chronicles” indicates not only freedom of combinative game, typical of modern neo-Baroque attitude, but also universal foundations of being, linking these strata together. Epistemological issue of the possibilities and limits of human knowledge of God`s mystery acts as a semantic core of the “Angelic Chronicles”. Across first ten novellas the author seems to play out situations in which exclusively human point of view, human (created) rational and emotional-sensual cognition are implemented. Dogmatic questions are superimposed on cultural and historical experience comprehensible to reader and are interpreted from the standpoint of inherent human moral sense and rational logic. Paradox and open finales of these novellas highlight limitations of the human cognitive ability, giving rise to doubts. The last two novellas go beyond complete and perfect number 10 (which refers to the medieval tradition of Dante and Boccaccio). They take the reader beyond the earthly, mortal consciousness, offering a different point of view — the acceptance of divine world`s Beauty and of unconceivable and merciful will of Creator.

Keywords

Vladimir N. Volkov, “Angelic Chronicles”, game modus, neo-Baroque, intertext, dogmatic theology.

References

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