Zhai L.

The function of Manchurian (Chinese) characters in L. P. Volkov’s landscape lyrics. Pp. 109–118.

UDC 821.161.1-1.09«18»

DOI 10.37724/RSU.2024.84.3.013

 

Abstract. The relevance of the study lies in special significance of modern conditions to intercultural interaction, the need to develop and deepen mutual understanding between the peoples of two neighboring countries, Russia and China. The realization of the commonality of historical destinies of the states located in this geopolitical and socio-cultural space, as well as the closeness of value perceptions of the peoples inhabiting the areas, has happened over a long time in different spheres of humanitarian activity, including literary fiction. The material for the study was the lyrics of one of the most significant Far Eastern poets of the late 19th century, L. P. Volkov (1870–1900), considered in the aspect of the reflection of the author’s perception of the Manchureans (Chinese). The purpose of the research is to reconstruct the worldview of the lyrical hero, which allows us to get a more comprehensive view of the author’s attitude to the representatives of the ethnos living on the opposite bank of the Amur River. The scientific novelty of the work consists in establishing the functions of the images of Chinese people in the poetic system of Volkov’s landscape lyrics. As a result of the conducted research, we arrived at the following conclusions. The landscape sketches in which Chinese characters fall into the author’s field of vision are elegiac in nature, which characterizes not only the formal aesthetic preferences of the author, but also his worldview. In the elegiac picture of the world created by this poet, the Manchurians are a natural and organic part not only of the Amur River natural landscape, but also of the whole universe — the unified Cosmos. Recreating the realities of the described area and the national coloring of the inhabitants of the right-hand bank of the Amur, the author shows respect for the Chinamen engaged in hard peaceful work. In the artistic world of Volkov’s lyrics, the Amur is a border that divides, but at the same time connects and links Russians and Manchurians, Russia and China. The practical significance of the present article lies in the possibility of using its results and conclusions in further study of the history of intercultural contacts between Russia and China, in special courses devoted to the history of literary life of the Far East, and in further study of L. P. Volkov’s works.

 

Keywords: lyrics, L. P. Volkov, motifs, Chinese themes, elegy.

 

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