The infernal in A.N. Ostrovsky's art world: The “Unknown” and others

http://dx.doi.org/10.20339/PhS.4-16.056

Kapustin Nikolay V.,

Doctor of Philology, Professor, Russian Literature and Cultural Studies Department

Ivanovo State University

E-mail: nkapustin@mail.ru

The article deals with the «infernal» in A.N. Ostrovsky's works. The image of the “Unknown“ is analyzed. The image of the “Unknown“ appears first in Ostrovsky's play “Ne soshlis' kharakterami” (“They Could not Get on”) and then is developed in the play “Puchina” (“The Deep”).

Compared to other infernal characters by Ostrovsky it turns out that the “Unknown“ has his own, special place. If Vikhorev in the play “Ne v svoi sani ne sadis'” (“Stay in Your Own Sled”) or Lukyan Lukyanych Chebakov in the play “Zhenit'ba Bal'zaminova” (“Balzaminov's Marriage”) are people with infernal features, yet the “Unknown” is a devil with a human face.

Keywords: infernal, Ostrovsky, the “Unknown“, “Puchina” (“The Deep”), literary criticism.

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