UDC 821.161.1
DOI: 10.36871/hon.202301103
Authors
Olga M. Kirillina,
Russian State Specialized Academy of Arts, Moscow, 121165, Russian Federation
Abstract
Both Tolstoy's and Platonov's worldview and creative manner have much in common: a very personal perception of existential issues, up to despair and thoughts of suicide, the scale of the problems they are interested in, the severity of their verdicts on their heroes, the rejection of creativity in the name of practical activity. One of the central themes in their work is death, man's overcoming of the laws of nature. For Tolstoy, this topic relates to reflections on the problems of the higher strata of society: the subconscious fears, the feeling of meaninglessness of their existence as the price to pay for their way of life. For Platonov, death is the highest injustice, the greediest bourgeois, depriving people of the main thing — the person they love. Both are characterized by utopian thinking. Despite significant differences in ideas about an ideal future for humanity, they were united by the belief that people can eventually overcome the dictates of death. Their dreams seem fantastic, but they did not give up on them, because they believed in man, in his potential, in his innermost purity and selflessness. An indirect but intense dialogue took place between them, opening up new facets in their work.
Keywords
creative dialogue, image of conformist, suicide as a finale, theme of education, struggle with nature, overcoming death
