Article

Name: The way to Siberia as an experience of liminal situation in the memoirs of the Orthodox clergy of the 17th–19th centuries

Authors: Sofya V. Melnikova

Irkutsk Regional State Universal Scientific Library, Irkutsk, Russian Federation: Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russian Federation

In the section Study of literature

Abstract: The article considers the idea of the liminal status of Siberia in the Russian cultural consciousness, which remains relevant today and affects the understanding of the essence and boundaries of the Siberian text of Russian literature. The aim is to expand the source base of this aspect of the Siberian text by referring to the Siberian spiritual literature. The paper analyzes the “Life of Archpriest Avvakum”, associated, according to V. I. Tyupa, with the beginning of the “conceptualization of Siberia as a liminal chronotope” Also, the texts of the 19th century are investigated: “Tales of the Pilgrimage” of Monk Parfeny and “Travel Notes” of Archbishop Nil (Isakovich). The significance of the liminal situation for the Siberian clergy is determined by the circumstances of its ministry: most of them were not natives of the region and had their personal experience of transition. Of importance is also a high level of self-reflection, contributing to a deep understanding of that event and its fixation in memoir-autobiographical form. The works offer two versions of depicting this situation: as a mystical experience, often reinforced by visionary practice and the motive of the miraculous, referring to the hagiographic tradition, and as a time-consuming and dialogical psycho-emotional process. Whatever the case, a holistic image of the transition to Siberia is created as an existential event, the transition purpose being interpreted as the realization of the apostolic mission or as a personal “сhristological initiation”.

Keywords: Siberian text, liminality, memoir and autobiographical prose, Orthodox clergy, Avvakum, Parthenius (Ageev), Nil (Isakovich)

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