Article

Name: Biblical discourse in the Middle Eastern prose of S. S. Kondurushkin during the 1900s and early 1910s

Authors: Oleg E. Osovskiy, Svetlana A. Dubrovskaya

Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation; National Research Mordovia State University, Saransk, Russian Federation

In the section Study of literature

Abstract:

The discourse of the Bible plays a prominent role in shaping the narrative of Russian literature in the Middle Eastern context during the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This paper focuses on the Biblical discourse being formed within the Middle Eastern prose of S. S. Kondurushkin from the 1900s to the early 1910s. It is the time spent by the writer in the Middle East that motivated him to capture the essence of daily life in the region through a series of stories published in “Russkoe Bogatstvo” magazine. The Biblical discourse acquires its own artistic specificity in the works of Kondurushkin. In his early prose, the discourse is presented indirectly, partly contextually, helping the reader “recognize” the places described, giving him a sense of the “oldness” of contemporary Middle Eastern landscapes. During the late 1900s and early 1910s, the writer’s strategic use of Biblical discourse in the stories “Moses” and “Descendants of the King of Judah” emerges as a unique artistic undertaking. Kondurushkin incorporates the narratives found in the Old and New Testament, along with the presence of the Biblical chronotope. Equally important is the choice of Biblical characters. Moses plays a central role in “Descendants of the King of Judah,” driving the plot and shaping its development. The characters in the story serve to depict the shift in narrative focus, transitioning from mythological heroism to a more emphasized account of everyday life in the distant past, all set against the backdrop of the Gospel myth.

Keywords: S. S. Kondurushkin, Biblical discourse, Middle Eastern text of Russian literature, “Syrian Tales”, “Moses”, “Descendants of the King of Judah”

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