The Siberian text of Russian literature in the assessment of Chinese critics

Shi Fuyui PhD in Philology Senior Lecturer, Institute of Russian Language, Dalian University of Foreign Languages 116000, China, Liaoning Province, Dalian, Liushunxi str., 6 sfy1989@foxmail.com Other publications by this author

Li Syaoge ORCID: 0000-0003-3002-6968 PhD in Philology Senior Lecturer, Department of Russian Language, Inner Mongolia Normal University 010000, China, Inner Mongolia, Hohhot, Zhaowuda str., 81 lixiaoge89@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction

The image of Siberia appeared in Russian literature more than three hundred years ago. The "Siberian Text" has been formed as a local text of Russian literature since the XVII century. Both geographically and nationally, Siberia is an entity that cannot be ignored. The problems of the correlation of culture and space, their interaction are extremely relevant both in the field of scientific research of various humanitarian disciplines (cultural studies, political science, history, philology, psychology, etc.), and in the field of direct practical human activity – be it the protection of cultural and natural heritage, foreign and domestic policy of states, international relations, social-economic development of various regions and countries ^{[1, p. 10]}. In connection with the further strengthening of Sino-Russian cooperation in the field of economic and cultural exchange, the understanding of the culture of Siberia is becoming especially timely, this is why the relevance of this work is due to the need to identify the cultural connotations of the "Siberian text", which are especially important for intercultural communication.

The study of the specifics of the "Siberian text" of Russian literature in Chinese criticism has great theoretical and practical significance. The theoretical significance of the research lies in the fact that it contributes to the general methodological and applied potential of studying the problems of interaction between culture and space, the practical significance lies in the possibility of using the results obtained in the educational process at universities.

In the course of the study , the following tasks were solved: Russian Russian literature: 1) to describe and systematize the various points of view of Chinese researchers on the "Siberian text" in Russian literature; 2) to characterize the symbolic field of the classical image of Siberia as the land of the dead, the original paradise, the space of the initiation rite; 3) to identify the dynamics of changes in the image of Siberia in the works of Russian writers of the XX century.

The theoretical basis of the research was the works devoted to the general issues of studying the geographical image (Zamyatin 2006), the mythologeme of Siberia (Tyupa 2002), the image of Siberia in the Russian literature of the XVII–XX century (Li Kun 2016; Li Chunyu 2022; Song Yuzhu 2019; Xu Le 2019; Zhang Shuming 2020), as well as an in-depth analysis of the Siberian images in the works of a certain author or group of authors (Liu Qiqi 2020; Sun Ting 2019; Xu Le 2019; Zhang Shuming 2016, 2018).

The image of Siberia in Russian literature in the Chinese academic environment

Being a regional literary creation with a unique aesthetic style, the "Siberian text" has a long history and constitutes a rich cultural heritage. Writers of different periods and schools created the geographical image of Siberia in different ways, arising from the interaction of geographical space and culture. The regional specificity of Siberia is determined by its natural, historical, ethnic, socio-economic and other characteristics. Chinese critic Zhang Shuming analyzed the works of Russian writers of the XVII–XIX centuries, proceeding from the logic of historical and cultural development, characterized the image of Siberia as the land of the dead, as the original paradise and as the space of the initiation rite ^{[11, pp. 20-21]}.

The image of the land of the dead is connected with the geography of Siberia and the peculiarities of social policy: located in Asia, with harsh natural conditions, it is considered as a colony and a real place to punish criminals. The chronotopic image of Siberia in Russian classical literature represents it as a country of cold – winter – night (moon), that is, death in the mythological sense. At the same time, Siberia is a country of desolate and boundless (a symbol of cosmic eternity) space ^{[2, p. 28]}. This is described in the works of K. F. Ryleev "The Death of Ermak" (1822); N. A. Nekrasov "Russian Women" (1826); "The Life of Archpriest Avvakum, written by himself" (XVII century); A. N. Radishchev "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" (1790); J. Kennan "Siberia and Exile" (1906), etc.

Contrary to the image of the land of death, Siberia is also associated with utopian ideas, being described in Russian literature as a primitive paradise ^{[11, p. 23]}. In M. V. Lomonosov's ode "On the day of the accession to the All-Russian throne of Her Majesty Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, 1747," Siberia appears to be a rich place full of gold, a wide variety of animals, endless forests and deep rivers. Researcher E. F. Gudkova called Siberia "belovodye" in the work "Nedorosl" by D. I. Fonvizin. The Petrashevites considered Siberia as a country of hope for the future of Russia due to the absence of serfdom and landlords on its territory.

The unique combination and interaction of geopolitical, cultural, historical and natural factors has led to the mythologization of Siberia as a region of liminal half-death, which opens up the problematic possibility of personal rebirth in a new quality and a corresponding renewal of life ^{[2, p. 28]}.

The interpretation of Siberia as the space of the initiation rite can be divided into two stages. First, Siberia is a place where the soul of an exiled person is resurrected to complete a spiritual initiation rite. However, by the end of the 19th century, Siberia turned into a place where the soul of a person who voluntarily went to complete a spiritual initiation rite is resurrected ^{[11, p. 24]}. This function of Siberia is embodied in L. N. Tolstoy's novel "Resurrection", in F. M. Dostoevsky's works "The Brothers Karamazov" and "Crime and Punishment".

Zhang Shuming and Li Kun paid special attention to the story of V. P. Astafyev "Theft". The author describes the life of ordinary people experiencing hunger, poverty and hopelessness. In the story "Theft", the image of Siberia is embodied in the form of a small town called Kraesvetsk, that is, "the edge of the world", which contains the semantics of the typical remoteness of the northern space and isolation from the big world ^{[9, p. 27]}. The essence of Astafiev's creativity is the rebirth and resurrection of man ^{[10, p. 186]}.

Chinese researcher Xu Le in his works focused on two images of Siberia – the land of death and the holy land of resurrection. The rebirth in the land of death of Siberia, in order to heal the collective trauma of the nation, should take place under the sacred banner of the Orthodox Church. This belief is hidden in the Siberian works of classical Russian writers such as Leskov, Korolenko, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, and their main characters will perform a spiritual resurrection from this land of death and gain the power to save the world ^{[7, p. 168]}.

Further, Xu Le wrote a work devoted to A. P. Chekhov's essays "From Siberia", which demonstrate the broad consensus reached by the Russian scientific and literary communities and the tsarist government at the end of the XIX century regarding the geographical conquest and cultural absorption of Siberia. Russian Russian classics presented this unity in an artistic form with the intention to encourage the Russian nation to change its character and realize its "Divine mission" to lead the world ^{[8, p. 37]}.

In addition, Xu Le focused on the style of Siberian writers after the October Revolution, which was very different from the decadence and idealism that prevailed at that time in the central regions of Russia. The harsh natural environment and social contradictions forced Siberian writers to develop a steady, bold, innovative, healthy, bright and energetic literary interest ^{[6, p. 6]}. Using the example of V. V. Ivanov's play "Armored Train 14-69", Xu Le showed the national and worldwide significance of the "Siberian text". On the one hand, this play inherits the national tradition of Russian literature and demonstrates the justice of the people's revolution. On the other hand, it shows the world significance of the Soviet revolution for Siberia with the help of an extensive epic painting, providing a living artistic proof of the socialist movement throughout the world in the XX century ^{[6, p. 5]}.

Chinese critic Song Yuzhu investigated the ideological dynamics of state administrative policy in Siberia, hidden behind the symbols of the "Siberian text", in three dimensions: cultural-historical, religious and in the aspect of environmental ethics ^{[5, p. 151]}.

The objective attractiveness of rich resources and the subjective desire of the tsar to seize them made the Siberian lands east of the Ural Mountains a great value for Russia and turned this region into a strategically important goal. During the development of Siberia, historical facts and personalities – the conqueror of Siberia Ermak Timofeevich and the process of colonization itself – were mythologized (for example, in the works of K. F. Ryleev "The Death of Ermak" (1822); I. I. Dmitriev "Ermak" (1794); P. P. Bazhov "Ermakov's Swans" (1940), etc.) The concept of cultural symbiosis came into conflict with the expansionist nature of imperial thought, the state sought to create an ideal cultural image with a colonial characteristic ^{[5, p. 151]}.

The writers focused on the description of hard labor and suffering experienced by people in exile, and turned them into a religious experience of ascension to the Kingdom of heaven and renewal of faith, and also built the logic of "hard labor – resurrection" ^{[5, p. 152]} (for example, in the works of A. S. Pushkin "In the depths of Siberian ores" (1827); V. V. Yerofeyev's "Moscow-Petushki" (1970); "The Life of Archpriest Avvakum, written by himself"; F. M. Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" (1866) and "Notes from the Dead House" (1861); G. Sh. Yakhina's "Zuleikha opens her eyes", (2014), etc.).

The village prose, which originated in the 1950s, is a unique phenomenon in Russian literature. The writers experienced the pain of "paradise lost", remembering their native village and striving for their spiritual homeland; they extolled nature, reflected on human nature, discussed issues of morality and environmental ethics ^{[5, p. 168]}. In the conditions of constant destruction of villages and villages, the appearance of industrial ruins, the main topic of discussion was what kind of survival status the Russian nation will retain in Siberia ^{[5, p. 152]}. Representative works are "The Usual Thing" (V. I. Belov, 1966), "Brothers and Sisters" (F. A. Abramov, 1958), "The Last Bow" (V. P. Astafyev, 1957-1992), "Tsar Fish" (V. P. Astafyev, 1972-1975), "Kalina Krasnaya" (V. M. Shukshin, 1973), "Characters" (V. M. Shukshin, 1973), "Conversations under a clear moon" (V. M. Shukshin, 1974), "From the life of Fyodor Kuzkin" (B. A. Mozhaev, 1966), "Men and women" (B. A. Mozhaev, 1977), "The Usvyat helmet-bearers" (E. I. Nosov, 1977), "The Last Term" (V. G. Rasputin, 1970), "Farewell to Mater" (V. G. Rasputin, 1976), etc.

Changes in the image of Siberia in the works of Russian writers of the XX century in the assessment of Chinese writers

According to D. N. Zamyatin, the geographical image, as a dynamically developing system, can describe the real space and reflect the gradual characteristics and unique forms of society. However, due to changes in the social and cultural context and living conditions of people, the geographical image itself and the combination of various geographical images often change ^{[1, p. 180]}.

Chinese critic Li Chunyu analyzed the evolution of the image of Siberia based on the works of a group of writers of the second half of the XX century. Since the second half of the XX century, the image of Siberia as a whole has undergone changes from a "poetic homeland" to a "flood zone", in addition, in the creative concepts of writers of different periods there is a transition from "mythologism" to "neorealism" ^{[3, p. 139]}.

Siberian representatives of "village prose", such as V. G. Rasputin, V. P. Astafyev, V. M. Shukshin, and neo-realist writers, such as R. V. Senchin, are filled with a sense of responsibility to their native land and awareness of their high mission. In their opinion, Siberia is no longer the land of the dead, the original paradise and the space of the initiation rite (as it was perceived by classical writers), but becomes the basis of national survival and development. Russian Russian culture is an eternal home that nourishes Russian civilization and carries Russian traditional culture and values.

Liu Qiqi analyzed the image of Siberia based on the novel by G. Sh . Yakhina's "Zuleikha opens her eyes" (2014), in which Siberia is a natural space rich in resources, forests and exotic animals; it is a place of exile where "special immigrants" are doomed to hard labor, and it is also a place where the heroine Zuleikha awakens her consciousness ^{[4, p. 87]}.

Conclusion

In the history of the development of Russian literature, the image of Siberia has been one of the important themes in the works of many famous writers. In the works of the classics of the XIX century, Siberia is a country full of exotic customs, a land of exile and a space of death. At the same time, against this background, the main characters can get out of the crisis, regain faith and finally achieve salvation of the soul and resurrection of the spirit. Russian Russian writers such as V. G. Rasputin, V. P. Astafyev, V. M. Shukshin, D. S. Zakharov, A. A. Antipin, R. V. Senchin, Siberia has become the birthplace of dreams, the basis for the survival and development of the Russian nation and an eternal home that carries the Russian spirit and culture.

The Siberian Text shows the tradition of deep understanding of human nature by Russian literature, and also reflects the humanistic turn of the state will. Being a soft power of national culture, Russian literature contributes to the strengthening of Russia's influence throughout the world.

This article provides only a general overview of the research of modern Chinese scientists devoted to the "Siberian text"; these studies in China are at an initial stage and can be continued. Russian Russian scholars would find it interesting to study the formation and development of the "Siberian text" of Russian literature, to examine the images of the Siberian city and their paradigms in the works of various genres, as well as to study the originality of the image of the Siberian city in the works of Russian writers.