Motive of the theater action in I. Vazov’s novel “Under the Yoke” and in “The House of the Dead” by F. M. Dostoevsky: comparative analysis

Abstract

The article contains a comparative analysis of the motive of theatrical action in I. Vazov’s novel “Under the Yoke” and in “The House of the Dead” by F. M. Dostoevsky. The publication points to the previously undertaken comparison of “The House of the Dead” by F. M. Dostoevsky with the works of Russian and foreign writers (Dante, Gogol, Nekrasov, Doroshevich, Solzhenitsyn, Shalamov). Comparative analysis of “The House…” by F. M. Dostoevsky with I. Vazov’s novel in the context of the motive of theatrical action is innovative, which is making it possible to reveal the peculiarities of the poetics of both writers’ works. The similarity of the motive of theatrical action in their works is reflected in the titles of the chapters, the descriptions of the preparation for the performance, the demonstrations of the audience behavior – their emotionality, sensitivity and immediacy. The unexpected ending of the performance draws attention, making one think about the strength of mind, pat-riotism and love for freedom of the people in the work of the Bulgarian writer; and the end of the chapter of “The House of the Dead” by F. M. Dostoevsky makes it possible to reflect on the origins of spirituality which were revealed in the process of perception of theatrical play, which indicates the closeness of the worldview of writers to the worldview of the people. The writers were able to trace the spiritual changes in people that oc-curred under the influence of art.