The motif of miracle in the novels by F. M. Dostoevsky, I. S. Shmelev and A. F. Losev

Abstract

The paper explores the motif of miracle in Russian literature through a comparative analysis of the novels “Crime and Punishment” by F. M. Dostoevsky, “The Woman Thinker” by A. F. Losev and “The Heavenly Ways” by I. S. Shmelev. The specificity of the research lies in its focus on the authors’ religious worldview, as they belonged to different eras and held different religious, philosophical and aesthetic positions. The research demonstrates that they share an understanding of the motif of miracle based on the dialectics of faith, which forms a dialectical model of personality in their works. The aim of the research is to identify the distinctive features of the functioning of the motif of the Christian miracle in the selected works of Russian literature from the 19th and 20th centuries. The scientific novelty lies in revealing the dialogical nature of the motif of miracle expressed in the encounter between man and God and its world-constructing function determined by the situation of faith and lack of faith that shapes corresponding worlds within the literary works. It is argued that the motif of the Christian miracle is an invariant of the motif of encounter and is realised through the plot of doubt, which involves the choice between faith and lack of faith. The miracle is defined by the situation of dialogue between the protagonist and God. The protagonist’s attainment of faith is considered a miracle and is associated with his spiritual rebirth.