Abstract: By analyzing Nathalie Sarraute’s fiction and journalistic writings, Susan Sontag suggests that there should be certain progress in art. Unlike other types and forms of art such as poetry, music, sculpture and fine arts, novel writing has been rather slow in development and is still the same as it was during XIX century. As an example, Susan Sontag analyzes novels written by Marcel Proust, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf and other authors of the French “new novel”.

Keywords: philology, art, modern age, evolution, novel, Sarraute, psychological analysis, reality, immersion, style.

Abstract: The article is devoted to creative work by a unique Russian poet and translator Zinaida Mirkina. The author of the present article studies Mirkina’s poetry and other writings that are inevitably connected with metaphysical issues. The scope of research covers esthetics, prose, political essays and social work by Mirkina. However, the main emphasis is on the poetic value of the word written by a spiritual poet. Her word redounds to the assets of both religious and social cultures. Mirkina’s poetic heritage goes beyond the borders of a traditional concept of literature and therefore the author of the article had to combine methods of impressionistic criticism as well as literary, philosophical and theological analysis in this research.

Keywords: messenger, mystic poetry, Truth, heart, contemplation, religiosity without following a particular confession, foolishness for Christ, silence, nature, eternity.

Abstract: The subject matter of research is the social aspect of cogitation and its connection with the existence of the universe that is comparable to human as a universal creature unlike animals inhabiting this or that nature’s niche. The author of the article describes negation of sociality of cogitation based on the concept of the unity between history and logic. Therefore the author appeals not only to the modern situation in the society but also studies the history of the problem through the example of Nikolai Gogol. This approach allows to reveal the hidden issues that are typical both for history and modern age. In the course of his research the author expresses an alternative religious position while admitting and accepting the idea about the social nature of cogitation. The novelty of research is not only the description of this alternative position in modern literature but also discovering the same position in Nikolai Gogol’s work.

Keywords: being, existence, sociality, serfdom, monastery, sin (fullness), development, ascension, degression, reinterpretation.

Abstract: The author of the article analyzes the phenomenon of culture from the point of view of the treasury of images accumulated by the humankind. The author shows that a traditional interpretation of culture deals only with the phenomena that are the product of human conscious activity and which origin can be rationally explained. However, there is a huge cultural layer that has no direct relation to the rationalistic tradition. Many cultural processes are the result of a collective unconscious activity of the mankind. These phenomena are anonymous and do not have a recipient even though they still exist in the cultural environment. Such phenomena include myths, oral folk arts and traditions. There is another important aspect discussed by the philosophy of culture. This is the eternal reappearance of images which can be called “archetypes”. Such images, or “initial images”, can be found at different ages. Therefore, the author uses the methods of historical analysis of cultural processes and phenomenological expertise. The novelty of this approach is the study of unconscious resources of culture and determination of initial images that constantly reappear and this is why exist in various cultures. The author of the article shows that the wisdom of the primitive age covered all religions and sciences. Culture is not the result of analytical thought or human wit or skills. Culture is the reflection of human soul and spirit. This explains many phenomena in metaphysics of culture.

Keywords: philology, culture, literature, prototypes, rationality, irrationality, metaphorics, spirit, symbol, archetype.

Abstract: The article is devoted to Dantean views of Alexander Veselovsky and importance of these ideas for the branches of modern science such as literary and cultural studies as well as their influence on modern Dantean concepts described in Veselovsky’s “new historicism”. Asoyan analyzes and studies Veselovsky’s writings, in particular, his article “Dante and catholic philosophy of those times’ and his review of the article “Dante Alighieri, sein Leben und seine Werke” by Hartwig Floto. Asoyan also comments on Veselovsky’s thesis that “History of literature is nothing else but the history of culture”. Veselovsky’s researches of Dante’s legacy and Italian Renaissance are being viewed from the point of view of modern Russian and foreign Dantean studies. As a result of his research, the author of the article concludes that Veselovsky foresaw the formation of “poetics of culture” as a part of modern humanities as well as many discoveries made by modern researches who have written about Dante. Veselovsky’s publications about Dante reflect the same ideas and concepts as modern Dantean researches and conceptions.

Keywords: Dantean studies, “Dante and catholic philosophy of those times”, “Dante Alighieri, sein Leben und seine Werke” by Hartwig Floto, Italian Renaissance, “Villa Alberti”, legends of the Divine Comedy, history of literature, history of culture, historical poetics, “new historicism”, “poetics of culture”, scope of problems, modern Russian and foreign Dantean studies, Dantean Committee of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ilya Golenishchev-Kutuzov, Igor Belza.

Abstract: The subject matter of the article is the destiny of the Russian language these days. There have been times when people speak the language which preserves traditional features — vocabulary, grammar and syntax. But there are also times when the language significantly changes and words from other languages are adopted as a new vocabulary. Quite often new words are created as a result of particular social events and phenomena. When the first aircraft was created, a new word “airplane” also appeared and became widely used. Today the Russian language is experiencing the dominance of foreign words. English words are used even when there is no real need in using them and sometimes it seems humorous. The author of the present article touches upon the problems of communication and understanding. She advocates revival of the spoken word and rhetorics. The author of the article uses the method of linguistic analysis as well as a comparative approach to new linguistic phenomena. She also uses the hermeneutic method allowing to get a better insight into the process of word creation. The theme of the article is not new. Many researchers, educators and psychologists have already appealed to this problem in recent years. However, a rapidly changing environment requires a constant review of this matter. The novelty of the approach described in this article is an attempt to view the problem not only from the point of view of language studies, but also in terms of communication technologies. The author of the article raises a question about whether we can actually become successful in our communication if our language is contaminated, overloaded and has lost its initial purpose?

Keywords: philology, communication, hermeneutics, information, humor, intellect, culture, meaning, knowledge.

Abstract: This article contains a review of the book “Wanderers of War: Memories of the Writers’ Children. 1941–1944” written by Natalya Gromova and published in 2012. The book describes memories of children of the Soviet writers who were evacuated and lived at the hostel arranged by the Foundation for the Support of Writers in Chistopol. The first part of the book contains a story about the three young men who died: Marina Tsvetaeva’s son Georgy Efron, Vsevolod Bagritsky and Nikita Shklovsky. The second part of the book is devoted to detailed memories about childhood in the years of war and everyday life before the war and describes families of Soviet writers and their relations, performance of the local radio, school days and games played by children, personalities of Timur Gaidar, Stanislav Neuhaus and Aleksey Surkov and etc. The book also tells us about the teachers of the hostel such as Boris Pasternak, Faina Kogan, Anna Stonova, Nikolay Sychev, Flora Leytes, Elizaveta Loyter, Angelina Stepanova and others. Boris Pasternak used to read his translations of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliette” to the kids. Tvardovsky’s “Vasili Tyorkin” was first performed in Chistopol. The book also describes how Aleksey Surkov’s “Strawberry” was created.

Keywords: memories about war, Soviet writers, evacuation, Chistopol, hostel, Pasternak, Tsvetaeva, Surkov, Gaidar, Neuhaus, Gromova, Efron.

Abstract: The author appeals to the history of the Russian radio theatre and the first experience of creating original radio plays on the basis of documentary materials. The author of the article stuies Russian documentary radio dramas created during the period from 1928 till 1932. Special attention is paid to particular genres and themes of documentary radio plays broadcasted. The author of the article refers to topical issues and how documentaries were included into a radio play. Noteworthy that the author views the process of evolution of the radio theatre in terms of the overall cultural development of Russia, in particular, in terms of transformations ongoing at drama theatre in those times. The author of the article uses the method of historical analysis, in particular, she studies the initial period of development of the documentary radio theatre. The author also analyzes original dramas that were based on actual documentary material and created especially for the drama theatre. The author of the article summarizes the results of research and describes particular features of the first documentary radio dramas. Broadcasted documentary drama was born as a result of the first steps towards understanding of radio art. Studies of features and opportunities of radio broadcasting created grounds for developing radio programs that combined advantages of documentary and drama in a better way. Documentary radio dramas created during the period from 1928 till 1932 represented dramas written especially for audio perception.

Keywords: radio theatre, radio drama, radio art, document, documentary, film editing, radio station, radio broadcast, radio play, radio performance.