“Visions of things to come” in prose by V. Itin and Vs. Ivanov of the 1920s. (“The Country of Gonguri” and “The Accident on the River Thun”)
Publication Title:
“Visions of things to come” in prose by V. Itin and Vs. Ivanov of the 1920s. (“The Country of Gonguri” and “The Accident on the River Thun”)
Abstract:
The article compares for the first time the works of V. Itin “The Country of Gonguri” and Vs. Ivanov’s “The Accident on the River Thun”, which solves the ever-urgent problem of the future of humanity. To confirm the validity of the comparison between the texts, a review of the facts of the biographies and works of both writers from the late 1910s and early 1920s is provided. This review shows that the problems of their studies are overly burdened with biographical facts. Based on the material from two texts, using comparative historical and comparative typological methods, the autobiographical nature of the characters in the works, who experience visions of the future in dreams, is substantiated. A hypothesis is presented about a possible prototype for the heroes of the story, and the novel – the poet G.V. Maslov. The dystopia and utopia created by Ivanov and Itin are analyzed and compared. These works have a different character, with the writers generally affirming the victory of people over nature and the high technological rise in the future, established after the Revolution. The thoughts common to both writers about the imperfection of human nature, combining humanity and inhumanity, creating a new world while simultaneously destroying it, are revealed. The works of the writers are considered in the context of V. Solovyov’s philosophical teaching.
References:
(Sources)
Collected Works
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Key words:
historical context, autobiographical prose, utopia, anti-utopia, dystopia, human imperfection
The DOI index:
10.17588/2076-9210.2025.1.180-193
Publication file:
