“The space of limit” in war fiction

Abstract

The article analyzes the prose of front-line writers, using the concept of ‘the space of limit’ to characterize the artistic world. We also consider screen adaptations of literary works, analyzing the specifics of cinematic embodiment of battle plots. The inclusion of a document into a fictional narrative allows frontline writers to construct a system of internal links and interactions that broaden the perspective as well as the system of images. “The Star” by Emmanuil Kazakevich and “Ivan” or “In August 1944” by Vladimir Bogomolov present the variations of ‘the limit space’, embodying tragic collisions. A document, containing a literary plot in a ‘compressed’ form, allows the authors to deconstruct time frames and transform the temporal structure of their works. Personal military experience helps the writers to represent borderline situations, the extremity of life in war. Documentary and mythological layers determine the fictional world specificity in Kazakevich’s story. The writer and the filmmakers of his work visualize the markers of the frontier, the ‘alien’ space. Cinematographic interpretations of the story about frontline scouts reflect the cultural references of the epoch: the traditions of the “Big Style” (“The Star”, directed by A. Ivanov, 1948) and the polyphonism of the ‘noughties’: the film “The Star”, directed by N. Lebedev (2002). Screen adaptations of Vladimir Bogomolov’s works present various genre and style solutions to battle scenes. The black-and-white palette defines the visual range of Andrei Tarkovsky’s film and intensifies its tragedy (“Ivan’s Childhood”, 1962). The director expands the irreality, presenting apocalyptic images that deepen the philosophical content.