The image of the Great Russian Wall in the works of V. Sorokin
https://doi.org/10.26907/2074-0239-2022-67-1-186-191
Abstract
V. Sorokin’s works often feature images closely related to Chinese culture. One of such images, the Great Russian Wall, acts as a significant element of the meta-plot, which carries an important meaning. This article analyses the image of the Great Russian Wall in V. Sorokin’s futurological works “Day of the Oprichnik” and “Kremlin Made of Sugar” primarily through the study of the Great Wall of China and its connotations in Western culture. The article also focuses on the intertextual horizon of Sorokin’s image of the Wall: the parallels between the text by Sorokin and the texts by F. Kafka and H. Borges. The article uses comparative and cultural-historical methods to reveal the author’s artistic intent. In conclusion, the image of the Great Russian Wall in Sorokin’s future world can be perceived as a parody of the Great Wall of China. Sorokin’s Wall, on the one hand, symbolizes the closed and stagnant way of life in ancient China with its cruel feudal regime. On the other hand, it exposes the same reality of future Russia. It reflects serious socio-political problems of Russian reality, in particular its “isolation” and “totalitarianism”.
Keywords
Supporting agencies: The research is funded by China Scholarship Council № [2020] 71
About the Author
Yixian Zhang
Saint Petersburg State University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Yixian Zhang, graduate student
199034
7/9 Universitetskaya Nab.
St. Petersburg
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Review
For citations:
Zhang Y. The image of the Great Russian Wall in the works of V. Sorokin. Philology and Culture. 2022;(1):186-191. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.26907/2074-0239-2022-67-1-186-191
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