Mythopoetic narrative: The image of the protagonist in the production novel of the 1920^s (based on L. Leonov’s novel “The Sot’”)

   In a number of works on literary studies (both scientific and critical), we find an attempt to compare the protagonist of the production novel and his counterpart in the epic (O. Brik, H. Gunter, K. Clark). These analogies served as a basis for testing the hypothesis, suggesting that the plot of the production novel of the 1920s is a heroic myth narrative. Our study compares the narrative of the “hero’s path”, described by V. Ya. Propp, and the heroic deeds as the protagonist’s initiation (J. Campbell) with the production novels of the 1920s. By comparing the works of the 1920s, united by the theme of labour, with the epic narrative, we reveal analogies and qualitative differences for the hero-protagonist, his path of exploits in the “space of the unknown”. The paper highlights a narrative correlation between the production novel’s plot, based on the trials of its protagonist, and the stages of his personality transformation on the “hero’s path”. At the same time, the qualitative difference of the author’s early 20th century text from the mythopoetic story is the emphasis on transforming the “space of the unknown”, on remaking the world and creating a cognitive reality of “the future world”. We analyze the analogy and textual differences based on the novel “The Sot’” by L. Leonov.

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