Evolution of a revived doll image in Russian children’s literature of the second half of the twentieth century

Abstract

The article notes that initially the image of the doll was associated not with the world of childhood, but with ancient beliefs in magical powers. Therefore, in folklore and mythological traditions, the image of the doll is closely associated with the cult of death. In modern literature, the actualization of this image is associated with the romantic tradition, with the idea of the living world. In literary works, especially those aimed at child readers, this image is reinterpreted. In different cultural and historical eras, the semantics of this image, as well as the approach to its interpretation, differ. In the 1920–30s, the dominant interpretation of the image of animated dolls was allegorical, reflecting the social problems of the time in a form accessible to children. In the second half of the twentieth century, the emphasis was placed on the psychology of the child reader; the image of a living doll acquires the features of a symbolic image and can act as a means of didactic influence. The situation of reviving a doll allows us to focus on the problems of the creator’s responsibility for his creation, of a person for his work, as well as for those who have been “tamed.” A number of examples prove that this image allows us to reveal not only the specifics of a child’s perception of the world, the nature of the interaction between a child and a doll, but also the relationship between the worldview of a child and an adult.