Artistic depiction of the revolution in M. A. Bulgakov’s prose of the 1920s: spiritual issues and Christian motifs (based on the novel “The White Guard”)

Abstract

The article examines Christian motifs that build an artistic depiction of the events of the Revolution and Civil War in M. A. Bulgakov’s prose of the 1920s. The object of the study is the writer’s selected works about the tragic events of Russian history in the first third of the 20th century. In particular the authors analyze the novel “The White Guard”. A literary analysis of Bulgakov’s works has shown that a characteristic feature of the work of the “hoaxer” writer is the play on modern plots with the help of biblical motifs. The author of the article focuses on the apocalyptic myth and the depiction of the spiritual path of the central characters of the novel “The White Guard”. Using allegory, absurdity, irony, satire, literary play, Bulgakov encrypted in his work the spiritual tragedy of society. The authors come to the conclusion that with the help of apocalyptic quotes and allusions, Bulgakov shows the collapse of worlds of different scales: the personal and family “apocalypse” of the heroes (the Turbins); local, Russian, historical (revolution) and metahistorical (all-human, final). According to the authors, the constant ambivalence of symbols and mythologies in Bulgakov’s works does not allow an unambiguous reading of the ending of the novel, and the appeal to Christian motifs in the depiction of revolutionary events is due to: 1) an irresistible longing for the destroyed former way of life and the association of the new order with the action of dark forces; 2) a personal responsibility for actions in the revolutionary elements; 3) questions of faith, eternal life and reward at the Last Judgment, arising in crisis moments of earthly existence.