ON QUESTION OF ORPHIC MOTIVES IN L. ANDREEV'S SHORT STORY “THE ABYSS”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26105/2023.15.3.002Keywords:
Leonid Andreev, “The Abyss”, Orphic motives, Orpheus and Eurydice, myth, katabasis/catabasis, moral lapse, soul, ambivalence, Psyche, the world of the dead, chthonic depthsAbstract
The article attempts to look at L. Andreev's story “The Abyss” from a new angle: to trace the embodiment of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The author of the story, using certain linguistic means, appropriate localization, giving clear characteristics to the characters, leads the reader to the idea that Zinochka and Nemovetsky's walk is a journey into the afterlife, into the chthonic depths of their own consciousness. At the same time, we observe a change of roles: a young man acts as Eurydice, and a girl takes on the role of Orpheus. The failure of the journey, the inability to go out to the light is explained by the weakness of the hero, lack of will and moral degradation. The hero makes an attempt at moral revival, but the abyss finally consumes him.