The Andrei Platonov phenomenon from the standpoint of literary anthropology (On the writer's 120th birthday)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28925/2311-259x.2019.4.3Keywords:
anthropological turn, the anthropology of literature, Andrei Platonov, symbolic “redefinition of the situation”, imaginary, literary fictitiousness, historical experience, everyday life, “life world”Abstract
The subject of the study is the phenomenon of Andrei Platonov from the point of view of the anthropology of literature, which gives specific color to his work and its problems. The problem of the relation between utopia and ideology is considered on the example of Platonov’s interpretation of the revolution and its “collective subject” — the people. This issue, considered in the context of Soviet discourse, is a novelty of research. The Research methodology is the anthropology of literature, which makes it possible to understand the relationship between the reality and the imaginary in all its versions — imaginary as a product of human innovative capacity, symbolic imaginary as a product of creativity as a whole, literary imaginary — literary fiction, as specifics of literature in the role of the particular realm of art with its own symbolic code. The research examines the development of the main ideas in the work of Andrei Platonov, including the correlation of ideology and utopia. In Platonov’s opinion, Revolution, its initial stage is located in the space of utopia. Then it is expropriated by ideology, in order that in a further mutual discourse the unfinished event will pass from hand to hand, continuing to form its subjects and to carry out the act of permanent survival and residence. Therefore, the novel “Chevengur” is seen as an attempt to show the relationship between utopia and ideology, as seen by the eyes of the “involved observer”. His main idea is a conclusion: the revolutionary idea, becoming an idea of the state, destroys the people's idea, the utopia of the revolution. In his later writings, Platonov moved from the destruction of the “grand narrative” to the quiet, humble and yet important life of the common man, leaving the boundaries of ideology. Utopian begins to be seen as an utopian achievement of happiness through love, childhood and creativity. The article also deals with the problem of the language of Platonov’s fiction, which is understood at the same time as an important part of contemporary Soviet discourse, but also endowed with unique specifics related to his ideas about the role and tasks of literature.
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