The Transformation of Three Dostoevsky Themes in Lyudmila Ulitskaya’s Oeuvre

Abstract

The study examines the transformations of certain ideas of Dostoevsky in the works of L. Ulitskaya. Three themes – daydreaming, accidental family, and demonism – can be identified in Ulitskaya’s Sonechka, Sincerely Yours, Shurik and The Big Green Tent either directly or as mediated by certain authors or works of the Russian Silver Age. The transformation of these themes also constitutes the transmutation of a type of hero and the realisation of certain structural principles. The paper argues that, although Ulitskaya does not name Dostoevsky as her literary predecessor, she enters into a dialogue with Dostoevsky’s ideas and poetics.

Keywords

• dostoevsky
• ulitskaya
• daydreaming
• “accidental family”
• demonism