Traditions of F.M. Dostoevsky in Story of G. Böll “Burning”

Abstract

The features of G. Böll’s comprehension of the problem of “humiliated and insulted” heroes in the story “The Burning Ones” are analyzed in the context of the literary influence on this work of the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment”. The method of comparative historical analysis is used. The relevance of the study is due to the need for a comprehensive and diverse study of the literary dialogue between H. Böll and F.M. Dostoevsky. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that the story of G. Böll “Burning” considered in the article, became the object of study in Russian literary criticism for the first time. It has been established that the German writer develops the idea of the Russian classic about the spiritual transformation of morally fallen characters through redemptive suffering, the healing power of love, and turning to religion. Between the artistic worlds of the works under consideration, parallels are also revealed at the level of individual images (Sonya and Susanna) and motives (resurrecting love). Comparison of the poetological features of the story “Burning” and the novel “Crime and Punishment” not only reveals the similarity of the aesthetic attitudes of the two authors in these works, but also helps to determine a number of main directions in the reception of the artistic experience of F.M. Dostoevsky, developed in the further work of G. Böll.

Keywords

• dostoevsky
• g. böll
• “humiliated and insulted”
• motive of resurrecting love
• creative parallels