The Problems of the “Russian Idea” and the “Kosovo Testament” in the Comparative Study of the Works by F. M. Dostoevsky and P. P. Njegosh

Abstract

In the era of the global crisis of moral and ethical values, the search for new meanings in the works of literary classics – F. M. Dostoevsky and P. P. Njegosh; representatives of Russian and Serbian literatures, outstanding religious writers of the 19th century – becomes especially relevant. The scientifi c novelty is the fact that for the fi rst time the issue of comparative analysis of the poetics and problems of the works by Dostoevsky and Njegosh is raised, as well as the fact that the concepts of the “Russian way” and the “Kosovo Testament” at the comparative level have not been the subject of a separate study to date. The purpose of the work is to identify the connection between the concepts of the “Russian idea” and the “Kosovo Testament”, refl ected in the complex artistic worlds of Dostoevsky and Njegosh. Particular attention is paid to the problems of comparative historical literary criticism in modern conditions. An attempt is made to review Russian and foreign scientifi c works on comparative literary studies – when comparing ontological problems in the works of the analyzed authors. To achieve the goal, an integrated approach is used, which includes a number of classical methods – biographical, comparative, mythopoetic, and intertextual analysis. Using the biographical method, the author demonstrates how the concepts of the “Russian idea” and the “Kosovo Testament” arose and developed in the life and work of the Russian and Serbian authors. With the help of comparative analysis, the problems of faith and reason, conciliarity, and national identity that are of deep interest to both writers are revealed. By means of the mythopoetic method, the author tried to characterize the concept of the “Kosovo Testament” and display the reasons for its emergence. We make a conclusion that both writers touch upon gospel themes in their artistic testament. On the one hand, the novelist Dostoevsky focuses on the issues of redemption of sin, on the other hand, in Njegosh’s lyrics, personal destiny is intertwined with national destiny, microcosm with macrocosm, and the issues of knowledge of God and the origin of the world are touched upon. Finally, the mutual infl uence of Dostoevsky’s “Russian idea” and Njegosh’s “Kosovo Testament” contributes to the enrichment of national literatures and the enrichment of comparative literary discourse

Keywords

• dostoevsky
• njegosh
• russian idea
• kosovo testament
• slavic comparative studies
• russian literature