Image of Celestial Firmament in Poetic Cosmology of “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”

Abstract

This study explores the features of poetic cosmology in N. V. Gogol’s tales from the cycle “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”. It examines the poetics of the nocturnal landscape and the symbolic richness of celestial space. The functions of light details in poetic depictions of the universe are identified. Special attention is paid to portraying the Universe as a visible expression of the problem of good and evil, which serves as the core theme of the entire cycle “Evenings...”. It is argued that celestial space is not only a central landscape image but also a distinct ontological category. The study reveals that for the cycle “Evenings...”, two contrasting models of the universe — harmonious and chaotic — play a significant role, based on the relationships between earth and sky. Earth and sky, as two coordinates of the universe, can form a cohesive picture for Gogol, where earthly space is revealed through celestial beauty. Celestial space can be understood as a kind of screen onto which human potential for spiritual transformation or sorrow due to its absence is projected. Beneath Gogol’s primary aestheticization of the daytime and nighttime universe lies a philosophical depth in his paintings, prompting reflections on human earthly journey, the sinfulness of earthly existence, and the aspiration towards the heavens, which generates the image of the disconnection between earthly and celestial realms.

Keywords

• cosmic imagery
• nikolai gogol
• romanticism
• good and evil
• heaven and earth