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Abstract:

The article examines the genre transformations of the Faust story in the vernacular folk theatre. After being dramatized in Christopher Marlowe’s tragedy, the play was later included in the repertoire of English, German, and other European vernacular troupes, where the nature of its genre underwent significant changes. The plays take on the characteristics of either a tragicomedy — although the tragic line of Faust is preserved, albeit in a simplified form, the play also features a humorous component that often parodies and downplays the serious aspects of the story, — or a fiery: stage effects take precedence over the plot and content. In many cases, the play about Faust is incorporated into a larger form, such as a performance that combines both dramatic and purely stunt elements. The article focuses on the play’s reception in Russia, where it gained popularity in the mid-18th century. A peculiar version of Faust, specific to Russia, was the play “Journey of a Merchant to Hell”, which had been performed since the early 1870s. An analysis of the text/retelling of “The Merchant Ugorelov’s Journey to Hell” from Berg’s booth and the recording of “The Merchant’s Journey to Hell. A Dream in Real Life or a World of Fantasy” by the folk puppeteer I.A. Zaitsev allow us to conclude that, despite certain similarities between “Faust” and “The Merchant,” their content and genre structure are quite different in spirit. The creator of the latter (most likely V. Meshcheryakov) attempted to infuse the play with a national flavor and emphasize the Russian themes. In terms of genre, the play lost its features of tragedy and was influenced by Russian social and domestic drama and comedy. At the same time, the plot of the journey to hell, presented in a fantastical and fairy-tale manner, gives the play features of an extravaganza, which are particularly noticeable in Zaitsev’s text.