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Abstract:

The article traces the development of the concept of the Russian estate in the works of M.M. Prishvin in the 1900s–1920s, marked by catastrophic events in the history of Russia: The First World War, the revolutions of 1905 and 1917, the Civil War and the abrupt change of the socio-cultural paradigm in the first decade of Soviet power. The primary role of the Russian estate in the biography of the writer stems from his unforgettable childhood impressions in Khrushchevo-Levshino, professional agronomic activity in Bogoroditsk, museum and educational service in Aleksino, and finding a harmonious family and creative nest in Dunino. In the literary texts by Prishvin, the dynamics of the perception of the estate are as follows: in the story “At the Walls of the Invisible City” (1909) traditional Russian estate contrasts with folk-Christian spirituality; in the story “Adam” (1918) the writer mourns for the lost “estate culture” as a spiritual value; and in the story “The Worldly Chalice” (1922) sings the ennobling, enlightening role of the estate beauty; in the very first “links” of the novel “Kashchey’s Chain” (1927) the writer interprets the estate everyday life and national spirituality as one whole. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the systematic approach to the “estate text” of Prishvin in the first third of the 20^th century and in considering its evolution against the historical cataclysms.