Razin as Oedipus. On the Question of Mythological Contexts of V.M. Shukshin’s Creative Activity
The article deals with the research of family lines in the works by Vasily Shukshin. The author dwells on the myth of Oedipus, presented as an analogy to the image of Stepan Razin, the main character of the novel «I Came to Give you Freedom» (Rus. «Я пришел дать вам волю»). To study the dual image of the Russian robber and the defender of the people different aspects of Oedipus myth are offered: misrecognition, patricide, pride, will to power, self-will, feminine environment of the character, enigma, self-discovery, blindness - insight. A specific character of the myth makes the character know his family line. That is why, Razin’s maternity and fraternity lines should be traced. They become integral components of the character’s image. Female characters - mother, an aunt and a wife - show the situation of substitute. Razin did not know his real family line, he did not learn the ancestorial law of life. The author pays much attention to the phenomenon of «mother’s boy», which is clearly depicted in this Shukshin’s hero. Interpretations of Oedipus myth by S. Averintsev, V. Grintser, V. Toporov and V. Hayrapetyan become a methodological framework of the research.