Elin Pelin’s first printed short story, “The Scourge of God” (1901), is a dialogue with the Bible that has not yet been the subject of independent research. The references to the Old and New Testaments in the text of the story have been discovered and analyzed in the present study. Subject of the research is how they participate in the message of the text, how they change and enrich the closed reading of the work. The analysis shows that Elin Pelin used in his own work primarily the eschatological biblical texts (to which the quote “Second Coming” at the end of the description of the drought refers) and the Book of Job (which, like the Bulgarian narrative, explores the causes of misfortune and examines the hypothesis of guilt from many sides). This result raises the question what Bible Elin Pelin read. For this purpose, certain passages of the story are compared with specific verses from the Holy Scriptures in three Slavic translations, which existed at the time of the writing of “The Scourge of God”. The comparison leads to the assumption that Elin Pelin most likely used the Russian Synodal translation of the Bible. The intertextual approach is combined with an analysis of the structure of the story. Duality is found to be the main structural principle according to which many components of the work (characters, attitudes, situations and plot events) are built. As the narrative unfolds sequentially, they split or double. The circumstances surrounding the creation of the work, as well as the spiritual convictions of the writer, are also examined.
“THE SCOURGE OF GOD” SHORT STORY BY ELIN PELIN AND THE BIBLICAL TEXTS
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Регина Койчева
- [email protected]
- Институт за литература – Българска академия на науките
- България
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Регина Койчева, родена през 1974 г., е главен асистент в Института за литература при БАН и разработва интердисциплинарното поле между палеославистиката и теорията на литературата. Основният ѝ предмет на изследване са оригиналните старобългарски песнопения от IX и началото на Х в., върху които има редица публикации с теоретичен, литературноисторически и лингвистичен профил. Заедно с проф. д. н. Анисава Милтенова е съставител и редактор на сборника „Смъртта и погребението в юдео-християнската традиция“ (Studia Mediaevalia Slavica et Byzantina, том I, 2011). Завършила е Българска филология в Софийския университет „Св. Климент Охридски“. Докторската ѝ дисертация на тема „Ирмоси и словесни структури в триодните канони на Константин Преславски“ с научен ръководител проф. д. н. Георги Попов е защитена през 2005 г. Специализирала е при проф. Хайнц Миклас в Института по сла- вистика към Виенския университет (2005–2006; 2009) и при доц. Любор Матейко в Братиславския унивеситет „Ян Коменски“ (2018– 2019). Повече за Р. Койчева е публикувано тук: http://ilit.bas.bg/bg/ koicheva-regina.html
Abstract:Elin Pelin’s first printed short story, “The Scourge of God” (1901), is a dialogue with the Bible that has not yet been the subject of independent research. The references to the Old and New Testaments in the text of the story have been discovered and analyzed in the present study. Subject of the research is how they participate in the message of the text, how they change and enrich the closed reading of the work. The analysis shows that Elin Pelin used in his own work primarily the eschatological biblical texts (to which the quote “Second Coming” at the end of the description of the drought refers) and the Book of Job (which, like the Bulgarian narrative, explores the causes of misfortune and examines the hypothesis of guilt from many sides). This result raises the question what Bible Elin Pelin read. For this purpose, certain passages of the story are compared with specific verses from the Holy Scriptures in three Slavic translations, which existed at the time of the writing of “The Scourge of God”. The comparison leads to the assumption that Elin Pelin most likely used the Russian Synodal translation of the Bible. The intertextual approach is combined with an analysis of the structure of the story. Duality is found to be the main structural principle according to which many components of the work (characters, attitudes, situations and plot events) are built. As the narrative unfolds sequentially, they split or double. The circumstances surrounding the creation of the work, as well as the spiritual convictions of the writer, are also examined.
Subject: Autotextuality and CitationKeywords: Елин Пелин „Напаст Божия“ Библия цитат алюзияReferences
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