«Русская этика» в творчестве американского писателя ХХ века. Гарднер и Достоевский

Abstract

The article is devoted to the investigation of ideological and aesthetic traditions of Russian classics, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, in John Gardner's creativity. The study of critical heritage of the writer, where he developed provisions on moral quality of literature, show tangible impact of the ethics of Tolstoy. The analysis of the novel The Sunlight Dialogues, points to its undeniable connection with the influence of Dostoevsky. The typical themes and motifs, genre and stylistic elements of the Gardner's novel The Sunlight Dialogues and Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment are compared in the article. As a result, the conclusion was formulated, that the novel The Sunlight Dialogues became a kind of rethinking of the ideological and artistic problems of Dostoevsky's novel. It shows the evolution of Gardner's consciousness «rebellious hero», reminding the theory of Raskolnikov. As the Russian classics, John Gardner raises a question about the limits of human responsibility for all the evil that is done in the world, and the decision is not given in the form of impressive abstract philosophical propositions, but is the logical consequence of the development of the protagonist's character.