Abstract
A. N. Apukhtin’s story “Between Death and Life” (written shortly before the author’s death) was not published during his lifetime and has been largely overlooked by Russian scholars. However, it is interesting for its unusual “reincarnation” plot requiring the use of nontrivial narrative techniques that allow reproducing posthumous consciousness and the character’s subsequent rebirth within the Ich-Erzahlung. This article examines how such “reincarnation” narrative is constructed and how it reflects the main plot of the story — emancipation of the narrator’s consciousness from the material world, his “sortie” into atemporal space, and final rebirth. Methodologically, the article bears on W. Schmid’s narrative classification. Whereas in the first chapters the physical space expels the narrator’s consciousness transforming the Ich-Erzahlung into an objective narrative, in the following chapters, the narrator’s mnemonic efforts allow him reach “revelation” and start a new life; such efforts are accompanied by the increasing subjectivation of the narrative. The article examines Apukhtin’s experiments against the background of the Russian 19-th century fantastic fiction, above all V.F. Odoevsky’s story “The Living Dead” that is claimed to be structurally closer to “Between Death and Life” than Leo Tolstoy’s story “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” often considered as Apukhtin’s main source. Yet Apukhtin’s narrative techniques anticipating 20-th century literary experiments differ from the models elaborated within the Russian fantastic tradition as they correspond to that “exotic” plot which Apukhtin chose for his last story.
References
1 “Kogda ia vskore budu umirat’…”: Perepiska M.A. Bulgakova s P.S. Popovym (1928–1940) [“When soon I will be dying…”: The correspondence of M.A. Bulgakov and P.S. Popov (1928–1940)], ed. V. Gudkova. Moscow, Eksmo Publ., 2003. 272 p. (In Russ.)
2 Akimova N.N. Ot romana k novelle: o proze A.N. Apukhtina [From the novel to the short story: about A.N. Apukhtin’s prose]. Pushkinskie chteniia–2007: materialy XII mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii “Pushkinskie chteniia” (6–7 iiunia 2007 g.) [Pushkin Readings-2007: The proceedings of the XII International Academic Conference “Pushkin
Readings” (6–7 June 2007)]. St. Petersburg, 2007, pp. 61–69. (In Russ.)
3 Apukhtin A.N. Mezhdu smert’iu i zhizn’iu. Fantasticheskii rasskaz [Between death and life. A fantastic story]. Apukhtin A.N. Sochineniia: Stikhotvoreniia; Proza [Apukhtin A.N. Writings: Poems; Prose]. Moscow, Khudozh. lit. Publ., 1985, pp. 484–504. (In Russ.)
4 Beresneva N.A. Retseptsiia L.N. Tolstogo v tvorchestve A.N. Apukhtina na primere sopostavitel’nogo analiza povesti “Smert’ Ivana Il’icha” i fantasticheskogo rasskaza “Mezhdu smert’iu i zhizn’iu” [The reception of L. N. Tolstoy in A. N. Apukhtin’s works on the example of the comparative analysis of the novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich and the fantastic story “Between Death and Life”]. XIX otkrytaia konferentsiia studentov-filologov, 18–22 aprelia 2016 g. Materialy konferentsii [XIX Open Student conference in Philology, 18–22 April 2016. The proceedings of the conference]. St. Petersburg,
SPbGU Publ., 2017, pp. 43–47. (In Russ.)
5 Botnikova A.B. E.T.A. Gofman i russkaia literatura (pervaia polovina XIX veka). K probleme russko-nemetskikh literaturnykh sviazei [E.T.A. Hoffmann and Russian literature (the first half of the 19th century). On the problem of Russian-German literary relations]. Voronezh, Izd-vo Voronezhskogo universiteta Publ., 1977. 208 p. (In Russ.)
6 Bushueva M. Pochti neznakomyi prozaik Apukhtin [An almost unknown fiction writer Apukhtin]. Kamerton, 2015, no 73. Available at: http://webkamerton.ru/2015/11/pochti-neznakomyj-prozaik-apuxtin (Accessed 03 January 2018). (In Russ.)
7 Vstrechi s knigoi [Encounters with the book], ed. E. Osetrov. Moscow, Kniga Pub., 1979. 397, [1] p. (In Russ.)
8 Maslovskij N.O. A.N. Apuhtin [A.N. Apukhtin]. Russkie pisateli 1800–1917. Biograficheskii slovar’ [Russian Writers 1800–1917. Biographical Dictionary], ed. P.A. Nikolaev. Moscow, 1989, vol. 1, pp. 98–100. (In Russ.)
9 Otradin M.V. A.N. Apuhtin (1840–1893) [A.N. Apukhtin (1840–1893)]. Apuhtin A.N. Sochineniia: Stikhotvoreniia; Proza [Apukhtin A.N. Writings: Poems; Prose]. Moscow, Khudozh. lit. Publ., 1985, pp. 5–18. (In Russ.)
10 Tur’ian M.A. Russkii “fantasticheskii realism” [Russian “fantastic realism”]. St. Petersburg, Rostok Publ., 2013. 448 p. (In Russ.)
11 Hmelevskaja E.M. Apuhtin [Apukhtin]. Istoriia russkoi literatury: v 10 t. [The History of Russian Literature: in 10 vols.] T. IX. Literatura 70–80-kh godov. Ch. 1. [Vol. 9. The Literature of the 1870s-80s. Part 1]. Moscow, Leningrad, 1956, pp. 487–496. (In Russ.)
12 Chajkovskij M.I. Aleksei Nikolaevich Apukhtin. Biograficheskii ocherk [Aleksej Nikolaevich Apukhtin. A biographic essay]. Apuhtin A.N. Sobranie sochinenii: v 2 t. [Apukhtin A.N. Collected Writings: in 2 vols.]. St. Petersburg, Tipografiia M.M. Stasiulevicha Publ., 1895, vol. 1, pp. 1–32. (In Russ.)
13 Shinkov M.A. Filosofskie motivy v fantasticheskoi povesti A.N. Apukhtina “Mezhdu zhizn’iu i smert’iu” [Philosophical motifs in A.N. Apukhtin’s fantastic story “Between Life and Death”]. Tvorchestvo pisatelei-orlovtsev v istorii mirovoi literatury: materialy mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii. 21–25 sentiabria 2004 goda [The works of Oryol
writers in the history of the world literature: The proceedings of the international academic conference. 21–25 September 2004]. Orel, Orlovskii gosudarstvennyi universitet Publ., 2005, pp. 24–27. (In Russ.)
14 Shmid V. Narratologiia [Narratology]. Moscow, Iazyki slavianskoi kul’tury Publ., 2003. 312 p. (In Russ.)