World-modeling universals of childhood in M. A. Osorgin’s story From the Little House

The purpose of this article is to consider the specific features of the artistic embodiment of the components of the author’s childhood world model in the story From the Little House by the writer of the first wave of the Russian émigré, M. A. Osorgin. The author-narrator appears as the central world-modeling category of the work. He remembers, reflects, describes himself as a child. The theme of memory stated in the story is the leading one for the autobiographical prose of the Russian émigré writers. Everything in the work is controlled by the author’s creative power, his inner experiences and sensations. Alongside with that, by describing himself in his childhood, the author gives an infant, a child an opportunity to become the subject of world modeling and at the same time a participant of the depicted events. As a result, the reader sees the child’s world as he himself created and modeled it. The “voice” of the adult narrator is nevertheless significant in the story. The artistic model of the world, recreated in the work, is based on a number of images-memories, saturated with philosophical, historical, and ethical issues. The story presents a picture of the world that has special world-modeling universals, expressed by means of oppositions, the antithesis of the eternal and the mundane, models of world duality, the opposition of Space and Chaos, the image of changing space, recurrent themes, motifs and images that undergo a symbolic generalization. The earthly world correlates with the idea of the fragility of human existence. The image of home is interpreted as a space of protection, peace, desired solitude, and unaffectedness. Infancy is associated with the category of eternity. The world-modeling category of time in Osorgin’s story acquires the characteristics of fleetingness, cosmic f l ow, return from the present to the past, duration, and expansion. The theme of music plays a big role. Childhood is interpreted as a time of ultimate harmonious existence. Scenes of nature are closely related to the themes of origins, beauty and spiritual purity. The story combines real and fantastic plans. The author’s reflections are addressed to the fate of Russia and issues of spiritual national existence.