THE MARI CULTURE IN THE MIRROR OF RUSSIAN PROSE (BY THE MATERIAL OF D. OSOKIN’S WORKS)

Abstract

The article examines the representation of the Mari culture in modern Russian prose. Based on the works of Denis Osokin “New Boots”, “Heavenly Wives of the Meadow Mari”, “Duck Throat”, “Night Guard”, united by a common theme, the key characteristics of the culture of the Mari ethnic group are identified, images associated with the constants of the Mari picture of the world are analyzed. Osokin includes the maximum tendency to give the reader a look at the world through the eyes of supporters of the Mari people. This author’s narrative strategy is aimed, first of all, at protecting the vulnerability of the ethnic systems of small peoples. The recognizable dominants of the Mari traditional culture in these works are elements of national romanticism. As a result of the study, artistic principles and techniques for the formation and embodiment of the Mari culture in modern Russian literature are identified. It is concluded that there is a significant number of Russian-language works, in which motifs and images of the traditional culture of the titular peoples of Russia can be traced.