FESTIVE MOTIF AND FOLK DEMONOLOGY IN THE EARLY PROSE OF NIKOLAI GOGOL AND PU SONGLING’S SHORT STORIES

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive study of the festive motif in the early prose of Nikolai Gogol’s “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” and the collection of fantastic short stories “Strange tales from a Chinese Studio” by Pu Songling. It also analyzes the main plot and compositional functions of the festival, folklore and mythological imagery in the works, to identify common motifs and do their comparative study and interpretation. For this purpose, the methods of “close reading” and comparative approach are applied. The article argues that the festive period plays many roles in the works of both writers: it not only reflects the cyclical nature of time and the development of the plot, but also makes a suitable atmosphere for meeting the main characters, contributes to the dynamics of the plot and becomes a key moment in their lives.