“NOTES IN CAPTIVITY BY THE JAPANESE” V.M. GOLOVNIN: EXPERIENCE OF READING IN THE ASPECT OF “FRONTIER POETICS”

Abstract

The article examines the artistic world of V.M. Golovnin’s book “Notes in Captivity by the Japanese” in the aspect of the emerging literary concept of “frontier poetics”. “Notes in Captivity by the Japanese” is a book in three parts written by V.M. Golovnin based on the living impressions he received in Japanese captivity, in which he spent 27 months. The proposed study examines the forms of artistic representation of intercultural interaction, which are reflected in the work of Golovnin. The author mentions that Golovnin’s talent as a writer is combined in the “Notes” with his talent as a researcher, using factual information important for contemporaries about the closed at the beginning of the 19th century. The writer creates an image of the Japanese, revealing their moral potential. It is concluded that one of the key themes of the “Notes” is the creation of a positive image of the inhabitants of the Japanese state. As a result, it is proved that in his work, based on facts from his own life, V.M. Golovnin offers the European reader to take a fresh look at the image of the Japanese, arguing that the inhabitants of Japan do not experience “natural” hatred towards representatives of other religions.