«A man of threshold» in the novella «Princess Mary» by M. Yu. Lermontov: folklore code in poetics

The article considers the functioning of the folk tradition in the poetics of M.Yu Lermontov. The object of the research is the novella «Princess Mary». The folk tradition was expressed in a latent way, while the metaphorical structure of the novella genetically dates back to the poetics of the fairy tale, the traditions of the Circassian folklore and mythological representations of the Circassians. A great attention is paid to the motive of «a different kingdom». Consideration of the novella in the light of the folk tradition reveals the ontological symbolism.