"The person mistaken" in literary-philosophical reception of A. N. Radishchev

Belonging to the sustained nominations, the phrase "the person mistaken" gained character of the sign universal for Russian mentality. The image reflects internal discrepancy and regularity. In connection with the constant that is universal for Russian literature it is pertinent to refer to K.G. Jung’s word: “Man bears his age-long history with him; in his very structure is written the history of mankind.” Histories of Adam and Eve, the prodigal son, Thomas, where the image, transforming into the symbol possesses semantic depth and perspective, are reflected in the image typical for the world literature. Cultural memory conserves the potential of symbolic polysemy and intertextual and metatextual features. According to Radishchev’s concept, the person is a source of disasters due to his spiritual imperfection. The way of Russian inner self-knowledge was reflected in “The Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”.