People and dummies (the poetics of V. Kataev's play “The general store”)

The article deals with the manuscript (typewriting) of V.P. Kataev’s lesser-known comedy written in verse form called “The General Store” (1929). Objects of the author’s irony are revealed. Special attention is given to the tragedy of “have-beens” who failed to adapt and happened to become “superfluous” people in the post-revolution era. The analysis of the play demonstrates a vaudevillian nature of the plot: the action is based on confusion and accident that enhance dynamics and maintain general comic environment of the literary work. The play-writer incorporates the elements of fantasy (fairytale poetics) that not only contributes to the entertainment value, but also gives the opportunity to expand the genre boundaries. Kataev practically avoids a straightforward satire and moralizing (unlike in “The Embezzlers” (1927) and the comedies of the 1930es). “The General Store” manifests the acknowledgment of an ordinary person’s “truth”: the main characters of the play look naïve and funny, but they are not judged by the moral and ideological standards of the Soviet times.