N. V. Gogol and M. A. Bulgakov: the motive of madness in the stories «Diary of a madman», «The portrait» and the novel «The master and Margarita»

One of the features of the artistic world of M.A. Bulgakov is a close connection with the Russian classical literature of the XIX century. The article is devoted to Gogol' s influence on the embodiment of the motive of madness in the novel «The Master and Margarita». The article substantiates the idea that N.V. Gogol and M.A. Bulgakov understood madness both in a literal clinical sense and a figurative metaphorical meaning. Besides, the article focuses attention on the social motivation of insanity of Gogol' s and Bulgakov' s heroes, which is a symptom of an abnormal organization of society. It also mentions the theme of madness associated with the intervention of the devil' s power. The author concludes that the poetics of N.V. Gogol had a significant impact on the work of M.A. Bulgakov. The analysis of scientific researches has shown that Gogol' s code was not only an artistic, but also a vital dominant of M.A. Bulgakov.