The poem “Frost, red nose” by N.A. Nekrasov in the artistic structure of B.L. Pasternak's novel “Doctor Zhivago”

The article considers Nekrasov’s reminiscences in the novel “Doctor Zhivago” by B.L. Pasternak. Despite the fact that Pasternak never referred to Nekrasov as to a poet important to him, Zhivago wrote in his diary of Nekrasov’s three-syllabic meters and dactylic rhymes as expressions of “the rhythms of Russia speaking”. This mention sets a number of significant parallels between the novel and Nekrasov’s poem “Frost, Red Nose”, which are revealed at different levels, such as those of character, motive and plot. For instance, the nekrasovian grandeur of a woman is dissolved in Lara’s appearance and character traits, thus preparing for matching the images of Lara and Russia. No less important are the plot parallels associated with the image of a funeral and a lament for the dead. Daria’s deathbed visions - of struggling with advancing rye ears and of expecting a baby - are echoed in the final chapters of the novel. The novel, as well as the poem, are both framed by two deaths, with the circumstances of Lara’s death clearly correlating with Nekrasov’s Daria freezing down in the forest. It is shown that Nekrasov’s poem reveals the significant meanings of the novel and is included in its subtext.