The Poetics of the Path in O. F. Bergholz’s “Daytime Stars”: Biblical Subtext

The category of the path in O. F. Bergholz’s autobiographical novel “Daytime Stars” is examined as the author’s worldview principle. In the plot and compositional structure of the work, the idea of the path is expressed through lexical means, such as the direct naming of chapters (“A Trip to the City of Childhood,” “A Journey Beyond the Neva Gate”). The category of movement as a spiritual ascent is specified in the chapters with the recurring title “Day of the Peaks.” In the novel, the journey motif, which is explored in conjunction with the motifs of the meeting on the way and death, is enriched with lyrical sketches in chapters with commentary, reflections, and reminiscences, which express the idea of a journey of development. This allows for the creation of a comprehensive narrative of transformation (acquisition of new knowledge) and ascent (spiritual vertical) of the lyrical heroine. The composition is characterized by parallelism: the heroine makes several journeys to the same places that she perceives as sacred: to Uglich, both in her dreams and in reality, and beyond the Neva Gate (her place of birth). Another sacred place is “that very clearing,” a national spatial image (“the Russian expanse”). Direct and concealed biblical quotations are the key to understanding the author’s intention. The mortal motif accompanies the motif of the journey when meeting a dying grandmother (“there is simply no death”), as well as in the form of a reference to the Revelation of John the Evangelist (“there will be no more time”) and in the description of the lyrical heroine’s state (“dead indifference”). The chapter “The Journey Beyond the Neva Gate” contains elements of a pilgrimage text: a description of the route with an emphasis on the difficulties of the journey (the journey as a test), the sinful state of the traveler (“the freezing” of her feelings), a metaphorical image of a narrow path, a vertical ascent (“steps in the ice”), and a ritualistic act of washing her feet. The personal (generational) journey of the lyrical heroine is inseparable from Russia’s historical path, which the author fully embraces, “up to the point of loss.”