‘The Word of Daniil Zatochnik’ as the First Work of Spiritual Satire in Russian Literature

The article analyzes the form and content of The Word of Daniil Zatochnik, a monument of ancient Russian literature. Special attention is paid to a number of late inserts into the original text, which gave it the currently known appearance and created several striking contradictions. The article attempts to explain them by means of relying on the existing scientific experience of studies of The Word and through deep immersion in the religious and cultural context of its creation. The author of the article believes that the inserts were introduced with the aim of drawing the reader's attention to such personality traits of Daniil as selfishness, individualism, pride, vanity, and arrogance. Some of the inserts reveal details of Daniil's personal life, showing his tendency to violate generally accepted moral and religious norms. In their entirety, the inserts create a holistic image of a person who neglects the traditional spiritual and moral norms of Russian society of the 12th-13th centuries. This type of personality was atypical for that time and attracted the general public’s attention, giving an example of inappropriate behavior. In the author’s opinion, this prompted the representatives of official (princely or ecclesiastical) circles to make an attempt at compromising the image of Daniil in the eyes of the reading public. This is the reason why the inserts were made, turning Daniil’s epistle into the first satirical work of Russian literature. Since the subject of the satire was not social or political but spiritual and moral phenomena, it should be considered a spiritual satire. It is known that works of this kind appeared in the literature of subsequent centuries, showing the type of a clever rascal who achieves his goals by any means. Therefore, the author of the article suggests that The Word of Daniil Zatochnik be considered the first work of this kind.