Statue as a literary anthropology concept in the novel structure ("The precipice" by I. A. Goncharov: plot, motif, symbol)

The article examines the poetic structure of «The Precipice» by I. A. Goncharov to investigate various aspects of the concept of Statue, of which the most general ones are motif and symbol both connected with such Statue-correlated anthropologic categories as life - death, motion - immobility, etc. The concept of Statue as one of the motif dominants runs through the entire novel's content where three types of beauty are represented corresponding to Hegel's typology of art: symbolic, classic, and romantic. Hence appears the variance of the motif and symbol of statue in the «personal zones» of the main female characters. In Part 1 of the novel the basic concept is revealed through the character of beautiful yet cold Sophia Belovodova whose classic image is marked by a perfect harmonious balance between its inner and outward features. While Raisky, the main hero, unsuccessfully tries to arouse Sophia for living, the latter prefers residing in her deathly psychological and environmental context. Raisky's «artistic dream» of Sophia being a wonderful statue which has to be returned to life symbolizes elimination of borders between art and life. Being in search of another type of beauty, Raisky, an artist, finds the desired in his inherited family estate in the countryside. His cousin Vera (who acts from Part 2 to Part 5), representing the romantic type, possesses a remarkable individuality which is mysteriously indefinable, “flaring”. Persuaded that the highest manifestation of vitality is emotional experience, Raisky explores Vera's personality to reveal some passions in it. Vera is compared with a statue not because of her perfect beauty, as it was in the case of Sophia Belovodova when Raisky drew the portrait of the latter. Vera's image is associated with a sculpture just because Vera is overfilled with life, which seems to engender the main paradox of the concept in Vera's case. Raisky imagines the statue's revival again, meanwhile the real model is overwhelmed with inner disharmony and suffering. Vera would get stronger due to her religious belief. The character of Juliana Koslova seems to represent the symbolic Hegelian type of beauty, which implicates superficial formality not counterbalanced with any background idea or spirit. Being excessively vital, Juliana however has no ethic ideal, and Raisky compares her with a heartless statue. Grandmother is associated with an antic statue because of her personal strength. The concept of Statue serves to connect important symbolic and plot levels in the poetic structure of «The Precipice» by I. Goncharov. The meanings of the concept vary from classical calmness to romantic emotional tension. The anthropological concept of Statue in Goncharov's novel is generally marked as an ethic mode.