in the Story by Vsevolod Ivanov “Smokotinin’s Life”
This paper is dedicate to studying the problem of spell as a plot structure. We analyze the story by Vsevolod Ivanov “Smokotinin’s Life”, the main hero – Timofei Smokotinin – of which is composed the original spell: “on whom this sigh, that one will be sliver dry”. Many Siberian spell used dry silver as a basic element of love magic and witchcraft. We show as
Vsevolod Ivanov compiled some Siberian spells and created original author’s spell. On keywords of this spell – “sliver” and “sigh” founded the plot of this story. The interject “oh”
illustrated the ache of love Timofei Smokotinin and the induced psychosis, in which the inductor and recipient – the same person: the main hero. He translated the domestic episode
firing up the oven by Catherina into the love magic plan. The Siberian tradition had many
rituals with the act of firing up the oven with sliver. May be Vsevolod Ivanov known them
and used in the own story. The individual style Vsevolod Ivanov show how masterfully
he created the plot of “Smokotinin’s Life”. The interject “oh”, including in many words of
this story. And the sliver as an “oh” became not only the symbol of tragic Smokotinin’s Life,
but a basic elements of composition. The tendency of modernism this story by Vsevolod
Ivanov Vyach. Vs. Ivanov saw also in the story “The Damned Thing” (1898) by American
writer Ambrose Bierce. The main problem of both stories – death the main hero from the
autoinduced psychosis. Finally, we offer the neurosemiotics method to studying creative
manner Vsevolod Ivanov.
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in the Story by Vsevolod Ivanov “Smokotinin’s Life” // Сюжетология и сюжетография. 2020. № 2. Pp. 72–77. DOI: 10.25205/2410-7883-2020-2-72-77.