V.I. Kryzhanovskya’s fiction and the rise of popular occultism in late imperial Russia
https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-4158-2023-1-35-51
Abstract
The article aims to examine V.I. Kryzhanovskaya’s literary work as a means by which representatives of the occult environment introduced the general public to the diversity of occult doctrines. Based on archival and published sources, the article delineates the occult preferences of V.I. Kryzhanovskaya, describes the phenomenon of popular occultism in the context of the occult market in Russia in the late 19th – early 20th century, offers a definition of «occult novel» and reveals its understanding by occultists as a means of spreading occult views. The artistic space of fantastic literature is defined as a space alternative to the spaces of both reality and fantasy, and claiming to perform a mediating function between subjective and objective experience. The author suggests that fiction for the occult served not only as an artistic means of transmitting views, but also as an ideal artistic medium, allowing the question of the reality of occult phenomena to remain open, leaving the final decision to the reader.
About the Author
V. S. Razdyakonov
Russian State University for the Humanities
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Vladislav S. Razdyakonov, Cand. of Sci. (History)
bld. 6, Miusskaya Sq., Moscow, 125047
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Review
For citations:
Razdyakonov V.S. V.I. Kryzhanovskya’s fiction and the rise of popular occultism in late imperial Russia. Studia Religiosa Rossica: Russian Journal of Religion. 2023;(1):35-51. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-4158-2023-1-35-51
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