Легенды Cтефана Цвейга: новый этап в развитии европейской легенды

Studia Humanitatis. 2015. № 3.

Tulyakova N. A., Nikitina N. A.

The article studies the genre of legend-parable that emerged in European literature at the end of the 19th century, on the basis of Stefan Zweig’s collection of legends, which reveal a number of changes undergone by the legend in comparison with the legend of the 19th century. Firstly, the legend is deprived of its typical antagonism between a human as a personality and the world around. In the parable-legend the conflict is reduced to the relationships between a person and God. The plot of such legends is built around human aspiration to understand the design of the Divine drawn by some outer impulse. Then, the key element of the parable-legend is the miracle which is awaited by the protagonists but still comes to them in an unexpected form, thus symbolizing the impossibility to see the design of God by rationality or logic. Finally, the legend loses its humorous tone and acquires serious, even solemn one. The local matters make way for the global issues, folk elements are replaced by religious motives, the aesthetics is outweighed by the ethics. The parable-legend summarizes the human experience since the earliest days to the present moment to reveal similarity between diverse historical events and to warn of the possible catastrophes ahead.

Keywords: жанр, литературная легенда, притча, Цвейг