A ‘Superfluous Man’ as a ‘New Saint’ (the Character of the A. Ivanov’s Novel “The Geography Teacher Drank His Globe Away”)

Abstract

The article examines the specifics of the representation of the image of the protagonist Viktor Sluzhkin in A. Ivanov’s novel “The Geography Teacher Drank His Globe Away”. In his search for a relevant hero, the author aims to create a “new saint” in post-Soviet literature: a person who is firm in their convictions, internally free, unwilling to “act low” to please others, and willing to sacrifice their interests for the sake of loving their neighbor. This task is complicated by the need to reflect in the novel the vital and aesthetic realities of the 1990s, when the antagonist of the trickster paradigm is the dominant cultural element, as a result of which Viktor Sluzhkin represents a specific variation of the “superfluous man” type, surviving at the turn of the eras. Maintaining a connection with the classics, the author focuses on searching for a lost ideal and creates space for embodying the philosophy of hope that is traditional in Russian prose. In these new conditions, the survivability of the “superfluous man” depends on the ability to laugh at oneself. It is the trickster nature of the geography teacher that levels tragedy and becomes a saving resource. It is concluded that modern literature about the "superfluous" hero is aimed at identifying the internal constants that allow an individual to remain human and resist spiritual decline despite all life's trials.