Circus in the novella The Gutta-Percha Boy (1883) by D. V. Grigorovich as the antipode of folk theater
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/2687-1262-2025-7-4-379-388Keywords:
D. V. Grigorovich, The Gutta-Percha Boy, The Petersburg Organ Grinders, folk theaterе, circus aesthetics, Natural SchoolAbstract
This article provides a detailed comparative analysis of the aesthetics of circus performance in D. V. Grigorovich’s novella The Gutta-Percha Boy with the traditions of folk theater. The study examines the depiction of the circus space within the context of the 19th-century traditions of Russian literature and mass urban culture. The authors identify a fundamental contradiction the carnival nature of folk theater and the tragic atmosphere of the circus in Grigorovich’s work. The article demonstrates how the writer, relying on the principles of realism, destroys the traditional ideas of the circus as a space of fun and celebration, revealing its behind-the-scenes life and social contradictions. Special attention is paid to the historical relationship between circus art and the folk culture of laughter, emphasizing that in the novella this connection is transformed into the opposite phenomenon. The in-depth analysis of Grigorovich’s works from the 1840s makes it possible to trace the evolution of the writer’s view on the interaction between folk aesthetics and the realistic method. The article also considers the specifics of creating a distinct carnival reality in folk theater and circus, noting the differences in their means of artistic expression and performance atmospheres. This comparative analysis of circus and folk theatre aesthetics in The Gutta-Percha Boy demonstrates the dismantling of the perception of the circus as a space of laughter and universal joy. The findings open up new perspectives for studying the role of folk culture in the poetics of the Natural School, offering a fresh look on Grigorovich’s work within the development of 19th-century Russian literature. The study makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the transformation of folk traditions in urban mass culture.
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