“Goat” in the gymnasium: The image of Vasily Rozanov in Mikhail Prishvin’s Kashcheeva Chain

Abstract

The article examines the complex relationship between two outstanding Russian writers — Vasily Rozanov and Mikhail Prishvin. They had a very difficult relationship that began in high school, where one of them was a teacher and the other was a student. Thus, we have an episode from the real life of the Russian gymnasium of the last quarter of the 19th century. V. V. Rozanov is well-known for his analysis of the system of gymnasium education given in the collection of articles The Twilight of Enlightenment (1899). This collection is an important contribution to the development of Russian philosophy of education. Despite being very positive in the beginning, the relationship between V. V. Rozanov and M. M. Prishvin ended in an acute conflict. The conflict stayed with M. M. Prishvin for the rest of his life, it became an important element of his creative biography. The article analyses real and artistic aspects of their relations. The artistics aspect is based on Prishvin’s novel Kashcheeva Chain, which features Rozanov under the nickname Goat. For many years, the image of the great philosopher and writer would appear in Prishvin’s diaries. Thus, we can say that the relationship between V. V. Rozanov and M. M. Prishvin is one of the most interesting pages in the history of Russian culture.