The Principles of Duality and Ambivalence in House of Twins by Anatoly Korolyov

The article identifies the ways and tasks of manipulating the number “two” at different levels of the novel House of Twins by Anatoly Korolyov. It is no coincidence that letters are doubled in onyms. The names of some characters potentially carry the idea of bifurcation. Korolyov emphasizes the conceptual meaning of consonances. The Knyaz, the central character of the novel, is literally obsessed with correspondences. Numbers are repeated in the novel. An indisputable leadership in the novel belongs to the number “two.” It is often found in the description of the Hegeveld estate, many objects there are represented in the amount of two. The hymn of Borris's obsession with pairing/symmetry is the description of the hall for evening feasts. The number is often repeated in the words of the guests and captives of the Protected Coast. Erotic descriptions are endowed with a similar connotation. Numbers with the numeric “2” appear in dates, values, reasoning and philosophical constructions. They even dominate in insignificant comments on the course of action. The details themselves are fully justified by the situations outlined, but together they indicate the intention to reproduce. The use of set phrases conforms to the indicated concept. There are many paired episodic characters in the novel. Outwardly similar characters (objects) are the twins Gerda and Magdalen; Brother One and Brother Two; Valentin Drago and Don Clavigo; Borris and his “secretary” Magdalen. Pythia, Knyaz and even the mandrake root remind someone else (Marlene Dietrich, Max von Sydow, chameleon). The situation of dualism often arises as a result of taking a name (Valentine Drago calls himself Don Clavigo; allegedly, Valentin is the name of the Knyaz's secretary; Magda calls herself Valyun; Clavigo is the name given to the Newfoundland dog of the Knyaz, etc.). The novel also has mental twins, symbiotic pairs. The indication of the similarity of actions (predestination) is also important. The level of the philosophical similarity of entities is even more complex. In House of Twins, the motives of reflection and copying perform a significant function. The Knyaz is obsessed with becoming the “twin of God”; he believes that everyone is to some extent a reflection of the Creator. According to Korolev, the dyad is the basis of all Christian theology. The merging of Nothing and Being in One is the being of God. At the dyad stage, the world is revealed and capable of creation and development. “The right answer always consists of two answers” are words Valentin read in the Book of the Mandragora gardener; these words are capable of confusing any rational interpreter. But they contain a challenge to any orthodoxy, the hidden power of motion, and belief in continuation. The two finals of the novel are a clear confirmation of this.

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