The theme of Palestine in the creative dialogue of V. A. Zhukovsky and A. N. Muravyov The second article

The paper considers the ideas of A. N. Muravyov in his “Puteshestvie po Svyatym mestam russkim” [Journey to the Holy places of Russia]. In the 1840s, this work attracted the attention of V. A. Zhukovsky and the ideas found their reflection in his religious-philosophical, journalistic prose, letters and the poem “The Wandering Jew.” The most significant of them are related to the interpretation of Jerusalem shrines as a metaphysical phenomenon that could answer to all vexed questions of the history and modern times, associated with striving to liberate the Tomb of Jesus from the Turkish Sultan. Special attention is paid to Russia and the image of the Russian Tsar capable of performing a God-directed mission. The analysis of the materials mentioned above has shown that Muraviev’s and Zhukovsky’s approaches to understanding the Jerusalem theme (and Palestine in general) were very similar. The resemblance is due to their spiritual quests and ideological affinity being similar, largely dictated by time. However, in Muraviev’s spiritual prose, the religious statements are obviously integrated into the literary text, putting it on the edge between literature and theology. Zhukovsky’s ideas on the Palestine theme are connected with an imaginary hero, world, and creating author. Zhukovsky’s works on the Holy Land transform the religious aspect into the literary one, referring to his system of values presenting a paratext in both of them. It is should be emphasized that similar intentions are identified through these differences: the writers’ artistic tasks and spiritual-religious goals come together, defining the synthesis of artistic and religious ideas, proving their ontological similarity.

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