The image of Lake Baikal in the novel “The Daughter of the Merchant Zholobov” by I.T. Kalashnikov

The novel “The Daughter of the Merchant Zholobov,” written by I. T. Kalashnikov (1831), reflects the formation of the Baikal chronotope within Russian literature. The Baikal space, as represented by Kalashnikov, is associated with the autochnotes of Siberia (Buryats): brigands and travelers. In this novel, emphasis is placed on the connection between the Baikal space and the Buryat ethnos. Buryats are depicted as guides for Russian travelers and adversaries of the brigands illegally occupying the Baikal region. The brigands are portrayed as purveyors of pagan ideologies concerning Lake Baikal. An aesthetic appreciation of the Baikal area is afforded to Christian travelers. The strategy of creating the Baikal landscape represents the theistic model of the world. Baikal is empowered with ethical potential within the framework of the subject of the writer’s plan. The chronotope of Lake Baikal is the space of the road. At the core of the Baikal chronotope is an extreme crossing, accomplished either by land along the lakeshore or by sea. Both the natural and social extremes are highlighted in the Baikal chronotope. In addition, the chronotope of Lake Baikal incorporates maritime chronotope markers, functioning as both an extreme pathway and a representation of eternity. The temporal character of the Baikal chronotope is characterized as extreme, encompassing the sacred moments of experiencing eternity. The aestheticization of the Baikal space is best characterized by the categories of the sublime and majestic. This paper analyzes four distinct axiological perspectives, each proposing a different value system for the chronotope under examination.

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