Signs of Paris in the comedies translated by V.I. Loukin

The article is devoted to the image of Paris in V.I. Loukin's translated comedies. The Parisian text is analysed on the basis of the "wethey"opposition, where "we" is emphasized by "they" and vice versa. V.I. Loukin tended to russianize the comedies he translated, dueto which Paris is shown by him through the image of Petersburg, which develops a parallel to the capital of France. It is not an unusualthing to compare Paris and St. Petersburg. Their affinity can be easily seen in architecture and in culture, greatly influenced by a widelyspread tendency to copy the French style. However, in his attempt to give a truthful description of the Russian lifestyle, Loukin puts astress on the two capitals of Russia - Petersburg and Moscow. This brings to light another opposition - "Petersburg - Moscow", whichtogether with the opposition "Petersburg - Paris", demonstrates the European nature of Russia's Northern Capital as something alien tothe national spirit of Russia. So we can conclude that, according to Loukin, all belonging to the capital is alien to the human's nature.Changing Paris for Petersburg in his translations, the playwright substitutes the French realia for the Russian ones to create a true-to-lifeRussian coloeur locale of that time. On the other hand, Paris becomes a part of Russian life, but through the behaviour of characters, theway they speak. It gives an idea of how powerful the French influence on Russian culture of that time was. To show this phenomenon tothe full extent, Loukin introduces Paris in the comedies in name. But the dramatist treats the status of Paris as a centre of style and fashionas negative rather than as positive. It mainly associates with foppery, extravagance and debauchery. With his negative attitude toGallomania the author tries to evoke the reader's understanding of national identity. This stance was shared by some Russian comediansof that time, who had the purpose to draw their readers' attention to the negative French influence and deface petits-maitres in Russia.Thus, Paris in comedies acquires various interpretations and evaluations. On the one hand, Loukin's Parisian text participates in crosswise-associative relations with the original text of the city, both that of Petersburg and Moscow. It simultaneously affects their structureand absorbs their traits. On the other hand, Paris is a model of European culture for the Russians, who accept it as a paragon, withoutnoticing its negative impact.

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