Space of light in the novel Rome by N.V. Gogol

N.V. Gogols last story Rome, first released in 1842 in the third issue of Moskvitianin and later included as the final product in thethird volume of The Collected Works, was misunderstood and, therefore, not fully appreciated by the contemporaries of the writer.Only in the 20th century literary critics hypothesized that the structure of the third volume of The Collected Works is based on theconscious compositional principle of the writer, and Rome had a well-defined place in it. Without repeating the earlier findings ofresearchers, the author tries to study a novel aspect of the functioning of the space of light in the novel, and, on this basis, determinethe conceptual design and location of Rome in the context of the stories, of the third volume, and in the development of the artisticand ideological evolution of Gogol. Light, brilliance, sparkling, shine and derivative verbs, adjectives and participles of allgenera and species occur in the story about 130 (!) times. Thus, comparison of Paris and Rome, traditionally interpreted as a contrast,leads to the unexpected likening of the two cities due to the fact that the constant symbol of the both is light. But in the descriptionof Paris ominous light is emphasised, as a kind of a screen, a curtain hiding the existential emptiness of the entity lurking behindit. In this sense, of course, Paris is an analogue of Saint Petersburg - the city of double life, with its illusory nature and, ultimately,unreality. Paris as a point of spatial, geographical reference is real; in its spiritual essence, it is void. Rome, the embodiment of art,the essence of the spiritual life of the humankind, and bestows emotional comfort and long-expected harmony upon Gogol and hischaracter. In Rome, the world reveals to the prince - not to the artist, but to the creator, who can see the essence of the being. But theprince was destined to undergo another temptation  to pass the test by the beauty of the woman. After meeting the stranger, whosedazzling beauty is clearly correlated with the description of Paris with its brilliance, the prince, blinded by the beauty of Annunziata,does not see it clearly, but this beauty is literally imposed on his perception, is ready for actions that could destroy his newfoundharmony. And Gogol stops his character in the midst of chasing the deceptive gloss of a wonderful mirage. The prince is one-on-onewith the Eternal City, the seat of true spirituality, true beauty. The character dissolves in this stunning combination of ontology,metaphysics and aesthetics, which is perceived as the living, inspired essence, which is emphasised by the fire of description, becominga part of life, enriching it with his personality and enriching himself. The author, in turn, combines the individual pieces ofthe universe in a single picture, restoring the impaired integrity. In the subjective perception, the human world becomes united, andhis soul expands infinitely.

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