History of Christianization of Komi Literature: Specificity of Literary Tradition Formation

Abstract

The following article is devoted to the problem of formation of the literary tradition of the Komi people. The focus of the study is the evolution and semantic transformation of the story of the Christianization of Permian (Komi), first developed in the works of Epiphanius Premudry, The Life of St. Stephen of Perm (LSP), its role in the formation of the Komi literature. Since LSP is the only historical document of that time, it is this story of Christianization with all structural components that is perceived as canonical. The study examines the specifics of the process of inheritance of the epiphanian sample of the plot of Christianization in the literary monuments of Vychegda Perm (Perm diocese), as well as the meaningful relationship between the book texts of the 15th-17th centuries and folklore monuments. The form of interpretation of the epiphanian version of the plot of Christianization of the associated images of Stephen of Perm and Pam is the artistic reception of this plot in the writer's work of I. A. Kuratov and K. F. Zhakov. This reception is a reflection of the religious and philosophical, aesthetic views of writers. At this stage of formation of the Komi literature, the reference to the plot of Christianization in the key works for the author becomes the ground for the acquisition of national identity, and for the Komi literature, its specific national features.