ЭФФЕКТ ЛЕВИЗНЫ, ИЛИ ОТНОШЕНИЯ Н. С. ЛЕСКОВА С АНГЛИЕЙ
LEFTISM EFFECT OR N. S. LESKOV’S RELATIONSHIP WITH BRITAIN

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents observations on the causes of N. S. Leskov’s appeal to English culture, history, and science. The writer posessed a specifi c confessional consciousness of a “religious dissident” who was close to Protestantism. English history, theology, philosophy and literature occupied a special place in his life and work. In all purchased books the writer made notes. Some works Leskov used as a source of various historical and cultural information, practical advice. In the books, he found consonant ideas and refl ections on faith, the nature of Christ, human virtues and vices. The other side in the understanding of Russian-British cultural relations is found in Leskov’s novel The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula. The studies traditionally interpret it as a symbol of Russian national character, and its main character Lefty, as a righteous man, personifi ed the best qualities of the Russian people. This article proposes a new interpretation of the story. The tale of Tula oblique Lefty is a historiosophical parable about the sense of history, objective laws of its comprehension, and human right to personal and national history. The writer veiled his position by using the technique of irony, “spoonerism”, following the logic of “leftness” and mirror world effect. The study introduces previously unpublished archival materials.

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