Università degli Studi di Trieste - Scuola Superiore di Lingue Moderne per Interpreti e Traduttori
Abstract
This study elaborates a typology of the concept of Paradise in medieval Russia through the analysis of contemporary literary texts. On the basis of terms designating the afterlife, an attempt is made to identify the reception of this idea by medieval Russian society, with particular reference to the understanding of space and time. In this light, consideration is also made of various spaces on earth with the characteristics necessary to render them comparable to Paradise: sacred places, such as churches and monasteries, as well as fantastic lands. Attention is also paid to descriptions of nature, seen as a place of peace, close to the image of the garden of Eden. Such places are considered earthly paradises, sharing many characteristics with the hereafter. The affinities in the tratment of space and time, which assume a higher meaning (sacred and eternal) are especially remarkable, as are other elements perceived by the medieval Russian as a part of the image of a brighter future, on earth as in heaven. An important conclusion concerns a significant similarity between Russian and Western ideas of Paradise, since the literary sources largely coincide. The study closes with a proposal to conduct further research aimed at identifying specific Russian features in the field of folklore.
