The mythopoetic world in the novella "Taras Bulba" by N. V. Gogol

The subject of the research is the mythology of time and space in the early works of N. V. Gogol. The focus of the study is the mythopoetic world in the novella "Taras Bulba," first published in 1835 in the collection "Mirgorod." In this article, the author examines the third edition of this novella, released in 1855. Since its publication, this article has intrigued many researchers, especially in the context of studying the historical nature of the work and the specifics of folk narrative. Moreover, Gogol included numerous religious elements in the novella: small icons gifted by a mother to her children, the initiation ceremony at the Sich, and so on. The novel also shows the primary reason for the outbreak of war – the violation of faith. In this article, we use the morphology of the fairy tale by V. Ya. Propp and also the findings of other scholars who have continued his work in this field. Combined with the methodology of the chronotope by V. V. Bakhtin, we will conduct a structural analysis of the plot of the novella and then discuss the spatial-temporal organization within it. As is known, this novella has a vivid historical context and realistically depicts large-scale military scenes. However, in the author's opinion, it is not merely a work of art on a historical theme. Behind this magnificent epic lies an important literary archetype – the "Book of Judith" from the Old Testament, which has both Orthodox and Catholic interpretations. Both versions tell the story of how women saved their people from a difficult situation. In this article, the author will focus on the mythopoetic aspects of time and space in "Taras Bulba" and analyze their structure and functions from the perspective of the morphology of the fairy tale by V. Ya. Propp and the chronotope of M. M. Bakhtin. In conclusion, the author comes to the conclusion that Gogol created a unique world in "Taras Bulba," where space and time obey their own laws.