Between a Moment and Eternity. Temporal Aspects of the Worldview as Reflected in the Works by Dmitrii Merezhkovskii .......... 505

BETWEEN A MOMENT AND ETERNITY. TEMPORAL ASPECTS OF THE WORLDVIEW AS REFLECTED IN THE WORKS BY DMITRII MEREZHKOVSKII

The four key aspects important as far as D. Merezhkovskii’s thoughts on time are taken into account in the article: a) psychological treatment of time, b) attempts at conceptualization of time flow, c) the hermeneutics of eternity, d) time as the fundamental issue in theory and history of art and literature. The writer creates universal images of heroes experiencing the feeling of non existence of time due to some psychological circumstances related to ecstasy, fear, rapture. Works by Merezhkovskii depicting several cultures presented in crucial moments of development stressed visible attempts to express the idea of time, fill the time with special meaning, up to the conviction of possibility to control the time. A special role of units of time measurement and methods of establishing the system of holidays in several cultures presented in the works by the Russian writers are taken into account. Special attention is paid to the cycle of essays Eternal companions (Вечные спутники) developing writer’s method of revealing universal values reflected in the texts of the past times by means of “subjective criticism”. According to Merezhkovskii the style and the structure of literary heroes personality should be regarded the most important manifestations of the time spirit in art and literature. Metaphysical relationship between moment and eternity are being stressed especially in such work as L. Tolstoy and Dostoevskii (Л. Толстой и Достоевский) and Jesus the Unknown (Иисус Неизвестный).