Features of a Fool and a Jester in the Image of a Character from A. F. Pisemsky’s Comedy “The Hypochondriac”
Kazaryan Nadezhda Sergeevna
V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University
Submitted: 19.11.2022
Abstract. The creative work of A. F. Pisemsky continues the tradition of Old Russian laughter; in particular, the Old Russian type of laughter is embodied in the features of a fool and a jester, which are peculiar to a character of the comedy “The Hypochondriac”. A. F. Pisemsky’s continuation of the Old Russian tradition of depicting the images of a fool and a jester in the comedy “The Hypochondriac” is manifested in discovering the truth, disregarding etiquette formulas, demonstrating intelligence when “fooling around”, directing laughter at oneself, addressing inanimate phenomena as living beings, rhyming speech, interpreting the specifics of the tall tale genre. One trait of a fool is interpreted in A. F. Pisemsky’s comedy in a peculiar way: a fool is not physically weak but, on the contrary, strong. Thus, A. F. Pisemsky in general follows the Old Russian tradition of depicting a fool and a jester in the comedy “The Hypochondriac”. The purpose of the research is to determine the features of a fool and a jester in the image of a character from A. F. Pisemsky’s comedy “The Hypochondriac” that ensure the continuity of the tradition of the Old Russian type of laughter. Scientific novelty lies in the following: A. F. Pisemsky’s drama is the least studied aspect of the writer’s creative heritage. In particular, his comedies have not been considered with a focus on the creative dialogue with the national tradition of laughter. As a result, the researcher has determined the continuation of the Old Russian tradition of laughter embodied in the features of a fool and a jester by A. F. Pisemsky using the comedy “The Hypochondriac” as an example.
Key words and phrases: дурак, балагур, балагурство, смеховая традиция, fool, jester, jesting, tradition of laughter
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