Журнал «Филоlogos»

THE SEMANTICS OF OLGA ILYINSKAYA'S DREAMS IN I.A. GONCHAROV'S NOVEL «OBLOMOV»

Author: Esikova N.D.

The article is devoted to the comprehension of the oneiric component of the novel "Oblomov" by Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov. The author addresses not to a traditional hero-dreamer in the image of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov but to the image of the main character Olga Sergeevna Ilyinskaya, who is also represented in the novel as a hero-dreamer. Two types of her dreams are singled out - a dream-fantasy (the Swiss dream) and a prophetic dream (the Crimean dream). The narrative structure of both dreams and the methods of their presentation are also analysed in the text. A great attention in this work is paid to the psychoanalytic research of the hero-dreamers' inner worlds, the common features of the main characters are revealed on different levels: on the level of landscape and community of motives and images (the image of a tear-drop). This, in its turn, underlines the semantic similarity of not only dreams, but the characters themselves. The dream images which are surrounded by the areole of ideal meanings are also defined in the novel "Oblomov" by Goncharov I.A. The image of the betrothed who was sent by fate becomes such an image for Olga Sergeevna Iliynskaya. In the novel he is deprived of an ambiguous interpretation: the features of both central male images are manifested in him - Ilya Ilyich Oblomov's and Andrey Ivanovich Shtolts' characters. Deep associations connect him with Ilya Ilyich Oblomov's image, and then the prosaic details reflect Shtolts' character. Olga's dreams are deeply symbolic. The interesting fact is that Olga's dreams are directly opposite in their feelings: the first dream (the Swiss dream) is full of apprehension of boundless happiness, but the second one (the Crimean dream) is filled with life drama. But the tragic theme in the second Olga's dream is not deployed consistently up to the end. It is notable that Olga's dreams are directly connected with motives of the fate and mistake. So, both Olga's dreams with all their plot unlikeness and opposition of feelings and images are joined in a single image of her betrothed. If Oblomov's features are read through the appearance of the betrothed, and Olga's husband becomes Shtolts, we can assume, that all misfortunes - present (mental) and future (domestic) are predetermined by the heroine herself, her behavior and deliberate choice, life mistake - her refusal from Oblomov.