The Spectre of Reality in the Symbolic and Fantastical Universe Imagined by Mikhail Bulgakov in the Novel "The Master and Margarita"

Svetlana Radtchenko-Draillard (1)

1 UPD7 - Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7

The main objective of my research is to analyze Mikhail Bulgakov novel 'The Master and Marguerita' which is very complex and at the same time a story of sacrificial love, religious interpretation, symbolic and moral, criticism of the totalitarian Stalinist political regime, burlesque comedy about the social life of the time and also of fantasy tale. According to my hypothesis, the purpose of Bulgakov's thinking in this novel is to place sacrificial passionate love at the centre of the conflict between good and evil. It should be noted that this novel is best considered one of the major masterpieces of Russian literature of the 20th century. The interaction of two worlds is the centre of the novel: whose action takes place in Moscow in the Stalinist era, alternates with a rewrite of the Passion, including the Roman Procurator Pontius Pilate and ancient Jerusalem. Another original element is the central scene of the book which is set in a Moscow theatre where the Devil (named Woland) clique performs a grandiose session of black magic in front of a delirious Moscow crowd. In conclusion, different readings of the work can be made: a novel of humour, philosophical and socio-political allegory, satire of the Soviet system, and the vanity of modern life in general.

Mots clés: symbolic; imaginary; real; fantastic; religion; morality; Stalinist totalitarianism; passion; love story and sacrifice

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société; Psychologie; Philosophie; Littératures

Svetlana Radtchenko-Draillard. The Spectre of Reality in the Symbolic and Fantastical Universe Imagined by Mikhail Bulgakov in the Novel "The Master and Margarita". 2020. ⟨hal-03065809⟩