V. Zazubrin “Undermining”. This is the final work of the writer, created in the
mid-1930s. The plot is organized around the conflict between the “archaists and
innovators” from medicine. Its compliance to the normative parameters of the
socialist-realism canon is shown, following which leads to the same type of the
Soviet plot as such. Similar plot type, which is formed as a result of typical
actions of the heroes, correlates with the model of a fairy-tale, where there is
also a predetermination of the actions of the characters. In dramaturgy, these
properties are most distinct. The plot of the Zazubrin’s play moves from the
failures of the hero-innovator, his accusations of sabotage by colleagues of
the older generation and the ban on further experimentation – to a scientific
triumph and wedding. This corresponds to the functions of a fairy-tale plot, such
as “shortage”, the struggle of the hero and the antagonist, violation of the
prohibition, solving a difficult task, marriage and “reigning”. The analysis leads
to the conclusion: the schematic behavior of the hero, his subordination to the
plot within the boundaries of a given canon leads to a decrease in the artistic
level of the play, depriving its content of the occasionality that is characteristic
of Zazubrin’s early work.
The article provides a structural analysis of the «forgotten» play by
V. Zazubrin “Undermining”. This is the final work of the writer, created in the
mid-1930s. The plot is organized around the conflict between the “archaists and
innovators” from medicine. Its compliance to the normative parameters of the
socialist-realism canon is shown, following which leads to the same type of the
Soviet plot as such. Similar plot type, which is formed as a result of typical
actions of the heroes, correlates with the model of a fairy-tale, where there is
also a predetermination of the actions of the characters. In dramaturgy, these
properties are most distinct. The plot of the Zazubrin’s play moves from the
failures of the hero-innovator, his accusations of sabotage by colleagues of
the older generation and the ban on further experimentation – to a scientific
triumph and wedding. This corresponds to the functions of a fairy-tale plot, such
as “shortage”, the struggle of the hero and the antagonist, violation of the
prohibition, solving a difficult task, marriage and “reigning”. The analysis leads
to the conclusion: the schematic behavior of the hero, his subordination to the
plot within the boundaries of a given canon leads to a decrease in the artistic
level of the play, depriving its content of the occasionality that is characteristic
of Zazubrin’s early work.
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the history of unfulfilled plans of V. Zazubrin]. Syuzhetologiya i syuzheto-
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Yarantsev V. P’yesa Vladimira Zazubrina “Podkop”: epilog sud’by [The
dramatic play by Vladimir Zazubrin “Undermining”: an epilogue of fate]. Sibirskiye ogni [Siberian Lights], 2018, no. 2, p. 97–108. (in Russ.)
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Zazubrin V. Podkop [Undermining]. Sibirskiye ogni [Siberian Lights], 2018,
no. 2, p. 109–168. (in Russ.)
Topics of a Fairy-Tale in the Plot Structure of V. Zazubrin’s Play
“Undermining” С. 323–337. DOI 10.25205/2307-1737-2020-1-323-337