AN ICON IN THE PROSE OF V. F. ODOEVSKY

An icon appears in some works of V. F. Odoevsky: “Ball”, “Princess Zizi”, “The Witness”, “Unforgettable house”, “An Orphan”. It is never referred to just as a part of the interior or the Russian color. An icon is invariably the centre of Holiness, heroes always pray in front of it. Not only doesn’t Odoevsky describe icons, he doesn’t name them either, because icons have a sacral nature that cannot be shown in a secular writing. In “The Witness” the writer talks about imperfection of the language and failure to put into words sacred thoughts and senses. But this idea, having come to the main character’s mind in the Church, gives a special religious connotation to the unexpressed. Remarkably, Odoevsky never uses the word icon referring to Western European art. He considers images of Madonna and Saint Cecilia to be paintings and puts them in the context of everyday life. According to modern researchers this kind of perception is typical for Russian writers and Orthodox consciousness in general. The analysis of an icon in the prose of Odoevsky demonstrates the depth of his religious searching and the importance of Orthodoxy in his philosophy and aesthetics.