Transformation of the image of the monastery in the works of V.M. Shukshin

this study presents an analysis of the transformation of the image of the monastery in the works of V.M. Shukshin, covering both his short prose and his later work «Before the Third Rooster». Using the examples of the stories «Bright Souls», «The Master», «The Strong Man», «The Microscope», «In the Cemetery», the authors traced the changes in V.M. Shukshin’s view of faith and God. In the early stories, references to religion are fragmentary, while in the later ones they acquire integrity and ideological intensity. In the stories «The Strong Man» and «The Master», the temple is an abandoned place for people who do not see spiritual value in it. In the writer's interpretation, the monastery goes beyond the traditional concept of a sacred place, becoming a mirror of the complex and contradictory relationship of man with faith and established traditions. The story-tale «Before the Third Rooster» acts as a multifaceted study of the intersection of spiritual and mundane principles. In this work, the monastery appears as an arena of intense struggle between good and evil, where human weaknesses and vices open the way to chaos and destruction, and strong will and strength of spirit are necessary to preserve faith. The results of the work systematize knowledge about the life and work of V.M. Shukshin and can be applied in literary criticism for further research of the writer's prose and biography.

V.M. Shukshin, image of the monastery, «Master», «Strong man», «Bright souls», «In the cemetery», «Microscope», «Before the third roosters»