Religious Themes, Motifs, and Allusions in the Writings of Maxim Gorky Term Paper
Religious Themes, Motifs, and Allusions in the Writings of Maxim Gorky
An analysis of the religious themes, motifs, and allusions in Maxim Gorky's writings, with a focus on his work "Mother."
# 154048
| 6,544 words
| 9 sources
| 2014
| 
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From the Paper:
"This paper examines the religious themes, motifs, and allusions found in the writings of Maxim Gorky, particularly in his masterpiece, "Mother." Contrasting Gorky's religiosity with that of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, the paper notes that Gorky's aim was to reinterpret the themes of Christianity in socialist and atheistic terms. After reviewing the critical scholarly evaluation of Gorky's use of religion in his writings, the paper traces his religious attitudes to his upbringing by his maternal grandparents, noting that he reacted against the harsh religious views of his grandfather, which closely paralleled those of the Russian Orthodox Church (which Gorky saw as corrupt), and drew instead upon the loving and compassionate religion of his grandmother. The central section of the paper is devoted to the assertion that Gorky saw religion as being intimately entwined with politics. It draws particularly on his masterpiece, "Mother," with its Christ-like figure, Pavel, and its call for the creation of a new socialist religion to meet the challenges of post-Tsarist Russia. The specific religious themes that are addressed are resurrection, martyrdom, sacrifice, suffering, discipleship, resisting evil (as a rejection of Tolstoy's "passivism"), and God-building. The paper concludes with the observation that Gorky was set apart from other socialist writers by his deeply religious attitude, but that the utopian new religion that he envisioned in "Mother" never materialized."Cite this Term Paper:
APA Format
Religious Themes, Motifs, and Allusions in the Writings of Maxim Gorky (2014, October 26)
Retrieved December 09, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/term-paper/religious-themes-motifs-and-allusions-in-the-writings-of-maxim-gorky-154048/
MLA Format
"Religious Themes, Motifs, and Allusions in the Writings of Maxim Gorky" 26 October 2014.
Web. 09 December. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/term-paper/religious-themes-motifs-and-allusions-in-the-writings-of-maxim-gorky-154048/>