THE MYTH OF THE GOLDEN AGE IN THE NOVEL «LAND ON THE HEAVENS» BY CH. F. RAMUZ
Keywords:
golden age myth, novel, small motherland, symbol, topos, landscapeAbstract
The peculiarities of the reflection of the myth of the golden age on the example of the novel "Land on the Heavens", which is indicative to highlight this problem in the vision by the Swiss French-speaking writer from the beginning of 20th century Ch. F. Ramuz, have been studied. The components of this myth such as the concept of "eternal peasant" and "small homeland" which are the main concepts of the author's aesthetics have been mentioned. According to the writer, the best place on Earth for a person is the land where he/she was born, that’s why his characters symbolically return after death to go on living in their small Swiss village. It has been emphasized that this village is both a real and a symbolized topos containing axiological and didactic values. It has been considered as the embodiment of paradise on Earth containing the following symbolic components: home, the landscape of the mountain and lake Leman, peace, working, self-absorption, love. Ch. F. Ramuz's goal is to make the reader realize the importance of a small homeland (Swiss canton Vaud) in his life. The novel has been studied in the context of the author's work, where an important element of the construction of self-identity of a Swiss French speaking character is the opposition "Own" and "Other" (being the destructive "Alien"). The function of the myth of the golden age as a clearly traced one in the novel "Land on the Heavens" has been analyzed to prove that a person's place is on his homeland, which is his searched paradise. The idea of "appropriate work" according to H. Skovoroda has been reveаled: the characters of this novel can realize themselves through their favorite occupation, which benefits their compatriots and their small homeland. By revealing the destiny and the profession of each of the characters, Ch. F. Ramuz shows the significance of each person on his/her own place on the motherland as symbolic space of paradise: from the coffin maker to the shepherd.
