Historic personality (Mikhail Bulgakov’s image of history)

Abstract. The methodological basis of research is a structural and semantic analysis of all of Bulgakov’s works. This approach proved effective for reconstruction of universals within the writer’s artistic world. The article demonstrates that Bulgakov’s plots almost always contain details shaping a point of view sub speciae aeternitatis. The presence of eternity manifests itself in a catastrophe (forms the basis of the plot), so as in the supernatural forces influence. Important to stress that catastrophe proves ineffective in the historical sense: ultimately human life, in its fundamental coordinates, remains unchanged. Stability of fundamental historical coordinates is the most important feature of Bulgakov’s world. This corresponds to the humans “immutability” as a socio-biological species. Catastrophes are a kind of eternity’s “response” to the human attempts for radically changing of life and intervening in the course of history. The existence of human mass has always been characterized by stability. Against this backdrop Bulgakov’s main protagonists stand out — characters existing between time and eternity.

Keywords: Mikhail Bulgakov, poetics, art world, universals, history, time, eternity.