This article investigates the intersections between the Don Juan myth and the Faustian motifs drawn from Goethe’s Faust within A. K. Tolstoy’s dramatic poem Don Juan (1862). Critics have long acknowledged the presence of Goethe’s influence in this work, particularly at a structural level, although Tolstoy himself rejected any accusation of imitation. However, an intertextual comparison reveals analogies, parallels, and even direct echoes of Goethe’s poem, which Tolstoy also attempted to translate. While taking into account the author’s own defence, this study adopts a comparative and intertextual approach to trace the Goethean elements discernible in the drama — elements that reflect Tolstoy’s multifaceted contact with the Weimar poet and profoundly shaped his original reinterpretation of the Don Juan mythologeme, redefining the balance of characters, themes, and structure. The result is a Faust-inspired work that aligns with the nineteenth-century European tradition (Vogt, Grabbe, Lenau) of merging the two great myths of modernity into a single, innovative poetic experiment, whose originality was not fully appreciated in its time.
Mito europeo e intertestualità faustiana nel "Don Giovanni" di A. K. Tolstoj
Donatella Di Leo
2025-01-01
Abstract
This article investigates the intersections between the Don Juan myth and the Faustian motifs drawn from Goethe’s Faust within A. K. Tolstoy’s dramatic poem Don Juan (1862). Critics have long acknowledged the presence of Goethe’s influence in this work, particularly at a structural level, although Tolstoy himself rejected any accusation of imitation. However, an intertextual comparison reveals analogies, parallels, and even direct echoes of Goethe’s poem, which Tolstoy also attempted to translate. While taking into account the author’s own defence, this study adopts a comparative and intertextual approach to trace the Goethean elements discernible in the drama — elements that reflect Tolstoy’s multifaceted contact with the Weimar poet and profoundly shaped his original reinterpretation of the Don Juan mythologeme, redefining the balance of characters, themes, and structure. The result is a Faust-inspired work that aligns with the nineteenth-century European tradition (Vogt, Grabbe, Lenau) of merging the two great myths of modernity into a single, innovative poetic experiment, whose originality was not fully appreciated in its time.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
