DISHARMONY OF MASCULINE AND FEMININE PRINCIPLES IN GOGOL’S «VIY»: CHRISTIANITY VERSUS PAGANIZM

The article shows an example of the masculine and feminine principles disharmony on the basis of Gogol’s “Viy” analysis. The events described by Gogol are presented as the psychopathology of erotic life. The general context of this interpretation is the socio-cultural adoption of paganism and patriarchal Christianity. The article highlights the significance of pagan roots of Ukrainian culture, which is usually drowned out by the influence of Russian Orthodox chauvinism and is a factor in the revival of Ukrainian culture at the time of its genocide. “Viy” is an image of the patriarchal-church civilization, that has humiliated feminine virtues. Due to the supplanting of femininity, masculinity becomes wild, deviates to crazy destructiveness, men’s attitude towards women sinks into the subconscious darkness, women are demonized, and men behave in a mean, aggressive and insidious manner. The church temple is a symbol of a person, his or her desire to achieve spiritual growth, rebirth of divine heights. Gogol describes the temple as a place of death and emptiness - that is devoid of God and life. Viy is interpreted as a living nature force symbol, the one who is able to see in a person what person avoids to see and issues as alive - the deadness of the soul, which brings death to the living.Homa sees himself for the first time. But such a sudden, fatal, terrifying vision of someone from whom it is no longer possible to turn away, who until now he imagined as an unclean evil force, causes such a stormy attack of pangs of conscience that Homa cannot endure. The dirt falls, the earth returns to the earth, the dead bury the dead. Only the spirit flies to the heights to be reborn in the spring. Homa Brut did not use the chances to realize and surpass himself in this life.