Two phases of reflection upon novella can be distinguished in Сinquecento Italy. In the first half of the century, the short stories, of which “Decameron” remains the reference model, were treated as examples of high style (P. Bembo) or as phenomena of everyday literary life (B. Castiglione) and love precepts (L. A. Ridolfi). The form of the collection developed by Boccaccio became the experimental ground for writers and publishers. In the 1570s, attempts were made to create a canon of this kind based on the principles of Aristotle’s “Poetics” translated into volgare in 1549. The treatises of F. Sansovino, G. Bargagli and especially F. Bonciani give the novella the characteristics of a literary genre benefiting from its particular poetics. In Sansovino’s work, the short story is conceived as a “fable” containing moral truths; the author is a part of the tradition of imitation that dominated the Renaissance. Bargagli describes the story as an oral “game” the poetics of which is subordinated to the pleasure of the listeners. Bonciani was the first to include the genre of the short story in the “high literature” dating back to ancient times.

The famous Celtic love-triangle story has its specific “syntax” in which the motif of the irrational beginning of the transgressive love fulfills a plot-forming (or a predicative) function. In Deirdre legend this impetus is represented by the image of a black raven who drinks fresh red blood poured on the white snow. This scene reveals in the maiden’s mind the image of her future lover (compare with the “black-red-white” episode in “Táin bó Fraich”). In late story on Diarmaid and Graiine the transgressive lover is described also having black hair and red cheeks (and white teeth), but the motif is transformed into an ornamental detail and losses its plot-forming function. The oral version of the story, preserved in folk-tradition, supplies this loss by the introduction of the motif of a spot of love (ball seirce) that has Diarmaid, making him irresistible to any woman. In the Tristan-story the same (or rather – analogical) plotforming motif is transformed into a “love-potion” given by Isolt’s mother and drunk by mistake by heroes. This magic drink of love really echoes the sleep-drink prepared by Grainne, but it is not so easy to say what motif is initial because of supposed oral versions of Tristan–legend in British Islands. The main narrative element of the story-frame is presumed to be a magus (druid, old hag, Isolt mother etc.) who fulfills the functions of Fate.

In the modern Polish novel “Tristan 1946” by Maria Kuncewiczowa (1967) the function of “love-potion” fulfills a disk with Cesar Franck’s symphony. The novel has the same “narrative syntax” but the action moved to the postwar Europe and the strategy of the author represents a kind of a game with the reader who must guess all allusions.

The epic tale of Cid emerged and had been developing in the period from XII to XIV century A. D. We know it in various forms, including epic, chronicles, and romances. One of the main questions in its analysis is the problem of oral and/or written genesis of a given fragment in the hero’s biography. Throughout the long history of the tale existence, the image of Cid has been considerably transformed; the most definitive change occured in the process of adding the story of the young Rodrigo’s exploits to the contents of the Song of My Cid. It became the main topic in the later poems, historicized biographies of the hero, and romances. The beginnings of Cid’s heroic biography have engaged him into service to the king Fernando I; the hero himself starts to show some rebelliousness towards king’s sons (his actions as well as advices incur their constant displeasure). This fragment of the tale has been retold in the History of Spain (more specifically, its so called versión crítica existed under the title Crónica de veinte reyes) and were not preserved in poetical form. Hence, its (presumably, epic) source camn be established only by the method of reconstruction. In the paper, an attempt of such reconstruction is undertaken, based on the principles of epic plot making.

The text of “Taketori-monogatari” was, most probably, formed on the verge of the 10th century; however, only the 14th c. version now survives. It contains several semantic layers and bears various genre characteristics – from a myth (the birth of a child from bamboo) to “monogatari” court tales (competitions on composing tanka poems). This paper provides details about the translations of “Taketori-monogatari” into European languages, starting at the end of the 19th century. In Russia, “Taketori- monogatari” is the only work of Japanese literature that has been translated at least four times. Its history in Russia includes not only translations, but quite unexpectedly, even a ballet performance. This paper describes the process of adaptation of the story in Russia and demonstrates different types of translation strategies.

The first translation of the story into Russian was published in 1899 in the “Niva” magazine under the title “Princess Radiant”. This was apparently translated from one of the Western languages, as was the subsequent edition of 1915 “The Daughter of the Moon. Japanese Story” (“Mir Priklyucheniy” magazine). The history of professional translations from Japanese language begins with the remarkable work of A. A. Kholodovich in 1935, written in a manner typical for Russian folklore narration. The latest, and unsurpassed so far, example of the translation belongs to Vera Markova. In 1962 she created not only a modern and eloquent translation, but also an experimental attempt to reconstruct some specifically Japanese poetic techniques within the realm of Russian poetry.

The history of the folk song “Luchinushka” (“Luchina, luchina berezovaya) in the 19th and 20th centuries is, in fact, a history of its actualization. In folk tradition the song is restricted women’s repertoire, with all the changes occurring due to the realities of the new times. On popular scene the song transfers from women’s repertoire to men’s and becomes a meditative lyrical piece (a genre unknown to folk songs) instead of a family everyday one. In the same time, song texts are formed that compensate this transfer (e.g., the song “Noch’ temna-temnyokhon’ka”). This demonstrates how it is nearly impossible to keep the folk worldview intact while actualizing folk cultural heritage, therefore any actualization of cultural heritage is, in essence, a kitch reaction to a contemporary demand. The processes exemplified by the history of the song “Luchina, luchinushka berezovaya” are easily seen in history of actualization of any other phenomena of traditional culture, including applied ones. Being aware of this process does not imply that one should stop in one’s attempt to incorporate and promote folk heritage. Yet it is also unadvisable to believe that forms of such incorporation and propaganda are relevant to the folk culture itself. The only way to achieve productive actualization is to understand clearly and fully that any incorporation of folk culture is, in essence, an unintentional distortion of it.

The paper dwells upon barhopping as a part of St. Petersburg urban culture, on an example of Rubinshteina Street. Barhopping is a fullfledged part of modern urban culture. The paper presents the results of a research in which Rubinsteina Street in St. Petersburg was studied in terms of symbolic interpretation of alcohol-related practices. This street was considered a cultural sample, kind of cultural layer, which has its own rules, structure, integral elements and atmosphere. The objectives of this work were to describe and explain the phenomena of Rubinsteina Street; to establish the main factors affecting the popularity of the street among residents and visitors of St. Petersburg; to study the internal structure and distinctive features of the street; to provide a symbolic interpretation of alcohol-related practices on Rubinsteina Street. Within the framework of the research, T. Veblen’s theory of conspicuous consumption and M. Bakhtin’s theory of the culture of popular laughter were implemented. In accordance with the research objectives, our methods included observation, photographic observation and a series of expert interviews with regular patrons and workers of Rubinsteina Street bars. Also, a content analysis of social networks was conducted to analyze the phenomena of popularity of Rubinshteina Street from the perspective of symbolization of alcohol-related practices. The results of the research were then analyzed and presented in thematic blocks.

This paper describes an evocation ritual of a deceased boy in Madagascar that the author happened to witness. A few days before the ceremony the author met the Anik family, whose cousin Zara was a mediator between the world of the living and the spirit of the boy who died about a hundred years ago. The preparational part, during which the medium gets ready for the ritual, is described as well as some peculiarities of the relevant surroundings, the major part with questioning the spirit and the final part of the ceremony are described.

The comment to the story of evocation of the spirit of a deceased Madagascan boy is intended to shed light to and specify value of some characteristic details inherent to traditional island cultures of the Indian Ocean West equatorial part. The research interest, as well as the initial Madagascar plot, is focused upon the authentic peculiarities of current demonological practices of this region, which includes the Seychelles, the place of the author’s field research of many years.

The field research data, which allowed to trace the features of live traditions of the region more clearly, proves deep connections of the Seychelles locus traditional life with the culture of Madagascar. Perception of the Madagascar plot contents as measured against the meanings of Creole culture of the Seychelles allows to speak both of typological and of “endemic” characteristics of both traditions, as well as somewhat provides a possibility of a multidimensional view of cultural interinfluences in the ocean in general.

The paper presents a collection of folklore and ethnographic transcripts of the Russians of Seregovo village (Knyazhpogostsky Region, Komi Republic), dating from 1935–1936. The village was founded in the end of the 16th century when salt-works was started by the river Vym, as migrants from various parts of Russia moved there. The data is dwelled upon according to genres, some features of poetics, functioning and everyday pragmatics of the texts are noted. Comparing these texts to those from North Russian local traditions shows some stylistic and functional congeniality between them. On the other hand, toponymics, nicknames and themes pointing to the salt mines and salt-works indicate local genesis of the presented texts, some of which are published. Archive texts are compared to field materials from 2014, recorded by the staff of the Folklore Section of the Institute of Linguistics, Literature and History. Certain samples exemplify that folklore and ethnographic materials dating from the 1930s may be implemented to detail local repertoire and to analyse the status and dynamics of local tradition from the end of the 19th century till the 1930s.

Anna Valeryevna Rafaeva (1967–2019).