Abstract:
The article considers V. I. Dal as a religiously minded writer. For the first time, it analyzes biographical factors that contributed to the writer’s transition from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy, such as upbringing in the family, independent analysis of dogmas, and most importantly, love for the Russian people, their “childish” faith and the extraordinary richness of the language. Dal’s Orthodoxy manifested the Western rational basis inherited from the family: judging by the autobiographical touches in his legacy, he was distinguished not so much by deep contemplation, a penchant for long prayer, love for the beauty of church singing or the splendor of the temple, so characteristic of the Byzantine version of Christianity, but by tireless practical activity and a strong sense of duty and responsibility. A deep awareness of folk Orthodoxy was reflected in many of his works. A significant body of them can be called “spiritual prose.” It differs both thematically and stylistically from the usual Dal’s stories (“Petersburg janitor,” “Orderly,” “Sausage makers and bearded men,” etc.), from Dal’s stylization in his fairy tales, and tells about miracles, about manifestations of God’s Providence in human life, about Christian virtues and spiritual temptations of the wavering human soul.
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