Doctor of Philology
Invited Lecturer, Department of German Philology
Akaki Tsereteli State University
Kutaisi, Georgia
ORCID: 0009-0008-3494-9384
ninokvirikadze@yahoo.com

The theme of the "little man" in Georgian and German literature of the 19th century (Akaki Tsereteli, Vazha-Pshavela, Thomas Mann) 

 

The Theme of the "Little Man" in Georgian and German Literature of the 19th Century (Akaki Tsereteli, Vazha-Pshavela, Thomas Mann) Abstract The subject of the study is the theme of the "little man" in Georgian and German literature of the 19th century (based on the stories of Akaki Tsereteli, Vazha-Pshavela and Thomas Mann). It is generally accepted that the image of the "little man" created in Russian literature influenced Georgian prose and is also used in the works of Georgian writers. This theme arises in connection with the development of realism, where characters with low social status, often officials, become the object of attention of writers. It should be noted that German literature has also long shown interest in the "little man". The scientific novelty of this work is that for the first time in the context of the image of the "little man" a comparative analysis of three stories by famous writers is given: "Confession of an Old Official" by Akaki Tsereteli (1875), "The Death of Bagrat Zakharych" by Vazha-Pshavela (1889) and "Little Mr. Friedemann" by Thomas Mann (1897). The novelty of the work also consists in the fact that the said topic is for the first time considered in the context of the title of the named works by means of the structural-semantic method. The basis of our study is the theory of the verbal series of V. Vinogradov. Our goal is to consider the title of each of the named works in the context of the theme of the "little man". As a result of the analysis, we come to the conclusion that both Akaki Tsereteli and Vazha-Pshavela depict images of “little people”. However, both writers introduce their own nuances into the interpretation of this image. Akaki Tsereteli, for example, brings historical and national issues to the forefront. Vazha-Pshavela in his story “The Death of Zakhar Zakharych” through the theme of the “little man” poses a global existential problem of the era. A peculiar rethinking of the theme of the “little man” is found in Thomas Mann’s story “Little Mr. Friedemann”. With the help of psychological analysis, the writer deepens and expands the concept of the “little man”, taking it beyond social and economic inequality. His “little man” tries to find a deeper meaning in his life and find happiness – specifically in love, but fails. Ultimately, the theme of the “little man” in Georgian and German literature reflects the unique social and historical context of each culture.