Two Trilogies — Two Moscows (A. V. Sukhovo-Kobylin and A. N. Ostrovsky)

The paper compares two dramatic trilogies — «Scenes from the Past» by A. V. Sukhovo-Kobylin and the so called Balzaminov cycle by A. N. Ostrovsky («Celebratory Sleep Is That Before Dinner», «Two Dogs Fight, the Third Keep Away» and «Whatever You Look for, You’ll Find or Balzaminov’s Marriage»). Written almost at the same time (from 1855 to 1869), the dramatic cycles are united by a common type of the hero — a seeker of rich brides, and also by the fact that the action in the first part of the Sukhovo-Kobylin trilogy and in all parts of the Ostrovsky Balsaminov cycle takes place in Moscow, which becomes a kind of off-stage character. Moscow in «Scenes from the Past» is contrasted with a village / estate (like any city) and St. Petersburg (a dispute between two capitals), evolves from the idea of it as a «city of eternal celebration and pleasure» («Krechinsky’s Wedding») to the place of «eternal rest» («The Trial») and the wilderness («Tarelkin’s Death»). Moscow (or rather a part of it — Zamoskvorechye) of the Balsaminov cycle is constructed according to folklore models (primarily a fairy tale): the Zamoskvorechye space has no clear boundaries (except for the Moscow River) and specific addresses, cannot be accurately measured, does not have the ability to develop and change.