Typology of the national image of Saints in neohagiographical novels “Helena” by Evelyn Waugh and “St. Sergius of Radonezh” by Boris Zaytsev

The paper conducts analysis and compares the images of saints in neohagiographical texts by Evelyn Waugh and Boris Zaytsev. It shows that the key moment in both novels is the subject of vocation. The image of St. Sergius and the image of St. Helena are similar not only in terms of Christian values but in “northern” type of temperament, which is expressed in such personality traits as restraint, emotional distance, asceticism. B. Zaitsev's neohagiographical text is based on the role of tradition in the Orthodox picture of the world; in E. Waugh's neohagiography the personal-subjectivist factor plays the main role. The mythological and folklore-literary contexts turn out to be significant for the image of the saint in Waugh’s story, while in Zaitsev's story it is the historical one. The key role in neohagiographical texts also belongs to the model of space with the underlying opposition centre — periphery. Cultural and civilizational factors define the principles of creating the images of saints. Helena in Waugh's understanding is a spiritual symbol of England — “queen of the seas”, — her individual symbol is an isle; St. Sergius in Zaytsev's interpretation is a representative of the “terra firma”, his symbol is a forest. St. Helena by Evelyn Waugh is the embodiment of English national character traits, western culture; St. Sergius by Zaytsev is the embodiment of Russianness, eastern culture.