Rudnev V.P. Depersonalisation and Repersonalisation (the Case Study of Bernard Shaw's Play 'Heartbreak House' and Alexander Sokurov's Film 'Mournful Unconcern')

Abstract: The present article is devoted to the analysis of Bernard Shaw's play 'Heartbreak House' and Alexander Sokurov's film 'Mournful Unconcern' that was made after the play. The analysis is based on the differentiation between the terms 'depersonalisation' and 'repersonalisation'. This concept offered by the author of the article means the revitalization of personality, his going back to being himself, individuation and metanoia. All characters of Shaw's play and Sokurov's film are depersonalised by the war situation and repersonalised at the end when the inevitable death approaches. Appying his own method of psychosemiotics, the author of the article also analyzes associative identifications of the characters of both play and film. For example, Captain Shotover is associated with Stalin, Brezhnev, Moses, Christ, God the Father and Captain Ahab. Ellie Dunn is both Alice in Wonderland and Ellie from The Wizard of the Emerald City. Sokurov's film (1986) is viewed as a film devoted to the depersonalised Soviet intelligentsia before perestroika. In his research Rudnev has used the method that he has been developing for many years. This method involves psychoanalysis, poetics and semiotics and called 'psychosemiotics'. The novelty of the present research is first of all caused by the fact that based on the study of Bernard Shaw's play 'Heartbreak House' and Alexander Sokurov's film 'Mournful Unconcern' Rudnev introduces the concept of repersonalisation along with a generally accepted term 'depersonalisation'. The researcher defines repersonalisation as individuation and metanoia and one's going back to being himself. Using the psychosemiotic method, the author has also studied associative identifications of the play and film characters. 

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