Christian discourse of the English series «Robin of Sherwood» (1984–1986) and its reflection in the modern literary internet space of Russia (Article two)

Shirokova Marina Alekseevna ORCID: 0000-0002-8915-4326 Doctor of Philosophy Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Political Science of Altai State University 656049, Russia, Altai Krai, Barnaul, Dimitrova str., 66, office 308 marina_shirokova_2014@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction. This article is a continuation of the author's previous article published in No. 11 of the journal "Philosophy and Culture" for 2023 ^[19]. The aim of the study is to analyze the Christian discourse presented by verbal and visual means in the English TV series Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986), as well as the features of the reception of this discourse in the minds of the audience of the Russian-speaking Internet space.

The methodological basis of our work was the philosophical and hermeneutic approach proposed in the classical works of V. Dilthey, H.-G. Gadamer and M.M. Bakhtin ^{[5, 6, 7, 10]}. In this part of the study, the method of hermeneutical interpretation is used as a specific tool for interpreting a literary text. In cases where interpretation is applied in the semantic space of works of art, its purpose is not to obtain objective, general scientific knowledge, but to determine the meaning of a literary or cinematic work viewed through the prism of a specific value system, to establish a correspondence between the subject and what his understanding is aimed at. One should not forget, of course, that art objects have ambiguity, and therefore their interpretations of different content are acceptable, as was written, in particular, by Yu.M. Lotman ^[11]. At the same time, since hermeneutics involves the widespread use of rational methods and categories, hermeneutical interpretation is based on the following types of theoretical analysis: historical-cultural, contextual and lexical-syntactic, which ensures the reliability of the results obtained.

Research materials. In addition to the direct film text of the series "Robin of Sherwood" ("Robin of Sherwood"), consisting of 3 seasons and 26 episodes ^[16], a set of sources focused on the literary and historical forums "Sherwood Tavern" and "Sherwood Forest" ^[2] and including extensive collections of articles, videos, documents, a lot of information from history, archaeology, linguistics and other fields of knowledge. On these Internet sites there is a variety of information about the film, its characters, the film crew and, in addition, the legend of Robin Hood itself, the historical facts and cultural heritage associated with it are covered in detail. A separate group of sources consists of literary works, fan stories and novels written based on the series in the Russian-speaking online community. The first Russian researcher who initiated the scientific study of this source base was E.E. Prikazchikova, Doctor of Philology. Her research interest is focused on the analysis of the mythological discourse of the series ^[15], as well as fan literature dedicated to one of the film's prominent characters, Sir Guy Gisborne ^[14]. In this case, we will focus on identifying elements of the Christian mentality in the series and in the literary consciousness of its Russian viewers, and among the characters in the film we will be most interested in its main character, Robin Hood (also referred to in the film as Robin of Loxley and Robin of Sherwood).

Of course, not the entire range of fan literature related to the series contains consistently Christian discourse, although, one way or another, the influence of Christianity, especially its ethical aspects, is noticeable in most works. Of the works of the "large form", demonstrating almost complete religious indifferentism, one can name the story "Start over" (author: Allora) ^[1]. Written in the genre of psychological prose, the text has almost no references to the supernatural, both in the mind of the writer and in the minds of the characters. The latter circumstance, in our opinion, casts doubt on the reliability of the considered psychological states of the actors, if we recall that we are talking about the Middle Ages. However, the historical background in "Starting Over" is also presented very sparingly, although, in general, it is impossible not to note a fairly high level of the author's writing skills.

To achieve our goal, the most representative work is the novel "Alone in Wickham or The Gratitude of a former Templar" (authors: Fenimore, Wind – war horse and Lenny) ^[4], which will be mainly analyzed in our study.

The Christian discourse of the story "Alone in Wickham". The narrative of the fan story "Alone in Wickham or The Gratitude of a former Templar" partially uses material from two different episodes of the film "Robin of Sherwood": "Seven Poor Knights from Acre" (season one) and "The Worst Enemy" (season two). The series "Seven Poor Knights" tells about the clash of the "free riflemen" with a detachment of Templars, whose commander, de Villars, unfairly accuses Robin Hood of stealing a sacred relic – the golden emblem of their order. Demanding the return of the allegedly stolen, the knights take Robin's sworn brother, Macha, hostage. Robin has to find the real thief and deliver the relic to the commander by the appointed time. And yet, the Templars violate the agreement by trying to kill Robin and his brother again. However, this time the Sherwoodites are ready for such a turn of events, they themselves capture the Knights Templar, putting to shame the arrogance and treachery of the latter. The audience guesses that the Templars, defeated and exiled by the forest robbers, are obviously going to be punished by the Order in the future, but this moment remains outside the timekeeping of the series. The authors of the story trace the further fate of one of the unnamed knights in the film, who received the name Sir Maurice de Boisvert in their literary work. Maurice is destined to meet Robin Hood again, convince himself of the nobility of the head of the forest army, become his friend and save Robin from death himself.

Another plot of the story is taken from the series "The Worst Enemy", which, as already mentioned, completes the second season, and in the finale of which Robin sacrifices himself to save his friends, and at the same time the villagers of Wickham, despite the fact that these peasants, blackmailed by the sheriff of Nottingham, actually gave the royal guard a detachment of Sherwood. We also talked about the powerful artistic impact on the audience of this episode, which was not originally planned by the filmmakers, as a result of which a significant part of the fan literature written based on the film turned out to be devoted to constructing an alternative ending where Robin would remain alive. Such works include the novel "Alone in Wickham" and the above-mentioned "Start Over". But if "Starting over" totally alienates the reader from the Christian worldview, then "Alone in Wickham", on the contrary, strengthens the Christian message contained in the film text, combining the moral values of Christianity, largely unconsciously embodied by the creators of the film in the image of the main character, with the convinced religiosity of a templar knight who reflects on the turns of his life path leading from faith to disbelief and returning to faith again.

All the events of the story, one way or another, are perceived through the prism of the Christian picture of the world, since most of the story, told by several characters, we hear from the person of Sir Maurice, a monk and a knight. A knight, at the beginning of the plot, "cast out of the life of a soldier of Christ, full of noble confidence in himself and in the world"^[1], that is, as an atonement for his sin, deprived of knightly dignity and doomed to hard physical labor. A monk whose mind was "overwhelmed by the knowledge" in an evil hour that the Lord had turned away from him in the same way that people had turned away. This knowledge overwhelmed him, turning him away from faith for a while. The body had gained the "strength of despair" to escape from the monastery wherever it looked, but now there was a gaping void in the soul. However, Maurice's bodily strength, suffering from fever, did not last long. Like the Apostle Paul once, on his way he was overtaken by painful darkness, which, it would seem, should finally convince the fugitive that there is no salvation for him either in this world or in the other, because God has forsaken him. But the Templar was wrong.

Maurice, who has fallen into unconsciousness, is discovered and rescued by the intelligence of the "free shooters", led by Robin Hood himself: "The Angel of the Lord appeared to me." Undoubtedly, the Christian should have assumed at first that he was seeing an angel, exactly as he had always imagined them to be during prayer. Maurice's next thought, as consciousness returns to him, is "Just a man." And then the knight recognizes the leader of the forest robbers.

The whole further spiritual path of Sir Maurice, who found himself among the "extraterrestrials", is the path to a new finding of the lost faith. The faith that Robin is full of. Faith and love, which is "faith in action" ^[13]. Love for friends and for Sherwood. Love for a neighbor, randomly picked up on the road in a miserable state. To a person with whom I am ready to share everything: food, clothes, money. The development of the relationship between Robin and Maurice, in fact, illustrates the parable of Christ about the good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 10:25-37). The leader of the "free shooters" does not refuse Maurice's help either after he saw the Templar cross on the stranger's clothes, or after the rescued man's own confession that he was one of the seven knights who once attacked Robin's squad. The templar monk is well aware that God is love, and Maurice's desire to comprehend the essence of spiritual love, triumphant over death, is an expression of religious feeling, a desire for knowledge of God: "There is something stronger than force, stronger than weapons."

Subsequently, Maurice will see "in this guy" love for the intimidated peasants from the village, whom Robin is ready to save without hesitation at the cost of his own life, without trying to "weigh, measure, find them too easy" ^[12] and wonder if they are worth such a sacrifice. "Help me. Help me save my people! Your people… He sounded like a king. But I have never known kings who would go to their deaths for the sake of their people."

The authors of "Alone in Wickham" here do not contradict the spirit of the original in the least, because Robin Hood speaks and behaves like a king in the film. More precisely, the way a king should behave, corresponding to the ideal of a ruler in the popular consciousness. A kind, just ruler, a thunderstorm for enemies, protection for the weak, hope for the "weak and burdened" ("people's hope").

The image of Robin Hood in the series "Robin of Sherwood" as the embodiment of the idea of a Christian king and Christian chivalry. In most versions of the legend of Robin Hood, as well as in most of its literary adaptations and, accordingly, film adaptations, the function of the "good king" goes to Richard the Lionheart, who appears at the decisive moment of the action, personifying legitimate power and the supreme truth, suppressing the lawlessness of his greedy, weak-willed and depraved brother, Prince John (the future King John the Landless) and his henchmen, such as the Sheriff of Nottingham. One can recall, first of all, the novel by V. Scott "Ivanhoe", the American film adaptations of the book of the same name, directed by Richard Thorpe (1952) and Douglas Camfield (1982), as well as the well-known domestic audience film by Sergei Tarasov "The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe" (1983). In the same row are the most famous films devoted directly to the story of the noble robber of Sherwood: the classic film "The Adventures of Robin Hood" by Michael Curtitz and William Keeley (1938), "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" by Kevin Reynolds (1991), "Robin Hood" by Ridley Scott (2010) and many others. As a rule, filmmakers demonstrate the mutual respect that arises between the king and the folk hero, and sometimes even their joint struggle against common enemies. Carpenter deliberately retreated from the positive interpretation of Richard's image, showing the king obsessed with the thirst for power and fame, prone to profit and capable of betrayal (the series "The Royal Jester"). According to the screenwriter himself, it is this characteristic of the king that is closer to the historical truth and allows you to introduce a lot of real events and faces into the film. In general, the filmmakers treated the story quite carefully, believing that "it gives the plot an atmosphere of authenticity and helps to make it more authentic" ^[24]. In particular, the British author Linos Catherine Thomas wrote about the peculiarities of the placement of political accents in Robin of Sherwood, according to whom King Richard "manipulates Robin for his own purposes, proving that even a seemingly benevolent colonizer still does not care about the interests of the colonized" ^[27].

In the series "The Royal Jester", the people, including Robin and his associates, hope for the return of the rightful king, expect protection and justice from him. In order to redeem Richard from Austrian captivity, the poor of England gave their last money. But the short-term appearance of the king in his country turns into new levies for the population in the name of continuing the war, except for which Richard is not interested in anything. Robin Hood saves the king's life, and he pardons the "free shooters", to the impotent fury of their antagonists – the sheriff, Abbot Hugo and Guy Gisborne. However, it soon turns out that the king has much more in common with the nobility than with the people's avengers, and Richard easily takes back his word. It is characteristic that Robin is the last of the entire forest group to realize the fact of the king's betrayal. Robin Hood's childish, naive faith in Richard the Lionheart is extremely strong, because it is a popular faith. Treachery is alien to the noble nature of "King Sherwood" just as, according to his idea, it should be alien to someone who is born a king by blood. Robin is convinced over and over again that Richard, and even more so Prince John, are not worth such faith. But Robin Hood still retains his faith in the ideal of the sovereign. And this ideal is clearly visible in the main character from the very first episode. There is no arrogance in Robin, but there is dignity. His looks and gestures are truly regal. And here we see not an inversion, not a parody, not a mockery of the royal dignity (like, for example, the election of the king of beggars or the "pope of buffoons" in the Court of Miracles, described by Victor Hugo in Notre Dame de Paris ^[9]), but the consciousness of a truly high mission of the ruler and a high measure of responsibility for all who I trusted him with my life.

Of course, Robin himself has to establish himself as the leader of the forest freemen, fight for power and authority – this is one of the essential aspects of his personal development, which we observe in the film. But power as such has never been an immediate goal for Robin: it is clear that he feels "in his right" from the very beginning. Carpenter specifically emphasizes this circumstance, saying that his character "knows about his supernatural abilities and is absolutely sure that the truth is behind him" ^[24]. The "King of Sherwood" is not mainly forced to fight with "his people", but with himself, with his own fears and doubts. Like any monarch, Robin has power not because he is stronger or more experienced than others, but because his power is of a sacred nature. At the same time, he was "burdened with a burden of destiny" (Carpenter), which a rare person is able to withstand, especially at such a young age. A king is worthy of respect, even worship, only if he lives for his people and is ready to die for his people. It may happen that the peasants will refuse to help him, turn away from him, do not recognize him, betray him – he still has no right, in turn, to betray them. Instead of convincing people with words, he would die for these people. He will stop talking – and make silence speak. The national element, which has been silent until now, will now find its voice. The film's slogan is "Nothing is Forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten" ("Nothing is forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten"). Robin Hood's friends, mourning the death of their leader, hear these words echoed in his voice under the green arches of Sherwood.

It should be noted that the creators' plans probably included a tragic ending to the entire series, although the script was not written immediately to the end. Carpenter thought about showing the death of Robin, who, "according to the primary sources" (ballads), was "poisoned by an evil nun." According to the screenwriter, "a tragedy, if handled correctly, and not just killed for the sake of killing as an end in itself, can have a stronger impact on people than a happy ending" ^[20]. However, circumstances turned out that the tragic finale took place suddenly, at the end of the second season, and the impression it made on the audience turned out to be even stronger than the authors had expected. Canadian writer Janet Reedman, mentioned in a previous article, noted the presence of several "layers" of mythology in Robin of Sherwood: "The myth of the Divine King who dies for his land is mixed with the myth of the merry forest robber" ^[23]. In the context of the problem we are investigating, it is important to confirm Robin's royal status in the eyes of the people.

Constantly wasting his strength, Robin is forced to look for the source of their restoration, by and large, also in himself, in his love and faith. In moments of despair, the Sherwood chief sometimes turns to Herne, the Hunter who once chose him as his son, and he tries to inspire the hero to continue the struggle. But the vague speeches of the Lord of the forest, full of riddles and innuendos, such as: "Act without hesitation!" or: "Just aiming is enough," they cannot create genuine motivation. After all, Herne, being the embodiment of a pagan deity, is endowed with all the weaknesses of the latter. The lord of the forest is never truly free in his decisions and actions, and he has to "portray" more than "do", more "seem" than "be". It is no coincidence that the Hunter is unable to save Robin Hood during the final battle, which also shows us the transformation of the film's discourse from pagan to Christian.

Robin announces his title of "King of Sherwood" in the first episode of the film, through Gisborne, who was captured by him, but released, to Robert de Reno, sheriff of Nottingham, and subsequently the sheriff calls the forest robber so several times. Let it be with an ostentatious grin and with poorly concealed irritation, but not by accident. Robin, on the other hand, does not address de Reno as an equal, but as a subordinate. For example, in the episode "The Witch of Elsdon": "Put up your sword, man. I’m here to talk». ("Put away your sword. I'm here to talk"). It should be added that the speech of the hero in the film, in general, is simple, without ornate tricks, but correct, with a rich vocabulary. And in this regard, the choice of Michael Praed for the main role turned out to be extremely successful. Michael possessed not only an appearance, which the screenwriter defined as "this rather fey quality" ^[21], and director Robert Young used the epithet "terribly good looking" to describe him ^[25], but also a clear, impeccable English pronunciation in combination with a pleasant timbre of voice (the actor is also a singer), which has been repeatedly noted by journalists and critics ^[22]. Praed has always been in great demand as a voice-over reader on TV and an audiobook performer.

Evidence that the authors of the film themselves laid the features of an ideal monarch in the image of Robin can be found in the words of Richard Carpenter: "I always saw Robin as a yeoman, a man of the people – at least in the first seasons." And, at the same time, the screenwriter continues, he wanted to show his Robin Hood as "King Arthur of the common people" ^[21]. The reminiscences of the image of Arthur are very appropriate here, since the Arthurian legends are based on both British folk folklore and works of medieval literature, that is, they incorporated elements of both pre-Christian and Christian culture. In addition, it is Arthur who is represented in the British epic as an ideal just king and a symbol of Christian chivalry. Let's pay attention to a remarkable fact. The main negative character of the Arthurian legends is the king's nephew and usurper of his power, Mordred. In John Boorman's film Excalibur (1981), considered one of the most accurate adaptations of the legend and released two years before the filming of Robin of Sherwood began, the role of Mordred went to then 21-year-old Robert Eddy, who played Robin Hood's main opponent, Guy Gisborne, in the series considered here.

Robin's true knightly dignity, by analogy with King Arthur, can be traced not only in the nobility of the hero's actions, but also in his statements. So, in the series "Seven poor Knights of Acre" Robin Hood, in response to the unfair accusations of the commander of the Templars de Villars, firmly and with conviction says: "Evil to him who thinks evil" ("Evil will fall on the one who plots evil"). According to legend, this phrase will be said a century and a half later, in 1348, by the English King Edward III and will become the motto of the Most Noble Knightly Order of the Garter, which until now includes a very limited number of elected, as a rule, members of the British royal family and individual foreign monarchs. Eduard said in French: "Honi soit qui mal y pense" ("Shame on the one who thinks badly about it") ^[26]. But the English version and, accordingly, its acceptable Russian translation, sound stronger. According to A.P. Chernykh, a member of the commission on heraldry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, there is a version among researchers according to which the origins of the creation of the Order of the Garter date back to the end of the XII century, that is, to the time of the ballads of Robin Hood, and the founder of the Order was Richard the Lionheart, and Edward III only restored this tradition ^[18]. But the creators of the series do not accidentally put the mentioned phrase into the mouth of "King Sherwood", since the viewer sees in him much more chivalry than in all the high-born characters of the film combined.

The Christian discourse of the story "Alone in Wickham" (continued). The reception of the image of Robin Hood as the ideal of a Christian sovereign and knight is invariably present in the text of the story. "He was a knight in spirit, this young peasant from a lost village who sought to save his brothers," Maurice de Boisvert tells himself, and realizes that he himself now has something to live and die for. Only his life has no value "in this bargain with death," unlike Robin's life. Robin decides to sacrifice himself. The templar is surprised by his calmness, his bright and joyful smile in the face of imminent death. In English culture, such a psychological state is very accurately expressed by Shakespeare: "How oft when men are at the point of death / Have they been merry!" ("Often people in their last hour / Are cheerful") ^[28]. "Merry men" ("merry people") – it is not for nothing that such a nickname of the Sherwood people arose. They, and especially their king, have access to complete, unlimited freedom, up to the lack of an instinct for self-preservation. The purpose of the hero is so huge that it does not fit into the narrow framework of life. "It's easy to die if it's worth it..." The reader of the story will surely remember the poignant moment from the film when Robin Hood, left alone on a hill, surrounded by sheriff's troops, shoots the last arrow into the sky and remains unarmed, but the soldiers are still afraid to approach. Under the gaze of one man, the entire formation of horsemen and infantry takes a step back. Robin's face lights up with a smile, the one that, in Maurice's words, is "stronger than strength."

Brother Maurice, with the Christian basis of his worldview and very significant spiritual demands, cannot live without faith in the existence of a higher truth: then life loses all meaning. And now the apostate Templar believes again, and again recognizes himself as a soldier of God, and feels "the breath of the Lord on his face." He is where he should be, he is among those about whom Christ spoke in the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are those who are cast out for the truth, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven!" (Matthew 5:10)

Later, after Maurice and the Sherwoods, according to the plan of the literary work, manage to save Robin, the former knight of the temple will make many more subtle observations about his new friend and leader. And, peering into the darkness beyond the church wall, where Robin had just slipped inaudibly, he would repeat the words of the prayer combined with the motto of the Templar Order: "God save him!.. Not to us, not to us, but to Your name!.." ^[8].

As already mentioned, the narrative of the story "Alone in Wickham" is built in the form of a polyphony of voices of different characters, who then enter sequentially, as if passing a continuous storyline to each other, then sound synchronously, illuminating an episode from several points of view. Next, we will analyze the discourse of another character, unlike Maurice de Boisvert, who is present both in the film and in the fan story, Robin's named brother, Macha, the miller's son. Mach's parents once adopted Robin, after the death of his own father. Then Macha's father also fell at the hands of Guy Gisborne, refusing to hand over his sons to the deputy sheriff. Since then, Robin has become for Macha, a simple–minded teenager to the point of naivety, both father, mother, brother, and even more - the center of the universe.

If we interpret the semantic load of the image of Macha in the series, then we tend to agree with the thesis, repeatedly repeated in discussions at the literary and historical forum "Sherwood Forest", that Macha acts as a kind of tuning fork of morality for all other characters in the film. Vanessa wrote: "The further I go, the more I understand how important it is that the Mach is in RoS ("Robin of Sherwood" – M.S.). The attitude towards him is also a kind of exam for each of the Sherwoodites, and for the audience too. It is impossible, unreal, without it. There is no complete picture without it. There is no harmony without it" ^[3]. It is through the attitude towards the boy that the best or worst personality traits of a particular hero are highlighted, which also corresponds to the spirit of Christianity: "Verily I say unto you, As ye did it unto one of the least of these my brethren, so did ye do it unto me" (Matthew 25:40). Here are the words of another forum participant, Midinvaerne: "I don't know about conscience and tolerance... in my opinion, it's more like a degree of humanity. To carry the "eternal child" with you, to take care, to feed-to water-to get out of trouble ... And – it is important – not to offend, not to tease (this was in the Middle Ages)" ^[3]. First of all, Robin himself never allows himself to be angry or annoyed with his brother, patiently answers all the boy's questions, repeats explanations over and over again if he does not understand something. And, of course, the older brother never leaves the younger one in trouble. Despite the relatively small age difference, next to Robin, Much feels absolutely protected, like a child next to an adult.

In the story, Much begins his simple story like this: "Robin Hood is my brother, we lived together at the mill ...". In the film, the teenager used the same words to calm the terrified children of the village of Ufcomb, while Robin Hood's squad repelled a raid on their settlement by "demons" – people drugged by the abbess-sorceress Morgvin from Revenskar (the series "Swords of Wayland"). Here it is possible to draw a parallel with the convinced testimony of the evangelist John about Christ: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt with us, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Much calls Robin a "little brother," but in fact his idea of an older brother is similar to the idea of a child in early childhood of parents, especially of a mother, as an all–powerful, filling everything, giving everything a name and order to a deity. In addition, a teenager's direct perception of the world is akin to that grasp of the higher, divine, plane of being that is available to saints and ascetics of different religions. For example, Romain Rolland in the biography of an outstanding Indian philosopher and writer of the late 19th century. Vivekananda's Swami tells how Vivekananda, as a young student and a worldview skeptic, asked the man who later became his spiritual teacher, Ramakrishna: "Have you seen God?" And he replied: "I see him as I see you–no, even more clearly."^[17]

In connection with the theme of the evolution of the discourse of the series "Robin of Sherwood" from pagan to Christian and the reflection of this evolution in the literary Internet space, Macha's simple-minded arguments in the text of the fan story about God, more precisely, about the gods in whom he believes, are interesting. The boy first names two: God in heaven and Herne the Hunter on earth. Then Mach repeats the reproachful words of Monk Tuk (the most positive character representing the Christian Church in the film and in the Robin Hood ballads): It is not appropriate for two gods and two faiths to get along in one person. However, he himself does not agree with the monk: "It is better when there are many gods, maybe one of them will stand up for you." But Macha's spiritual intuition does not contradict the Christian doctrine at all, although it turns out to be a somewhat loose interpretation of the latter. Because then Robin Hood's brother comes to nothing other than the idea of the Holy Trinity: "Something keeps us all together here. Sometimes I think it's Robin, sometimes it's Herne; maybe it's God. The one above." Thus, Mach actually names three hypostases of God, clearly identifying the images of Robin and Christ in his perception.

Conclusion. So, we continued the analysis of the film text of the series "Robin of Sherwood" and revealed in it the correspondence of the image of Robin Hood to the ideal model of the Christian sovereign in the popular consciousness. In addition, Robin Hood is endowed with features of Christian chivalry, which can be seen in his actions and statements. On the other hand, King Richard the Lionheart in the film is devoid of positive characteristics, and this is the specificity of this artistic interpretation of the legend, which gives the series great historical authenticity. We also analyzed the text of a literary work dedicated to the film, the story "Alone in Wickham or The Gratitude of a former Templar." It can be concluded that the novel consistently expresses the Russian audience's reception of the transformation of the series' discourse from pagan to Christian.

^[1] Here and further, quotations from the text of the story "Alone in Wickham or The Gratitude of a former Templar" are highlighted in italics