This study focuses on three significant works of world literature (Boccaccio’s “The Decameron”, Alexander Pushkin’s “A Feast in the Time of Plague, Albert Camus’ “The Plague”), in which the main theme and artistic reference are centered around the spread of epidemics and the resulting human behaviours. Such themes (including Covid-19) have attracted and continue to attract numerous artists. The study aims to scrutinize the aforementioned three literary works and uncover the behaviours displayed by people during epidemics at the time of broader crises. The study has two main objectives: 1. to identify various models of human behaviour that emerge as a result of psychological pressure during moments of broader danger; 2. to interpret these models and uncover significant existential-ontological messages contained in their inner domains within the context of the literary texts in the context of these literary works. The scientific novelty of this study lies in its examination of the works of Boccaccio, Pushkin, and Camus, where epidemics are regarded as distinctive and crucial factors of the situation that give rise to behavioural deviations. These deviations, in turn, infuse the narratives with mystery and provide an opportunity to analyze and unveil various vulnerable and strong aspects of human psychology. The pertinence of the study stems from its interdisciplinary approach. It unfolds through a series of inter-interpretive-examination processes across diverse disciplines such as Literary Studies, Philosophy and Art. The methods of both general scientific approaches (analysis, comparison) and historical, literary studies, and the combination of image and text were used.
This study focuses on three significant works of world literature (Boccaccio’s “The Decameron”, Alexander Pushkin’s “A Feast in the Time of Plague, Albert Camus’ “The Plague”), in which the main theme and artistic reference are centered around the spread of epidemics and the resulting human behaviours. Such themes (including Covid-19) have attracted and continue to attract numerous artists. The study aims to scrutinize the aforementioned three literary works and uncover the behaviours displayed by people during epidemics at the time of broader crises. The study has two main objectives: 1. to identify various models of human behaviour that emerge as a result of psychological pressure during moments of broader danger; 2. to interpret these models and uncover significant existential-ontological messages contained in their inner domains within the context of the literary texts in the context of these literary works. The scientific novelty of this study lies in its examination of the works of Boccaccio, Pushkin, and Camus, where epidemics are regarded as distinctive and crucial factors of the situation that give rise to behavioural deviations. These deviations, in turn, infuse the narratives with mystery and provide an opportunity to analyze and unveil various vulnerable and strong aspects of human psychology. The pertinence of the study stems from its interdisciplinary approach. It unfolds through a series of inter-interpretive-examination processes across diverse disciplines such as Literary Studies, Philosophy and Art. The methods of both general scientific approaches (analysis, comparison) and historical, literary studies, and the combination of image and text were used.
The work was supported by the Higher Education and Science Committee of RA, within the framework of Research project No 23PTS-6B005.