SPIRITUAL DEATH AS THE INDIVIDUALIZED FATE OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE STORIES OF A. P. CHEKHOV AND LAZA K. LAZAREVIĆ

Abstract

Abstract: The main research object of this study was to examine the spiritual death of the hero, perceived as a theme and the individualized fate of the characters in the short stories of A. P. Chekhov and Laze K. Lazarevic. In the introductory part of the study, we point out that medical, philosophical and literary interpretations of thanatology and thanatological motives are closely related to the concept of the spiritual death of the hero. In the central part of the work, the concept of spiritual death is first explained as an incurable state of neurosis, depression, stress and post-traumatic conditions, which contribute to the emergence of depersonalization, derealization and chronic depression disorders.The second part of the central part of the paper provides an insight into specific examples of heroes to whom the concept of spiritual death can be linked in the stories of Chekhov and Lazarevic. In the final part, the similarities and differences in the story-telling process of the two authors are pointed out, when the topic of spiritual death as the fate of the hero is in question.