The Crisis of Masculinity in Konstantin Vaginov's Novel Garpagoniana

Abstract

The article examines the image of Lokonov, a character in Konstantin Vaginov's novel Garpagoniana. The author proves that masculinity is inextricably linked to the character's desire to regain his youth, which is understood as subjectivity. Having been turned by the regime into a thing, a butterfly impaled on a pin, Lokonov struggles to regain the ability to think and feel independently, without the tutelage of the state machine. However, all his attempts are unsuccessful due to the "mechanistic" consciousness of the hero.