Key Concepts
Mythorealism: Telegin defines this as a literary approach where reality is portrayed through the lens of eternal mythological structures. Unlike traditional realism, which focuses on social or historical determinism, mythorealism views events as manifestations of transcendent, archetypal "mythologems".
Mythorestoration (Miforestavratsiya): This is Telegin's primary analytical method, introduced in 1990. It involves "restoring" or uncovering the underlying mythic layers within a literary text to reveal its deeper spiritual and ontological meaning.
Mythological Revolution: Telegin argues for a "mythological revolution" in literature and culture to move away from secular materialism toward a more spiritual, myth-centered understanding of existence.
Major Works
Telegin has applied his theories extensively to 19th and 20th-century Russian literature, particularly the works of Dostoevsky, Leskov, and Tolstoy. His notable books include:
Philosophy of Myth: Introduction to the Method of Mythorestoration (1994).
The Life of Myth in the Artistic World of Dostoevsky and Leskov (1995).
Literature and the Mythological Revolution (2005).
The Russian Mythological Novel (2008).
Academic Background
He is a Doctor of Philological Sciences and a professor who has taught at institutions such as the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) since 2010. His work often bridges the gap between literary criticism, theology (specifically Christian socialism in Dostoevsky), and esoteric studies like alchemy.
Mythorestoration (or myth-restoration) is an interdisciplinary literary and philological method used to identify and reconstruct underlying mythological structures, motifs, and archetypes within a literary text.
Core Principles
Reconstruction of Meaning: It goes beyond simple identification of myths to "restore" the mythological consciousness of a character or narrator, revealing deep-seated associations with folklore and ancient traditions.
Analytical Depth: The method allows scholars to view modern texts through the lens of ancient "texts" (such as the Book of the Dead or specific ethnic geographies of the afterlife) to uncover hidden thematic layers.
Interdisciplinary Framework: It is frequently used alongside mythopoetics, structural semiotics, and hermeneutics to model historical or cultural worldviews within artistic works.
Notable Applications
Classical Prose: Analyzed in V. Korolenko's story "Makar's Dream" to map images of the "Kingdom of Death".
Contemporary Media: Applied in modern research to graphic novels, such as Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, to track how contemporary stories reconstruct ancient mythic systems.
Ethnic Culture: Used to study the "concept of the road" in Russian village prose (e.g., works by Vasily Shukshin) to restore the cultural consciousness of the bearer.
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