Alexander Blok between Vl. Solovyev and E.V. Anichkov: A. Blok’s drama “The Rose and the Cross” and the legacy of Western esotericism
March 31, 2021 A. Rychkov
The author examines how Western esoteric traditions, particularly Joachimism and Catharism, along with the neo-mythological link between the Cathars and the Holy Grail legend, appear in Alexander Blok's drama "The Rose and the Cross." The analysis traces the influence of Vladimir Solovyov's historiosophy and E. V. Anichkov's aesthetics on the drama's symbolism, showing that Blok's work is deeply intertwined with neo-mythological concepts from the "French school" of Western esotericism, which were widely discussed among Russian symbolists, for instance in connection with Sar Peladan. The article concludes that Solovyov's writings and Anichkov's beliefs about medieval mysticism shaped the drama's symbolism.