THE FUTURE PERSON OF RAINIS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF ILYA MENCHIKOV’S IDEAS

Abstract

This article focuses on the interpretation tendencies of relations between a human being and nature characteristic of Rainis’ future visions. They are analysed on the basis of the idea of the Sun’s child expressed in several unfinished dramatic works of the poet (“Īliņš”, “Jānis Vīrs”, “Saules loks”). If the activities of themain character of the play “Īliņš” is focused mainly on the material world and the social sphere, the main area of the Sun’s child is not related to the social environment: he is solving issues that address the sequence of development of a human being and other living forms in the world (including birth, life, the process of aging and death). The image of the Sun’s child represents an idea about a new, harmonious world that would overcome the antagonism of human beings and the nature that has existed for generations, as well as rise above the oppositions that exist in society in general and in each individual in particular. The creation of the image of the Sun’s child and the formation of the overall worldviewof Rainis were strongly influenced by the work “Études sur la nature humains” (1903) written by the Russian biologist, Nobel Prize winner Ilya Metchnikov (1845–1916). Several basic I. Metchnikov’s guidelines and ideas are in common with the range of issues that Rainis was especially interested in. They are revealed not only in the draft materials of several unfinished plays, but also recorded in the poet’s diary.