The article clarifies the genre nature of S.N. Durylin, which implicitly refers to the essence of the dramatic situation in the narrative. The author of the novel is understood as a subject of culture who reads and comprehends the specifics of Russian culture at the edge of the 19 th and 20 th centuries. Biblical motifs associated with the naming of the short story and reflecting the mental characteristics of the era are revealed. The origins and development of the motive of being on the border between life and death, its reflection in art are demonstrated. The drama of the meeting of natural and cultural principles, embodied in the main characters, is noted. The tragic inevitability of the planned experiment at the life is revealed. The mythological outlines of the events are emphasized. At the end of the article, it is noted that S.N. Durylin leaves open the question of the impact of the tragic experiment on the self-consciousness of the protagonist.
cultural text, short story, biblical motifs, nature, culture, borderliness of being, tragic experiment.