GOTHIC SHADOW PLAY IN PLATO'S CAVE: NIKOLAI KARAMZIN'S "THE ISLAND OF BORNHOLM".

This article analyzes the first Russian Gothic fiction, "The Island of Bornholm" (1793), written by Nikolai Karamzin (1766-1826), who associated Gothic characters' visual perception with that of the audience in the shadow play, specifically the "Chinese shadow," as well as that of prisoners in Plato's allegory of the cave. It investigates the way in which Karamzin reshapes Plato's cave with Gothic trappings after his visual experience of Chinese Shadows, a popular shadow puppet theater in Paris. I claim that Karamzin poses an epistemological question as to the truthfulness of our perception by using the interplay of light and darkness of Gothic aesthetics, thus creating tension between the known and the unknown. To support this claim, I analyze Karamzin's use of the Gothic dim light, which blurs the protagonist's sight and projects illusory images that cast doubt over what has been observed by the character. Furthermore, by taking into account that the protagonist is not involved in the tragic event on Bornholm but rather merely observes it as a foreign spectator, I distinguish the protagonist from the other contemporary European Gothic heroes involved in the events. The protagonist's distinctive visual perception and role as a spectator reveal the feature of Russian Gothic character's vision that Karamzin understands: a reinterpretation of Plato's epistemological concerns found in his cave allegory, coupled with the evolution of visual entertainments. Finally, by highlighting the fact that even contemporary readers are curious about the aftermath of the story, I argue that readers of "The Island" are also on a search for truth, that is to say, an ongoing epistemological play created by Karamzin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]