The assimilation and transformation of the images and themes of Leonid Andreyev in the works of Shi To

The article examines the processes of perception and transformation of the artistic issues and imagery system of Leonid Andreev in the works of the modern Chinese writer Shi To. The subject of the research is the reception of Andreev's aesthetics of "dark" existence and its further reinterpretation in a different cultural-historical context. The object of the study includes motifs of death, madness, despair, and existential denial that are characteristic of Andreev's prose, as well as the ways in which they are transformed by Shi To into tools for critical analysis of traditional Chinese society. The author discusses aspects such as the preservation of elements of dark aesthetics, modification of the typology of "borderline" characters, enhancement of the humanistic dimension, and emphasis on resistance as the semantic center of the narrative. Special attention is paid to the integration of borrowed artistic resources into the national cultural context based on the drama "Big Circus" and stories from the collection "Notes from Limeń." The methodology of the research includes comparative literary analysis, motif and imagery analysis, as well as elements of the intertextual approach. The methods of hermeneutics and contextual analysis are used to reveal the mechanisms of borrowing, transformation, and functional reinterpretation of artistic structures. The main conclusions of the conducted research indicate that the reception of the artistic issues and imagery system of Leonid Andreev in the works of Shi To is characterized by productive transformation. It has been established that the key motifs of Andreev's prose, related to existential denial, borderline states of personality, and dark aesthetics, receive functional reinterpretation in the works of the Chinese writer. While preserving psychological tension and elements of tragic imagery, Shi To reduces the radical forms of existential horror by introducing a humanistic dimension and a socio-moral problematic. The novelty of the research lies in identifying the mechanisms of adaptation of Andreev's poetics in the Chinese literary context. The analysis allows us to view the works of Shi To as an example of deep integration of borrowed aesthetic models into the national cultural tradition.