León Tolstoi: La masonería como símbolo dentro de una alegoría

Abstract

This article is an attempt to reconcile literary criticism’s perspective with those of historical analysis. Since literary artwork desired outcome is not to mirror reality, it cannot be considered a historical source in a traditional sense. But this does not imply that it cannot be historicized. The understanding of a literary text rests upon its link -contextualized within its own horizon- with the world it tries to represent. This link is manifested through its symbolic character; a bridge between the world represented in the artwork and our own.