Apology of the elite in the creativity of Vasiliy Rozanov

The article is devoted to the coordination between the mass und the elite in the creativity of V. V. Rozanov. Rozanov’s vision focuses the attention of readers on the transition from the elite to the mass, that takes place in the culture. This transition is by Rozanov connected with the important for his look on the category “the life”. We consider, that Rozanov means exactly the life for example when he describes in his first work “On understanding” . The phenomenon of understanding is explicated by Rozanov as inexpressible and unspeakable. In our opinion this statement brings Rozanov’s position together to some intuitions of the philosophy of the life, that speak out his contemporaries G. Simmel and M. Scheler. Rozanov represents in images of his late works the flow of the life. We think, that Rozanov’s main idea (the understanding) unites his first treatise and later works. This idea actually points out the flow of the life. Rozanov emphasis it, stressing the impalpability of usual things in his later works. The thinker registers this impalpability, making it clear for his readers. The concept of the understanding, expressing the concept of the life means by Rozanov the world of the elite and every attempt to limit this world means for him the movement to the mass culture. Rozanov try to protect the elite culture, to save it from the predomination of the mass culture. In such way he try to keep up the philosophy, the literature as significant living institutions. Rozanov wants to prevent the technique and standards from the possession above the life, but all his efforts are futile. On the contrary Rozanov hastens the process of equality of the elite and the mass.