Дело было в шляпе и… в коте: А. Скалдин и А. Белый

The article discusses common structural elements and motifs that can be identified in a group of literary works of Russian modernism: the novel The Adventures and Travels of Nikodim the Elder by Aleksei Skaldin and Andrei Belyi's duology Moscow Under Siege and The Moscow Eccentric. The topic of headgear that comes alive, which occurs in these texts, was used as a starting point to outline the interpretation scheme. The anecdotes about hats and cats in these novels become a key to decode additional hidden themes and meanings, building an entire network of esoteric symbols.