Интеграция архетипов плута и демона в образе Остапа Бендера

The article studies the central image of the dilogy by I. Ilf and E. Petrov with the help of the theory of archetypes. The author analyses the genealogy of the archetype of the rascal and demon in Russian literary tradition. The results of the survey let us consider the novels “Twelve Chairs” sand “The Golden Calf” by by I. Ilf and E. Petrov as a single epic work with a deep plot, aimed at a true-to-life description of historical events.