С. Джонсон в России: вопросы рецепции

Abstract

The aim of the research is to assess the state of Johnson studies in Russian philology. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the following: the author believes that the history of reception of S. Johnson’s creative heritage on the Russian soil has not been adequately investigated. The paper traces the main stages of the translation and historical-literary reception of S. Johnson’s creative work in Russia. The periods of active scientific study of S. Johnson’s creative activities and personality from the mid-eighteenth century to the 2020s have been established. It is suggested that the joint activities of the British Slavist and bibliographer John Simon Gabriel Simmons (1915-2005) and the outstanding Russian literary historian Yuri Davidovich Levin (1920-2006) undertaken in the 1950s-1960s represent the initial and main stage of the bibliographic work on the search and attribution of the Russian translations of Johnson’s writings made in the XVIII century. The next, modern, stage of studying Johnson’s legacy in Russia covers the period from the late 1990s to the early 2020s. As a result, an assessment of the current state of Johnson studies has been given, the peculiarities of reception of Johnson’s heritage during different historical periods have been revealed, a conclusion about the relevant aspects of Johnson studies and the prospects for their development has been made.