Lermontov's Narratives of Heroism. Studies in Russian Literature and Theory by Vladimir s> Golstein (review)

Abstract

3I6 SEER, 79, 2, 2001 mentioned in full, for example, it is shown to be predominantlyfound in the firstline of the stanza(pp. 36-37). Chapter Two is concerned with the peripheryof the Onegin text, and the demonstation of how elements of the nucleus function within it, always througha processof simplification.Most of the examplesin thisextensive and not easily summararizablesection are from three chronological groups:first, Pushkin'sminor contemporarieslike M. I. Voskresenskii,authorof a novel in verse, Evgenii Vel'skii (I828-29), N. N. Murav'ev, A. I. Polezhaev and P. Volkov; secondly, writers of the middle to late nineteenth century like N. P. Ogarev, A. A. Grigor'ev and D. D. Minaev; and thirdly, what Postoustenko calls twentieth-century neoclassical poets like A. Liakide, A. Razorenov, V. Ruadze, I. Severianin (particularly in his 'Roial' Leandra' [1925]) and Viacheslav Ivanov. Such very different poets produce a wide variety of responses to the Onegin text. Apart from differences in quality, over the hundred or so years of the examples here, there was a decline in the imitation of rhyme, rhythm and syntax as the art of poetry degenerated in mid-century, with a revival of regard for these elements in the early twentieth century. Outside these broad categories, particular attention is paid to the special case of Lermontov with his 'Tambovskaia kaznacheisha' (i 828). The third chapter begins with a survey of earlier work on the Onegin stanza after which the author attempts to define, by means of statistical tables, the staniza's rhythmic structure (ritmika), its punctuation, rhymes, and phonic structure (fonika [vokalizm]). The purpose of this analysis is to clarify the relationship of the nucleus to the periphery: of the text of Evgenii Oneginto its separate elements incorporated in the work of others. This is a complex and wvellplanned book of patterns, much concerned with positioning of specific 'wordswithin line and stanza, and with the simplification and distortion that comes from imitation. It is only slightly marred by misprints and other small technical glitches such as occasional use of xvrong fonts, most of which may be silently corrected. The study makes a distinct contribution to a fascinating aspect of Pushkin's masterpiece xvhich, as the numerous illustrative examples make clear, completely (and, of course, Linsurprisingly) outshines even the best of its imitators. Professor Postoutenko may be congratulated on an enterprising and thoroughly researched monograph which should be of interest to all scholars of Pushkini's poetry and, indeed, of versification as a whole. ,Schoo/ ofSlazosonic andEast EuropeanStudies ARNOLD MCNIILLIN l ?ilersity CollegeLondon Golstein, Vladimir. Lermontov 'sXarratives ofHeroism. Studies inRussian Literature and Theopy.Northwestern University Press, Evanston, IL, 1998. x + 244 pp. Notes. Selected Bibliography.Index. $59.95. INDavid Lodge'sNice Vfork, Robyn Penroseis askedby her more materialistic brother whether the world really needs another book on the nineteenthcentury English novel. The prospective reader of Vladimir Golstein's book may feel somethingverysimilar:do we reallyneed yet anotherworkexploring REVIEWS 3I7 the concept of heroism in Lermontov? Clearly, Vladimir Golstein and Northwestern University Pressthink the world has room for another volume on this theme, and in termsof the range of material,and, given the paucity of scholarlystudy of such worksas Maskarad and Mtsyri,there are good reasons to welcome this additionto the listof monographson Lermontov. Afterabroad-rangingintroductorychapteron 'HeroismandIndividualism' in the Russian context, Golstein, as his title suggests, concentrates on Lermontov'slonger works of narrative,although there is plenty of reference to lyrics and biographical material as corroboration. The very fact that we have serious,lengthy studiesof suchworksasMHaskarad and 'The Song of Tsar Ivan Vassilyevich, His Young Oprichnik, and the Stout-Hearted Merchant Kalshnikov'is to be applauded. These chapters, as well as those on the more familiarpoemy,contain many valuable insights and, together with the two chapters on sections of Heroof OurTime('The Fatalist'and 'PrincessMary'), provide a full picture of Lermontov's developing understandingof the twin concepts of heroism and individualism.Golstein'scontention is that the latter term has not always proved popular in Russia, and he is probably right. Regrettably, however, this reader found much to dispel these favourable impressions.There are a few basic misprintsor simple errors.By any system of transliterationsurely the protagonist of Pushkin's TheShotshould not...