Russian Novelist Research Articles

Frank Ellis, The Damned and the Dead: The Eastern Front Through the Eyes of Soviet and Russian Novelists

Frank Ellis, <i>The Damned and the Dead: The Eastern Front Through the Eyes of Soviet and Russian Novelists</i>

Totality from Interiority: The Nineteenth-Century Russian Novel as Epic in Georg Lukàcs’s The Theory of the Novel

In The Theory of the Novel, Georg Lukàcs’s (1885–1971) approach to the nineteenth-century Russian novel evidences underlying conflict: without presenting theoretical justification, Lukàcs continually refers to these works as ‘epic’. Yet according to the opposition he creates between novel and epic, the idea of a work’s belonging to both genres — even peripherally — appears paradoxical. This article explores the possibility that from Lukàcs’s approach within the Theory, the particular history and characteristics of the nineteenth-century Russian novel make it genuinely qualify for the seemingly-impossible classification of renewed epic; hence his continual implication that this is its true genre. Lukàcs’s treatments of nineteenth-century Russian novelists mentioned in the Theory are examined as support for this reading.

“A man is free as he is the image of godly freedom”. Fyodor Dostoevsky’s further considerations about freedom

The article presents Fyodor Dostoevsky’s considerations of freedom based on both The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot. The writer shows, that dealing with own freedom is one of the greatest tasks in human life and man's future fate depends wholly on how he copes with this task. Freedom is a fundamental concept in a philosophical anthropology of the Russian novelist. According to his grasp of the problem of evil this is a man, who appears the source of all misery, which he brings upon himself, among which not atheism but false understanding of God is the greatest one.

Ivan Sergeievich Turgenev: On the Centennial of His Birth

First publication in English of the Yiddish article on I. S. Turgenev published by Matvei (Mordechai Nisan) Kagan (1889–1937), a Russian philosopher of Jewish origin, in 1919. Kagan praises Turgenev as the first Russian novelist whose novels made Russian literature and culture a part of the world culture. This was a result of what Kagan called Turgenev’s svive-libe – the love for one’s cultural environment characteristic of the Russian intelligentsia that represented the whole people as the living and powerful collective.

The history of humanities as reflected in the evolution of K. Vaginov's novels

In the late 1920s – early 1930s, the Russian poet and novelist Konstantin Vaginov (1899–1934) wrote four novels which reproduce various discourses pertaining to the Russian humanities (philosophy, psychology, linguistics, study of literature) of that time. Trying to go back to the source of the corresponding theories and "hidden" quotations by identifying their authors allows us to include Vaginov's prose in the general intellectual context of his epoch. Analysing Vaginov's prose in the light of the history of ideas enables us to understand how a number of philological and philosophical trends were interpreted by particular groups of Soviet intellectuals (for instance, writers and poets who were Vaginov's contemporaries). Besides, it allows us to propose a new interpretation of Vaginov's novels and their evolution which corresponds to his perception of humanities around him: their many tendencies and peculiarities become unacceptable for the writer in the 1930s.

Ivan Goncharov (1812-1891): the Book-illustrative Exhibition

On the book-illustrative exhibition, organized by the Russian State Library and devoted to the life and works of the outstanding Russian novelist Ivan Goncharov.

The Damned and the Dead: The Eastern Front through the Eyes of Soviet and Russian Novelists. By Frank Ellis. Modern War Studies. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2011. xiii, 376 pp. Appendixes. Notes. Bibliography. Glossary. Index. $34.95, hard bound.

The Damned and the Dead: The Eastern Front through the Eyes of Soviet and Russian Novelists. By Frank Ellis. Modern War Studies. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2011. xiii, 376 pp. Appendixes. Notes. Bibliography. Glossary. Index. $34.95, hard bound. - Volume 71 Issue 3

THE MYTHE NOVEL PLAGUE OF ALBERT CAMUS, ITS INSPIRATION SOURCES AND ITS EVOCATIVE SYMBOLS

In different periods, some writers made new comments on the antique classics mhytes by readapting them in accordance with the their period. In the XVIIth the french classic playwriters such as Pierre Corneille and Jean Racine took up again the antique myths treated by the antique writers. These playwriters readapted the antique myths in their works according to the conception of their period. In the XXth the french writers such as Jean Giraudoux, Andre Gide, Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus interpreted again the antique mythes in their works by making evocations to the events occured in their epoch. Treating and displaying the antique mythes in the theater works is a well known fact, but it is an uncommon fact in the novels. The russian novelist Dostoievsky, the czeche Franz Kafka, the american novelists Herman Melville and William Faulkner interpreted again some mythes under different aspects in their novels. This style of myth roman caused that the american critic Stock asked the following question: Is it possible to reconcile the symbolism and the naturalism, what is the principal and formal problem? The myth roman gives answer to the question : Do the realism and naturalism giving importance the exterior appearance of the matter and things and the symbolism giving importance to the the invisible aspect of the matter and things come together in the same plane? The novel of Albert Camus, The Plague (La Peste) containing both realist –naturalist and symbolist elements constitutes an typical exemple of this myth roman. In this novel, Camus relates how the epidemic disease pestilence not occured in reality according to the historical documents, but fabricated fictively by the writer, besieges the algerian city Oran and causes a chaotic situation to the inhabitants as the enemy army did, in a given date, this is to say, in1940’s and a given space. This pestilence event as epidemic disease evokes symbolically the occupation of France by the german nazi army, the badness problem of the humanity, the human metaphysical solitude in the universe, generally the wars and massacres which occurred in the history or which would be able to occur in the futur. In The Plague Albert Camus used the epidemic disease for multi purposes. This myth novel has evocative symboles. By composing his myth novel The Plague Camus has been influenced from The Theater and The Plague (le Theatre et la Peste), Antoine Artaud’s works. Artaud establishes the resemblance between the theater and the pestilence. Antoine Artaud says that the play displayed on scene like the pestilence case brings the goodness rather than the badness because showing the play on scene before the spectators causes to reveal the human characters , drop masks and exhibit the hypocrisy, vileness, lying, lowness, indolence of the human being. He shows that the characters with sublim sprite are clearly distiguished from the characters with low and vicious sprite in the theater scene. The characters with sublim sprite struggle heroically against their bad destiny by discovering their secret aptitudes. Another inspiration source influencing Camus to write The Plague (La Peste) is Moby Dick , Herman Melville’s work. Moby Dick is a myth novel symbolising the struggle against the badness in the universe. Camus describes the legendary and enthusiasming struggle of the inhabitants in Oran against the epidemic desease as Herman Melville exhibited the legendary struggle of the monomaniac captain Ahab against the whale breaking off his leg. The fact that Camus presents symbollically the epidemic desease pestilence has a value surrounding the past, the present and the futur in a spatio-temporal dimension. This pestilence symbole evokes especially the occupation of France and the western Europe by the german nazi army, generally all totalitarian and imperialist ocuupations. It also symbolises the tortures and massacres of french army in Algeria where Camus was born, during the Algeria Independence War. Another symbolic meaning of The Plague is to express the metaphysical solitude and the suffering of the human being in the universe. The communication interrruption of the algerian city Oran with the world during the pestilence contamination symbolises the closed world of the absurde. Camus being influenced from the existentialist philosophy of the danish philosopher Kierkegaard and the german philosopher Heidegger, enlarged the exxperience of failure in his absurde conception. The metaphysical solitude of the human being in the universe causes a psychological boredom. The human being becoming conscious of this psychological boredom arrives to the existence secret by revolting against the badness. In conclusion, Camus showed his absurde-revolte philosophy by the figure of the epidemic disease in his novel The Plague.

The damned and the dead: the Eastern Front through the eyes of Soviet and Russian novelists

The damned and the dead: the Eastern Front through the eyes of Soviet and Russian novelists

«It was as Russian that I wrote my first novel». Wyndham Lewis e Dostoevskij

The purpose of this study is highlighting the influence exerted by Dostoevsky’s work on Wyndham Lewis’ first novel, Tarr (1918), and the consequent similarity between their fictional methods. Although in the age of the so-called “Dostoevsky cult” the Russian writer was mostly praised for his moral concern and his interest in psychology, the English literary world unanimously perceived his novels as shapeless and heterogeneous in structure and style – “fluid puddings”, in the words of Henry James. On the contrary, Lewis seems to acknowledge the originality of the Russian novelist’s textual construction, that highly complex, vital whole, later identified by Bakhthin as the expression of a «plurality of independent and unmerged voices and consciousnesses». If compared with The Possessed, Tarr reveals its debt to Dostoevsky’s narrative in the depiction of the characters and especially in the plot, revolved around a series of scenes charged with psychological dynamism, which are clearly reminiscent of the Russian’s tumultuous, scandal-ridden group scenes.

Edward Garnett: Interpreting the Russians

Constance Garnett has become justly celebrated for her translations from the Russian which brought the work of nineteenth century Russian novelists to prominence in Great Britain. This essay argues that her husband Edward Garnett played an equally important part in ‘interpreting’ the Russians. In his reviews, articles, and books Garnett sought to teach the British public how to read literature that many initially found baffling; through his work as a publisher's reader Garnett pressed the Russian example upon his protégés in an effort to revivify the British novel.

Neurología y literatura

Introduction Literature complements medical literature in the academic and clinical development of neurologists . The present article explores the contributions of writers of fiction on neurology. Sources Literary works of fiction with particular reference to neurology. Development A symbiosis between writers of fiction and doctors has been well recognised. From Shakespeare to Cervantes by way of Dickens and Cela to writer – physicians such as Anton Chekhov or António Lobo Antunes have contributed through their medically informed literature to the better understanding of neurology. Some writers like Dostoevsky, Machado de Assis and Margiad Evans have written about their own experiences with disease thus bringing new insights to medicine. Furthermore, some neurological disorders have been largely based on literary descriptions. For instance, Dostoevsky's epilepsy has been retrospectively analysed by famous neurologists including Freud, Alajouanine or Gastaut, whilst his writings and biography have prompted others like Waxman and Geschwind to describe typical behavioural changes in temporal lobe epilepsy, finding their source of inspiration in Dostoevsky. Likewise, Cirignotta et al have named an unusual type of seizure after the Russian novelist. Inspired by Lewis Carroll, Todd introduced the term Alice in Wonderland Syndrome to refer to visual distortions generally associated with migraine. Conclusions Writers of fiction offer a humanised perception of disease by contributing new insights into the clinical history, informing about the subjective experience of the illness and helping to eradicate the stigma associated to neurological disorders.

Sur l’origine du texte « Dostojewski und die Vatertötung », deux personnalités méconnues : Friedrich Eckstein et René Fülöp-Miller

Much has been said by French and international psychoanalytical movements about Freud's introduction to a Brothers Karamazov's study. More obscure is the way the founder of psychoanalysis happened to learn important details about Dostoevsky's personality and biography. The publication of Dostoevsky's posthumous works and biographies about the author, in German, by Friedrich Eckstein and René Fülöp-Miller, provided Freud with main references for his essay, Dostoevsky and Parricide. These two Freud's acquaintances, close to the Viennese artistic movement, took an interest in Russian novelists like Dostoevsky. René Fülöp-Miller, helped by Friedrich Eckstein, older brother of the famous Emma Eckstein, collected and bought many hitherto unpublished manuscripts of Dostoevsky. The novelist was not in favour with leaders of the Soviet Union, so in a context of literary censorship, they managed to negotiate exclusive rights for a first publication. Freud will not only base his essay on this previously unpublished works but also contribute to the spreading of Dostoevsky's works in German between the two World Wars.

Leo Tolstoy and social justice

The Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy deserves to be recognized as a crusader for social justice. In the later half of his life, he preached and practiced his own brand of Christian love, and has been looked on as a model for nonviolent resistance. While not a perfect man, Tolstoy demonstrated the courage of his convictions, and his life and writings have currency for contemporary problems.

Challenging Christianity: Leo Tolstoy and religious education

The religious thought of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy is a well documented but often overlooked example of unorthodox Christianity. This paper uses the example of Tolstoy’s religious thinking to question the integrity of the current representation of Christianity in UK schools. It also uses Tolstoy’s criticism of orthodox Christianity to suggest a possible consequence of the existing depiction of Christianity on students’ understanding and attitudes.

Historical Perspectives

The period between the Franco-Prussian War (1871) and the beginning of World War I (1914), rich in scientific discoveries and filled with artistic creation, opened a new era in medicine. A high infant mortality rate, which was fueled by lack of basic hygiene, curtailed population growth in various European countries. Governments were worried, especially in France, (1)(2)(3) where industrialization and colonization were in progress. The “European Empires” needed men for industry, the military, and the colonies. Influential political men such as Dr Bourneville, a senator of the French Republic, (4) turned to obstetricians to solve the acute problem of infant mortality and address the depopulation issue. This powerful physician facilitated the creation of modern maternity units managed by certified obstetricians instead of surgeons. Maternal mortality had decreased markedly, starting in 1890, thanks to the introduction of antisepsis. A participant in this effort was the young doctor Pierre Budin, a senior resident of Stephane Tarnier, the leader of French obstetrics. (5) In 1874, he was sent to study with Joseph Lister in Edinburgh (6) to learn the preventive treatment of surgical infections. Puerperal fever had decimated maternity units to such an extent that some were closed intermittently. This serious issue absorbed so much of Dr Tarnier's energy that he was forced to take a leave of absence to prevent his health from deteriorating. A friend of Budin, Lucas Championniere, (7) a young surgeon, had preceded him on this path by working for a few months with Lister at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh. In Paris, he already was applying the antiseptic method of Lister with extremely good results. (7) Shortly after Championniere, Budin made the trip to Scotland and learned all the details of the antiseptic method. He also benefited from the teaching of Duncan, the chief …

Jerko Skračić - hrvatski književnik u sjeni pamćenja (o novelama "Osunčani otoci")

U ovome je članku predstavljena zbirka novela Osunčani otoci Jerka Skračića. Autor najprije predstavlja dvije novele koje su prethodile toj zbirci iz 1943. godine. Novele, "Braco" i "Kolporter" ukazuje na dvije dominantne odrednice Skračićeve buduće novelistike: obitelj kao sadržaj i dramatsku strukturu sadržaja. Zbirka Osunčani otoci ima tri razdjela. U prvome ("Sjene uspomena") J. Skračiću ja-formi donosi sjećanja iz svog djetinjstva. U drugom razdjelu ("Osunčani otoci"), u novelama "jednog dana", Skračić piše o događajima i trenutnim krizama svijesti usamljenih ljudi na Kornatskim otocima. Treći razdio ("Selo u brizi") romanesknesu, štoviše dramatske, priče iz obiteljskog života u jednom zatvorenom seoskom svijetu. Novele ova dva razdjela napisane su u trećem licu. Jedan dio novela J. Skračića strukturiran je u skladu s glavnim teorijskim postulatima toga tipa proze. Izvjestan je broj priča, međutim, komponiran na romanesknoj, vremenski duljoj, matrici. Razlog je tomu dramatska psihološka situacija pojedinih likova, poglavito naglašena obiteljskim odnosima te stajalištuobitelji spram seoskoj sredini. J. Skračić kao pisac, a po uzoru na velike francuske i ruske noveliste, ostaje nepristranim svjedokom događanja. No ne može se ne uočiti njegova empatija sasviješću likova u krizi, ali ni "tužni i ironični" pogled na svijet u kome žive.

Leo Tolstoy the spiritual educator

This paper considers the often overlooked religious and educational works of the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910). After outlining Tolstoy's life, religious and educational views, it is argued that Tolstoy has much to offer spiritual educators today. In particular, it suggests Tolstoy's insistence on the absolute and eternal nature of spiritual and moral truths, coupled with a free and heuristic pedagogy, are key ingredients of an authentic spiritual education.

On hedgehogs, foxes and leadership: Uncovering the other Tolstoy

Abstract While known for his view that heroes are nothing but “a lie and invention,” Leo Tolstoy also offered effusive praise for Abraham Lincoln, noting that America's 16th president “overshadows all other national heroes.” In this sense, the Russian novelist is something much more than a simple antidote to Thomas Carlyle's imagery of the hero and the heroic in history. There is, in fact, another Tolstoy revealed by his comments on Lincoln, as well as in his short novel Hadji Murád. And this article seeks to uncover that other Tolstoy, using Isaiah Berlin's The Hedgehog and the Fox as a guide.

Tangents in a Telescope: Virginia Woolf’s Georgian Tolstoy

This article offers a new slant on Virginia Woolf’s essays on Tolstoy, which evolved during her collaborative translation work with S. S. Koteliansky. First, a ‘Georgian’ vision of the great Russian novelist emerges, who, acclaimed as a great philosopher and philanthropist by the Victorians, and a master realist and character-artist by the Edwardians, figures now as an innovative, avant-garde writer, twisting perspectives and debunking eminent nineteenth-century mythologies. Second, Woolf’s insistence on Tolstoy’s craftsmanship brings a new, formalist concern with literary dynamics to the fore, that would profoundly alter her ownvision of aesthetics. Where Victorians hailed Tolstoy as an epic story-teller, Woolf and Forster celebrate his music, shifting the accent from plot to sounds, textures and method, just as the Russian Formalists were laying the foundations for an immense renewal of literary scholarship. Woolf’s collaborative work with Koteliansky brought her into contact not only with the great Russian classics, but also with provocative literary theories being propounded in the early years of the revolution.