Russian Readers Research Articles

Этнокультурные особенности лингвокультуремы «французский сад» («jardin français»)

In less than a century, the stable concept of «French garden» is formed and consolidated, having become the result of the activity of very specific historical figures (André Lenôtre and Louis XIV) in the national consciousness of the French and in the language. The concept can be classified as a linguocultureme with a clearly expressed nationally colored semantic meaning. The article proposes to explore the ethnocultural features of the linguocultureme «French garden», as well as to determine its role and place in the national consciousness of the French, and to outline its influence on the formation of the French national picture of the world. The concept of «French garden» in the linguocultural aspect is not well-studied, which emphasizes the novelty of this work. The author conducts the research using a complex of scientific methods, including contextual-interpretive analysis, diachronic research, and analysis of linguistic and cultural objects. It is also worth noting that the author for the first time cites, in the author’s translation from French, primary sources of French scientific research and publications on the topic of landscape gardening, unknown to Russian readers. As a result of a comparison of theoretical generalization and analysis of linguistic material, the author comes to the conclusion that at certain stages of history, some concepts and traditions are formed in the collective consciousness of a nation, which can become elements of the cultural code and form the basis of the national linguistic picture of the world. Such a concept and a tradition stretching back centuries for the French is the desire to cultivate a garden, in which its aesthetic component acquires particular importance.

PROTECTION OF FAMILY PROPERTY AND INTERESTS OF CREDITORS

The article examines the monograph by A. V. Kopylov “Legates, fideicommissas and donations in case of death in Roman classical law” (M., Gorodets, 2021). It is noted that a monograph on the stated topic is a natural stage of the author’s research work. The monograph rst of all determines the place of these institutions in Roman civil law. At the same time, the connection between these institutions of inheritance law and the institutions of property law and, in general, their role in the circulation of things is shown. One of the main tasks that were solved through the use of legates and deicommissas was the transfer of rights to things in order to protect the interests of family members (heirs under a will). The author points out the genetic connection between institutions. A. V. Kopylov examined the historically rst forms of institutions (mainly legates and deicommissae), as well as their features that developed by the classical era, and, as necessary, comparisons with the subsequent era take place. In the nal section of the study, the author contains a brief historical outline of the development of the institutions discussed in the book. The review notes that the appendix to the main text contains an extensive list of author’s translations of fragments of the Corpus iuris civilis, the sixth book of the Justinian Code and Novellas, previously unknown to Russian readers. The main conclusions of the review can be reduced to the fact that the monograph by A. V. Kopylov is of great scienti c importance and is of interest both to novelists, philologists, historians, and to a wide range of students and graduate students.

PUSHKIN IN A. MAKHOV’S NEW EMBLEMATICA

The article is based on the material of the recently published A. Makhov’s Emblematica: Microcosm. Pushkin is included in the “personal pantheon” of A. Makhov, being a link between the main research worlds of the scholar: emblem studies, the history of Russian and European poetics, the history of European Romanticism, etc. By Pushkin’s “presence”, we mean not only mentions of Pushkin’s name and direct quotations from his writings, but also more or less easily readable convergences at the topic level. Makhov’s new book is devoted to man as a subject of European emblems of the 16th and 17th centuries; an important place in it is occupied by the study of the human body as the language of emblems and the source of signs, the application of the main four combinatorial operations in the creation of emblematic composite images. When interpreting European emblems, associations with Pushkin’s work constantly arise — for example, the figure of the conciliatio of the stingy rich and poor, expressed in the topos “rich is poor”, allows a Russian reader to see a parallel with Pushkin’s “The Miserly Knight”; the topos of “vain flight from love, the incurable love disease” — with his lyrics. The method of reading “through the prism of Pushkin” used in the article allows us to look at the rich material of the monograph at least in two aspects: to shed new light on Pushkin’s connection with European emblems and to incorporate his work even more deeply into the European cultural tradition; to see how the Pushkin principle can serve as a kind of core, an immanent dominant in interpretations of European cultural realities by such a multi-world scholar as A. Makhov.

Textbooks on reading in Russian for Chinese universities over the past 30 years: analysis and prospects

Textbooks are the basis for implementing the curriculum and an important support in teaching activities. They play an important role in foreign language teaching, representing teaching materials that combine the characteristics of the time, learning objectives, advanced teaching concepts, and patterns of self-learning. The aim of the research is to identify trends and problems in the sphere of preparation and publication of teaching aids for reading in Russian in China. The author analyzed 84 manuals on reading in Russian published in China over the last 30 years. Special attention was paid to the 4 most representative books published at different times. Comparative-typological method, as well as methods of induction and mathematical processing were used. The comparative analysis of teaching aids was carried out considering the aspects of the purpose of creation, structure, content. The features of universal (comprehensive) and professional-specialized reading textbooks, including auxiliary teaching materials are considered. The necessity of creating a series of high-quality textbooks is emphasized, and the ways of solving this problem are determined. The author has deeply explored the alternatives of composing Russian reading textbooks from the point of view of a system of multifunctional thematic content, integration of intercultural and national-specific elements, and multipolar learning.

Themes of Love and Solitude in Contemporary Azerbaijani Women’s Prose

The article examines the representation of themes of love and loneliness in women’s prose in Azerbaijan. It is noted that the literary works of women in different countries have gained particular relevance at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries. The novelty of the research lies in identifying key themes raised in the works of several leading Azerbaijani female writers, who are not well known to a wide circle of Russian readers. The creative works of A. Masud, Farida, and A. Gyulnel are analyzed, with themes of love and loneliness being the focus of the study. It has been established that the thematic content of the works exhibits a traditional character typical of women’s prose: the quest for love by women and men, contemplation of issues of loyalty and betrayal, and solitude. It is shown that the characters in their pursuits do not find understanding from those around them. The absence of love drives A. Masud’s characters to madness (“Fatima” novel), physical death (“Aysun” story), or moral decline (“The Boss” story). In Farida’s work “Silent Birds”, the issue of the influence of ancient cruel traditions on the relationships and fate of young people is raised. In “Cactus” by A. Gyulnel, the heroine suffers from loneliness due to the lack of parental love. The author concludes that the variety of issues raised by female authors is imbued with the idea of the tragedy of human existence without love.

NEUROBIOLOGICAL MARKERS CORRUPTION BEHAVIOR: THEORETICAL REVIEW

In the modern world, the fi ght against corruption becomes a matter of solving a global problem of society. As practice has shown, external infl uences aimed at preventing corrupt practices do not always have the desired eff ect. Therefore, recently, scientists around the world have shown increasing interest in internal regulators of corrupt behavior, most often due to moral components. This paradigm is based on the idea that corrupt behavior results from multiple, interacting cognitive-aff ective networks in the brain that can be biomedically manipulated to create opportunities for moral improvement. However, cognitive neuro-studies of moral aspects of behavior, including those involving corrupt actions, are currently in short supply. Most of them were carried out on foreign samples, that is, without taking into account the sociocultural aspect. In addition, one of the latest trends in this direction is the search for neuromarkers — those areas in the human brain that are activated when implementing thoughts and actions that are contrary to moral standards, including when making corrupt decisions. This article is intended to provide an annotated analysis of retrospective studies of neurobiological predictors of human behavior, mainly from the last 10–15 years, to introduce the Russian reader to innovative works in this direction.

«Пригородный тренд»: первый социологический взгляд на городскую периферию

The article is devoted to a review of Paul Douglas's book “Suburban Trend” - one of the first sociological studies on the suburbs. Analyzing the early stages of suburbanization, this work is very valuable for the analysis of modern processes of suburbanization in Russia. At the same time, this book remains in the shadow of the more famous works of the Chicago School of Sociology and is almost unknown to the Russian reader.

Ambivalence of the perception of the color palette in F. S. Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby” and its coloristic realization in the film adaptations

The subject of the study is color symbolism in F. Fitzgerald’s novel «The Great Gatsby» in the aspect of an ambivalent understanding of the conceptual solution in the use of a certain color in creating images of characters, in describing the setting and semantic content of the ideological content of the work and its screen interpretations. The object of study is color as a meaning-forming concept in literature and cinema, the symbolism of color. The work of Francis S. Fitzgerald «The Great Gatsby» is of interest in the study of the influence of color palette. The main research methods are analytical and comparative historical. The color concepts of F. S. Fitzgerald's book “The Great Gatsby” and film adaptations are comprehended. This work by F. S. Fitzgerald is of interest to the modern Russian reader and viewer due to the fact that the problems raised in the novel are still relevant today. The writer touches on the popular theme of the American dream in literature and cinema. The story of the main characters is a vivid example of the illusory nature of this dream, and the lifestyle of the characters and their worldview demonstrate spiritual emptiness and cold indifference to everything except money and wealth. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the study of the ambivalence of perception of the coloristic solution of the images of characters in the book in comparison with its screen interpretations. The author comes to the conclusion that F. S. Fitzgerald in the novel «The Great Gatsby» uses a color palette in creating images of characters and describing the scene in such a way that the ambiguity in the perception of color most unexpectedly and sharply emphasizes the problems raised and becomes the basis for rethinking the ideological content of the work.

Правовое регулирование компаний в Гражданском кодексе КНР

Due to the significant increase in the volume of trade turnover of the Russian Federation with the People's Republic of China, the Russian reader is interested in the existing organizational-legal forms of business activity provided for in the new Chinese Code of the People's Republic of China, including the legal position of the limited liability company and the joint stock limited liability company, which have great similarity with Russian business companies. New provisions in Chinese law are the rules on corporate social responsibility discussed in the article. Inclusion of these provisions, representing one of the aspects of the theory of sustainable development to the Civil Code of the PRC, in the author's opinion, may be useful for Russian corporations forming rules of sustainable development in local acts.

Standardized Russian reading chart for assessing reading parameters

BACKGROUND: A number of charts based on checking reading parameters are increasingly being used to assess visual functions. These charts are standardized, translated into many languages. The development of a Russian chart based on international standards and the determination of age norms of clinical reading parameters will allow it to be used for a more accurate assessment of the dynamics of diseases and treatment results. AIM: The aim is to determine the normal reading parameters in patients of different age groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on international standards, two Russian charts have been developed to study reading parameters. Reading parameters were determined during one session in 135 subjects, divided into 3 groups: I — 18–39 years, II — 40–59 years, and III — 60–81 years. Three main parameters were studied: maximum reading speed, critical print size, and reading acuity (RA). RESULTS: As a result of the study, age norms for basic reading parameters were determined. Maximum reading speed in group I was 192.5 ± 1.2, in group II — 180.6 ± 1.1 and in group III — 168.9 ± 0.8 words/min. Critical print size in group I was 0.14 ± 0.01, in group II — 0.24 ± 0.01, and in group III — 0.36 ± 0.01 logMAR. The reading acuity in group I was 0.009 ± 0.006, in group II — 0.075 ± 0.04, in group III — 0.143 ± 0.005 logMAR. The differences between the studied parameters in groups I/II, I/III and II/III were statistically significant (p 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The indicators of reading parameters obtained during the study can be used as approximate age norms.

Интертекстуальные включения в графическом романе А. Мура «Лига выдающихся джентльменов»

The article considers intertextual elements of graphic novel “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” by A. Moore. These elements are autotextual/paratextual (syntagmatics) and intextual / architextual (paradigmatics) ones. The study of intertextuality, which is richly presented in the novel under analysis, helps establish layering and mixing of many different English-language Victorian novels’ contexts in “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”. Thus, we can fully understand the story of the graphic novel (there are practically no characters created by A. Moore, even minor ones are taken from somewhere) and catch non-obvious details for a Russian reader. For instance, they refer to such novels as “The Blue Dwarf” by P.B. St. John and “Varney the Vampire” by T.P. Prest and J.M. Rymer. The choice of “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” as material of investigation and A. Moore as an author is proven by extremely high popularity of A. Moore’s works in the modern popular art and literature.

Exploring Russian Literature's Spiritual Labor: A Review of Wonder Confronts Certainty

Review of the book Wonder Confronts Certainty by Gary Saul Morson, eminent literary critic and Slavist. The book is a recent (2023) release, and uses Russian literature from the mid-19th century as a means of reading Russian society and politics. It delves into the profound intersection of Russian literature and philosophy, addressing the 'accursed questions' on life's meaning, morality, and truth. Morson stages a Dialogue of the Dead with eminent Russian thinkers, navigating the great realist novelists and the unique intelligentsia. Divided into three sections, the book explores the intricacies of Russian intellectual life, categorizing the intelligentsia into distinct sub-types. While the final section engages timeless questions, the book's strength lies in Morson's nuanced understanding of opposing perspectives. Interwoven with intertextuality, it skillfully examines Russian history and politics, though at times leaning towards anti-Soviet sentiments and displaying a slight masculine bias. Overall, it offers a lucid primer on Russian literature and politics.

Investigating the Sources of the French Grammar (1724) by Ivan Gorlitsky

The article is dedicated to the grammar of the French language, which is kept in the manuscript department of the Library of the Academy of Sciences (RO BAN, P I B, №106). The authorship of the manual is attributed to Ivan Gorlitsky (1690–1777). It was apparently intended for Princess Elizaveta Petrovna. The article supplements the information on this source in the works by S. V. Vlasov, L. V. Moskovkin (2013, 2017), N. V. Kareva and M. G. Sharikhina (2022). The allegation passed down from work to work about the originality of Gorlitsky’s work is disputed. Evidence shows that a significant part of the grammar text corresponds to the textbook “The true principles of the French Language” (1757) by V. J. Peyton; it is assumed that both texts go back to a common source. Other fragments of Gorlitsky’s grammar go back to F. de Fenne’s «Institutio linguae gallicae» (1680). The examples are generously taken from J.-R. Peplier’s textbook (1689). Special attention is paid to the peculiarities of the material adaptation to the Russian reader. It is pointed out that Gorlitsky often altered the examples and supplemented his text with information about the Russian language.

Russian Readers and Their Environment

The article by Nikolai A. Rubakin (1862–1946) was first published in the journal Bulletin of Knowledge in 1905. This is a reworking of a lecture given him in Penza. The author argues the relevance of the chosen topic and its practical interest. He believes that the history of reading is the history of public thought, criticism, creativity, attitudes to various cultural demands and innovations of the early 20th century. According to N. A. Rubakin the reader is one of the main figures of society. The author gives quantitative and qualitative characteristics of Russian reader based on correspondence with readers, information from periodicals, statistics and other sources.

Anthropological function of the chronotope in the plot of the “Russian Robinsons”

The anthropological approach to a work of art is a current trend in literary criticism. Man is the subject and object of artistic anthropology. Using the traditional literary concept of chronotope, this article attempts to explain the place of a person in the picture of the world of a work of art. The work pays special attention to the category of chronotope, in particular to its anthropological function. The anthropological function of the chronotope is analysed in the novel “Beruny” (1933) by Zinoviy Samoylovich Davydov. When creating his original work, the author was inspired by the story about the six-year wintering of Russian sailors on Edge Island in the 40s of the XVIII century, which was beloved by the Russian reader. The main research methods are: chronotopic text analysis, proposed by V.V. Savelyeva, A.F. Kofman, N.K. Shutaya, E.A. Komarova, A.B. Temirbolat, et al. and cultural-historical analysis. Z. Davydov's narration forms the national features of the collective image of the “Russian Robinsons”. The specificity is conveyed in the author's descriptions of the heroes' perception of space and time. The literary achievements of Z. Davydov are analyzed through the prism of two particularly important elements of any literary text - the chronotope and the image of the hero. The chronotope determines the personal qualities and thoughts, behavior and deeds of the “Russian Robinsons”. The purpose of the study is to establish the relationship between a certain chronotope and the characters' cognitive reaction to the author's indications of the coordinates of space and time, to trace the textual manifestations of the characters' inner experiences. The constructs of time and space in the novel by Z. Davydov are analyzed, and a typology of characters in his story about the disasters of the “Russian Robinsons” is built. As a result, a typology of behavioral models of “Russian Robinsons” in liminal conditions was compiled.

НЕИЗВЕСТНАЯ СКАЗКА К. И. ЧУКОВСКОГО: «ПРИКЛЮЧЕНИЯ БАБАРА» И «БАБАР И СЕЛЕСТА В МОСКВЕ»

The article analyzes materials found in the Korney Chukovsky’s archive in the Russian State Library. The texts presented in the article were depicted by Chukovsky as “based on the drawings and French text by Jean de Brunoff” that means — The Travels of Babar (1932) by the French writer and artist Jean de Brunoff. The Russian translation is entitled The Adventures of Babar. The supplement to the article presents different versions of the translation found in the archive, which reflect Chukovsky’s edits, as well as texts written by Chukovsky as the continuation of the original plot — The Adventures of Babar and Celeste. Part two. Babar and Celeste in Moscow. These texts have never been published before. Their textual analysis makes it possible to depict The Adventures of Babar as a retelling, and the sequel episode Babar and Celeste in Moscow could be considered as an original story that has no French analogue. An attempt has been made to find out the dates when Chukovsky worked on the texts and to describe the specifics of editorial changes. The first version of The Adventures of Babar, which consisted of two parts, judging by the documents found, dates back to 1946–1948 and was intended for publication as a calendar with illustrations by famous animator and artist Mstislav Pashchenko. The second version of The Adventures of Babar was made with the aim of possible publication in the illustrated children’s periodical Funny Pictures in 1957. Work on this text was presumably continued at the very beginning of the 1960s, the purpose of the third revision is unknown. Korney Chukovsky didn’t include The Adventure of Babar and Celeste in Moscow in the second and third versions. Analysis of various versions of The Adventures of Babar allows us to judge that Chukovsky has significantly revised and expanded de Brunoff’s original. This could partly be due to the fact that the Russian edition was not supposed to use original illustrations from the French book and in that case the visual narrative needed to be retold in the Russian text. We could also assume that Chukovsky set a goal to adapt the text for the young Russian readers through significant domestication: for example, introducing Russian names — Aibolit, Barmaley, as well as transferring part of the story to Moscow.

МЕТОДЫ ПРЕПОДАВАНИЯ АНГЛИЙСКОГО И РУССКОГО ЯЗЫКОВ В КОЛЛЕДЖАХ И УНИВЕРСИТЕТАХ КИТАЯ

The introduction states that in the conditions of globalization, the promotion and popularization of the English and Russian languages are observed in many countries around the world, including China. However, there are certain differences in the practice of teaching these languages to Chinese audience, particularly in teaching methods. The aim of the research is to characterize the teaching methods of the English and Russian languages in Chinese colleges and universities, identify problems, and prospects for the development of teaching these languages in China. Materials and Methods. Publications by Chinese and Russian authors served as the study’s material. For the first time, articles by Chinese scholars and practitioners, written in the last twenty years when the study of foreign languages was given a special place in the educational process, are presented to the Russian reader. A descriptive method is used to cover the works. The authors’ comments in this article are based on the method of participant observation since the authors themselves are teachers and have the opportunity to analyze the language learning process from within. Results. In their publications, Chinese researchers and practitioners analyze various teaching methods applied to student audiences, including communicative, situational, and task based methods used for teaching English and audiovisual, direct, and translation methods in teaching Russian. It is established that English language classes are more focused on creating conditions for lively interaction among students, encouraging their initiative and independence in learning. Learning Russian is more challenging for Chinese students because it involves less communication opportunities and more autonomy. Teachers also use innovative methods, but it has not yet become a system for teaching Russian as a foreign language. Conclusion. In the process of teaching foreign languages in China, specialists usually face difficulties such as the inadequate material-technical base of educational institutions and weak student motivation. However, the application of innovative teaching methods, including online formats, allows improving the quality of education and potentially raising it to a higher level.

Самоцитирование в комедиях Мольера: оригинал и переводы

The article is devoted to autoreferentiality in Molière’s comedies, namely, his selfquoting. It is found in plays of a theoretical nature — Critique of the School for Wives (1663) and The Versailles Impromptu (1663). These comedies were the playwright’s response to the so-called Dispute over the School for Wives (1662). Cases of selfquoting are considered in the context of the aesthetic and ethical claims that were put forward by Moliere’s opponents, and also his idea of laughter, the comic potential of images, and the peculiarities of stage language. The article argues that self-citations are metatheatrical since they reflect Molière’s reflection on the tasks of comedy. The analysis of self-quoting is carried out taking into account the most authoritative translations of the three plays into Russian (they were performed by eight translators in total), included in the Complete Works of Molière, published in the 20th century. The research shows that in Russian translations, the author’s self-quotations are not always preserved; the translations also contain semantic inaccuracies due to the differences in cultural context. It inevitably influences the understanding of Molière’s plays. The largest number of discrepancies is contained in pre-revolutionary publications. From the point of view of recognizability of self-quoting, the translations of the Soviet period seem to be more successful. The study shows the importance of self-quoting in Molière’s plays and testifies to the need for new Complete Works in which all the elements of autoreferentiality will be made clear to the Russian reader and commented on.

«ЛЕГКО ЛЬ ПОНЯТЬ ЧЕРЕЗ ДЕСЯТКИ ЛЕТ…»: МЕМОРИАЛИЗАЦИЯ ОБРАЗА МАРИИ ПЕТРОВЫХ В ЛИТЕРАТУРНОМ И КУЛЬТУРНОМ ПРОСТРАНСТВЕ ЯРОСЛАВЛЯ

Memorialization as a purposeful activity to preserve, consolidate and transmit cultural and literary traditions, associated with the personality and work of poets and writers, to next generations becomes especially demanded during critical historical periods, which is what happened with Maria Sergeevna Petrovykh at the turn of the millennium. Born in Yaroslavl, who at an early stage of her work became a prominent figure among the poets of the Silver Age, who rethought the traditions of Russian classical poetry, who revealed many bright artistic phenomena of different national cultures to the Russian reader but, unfortunately, little known to the general reading public due to historical circumstances, Maria Petrovykh becomes an iconic personality in the Russian cultural space in the 1990s – 2000s. The article traces an attempt to present the influence of the personality and creativity of M.S. Petrovykh on the literary and cultural environment of her hometown.

Literacy instruction and lexicon size determine bilingual reading development of Russian-German children

Research question: How does Russian and German reading comprehension develop during the first 3 years of primary school in Russian heritage speakers and which factors predict performance in each language? Methodology: 40 Russian-German children were tested annually from first to third grade (age in grade 1 M = 7; 1 years). Reading was assessed with comparable Russian and German word and sentence reading comprehension tests. The Russian test was available in Cyrillic and Latin script (the latter for children who could not read Cyrillic letters). Potential predictors included lexicon size in Russian and German and rapid automatized naming (RAN) of numbers (both assessed in primary school). Other factors were assessed in kindergarten, that is, nonverbal reasoning and, derived from a parents’ questionnaire, their socioeconomic status and language input in the family. Data and analysis: Linear regressions were used to compare the development of Russian and German. Stepwise regression analyses identified predictors for reading comprehension in each language. Findings: German reading ability improved faster than that of Russian, likely due to the increasing amount of German input outside the family, literacy instruction in German at school, and the large variance in Russian literacy abilities. Children who could read Cyrillic script, who likely received some form of Russian literacy instruction, and who had a larger Russian lexicon size exhibited better reading performance. These results are discussed regarding the divergent attainment trajectories. Decisive factors for German were German lexicon size and RAN. Originality: This longitudinal study tracked Russian and German reading development over 3 years in primary school, assessed Russian reading in Cyrillic and Latin scripts, and identified predictors for bilingual reading development in both languages. Implications: To become proficient readers in their heritage language, children need to have a substantial lexicon size and receive literacy instruction.