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The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of the Liberal Arts MEDEA UNMASKED: INNOKENTII ANNENSKII’S PROTO-FEMINIST TRANSLATION OF EURIPIDES’ MEDEA A Dissertation in Comparative Literature by Jason K. Brooks © 2014 Jason K. Brooks Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2014 The dissertation of Jason K. Brooks was reviewed and approved* by the following: Adrian Wanner Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures and Comparative Literature Dissertation Adviser Chair of Committee Thomas O. Beebee Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Comparative Literature and German Michael M. Naydan Woskob Family Professor of Ukrainian Studies, Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures Zoe Stamatopoulou Tombros Early Career Professor of Classical Studies and Assistant Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies Eric Hayot Head, Department of Comparative Literature Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and Asian Studies *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. ii Abstract Scholars have long studied Innokentii Annenskii, the famous but enigmatic Russian Silver Age poet, philologist, and pedagogue. There are monographs, articles, and chapters devoted to Annenskii; there is no paucity of scholarly comment on his contribution to Russian modernism. There remains a striking lacuna in the literature, however, when it comes to his life’s work: his translation of the complete Euripides. Medea Unmasked: Innokentii Annenskii’s Proto-Feminist Translation of Euripides’ Medea is the first sustained examination of Innokentii Annenskii’s Euripidea, and the only study to date to evaluate systematically his classical translation as something more than a curiosity in his larger poetic corpus. This dissertation, then, argues that in translating Euripides’ Medea, Annenskii brought his two worlds—poetry and scholarship— together, resulting in an early feminist reading of the play, a reading we might call avant-garde. Annenskii’s provides a reading on the cutting edge for its time. With the foundation laid in this dissertation, it becomes clear that Slavists need to reassess Annenskii’s legacy in a more thorough way to include his translation work as a significant part of his oeuvre. Beyond Russian literature, however, this thesis has broader applications to literary and classical studies. Grounding his efforts in perceptive philological analysis, Annenskii produces a deeply interpretive translation, one that prefigures many late-twentieth century readings of Euripides’ play; thus a fresh consideration of various poets’ translations may provide new insight into many literary lights that we think we understand so well, but whose corpora scholars have not given a full consideration. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements........................................................................................................... v Dedication......................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1. Introduction……...............................................................................................1 Translators, Poets, and Intertextuality.....................................................................3 Innokentii Annenskii’s Vanguard............................................................................8 Myth and Medea......................................................................................................9 Our Project.............................................................................................................16 Chapter 2............................................................................................................................23 The Silver Age.......................................................................................................25 Innokentii Fedorovich Annenskii..........................................................................46 Autocratic Paranoia and Russian Classical Studies...............................................51 Annenskii: Doctus Poeta........................................................................................69 Chapter 3............................................................................................................................83 Euripides: Life and Work.......................................................................................83 Euripides in the Silver Age....................................................................................86 Reconfiguring Medea: Space, Dialogue, Gender on the Euripidean Stage.........102 Looking Past the Infanticide................................................................................131 Chapter 4..........................................................................................................................133 Educated, Educator..............................................................................................134 The Poet-Hellenist...............................................................................................137 Source to Target, Target to Source......................................................................142 Infanticide or Patricide: Annenskii’s Medea.......................................................148 The Prologue........................................................................................................153 The Messenger Speech........................................................................................174 The First Stasimon...............................................................................................195 Vanguard..............................................................................................................210 Chapter 5. Conclusion.....................................................................................................212 The Bird’s Eye.....................................................................................................214 Quo Vadimus.......................................................................................................216 Appendix: Scanning the Greek Chorus...........................................................................220 Bibliography....................................................................................................................225 iv Acknowledgements This dissertation could not have been finished without the support, help, and kindness of a great many people. It is not lost on me, as I put the finishing touches on this project, that I could not have accomplished it on my own and it is thanks to those who care about me and my success that I was able to persevere through what has been a protracted and challenging process. I would like to thank my dissertation advisor, Adrian Wanner, whose prompt, reliable, and thorough feedback has been matched only by his good humor, unfaltering faith in me, and his genuine interest in seeing this study to its conclusion. For nearly fifteen years Professor Wanner has taught me about Russian modernism, poetic analysis, and professionalism. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee both for their guidance and patience. Professors Tom Beebee and Michael Naydan have never given up on my efforts or me, and it has been a pleasure to have them on my committee. I also owe a debt of gratitude to the final member of my committee, Professor Zoe Stamatopoulou. Professor Stamatopoulou joined my committee in the zero hour, following the sad passing of Professor Paul B. Harvey, Jr. Without Professor Stamatopoulou’s agreement to serve on my committee, there is a strong chance that I would not be finishing this Ph.D. when I am. The Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and the Department of Comparative Literature at The Pennsylvania State University have been instrumental in my professional development and my graduate education. I thank both of these special academic units and all of the faculty and staff who have helped me over the years. I would also like to convey my gratitude to the friends and colleagues I have made v as a graduate student in Burrowes and Weaver Buildings. The people I have been lucky enough to know are a vital component of my excellent Penn State experience. I must also thank several of my colleagues from my time at Pepperdine University. In particular, Professor Maire Mullins and Professor Paul Contino pushed me and encouraged me often. In addition, Professor Mullins and Professor Michael Ditmore, former and currents Heads of the Humanities & Teacher Education program at Pepperdine, always made sure I had the institutional support I needed to pursue my research. This often took the form of funds for conference travel, but often also the types of “soft” support that is not quantifiable. The pursuit of a Ph.D., especially in the humanities, is an arduous process, and I would not have completed it successfully without the people who love me. Many people have supported me personally over the years. Some are with me still; some are not. I cannot thank each of them here, but I must single out a few of them. Many thanks must go to my friends Alex Dollman, Lindsey Fletcher, Heather Thomson-Bunn, Mike Bunn, Jessica Barclay-Strobel, James Behrens, and Mark Copeland. Support, joy, and confidence matter—these dear friends gave me a surplus of each. My parents, Carol and Dan Kent, have been a constant source of love, consolation, and reassurance. Their