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Prometheism in Creative Work of Jurgis Baltrušaitis and Giovanni Papini

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Prometheism in Creative Work of Jurgis Baltrušaitis and Giovanni Papini VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY Ugnius Keturakis PROMETHEISM IN CREATIVE WORK OF JURGIS BALTRUŠAITIS AND GIOVANNI PAPINI Summary of Doctoral Dissertation Humanities, Philology (04 H) Kaunas, 2010 The doctoral dissertation was prepared at the Vytautas Magnus University from 2005 to 2010. Scientific supervisor: Doc. dr. Asija Kovtun (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, Philology – 04 H) The Dissertation will be defended before the Council of Philological Sciences of Vytautas Magnus University: Chairperson: Prof. dr. Irene Buckley (Vytautas Magnus University, Humanities, Philology – 04 H) Members: Prof. habil. dr. Tomas Sodeika (Kaunas University of Technology, Humanities, Philosophy – 01 H) Doc. dr. Jadvyga Krūminienė (Vilnius University, Humanities, Philology – 04 H) Doc. dr. Gabija Bankauskaitė – Sereikienė (Vilnius University, Humanities, Philology – 04 H) Oponents: Prof. habil .dr. Virginija Šlekienė – Balsevičiūtė (Vilnius Pedagogical University, Humanities, Philology – 04 H) Prof. habil. dr. Vytautas Bikulčius (Šiauliai University, Humanities, Philology – 04 H) This dissertattion will be defended at public meeting of the Council of Philological Sciences in the Marija Gimbutienė hall (room 211) of Vytautas Magnus University Faculty of Humanities at 10:30 a.m. on May 31, 2010. Address: K. Donelaičio 52, LT – 44244 Kaunas, Lithuania. The summary of the doctoral dissertattion was sent out on April 30, 2010. Those interested may acquaint themselves with the doctoral dissertattion at the Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas library and at the libraries of Vytautas Magnus University and the Institute of the Lithuanian Language. VYTAUTO DIDŽIOJO UNIVERSITETAS Ugnius Keturakis PROMETĖJIZMAS JURGIO BALTRUŠAIČIO IR GIOVANNI’O PAPINI’O KŪRYBOJE Daktaro disertacijos santrauka Humanitariniai mokslai, filologija (04 H) Kaunas, 2010 Disertacija rengta 2005 – 2010 metais Vytauto Didžiojo universitete Mokslinis vadovas: Doc. dr. Asija Kovtun (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, filologija – 04 H) Disertacija ginama Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto Humanitarinių mokslų krypties taryboje: Pirmininkas: Prof. dr. Irena Buckley (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, filologija – 04 H) Nariai: Prof. habil. dr. (hp) Tomas Sodeika (Kauno technologijos universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, filosofija – 01H) Doc. dr. Jadvyga Krūminienė (Vilniaus universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, filologija – 04 H) Doc. dr. Gabija Bankauskaitė – Sereikienė (Vilniaus universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, filologija – 04 H) Dr. Aurelija Mykolaitytė (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, filologija – 04 H) Oponentai: Prof. habil .dr. Virginija Šlekienė – Balsevičiūtė (Vilniaus pedagoginis universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, filologija – 04 H) Prof. habil. dr. Vytautas Bikulčius (Šiaulių universitetas, humanitariniai mokslai, filologija – 04 H) Disertacija bus ginama viešame Humanitarinių mokslų krypties tarybos posėdyje 2010 m. gegužės 31 d. 10 val. 30 min. Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto Humanitarinių mokslų fakultete, Marijos Gimbutienės auditorijoje (211 kab.). Adresas: K. Donelaičio g. 52, LT – 44244 Kaunas, Lietuva Disertacijos santrauka išsiuntinėta 2010 m. balandžio 30 d. Disertaciją galima peržiūrėti Lietuvos nacionalinėje Martyno Mažvydo bibliotekoje, taip pat Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto ir Lietuvių kalbos instituto bibliotekose. INTRODUCTION In European culture the myth of Prometheus, which represents mind, spiritual power, heroic service to people, suffering for the sake of their happiness, a challenge for God and trust in human powers always retained its actuality by arising in the cultural self-consciousness during the periods of epochal crises. Prometheus is the symbol of human creativity and at the same time the symbol of suffering of the earthly existence, raising fundamental questions the answers to which were searched by ancient and Romanticist poets, and later – by symbolism: What is a man’s position in creation? Can art change the world? What price does a man have to pay for progress? The significance of prometheism, as one of the fundamental concepts of European culture at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century for the world-view of the authors of this period, determined Baltrušaitis’ and Papini’s choice of this aspect in their creative work. In European culture the myth of Prometheus, which represents mind, spiritual power, heroic service to people, suffering for the sake of their happiness, a challenge for God and trust in human powers, was never completely buried in the past and always retained its actuality. The image of Prometheus is alive in the creative work of Michelangelo, Goethe, George Gordon Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Alexander Scriabin. The end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century in European culture is the period of historical crisis when the truths of religion and morality were questioned, “God died” or at least alienated and a man found himself to be the architect of one’s own life. Ancient mythology naturally became the primal view of the titanic mission which was accepted by European authors of the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. This mythology was based on the figures of the legendary bard Orpheus and the great rebel against the God’s will Prometheus. One of the features that is typical to both characters and which attracted the imagination of poets of century junction was the role of the mediator between Heaven and Earth, God and man, body and soul. As the myths of Orpheus and Prometheus raise different aspects of this mission – Orpheus, pre-eminently, represents the divine power of art, whereas Prometheus signifies the tragedy of liberating rebellion – in their works poets symbolists referred to both mythological figures. 5 The world-view of Baltrušaitis’ and Papini’s creative work is based on the tradition of ancient dualism, according to which the world is separated into the earthly, or material and the divine, or ideal. It should be noted that interest in antiquity which is typical to the intellectual life of the period of the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century arises from the crisis of Christianity as a necessity for the man after the “death of God” to become the creator of the world himself, to take the place of God. Antiquity was treated as the origin of Christianity, thus the look back to idealistic philosophy, firstly – to Plato, and Greek mythology (figures of Orpheus, Prometheus as mediators between God and people) meant the attempt to revive the worn-out belief, to find the new connection with God. Continuing the research of the topics which started attracting scholars’ attention in the ninth decade of the 20th century and most of which were forbidden to investigate for the science of literature until that time, this dissertation discusses the origins of Lithuanian symbolism emphasizing the contours of complex cultural polylogue encompassing Russian, Italian and Lithuanian cultures. The letters written by Baltrušaitis to Papini are for the first time presented to the scientific community. Using new factographic material – letters written in Italian by Baltrušaitis to Papini 153 of which are stored in the Manuscripts Department of the National Library of Russia and in Giovanni Papini’s archive in Fiesole – European genesis of Lithuanian symbolism is proven, when the new European tendencies of art have reached Lithuania through the Russian creative work by Baltrušaitis. The scientific issue of the dissertation. On the grounds of the correspondence between Baltrušaitis and Papini that is characterized by the world-view of prometheism this dissertation for the first time discloses the tradition of Lithuanian symbolism. This research also complements and expands the association of Lithuanian symbolism only to the Russian context which was settled in Lithuanian humanistics. Manifestations of prometheism in the creative work of Baltrušaitis and Papini are not separated from the studies. With this dissertation the author attempts to ascertain what determined the differences of the expression and development of the promethean world-view in the cultural dialogue of these authors – why, in Papini’s case, the promethean attitude brought Papini closer to fascism and what characteristics of Baltrušaitis’ promethean viewpoint destined the fact that the poet did not conform to Bolshevik ideology. With 6 this investigation the author also tries to highlight the European context of Lithuanian symbolism. The hypothesis of the research. Baltrušaitis’ and Papini’s viewpoint of creative work is common – prometheism, however, its ideological grounds are different: philosophical conceptions of Solovyov’s “God-man” and Nietzsche’s “superhuman”. This hypothesis necessitated to include works of European researches and sources of European symbolism into the scope of investigation. The object of the dissertation. Baltrušaitis’ and Papini’s epistolary inheritance, creative work of both authors, which was published at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century in Russian and Italian periodical press and collections of poetry and prose, are for the first time actualized and analysed in Lithuanian humanistics. With this dissertation the author attempts to investigate the texts which, according to their poetical principles, signify artistic searches of the period under investigation – the promethean world-view and
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