DOCSLIB.ORG

The Generic Intertext of Psalms in The

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Generic Intertext of Psalms in The THE GENERIC INTERTEXT OF PSALMS IN THE POETRY OF MARINA TSVETAEVA (1892-1941) Sarah Ossipow Cheang Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2008 Abstract This study investigates the presence of the genre of psalms in Tsvetaeva’s poetry by means of Alastaire Fowler’s theory of the historical persistence of literary genres throughout history. The main argument is that in her intertextual use of psalms Tsvetaeva develops further some of their typical features such as the expression of bafflement at God’s passivity or an over-familiarity in addressing God; although these features are already present in psalms, they are not given a full- blown realisation because of the religious restrictions reigning at the time and context in which they were composed. Chapter One presents the theoretical tools used in this research, namely the concomitant concepts of interextuality and genre: intertextuality focuses on how texts differ from one another, while genre theory highlights the resemblance existing between a set of texts. Taken together these concepts offer a balanced and multisided approach. Chapter Two presents the psalms and outlines its importance in Russian poetry. It also discusses Tsvetaeva’s spiritual outlook. Chapter Three demonstrates that the integration of the generic intertext of psalms into Tsvetaeva’s poetry results in the modification of their praying function: Tsvetaeva’s psalm-like praises to God contain a veiled expression of doubt that is absent from the praises of the Psalter; another change of the praying function of psalms performed in Tsvetaeva’s poetry consists in the implicit denunciation of the absence of a feminine voice in this genre. 2 Chapter Four shows that Tsvetaeva’s mixture of the psalmic intertext with the genres of diary-writing, epistolary writing and folk songs creates a fruitful interaction between the universal tone of the psalmist and the private concerns voiced in diary, letters or folk laments. Chapter Five shows that in her poetry Tsvetaeva develops further some typical features of psalms such as the theme of the sacred land and that of God’s passivity. 3 Acknowledgements I would like to thank sincerely all the people and institutions who supported, in one way or another, the completion of this doctoral thesis. The financial support granted by the School of Modern Languages and Cultures of the University of Nottingham allowed me to research, write and study in a way, which would not have been possible otherwise. The School also awarded me a travel prize, which gave me the opportunity to attend the annual Tsvetaeva conference in Moscow, an experience that proved to be greatly stimulating. I also thank the British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies which gracefully provided me with a grant for attending its 2004 annual conference where I received useful feedback on my work in progress. I would also like to genuinely thank all the staff of the Russian and Slavonic Department of Nottingham University, in particular Professor Cynthia Marsh for her helpful comments on my drafts and Professor Wendy Rosslyn, under the patient supervision of whom I learnt to ally enthusiasm with academic rigour. My gratitude also goes to all the people who contributed to make my visits to Moscow as fruitful as possible. In particular Iulia Mukhina for her hospitality, Margarita Odesskaia and Kirill Chekalov for their long-standing friendship, Kseniia Mel’nik from the Tsvetaeva museum in Bolshevo for her unwavering encouragement and Irina Beliakova from the Tsvetaeva museum in Moscow for her insightful comments on my reading of Tsvetaeva. Finally, I am particularly indebted to my family and friends for their optimism, patience and faith in me. A special mention should be made of Tuck, my husband, Ming, 4 my son and Zaria, my soon-to-be daughter for being such a source of happiness. I also express my gratitude to my parents from whom I inherited the love of literature. 5 Table of Content Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….7 Chapter One Aim and Method of the Present Study…………………………………………………………12 The Original Formulation of the Concept of Intertextuality and its Foundation in Bakhtin’s Thought……………………………………………………………………………...14 Kristeva’s Broadening of Bakhtin’s Thought…………………………………… ……………24 Genre Theory and its Relevance in Interpreting Tsvetaeva’s Work…………….. ……………33 Review of Critical Works on Tsvetaeva’s Use of Genres……………………….. …………...56 Review of Critical Works on Tsvetaeva and the Psalter………………………………………74 Generic Signals Indicating the Presence of a Psalmic Intertext in Tsvetaeva………………...99 Chapter Two The Genre of Psalms in the Bible………………………………………………………….. 102 The Psalter’s Characteristic Features……………………………………………. ………….104 Psalms of Individual Lament…………………………………………………………………106 Psalms of Praise………………………………………………………………………………110 Psalms of Thanksgiving………………………………………………………………………111 Parallelism as a Typical Feature of the Psalms………………………………….. ………….113 Imagery of the Psalms………………………………………………………………………..114 The Psalms’ Significance…………………………………………………………………….116 The Gender and the Genre of Psalms……………………………………………. ………….121 The Psalter in Russian Culture…………………………………………………… …………122 The Psalms in Russian Literature………………………………………………... ………….124 Tsvetaeva’s Outlook on Religion…………………………………………………………….146 A Brief Characterisation of Tsvetaeva’s Spirituality…………………………………………147 The Blasphemous Impulse of Tsvetaeva’s Poetry…………………………………………...159 Tsvetaeva’s Syncretism………………………………………………………………………173 Chapter Three: Change of Function of the Psalmic Intertext in Tsvetaeva’s Poetry ….178 The Modification of the Praising Function of the Psalmic Intertext in Tsvetaeva’s Poetry……………………………………………………………………………….................179 The Modification of the Complaint Function of the Psalmic Intertext in Tsvetaeva’s Poetry .202 Chapter Four: Generic Mixture……………………………………………………………..226 Tvsetaeva’s Integration of the Psalmic Intertext within the Broader Generic Framework of Diary Writing…………………………………………………………………………………..228 The Integration of the Psalmic Intertext into Tsvetaeva’s Epistolary Poetry………………….278 The Mixed Origin of Tsvetaeva’s Poetic Laments…………………………………………….295 General Conclusions on the Presence of Generic Mixture in Tsvetaeva’s Poetry…………….314 Chapter Five: Topical Invention…………………………………………………………….318 Topical Invention Consisting in Developing Further a Theme of the Original Genre: The Theme Of The Holy City………………………………………………………………………………318 Topical Invention on the Theme of God’s Passivity, the Motif of God’s Sleep and the Motif of Being Buried Alive……………………………………………………………………………..338 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………...383 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………388 6 Introduction Over the last few decades, the poetic spell of Marina Tsvetaeva’s voice has fascinated readers and literary critics. The unique quality of Tsvetaeva’s writing was not missed by the poet Iosif Brodskii (1940-1996), who proclaimed her the best poet of the twentieth century. 1 Indeed, the richness and creativity of Tsvetaeva’s language together with her ability to coin startling formulae by associating highly paradoxical concepts have produce a wealth of issues worthy of scholarly investigation. Among them, Tsvetaeva’s use of intertextuality constitutes a particularly fertile ground. Eagerly absorbing many different artistic works from her early childhood, Tsvetaeva naturally reinterpreted them in her mature years. Thus, it is no wonder that both her poetry and prose are full of reminiscences of other texts, taken not only from the literary heritage but also from the musical or pictorial spheres. 2 However, the majority of Tsvetaeva’s references are directed toward other literary texts. In fact, the scope of her literary 1 http://www.ipmce.su/~tsvet/WIN/writer/brodsky/volk02.html Accessed August 2007. 2 Concerning the link between Tsvetaeva’s work and music, see: Elena Aizenshtein, Postroen na sozvuchiakh mir. Zvukovaia stikhiia Mariny Tsvetaevoi (St Petersburg: Neva, 2000); Dzhamila Kumukova, ‘Ideia “dukha muzyki” v estetike M. Tsvetaevoi i russkikh simvolistov’, Marina Tsvetaeva – epokha, kul’tura, sud’ba . Desiataia tsvetaevskaia mezhdunarodnaia konferentsia (9- 11 oktiabria 2001), edited by Irina Beliakova (Moscow: Dom-muzei Mariny Tsvetaevoi, 2003), pp. 61-6; Marie-Luise Bott, ‘Shubert v zhizni i poezii Mariny Tsvetaevoi’, Chuzhbina, rodina moia ’. XI Mezhdunarodnaia nauchno-tematicheskaia konferentsiia (9-10 oktiabria 2003), edited by Irina Beliakova (Moscow: Dom-muzei Mariny Tsvetaevoi, 2004), pp. 212-38. Concerning the link between Tsvetaeva’s creation and the visual arts, see: Nina Osipova, ‘“Tantseval’naia” poetika M.I. Tsvetaevoi v khudozhestvennom kontekste Serebrianogo veka’, Marina Tsvetaeva v XXI veke XV and XVI Tsvetaevskie chteniia v Bolsheve (Moscow – Bolshevo: Strategiia, Muzei M.I. Tsvetaevoi v Bolsheve, 2005), pp. 236-47; Nina Osipova, ‘“Poema vozdukha” M.I. Tsvetaevoi kak suprematicheskaia kompozitsiia’, Marina Tsvetaeva – epokha, kul’tura, sud’ba , pp. 49-60. 7 culture stretches from the Greek Antiquity to modernist poetry. This multitude of texts crossing over in Tsvetaeva’s writing helps the poet’s endeavour to create a multifarious artistic universe reflecting the complexity of her inner world. Among the conflicting impulses expressed in Tsvetaeva’s poetry, the issue of faith and atheism is particularly remarkable and that is why the specificity of Tsvetaeva’s work is well characterised by a reversal of Pushkin’s famous line from his
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Intellectual Culture: the End of Russian Intelligentsia
    Russian Culture Center for Democratic Culture 2012 Intellectual Culture: The End of Russian Intelligentsia Dmitri N. Shalin University of Nevada, Las Vegas, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/russian_culture Part of the Asian History Commons, Cultural History Commons, European History Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Political History Commons, Slavic Languages and Societies Commons, and the Social History Commons Repository Citation Shalin, D. N. (2012). Intellectual Culture: The End of Russian Intelligentsia. In Dmitri N. Shalin, 1-68. Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/russian_culture/6 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Article in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Article has been accepted for inclusion in Russian Culture by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Intellectual Culture: The End of Russian Intelligentsia Dmitri Shalin No group cheered louder for Soviet reform, had a bigger stake in perestroika, and suffered more in its aftermath than did the Russian intelligentsia. Today, nearly a decade after Mikhail Gorbachev unveiled his plan to reform Soviet society, the mood among Russian intellectuals is decidedly gloomy.
    [Show full text]
  • Talking Fish: on Soviet Dissident Memoirs*
    Talking Fish: On Soviet Dissident Memoirs* Benjamin Nathans University of Pennsylvania My article may appear to be idle chatter, but for Western sovietolo- gists at any rate it has the same interest that a fish would have for an ichthyologist if it were suddenly to begin to talk. ðAndrei Amalrik, Will the Soviet Union Survive until 1984? ½samizdat, 1969Þ All Soviet émigrés write ½or: make up something. Am I any worse than they are? ðAleksandr Zinoviev, Homo Sovieticus ½Lausanne, 1981Þ IfIamasked,“Did this happen?” I will reply, “No.” If I am asked, “Is this true?” Iwillsay,“Of course.” ðElena Bonner, Mothers and Daughters ½New York, 1991Þ I On July 6, 1968, at a party in Moscow celebrating the twenty-eighth birthday of Pavel Litvinov, two guests who had never met before lingered late into the night. Litvinov, a physics teacher and the grandson of Stalin’s Commissar of Foreign Affairs, Maxim Litvinov, had recently made a name for himself as the coauthor of a samizdat text, “An Appeal to World Opinion,” thathadgarneredwideattention inside and outside the Soviet Union. He had been summoned several times by the Committee for State Security ðKGBÞ for what it called “prophylactic talks.” Many of those present at the party were, like Litvinov, connected in one way or another to the dissident movement, a loose conglomeration of Soviet citizens who had initially coalesced around the 1966 trial of the writers Andrei Sinyavsky and Yuli Daniel, seeking to defend civil rights inscribed in the Soviet constitution and * For comments on previous drafts of this article, I would like to thank the anonymous readers for the Journal of Modern History as well as Alexander Gribanov, Jochen Hell- beck, Edward Kline, Ann Komaromi, Eli Nathans, Sydney Nathans, Serguei Oushakine, Kevin M.
    [Show full text]
  • Russians Abroad-Gotovo.Indd
    Russians abRoad Literary and Cultural Politics of diaspora (1919-1939) The Real Twentieth Century Series Editor – Thomas Seifrid (University of Southern California) Russians abRoad Literary and Cultural Politics of diaspora (1919-1939) GReta n. sLobin edited by Katerina Clark, nancy Condee, dan slobin, and Mark slobin Boston 2013 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: The bibliographic data for this title is available from the Library of Congress. Copyright © 2013 Academic Studies Press All rights reserved ISBN 978-1-61811-214-9 (cloth) ISBN 978-1-61811-215-6 (electronic) Cover illustration by A. Remizov from "Teatr," Center for Russian Culture, Amherst College. Cover design by Ivan Grave. Published by Academic Studies Press in 2013. 28 Montfern Avenue Brighton, MA 02135, USA [email protected] www.academicstudiespress.com Effective December 12th, 2017, this book will be subject to a CC-BY-NC license. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. Other than as provided by these licenses, no part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or displayed by any electronic or mechanical means without permission from the publisher or as permitted by law. The open access publication of this volume is made possible by: This open access publication is part of a project supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Humanities Open Book initiative, which includes the open access release of several Academic Studies Press volumes. To view more titles available as free ebooks and to learn more about this project, please visit borderlinesfoundation.org/open. Published by Academic Studies Press 28 Montfern Avenue Brighton, MA 02135, USA [email protected] www.academicstudiespress.com Table of Contents Foreword by Galin Tihanov .......................................
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom from Violence and Lies Essays on Russian Poetry and Music by Simon Karlinsky
    Freedom From Violence and lies essays on russian Poetry and music by simon Karlinsky simon Karlinsky, early 1970s Photograph by Joseph Zimbrolt Ars Rossica Series Editor — David M. Bethea (University of Wisconsin-Madison) Freedom From Violence and lies essays on russian Poetry and music by simon Karlinsky edited by robert P. Hughes, Thomas a. Koster, richard Taruskin Boston 2013 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: A catalog record for this book as available from the Library of Congress. Copyright © 2013 Academic Studies Press All rights reserved ISBN 978-1-61811-158-6 On the cover: Heinrich Campendonk (1889–1957), Bayerische Landschaft mit Fuhrwerk (ca. 1918). Oil on panel. In Simon Karlinsky’s collection, 1946–2009. © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn Published by Academic Studies Press in 2013. 28 Montfern Avenue Brighton, MA 02135, USA [email protected] www.academicstudiespress.com Effective December 12th, 2017, this book will be subject to a CC-BY-NC license. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. Other than as provided by these licenses, no part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or displayed by any electronic or mechanical means without permission from the publisher or as permitted by law. The open access publication of this volume is made possible by: This open access publication is part of a project supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Humanities Open Book initiative, which includes the open access release of several Academic Studies Press volumes. To view more titles available as free ebooks and to learn more about this project, please visit borderlinesfoundation.org/open.
    [Show full text]
  • Eastern Europe
    Eastern Europe Soviet Union AHERE WERE no changes in the Soviet leadership, although Leonid I. Brezhnev's periodic absences from Moscow evoked repeated conjectures regarding his political standing and the state of his health. While there may have been serious differences within the Politburo on foreign policy and internal administration, and a generational conflict between the older leaders and the relatively younger mem- bers, at the end of 1974 the old leadership was in control of Party and state affairs. There were also reports about the downgrading of some of the younger leaders, particulatly former KGB boss Aleksandr Shelepin, who recently was in charge of the trade unions and whose fortunes were said to be declining. As for the "collective leadership," three men were clearly on top: Secretary General of the Party Brezh- nev, Chairman of the Council of Ministers Aleksei N. Kosygin, and Chairman of the Supreme Soviet Nikolai Podgorny. While Brezhnev's role was that of primus inter pares, it is significant that Kommunist, the Party organ, pointed out in Novem- ber 1974 that the collective leadership should insure the Party against possible "subjective efforts" in solving political and economic problems, an apparent allusion to the handling of state affairs by the late Nikita Khrushchev. There were no Jews in the 16-member Politburo, nor among the seven nonvoting candidate members. While no changes occurred in the highest echelon of the top policy body, there were some replacements in the secondary leadership group. Yekaterina Furtseva, minister of culture and former member of the Party Presidium, whose anti-Jewish bias was well-known, was reprimanded for a question- able financial transaction involving the building of her dacha (summer home) outside of Moscow.
    [Show full text]
  • Alexander Herzen Foundation, Am
    «Альманах самиздата» издается Фондом имени Герцена (Alexander Herzen Foundation, Amstel 268, Amsterdam, Holland) на русском и на английском языках отдель­ ными изданиями (название английского издания Annals of Samizdat). Условия подписки (без пересылки): за 4 выпуска — на русском языке 2 англ, фунта (5 долл. США), на английском языке 2,60 англ, фунта (6,50 долл. США). Всю корреспонденцию и заказы на подписку направлять по адресу: Leonid Rigerman, 28 East End Road, London, N3 3QT, United Kingdom. Annals of Samizdat is published by the Alexander Herzen Foundation, Amstel 268, Amsterdam, Holland, in two separate editions — in Russian and in English (the title in Russian is Almanakh Samizdata). Subscriptions (excluding postage): for 4 issues — Russian edition £2.00 (US $5.00). English edition £2.60 (US $6.50). All correspondence and subscriptions should be addressed to: Leonid Rigerman, 28 East End Road, London, N3 3QT, United Kingdom. Printed in the United Kingdom for Alexander Herzen Foundation by Multilingual Printing Services, 200, Liverpool Road, London N1 ILF АЛЬМАНАХ САМИЗДАТА № 1 1974 ОГЛАВЛЕНИЕ Стр. ОТ ИЗДАТЕЛЬСТВА......................................................... 5-6 1. САМИЗДАТ О ЗАПАДЕ И ВОСТОКЕ А. Сахаров: Открытое письмо Академику Энгельгардту, 29 марта 1974 г.................................................................. 9 М. Агурский: Обращение к американской интеллигенции, 30 января 1974 г......................................................... 11 М. Агурский: Экономи чвакая система Востока и Запада, 4 декабря 1973 г.............................................................. 15 2. АВТОРЫ САМИЗДАТА О СЕБЕ Т. Ходорович: По велению совести, декабрь 1973 ................. 35 К. Любарский: Последнее слово. 30 октября 1972 г.................... 39 В. Марамзин: Заявление, 30 мая 1974 г...................................... 51 В. Войнович: Заявление, 19 февраля 1974 г............................. 53 М. Нарица: Мое завещание, 2 октября 1973 г...........................
    [Show full text]
  • Three Long Poems
    The Word That Causes Death’s Defeat ANNA AKHMATOVA The Word That Causes Death’s Defeat Poems of Memory g Translated, with an introductory biography, critical essays, and commentary, by Nancy K. Anderson Yale University Press New Haven & London Published with assistance from the foundation established in memory of Philip Hamilton McMillan of the Class of 1894, Yale College. Copyright ∫ 2004 by Yale University. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. Designed by James J. Johnson and set in Nofret Roman type by Keystone Typesetting, Inc. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Akhmatova, Anna Andreevna, 1889–1966. [Poems. English. Selections] The word that causes death’s defeat : poems of memory / Anna Akhmatova ; translated, with an introductory biography, critical essays, and commentary, by Nancy K. Anderson.—1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-300-10377-8 (alk. paper) 1. Akhmatova, Anna Andreevna, 1889–1966—Translations into English. 2. Akhmatova, Anna Andreevna, 1889–1966. I. Anderson, Nancy K., 1956– II. Title. PG3476.A217 2004 891.71%42—dc22 2004006295 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. 10987654321 Contents ggg Preface vii A Note on Style xiii PART I.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapaev and His Comrades War and the Russian Literary Hero Across the Twentieth Century Cultural Revolutions: Russia in the Twentieth Century
    Chapaev and His Comrades War and the Russian Literary Hero across the Twentieth Century Cultural Revolutions: Russia in the Twentieth Century Editorial Board: Anthony Anemone (Th e New School) Robert Bird (Th e University of Chicago) Eliot Borenstein (New York University) Angela Brintlinger (Th e Ohio State University) Karen Evans-Romaine (Ohio University) Jochen Hellbeck (Rutgers University) Lilya Kaganovsky (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) Christina Kiaer (Northwestern University) Alaina Lemon (University of Michigan) Simon Morrison (Princeton University) Eric Naiman (University of California, Berkeley) Joan Neuberger (University of Texas, Austin) Ludmila Parts (McGill University) Ethan Pollock (Brown University) Cathy Popkin (Columbia University) Stephanie Sandler (Harvard University) Boris Wolfson (Amherst College), Series Editor Chapaev and His Comrades War and the Russian Literary Hero across the Twentieth Century Angela Brintlinger Boston 2012 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: a bibliographic record for this title is available from the Library of Congress. Copyright © 2012 Academic Studies Press All rights reserved ISBN - 978-1-61811-202-6, Hardback ISBN - 978-1-61811-203-3, Electronic Cover design by Ivan Grave On the cover: “Zatishie na perednem krae,” 1942, photograph by Max Alpert. Published by Academic Studies Press in 2012 28 Montfern Avenue Brighton, MA 02135, USA [email protected] www.academicstudiespress.com Effective December 12th, 2017, this book will be subject to a CC-BY-NC license. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. Other than as provided by these licenses, no part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or displayed by any electronic or mechanical means without permission from the publisher or as permitted by law.
    [Show full text]
  • The Myth of Stalingrad in Soviet Literature, 1942-1963
    The Myth of Stalingrad in Soviet Literature, 1942-1963 by Ian Roland Garner A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures University of Toronto © Copyright by Ian Roland Garner 2018 The Myth of Stalingrad in Soviet Literature, 1942-1963 Ian Roland Garner Doctor of Philosophy Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures University of Toronto 2018 Abstract This study explores representations of the Battle of Stalingrad in Soviet literature between 1942 and 1963, asking how Stalingrad became central to Russian identity in this period. The work reads Stalingrad’s cultural significance within a body of scholarship on Soviet subjectivity and memory of the Second World War. My analysis begins with a survey of frontline newspaper stories, including material by Konstantin Simonov and previously unstudied stories by Vasily Grossman, which characterized the battle in eschatological terms. I then explore efforts to encode Stalingrad in epic form immediately following the battle and further chart how the story became a vehicle for Stalin’s deification in the late 1940s by comparing Il’ia Ehrenburg’s novel The Storm and minor works. I then show how Grossman’s For a Just Cause links wartime and Stalinist motifs. Finally, I uncover how Simonov and Grossman rewrote Stalingrad during the Khrushchev period. Simonov’s Not Born Soldiers suggested Stalingrad was a resurrection that could be repeated in the present; Grossman’s Life and Fate disrupted the epic wholeness of the Stalingrad myth with polyphony. Drawing on Frank Kermode’s work on myth, I read representations of Stalingrad as being imbued with kairotic significance for a Russian nation attached to an historicist view of the world.
    [Show full text]
  • The Critical Reception of Czeslaw Milosz and Josif
    THE CRITICAL RECEPTION OF CZESLAW MILOSZ AND JOSIF BRODSKY IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING COT.flRIES by BOZENA KARWOWSKA M.A., University of Warsaw, 1977 M.A., University of British Columbia, 1989 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES Department of Slavonic Studies We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA May, 1995 © Bozena Karwowska, 1995 ________________________ In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. (Signature) 4 Department of SO\J13i, SoL’.e The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada ‘ 5- Date /(q DE-6 (2)88) ii ABSTRACT The study describes and analyses the process of critical reception of Czeslaw Milosz and Joseph Brodsky in English-speaking countries. The approach of the first five chapters, while theoretically informed, is primarily narrative and descriptive. The first two chapters present the reception processes in their chronological development, focusing on the evolution of critical interest, categories of description and contextual factors and show that the reception of the two poets has been substantial and of considerable intrinsic interest.
    [Show full text]
  • The Defense Practice in the Case of Joseph Brodsky: Creating Principles
    Olga Rosenblum The defense practice in the case of Joseph Brodsky: creating principles Abstract: The article discusses the work of Frida Vigdorova, a Moscow teacher, journalist and publicist who took the minutes of the court hearing during the trial of Joseph Brodsky and then publicised them without official censorship. The publication in the second circulation of a direct transcript of the court hearing become an example to follow for later such texts. The dissident circles in the USSR regarded free access to information as one of the fundamental human and citizen rights. The document created by Frida Vigdorova became known all over the world. It was also published in the Western press and it became a symbolic evidence of breaking the right to a fair trial in the USSR. Keywords: Joseph Brodsky, Frida Vigdorova, dissidents, writers in the USSR, freedom of speech, the Soviet Union. The case of Joseph Brodsky is usually described as one of the three literature-related cases of ‘the Thaw’ (Pasternak in 1958, Brodsky in 1964/1965, and Sinyavsky and Daniel in 1965/1966), not as a dissident one, since it came before the ‘official’ beginning of the dissident move- ment. The movement is considered to have begun with the first protest that took place on Constitution Day, 5 December 1965. This was the first open and numerous (at least in that time) protest with slogans of legal nature, demanding that the trial of Sinyavsky and Daniel be public. Meanwhile, already in late 1965, right after the arrest of Andrey Sinyavsky and Yuliy Daniel, and after Joseph Brodsky’s return from exile, a new type of social behavior that had emerged in almost two years of fighting for Brodsky became the subject of reflection and analysis: Frida Vigdorova, the author of the transcripts of Brodsky’s trial, ‘was of the first public figures of the new type’1, and during the 1 R.
    [Show full text]
  • Airdottoratoperonidefinitiva 2
    UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO Scuola di Dottorato Humanae Litterae Dipartimento di Lingue e Letterature Straniere Corso di Dottorato in Lingue, Letterature e Culture Straniere XXVI Ciclo LEV KOPELEV: INTELLETTUALE SOVIETICO E UOMO DEL DIALOGO L-LIN/21 – Slavistica Tesi di Dottorato di: Giulia Peroni Tutor: Prof.ssa Elda Garetto Coordinatore del Dottorato: Prof. Alessandro Costazza Anno Accademico 2012-2013 1 2 INDICE INTRODUZIONE 7 LE RADICI UCRAINE E LA FORMAZIONE COME HOMO SOVIETICUS 15 - L’INFANZIA E LA GIOVENTÙ NELLA KIEV MULTIETNICA DI INIZIO NOVECENTO 15 - CHAR’KOV: L’ESPERIENZA POLITICA E GLI STUDI 20 - LE REQUISIZIONI DI GRANO: IL HOLODOMOR 25 - LA FREQUENZA DELLA “SORBONA DI MOSCA” 28 LA SECONDA GUERRA MONDIALE E L’ATTIVITÀ DI PROPAGANDISTA 37 - IL LAVORO NEL SETTIMO REPARTO 37 - IL LAVORO COME INSEGNANTE PRESSO LA SCUOLA ANTIFASCISTA 43 - LA SPEDIZIONE IN PRUSSIA ORIENTALE 45 - L’INIZIO DELLA DETENZIONE E LA NECESSITÀ DELLA SCRITTURA 51 LA REALTÀ SOSPESA DELLA ŠARAŠKA 57 - TRE INTELLETTUALI A CONFRONTO 57 - GLI STUDI CONDOTTI IN ŠARAŠKA 66 - LE POESIE COMPOSTE IN ŠARAŠKA 76 TRA DISGELO E DISSENSO 87 - LA RIABILITAZIONE E IL RITORNO ALLA VITA SOVIETICA 87 - L’ATTIVITÀ DI CRITICO LETTERARIO E LA RICOMPARSA DEL TEMA TEDESCO 91 - ALTRI INTERESSI DI STUDIO E L’APPROFONDIMENTO DEL TEMA RUSSO-TEDESCO 100 - L’AMICIZIA CON HEINRICH BÖLL 105 L’ALLONTANAMENTO DAL COMUNISMO E LO SCONTRO CON LA REALTÀ SOVIETICA 113 - L’INIZIO DELL’ATTIVITÀ DI PRAVOZAŠČITNIK 113 - IL CONTROLLO DA PARTE DELLA STASI 118 3 - LE PUBBLICAZIONI ALL’ESTERO E
    [Show full text]