Towards a Reconciliation of the Carnivalesque with Bakhtin's Christian Weltanschauung

CEU eTD Collection Towards a Reconciliation of the Carnivalesque with Bakhtin’s Carnivalesque ofthe aReconciliation Towards In partialfulfillmentof therequirements forthedegree ofMaster of Arts Second Reader: Professor György Sz Supervisor: Professor Matthias Riedl Matthias Professor Supervisor: Christian Central Central University European Department of History Budapest, Hungary Irina Denischenko Irina Submitted to Submitted Weltanschauung 2008 by Ę nyi CEU eTD Collection may notbemade without thewritten permission ofthe Author. such copies made. Further copiesmade accordance with in such instructions Details may beobtained from the librarian. This pagemust form a partofany instructions givenbythe Authorand lodged in theCentralEuropean Library. process, either in full orpart, may bemade only in accordance with the Copyright inthe text ofthis thesis rests with theAuthor. Copies by any Copyright Notice ii CEU eTD Collection both the fin de siècle Russian religious philosophers and Bakhtin. and philosophers religious Russian siècle fin de the both similar) functionally phenomena, (but different (substantively) of a variety explain to be applied can which grounds the celebration of matter one finds in the writings of kenosis term the of history for usage tracing the School Cambridge the of approaches the on framed around the interpretation of Incarnation as Incarnation of interpretation the around framed loosely paradigm intellectual common a articulate is to thesis this of aims main the of one Thus, Berdyaev. and Bulgakov, Florensky, Soloviev, are whom among major religious philosophers of latethe nineteenth and early twentieth century Russia, the of some with in dialogue engagement his reveals also but theology, Orthodox innovations, suchas terminological carnivalesque. the early as well as late works as foundations for some of his most importantin Bakhtin’s Incarnation, kenotic as such motifs, Christian some reinterpret I thesis, thinker. In this as aChristian his contribution overshadows critic aliterary Bakhtin as currentlywork in Western under-explored remains criticism,where the imageof Abstract . An understanding of Bakhtin’s latent religious discourse not only illustrates his familiarity with familiarity his illustrates only not discourse religious latent Bakhtin’s Bakhtin’s Mikhail theorist, literary Russian the of dimension religious The kenosis as a functional rather than substantive process, substantive than rather functional a as iii kenosis . In this study, I mainly rely CEU eTD Collection CHAPTER II C CONCLUSION C 1.5 2.7 C 1.4 1.3 1.2.3 2.6 1.2.2 2.5 1.2.1 2.4 P I 1.2 THE 2.3 P RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY IN RUSSIAN PRINCIPLE THE KENOTIC PERSPECTIVE: A THEOLOGICAL G BIBLIOGRAPHY 2.2 2.1 CONCEPTS AS COMPATIBLE DEGRADATION FUNCTIONALLY CARNIVALESQUE AND KENOSIS OF“ANTINOMIES”: ARECONCILIATION TOWARDS 1.1 CHAPTER I L T INTRODUCTION CONOPHILE ROBLEM OF ROBLEM HILOSOPHICAL ITERATURE HEORETICAL ONCLUSION ONCLUSION ONCEPTS AND THEIR ONCEPTS ENERAL S K T T T K I I C P C C NTRODUCTION NTRODUCTION R ERGEI AVEL HE HEOLOGICAL HE ONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE ONCEPTUALIZATION ONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF ONCEPTUALIZATIONS T T ARNIVAL L ENOTIC ENOSIS AND ENOSIS EBELLION EO OF HE HE M A N E ESTHETIC I ATERIAL F SSENTIALIST NTRODUCTION ON B LORENSKY C ULGAKOV D I R A -E HALCEDON NCARNATION AND NCARNATION D EFENSE OF EFENSE F EVIEW UTHORIAL EFINED SSENTIALIST RAMEWORK A E M GAINST SSAYS B . ATERIALITY AS ATERIALITY B T F ASIS FOR THE ODILY HE UNCTION OF UNCTION I . . MPLICATIONS M U K D ODEL SAGE EXTENDED SAGE ENOSIS AS THE M I A UAL NCARNATION BSTRACTION P ATTER ON THE ATTER ON M RINCIPLE K ODEL T ENOSIS D ENDENCYOF B C EGRADING K ODY IN E ELEBRATION OFTHE ELEBRATION ENOSIS IN THICAL : A P iv : RINCIPLE C C B C OMPARATIVE ARNIVAL AND ASIS OF ASIS R REATION AS REATION A C R P ESPONSIBILITY IN THE ARNIVAL AS USSIAN ROBLEMS OF ROBLEMS B I NCARNATION EHIND R ELIGIOUS M A O ATERIAL K F PPROACH RTHODOX L UNCTIONALLY D ENOTIC OVE OSTOEVSKY P HILOSOPHY AND HILOSOPHY W E P ROCESS S ORLD ARLY ERVICES ’ S A : A NALOGOUS RT : T HE 100 58 56 52 95 93 85 43 81 37 33 31 73 28 69 27 65 24 60 24 58 58 24 17 9 1 1 CEU eTD Collection seriousness” that carnival, and specifically carnival laughter, aims As laughter, a to overthrow. carnival,carnival specifically and that seriousness” fundamentally incompatible which with Christianity, “official the supports On it surface, is the Bakhtinian the carnivalisticappears that folklore. carnival heteroglossia and asboth dialogism, arederivedcarnivalesque, whichsubsumes from the is point in A case base. Christian common their through another one to speak and back reach nonetheless terms hisliterary apparent, immediately arenot Christianity Bulgakov, and Nikolai Berdyaev. Florensky, Sergei Pavel Tareev, Mikhail Soloviev, as Vladimir such Russia, century some of the with majorin dialogue engagement his reveals also but religious theology, Orthodox with familiarity philosophershis illustrates only not discourse religious latent Bakhtin’s carnivalesque. the ofand the late nineteenth of his andmost important terminologicalearly innovations, such as dialogism,twentieth heteroglossia, some for foundations as motifs these to reinterpret inmy Ipropose as adefect, thesis thought Bakhtin’s in Christianity of echoes the viewing than Rather approach. critical his to limitation asatheoretical in light a negative cast is often it writings, Bakhtin’s of periphery the at recognized is theology Orthodox Eastern of presence the when Even thinker. a Christian as contribution his overshadows critic literary a as Bakhtin currentlywork in Western under-explored remains criticism,where the imageof Introduction General Introduction inhumanity whether throughcrueltyand servility, orquiescence. guile, power, for –Czeslaw lust the Milosz greed, arrogance, ofwillful end the mean would regime progressives, was right. The latterwere wrong in believing that the collapse of the tsarist A true atheist must concede that Dostoevsky, not Russia’s and nineteenth-century Although the parallels between Bakhtin’s newly invented terminology betweenAlthough newly Bakhtin’s and parallels the Bakhtin’s Mikhail theorist, literary Russian the of dimension religious The 1 CEU eTD Collection perhaps the function of the New Testament for Bakhtin inthe is for Bakhtin embodied of New Testament the function perhaps the – another form of incarnation. If, according toBakhtin, “The Gospel, too, is carnival,” them materialize or earth, and body the of level the to abstract the and high the down discussion Bakhtin,of carnival.For of one functions main the of isbringcarnival to intoa defense of the Formalistinsistence on the unity formof and content. This functional process of validating thematerial is transformed inhis laterworks flesh. become not has that transcendent nothing is there since sense, makes longer no dichotomy, every in superior is deemed latter the which of transcendent, and material between the distinction Neo-Platonic the flesh. Consequently, becomes actually is,of process divine the that Incarnation; within but isnotdeposited material,the the nature of “God-Man,” for early Bakhtin the divine Bakhtin the early for “God-Man,” nature of the philosophers’ on similar, previously existing readingof Incarnation,the and discourse Incarnation as Incarnation in of has roots understanding the materiality, which of particular perception liberatingthe carnivalsupports basisa festivals pagan the of on powerof the paradoxically Bakhtin revealthat seems to realism grotesque of genre literary ininclinations his early essays. possiblepointto of ways reconciling carnivalesquewith the Bakhtin’s religious reevaluate primary ofthis Bakhtin’s of iscarnival andstudy to concept to purpose and HisWorld suspending conceptof in carnival, Bakhtin wholeheartedly which supports authority- an can then, How, submission. into subjects the terrify to is which of of undermine structures authority, purpose liberating the seeks to all spirit,carnival A similar understanding of rolethe of physicalthe body underlies Bakhtin’s An analysis of Bakhtin’s theoretical treatment of carnival and the derivative the and carnival of treatment theoretical Bakhtin’s of analysis An , and its pagan origins, be aChristian origins, consistentThe with worldview? , andits pagan kenosis or emptying. or Following the desiècle fin Russian religious 2 becomes the material in the in material the Rabelais CEU eTD Collection the reinterpretationthe had RussianOrthodoxy that undergonelanguage English in the by complicated further itishe from in departed which doctrine andthose Orthodox the reconstruct conformedin aspectsthe to endeavor to Moreover, whichBakhtin the doctrines. Orthodox official of reconstruction the with than Orthodoxy, perceived thought”. theological twentieth century intellectuals breaknewamong Russian groundin to sought who early in the revival religious the from as church the within thinking Orthodox biographers pointout, his religious viewsso “came notmuch from traditional Bakhtin’s As teachings. Orthodox official reflect not may or may which way, Orthodoxy in his Bakhtin particular own others, selectively reinterprets downplaying the existing framework of Orthodox thought. That is, emphasizing some themes while his viewed contemporaries theirown when itwork contextualizingcame it to within unlikeperceives not as selective setof whichhenevertheless Orthodoxy, convictions, own his he develops Rather, Church. Orthodox the of institution the embraces he that so, less even and, unequivocally, dogma Orthodox embraces Bakhtin thoughtas itOrthodox developed notmean hissuggest around time, Ido that to carnival. of framework in the occur only can principle polyphonic monologism, the with whereas is connected because abstraction precisely Bakhtin for isimportant de-abstractification This kindof subjects. its terrify as the Church, to minimizesinis such that by distance the materialization, used structures, turn, power Christian God becomes the Christ, of lessincarnation the abstractthrough words, other In God. of thanmaterialization the Judaic God of the Old Testament. This theology of the run-of-the-mill seminary, but of the highbrow intelligentsia” (120). 120. Clark and Holquist continue with the following words, “Bakhtin’s Orthodox theology was not the 1 Katerina Clark and Michael Holquist, In by followingthe chapters exhibitsarguing Bakhtin of that elements Russian 1 Consequently, my concern is rather with the way Bakhtin way the with rather is concern my Consequently, Mikhail Bakhtin 3 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984), CEU eTD Collection Wisconsin Press, 1996), 4. 3 describing the “Russian religious mind”. correspondence between philosophy of language between andphilosophy of correspondence of theories by emphasized Truth convergence oftheirimportantly, more perhaps thoughtbut, religious ofthe in terms the notin only of terms bears aspecial relation Bakhtin we shallseeinduecourse, Aleksandrovich Florensky (1882-1937)–aRussian whom, philosopherreligious to as Pavel of biography The writing. was he which in situation historical the of interms Bakhtin’s brieflywritings contextualize of conceptualization carnival, Iwill Russian culture. of sphere muffled years many for and marginal in this gaps some in fill to attempt is emergein began philosophy subjectthe an 1990s, the Russian religious which to of of Russian thoughtduring Soviet the period. My project,like then,literature other on same pressures of havelikewisecensorship, failedtogive dueattention thisto aspect scholarship under influence the of scholarsFedotov likeGeorge 2 religion,” traditionof skeptical perhaps“under influence of the academic a liberal Russian or the tradition, academic disintegration of the Soviet Union. In trying to keep abreast with the current trends of on the partphilosophy experienced amajora revival reemergencedue to interest of in fieldthe of both Russian in tothekenotic relation thought principle. and in Russianreligious philosophy devoted Russian inthefirstchapter, religiousto westerndevelopment subsequent the onto fiction Dostoevsky’s of influence the of discussion scholarsmy in theme this to return briefly will I thesis. this of scope the beyond is reason, this in the years following the Richard Gustafson JudithKornblatt,and eds. As we shall see below, Fedotov was one of the first academics to popularize the concept the popularize to academics first the of one was Fedotov see below, we As shall Before proceedingexamineissues specific to involved in Bakhtin’s After decades of suppression during the Soviet period, Russian Afterreligious Soviet the suppression decadesof during 3 the scholars in the west, though subjectedthe though not to inthewest, the scholars 4 Russian Religious Thought 2 (Madison: University of (1886-1951),and for kenosis in CEU eTD Collection outbreak of the war. of the outbreak 7 Following hisbrilliant thesis defense, and inof Gorky Renaissance” asathesis the tothe World Institute Literature 1940. submitted a work entitled “Francois Rabelais and the Folk Culture of the Middle Ages inBakhtin 1930s, late the toMoscow his return After canon. prescribed aesthetic hisproduce worksunder constant the fear for of writing punishment of outside the undergroundin movement 1929, and inwas arrested for exiled his Russianthe Church participation alleged Orthodox critic literary the purges, Stalinist the of victims became who intellectuals “dissident” deliberately forgotten. religious philosophy in times; Soviet thatis, if iteradicated, was not it was religious philosophy,is representative of fate the of entirethe field of Russian examined ingreaterdetail asection on kenoticthe principle within Russian be will ideas religious whose Florensky, of life the sense, this In dissidents. religious by of markingyearperiod a Russian silence, the until thirty 1960s, the almost rediscovered werenot hiscontributions hisexile, after intelligentsia, revolutionary well known was Florensky Although later. years two to executed was he where camp, thelabor Siberian Russian Symbolists Revolution in Florensky and arrested tenyearsof 1917, was 1935 into sentenced a as well inas inthe the Soviet circles thinkers both period.of pre- and Followingpost- the loss of his academic appointments after the 6 Arrest,”the of Clark and Holquist’s biography. 5 1984a, 29-30. Bakhtin’s biography becan corroborated, example for an of suchspeculations, see Holquist and Clark 4 He did not receive the letterthat shouldhe appear to defend his thesis until 1947 primarily due to the Michael Holquist, and Activities “Religious entitled five, chapter See day. this to uncorroborated remains charge This Althoughit is not my intention to claim direct intellectual influence, as little information about Although Bakhtin did not share the tragic fate of Pavel Florensky and other 4 – is an example par excellence of the fate of Russian religious thought Dialogism: Bakhtin and His World 5 and like many of his contemporaries, was forced to many was andhis contemporaries, of like 7 Bakhtin was awarded the lesser degree of degree lesser the was awarded Bakhtin 5 (London: Routledge, 2002), 10. 6 CEU eTD Collection Realism: An Impossible Aesthetic Robin’s see Regine was adopted, Realism Socialist how and Congress the at occurred 11 account as an extra-linguistic factor which could help one reconstruct the author’s the which factor help reconstruct could one asan account extra-linguistic published in journal the discussion subject, onthis panels of a series organized Realism, Socialist of expression the for medium genreic 10 1988). khudozhestvennyisbornik aesthetic” one party, one leader, “one ideal of of Soviet the maker establishment the of viewedas a formidThe by can be Socialist Realism,whichgainedsteam campaign the 1930s, thereby making Socialist contemporaneity,” of from political tasks the and alienation reticence” their “insular Realism the official because liquidationthe groups Organizations,” of existing art all proposed of which aesthetic doctrineArt and Literary of Reconstruction “On the decree issuedthe government of the Soviet state. Stalinist the year, In same the authors. for all Soviet requirement a mandatory bannerthe of Socialist Realism. By1932membership in Union Writersthe becameof writers,individual tounifyirrespectiveefforts of under made Sovietstyle, their great Academy,is hardly surprising. placedimportance consideration into increasing the onit by Communist the is thepeculiarity Bakhtin’s novel the of dissertation which, taking as aliterary genre, some members of the examining committee. One of the main subjects explored in kandidat 9 Bakhtin did not receive thisdegree until 1951. 8 See the decree in decree Seethe Apost-graduate degree awarded fora dissertation, androughly correspondsin to the west.a Ph.D. See transcriptions of the first Soviet Writers’ Congress of 1934. For adetailed discussion of what Michael Holquist, in the prologue to In 1934 the Communist Academy, considering the novel as the most important most the as novel the considering Academy, Communist the 1934 In The novel genre was of particular interest to the Soviet government, which government, Soviet to the interest particular wasof novel genre The , 8 rather than the more prestigious title of . 10 Na literaturnom postu (Leningrad: Gos. publichnaiabiblioteka im.M.E. Saltykova-Shchedrina, The Literary Critic (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1992). Press, University Stanford (Stanford: Rabelais and His World 12(1932), available in 11 the transcripts of transcripts the which weresubsequently 6 . Taking this historical context into context historical this Taking . , xvii. doktor Na literaturnom postu:literaturno- , as was recommended by , aswasrecommended Socialist 9 CEU eTD Collection intention behind the semantic meanings, 12 philosophical context. The religious dimension of Bakhtin’s work is only onevoice in suggest Bakhtin’sthat shouldbework readmonologically areligious-within connections of Bakhtin’s understanding of materiality, I do not mean to implicitly on Rabelaisdisguised in thein form of literary studies.the In this thesis, I will approachspirit Bakhtin’s extreme view work Bakhtin’s that nothingwriting is butcriticism of Sovietregime the the taken have of critics some as author, the of carnival:intentions “true” the about assertions althoughmaking in caution same onemust, exhibitaccount, into atthe time, a chargedcontext I willcontext, form and contentin relation to this treatise on human freedom. In taking such focusand text of unity the on insistence Bakhtin’s recall but help cannot onone regime, certain Stalinist the height of atthe times;written own on Bakhtin’s reflection profound Orthodox theory, literary to contribution important an being to addition In seriousness. monological its and authority of overthrow a symbolic Bakhtin, represents to carnival, according grotesque, and the earthly onthe emphasis With its in Rabelais. of depicted novels the Francois cultureof carnival, as folk PhD dissertation, which is the primary focus of my analysis –is an examination of the Realism. Socialist of formulas static prescribed, freedom in the face of monological seriousness, stands in direct opposition to the human asserts as agenrewhich Rabelais in his on work realism, celebrated grotesque he forgenre,its stylistic linguistic and and variety, of valuesprimarily which novel the of exaltation Bakhtin’s seriousness. monological uncreative an as he sees which time, his of aesthetic Realist Socialist the with in apolemic is engaged Bakhtin See the methodology section below. section methodology Seethe Mikhail Bakhtin’s Mikhail Rabelais andHisWorld 7 12 one could argue that in one his could dissertation arguethat – a 1965 reworking of reworkinghis of –a1965 1930s Rabelais andHisWorld is a CEU eTD Collection Press, 1998), 127. Bakhtin’s implicit interlocutor(s) in his texts. This chapter also provides a detailed provides also chapter This texts. in his interlocutor(s) implicit Bakhtin’s question of the origins of Bakhtin’sestablishing foris the atheoretical framework raise intendedcarnivalesque, to the terminology as a possible in to addition The second his viewmateriality. and chapter, degradation of derives clue to the identity of his prove, notion as Iwill of Bakhtin carnivalesque appropriates to attempt from which, context religious onthe focuses chapter firstfollows: the as summarized second chapter. means by the term carnivalesque,isBakhtin explain it that what is itto necessary of first carnival, concept Bakhtin’s a taskand thought of lines to Christian whichbetween connections possible the discern I to willorder devote a section withinand hisWorld the his in power institutional an as Church the concerning reservations Bakhtin’s Moreover, Church. the of institution the of critique a constructing with than laughter, by beoverturned can aesthetic monological a how illustrating subsequently and truth, Bakhtin is Bakhtin structures, but rather against the general power oppressive of manifestation only concrete one represents which Renaissance, “enslavement” of the human spiritdirected to fear. itmust is Bakhtin’soverarching critique that benoted and However, anticlericalism. not simply appearsfirst work tobe religious endorsementof sight the figure,asat an paganism againstRabelais, especiallyin is Bakhtin Russian the viewedtradition where often asa the Catholic open-ended,the polyphonic soundof his thought. Church of the Middle Ages and the 13 Ruth Coates, The general structure of the thesis, already hinted at above, can be briefly be can above, at hinted already thesis, the of structure general The Certain unease and ambiguity characterize the reception of this work on work of this reception the characterize and ambiguity unease Certain primarily ChristianityBakhtin: Godand the in ExiledAuthor are not to be confused with hostility towards Christianity in tobe In arenot hostility general. towards confused with concerned with exposing the relation of power and authority to 8 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Rabelais 13 CEU eTD Collection Annales, in his notes on the methodology for the human sciences, the writing, historical of school French the of founders the of one Bloch, Marc of name the invokes Bakhtin that Considering works. his of content semantic the wife. Sciences,”in thelate1930s or early 40s, but did not return to ituntil 1974, following the ofdeath his Bakhtinbegan to work onthis piece, formerly entitled “On the Philosophical Bases of the experimenter). Human (the subject ofit and The cognition history scientific of natural of process of the cognitioninterpretation personal in terms of its results“Experiment and mathematicaland elaboration. Onethe raises aquestion and obtainshistory an answer– this is the of (Austin:cognizing University of Texas Press, 1992), 167. Elliptically butpeople. pregnant with meaning, Bakhtin writes, See Marc Bloch.” and that of Bloch, as presented in his aspresented and of Bloch, that method demarcated Bakhtin’s roughly between of convergence sketch some points force illocutionary the theory, act speech the of jargon in the or, intentions, hermeneuticformulated implicitly own method author’s the apply to try to worthwhile seems it texts, to his texts in an effort to reconstruct some possible authorial Framework Theoretical religious dimension of Bakhtin’s works. main my from subject digress briefly will I philosophy, religious Russian within principle kenotic to considerindogmatic Before discussing andritualistic, Bakhtin’s Iproceed the thought. to the in of to outline some traces Orthodoxy, in chapteran effortestablished previous the methodology with which I intend to approach the linguistic and literary analysis of Bakhtin’s of analysis literary and linguistic 15 14 Mikhail Bakhtin, “Methodology for the Human Sciences” in Sciences” Human the for “Methodology Bakhtin, Mikhail below. detail inmore beexplained To Before proceeding discuss my methodology to forown approaching Bakhtin’s Bakhtin Mikhail a of understanding, act the In the possibility of changing or evenabandoning his already reject prepared view not must andpoints positions. understands who person The be enriched). cannot he nothing; gains dogmatist Only whenthe positionis dogmatically inert is there nothing new revealed inthe work (the struggle occurs that results in mutual change andenrichment.– The 9 Historian’s Craft Historian’s Rabelais and World His Rabelais Speech Genres and Other Late Essays . , using the criteria 15 let us briefly us let 14 behind CEU eTD Collection 17 argues, particular cultural and historical conditions. Again, in the “Methodology,” Bakhtin under human consciousness of in questions interest the with a sense of permeated relevancy ofdespite theindividualnuances methodologies ideaof their converge onthe of the cultural medievalistcontext in the hisin his of asismade contemporaries, praise evident of an a text, analysis which Dmitry a work Likhachev is produced. and the Bakhtin’s semiotician works Yuri are Lotman, both of whom, solution to the problem of fragmentation, structures. In his “Methodology for the Human Sciences,” Bakhtin comes to a similar must view historical time in terms of the 16 themselves”. fragments of that the even produce turns, eachforits own sake, neverproduce will knowledge of it whole; the notwill mechanically fragments, gameof arranged solitaire; studied knowledgethe by of what the Annales School of historians has labeled transformations of “ with a history concerned are which of both of studies, case major large-scale two his in Dostoevsky and Rabelais cultural transformations.dealing otherwise with hopelessly diffused fragments isin evident his approach to Both livingreconstruct literary intermsto of attemptwholes of Bakhtin’s instead genres of these works examine Mikhail Bakhtin, “Methodology for the Human Sciences,” 167; my emphasis. Marc Bloch, Marc As part of the study of time… level of great time only on the level of great time. unity of human culture), and a complex unity of human literatures. All this is revealed cultures,and provides acomplex unity of allhumanity, allhuman nations, cultures (acomplex of peoples, millennia, and of centuries understanding mutual The In his In 17 The The Historian’s Craft Historian’s Craft Historian’s . Analysis usuallyfussesin about narrow the of space small mentalites (Manchester: Manchester University Press,1992), 155. , Bloch insists that “a civilization, like a person, is no is aperson, like “a civilization, that insists Bloch , Each image must beunderstoodandevaluatedon the , Bakhtin insists on the central role of culture in 10 longue durée 16 Therefore, Bloch concludes, one , or long-term historical mentalites ”. CEU eTD Collection Press,c1984), 437.From here on referred to by commonlyits accepted contraction 19 18 qualification, “grew out of the very depths of life of that time”. emphasizelikeBakhtin’s RabelaisBakhtin’s that of work, that according to so far as it shaped somethe cultural context,crucial especially the religious-philosophical sphere of Russian culture in categories Bakhtin’smy will own works approach respect these to bysupplementingprinciples of Bakhtin’s thought. in Thus, his orhisof it chronotope the which works. own terminology,was produced, That is, I want to in largercontext account the into manner,in taking be same treated the to own work itAnnales-stylefairthisconcludemethod, his seems thatBakhtinwouldto expect From insistenceon Bakhtin’s his work. determines, not necessarily shapes, though thought, rather than in the subject matter itself), as it consciously or unconsciously in author’s the interested is one reconstructing methodology thatprimarily (provided seems obvious thathis writings onthis should subject matter be readwithin this place.which narrativesacts against andlinguistic take backdrop whichin his ideaof chronotope, can beroughly the as aspatio-temporal defined emphasis of importance on contextualizingthe manifestsculture most itself strongly author, but also thatMoreover, the relevantof context is not onlythe the historical, cultural,interpreter etc. situation of the and interpretation which a work, of as a beyondwhole reaches out word. theprinted – a point to whichfor theunderstanding importancecontext of the stresses Bakhtin aboveIn the passage, I shall return below. His Mikhail Bakhtin, Mikhail Mikhail Bakhtin, “Methodology for the Human Sciences,” 167. When an author favors a particular method in approaching his subject matter, itmatter, favorsmethodWhen an hissubject inapproaching a author particular work. the in new resonance a creates which perceived, is it which in epochs in which it is context understood and evaluated (of course, thiscontext changes in the various intonational-evaluative of the music the in enveloped is were, it as work, The to the ‘aesthetic object’). The work also includes its necessary extratextual context. The written,textor –printed, thework orallyrecorded –isnotequal awhole (or as to Rabelais and His World , Trans. Hélène Iswolsky (Bloomington: Indiana University 11 19 RAHW 18 . CEU eTD Collection Prose andLetters 22 21 20 lifeown story”. in facts author’s the mere andbecome minimized, blunted, are implications, and sharp naïveto in “social “biographism,” which and political losemeaning events their direct (mainly, religious philosophers and Symbolists) andafter (Bakhtin) Revolution. the before writing of those paradigm intellectual acommon articulate is to methodology, in my implicit myaims, of one Thus, Russia. century twentieth of history intellectual indraw asomewhatline thebe within woulddividing arbitrary to the Soviet context literary criticism of Bakhtin as intellectual history. To consider Bakhtin’s work only treat accordingly will This thesis life. of spheres in other severance acomplete so, less even and, discontinuity imply necessarily not does regimes political of a change in terms of the continuation intellectualof thought, on the basis of the assumption that work his evaluate will I Bakhtin, on literature secondary in tendency general the been ashas in environmentwrote, whichBakhtin exclusivelyactually post-1917 onthe is, focusing than rather inRussia.That atmosphere revolutionary philosophical indicating the pressure of social atmosphere,” of social pressure the indicating itself. of time the sight lose great time,” or the analogous concept of of the concept analogous the or time,” great biography as its fundamental biography fundamental yet itsmeasure popular in as another unit– tendency of takes which not one though becontextualization, will methodology atmosphere on human consciousness. Therefore, one criterion of my own thesocial and political of influence atthe look inside andrather out, method Osip Mandelstam, “ Mikhail Bakhtin, Ibid Furthermore, in taking the contextinto consideration, onemustfalling avoid pray One might ask, what is this unit of time? In my own study, Bakhtin’s “level of . , (Ann Arbor: Ardis, 1979), 199. 20 RAHW In the accumulation of personal biographical details, one must In not one accumulation biographical the of details, personal Konets Romana , 438. 21 ” ( Rather than the individual being a“monometer Ratherthan individual the The End ofthe Novel 12 22 longue durée longue in the spirit of carnival let us turn this ) in Mandelstam: TheComplete Critical entails the study of pre- individual CEU eTD Collection evaluation of this work. of this evaluation my thesis. in principle methodological guiding main the as serve will which School, Cambridge inin thissense that Annalesthe Bakhtin’s methodlinksthought up with the Koselleck. In the chapter entitled chapter In the Koselleck. changingapproach to linguistic ideas, attimes itsupplementing with of that Reinhart denote by it conceptshas Bakhtin’s come the Cambridge using time School to religious philosophy, I will try to trace the history of the word and the various 23 intomust account take the one any utterance, given in understanding togainamore of all complete order otherutterances, to connected is if utterance School: one Annales of the into the terminology thought Bakhtin’s translate To wholes. living of interms must beconceived subjects that time implies of medium the through arelinked utterances different that postulation the conclusion, its logical inmake to sense.ForBakhtin,Bloch’sbegins to work taken context this train of thought in Bakhtin’s otherwise jumbled notes, the enigmatic evocation of unifying asthe utterances interrelation of this considers one If resonance. greatest which as linkBakhtin, findsserves its according to between a common all utterances jotted down notes, set of deathin beforeshortly Bakhtin’s theme 1975, the time, of veinthe of Cambridgethe School ideas. history the of of In previouslythe mentioned language Bakhtin’s him concernleads methodology further. another in with towards Bakhtin Annalesthe takes methodfor understanding andwriting history a step biography biography Bakhtin.of seminalintellectual Clark’s by and Holquist hermeneutics, erected Bakhtinian Katerina Clark Michaeland Holquist, In the chapter devoted to the history and reception of term the of reception and history tothe devoted chapter In the In applying the longue durée 23 approach to linguistic concepts suchasutterances, linguistic concepts to approach Meaning andunderstandingideas inthehistory of Mikhail Bakhtin 13 . See the literature review section for an for section review literature . See the longue durée of the utterance. It is kenosis in Russian in , CEU eTD Collection receiver’s contexts,” are “eternally living”. are“eternally contexts,” understanding,” he views context as an “infinite dialogue in which there is neither a neither is there in which dialogue “infinite an as context he views understanding,” of “context labels it, as Bakhtin or, interpreter, of the context the regarding 29 a text. with contact into comes who anyone include to Imean “receiver” term the By using 28 27 26 25 them”. and Context: functions the words [ change in complex ways, in which given form of words can logically be used – all the whatpurpose, and I willstudy to to “all theattempt various situations, which may beingis used anidea how reconstructing of the problem necessarily resolve cannot Following Quentin suggestion Skinner’s immediatecontext the that of utterance the Creation variations – whichdependonthe users of intentions. term the and their explaining to shifts finally and love, behind principle fundamental the becomes the term the regenerated. are words 24 to signify entirely different concepts and that with andutterance each that concepts different signify entirely to used… with varying and quite incompatible intentions”. varying incompatible used… with and quite formson involved.studying the thewordsdenotingFor of words ideamaybe the simply àla understand“[I]f agivenwe wish idea, to concentrate, Lovejoy, we cannot School, argues, Cambridge Quentin main of Skinner the of one the representatives recognizes that in different contexts, the same word or idea, such as Mikhail Bakhtin, “Methodology for the Human Sciences,” 168. here. of importance not is etc. interlocutor, an critic, a reader, disinterested a between distinction The Quentin Skinner, 55. Mikhail Bakhtin, “Methodology for the Human Sciences,” 170. Bakhtin’s terminology suggests that for him it is also a pragmatic rather than asemantic issue. Quentin Skinner, “Meaning and Understanding in the History of Ideas,” in James Tully ed., Bakhtin formulates his view of conceptual-linguistic changes in terms of the of in terms changes conceptual-linguistic of view his formulates Bakhtin 27 That is, Iwill focus on the use rather than the meaning of the term 28 kenosis Quentin Skinner and His Critics assimilation of words or speech, which, “creatively renewed in new “creatively renewed speech,which, or words of assimilation begins with the designation of the process of Incarnation, then kenosis 26 As I will try to demonstrate below, the referential history of ] can serve, all the various things that can be done with 29 That is, point Thata previously returning noted to (Cambridge: Polity Press,1988), 55. 14 24 Bakhtin likewise Bakhtin 25 kenosis the meanings of , can come kenosis Meaning . CEU eTD Collection 35 Essays 34 33 books” of producers or of texts (156). of authors intentions the to reducible not are that significations and simply “submissionto textual machinery,” but a“creative practice, which invents singular meanings (Berkeley: University The of California Press,1989).According to Chartier, the act of is reading not of reading. RogerChartier, “Texts, Printings,Readings”, inHunt Lynn ed., 32 31 longue durée anything new or enriching”.anything newor To see worldthe its through eyes would“merely be aduplication and would not entail 30 advantages, interpretative community, so different from Bakhtin’s, might have its own previouslyneglectedto the Belonging suppressedorthis religious issues. to voice in giving interested is which community post-Soviet the mainly, – community interpretative my own on an eye keep to try will I anachronisms, of kinds certain Chartier, of Anticipating work Roger meaning of the anda work. the demarcate determine “contextthe entirely of is author the itunderstanding,” consequently, and not to up to alwaysvariations open remains due to ininterpretative communities, whichbelong to minimum)”. a dialogic (as two includes always meaning “alwaysincludes a question, an andaddress, the anticipation of ita response; first nor a last word,” and in which there are “no limits”. “no andin there are alastnor which word,” first (contemplating) andsupplementing through creative thinking”. “Response Mikhail Bakhtin, “Methodology for the Human Sciences,” 159. to a question from the act creative the during occurs which appropriation, as of interpretation notion Chartier’s Roger See Mikhail Bakhtin, “Methodology for the Human Sciences,” 169-70. Ibid Ibid For Bakhtin, the previously noted concept of “great time” (sister-concept of the of (sister-concept time” “great of concept noted previously the Bakhtin, For others other whole,people,mirrors andno orphotographs can help;our exterior real can onlyby seen be in culture. For one evencannot really see one’s ownexterior and comprehend it asa because they are located outside us in space and because they are In order to understand, it is immensely important for the person who understands to be understands who person the for important immensely is it understand, to order In . ., 169; 167-8; 170. , 7; emphasis in the original. located outside 32 . 34 Bakhtin views “interpretation as the discovery of a path to seeing ) implicitly carries connotations of openness, “great time – infinite and infinite – time “great openness, of connotations carries implicitly ) theobject of orhis her creative understanding – in time, inspace, 35 Novy Mir 15 Editorial Staff”, in 31 The implicitsuggestion is that a text Speech Genres andOther Late 30 On his view, contextual 33 The New Cultural History Therefore, to avoid to Therefore, CEU eTD Collection relevant to my topic in great detail. In an effort to keep analysis.an eye Due to time constraints, on Icannotanalyzethe each one whole, hisof works I perceive as or on a His World His in intentions Bakhtin’s reconstruct to effort an In utterance. the behind theintended towardsreconstructingintention, act must possible the or work also interpretation.isfor within insufficient awork spirit Quentin we Skinner, In the of down them tracing benever designators, rigid can and meanings areunstable Because 37 36 though of his oeuvre, parts late approach religiousthe by dimension Bakhtin’sof work analyzing and various early to plan I Thus, another. one from texts these sever radically to sense make not does himself felt he that was interrelateddealing with questions in most of his itwritings, each of bringsnuances differentwhich of foreground. the problem the If to Bakhtin texts, different issuethrough anumberof central the byapproaching is characterized treated in isolation. His own methodology in his studies on Rabelais and Dostoevsky with, which wasdiscourses he appropriatetrying to or subvert? of “unfinishedness”, of “unfinalized” or cultural systems. A bitfurther on in the “Methodology,” Bakhtin clarifies the meaning unfinishedness ( unfinalized dialogue in nowhich meaning dies”. Mikhail Bakhtin, “Methodology for the Human Sciences,” 169. Ibid festival. The problem of problem The festival. new context). a Nothing (in is absolutely form dead: every meaning renewed will have in its homecoming invigorated and recalled are they way the along development contextual meanings, moments butatcertain ofthedialogue’s subsequent development of the dialogue there are immense, boundless masses of forgotten the process of subsequent, futuredevelopment of the dialogue. At anymomentin the stable (finalized,ended onceandfor will all) – they always change (be renewed) in Even past meanings, that is, those born in the dialogue of past centuries, can never be ., 170. In his for“open call major unity,”Bakhtin no that argues question should be , Iwill try to address some questions, such as, who was Bakhtin in dialogue nezavershennost’ great time Rabelais andHisWorld ) beyond the individual) beyond the whole works of authors to . 37 16 36 He goes on to apply the notion of will remain the center of my of center the remain will Rabelais and CEU eTD Collection him inas mostly thinkerhis a secular – form of orchallenges the applications to often been perceived as a political attack on contemporary literary and cultural theory. has Orthodoxy to connection Bakhtin’s asserting sense, this In stagnation. ideological Marxist, who could rescue the fields of humanities and the social sciences from their non-traditional a as him saw who those from opposition much with met was Bakhtin, andbiography of and Clarkintheir Holquist Todorov by and Kristaeva Tzvetan been influencedin by made Orthodoxy, first scholarship by western like Julia critics have may Bakhtin that observation The studies. Bakhtinian of field inthe contested Literature Review account. into thatisrarely taken of his work certain aspects reconstruct but to disproving a particular theory, as has often been done by different Bakhtinian schools, with methods Bakhtin’s not toappropriate supportingintention isor of a goal applying methodological Bakhtin’s hisown preferences to works.That is,my in theofmystudy consist does purpose aparticularpromote Neither approach. to to reconstruct afrequently dimension anBakhtin’s ratherdismissed of thought, than is goal my primary as approaches, these to my interpretation limit not will I Annales, Bakhtin’sin writings terms his of cultural social backgroundand own in spiritthe of it comes to linguistic analyses of terms such as question. in issue an of understanding one’s enrich might they that feel I when works relevant the in bring I will text, aspecific than rather problem Although the majority of secondary literature on Bakhtin tends to approach on Bakhtin to literature tends majority secondary Although of the or ignored either generally is work Bakhtin’s of dimension religious The Although I will employ the approach outlined by the Cambridge School Although employ School bytheCambridge I will outlined approach the when 17 kenosis , in addition to contextualizing to in addition , CEU eTD Collection 40 120. 39 extent he had one, is not of resurrectionbut of incarnation” (1990, 61). 38 cross”. his the on death man,and as acommon Russian tradition highlightedkenosis thatof Christ’s earth, descent his to Incarnation Clarklater works. and Holquist’s biography Bakhtin’semphasizes in “immersion the literary studies of authors and whichthe qualify biographythe have come to in their man” “religious to locate them in his texts. attempting without his beliefsmusthave been, assumes it what rather however, detail; Bakhtin andhisContemporaries Patterson’s work. large of the the scope due to makes to some further noattempts provide but Christian aperhaps analysis, themes, do notdevelop these ideas anyfurther. and Clark likewise Holquist’s work touches on on Dostoevsky, Morson and Emerson mention some Christian motifs in passing, motifs Christian some mention and Emerson Morson Dostoevsky, on writings Bakhtin’s of treatment in their example, For convictions. religious Bakhtin’s dimension hisasideof thought, a from pointing few out biographical details about largelyGardiner(1990), neglect religious the (1992)and Bernard-Donals (1994) (1981),Morson and1980s and Clark 90s byTodorov and Holquist (1984), Emerson aspects of his thought, especially in relation to his early texts. The major works of theideas, there are some critical works, which attempt to grapple with the religious who rediscovered Bakhtin inwhorediscovered Bakhtin 1960s. the and reminiscences of Russian scholars like Vadim Kozhinov and Sergey Bocharov, evidence for their claim he that “awas highly man”religious from personal accounts Contino and Felch. Bakhtin and Religion: A Feeling for Faith. Katerina Clark and Michael Holquist, They make the brief but significant (to my research) observation that “Bakhtin’s theology, to the In the very first biography of Bakhtin, he is unambiguously labeled as a 39 –a title which hassince then faced much inopposition thefield of (1988) does (1988)does deal with spirituality inBakhtin’s more Mikhail Bakhtin 18 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984), 40 The authors derive some of their Literature and Spirit:Essays on 38 but CEU eTD Collection 44 43 Karnaval, Kronotop 1984. in published was work their since Kozhinov 42 of sources earlier other, uses biography Clark 41 religious man,” albeit in a “noncanonical” way. “noncanonical” a in albeit man,” religious confess only and exclusively Orthodox Christianity”. Orthodox exclusively and only confess could Russia with in communion being human “the that believed Bakhtin Kozhinov, frank with him”.Bakhtin firstthis the conversation to after understood claim, “all Bakhtin’s ideas had a Russian Orthodox axis… The people who were close and possibly supplemented with seemsbewhat amore to reliable sourcefor Bakhtin’s should reason, suchcomments care, biography beapproachedabout with Russian Orthodox churches to embrace their long-lost “national” religion. For this rediscoverflock Russian thoughtandthegeneral religious population begins to fervently scholars Russian when introduction, in the mentioned already had I as toanend in partinterviewersthe comes interestingly of Bakhtin’s 1990s,aperiod,the silenceon of year period is, twenty to close the That weremade. utterances particular the growing unreliability is remarksnotonly these to foradopting amorereasons careful issueof approach the of memory with main scholars. of One the bywestern especially skeptically, been viewed somewhat time, but also the context years have his made andfor this morethan after reason death, were twenty religiosity in which these period”.in Soviet the writing of conditions external the of because evidently theme, implicit unspoken, an “Thepublication, notes, religious aspectof Bakhtin’s is aesthetics deep butconcealed, for materials Bakhtin’s gathering on Kozhinov with collaborated who Bocharov, Sergei Bocharov, “Conversations with Bakhtin,” trans. Stephen Blackwell, Stephen trans. Bakhtin,” with “Conversations Bocharov, Sergei V.V. Kozhinov, “Bakhtin iego chitateli. Razmyshleniia iotchasti vospominaniia,” Nicholai Rzhevsky, “Kozhinov on Bakhtin,” Ibid . In a later, 1992 interview Kozhinov reported that Bakhtin interviewIn alater,“a Kozhinov 1992 was reported deeply Interestingly, the above-noted claims of both authors regarding Bakhtin’s regarding authors both of claims above-noted the Interestingly, , no. 2-3 (1993): 120-34. 44 New Literary History New Literary 19 41 In a 1993 article, he went on to 43 25(1994): 434. HolquistThe and Similarly, in Similarly, 1993Sergei PMLA 109 (1994): 1019. 42 According to Dialog, CEU eTD Collection books rather thanof a few five-page articles. English-language scholarship hasbecome primary the subject oftwofairly lengthy least 100pages) (at 45 carnival writings. In her In carnival writings. for my departure which own project, deals with Christian inBakhtin’s themes and for this reason I will ininterest motifs Christian the primarily Bakhtin’s of hascome foreground,writings tothe rely on the works of these authors as a pointindiscussed Lock’s with work, ritualistic counterparts. of to Christian themes, thereby supplementing the theological aspects, some of which are categories therelation carnival provideof analysis of to amorehope comprehensive I work, my own In thinker. theological a as Bakhtin interpreting to criticism Western in resistance the of explanation apossible atconstructing aims The article also center. the always if not at writing, Bakhtin’s of peripheries at the present consistently is,fragmentary; whichis this dimension lineof astable reveals that thought, is dimension longer his account, takenintoBakhtin’s works of nooeuvre appears to situate him within Orthodox theological discourse. Lock insists thatif the religious Orthodoxy as exhibitedin the works of Mikhail Bakhtin, and, in the process, attempts Russian of tenets fundamental some elucidates Lock Charles recently, until which although inpublished 1991, didmuch notreceive attention from scholarsother contemporary, L.V.Pumpiansky, lecturesBakhtin’s on from 1924-25. Bakhtin’s of notes – the thought religious early Bakhtin’s reconstructing addressing the more overtly outlined Christian framework of of early Bakhtin’s framework Christian outlined more overtly addressing the rather than specifically Orthodox outlook on Bakhtin’s work. Coates begins by Christian, a broader assumes She critic. literary of the works inthe motifs Christian published in a Coates adopts 1998, Ruth chronological approach examinationto the of By “coming to the foreground” By“coming tothe Imean tosay religious the that dimensionof Bakhtin’s thought in In more recent criticism, such as that of Coates and Felch & Contino, the &Contino, Felch and Coates of that as such criticism, recent more In Theology,” Orthodox and Bakhtin Incarnation: and “Carnival article his In Christianity in Bakhtin: God and the Exiled Author GodandtheExiled inBakhtin: Christianity 20 45 , CEU eTD Collection Dostoevsky’s Poetics 48 Northwestern University Press, 2001), 1. 47 Press, 1998). Bakhtin’s“faith,” thoughtas adhering thereby to the traditional approach exemplified in dimension religious describing the than rather that volume argue of this editors the 46 means of the whole person) toward a higher and ultimate value”. ( faith” for “feeling and a abstractions – “a in specific faith orthodoxy,in progress,man,in – revolution, etc.” with which “faith,” he identifies between toDostoevsky,himself in Bakhtin reference theories. aesthetic and linguistic his in components religious the to love of conceptualization by as well from ranging latertexts subjects various as Bakhtin’s addressing early Bakhtin’s in religion of dimension contested the view into in bringing succeeds Mikhail towardsreligion. Bakhtin’sin attitude recentstudy, 2001, This published Religion: aFeelingforFaith Contino’s and Felch traditions, linguistic Russian and English the light. positive a in writing Bakhtin’s of dimension religious the of reconsiderations first their of one represents sense, inthis and subject, primary its as in Bakhtin motifs Christian the early lateto writings. Coates’ work is one of the few studies explicitly concerned with “coherent theistic framework,” discourseOrthodox of hisIn laterworks. Bakhtin’s aesthetic theory, she a finds considerphilosophicalmuffled proceeds more Russian to then essays,and the MikhailBakhtin, “Toward Reworking ofDostoevsky the Book” (1961)in Susan M. Felch and Paul J. Contino, Ruth Coates, Felch drawsacrucialand Contino’s work distinction, both from scholars together brings which essays of a collection Comprising ChristianityBakhtin: Godandthe in ExiledAuthor (Minnepolis: University of Minnesota Press,1984), 294. chuvstvo very chuvstvo represents an attempt atproviding a general overview of 46 which a gradual undergoes from hisdevelopment Bakhtin and Religion: Bakhtin for Faith A Feeling ), which he (by “an), which defines integral as attitude 21 (Cambridge: Cambridge University 47 48 originally made by In the introduction, the In The Problems of Bakhtin and (Evanston: CEU eTD Collection helpful representative of the varieties of existing critical literature on Bakhtin. on literature critical of existing varieties the of helpful representative Bakhtinian subjects byboth Russian and American Slavicists, this isanthology a moral, and religious, philosophical ofhisdimensions writing. Asasurvey variousof beforesuch as novel, returning problems the polyphony, carnival, of etc., to the and innovations, concepts terminological Bakhtin’s core concerned examining with is second the work, interpreting Bakhtin’s whenitcomes to etc.) revolutionary, philosophical, various religious, (e.g. approaches and of appropriateness chapters.is While onthe book firstpart effectiveness unifiedthe focused question of of than rather essays of collection a be to meant is work the as other, the into one of isan attemptnoa comparisonhowever, approaches orintegration madeat of two the to next thebiographical collection textual the uniquely places within a single medium; the dialogue. sense, and contra this ina In pro Bakhtin’s which engageswith theories Polemics,” andCore Concepts “Major entitled second and the literary critic, the – firstthe entitledWas “Who Bakhtin,” which includes several of polemical portraits works as well as histo personal biography. The collection is splitinto two major parts anthology aroundessays of avarietyof Bakhtin’sorganized in topics relation to writings on carnival. on writings at thesame time ofmateriality specifying expanding and importance in the Bakhtin’s and corporeal worldview. In this sense, my thesis builds on these earlier studies, while concrete Bakhtin’s to alien so been have would which “faith,” of notion abstract the faith” than rather for “feeling Bakhtin’s reconstructing same distinction, maintain the in the same way Bakhtinby Clark and Holquist’s biography,it rather be should viewed as faith,”a “feelingfor viewed Dostoevsky’s works. In my own thesis, I plan to Caryl Emerson’s Caryl Critical EssaysonMikhailBakhtin 22 , published in 1999,is an CEU eTD Collection according to Bakhtin, is their tendency towards “naïve biographism”. 49 will help reconstruct to his authorial intentions. will make textual use this evidence some commentary hislife, to inon turn, which, textual ofhisevidence religious rather convictions histhan on factsthe about life. I rather histhan biography intohis texts. For reason,this Iprimarily focus on the available on Bakhtin. That is, Iwill attempt to write Bakhtin’s texts into his biography evidence biographical ofthe scant nature contested the alsobut to due thesis, use of the latter approach make primarily carnival,Iwill in Bakhtin’s force materiality as ade-abstractifying not only becausecompatibility of temporalthe examining In writing. in his is present it as far in so religion Bakhtin’s constraints of Eastern on writing intobiography histexts, thisOrthodoxread Bakhtin’s religious to attempt approach biographical ofthe The representatives attitudes utilize textual in tendtobiographical either evidence. or literature thought secondary towards matterscholarship and theon Bakhtin, exaltation the examinations of of the religious dimension of Bakhtin’s As I have noted in the methodology section of my thesis, the main problem with such approaches, As I have tried to illustrate in my limited review of the vast available 49 while the representatives of the textual approach focus on focus approach thetextual of representatives the while 23 CEU eTD Collection 51 Wisconsin Press, 1996), 5. 50 expression in life, become identified with abstract thought. As I will demonstrate later demonstrate As I will thought. abstract with identified become inlife, expression earthly existence, notangible whichhave beyond our concreteness,things while the discourse these religious philosophers contains an additional previously lackingcomponent, in of majority by the held view the century, eighth the of debates on Iconoclastic the during the status meansmateriality is byno novel,andback dates iconophilematter tothe defenses of of favor in argument an such ofAlthough matter. all of validation and vindication matter. see they Incarnation, of process in the implicit is, That light. positive in a discourse For them,tradition: Christian matterWestern with the is juxtaposed eyes, in leasttheir at which, andsalvation, nature becomesfocus has certain implications for the Russian philosophers’ perceptionlinked of human medieval tradition, with Deification, on thedoctrines befocus of by and Incarnation a twofold characterized centuries can and in this sense represents Against Abstraction Rebellion Introduction.The Dual Tendency1.1 ofRussian andthe Religious Philosophy a continuation of the Eastern Christian Philosophy A Perspective:Theological KenoticThe Principle in Russian Religious Chapter I Richard Gustafson JudithKornblatt,and eds. Ibid Nietzsche divinity of spectator the the and seventhday ye contrast? this – do understand –Friedrich mire,clay, excess, folly, shred, matter, only not is there man in united: are creator chaos;and creature man In but there’s also the creator, the sculptor, the hardness of the hammer, the ., 6. Russian religious philosophy of latenineteenthandearly Russian philosophytwentieth of religious the 51 50 the materiality of human existence is viewed in their theological in their isviewed existence human of the materiality issues.likewise which concerned these Sucha deeply was with 24 Russian Religious Thought , (Madison: University of CEU eTD Collection Books, 1965),1:185-87. 53 52 interests”. personal his man above of elevating capable motivation “all destroying thereby reason,” deliberative of consciousness abstract the into sphere aesthetic and from moral the man’sinner rootof convictions andtransferredthe self-consciousness intellectual man’s of the wholeness “broke system Aristotle, whose asalegacy thought of Western incontemporary theproblem rationalism views andexcessive of Hegel, consciousness, distinguished by “spiritual concreteness,” with the Hellenist spirit, Hellenist the with concreteness,” by “spiritual distinguished consciousness, the Christian He juxtaposes of in guise Plotinus). the (and Neo-Platonism in Plato Hellenism, hisin Western case,to to philosophy particular European though, abstraction tendency towards the attributes Kireevsky, Berdyaev to Similarly views. twentieth the century, wasexpelledfrom RussiaSoviet in1922forhis “subversive” in ofRussian who,likeBerdyaev thought representatives religious (1874-1948), other fin tradition, of Nikolai of one representatives the philosophical Russian de siècle lifequotidian and leavesmuch too forroom ambiguity in practical applications. far notions imperative, liketoo abstract whichsoars above categorical Kant’s in than actionsindividuals rather of in the concrete fundamentally grounded istheory which would be, by implication, sphere, aesthetic and the moral with is contrasted reason sphereof “abstract” the concrete. As we will see later on, Bakhtin’s ethical rationalism”. in more “unbounded becomesits for Russia increasingly criticized thought abstractions. from liberation as materiality on in the next chapter, Bakhtin draws the same connection in his perception of J.M. Edie, J.P. Scanlan, and Mary-Barbara Zeldin, eds., Zeldin, Mary-Barbara and Scanlan, J.P. Edie, J.M. Richard Gustafsonand Judith Kornblatt, eds. The same criticism is railed against the abstractness of by of German Idealism abstractness the against israiled The samecriticism Western Kireevsky (1808-1856), Beginning the staunch P.V. Slavophile with 52 Kireevsky, (ironically) on drew who Western the philosophy of Herder 53 The syntactical structure of Kireevsky’s statement suggests that suggests statement Kireevsky’s of structure syntactical The Russian Religious Thought 25 Russian Philosophy , 8. (Chicago: Quadrangle CEU eTD Collection can “change for the better the for “change can ground for the debasing/lowering ( debasing/lowering the for ground 60 Svobodnogo Dukha debases likewise man, anthropology Catholic that argue to on goes Berdyaev (31). of man” though“debasement nature of man, according to Berdyaev (31). The denial of suchfreedom gives causeforthe in a different way. For the nuances of his argument, see pg. 31 of his 59 freedom of the human spirit… [and] rejected independence all of human nature”(30). arbitrio servo citing particular, in Berdyaev nature. human in element divine ofthe presence the to tied is freedom through Christ’s sacrifice, is a crucial element in the human participation in the Divine. That is, 58 57 life through Christ (30). 56 55 YMCA Press,1929), 15; my translation. ( that in their work, “man in disappears” in hisconcreteness that work, their mystery of be hypostasis,Christ’s comprehended which cannot rationally. Heargues accept monophysitism the inability an to of kind or forBerdyaev seesa them,” “monism”. towards life inclination andof of an from concreteness detachmentthe to tendency Idealism, and(on itshis primary view) and Fichte representatives, Hegel,of samethe German Heaccuses perspective. such detached andbeyondlies above concreteness” domination of spirit,this which towards tends abstraction because “spiritual Berdyaev argues that the Christian consciousness has to break free from the a denial human freedom of and independence, with up tied fundamentally be to believes he which nature, human of “denial” outright 54 ( “the faceless “misfortunes” in history the of Christianity. cleansed of the concreteness of life”. of concreteness the of cleansed which is process by“a ( characterized thought PhilosophyFree ofthe Spirit: Problematicsthe and Apologetics ofChristianity, Part II Foreach of the discussed religious philosophers in this chapter, the freedom of human nature, gained ForBerdyaev, human nature entails botha material component as well asaparticipation indivine Nikolai Berdyaev, Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid ., 30. . ., 30. ., 29. Berdyaev argues that already in St. Augustine, one can find “inclinations, which provided In their rejection of “human nature, “human of rejection their In 55 , connects German Idealist thought with the Protestantism of Luther, who “denied the “denied who of Luther, Protestantism the with thought Idealist German connects , bezlikoe . Filosofia svobodnogo dukha: problematika iapologia khristianstva, ), the abstract, the Divine”. the abstract, the ), only under God’s grace,” St. Augustine rejects the creative freedom and freedom creative the rejects Augustine St. grace,” God’s under prinizheniye 54 ) of human nature” (30).In arguing that human nature In his 26 59 56 which is only a function of the Divine In his view, German Idealism sees only sees Idealism German view, his In Philosophy of the FreePhilosophy of Spirit myshlenie 60 The employment of the Biblical- the of employment The 58 Berdyaev finds pastthe all ) that is removed from and . 57 In such “lowering” or “lowering” such In Filosofia chast’ II (1929), ) (Paris: De CEU eTD Collection material in forRussianreligious the itsworld question,philosophers and relation to Defense of Matter on the Basis of Incarnation 1.2 Theological Basis for the Celebration of the Material World: Iconophile and transcendent? abstract the towards tendency frequently down western on so in and its even European tradition,despised the with material world, these according which, been to Russian has philosophers, looked view of the a positive basis of besuch could What the theological applications. material world becomes a way avoidingof dangerous abstractions, devoid of concrete infirmly words, feet thinking. oppositionthe toabstracted Inother planting one’s in stands which content, concrete with linked becomes thus nature human of as substance”. life, not as concretely, 63 antinomies, or the simultaneous affirmation of opposites. celebrationof matter, inFlorensky, who attempted to revise it so that it could accommodate 62 be comprehended “statically, detachedly ( detachedly “statically, comprehended be nature, cannot withininherent his dual or “antitheses” God,the within the incarnate 61 with “detached and frozen categories”. frozen static and “detached with being entity. or an abstract faceless Logos before Incarnation. God who cannot be represented, a faceless God, is is the theGodly – Divine or the interrelated are terms three the how clear becomes Withmadeit in this of nature mind, connection possible. Christ hisrepresentation physical the that argued who iconophiles, century eighth the of discourse the evokes theological word for “face”( word theological Lateron, we will see the same rebellionagainst “Western logic”, whichfinds its expression inthe Ibid Ibid ., 8, 9. ., 9. Before proceeding to clarify the status of matter and, by extension, of the of extension, by and, matter of status the clarify to proceeding Before For Berdyaev, and, as we shall see later on, for Bakhtin, abstraction is linked lik instead instead of 63 Acceptance of life and of the material element material the of and life of Acceptance 27 litso otvlechenno 61 ), embedded in the word “faceless,” in word the embedded ), On his view, the “antinomical” the view, his On )”, but only “dynamically, only but )”, 62 CEU eTD Collection New York: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2003),I: 16, 25. 64 associated with human Idepictwhathavekind, seen of God”. has in and theflesh has beenseen God butnowthat depicted, wasnever formless As John“Of be old, St. incorporeal the and Damascus explains, God represented. of visible, the historical reality of the material body of Christthe made to it possiblevalidity lending forBy God to knowledge. Christian of transmission the for medium legitimate asa icon the validate to form, material assuming God incomprehensible and invisible the Incarnation, of theory the on relied iconophiles century Model Essentialist The 1.2.1 veneration. form,of andlikewisedeserves presentation the for necessary is icon the of material the subject: this on pronouncements labeledwhich asitcontains was subsequently of asheterodox, clearest the one of Chalcedon, of letter Leo the consider I will Finally, respectively. up shall take with, there are two models of defense, the essentialist and the non-essentialist, which I begin To purposes. his own to defenses these modifies philosopher each how discuss Iwill Later on, by philosophers. which appropriated these subsequently matter are of principle the essence of Christ, icons participate in grace, which raises them above their material their them in raises above which grace, iconsparticipate Christ, essence of analogous tothe human nature Atof same the Christ. in bysharing time, divine the areconsidered objects material aspurely icons be specific, more To medium. in a material holy subjects of representation the validate to extended subsequently – is gaining bematerially Incarnation the which – God avisibleform can represented Saint Johnof Damascus. Saint In order to free icon veneration from charges of idolatry, the early idolatry,early eighth- the from of charges free veneration icon to In order kenosis Three Treatises on the Divine Images , let us briefly pause to consider the iconophile defenses of 28 . Trans. Andrew (Crestwood,Louth. 64 The implication of CEU eTD Collection by Leo of Chalcedon(Carr 581). rejected later are which original, its and image the unites depicted one ofthe name the how regarding 68 Bulletin Icon,” Performative “The Pentcheva, Bissera 2002),76. Press, University Princeton (Princeton: grace is given to material things through the “Divine represented: depends ontheone in part in grace,which as its participation material icon? in the divine the of participation this envision iconophiles early the did exactly icons, can be extended not only to icon-making, but also more generally to all matter, implied in union hypostatic icon. the worshipicon,worshippinghematerial of doesnotonlythebut the nature Christ, the the worshipper.only because of what it represents, but also because of the faith that is brought toit by In this words, material gracenot the andIn faith other receives depicted of worshiper. the way, John of On his participation in view,the Damascus as is a defined grace onetwofold relation the of attempted of depicted. grace from one itholiness the receives when materiality the its own only to demonstrateinsists in participation that isnot aproperty holiness of material,the which transcends that in iconophile argument, imply that the icon the imply that argument, iconophile 67 Museum, Moscow. Historical 66 65 Christ, incarnate and icon between the parallels various honored and venerated, not as God, but as the image of God made flesh?”. God image of as the but as God, not venerated, and honored be not icon the should “Why Incarnation, the to analogy the of basis the on justified is icon-making which in way the of is representative statement following The status. Saint John Saint of 36,Damascus, I, 43; I, 16,30. Theodore of Stoudiosoffers similar arguments Charles Barber, Charles See the miniature with the destructionof images and the crucifixion inthe Chludov Psalter; State St. John of Damascus, I: 48. dwell in matter and through matter worked my salvation, and I will not cease from cease not will I and my salvation, worked matter through and matter in dwell I venerate the fashioner of matter who became matter for my sake and accepted to 88/4 (2006): 633. For John of Damascus, the icon’s participation in holiness can be understood The implications of Incarnation, central of John of defense Damascus’s to central Incarnation, of The implications Figure and Likeness: On the Limits of Representation in Byzantine Iconoclasm 29 participates name borne by what is borne by what depicted”. inessence. divine 66 drawn by the eight-century the by drawn 67 But how 65 The 68 He Art , CEU eTD Collection a bidirectional process of moving towards a bidirectionalprocess of man God ( I will return to itbelow in chapter two. Implicitin St. John of Damascus’ reasoning is getatsomethingorder to however,higher; asthisisnotthedevelop place this idea,to in materiality to appeal likewise is,services the That God. to closer to come can one services, which by presuppose that overwhelming and exhausting the body physically, coming closerGod,at asameans very or, or back the of least, leadingGod knowledge to gaining of to Him. This latter idea underlies the ritual practices of Orthodox 71 already accomplished our salvation our accomplished already 70 69 matter ishonored. that creation, itismatter, hypostatic ratherthe union of in divine,implied and the material the all divine the Again,in of inhas some presence matter. a permanent venerating sort in is if indeed itbecause does God, originate then, his matter byimplication, creation; basic reasoning of which can be summarized as follows: matter has its origin in God his asan dimension medium ofmatter defense to appropriate the representation, of not have its origin from God”. itforis notdishonorable… The only isthing that dishonorable issomething thatdoes abusematter; “Donot continues, He than despised. rather respected and reverenced turn makes human salvation possible. Therefore, he concludes, matter is to be implies a change in the status of matter – it becomes filled with divine grace, which in God incarnation of the John Damascus, of for St. form theabovepassage, As evident St. John of Damascus, I: 29. Ibid Ibid it is filled with divine energy and grace. and energy divine with filled is it the matterofrest hold and inrespect that through whichmy salvation came, because reverencing matter,through which my wassalvation worked… Therefore I reverence ., II: 77. ., I: 30. to the immaterial God”. immaterial the to Moreover, John of Damascus argues that the divine hand will “lead us 70 In this statement, John of Damascus introduces a new 71 Echoing his previous assertion that Christ has that assertion his previous Echoing through matter through 30 69 , he views matter as the road p ) and man moving towards through CEU eTD Collection 75 74 73 Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2001), I: 12, 33. 72 iconophiles. bythe early as wassuggested than form,essence, rather of by imprint the connected is ashadow”. other the isbecause truth but one thing, not the same the andimageare argues, “thearchetype is located in the shadow of the flesh united with it”. of united with flesh intheshadow the located is “it as insofar icon in the present isonly divinity Uncircumscibable there. found be can relationship” “its only icons; in the present physically is divinity” “uncircumscribable nonessentialist model certainlyStoudios writingsthe draw on of their they predecessors, develop a for the icon. In his Model Non-Essentialist The 1.2.2 centuries. of matter thecelebration for grounds which of Creation, interpretation of kenotic the seeds find the the Russian can of one in John Damascus already sense, this In by theFall sacrifice. after Christ’s religiouslifted back uptoHim nowthe through validated medium materiality,of redeemed philosophersGod ( of the nineteenth and twentieth on matter. form visible Christ’s of imprint as icon the redefine they model, essentialist the with Pentcheva, 634. St. Theodore, I: 12, 33. Pentcheva, 633. St. Theodore, the Studite, the Theodore, St. n ). That is, by coming down to earth as a human being, God allows man to be Although the later iconophiles like Patriarch Nikephoros and Theodoreof St. like iconophilesNikephoros Patriarch Although later the 73 75 On this view, neither “the nature of the flesh which is portrayed” nor portrayed” is which flesh the of nature “the neither view, Onthis 72 On theIcons Holy In an attempt to confront the charges of idolatry that come 31 , Trans. Catherine P. Roth (Crestwood, New York: St. On theHolyImages 74 That is, copy and prototype are , Theodore of Studios CEU eTD Collection 81 Thus, the icon becomes imprintan Thus, theicon of touch. through of energy notit in participate sacred does transference than essence, by likeness”. mediated is that relation in “the embodied is participation Nikephoros, for Similarly, materiality through the model emphasizes later the touch, through energy sacred transferring of capable saturation of the senses, are which relics, icons asnoncorporeal of inthe itself understanding manifests which, at the materiality model same earlier in the While ways. in different time, albeit icon, the of materiality allows the engage views both them, preceding those from fundamentally differ centuries ninth 80 79 78 77 76 dimensional protrusion becomes the “materialization of the form of absence”. three- a surface, the into imprinted is As absence materiality. of sense heightened appearance. through while at the same time while atthe absence, communicate to asaway rather but icon, the of materiality the emphasizes so. do to senses the invites and sensually be experienced to icon the allows space physical the into absence of projection by “a inpresent theicons by“a not for union natures, they flesh,” deifiedare notthe of but is Divinity essence. same the of sharing the than other something is participation in participate grace. represented holy the persons Pentcheva, 634. Barber, 122. St. Theodore, I: 12, 33; my emphasis. Barber, 123. Ibid Ibid ., 636. ., 635. Although as indicated above, iconophile theories of late eighth above,of Although and iconophile indicated the early as theories As with the early iconophile arguments, theicon arguments, iconophile early the As with relative 78 Consequently, because the icon is only an imprint of likeness likeness rather of imprint icon isonly an the because Consequently, participation, because they share in the grace and the honor”. andthe grace inthe share they because participation, 79 Because of the emphasis placed on appearance, the icons gain a reenacting presence. 32 absence 81 Thus, the nonessentialist model also model nonessentialist the Thus, 76 on matter, which reenacts essence which matter, reenacts on However, for Theodore of Studios, participates inholiness, as 80 This 77 CEU eTD Collection 84 Studies Honorin of Kurt Weitzmann 83 government. by the seizures from 82 is called the emperor, and yet there are not person. two emperors: neitherhypostaticnature, his divinity and invisible form are inseparable from restthe his of is the power Christ’s of because that cutargued seen, have we as who, Damascus, of John of writings Christ’s divinity is inseparablefrom his visible form can be traced back to the which becould thatof orhisChrist saints. The behind reasoning Leo’s assertion that form, thevisible of theconstancy alter doesnot matter of variety the However, etc. and copy, may be inscribed on different kinds of matter, such as wood painting, ivory, in person same the and one is which form, visible indivisible the Chalcedon, of Leo to According ison which it executed. image andthe matter inscribed the viewer to itself. material definition view hiswhich extendson the notonly imageto butalso inscribed, tothe a matter,” on form inscribed visible icon“refers term to argues that the 1094, Leo images. bearing holy sanctity of the material the for argue it, bears and to material image the that of the to relation the on elaboration Chalcedon Leo of 1.2.3 for hisdepiction. employed matter the and represented one the of unity the on views his expounded Chalcedon of Leo that icon to transcend its own materiality. It is in the context of these iconophile theories Annemarie Carr, “Leo of Chalcedon and the Icons,” in Icons,” the and ofChalcedon “Leo Carr, Annemarie property of Church protection the advocated Chalcedon of Leo Iconoclasm, Komnenian the During Ibid ., 580. In addition, Leo interprets St. Basil’s statement that “the imperial image, too, Chalcedon of Metropolitan The 84 Such definition allows him to sketch out the proper relation of the (Princeton: PrincetonUniversity Press, 1995), 579. 33 82 was the first to provide a more detailed a toprovide first wasthe Byzantine East,Latin West: Art Historical 83 Inhis written in letter 1093 or CEU eTD Collection 89 88 87 divine is left rather vague in both is left vagueinboth divine early iconoclast debates. the rather later and isprototype passedonto material,the between relationship the material the and the like John ofwhichto icon the Although refers. issomethere evidence earlier thatthe iconophiles Damascusholy. attemptedbecomes object material a how on light shed to intended is that a relation – inscribed to tackleis it material which on physical image tothe the of relation specific the with concern the questionbetween Leo and Chalcedon iconophile of earlierthe writers isembodied inhis of how holiness of the which the visible form tous”. accessible visiblebecomes form which the 86 85 prototype and icon. the presence of makes is visible form same itthe preciselywhat inrecognizable both the original and the image is one and the same and consequently indivisible. consequently and same the and one is image the and original is theidea form visibleasunder nor the glory the assupporting the that divided” of the visible image of Christ brings to them. to brings Christ of image visible the because sanctity the must of icons beworshipped it,”and consequently, divinity with of veneration ( deserving also is itself icon the of material the veneration, of worthy being saints the to similarly that concludes He icon. the of material the through him seeing and saints, visiblethe bringinghis betweendraws aparallel out seeingChristthrough form, and within. of icons noncorporeal iconophile view of early the as containingrelics divineenergy Carr, 581. Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid 89 . . ., 581. ., 582. This concern engages the material icon itself, rather than the absent prototypes than absent the rather itself, icon material the engages Thisconcern Moreover, according to Leo of Chalcedon, the material is necessary for Leo isnecessary material the of according to Chalcedon, Moreover, proskinesis 86 Leo concludes that the visible form of Christ “brings his “brings Christ of form visible the that concludes Leo ʌȡȠıțȣȞȘıȚȢ ). He views ). Heviews vehicle as“a material the through 34 87 His argument certainly seems reminiscent 88 Thus, the main difference main the Thus, 85 The CEU eTD Collection 91 90 differences from officially prescribed views. prescribed from officially differences nonetheless enjoyed wide influencedcirculation and his contemporaries in spite of the the power of the physical presence of anicon. of presence physical of the power the of example one just is in Chalke, Christ of icon the before hung that veil in a himself century Thestory AlexiosByzantines. illof I,whoupon becoming very wrapped presented by iconophiles, early the still inthe mindsthrived and of tenth the eleventh images, of theory essentialist the that evidences which objects, charismatic become icon in order to convey absence. At the same time, the early eighth-century iconophile eighth-century early the time, same the At absence. convey to in order icon of the materiality which the engaged image asimprint, of theory iconophile later the of icon isreminiscent the of materiality focus on the hand, one the models. Leo’s On nonessentialist and essentialist the both on draw nevertheless arguments his period, touch. through extended being holiness of idea the on relies that defense iconophile eighth-century the with ideas Chalcedon’s of Leo connects also but icon, thematerial of reference the than rather presence of importance theincreasing of instance icon. not only surface the material This exemplifies physically icon; he to with hasbeeninsomethingwanted the touch that contact in the represented one the to pray simply not did Alexios represented. one the on than rather icon, the materiality of the on placed isimplicitly emphasis well. the Again, as veil the onto is passed energy sacred veil, the iconandthe material the between is icon, Christ andthrough physical touch the extendedthe holiness to of depicted the through touch. ‘touching’ Through the of single,the shared physical form, the healing powers of the veil draws on the idea that divine energy can be transferred Carr, 582. Ibid ., 583. Although Leo of Chalcedon’s arguments were declared heterodox, his letter heterodox, weredeclared of arguments Chalcedon’s Although Leo Although chronologically, Leo of Chalcedon is closer to the second iconoclast 35 90 Around the time of Leo’s letter, icons letter, Leo’s of Around time the 91 Alexios’s belief in the miraculous the in belief Alexios’s CEU eTD Collection role in defenseforthe matter of Russianthe philosophers in question. Relying on the non-essentialisticonophilesessentialist (but or plays rather presupposed), aprincipal kenosis of concept the to materiality on ofthis emphasis discuss relation the to proceed can divinity, I accessto which matter, mediates in another way or defense of one than its absence, with some elements of Leo of Chalcedon’s heresy. rather matter in divinity the of theproximity stressed view, which former,essentialist upand seemtotake Russian we seebelow, develop the religiouswill philosophers, as The be understood. to come has matter which in way the of example one as theories of Leo of Chalcedon, case the In perspective. differs on the depending its status but for both, rolea crucial I haveessentialist stressing absence of thetried divinenon- the and in matter.presence In accentuating other words, essentialist the materiality materiality: to emphasizing playsboth illustrate one possibleicons. applicationheretical,from an official point of view, but nevertheless popular understanding of the of these be familiar affected letter to havebeendirectly with byhis Leo of Chalcedon’s not need they writing, in their Damascus of John of work the citing frequently them of philosophers were without adoubt intimately familiar with iconophile defenses, many resonated with finde restof the public.the Russianreligious though siècle Thus, in them, represented ones the than rather themselves, icons the on focus the that seen wehave Alexis’s veil, of example icon. In material the tothe the of Leo accords that far status icon, special is the from the not energy to divine which transfers archetype, the with image the of contact formal asserting by icon the of legitimation on emphasis , which, though never explicitly identified in the writings of ineither the identifiedthe of writings neverexplicitly , which,though Now that I have clarified part of the theological argument grounding the non-essentialist, and essentialist the perspectives, two Above Ihavepresented 36 CEU eTD Collection German theology, which stressed the life of life of the the stressed which German theology, in Tareev reliestrend onthenineteenth century context, religious-philosophical two,” withouttwo,” beinga particularlinked to name. generalbehind principle Godman employed it for the first time in his officially introduced the term the introduced officially Tareev (1867–1934), Russiantheologian, Orthodox M.M. religious philosophy. The in development its out by sketching chapter, subsequent in the matter of celebration țȑȞȦıȚȢ 94 93 term. ofthe meaning pragmatic the in kenosis denotes a processbelieve thatthe of emptying.92 In other words, though its literal meaning does not change, the term Bakhtin Nothing is absolutely dead: every meaning will someday have its homecoming festival. –Mikhail Conceptualizations of 1.3 moldandit concept substantive purposes. totheir own as Incarnation of the explanation onthe is, drawing That Incarnation. the to reference specific beyond the kenosis the Russianetymological the point, term philosophers of religious appealto meaning starting as icon their for the validating of Incarnation doctrine the useof iconophile Steven Cassedy, Steven See Paul Valliere, “M.M. Tareev” (Ph.D. diss. Columbia University, 1974), 60-99. I because term the of aspects semantic the than rather pragmatic the on focus I chapter, this In is applied to a variety of concepts and contexts. From here on, I referto this change as a change , which is used to describe usage its and incarnation, is extend theof usedto process , which In demarcating the yet uncharted meaning of meaning uncharted yet the demarcating In I will begin my analysis of changingthe pragmatic meanings ) in) 1892. ), aconcept which will serve as aguide tounderstanding Bakhtin’s uses Dostoevsky’s Religion of termthis change, ratherthan the literal meaning, which relatively consistently 93 This introduction filled an existing terminological gap, as the as gap, terminological existing an filled introduction This kenosis kenosis Kenosis , they take over this (as we will see) rather pliable, non- pliable, rather see) wewill this (as over they take , kenosis had been in circulation in Russia for “a generation in hadbeen for in “ageneration or Russia circulation (Stanford: Stanford University Press,2005), 11. Iskuheniia Bogocheloveka into Russian theological discourse when he when discourse theological Russian into 37 94 historical kenosis Jesus, that is, his life asa life is,his that Jesus, ( The Temptations of the within the Russian within the 92 of kenosis CEU eTD Collection http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202%20;&version=8 100 99 98 97 no no reputation.” See, forexample, the King James Version. Other translations suggest that Christ 2008). In alternative, less literal and more exegetical suggestions, it is said that Christ “made himself of 96 works, see Valliere 64-5 n. 3. century deistGerman philosopher, HermannSamuel Reimarus (1694-1768).a detailed For list of these among others.95 The “quest for the historical Jesus” is said to have began with the work of an 18 Christianity”. oriented idea the nineteenth revived century in the theology Protestant German century, debates of sixteenth the Protestant assume the form of form assume the a servant, of Philippians God,” of “son called is he that out pointing by status human Christ’s the term within the Christological context. of original back the usage go to must his one andnecessity suffering, of nature, the man on earth, rather than his role as Christ or the Messiah. the or Christ as role his than rather earth, on man resurrection. and passion, incarnation, as such issues traditional out leaving ministry, earthly Jesus’ of part as Gospel the of narrative temptation the in humility views unconventionally, understand the relatedness of relatedness understand the God, Tareev concludesthe that Christ, like all sons of God, must suffer. In order to Cassedy, Matthew 4:6. Steven Cassedy, Steven Steven Cassedy, Steven Thistrend yieldedofworks byfigures anumber likeDavid Friedrich Strauss Albertand Schweitzer, Philippians 2:7; my emphasis. Translationquoted from the AmericanStandard Version of the Bible: son of God. things under theearth… and on earth things and heaven in of things bow, should knee every ofJesus name the highly exalted him, gave and untohim name the which is aboveevery name; that in becoming obedienteven death,unto yea, death of the the Wherefore cross. also God the likenessofmen; and being found in man,fashion a as he thing to be grasped, but grasped, be to a thing God with equality an on being the not counted ofGod, form the in existing [Christ], The term Dostoevsky’s Religion 2:7,where Christis described hashaving “emptied himself” in order to 97 In the second edition of his Dostoevsky’s Religion Dostoevsky’s Religion 99 kenosis From this lack of differentiation between Jesus and other sons of 96 reaches back to Saint Paul’s terminology in In the spirit of this tradition, Tareev, somewhat 100 emptied , 12. kenosis himself , 11. , 11. kenosis to the earthly presence of Christ, his human his Christ, of presence earthly the to 38 , taking the form of a servant, beingmade in Iskuheniia Bogocheloveka Iskuheniia as “part of a new earth- and human- and earth- new a of “part as humbled 95 Drawing on the on Drawing (accessed April 3, April (accessed The Letter to the Letter The to , Tareev stresses Tareev , 98 as opposed to asopposed himself, th CEU eTD Collection Bible: ɡɟɦɧɵɯɢɩɪɟɢɫɩɨɞɧɢɯ ȿɦɭɢɦɹɜɵɲɟɜɫɹɤɨɝɨɢɦɟɧɢ ɋɟɛɹ ɋɚɦɨɝɨ ³Ɉɧ 102 humiliate, etc.). nravstvennem vliianiem the human world ( inonly thedivine would prerogatives beinconsistentwhich hisinhabitation with of himself limited Christ that idea the to ministry earthly his during divinity Christ’s he emptied himself of divinity to become human? has been subject to endless debates, for how could Christ be both human and divine,if servant, rather than losing the form of God, Augustine emptiedemphasizes thatGod himself in the sense of becomingChrist a St. passage, Philippians the of reading in his example, For intact. remained divinity Bulgakov translate the term more literally as orlit., “lowered oneself”). As I will demonstrate below,Russian religious philosophers like Sergei where 103 http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G2758&t=KJV April 3, 2008).April 3, 101 kenó “made himself nothing” –an interpretationmore consistent withthe emptying connotations of the verb humiliate”, is generally used to denote the concept of concept denote the usedto isgenerally humiliate”, term the theGreek, of translation Slavonic In the Russian translation of the Philippians passage goes as follows: Saint Augustine, Saint Dal’ defines the term in the following way: , The interpretations of this passage have varied greatly, from denial from varied greatly, of passagehave of The interpretations an outright this be born of a virgin. ofa born be of GodHeis equal to He Father, the ourtook changeable nature, bywhich He might form ofGod have emptied Himself because He took theformofaservant,not because He lostthe in theform of a servant, in taking which He emptied Himself God, to equal be to robbery not it thought He which in took of us, that init Hemight diefor us,and heal it inus: not flesh, the to as according Heman of son is true and Goddivinity, His in ofGod over Son true Christ… all was born of a woman, but in that feeble nature which He ǀ , ɭɭɢ ɛɚɨȻɨɠɢɢɦ ɨɛɪɚɡɨɦ ɛɭɞɭɱɢ . For a detailed list of the possible meanings of the verb, consult: ɛɵɜɩɨɫɥɭɲɧɵɦɞɚɠɟɞɨɫɦɟɪɬɢ kenosis , http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202%20;&version=13 ɩɪɢɧɹɜɨɛɪɚɡɪɚɛɚ is understood as emptying of fame or reputation, see Gregory Nazianzen, Gregory see reputation, or of fame emptying as understood is Other, less commonversions translate . For in the unchangeable possession of that nature by which in the form Contra Faustum e.g. , …” ( ulichaia pristezhat’ 103 omnipotence, omnipresence, foreknowledge, etc.), while his whileforeknowledge, etc.), omnipresence, omnipotence, , Ɏɢɥ ɫɞɟɥɚɜɲɢɫɶɩɨɞɨɛɧɵɦɱɟɥɨɜɟɤɚɦɢɩɨɜɢɞɭɫɬɚɜɤɚɤɱɟɥɨɜɟɤ , ɞɚɛɵɩɪɟɞɢɦɟɧɟɦɂɢɫɭɫɚɩɪɟɤɥɨɧɢɥɨɫɶɜɫɹɤɨɟɤɨɥɟɧɨɧɟɛɟɫɧɵɯ , 2:7; my emphasis). Quoted from the Russian Synodal Version of the ɟ ɨɢɚɯɳɧɟɛɬɪɜɵȻɨɝɭ ɪɚɜɧɵɦ ɛɵɬɶ ɯɢɳɟɧɢɟɦ ɩɨɱɢɬɚɥ ɧɟ 3.6. For interpretations in the spirit of the King James translation, , ɢɫɦɟɪɬɢɤɪɟɫɬɧɨɣ , opustoshenie i smiriat’ etim 39 ekén unichizhat’ or making empty. ǀ unichizhat’ , se korit’ . as “ as ɉɨɫɟɦɭɢȻɨɝɩɪɟɜɨɡɧɟɫȿɝɨɢɞɚɥ was He woman,born ofa but kenosis – ɭɧɢɡɢɥɫɟɛɹ ili not as in the form ofGod form not asinthe pozorit’ unizhat’ . 101 He is therefore said to . 102 , roughly meaning “to pered ludmi Theabove passage , ” (“degraded himself,” (“degraded ” ; stedit’ ɧɨ ɭɧɢɱɢɠɢɥ Oration , unichtozhat’ (to humble, (accessed ; ɫɦɢɪɢɥ 37. ɋɟɛɹ  , , CEU eTD Collection meaning. become popular in the nineteenth century, and in in ways and was itin what already century, become nineteenth popular the the pragmatic meaning or the usage of term the usageof the meaning or pragmatic the on focusing appears, concept inwhich the accountvariety contexts intoof the to take defenders. 104 process of at this in point, their changing subjugation to implications perspectives, the of the the emphasis falls on grace or presence which is implied by this process. As is evident emptying, of process in the lost been have may whatever on focusing than rather is, can bein interpreted way,a positive in divine emphasizing presencematter. and ofChristretainsnature, thevery thehisdivine person same of process emptying interpretations, others) (among Orthodox of characteristic is as divinity, of that not isAt emptyingthe samethe unworthy. Logos undergone by that time,the provided divine.the has thisFor matter been reason, often assomething perceived lowly and meant absence the icon of the by as fora lack just thenon-essentialists characterized – divinity, from distance of kind a certain implies flesh being then emptying), of process general the to irrelevant is prerogatives divine of or divinity of be it (whether emptiness of flesh or matter. That is, if to become flesh, Logos had to empty itself word each interpretation, and try to identify some general implications of the usage of the of history, henevertheless divine.remained Letus briefly asidenuancesput of the hisalthough Christdivested himselfhimself subjectingthereby course glory,of the to Augustine’s interpretation seems consistent with translations whichsuggest that Precisely this analogy, asI have tried to demonstrate, isextended to the icons by the essentialist kenosis To return to the Russian context of On the one hand, the concept of concept hand,the On the one kenosis in this context. are unstable and context-sensitive. For thisis it For areunstable and reason, important context-sensitive. 40 kenosis kenosis seems to imply a certain kind of kenosis , just how, did this kenotic idea , rather than on its literal 104 That CEU eTD Collection Lebyadkin. Crime and Punishment frequent kissing, bowing down, etc. to the earth ( ministry takes place ( focus of advice of leaving the monastery to “dwell in the world” and of loving the earth ( certain people…” ( people…” certain treasure the Comparesticky little Zosima’s leaves that blossom statement in the springtime, to that I treasure of Ivan, the blue “Maybesky, and I treasureI don’t believe in the order of things, but I universePolnoeSobranie Sochinenii and every grain of sand. Every leaf and every ray of light shall ye love” ( 107 106 his Fedotov’s thoughts on the Russian kenotic tradition, see chapter four, entitled “Russian Kenoticism” of earth to live among men, thereby validating the earthly earthly the existence. live validating men, thereby earth to among traditionthatallegedly inthe works of appears Dostoevsky” ( Christianity, to appears be very his ownmuch contributionto West’sthe understanding of the religious broadly a cultofhumility more and narrowly a cultofvoluntary suffering RussianinOrthodox the first fundamental component of the dual process of man, and earth the to tied is fiction his in Christianity explicitly, term the Although novels. Dostoevskian inspired as by religious philosopherswere interpreted they what in true Orthodoxy many of these source, theirdoctrines primary as Orthodox on than drawing rather Fedotov, Berdyaev’s friend and disciple, wrote disciple, and friend Berdyaev’s Fedotov, 105 becameinterested. philosophers subsequently ininventor of)accurately, whichRussian particularthemes,religious the the more (and sometimes, contributor to asa has great been recognized Dostoevsky the development of Russian religious philosophy in the twentieth century, Fyodor more or less an import or a construct of the nineteenth century? In recent literature on kenotic tradition in Russia before Dostoevsky’s “reinterpretation” of Russian Orthodoxy, “The Russian “The Orthodoxy, Russian of kenotic tradition that Fedotov“reinterpretation” refers to, orto put it Dostoevsky’s more preciselybefore Russia the usein of the word tradition kenotic extensive an of existence the regarding skepticism his expresses however, Cassedy, Steven conception. of feature kenoticism,fundamental a is which he presentsof Christ) as a kind of imitation a national ofthe featurepart (as of Russian Orthodoxy For suffering” since its Orthodoxy. “voluntary Russian Fedotov, for sources authoritative primary the of one became audience speaking FedotovBoris Gleb, George and astheRussian suggests,émigré scholar Rus’, Kievan of passion-bearers the with beginning Orthodox, Russian the of minds circulation before Tareev’s work appeared? Has it always been engrained in the Forexample, see Zosima’s injunctionto Alesha about loving life For instance, see instance, For George Fedotov is responsible for introducing the idea of Russian kenoticism to the West. In 1946 The Russian Religious Mind The Brothers Karamazov PSS Russian Religious Thought Dostoevsky’s Religion , in relation to Sonia’s character, and in 14:209-210). Also of isZosima’sinterest “earthworship,” expressed inhis , 14:259, and to his fellow monks, “Love all God’s creation and the . in general seems to be on this world as the realm in which Christian 155). The same emphasis on the earth can be found in (1996). 41 kenosis PSS The Russian Religious Mind 14:291-92), Alesha’s and adherence to Zosima’s 106 never appearsin Dostoevsky’s works A suggestion hasmade been that The Demons kenosis Dostoevsky’s Religion in this world – God coming –God down to in the character of Mary , which for the English 107 , inF.M. Dostoevsky, which makes up PSS kenotic 14:328). The PSS 152-3). For 105 to denote 14:289). or is it is or CEU eTD Collection 111 110 109 (Moscow: Sergiev Posad, 1908), 245-314. mentioned above, becomes characteristic of Russian religious philosophical thought philosophical religious Russian of characteristic becomes above, mentioned surfacing of the twofold focus of Incarnation and Deification, which henceforth, as 108 interpretation of “intuition of the kenotic principle,” the keen to be if insensitive Bakhtin remained studieditwould rathersurprising them, he carefully how and novel, polyphonic the of inventor the as him hailing works, Dostoevsky’s about felt Bakhtin fervently how account into taking Moreover, fiction. expression in Russian religious thought, is not to be discarded simply because itis however, soTareev; thiscrucialfor source, find understanding the motifs which Dostoevsky’s fiction is by no means the only source for religious philosophers like Christian is humility, piece justone in of view.evidence of such support a Thus, when Tareev drew on Soloviev’s drewon Tareev Thus, when his fiction. to characterizesapproach Soloviev’s roots, European philosophical western its reveals discourse his when even themes, Orthodox Russian specifically interpret fiction Dostoevsky’s A beingwriter. to astendency concerned works with the from attention careful received which suffering, voluntary and humility as such deeplyinfluenced bythethemes, particular Christian Soloviev was contemporaries, youngman befriended thealready middle-aged Dostoevsky. many Similarly to his of as a who Soloviev, of Vladimir in thewritings resonance strong aparticularly found ideas), fictional to truth-values world real assign naively somewhat may one (if novels Cassedy, Though, it must be noted, he was by no means the only one guilty of suchfallacy. Cassedy, “P.A. Florensky and the Celebration of Matter”, 95. M.M. Tareev, “F.M. Dostoevsky,” in In Soloviev’s onefindswork, thefirst(in philosophical Russian the tradition) Tareev’s article onDostoevsky, article Tareev’s Dostoevsky’s thoughts on Christianity, as they are implicitly expressed in his in expressed implicitly are they as Christianity, on thoughts Dostoevsky’s Dostoevsky’s Religion kenosis , he was tapping intoa rather eclectic source. , 12. 109 which others found in Dostoevsky. Osnovy khristianstva 108 42 which pays special attention to the theme of Lectures onGodmanhood Lectures , vol. 4, Khristianskaia svoboda 111 for his 110 CEU eTD Collection from Soloviev and both directly and indirectly (i.e. via Soloviev) from Dostoevsky, what is of primary interest to my analysis. Florensky’s ideas on love, in part borrowed is available today, until 1924. until today, available is 114 transitional stage to something higher. act of humiliation. As wewill see below, for Florensky Moscow:1990).Pravda, Thisliteral interpretation emphasizes traditional the of reading of the Truth: An Essay inOrthodox Theodicy in TwelveLetters utverezhdenie istiny.Opyt pravoslavnoi feoditsei v devenadtsati pis’makh weary creatures, showing them reason,butchastising not them”(289).P.A.Florensky, thunder… but merely glimmers before it with a modest light, gathering to Himself His sinful and life, does not disturb the world’s course, doe not dazzle the world with lighting ordeafen itwith the form of His glory and takes the form of His creatures (Phil. 2:6-8), submits to the laws of creaturely 113 112 and GroundofTruth Philippians passage 1.4 Pavel Florensky. word. of the usage traditional reach beyond the that kenosis term the use explicitly whom of both Bulgakov, Sergei and Florensky Pavel studies, one’s mind, one should nowTareev beand Soloviev’ssufficiently later disciples come to fill. Keeping this contextprepared in the backwhich void, acertain terminological heof creates discourse, Russian religious into to consider back both them mybringing generally, more two and, poles two the mainof unity the emphasizing case n God foci (deification sides isman two the but samecoin upliftedthe of to – two are to the intellectual affinity of his thought to the concept of foci as inseparably theformerunited, alwaysimplying and pointsentailing the latter, century. twentieth the of beginning the at ) by the very same process that God comes down to man (incarnation This work This was forthe most part finished by wasnot published1908, but in itscomplete form, asit “Christ took the idea of God’s humility to its ultimate limit: God, by going into the world, sets aside Gustafson and Kornblatt, and Gustafson not only to refer to the Incarnation but also to explain concepts and processes and concepts explain to also but Incarnation the to refer to only not Although a literal reading of term the of literal reading Although a 113 (1908-1924 can be found in Pavel Florensky’s magnum opus, Kenosis Russian Religious Thought asthe Principle Behind Love 114 ), the extension of this concept through analogy is analogy through concept this of extension the ), 43 112 The fact that Soloviev views these two , 11. kenosis kenosis ), 2vols., (Moscow:Put’, 1914; rpt. and an interpretation of the of interpretation an and also has a second meaning as a kenosis ( The Pillar andthe Ground , which holds that holds which , kenosis The Pillar p Stolp i Stolp ). By as an CEU eTD Collection vision of his life and the axiological center of my vision if his life do not coincide. In the event of event the In coincide. being, this not mutual axiological do contradiction life cannot be his annihilated”if (“A&H” 129). vision of my center axiological the and life of his vision so doing, Igive birth to his soul ona new axiological plane of being. The axiological centerof his own his being.What other the rightfully negates in himself,I rightfully andaffirm preserve in him, and, in he himself negates, and his very actof negation is, forme, no more than amomentin that givenness of own unique place in the event of being, affirm and validate axiologically the givenness of his being that other, from within himself, negates himself, negates his ownbeing-as-a-given, at that point I, from my relationship of absolute mutual contradictionthat has the characterof event:an at the point where the research.In work,Bakhtin this argues, “In outside this position, beyond theaffirmationof self through the other,scope asoutlined in his “Author and Hero in Aesthetic Activity,” is of this thesis, I would like to point to it as to a possible future extension of my 119 118 117 116 1997), 67. 115 selfhood… the going outof oneself”. of boundaries of overcoming “the with love spiritual identifies Florensky Truth,” the of “The Light entitled chapter the love. In of “mechanics” the subject: an unrelated presuppose akindkenotic ofself-emptyingannihilation of process or ( brother,” “I” becomes “not-I” in “I”another. becomes“not-I” brother,” another…become Divine to “a life”. passage can selfhood,” in finite of human apart bonds [man] the “tears love,I=I,” which behind principles general the applies Florensky of idea the from derived self, individual the of ‘empties,’ ‘exhausts,’ ‘ravages,’ ‘humbles,’ (cf. itself Phil. 2:7)”. “ ‘I’ the brother,” beloved the with “identified in becoming it, puts Florensky on Dostoevsky’s written reaction to his wife’s death. In 1864, Dostoevsky notes, reflect to seems Florensky Christ, of Incarnation kenotic the and passage Philippians laterthe developmentwithinRussian philosophy: religious inalluding to the is not-I, i.e., Thou, by virtue of the renunciation of oneself for the sake of another”. I “Every Other, the with identified become to one allows (not-I) non-self impersonal Pavel Florensky, Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid ., 68. Although acomparisonof Florensky’s “mechanics” of love to Bakhtin’s descriptionof the . . . In passinglet a usnote small of piece evidence of influenceDostoevsky’s on The PillarandtheGround of theTruth 115 In “overcomingthis of nakedself-identity the 44 117 The self empties itself into non-self, or as 116 kenosis In becoming“consubstantial with the kenosis , (Princeton: Princeton University Press, University Princeton , (Princeton: as Incarnation. In words, Incarnation.other as In to explain a new, though not though new, a explain to I and the other 118 find ourselves in a Theresulting opustoshenie 119 ) CEU eTD Collection 125 124 123 which man strives”. which towards eternal ideal “an as self individual the of annihilation this views Dostoevsky 120 one. individual an than rather a communal as body his conceptualizing by individual the of boundaries the overcoming at aims also carnival chapter, second in the demonstrate will I As “I”. individual in one’s imprisonment the avoid 122 possible theunion worlds”“theof two in As becomes evident above behindlovethe makes kenotic principle the passage, for, striving worth ideal be an might self individual the restoration of inI the norm of being proper to it”. passage. Dostoevsky’s of exegesis an offers love what the aim of such a self-annihilation would be, Florensky’s discussion and ideal of kenotic eternal isthe self-annihilation that implies necessarily flesh in the Christ of by appearance why the clarifying love.of Furthermore, conceptualization kenotic Florensky’s in echoed clearly is passage, inDostoevsky’s Incarnation 121 20:172; original emphasis. affirm one as “he”. as affirm one can outsider an as position his in who another, of presence the through only affirmed Pavel Florensky, Kornblatt, and Gustafson Fyodor Dostoevsky, Fyodor Pavel Florensky, Ibid Ibid were, to annihilate this self. make of his individual ofperson, fullnessthe of developmentthe of his self, is, asit precisely to the where point… man can… be convinced the highestthat he use can day that the highest, the ultimate development of the individual person must progress unitary being… existence… of Instead individual, separate,self-assertive I’s, wegeta dyad, adi- from underIn another person, through kenosis,its the image of my being findsits ‘redemption’ the power of sinful self-assertion, is liberated from the sin of isolated After the appearance of Christ as the . . Florensky argues, “In ‘kenosis’, a Florensky occurs ‘emptying’ argues, there or this reverse The Pillar and the Ground of the Truth The Pillar and the Ground of the Truth 124 123 Polnoe sobraniePolnoe sochinenii vtridtsati tomakh 121 Florensky further clarifies why this process of Florenskyannihilation of why further clarifies process this of Russian Religious Thought Thisidea of self-annihilation, linked explicitly tothe 120 idealmanin the flesh 45 125 of two separate “I’s”, and allows one to , 14. , 68. , 67. 122 In other words, one’s “I” can be , (Leningrad: Nauka, 1972-1990), … it became as clear as CEU eTD Collection 127 Truth Karamazov 126 Dostoevsky’s into Quoting contactwith persons, one another. arebrought individual “I’s”two of suchasthe function. terminology, disunified In Bakhtin’s things, previously bridginghave a beto can said act as a kenotic love individuals, understood separate eternal Truth have Truth eternal and earth the of aspects fleeting the that here, mystery a is there is that thing great mediating function, transitional objects, such as an iconostasis or a temple a temple ( or suchasaniconostasis objects, function, transitional mediating Florensky’s in thought which of representatives primary the are objects, words transitional these describes Florensky and icons, as mediators world. material visible the and world divine betweeninvisible the between moment transitional two realms. In their model the of Florensky’s transitional whose objects, modethe of being ismarked by a intothe “I” of the Other. In this sense, it canbe understood as a transitional feeling on “I” from own one’s transition oneto function, allowing mediating hasa kenotically, etc. objects, concepts, experiences, feelings, kenosis with concerned is which book Florensky’s of section in the appears unsurprisingly, is that transitional objects function as windows looking out in the other realm. “A symbol is a window to another, not immediately given essence”. function, objects transitional these how just in conceptualizing help of be can symbol contact or proximity to it, or distancefrom divine,or the can beseparation emphasizingeither as perceived depending on the perspective. Florensky’s definition of a Gustafson and Kornblatt, and Gustafson Fyodor Dostoevsky, “From the conversations and precepts of the precepts and conversations the “From Dostoevsky, Fyodor on pg. 68; my emphasis.For Florensky’s discussionof earthly truth andeternal Truth, see below. , touches on one of the central ideas in Florensky’s philosophy: transitional philosophy: Florensky’s in ideas central the of one on touches , On Florensky’s view, in its effort to bring into unity the worlds of two As I have tried todemonstrate above, for Florensky, love, understood , Collected Works The Brothers Karamazov The come intocontacthere come Russian Religious Thought , Vol.12, 337. QuotedFlorensky’s in 46 , Florensky idea, develops further, “Thethis ”. 126 , 15. This Dostoevsky quotation, which, quotation, Dostoevsky This The Pillar and the Groundofthe starets Zosima” in Zosima” 127 The suggestion Brothers khram ), CEU eTD Collection 130 129 (Paris: YMCA Press, 1985), 202. 128 heavenly”. the of a symbol earthly, the from earthly, represented through a formal relation or likeness, rather than through essence. By through than rather likeness, or aformal relation through represented behind them. view,indicatedthis On asI earlier, totheone theprototype is connected isitsuggesting that notthe wood or paint isthat butrather venerated prototypethe immaterial, something to points icon the that idea the on based is which icon, the of defense non-essentialist traditional the from differs Florensky centuries. ninth of eighth and the from discourse iconophile the and departure of his appropriation place. revelation take of divine”mediation, or the “transition, can inof because only matter divine the exalted status shares in traditionally the matter view, asa Onhis from giftGod. matter celebrates butrather material, the over divine the privilege not he does is, That other. the over world one of preference the into translate not does divide this of existence the him for them, between worlds”. these unite time same the at and “divide which and worlds invisible and visible the between borderline the on place take experiences, transitional as which, dreams, invisible ( invisible where betweenthedivine point dialogue can occur andtheearthly. heavenly, itwould for God, while bethe Thus,thetransitionalearthly. is object a the sidewould be the foris,other beings human view.That pointof observer’s the world which is revealed through the window of transitional objects depends on the Gustafson and Kornblatt, and Gustafson P.A. Florensky, “Ikonostas,” in “Ikonostas,” Florensky, P.A. Ibid ., 203. In order to further illuminate the status of matter for Florensky, let usconsider The idea of the window can in turn be illuminated by Florensky’s definition of Although Florensky insists on dualism the worlds,of the visibletwo the and 128 mir vidimyi,nevidimyi On his view, a dream “from the heavenly [perspective is] a symbol of the of a symbol is] [perspective heavenly the “from a dream view, Onhis Russian Religious Thought Sobranie sochinenii / sviashch. Pavel Florensky ), refusing to erase or even toeraseor ), refusing blur dividingline the 47 , 14. 129 This that definition suggests 130 , ed. N.A. Sturve, CEU eTD Collection 135 134 133 132 around the throne [of God]” ( painting is “the131 making flesh ( divine origin of hisdivinematter on originview. of the immaterial, which can be seen through the icon as through a window, points to the of The closeness medium. material the through only immaterial the to access can gain view. each from elements some adopting models, essentialist materiality. fleshy, andyetithas a divine can origin, which be itsparadoxically accessedthrough oficon-painting. materials the hasbeen madefleshthrough immaterial prototype becausethe to the immaterial only access unmediated icons allow that holds creation. Florensky aspartof God’s purpose Theodore of Studios and Patriarch Nikephoros; rather, the material has its own only serveto as indexan for something higher, assuggested by like theologians contrast, for Florensky,matter has value in itself. That is, the function of matter is not an epiphany an of epiphany God. itin to be sense and creation a partof God’s heunderstands this because despicable” prayer, Florensky says,“In a word, all the world of creatures [ Pillar Truth of Father”. pilgrimits and Creator our miracle,asalivingbeingpraying divine as an to eternal, therefore imbued with holiness. Shortly, Iwill take up this justification of the value of received it matter duringis view, depictedone on Creation andon Damascus’s grace from holiness the icon be asthe receives seen.Just Creation can miracle of divinethe Pavel Florensky, Cassedy, “P.A. Florensky and the Celebration of Matter,” 96. Cassedy, “P.A. Florensky and the Celebration of Matter”, 102. Cassedy, “P.A. Florensky and the Celebration of Matter”, 102. According to Florensky, icon Florensky, to According 102. of Matter”, Celebration the and Florensky “P.A. Cassedy, Ibid . The implication of Florensky’s philosophical reflections on icons is that one is that icons on reflections philosophical Florensky’s of implication The 135 Implicit in this explanation is the belief that through the material world, material the through that belief the is explanation in this Implicit 132 In this sense, Florensky’s view falls between the essentialist and non- and essentialist the between falls view Florensky’s sense, this In about a pilgrim who came to see the world in a new way through Stolp i utverezhdenieStolp i istiny 134 As an explanation of the meaning of a story he tells in Ikonostas oplotnenie 131 225). Thus, the icon that is produced is material and ), on a board, of the living cloud of witnesses that billows that witnesses of cloud living the of board, a on ), 133 , 317. Florensky refuses to view “matter as wholly 48 tvar’ ] revealed itself to The CEU eTD Collection the nature of truth. In (proximity vs. distance, contact vs. separation, presence vs. absence etc.), truth is truth vs. absence etc.), presence vs. separation, contact vs.distance, (proximity immaterial. tothe ismatter justas awindow Truth, to window parts ofindividuated but are antinomies the and oneantinomical, is truth all words, other In Truth. greaterthe to point can truths earthly of Truth. union antinomical the only Truth; the as held be can On the analogy of transitional experiences, truth is a individualized which is ( earthly truth, inmatter grounded no that belief his to support lends truth of nature antinomical the view, his On rests contradiction. principle of the on its structure because ambiguous feature rather of Truth. In this sense, kenotic self-emptyinginto of lovedoneself one,asanillustration the principleof the (transcendent) Truth. Interestingly,he views love, which, as we have seen,is based on the of aspect an but is truth each and creation, of in all present or everywhere spread is truth (immanent) truth: of theory Florensky’s for implications certain 137 matter isimbued withdivine presence. 136 hypostatic and ofmatter union divinity in the rather but is celebrated, that materiality pure not is it sense, this In material. in the is present which divine, the celebrates also one material, the celebrating by Bulgakov), below, see shall we as and, Florensky (both matter of defense in rely Creation viewson that On the Bulgakov. on section inof the – process Creation piece of wood, but matter asawhole. but wood, piece of Creation, itis not an individual specimen of matter that is imbued with holiness, e.g. a matter on the basis of on the matter Cassedy, “P.A. Florensky and the Celebration of Matter,” 103. Florensky never explains why transitional objects like icons have a special status as mediators, if all As a mediating object or experience is always subject to a play of a play to perspectives of experiencesubject isalways or As amediating object In addition to bearing on the status icons, the principle of principle the icons, status the on bearing to addition In kenosis The Pillar and Foundation of Truth Foundation of Pillar and The kenosis can be said to also underlie Florensky’s reflections on reflections Florensky’s alsounderlie to besaid can – this time explicitly identified explicitly underlying asthe –this time 136 49 all creation. On the kenotic view of tvar’ , truth is presented as a 137 – creature, created), – creature, kenosis also has CEU eTD Collection (Winter 1989-90): 41. 140 Texas Press, 1993), 37. 139 138 traditional traditional of “philosopher”,understanding term the havescientific connotations, incontrasted, with the this passage, “investigator”, “researcher”The terms and an encyclopedia entry on himself, Florensky states, in it”. andconstant repeatable composed of moments; universal the of that truth a situation is precisely which is that is that truth be the only can truth that think to misunderstanding unfortunate more detail in the nextauthoritative chapter, truth claims as all discourses forcontain a part of BakhtinTruth. As I will discussTruth. be the incan too, truth changes from its severed antithesis, truth, individuated becauseno of nodiscourses privileging constantly, “It is an Hence, highly ambiguous. Bakhtinian candrawthe canbe one there conclusion that prefers to view himself as an “investigator”. Inhis view “investigator”. prefers to asan himself and thought abstract rejects Florensky Berdyaev, and Kireevsky of views discussed above- the with consonance In abstraction. towards tendency the to opposition in stands materiality Once again, himself. he casts in which role intellectual is only illusion maintainedan by monological discourse. which word, final the or truth ultimate the of possession in be to claim to impossible Florensky, all words are potentially the Word for Bakhtin. For this reason, it is P.A. Florensky, “P.A. MikhailBakhtin, Florensky’s Iwill return to this idea and explore it in moreReview detail in the second chapteron Bakhtin. of His Work,” investigator. of universe exhaustive problems. schematically a and constructs abstract herejects period, modern devices andobjectivesof philosophical thought that have become entrenched in the his life’s InFlorensky regards thecontinuation of afuture the path worldviewintegral toward as task. this In this sense sense he may be called hea philosopher. should But in contrast be to regardedthe rather as a researcher or Florensky’s emphasis on materiality also manifests itself in the specific the in itself manifests also materiality on emphasis Florensky’s 140 TowardPhilosophy ofthe Act a 138 Thus, one must (kenotically) humble oneself in not making 139 Just as all truths are potentially the Truth for Truth the potentially are truths all as Just 50 . Trans. Vadim Liapunov (Austin: University of Avtoreferat Soviet Studies Philosophyin (1925-26), written for written (1925-26), 28, no. 3 CEU eTD Collection which has been hinted at but not sufficiently explored in the current section section. section current in the explored sufficiently not but at hinted been has which significance of significance the Moreover, next. see will we as Bulgakov, in Sergei Creation to Florensky forms explain variety to from a of different oflove nature phenomena, the found in of concept matter. of importance relative hints atthe mediatingis usage the important oflanguage, experiences, groundedin concrete the impossible, that is tied down to the concrete level.The suggestion that one of the most be to thought believes he which without language, our communication, of medium itis very case,the inthis and manifestation, with logicconcrete is contrasted abstract section is to clarify the relationship of the concept of next the of aim The apparent. more becoming now by is everything of relativity to lie in its in lie to 143 separated from “an empirical study of universe”the (45). 142 141 information about the material world.material the about information which suggest some sort of an involvement on the part of the actor in the gathering of languagefollows theprinciples of Again,well. Florensky in of himself,says “rejecting his“Avtoreferat,” theidea that ingrounded kenoticthe principle. in turn is which truth, of theory his to related world material the on emphasis an finds world. material the of investigation empirical of task with concrete the contrasted implicitly isthus Florensky’s times philosophy of the P.A. Florensky, “P.A. Florensky’s Review of His Work,” 41; my emphasis. itremains as insofar bareness,” “cultural its for mathematics criticizes Florensky vein, same the In Cassedy, “P.A. Florensky and the Celebration of Matter,” 97. From the above analysis of Florensky’s work, it should be evident that the that evident be should it work, Florensky’s of analysis above the From The same aversion to abstraction can be traced in his linguistic thought as thought be inhislinguistic abstraction traced can The sameaversion to concrete kenosis kenosis is circulating in Russian religious thought of the time in various in time the of thought religious in Russian circulating is manifestation as the revelation of the personality”. the of revelation the as manifestation for viewing matter in a positive light and for seeing the abstract 141 51 The idealist tendency towards abstractions in abstractions towards tendency Theidealist logic, Florensky sees the value of thought of value the sees Florensky logic, 142 kenosis Consequently, here too one too here Consequently, to validation of matter, validation of to 143 Once again CEU eTD Collection can be applied tosaints and icons alike. ( 144 1.5 Sergei Bulgakov. Usage extended: Creation as a Kenotic Process in that it adheres to the view that divine nature is retained in isretained nature viewdivine it tothe thatadheres in that isveneration. matter deserving of God, follows: is ifmatter the of “pouring himselfbeingthen,result of God’s part out,” icons, theimplications of Bulgakov’s kenotic viewof Creationformulated canbe as of defense century eighth Damascus’ of John St. Echoing work. Bakhtin’s in as well Russian religious philosophy found in materiality for basis the on emphasis a theological provides an interpretation of the late nineteenth sincesuch of reading Bulgakov’s as a focusCreation specifically process on kenotic and earlywill I twentieth section, this In works. Florensky’s and in Tareev identified already have I centuries,ones as Creation and innerlifeof the Trinity,the beyond and thereby its usage extends the theologian, Sergeithe Bulgakov, processemploys the same concept to describeof Incarnation,the process of the Russian religious philosopher and Orthodox practices of the Orthodox Church, which are implicitly constructed around the belief the around constructed implicitly are which Church, Orthodox the of practices ritualistic for implications important has interpretation of kind this chapter, second term the of application new addition of thein the differs view ideaBulgakov’s time, same the At space. that and time to Himself limits divinity can be felt through natureareshed when human Logos with the whichareincompatible prerogatives matter, which is implied by his latreia St. John of Damascus draws a crucial distinction between “worship” or “adoration” ȜĮIJȡİȓĮ In addition to the more traditional application of theterm of application more traditional the In addition to Such an argument is similar to the one we have already encountered in Tareev encountered isthe wehavealready one to similar Such an argument ), which isintended only forGod, “veneration” and ( kenosis . Moreover, as I will try to demonstrate in the 144 52 proskinesis kenosis kenosis ʌȡȠıțȣȞȘıȚȢ and the divine and toexplain ), which CEU eTD Collection play of perspectives. The dominant perspective in Bulgakov’s theology is Bulgakov’s perspective onewhich in Thedominant theology play perspectives. of pregnant with God’s with word presence. The God’s pregnant is a whole, as taken matter, then Creation, of act sacrificial his in things material which contactwith cancomeone into “emptied divine. If the intohimself” God entirely different context, implicitly expanding the role of matter as a medium through 148 147 146 following translations of Bulgakov are my own. Bulgakovstatement, employs thepreviously concept of discussed love”. self-sacrificing of bliss in the initself, only justification finds ( self-exhaustion/depletion voluntary love, a actof Godly aself-sacrificial basis of creation. world in process kenotic the of freedom, notsurprisingly echoing “The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor,” is implied himself” in the “sons of andGod” “find friends inthem”. “multiply man” because Hewishesto Bulgakov, freedom the “respects of to God worlds”. and destroy create a“thewill to or “Godly creativity,” part of allowing man to give in sinto or to avoid it, Creation would amount to a“play” on the Without the love-humility dimension, which makes room for human freedom, 145 humility ( andlove-“World is of creation act an God’s omnipotence Sergei Bulgakov argues, Inhis argument. examine Bulgakov’s materiality. in the possibility of coming into contact with God through experience of excessive istoshchenie Sergei Bulgakov, Ibid Ibid Ibid . . ., 516, 517. Bulgakov goes on to explain, “Creation of the world was already in its very In order to understand how to In order lubov-smirenie ) or self-annihilation ( Svet Nevechernii ). The world is created for the sake ofman andin man…”. ( The Unfading Light kenosis opustoshenie Svet Nevechernii 53 can be a feature of Creation, let us briefly kenosis ) of the Deity, His ‘kenosis’, which once again becomes subject to a onceagainbecomes subject ) (Moskva:Folio,515. All2001), of the ( 147 The Unfading Light In this sense, the concept the Inthis sense, kenosis 146 According 148 In this In , 1917), in an 145 CEU eTD Collection creation can be viewed as a kind of dialogue between arguesthat them.be between Bulgakov creation viewedas a dialogue of can kind freedom”. it,Bulgakov putsman must his “from himself create side hisown through own process; the one side always implies the reverse ( kenotic same the by heaven to up ascends man and earth the onto descends divinity downward movement of divinity and an upward movement of man. That is to say, Creation on the part of God ( of orientation bidirectional the mirrors and Such man,in mustcomplete. which Creation of his turn, conceptualization whichprocess, in set motion by God life” thefirst “seedsputting world, into the of isbidirectional a as follows: Creation be reconstructed idea can freedom, of noted described in Philippiansthe Bulgakov’s passage. drawing argument, on previously the which is Logos of kenosis concrete the in entails actof Creation the occurred 150 149 although the term the although specifically self-emptyingof the world act applied to creation. Consequently, kenosis term the with identified explicitly being without Soloviev by developed was which inpresent his self-sacrificing act. Thelovein component self-emptyingthe of God, love isever- sincematter, God’s lackin or absence than rather presence stresses incarnation of the Son of God and Golgotha victim”. andof of incarnation Golgotha Son God the inDivinity kenosis creation itself world always entailed within concrete the – the its pragmaticusage, act meaning comes encompass the of Creation. Bulgakov, 516-17. Ibid ., 519. and echoed in Florensky, also finds expression in Bulgakov, though here it is it here though Bulgakov, in expression finds also in Florensky, echoed and Since Bulgakov explains Creation in terms of the kenotic principle, the act of Bulgakov goes on to argue that this “common and nascent ‘kenosis’ of argue thatandnascent‘kenosis’ this “common on Bulgakov goes to 150 Thisbidirectional conditional ( relationship kenosis retains the connotations of humility and love in Bulgakov’s love and humility of connotations the retains p ) obligates men to creation ( men tocreation ) obligates 54 kenosis pln , which simultaneously implies a implies simultaneously which , ). 149 l That is, the is, That ) between God and) between God man’s n ) by the same token. As kenosis which CEU eTD Collection Kallistos Ware (Faber and Faber: London, 1969), 54. 156 carnivalistic 155 Christ’s two “natures” ( “natures” two Christ’s created”. be to Himself makes creator the as acreature; form’ ‘takes Himself now formed world the who and“He being both creator God creature, insistsIncarnation, paradoxof onthe he in so farin so sees as Bulgakov 154 ( ( material and divine and “the relative, the absolute whounites figure joinedChrist, inare of earth the bow, of inheaven things andearth things on and theearth”. things under Heavenand 153 earthly…unites,” and “heavenly everything Christ, of “command” the under that notes he Earlier themselves. within antinomies contain that things in all inherent is which function, heavenandearth”. between been has erected ladder Jacob’s has materialized, Incarnation that] “[now processes, kenotic of these Bulgakov sees the entailment of Incarnation in the kenotic process of Creation. 152 151 than their distance. than their rather andof divine, the of Christ” “proximity the perceives Bulgakov Incarnation, actof concrete the or incarnation” of creation world,”the of shape which took perfect “inthe human being through “acreate, new accepthis initiallyman failed to becauseto act responsibility precisely tvarnosti Bulgakov, 519. The Festal Menaion: Service Book of the Orthodox Church Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid ., 521. ., 517. ., 524. ., 523. Perhaps even more significantly, Bulgakov goes on to discuss the implications ), God and the world… the transcendental and the immanent”. the and transcendental the world… the and God ), mesalliances 154 153 or in the words of Paul, “in the name of Jesus every knee should knee every Jesus of name the “in Paul, of words in the or He views the concrete act of act concrete views the He 156 estestvo) tvarnogo In Bakhtin’s terminology, Bulgakov views Christ as full of . As in the case of carnival, these kenosis and “wills” ( ), ‘the whole fullness of God’ and materiality and of God’ fullness ‘the whole ), kenosis as the process behind both Creation and Creation both behind process the as 55 , was needed. , was volya 152 In the kenotic interpretation of the of interpretation kenotic the In ), which are united indivisibly and . Trans. Mother Mary and Archimandrite and Mary Mother . Trans. kenosis 151 aspossessingabridging It is in this sense that mesalliances 155 Moreover, , such as CEU eTD Collection 157 of doctrine specific the and of Incarnation the narrative Biblical the Russiandemonstrate, religious likephilosophers Florensky and Bulgakov appropriate tried to AsIhave theology. Russian twentieth-century early late and nineteenth- the Conclusion perception of in divine presence all matter. on beexplained of partof the Russian religious philosopherstheir can interms extension a provides againsttheological backdrop which materiality celebration the of This Incarnation. the to addition in Creation, subsume to is extended usage its love, of aspects various between In differentiating retains its meaning, literal undergoes a certain contextual change in work. Bulgakov’s natures inChrist. divine and human of coexistence the regarding formula Chalcedonian the to according confusion,” Russianthe field,but philosophical also defining with the uniqueness theirof words, they notonly were with new,concerned creating a religious tradition within other In “lowly”. the and everyday the to attention due gave which one – philosophy religious), and thereby attempted to create a space for themselves within the history of positioned themselvesin western to opposition (religiousphilosophy andnon- philosophers discussion under Russianreligious the thought. In doingso, abstract overcoming is to key Florensky, in Berdyaev and seen wehave as which, materiality, in of concept chapter. carnival next the Bakhtin’s clarify I after on, later idea this to return will I rationally. them understand unblendibly ( Bulgakov, 521. In this chapter, my primary aim was to situate kenoticism within the context of As I have tried to demonstrate in term the thisdemonstrate section, As Ihavetried to nesliyatno Nesliyatno ),” literally means “unblendibly,” but canalso be translated as “without 157 appear as “antinomies,” when an attempt is when madeto an attempt appearas“antinomies,” 56 kenosis , such as humility and sacrificial and humility as such , kenosis kenosis , though it though , to justify CEU eTD Collection Florensky andBulgakov to be representatives of Russian Orthodox thought. Soloviev, like philosophers take if we beliefs, Orthodox with inconsistent all at not is materiality on emphasis Bakhtin’s chapter, following inthe demonstrate to try Asvaluable. Iwill this for reason, is receive considered, grace, and possible to God’s its connection.proximity or matter becomes Thus, a medium through which itis rather but in ismatter, revealed that from divinity the separation or distance the is not Incarnation belief that human beings are created in the image of God. On such view,it pre- the of aconfirmation represents and divine, the and human the of similarity and compatibility the reveals Incarnation Bulgakov, and Florensky representatives, to be fundamentally related to the celebration of matter. According to its main coin. philosophers religious perceived sides andphilosophical concerns astwo of same the in terms of the Russianintention could beidentified attemptas an rethink to thecategoriesmodern of thought Orthodox tradition.religious-philosophical “abstract”position againstwestern philosophy.implicit Their For this reason, these Russian religious Within Russian this philosophical tradition, of variety phenomena. a todescribe which canbe was)utilized (and placeholder, isit although differentcontexts, anempty process, toaspecific wordrefers this As I have tried to illustrate in my analysis of the usage of the term 57 kenosis , as my analysis discloses, appears my discloses, , as analysis kenosis in CEU eTD Collection Bakhtin’s oppositionMarxist-Leninistphilosophy, groundingof force the workisthe nevertheless to all kinds of monology ends chapters. of atthe certain appended within art simply or text, existing thealready of unity upthe breaking sometimes places, certain in inserted andevendeliberately contrived, remarks seemrather materiality, these 159 158 Rabelais on work Bakhtin’s of all publishingauthors attheheightof Sovietthe times, can also befoundin Marxism-Leninism, required Although to tributes critics. has beensuggestedbyother of the Russian Orthodox tradition rather than within a Marxist context, for instance, as context the within materiality on emphasis Bakhtin’s read to choosing for reasons my justify Imust however, continuity, this Icanestablish Before in carnival. materiality religious ofmatter philosophers regardingtohis status the owndiscourse on how Russian beliefs of Bakhtin andarguments these illustrate appropriates the based on “wordbecamethe flesh” paradigm. mainaim is The of chapter this to celebration of matter within the religious-philosophical context that affirms matter thought. In this chapter, I propose thought. Inthis Bakhtin’s to read chapter, religious Russian of representatives fin desiècle the philosophy the of central to Introduction 2.1 Degradation as Functionally Compatible Concepts Towards aReconciliation of“Antinomies”: Kenosis andCarnivalesque Chapter II See the end of chapter VI, for example. for VI, of chapter end Seethe See, for example, pp. 101, 436 of Even if these tributes are genuine of Bakhtin’s confessions support of the As I have tried to demonstrate in the previous chapter, the value of matter is in matter valuethe As Ihavedemonstrate of chapter, tried previous the to 158 Rabelais and His World and might encourage a Marxist reading of of Bakhtin’s andmightencourageaMarxist reading 58 159 . Rabelais andHis World and life, rather than his and its CEU eTD Collection as late as 1924. grip. Florensky’s complete versionof the worklike of Berdyaev)were published before 1930s, the when Sovietthe censorship tightened its philosophy, most of their works161 (with the exceptionworks. later his in appearance an make ofalso Bakhtin young the those for important so were which whichthemes certain that continued to be published abroad,160 1920s still enjoyed resonance in greatest –primarily works early Bakhtin’s in because publications the Berdyaev. kenosis Although referencesthe Christian andother to findthe doctrines Soloviev, Bulgakov, and Florensky,Bakhtin which is inthedialogue of with revealed between fin de siècleRussian religious thoughtand post-Revolutionary philosophy, continuity the account into takes if one artificial, seems rather demonstrate, try to 1917 as in intellectual breaking a complete point history – adivision, which, I will as appropriate. more seems materiality on emphasis his of reading a religious structures, monological which Bakhtin’s early concern with monology is connected to his later critiques of however, if one wishes to see to if onewishes however, Marxist parallels as a valid point for comparison of Bakhtin’s concept of materiality; deny not monology possible the I do problem. anethical essays,which as present interpretation would have to place it in the context of his early, more overtly religiousthe monological discourse of Marxism-Leninism, it seems that a thorough discourse). Consequently,monological regardless of their whether this work is intendedthrough as a criticism of (i.e. truth ultimate of possession the to claim their of structures basis of onthe supremacy carnival’s which profess authority, to opposition in be embodied to seems Rabelais on work Bakhtin’s of motivation philosophical main the is, That another. over system philosophical one of superiority the belief As is evident from the publicationdates of theseveral discussed titles inRussian religious Ido to suggestnot wish that Bakhtin’s thought did not developtime; Isimply over want to pointout Marxist readings of Marxist ofviewing fall frequently intoBakhtin’s of trap work readings the 160 relative freedom from from freedom censorship Rabelais andHisWorld The Pillar and Ground ofTruth 59 as part of Bakhtin’s oeuvre, in 161 – the general framework , for instance, passed censorship passed instance, for , CEU eTD Collection 164 other public outlets for the expression of their ideas in find the1920s (Clark to & Holquist able were 124). thinkers religious Nevertheless, difficult”. extremely became debates official than 163 162 philosophical essays and in establish materiality status inearly of to link betweenthe works the early Christian this For terms. reason, like briefly Iwould to somereview of Bakhtin’s the to connection explicit the without though work, later his in intact remains not perceive any opposition between religion and socialist revolution. socialist and religion between opposition any perceive not did still friends intellectual close his and Bakhtin Revolution, the after years early relatively suggests, religiousfeltideas thinkers they that expresstheircould with still time that from subjects religious on publications of number large relatively the banishedcompletely and public in from discourse public the sphere general. no means lookedby was religion although upon that discern can one 1920s, kindly the of sketch above the From by the Bolshevik government, it had not yet been way: following inthe works early Bakhtin’s of publication of time the at Essays 2.2 Kenosis and Materiality as Ethical Responsibility in the Early Philosophical Though, itmust be noted that after 1918 “public discussion of theological questions invenues other Clark and Holquist, Ibid 1918-1919 when they debated the local Marxists in Nevel. and his friends hadbeen involved Bakhtin in a provincialechoof the same phenomenon in Moscow. in Museum Polytechnic the in Ivanov Vyacheslav and Lunacharsky the existenceof God,most the famous ofthese being debatesthe between Public debates took place between leading Bolshevik and religious intellectuals about Orthodox Church itself… Religion in these years was not even denied a public forum. intellectuals of all persuasions. For instance, there was a revival of interest in the remarkable amountof public religious debate and religious interest among During the 1920s, especially in the first fiveyears afterthe wasRevolution… there a ., 122. Bakhtin’s firstBakhtin’sClark and qualify biographers, Holquist, religiousthe situation little reservation and caution. According to Clark and Holquist, in Clarkthese Holquist, to and According and caution. little reservation Mikhail Bakhtin Rabelais andHisWorld , 123. 60 . 162 164 For this For 163 As CEU eTD Collection materialized word, which totheWordmaterialized word, inflesh.alludes links a particulardeed written the takingandinto the sense of responsibility that the “borderline between art and life” ( life” and art between “borderline the later works, the desire for the unityculture of – human science, of art domains andart, three andthe life life between – be brought intorelationship is alsoanorganic mechanical the can unity.expressed As Bakhtin responsible), goes being of on to sense inpointthe carnival, out in his which itself belongs to “Art and Answerability”, where he argues that only if art and life mutually “answer” to eachother (in 166 originally compose them with the intention of publication. The 1960s. the in later Bocharov publication Sergey date and of someKozhinov of his early writings, Vadim by however, does not mean“rediscovered” was that Bakhtin did Bakhtin not until reasons 165 one’s own as of a signature) sense be (in the be if“undersigned” cannot cannot taken act act the an for responsibility The place. take deeds in which world, material sensible the from modelsintelligible ideas such abstracted the whichseparates of Kant, as thatof world The fragment published under the title of life practice theory toconcrete and thereby reconciling of theory and abstract tying in turn,meant arefusal of personal responsibility.He saw responsible acting asa way from todetachmentabstraction life, inphilosophical was related real thought which, inalike), modernity.ForBakhtin Florensky and hischaracterized (Berdyaev, eyes, which, abstraction, to tendency the against revolted Bakhtin works early his in already another. one with hand in hand went view his concerns, which on religious and broad philosophical unrestrictedly, period from Bakhtin’sreason, writingsandactivities this be authored by specific agents in concrete contexts rather than contexts in concrete agents by specific be authored ethical behaviorin in terms “participatory of moral thinking,” oughtto which actions criticism of 1921), which represents Bakhtin’s formulation first of his and later more developed monologism, was one of his earliest essays concerned with defining The problem of the division between theory andvarious for lifepublished not were them of some is 1920s, the nicely in composed were works these posed Although in Bakhtin’s very first essay, Similarly to the religious philosophers discussed in totheSimilarly religious chapter, philosophers discussed previous the in thematerial world RAHW . The image of image undersigningname of one’s of under . The the 7). 61 Toward aPhilosophy the Act Toward of 165 express, more or less more or express, a priori . He resisted . He (1919- 166 . CEU eTD Collection Moreover, the act of self-renunciation is “answerable” and for this reason cannot be cannot reason this for and “answerable” is self-renunciation of act the Moreover, humility the point to of participatingin personandbeing answerable inperson”. inresponsible mustacting berooted of humility, spiritthe have that to suggested seems Bakhtin acting, mainresponsible of the representative thiscommentary passageasakind of on Philippiansquotation.the as Viewing Christ interpret can one be allusions, to terms such assumes one If Incarnation. the during act kenotic Christ’s describes which passage Philippians the immediately evoke context in aChristological “descending” and “self-renunciation” like terms The 168 Texas Press, 1993), 16; emphasis in the original. From here on, this work is referred to as 169 Feeling for Faith 167 through histhrough descending( Act in Bakhtin’s Similarly, matter. of validation the for stand to comes symbolically contact, into natures human the and divine the bringing Christ, image of the sense, time.this first In for the with presence wasimpregnated matter during when Creation, wasforeshadowed material world –anauthentication which the further authenticated figureof Christ the during Incarnation, the matter becoming many of their major ideas. In Bulgakov’s thought, for example, we saw that by served as a kind centuries twentieth early of nineteenth-, late the tangible of philosophers religious Russian the embodiment or, to put it more crudely, a visual aid for RuthCoates, “The First and Second Adam inBakhtin’s Early Thought,” in Mikhail Bakhtin, TPA , Christ appears as a mediator who brings together the abstract and concrete existed; it is in its very principle, adifferent world. world from which departed Christ will nolonger be world the in whichhe had never event Self-renunciation is a performance or accomplishment that encompasses 52. As I have tried to demonstrate in the previous chapter, the image of Christ for of image the in chapter, demonstrate previous the have to As I tried . A . great symbol of self-activity, the descending [ , (Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, c2001), 69. Towards a Philosophy ofthe Act niskhozhdenie ) act, 62 , Trans. , Trans. Vadim Liapunov (Austin: University of 167 niskhozhdenie Toward aPhilosophyToward ofthe 168 “One has to develop Bakhtin and Religion:A ] of Christ. The Being-as- TPA . 169 CEU eTD Collection Man-in-general does nota particularexist;Man-in-general and Iexist does Ilose my compellent, theactuality out-to-be world, relationship the world.the of to 173 172 171 170 and between form.splitcontent to his own purposes, which, by of concept model the Incarnation adopts the denoted previousthe chapter, as we will see later on, sense, onelead can argue that Bakhtin,like the Russian religioushim philosophers discussed in to reject the apparentBakhtin seems to be penetrated by a kenotic understandingwould remain insignificant andmeaningless. of responsibility. worldideas,in which, theabstract of floating otherwise incarnation individual of acts, In this concrete the makepossible existence” human of limits temporal and “spatial my contemporary”. intimate, “As incarnation, linkedto specifically himself” ( materiality,inbeing our in world.this mustlive Bakhtin one that argues “outof/from an act as one’s own or from embodying it. the same as [ a“non-incarnated helives spirit, asadisembodied lives one When “the other”. “I”and as in this world existence with concrete are contrasted in-general” neinkarnirovannaya RuthCoates, “The First and Second Adam in Bakhtin’s Early 69.Thought,” TPA TPA TPA 43. 47; my emphasis. 51. As I have tried to suggest in the above analysis, this particular early work of The undersigning of is an act presented as somethingin deeplybased own our iz sebya complete ) in order to act responsibly. In this work, concreteness is ] fortuitous life] as an empty possibility”. self-emptying, which self-emptying, prevent which would from “undersigning” one 171 Disembodiment and the abstract perceptions of “man- of perceptions abstract the and Disembodiment disembodied 63 170 173 [ razvoploshchennyi concrete 172 other exists – my In this sense, the sense, In this ] spirit, I lose I ] spirit, kenosis CEU eTD Collection 176 “A&H”. Liapunov (Austin: University of 129.Texas Press, From 1990), on, here this work isreferred toas 175 ofChrist. presence carnal ofthe importance the emphasized which Seraphim, Saint Michael Holquist andKaterina Clark attempted to show biography)in their Brotherhoodthe with of withcommunion of bodies inChrist – an idea that links him thematically (not only biographically, as 174 the world orwithin a particular action is contrasted with assuming an abstract point of within being place orembodied occupyingincarnate, aunique becomingGod about statement above-quoted of the context forms surrounding the In thispassage,which abstractions, seem beto linked with a refusal of responsibility for living life in this, material world. again, for both the Russian religious philosophers and Bakhtin alike, abstractions embodied point andconcrete view, of andfor this reason, could notforgive. but Once within human life. Theon otherhand,the descendedChrist, by occupying aunique place beings only from an abstract point of view, far removed from the realities of concrete human judge Godcould be pre-incarnate the that seemsto Thesuggestion ethics. of Bakhtin’s it discussion alsoconnects becauseto but to abstraction, God incarnate justice”. to suffer,forgive and descend, –hadstandpointit to were from of to abstract as the Bakhtin “even(1920), incarnatestates, had himselfin mercy,God to tobestow order “A&H” 129. Mikhail Bakhtin, “Author and Hero in Aesthetic Activity,” in In this essay, (among other things) Bakhtin is concerned with the value of the body in connection of the ongoing event can become clearer,and axiological accomplishment... Itis only from my ownunique place that themeaning see movementthe of being as an ongoing event… as a still individual position in being… The standpointabstract doesnot know and doesnot that place, the clearer thatmeaning becomes eventof being – thatone be should axiological attitude requires that one should occupy aunique place in the unitary The abstract cognitive standpointlacks any axiological approach, the since history history and with suffering hisjudge was people, able to themfrom an The context of the above quotation clarifies the dangers inherent in Activity” inAesthetic andHero “Author essay, unfinished In another 175 This quotation is This interest of notonly itlinksquotation particular because thepre- embodied 64 . 176 . Any valuation is an act of assuming an the more intenselyI become rooted in Art and Answerability open process , Trans. Vadim Trans. , of 174 CEU eTD Collection previously favored genre of philosophical essays. Interestingly, Bakhtin essays. Interestingly, genreof philosophical favored previously placeof the the took literary criticism – change a certain style underwent 1930s, crowned by establishmentthe of Unionthe Writers,of Bakhtin’s writing 2.3 The Aesthetic Function of Kenosis in which allows for dialogue totake place. carnival, of world relativistic plural, a for a precondition is also embodiment on, later the clearer action, one’s of materiality onethe in rooted canbecoming by see abstractions from the moves meaning and one away further the that significancesuggests Bakhtin Moreover, monology. and view of point of that action.opposite As at any moment.I willIn this way, Bakhtin illustrate draws a direct link between the abstract byits canbeany discourse overturned fact the that equal dominant dueto standing gains becauseevery discourse be can discourses of becoming, noprivileging there be reduced toaseries of abstracted monologues. In Bakhtin’s world of movement and be out turned arbitrary,meaningfulto –one’smeaningless, etc. - self-expression will arbitrarinessthe and relativity this perceive to is unable one If being”. of of“movement in the theimplied present world order is incapable“open of seeing being the process” of andthe everything,of relativity – how easilyit isclosed, itself standpoint abstract the becoming.Because fluxor of state what a constant is necessaryin is being that discern to impossible is it standpoint, abstract frozen, this From couldview. have Problem ofAuthorial Incarnation Problem it is based on forgetting, it is the music of forgetting. – Friedrich Nietzsche or whether he “has forgottenwhether helooks at his work inprogress (at “himself”)the fromworld,” the point of view of the witness, whichI do not knowis ofthe any essentialmore profound difference feature in the wholeof allorientation of an artist than this, With the tightening of censorship restrictions in the late 1920s-early inthe restrictions censorship With of tightening the 65 Problems of Dostoevsky’s Art ofDostoevsky’s Problems monological :The art, CEU eTD Collection 178 177 of Dostoevsky’s Poetics of to literary studies. First publishedin 1929 andlater expanded in 1963, major inhisfirst contribution for firsttime the hiscarnival of articulated concept representing the author’s position should not “finalize” ( “finalize” not should position author’s the representing characters means the that Myshkin, andPrince Alyosha Karamazov of characters “responsible, in the Christ-like embodiedauthoring,” (unsurprisingly) exemplified others’ from – anirresponsibleview.of Bakhtin’s act, him, For point Such an author exploits art to project his or her own worldview monologues. delivering capableof is and only reason, this for interlocutor no real at the expense of presupposing the superiority his own of of point view, amonological hasauthor language, single one into discourses all of liquidation the as bedescribed can fear (philosophical) greatest idea Bakhtin’s authorship. to the of responsible embodied, literary criticism. this piece of and examined, just essays the earlier between monology, conceptof established via the connection, us briefly reviewoneexplicit his expounds of carnival. Let concept literary more andlater significantly pronounced, further his criticism, which is dimension religious the in which essays, philosophical early Bakhtin’s between alink represents study this fiction), in Dostoevsky’s themes as (discussed carnivalistic folklore. Inits thematic concerns, which include religious issues discovery of a new artistic thefiction with the writer and history, inaccredits novels literary Dostoevsky’s form – the polyphonic novel, which emerges out of Susan Felch and Paul Contino, The title of the earlier publication is The kenotic dimension in dimension kenotic The 178 otherwise known as monology. In this work, Bakhtin argues that in Bakhtin arguesthat work, monology. asthis In otherwise known 177 proposes a radical reinterpretation of roleof of the aradical reinterpretation proposes Bakhtin and Religion: FeelingA for Faith The Problems of Dostoevsky’s Art Dostoevsky’s of The Problems Problems of Dostoevsky’s Art Dostoevsky’s of Problems 66 . , 13. zavershat’ arises in relation in arises Problems ) those ) CEU eTD Collection complete withdrawal of the author from the text yield the same monological result. 182 University of Minnesota Press, 1984), 6. From here on, this work is referred to as 181 180 square”. “carnival or plane same the within characters opposing the of all interaction and occurrence the for allows thereby and progression, a have Bakhtin, Dostoevsky “visualizes” the world primarily termsin of space,which, unlike time, does not being atthesametime, iscrucial tounderstanding Bakhtin’s concept ofpolyphony.According to 179 equal by human himself sufferings to become subjecting material, hadto AsChrist his characters. in of world the mustbe present materially author route, adifferent through monology of trap the into fall and entity distant him”. againsteven rebelling “capable capableagreeing theirof ofnot standing alongside creator, him with and text the mustbeincarnate. discourse author’s the characters, other Hispeople. to God transcendent absent, materially asa his to characters he would beasabstract text, of the outside completely remains author ifthe arises: abstraction problem of the however, true, considered part privileged of “outsidedness”. position latter conditional is If this of the hisin toavoid remain order abusing would author have of to text the outside position, then it seems that, as the antipode of a monological author, authoritative an a with polyphonic text the into himself inserts author the discourse monological monology, one must be careful to avoid falling into the trap of abstraction. If in merge event, butnot combine unity the of inthe position would assume a position of authority and result in monology. author’s the representing discourses the otherwise, discourses; other representing That is to say, the insertion of the author into the text with an authoritative position and the Mikhail Bakhtin, RuthCoates, “The First and the Second Adam inBakhtin’s Early Thought,” 74. The etymology of the Russian word “event” or “sobytiye,” which literally means co-existing or , the polyphonic author has , thepolyphonic to giveauthor his outsidedness, authoritative up Bakhtin’s solution to this problem of abstraction isto insert the author into can independent that consciousnesses of If polyphony, aplurality or on anequallevel Problems ofDostoevsky’s Poetics with his characters, thereby making his characters makinghis thereby with his characters, 181 That is, in order not to remain an abstract and remain anabstract is,in notto order That 67 . Trans. Caryl Emerson. (Minneapolis: Emerson. Caryl . Trans. 180 179 To be understood by the is to be defined against making himselftheir PDP . 182 the CEU eTD Collection sobornost’ 183 us first briefly whatisreview it Bakhtinthat means by term the carnivalesque. reconcile between the thesupposed opposition later ofhisworks,let ethics early and connections between lines of Christian and Bakhtin’s thought of carnival,concept and Bulgakov,nor with his ethicsofInordertodiscern responsibility. possiblethe and Florensky by represented as thought, Orthodox (philosophical) Russian with inconsistent neither is materiality on emphasis Bakhtin’s that argue will I sections, emphasis on matter, connected with the lower life of the body. In the following unsettled notonly by work’s the anticlericalism feels audience Christian while bedestructive, the so ineyes can freedom, their which supporter of ethicthe of baffledresponsibility are byhis celebration of absolute a as Bakhtin interpret who Those convictions. Orthodox his of and theory ethical first appeared, many critics saw it as bothfigure a rejection of descending on Bakhtin’s part Christ, of his support of articulated ethicwhich isfundamentallythe tothe of tied responsibility, earlier it is no surprise thatBakhtin’s clearly account into force. Taking asade-abstractifying of carnival when Bakhtin’s work on todiscuss the significance proceed Rabelais inIcan acting world, this responsibly as awayof light –mainly because of its connection to monology – and insists on “embodiment” 1920s. late the his earlierpossibly the newly writings, censorship imposed due to restrictions in asin beingof explicitly understanding alluded to Bakhtin’s polyphony, without of inlurk the background seems to In kenotic incarnation principle of way, the this hissubjectingof the “historical pointview to narrative. of process” unfolding the This criticism does not apply to the Orthodox Church, which is organized on the basis of Now that I have clarified why Bakhtin views abstraction in such a negative such in abstraction views Bakhtin why clarified I have that Now . 68 183 butalso by heavyBakhtin’s CEU eTD Collection elaborations oncarnivalfrom elaborations later Bakhtin’s with way the along it supplementing materiality, of views Orthodox the compare which Ican against backdrop asa of carnival concept the of formulation this use will I section, next the In novels. Dostoevsky’s to relation exclusively explanation the devoted carnivalesqueasaliterary in the to of genre variants of variants of folklore.carnivalistic ForBakhtin,carnival itself, whichincludes all by indirectly of one the or directly isinfluenced either that asliterature literature whole.of the in be idea structuring realized only can of principle polyphonic a carnivalized the polyphony. Bakhtin,For importance the of carnivalesquethe lies precisely in the become which open-ended the is living present, so crucialfor achieving mixing of the serious and the comic,image with andword reality in a particular way, not which only the permits high and low, but also relates allows world of the sense them. carnival The around world andthe characters the its subject of to construction very inthe internally also but plot, inthe manifested as externally literature form Rabelais to Dostoevsky with its life-creating power not only festivalsinoriginating pagan celebrating theworld end of winter, penetrates 2.4 Carnival Defined pleasure of the slave at the expected (whichusually makes us fearful and tense) discharges itself harmlessly. Itis the see as we usually which experience from the constraint ofthe necessary, thepurposive andharm is imagined as occasioned by spirits, high purposeless,the necessary of arbitrary into the nonsense. in pleasure is there happiness is there everywhere almost that indeed, say, can one case; the is this laughter is there world in the whenever For nonsense? in pleasure take man can How In his In festivalBakhtin, popular According the carnival, to Europe, or of The fourth chapter of Bakhtin’s of chapter The fourth The overturning ofexperience intopurposive itsopposite, ofthe into the Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics of Problems Saturnalia Rabelais andHisWorld . – Friedrich Nietzsche our inexorable masters 69 The Problems of Dostoevsky’sArt Problems of The , but in such a way that this even causes no delights us, foritmomentarily liberates us and whichthat corresponds to our , Bakhtin defines, Bakhtin carnivalized . ; we play and laugh when the is CEU eTD Collection 189 188 187 186 185 life.Carnivalistic 4. from they eccentricpositions, become andinappropriate viewof normal point of the 184 wise with stupid. the The sacred combines with the profane, lofty with the low, great with the insignificant, distancedfrom another. or one disunified, self-enclosed, were previously things that individuals”. 3. Carnival is a “a for working outplace new between mode of interrelationship in square. the carnival free amongfamiliar people for contact and inequalities allows and laws, suspension 2. The hierarchical structures restrictions, of prohibitions, in lifeis“lifeinside it. turned or the“reverse Carnivalistic out” sideof world”.the participant-spectator division. isnotperformed; Carnival participants the rather, live no is there is, that participant; active an is everyone carnival, In 1. following: developmentfundamental directly.features Five ofBakhtin’s carnival are the stillcarnival with proper literature andcarnivalized influencedcoexisted its literature. of almost intoartistic all genres penetrated carnivalization sort”. a ritualistic of pageantry festivals notisa carnival of type, of of literature”. “carnivalization labels Bakhtin that transposition is this it images; artistic or literature languageit “verballanguage,” into bebe into the can of cannot translated transposed it although and world, the of the carnivalsense giveslanguage expression to that Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid PDP ., 123. .,123. ., 122. ., 130. ., 122. 122. 188 185 When behavior, gesture and discourse are liberated from and Whenliberated from behavior, aregesture discourse hierarchical During the Renaissance, which was the high point of carnival life, mesalliances 189 5. Profanation, which includes blasphemies, obscenities, 184 Carnival is responsible for the creation of symbolic of creation the for isresponsible Carnival form as a result of the contact and combination of literary 70 phenomenon, but rather a “syncretic a rather but phenomenon, 186 At this time, 187 CEU eTD Collection The comparison between kenosis and carnival as functional concepts will be taken up again below. again up be taken will concepts functional as carnival and kenosis between comparison The meanings. pragmatic in changes accommodate easily can reason, this for and concept, substantive than 195 194 193 192 191 of the shift or process of replacement itself. of replacement process shift or of the but not item of the iscelebration replaced, carnival this way,a within In themselves. kingthe symbolsis becauseall prospect crowned, of include the negation carnivalistic reversed of world carnival, decrowning the isinevitable from moment very the that beaten, away. hisvestments are stripped king as even isridiculed and life. of accepted violation a the common represents 190 another manifestation of carnivalistic ambivalence – one which gives riseother which –one to gives manifestation ambivalence of another carnivalistic of everything”. relativity joyful “the reflects it “functional,” rather but “substantive,” not is carnival slave or a jestersanctifies the– inside-outa king world. turned He who is crowned inside is the antipode out. of a real king, a for ages. European consciousness as which are playedreal lifevia and out ritualistic acts consequently survive inthe and body. earth and is of parodies texts linkedwith sayings, reproductive power the the sacred of ambivalent from verythe beginning because of carnivalistic carnival king.The actof crowning, the subsequent decrowning of crowning and the is actthecarnivalistic important The most square. in carnival restrictions the place without cantake only acts and carnival contact familiar free spatially, Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid ., 125. ., 125. ., 126. ., 124. ., 123. ., 125. As., Itried to demonstrate in theprevious chapter,kenosis islikewise afunctional rather Carnival laughter, which can be traced back to ritual laughter, is treated as is ritual treated laughter, back to canbetraced which Carnival laughter, The above categories are not abstract, but “concretely sensuous thoughts,” but abstract, “concretely sensuous arenot The abovecategories 195 190 Although iscarnival limited only not temporally, 71 194 Thus, as Bakhtin points out, because 191 This upside-down carnival world 192 Upon decrowning, Upon carnival the mesalliances , opens and , opens 193 Inthis CEU eTD Collection 202 201 200 of a distance, is somewhat misleading since in carnival birth and death are two sides of the same coin. same the 199 of sides two are death and birth carnival in since misleading somewhat is distance, a of 198 197 196 rejoicing, mockery rejoicing, with triumph, abuse, with praise etc. images.ambivalent In ritualistic laughter,ridicule of authority is merged with images of death and renewal. in and“change the processof transition” presents laughter king, carnival juxtaposition original of the and its ina reverse single, unified image of carnival the defeat victory, invictory,defeat a decrowning”. crowning in and defeat in victory death, birth in and foreseen is birth death “In changeability, laughter, in grounded of of force renewing conceptenormously creative the powerful grave. “pregnant” death, which “gives birth,” and of ‘Mother Earth’ as both a womb and a and truths”. processsubstantive. makingchange, the monology, or seriousness,” a which andfreezes “one-sided absolutizes sideof single the world,” or a specific way of “comprehending reality”. “comprehending aspecificway of or world,” the laugheris,initis“a carnival thaton general. outlook universal; contains This whole isthat perceived asimmovablepermanent or challenges all hierarchies, andauthority negation and affirmation. and negation with crisis, or with the very process of change, which simultaneously represents of authority. of Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid Ibid Carnival laughter is something towards Carnival laughter “ashift higher, directed authorities of ., 127; ., 127, 164. ., 127. ., 164. ., 164. ., 127, 164. ., 166. Bakhtin notes that our very distinction betweendeath and birth, which implies some sort 198 The production of these complex aesthetic images demonstrates the images Theproduction complex aesthetic demonstrates of these RAHW 200 The skeptical and distrustful attitude of laughter towards everything laughter towards of attitude Theskeptical and distrustful 12. 202 In this sense, laughter is indifferent to death and unafraid and death to indifferent is laughter sense, this In 197 It is responsible for creating ambivalent images of images ambivalent creating for is responsible It 72 199 This laughter is directly contrasted with is Thislaughter contrasted directly 201 Laughter isconcerned Laughter 196 Similarly to the to Similarly concrete CEU eTD Collection during which the abstract Logos becomes the material Jesus. material the becomes Logos abstract the which during of Incarnation, theprocess of descriptions Apocryphal and Biblical flesh” evokes into subject their “turn and “degradation” as such Diction abstractions. the of movement material or is downward the the towards world perceivedasa way out chapter one and to Bakhtin’s early works, in in philosophers discussed religious Russian the writings of tothe Similarly bodily stratum” ( principle of grotesque realism; all that is scared and exalted is rethought on the level of materialthe 205 contact. come into they when another 204 203 206 2.5 The Material Bodily Principle: A Comparative Approach abstract to the level of the body and earth, or to materialize them, inspiredgenres byit, realism, such as bringgrotesque is to high downthe and the central to understanding carnival as a functional asa carnival understanding central to materializes”. waslinkedlaughter… bodilylower with the face itinto and turns bigone mouth. Bakhtin laughing “the people’s remarks, aperson’s overtakes laughter ascarnival thebody, of level on the king, concretize and renewal, expressed inambivalentcarnivalistic images like of that carnival the Loweris meant only topographically, not hierarchically, asthere is no privileging of one over As noted earlier, functional is contrasted withsubstantive. RAHW RAHW Bakhtin develops this train of thought further, thought of train this develops Bakhtin grotesque realism degrade, bring down to earth, to down bring degrade, realism grotesque indissoluble unity… Notonly in parody its narrow sense but all the other of forms a transferdown, lowering], that is,the lowering of all that ishigh, spiritual, ideal, abstract;it is to the material level, to the sphere of the earth and body in their lends lends it content. The soul cannot be separated from thebody that creates it, individualizes it, directs its activity, The essential principle of grotesque realism is degradation [ degradation is realism grotesque of principle essential The Carnival laughter is deeply tied with the body, the materiality of which is 20. 19-20; my emphasis. Elsewhere, Bakhtin notes, “Debasement isthe fundamental artistic 205 RAHW Consequently, one of the main aims of carnival, and of the literary – Pietro Pomponazzi Pietro – 370). 73 Rabelais andHis World turn their subject into flesh 203 204 phenomenon. The ideas of change stratum. Laughter degrades and degrades stratum. Laughter snizhenie materiality, , lit. coming . 206 CEU eTD Collection 209 532. Studies inthe Translation ofChristian Culture beenfamiliar withthis popularOrthodox text.Also see:Simon Franklin, Vladimircontrasting Old Testament law withNew Testament grace. Bakhtinwould have certainly 207 Hilarion), entitled 208 the hierarchythe sospeak),itinside(turning to privileging out, the material over the an inversion is Bakhtin for of from not As we degradation this can passage, discern earth. the from of depths the emerges farin degradedobject as so the an upwardmovement is out, back renewedobject now the spitting earth of the bytheimage represented ( up swallowed and earth down the to brought is entity anabstract bemore precise, kenotic Incarnationis alsomirrored in the process of degradation: an object, or, to etc. bondage,freedom – –Law, Grace of – shadow Truth, Old,Truth replace the came to theNew Testament better”: more and “bringforth something able to more obvious: bymaking“himself nothing” or“emptying himself”,Logos was even becomes Christ’s Incarnation to parallel The function. renewing positive, italso hasa humiliation, or mere debasement may seemlikea degradation Although fertility. this bycertain whichischaracterized earth, towards the In this passage, degradation is explicitly withidentified a descending movement p See, for example, an eleventh century text of the first non-Greek Metropolitan of Kiev, Ilarion (or Ilarion of Kiev, Metropolitan non-Greek first the of text century eleventh an example, for See, ) by it, only beto spat back out ( RAHW RAHW 208 other lower level; it is the fruitful earth and the womb. It is always conceiving. zone in which conception new and a birth take place. Grotesque knowsrealism no into absolute destruction, buttohurl itdown to the reproductive lower stratum, the To degrade an object does notimply merely hurling it into void the of nonexistence, continues, Bakhtin Degradation here means here Degradation kill simultaneously, in order to bring forth something more and better… and more something forth bring to in order simultaneously, kill that swallows up and gives birth at the same time. To degrade is to bury, to sow, to Moreover, the simultaneous downwardupward orientation and ( 21. 19-20. On Law and Grace coming down toearth ( Slovo ozakone i blagodati n ) later. That is, the process of rebirth, visually 74 (Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate/Variorum, c2002), , the contact with earth as an element ), which is a panegyric to Saint Byzantium-Rus-Russia: 207 pn 209 ) of CEU eTD Collection from the Italian the from 212 Satyre 211 would be a futile task. with presence. Such aprocess implies that to locate divinity within any specific object inthe world 210 higher of andlower parts body the inBakhtin’srespectively, description the image of the physical contact between headthe and the abdomen, representing the material level. on concrete the oftheabstract down but tying the rather concrete, the in itinto eradication a complete is of of sense the degradation not turning abstract the elements. divine the of location exact the pinpoint to impossible itmaking material things, allcreated, presence its andwith permeates “pouring out,” between which part is divine, which is human), but rather spills,following the logic of distinction aclear establishing of inthesense separated be easily to natures divine in material package(which into the allow human would ahermetically the sealed and ortransferred simply not istransposed divine the in chapter, first demonstrate to the in by human, nature figure divine As of Jesus. have represented earthly tried the I the the of involvement in the resulting union, hypostatic inone natures distinct two the divinity (only of divine prerogatives in order to be able toenter history), but combines divinethe thehuman become and indivisibly united; not empty does Christ himself of iconophiles and fin de siècle Russian religious philosophers,in the process of lower inthe involvement thehigher spiritual – which Here Bakhtin is paraphrasing descriptionthe finds in he G.Schneegans’ As one may recall, in Bulgakov, for example, during Creation all of material world became imbued RAHW difficult word is “born” at last. at is“born” word difficult stutterer by he surprise; rushes head forward and the manhits in the abdomen. The throes and spasms of childbirth.” Finally Harlequin weary of waiting, relieves the gapes, trembles,and chokes. face His hisswollen,eyes sweats pop; “itlooks asthoughheis in the throat, his in down word the keeping breath, his loses effort, great A withstutterer Harlequin talking cannotpronounce adifficult word; hemakes a The symbolic involvement of the higher in the lower finds visual representation in representation visual finds lower in the higher the of involvement symbolic The . 304. commedia dell’arte would mean “hurling it into non-existence”, but rather the rather but non-existence”, into it “hurling mean 212 : . Recalling the discourse of the Byzantine the of discourse the Recalling . 75 Geschichte der Grotesken 210 So in Bakhtin, So 211 of of a scene kenosis , CEU eTD Collection the head of the Harlequin comes into actual, physical contact with the abdomen of the stutterer. of the abdomen the with contact physical actual, into comes Harlequin of the head the when time, second the and body; stutterer’s of the level lower the to transferred is production speech 213 lower, inthe body the of part higher the and material the helpbe between infurtherdeveloping of involvement the divinein theparallel of the difficult is last”worth noting born that “atinvolvement whatof – the– is“the product this seems it one; functional a only not is act, kenotic in Christ’s implied material, in the possible production. word Theparallel scenethis involvementof tothe of divine the makes lower, in the involvement its through higher, the is, That lower. in the higher of involvement the discern can one abdomen, the from word the out pushing head the of act symbolic the in Thus, reborn. be to (words) products their and organs) (speech them allows which abdomen, the of level lower the to down brought or “degraded” complete a of instead However, non-existence”. of void the into “hurled be would etc. mouth, function of the head was truly replaced by the abdomen – it would mean that the head, transformed into the mouth and does not become the new head; if that were so –if the never is abdomen thatin scenethe becomesit clear this head, another’s on In dependence this stutterer). of the that than head rather Harlequin’s (i.e. is thehead of person from a different one the iswho involved in speech production in assistancethe itproduce awordwithoutofthe head,as this case, though unable to where the tongue, mouth, etc. are located. At the same time, the abdomen is portrayed head, theabdomen the place than of level rather onthe take appears to production is,word here of That body. the level lower the “hurled to down” speech are of production the in involved normally are which parts the when reversed, sense, one In this in of scene, the symbolic roles inspeech production involved are, organs the Thehead and the abdomen canbe said to come into contact twice: thefirst time, symbolically,when The description of the comedy scene is followed by Bakhtin’s analysis, which can which analysis, by Bakhtin’s followed is scene comedy the of The description word transformation of the higher into the lower, the higher organs are organs higher the lower, the into higher the of transformation ”. 76 completely 213 CEU eTD Collection 214 interprets he significance of the the that this scene suggests Bakhtin’s of reading Bakhtin. However, than to rather interpreter) the Schneegans, (or comedy of the flesh, which seemsbe to alluded into this episode, could belong tothe original author proper and carnivalesque carnival of both feature is acommon travesty account that into taking Incarnation, literature. That is, the parallel to the birth of the Word in text of the author of the couldnot original one of is Sinceargue that invention, the Bakhtin’s thisepisode own the of discussion in the relevant isparticularly problem contribution of authors the isof textsBakhtinthe discussing from his own? This literary criticism of asthe Old Testament (Law) to be reborn in the New as the Word an(Grace). expositionis renewed. Again, theof diction his being reborn alludeson the level of the material in the previously owndiscussed passage,to the word Logos’ ideas:Incarnation, abstract the a rebirth.leadsitto Similarly to infinal, that sense the not isdegradation which howallows the worddoes this However, an utterance. word, a spoken becoming of in process is,the that one separate headthe is as“thought” “degraded”in of material, the process actual, becoming flesh, the in production of word act” “highly spiritual the that flesh. in Hestresses reborn the is suggests thatthe word process head.(child)birthing the the description of His of body, the part “spiritual” more inthe than body rather material the level of lower the on born word the episode this in that emphasizes also Bakhtin analysis, his In RAHW Let us brieflyLet consider pause to amethodological in difficulty reading Bakhtin’s the abdomen. Thus reborn… say might the one entire renewed; is mechanism word the degradation to of thethanks But word isrepresented. transferredrealistically childbirth, of level from body thematerial the apparatusto transfer the by of speech uncrowned and to it istheword thatisborn born. actually is word the and word, the deliver to helps Harlequin… 309. 214 commedia dell’arte , and we stress this fact: 77 is intended to be read as a travesty of the a highly spirituala highly act commedia dell’arte We specify that specify We isdegraded episode. CEU eTD Collection with the reproductive power of the earth and body. and earth of the power reproductive the with 215 criteria of carnival noted above; noted carnival of criteria fundamental fifth the of illustration apt an been have would and incarnival travesty seems improbable also option second The reader. attentive very because: a was Bakhtin that account into taking 1) the parallel is particularly(possibly) avoid to with censors.the tensions The first option seemsratherunlikely, relevant to the leavingundeveloped, parallel ofthe make deliberately sort a commentary, some tradition of worthy wastryinghe himself find of explanation; to significant or parallel 3) the he didnot of of author intendedthe 2) comedy; the originalthe part onthe parallel see to failed Bakhtin 1) following: be the to seem parallel this of explanation an out leaving for reasons Theremaining and ofChristian texts. discusses parodies refers to freely in Bakhtin work sincethe elsewhere from censors, the suspicion have aroused could notfail notice.to is, thirditis that trimester; allusions overburdened Incarnation, with tothe which one in its is language own Bakhtin’s extend, allusions its as far as of pregnancy stages findsin isinits if early Bakhtin Schneegans Moreover, passage Incarnation. the languagethe though passagethe with of pregnant seemsrather tothe allusions his analysis, Bakhtin makes no mention In of the been). have episode may they possibly(whatever intensions being original a travesty, author’s the of outside even episode so could have been. have could so inintention doing possible what Bakhtin’s least suggest at decipher or see ifwecan some agenda indrawing explicitlyother parallel without labelingit.us now this Let had probably Bakhtin unlikely, seem options two first the that Given belly. pregnant his own discourse to a point that it becomes virtually impossible not to notice its Profanation, which includes blasphemies, obscenities, parodies of sacred texts and sayings, is linked The mention of the scene being a travesty of the Incarnation (probably) would not would (probably) Incarnation the of a travesty being scene the of mention The 215 2) Bakhtin appropriates the same charged words in chargedwords same the 2)Bakhtinappropriates 78 CEU eTD Collection (Plato just (not be of form something a else),the cannot degradation itself in sign as a viewed is material the If sign. a itself is is expressed content which like Florensky and Bulgakov, also seems supportto the view that the material through kenotic understanding of Incarnation,the asrevived by Russian religious philosophers itself and itspossesses meaning, own beyond being anindexfor divine. the The in isworthy material the in for question, Russian the philosophers religious argue that was working on his Rabelais book, he would have been charged with the “heresy” of “heresy” the with charged been have he would book, Rabelais his on working was material, physical world of sense experience (phenomenal world). (phenomenal experience of sense world physical material, (the noumenal world) are more perfect andsuperior than totangible expressions of these ideas in the 220 ofrenewal. connotations 219 and Theology content, butas the a sign itself. simply amedium at ameans of not as getting andelsewhere or episode this particular intends tocommunicate. In this sense, Bakhtin visualizes material the and the body in 217 go back to the 1940s. published Russiain only 1975,in the year of Bakhtin’s death, many essays in included this anthology 216 of the content. 218 (1975 hisit sign). from In (the inseparable becomes which representation, its of material the in sign the grounds Bakhtin whereby axiom, semiotic the of aninversion can discern one Here, speakers. ofthe bodies the is speech speechhow abodilybe process production and illustrates groundedin can Here I am alluding to the dualist Platonic view Iamusing Here theword “degradation” ina non-Bakhtinianthat sense, devoid of any positive pure ideas which remain in the realm of Ideas Althoughthis collection of Bakhtin’s writings, outlining a historical poetics forthe novel,was Charles Lock, Charles Incarnation:“Carnival and Bakhtin Orthodox and Theology.” RAHW 216 220 If Bakhtin had such presented ideas in 1920s openly or 1930s,the he the when With the help of Bakhtin’s analysis, this particular episode reminds one that one reminds episode particular this analysis, Bakhtin’s of help the With ), Bakhtin agues that all content is formal, and that every form exists because exists form every that and formal, is content all that agues Bakhtin ), viii. ), but rather has an equal standing tocontent on this view. 5(I)(1991): 69. 217 That is, form is an integral part of the message that a work of art 218 Similarly, in the previous chapter, Ihave triedto chapter, in previous Similarly, the 79 Questions LiteratureQuestions of andAesthetics 219 of the ideal content ideal the of Journal of Literature CEU eTD Collection first first time in 1929. 227 226 Russell,and 1957), 164. 225 with along who, Tynianov, Yury the Moscowand linguistic circle,Eikhenbaum developedBoris theschoolShklovsky, of Russian Formalism Viktor are and literarymembers semiotics.famous most Poetic Language was224 a prominent Siberia. to “relocation” groupyears of exile,internal amilderpunishment than he theone originallyofhad which merited, included linguists and223 literarypower. Soviet the against protesting “actively” those for penalty death the forcritics replacement suggested Lenin’s was abroad Expulsion of 1922. November and inSeptember St. Petersburg.More than160 Russianintellectuals were transported from RussiaAmong to Germany the in months of Berdyaev,its Nikolai Lossky, Sergei Bulgakov, Ivan Ilyin, Semen Frank, Fyodor Stepun and many others. still in internal exile in Kazakhstan, exile ininternal still accusedand writings) his of many in implicit of content, and form of unity the on “Vselovskyism,”insistence Thus, with fearing “subversive” his Formalists already being grouped (because of the a synonym theCity”. of fortress the over waved which the flag of color color the never reflected its and life, of free always was “Art forstatement, “anti-political” “kowtowing Shklovsky’s OPOYAZ, ( of by founder the represented literature, of analyses ahistorical so-called (the “persecution” from political andin School weresuffering Moscow RussianPetersburg Formalistthe for a second time for asecond would finally exhaust patience the of Sovietthe government. 222 accuse ofBakhtin Formalism in 1940s. the committee (as one of the official opponents) at the Gorky Institute of World Literature, did, infact, 221 bourgeois West” bourgeois ship” Formalism, thesis was about Bakhtin’salleged participation inanunderground Orthodox movement landed himin troublethe for Michael Holquist, Prologue to Shkovsky as quoted by Trotsky in Leon Trotsky, Leon in Trotsky by quoted as Shkovsky Founded in1916and dissolved 1930s the underpolitical in pressure, the Society Study for the of On the account of his poor physical condition (osteomyelitis), in 1929 Bakhtin was sentenced to six Among those who were expelled from Russia on the Valery Kirpotin, a theorist of Socialist Realism, who was appointed to Bakhtin’s PhD thesis defense 222 In his mind,being accusedof inparticipation underground religious activities out of Russia. At the time of composition of 221 and may have been “gently persuaded” to join the “philosophers’ the join to persuaded” “gently been have may and a 226 227 French in the vocabulary of the Central Committee (since Bakhtin’s could have been the last drop in the already overflowing pail drop in pail of could beenthelast have already overflowing the writer), Bakhtin was wary of any additional charges, which Rabelais and His World gonenie naformalistov 223 Bakhtin was well aware that the members of 80 Literature andRevolution , xx. filosofsky parahod Rabelais andHis World ) for their “unpatriotic” and nizkopoklonstvo in 1922 in are Nikolai , (New RussellYork: 224 ) to the Viktor , while , 225 CEU eTD Collection previous chapters, one can discern that the term the that can discern one chapters, previous religious philosophers For aprocess, Russian than the denote finished state. rather a to comes philosophy concepts. Frommind when theI use thelinguistic expressioncarnival and kenotic Incarnation, I wouldlike to articulate precisely “functionallywhat Ihavein analysis analogous” inof referencethe pragmatic to these Implications andtheir Concepts two Analogous Functionally Kenotic andDegrading 2.6 Carnival as Incarnation usages of degradation. concept functionally of analogous was certainly familiar,and hiscarnivalesque understanding of popularizedIncarnation, byFlorensky and Bulgakov he with whom neverwhy Bakhtin between developedparallels any of obvious the kenotic the reasons main the of is one condition) health poor his (in exile permanent to sentence a of fear this Perhaps activities. religious in subversive involvement continued religion religious conceptsor have could easilybeen as interpreted proof his of cautious in Bakhtinbeand especially to canconcludehave that exile,one would previous arrest expressingaccountinto for his grounds the Taking and life inMoscow intellectual Petersburg. any religiouslyhis “heresies,”which could landhimin exile permanent from of centers the Russian tinted ideas, since any overt references to reverse ( movement ( adownward a vector), to (analogously kenosis having Ratherthan changingfunctional word a specificmeaning,the processes. denotes the process of emptying, or even more generally a direction Before I can proceed to discussing further parallels between furtherBakhtin’s Icanproceed Before to discussing parallelsbetween n ). In this chapter, I have tried to illustrate that carnival has nothing to do kenosis is not about frozen, static meanings, but about but meanings, static frozen, about not is 81 p kenosis ), which always implies its implies always which ), in Russian religious Russian in kenosis in the CEU eTD Collection carnivalistic Bakhtin’s degradation for combination the allows which yieldsof opposites, Christ, of figure single the in human-material the and divine of together coming the While subjects. andpreviously disunified disparate between distance the abolishes also (Incarnation) flesh becoming divinity of process the boundariesindividuals aresuspended in between where square, everyday the carnival carnival, of role functional the to Similarly image. single in a combine antinomies and minimized, is things disunified previously between distance the result: same the yield phenomena. flexible.both Consequently, can terms bediscuss appropriated to awidevariety of arerather concepts both of meanings pragmatic the than substantive, rather processes degradation is to carnival. Because both carnival.Because is to degradation materiality. through is renewed abstract the which of means by movement, upward an entails always in As place. takes activity human comprehensibleit it abstract) real by tothe rendering (the intying world which material, the of level the to down abstract the brings which movement, downward us consider the role of the carnival mask, which, in catalyzing the breakdown of breakdown incatalyzingmask, the which, of carnival role the us considerthe let womb), as the earth and grave Mother in image (e.g. asingle converge opposites the earth. the 228 and replacement, of change and becoming in all its forms and contents. and forms its in all becoming and change of replacement, and ofshift process the celebrates rather but replacements, and of shifts content with the Recall the upward movement of rebirth, represented by the image of emergence from the depths of depths the from emergence of image the by represented of rebirth, movement upward the Recall As analogous functional As analogous functional processes,degrading carnival Incarnation kenotic and Since I have already briefly touched oncarnivalistic briefly touched Since Ihavealready Moreover, similarly to mesalliances 228 Thus, one can conclude that , represented by , represented images.ambivalent kenosis kenosis , Bakhtin’s concept of degradation entails a 82 , the downward direction of degradation kenosis and degradation and degradation are kenosis kenosis is to Incarnation as Incarnation isto mesalliances makes possible makes functional , where CEU eTD Collection 234 233 232 being “ideologically committed to the church” (120, 370). nature Incarnation, of the miraculous the tostress intended are antinomies Reasondivine ( is “He becoming who of man, inherentparadox the God feasthighlight Christmas time of the the readat texts Liturgical Incarnation. of the in paradoxes the inherent laws) converge in the single person of Christ. of person in single the laws) converge of natural boundaries,” as humanthe and the divine impossibly natural(according to odeiavsia Christ’s birth as “havingGod dressedinmaterial flesh” (“ childhood which as achurchgoer since andEpiphany, toChristmas Bakhtin with dedicated “dressing up” A be parallel drawn could between costumesthe andmasks of carnival, Christ’s and Holquist (1978) that 1920s inthe Bakhtinwas knownas and a Clark with interview an in relates church, the in involvement Bakhtin’s exaggerated have may “conventional upbringing as a RussianOrthodox” (120).ViktorShkovsky, who, should it be noted, 231 World” ofAncient Rus’ 229 Annunciation. D.S. Likhachev and A.M. Panchenko, 230 According to Bakhtin, to According celebrations. all carnival to fundamental for renewal the desire represents boundaries, Clark and Clark Holquist, In a sense of being able to be physically perceived by others, which is not the case during case the not is which others, by perceived be physically to able being of sense a In The Festal Menaion The Festal Menaion Ibid RAHW departing from his own nature He has shared in our substance. our in shared has He nature own his from departing made flesh; and He who is, for our sakes thehas become thatarms which he was not. Withoutofnothing can contain? And how can He who is His in the bosom of the Father beheld in Mother?yet ceases nottodwellwith the flesh, Father… Howismade hecontained in womb, is whom a Word The ... corruption. no suffers womb her and Forchild, bears A Virgin being without flesh, of His own will has He been boundaries oneself and with the merry the with and relativity gay with reincarnation, and change of joy the with connected is mask The . 39-40; my emphasis. ”). 231 . The mask is related to transition, metamorphoses, the metamorphoses, transition, to related is mask . The 232 was intimately familiar,probably support seemto ideathis by describing 230 … In this putting sense,the flesh on is by of Logos the alsoa “violation Logos 229 in human flesh. The diction of some Orthodox homilies and hymns and homilies Orthodox some of diction The flesh. inhuman 264, 268. 54. ] (Leningrad: Nauka, 1976), 170. Mikhail Bakhtin ) rests in a manger of beasts without reason ( negation ofuniformity , 120. According to this source, as a child, Bakhtin120.child,According source, , as a to this had a 83 and similarity; it “Smekhovoi mir”drevnei Rusi Mesalliances tserkovnik or a “churchman” in the sense of sense the in “churchman” a or 234 of the carnival type are type carnival the of v plot’ veshchestvennyi v plot’ rejects conformity to violation ofnatural aloga [ “The Laughter )”. 233 Such CEU eTD Collection http://catholicism.about.com/od/thesaints/qt/Chrysostom_EH.htm 237 236 process. kenotic the of 235 of hierarchies: consider the Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom, which emphasizes the destruction is birth asaof “the been described has middlewall destroyed”. time when partition emphasizing destruction the boundaries, intheChristmas of Christ’sDay service, as“bowingdescribed the heavens”inthe his “comingof process down”. has come upon earth [ earth upon come has of the Incarnation, “Heaven and earth are united today for Christis born. Today God as like canbea destroyer of boundaries. carnival, perceived Incarnation, coming thehuman down to and thehumanbeingliftedupto divine. sense,this In combination of opposites, which is made possible by the kenotic process of the divine findsfrom one andacarnivalesque In also Mattins, the passage Lity this the St. John of Chrysostom, John St. Ibid Ibid The liturgical prayers of the Orthodox Church accentuate bridging function the Church of The liturgical Orthodox prayers accentuate the ., 263-4; 269, borrowing from Psalm 17:10. Psalm from borrowing 269, 263-4; ., ., 263. The ., 263.The arrows inserted are to emphasize simultaneous the downward and upward movement As yet another example of the bridging function of the Incarnation, let us Incarnation, function the of bridging ofthe example As yetanother Will accept the last even as the first. honor, his of jealous is who Lord, the For Let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness. hour, eleventh the until even tarried have ifany And Let him draw near, fearing nothing. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, therefore. Because he shall in nowise deprived be Let him have no misgivings; If any have arrived at the sixth hour, Let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have come at the third hour, Let him today receive his just reward. hour, first the from wrought have any If Let him how receive his recompense. If any have labored long in fasting, in long labored have any If … Let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast! God, loveth and devout be man any If p Easter Homily Easter ], and man gone up to heaven [ heaven to up gone man and ], . 84 237 (accessed February 10, 2008). n ]”. 235 A bit later on, Christ is Christ on, later Abit 236 Further CEU eTD Collection 239 238 their movement along the vertical plane ( plane vertical the along movement their inof terms processes onlyanalogous not is,are and Incarnation kenotic That carnival insist. asBakhtin’s critics often least functionally), not (at categories incompatible not are is carnival andOrthodoxy of that carnival characterization Bakhtin’s The point Iwouldlike emphasizeto in thisliterary comparison of liturgical texts with comers. early merit, the whichwould privilege of thehierarchy andabolishes thereby eyes, in God’s first the than worthy less any not are last the that suggests homily This 2.7 Conceptualization oftheBodyinCarnivalandOrthodoxServices 2.7 Incarnation. the in andafter body occurs carnival the that of lies in reconceptualization The answer the things. disparate between distance minimize the to areable carnival and Incarnation means kenotic by yetclear iswhat itentirely not hierarchies, abolition of to the consequently leading between distances elements, contradictory previously disunified, of boundarieshierarchies, andis which partandparcel of dualmovement. the bodies are redrawn in a completely different way from the classical cannon; they are they cannon; classical the from way different in acompletely redrawn are bodies completed…”. body…grotesque is ina body actthe of becoming. Itis finished,never never individualized bodies of images,classicthe and naturalist ithas nolimits, “The RAHW PDP and righteous men come together. this which towards world gravitates…image an it seek would to bewere we If pluralistic. profoundly is world Dostoevsky’s Although kenotic Incarnation andcarnival entail bridgingthe clearly of The basic feature of the grotesque concept of the body is that, unlikethe is that, body the of concept grotesque of the feature The basic 26-7; my emphasis. 315, 317. 239 In carnival the limits between the body and the world and other and world the and body the between limits the carnival In the churchas the a communion of unmerged souls 238 – Mikhail Bakhtin 85 pn ), but even result in the same destruction , where sinners CEU eTD Collection 241 242 243 244 245 meaning: deathis only single death, “one it never acquire coincides events withall birth” closed, andas carnivalistic perceived being body of the result As a (321). whole” and inlevel,” the psychological process,and “private the to transferred are they defecation, are drinking, “torneating, activities, away sexual from the direct relation to the lifeand of society and“does to the cosmic which is shownfromnot the outside as something individual” (320). mergeThe individual body is impenetrable with246 other bodies and with the world” (320). The life of the body, including 247 antinomies are abolished (321). 248 240 surrounding objects”. surrounding andwith other the fusion with one the of the leading to “erased, even and “weakened” andbe with and fused itself”.“cease to objects” other consequently transgress not only its quantitative butitsalso qualitative limits… it can itself outgrow derives, areprotrusions and cavities, such as andmouth. nose the reason, themost important body in parts andgrotesque incarnival, from it which bodies or to the world outside”. seeks to go out beyond the body’s confines… prolongs the body andlinks it to other new, second body isconceived. body second new, a and overcome” are and the world thebody between bodiesand between confines the logic of the grotesque body. assertion” and “the sin of existence”. isolated of sin and“the assertion” self- “sinful the overcome thereby and world, andthe theother and touch reach out theindividual and psyche,to body of the confines finds thesametransgress to desire inexhaustible vessel anddeath life the of conception”. eternally renewed, and phenomenon,” completed body” asa“separate By contrast the new bodily cannon “presents an entirely finished completed, strictly limited body, Florensky, RAHW RAHW RAHW RAHW RAHW RAHW RAHW The grotesque is The body, “thatwhich protrudesfrom concerned with grotesque all that the As I have tried demonstrateto in chapter one, in Russian religious thought one 308. 316. 316-7. 317. 317. 318. 313, 310. The Ground and Pillar of Truth 240 In the grotesque “world of “anobjectcan becoming,” “worldof In grotesque the 243 245 244 Closed, smooth, impenetrable surfaces are sterile in sterile are surfaces impenetrable smooth, Closed, The grotesque image anindividual “never The presents grotesque Through Through “the protrudingthe concaving parts or , 68. 86 246 248 but rather as a “of transition in a The overcoming of of one’s Theovercoming 242 mesalliances 247 241 For this For and CEU eTD Collection although these two aspects may be at times in may tension”. be attimes aspects two these although corporate, and personal once is at worship Christian Church… the of and Church Georges Florovsky anthology of the services of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox calendar, the theologian assumption inassumption Orthodox Church asanimplicit can alsobefound “I” isolated the beyond partin something to take religious philosophers; breaching the of boundariesthe of individual the body in order is part the notaninnovation Russian person of another on certainly discussed the body understandingextending into of individual’s the ascapable as unfinalized, of loved isolation one, and individual is of unbearable the overcome.an existence Such of which, to use Florensky’s terminology, one’s individual “I” becomes the “I” of the body of carnival invite a comparison. In the introduction inviteto body Intheintroduction carnival acomparison. of of carnival. as well of as largeOrthodoxy part a comprise asrituals services, inliturgical practices 251 1920s. 250 philosophers were primarily concerned with the Orthodox faith. in what follows, I focus on the Orthodox tradition since both Bakhtin and the249 Russian religious of concept above-discussed asthe such of Orthodoxy, aspects Russian religious-philosophical tradition, I would like to supplement the theological itis by the perceived as Orthodoxy, and of carnival categories the comparison of religious philosophy like Soloviev isand Florensky, linked to Russian findesiècle the of least representatives the somefor of at individuality, Georges Florovsky, Introduction to Introduction Florovsky, Georges Incidentally, Florovsky is one of the many intellectuals who were forced to leave Russia inthe broadly, more services church Christian characterize may body of the understanding this Although The understanding of the Church as the Body of Christ and the communal the and Christ of Body the as Church the of understanding The 250 states, “to be a Christian means to be in the Community, in the The Festal Menaion 249 services. In an effort to create amorecomplete create to effort an In services. 87 , 21-22. 251 He goes on to point out that The Festal Menaion kenosis kenosis , in process the , with ritual , an CEU eTD Collection single body mass. body single a becomes everything bodies; other and world the and themselves between boundaries individualized and closed bodiesoff become and cavities protrusions, blending the previously the Thatis,both andcarnival, Eucharist the it during penetrates). that sense the (in penetration and be penetrated) can it that sense the (in penetrability body grotesque in carnival, of most of one the fundamental isfeatures which its the of description Bakhtin’s echoes strongly form individual than rather communal overcome”. of complete human isolation without kenotic love. 254 Florovsky “human andcontinues, mutual exclusiveness andhierarchies areabolished. them between differences body, of communal the part become individuals estranged” and “separated previously the when Chrysostom, John St. of Homily Easter in the and in carnival seen already have we As Church. the of Body communal the of part become body and own of one’s limits theindividual transcend canbesaid one to 253 252 Christ”. frailty are brought together into the perfect and intimate unity of the of unity intimate and perfect the into together brought are frailty and whofrom estrangedare separated by thisother “Those process, human each whole through his individual body. Inhis introduction, Florovsky clearly articulates conspicuously reflected in the realm of worship,” that is,in the Orthodox services. “Christian modes of basic existenceis “this and duality”of corporate personal Ibid Ibid Ibid ., 35; my emphasis. Florovsky’s language is also clearly reminiscent of Florensky’s description ., 35; my emphasis. ., 22. In the process of becoming part of In the ofbecomingprocess of communalthe part body during the Eucharist, During Orthodox church services, a person is thought to participate isDuring inthe Orthodox thoughtto church services, a person 253 By imagining oneself as part of the Body of Christ during the Eucharist, 254 Such a description of the result of perceiving one’s body inits body one’s perceiving of result the of Suchadescription 88 impenetrability One Body of men are 252 in CEU eTD Collection materiality during churchservices. 260 examination of matter. divine is present in the totality of matter, then some sort of knowledge of him can be gained throughpoured an Himself out inthe processof Creation (Bulgakov), imbuing all matter with presence. If the 259 258 257 256 255 with each other and with Christ in his body,” his in Christ with and other each with and coming closer to Him. to closer coming and overwhelming the physical senses of the body as a way of gaining knowledge of God body and dialogue the of carnival. discourses), therebymakingparticipateeveryone equally in to entitled communal the of privileging no be can there (where level material the to down brought is is, body inof in abstract That communal the degradation, the of process the carnival. whichabstract duringoccurs carnivalallows forindividual bodies combination the of valuematerialthe mayhave lost the Fall. duringSimilarly, ofthe the degradation the restoring divine, and human the between connection severed the reestablished which “all unity extends to generations andallages”. the is“universal”: celebration each everyone, Eucharist embraces carnival,which like body. Moreover, the communal through participants other the with con-corporeal and Risen Lord”. “One by is, andof surprisingly, Body inaugurated “initiated Christ” not Incarnate the divine is thought to bedivine to achieved. isthought individual body’shis participation Through in the the with contact that exhaustion of point the to senses bodily the of saturation such through precisely is It bodies. own their of weight the perceive consciously to begin participants the of standing, hours after also, but engaged, actively senses and tactile Consider exaltedthe statusof Orthodox inthe icons which Church, points towards its attitude to The idea that knowledge of God can be gained through matter relies on the assumption that God Phrase of St. Cyrilof Alexandria quoted by Florovsky (35). Ibid Ibid Ibid . ., 36. . During the services, the members of ChurchbecomeDuring services, the membersof the the “‘con-corporeal’ On a psychosomatic level, Orthodox Church services aim at stimulating and 258 That is, this kind of unity is made possible by the kenotic process, 259 Duringnot only the Liturgy, are the visual, 89 256 just as the individuals in carnival are in carnival individuals as the just 257 This perfect unity of men in the 260 olfactory 255 CEU eTD Collection world or penetration by it, and occur “on the confines of bodythe and the outer world the into extension body’s the either involve activities these of all is, That body. the swallowing body” upbyanother blowing of nose,the sneezing), as well as copulation, pregnancy, dismemberment, andwhy elimination like“eating,(sweating, other drinking,activities defecation isprecisely body communal in the partake to itself beyond extending and unlimited as with in body function the the of carnival. illustrated, century by nineteenth the kenoticas understood theology,to runparallel ritualistic practices Russianof the participants blend into one communal whole. By embracing the body, Orthodox religiousworshippersin the do space of natural laws Church,the aresuspended thebodies and philosophers,in individual carnivalsquare,and personal,the as together they come when understanding body of the in carnival.Although bodiesthe carnival of are participants grotesque the to is analogous corporate, and the personal between the vacillating and can individual boundaries andlimitations of his body. Such an understanding of body,the be the transcend correlated, to him allows that materiality very worshipper’s the is it is, that body; allows him to experience his bodyas as something greater, as partI of a larger communalhave just 261 like indispensable iscomponent of carnival, alwaysimplied in degradation,the which, regeneration, an in chapter, demonstrate this have As to tried I be regenerated. to said is a worshipper God, with contact mediates which Christ, of Body communal RAHW kenosis Returning to the subject of carnival, the grotesque understanding of body understanding the of subjectthe of grotesque Returning carnival, the to body worshipper’s the of materiality sum the services, inTo Orthodox the up, 317. , is a bi-directional ( pn 261 ) process. are emphasized as the main events of life of the events main asthe areemphasized 90 CEU eTD Collection struggle” and “confined to the houseis and chamber,”struggle”longer it tothe and“confined private the no a church services. of preceding cycle the feast-like conclusion to the “prayerful labors” of the rest of the day, or to a Communion, the climaxin thissense fundamentally food to work. related and centre of ChristianAccording Bakhtin,to the feast is the conclusion of labor andworship struggle forfood, and is according to Florovsky, is 262 whole”. as a people of the “the triumph represents it because too services prayer like other privately, individuallybe or liturgy celebrated cannot banquet, phenomena. carnival Likethe In both carnival and liturgy,labor and food become collective rather than individual carnival images,system of where triumphed “work in food,” expense”. rends attheworld’sswallows, theworldisenriched devours, andgrows apart, inobviously theactof “the eating, duringbody its which limits: it transgresses own comparison. of point my final as body life the of the of this element up Ishall take feasts, Christian the to comparison invites anda is in work detail naturally an action Bakhtin’s ingreatest that described 263 264 265 267 266 268 or on the confines of the old [individual] and new [communal] body”. RAHW RAHW RAHW RAHW RAHW The Festal Menaion RAHW the world are erased, to man’s advantage. man’s to erased, are world the over the world, devoursitwithout being triumphs devoured he himself. The limits between man and triumphant; joyful, is eating of act the in world the with encounter Man’s ofhimself… part it makes body, his into it introduces world, the tastes Man The “open unfinished nature” of the grotesque body The “open itself of body manifests mostunfinished nature” grotesque the 317. 281. 281. 281. 281. 302. 263 In the act of eating,of In act the 24. 268 If the banquet is “torn away from the process of labor and labor of process the from away “torn is banquet the If 266 In this sense, the liturgy seems to reproduce liturgy the seems sense,the Inthis to 91 264 265 Analogously, the Holy Analogously, the 267 but on a smaller scale. 262 As eating is Aseating CEU eTD Collection 273 271 272 269 270 to live on. continues body communal the feared; not is whole, cosmic in the event small a only is,That because body the beyondextends theindividual,individual which is death, would be“deprived of any symbolic openings and universal meaning”. According wordsof the to Jesus himself, (transubstantiation), continuation ensures the of an individual’slife him. through Christ of body actual the of ingestion the involves which Communion, Holy The ingestion. through death overcome symbolically they in that function similar a have “‘banquet for the whole world’ [ one might even say, even might one which, incidentally, Homily, discussed invites previously Chrysostom’s asJohn us free,” has set death Savior’s everyone to a feast,For the fearno “Let/ one death Christ, of inthebody life overdeath triumph the of the feast of feasts ( is renewed. body the which through conception, The consumption of body the ofisand blood imagined Christ also asa of kind Eucharist. in the elements fundamental most the of is one death of overcoming the Moreover, perish. may bodies individual the if even isimmortal, body communal any become square, in partofasingle worshippers the body,church communal which,as is renewed”. world and the body defeated victorious receives life over death, and is, in this respect, equivalent to conception and birth, “The The Easter day, in particular, is described as “feast of feasts” in of feasts” “feast as described is particular, in day, Easter The RAHW Ibid RAHW Ibid ., 283. . By overstepping the confines of one’s own body, one asserts his immortality. The Eucharist can be seen as a kind of celebration, oreven commemoration of 341. 302. 271 In this sense, the universal triumphal banquet represents the triumph of 273 suggests. In sense,this theEucharist and the carnivalfeast pir na ves’ mir 92 ]”. 269 This kind of a private celebration The Festal Menaion 272 Asin the carnival pir na ves’ mir 270 . ) CEU eTD Collection 274 authority in the spirit of “joyful in authority exposingrelativity,”of the the spirit arbitrariness prescriptions of all itin perceives ambivalence, isbased carnival because authority. However, mediation the without inaccessible carnivalwouldremaina higher forms, of weregrounded inmaterial not of concepts endedcarnival. If framework carnival seriousness ofmonologism, polyphonic principle the in can only occur open- the with is one-sided connected abstraction such Church.as the Because structures, power forms thatcould beabused by thedistanceabstracted of “degradation”)(or eradicates materialization body place takes andupliftingthat during down of the of abstract the intoof terrifybringing issubmission. purpose subjects Thesimultaneous which to the bogged down in details:the carnival toundermineseeks all of structures authority, the Conclusion gospels calledcarnivalesque.why the (allegedly) once Bakhtin in the Gospel of John and communal body issubject not todeathin samethe way individuals are. Jesus’ words other similar the since continues, life transgressed, are body own passages one’s of boundaries the When point to a possible endis atthe of times). resurrected Body (until aspartof communal one the forever” explanation of If one partakes in the body of Christ, as is the case during the Eucharist, one will “live John 6:51, 6:54-58. will live forever. from heaven.Your forefathers manna ate and died, buthe who feedson this bread the one who feeds onme will live ofbecause me. is This the bread that came down me,and I inhim.Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so and my blood is real drink. Whoevereats food my drinks flesh and my blood real remains is in my flesh for day, last the at up him raise will I and life, eternal has blood my drinks and my flesh eats who [H]e my flesh… is bread This forever. live will I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Ifanyone eats of this bread, he To summarize the train of thought of the preceding few sections, without getting 274 93 CEU eTD Collection suggestion does not affect the functional similarity of the processes of processes of the similarity functional affectthe not does suggestion this However, incelebrations. and travestied were deliberately parodied carnival Supper), of Last the reenactment (the Communion Holy such asthe Christian rituals, of ideasome elements to the be that in materiality attributed can part of perceptions mentioncaution,must thatsome found I in similaritiesthe of I the above-discussed played by physicalthe body in Eastern Christianity and in carnival.As a note of later writings. his than more explicitly Incarnation kenotic idea of the on replies which early work, elucidate In order providedbrief to connection,this some of analysis I aof Bakhtin’s writings andthe work of Russianthe religious philosophers in discussed one. chapter in hismateriality of later perception Bakhtin’s between a exists certain continuity Ihave arguethat there tried to Inthis chapter, views. his religious rejection of earlier and celebration of material of the andworld. celebration justification –the the sameend towards employed are ultimately both as degradation 275 serious discourse, Bakhtin’s discourse, serious Church, ignores which joyfulthe relativity of worldthe inits imposition of one-sided, and hierarchies. PDP 107. One particular element I examined comparatively in this chapter is therole inthis chapter examined I comparatively element One particular On the account of its hostility towards monological institutions such as the as such institutions monological towards hostility its of account On the 275 Rabelais andHis World 94 has often been perceived as a kenosis and CEU eTD Collection the two concepts is revealed between similarity The found notion inthe “degradation”. of resonance Incarnation in the bidirectional orientation ( carnivalesque world of Rabelais, the functional functional concept of Rabelais, the of carnivalesque world power. itsfor also deabstractifying but of Incarnation, and Creation acts kenotic in the implied is which divine, the in participation its for only not be celebrated to comes matter sense, In this abstractions. detached-from-the-concrete-life of monology thefrozen asa avoiding way of in onmateriality areliance common: feature least one haveat however, applications, pragmatic different All these Creation. loveof self-sacrificing act toGod’s Incarnation “mechanics” of the to Logos’ meanings of the centuries, twentieth - early late nineteenth of the philosophers accommodate the individual intentions of the authors. could which creations, terminological different to leading spheres, different of in anumberitbegan appear to century, end atthe nineteenth the of functional process in question thinkers and religious Russian the both, of of writings in the finds one Bakhtin. matter of celebration That is to say, (but functionally(substantively) the as similar) phenomena, grounds different soon as of variety explain a beappliedto can seen, have aswe which, process, substantive Incarnation as Incarnation of interpretation the around framed loosely Bakhtin, Mikhail critic, literary intellectual Russianparadigm findesiècle the of philosophers religious and the Conclusion In Bakhtin’s field of inquiry (at leastin inquiryIn field is,the the 1930sand1960s),that Bakhtin’s of (at As I have tried to demonstrate in the first chapter, for the Russian religious One of the main aims of this thesis has been to articulate a common kenosis kenosis had come to encompass a number of different concepts, from . An understanding of 95 kenosis as a functional rather than kenosis pn was understood as a kenosis ) of both processes or kenotic pragmatic CEU eTD Collection common all celebrationsto carnival – the linkage specific materiality of with the ceremonies like travesty religious factorsof or to parody bewhich attributed can similarity – a coincidence mere a like seem sight first at may carnival Bakhtin’s world. material this in it “undersigns” situation”. hypothetical abstractly in orthe rule instance,not general the concrete be in“the must grounded University Press, 1990), 69. chapter, for the young Bakhtin, asense of obligation or “oughtness” ( second inthe Ashave seen we reality. to no connections have which imperatives, categorical of abstract in sort some not and acts in concrete based canonly actions responsible that arguing in materiality of principle same the on relies theory ethical his earlier religious views and ethical theories. As my analysis has revealed, Bakhtin’s 276 in of carnival celebration Bakhtin’s perceive philosophy. With justification this ofmatterin religious havemind, doesnot one to fear-defyingfunction withincan be understood framework the of Russian Orthodox positive, its and principle bodily material the on emphasis Bakhtin’s then materiality, of application presented inpresented as degradation, concept of Bakhtin’s sense, itself. this In from world the inseparable individualized bodies begin blendto into oneimmortal, communal whole, which is and of carnivalesquedegradation movementthe etc.As bidirectional the a resultof features, objects, ideas, previously disunified andin stablethe result they yield unfailingly – acombination of anddisparate Gary Saul Morson and Caryl Emerson, Although the emphasis on materiality in both the Russian kenotic tradition and tradition kenotic Russian the both in materiality on emphasis the Although If one takes into account the kenotic background of the celebration of of celebration the background kenotic the account into If takes one Rabelais andHis World kenosis . 276 What is important about any given act, then, is that one Mikhail Bakhtin: Creation ofaProsaics , can be seen as an example of , canbeof as an paradigmatic one seen example 96 Rabelais andHis WorldRabelais kenosis , hierarchies are abolished and are abolished , hierarchies dolzhestvovanie as a rejection of (Stanford: Stanford (Stanford: ) CEU eTD Collection not concerned with uncovering some sortof a disguised encrypted or Christianity in is my thesis that emphasize to want I in spirit. method Bakhtin’s to opposed deeply Rabelais andHisWorld manner his works. than earlier explicit and direct less in a though world, the on outlook author’s the represents ways some in which meditation, a philosophical as also but criticism literary of figurecult in Russian religious lifeinphilosophy, monology. Not surprisingly, for Bakhtin’s favorite, Dostoevsky, who became a kind meanings, in can temptation which, in of only abstracted detachment, their result philosophicalintellectual paradigm of Bakhtin and the Russian religious philosophers. The major challenge of Bakhtin’s time, as he perceived it, is to resist the biographical conclusions and formulas, such as “Bakhtin was a religious man,” 277 in treating justified feel I reason, his in meanings, creativelyare own which turn renewed For in newcontexts. this with study of hissubjects supplements creatively always interpreter is,the That work. a a reading of to community interpretative of the contribution on the its insistence HereBakhtin’sworks. for “Methodology Human the mind Sciences” comes to with carnivalized Rabelais’ beyond asawhole, carnival celebrations be to applicable to themselves; philosophythe he behind it creatively andreconstructs generalizes them theimages than more simply analyze hedoes in images of the Rabelais, articulated religious-philosophical concern. concrete, ethical sphere, with living lifein living ethical sphere,with concrete, Katerina Clark and Michael Holquist, In reconstructing the presupposed(rather hidden) than religious dimension of Although claims findBakhtin “degradation” concepts to like implicitly , I do not want to draw any naïve, not to mention, cliché mention, to not naïve, any draw to want not do I , Mikhail Bakhtin Rabelais andHis World 97 this , 122. world seems to point to a common this world was most urgentof not only as a piece of as nota piece only 277 so CEU eTD Collection surprise thataccording his to categories itown methods, shouldcomeand prescribed not asa I have noexamine Bakhtin to Ihavetried in this bythesis Since everyone. final andaccepted intention be can explanations and conclusions no that mind in keep to important is it Bakhtin of pronouncingof spirit in the perspective, religious-philosophical a from materiality on emphasis the final word on the religious 278 meanings. If functionseem as to messages ratherthan encrypted presuppositions as with hidden eye of the censors. As I have tried to reveal in my analysis, concepts such as cunningly Orthodox withinconcealed laterelements hisavoid works to the suspicious and deliberately Bakhtin that imply would which notion a – writing Bakhtin’s secondary intentions secondary possible Bakhtin’s about conjectures make only can one alive, still was Bakhtin mentionformanuscripts which,not various to the lost reasons, disappeared while withpoint, lackthe information of Bakhtin’scorroborated about personal biography, this At Realism? by Socialist represented discourse, its monological and aesthetic appropriatedor metaphor functional for Bakhtin,is unsolved: theconceptual of appropriation or doesconcept it serve a greater as a purpose?tool Doesforwhich he could utilize tohis own purposes. Bakhtin political use this of is, idea the make That sense. to criticism begins than in substantive rather hisinterest functional then of the his concepts, own of the one party Istrongly believe that Bakhtin’s primary intentions are those of writing a literary critique. Although I have tried to analyze Ihave Bakhtin’s Although to tried The following question, unfortunately beyond of The following unfortunately question, scope remains thesis, this the kenosis is a kind of presupposition a model or for Bakhtin’s development 278 in writing his masterpiece of literary criticism on Rabelais. on criticism literary of masterpiece his inwriting kenosis 98 kenosis becomes a useful functional paradigm just a useful theoretical paradigm theoretical useful a just Rabelais andHis WorldRabelais and its kenosis CEU eTD Collection 279 In the spirit of Bakhtin, Iwill let my interlocutors continue the dialogue. impossibility of endings, dimension hisus conclude thought.Let of byrecalling Bakhtin’s onthe words Mikhail Bakhtin, “Methodology for the Human Sciences,” 170. festival. nothing is absolutely dead: every meaning will someday have its homecoming given moment in the dialogue’s later course when it will be given new life. For there dialogue of the moment present At any dialogue. are later in renewed be always will great massesdialogues in born meanings Even future. of ofdistant most the the and forgottenpast remotest deepest the into extend past will never meanings,be finallyThere is neither afirst graspednor last word. The contexts of dialogueonce are without limit. and They butfor all, these for they will be recalled again at a 279 99 CEU eTD Collection Tamarchenko, N.D. Holquist, Michael. Bakhtin, Mikhail. Bakhtin, Mikhail. Bakhtin, Mikhail. Works Bakhtin’s Morson, Gary Saul and Caryl Caryl Emerson. Gary and Saul Morson, Emerson, Caryl. Bakhtin, Mikhail. Bakhtin, Mikhail.“Methodology for the Human Sciences.” In Bakhtin, Mikhail. Emerson, Caryl. Holquist. Michael and Katerina Clark, Bakhtin on Literature Secondary General Bakhtin, Mikhail. Bakhtin, Mikhail. Bakhtin, Mikhail. Stanford: StanfordStanford: University Press, 1990. University Press, 1997. 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