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Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. 35 mm slides or 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. ■Accessing U the Worldto MInformation since I 1938 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA Order Number 6813231 The drama of Majakovskij: A study of tho plays and dramatic elements in the poetry of Vladimir Mnj&kovskU Boyle, Eloise M., Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1988 Copyright ©1088 by Boyle, Eloise M. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zoeb Rd. Ann Atbor, MI 48106 THE DRAMA OF MAJAKOVSKIJ: A STUDY OF THE PLAYS AND DRAMATIC ELEMENTS IN THE POETRY OF VLADIMIR MAJAKOVSKIJ DISSERTATION Presented In Partial Fulfillment of th e Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Eloise M. Boyle, B.A., M.A The Ohio State Univeirsity 1988 Dissertation Committee: Approved by George Kalbouss Jerzy Krzyzanowski Advisor Rimvydas Silbajoris Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures Copyright by Eloise M. Boyle 1988 To My Parents ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express sincere appreciation to Dr. George Kalbouss for his guidance and insight throughout my research. Thanks also to the other members of my advisory committee, Drs. Jerzy Krzyzanowski and Frank Silbajoris for their valuable suggestions and comments. To my husband, Jim Grams, I offer sincere thanks for his technical assistance in preparing this document, and for his constant encouragement and faith in me. iil VITA August 27,1957 .................................................... Bom - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1979 ........................................................................ B.A., University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 1983........................................................................ M.A., Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1981 - 1987......................................................... Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Russian Literature Studies in Old Russian Literature with Dr. Mateja Matejic Studies in 18th Century Russian Literature with Dr. Frank Silbajoris Studies in 19th Century Russian Literature with Dr. Frank Silbajoris and Dr. Jerzy Krzyzanowski Studies iri 20th Century Russian and Soviet Literature with Dr. Hongor Outanoff, Dr. Frank Silbajoris and Dr. Jerzy Krzyzanowski Studies in 19th and 20th Century Russian and Soviet Drama with Dr. George Kalbouss TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION..............................................................................................................................II ACKNOWLEDGMENTS....................................................................................................... Ill VITA............................................................................................................................................ iv CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................... 1 II. MAJAKOVSKIJ’S DRAMATIC POETRY........................................................... 7 Introduction................................................................................................ 7 General Characteristics of the Menippean S atire.................................10 Menippean Satire in Majakovskij's Early P oetry................................ 14 The Rhetorical Nature of Majakovskij’s P o e try ..................................... 30 Dramatic Devices In Majakovskij’s Poetry ............................................... 42 Conclusions...................................................................................................59 III. VLADIMIR MAJAKOVSKIJ - A TRAGEDY ................... 60 Introduction ............................................................................................. 60 Carnival ..................................................................................................... 61 Animation ..................................................................................................... 68 M onodram a...................................................................................................70 The Figure of the Protagonist.................................................................... 73 Poetic and Dramatic Devices..................................................................... 80 IV. MYSTERY-BOUFFE............................................................... •............................ 91 Introduction ............................................................................................. 91 The Mystery Play .................................................................................... 92 The Figure of the Protagonist................................................................ 101 Dramatic and Poetic Devices................................................................ 110 The Question of G e n r e .......................................................................... 114 V. THE B E D B U G ....................................................................................................... 117 v Introduction................................................................................................117 D evices.......................................................................................................118 Menippean S atire................................................................................... 125 The Figure of the Protagonist................................................................ 131 Minor C haracters..................................................................................... 134 The Themes of The Bedbug ........................................................ .. 138 VI. THE BATHHO USE ................................................................... 146 Introduction................................................................................................146 Poetic and Dramatic Devices................................................................ 147 The Figure of the Protagonist................................................................ 158 Minor Characters ......................................................................................164 The Use of Rhetoric.................................................................................169 The Themes of The Bathhouse ...........................................................174 VII. CONCLUSION...................................................................................177 NOTES ............................................................................................................................... 187 BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................. 191 v i CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The purpose of this dissertation is three-fold: to formulate a definition of Majakovskij's theatricaiism as it applies to both his poetry and drama; to analyze the poetry of Majakovskij from the point of view of dramatic devices; and to bring a new appreciation to the plays of Vladimir Majakovskij (1894 — 1930) and their relationship to his poetry. Majakovskij’s career coincides with the birth and early development of the Soviet Union. Many of his poetic works celebrate the Revolution and castigate the leaders of the Western World. Majakovskij devoted many lines to glorifying the new nation, and supported the cause by illustrating propaganda posters and giving readings to workers' organizations. This early belief in the Revolution, however, did not prevent him from satirizing it later in his career. This shift coincides with a change in content of Majakovskij’s literary works from the personal to the social and political. But, despite the changes in his career, one element remains consistent: Majakovskij’s theatricaiism. Majakovskij’s poetry has been called "dramatic," but what, exactly, does this term mean? It implies a contamination of genres, i.e., the application of devices from two distinct genres, poetry and drama, in the execution of verses. But "contamination" is really the establishment of sets of relationships, for example, between the normative 1 2 aspects of poetry and those of drama in a poetic work, and vice versa in a dramatic work. The network of interconnected poetic and dramatic elements