Copyright by Yekaterina Cotey 2015 The Dissertation Committee for Yekaterina Cotey Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation “Come Away, O Human Child”: The Role of Folkloric Children in Nineteenth-Century British and Russian Literature Committee: Thomas Garza, Supervisor Elizabeth Richmond-Garza, Co- Supervisor Tatiana Kuzmic Michael Pesenson Sandra Straubhaar “Come Away, O Human Child”: The Role of Folkloric Children in Nineteenth-Century British and Russian Literature by Yekaterina Cotey, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2015 Dedication To my parents, Konstantin and Lyudmila Trenozhnikov Acknowledgements I owe a debt of gratitude to so many, without whose support, guidance, and inspiration this project would never have been undertaken, let alone completed. My supervisor, Thomas Garza, and co-supervisor, Elizabeth Richmond-Garza, were the first to show me the relevance of folklore to literary and cultural analysis. Their courses that examined the role of the vampire in nineteenth-century Britain and Russia provided me the theoretical foundation and comparative tools for conducting analyses of other folkloric figures of the same period. Thomas Garza's dedication to Russian folklore encouraged me to explore lower mythology, the folk beliefs surrounding house and nature spirits. Elizabeth Richmond-Garza demonstrated amazing patience as she helped me shape my piecemeal ideas into a cogent project and introduced me to texts that I would have otherwise overlooked. My co-advisers opened up a whole new world to me, and my life will never be the same. I couldn’t wish for more knowledgeable mentors, better role models, or truer friends. Grateful thanks go out to Tatiana Kuzmic, who was always there when I needed her advice about any academic matter, from new developments in feminist theory to crafting a cover letter for a job application. She showed me that a conversation about Tolstoy could be the best appetizer to any meal. Michael Pesenson's suggestions on how to incorporate spiritual songs and apocrypha into my analysis not only added depth to my project, but also turned me into a voracious reader of these texts. What could be a more precious gift than knowledge? Sandra Straubhaar led me on a journey on “yon bonny road that winds about the fernie brae” and introduced me to the folk ballad in all its richness. In v addition to being so helpful in guiding my research, she was a consultant for most of my novels, and many of my characters could call her their fairy godmother. I am indebted to the Program in Comparative Literature and the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies for the teaching appointments that allowed me to conduct research while gaining invaluable experience in the classroom. Many thanks to Mary Neuburger, the head of the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies, and her wonderful staff – Agnes Sekowski, Tamara Kowalski, and Jenica Jones. My graduate experience would have been so much harder without your help! I also owe special thanks to Billy Fatzinger, the Graduate Coordinator at the Program in Comparative Literature, whose prompt responses and outstanding problem-solving abilities helped me overcome many obstacles on my way to the defense. I consider myself fortunate to have such wonderful friends and colleagues as Evgeniya Mikhailova-Willkins, Anna Dvigubski, Bernadeta Kaminska, Marina Flider, Jason Roberts, Julianna Leachman, Connie Steel, Alex Boika, Mark Hopkins, and many others. In particular, I am thankful to Marina Potoplyak, who has been my graduate mentor and a ray of sunshine in my life. She has spent countless hours advising, counseling, and consoling me, and I could never repay her for all she has done for me. Another colleague who had great impact on my work is Karen Chilstrom, whose enthusiasm for learning and teaching is contagious. Along with Jennie Wojtusik, Kari Andreev, and Lindsay Shupala, Karen was also one of the editors of this dissertation. Thanks to the valiant efforts of these four individuals, my text evolved into a much better piece of academic writing. I am grateful to all of my undergraduate students, who invigorated me with their diligence, integrity, and passion for learning. The comments I received from the students enrolled in my course on Russian folktales encouraged me to dig deeper into folklore and reflect critically on my own work. Special thanks go to Quinn Gifford, my star student who vi became a good friend, for the inspiring conversations about all things Victorian and folkloric. I wish to thank my publishers and readers in Russia for their enthusiasm about my books that were written on the basis of my dissertation research, as well as for their patience and understanding when I had to put aside my creative writing for the sake of academic writing. My coauthors Elena Prokofieva, Elena Avrutina, and Natalia Kharsa have provided me with support and inspiration throughout my writing career. I am grateful to my parents, Lyudmila and Konstantin Trenozhnikov, and to my brother, Vladimir, for being there for me in the good times and the bad, and for encouraging me to follow my dreams. I also wish to thank my high-school tutor, Anna Bondarenko, who first sparked my interest in nineteenth-century Russian literature and culture and by doing so, gave a purpose to my life. Finally, I shall always hold dear my memories of the children of the Almaty Orphanage for the Disabled, where I volunteered in 2000 – 2002. By getting to know them, I came to understand that children are just children, no matter how they look or behave, and that the uncanny child is but a cultural myth that should be treated as such. vii “Come Away, O Human Child”: The Role of Folkloric Children in Nineteenth-Century British and Russian Literature Yekaterina Cotey, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2015 Supervisor: Thomas Garza Co-Supervisor: Elizabeth Richmond-Garza Cultural production in nineteenth-century Britain and Russia was characterized by two important phenomena that affected the literary sphere and visual arts – a burgeoning interest in folklore and a perception of childhood as a privileged space. In my dissertation, I explore how these two spheres converged in the figure of the folkloric child. I also uncover the semiotic dimensions of the binary oppositions intrinsic to the discourse of supernatural children, such as human – monster, child – non-child, cultural insider – Other. In my comparative analysis of supernatural children in Russian and English folklore, I focus on two main categories of supernatural children – unbaptized spirits and fairy changelings – and note the various affective responses they invoke in the bearers of culture. Narratives that focus on unbaptized children are characterized by a sense of communal guilt, whereas in changeling tales, interactions between the human world and the Otherworld are characterized by battles for resources in a contested semiotic space. In the second half of my dissertation, I show how supernatural children influenced prominent literary texts of the nineteenth century. Analyzing the influence of folkloric children on Russian literature, I examine the works of Fedor Dostoevskii and Fedor viii Sologub, two major writers with shared interest both in uncanny children and in folklore. In their writings, the folkloric child signifies the cultural anxieties specific to nineteenth- century Russia, from commodification of traditional culture to encroaching westernization and loss of spiritual identity. For comparison, I turn to an analysis of the changeling myth in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure. These two novels actively use motifs from the lore of changelings to develop the theme of colonialism and its influence on the lives of the colonized or peripheral Others. The study of Otherness that constitutes the body of this dissertation is informed by Yuri Lotman's theory of semiotic core/periphery, as well as by Julia Kristeva's concept of abjection and J.J. Cohen's examination of monstrosity and its cultural significance. ix Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………....1 Chapter One: Supernatural Children in English Folklore…………………………...22 Chapter Two: Supernatural Children in Slavic Folklore……………………………66 Chapter Three: Supernatural Children in the Works of Fedor Dostoevskii and Fedor Sologub…………………………………………………………………………134 Chapter Four: Changeling Lore in the Works of Emily Brontë and Thomas Hardy…………………………………………………………………………211 Conclusions……………………………………………………………….……………287 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………...294 x Introduction Nineteenth-century Britain and Russia witnessed the emergence of two phenomena that affected the literary sphere as well as the popular imagination – a burgeoning interest in folklore and a perception of childhood as a privileged sphere, endowed with redemptive properties. Both phenomena were fueled by nostalgia for a natural, restorative space that could be equated with the world of the folk or with an idealized vision of childhood. When the Romantic appreciation for the sublime, unconquered nature clashed in Britain with the legacy of the Enlightenment in the form of rapid industrialization and urbanization, this nostalgia intensified. Although Russia, with its vast peasant population, did not experience such a distinct break from traditional