Summary
Summary FICTION IN 19TH CENTURY RUSSIA
- Course
- Modern Fiction
- Institution
- Rhodes University (RU)
A summary of Russian Literature in the 19th Century.
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Page |1FICTION IN 19TH CENTURY RUSSIA
(BRIEF) SOCIO-POLITICAL BACKGROUND:
➢ Prose c on, the most common… The Russians (in terms of literature) > totally backward
- Russia – on the edge of Europe
- Slavs > O en used as ‘Slaves’
- East > harsh winters
o Soil not that fer le
o Food shortages
o Poverty
- Trade with slaves
➢ Remote:
- Culturally
- Geographically
- Poli cally: Autocracy
- Economically: No real exports etc.
- Religion: Church split > 9th – 10th century
o Orthodox (East)
▪ Cyrillic alphabet > Cyrillic script
▪ Language – formal Greek
▪ Isolated from the West
▪ They believe in ‘holy Russia’
o 1613: ROMANOV – kept the chruch very conserva ve
▪ Sole ruler of Russia – autocracy
▪ Ruler of the Church
o Roman Catholic (West)
▪ Kept ‘order’ alive
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▪ Language – La n
➢ 19th Century in Russia > holding pa ern
- Challenged by literature
o The only art form it becomes a leader in
o Mainly Realis c
▪ Everyday events > psychological realism
▪ The real > working class (much like Gustave Courbet’s art)
▪ An a empt to draw a psychological portrait of the character
▪ The theme of the super uous man:
“An individual, perhaps talented and capable, who does not t into social
norms. In most cases, this person is born into wealth and privilege.
Typical characteris cs - disregard for social values, cynicism, and
existen al boredom; typical behaviours are gambling, roman c
intrigues, and duels. He is o en unempathe c and carelessly distresses
others with his ac ons.”
e.g. Hamlet
▪ Omniscient third-person narrator
▪ FICTION > could get away with more > the only pla orm where you
could give an opinion > more than an entertainment purpose
▪ MORAL TASK (Belinsky)
Philosophy/ Religion/ Poli cal/ Socio-Economic concerns
TIMELINE:
1. Peter (Romanov) I, the Great (1689 – 1725) > dropped cat(s)
- Westerniza on
- ‘Updated’ Russia
- French > very accessible language
- Educa on brought in from the West
o Scien sts
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