Product details
- ISBN 9780739186428
- Weight: 667g
- Dimensions: 162 x 235mm
- Publication Date: 13 Mar 2014
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
- Language: English
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This translation of Likhachev’s Poetika Drevnerusskoy Literatury (The Poetics of Early Russian Literature), provides a description of the basic themes of early (tenth to seventeenth century) Russian literature. Likhachev compares literary narrative with narrative used in the representational arts. Furthermore, Likhachev stresses the genre-based character of medieval Russian literature and shows how choice of style in medieval times depended on a genre with its own specific etiquette and how innovation was discouraged.
The text contrasts medieval abstraction and modern realism, as Likhachev shows how realisticness gradually breaks through in specific situations—such as those of princely crimes. Likhachev draws contrasts in three different areas: the basic stock of symbols and comparisons used in early Russian literature with those used in modern literature, artistic time in folklore and early Russian literature, and artistic space in folklore and early Russian literature. Likhachev traces the gradual development into modern artistic time through a comparison of the chronicle, the first Russian play, the seventeenth century writer Avvakum, and three modern authors, Goncharov, Dostoevsky and Saltykov-Shchedrin. Finally, the text gives a justification for studying early literatures. This book will be invaluable for students of Russian, medieval and comparative literature.
Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev was professor at Leningrad State University.
Christopher Arden-Close received his doctoral degree in applied linguistics from Southampton University. He taught English language and literature for many years in Asian universities and has published articles on the teaching of English and Science in international journals.
Milena Rozhdestvenskaya is professor in the Department of Philology at St. Petersburg State University.
