Glances and Loopholes: Bakhtin’s view of Dostoevsky’s Linguistic Microcosm

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-71
Author(s):  
John Cook
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Literary Theory ◽  
Philosophy Of Language ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
Figures Of Speech ◽  
The Brothers Karamazov ◽  
Brothers Karamazov ◽  
The Way

The two figures of speech, «cлoвo c oглядкoй» [a word with a backward glance] and «cлoвo c лaзeйкoй» [a word with a loophole], can arguably be considered the apogee of Bakhtin’s creative analysis of language. This paper provides a detailed analysis of these tropes, commencing with a brief introduction to Bakhtin’s view of the utterance and parody. These short summaries are based on a close reading of Пpoблeмa peчeвыx жaнpoв [ПPЖ] and Из пpeдыcтopии poмaннoгo cлoвa [ИПpc] respectively. This introduction provides a platform for a detailed textual review of Bakhtin’s analysis of the two figures of speech in Пpoблeмы пoэтики Дocтoeвcкoгo [ППД]. The paper then explores the two figures of speech as exemplars of interdiscursivity by examining the way in which Bakhtin builds up his descriptive analysis of both «oглядкa» and «лaзeйкa», using examples from Poor Folk, The Double, Notes from Underground, The Idiot, and The Brothers Karamazov. The paper concludes that these tropes synecdochically represent Bakhtin’s constructs in a number of important domains: his philosophy of language, his philosophy of identity, as well as his literary theory.

scholarly journals Ivan Karamazov as a Philosophical Type—but which one?

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 54-75
Author(s):  
Kåre Johan Mjør
Keyword(s):  
Structural Organization ◽  
The Other ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Reported Speech ◽  
Direct Speech ◽  
Moral Sensibility ◽  
The Brothers Karamazov ◽  
Brothers Karamazov ◽  
The One

The article analyses a set of philosophical statements made by and attributed to Ivan Karamazov in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, in order to answer the question as to what kind of philosophy Ivan may be said to express in the novel. My close reading reveals that there is a significant distinction between, on the one hand,  Ivan's most radical statements, that is his rational egoism and the idea that "everything is permitted," which are always given in reported speech, and on the other the “Ivan of direct speech,” a character characterized by far more moral sensibility (e.g. in the Pro et contra part). On the basis of these findings the article seeks to bring together two traditions in the reception of Dostoevsky—the philosophical and the narratological. By letting these approaches inform one another I suggest ways in which the structural organization of the text is itself a bearer of philosophical meaning. Moreover, the article takes seriously Bakhtin's claim that Dostoevsky's heroes are not merely stable representations of ideas, but engage with them through dialogue and encounters with others, as exemplified by Ivan Karamazov himself as well as by other characters' responses to his articulations. 

On the Vṛndāvana of Bliss

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rembert Lutjeharms
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Language ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
Good Sense ◽  
Narrative Style ◽  
Small Section ◽  
Figures Of Speech

The final two chapters turn to the Ānanda‐vṛndāvana, Kavikarṇapūra’s longest and most sophisticated poem in praise of Kṛṣṇa’s play in Vṛndāvana. Each chapter studies a small section of this voluminous work but, by examining such brief passages in depth, it is hoped the reader will get a good sense of the complexity of his poetic and narrative style, and be encouraged to explore more of Kavikarṇapūra’s poetry. Chapter 6 examines the style of Kavikarṇapūra’s prose, revisiting Kavikarṇapūra’s eclectic philosophy of language (Chapter 4) and drawing out its theological implications, which are argued to be essential to grasping the suggested sense of Kavikarṇapūra fusion of figures of speech that mark the prose of the Ānanda‐vṛndāvana. The chapter offers a close reading of the opening sentence of the Ānanda‐vṛndāvana, exploring how Kavikarṇapūra’s ‘splendour of speech’ conveys not just theological ideas, but is also meant to affect the reader and contribute to the realization of rasa.

scholarly journals Sokrates, Meursault i Karamazowowie – proces sądowy jako medium filozoficzne

Wielogłos ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 137-159
Author(s):  
Adam Woźniak
Keyword(s):  
Albert Camus ◽  
Law And Literature ◽  
Fyodor Dostoevsky ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Brothers Karamazov ◽  
Brothers Karamazov ◽  
The Stranger ◽  
Literary Composition ◽  
Theoretical Reflection ◽  
The Way

Socrates, Meursault, and The Brothers Karamazov: The Court Trial as a Philosophical Medium The aim of this study is to characterise the way that literary accounts of court trials shape the space for philosophical considerations. In the first part of the text, Marshall McLuhan’s concept of the medium is introduced and interpreted within the context of Martin Heidegger’s notion of technology. The second part of the paper, meanwhile, concerns the opposition between language and reality, which is crucial for the philosophical implications of courtroom space. This study includes also the “law and literature” perspective. The theoretical reflection is based on an analysis of The Stranger by Albert Camus, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Plato’s The Apology. Finally, the third part deals with the literary composition of the court trial account.

scholarly journals The Compatibility between the Religious and the Nihilistic Currents in Dostoevsky’s World

Labyrinth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-58
Author(s):  
Haozhan Sun
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Textual Analysis ◽  
Religious Dimension ◽  
The Brothers Karamazov ◽  
Biblical Intertextuality ◽  
Brothers Karamazov ◽  
The Way

The goal of this essay is to show the compatibility between two currents in Dostoevsky's world, namely, the religious and the nihilistic. Based on Nietzsche's theory of nihilism and Deleuze's interpretation of Nietzsche, I introduce a dynamic model – reactive nihilism – a destructive force that annihilates fading values to clear the way for the advent of a new value. Through the textual analysis, primarily focusing on the religious dimension presented by saintly characters and biblical intertextuality in The Brothers Karamazov, this essay argues that Dostoevsky's two trends do not conflict at all, but express in a common dynamic model, that is reactive nihilism.

scholarly journals Truths and Lies in a TV Series About “Dostoevsky Beyond the Textbook”

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 70-105
Author(s):  
Liudmila Saraskina
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Human Dimension ◽  
Russian History ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Private Space ◽  
The Real ◽  
The Brothers Karamazov ◽  
History Of ◽  
Brothers Karamazov

The paper offers a detailed analysis of Dostoevsky, a historical and biographical feature TV serial (in eight episodes), produced in 2011, when the writer’s 190th anniversary was celebrated. The film was directed by V. I. Khotinenko, the script was written by E. Ya. Volodarsky. The authors of the series claimed that their objective was to create an image of “Dostoevsky beyond the textbook”, wholly (or largely) unknown to today’s audience. But the authors did not explain what they meant by “Dostoevsky beyond the textbook”, nor, for that matter, by the “textbook” version. Professional expertise had found numerous gross distortions of both Dostoevsky’s biography and Russian history in the script. Nevertheless, after certain corrections by the film director, the flawed script was accepted as the basis for the series, which, in the end, proved to be as flawed. The objective of the film, as defined by the director, was to show the “human dimension” Dostoevsky, was realized in a very peculiar manner: for the sake of pseudo-dramatization, the writers’ real experiences in the fatal moments of his life were replaced with fictitious experiences; many events, well known and well documented, were deliberately misrepresented. For the film director, Dostoevsky was chiefly interesting as a person burdened with many vices, whose biography had been full of extraordinary striking episodes. The film director, by his arbitrary will, ascribed to Dostoevsky the desires, passions and actions of some of his fictional characters; this dubious, though frequently employed, technique has been readily utilized in the series. Numerous erotic episodes were supposed to demonstrate to today’s audience that nothing human was alien to Dostoevsky. His literary activity, his public readings (which he liked so much) were presented as bait used to lure the victims of his male lust. The series showed, as it were, that the writer had rehearsed, in his private space, the would-be crimes of his characters. The real, wellknown, Dostoevsky has remained outside the series. Viewers will not find his work on the novel The Possessed, the creative history of The Brothers Karamazov, the inauguration of the monument to Pushkin in Moscow, Dostoevsky’s Pushkin speech, his dramatic relations with Pobedonostsev, his friendship with S. A. Tolstaya (the widow of Alexei K. Tolstoy), the severe illness of his last days, his death, or his funeral, unprecedented in Russia.

Pandhawa Gubah sebagai Representasi Interaksi Metafisik Manusia Jawa dan Perbandingannya dengan Cheritera Pandawa Lima

Manuskripta ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Novarina Novarina
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Literary Theory ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Literary Study ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Research Objects ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Comparative Study

Abstract: This research is a comparative literary study that uses Malay and Javanese versions of Mahabarata text sources. The research objects used were the text edition of Pandhawa Gubah (PG) by Sudibjo Z. Hadisutjipto and the text of Cheritera Pandawa Lima (CPL) by Khalid Hussain. The research method used is descriptive-analysis method. In the comparative study used a comparative literary theory proposed by Endraswara (2011). The results of the text comparison reveal the similarities and differences in the image of Bima figures in the Javanese and Malay versions. The equation as a whole is that both texts contain the same heroic storyline and heroic character, Bima. In addition, Indian influence is still evident in the two texts seen from the nuances of Hinduism that exist in both texts. While the difference is seen in the events that accompany Bima's struggle in achieving his victory. Based on these similarities and differences, it can be seen that the authors attempt to represent the concept of metaphysical interactions vertically and horizontally expressed through PG text. --- Abstrak: Penelitian ini adalah satu kajian sastra bandingan yang menggunakan sumber teks Mahabarata versi Melayu dan Jawa. Objek penelitian yang digunakan adalah edisi teks Pandhawa Gubah (PG) karya Sudibjo Z. Hadisutjipto dan teks Cheritera Pandawa Lima (CPL) karya Khalid Hussain. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif-analisis. Dalam telaah perbandingan digunakan teori sastra bandingan yang dikemukakan Endraswara (2011). Hasil perbandingan teks mengungkapkan adanya persamaan dan perbedaan citra tokoh Bima dalam versi Jawa maupun versi Melayu. Persamaan secara keseluruhan adalah kedua teks tersebut mengandung alur cerita kepahlawanan dan tokoh pahlawan yang sama yaitu Bima. Selain itu, pengaruh India masih tampak dalam kedua teks tersebut dilihat dari nuansa Hinduisme yang ada dalam kedua teks. Sementara perbedaannya tampak pada peristiwa-peristiwa yang menyertai perjuangan Bima dalam mencapai kemenangannya. Berdasarkan persamaan dan perbedaan tersebut tampak adanya upaya penulis untuk merepresentasikan konsep interaksi metafisik secara vertikal dan horizontal yang diungkapkan melalui teks PG.

Bad Dreams and Secret Artists: Translating Freud into Literature

2002 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Sigmund Freud ◽  
Ordinary Language ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
Careful Attention ◽  
Popular Approach ◽  
English Reader ◽  
Creative Writer ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Way

This article addresses the increasingly popular approach to Freud and his work which sees him primarily as a literary writer rather than a psychologist, and takes this as the context for an examination of Joyce Crick's recent translation of The Interpretation of Dreams. It claims that translation lies at the heart of psychoanalysis, and that the many interlocking and overlapping implications of the word need to be granted a greater degree of complexity. Those who argue that Freud is really a creative writer are themselves doing a work of translation, and one which fails to pay sufficiently careful attention to the role of translation in writing itself (including the notion of repression itself as a failure to translate). Lesley Chamberlain's The Secret Artist: A Close Reading of Sigmund Freud is taken as an example of the way Freud gets translated into a novelist or an artist, and her claims for his ‘bizarre poems' are criticized. The rest of the article looks closely at Crick's new translation and its claim to be restoring Freud the stylist, an ordinary language Freud, to the English reader. The experience of reading Crick's translation is compared with that of reading Strachey's, rather to the latter's advantage.

When Is a Religion Like a Weed?

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 10-18
Author(s):  
Nathan Rein
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Study ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Close Reading ◽  
Focus Attention ◽  
The Way

Caroline Schaffalitzky de Muckadell's 2014 article, "On Essentialism and Real Definitions of Religion," offers a comprehensive rationale for the use of real, essentialist definitions of religion in the field of religious studies. In this article, I examine her arguments and the proposed definition she supplies. I argue that a close reading of Schaffalitzky's piece, concentrating especially on the way she uses examples, helps to demonstrate that she and her anti-essentialist opponents view the field of religious studies in incommensurable ways. While Schaffalitzky views definitions as serving the analytical study of religion as an object, her opponents view definitions primarily rhetorically and seek to focus attention on the process of defining.

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