Russian Formalist Criticism: Four EssaysLee T. Lemon, Marion J. Reis "Some of the most important literary theory of this century."--College English Russian formalists emerged from the Russian Revolution with ideas about the independence of literature. They enjoyed that independence until Stalin shut them down. By then they had produced essays that remain among the best defenses ever written for both literature and its theory. Included here are four essays representing key points in the formalists' short history. Victor Scklovsky's pathbreaking "Art as Technique" (1917) vindicates disorder in literary style. His 1921 essay on Tristram Shandy makes that eccentric novel the centerpiece for a theory of narrative. A section from Tomashevsky's "Thematics" (1925) inventories the elements of stories. In "The Theory of the 'Formal Method'" (1927) Boris Eichenbaum defends Russian formalism from many attacks. An able champion, he describes formalism's evolution, notes its major workers and works, clears away decayed axioms, and rescues literature from "primitive historicism" and other dangers. These essays set a course for literary studies that led to Prague structuralism, French semiotics, and postmodern poetics. Russian Formalist Criticism has been honored as a Choice Outstanding Academic Book of the Year by the American Library Association. |
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aesthetic anecdote artistic basic beginning Boris Eichenbaum Boris Tomashevsky Brik's Caliph chapter character characteristic characterization criticism defamiliarization digressions distinguish Don Quixote elements emotional essay example fact father formal method Formalists free motifs function Futurists genres Gogol's hero historical-literary I. A. Richards idea imagery images interest introduced Jakobson Kholstomer kind Leo Jakubinsky linguistic literary evolution literature material meaning Moscow motifs narrative narrator notion novel object Opoyaz parody perception Petrograd play plot construction poet poetic language poetry point of view Potebnya practical language principles problems prose psychological Pushkin question reader rhythm Roman Jakobson roughened Russian Formalism Russian Formalists Sborniki Shandy's Shklovsky's significance skaz Slop sound specific speech Sterne Sterne's story structure style Symbolists T. E. Hulme tell thematic theme theoretical theory things thought Tolstoy traditional Tristram Shandy Tynyanov typical uncle Toby uncle Toby's usually verse Veselovsky Victor Shklovsky whole words