A Survey of Russian Literature, with SelectionsHapgood, Isabel Florence
History
A Survey of Russian Literature, with Selections
Hapgood, Isabel Florence
Russian literature -- History and criticism
Schelling's philosophy also suggested new views as to the theory of art
and the significance of literature in the life of a nation, and evolved
the conclusion, that a nation's literature, even more than its
civilization, should be entirely independent. This naturally led the
Slavyanophils to reflect upon the indispensability of establishing
Russian literature on a thoroughly national, independent basis.
Naturally, also, this led to the Slavyanophils contesting the existence
of a Russian literature in the proper sense of the term; since the whole
of it, from Lomonosoff to Pushkin, had been merely a servile imitation
of Western literature, and did not in the least express the spirit of
the Russian people, and of the Schellingists. A number of the professors
in the Moscow University belonged to this party. Naturally the students
in their department--the philological faculty--came under their
influence, and under this influence was reared the famous Russian
critic, Vissarion Grigorievitch Byelinsky (1811-1848). His name is
chiefly identified with the journal "The Annals of the Fatherland" (of
St. Petersburg), where he published his brilliant critical articles on
Griboyedoff, Gogol's "The Inspector," on Lermontoff's works, and on
those of other writers; on French contemporary literature, and on
current topics at home and abroad, among them articles condemning many
characteristics of Russian society, both intellectual and moral, such as
the absence of intellectual interests, routine, narrowness, and egotism
in the middle-class merchants; self-satisfied philistinism; the
patriarchal laxity of provincial morals; the lack of humanity and the
Asiatic ferocity towards inferiors; the slavery of women and children
under the weight of family despotism. His volume of articles on Pushkin
constitutes a complete critical history of Russian literature, beginning
with Lomonosoff and ending with Pushkin. By these Byelinsky's standing
as an important factor in literature was thoroughly established, and all
the young writers of the succeeding epoch, that of the '50's, gathered
around him. Grigorovitch, Turgeneff, Gontcharoff, Nekrasoff, Apollon
Maikoff, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and the rest, may be said to have been
reared on Byelinsky's criticism, inspired by it to creative activity,
and indebted to it for much of their fame. Byelinsky, moreover, educated
the minds of that whole generation, and prepared men for the social
movement of the '60's, which was characterized by many reforms.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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