From the finite to the infinite: Death and altered perspective in Russian literature
Robinson, Marc Alan
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/21656
Description
Title
From the finite to the infinite: Death and altered perspective in Russian literature
Author(s)
Robinson, Marc Alan
Issue Date
1991
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Pachmuss, Temira A.
Department of Study
Slavic Languages and Literatures
Discipline
Slavic Languages and Literatures
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Literature, Slavic and East European
Language
eng
Abstract
"This dissertation concerns a tradition in Russian literature in which there occurs at the moment of death of the hero a change in perspective. This altered perspective in general is from a very narrow, finite vision to a broader, often times infinite vision in which an idea of the author's Weltanschauung is apparent. This change in perspective can occur in one of five ""agents"" of the story: the character that dies, other characters in the story, the narrator, the author and the reader. This tradition will be analyzed by looking at examples from all periods of Russian literature. Beginning with medieval Russian literature, the tradition is traced from its genesis through its development up to the late twentieth century. Sample works are analyzed in detail both textually and contextually and together provide insight into the progression of the tradition."
"Both extremely famous works, like Gogol's ""The Overcoat"" and Tolstoj's The Death of Ivan Il'ic, and minor works, such as Remizov's ""Zanofa"" and Garsin's ""Night"", are analyzed to show the tradition in both great and minor literature. Genres represented include the novel, the povest', the short story, drama and poetry showing the tradition to cross genre lines. The work concludes with a discussion of the nature of death in Russian literature, time in the tradition and avenues for further research."
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