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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/71569
Description
Title
N. V. Gogol' and the Baroque (Russia)
Author(s)
Shapiro, Gavriel
Issue Date
1984
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
Abstract
This dissertation was undertaken in order to examine the relationship between the writings of N. V. Gogol' and Baroque literature. While some scholars labeled elements of Gogol''s writings as "Baroque," a systematic comparison of Gogol''s works and Baroque literature has never been done. In order to make this comparison, the dissertation begins with a discussion of the meaning of the word "Baroque" in European literature and a brief survey of important Baroque genres, themes, and stylistic devices. It then moves to an analysis of Gogol''s physical, familial, and educational environment in order to establish concrete links between Gogol' and Baroque culture. After this link is confirmed, a thorough examination of Gogol''s complete writings, including his personal correspondence and notebooks as well as his fiction, is made. The survey concludes that themes and stylistic devices common to Baroque literature are present in Gogol''s writings and also that he adopted some aspects of Baroque genres in his works. At the same time, it becomes clear that the relationship between Gogol' and Baroque literature was not a static one but, rather, a relationship that evolved and changed as the author matured and which also varied according to Gogol''s literary task. Baroque elements appear most often in Gogol''s early works, particularly in those which deal with the Baroque Ukraine. In his later works, Baroque elements also appear, but Gogol' frequently transforms them in order to create "Baroque-inspired" but unique literary forms.
Baroque elements are scattered throughout Gogol''s works, but they never play a central role in his writings as they did in Baroque literature; therefore, it cannot be concluded that Gogol' was heavily indebted to Baroque literature. The study of Gogol' and Baroque literature, however, sheds important light on Gogol''s literary heritage and personality.
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