Alexander Veselovsky
Encyclopedia
Alexander Nikolayevich Veselovsky ' onMouseout='HidePop("12123")' href="/topics/Moscow">Moscow
- 23 October 1906, St. Petersburg) was a leading literary theorist of Imperial Russia who laid the groundwork for comparative literary studies
.
and attended the Moscow University from 1854 to 1858. After a brief stint in Spain
as a tutor to the Russian ambassador's son, Veselovsky continued his education with Heymann Steinthal
in Berlin
and Prague
and spent three years working in the libraries of Italy
. Upon his return to Russia, he delivered lectures in Moscow and St. Petersburg and was elected a Member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in 1876.
Veselovsky's early studies of medieval Italian literature
led him to believe that many plots and literary devices were imported to Europe from the Orient
through Byzantium
. Looking at literature primarily from a genetic point of view, Alexander Veselovsky and his brother Aleksey (1843-1918) attempted to construct a comprehensive theory of the origin and development of poetry. In 1899, the elder brother famously argued that "the font and syncretic root of poetic genres" may be traced to ritualized popular games and folk incantations.
, Veselovsky and his followers were criticized for their "ethnographism", which allowed "source study to grow to a hypertrophied degree, thus dissolving the specific character of the literary work into a collection of influences". On 14 August 1946 the Central Committee of the Communist Party adopted a resolution specifically condemning "kowtowing" to the bourgeois West by the so-called Veselovskyists. The Russian Formalists largely shared a critical view of Veselovsky's theory, although it has been suggested that Veselovsky's doctrine was actually a point from which they evolved "in a linear, if polemical, way".
Although his work has been largely forgotten by Western scholarship (probably due to lack of translations), Veselovsky has been called "one of the most erudite and original scholars Russia has produced" and "the most remarkable representative of comparative literary study in Russian and European scholarship of the nineteenth century".
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
- 23 October 1906, St. Petersburg) was a leading literary theorist of Imperial Russia who laid the groundwork for comparative literary studies
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
.
Life and work
A general's son, Veselovsky studied privately with Fyodor BuslaevFyodor Buslaev
Fedor Ivanovich Buslaev ]], 1818, Kerensk, Penza Guberniya–July 31 , 1898, Moscow Guberniya) was a Russian philologist, art historian, and folklorist who represented the Mythological school of comparative literature and linguistics. He was profoundly influenced by Jacob Grimm and Theodor...
and attended the Moscow University from 1854 to 1858. After a brief stint in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
as a tutor to the Russian ambassador's son, Veselovsky continued his education with Heymann Steinthal
Heymann Steinthal
Heymann or Hermann Steinthal was a German philologist and philosopher....
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and spent three years working in the libraries of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Upon his return to Russia, he delivered lectures in Moscow and St. Petersburg and was elected a Member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in 1876.
Veselovsky's early studies of medieval Italian literature
Italian literature
Italian literature is literature written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by Italians or in Italy in other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely related to modern Italian....
led him to believe that many plots and literary devices were imported to Europe from the Orient
Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
through Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
. Looking at literature primarily from a genetic point of view, Alexander Veselovsky and his brother Aleksey (1843-1918) attempted to construct a comprehensive theory of the origin and development of poetry. In 1899, the elder brother famously argued that "the font and syncretic root of poetic genres" may be traced to ritualized popular games and folk incantations.
Influence
In the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Veselovsky and his followers were criticized for their "ethnographism", which allowed "source study to grow to a hypertrophied degree, thus dissolving the specific character of the literary work into a collection of influences". On 14 August 1946 the Central Committee of the Communist Party adopted a resolution specifically condemning "kowtowing" to the bourgeois West by the so-called Veselovskyists. The Russian Formalists largely shared a critical view of Veselovsky's theory, although it has been suggested that Veselovsky's doctrine was actually a point from which they evolved "in a linear, if polemical, way".
Although his work has been largely forgotten by Western scholarship (probably due to lack of translations), Veselovsky has been called "one of the most erudite and original scholars Russia has produced" and "the most remarkable representative of comparative literary study in Russian and European scholarship of the nineteenth century".