Slovo 5, 2018
ARTICLES
Zoe CARAIANI
Abstract. This article focuses on the evolution of Russian ballet and the role of the French choreographer Marius Petipa in the establishment of the Mariinsky Theatre legacy. The article concentrates on how the rigorous norms of classical dance have been transcended throughout the evolution of this art in Imperial Russia, answering the following question: why did the art of ballet flourish into its classical perfection in Imperial Russia, even though it took its origins from the Italian Renaissance and its founders were French? The mere transposition of ballet from its starting point (France) to Russia is an act of creation in itself. Over the past decades, Russians have emphasized the astonishing classical perfection with unsurpassed discipline, hard work, intelligence, elegance, wisdom, and assumed like no one else in history the physical as well as the emotional demands of the classical ballet.
Keywords: art; Russian ballet; Mariinsky Theatre; evolution.
Ioana-Diana DINCĂ
Abstract. The aim of this article is to analyze the way in which Dostoevsky builds the image of the urban landscape in his work Crime and Punishment. A special attention will be orientated towards the use of symbols when referring to climatic, olfactory factors, colors and also to the way the characters are built in the novel, in relation to these elements. Dostoevsky creates a universe full of hidden messages; nothing occurs by accident. There is a strong relationship between the inhabitants of the city and the city itself: the space and all the elements that create the urban landscape (the clime, the odors, the colors etc.) act as external forces that guide the individuals throughout their entire evolution.
Keywords: symbols; Petersburg; urban landscape; olfactory; climatic factors; smells; colors; spiritual evolution.
Mara IONESCU
Abstract. The present study represents an analysis of the novel Master and Margarita, more precisely, it elaborates on the conception of ideological power in the second chapter, entitled Pontius Pilate. The perspective on the literary text departs from the standpoint of the concept of ideological power: the importance that the concept conveys pertaining to the narrative strategy and the characters, the symbolism it entails and the attributes of power. The study develops on the idea of power considering its connection with the fictional universe of the epic. Thus, the political message of the novel is rather evident as it constitutes a product of the samizdat, as the novel had a troublesome birth and was not permitted to be published for a long time. Furthermore, it is widely regarded as the masterpiece of Mikhail Bulgakov. The birth of Christianity is the theme of the narrative approached in the study.
Keywords: ideological power; sacred; authority; historical novel; Magical Realism.
Adriana ONEȚIU
Abstract. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate to which extent a playwright had to use Aesopian language in order to elude the powerful Stalinist censorship. Evgeni Schwartz’s To Kill a Dragon provides a good text for the intended analysis, as it abounds in highly risky anti-stalinist and anti-totalitarian political allusions disguised as an anti-fascist critique. Because of the play’s complexity, the present study places particular emphasis on the explanation of the historical context, i.e. the censorship phenomenon and the importance of playwriting for children during the Stalinist era. Finally, the article focuses on the antitotalitarian character of the play, along with its implications and ramifications in contemporary culture.
Keywords: Aesopian language; censorship; theatre; children’s theatre; antitotalitarian message.
Andreea TILIBAN
Abstract. The article presents the system of characters from two major literary works: Crime and Punishment by F. Dostoyevsky and Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev. The purpose of the analysis is to present the main connections between the protagonists, Raskolnikov and Bazarov, the similarities and the differences. This is being done through comparative analysis. We will see that the system of characters is similar and that the western ideas are present in both cases, but the way in which they are manifested is different. Eventually, we will point out that Bazarov’s problem could find a solution in Dostoyevsky’s character.
Keywords: nihilism; Occidentalism; the doublets and the systems of character.
Ciprian-Nicolae ȚIGĂNOIU
Abstract. Contemporary literature witnesses the revival of the biographical fiction, sometimes mixed with autobiographical insertions. In most cases, the purpose of this kind of literature is not simply to present the life of a certain historical figure, but to shed light on the problems of nowadays society, as seen through the eyes of a superior personality in terms of morality, faith or awareness of the perennial problems of humanity. Such is the case of the two works, Leonid Tsypkin’s Summer in Baden-Baden and John Maxwell Coetzee’s The Master of Petersburg, which share the main character, the writer Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. The legendary writer becomes the literary artifice which allows the authors to tackle timeless issues such as the internal mechanisms of revolution, racial hatred, the fate of the artist and his complicated relationship with society, and moreover to discuss such personal issues as the death of the dear ones and the impossibility of living life the way one wishes to. In this study, we intend to contrast the mechanisms behind the fictionalization of Dostoevsky and to suggest what might lie behind such a choice.
Keywords: fictionalization; metafiction; (auto)biographical; postmodernism.
Andreea ZAVICSA
Abstract. The purpose of the article is to highlight the multiple interpretations Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina can achieve, taking into consideration the major contributions to the literary criticism of Toma Pavel, Kendall Walton, Umberto Eco, Terence Parsons and J. A. Searle. Based on Pavel’s study (Fictional Worlds), the aim of the paper is to determine in what way the imaginary world can be separated from the real one. In fact, I have chosen this topic because I strongly believe that the combination between the two areas of philology – literature and criticism- is more than appealing and can help the reader to fully understand the meanings of the novel and even discover new ones hidden within the pages. Toma Pavel’s ideas about Anna Karenina are worth spreading because they can work as an invitation for the reader’s own interpretations.
Keywords: criticism; society; fiction; reality; Reader; Tolstoy.