Topic-One-Russian-Formalism

1TopicOne:RussianFormalismBackgroundSomeImportantTheorists:JanMukařovksýRomanJakobsonMikhailBakhtinVictorShklovskyShklovsky:“ArtasTechnique”2Literarycriticsandthinkersofvarioushistoricalperiodshaveplacedemphasisontheformalaspectsofartandliterature.anewintensityandself-consciousnessintheliteraturesandcriticaltheoriesoftheearlytwentiethcentury,fromtheFormalistmovementinRussiaandwithEuropeanmodernismtotheNewCriticismandlaterschools.3Ingeneral,anemphasisonformparenthesizesconcernfortherepresentational,imitative,andcognitiveaspectsofliterature.Literatureisnolongeraimingtorepresentrealityorcharacterortoimpartmoralorintellectuallessons,buttobeanobjectinitsownright.Moreover,inthisformalistview,literaturedoesnotconveyanyclearorparaphrasablemessage;ratheritcommunicateswhatisotherwiseineffable.4Literatureisauniquemodeofexpression.Criticshavevariouslytheorizedthatpreoccupationwithformbetokenssocialalienation,awithdrawal,anacknowledgment,andaretreat.Suchaninsulardispositionalsobetokensaretreatfromhistoryandbiography.5BackgroundTheoriginsofRussianFormalismdatebackbeforetheRussianRevolutiontotheactivitiesoftheMoscowLinguisticCircleandStPetersburgbasedGroup,Opoyazbothofwhichconcernedthemselveswiththestudyofpoeticlanguage.Themajorfigures:VictorShklovsky,RomanJakobson,BorisEikhenbaum,OsipBrikandYuryTynyanov.6TheinitialimpetuswasprovidedbytheFuturists.ItshouldbenotedthattheFuturistswereasopposedtorealismastheSymbolistshadbeen.TheFuturiststhrewthemselvesbehindtheRevolutionandemphasizedtheartist’sroleas(proletarian)producerofcraftedobjects.7Formalistssetaboutproducingatheoryofliteratureconcernedwiththewriter’stechnicalprowessandcraftskill.TheFormaliststreatliteratureasaspecialuseoflanguage.Practicallanguagevs.literarylanguage.Whatdistinguishesliteraturefrom“practical”languageisitsconstructedquality.8TheearlierphaseofFormalismwasdominatedbyVictorShklovsky.Shklovskycalledoneofhismostattractiveconcepts“defamiliarization”(ostranenie:“makingstrange”).ThatWordworthianinnocentvisionthroughwhichNatureretains“thegloryandthefreshnessofadream”isnotthenormalstateofhumanconsciousness.9Itisthespecialtaskofarttogiveusbacktheawarenessofthingswhichhavebecomehabitualobjectsofoureverydayawareness.ItmustbestressedthattheFormalistswerenotsomuchinterestedintheperceptionsthemselvesasinthenatureofthedevices.Thepurposeofaworkofart:changemodeofperceptionfromtheautomaticandpracticaltotheartistic.10“Defamiliarization”and“layingbare”→BertoltBrecht’sfamous“alienationeffect”.TheclassicalidealthatartshouldconcealitsownprocesseswasdirectlychallengedbytheFormalistsandbyBrecht.Forliteraturetopresentitselfasaseamlessunityofdiscourseandasanaturalrepresentationofrealitywouldbedeceitful.11TheoriesofnarrativehaveaprominentplaceinRussianFormalism.TheGreektragedianshaddrawnupontraditionalstorieswhichconsistedofaseriesofincidents.AGreektragedyusu.startswitha“flashback”.12“plot”(sjuzet)vs.“story”(fabula)AsShklovsky’sessayonSternereveals,theFormalistshadamorerevolutionaryconceptofplotthanAristotle.Inasense,“plot”,isactuallytheviolationoftheexpectedformalarrangementsofincidents.Inthisway,ShklovskyisnotatallAristotelian.Aristotelianvs.Neo-Aristotelian13Intheend,acarefullyorderedAristotelian“plot”shouldgiveustheessentialandfamiliartruthsofhumanlife.TheFormalists,ontheotherhand,oftenlinkedtheorytoplotwiththenotionofdefamiliarization.Initsdisplayofpoiesis(poet=maker)ratherthanmimesis(copying=realism),thislooksforward,asdoesSterne,topostmodernistself-reflexivity.14MotivationAfurtherconceptwithinRussianFormalistnarrativetheoryis“motivation”.Tomashevskycalledthesmallestunitofplota“motif”,whichwemayunderstandasasinglestatementoraction.Hemakesadistinctionbetween“bound”and“free”motifs.15Thisapproachreversesthetraditionalsubordinationofformaldevicesto“content”.TheFormalistsratherperverselyseemtoregardapoem’sideas,themes,andreferencesto“reality”asmerelytheexternalexcuse.Theycalledthisdependenceonexternal,non-literaryassumptions“motivation”.AccordingtoShklovsky,TristranShandyisremarkableforbeingtotallywithout“motivation”;thenovelisentirelymadeupofformaldeviceswhichare“bared”.16Themostfamiliartypeof“motivation”iswhatweusuallycall“realism”.Weexpectliteraturetobe“life-like”.“Amaninlovewouldn’tbehavelikethat”and“peopleofthatclasswouldn’ttalklikethat”arekindofremarkswemightmakewhenwenoticeafailureofrealisticmotivation.17Ontheotherhand,asTomashevskypointedout,webecomeaccustomedtoallkindsofabsurditiesandimprobabilitiesoncewelearntoacceptanewsetofconventions.Wefailtonoticetheimprobablewayinwhichheroesarealwaysrescuedjustbeforetheyareabouttobekilledbythevillainsinadventurestories.Indeed,realism’scentralstrategyistodisguiseitsartificiality,topretendthereisnoartbetweenitandtherealityitshowsus;inthisrespect,itdoestheexactoppositeof“baringitsdevice”.18Thethemeof“motivation”turnedouttobeimportantinagreatdealofsubsequentliterarytheory.JonathanCullersummedupthegeneralthemeneatlywhenhewrote:“Toassimilateorinterpretsomethingistobringitwithinthemo