THE mIEVAL ORTHODOX SLAVfC WORLD-VIEW

266 Pages·1999·13.2 MB·English

AND
THE m I E V A L ORTHODOX SLAVfC WORLD-VIEW
P h i l i p Hatttrup
A thesis submitted in conformity w i t h the requirements
for the degree of Doctot of Philosophy
Depatment of Slavic Languages and Literatures
University of Toronto
@ Copyright by Philip Batttrup
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Abstract
NIKOLAI GOGOL
AND
THE MEDIEVAL ORTHODOX SLAVIC WORLD-VIEW
PHILIP HARTTRUP
DEPARTMENT OF SLAVIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
1998
This thesis examines Nikolai Gogolrs creative and
publicistic writings in the context of the medieval Orthodox
Slavic literary and cultural tradition. Though Gogol wrote
his entire corpus during the Romantic period and clearly
shared a great deal with the Romantics in both Russia and the
West, his thought and writings reveal his strong affinity for
the heritage of Kievan Rust and Muscovite Russia. The
particular aspects of the pre-Petrine tradition most
prevalent in Gogolrs work include the following: the notion
of the writerrs role as divinely inspired, the monastic
vocation, eschatological thought, aesthetic values, the
influence of the demonic, and the ethical matrix of the
culture.
While it was once believed that Gogol had undergone a
religious crisis, a close examination of his correspondence
and creative output shows that his religious and moral views
remained relatively constant throughout his life. Indeed,
what he says in his early works reappears, only more overtly,
in his final book, Selected Passages From Correspondence With
Friends, As Gogol adapted and assimilated various aspects of
the medieval tradition throughout his writings, Selected
Passages may be viewed as the ultimate and most explicit
testimony to his medieval world-view.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii
NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION v
WORKS BY GOGOL CITED IN THE THESIS v
INTRODUCTION 1
CHAPTER
ONE: GOGOL AND R0MANTICISM:THE OBSESSION WITH THE PAST
TWO: THE PRE-PETRINE LITERARY AND CULTURAL TRADITION
2.1: The Function of the Writer and his
Place in Society 38
2.2: The Importance of the Monastic Vocation 43
2.3: The Preoccupation with Eschatological Concerns 46
2.4: Aesthetic Values 55
2.5: The Fascination with the Demonic 61
2.6: The Ethical Matrix of the Culture 66
THREE: THE QUESTION OF A DECISIVE RELIGIOUS CRISIS
IN GOGOL 83
FOUR: THE PRE-PETRINE TPADITION IN GOGOL' S
CREATIVE WRITING
4.1: The Role of the Writer/Artist
4.2: The Monastic Ideal
4.3: Eschatological Concerns
4.4: Aesthetic Values
4.5: The Demonic
4.6: Ethical Values
FIVE: SELECTED PASSAGES FROM CORRESPONDENCE WITH FRIENDS
AND THE MEDIEVAL TRADITION 18 9
5.1: Gogol's Self-professed Role as a Writer 190
5.2: An Appeal for Monasticism 196
5.3: A Concern About the End 199
5.4: The Power of Beauty 207
5.5: The Demonic 212
5.6: Ethical Issues 216
5.7: Influences: The Old Testament and Old Slavic 228
CONCLUSION 239
BIBLIOGRAPHY 243
While working on my thesis I often felt I was quite
alone. However, now looking back on the years I spent
researching and writing, I realize I was constantly
surrounded by friends and colleagues who generously gave
their support.
First, I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor
Richard Marshall, for encouraging me to write on Gogol and
for helping me to tap into Gogol's medieval mind. I also
thank him for his insightful comments and suggestions at the
various stages of my thesis.
I am also grateful to a number of colleagues and
friends with whom I have studied over the years. I started
studying Russian at the University of Ottawa and I would like
to thank two of my classmates from those days, Joanne Ledger
and Martha Lemieux, for their encouragement. I am also
indebted to my friends Mark Conliffe and Rolf Hellebust for
volunteering to read a draft of my thesis and for their
critical comments. I thank as well my dear friend Greta
Matevossian for helping me to better understand Gogolts
Russian and for sharing with me her wonderful Russian spirit.
Many friends outside the field patiently and frequently
listened to me talk about my thesis over the years. 1 wish
to acknowledge them for their support, their wisdom, and
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their wit. In particular, I thank Jacqueline Lilley and
Ileana Stockwell as well as Angela Favretto, Perry Size,
Steven Lynch, Jeff Stuart, Dan Winger, Susan Arevalo, Denise
Hills and Donna Daly. And I am especially indebted to my
close friend Dorothy Sitek whose incredible generosity has
brought joy to my life.
This thesis could not have been completed without the
love and support of my family, and especially that of my
parents, Fred and Olive Harttrup. Words cannot adequately
express my gratitude to them for everything they have done
for me. It is to them that I dedicate this thesis.
NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION
Transliterations from the Cyrillic are based on the system
used by the Library of Congress. The soft sign (b) is
omitted in proper names; therefore, Gogol instead of Gogolf.
The adjectival ending -ii- is rendered by a -y- only for
common Russian surnames; therefore, Belinsky instead of
Belinskii.
WORKS BY GOGOL CITED IN THE THESIS
The following is a list of works by Gogol cited in this
thesis. Only the English titles are used in the text.
Certain works are referred to by a shorter title (e.g.
.
Dikanka ) (Inconsistent with the transliteration is Hanz
(Kiuchelqarten)i nstead of Gants. )
Gants Kiuchel'garten Hanz Kiuchelgarten
Get' man The Hetman
Zhenshchina Woman
Boris Godunov. Poema Boris Godunov. A Long Poem
Pushkina by Pushkin
Vechera na khutore bliz Evenings on a Farm Near
Dikan ' k i Dikanka
Sorochinskaia iarmarka The Fair a t Sorochinsky
Vecher nakanune Ivana S t . John's Eve
Kupa 1a
Maiskaia noch', ili F, May Night, or The
Utoplennitsa Drowned Ma iden
Propavshaia gramota The Lost Letter
Noch ' pered rozhdestvom Christmas Eve
Strashnaia mest ' A Terrible Vengeance
Ivan Fedorovich Shpon 'k a Ivan Fedorovich Shponka
i ego tetushka his Auntie
Zakoldovannoe mes to A Bewitched Place
Arabeski Arabesques
Skul'ptura, zhivopis' i Sculpture, Painting
muzyka and Music
0 srednikh vekakh On the Middle Ages
0 prepodavanii On the Teaching of
vseobshchei istorii Universal History
Neskol'ko slov o A Few Words About Pushkin
Pushkine
Ob arkhitekture On Present -day Architecture
nyneshnego vremeni
L i f e
0 malorossiiskikh On the Songs of Little
pesniakh Russia
Mysli o geografii Thoughts on Geography
Posl edni i den ' Pompei The Last Day of Pompei
Zapiski suma sshedshego Diary of a Madman
Nevski i Prospekt Nevsky Prospect
Portret The Portrait
Starosve tskie pomeshchiki Old-World Landowners
Taras Bul'ba
Paves t ' o tom, kak The Story of how Ivan
possorilsia Ivan Ivanovich fvanovich Quarreled with Ivan
s Ivanom Nikiforovichem N i k if orovich
Koliaska The Carriage
The Nose
Nos
The Overcoat
Revi zor The Inspector General
Mertvye dushi Dead Souls
Teatral'nyi ratffezd posle Leaving the Theatre After the
predstavleniia novoi Performance of a New Comedy
komedii
Peterburgskie zapiski Petersburg Notes of 1836
1836g.
Zapisnaia knizka 1846 Notebook for 1846
Razmyshleniia o Bozhest- Meditations on the Divine
vennoi 1 i t urgii Li t urgy
Avtorskaia ispoved' An Author's Confession
Vybrannye mesta Selected Passages From
perepiski s druz'iami Correspondence W it h Friends
Zhenshchina v svete Woman in the World
Znachenie boleznei The Meaning of Sickness
0 tom, chto takoe slovo On the Meaning of Words
0 pomoshchi bednym On Helping the Poor
Ob Odissee, perevodimoi The Odyssey in Zhukovsky's
Zh ukovskim Transla tion
0 lirizme nashikh poetov On the Lyricism of Our
Poets
Predmety dlia Subjects for the Lyrical
liricheskogo poeta v Poets of Our Time
nyneshnee vrenia
Nuzhno liubit ' Rossiiu I t is Necessary to Love
Russia
Nuzhno proezdi t 'sia I t is Necessary to
po Rossii Travel Through Russia
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