Recasting the Past: Russian Literature, Drama, and the Plastic Arts in the Era of Reform
Date of Award
Fall 2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Slavic Languages and Literatures
First Advisor
Brunson, Molly
Abstract
This dissertation traces representations of and discourse about the Russian premodern across the arts and print culture between 1859 and 1875. It is the study of the manifold ways in which artistic production captured, translated, and (re)defined the historical past during the era of the Great Reforms (circa 1861-1874). It considers why the past, particularly the premodern past, occupied such a prominent place in the cultural imaginary during an exceptionally modern moment in Russian history. In this project, I argue that a shared, coherent notion of the “premodern” was developing during the reform era, and I show how the premodern was coopted in service of conflicting ideological and political programs that ranged from revivalist, to aesthetically conservative, to nationalist and xenophobic, to highly progressive. “Recasting the Past” demonstrates that the formation of a premodern historical consciousness was rooted in a dense, transmedial array of cultural productions. It comprises three chapters, which are respectively dedicated to the novel, drama, and sculpture. In my first chapter, I analyze contemporary discourse about A. K. Tolstoy’s Prince Serebrianyi to argue for the subversive potential of the historical novel and “pure art” in the early sixties. I show that studying this novel provides insight into a burgeoning, reactionary desire for escapism in the face of liberalizing social change. I then examine colonial, xenophobic, and martial discourse in the historical drama of Aleksandr Ostrovsky, A. K. Tolstoy, and Nikolai Chaev within the context of the failure of the Crimean War (1853-1856) and the rise of patriotic conservatism that took place in the wake of the Polish Uprising (1863-1864). These works’ representations of war, invasion, and occupation reflected reform-era concerns about Russia’s military prowess and the strength of its autocracy. My final chapter focuses on Mark Antokol’skii’s Ivan the Terrible. Situating the sculpture within its contemporary reception and source literature, and in relation to Western European art historical precedent, I argue that the sculpture disrupts linear historical narratives. Each artistic medium treated in this dissertation offers a distinct entry point into the past. By moving among painting, illustration, sculpture, the novel, and drama and focusing on lesser-discussed forms, my dissertation illuminates the transdisciplinary culture of creation and exchange that existed in reform-era Russia.
Recommended Citation
Papadopoulos, Chloe Simone, "Recasting the Past: Russian Literature, Drama, and the Plastic Arts in the Era of Reform" (2023). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations. 1145.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/gsas_dissertations/1145
