Svetlana Evdokimova - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Books by Svetlana Evdokimova
Dostoevsky beyond Dostoevsky is a collection of essays with a broad interdisciplinary focus. It i... more Dostoevsky beyond Dostoevsky is a collection of essays with a broad interdisciplinary focus. It includes contributions by leading Dostoevsky scholars, social scientists, scholars of religion and philosophy. The volume considers aesthetics, philosophy, theology, and science of the 19th century Russia and the West that might have informed Dostoevsky’s thought and art. Issues such as evolutionary theory and literature, science and society, scientific and theological components of comparative intellectual history, and aesthetic debates of the nineteenth century Russia form the core of the intellectual framework of this book. Dostoevsky’s oeuvre with its wide-ranging interests and engagement with philosophical, religious, political, economic, and scientific discourses of his time emerges as a particularly important case for the study of cross-fertilization among disciplines. The individual chapters explore Dostoevsky’s real or imaginative dialogues with aesthetic, philosophic, and scientific thought of his predecessors, contemporaries, and successors, revealing Dostoevsky’s forward looking thought, as it finds its echoes in modern literary theory, philosophy, theology and science.
Papers by Svetlana Evdokimova
Anton Chekhov Through the Eyes of Russian Thinkers
Dostoevsky beyond Dostoevsky is a collection of essays with a broad interdisciplinary focus. It i... more Dostoevsky beyond Dostoevsky is a collection of essays with a broad interdisciplinary focus. It includes contributions by leading Dostoevsky scholars, social scientists, scholars of religion and philosophy. The volume considers aesthetics, philosophy, theology, and science of the 19th century Russia and the West that might have informed Dostoevsky’s thought and art. Issues such as evolutionary theory and literature, science and society, scientific and theological components of comparative intellectual history, and aesthetic debates of the nineteenth century Russia form the core of the intellectual framework of this book. Dostoevsky’s oeuvre with its wide-ranging interests and engagement with philosophical, religious, political, economic, and scientific discourses of his time emerges as a particularly important case for the study of cross-fertilization among disciplines. The individual chapters explore Dostoevsky’s real or imaginative dialogues with aesthetic, philosophic, and scientific thought of his predecessors, contemporaries, and successors, revealing Dostoevsky’s forward looking thought, as it finds its echoes in modern literary theory, philosophy, theology and science.
Scando-Slavica
... As a journey to the under-world or confrontation with death symbolizes the extension of consc... more ... As a journey to the under-world or confrontation with death symbolizes the extension of conscious-ness for any epic hero, so does Natasa's most terrible ordeal - enduring the death of Prince Andrej - leads her to her spiritual maturity. ...
Dostoevsky Beyond Dostoevsky, Dec 31, 2019
The Struggle over Aesthetic Ideals "Alyosha, do you believe than I am not merely a buffoon?-I do ... more The Struggle over Aesthetic Ideals "Alyosha, do you believe than I am not merely a buffoon?-I do believe that you are not merely a buffoon. " 1 With these words Dostoevsky undoubtedly anticipated the reader's temptation to view Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov as nothing more than a buffoon, for the characters in the novel, including Karamazov the father himself, and the narrator of The Brothers Karamazov frequently refer to Fyodor's scandalous behaviour as buffoonery. I propose, however, to consider Fyodor not only as a traditional carnivalesque fool but as a character who poses questions of modern aesthetics. I interpret his behavior as artifice in the context of Dostoevsky's critique of the modern crisis of artistic representation. As it has been frequently pointed out, the philosophical thought of Dostoevsky owes a great deal to the Platonic tradition. I suggest that the contradictory aesthetic ideas expressed in Th e Brothers Karamazov reflect the crisis of Platonic aesthetics and of Romantic representation. The "Pro et Contra" of The Brothers 1 F. M. Dostoevskii, Polnoe sobranie sochinenii v tridtsati tomakh [PSS], ed. V. G. Bazanov et al. (Leningrad: Nauka, 1972-1990), 14:123; hereafter cited as PSS by volume and page. All translations are mine unless otherwise specified. In cases when translation may not render some important aspects of the text, the original text will be provided in a footnote. I would like to express my gratitude to Alexandar Mihailovic for his careful reading of this chapter and his invaluable comments and suggestions.
Dostoevsky Beyond Dostoevsky, Dec 31, 2019
Discussing historical processes leading to the development of nations, Ivan Pavlovich Shatov, a c... more Discussing historical processes leading to the development of nations, Ivan Pavlovich Shatov, a character in Dostoevsky's novel The Devils, expresses his profound skepticism about modern science and rationalism: There is no nation that set itself up on the foundations of science and reason; there has never been an example of it, unless for a second only, out of stupidity. .. Science and reason have, from the beginning of time, played a secondary and subordinate part in the life of nations; so it will be till the end of time. Nations are formed and moved by another force which orders and rules them, the origin of which is unknown and inexplicable. .. It's the spirit of life, as the Scriptures call it. .. It's the aesthetic principle, as the philosophers call it; they also identify it as the ethical principle. "The seeking of God," as I call it more simply. .. God is the synthetic personality of the whole people, taken from its beginning to its end. .. Reason has never been able to define good and evil or even to distinguish good from evil even approximately. On the contrary, it has always confused them, shamefully and pathetically; science, in its turn, provided only fist-enforced solutions. Half-science, unknown to humanity till our century has excelled at that in particular, being the most dreadful scourge of humanity, worse than plagues, famine, and war. Half-science is the despot, of a kind that has never been imposed upon humanity before. This despot has its priests and slaves, before engaged with modernity, but what exactly did Dostoevsky mean when he referred to himself as "a child of his century"? The way he grappled with the most pressing challenges presented by the science, philosophy, religion, and aesthetics of his time tells us a great deal about his sense of modernity. Referring to doubt as the prevailing attitude toward religion ("a child of doubt and disbelief "), Dostoevsky reveals that his religious hesitance may have been 4 PSS, 28(1):176. 8 PSS, 5:119. "Twice two makes four seems to me simply a piece of insolence. Twice two makes four is a pert coxcomb who stands with arms akimbo barring your path and spitting. I admit that twice two makes four is an excellent thing, but if we are to give everything its due, twice two makes five is sometimes a very charming thing too" (ibid.). Dostoevsky, for sure, wasn't the first, nor was he the last, to play with the idea of "two times two may be five." The notion that two and two could somehow become five was already mentioned by George Gordon, Lord Byron, who states in his 1813 letter to his fiancée, Annabella Milbanke: "I know that two and two make four-and should be glad to prove it too if I could-though I must say if by any sort of process I could convert 2 & 2 into five it would give me much greater pleasure.
Anton P. Čechov—der Dramatiker. Drittes internationales Čechov-Symposium Badenweiler im Oktober 2004. Ed. Regine Nohejl , Heinz Setzer. München: Verlag Otto Sagner, 2012
Chekhov's revolution in theater was a double-edged sward: to use theater to expose the histrionic... more Chekhov's revolution in theater was a double-edged sward: to use theater to expose the histrionics of Russian culture and to attack the theatricality of contemporary theater. Chekhov's dissatisfaction with contemporary theater was primarily dissatisfaction with Russian melodramatic imagination and melodrama's "aesthetics of astonishment" (to use Peter Brook's term).
Мир Чехова: Семья, общество, государство. Симферополь: Максима, 2014
Discussion of Chekhov's aesthetics in the context of Kant's The Critique of Judgement. Close read... more Discussion of Chekhov's aesthetics in the context of Kant's The Critique of Judgement. Close reading of Chekhov's story "Beauties" in terms of Kant's categories of aesthetic perception and aesthetic judgement.
Чеховиана. Чехов и Пушкин. Москва: Наука, 79-88, 1998
Reading Chekhov's Texts. Ed. Robert L. Jackson. Evanston: Northwestern U Press, 189-197, 1993
An interpretation of Chekhov's story "The Darling" through the prism of the myth of Echo. Chekhov... more An interpretation of Chekhov's story "The Darling" through the prism of the myth of Echo. Chekhov's concept of femininity. Chekhov and Tolsoy.
Чеховские чтения в Ялте, 104-121, 2019
An analysis of the problem of culture at the turn of the 19th century. Chekhov's interest in the ... more An analysis of the problem of culture at the turn of the 19th century. Chekhov's interest in the problems of culture and his concept of culture in his letters and prose.
Философия Чехова, Иркутск: иркутский гос. университет, 77-90., 2016
An analysis of Chekhov's poetics and his particular interest in human body. Phenomenological appr... more An analysis of Chekhov's poetics and his particular interest in human body. Phenomenological approach to representation.
Чехов и Достоевский, Москва, 322-338, 2017
An analysis of Chekhov's engagement with Dostoevsky. An interpretation of Uncle Vanya as referenc... more An analysis of Chekhov's engagement with Dostoevsky. An interpretation of Uncle Vanya as reference to Moliere's Tartuffe and Dostoevsky's The Village of Stepanchikovo. Chekhov's polemic with Dostoevsky and his rebellion against melodrama. Dostoevsky's "Dream of the Ridiculous Man" and Chekhov's Three Sisters and "Ward Number 6."
Tolstoy Studies Journal, vol. 8, 33-46, 1995
An analysis of Tolstoy's concept of creativity and creative process. Close reading of the artist ... more An analysis of Tolstoy's concept of creativity and creative process. Close reading of the artist Mikhailov's scene and the role of ekphrasis in Anna Karenina.
Чехов и Гоголь. К 200-летию со дня рождения Н.В. Гоголя. Чеховские чтения в Ялте. выпуск 14, 48-61, 2009
A comparative analysis of Gogol's play "The Marriage" and Chekhov's "The Wedding." A discussion o... more A comparative analysis of Gogol's play "The Marriage" and Chekhov's "The Wedding." A discussion of Chekhov's theatrical innovations and his generic transformation of the vaudeville.
Scando-Slavica, Tomus 39, 1993
An analysis of the notion of heroism in Tolstoy. Tolstoy's subversion of the myth of passionate r... more An analysis of the notion of heroism in Tolstoy. Tolstoy's subversion of the myth of passionate romantic love. Natasha Rostova and the myth of Psyche.
Chekhov for the Twenty First Century, ed. Carol Apollonio and Angela Brintlinger. Bloomington: Slavica, 2012
An analysis of Chekhov's theatrical innovations. His concept of theatrical event in light of the ... more An analysis of Chekhov's theatrical innovations. His concept of theatrical event in light of the existentialist philosophy, esp. Heidegger. Concepts of time and being in The Three Sisters.
Чеховская карта мира, 2015
An analysis of Chekhov's use of signs and symbols in his play The Seagull. Chekhov's polemic with... more An analysis of Chekhov's use of signs and symbols in his play The Seagull. Chekhov's polemic with melodramatic imagination.
Dostoevsky beyond Dostoevsky is a collection of essays with a broad interdisciplinary focus. It i... more Dostoevsky beyond Dostoevsky is a collection of essays with a broad interdisciplinary focus. It includes contributions by leading Dostoevsky scholars, social scientists, scholars of religion and philosophy. The volume considers aesthetics, philosophy, theology, and science of the 19th century Russia and the West that might have informed Dostoevsky’s thought and art. Issues such as evolutionary theory and literature, science and society, scientific and theological components of comparative intellectual history, and aesthetic debates of the nineteenth century Russia form the core of the intellectual framework of this book. Dostoevsky’s oeuvre with its wide-ranging interests and engagement with philosophical, religious, political, economic, and scientific discourses of his time emerges as a particularly important case for the study of cross-fertilization among disciplines. The individual chapters explore Dostoevsky’s real or imaginative dialogues with aesthetic, philosophic, and scientific thought of his predecessors, contemporaries, and successors, revealing Dostoevsky’s forward looking thought, as it finds its echoes in modern literary theory, philosophy, theology and science.
Anton Chekhov Through the Eyes of Russian Thinkers
Dostoevsky beyond Dostoevsky is a collection of essays with a broad interdisciplinary focus. It i... more Dostoevsky beyond Dostoevsky is a collection of essays with a broad interdisciplinary focus. It includes contributions by leading Dostoevsky scholars, social scientists, scholars of religion and philosophy. The volume considers aesthetics, philosophy, theology, and science of the 19th century Russia and the West that might have informed Dostoevsky’s thought and art. Issues such as evolutionary theory and literature, science and society, scientific and theological components of comparative intellectual history, and aesthetic debates of the nineteenth century Russia form the core of the intellectual framework of this book. Dostoevsky’s oeuvre with its wide-ranging interests and engagement with philosophical, religious, political, economic, and scientific discourses of his time emerges as a particularly important case for the study of cross-fertilization among disciplines. The individual chapters explore Dostoevsky’s real or imaginative dialogues with aesthetic, philosophic, and scientific thought of his predecessors, contemporaries, and successors, revealing Dostoevsky’s forward looking thought, as it finds its echoes in modern literary theory, philosophy, theology and science.
Scando-Slavica
... As a journey to the under-world or confrontation with death symbolizes the extension of consc... more ... As a journey to the under-world or confrontation with death symbolizes the extension of conscious-ness for any epic hero, so does Natasa's most terrible ordeal - enduring the death of Prince Andrej - leads her to her spiritual maturity. ...
Dostoevsky Beyond Dostoevsky, Dec 31, 2019
The Struggle over Aesthetic Ideals "Alyosha, do you believe than I am not merely a buffoon?-I do ... more The Struggle over Aesthetic Ideals "Alyosha, do you believe than I am not merely a buffoon?-I do believe that you are not merely a buffoon. " 1 With these words Dostoevsky undoubtedly anticipated the reader's temptation to view Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov as nothing more than a buffoon, for the characters in the novel, including Karamazov the father himself, and the narrator of The Brothers Karamazov frequently refer to Fyodor's scandalous behaviour as buffoonery. I propose, however, to consider Fyodor not only as a traditional carnivalesque fool but as a character who poses questions of modern aesthetics. I interpret his behavior as artifice in the context of Dostoevsky's critique of the modern crisis of artistic representation. As it has been frequently pointed out, the philosophical thought of Dostoevsky owes a great deal to the Platonic tradition. I suggest that the contradictory aesthetic ideas expressed in Th e Brothers Karamazov reflect the crisis of Platonic aesthetics and of Romantic representation. The "Pro et Contra" of The Brothers 1 F. M. Dostoevskii, Polnoe sobranie sochinenii v tridtsati tomakh [PSS], ed. V. G. Bazanov et al. (Leningrad: Nauka, 1972-1990), 14:123; hereafter cited as PSS by volume and page. All translations are mine unless otherwise specified. In cases when translation may not render some important aspects of the text, the original text will be provided in a footnote. I would like to express my gratitude to Alexandar Mihailovic for his careful reading of this chapter and his invaluable comments and suggestions.
Dostoevsky Beyond Dostoevsky, Dec 31, 2019
Discussing historical processes leading to the development of nations, Ivan Pavlovich Shatov, a c... more Discussing historical processes leading to the development of nations, Ivan Pavlovich Shatov, a character in Dostoevsky's novel The Devils, expresses his profound skepticism about modern science and rationalism: There is no nation that set itself up on the foundations of science and reason; there has never been an example of it, unless for a second only, out of stupidity. .. Science and reason have, from the beginning of time, played a secondary and subordinate part in the life of nations; so it will be till the end of time. Nations are formed and moved by another force which orders and rules them, the origin of which is unknown and inexplicable. .. It's the spirit of life, as the Scriptures call it. .. It's the aesthetic principle, as the philosophers call it; they also identify it as the ethical principle. "The seeking of God," as I call it more simply. .. God is the synthetic personality of the whole people, taken from its beginning to its end. .. Reason has never been able to define good and evil or even to distinguish good from evil even approximately. On the contrary, it has always confused them, shamefully and pathetically; science, in its turn, provided only fist-enforced solutions. Half-science, unknown to humanity till our century has excelled at that in particular, being the most dreadful scourge of humanity, worse than plagues, famine, and war. Half-science is the despot, of a kind that has never been imposed upon humanity before. This despot has its priests and slaves, before engaged with modernity, but what exactly did Dostoevsky mean when he referred to himself as "a child of his century"? The way he grappled with the most pressing challenges presented by the science, philosophy, religion, and aesthetics of his time tells us a great deal about his sense of modernity. Referring to doubt as the prevailing attitude toward religion ("a child of doubt and disbelief "), Dostoevsky reveals that his religious hesitance may have been 4 PSS, 28(1):176. 8 PSS, 5:119. "Twice two makes four seems to me simply a piece of insolence. Twice two makes four is a pert coxcomb who stands with arms akimbo barring your path and spitting. I admit that twice two makes four is an excellent thing, but if we are to give everything its due, twice two makes five is sometimes a very charming thing too" (ibid.). Dostoevsky, for sure, wasn't the first, nor was he the last, to play with the idea of "two times two may be five." The notion that two and two could somehow become five was already mentioned by George Gordon, Lord Byron, who states in his 1813 letter to his fiancée, Annabella Milbanke: "I know that two and two make four-and should be glad to prove it too if I could-though I must say if by any sort of process I could convert 2 & 2 into five it would give me much greater pleasure.
Anton P. Čechov—der Dramatiker. Drittes internationales Čechov-Symposium Badenweiler im Oktober 2004. Ed. Regine Nohejl , Heinz Setzer. München: Verlag Otto Sagner, 2012
Chekhov's revolution in theater was a double-edged sward: to use theater to expose the histrionic... more Chekhov's revolution in theater was a double-edged sward: to use theater to expose the histrionics of Russian culture and to attack the theatricality of contemporary theater. Chekhov's dissatisfaction with contemporary theater was primarily dissatisfaction with Russian melodramatic imagination and melodrama's "aesthetics of astonishment" (to use Peter Brook's term).
Мир Чехова: Семья, общество, государство. Симферополь: Максима, 2014
Discussion of Chekhov's aesthetics in the context of Kant's The Critique of Judgement. Close read... more Discussion of Chekhov's aesthetics in the context of Kant's The Critique of Judgement. Close reading of Chekhov's story "Beauties" in terms of Kant's categories of aesthetic perception and aesthetic judgement.
Чеховиана. Чехов и Пушкин. Москва: Наука, 79-88, 1998
Reading Chekhov's Texts. Ed. Robert L. Jackson. Evanston: Northwestern U Press, 189-197, 1993
An interpretation of Chekhov's story "The Darling" through the prism of the myth of Echo. Chekhov... more An interpretation of Chekhov's story "The Darling" through the prism of the myth of Echo. Chekhov's concept of femininity. Chekhov and Tolsoy.
Чеховские чтения в Ялте, 104-121, 2019
An analysis of the problem of culture at the turn of the 19th century. Chekhov's interest in the ... more An analysis of the problem of culture at the turn of the 19th century. Chekhov's interest in the problems of culture and his concept of culture in his letters and prose.
Философия Чехова, Иркутск: иркутский гос. университет, 77-90., 2016
An analysis of Chekhov's poetics and his particular interest in human body. Phenomenological appr... more An analysis of Chekhov's poetics and his particular interest in human body. Phenomenological approach to representation.
Чехов и Достоевский, Москва, 322-338, 2017
An analysis of Chekhov's engagement with Dostoevsky. An interpretation of Uncle Vanya as referenc... more An analysis of Chekhov's engagement with Dostoevsky. An interpretation of Uncle Vanya as reference to Moliere's Tartuffe and Dostoevsky's The Village of Stepanchikovo. Chekhov's polemic with Dostoevsky and his rebellion against melodrama. Dostoevsky's "Dream of the Ridiculous Man" and Chekhov's Three Sisters and "Ward Number 6."
Tolstoy Studies Journal, vol. 8, 33-46, 1995
An analysis of Tolstoy's concept of creativity and creative process. Close reading of the artist ... more An analysis of Tolstoy's concept of creativity and creative process. Close reading of the artist Mikhailov's scene and the role of ekphrasis in Anna Karenina.
Чехов и Гоголь. К 200-летию со дня рождения Н.В. Гоголя. Чеховские чтения в Ялте. выпуск 14, 48-61, 2009
A comparative analysis of Gogol's play "The Marriage" and Chekhov's "The Wedding." A discussion o... more A comparative analysis of Gogol's play "The Marriage" and Chekhov's "The Wedding." A discussion of Chekhov's theatrical innovations and his generic transformation of the vaudeville.
Scando-Slavica, Tomus 39, 1993
An analysis of the notion of heroism in Tolstoy. Tolstoy's subversion of the myth of passionate r... more An analysis of the notion of heroism in Tolstoy. Tolstoy's subversion of the myth of passionate romantic love. Natasha Rostova and the myth of Psyche.
Chekhov for the Twenty First Century, ed. Carol Apollonio and Angela Brintlinger. Bloomington: Slavica, 2012
An analysis of Chekhov's theatrical innovations. His concept of theatrical event in light of the ... more An analysis of Chekhov's theatrical innovations. His concept of theatrical event in light of the existentialist philosophy, esp. Heidegger. Concepts of time and being in The Three Sisters.
Чеховская карта мира, 2015
An analysis of Chekhov's use of signs and symbols in his play The Seagull. Chekhov's polemic with... more An analysis of Chekhov's use of signs and symbols in his play The Seagull. Chekhov's polemic with melodramatic imagination.
Approaches to Teaching Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, 2003
The paper discusses the genres of Anna Karenina and Tolstoy's concept of closure