Russian Symbolism, a movement at once literary and philosophical,
flourished at the beginning of the twentieth century. Unlike other
contemporaneous movements that renounced the influence and
traditions of the past, the Symbolists sought to integrate
themselves with their predecessors, and achieve in both life and
art a fundamental unity. By linking poetry, religious thought,
music, and the visual arts, and by discovering, reading, and
disseminating the work of numerous foreign and indigenous writers,
the Symbolists initiated a cultural renaissance in Russia wherein
reception became the movement's guiding principle. Michael Wachtel
explores here the art and development of Vyacheslav Ivanov
(1866-1949), a poet and theorist who articulated a highly
influential concept of Symbolism. The German writers Goethe and
Novalis played a central part in Ivanov's vision and were, in his
mind, powerful precursors in a proto-Symbolist pantheon. Their work
not only influenced his own writing but also, in maintaining the
Symbolist creed of unity in art and life, altered his world
perspective. Wachtel, in exploring Ivanov's relationship to Goethe
and Novalis, illuminates the issues that lie at the core of
Symbolism: the theory of the symbol, poetics, poetry as theurgy,
the relationship between literary creation and "real life,"and the
theory and practice of translation. Ivanov's reception of the
Germans, Wachtel asserts, is indicative of the fundamental
Symbolist striving for spiritual and artist community, for
establishing a seamless tradition. This strain of early
twentieth-century thought, whose adherents include Mikhail Bakhtin,
Martin Buber, and Ernst Robert Curtis, retains a pervasive potency
in scholarly studies today. To understand Ivanov's integrating
ideals, then, is to become conversant with a movement that
continues to influence our understanding of culture.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
