Two centuries of Russian classics

Abstract:

The article examines the factors that contributed to the formation of the Easter story genre in Russia. The author connects this process with the work of the Slavophiles, analyzes the context in which the European “Christmas” tale was not only translated in Russia, but was built into Russian culture. Emblematic of this transformation was the story of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol in Prose,” which was published under the title “The Luminous Resurrection of Christ” in Russia. The article examines some of the changes made to Dickens’ text, on the basis of which it can be posited that the free translation of the work came out of the Slavophil environment. It is assumed that D. A. Valuev and A. S. Khomyakov jointly planned and carried out the translation and adaptation of the story. The author of the article notes that the action is transferred to Russia, the setting of the story and the characters are invested with Russian names, features, habits and customs, and, most significantly, Christmas – the religious holiday at the centre of Dickens’ story — is replaced by Easter.

References

Beketova, N. A. “Ocherk istorii detskoi zhurnalistiki (1785–1855)” [“Essay on the History of Children’s Journalism (1785–1855)”]. Pokrovskaya, A. K., and N. V. Chekhov, editors. Materialy po istorii russkoi detskoi literatury [Materials on the History of Russian Children’s Literature], issue 1. Moscow, Institute of Extracurricular Work Methods Publ., 1927, pp. 116–123. (In Russ.)

Vinogradov, I. A. “N. V. Gogol’ kak slavianofil: slavianskaia tema v nasledii pisatelia”

[“N. V. Gogol as a Slavophile: The Slavic Theme in the Writer’s Heritage”]. Problemy istoricheskoi poetiki, no. 12, 2014, pp. 199–219. (In Russ.)

Dmitriev, A. P. “Dubia. Svetloe Khristovo Voskresen’e. Kommentarii” [“Dubia. Holy Sunday of Christ. Comment”]. Khomiakov, A. S. Polnoe sobranie sochinenii i pisem: v 12 t. [Complete Works and Letters: in 12 vols.], vol. 2. St. Petersburg, Rostok Publ., 2023, pp. 553–563. (In Russ.)

Egorov, B. F. “A. S. Khomiakov — poet i religioznyi publitsist” [“Khomyakov as a Poet and Religious Publicist”]. Khomiakov, A. S. Polnoe sobranie sochinenii i pisem: v 12 t. [Complete Works and Letters: in 12 vols.], vol. 1. St. Petersburg, Rostok Publ., 2021, pp. 5–70. (In Russ.)

Esaulov, I. A. Paskhalnost’ v russkoi slovesnosti [Easter in Russian Literature]. Moscow, Krug Publ., 2004. 559 p. (In Russ.)

Zakharov, V. N. “Paskhal’nyi rasskaz kak zhanr russkoi literatury” [“Easter Story as a Genre of Russian Literature”]. Problemy istoricheskoi poetiki, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 249–260. (In Russ.)

Cavazza, A. “La Chiesa e una” di A. S. Chomjakov, edizione documentario-interpretativa [“The Church is One” by A. S. Khomyakov, Documentary-Interpretative Edition]. Bologna, Il Mulino Publ., 2007. 366 p. (In Italian)

Cavazza, A. “L’eco di ʽCerkov’ odna” (La Chiesa e una) di A. S. Chomjakov dentro e fuori i confini della Russia (1864–1931)” [“The Echo of A. S. Khomyakov’s ʽTserkov’ odna’ (ʽThe Church is One’) Inside and Outside the Borders of Russia (1864–1931)”]. Studium, no. 4, 2018, pp. 571–584. (In Italian)

Cavazza, A. “Alcune note sull’idea di cultura russa nelle opere di Dostoevski dell’ultimo periodo” [“Some Notes on the Idea of Russian Culture in Dostoevski’s Late Works”]. Shcherbakova, M. I., and G. Ghini, editors. Russkaia literatura v rossiisko-ital’ianskom dialoge XXI v.: kritika teksta, poetika, perevody [Russian Literature in the Russian-Italian Dialogue of the 21^st Century: Text Criticism, Poetics, Translations]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2020, pp. 230–249. (In Italian)

Cavazza, A. “ʽKukusha’ M. A. Kucherskoi i paskhal’nyi kanon” [“ʽKukusha’ by M. A. Kucherskaya and the Easter Canon”]. Problemy istoricheskoi poetiki, vol. 21, no. 3, 2023, pp. 249–260.  (In Russ.)

Kalenichenko, O. N. Sud’by malykh zhanrov v russkoi literature kontsa XIX – nachala XX veka (sviatochnyi i paskhal’nyi rasskazy, modernistskaia novella) [The Fate of Small Genres in Russian Literature of the Late 19^th – Early 20^th Centuries (Christmas and Easter Stories, Modernist Short Story)]. Volgograd, Peremena Publ., 2000. 231 p. (In Russ.)

Katarskii, I. M. “Charl’z Dikkens” [“Charles Dickens”]. Bibliografiia russkikh perevodov i kriticheskoi literatury na russkom iazyke 1838–1960 [Bibliography of Russian Translations and Critical Literature in Russian 1838–1960]. Moscow, Vsesoiuznaia knizhnaia palata Publ., 1962, 327 p. (In Russ.)

Klimakov, Iu. V. “Predislovie” [“Introduction”]. Valuev, D. A. Nachala slavianofil’stva [Beginnings of Slavophilism]. Moscow, Institut russkoi tsivilizatsii Publ., 2010, pp. 5–17. (In Russ.)

Kozina, T. N. “Vozvrashchenie zhanra: paskhal’nyi rasskaz v sovremennoi proze” [“Return of the Genre: Easter Story in Modern Prose”]. Izvestiia Samarskogo nauchnogo tsentra Rossiiskoi akademii nauk, vol. 13, no. 2, 2011, pp. 159–162. (In Russ.)

Kozina, T. N. Evoliutsiia paskhal’nogo arkhetipa [The Evolution of the Easter Archetype]. Tambov, Iukom Publ., 2019. 79 p. (In Russ.)

Kozina, T. N., and M. A. Piatin. “Zhanr paskhal’nogo rasskaza v istoriko-kul’turnom protsesse” [“Genre of the Easter Story in the Historical and Cultural Process”]. Culture and civilization, vol. 10, issue 6A, 2020, pp. 29–34. (In Russ.)

Koshelev, V. A. “Svetloe Voskresen’e. Povest’, zaimstvovannaia u Dikkensa” [“Bright Sunday. A Story Borrowed from Dickens”]. Moskva, no. 4, 1991, pp. 81–84. (In Russ.)

Makarov, D. V. “Svetloe Khristovo Voskresen’e A. S. Khomiakova kak paskhal’naia povest’” [“Bright Sunday of Christ A. S. Khomyakov as an Easter Story”]. Dukhovnyi arsenal, no. 2, 2020, pp. 49–57. (In Russ.)

Makhova, K. A. “K istorii zhurnalov dlia detei: ʽBiblioteka dlia vospitaniia’ i ʽNovaia biblioteka dlia vospitaniia’.” [“On the History of Magazines for Children: ʽLibrary for Education’ and ʽNew Library for Education’.”]. Vestnik RGGU. Seriia: Istoriia. Filologiia. Kul’turologiia. Vostokovedenie, no. 12 (134), 2014, pp. 37–47. (In Russ.)

Mikhnovets, N. G. “ʽRozhdestvenskaia pesn’ v proze’ Ch. Dikkensa kak proizvedenie — posrednik i tip kul’tury” [“ʽА Christmas Carol in Prose’ by Ch. Dickens as a Work — an Intermediary and Type of Culture”]. Problemy istoricheskoi poetiki, no. 8, 2008, pp. 127–146. (In Russ.)

Nepomniashchii, V. S. Pushkin. Russkaia kartina mira [Pushkin. Russian Picture of the World]. Moscow, Nasledie Publ., 1999. 543 p. (In Russ.)

Nikolaeva, S. Iu. Paskhal’nyi rasskaz v russkoi literature XIX veka [Easter Story in Russian Literature of the 19^th Century: PhD Dissertation]. Moscow, 2004. 267 p. (In Russ.)

Tamaev, P. M. “Paskhal’naia tema v tvorchestve A. S. Khomiakova” [“Easter Theme in the Work of A. S. Khomyakov”]. Antikrizisnyi potentsial traditsii i problemy imiaslaviia [Anti-Crisis Potential of Traditions and Problems of Imyaslavie]. Ivanovo-Shuya, Shuya State Pedagogical University Publ., 2009, pp. 200–211. (In Russ.)

Fenomen epicheskogo romana v russkoi literature vtoroi poloviny XIX veka: I. A. Goncharov, I. S. Turgenev, L. N. Tolstoi, F. M. Dostoevskii [The Phenomenon of the Epic Novel in Russian Literature of the Second Half of the 19^th Century: I. A. Goncharov, I. S. Turgenev, L. N. Tolstoy, F. M. Dostoevsky]. Kostroma, Kostroma State University Publ., 2022. 512 p. https://doi.org/10.34216/russian-epic-novel-2022 (In Russ.)