Two schools of formalist literary criticism developed, russian formalism, and soon after angloamerican new criticism. Engl 300 lecture 7 russian formalism open yale courses. According to the russian formalists who coined the. Defamiliarization is a core concept of russian formalism. The author substantiates leading position of social psychology relying on russian culture.
Both schools americanenglish new criticism and russian formalism are types of formalism. Russian formalism, one of the twentieth centurys most important movements in literary criticism, has received far less attention than most of its rivals. Miall a, don kuiken b department of english, university of alberta, edmonton, alberta, canada, t6g 2e5 b department of psychology, university of alberta, edmonton, alberta, canada, t6g 2e5 abstract the notion that stylistic features of literary texts deautomatize. Formalism is a literary theory that was spearheaded by two main bodies russian formalists and new critics which focused on understanding the literary text through the text itself.
Russian formalist, victor shklovsky, on defamiliarization as one of the essential roles of art and literature 1917 posted on february 3, 2009 by santi tafarella victor shklovsky coined the term defamiliarization to describe the role that art and literature can play in turning us around in the world so that we see things with fresh eyes. According to russian formalism defamiliarization is the basic function of all devices 1987. Russian formalism and defamiliarization on world literature. Introduction to the russian formalist tradition 09. Formalism is a school of literary criticism that originated in the former soviet union during the first world war. Literature, as they saw it, was an autonomous product, and should be studied by appropriate methods, preferably scientific. He was also associated with the russian army during the 1 st world war. A naly sing a literary work using russian formalism.
He argued that defamiliarization is, more or less, the point of all art. Jan 24, 20 formalism is a literary theory that was spearheaded by two main bodies russian formalists and new critics which focused on understanding the literary text through the text itself. By then, however, they had produced essays that remain among the best defenses ever written for both literature and its theory. His poetry touches a number of crucial aspects of human existence and is assessed against the background of the basic tenents of russian formalism. Defamiliarization by nasrullah mambrol on march 17, 2016 4 the russian formalists concept of defamiliarization, proposed by viktor shklovsky in his art as technique, refers to the literary device whereby language is used in such a way that ordinary and familiar objects are made to look different.
Russian formalism emerged in the opening decades of the twentieth century as a reaction to the mystification of literature found in the influential paneuropean arts movement of symbolism. The formalist school of thought refused to naturalize text by attributing it to the state of mind of the author, but instead it focused its critical writing on the novels literariness which checks naturalization. In his pioneering study, russian formalism first edition in 1955, victor erlich translates ostranenie as the. Viktor shklovsky russian formalist criticism in literature. Nabokovs formalism is manifest in his invocation of structure, and his bergsonian essentialism in his insistence on the centrality of the individual creative consciousness. Eikhenbaums dependency on core ideas of marxist and darwinian philosophies of struggle and evolution is explained. According to the russian formalists who coined the term, it is the central concept of art and poetry. Defamiliarization and foregrounding are such important formalist principles that they lead directly into formalist definitions of literature itself. Because this wasnt just important for the formalists. A school of literary theory and analysis that emerged in russia around 1915, devoting itself to the study of literariness, i. Viktor shklovsky, who is a theorist of russian formalism, has pointed out that the technique of art is to make objects unfamiliar, to make forms difficult, to increase the.
Jun 11, 2014 this is a picture of viktor shklovsky, one of the main voices behind a way of thinking about literature that today is known as russian formalism. Russian formalism is the european counterpart of the angloamerican new criticism. Russian formalism was an active movement in literary criticism for only fifteen years, but has provoked a continuous flow of scholarship both in the soviet union and abroad since its earliest days. Viktor shklovsky 18931984 was a russian literary theorist. It is left to the writers to find new approaches to defamiliarization. It is a school of literary criticism that originated in the former russia around 1915. Two modern examples of the literary strategy of defamiliarization are james joyces stream of consciousness writing, and the use of magical realism by gabriel garcia marquez in his novels. He begins by distinguishing russian formalism from hermeneutics. Its principles posed a great shift from the traditional approaches during its time, and so it sparked a movement in the field of literary studies that would. Art as technique 1917 viktor shklovsky art is thinking in images. Formalism was the dominant mode of academic literary study in the us at least from the end of the second world war through the 1970s, especially as embodied in rene wellek and austin warren s theory of literature 1948, 1955.
Sep 01, 2009 introduction to the russian formalist tradition 09. It includes the work of a number of highly influential russian and soviet scholars such as viktor shklovsky, yuri tynianov, vladimir propp, boris eichenbaum, roman jakobson, boris tomashevsky, grigory gukovsky who revolutionised literary criticism between 1914 and the 1930s by establishing the. This concept is super importantso make sure you get really familiar with it before you start defamiliarizing. In reaction against the vagueness of previous literary theories, it attempted a scientific description of literature especially poetry as a special use of language with observable. Both theories aim at deriving meaning, not from content, but in the structure and form. Defamiliarization and the design of domestic technologies. This is a picture of viktor shklovsky, one of the main voices behind a way of thinking about literature that today is known as russian formalism. Apr 27, 2020 it is left to the writers to find new approaches to defamiliarization. What are the major differences between russian formalism and. This article is within the scope of wikiproject philosophy, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of content related to philosophy on wikipedia.
It is the first comprehensive book in the west on russian formalism. Chapter iv russian formalism and the dialectics of. Verfremdung in german, which refers to the intentional deviation from practical, everyday language in poetry and literature. Dec 08, 20 formalism was the dominant mode of academic literary study in the united states and united kingdom from the end of the second world war through the 1970s,and particularly the formalism of the new critics, including i. It is excellent in many ways but it is a pity that erlich pretty much reduces viktor shklovskys importance in the movement. Even though several of erlichs conclusions are erroneous this is an important study. Literary criticism new criticism and russian formalism. Russian formalism the johns hopkins guide to literary. The history, reception, and relevance of a concept.
The art of defamiliarization one of the concepts of formalism is defamiliarization, which victor shklovsky argues makes objects, unfamiliar to make forms difficult to increase the difficulty and length of perception because the process of perception is an aesthetic end in itself and must be prolonged 16. Russian formalism, which emerged around 1915 and flourished in the 1920s, was associated with the opojaz society for the study of poetic language and with the moscow linguistic society one of the leading figures of which was roman jakobson and prague. One of its representatives, viktor shklovsky coined the term defamiliarization ostranenie in russian. Petersburg through the group opoyaz, and in moscow via the moscow linguistic circle. Russian formalism was an influential school of literary criticism in russia from the 1910s to the 1930s. Put simply, russian formalism has laid a strong foundation upon which. The purpose of this article is to reflect on the nature of w. This technique involves exploring the differences between. Examining formalism in light of more recent developments in literary theory, peter steiner here offers the. Russian formalism challenged the traditional idea of critical literary analysis that art should conceal its literary devices. The russian formalists emerged from the russian revolution with ideas about the independence of literature. Poetic speech is formed speech, because defamiliarization is found almost everywhere form is found. Roman jakobson, mentioned earlier as, arguably, the most important figure of russian formalism, took the lead amongst the formalist scholars in defining the object of their analysis.
Pdf permanent defamiliarization as rhetorical device or. He founded opoyaz society for the study of poetic language in the year 1916 which planted the seeds of russian formalism viktor shklovsky opposed bolshevism, a farleft marxist faction. Achievements the russian formalists tried to explain how aesthetic effects were produced by literary devices, and how literary writing differed from nonliterary. Before the twentieth century, most literary theorists tended to view the relation between text and meaning through the prism of history, psychology, symbolism, and literary biography. Brecht and russian formalism in britain in the 1970s.
If you would like to support the project, please visit the project page, where you can get more details on how you can help, and where you can join the general discussion about philosophy content on wikipedia. I argue that nabokov manifests a range of bergsonian and formalist influences, the most salient of which is what may be termed the bergsonianshklovskyite notion of the. Septimus is not a manuallabourer from his wellkept hands, but this still does not. Russian formalism was a school of literary criticism in russia from the 1910s to the 1930s. The formalist school of thought refused to naturalize text by attributing it to the state of mind of the author, but instead it focused its critical writing on. By nasrullah mambrol on march 17, 2016 4 the russian formalists concept of defamiliarization, proposed by viktor shklovsky in his art as technique, refers to the literary device whereby language is used in such a way that ordinary and familiar objects are made to look different. Victor shklovsky, the russian formalist, coined and popularized the notion of defamiliarization. Defamiliarization defamiliarization is the process of making the familiar appear strange or of putting the old in a new light. The opojaz group, the society for the study of poetic language pomorska.
Defamiliarization is an old concept, stemming from russian formalism which can be placed in the period between 1915 and 1930 approximately. It had its heyday in the 1920s and it acquired its name from. Viktor shklovsky, who is a theorist of russian formalism, has pointed out that the technique of art is to. The term defamiliarization originates in lite rary theory and the work of the russian. Formalism was the dominant mode of academic literary study in the united states and united kingdom from the end of the second world war through the 1970s,and particularly the formalism of the new critics, including i. An essay by nasrullah mambrol on march 17, 2016 10. They enjoyed that independence until stalin shut them down. According to shklovsky, the technique of art is to make objects unfamiliar, to make forms difficult, to increase the difficulty and length of perception because the process of perception is an aesthetic end in.
Jan 16, 2017 before the twentieth century, most literary theorists tended to view the relation between text and meaning through the prism of history, psychology, symbolism, and literary biography. The russian formalists and the new critics desired to establish literary. C o f1 1 elsevier poetics 22 1994 389407 foregrounding, defamiliarization, and affect. Dec 20, 2014 russian formalism was an active movement in literary criticism for only fifteen years, but has provoked a continuous flow of scholarship both in the soviet union and abroad since its earliest days. Art makes language strange, as well as the world that the language presents.
Russian formalism motivation key termsconcepts motivation defamiliarization vladimir propp defamiliarization victory shklovsky saw laurence sternes novel tristram shandy as being without any kind of motivation. Russian formalism influenced the literary theory of structuralism. The word defamiliarization was coined by the early 20thcentury russian literary critic viktor shklovsky in his essay art as technique. Russian formalism was probably the first school in literary theory that looked at poetry and literature in general as true linguistic phenomena. Sterne lays bare the structure of the novel, which increases. Presented at the 100 years of russian formalism, institut slavianovedenia.
Pdf russian formalism and its legacy john j h lee academia. Steiner, 1984, cornell university press edition, pdf in english. Russian formalism, which emerged around 1915 and flourished in the 1920s, was associated with the opojaz society for the study of poetic language and with the moscow linguistic society one of the leading figures of which was roman jakobson and. Shklovsky gives us the example of holding a pen for the first time. Examples of defamiliarization october 16, 2010 in interaction design weve been exploring the idea of defamiliarization as a means of making the familiar seem strange and jeff requested examples so heres the first one that popped into my mind tiltshift photography. Examining formalism in light of more recent developments in literary theory, peter steiner here offers the most comprehensive critique of formalism to date. Important formalists included roman jakobson and viktor shklovsky.
Points of weakness defamiliarization habitualization shklovsky is referring to things we do in everyday life, things which are repetitive, where many processes in our daily life are unconscious. It had its heyday in the 1920s and it acquired its name from its emphasis on form rather than on content. What are the basic differences between russian formalism and. Shklovsky is defining one of the key concepts of formalism here. Application of the concept of defamiliarization in. Apr 06, 2012 russian formalism is the european counterpart of the angloamerican new criticism. Russian formalist, victor shklovsky, on defamiliarization as. When marxism rejected the formalists and certain ones fled to exile, the prague school of formalism added concepts such as defamiliarization, the way in which devices are applied to words or.
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