Nikolai Gogol : between Ukrainian and Russian nationalism / Edyta M. Bojanowska.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bojanowska, Edyta M., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gogolʹ, Nikolaĭ Vasilʹevich, 1809-1852--Criticism and interpretation.

Gogolʹ, Nikolaĭ Vasilʹevich.

National characteristics, Ukrainian, in literature.

National characteristics, Russian, in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (461 pages)

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Massachusetts ; London, England : Harvard University Press, [2007]

Summary:

The nineteenth-century author Nikolai Gogol occupies a key place in the Russian cultural pantheon as an ardent champion of Russian nationalism. Indeed, he created the nation’s most famous literary icon: Russia as a rushing carriage, full of elemental energy and limitless potential.In a pathbreaking book, Edyta M. Bojanowska topples the foundations of this russocentric myth of the Ukrainian-born writer, a myth that has also dominated his Western image. She reveals Gogol’s creative engagement with Ukrainian nationalism and calls attention to the subversive irony and ambiguity in his writings on Russian themes. While in early writings Gogol endowed Ukraine with cultural wholeness and a heroic past, his Russia appears bleak and fractured. Russian readers resented this unflattering contrast and called upon him to produce a brighter vision of Russia. Gogol struggled to satisfy their demands but ultimately failed.In exploring Gogol’s fluctuating nationalist commitments, this book traces the connections and tensions between the Russian and Ukrainian nationalist paradigms in his work, and situates both in the larger imperial context. In addition to radically new interpretations of Gogol’s texts, Bojanowska offers a comprehensive analysis of his reception by contemporaries.Brilliantly conceived and masterfully argued, Edyta Bojanowska fundamentally changes our understanding of this beloved author and his place in Russian literature.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Abbreviations

A Note on Transliteration

Introduction

1. Nationalism in Russia and Ukraine

2. From a Ukrainian to a Russian Author

3. The Politics of Writing History

4. Confronting Russia

5. Nationalizing the Empire

6. The Failure of Fiction

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

General Index

Index of Works Cited

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780674270442

0674270444

OCLC:

1255227969