Pushkins Anti-Knight
Pushkins Anti-KnightThe Decline of Medieval Europe in Alexander
Pushkins Covetous KnightViktor Vasnetsov
Stephanie Richards
PhD ABDUniversity of Wisconsin-Madisonabout.me/skrichards
Research Interests: 19th century Russian literature, Religious
studies, Pushkin, Pushkin and History, Dostoevsky, Dostoevsky's
portrayal of women, Czech novels, apek
The Little Tragedies
The Little TragediesThe Covetous Knight
Mozart and Salieri
The Stone Guest
Feast in the Time of Plague
The Little Tragedies1830 Boldino Autumn
The Little Tragedies1830 Boldino Autumn
Cholera Epidemic
The Little Tragedies1830 Boldino Autumn
Cholera Epidemic
Impending Marriage
The Little Tragedies1830 Boldino Autumn
Cholera Epidemic
Impending Marriage
Surge of Creativity
The Little TragediesThe Covetous Knight
Mozart and Salieri
The Stone Guest
Feast in the Time of Plague
The Little TragediesKnight Story/Miser Story
Mozart and Salieri
The Stone Guest
Feast in the Time of Plague
The Little TragediesKnight Story/Miser Story
Mozart and Salieri
The Stone Guest
Feast in the Time of Plague
The Little TragediesKnight Story/Miser Story
Mozart and Salieri
Don Juan
Feast in the Time of Plague
The Little TragediesKnight Story/Miser Story
Mozart and Salieri
Don Juan
Wilsons City of the Plague
The Little TragediesExtremely short
The Little TragediesExtremely short
New and unique genre
In form and range The Little Tragedies are no more than dramatic
sketches, but in content and development they comprise a tragedy in
the full sense of the word. ~BelinskiiThe Little Tragedies
a new genre of classical tragedy, transformed in the style and
scope of a technical fragment.~Tynianov The Little Tragedies
the plays are not dramatic fragments, but rather, something
completely new, in which several short forms are uniquely combined
in a new synthesis. ~EvdokimovaThe Little Tragedies
The Little TragediesExtremely short
New and unique genre
Semantically dense
The Little TragediesExtremely short
New and unique genre
Semantically dense
Ambiguous
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
The Covetous Knight
WHAT DREADFUL TIMES ARE THESE! WHAT DREADFUL HEARTS!
Scenes from Chenstones tragi-comedy: The covetous Knight -: The
covetous Knight Mystification
Scenes from Chenstones tragi-comedy: The covetous Knight -: The
covetous Knight Mystification
Scenes from Chenstones tragi-comedy: The covetous Knight -: The
covetous Knight William Shenstone? Mystification
A translation from European~Nikolai MinskiiThe Covetous
Knight
Shakespeares characters, unlike Molieres, are not merely typical
representatives of a certain passion or of a certain vice Molieres
miser is only miserly that is all. Shakespeares Shylock is not only
miserly, but resourceful, vindictive, child-loving, and witty.
~PushkinThe Covetous Knight
A historical approach Todays talk
1830s Pushkin = historianHistorical approach
Established historical sources
Walter Scott essay on Chivalry Henry Hallam History of Europe
During the Middle Ages
Historical approach
Each drama of The Little Tragedies corresponds to a different
era and the crisis that leads to its end ~ Beliak and
VirolainenHistorical approach
The Barons concept of Self indicates a shift in the cultural
consciousnessHistorical approach
The mad dream of self-deification ( ) is the root of European
individualism. Thus, this psychological change is historically
significant. ~Beliak & VirolainenHistorical approach
Established historical sources
Walter Scott essay on Chivalry Henry Hallam History of Europe
During the Middle AgesHistorical approach
Established historical sources
Walter Scott essay on Chivalry Henry Hallam History of Europe
During the Middle Ages Chateaubriand Genius of
ChristianityHistorical approach
Inversions
Four Categories
Inversions Devotion to God
InversionsDevotion to Lady
InversionsGenerosity
InversionsSelf-abnegation
French historical school Franois Guizot, AugustinThierry, et al
determined idea of progress external events of history everything
fits into providential planPushkins dialogue
Inversions
Four Categories
Inversions
Four Categories
Inversions
Four Categories
Inversions
Four Categories
Inversions
Four Categories
Inversions
Walter ScottHenry HallamChateaubriand
Knighthood as Emblem
Spanned centuriesCrossed borders
Knighthood as Emblem
Spanned centuriesCrossed bordersUnified European Institution
Inversions Devotion to God
Inversions
Devotion to GodKnighthood the church Ranks correspond to
clergyLaws bound knights to defend the faith
ScottChateaubriand
Inversions
Devotion to GodKnighthood the church Ranks correspond to
clergyLaws bound knights to defend the faith
The sword = symbol of this dutyScottChateaubriand
Inversions
Devotion to GodKnighthood the church Ranks correspond to
clergyLaws bound knights to defend the faith
The sword = symbol of this duty
A knight held his sword before him while the gospel was read, to
signify his readiness to support it. ScottChateaubriandHallam
Inversions
Devotion to God
A knight held his sword before him while the gospel was read, to
signify his readiness to support it.
The Baron replaces God
His sword defends his gold instead of God
Pushkin
InversionsDevotion to Lady
Inversions
Devotion to LadyThe barons lady is his gold
Inversions
Devotion to LadyThe barons lady is his gold
Like a young rake awaits a tryst I waited all day the minute I
could come to my secret vault, to my trusty chests.
Inversions
Devotion to Ladysecond only to the religious zeal of its
professors and frequently predominated over it
Scott
Inversions
Devotion to Ladysecond only to the religious zeal of its
professors and frequently predominated over it enjoined in one
duty
Scott/Hallam
Inversions
Devotion to Ladysecond only to the religious zeal of its
professors and frequently predominated over it enjoined in one
duty
Baron enjoins religious and female devotion in aberration
Scott/HallamPushkin
Inversions
Devotion to Lady
Devotion to the lady is of a nature so extravagant its a form of
idolatry
Scott
Inversions
Devotion to Lady
Devotion to the lady is of a nature so extravagant its a form of
idolatry
The vault = temple to Barons idol, his goldScottPushkin
Inversions
Devotion to LadyFull of awe, engrossing and powerfulScott
Inversions
Devotion to LadyFull of awe, engrossing and powerful
women have absolute power over their warriors minds
Scott/Michaud
Inversions
Devotion to LadyFull of awe, engrossing and powerful
women have absolute power over their warriors minds
The Baron thinks and acts only for his gold
Scott/MichaudPushkin
Inversions
Devotion to Lady
women motivate their men to do good
Michaud
Inversions
Devotion to Lady
women motivate their men to do good
Barons gold motivates him to do evil
MichaudPushkin
Inversions
Devotion to Lady
women motivate their men to do good
Barons gold motivates him to do evil. Albert inherits the
flaw.
MichaudPushkin
InversionsGenerosity
Inversions
GenerosityReference to covetous relativestory in Memoirs of
Bertrand du GuesclinScott
Inversions
GenerosityReference to covetous relativestory in Memoirs of
Bertrand du Guesclin(10 pages later)Lord AudleyScott
Inversions
GenerosityReference to covetous relativestory in Memoirs of
Bertrand du Guesclin(10 pages later)Lord Audley & Gaston of
FoixScott
Inversions
GenerosityReference to covetous relativestory in Memoirs of
Bertrand du Guesclin(10 pages later)Lord Audley & Gaston of
FoixScott
Inversions
GenerosityReference to covetous relativestory in Memoirs of
Bertrand du Guesclin(10 pages later)Lord Audley & Gaston of
Foix
The Baron will not dress his son and keeps his coffers under
lock and keyScott
Pushkin
Inversions
GenerosityAll the romances inculcate the duty of scattering
wealth with profusion, especially towards the poorer members of
their own order. The last, who were pretty numerous, had a constant
right to succor from the opulent . Hallam
Inversions
Generosity
The Baron treats his son worse than a strangerPushkin
Inversions
Generosity
The Baron treats his son worse than a stranger
and the averageprisonerPushkin
InversionsSelf-abnegation
Inversions
Self-abnegationThe most admirable part of this institution was
the entire abnegation of self, -- that loyalty which made it the
duty of every knight to forget his own glory.
The Baron = God MichaudPushkin
Inversions
Self-abnegationThe most admirable part of this institution was
the entire abnegation of self, -- that loyalty which made it the
duty of every knight to forget his own glory.
The Baron = God His glory is an aberrationMichaudPushkin
Inversions
Self-abnegation
Barons power = lifeforce
Inversions
Self-abnegation
Barons power = lifeforce
robbery = death
Inversions
Self-abnegation
Barons power = lifeforce
robbery = death
like Molires miser
Inversions
Self-abnegation
Untruthfulness is the most shameful of crimes
Falsehood is grounds for official forfeiture of rank
Michaud/Hallam/Scott
Inversions
How dare you say such a thing to me?
Inversions
How dare you say such a thing to me?Or am I not a knight?
Inversions
NO, YOURE NOT!
How dare you say such a thing to me?Or am I not a knight?
Inversions
Pushkins Dialogue
with the French historians
Pushkins Dialogue
In its first development, chivalry was an instrument of peace,
an agent of morality. The knight swore 'to fear, reverence, and
save God religiously, to battle for the faith, to die rather than
renounce Christiantiy, to be faithful to his lord, to support the
rights of the weak, of the widow and the orphan, never to offend
the neighbor deliberately, never to undertake an action through a
motive of sordid gain, and to keep his faith inviolably in regard
to all' .... Hence it became in the hands of the Church a most
powerful auxiliary for the advancement of civilization.
Pushkins DialogueBut, we must carefully distinguish between this
kind of chivalry, which was a form or expression of Catholic life,
and that which, at a later period, was but the embodiment of a
worldly principle. [the latter] [assumed] the existence of higher
motives than those of the Christian faith, which introduced an
imaginary and independent principle of honor outside the duty
imposed by the divine law, and which, consequently, undertook to
legitimize the duel, --such chivalry, far from being approved by
the Church, was always held in abhorrence.
Pushkins DialogueKnightly attire
Pushkins Dialogue
Knightly attire
Pushkins Dialogue
Knightly attire
Pushkins Dialogue
Knightly attire
Pushkins Dialogue
Knightly attire
Pushkins Dialogue
Pushkins Dialogue
X 5
Pushkins Dialogue
Pushkins Dialogue
Pushkins Dialogue
Pushkins Dialogue
Pushkins Dialogue
Superficial
Pushkins Dialogue
The grotesque inner state of the Baron is the grand
socio-historical change for Pushkin
Pushkins DialogueFranois Guizotformulaic historywithin binds of
progressand providenceexternal events, of the visible and social
world.
Pushkins DialogueHenry Hallam
social life and manners are history itself
Pushkins DialogueHenry Hallam
The philosophy of history embraces far more than the wars and
treaties, the factions and cabals of common political narration: it
extends to whatever illustrates the character of the human species
in a particular period, to their reasonings and sentiments, their
arts and industry. (italics mine)
about.me/skrichards
the slides from my presentation Pushkins Anti-Knight: The
Decline of Medieval Europe in Covetous Knight are available hereGet
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