Challenging the Bard

Synopsis

When geniuses meet, something extraordinary happens, like lightning produced from colliding clouds, observed Russian poet Alexander Blok. There is perhaps no literary collision more fascinating and deserving of study than the relationship between Alexander Pushkin (1799 1837), Russias greatest poet, and Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821 81), its greatest prose writer. In the twentieth century, Pushkin, "Russias Shakespeare," became enormously influential, his literary successors universally acknowledging and venerating his achievements. In the nineteenth century, however, it was Dostoevsky more than any other Russian writer who wrestled with Pushkins legacy as cultural icon and writer. Though he idolized Pushkin in his later years, the younger Dostoevsky exhibited a much more contentious relationship with his eminent precursor. In Challenging the Bard, Gary Rosenshield engages with the critical histories of these two literary titans, illuminating how Dostoevsky reacted to, challenged, adapted, and ultimately transformed the work of his predecessor Pushkin. Focusing primarily on Dostoevskys works through 1866 including Poor Folk, The Double, Mr. Prokharchin, The Gambler, and Crime and Punishment Rosenshield observes that the younger writers way to literary greatness was not around Pushkin, but through him. By examining each literary figure in terms of the other, Rosenshield demonstrates how Dostoevsky both deviates from and honors the work of Pushkin. At its core, Challenging the Bard offers a unique perspective on the poetry of the master, Pushkin, the prose of his successor, Dostoevsky, and the nature of literary influence.

Copyright:

2013

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9780299293536

Publisher:

The University of Wisconsin Press

Date of Addition:

07/31/13

Copyrighted By:

The University of Wisconsin Press

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Literature and Fiction, Language Arts

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.