In Yuz Aleshkovsky's prose, the writer creates the literary image of the Soviet Union's 'new man' and his reflection on Soviet history.
Representing the third wave of Russian Literature in immigration, Aleshkovsky published his samizdat works in the West. This thesis includes an
in-depth coverage of three Aleshkovsky novels: The Hand and Kangaroo written in the Soviet Union and circulated in the underground, and A Ring
in a Case, a work compiled and published in the United States which covers the intra-collapse era of the Soviet Regime. The goal of this
argument is to explore through the prism of Bakhtin's carnival, Aleshkovsky's literary image of the 'new-man' versus the ordinary man as an
alternative to the literary images of socialist realism; and discuss the depictions of history and historical figures as Aleshkovsky's
post-modern response to the state-mandated socialist-realist aesthetic. In Aeshkovky's works the main protagonists suffer from the complication
of sexual impotence. This artistic method provides Aleshkovsky the necessary framework to present his treatment of the theme of masculinity and
how it was affected by the Soviet experiment, contrasting the 'new-man' with who is referred to as either a 'regular' or ordinary man. To depict
the Soviet reality in which the 'new-man' lives, Aleshkovsky portrays Soviet history using mennipean satire. This thesis explicates
Aleshkovsky's image of Soviet history by applying Mikhail Bakhtin's characteristics of the mennipea. This methodology illuminates how
Aleshkovsky renders history as carnival, creating the inverted paradigm in which the grotesque and absurd allow the reader a truer depiction of
the Soviet reality than any official history. Aleshkovsky's use of demonic imagery works to contradict the socialism and radicalism of the
revolutionaries in his works. Those who created the Soviet state did so in service of the Ideal, Truth, and Purpose. They believed that their
ends would justify their means. Portraying those who worked for the good of the people as demonic is the complete reversal of the official Party
line, adding to Aleshkovsky's alternative yet parallel world omnipresent in his works. The absurdist depiction of the revolutionaries
underscores Aleshkovsky's aversion to fanatical ideology, notably socialism. The man of the new type, being so possessed by the idea of
historical necessity is concerned not with his own fate but the fate of the collective, and if the new-man is not concerned with his own fate
how could he be with that of another? The men lack any sense of reason; unable to think for themselves, they believe to sit in prison is their
duty in the building of socialism. To accomplish his rejection of the effects of communism on society and history within the Soviet Union and
then the emerging Russian state, Aleshkovsky employs the literary devices of skaz and constructs a poetic, carnivalesque world in which the
absurd and grotesque are more realistic depictions than any official history. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Fall Semester 2018. / November 16, 2018. / absurd, Aleshkovsky, A Ring in a Case, Bakhtin, Kangaroo, The Hand / Includes bibliographical references. / Nina Efimov, Professor Directing Thesis; Lisa Wakamiya, Committee Member; Robert Romanchuk, Committee
Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_661183 |
| Contributors | Wittman, Robert John (author), Efimov, Nina A. (professor directing thesis), Wakamiya, Lisa Ryoko, 1969- (committee member), Romanchuk, Robert (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college), Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text, master thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (39 pages), computer, application/pdf |
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