Why Did Modern Literary Theory Originate in Central and Eastern Europe? (And Why Is It Now Dead?)

• Authors: Tihanov G.
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

On the verge of the 21st century, we are supposed to acknowledge the diagnosis of death of theory of literature as a separate scientific discipline. At any rate, it is more or less eighty years old - from its birth date of, say, around 1910, to the last decade of 20th century. In a flashback view, its origins would fall on the period of activity of Russian formalists, the end line being drawn by Wolfgang Iser's turn, in the late eighties, from a theory of reception and phenomenology of reading into what he himself called a 'literary anthropology'; this end point was only sealed by Yuri Lotman's death in 1993. It was namely Lotman who was to consistently transform semiotics into a general theory of culture, which finally replaced theory of literature as a narrow concept. Resulting from a coincidence of historical circumstances, the practice of literary avant-garde (not specific, as it was, to the Central/Eastern Europe) demanded a justification on the grounds of theory of literature and started it up as a process.

Keywords

EN

LITERARY THEORY (CENTRAL/EASTERN EUROPE); SEMIOTICS & THEORY OF CULTURE

Discipline

• PHILOLOGY_&_LINGUISTICS: PHILOLOGY & LINGUISTICS

• Publisher: Institute of Literary Research, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Teksty Drugie (Second Texts)
• Year: 2007
• Issue: 4(106)
• Pages: 131-152
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Tihanov G.

• G. Tihanov, Lancaster University

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

08PLAAAA03597305