An experiment in the reconstruction of epics in the works of A. N. Veselovsky

Abstract

In the Russian science, the name of A. N. Veselovsky has repeatedly become the object of criticism: he was accused of schematism, positivism, evolutionism, which, however, did not prevent many scholars from comparing their own theories and hypotheses with his. This situation did not contribute to objective reading of the works of A. N. Veselovsky, prevented the study and popularization of his academic heritage. This article analyzes the theoretical and methodological prerequisites for conducring such experiments by A. N. Veselovsky with the aim of reconstructing the lost elements through poetic means of similar conglomerations – typologically and genetically related epic monuments of folklore and bookishness. One of the main tasks is to identify the categorical apparatus used by A. N. Veselovsky in order to describe his proposed procedural model for the development of the epic and the laws of text formation. To do this, we used the method of source study and textual analysis, studied the scholar's ideas related to the methodology developed by him and the selection of material, took into account the specificity of the direction of his work on epoconference. A. N. Veselovsky realized his ideas at the intersection of philosophical aesthetics, classical poetics, political economy, structural linguistics and mathematical statistics. There is no reason to think that his proposed algorithm for recreating pratext of epics cannot be further developed. An in-depth analysis of the syncretic narrative form of the epic work allowed A. N. Veselovsky to prove that both the poetic and literary analogues can be the basic level of the first text of the epic monument. In Russian folklore, A. N. Veselovsky was the pioneer of the structural method in the field of humanitarian cognition, and his historical and genetic studies made an indisputable contribution to epic studies. The content and conclusions of the article contribute to the interest in the works of A. N. Veselovsky and the discovery of new prospects in the field of folkloristic morphology and textology, experimental folklore, semantic and narratological study of the epic, etc.

References

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