Siberian Federal University

Issue

Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2017 10 (10)

Authors

Tyszkowska-Kasprzak, Elzbieta

Contact information

Tyszkowska-Kasprzak, Elzbieta: University of Wroclaw 1 Pl. Uniwersytecki, Wrocław, 50-137, Poland;

Keywords

E. Vodolazkin; reader-response criticism; literary criticism

Abstract

The article examines the Polish readers’ response to Eugene Vodolazkin’s novel ”Laurus” (published in Polish in 2015). To analyze this perception, the author has studied readers’ opinions on the Internet and critical reviews. The Polish readers’ response to the novel does not fit into Poland’s current cultural policy towards Russia. While Russia is represented in Poland not in a good light, there has not been any negative or even low assessment of “Laurus”. Most readers emphasize that the novel is understandable in Poland since Russians and Poles have the similar Slavic soul, the same emotionality, and akin worldviews. Having compared the opinions of critics and readers, one can notice a significant difference. The reader seeks in the literary text what is specifically literary and does not regard the work in the light of aesthetics, but rather evaluate it using such categories as personal emotions and impressions. What is important there is satisfaction with the work read, identification with the character, and a chance to get carried away. In turn, critics do not account for the possibility to separate the artistic text from the public context and they explain the aesthetic material taking into account another cultural order

Pages

1622-1629

Paper at repository of SibFU

https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/59588

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).