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Leitmotiv in Russian Novels of the 19th and 20th Centuries

Very few readers notice that the general plot structure of three of the greatest Russian novels of the 20th century – Doctor Zhivago, And Quiet Flows the Don, and Lolita – is the same, because the authors have unwittingly described the same situation. Each story features main heroines, symbolizing Russia, who are defiled by their fathers (or step-fathers) and then run away with lovers and bear dead children. Incest becomes a metaphor of power that depraves the country through criminal methods of governing. In Nabokov's case, the topic of defilement and forbidden passion is always connected with the threat of prison (Invitation to a Beheading, Bend Sinister, preface to Lolita, and Lolita itself: in attempting to become free from obsessive desire, the hero falls deeper and deeper into an abyss of dependence and fear. It is the best metaphor for the 1917 revolution which only deteriorated the conditions of Russian life). Meanwhile, the main hero hopes that the fulfillment of sinful wish would cure him, but it is a great delusion both in moral and social terms. This plot line first appeared in Tolstoy's novel, The Resurrection, which in essence predicted Russian history for more than 100 years.

Date & Time

Thursday
Jun. 11, 2015
4:00pm – 5:30pm ET

Location

6th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center
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Overview

Exploring Russian Literature Series

Cosponsored by: Kennan Institute; Russian American Foundation; RTVi (Independent Russian TV Network); The New York Public Library. This event organized as part of the 13th Annual Russian Heritage Month®

Very few readers notice that the general plot structure of three of the greatest Russian novels of the 20th century – Doctor Zhivago, And Quiet Flows the Don, and Lolita – is the same, because the authors have unwittingly described the same situation. Each story features main heroines, symbolizing Russia, who are defiled by their fathers (or step-fathers) and then run away with lovers and bear dead children. Incest becomes a metaphor of power that depraves the country through criminal methods of governing. In Nabokov's case, the topic of defilement and forbidden passion is always connected with the threat of prison (Invitation to a Beheading, Bend Sinister, preface to Lolita, and Lolita itself: in attempting to become free from obsessive desire, the hero falls deeper and deeper into an abyss of dependence and fear. It is the best metaphor for the 1917 revolution which only deteriorated the conditions of Russian life). Meanwhile, the main hero hopes that the fulfillment of sinful wish would cure him, but it is a great delusion both in moral and social terms. This plot line first appeared in Tolstoy's novel, The Resurrection, which in essence predicted Russian history for more than 100 years.

 

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Speaker

Mr. Dmitry Bykov

Writer, Poet, and Journalist, Moscow
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Hosted By

Kennan Institute

The Kennan Institute is the premier U.S. center for advanced research on Russia and Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange.  Read more

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