Nina as just Nina: The life-creation of N.I. Petrovskaya in the light of A.P. Chekhov's “The Seagull”
The article examines the life-creation of the writer and translator Nina Petrovskaya, whose tragic love relationship with Valeriy Bryusov became a vivid literary fact of Russian symbolism. It is generally believed that Petrovskaya created her own life based on Bryusov’s novel The Fiery Angel, in par...
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| Language: | English |
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Russian Academy of Sciences. A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Литературный факт |
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| Online Access: | https://litfact.ru/images/2024-34/13_Uspenskij.pdf |
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| author | Pavel F. Uspenskij |
| author_facet | Pavel F. Uspenskij |
| author_sort | Pavel F. Uspenskij |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The article examines the life-creation of the writer and translator Nina Petrovskaya, whose tragic love relationship with Valeriy Bryusov became a vivid literary fact of Russian symbolism. It is generally believed that Petrovskaya created her own life based on Bryusov’s novel The Fiery Angel, in particular, Renata, the protagonist, became her biographical model. This interpretation of the text of Petrovskaya’s life was largely set by the writer herself, who identified with Renata in correspondence with Bryusov. The reasons for merging with a literary character and the motives for her own renaming seem to be a natural consequence of Bryusov’s life-creation experiment. Such an explanation deprives Petrovskaya of subjectivity and turns her into a passive victim of the symbolist master, without taking into account her life choice — the desire to be in a painful relationship and prolong it. As shown in the article, Petrovskaya’s life-creating model goes back not so much to Bryusov’s text as to Chekhov’s The Seagull. Focusing on Nina Zarechnaya and finding herself in a similar life conflict as the heroine of the play, Petrovskaya voluntarily created a tragic story from her life. This model text for Petrovskaya also explains her onomastic gesture: renaming herself Renata is associated with the self-renaming of Zarechnaya as a seagull. The article also addresses the topic “Chekhov and Russian Modernism” and demonstrates that Chekhov’s texts could be perceived by symbolists as life-creating models. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-21f4e539bc64416aadf73de8a982c205 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2541-8297 2542-2421 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Russian Academy of Sciences. A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Литературный факт |
| spelling | doaj-art-21f4e539bc64416aadf73de8a982c2052024-12-22T12:28:28ZengRussian Academy of Sciences. A.M. Gorky Institute of World LiteratureЛитературный факт2541-82972542-24212024-12-0143424325410.22455/2541-8297-2024-34-243-254Nina as just Nina: The life-creation of N.I. Petrovskaya in the light of A.P. Chekhov's “The Seagull”Pavel F. Uspenskij0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2356-3036the School of Philological Studies of the National Research University Higher School of EconomicsThe article examines the life-creation of the writer and translator Nina Petrovskaya, whose tragic love relationship with Valeriy Bryusov became a vivid literary fact of Russian symbolism. It is generally believed that Petrovskaya created her own life based on Bryusov’s novel The Fiery Angel, in particular, Renata, the protagonist, became her biographical model. This interpretation of the text of Petrovskaya’s life was largely set by the writer herself, who identified with Renata in correspondence with Bryusov. The reasons for merging with a literary character and the motives for her own renaming seem to be a natural consequence of Bryusov’s life-creation experiment. Such an explanation deprives Petrovskaya of subjectivity and turns her into a passive victim of the symbolist master, without taking into account her life choice — the desire to be in a painful relationship and prolong it. As shown in the article, Petrovskaya’s life-creating model goes back not so much to Bryusov’s text as to Chekhov’s The Seagull. Focusing on Nina Zarechnaya and finding herself in a similar life conflict as the heroine of the play, Petrovskaya voluntarily created a tragic story from her life. This model text for Petrovskaya also explains her onomastic gesture: renaming herself Renata is associated with the self-renaming of Zarechnaya as a seagull. The article also addresses the topic “Chekhov and Russian Modernism” and demonstrates that Chekhov’s texts could be perceived by symbolists as life-creating models.https://litfact.ru/images/2024-34/13_Uspenskij.pdfrussian symbolismlife-creationnina petrovskayavaleriy bryusovanton chekhovchekhov and russian modernism“the seagull” |
| spellingShingle | Pavel F. Uspenskij Nina as just Nina: The life-creation of N.I. Petrovskaya in the light of A.P. Chekhov's “The Seagull” Литературный факт russian symbolism life-creation nina petrovskaya valeriy bryusov anton chekhov chekhov and russian modernism “the seagull” |
| title | Nina as just Nina: The life-creation of N.I. Petrovskaya in the light of A.P. Chekhov's “The Seagull” |
| title_full | Nina as just Nina: The life-creation of N.I. Petrovskaya in the light of A.P. Chekhov's “The Seagull” |
| title_fullStr | Nina as just Nina: The life-creation of N.I. Petrovskaya in the light of A.P. Chekhov's “The Seagull” |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nina as just Nina: The life-creation of N.I. Petrovskaya in the light of A.P. Chekhov's “The Seagull” |
| title_short | Nina as just Nina: The life-creation of N.I. Petrovskaya in the light of A.P. Chekhov's “The Seagull” |
| title_sort | nina as just nina the life creation of n i petrovskaya in the light of a p chekhov s the seagull |
| topic | russian symbolism life-creation nina petrovskaya valeriy bryusov anton chekhov chekhov and russian modernism “the seagull” |
| url | https://litfact.ru/images/2024-34/13_Uspenskij.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pavelfuspenskij ninaasjustninathelifecreationofnipetrovskayainthelightofapchekhovstheseagull |