Mar 17, 2016 defamiliarization by nasrullah mambrol on march 17, 2016 3 the russian formalists concept of defamiliarization, proposed by viktor shklovsky in his art as technique, refers to the literary device whereby language is used in such a way that ordinary and familiar objects are made to look different. Form, rather, is where its atthe defining feature of the literary work and the singular determinant of its. Mar 19, 2020 it is left to the writers to find new approaches to defamiliarization. By nasrullah mambrol on march 17, 2016 10 russian formalism, which emerged around 1915 and flourished in the 1920s, was associated with the opojaz society for the study of poetic language and with the moscow linguistic society one of the leading figures of which was roman jakobson and read more. Examining formalism in light of more recent developments in literary theory, peter steiner here offers the most comprehensive critique of formalism to date. Linguostylistic and cognitive aspect of defamiliarization in literary texts. I personally feel that defamiliarization is found almost everywhere form is found. Viktor shkolvskys critical writing was the most prominent work of russian formalism. Defamiliarization project gutenberg selfpublishing. Formalism, innovative 20thcentury russian school of literary criticism.
Four essays, second edition regents critics by lee t. The attempt of this school was to make the study of literature more scientific in nature. Art makes language strange, as well as the world that the language presents. Formalism is a school of literary criticism that originated in the former soviet union during the first world war. If the entire complex life of many people passes by unconsciously. The russian formalists concept of defamiliarization, proposed by. Defamiliarization is an old concept, stemming from russian formalism which can be placed in the period between 1915 and 1930 approximately. Viktor shklovsky russian formalist criticism in literature. View defamiliarization distancing effect of bertolt brecht research papers on academia. Automatization swallows up things, clothing, furniture, ones wife, and the fear of war. Russian formalism influenced the literary theory of structuralism. In this essay, shklovsky defines estrangement in the following terms. The influence of russian formalism on twentiethcentury art and culture is largely due to the literary technique of defamiliarization or making strange, and has also been linked to freuds notion of the uncanny.
Formalism russian a brief but influential 20thcentury critical method that originated in st. According to this theory, literary creation should be aimed at achieving the effect of defamiliarization, which means to employ all kinds of devices to make the familiar objects unfamiliar to the readers so as. Russian formalism was probably the first school in literary theory that looked at poetry and literature in general as true linguistic phenomena. By nasrullah mambrol on march 17, 2016 3 the russian formalists concept of defamiliarization, proposed by viktor shklovsky in his art as technique, refers to the literary device whereby language is used in such a way that ordinary and familiar objects are made to look different.
Kuntakas theory of vakrokti and russian formalism consider that a certain obliqueness or indirection or defamiliarization is the most distinguishing characteristic. Russian formalism quick reference a school of literary theory and analysis that emerged in russia around 1915, devoting itself to the study of literariness, i. It includes the work of a number of highly influential russian and soviet scholars such as viktor shklovsky, yuri tynianov, vladimir propp, boris eichenbaum, roman jakobson, boris tomashevsky, grigory gukovsky who revolutionised literary criticism between 1914 and the 1930s by establishing the. One of the key concepts of russian formalism is defamiliarization. A school of literary criticism that emerged in russia around 1915, 3. Apr 06, 2012 literary criticism, ii, russian formalism 1.
Defamiliarization by nasrullah mambrol on march 17, 2016 3 the russian formalists concept of defamiliarization, proposed by viktor shklovsky in his art as technique, refers to the literary device whereby language is used in such a way that ordinary and familiar objects are made to look different. It had its heyday in the 1920s and it acquired its name from its emphasis on form rather than on content. Defamiliarization distancing effect of bertolt brecht. If you have a serious interest in literature or literary theory, this is an invaluable resource. He was a major voice of formalism, a critical school that had great influence in russian literature in the 1920s. One of his most attractive concepts was the notion of defamiliarization. Get an answer for what is russian formalism, and what was its effect on literature. In other words, the difference between potebnyas point of. Russian formalism is the european counterpart of the angloamerican new criticism. Russian formalism is distinctive for its emphasis on the functional role of literary devices and its original conception of literary history. The formalist school of thought refused to naturalize text by attributing it to the state of mind of the author, but instead it focused its critical writing on. Important formalists included roman jakobson and viktor shklovsky. Pdf the presentation explicates the school of theory and analysis which emerged around 1915 in russia and.
Define defamiliarization, stream of consciousness, reflexive novel, and writerly give examples of defamiliarization in literature to unlock this lesson you must be a member. Russian formalism, one of the twentieth centurys most important movements in literary criticism, has received far less attention than most of its rivals. Russian literature from 1750 onwards and on the basis of this corpus. Defamiliarization theory, as an important concept of the russian formalism, was first proposed by victor shklovsky 18931984 in1917. In his pioneering study, russian formalism first edition in 1955, victor erlich translates ostranenie as the device of making it strange 177. First he points out that defamiliarization is a way of differentiating art manifestations from any other modes of expression. Fueled by illusions of scholarship, i attempted to evaluate this great italian filmmaker through the lens of russian formalist literary criticism. Viktor shklovsky, who is a theorist of russian formalism, has pointed out that the technique of art is to make objects unfamiliar, to make forms difficult, to increase the. Russian formalism the johns hopkins guide to literary.
Russian formalism s major contributions can be approached in terms of basic perspectives and major research areas. Woal introduction the idea of defamiliarization originated with the russian formalist critic victor shklovsky as a formula to characterize aesthetic discourse and set it apart from nonart. It is a school of literary criticism that originated in the former russia around 1915. The term defamiliarization was coined by victor shklovsky, one of the most accomplished practitioners of russian formalism in his dawn breaking essay art as technique.
The word defamiliarization was coined by the early 20thcentury russian literary critic viktor shklovsky in his essay art as technique. He is one of the major figures associated with russian formalism viktor shklovskys theory of prose was published in 1925. But jameson, in his lucid analysis of formalism s pitfalls and relevance, goes even further. Jul 21, 2019 art as technique by viktor shklovsky pdf victor shklovosky, a founder of the opayaz group in russia, occupies a significant position in russian formalism by introducing his literary concept of. V iktor shklovskys name has become synonymous with the russian formalist movement that he helped to found in the early decades of the 20 th century. What are the major differences between russian formalism and. Its principles posed a great shift from the traditional approaches during its time, and so it sparked a movement in the field of literary studies. The process by which literary works unsettle readers habitual ways of seeing the world. Defamiliarization is a literary technique in which the process of writing is itself focused on more than any particular plotline. Shelley in defence of poetry 1840, and of several modern formalist critics, it is a distinctive feature of literature, especially poetry, that it tears away what shelley called the veil of familiarity.
A survey of recent empirical studies of literary comprehension shows that little attention has been paid to the effects of literary style, often known as foregrounding. He argued that defamiliarization is, more or less, the point of all art. Pdf permanent defamiliarization as rhetorical device or. Crucial formalist distinctions between plot and story, practical and poetic language. Get an answer for what are the features of russian formalism. A personal history in 1977, i wrote a college thesis about michelangelo antonioni. He begins by distinguishing russian formalism from hermeneutics. In the preface to her book of interviews with viktor shklovsky, the italian writer and translator serena vitale describes her third meeting with the aged founder of russian formalism still. Victor shklovskys 1914 essay on futurist poetry, the resurrection of the word marked the beginning of russian formalism. The new critics and the russian formalists underpin all of the immense range of topics, ideas, and considerations in the field of literary theory in the twentieth century. Petersburg through the group opoyaz, and in moscow via the moscow linguistic circle. One of its representatives, viktor shklovsky coined the term defamiliarization ostranenie in russian. Defamiliarization is not simply a question of perception.
The presentation explicates the school of theory and analysis which emerged around 1915 in russia and aimed teo create the science of literature. Application of the concept of defamiliarization in. Form and content according to russian formalism, to understand literature one has to look at the form as well as the content. Most leaders dont even know the game theyre in simon sinek at live2lead 2016 duration. Russian formalism is a school of literary criticism formed in russia that became highly influential in the early decades of the 1900s. Along with literariness, the most important concept of the school was that of defamiliarization. Viktor shklovsky, in full viktor borisovich shklovsky, born january 24 january 12, old style, 1893, st. With a series of landmark papers, he taught generations of readers that, in the art of literature, content simply doesnt matter. Such habituation explains the principles by which, in ordinary speech, we leave phrases unfinished and words half. The art of defamiliarization in adgar allan poes short. Petersburg later leningrad and led by viktor shklovsky. Russian formalists advocated a scientific method for studying poetic language, to the exclusion of traditional psychological and culturalhistorical approaches. Defamiliarization pangborn major reference works wiley. Victor shklovosky, a founder of the opayaz group in russia, occupies a significant position in russian formalism.
Viktor shklovsky, who is a theorist of russian formalism, has pointed out that the technique of art is to. Brecht and russian formalism in britain in the 1970s. Art and literature have the ability to make us see the world anew to make that which has become familiar, because we have been overexposed to it, strange again. Defamiliarization defamiliarization of that which is or has become familiar automatically perceived is the basic use of literary language. Jan 16, 2017 before the twentieth century, most literary theorists tended to view the relation between text and meaning through the prism of history, psychology, symbolism, and literary biography. According to the russian formalists who coined the term, it is the central concept of art and poetry. He was also associated with the russian army during the 1 st world war. Petersburg, russiadied december 8, 1984, moscow, russian literary critic and novelist. Defamiliarization and the unprompted not innocent eye. According to russian formalism, poetry is the quintessential form of literary language, as it presents speech organized in its entire phonic structure, which deforms practical language to draw attention to itself.
He founded opoyaz society for the study of poetic language in the year 1916 which planted the seeds of russian formalism. Defamiliarization comprises both the slowing down and the increased difficulty impeding of the process of reading and comprehending and an awareness of the literary procedures devices. Aesthetic and rhetorical modes of experiencing television michael b. Viktor shklovsky 18931984 was a russian literary theorist. Some of its concepts are still in use today in literary criticism. If we start to examine the general laws of perception, we see that as perception becomes habitual, it becomes automatic. What is russian formalism, and what was its effect on. A term used by the russian formalist viktor shklovsky to describe the capacity of art to counter the deadening effect of habit and convention by investing the familiar with strangeness and thereby deautomatizing perception. For a fuller account, consult peter steiner, russian formalism 1984. Russian formalism second edition 2005 russian formalism is the name for a group of literary scholars and linguists who between 1916 and 1929, while most were still in their twenties, developed a series of innovative theoretical concepts, claims, models, and methodological norms concerning various aspects of the literary system and its study.
Russian formalism and defamiliarization on world literature. Shklovskys work pushes russian formalism towards understanding literary activity as integral parts of social practice, an idea that becomes important in the work of mikhail bakhtin and russian and prague school scholars of semiotics. Verfremdung in german, which refers to the intentional deviation from practical, everyday language in poetry and literature. The initial perspective was aestheticist, ahistorical, reductive, and mechanistic and is associated with the early shklovskii. Engl 300 lecture 7 russian formalism open yale courses. Its central tenant is that the text of the writers work should be the focus of any inquiry or criticism regarding the work. Rediscovered in the west in the 1960s, the work of the russian formalists has had an important influence on structuralist theories of literature, and on some of the more recent varieties of marxist literary criticism. According to russian formalism defamiliarization is the basic function of all devices 1987. Art as technique by viktor shklovsky pdf victor shklovosky, a founder of the opayaz group in russia, occupies a significant position in russian formalism. Opoyaz, an acronym for russian words meaning society for the study of poetic language, founded in 1916 at st. It is a process of transformation where language asserts its power to affect our perception. Shklovsky, widely viewed as the founder of russian formalism, identifies defamiliarization as the artistic technique able, in his famous example. Art as technique, defamiliarization, jan mukarovsky, r, roman jakobson, russian formalism, viktor shklovsky. He founded opoyaz society for the study of poetic language in the year 1916 which planted the seeds of.
The essential point for the verification of a hypothesis of. The narrator of kholstomer, for example, is a horse, and it is the horses point of view rather than a persons that makes the content of the. Eikhenbaums dependency on core ideas of marxist and darwinian philosophies of struggle and evolution is explained. Viktor shklovsky boris eichenbaum roman jakobson vladimir propp yuri tynianov understand artworks. Literary criticism 336 eng iirussian formalism dr mohammed fahmy raiayh 2. Formalism is a literary theory that was spearheaded by two main bodies russian formalists and new critics which focused on understanding the literary text through the text itself. Whereas symbolism thought of literature as a means to apprehend a universal truth a truth that could only be revealed by. How does it differ from other formalistic ideology.
Art as technique 1917 viktor shklovsky art is thinking in images. Two modern examples of the literary strategy of defamiliarization are james joyces stream of consciousness writing, and the use of magical realism by gabriel garcia marquez in his novels. Defamiliarization is a core concept of russian formalism. What are the major differences between russian formalism. The initial perspective was aestheticist, ahistorical, reductive, and mechanistic and is. Unlike the symbolists he tried to perceive and define the techniques which are. Jun 11, 2014 this is a picture of viktor shklovsky, one of the main voices behind a way of thinking about literature that today is known as russian formalism. Russian formalism was a literary movement a school of literary criticism that emerged in former soviet union in early phase of 20 th century. Art as technique shklovsky pdf art as technique by victor shklovsky. Jan 24, 20 formalism is a literary theory that was spearheaded by two main bodies russian formalists and new critics which focused on understanding the literary text through the text itself. Defamiliarization is viewed as one of the ways of creating such imagery in the text. The definition of estrangement first appeared in print in shklovskys essay art as device iskusstvo kak priem i n 1916. Russian formalism challenged the traditional idea of critical literary analysis that art should conceal its literary devices.
Defamiliarization in russian literature to illustrate what he means by defamiliarization, shklovsky uses examples from tolstoy, whom he cites as using the technique throughout his works. Russian formalism was an influential school of literary criticism in russia from the 1910s to the 1930s. The opojaz group, the society for the study of poetic language pomorska. Russian formalism was a school of literary criticism in russia from the 1910s to the 1930s. The possibilities of socialpsychological methodology as applied to national specificity of research activity in russia are examined. A commentary on defamiliarization midway word that through some of part the i of lilliputians gullivers have travels found, gulliver a great receives black word that some of the lilliputians have found a great black substance. His aim was to define the techniques of art which writers employed to produce specific effects. Russian formalism emerged in the opening decades of the twentieth century as a reaction to the mystification of literature found in the influential paneuropean arts movement of symbolism.
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