Academic Studies Press The Irony of the Ideal: Paradoxes of Russian Literature (Ars Rossica)

This book explores the major paradoxes of Russian literature as a manifestation of both tragic and ironic contradictions of human nature and national character. Russian literature, from Pushkin and Gogol to Chekhov, Nabokov and to postmodernist writers, is studied as a holistic text that plays on the reversal of such opposites as being and nothingness, reality and simulation, and rationality and absurdity. The glorification of Mother Russia exposes her character as a witch; a little man is transformed into a Christ figure; consistent rationality betrays its inherent madness, and extreme verbosity produces the effect of silence. The greatest Russian writers were masters of spiritual self–denial and artistic self–destruction, which explains many paradoxes and unpredictable twists of Russian history up to our time. Review A. S. Brown’s impressive translation, together with the volume’s strong internal coherence, amply justifies the appearance of a book that shows a remarkable consistency of thought over several decades. Like all his chosen interlocutors, Epstein is a writer with his own path, his put’. -- Oliver Ready ― The Times Literary Supplement “Not every world-class cultural critic can also produce the breathtaking close reading―but such is Epstein’s gift. He sees equally clearly from the outside looking in and the inside looking out. This tour de force chronicle, covering three centuries of literary masterpieces, starts with the Faustian demonic in Pushkin and ends with Russian Being and Nothingness: Nabokov, Platonov, forms of falling silent. Throughout, Epstein reveals the deep affinities between German philosophy and Russian fictions. Russian ontology has been perhaps the more ecstatic and insistent to destroy what it worships. And the fate of Russian literature has been to inspire the planet.” -- Caryl Emerson, Princeton University “It won’t be an exaggeration to say that Epstein takes Russian literature more seriously (and passionately) than any other contemporary critic does. Moreover, he takes it in its totality―from Lomonosov to Prigov and beyond―as a living metaphysical Gospel of Russian culture which consists of a number of basic clusters or knots of ironic paradoxes and develops in cycles and phases (he even offers a compelling Periodical Table of Russian literature). In a series of vertiginous interpretations of works of Russian writers, Epstein immerses us into the dangerous waters of the ‘metaphysical unconscious’ of Russian literature but always preserves a full command of his rational analysis―a risky game in which he gains numerous victories (don’t miss his illuminating discussion of ‘controlled madness’ in Pushkin, Batiushkov, and Kabakov). This intellectually and methodologically challenging and lucidly written (and translated) book represents a fine example of the art of thinking about literature and should become a major touchstone for readers of Russian literature within and outside of the academia.” -- Ilya Vinitsky, Professor of Russian, Princeton University About the Author Mikhail Epstein is Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Cultural Theory and Russian Literature at Emory University (USA) and Honorary Professor of Durham University (UK). His research interests include new directions in the humanities, contemporary philosophy and religion, Russian literature, and postmodernism. He has authored 30 books, and his works have been translated into 23 languages.