Published 2019-05-30
Keywords
- Vjačeslav Ivanov,
- Symbolism,
- Criticism,
- Ivanov Studies,
- Methodological Approaches
How to Cite
Abstract
The article provides an overview of publications about Vjačeslav Ivanov from the last three years in the context of a panoramic review of all Ivanov studies. This overview is based on a review of literary criticism from 1903 to 1995 undertaken by P. Davidson, who distinguished the main stages of mastering the poet’s many-sided legacy in the 20th century: the development of his literary reputation; inclusion into the literary canon of Russian modernism; the period of oblivion and, finally, the return of the poet’s name to the realm of Russian and European literary studies. The main subject under consideration is the development of Russian Ivanov studies, and the identification of existing methodological approaches to Ivanov’s heritage. The criterion base of this taxonomy is the distinction between the history of literature and literary history as a distinction between the integral, conceptualizing and empirical fields of philology science. An analysis of contemporary Ivanov studies allows us to make a conclusion about the prevalence of empirical approaches (studying the facts of Ivanov’s life and work) and the existence of a conceptual deficiency connected with the crisis of the humanities in general.