The Early Period of Yuly Aykhenvald’s Activity (1896–1901): To the Problem of Development of Literary Critical Method

Abstract

The article analyzes the early period of Yuly Aykhenvaldʼs literary-critical activity, from 1896 to 1901. The base line of the research consists of publications in the bibliographic department of the Russkiye Vedomosti newspaper, as well as notes and articles in the Courier newspaper, the journals Herald of Education, Russkaya Mysl, Voprosy filosofii i psikhologii. The article traces the path of the critic from small notes-reviews in the Bibliography section to full-fledged articles of literary criticism. Particular attention is paid to his early experiments in the essay genre, such as the note “Fyodor Tyutchev” and the article “A Few Words in Memory of Goncharov.” These publications are compared with later essays on the same writers. Summing up the results, it can be concluded that during this period the formation of Aykhenvald as a reviewer took place and the stylistic and genre features of his critical individuality began to take shape. The article reveals that he was drawn to that type of essay, which is based on the penetration into the artistic world of the writer without taking into account the biographical and historical context. He acquired the first outlines of his literary-critical method, which he later called “immanent criticism.” Stylization and emotional quoting, combined with the interpretation of quotations, became his main techniques.

Keywords

• aykhenvald
• literary criticism
• journalism
• essay
• review
• russkiye vedomosti