Review of <i>Apophatic Literary Criticism. Notes of a Non-philologist</i>

Abstract

Apophatic Literary Criticism. Notes of a Non-philologist’ by Marianna Dudareva demonstrates Russian spirit and reflects the immense variety of characters and plots that influence people and manifest the creative power of literature. The author introduces a number of writers, from Sergei Yesenin to Vladimir Korolenko, with unique literary styles and a common apophatic approach to reality. The term apophatic comes from the Greek word to deny and initially referred to religious studies where it served both as a concept and a method. Apophatic theology attempted to approach God by negations rather than affirmations of what God is. M. Dudareva’s work showcases how literature studies instrumentalize the apophatic method of philosophy. This review complements the study with a reflection on the topic of death and its inextricable connection with life. Literature speaks of life and dwells on the struggle for life, that is also key to philosophical thinking. Enough to mention Arthur Schopenhauer and his idea of the will to live. In contrast to philosophy, literature uses a vivid, colorful, and copious language, while philosophy is concerned with universal principles. Some distinguished authors managed to bridge this gap. For instance, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, and Sartre created works of both literary and philosophical nature. The same can be traced in the short stories by B. Zaytsev and A. Grin, analyzed in the book. B. Zaytsev writes about death approaching us first through others, this idea is also found in V. Jankélévitch’s work Death. Death is never ours for it is always we or our death, but when we see it around it causes anxiety and fear. In Avdot’ya-smert’ (Avdot’ya-Death) the main character says a prayer to be relieved of her mother and son, whom she considers a burden. Once death enters their home it never stops, it gets closer, and at the end of the story it takes Avdot’ya too. In Grin’s Fighting Death, death struck Lorkh falls asleep and herein dreaming is not a harbinger of the darkness of eternal sleep. On the contrary, Lorkh wakes up willful and hopeful, he fights for his life and succeeds. These stories vibrantly illustrate the victory of life over death and death over life as the result of exercising one’s free will. Color in literature is another topic touched upon by the author. M. Dudareva refers to Goethe’s Zur Farbenlehre to speak about contrasts, and R. Steiner to underline the importance of black in creating an image where color range matches the emotional range.