Vol 1, No 2 (2015)
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7-22 3
Abstract
The heroic epic — a genre of oral and written literature consisting of tales about extraordinary actions and events in a mythological or pseudo-historical past — emerged in the period of early-state formation and of the tribal confederations that preceded it. However, it continued to fourish well after the end of this era, when earlier forms were reinterpreted (often in the spirit of national patriotism) and formed the basis of lateepic genre structures. The archaic epic remained faithful to the mythological interpretation of narrated events, and its plots reveal biographical patterns of the archaic “heroic tale”. In the “classical” epic images of epic heroes and their antagonists become demythologised, demonic foes are replaced by generalized fgures of historical enemies, and epic conficts begin to refect real historic events. The epic, however, is not a blurred, primitive record of history, but an act of constructing a new — epic — world and a new — epic — model of history on the basis of historical recollections. Finally, the term literary epic, commonly applied to no more than two dozen works in world literature, is used in folkloristics and literary studies to designate texts of ancient and medieval literature which supposedly directly refect underlying oral epic traditions, but which subsequently obtained their fnal shape in the process of literary fxation.
23-53 1
Abstract
The article gives a survey of the history of Homeric studies from the end of the 18th century up to the present time. Special attention is paid to the opposition of the Neo-Analytical school and the so-called “oral theory”. The author claims that their main arguments are fairly close to each other, and their divergences concern specifc issues and details. In this respect, the “Homeric question” in its traditional articulation is pretty much solved, and nowadays we are dealing with its breaking up into a number of more specifcally focused, but no less interesting problems. A special emphasis is made on the modern treatment of the notion of formula, on the interaction between formula and theme (motif, type-scene), and on the different versions of the poems' dating and their relation to the epic cycle.
54-85
Abstract
The history of scholarly investigation of the Song of Roland (and the Romanic epic on the whole, including the Song of My Cid) refects all the twists and upheavals characterizing epic studies throughout the last 150 years. Search for the origins gave way to the problem of text fxation, its dating and characteristics of the text being fxed; meanwhile, the very methodology of analyzing different narrative techniques, those of traditional oral and written cultures, has become quite elaborate and precise. The article starts with a historical survey of scholarly explorations of chansons de geste, which lays the basis for further inquiry into the peculiarities of the interaction between traditional epic models and the historical and cultural context of the time when the Song of Roland was composed and assumed its fnal shape. Special attention is paid to the problem of transformation of the traditional constituent elements of the Song, i.e. epic character patterns, themes, motifs and formulaic structure of the poem. Such an approach casts new light upon a number of much discussed topics, such as: 1) the contamination of oral and written techniques; 2) the interpretation of plot development and, specifcally, of the episode describing the battle with Baligan; 3) the illogical (from the traditional epic point of view) ending of the poem with Charlemagne's victory; 4) the problem of the poem's main hero (whether it is Charlemagne or Roland) etc. Analysis of these problematic issues shows that within the Song a traditional epic plot interacts with a contemporary ideological framework not in a “smooth and synthesizing” way, but in a rather sharp and pointedly conficting manner. Each component resists an organic unity, and the basic traditional plot (mostly revealed by the poem's motive structure), which has a long history behind it, hardly yields to alignment with contemporary cultural patterns.
86-112 2
Abstract
The article represents an attempt to analyze a famous Early Irish epic saga narrative, Táin bó Cuailnge, as a production of pseudo-historical monastic tradition. At the same time, the text is treated as a source of information about the mythology and archaic history of Early Ireland as well as a source of information about the Middle Irish political and historical background, which to a signifcant degree determined the narrative structure of the monument. The author also uncovers in the text an echo of national problems present in Ireland during 1st – 3rd century AD, but, as a rule, tabooed in later Middle Irish historical and literature tradition.
113-130 2
Abstract
Kitab-i dedem Korkut (The Book of Dede Korkut in the language of the tribe of the Oghuz) is the only monument of medieval epics of the Turkic peoples that has come down to us in written form. This monument refects both the events of early Turkic semi-legendary history (not only historical facts, but also a set of mythological beliefs) and later events connected with the spread of their power in the territory of Asia Minor and with their contacts with Byzantium. The stories that comprise the Book of Dede Korkut display a clear connection with both the common Turkic literary and folk tradition, and with more recent strata.
131-150 2
Abstract
The paper examines historical and genetic aspects of the study of the Nibelungenlied and presents a wide spectrum of studies of the German literary epic. Special attention is paid to the analysis of composition, versifcation, and style of the Nibelungenlied and the description of the major plot components of this work of medieval literature.
151-176 3
Abstract
It is well known that the earliest Japanese mythological codices, that is, Kojiki and Nihon shoki, contain several versions of the creation myth. For instance, the creative activity of Izanaki and Izanami who gave birth to deities, land, luminaries, rivers, mountains and so on can be perceived as such. Also, some phenomena and deities appeared and evolved by themselves before the two main deities, while after them the divine pair of Amaterasu and Susanoo produced some deities by crunching a magatama necklace. The object of this paper is to look into several motifs, which seem to be of secondary importance in the Kojiki narrative, but which — if viewed as typologically similar to the creation myths of other mythologies — reveal their latent nature as signifcant refections of yet other types of cosmological ideas, central for creation myths in other cultures, particularly those in East and South Asia.
177-185 2
Abstract
This paper presents a Russian translation of a Tahitian creation myth recorded by John Orsmond in the late XIXth century. The translation comes with a textological commentary and а note on when and how the original myth was recorded.
186-204 3
Abstract
Anyone who has been paying close attention to Russian politics over the past years can attest to the heightened attention devoted to public language and the internet as sources of verbal, cultural, and political contamination. According to one policy watch group, in just the past six months, some 20 different pieces of draft legislation have been introduced to restrict, control, monitor, or otherwise regulate the Russian-language internet (Runet). This article examines how and why commonly held attitudes toward language help shape the perception of degradation, pollution, anarchy and all-permissiveness, beginning with the phenomenon of “scumbag language” (iazyk padonkov) and extending to Putin's recently embraced civilizational discourse. This perception, in turn, has made Russian internet culture vulnerable to symbolic associations with all sorts of taboo or otherwise socially unacceptable behavior (ranging from cursing to treason, with slander, blasphemy, extremism, and pedophilia somewhere along that spectrum) and has thus provided rhetorical justifcation for regulating, reigning in, repatriating, and ultimately censoring Runet-based civil discourse.
205-225
Abstract
The current study aims to reveal and analyze the local distribution, lexicological parameters and etymology of Russian regional urban names for the children's outdoor game “semeika” (‘family') by examining online usage with various Web search options applied. On the basis of the lexical data acquired, we consider such types of game nomenclature as quotational names and terminological names, and analyze the principles of nomination in comparison with other game names: “blind man's buff” off the ground, “traffc lights”, “edible or inedible”, tag, etc. Comparison of various names of the game reveals oppositely directed processes of language change in children's language: (1) desemantisation and transformation of meaningful words into “gibberish” and (2) resemantisation and convergence with meaningful words, due in part to the inclusion of game terms into the conceptual feld of childhood subculture. An attempt is made to explain the high regional variability of names for certain games.
226-234
Abstract
The paper has been developed from a wider project looking at the ways in which fashion and beauty are discussed online. The sources include popular sites and blogs about beauty, such as MichellePhan.com, LisaEldridge.com, BritishBeautyBlogger.com, TheBeautyBrains.com. The paper explores the ways in which the discourse of digital media infuences the content of beauty blogs. Tracing the specifc language of beauty blogging, it draws on contemporary research around the style of digital self-presentation and identity management. The initial hypothesis was that the style of blogs resembles the writing of beauty glossy magazines. However, further research demonstrated that bloggers normally adopt a more personal approach to beauty and frequently base their arguments on emotional aspects. Although, digital beauty deals with virtual bodies, most bloggers discuss beauty as an embodied experience. Creating virtual identities, the bloggers assume appropriation of beauty norms by showing how they are achieved. Numerous blogs suggest alternative ideas of beauty
235-242
Abstract
Review of: Kotliar, E. S. (2013). Mifologicheskii trikster Iuzhnoi Afriki [The mythological trickster of Southern Africa]. Moscow: Institut mirovoi literatury im. A. M. Gor'kogo RAN. 352 p. (In Russian).
243-247 3
Abstract
Review of: Arkhipova, A. S., Frukhtmann, Ia. (eds.) (2013). Fetish i tabu: Antropologiia deneg v Rossii: Sb. nauch. st. [Fetish and taboo: Anthropology of money in Russia: Collection of articles]. Moscow: OGI. 528 p. (In Russian).
248-251
Abstract
The short paper contains a review of the conference, held in Moscow on November 27–29, 2014.
252-256 1
Abstract
The short paper contains a review of the conference, held in Moscow on April 3–4, 2015.
257-262 1
Abstract
The short paper contains a review of a conference held in Polotsk (Belarus) on August 27–30, 2015.
ISSN 2412-9410 (Print)
ISSN 2782-1765 (Online)
ISSN 2782-1765 (Online)