Estrangement and the Somatics of Literature: Tolstoy, Shklovsky, Brecht (Parallax: Re-visions of Culture and Society)

Drawing together the estrangement theories of Viktor Shklovsky and Bertolt Brecht with Leo Tolstoy's theory of infection, Douglas Robinson studies the ways in which shared evaluative affect regulates both literary familiarity -- convention and tradition -- and modern strategies of alienation, depersonalization, and malaise.This book begins with two assumptions, both taken from Tolstoy's late aesthetic treatise What Is Art? (1898): that there is a malaise in culture, and that literature's power to "infect" readers with the moral values of the author is a possible cure for this malaise. Exploring these ideas of estrangement within the contexts of earlier, contemporary, and later critical theory, Robinson argues that Shklovsky and Brecht follow Tolstoy in their efforts to fight depersonalization by imbuing readers with the transformative guidance of collectivized feeling. Robinson's somatic approach to literature offers a powerful alternative to depersonalizing structuralist and poststructuralist theorization without simply retreating into conservative rejection and reaction.Both a comparative study of Russian and German literary-theoretical history and an insightful examination of the somatics of literature, this groundbreaking work provides a deeper understanding of how literature affects the reader and offers a new perspective on present-day problems in poststructuralist approaches to the human condition. (2010) Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 ONE: Zarazhenie: Tolstoy’s Infection Theory......Page 22 1 Tolstoy’s Infection......Page 24 The Disease......Page 26 The Cure......Page 34 Damasio’s Somatic Theory......Page 40 Estrangement Of/From......Page 55 Tolstoy’s Depersonalization......Page 62 Disinfecting the Infection Theory......Page 83 TWO: Ostranenie: Shklovsky’s Estrangement Theory......Page 98 3 Shklovsky’s Modernist Poetics......Page 100 The Capacity to Flow......Page 103 The Four Things......Page 110 Restoring Sensation to Life......Page 116 Deautomatization......Page 133 4 Shklovsky’s Hegelianism......Page 154 Alienation......Page 157 Work......Page 161 Romantic Form......Page 174 Alienated Labor......Page 180 THREE: Verfremdung: Brecht’s Estrangement Theory......Page 186 5 Brecht’s Modernist Marxism......Page 188 Shklovskyan Ostranenie and the Politicization of Formalism......Page 190 The German Tradition and the Alienation of Alienation......Page 199 Chinese Acting and the Spatiotemporal Dialectic of Estrangement......Page 217 Practical Work in the Theater: Empathy and Estrangement......Page 226 Brecht’s Infection Theory......Page 239 Gestic Transformation......Page 256 Conclusion: The Somatics of Literature......Page 272 Notes......Page 280 Works Cited......Page 314 B......Page 330 D......Page 331 G......Page 332 K......Page 333 N......Page 334 S......Page 335 T......Page 336 W......Page 337 Z......Page 338

Drawing together the estrangement theories of Viktor Shklovsky and Bertolt Brecht with Leo Tolstoy's theory of infection, Douglas Robinson studies the ways in which shared evaluative affect regulates both literary familiarity—convention and tradition—and modern strategies of alienation, depersonalization, and malaise.

This book begins with two assumptions, both taken from Tolstoy's late aesthetic treatise What Is Art? (1898): that there is a malaise in culture, and that literature's power to "infect" readers with the moral values of the author is a possible cure for this malaise. Exploring these ideas of estrangement within the contexts of earlier, contemporary, and later critical theory, Robinson argues that Shklovsky and Brecht follow Tolstoy in their efforts to fight depersonalization by imbuing readers with the transformative guidance of collectivized feeling. Robinson's somatic approach to literature offers a powerful alternative to depersonalizing structuralist and poststructuralist theorization without simply retreating into conservative rejection and reaction.

Both a comparative study of Russian and German literary-theoretical history and an insightful examination of the somatics of literature, this groundbreaking work provides a deeper understanding of how literature affects the reader and offers a new perspective on present-day problems in poststructuralist approaches to the human condition.

Drawing together the estrangement theories of Viktor Shklovsky and Bertolt Brecht with Leo Tolstoy's theory of infection, Douglas Robinson studies the ways in which shared evaluative affect regulates both literary familiarity—convention and tradition—and modern strategies of alienation, depersonalization, and malaise. This book begins with two assumptions, both taken from Tolstoy's late aesthetic treatise What Is Art? (1898): that there is a malaise in culture, and that literature's power to "infect" readers with the moral values of the author is a possible cure for this malaise. Exploring these ideas of estrangement within the contexts of earlier, contemporary, and later critical theory, Robinson argues that Shklovsky and Brecht follow Tolstoy in their efforts to fight depersonalization by imbuing readers with the transformative guidance of collectivized feeling. Robinson's somatic approach to literature offers a powerful alternative to depersonalizing structuralist and poststructuralist theorization without simply retreating into conservative rejection and reaction. Both a comparative study of Russian and German literary-theoretical history and an insightful examination of the somatics of literature, this groundbreaking work provides a deeper understanding of how literature affects the reader and offers a new perspective on present-day problems in poststructuralist approaches to the human condition. Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction 10 ONE: Zarazhenie: Tolstoy’s Infection Theory 22 1 Tolstoy’s Infection 24 The Disease 26 The Cure 34 Damasio’s Somatic Theory 40 2 Tolstoy’s Estrangement 55 Estrangement Of/From 55 Tolstoy’s Depersonalization 62 Disinfecting the Infection Theory 83 TWO: Ostranenie: Shklovsky’s Estrangement Theory 98 3 Shklovsky’s Modernist Poetics 100 The Capacity to Flow 103 The Four Things 110 Restoring Sensation to Life 116 Deautomatization 133 4 Shklovsky’s Hegelianism 154 Alienation 157 Work 161 Romantic Form 174 Alienated Labor 180 THREE: Verfremdung: Brecht’s Estrangement Theory 186 5 Brecht’s Modernist Marxism 188 Shklovskyan Ostranenie and the Politicization of Formalism 190 The German Tradition and the Alienation of Alienation 199 Chinese Acting and the Spatiotemporal Dialectic of Estrangement 217 Practical Work in the Theater: Empathy and Estrangement 226 Brecht’s Infection Theory 239 Gestic Transformation 256 Conclusion: The Somatics of Literature 272 Notes 280 Works Cited 314 Index 330 A 330 B 330 C 331 D 331 E 332 F 332 G 332 H 333 I 333 J 333 K 333 L 334 M 334 N 334 O 335 P 335 R 335 S 335 T 336 U 337 V 337 W 337 Y 338 Z 338 Drawing Together The Estrangement Theories Of Viktor Shklovsky And Bertolt Brecht With Leo Tolstoy's Theory Of Infection, Douglas Robinson Studies The Ways In Which Shared Evaluative Affect Regulates Both Literary Familiarity-convention And Tradition-and Modern Strategies Of Alienation, Depersonalization, And Malaise. Both A Comparative Study Of Russian And German Literary-theoretical History And An Examination Of The Somatics Of Literature, This Work Provides A Deeper Understanding Of How Literature Affects The Reader And Offers A New Perspective On Present-day Problems In Poststructuralist Approaches To The Human Condition.--book Jacket. Zarazhenie : Tolstoy's Infection Theory -- Ostranenie : Shklovsky's Estrangement Theory -- Verfremdung : Brecht's Estrangement Theory. Douglas Robinson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 293-308) And Index. "Drawing together the estrangement theories of Viktor Shklovsky and Bertolt Brecht with Leo Tolstoy's theory of infection, Douglas Robinson studies the ways in which shared evaluative affect regulates both literary familiarity-convention and tradition-and modern strategies of alienation, depersonalization, and malaise." "Both a comparative study of Russian and German literary-theoretical history and an examination of the somatics of literature, this work provides a deeper understanding of how literature affects the reader and offers a new perspective on present-day problems in poststructuralist approaches to the human condition."--Rabat de la jacquette