Article

Name: “The Trembling creature” as a precedent text in modern Russian literature

Authors: Visakha Verma, Valerij V. Maroshi

Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section Study of literature

Abstract:

The paper summarizes the usage of the precedent text, “the trembling creature,” in Russian literature during the last third of the twentieth and the early twenty-first centuries. The text under study appears as quotations, reminiscences, and various paraphrases. Its origin is attributed to Pushkin, who paraphrased the Bible and the Quran in his poetry to create eventually a memorable periphrasis of a God-fearing man. Dostoevsky’s Raskolnikov quotes and then paraphrases Pushkin’s text, altering its original meaning for his own motives. Since that time, dozens of Russian authors have been paraphrasing Raskolnikov. The paraphrases of the most renowned precedent text tend to function as “Raskolnikov’s word,” though in a truncated, form they are semantically connected to Pushkin’s paraphrase in some contexts. The phrase and Raskolnikov’s dilemma both became the locis communis of the intertext of all Russian literature in general and Crime and Punishment in particular. Contemporary post-modern prose incorporates the dilemma in collage chains of reminiscences and paraphrases. It is typically used by the hero or hero-narrator and becomes a means of self-evaluation. The characterological aspect originates from the initial dilemma, depicting careerist protagonists who “have the right” during the evolving capitalism in Russia, crime bosses driven by intellectual ambitions, or conversely, helpless and humiliated intellectuals. However, the instability of all these characters’ statuses and the duality of their self-identification are preserved. The discourse of specific characters striving to consciously imitate Raskolnikov or even surpass him features a repeated paraphrase.

Keywords: Dostoevsky, postmodernism, modern literature, precedent text, collage, paraphrase

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