The Petersburg Text in Russian Literature of the 1990s
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Date
2012
Authors
Smirnova, Daria
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The image of Saint Petersburg has influenced the imagination of Russian writers since the establishment of this city in 1703. Today, it is common to speak about the Petersburg Text in Russian literature that has its own mythology, imagery, and stylistics. However, the research in this sphere is predominately concentrated on works written before the second half of the 20th century.
This thesis addresses the revival of the Petersburg mythology in the 1990s in works by such authors as Mikhail Veller, Andrei Konstantinov, and Marusia Klimova. It illustrates how the reinvention of traditional Petersburg themes contributed to the representation of the "wild 1990s" reality. It also examines the influence of mass media and popular culture on the development of Petersburg narration in terms of genre, style, and the creation of an author's public persona. The cultural significance of the cityscape in these works is of particular interest.
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Keywords
Criminal drama, Decadence, Russian popular culture, Saint Petersburg (Russia), Self-fashioning, Urban folklore