An Artist's Plight in a Socialist Society in Yuri Olesha's Envy

• Main Authors: Tzu Yu Chung, 鍾子妤
• Other Authors: Joel Janicki
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/43061268166228034481

碩士 === 東吳大學 === 英文學系 === 95 === Yuri Olesha (1899-1960) was an outstanding writer of the early Soviet period whose most significant creation was the novel Envy (1927). This thesis aims at exploring in Envy the plight of a representative intellectual and poet together with their socialist counterparts. In making use of the theoretical language of Yevgeny Zamyatin (1884-1937), Kavalerov and Ivan are characterized as heretics in a socialist society. Then, Melvin Seeman’s theory of alienation will be employed to probe into Kavalerov’s sense of alienation which induces his strong envy toward Andrei Babichev, the leading proponent of socialist principles. Finally, Kavalerov and Ivan are examined as metaphysical exiles and victims of cultural colonialsim. By means of Edward W. Said’s theory (1935-2003), Kavalerov and Ivan’s resistance to the cultural colonialism is scrutinized. By way of a conclusion, the works and fate of two other writers, Andrei Platonov (1899-1951) and Lu-Xun (1881-1936), writing in a socialist society are discussed to provide a context for the appraisal of Yuri Olesha’s novel and career as a writer.