Russian Formalism: Defining Literary Study

Russian Formalism: Foundations of Literary Theory

Russian Formalism designates an intellectual movement that marks the birth of literary theory and literary criticism as autonomous disciplines. It also significantly influenced the evolution of linguistic studies. From its outset, Russian Formalism encompassed a range of studies and theories that, while far from homogenous, shared a common approach: treating literature based on a specific object of study – "literariness."

Defining Literariness and Scientific Status

In defining "literariness" – the essential property of every literary work – Formalism sought to confer scientific status upon the study of literature. The movement was born during the First World War in pre-revolutionary Russia.

A Response to 19th-Century Literary Approaches

The perspective championed by Russian Formalism is often viewed as a direct response to the literary approaches of the nineteenth century, which had led to a decline in the field of study. Formalists critiqued several prevailing trends:

• Subjective Criticism: Criticism based on personal impressions and subjectivism.
• Academic Criticism: Influenced by the thought of Alexander Veselovsky, who viewed literature primarily through the lens of social thought and culture.
• Other Trends: Literary analyses rooted in psychological and sociological perspectives.

Essentially, the movement sought a formal study of literature based on its internal operating mechanisms, independent of external factors such as the author's biography, relationships with other works, or other cultural systems.

Evolution, Criticism, and Legacy

However, due to criticism from Soviet communism, formalist studies gradually abandoned their initial immanentist position. They began to consider factors external to the work, especially with the research conducted in the 1920s. This initial lack of attention to social factors was identified by official Russian Marxism and later pointed out by researchers. They felt that, despite its contributions, the study model proposed by the school presented limitations that ultimately led to its collapse.

Key Figures of the Movement

Among the principal researchers of the movement are:

• Viktor Shklovsky: Often considered the father of Formalism.
• Boris Tomashevsky
• Iuri Tynianov
• Boris Eichenbaum
• Roman Jakobson
• Vladimir Propp

Some of these scholars had to emigrate due to pressure from the Soviet government. Their work in exile significantly influenced the development of new paradigms in literary theory and linguistics, such as Czech Functionalism and Structuralism.