Jane Austen in Russia?

[Michael Denner]

Dear Cathy Nepomnyashchy,
I know you said off-list, but this question intrigues me. I am a devotee
of Austen, and have always been intrigued by the total ignorance of her
oeuvre in Russia in the 19th century.

Here's my take, which I predict will be proven wrong and thoroughly
reviled by the list, but it's a way to start the conversation. 

I do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of everything Leo Tolstoy wrote,
and I don't have at hand the last volume of the PSS, or to the list of
books in his library. But I never recall Tolstoy mentioning Austen. This
should throw up a red flag: Tolstoy was very aware of the British
literary scene, and felt a great deal of kinship with his colleagues on
the other side of Europe. (Enough to steal quite a lot directly from
Dickens.) I feel confident in saying that Tolstoy was likely among the
best read individuals in Russia during the last half of the century (and
the first decade of this one). I certainly doubt there were many who
rivaled his knowledge of European literature. However, he seemed to be
entirely unaware of Austen. 

But this is not accidental.

Austen's literary fame was largely welded during the first three decades
of the twentieth century. She was largely disliked during the
nineteenth: Twain and Bronte famously mocked her, as any biography of
Austen will tell you. Some minor lights of the age found her passably
interesting, but generally she lay forgotten with authors like Fanny
Burney. I imagine that her witty, subtle and cool observations did not
meet with approval given the literary tastes of most of the century in
Europe.

My impression: The Bloomsbury group is largely responsible for the very
high esteem that she has enjoyed during the last century. They made her
vogue, and if you think about it for a while, it makes sense. (It is
interesting that it is also the Bloomsbury group who made Tolstoy the
most writerly of writers.) 

Best,
mad
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
   Dr. Michael A. Denner
   Editor, Tolstoy Studies Journal
   Director, University Honors Program
   
   Contact Information:
      Russian Studies Program
      Stetson University
      Campus Box 8361
      DeLand, FL 32720-3756
      386.822.7381 (department)
      386.822.7265 (direct line)
      386.822.7380 (fax)
      www.stetson.edu/~mdenner

-----Original Message-----
From: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list
[mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU] On Behalf Of cn29 at COLUMBIA.EDU
Sent: Friday, April 28, 2006 11:45 AM
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: [SEELANGS] Jane Austen in Russia?

Dear Seelangers,

I'm writing to see if any of you have come across "traces" of Jane
Austen in Russia in the nineteenth century.  I'm aware of (and have
contributed to) the speculations about Evgeny Onegin and Pride and
Prejudice, but I'm looking for any evidence that anyone (writers,
critics, general intellectuals, etc.) read Jane Austen in Russia in
the nineteenth century.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. 
Please reply off-list to cn29 at columbia.edu.  Best wishes, Cathy
Nepomnyashchy

------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------