Kundera article in New Yorker

[David Powelstock]

Thanks to Robert Orr for his thoughtful comments about Kundera's article.
However, I would point out that Kundera is perfectly aware that there is a
linguistic basis for the Slavic grouping. His point, however, is that this
fact is of little or no importance for the study of history and culture, and
specifically of the modern novel. He writes:

"While there is a *linguistic* unity among the Slavic nations, there is no
Slavic *culture*, no Slavic *world*, and that the history of the Czechs,
like that of the Poles, the Slovaks, the Croats, or the Slovenes (and, of
course, the Hungarians, who are not at all Slavic), is entirely Western:
Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque; close contact with the Germanic world; the
struggle of Catholicism against the Reformation. Never anything to do with
Russia, which was far off, another world. Only the Poles lived in direct
relation with Russia* relation much like a death struggle."

Pace Robert, I don't see how the example of grouping a Czech writer with
writers in any and all Indo-European-based languages counters Kundera's
concern. On the contrary, it reinforces Kundera's point that a typology
based on historical linguistics does not serve the study of the history of
culture, the history of literature, or for that matter history per se
(whatever that is). Linguistic family relations become nearly irrelevant
over time, unless they are reinforced by extra-linguistic bonds of
community.

I hope others will weigh in, if interested.

Regards to all,
David

David Powelstock 
Asst. Prof. of Russian & East European Literatures 
Chair, Program in Russian & East European Studies 
Brandeis University 
GRALL, MS 024 
Waltham, MA  02454-9110 
781.736.3347 (Office) 


-----Original Message-----
From: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list
[mailto:SEELANGS at listserv.cuny.edu] On Behalf Of colkitto
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 9:39 AM
To: SEELANGS at listserv.cuny.edu
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Kundera article in New Yorker

One comment that could be made on the Milan Kundera article is that the term
"Slavic" should primarily be thought of as purely linguistic, like "Celtic",
"Germanic", or even "Indo-European", referring to a group of fairly
disparate cultures that happen to speak historically related languages.

To take an extreme example of a similar phenomenon, the fact that American
English and Farsi are both Indo-European has not been cited as a factor
suggesting that the US might aspire to closer relations with Iran in the
Middle East.

This approach should go some way to answering Kundera's concerns about being
grouped with classical Russian writer, as a "Slavic author."

Imagine grouping him with, e.g., Hafiz, or, at the opposite end, Dafydd ap
Gwilym, as an "Indo-European author."

Meanwhile, for Canadians, there is a specially interesting passage:

"Given that the French are unused to distinguishing between nation and
state, I often hear Kafka described as a Czech writer.  Of course that is
nonsense."

Recently there has been some discussion in Canada as to the exact meaning of
the term "nation", and whether there can be nations within nations, etc.,
mainly centred (of course) on the position of Quebec.  Many  pundits have
tied themselves in knots over whether Quebec can be a nation within the
Canadian nation (or state) or not.  They should read Kundera's article.

Meanwhile Witold Manczak has an article in Bulletin de la Soiciete Polonaise
de la Linguistique (LVIII, 2002) titled Naród a jezyk, panstwo i religia,
which deals with some of the same issues, citing changing views of the
status of Copernicus as an example.

Robert Orr

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