Conference: The Pain of Words: Narratives of Suffering in Slavic Cultures (May 9-11, 2008, Princeton)

[Daniel Rancour-Laferriere]

Dear Robert,
Actually, my short list includes both types.  Vasilii Grossman wrote 
about the "slave soul" ("rabskaia dusha") of Russia, for example, while 
Avvakum himself was a masochist who actively sought punishment for 
himself.  His autobiography is filled with grisly scenes of flogging, 
burning, mutilation, starvation, forced labor, and other horrors - all 
welcomed in the name of Western Civilization's paradigmatic masochist, 
Jesus the Christ.  Symbolist poet Viacheslav Ivanov wrote of the 
Russians: "Hic populus natus est christianus."

The term masochism derives from Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-95), who 
was primarily concerned with erotogenic masochism.  The cult of 
suffering which is widespread in Russia, on the other hand, involves 
what Freud termed moral masochism, and is generally termed just 
masochism or masochistic personality disorder in current psychoanalytic 
theory (e.g. in PDM).  Most masochists do not actually derive pleasure 
from the pain they invite, but are compelled by other factors, such as 
guilt or shame or depression.  An example would be Tolstoy in his quest 
for God.  People who think masochism is only the sort of thing depicted 
in VENUS IN FURS are not up on current theory.

Although there is a cult of suffering in Russia, I do not believe that 
MOST of the widespread suffering and pain endured in Russia during the 
twentieth century was masochistic in nature.  For example, most victims 
in the war against Hitler's invading forces were not victims because 
they were masochists, but because of other factors outside of their 
control (including the psychiatric problems of both Stalin and Hitler).  
The victims' narratives of pain and suffering elicit profound sympathy, 
or even despair, or rage.  On the other hand it is more difficult to 
sympathize with the masochistic Avvakum, or, to take a more extreme 
example, the folkloric figure of Ivan durak, who actually elicits 
laughter when he is playing the fool and getting himself painfully 
beaten time after time.

"Pain and suffering" happens to people, human beings - not to "words" or 
"narratives."  The latter phenomena are signifying mechanisms, eloquent 
at best, and unrecorded for the vast majority of victims.

With regards to the list,

Daniel R-L




Robert Chandler wrote:

>I had not realized that Daniel Rancour-Laferriere, or anyone else, had
>implied that these writers are all THEMSELVES masochists.  I had imagined
>R-L mentioned these writers because he thought that some of them, at least,
>had something interesting to say ABOUT masochism.
>
>R.
>
>  
>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 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/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------