“Deviant” Text in the Historical Narrative of Old Russia: Typology of Plots, Poetics, Hermeneutics (Russian Science Foundation Project no. 24-28-00091 https://rscf.ru/project/24-28-00091/)

 

Project Leader: Olga A. Tufanova, DSc in Philology, Leading Research Fellow, А.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Main Developer: Natalia A. Demicheva, PhD in Philology, Senior Researcher, А.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences
 
Project implementation period: 2024–2025
 
Project activities
 
  • On February 19, 2024, Natalia A. Demicheva made a presentation report "The Anthropophagic Plot about Eating a Child in Ancient Russian Historical Works" at the 7th Ilyushin Conference that was organized by the Philological Faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University (on February 19–20, 2024)

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Abstract of the report: The presentation considers one of the “deviant” plots, the attention in which is focused on human actions that violate legal, social and moral norms — the plot of the murder and eating of a child by its mother in ancient Russian historical works dedicated to the siege of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 AD (in the Old Russian translation of the “History of the Jewish War” by Josephus Flavius, Tikhonravovsky Chronograph, in the 2nd edition of Chronicler of Hellenic and Roman, in the Russian Chronograph of 1512, and in Chronograph of 1617). The initial situation that led to the deviant behavior of a woman is described; the differences in personal motivation in various texts are revealed; the composition of these anthropophagic fragments in works about the siege of Jerusalem, their role in the works are analyzed, the functions of monologues and dialogues in them and the means by which the author's assessment are expressed.

 

 
  • On March 29, 2024 at the the meeting of the Department of Old Slavic literature of IWL RAS Olga A. Tufanova made a presentation report “The Problem of ‘Deviant’ Texts in the Historical Narrative of Old Russia: the Theoretical and Literary Aspect” (A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow)

Abstract of the report: The report presented a theoretical and literary justification for the introduction of the concept of “deviant” text into academic discourse, gave an “operational” definition of the concept, and indicated the most characteristic distinguishing features of “deviant” texts in the historical narrative of Ancient Russia. In particular, the general plot scheme and features of trigger motifs in a number of fragments of relevant subjects were demonstrated. Further, the basic classification principle of dividing “deviant” texts into two large groups was proposed. Within those two groups it is possible to allocate the thematic subgroups. Using the example of criminal plots from the Tale of Bygone Years and the Pskov 2nd Chronicle, the artistic features of the “deviant” texts of the first group, in which violent evil (negative deviation) is imprinted, are demonstrated.

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  • On April 18, 2024, O.A. Tufanova made a presentation report “The Message of Abbot Pamphilus on Folk Rituals as an Example of a Plotless ‘Deviant’ Narrative” at the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Semantics of Folk Culture in Literature” dedicated to the Year of the Family in the Russian Federation (Moscow Pedagogical State University, Institute of Philology, Moscow, April 18–19, 2024)

Abstract of the report: Based on a comparative analysis of the chronicle and brief editions of the Epistle of Abbot Pamphilus, the report characterized the specifics of plotless “deviant” texts. One of the striking artistic features of those texts are the lists of strange, abnormal actions of the heroes of the narrative. In general, the Message of Abbot Pamphilus in the Pskov 1st Chronicle, which has all the necessary elements from the point of view of the epistolary canon, due to the peculiarities of the subject and argumentative structure, can be considered as a vivid example of a plotless “deviant” narrative that demonstrates the specifics of a local cultural and religious conflict as a conflict of behavior norms in “divergent cultural systems” (T. Sellin) and gives an idea of both the anti-model of behavior during the celebration of John the Baptist Day, and the ideal, normative model of behavior for a Christian.

 

  • On April 18, 2024, N.A. Demicheva made a presentation report “Anthropophagy as a Feature of Pagan peoples in the Representation of Ancient Russian Scribes” at the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Semantics of Folk Culture in Literature” dedicated to the Year of the Family in the Russian Federation (Moscow Pedagogical State University, Institute of Philology, Moscow, April 18–19, 2024)

Abstract of the report: The report analyzes the phenomenon of depicting pagan peoples as anthropophagus in translated and original ancient Russian works (The Life of the Apostle Andrew the First-CalledThe Life of Andrew the Fool, Alexandria of Serbia, the Chronicle of George Amartol, The Tale of Bygone Years, “The Legend of the Unknown People in the Eastern Country”, Chronograph of 1617). Both small descriptions of an ethnographic nature and “deviant” texts (O.A. Tufanova's term) about the clash of Christians with cannibals are considered. The main components of the image of anthropophagus in ancient Russian literature are revealed (the motif of nudity, comparison with animals, zoomorphic and monstrous image on miniatures of manuscripts, etc.). The specificity of texts about the missionary activity of the Apostle Andrew is described.

 

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  • On April 26, 2024, O.A. Tufanova made a presentation report “‛Deviant’ Text in the Historical Narrative of Ancient Russia: the First Plots, Poetics, Hermeneutics” at the 9th International Slavic Readings (A.N. Kosygin Russian State University (Technologies. Design. Art), Institute of Slavic Cultures; Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow)

Abstract of the report: The report presented provisional reflections on the principles of describing texts, dedicated to people with paranormal abilities. The main attention was paid to the consideration of the plot about the prophecies of the wizards (in particular, the plot about predicting the death from a horse to Prince Oleg). Based on a sample from various chronicles, the history of the existence of the most famous version of the plot, set out in the Laurentian Chronicle, was traced as an example of a steadily repeating and reproducible “deviant” text with varying degrees of detail.

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  • On May 18, 2024, N.A. Demicheva made a presentation report “Plots About Crimes Against the Person in the Ancient Russian Chronicles of the 15th–16th Centuries” at the 8th International Scientific and Practical Conference “‛Tambov Legal Readings named after F.N. Plevako” (Tambov State University named after G.R. Derzhavin, Tambov, May 17–18, 2024)

Abstract of the report: The report is devoted to the plots about crimes against the person (murders; mutilation, wounds and beatings; insult by action) in the ancient Russian chronicles of the 15th–16th centuries. Chronicle texts (stories about the murder of Prince Dmitry Yuryevich Shemyaka, the story of the murder of Simeon Vyazemsky and his wife by Yuri Smolensky, the story of the blinding of Vasily II, etc.) are analyzed both from a historical, legal, from a substantive and artistic points of view. The concept of “deviant” text (O.A. Tufanova's term) is used in the analysis of works, and the significant for this phenomenon elements are highlighted: a characteristic of the initial situation, a story about the act/s of a character or group, an assessment of these deeds by the chronicler.

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  • On June 20, 2024, N.A. Demicheva made a presentation report “Deviant Human Behavior in a Besieged City (Based on the Historical Narrative of Ancient Russia)” at the 6th International Scientific Conference “Ancient Slavic Literature and Booklore: the Latest Research and Scientific Projects” (A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, June 20–22, 2024)

Abstract of the report: The report consideres the siege of the city as an extraordinary and extreme situation, which is a deviant factor. The analysis of ancient Russian texts devoted to events of this kind (the story of the Laurentian Chronicle under 6690 about the capture of Torzhok by Vsevolod Yuryevich, the lengthy story about the invasion of Tokhtamysh on Moscow, the “Legends” of Avraamiy Palitsyn, the story about the capture of Jerusalem by Titus in the Chronicler of the Hellenic and Roman 2nd edition and Tikhonravovsky chronograph) exposes the mentions of deviating from the norm behavior of the besieged: forced changes in eating habits (including anthropophagy), drunkenness, looting, acts of violence. It has been established that descriptions of the deviant behavior of those who were inside the fortress during the siege are closely related to the development of the plot and the idea of the works. The type of “deviant” narrative (plot or plotless) is determined, its artistic features and function in the reviwed texts are analyzed.

 

  • On June 20, 2024, O.A. Tufanova made a presentation report “Outlandish Behavior of People in Extreme Situations in the Depiction of Chroniclers” at the 6th International Scientific Conference “Ancient Slavic Literature and Booklore: the Latest Research and Scientific Projects” (A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, June 20–22, 2024)

Abstract of the report: As a part of the report, two groups of “deviant” texts telling about epidemics were analyzed. Thus, a detailed plotless narrative about the plague of 1352 in the Pskov 1st Chronicle (repeated almost unchanged in the Pskov 2nd Chronicle and in the Chronicle of Abraham), was considered as a vivid example of a “deviant” text that captured a positive deviation, giving a practical chronicle case of the ideal behavior of a Christian in a specific extreme life situation. As an example of a “deviant” text that captures a negative deviation in human behavior, the story about the epidemic in Moscow in 1654, included in the Chronicler of 1619–1691, was analyzed. The comparison and contradistinction of actions normal in a situation of pestilence and deviant in this story is conducted according to the same parameters: the presence/ absence of the fear of God, accounting / non-accounting the hour of death, robiing / not robbing empty houses, burying / not burying the dead, etc. 

 

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  • On November 27, 2024, N.A. Demicheva held a lesson on the topic “Anthropophages in the Literature of Ancient Russia: Reading and Analyzing the Old Russian ‘Deviant’ Text’ in the Autonomous Non-profit Educational Organization “Khoroshevskaya School (Moscow).

During the event, students learned about the project “Deviant Text in the Historical Narrative of Ancient Russia: Typology of Plots, Poetics, Hermeneutics (RNF project No. 24-28-00091 https://rscf.ru/project/24-28-00091), got acquainted with the concept of a “deviant” text, its plot scheme, and the main features of works about anthropophagy. Using this material, students worked out the skills of reading and analyzing the Old Russian text necessary to prepare for the Olympiads in the Russian language. Link to information about the event on the school's resource: ⭐Лекция «Антропофаги в литературе Древней.. | Хорошкола

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  • On December 5, 2024, O.A. Tufanova made a presentation report “Typology of Criminal Plots in the Historical Narrative of Ancient Russia at the 13th All-Russian Conference “Ancient Russian Literature and Literature of Modern Times, dedicated to the memory of Professor Nikolai Ivanovich Prokofiev (To the 115th anniversary of the birth of N.I. Prokofiev) (Institute of Philology, Moscow Pedagogical State University, Moscow, December 5–7, 2024)

Abstract of the report: According to the content, the entire corpus of chronicle “deviant texts can be conditionally divided into thematic groups. Each of the group has its own artistic specifics and its own subgroups. The report presents criteria for selecting subjects from the general chronicle mass for compiling a typology of “deviant texts, as well as a “working version of the classification of one of the thematic groups. According to the generic object of encroachment, three main thematic subgroups were identified among criminal plots: plots about mass crimes against authority and/or order, plots about crimes against the individual, and plots about crimes against family and morality. Using the example of fragments from the Chronicler of 1619–1691, the Moscow Chronicle of the End of the 15th Сentury, The Tale of Bygone Years, the specific features of each of the subgroups were shown.

 

  • On December 6, 2024, N.A. Demicheva made a presentation report “Chronicle Stories about the Blinding of Princes as Deviant Texts at the 13th All-Russian Conference “Ancient Russian Literature and Literature of Modern Times, dedicated to the memory of Professor Nikolai Ivanovich Prokofiev (To the 115th anniversary of the birth of N.I. Prokofiev) (Institute of Philology, Moscow Pedagogical State University, Moscow, December 5–7, 2024)

Abstract of the report: The Tale of the Blinding of Vasilka Terebovlsky and The Tale of the Blinding of Vasily II are analyzed in the report within the framework of the concept of a “deviant text. The focus ofattention in these works is on the cases of illegitimate violence. In formal terms, they represent a plot narrative; correspond to the three-component scheme of the “deviant text. The welfare situation, which is suddenly disrupted by the motive of a conspiracy at the devil's instigation, is presented as an initial situation in both works. The blinding is depicted in the stories in various ways: in the first case, the process of injuring is described in detail, in the second, only the fact of the prince's blinding is indicated. In both works, a negative assessment of the described acts is essential, which is associated with the ideological position of the scribes.

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