Meanings of “Russian Formalism” Literary Theory
The literary theory “Russian Formalism” is a literary theory that bases the criticism of a literary piece on its form and structure rather than external factors of the autobiography of the author, social, cultural, and economic factors. This theoretical concept stresses upon the analysis of literary terms used in the text, its syntax, structure, and form, leaving the ideological and connotative aspects. Yet, this concept does not ignore meanings; rather its aspects under analysis include rhyme, rhythm, intonation, and phonic elements and patterns with their impacts on meanings and interpretations.
Origin of “Russian Formalism” Literary Theory
The literary theory of “Russian Formalism” originated in Russia, the reason that it was called “Russian Formalism.” There are two schools of formalists. The first was the Moscow Linguistics Circle which was also abbreviated as MLK. It appeared in the literary world in 1915. Its chief architects were Roman Jakobson and Grigori Vinkour.
The second was the Petersburg Society of Poetic Language. It was established by its chief exponents Boris Eikenbaum, Viktor Shklovsky, and Boris Tomashevsky along with Osik Brik. It was established in 1916 shortly after MLK. Where the MLK founders were interested more in linguistic features of the texts, chiefly poetry, the formers were more interested in ethnology and philology.
Principles of “Russian Formalism”
- Literary pieces have specific structures and are systematic, making the “science of literature.”
- A literary text is a holistic piece of work having its own meanings and forms and it is a finished product.
- The text creates holistic meanings, comprising its content and form.
- Literary texts are not only coherent and timeless but also universal and constant and have fixed interpretations and meanings.
- A literary text invites interpretations based on its words, meanings, forms, structures, literary terms and figurative languages, metrical pattern, and rhyme scheme as well as cadence and rhythm of sentences which constitute its holistic meanings (message).
- A text has its own “literariness” that distinguishes it from ordinary pieces and ordinary language used in every writing.
- A literary text should have “defamiliarization” impacts on the readers to cause them to see the difference contrary to the “automation.” It, then, results in “deautomatized” vision of the readers.
- A narrative text has two major aspects; fabula and syuzhet (plot).
What Does “Russian Formalism” Not Include?
- Texts do not have meanings outside of their shapes, structures, and language.
- Texts do not occur in any time without having any background and cultural or societal impacts on them.
- The words do not stand as symbols subject to different interpretations.
- The author exists outside texts and that his/her moral upbringing, ideological affiliations, and political associations are not significant in the interpretations of the works.
Examples of “Russian Formalism” in Literary Pieces
Example # 1
From “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
By formalism critique of these verses, the readers come to know that poem comprises a fabula, having a plot in which the poet is himself involved in using metaphorical language and rhythmic tone through ABCDEE rhyming pattern. The poet has also personified the daffodils to make them sync with the mood of the poet, demonstrating not only a jolly tone but also a pleasant mood.
Example # 2
Animal Farm is a type of fabula, presenting different types of characters and different types of plots, making readers feel defamiliarization. This type of fable has deep impacts on the readers as they feel themselves absorbed in reading an imaginary tale until they feel by the end that it is a serious lesson about politics and tyranny. This use of the technique of defamiliarization is what makes this story come up to the yardstick of formalism.
Example # 3
This novel by Jack London also shows the use of fabula and plot. Narrated by a third-person omniscient narrator, the story shows the life of wolf-dogs through their perspective. The readers feel defamiliarized not only due to the narrator but also due to the seemingly objective fact about the life of wolf-dogs and the specifications of their lives.
Criticism of “Russian Formalism”
As formalism only sees a piece of literature from a formal perspective, using prosody, literary terms, and literariness of the work, it often ignores the historical aspects of the literary piece. Besides history, it also leaves the historical side of the story, its morality, reading public and cultural production, its psychological and gender aspects. Furthermore, it does not mean this critique is applied to all works in a holistic fashion; it just critiques certain parts, or only a few parts are used to critique a work. Interestingly, several such critiques mostly use metaphors, similes, and metonymy and arrive on the same conclusion. Positively, however, it has a very good way of teaching and learning critiquing works and making students able to learn criticism. It is often applied as a theory after the selection of the work, identifying its main features, articulating thematic strands through those features, and using those features to highlight its message.
Keywords in Formalism Literary Theory
- Grammatical Aspects in Formalism
- Figurative Features in Formalism
- Discursive Features in Formalism
- Linguistic Features in Formalism
- Rhetorical and Stylistic Features in Formalism
Suggestion Readings
- Berry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Culture Today. Manchester University Press, 2002.
- Bertens, Hans. Literary Theory: The Basics. Routledge, 2007
Kellner, Douglas, and Tyson Lewis. “Russian Formalism and the European Critical Tradition.” The SAGE handbook of Social Science Methodology (2007): 405-422.
