Book review: Talman P. “Riding to the Island of Love. A eulogy, or a Word of praise”

UDC 821.133.1-3=166.1(02)
DOI 10.20339/PhS.2-26.162

Skibin Sergey M.,

Doctor of Philology,

Professor of the Literature and Methods of Teaching Literature Department

Orenburg State Pedagogical University

e-mail: skibin_fil@mail.ru

Russian Russian reformer’s contribution to the formation of the Russian literary language, genre system, and rhythmic organization of lyrics is explored in Paul Talman’s peer-reviewed book “Riding to the Island of Love” (Moscow: Rhinoceros, 2024. 272 p.) translated by Vasily Trediakovsky. Creating a new model of novel narration, Trediakovsky abandons Church Slavonic, uses the best examples of colloquial speech, and Russianisms, and barbarisms, and turns to word-making. The Russian poet perceives his translation as a successful rivalry with the French writer. He really succeeded in determining the main line of development of Russian literature and satisfying the craving of modern youth for the gallant and loving culture of the West. “Riding to the Island of Love” is a novel about the formation of feelings, about the spiritual evolution of a person in modern society, about the ways of forming a new type of personality under the influence of state transformations, which, by their influence on secular youth, actually predetermined the principles of loving behavior in a new era. In the Poems for Various Occasions published in the appendix, Trediakovsky appeared as an innovative poet, as a leader in the development of new genres and themes for Russian poetry. This book has never been reprinted during the 20–21 centuries. Its appearance gives modern readers an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the novel and understand the ways of evolution of Russian classical literature of the 18 century.

Keywords: Paul Talman, Vasily Trediakovsky, “Riding to the Island of Love”, gallantly and lovingly allegorical novel, the eulogy

References

1.       Lotman, Iu.M. Izbrannye stat’i: v 3 t. T. 2: Stat’i po istorii russkoi literatury XVIII — pervoi poloviny XIX veka. Tallinn: Aleksandra, 1992. 480 s.

2.       Malein, A. Novye dannye dlia biografii V.K. Trediakovskogo // Sbornik otdeleniia russkogo iazyka i slovesnosti. 1928. T. 6. No. 3. S. 430–432.

3.       Moiseeva, G.N., Stennik, Iu.V. Literaturno-obshchestvennoe dvizhenie 1730 — nachala 1760-kh godov // Istoriia russkoi literatury: v 4 t. T. 1: Drevnerusskaia literatura. Literatura XVIII veka. Leningrad: Nauka, 1980. S. 491–522.

4.       Pushkin, A.S. Sobranie sochinenii: v 10 t. T. 6: Kritika i publitsistika. Moscow: GIKhL, 1962. 663 s.

5.       Talman, P. Ezda v ostrov Liubvi. Panegirik, ili Slovo pokhval’noe. Moscow: Nosorog, 2024. 272 s.

6.       Trediakovskii, V.K. Stikhotvoreniia / pod red. A.S. Orlova pri uchastii A.I. Maleina, P.N. Berkova, G.A. Gukovskogo; vstup. st. S.M. Bondi. Moscow; Leningrad: Sovetskii pisatel’, 1935. 491 s.