On the evening of November 17, 2023, the 30th Qizhen Lecture on Russian Literature, one of a series of lectures, was hosted successfully by the Institute of Russian Language and Culture at School of International Studies, Zhejiang University. The lecture, entitled “Narrative Strategies in Russian Classical Literature”, was delivered by Prof. TYUPA (В.И. Тюта), head of Literary Theory Department at the Russian State University for the Humanities. Moderated by Associate Professor XUE Ranran from Zhejiang University, the lecture attracted nearly 100 scholars and researchers from renowned universities such as Peking University, Nanjing University, Fudan University, Sun Yat-sen University, Capital Normal University, and Heilongjiang University.
Associate Professor XUE introduced Prof. TYUPA, an esteemed expert in Russian narratology in her opening remark. Prof. TYUPA initiated his lecture by briefly exploring the origins and core concepts of narratology, followed by a detailed examination of various narrative strategies like precedent, command, adventure, and hypothetical narratives in the context of 19th century Russian classical literature. He articulated how these strategies align with different genres and moral values, such as tranquility in precedent narratives, responsibility in command narratives, desire in adventure narratives, and conscience in hypothetical narratives. He also discussed the evolution of various literary genres like legends, fairy tales, parables, jokes, novels, and biographies, emphasizing their distinctive narrative strategies.
During the Q&A session, the participants engaged with Prof. TYUPA on various topics, including the distinction between mythological tales and fairy tales, his perspective on Turgenev’s imitation of Pushkin’s works as described in his book Discourse/Genre and the narrative function of landscape depictions in 19th-century Russian classical literature. At the conclusion of the lecture, XUE offered her heartfelt thanks to Prof. TYUPA for his insightful and captivating presentation. She also extended her appreciation to the students, teachers, and enthusiasts of Russian literature for their unwavering support of the Qizhen Lectures. She then expressed eagerness for future gatherings, particularly looking forward to the lectures scheduled for 2024.
The Qizhen Lectures on Russian Literature, initiated and hosted by the Institute of Russian Language and Culture at the School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, is a well-known forum consisting of several thematic series: 1) Contemporary Literature; 2) Literary Classics; 3) Research Methodologies; 4) Literary Translation and Research; 5) Author-Focused Studies; 6) Artistic Forms of Russian Literature Dissemination; and 7) Narrative Strategies in Russian Literature. Over the past three years, the Qizhen Lectures have been dedicated to establishing a high-end academic platform for Russian literature scholars and enthusiasts. We earnestly look forward to continued interest and support from our academic peers, graduate students, and the wider community of Russian literature lovers!
Text/Photos: XUE Ranran
Institute of Russian Language and Culture
November 19, 2023
Translated by CHEN Fanjia and HAN Zhuojun, Proofread by XU Xueying
