Vol 29, No 2 (2024): African media in the new reality: re-positioning of media studies
- Year: 2024
- Articles: 22
- URL: https://journals.rudn.ru/literary-criticism/issue/view/1798
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.22363/2312-9220-2024-29-2
Full Issue
EDITORIAL COLUMN
201-212
LITERARY CRITICISM
Peasants and the “peasantly” in the focus of L. Tolstoy, A. Chekhov, P. Romanov, V. Shukshin: the problem of communication
Abstract
The question of the essence of national consciousness, of the methods of communication between an intellectual city dweller and a villager does not lose its relevance today. The purpose of the research is to consider the writing attitudes of L.N. Tolstoy, A.P. Chekhov, P.S. Romanov, V.M. Shukshin on the possibility/impossibility of mutual understanding between representatives of urban and rural cultures. The author analyzes the lifetime criticism of Chekhov’s story “Peasants”, which invariably referred to the comparison of writers’ approaches to the problem of the village and the techniques of Tolstoy and Chekhov’s poetics. The distinctiveness of the conflict in Chekhov’s short story “New Dacha”, as well as in “Peasants” and “In the Ravine”, is highlighted, emphasizing the breakdown of communication. This disconnection is not primarily characterized by social differences between different classes or even between urban and rural dwellers. Instead, it is portrayed as interpersonal disconnect, a kind of “arithmetic,” as coined by P.B. Struve. In addition, a search is being carried out for elements of Chekhov’s approach to the problem in Russian literature of the 20th century. The observation is made that the drama of mutual misunderstanding artistically reproduced by Chekhov occurred in Tolstoy’s life, that Tolstoy, a philosopher, ideologist and thinker, ends up losing the battle to himself, the artist. The continuation of the Chekhovian tradition is observed in the works of Panteleimon Romanov, a writer of the 20s and 30s in the 20th century. In the latter half of the century Vasily Shukshin, a writer, screenwriter, and a film director, also addressed the issue of the breakdown in communication between the intelligentsia and the common people. However, Shukshin approached the eternal problem from a different angle, looking at it through the “looking glass” - the reverse side - from the perspective of a peasant.
213-225
The controversy between M. Slonim and Z. Gippius on two branches of the development of Russian literature
Abstract
The study is devoted to the analysis of the controversy between Zinaida Gippius and Mark Slonim that arose in the mid-1920s on the pages of periodicals of the Russian diaspora. Russian emigration was interested in the dispute over the two branches of literature development, as it concerned the issues of the state of literature of the Russian diaspora and literature of Soviet Russia, as well as the future of these literatures. Gippius argued that literature in Russia is in decline, because it is “torn from the roots”, and Russian literature is preserved only in emigration. Slonim insisted that the literature of emigration was stagnating, and the literature of Soviet Russia was giving new names, new literary groups. The field of criticism of literature of the Russian diaspora in the 1920s and 1930s is poorly studied at the present stage of literary criticism. The controversy between Slonim and Gippius has not been considered by researchers before, this is the novelty of the work. Russian literature the examination of different points of view on the state and future of the two branches of Russian literature in the mid-1920s makes it possible to understand the public mood among the Russian emigration and their view of contemporary literature. The paper traces the dispute between Slonim and Gippius, which influenced the literary life of emigration in the 1920s, identifies issues in which both critics agreed, as well as theses that the authors continued to prove. Russian literature historians emphasize that Slonim put forward a thesis, which will be developed in the future by historians of literature of the Russian diaspora, that the literature of the Russian diaspora is not an independent literature, but only one of the branches of Russian literature.
226-234
The history of I.A. Bunin’s short story “New Year” (1901) - from early publications to the Complete Works (1915): biographical aspect
Abstract
The study presents an analysis of the specifics of the edits of I.A. Bunin's work “New Year” (1901) based on a comparison of eight versions of this story. The author provides information about the first publication of the story, emphasizing the role of abbreviations of individual fragments of the text in the preparation of later versions, as well as the connection of these abbreviations with the chronology of the writer's life. The emphasis is placed on specific changes in the Bunin text - from the first publication in “Russkaya Mysl” (1902) to the last lifetime publication in the Complete Works (Izd. T-va A.F. Marks Publ., 1915). Edits in various publications concerned both stylistics and content elements. The researcher focuses on the change in the relationship between the characters of the “New Year” Kostya and Olya, in the later versions the characters are clearly at odds, show less empathy, openness and trust. This separation of the spouses is connected with the final breakup of Bunin with his first wife A.N. Tsakni (similar in character to the heroine of the story) and the beginning of his relationship with V.N. Muromtseva in 1906. The very consideration of the story from such positions seems relevant, given the important role autobiographies played in Bunin's writings.
235-242
“The Abode” by Zakhar Prilepin: understanding the experience of Christian sacrifice in the novel
Abstract
The author examines the peculiarities of understanding Christian traditional experience in Zakhar Prilepin’s novel “The Abode”. The historical novel of a modern writer, dedicated to the tragic theme of Solovki, in its own way speaks of Christian sacrifice and repentance. Martyrdom, suffering and compassion, which are natural to Christianity, become important spiritual foundations in the works of F.M. Dostoevsky and the figures of the Russian religious Renaissance with his ideas about “Godmanhood”, which is reflected in the novel “The Abode”: the struggle between the “Godmanhood” and the “Mangodhood” can be traced everywhere in the text. The novel interweaves both classical works of Russian literature and philosophical ideas about the “overman”, enhancing the intertextuality of the “The Abode”: to become a “man-beast” or to clarify the face of God in oneself - this is the spiritual and moral choice that the heroes of the novel face. However, the writer’s task is not to show the complete transformation of the characters: their actions balance between bestiality and the possibility of sacrifice and repentance, and very often this possibility is not realized. This is especially clearly visible closer to the end of the novel: all the desires of the heroes are laid bare, only the human inside remains, thirsting for earthly, bodily things, and for this it is often necessary to “come down from the Cross”.
243-250
Reflection of the works of F.M. Dostoevsky in W. Faulkner’s novel “Absalom, Absalom!”
Abstract
As part of comparative studies of the works of F.M. Dostoevsky and W. Faulkner, the implementation of the archetypal pattern of “underground” thinking and behaving (most completely embodied in the narrator of Dostoevsky’s novella “Notes from Underground”) in the character of Thomas Sutpen, the main character of Faulkner’s novel “Absalom, Absalom!”, is considered. The mere appearance of a stable association of Faulkner’s works with Dostoevsky’s novels by the early 1940s which subsequently gave impetus to a number of comparative studies not only in Western literary criticism but also (later on) in national literary studies is noted. The traits of the Underground Man (non-acceptance of God-created world, Man-god consciousness, awareness of inconsistency with Man-god ideal, cruel self-punishment and aesthetization of it, moral alienation, and spiritual decay) are realized in many characters of Dostoevsky and Faulkner (Raskolnikov, Svidrigailov, Ippolit Terentyev, Stavrogin, Arkady Dolgoruky, Ivan Karamazov; young Bayard Sartoris, Quentin Compson, Joe Christmas). As for Thomas Sutpen, the opinion has long been established in criticism that considering such characters of Dostoevsky as Raskolnikov and Arkady Dolgoruky, one can discover a portrait, which prefigures his character in almost every detail. In this study, given that Thomas Sutpen is the bearer of the “underground” of the “Stavrogin” type (without self-punishment for inconsistency with the ideal), a comparison between Stavrogin and Sutpen is made. Nikolai Stavrogin committed monstrous crimes for the sake of anesthetization of his immoral existence. Thomas Sutpen who sought to establish his dynasty at any cost went to any crime to achieve his goal. But both of them, trampling on the feelings of people, fell out of the human race and suffered a crushing defeat.
251-259
“Forking Paths” as a principle for constructing the hero’s path: variations in P. Auster’s “City of Glass”
Abstract
The author examines the principle of constructing the hero's path in an early novel by the contemporary writer Paul Auster. In “City of Glass” Auster has already undertaken the problematization of a more traditional narrative form: he pays increasing attention not so much to constructing events that actually happen to the hero, as to pointing out events that could have happened, but did not happen within the narrative world. Such work with the event fits Auster's narrative search into an extensive tradition that problematizes possible worlds in the narrative in its own way. One of the techniques for creating such possible worlds is disnarration, which allows - due to indications of a possible alternative development of events - to create possible worlds within the narrative and even turn them into counterfactual ones. Feeling an interest in this problematic, Auster in his early novel also creates the path of his hero on the principle of variations - consistently presenting to the reader those paths that the hero could have followed, but which nevertheless remained unrealized in his life. This is how Auster in the narrative comprehends the idea of Borges' “forking paths”, simultaneously responding to the cinematic narrative experiments that were undertaken by directors in the second half of the 20thcentury. In this way he consistently develops his own narrative experiment, because several decades after the “City of Glass”, the principle of “forking paths” will be fully embodied in his novel in “4321” not only at the level of character construction, but at the level of the entire narrative structure, which therefore can be defined as forking-path narrative.
260-269
Material detail: the communicative functions of clothing items in depicting characters by Guy de Maupassant
Abstract
The research delves into Guy de Maupassant's narrative technique of character portrayal through the lens of Roland Barthes' concept of “indexes”, focusing particularly on the significance of material details, especially clothing, in his novellas. The primary objective is to elucidate how clothing items serve as communicative tools in shaping characters in Maupassant's works, thereby highlighting their cultural-historical, characterological, and symbolic functions. By analyzing the interplay between characters' physical appearances, gestures, and attire, Maupassant effectively conveys their inner emotions and traits to the reader. Barthes' notion of “indexes”, grounded in concrete elements like outward appearance and clothing, provides a theoretical framework for understanding the thematic distribution of these details, which range from physical attributes to sartorial choices, all of which contribute to character development. Ultimately, it is through such meticulous attention to detail that Maupassant's characters become vivid and relatable to readers, enriching the narrative experience.
270-277
Henry Miller’s “Black Spring”: a journey of sexuality from childhood to adulthood
Abstract
Henry Miller is a modern American novelist who was famous for his autobiographical expression of sexuality in his novels on the background of metropolis like New York and Paris. His novel “Black Spring” which was written in 1932-1933 and first published in 1936 presents his childhood memories in Brooklyn and New York. The novel focuses on the development of sexuality of the novelist and his journey from childhood to adulthood, focusing on his sexuality. The novel presents his childhood sexuality, fantasies and his approach to sexuality changing with time. Miller challenges the taboos, canons and moral orders taking sexuality as a weapon against a person. He modifies all the rules of self-expression and perhaps he is the first novelist who presents himself as sexual hero. The research focuses on Miller’s view on sexuality and morality and his journey from childhood to youth and his development of personality along with the role of sexuality in the development of his personality. The paper is also an endeavour to study the concepts of contemporary moral order and social ethics presented by Henry Miller.
278-288
Terry McMillan’s “It’s Not All Downhill from Here”: black women discharging interpersonal conflicts
Abstract
The research work attempts to study the contemporary African American women’s struggle to discharge their interpersonal conflict with reference to Terry McMillan’s “It’s Not All Downhill From Here”. Conflict is an expression of struggle between two or more interdependent persons who have incompatible goals. Through her works, Terry McMillan voices the life of urban African American middle class women. The Black women of this class are suppressed under various roles and responsibilities especially related to their families that have lots of challenges like addiction, crime, lack of trust and emotional bonding. Lack of any support builds up antagonistic mindsets and develops interpersonal conflicts. They are trying hard to resolve these conflicts and attempting to restart with more focus on exploration of self. The research work analyses the conflict resolution strategies employed by African American women in the novel.
289-296
JOURNALISM
Political journalism on China-Africa in a changing world order: Canada, France, Francophone Africa
Abstract
Political journalism, as a practice aimed at covering the political scene for the benefit of citizens, is a major tool in shaping the public's opinion of political issues and actors. Taken on a global scale, this practice becomes more crucial as it positions political journalism at the intersection formed by national (own) and foreign political and ideological spots. The author has chosen one of the most polarizing topics on the international scene for the last two decades: China-Africa. This strong polarization will enable us to highlight the main trends of analysis of media discourse on China and Africa in Canada, France and French-speaking West Africa. The research confirms this trend: political perception and dominant ideology in Canada and France build a common reading lense for describing and interpreting China-Africa relations in the media. The limits of interpreting African dynamics from the “outside” Africa, in the ideological and political meaning of the term, are considered. The major bias in press coverage is to mainly focus on China-Africa, whereas African countries are nurturing and initiating important partnerships with other countries such as Russia, of course, but also India, Japan, Turkey, etc. Europe needs Africa, which it will have to support in its economic transformation, whatever the cost, to build the long-promised New Deal, that was only envisaged in the emergency thanks to the multipolar situation created by the rise of Asia, among others. Reporting on it from both a European-American and an Asian-African perspective remains a major challenge for political journalism on both sides, for a better understanding of Africa’s new dynamic in a new world order.
297-305
Media representations of conflicts in Africa: the case of Russian newspapers
Abstract
The article analyses publications in leading Russian daily periodicals - the Komsomolskaya Pravda, Izvestia, and Kommersant newspapers - for the year 2023, which cover conflicts and confrontations of various kinds in African states. The analysis revealed that media attention is primarily focused on the political shifts that accompany the establishment of a new multipolar order on the global arena, wherein Africa is seen as a significant actor supporting Russia. Besides, Russian newspapers represent internal regional conflicts in Africa as well, though such topics are covered substantially less intensively and continuously compared to the Russia-related hostilities. This allows to conclude about the formation of positive media representations of Africa even in negative contexts, i.e. against the conflict-prone background. The agenda built around Africa is marked by Russia-centricity, and the issues of African region are viewed through the lens of the Russian context.
306-314
Images on journalism and the power of media to turn the page in the history of crises: a Malian case
Abstract
A few images on journalism and its actors in the Sahel, and specifically Mali, that are shaped by the media itself, are presented. These images, identified in articles that capitalize on the challenges of political, social, and cultural crisis, as well as the risks that a journalist takes when reporting and writing on the realities and events he observes in Sahel, are supposed to shape the power of the media to bring change at an epistemological level in the society it unpacks and depicts. This epistemological metamorphosis is seen as a turning of a page in the history of crises and the proposal herein is to see what type of change this turning refers to, re-launching critical perspectives on the new powers or non-powers of journalists and journalism to inform, create and maintain a critical resistance meant to leave a relevant sign in the history, through deconstruction and management of crises communication, that would finally assure the durable control of crises, exercised by an informed and empowered society with the scope to overcome crises at a pragmatic and epistemic level. The analysis is qualitative and intends to invite the reader to more reflection on the interdependencies between the reality, the journalistic reality, and the journalist’s power or non-power to coin the two. Crises whose management from the point of view of public awareness and truth knowledge is compromised by a second-level crisis affecting the journalists, the leaders of the civil society, and broadly the media, who have concomitant powers and non-powers to change the perception of the public on the first level crises to such a point that, in the holistic interpretation of the term, this management of crisis through deflection should be considered a new page turned in the history of crises.
315-324
African newspapers reportage of sanctions: analysis of framing and agenda setting
Abstract
International organizations and numerous countries worldwide have implemented punitive measures, often in the form of sanctions, to express disapproval of certain events within a country or to compel change. A significant body of scholarly work has focused on these sanctions, particularly when imposed on countries outside of Africa, and how the media frames these actions. In various crisis situations, news framing and agenda-setting by the media have shown enormous effect on consumers’ view of the crisis. This study investigates how media in Africa frames sanctions imposed on African countries, specifically examining printed media in Zimbabwe, Mali, and Niger Republic regarding political and economic sanctions imposed on these countries. Employing the framing and agenda setting theories, the study analysed 204 sanction-related headlines (Zimbabwe - 104, Mali - 70 and Niger - 30) from five media outlets with online presence in each country. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed. In the initial stage, purposive sampling technique was utilized to choose print newspapers with online presence. In the second stage, the researcher utilized the search functionality on the newspapers' websites to identify headlines using the keywords “sanction” and “sanctions”. Quantitative content analysis was employed to analyse the data. Findings showed that a generic framing approach is widely used in the three countries. Further analysis reveals that the responsibility and conflict frames consistently dominate in all three countries. The study also finds a positive agenda-setting tone to be dominant in Zimbabwe. Conversely, both Mali and Niger Republic exhibit a dominant negative agenda-setting tone.
325-336
The effects of polls on Burkinabe populations during election periods
Abstract
Opinion polls play an important and often controversial role in electoral contests. It is one of the main tools of political communication in democratic societies, where citizens receive much of their information during election campaigns. In Francophone Africa, pre-election polls are increasingly visible in the public arena. However, the release of their results during the election period has been the subject of criticism and controversy questioning their credibility: opinion polls published in the media can influence voters. The polls conducted by the Apidon Research and Survey Institute commissioned by the newspaper “Bendre” ahead of the November 2015 presidential and legislative elections in Burkina Faso drew sharp criticism from the public. Many citizens denounced them for being unreliable. Given the interest shown in this political communication tool in Burkina Faso, the authors sought to investigate the extent to which the publication of the polls influenced voting behavior. By interviewing respondents in the capital Ouagadougou and the rural province of Loumbila, the authors were able to study the reactions of different social categories of the electorate. Analysis of the results showed that the impact of published pre-election polling data on voters was insignificant. At the same time, voters had a deliberately negative perception of the role in political life of the publication of pre-election public opinion monitoring figures. The results of the research revealed the problem and showed the necessity of its further study. On the one hand, future research could focus on the impact of opinion poll results on political actors to determine how they are used. On the other hand, it is useful to see whether journalists follow professional rules when dealing with such information.
337-345
Misinformation and disinformation in ethno-religious conflicts: a comparative study of media in Ghana and Nigeria
Abstract
Misinformation and disinformation are receiving momentous global attention largely because of the risks they pose to almost every sector. Also, it deepening hate among ethnic groups, particularly, in Ghana and Nigeria. Lately, the most critical is the consistent manufactured lies in the semblance of news which have further threatened the fragile ethno-religious fabric in these two West African nations. In view of this, the study explores the intricate interconnection between misinformation, disinformation, and their impact on intensifying ethno-religious conflicts in Ghana and Nigeria. The propagation of inaccurate or deceptive information across various mediums has been observed to play a substantial role in exacerbating tensions, deepening divisions, and magnifying animosity among diverse ethnic communities. The primary objective of this research is to establish a wide-ranging comprehension of how misinformation and disinformation contribute to the escalation of ethno-religious conflicts, thereby shedding light on potential strategies to mitigate their detrimental consequences. Employing a qualitative approach of in-depth interview, the study uncovered the mechanisms through which misinformation and disinformation disseminate, shape perceptions, and contribute to the fragmentation of communities in Nigeria and Ghana unity. By highlighting these dynamics, the study seeks to offer valuable insights to policymakers, media professionals, and community leaders, enabling them to confront the predicament of misinformation and disinformation, ultimately cultivating a more unified and harmonious Nigerian and Ghanaian societies.
346-357
Peace journalism practice in Nigeria: war language and blasphemy conflicts
Abstract
Violent conflicts precipitated by allegations of blasphemy have resulted in loss of many lives and property in Nigeria. Worse still is the effects on peaceful coexistence among the different ethno-religious groups in the country. In all this, the media is a stakeholder, whether as a promoter of peace or exacerbater of tension and division. 306 editions of Daily Trust and The Punch newspapers were explored to ascertain how these national dailies are responding to the tenets of peace journalism enunciated by Johan Galtung, especially in their choice of words, to what extent do they specifically avoid war language in the coverage of sensitive incidents as blasphemy. Using quantitative content-analysis and framing as methodological and theoretical frameworks respectively, this study found that 71 of such (war) lexical indicators were used in covering the incidents of blasphemy investigated, with The Punch having the highest frequency (63). Out of the three war language categories coded (demonizing, victimizing, and emotive), first one is the most prevalent (90%) with individual words like ‘barbaric’ (25.3%), ‘fanatic’ (23.9%) and ‘extremist’ (18.3%) preponderating. All these are arguably a corollary of political, professional and economic factors. The research finally recommends that for blasphemy conflict with its attendant violence to be pre-empted, Nigerian journalists covering ethno-religious crises need to be conscientized on the tenets of peace journalism, whilst national cohesion and peaceful coexistence need to be prioritized by media industry over and above profiteering.
358-366
INTERVIEW
367-371
REVIEWS
Syncretic nature of of M.Yu. Levidov’s creativity
Abstract
Such features of M.Yu. Levidov's verbal creativity as versatile productivity and syncretism of writing are considered. These qualities, as a kind of creative constant, were inherent in his printed products throughout his life. To substantiate this thesis, the authors conducted a periodization of the writer's work and identified three periods in it: 1) the pre-October period (1914-1917); 2) the years of greatest activity (1918-1931) and 3) the last decade (1932-1942). Having tested each of the periods for combining such types of M.Yu. Levidov's activities as journalism, literature, criticism, science, pedagogy, the authors came to the conclusion that already at an early stage Levidov showed authorial activity in the field of literature, criticism and newspaper journalism; in maturity, science and pedagogy were added to these areas, and critical activity has reached the level of “blooming complexity”. But in the last decade, due to unfavorable socio-political conditions, the scope of application of Levidov's creative energy was forced to be narrowed: theoretical work was discontinued, and practical activity was focused on literary creativity, with biographical prose becoming the most acceptable format. In this genre the text's syncretism has reached its apogee.
372-380
The category of mythopoetics in works of Russian and Azerbaijani researchers
Abstract
The article examines the issue of the status and content of the term mythopoetics, which, despite its prevalence, requires greater clarity and clarity in understanding. A review of articles by Russian and Azerbaijani literary scholars is provided, in which this category is conceptualized as a tool for philological analysis of text at the intersection of mythology, folklore and fiction.
381-389
The study on Pushkin’s fairy tales in China: history and modernity
Abstract
The author attempts to systematize and summarize the review works of Chinese philologists devoted to Pushkin’s fairy tales. The history of the translation of Pushkin's fairy tales into Chinese is considered. The works of studying Pushkin's fairy tales, which regard Pushkin's fairy tales as entirety, are presented. The studies of Chinese philologists on a separate Pushkin's fairy tale are shown, especially on “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish”. It is concluded that the study of Pushkin's fairy tales in China is huge, and it has its own character. Nowadays, the study of Pushkin's fairy tales is experiencing a new upsurge. Because of the generational change in literary theory, philologists in China have expanded the fields of research and created new interpretations of Pushkin's fairy tales and are following wider and more research on Pushkin's fairy tales.
390-396
Poems by A.S. Pushkin in Kyrgyz language: equivalence, freedom and adequacy of Omor Sultanov’s translations
Abstract
The article examines the features of literary translations of A.S. Pushkin's poems into the Kyrgyz language, authored by the People's Poet of the Kyrgyz Republic Omor Sultanov. The problem of the research lies in the lack of knowledge of the originality and stages of development of literary translations into the Kyrgyz language of the works of even the most famous Russian poets. The object of the study is literary translations of Pushkin’s poems into the Kyrgyz language, carried out by O. Sultanov. The subject of the research is the characteristics of equivalence, freedom and adequacy of the literary translations being studied. The novelty and scientific value of this study lies in the fact that it is based on a theoretical and practical approach. In the work, by line-by-line comparison of the originals and Kyrgyz translations of specific poems, the main nuances, criteria and artistic circumstances of their similarities or differences are determined. The interaction of unrelated languages, Russian and Kyrgyz, within the framework of literary translation is studied. It seems very relevant to trace their mutual influence in the context of the ongoing integration processes between Russia and Kyrgyzstan, including in the sphere of culture. In this case, the study of literary translations of poetry by Pushkin as the most popular Russian-language poet is quite understandable. Literary translations of his poems into the Kyrgyz language in O. Sultanov’s version have elements of the necessary equivalence, freedom and adequacy.
397-405