Aspects of the fantastic grotesque in the works of V. Mayakovsky, M. Bulgakov and E. Schwartz

Abstract

The grotesque in Soviet literature ls a field of study whlch has been neglected both in the Soviet Union and the West. In the Soviet Union interest in the grotesque reached a high point in the formalist criticism of the twenties, since the grotesque is one of the most clearly expressed devices of defamiliarisation. After a long period of taboo a revival takes place in the sixties. An attempt has been made in thls thesis to define the grotesque and to apply this definition to the works of V. Mayakovaky, M. Bulgakoy and E. Schwartz. We are primarily concerned with the structural features of their grotesque and the relationshlp of these to comedy and tragedy. While very similar in its structure and its use of comedy devices, the grotesque of all three writers differs substantially in its nature. We have attempted to establish the reasons for the differences and to define the function of their grotesque.