Reminder: The final is on Thursday, May 3^rd, in our usual classroom. Official time is 8:30, I may be delayed, but you’ll have plenty of time.

• What are the 7 Basic Elements of Plot in Magic Tales?
• What are the 7 Basic Functions of Characters in Magic Tales?
• What is specific to a male hero in a Magic Tale?
• What is specific to a female hero in a Magic Tale?
• What are Realistic-Anecdotal Tales?
• What are Epic Songs?
• What historical elements are included in epic tales?
• Who are the epic heroes and what are their main attributes?
• What are some stylistic devices used in epics?
• Since what period has the Russian folk costume been developing?
• What are some details of women’s costume and their function?
• What is the men’s dress like?
• What is the function of the belt?
• What is a kokoshnik? What are lapti?
• What kind of fabrics were used in traditional costumes?
• What kind of foodstuffs were (and still are) used in Russian cooking?
• Examples of seasonal (holiday) dishes.
• When was vodka introduced and what did people drink before then?
• What is a samovar?
• What are these saints patrons of, or what were they prayed to for: St Nicholas, St George, Elijah the Prophet, Paraskeva?
• What day was dedicated to Paraskeva?
• How is the devil usually referred to?
• What are the forms he prefers to appear as?
• What are the forms he avoids?
• What are strong means of warding against evil?
• What is the Domovoi?
• What is a Rusalka?
• What is the difference between the northern and the southern Rusalka?
• What kind of activities used to be associated with Christmas?
• Who was Lomonosov?
• What is his impact on Russian language and literature?
• What is the novel in verse Eugene Onegin about?
• What is so special about its verse?
• How long did it take Pushkin to write it?
• What famous derivative work was created based on Eugene Onegin and by whom?
• What are some differences between the Russian “Golden Age” and the Western European Romanticism?
• How did Pushkin die?

From Afanas’ev, Russian Fairy Tales (required book):

“The Frog Princess” p. 119

“Go I Know Not Whither, Bring Back I Know Not What” p. 504

“The Feather of Finist the Bright Falcon” p. 580

“Prince Ivan, The Firebird, and The Gray Wolf.” p. 612

Set 2 (the other tales):

“The Turnip” p. 26

“The Magic Swan-Geese” p. 349

“Little Sister Fox and The Wolf” p. 371

“Clever Answers” p. 578

“Dividing the Goose” p. 579

He fought in 29 duels

He lost against the French officer Georges-Charles de Heercheren d’Anthès who was trying to seduce Pushkin’s wife, Natalia née Goncharova.

Pushkin had 4 children. The lines of 2 of them still continue.

Pushkin himself was of great aristocratic lineage. He could trace his ancestors back to the 12th century on his father’s side (Russian nobility).

His Mother (on her father’s side) came from German and Scandinavian nobility. On her mother’s side, she was descended from Hannibal, Peter’s black page (possibly Ethiopian).

Pushkin published his first poem at age 15.

He met Gogol, one of the great novel writers, in 1831, and offered him his continued critical support.

Pushkin has been compared to Mozart in the scope and influence of his work.

Emphasis is put on the perfection of the form.

The movement calls itself “romanticism” from the 1820s.

It was strongly inspired by Shakespeare (his psychological insight) and Byron (his eloquence).

There was no “return to nature” movement, no animism, unlike in the Western European Romantic movement.

It was a poetry of noblemen, who liked to write most about wine, friendship, good company.

The Golden Age may be said to have begun formally with the formation of the literary society Arzamas (from a humorous poem).

Other poets involved in the society were:

• Zhukovskii
• Batiushkin
• Viazemskii

It was a poetic friendship, a chance for literary conversations, and light poetry.

After 1820, their attitude turns more serious. Pushkin’s fame rises.

In the 1830s begins the rise of prose, it’s the birth of the Russian novel.

Foodstuffs.

Fish: rivers and lakes. Great Lent and fast periods (>1/2 year).

Forest: berries, mushrooms. Gathering mushrooms.

Meat.

Pork. Mutton. Beef.

Preserves.

Cucumbers. Cabbage. Sweet preserves.

Fruit: preserves, dried.

Veggies. Potatoes. Grains.

Bread.

Milk and dairy products (tvorog; buttermilk; sour cream). Eggs.

Influences from former republics: shashlyk; kefir; rice and lamb dishes, etc. Western influences.

Drink: wine; vodka; kvass. Tea (coffee).

Taste:

Not a lot of spices. Onions, garlic, salt and pepper, dill, parsley, vinegar, horseradish, mustard. Sugar and honey.

Sharp, but not hot.

Tart, sour.

Not as sweet.

How prepared.

Russian stove: a lot baked, stewed, even today.

Not grilled, unless over campfire.

Soup and essential dish.

Cold summer dishes: cold buttermilk soup.

Some dishes.

Borshch.

Salads.

Filled pastries.

Vareniki.

Lenivyie vareniki.

Syrniki.

Bread. Essential food.

White (wheat)

Black (mostly rye)

Gray (wheat and rye).

More substantial than American bread.

Family preparations:

Holiday foods.

Pel’meni.

Pirozhki.

Daily meals.

Breakfast: substantial. Bread with cold cuts; leftovers;

Midday meal: more than lunch.

Dinner: main meal.

Snacks: usually sweet.

Family gatherings.

Long meals – feast.

Sit around, eat, drink, talk, argue.

Any major holiday an occasion. Family holiday – extended family.

Always food offered to visitors (best for guests).

Dishes served one course at a time. Tradition adopted from Russian by West.

Festive meal:

Zakuski.

Soup.

Main dish: fish or meat, or both.

Dessert.

Zakuski.

Custom established before 19^th c. Possibly snacks for travelers before meal is ready.

Always a variety served. Served with bread.

Caviar (for the wealthy or connected)

(Sterlet)

Beluga (largest sturgeon)

Sevruga

Ossetra

Salmon

Herring (schmaltz)

In mustard or sour cream sauce.

Oil and vinegar with onions.

Other fish, possibly from cans: eel, sardines, salmon (smoked), sturgeon

Cold cuts, sausages

Marinated mushrooms

Various pickles (cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, etc.), radishes.

Meat pies (pirozhki);

kulebiaka: fish pie.

Stuffed veggies

Served with vodka.

Soup.

Shchi (sauerkraut soup)

Borshch (thick, stew-like, meat or meatless root-vegetable soup with cabbage and beets)

Ukha (fish soup)

Rassolnik: pickles and kidneys

Could be served with pirozhki or other savory baked goods.

Main course. Meat and/or fish. If wine is served, with main dish.

Pelmeni (a ravioli-style dish served with sour cream)

Kotlety (ground-meat patties, the same concept at meat loaf, but pan-fried)

Po-kievski

Pozharskie

Classic dishes: Beef Stroganoff (pieces of beef cooked in mustard-sour cream sauce served over buckwheat)

Roasts.

Dessert.

Cakes, cookies, pastries.

Cookies: pechen’e, different from US.

No such thing as crackers.

Kisel’ (“fools” – a kind of fruit custard)

Kompot (compote: cooked fruit in a mild syrup)

Seasonal dishes.

Bliny (savory, yeast-batter crepes served with butter, sour cream, and non-meat toppings)

Kulich. (Easter Bread, rich sweet bread baked in the shape of a tower)

Paskha. (Easter cheese dessert, not unlike crustless cheesecake)

Kut’ia. (Christmas dessert, poppy seeds, honey, nuts, and raisins)

Beverages.

Vodka. Introduced in 14^th c. Mostly used for medicine until late 16^th/17^th c. Samogon. Home-made vodka, about twice as potent as the stuff sold in stores. Made from sugar or potatoes.

Before: mead, ale.

Vodka drunk straight. Not sipped. Always with food.

Plain or flavored.

Zubrovka (flavored with buffalo grass)

Pertsovka (flavored with red pepper)

Limonovka (flavored with lemon)

Cognac

Wine: on the sweet side.

Beer: healthy alternative (not considered a strong drink).

Kvas. 1% alcohol. Made from rye bread, yeast, water, sugar; lightly fermented. Also used as base for soup.

Water: bottled rather than from tap.

Flavored.

Carbonated.

Juice (bottled)

Milk and coffee drunk far less than in US (but kefir/buttermilk is)

Tea: always hot; sweet. Mostly at breakfast and “tea” or with snack.

Samovar is still used.

Glasses with holders used rather than mugs.

The basic pattern of the animal tale is simple:

• There is a meeting between animals (or between an animal and a person).
• There is a repetition, not necessarily three-fold
  • Of a situation
  • Of a speech
  • Of an event
• The tales are heavy in dialogue
  • Which can be either all prose
  • Or rhymed, song-like:
    • Petushok, petushok, zolotoi grebeshok
    • Kolobok: quote
• Today they are treated mostly as children’s tales (see books)
• Many of them have a cumulative structure (See the Castle of the Fly or The Turnip; tell Kolobok; compare)
• There is a lot of play with names, with sounds.

Realistic-Anecdotal Tales

This category makes up 60% of the folk tales.

The main subjects are:

• The marriage of the hero
• The taming of the shrew
• Wise advice (that leads to success)
• Wise youth or maiden
• Fate and good fortune (or misfortune)
• Highwaymen and robbers

Some of the tales are similar in subject to the magic tales, but they are realistic in content, and the structure differs, as well as the characters (no Baba Yaga).

The narrative is based on sharp social contrast:

• Age
• Social position
• Nationality, etc.

For instance, the opposition between master and servant, soldier and officer, king and subject, etc.

The main character is a trickster type. The plot is usually based on tricking oneself out of trouble or solving a riddle or riddle-like situation.

The tale is low comedy, not unlike the commoners in Shakespearean plays.

• The youngest son, if there is more than one son.

• He has parents, quite often both a father and a mother.

• He is passive and helpless. He cannot go on until a helper tells him what to do and where to go.

• He always disobeys orders. When he does what he is not supposed to do, the tale moves forward.

• Baba Yaga is more often helper than enemy.

• He finds a bride and brings her back with him.

Magic Tales: The Female Hero

• She is often an orphan. Her mother is usually dead. Her father is absent or dead. She has a stepmother and usually 2 stepsisters, both older.

• She is active. She takes her life into her own hands.

• She can obey instructions.

• She knows what to do before being told, or how to do it once she’s told.

• Baba Yaga is more likely to be an antagonist.

• She finds a dowry and a groom finds her.

]]> http://mashaholl.com/culture/?feed=rss2&p=134 0 http://mashaholl.com/culture/?p=132 http://mashaholl.com/culture/?p=132#comments Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:33:56 +0000 mariaholl http://mashaholl.com/culture/?p=132 Epic songs

Completely different genre: verse, sung, different subjects. When the early folklorists came across the songs, they went ape. They thought — that’s it. We have a Homeric cycle. We have our myths. We are finally worthy to be called Europeans!

So let’s see what got them so excited.

Folktales: magic, fantasy, personal problems, life, etc.

Epics: state, international relations, etc. Historical elements, however not historical documents, not based on specific historical characters or events. For instance, Russians are always victorious in epics, which was not the case against the Mongols.

Historical elements:

• Epics originated in Kiev, the capital of Russia until 1240 when the Mongols attacked and sacked it. Kiev never recovered. The first ones were probably created around the X to XIIC.
• Vladimir, the Velikii Kniaz of Kiev, at least by name.
• Kiev located between the steppe (south and east) and the forests (north and NW). Before the wave of Mongol invasions of the 13^th C., there were other nomadic groups that attacked the Kievan lands: Pechenegs (Patzinaks) Polovetsians Khazars Their raids are reflected in epic songs. Tartar invasion usually represent only and overlay on the earlier themes.
• With the rise of Moscow in the XV C. (originally just another city-state, and very minor for a long time), epics proper slowly fossilized, and new genres appear as spinoffs: historical songs, ballads, and religious songs.

The epic song in Russian is called “bylina”, which means literally “that which was”. The singers themselves called it “starina” – from “staryi”, “old.” The performers and their audience believed in the factuality of epic songs.

As we have said, epics originated in Kiev, probably composed by court performers. However, there is no proof of this, and in addition, as you’ll see, the portrait of Vladimir, the great-prince (velikii kniaz’) is so unflattering that the “aristocratic” origin of the songs can be doubted. And yet, the life and ideals of the Russian ruling class are represented too accurately for peasants to have been the originators of the songs.

By the 19^th C., only peasants were performing epic songs. In fact, by the middle of the 19^th C, epics were believed to have died out, until a certain P. N. Rybnikov, in 1860, heard an epic performed. It was pure chance, but it revived the collecting of epic songs, which continued into the 20^th C. It is interesting to note that men AND women performed epic songs.

The earliest collection of epic songs was published in 1804. Recent discoveries indicate that the compiler of this collection, Kisha Danilov, was indeed a real person and a performer himself.

The latest collections date to the mid-20^th century (through 1960), when the genre died out, greatly helped by a systematic Stalinist purge. Today the songs are part of Russian culture. Every child knows the names of the main heroes, most know them all.

The Heroes

Considering the epic songs by plot, we have several fairly distinct groups of narravits. One group of songs stands apart, often designated as songs about the “older” heroes.

Volkh Vseslav’evich: the sorcerer, shape-shifter.

Sviatogor: the largest, heaviest of heroes. The earth can barely hold him. Gives Il’ia Muromets his strength (one variation).

Mikula Selianinovich: the strongest hero. Tosses plows like sticks.

Then we have the Kievan heroes.

Il’ia Muromets. Possibly the best-known and best-liked hero. “old” or “old Cossack” (appellation probably appeared in 16^th C.); the subject of the most songs, has most developed biography. Peasant background (probably emphasized in 19^th C.). Legends about “reality” of hero.

Dobrynia Nikitich. The nobleman. Diplomat noted for his special knowledge and courtesy. Musician, chess player, archer, wrestler. Origin not presented clearly.

Aliosha Popovich: youngest of trio formed with Il’ia and Dobrynia. As patronymic indicates, son of priest. Trickster: slyness, agility, craftiness, sometimes as “mocker of women”, sometimes liar and cheat.

Then the heroes that come in contact with Kiev but are not Kievans themselves.

Mikhailo Potyk. Once song, one of the longest and most complex. Elements of magic tales. Bride taking.

Ivan Godinovich. Single song. Search for bride.

Solovei Budimirovich. Single song. Bride taking. Hero not from Kiev. Elements of magic tales.

Vasilii Ignat’ev. Drunkard who saves Kiev from Mongols when all other heroes are absent.

Churila Plionkovich: Womanizer who seduces even the kniaginia.

Diuk Stepanovich. Arrives from other city. Criticizes everything (ours is better). Wealthiest hero. Duel of dandies.

Stavr Godinovich. Himself is not much of hero, but wife is (daughter of Mikula Selianinovich?). Rescues husband.

Khoten Bludovich. Bride-taking

Then the Novgorodian heroes

Sadko. Merchant. Two songs: rise of merchant; sea kingdom. Second has magic-tale elements.

Vasilii Buslaev. The good-for-nothing, destructive with the strength of an epic hero.

The hero of the epic song is called “bogatyr”.

The rare female heroes are often called “polianitsa”, although it is also a word used to refer to all the bogatyrs together.

Structure

Length: usually 300-500 lines, a few exceeding 1000.

The plot is linear: no flashbacks, subplots, etc.

No composite epics: mostly one episode, although some songs (examples in book) combine several songs.

Time can be compressed or expanded: – description of ride or time/space marker
- Numerous events in space of a day or many days pass without mention.

Use of pattern scenes: hero taking leave of mother; saddling horse; entering council chamber; bragging at a feast; departure over wall of city; depiction of journey; hero urging on horse; battle description; exchange of taunts by adversaries…

Occasionally, a song will begin with a “zapev” that has no connection to the plot. It’s an introduction to put audience in right mood.

Most often, songs will begin with “zachin”: exp: in Kiev, at feast given by Vladimir; eating and drinking; bragging.

Often a terse “kontsovka”.

Language.

Use of set expressions (noun + adjective):(a few examples) on the blue sea, in the dark forest, his white hands, mother damp earth, young bright falcon.

Slavic negative antithesis: a comparison presented in a negative form. See “Il’ia Muromets and Kalin Tsar”:

A bright falcon didn’t swoop down on the geese, on the swans

And on the small migratory gray ducks

A Holy Russian bogatyr

Swooped down on the Tartar army.

Il’ia Muromets is compared to a hunting falcon.

When performers want to emphasize a passage, they will expand and ornament it through repetition and parallelism. Epic retardation.

Rapid transitions to move quickly through time and space: exp, no descriptions of travel, or time markers: the hero is here, then there.

Epic hyperbole: heroes are larger than life. Volkh can lift a 10,000 lb mace (comp. Hercules defeating the snake as infant).
Volkh gathers a druzhina of 7000.

These elements can be found in epic traditions around the world (although the exact expressions and formulae do change).

Genres Related (in form) to Epics

Religious songs (Dukhovnye stikhi – spiritual verses)

When they were recorded in 19^th century, songs performed by wandering pilgrims;
* Often organized in guilds
* Often blind or crippled
* Traveled from holy place to holy place in Russia

Subjects derived especially from Bible, apocrypha, church writings, saints’ lives, legends.

Historical songs

Epic songs – Historical elements, but not historical in content;
* historical characters out of character, relationships changed, etc

Historical songs: About historical characters presented in historical settings;
* often about historical events.
* But NOT complete historical accuracy: historical details blurred, such as dates, length of events, even characters
* NOT factual, but more realia than epics; atmosphere
* Like epics: concerns state, not family
* Mostly concerned with events from reign of Ivan IV
* Also later events, Boris Godunov, etc
* Songs about Cossack revolts:

– Iermak – colonization of Siberia; from highwayman to conqueror (16^th C/Ivan)

– Sten’ka Razin – Cossack/highwayman (17^th C)

– Pugachev – Cossack/Uprising/highwayman (18^th C)

In form: less poetic.
* Much less ornamented than epics.
* Rhymes and satyrical elements: influence of skomorokhi – different genesis than Byliny
* Can contain non-folk (written lit) elts.
* Shorter than epic

May contain epic themes: feast, blessing by mother, bragging, entrance of hero in hall.

Ballads.

Transitional form between epics and lyric songs.

Mostly performed by women (who also performed epics)

Origin/Dates unclear.

Much shorter than epics (variant we have is long for the genre)

Personal tragedies; not of state importance (even if heroes are princes/princesses: Family conflict
* Usually ends in death.
* No historical details – generalized
* Stereotyped characters
* Public drama – servants are witnesses

Typical themes:
* Lovers who accept their fate passively (and die)
* Evildoers who manipulate lovers and cause their death
* Outsiders (the servants) who observe and may comment.

Ballads contain bad omens, prophetic dreams – always realized with the worst possible outcome.
* Hero understands omen immediately (epic hero needs to have it explained)

There is significant variation between the different areas of Russia, especially in women’s costumes. Men’s costumes tended to be fairly similar over all of Russia.

One detail that has remained constant from the middle ages is that married women were supposed to cover their hair completely, whereas unmarried girls could go with their hair uncovered, even at home. Women braided their hair in two braids and pinned it up, then covered it with a headdress. Girls wore their hair in a single braid, and in some areas did not need to braid it at all.

One theory to explain this requirement was that it was introduced with Christianity – women were supposed to cover their hair in church. But more recent historians speculate that it is a much older tradition, otherwise the stricture would not have been so stringent, or been retained so long. In other Christian countries the beliefs associated with hiding a married woman’s hair are not so strict, so the pre-Christian theory makes sense.

Today, it’s a tradition that has essentially died out. However, you will still see that most older women put on a kerchief when they go out. Women will also be required to cover their head when going into a church (men, or course, will be required to take off their hats). In the West, however, in Russian Orthodox churches, no-one will notice if you’re bare-headed (mini-skirts and –shorts, spaghetti straps, crossed legs, however, will be noticed).

The up side of this stricture is that the Russian traditional headdress has a multitude of variations, from the simple kerchief to stiff kokoshniks to headdresses made of several parts put together.

There are traditional embroidery patterns that are similar all around Russia, with small regional variations. These patterns can sometimes be seen in other folk art.

Shoes were also varied, especially when factory-made shoes became available. Yet until fairly recently, the lapti, or shoes woven out of bast (the inner bark of the lime tree or the willow or the birch; even the (mo;;evel]nik)juniper). These shoes were used all over European Russia, but not in Siberia. They were worn over leg wraps, the whole thing secured by straps.

The shirt was also universal – white, made of homespun linen or hemp cloth, later from factory-made fabrics. It was about ankle-length for women, and mid-thigh for men (with regional variations, of course). It was worn belted almost universally. The side-buttoned shirt is not the most widespread type, even though it is the one used most by stage costumers. Not even the standing collar is standard. But it was made to be pulled on, not buttoned up.

In the winter, furs and felt were used extensively. Felt boots were worn on the coldest, driest days. Melting snow or mud will ruin felt boots and make the wearer miserable with soaked, cold feet. But when the weather was cold and dry, felt boots remained impermeable, and provided warm footwear. Leather boots, of course, were also common.

The costumes that we will speak of have been worn until the first quarter of the 20^th c., but might still be worn here and there, in remote villages, for certain celebrations. By the 19^th c., it was peasant clothing. You will be surprised to see, however, brocades and fine wools, silks, fancy embroidery, yards and yards of fabric for one garment, pearls (mostly freshwater), gold thread, and other fancy and expensive details. Not all peasants were poor and covered in dirt and tatters. Not all peasants were beggars. Some peasants were prosperous farmers, renowned artisans.

The main types of women’s costume:

• Costume consisting of a shirt, a skirt, an apron (waist-high or chest-high), a belt (not leather), a complex headdress made of several sections.
  This type of costume is found mainly in southern Russia.
  
• Costume consisting of shirt, sarafan (sleeveless, cone-shaped dress), short jacket, a simple headdress, shoes made mostly of leather.
  This type of costume is the most widespread.
  
• Costume consisting of a shirt with turn-down collar, a striped, woolen skirt, a jacket (waisted, waist-length or knee-length), a sash, a simple headdress.
  This was the costume of the descendants of government employees sent to the southern areas in the XVI-XVII centuries to provide border safety. It shows a Lithuanian origin.
  
• Costume consisting of a waisted dress worn over a shirt with wide sleeves, and pants and a knit hat.
  This costume was worn by Cossack women from the Don river and Northern Caucasus from the XVII to the early XIX c. It was probably influenced by the costume of native peoples of the northern Causasus.

Men’s costume had much less variations. It consisted of a tunic-type shirt with a side-opening, pants, leather or bast shoes, a had with brim or without. The shirt was usually worn over the pants and belted, although in some areas it could be tucked in. Men wore either woven belts or leather belts (women did not usually wear leather belts).

The fabric used was either homespun (linen, hemp, woolen, wool mix) or factory-made (silk, wool, cotton, brocade). Factory-made fabrics made their way to parts of Siberia only in the late XVIII century. They became more common, overall, by the late XIX c.

Fur was also used extensively, both as decoration on collar and cuffs, and as a principal element in fur coats. It was usually worn with the fur to the inside, and the coat could be covered with fabric and embroidered on the outside.

Of course, all of these costumes had regional variants, sometimes even from village to village: colors, sewing patterns, colors, embroideries.

Variants also indicated the social status or age of a person.

Children younger than 5 or 7 did not wear fancy garments. Their clothes were usually hand-me-downs or made of scraps of old garments or leftovers. Boys and girls were usually dressed in a belted shirt.

From the age of 7 or so, the costume became more gender-specific. Boys began wearing pants. Girls were allowed to wear “jewelry” of a sort: necklaces made of dried berries or seeds, ribbons. On Sundays and holidays, they wore a sarafan or a skirt over their shirts.

Young men and girls of marriageable age usually wore the brightest costumes and the most complex. Their garments were new. The main difference between girl’s and women’s costumes was the headdress, as we already noted.

The elderly wore simpler costumes, often in white and black (colors of mourning).

Old maids were not allowed to wear a married woman’s headdress. They braided their hair as unmarried girls did – in one braid, and wore a kerchief over that.