16 октября 2016г.
A special role of the narrator is what unites three series of programs on Russian culture on the Rossiya-Kultura TV channel that focuses on the arts and culture: a collection of literary monologues of various years by the Russian literary critic and scholar Irakly Andronikov (directed by M. Shapiro, 1959), Yuri Lotman’s conversations about Russian culture (directed by
E. Khaponen, the late 1980s), and Paola Volkova’s world art series Bridge over the Abyss (directed by A. Zaitsev, 2011 – 2012). The narrator’s role determines the storytelling organization of the text that focuses on conveying new information to the viewer about literature, history, and the art of narrative. This strategy is based on understanding and experiencing facts of culture as events of one’s life. “These ‘cultural narratives’ provide important clues to the world they talk about” [1, с. 190].
Different in montage techniques and footage (archival documents, photographs, art reproductions, literary and film quotes, and bibliographic remarks), the Andronikov, Lotman and Volkova documentary series represent multilayer narratives. The choice of events and their sequence are determined by the logic of thought production shaped by the personality of each scholar.
Irakly Andronikov made portraits and old photographs come to life by a masterful impersonation of imaginary characters who were part of the events of the past. As if following Russian publicists who said that it did not matter at all what means were used to promote scientific ideas “even if to enter public consciousness those ideas would need a witticism or Shchedrinian playfulness” [2, с. 132], Andronikov, a writer and literary scholar, could indulge in self-irony over his wrong hypotheses and later applaud himself for solving a mystery hidden in the autographs of the subjects of his literary investigations. The impromptu nature of his stories and the color of his conversational style fit perfectly the name of the TV series, Spoken Stories.
Tartu University Professor Yuri Lotman chose the genre of conversation for his cultural series. Lotman almost invariably spoke from his home ensconced either in his office or library. The founder of the semiotics of culture creates the narrative intrigue by shifting the focus of his and his viewers’ attention from the whole to its parts when he explains a concept. Then, he finds original notions for the concept and provides illustrations from his life or the life of literary characters or historical figures. When he explains the concept of culture he uses the notions of “a slum complex” and “an occupier’s complex”. In his view, these psychological conditions reveal themselves through rude behavior causing the person to “fall out of the cultural tradition”. Professor Lotman illustrates his point with a story from his life when he came across manifestations of the occupier’s complex during the Second World War. The focus of his talk about balls in pre-Revolutionary Russia is an episode from Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina in which Alexei Vronsky invites Kitty Shcherbatsky for a round of cotillion. But she is expecting him to invite her for a mazurka as well. During that dance, the word that leads to an engagement can be uttered. The young officer invites Anna Karenina instead. An explanation of why a mazurka rather than a cotillion implies a serious conversation replaces the storyline progression. Each of these detours from cultural issues to autobiographical sketches and literary quotes makes the entire narration more intimate: Lotman the scholar loses his academic confidence and stops looking at the camera. His eyes are directed away from the viewer at the people on set instead, in search of an emotional reaction; his intonation reveals irony, surprise, anger or regret.
Dominating in Paola Volkova’s talks about world art masterpieces is her phrase addressed to the viewer, “I would like to tell you about this piece of art something that would bring you closer to it”. The connection between art and private life is formed by the free movement of the author in space and time. Volkova’s intellectually intense talk about spiritual practices of silence in Old Russia is suddenly interrupted by an emotional commentary of how much we need “silence now. We always need it, perhaps, especially during the times of troubles. During the time of internal division. And mutual hatred. But when brothers stand against one another…”. An art critic and historian, Paola Volkova uses a metaphor in the title of her TV series, Bridge over the Abyss. Employing aesthetic and poetic terms in her interpretations of art objects, she carefully releases them from the grip of semantics to the realm of literary images. She communicates the meanings of Andrey Rublev’s Trinity by imitating the narrative stylistics of hagiology. Even the icon’s color scheme is interpreted through spiritual and moral concepts: “Father Pavel Florensky viewed color as cleanliness and an expression of morality. He talked about Rublev. Rublev had moral color”. Although extended descriptions of Volkova as a narrator often breaks the traditional storytelling technique, TV fills the gap of a missing storyline through expressive means of cinematographic narrative.
The TV monologues by Irakly Andronikov, Yuri Lotman and Paola Volkova all bear the mark of their personality. However, they are all united by the fabric of a TV documentary. The integrity of this fabric is based on the authors’ monologues, which follow the storyline, their ability to make non-narrative fragments (reasoning, definition and classification of concepts) serve the goal of creating an intellectual intense story that enriches our knowledge about the world.
References
1. Burke P. What is cultural history: translated from English by I. Polonskaya. Moscow: Higher School of Economics Press, 2016. – 240 pages.
2. Pisarev D. I. Literary Criticism. Vol. 2. Leningrad: Belletristic Literature, 1981.– 465 pages.
