Shklovsky explains that the technique of art is, the process of making objects different and difficult. Viktor shklovsky occupies a significant position in russian. Trotsky quotes shklovsky to substantiate this claim. The hamburg score gamburgsky schyot is a very important concept, wrote viktor shklovsky, the famous russian literary critic and founder of russian formalism, in 1928. The lemon and reis volume consists of four important essays. Nabrosok p m y j recent russian poetry, sketch 11 prague, 1921, p. Results for viktor shklovsky at dalkey archive press. In art as technique, shlovksy addresses the ways in which people. The technique of art is to make things unfamiliar, to make forms obscure, so as to increase the difficulty and the duration of perception. Art as technique by viktor shklovsky 1916 sternes tristram shandy. Defamiliarization or ostranenie is the artistic technique of presenting to audiences common.
The act of perception in art is an end in itself and must be prolonged. Formalist according to shklovsky, the chief technique for promoting such perception. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Refamiliarizing viktor shklovsky cambridge university press. Art as technique is the most important statement made of early. Shklovskys art as technique presents two very important ideas.
Viktor shklovsky is known here in the united states, if hes known at all, as one of the founders of russian formalism, the critical movement that set out back in the early 1920s to identify the specific set of things which distinguishes art from all other domains of intellectual activity, and which makes them its material or tools. In art, it is our experience of the process of construction that. Viktor shklovsky theory of prose translated by benjamin sher with an introduction by gerald l. Explain with examples and also try to give the example from literature. If we start to examine the general laws of perception, we see that as perception becomes habitual, it becomes automatic. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. In art as technique, victor shklovsky explains the concept of defamiliarization. He is one of the major figures associated with russian formalism viktor shklovsky s theory of prose was published in 1925. Victor shklovosky, a founder of the opayaz group in russia, occupies a significant position in russian formalism by introducing his literary concept of art as. Viktor shklovsky, author of zoo, or letters not about love, on librarything. Art as technique by victor shklovsky his emphasis lies on the exploration of new literary techniques and devices in a work of art for its renewed perception and literariness. The technique of art is to make objects unfamiliar, to make forms difficult, to increase the difficulty and length of perception because the process of perception is an aesthetic end in itself and must be prolonged.
Shklovskys art as technique almost exclusively in relation to literature and criticism for. By doing this, writers force readers not to just gloss over them and instead, to dwell on them and consider them in a certain way. But viktor shklovsky 18931984, enfant terrible of the russian formalists from the. In the early and influential art as technique 1917, from which ive just. Victor shklovsky, art as technique born in 1893, victor shklovsky was a leading figure in the school of literary and linguistic theory known as russian formalism, which flourished at the time. The technique of art is to make objects unfamiliar, to make forms difficult. It begins with a literal account of the above paragraph. With a series of landmark papers, he taught generations of readers that, in the art of literature, content simply doesnt matter. Art as device, and device when it works as miracle or. Art as technique by victor shklovsky bachelorandmaster. Russian literary language, which was originally foreign to.
Shklovsky brings out that there comes a point were perceptions become habitual thus becoming. He refutes the theory of the work of art as an art that exploits no more new devices and techniques. The purpose of art is to impart the sensation of things as they are perceived and not as they are known. The idea, originated in part by potebnya leading figure in the russian symbolist school of poets and critics, has spread. In his essay art as technique, viktor shklovsky tries to. Stylistic commentary by viktor shklovsky 1921 on realism in art by roman jakobson 1921 problems in the study of literature and language by roman jakobson and yuri tynyanov 1928 the theory of the formal method by boris eikhenbaum 1926. Shklovsky and modernism research papers are custom written. Art is a way of experiencing the artfulness of an object. Viktor shklovsky 18931984 was both patriarch and enfant terrible of formalism, a literary and film scholar, a fiction writer and the protagonist of other peoples novels, instructor of an armored division and professor at the art history institute, revolutionary and. He explained the concept in 1917 in the important essay art as technique also translated as art as device which comprised the first chapter of his seminal theory of prose, first published in 1925. As the russian formalist viktor shklovsky 1917 shklovsky 2017 observed in his essay. In this process, everyday processes and concepts are presented in a way that makes them seem unfamiliar. Viktor shklovsky search results dalkey archive press. One of the founders of the formalist movement in literary criticism, his seminal works include art as method 1917, theory of prose 1925, third factory 1926, classic studies of tolstoy and mayakovsky, and a memoir of the russian civilwar era, a sentimental journey.
The third factory of the title is what shklovsky sees as the third significant stage of his life. Shklovsky spends some time discussing other accounts of art that people before him have. Viktor was a critic and a literary theorist who was a russian and he was also a good writer. This maxim, which even highschool students parrot, is nevertheless the starting point for the erudite philologist who is beginning to put together some kind of systematic literary theory. Art as technique shklovsky free download as word doc. He also said that art is being exploited but with no new devices and techniques. The first was his family and school, the second opoyaz an acronym for the society for the study of poetic language as lyn hejinian explains in her afterword, the russian formalist group he was an influential member of, and the third is. All wrestlers cheat in performance and allow themselves to lose a fight at the behest of the organizers.
In his essay art as technique, viktor shklovsky tries to highlight the concept of. This maxim, which even high school students parrot, is nevertheless the starting point for the erudite philologist who is beginning to put together some kind of systematic literary theory. Victor shklovsky quotes author of zoo or letters not. Pdf art as technique by viktor shklovsky free download pdf. Men like viktor shklovsky exist in order to help students understand art as a technique and art theory. His work was deeply informed by his long and eventful life.
Download citation art, as device we get used to horrible things and stop. The basis of every art form is always conflict, he writes in one passage. According to the russian formalists who coined the term, it is the central concept of art and poetry. V iktor shklovskys name has become synonymous with the russian formalist movement that he helped to found in the early decades of the 20 th century. Shklovsky and modernism shklovsky and modernism research papers discuss how art as a technique makes the familiar into the unfamiliar. He explained the concept in 1917 in the important essay art as technique also translated as art as device which comprised the first. Film set our sense of vision free, restoring it to us with. Reading viktor shklovsky with a little bit about jonathan. Petersburg, where shklovsky was the leader of the opayaz group. Form, rather, is where its atthe defining feature of the literary work and the singular determinant of its.
By works of art, in the narrow sense, we mean works created by special techniques designed to make the works as obviously artistic as possible. E 205 viktor shklovsky art as technique 1 of 20 art as technique viktor shklovsky this version, translated by lee t. Shklovsky objects to the now widespread view, advanced in particular by a russian critic and theorist named alexander potebnya in his notes on the theory of language 1905, that. Viktor shklovsky, in full viktor borisovich shklovsky, born january 24 january 12, old style, 1893, st. Art as technique, victor shklovsky by katerina hipotesis. Translated and introduced by alexandra berlina, university of erfurt, literary studies. In bowstring, shklovsky turns eisensteins comments on cinematic juxtaposition into a guiding aesthetic axiom. Indeed, routines become so repetitive that i do things. This maxim, which even high school students parrot, is nevertheless the starting point. Viktor shklovsky 18931984 was both patriarch and enfant terrible of formalism, a literary and film scholar, a fiction writer and the protagonist of other peoples novels, instructor of an armored division and professor at the art history institute, revolutionary and counterrevolutionary.
As viktor shklovsky put it in his great essay art as device. This title is sometimes translated as art as technique. Victor shklovsky, art as technique born in 1893, victor shklovsky was a leading figure in the school of literary and linguistic theory known as russian formalism, which flourished at the time of the russian revolution. Shklovskys art as technique iskusstvo kak priemn, shklovsky on sternes tristram shandy, tomashevskys thematics, and eikhenbaums the theory of the 176. Viktor shklovsky had said that art has the same device which is being repeated again and again but it only gives a stale taste. The technique of art is to make objects unfamiliar, to make forms difficult to. Art and literature are difficult to interpret,therefore students need to look towards the experts in order to understand art criticism. It is a concept that i can relate to as i experience it in my daily life. Art as technique 1917 viktor shklovsky art is thinking in images. According to shklovsky, habituation is the idea of doing something unconsciously all the time. Viktor borisovich shklovsky was a russian and soviet literary theorist, critic, writer, and. Shklovsky is perhaps best known for developing the concept of ostranenie or defamiliarization also translated as estrangement in literature. Petersburg, russiadied december 8, 1984, moscow, russian literary critic and novelist. There is indeed such a thing as order in art, but not a single column of a greek temple fulfills its order perfectly, and artistic rhythm may be said to exist in the rhythm of prose disrupted.
Viktor shklovsky 18931984 was both patriarch and enfant terrible of formalism, a literary and film scholar, a fiction writer and the protagonist of other people s novels, instructor of an armored division and professor at the art history institute, revolutionary and counterrevolutionary. He gives the example of tolstoy and the idea of flogging. Alternatively you can download a pdf containing the link which can be freely. Viktor shklovsky 18931984 was one of the foremost literary critics and theorists of the 20th century.