Between the Heights of Classics and Hollows of Pulp Fiction: Literary Paradoxes of Mikhail Artsybashev
The article examines the evolution of philosophical, political and aesthetic views of the writer Mikhail Artsybashev as reflected in his social and political essays, letters, and fiction (his stories and novels - The Death of Lande , Sanin , Breaking Point , The Woman Standing in the Middle ). It is pointed out that literary critics of the early twentieth century and also modern scholars have problems with defining Artsybashev’s place in the literary “pantheon” either as a follower of the classics or as a pulp fiction writer. This ambiguity arises from a sharp contrast that existed between the “high” (classical) literature and pulp fiction in the beginning of the twentieth century. To a large extent it is still present in modern literary studies. This leads to a certain deformation (either an exaggeration or an understatement) of the aesthetic evaluation of a significant number of phenomena related to the intermediate layer of the literary system that lies in between the “high” literature and pulp fiction. This position is occupied by “trivial literature” that combines features of both types of literature. Artsybashev’s works occupy this very step of the literary “ladder”. By placing his writings in the category of “trivial literature” we acquire the correct value reference point for determining the writer's position in the history of Russian literature.