By MSM YAQOOB
A very prominent
literary theory and the European counterpart, Russian Formalism flourished in
the 1930s was historically linked with the three major literary clubs like
Society of the Study of the Poetic Language (OPOJAZ), Moscow Linguistic
Society, and Prague Linguistic Circle. The major figures of these three
associations were Roman Jakobson, G.O Vinokur, Victor Shklovsky, Victor
Vinogradov, Boris Eichenbaum, and Jan Mukarovsky.
The founders of this theory believed that form of a text is more important than content. Apart from this they also focused on language rather than on history, biography, and culture. To them, a text is complete in itself and does not need any exophoric elements. A text itself has many formal devices such as metaphor, rhyme, meter, rhythm, and so on. Keep the focus on such elements while interpreting a text was the major point in Russian Formalism.Steiner, one of the proponents of Russian Formalism, added "Literary works are like machines: they are the result of an intentional human activity in which a specific skill changes raw material into a complex mechanism suitable for a particular purpose".
They also believed that the two kinds of language, ordinary and literary, are different from each other in purpose. Ordinary language, a set of information, is used just for communication while literary language has the capability to draw the attention of its readers to formal devices. These formal devices in formalism are termed literariness. The purpose of this technique is to make a text an aesthetic object. "The aesthetic value or purpose of art, embodied in the devices, consists in creating in readers or viewers a heightened awareness, making them see things anew."
Ezra Pound
The ordinary language
is changed into literary by deforming to make it defamiliarize. According to
Charles E Bressler “Through structure, imagery, syntax, rhyme scheme,
paradox and a host of other devices, literary language identifies itself as
deviation from everyday language, ultimately producing the defining features of
literariness, defamiliarization”.
As we mentioned at the
start of this discussion that their primary focus was only poetry but later
Shklovsky and Vladimir Propp increased the scope of its circle to fiction as
well. Both Propp and Shklovsky analyzed the narrative technique, structure,
role of the plot (Syuzhet), and story (Fabula). To them, the narrative effect
is also played a major role in the interpretation of a text.
Russian Formalism has its unique application. There are some
important steps to be followed while applying this theory.
>Poetics
>Form
>Devices
>Literariness
>Foregrounding of literary
language
>defamiliarization
>Summary
The theory is strongly
criticized by many opponent theories but it is still widely read across the
world and has deep roots in the literary circle. The formalism movement has
strong effects on other theories as well. Structuralism and New Criticism have
folded shapes of Formalism and have many things in common.
Trotsky also rejected
it by saying that “because they neglect the social world with which the
human beings who write and read literature are bound up”.
The discussion can be summed in these words that formalists stress over the independent nature of a text.
