Ludmila Verbitskaya, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russkiy Mir Foundation and President of St. Petersburg State University, does not consider herself an expert in literature, but she always makes a caveat that as a philologist she cannot but have her own opinion in this subject.
– Once upon a time everyone argued that the USSR is the most-read nation on the planet. This was indeed so, for wherever you might go, everywhere you could see people with books in their hands – in the subway, streetcars or buses. Not only was almost everyone reading something; most people read serious books at that. Now I see people who either do not read anything at all, or read the books which make me feel sad. They are what we earlier dubbed as ‘dime novels’; now they are published in tons, with Marinina and Dontsova being not the worst representatives of this genre. A short time ago the sociological department of our university did a survey in military academies and among the freshmen and sophomores of several universities to find out what our youth read. It turned out that their number one favorite is the horror genre…
– Aren’t there any grounds for optimism?
– An encouraging fact is that people have at least began talking about how pulp fiction littering the minds. This is true because there is nobody to correct such texts: neither literary editors nor proofreaders are usually involved. When I read such books, the numerous mistakes shock me… Reading directly impacts the thinking process and the ability to think in our mother tongue.
When Lev Shcherba was asked in 1932, where good Russian could be learned, he recommended the works of best Russian writers: Chekhov, Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky. Incidentally, the fate of classic masterpieces is very interesting – some attempts are made to come up with a sequel to a great novel or their new interpretations. There are at least ten sequels to Anna Karenina. In some versions Anna recovers after staying some time in hospital; in yet another version she only injures her leg… Attempts have also been made to invent a sequel to War and Peace…
– Do you think this is a prospective undertaking?
– No, I can’t take this seriously. For instance, War and Peace is a deep philosophical novel, reflecting the philosophy of the whole epoch, not just Tolstoy’s philosophy. Simplifications in sequels seem futile to me…
I reread this novel 20 times after school and I’d say its relevance is understood only with years. And we expect the teenagers to be aware of its profound truths. I think the literature course and the school curriculum need a thorough revision.
At the same time it is comforting that classic masterpieces rouse the interest of filmmakers and stage directors who try to look at them at a different angle. I was impressed by the Oblomov movie after Goncharov’s novel. On the other hand, children ought to be kept away from some modern reinterpretations of the classic literature, such as the Ruslan and Ludmila ballet staged in the “new-born” Bolshoi Theatre…
On one occasion I heard from schoolchildren that it’s difficult to sit eleven years looking at the same nape. Children will be children who want stereotypes to be scrapped. Throughout many years I see the same portraits of literary classics in different schools, gray, tedious and bearded! True, Leo Tolstoy lived to go white hair and wore a beard, but Anton Chekhov was a young man who lived only 44 years… The very format of the classroom does not predispose one to creative discussion; yet we already have some experience with seminars for literature lessons, when a teacher just watches over a dispute…
The faster pace of life, computerization and mobile telephony require new approaches from modern-day writers. In several decades from now there will be no place for any Selected Correspondence with Friends. The genre of correspondence has almost vanished. There will be no need to publish collected letters, except for sms… Novels keep shrinking: we want to see the plot resolve quickly. This is probably the sign of our time. Youth seek acceleration; everybody wants instantaneous results. The influence of the Internet is undisputable in this process. We ask a question and want to get an immediate answer. This type of communication shapes a new conscience. Durable information seems tiresome.
– Where can modern-day people find motivation for reading?
– Only in their family circle and at school: it’s very important for a child to hear the voice of teachers, among whom there are some extremely talented people who are like actors. I firmly oppose the replacement of a compulsory final essay with just a Russian language and literature test after the ninth grade.
Natalia Aleksyutina
Source: Rosokhrankultura.ru
