Changing the shape of existence: Utopia in Andrei Platonov's 'Chevengur' and Bruno Jasienski's 'I Burn Paris'.

摘要

This dissertation is a comparative study of utopian fictions of the Russian writer Andrei Platonov and those of the Polish writer Bruno Jasienski. The purpose of this study is to reevaluate these two authors and their works in the broader context of Western utopian literature rather than from the viewpoint of their respective national literary traditions.;The current scholarship on utopian literature tends to apply the term "utopia" rather freely without defining it; this comparative study of the two authors' works will contribute to defining the term correctly and to understanding the genre of utopian literature better. Also, the scholarship on Jasienski and Platonov often focuses excessively on ideological aspects. As a result, Jasienski has been labeled as a Communist propagandist and has been largely ignored since the fall of the Soviet Union. Platonov has also been viewed primarily as a Soviet or anti-Soviet writer, especially in the West, although scholars have acknowledged the philosophical aspects of his works that transcend the limits of ideology.;In fact these two authors deal with the question of human existence in their works. In studying the utopian visions of these two authors, this dissertation therefore first examines the philosophical aspects, especially from the point of view of existentialism. Then the questions of revolution and religiosity arise in examining the structure of the socio-political as well as spiritual reconfiguration of the world. Finally this dissertation examines elements of tragedy in these two authors' works, a genre that is not usually associated with utopia.;By doing so, this dissertation reevaluates Jasienski as a philosophical writer and redefines Platonov's relation to various philosophical, cultural and ideological influences. In the end, the comparative study of these two authors will show that utopian literature is a rich and complex genre that incorporates all aspects of human life, including ones that are seemingly incompatible with the concept of utopia. The utopian fictions of Jasienski and Platonov are unique examples of such a new literary attempt.