Article
Narrating and Translating Siblinghood in Tolstoy’s "Fransuaza"
Tolstoy Studies Journal
(2019)
Abstract
This article analyzes Tolstoy’s short story "Fransuaza," simultaneously a translation and adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s “Le port.” In "Fransuaza," Tolstoy recasts Maupassant’s narrative of sibling incest and prostitution in light of his philosophical ideal of a universal siblinghood; formally, Tolstoy radically simplifies the language and other formal traits of Maupassant’s text. "Fransuaza" sheds light on the role of translation in Tolstoy’s philosophy and aesthetics, insofar as the work of translation adds a layer of mediation to the ostensibly “infectious” process of artistic creation and reception.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2019
Citation Information
Cassio de Oliveira, “Narrating and Translating Siblinghood in Tolstoy’s ‘Fransuaza,’” Tolstoy Studies Journal, 31 (2019): 5–25.