A Bakhtinian Analysis of Dostoevsky's Polyphonic Novel

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Kocaoğlu D.

SOFIA PHILOSOPHICAL REVIEW, cilt.13, sa.1, ss.77-94, 2020 (Hakemli Dergi)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 13 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2020
  • Dergi Adı: SOFIA PHILOSOPHICAL REVIEW
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Philosopher's Index, MLA International Bibliography
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.77-94
  • Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
  • TED Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

This paper offers a Bakhtinian analysis of the distinctive character of
Dostoevsky’s novels, which depends on the author’s unique relationship
with the hero. Firstly, I explain the notion of “polyphony” and the role
of the “idea” in Dostoevsky’s novels by reference to Bakhtin’s Problems
of Dostoevsky’s Poetics. Secondly, I investigate the possibility of an
“aesthetic event” in terms of the dialogical relationship between the author
and the hero through Bakhtin’s work “Author and Hero in Aesthetic
Activity.” After analyzing the notions of “surplus of seeing” and of “artistic
consummation,” I clarify the way Dostoevsky visualizes the
“event” in terms of space and time and its effect on plot developments in
his novels. Finally, I analyze the time of the dialogue in Dostoevsky’s
novels and its consequences on the reader’s experience. Through a consideration
of some of Bakhtin’s prominent works, I elucidate the internally
dialogic relationship between the author and the hero, which is the
underlying condition of polyphony in Dostoevsky’s novels.
Keywords: Aesthetics, Bakhtin, dialogue, Dostoevsky, otherness, polyphony