Abstract
The profession of electric engineer gave Platonov an opportunity to be a writer and feel independent from literary groups in the 1920s. In the 1930s, he becomes a member of different literary associations. In these years, Platonov’s discourse undergoes different changes. His new vocabulary, whether normative and neutral (humanist, stratum, trifle, comrade) or non-normative (fool, scoundrel) reveals his dialogue with the regime that the writers’ unions were standing for. Platonov’s use of words demonstrates not “things” themselves but his attitude to them, and shows a new ideological borderline that the country had crossed in the year of the “great turning point.” Battles for a new language initiated by the Soviet regime immediately after October Revolution reached its apotheosis at that moment. The language reflected the crisis of worldviews, lifestyles, and values. The new meaning of the neutral vocabulary defines the structure and plot of Platonov’s works in the 1930s. Platonov turns to the language of literary organizations that were developing a new “language standard” as a form of social domination.
References
1 Antonova E.V. Voronezhskii period zhizni i tvorchestva A.P. Platonova: biografiia, tekstologiia, poetika [Voronezh period of life and work of A.P. Platonov: biography, textology, poetics]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2016. 784 p. (In Russ.)
2 Antonova E.V. A. Platonov — inzhener tresta “Rosmetroves” [A. Platonov — engineer of the Rosmetroves trust]. “Strana filosofov” Andreya Platonova: Problemy tvorchestva [The country of philosophers by Andrey Platonov: Problems of creative art]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2000, issue 4, pp. 787–793. (In Russ.)
3 Antonova E.V. Soiuz proletarskikh pisatelei: khronika deiatel’nosti voronezhskogo otdeleniia. (1920 g.) [Union of proletarian writers: a chronicle of the Voronezh branch. (1920)]. “Strana filosofov” Andreya Platonova: Problemy tvorchestva [The country ofphilosophers by Andrey Platonov: Problems of creative art]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2017, issue 8, pp. 350–357. (In Russ.)
4 Arkhiv A.P. Platonova [Archive of A.P. Platonov]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2019. Book 2: Opisanie rukopisi romana “Chevengur”. Dinamicheskaia transkriptsiia [Description of the manuscript of the novel Chevengur. Dynamic transcription]. 672 p. (In Russ.)
5 Afinogenov A. P’esy sovetskikh pisatelei [Plays of Soviet writers]. Moscow, Iskusstvo Publ., 1954. Vol. 2. 616 p. (In Russ.)
6 Vlast’ i khudozhestvennaia intelligentsiia. Dokumenty TsK RKP(b) — VKP(b), VChK — OGPU — NKVD o kul’turnoi politike. 1917–1953 [Power and artistic intelligentsia. Documents of the Central Committee of the RКP(b) — VKP(b), the Cheka — OGPU — NKVD on cultural policy. 1917–1953]. Moscow, Mezhdunarodnyi fond “Demokratiia” Publ., 1999. 872 p. (In Russ.)
7 Voloshinov V.N. Marksizm i filosofiia iazyka. Osnovnye problemy sotsiologicheskogo metoda v nauke o iazyke [Marxism and the philosophy of language. The main problems of the sociological method in the science of language]. Moscow, Labirint Publ., 1993. 196 p. (In Russ.)
8 Dobrenko E. Platonov i Stalin: dialogi na “tarabarskom iazyke” [Platonov and Stalin: dialogues in the “gibberish language”]. “Strana filosofov” Andreya Platonova: Problemy tvorchestva [The country of philosophers by Andrey Platonov: Problems of creative art]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2017, issue 8, pp. 110–119 (In Russ.)
9 Zhivov V. Iazyk i revoliutsiia. Razmyshleniia nad staroi knigoi A.M. Selishcheva [Language and revolution. Reflections on the old book of A.M. Selishcheva]. Otechestvennye zapiski, 2005, no 2. Available at: http://www.strana-oz.ru/2005/2/ yazyk-i-revolyuciya-razmyshleniya-nad-staroy-knigoy-a-m-selishcheva. (Accessed 03 September 2019) (In Russ.)
10 Zakruzhnaia Z.S., Moskovskaia D.S. Institutsional’noe izmerenie sovetskoi literatury. K istorii zabytogo literaturnogo ob”edineniia LOKAF [The institutional dimension of Soviet literature. On the history of the forgotten literary association LOKAF]. Filologicheskii klass, 2018, no 2 (52), pp. 12–18. (In Russ.)
11 [Kornienko N.V. Kommentarii]. Platonov A. Sochineniia [Andrey Platonov. Works]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2004. Vol. 1: 1918–1927. Book 1: Rasskazy. Stikhotvoreniia [Stories. Poems], pp. 447–499. (In Russ.)
12 Kornienko N.V. Literaturnaia kritika i kul’turnaia politika perioda nepa: 1921–1927 [Literary criticism and cultural policy of the NEP period: 1921–1927]. Istoriia russkoi literaturnoi kritiki: sovetskaia i postsovetskaia epokha [The history of Russian literary criticism: the Soviet and post-Soviet era]. Moscow, Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie Publ., 2011, pp. 69–206. (In Russ.)
13 Kornienko N.V. “Nepovskaia ottepel’”: stanovlenie instituta sovetskoi literaturnoi kritiki [New Economic Policy’s thaw: The establishment of the Institute of Soviet literary criticism]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2010. 504 p. (In Russ.)
14 Lasunskii O.G. Zhitel’ rodnogo goroda: voronezhskie gody Andreya Platonova, 1899–1926 [Hometown resident: Voronezh years of Andrey Platonov, 1899–1926]. Voronezh, Izd-vo Voronezhskogo universiteta Publ., 1999. 288 p. (In Russ.)
15 Malygina N.M. Andrey Platonov i literaturnaia Moskva: A.K. Voronskii, A.M. Gor’kii, B.A. Pil’niak, B.L. Pasternak, Artem Veselyi, S.F. Budantsev, V.S. Grossman [Andrey Platonov and literary Moscow: A.K. Voronsky, A.M. Gorky, B.A. Pilnyak, B.L. Pasternak, Artem Vesely, S.F. Budantsev, V.S. Grossman]. Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nestor-Istoriia Publ., 2018. 592 p. (In Russ.)
16 Mikheev M. Tri podkhoda k rugatel’stvam: ofitsial’nyi (Filonov), intelligentskii (Prishvin), narodnyi (Platonov) [Three approaches to curses: official (Filonov), intellectual (Prishvin), popular (Platonov)]. “Strana filosofov” Andreya Platonova: Problemy tvorchestva [The country of philosophers by Andrey Platonov: Problems of creative art]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2003, issue 5, pp. 353–362. (In Russ.)
17 [Moskovskaia D.S. Kommentarii: “Efirnyi trakt”]. Platonov A. Sochineniia [Platonov A. Works]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2016, vol. 2, pp. 472–506. (In Russ.)
18 Moskovskaia D.S. K khronike raboty nad p’esoi “Vysokoe napriazhenie” [On the chronicle of publication history of the play “High Voltage”]. “Strana filosofov” Andreya Platonova: Problemy tvorchestva [The country of philosophers by Andrey Platonov: Problems of creative art]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2017, issue 8: Andrey Platonov i ego sovremenniki. Issledovaniia i materialy [Andrey Platonov and his contemporaries. Studies and materials], pp. 416–427. (In Russ.)
19 [Moskovskaia D.S. Nauchnaia podgotovka tekstov, kommentarii]. Andrey Platonov. Voina [Andrey Platonov. The war]. Oktiabr’, 1999, no 7. pp. 101–119. (In Russ.)
20 Moskovskaia D.S. N.P. Antsiferov i khudozhestvennaia mestnografiia russkoi literatury 1920–1930-kh gg.: k istorii vzaimosviazei russkoi literatury i kraevedeniia [N.P. Antsiferov and the artistic localography of Russian literature of the 1920–1930s: on the history of the relationship between Russian literature and local history]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2010. 432 p. (In Russ.)
21 Moskovskaia D.S. Obzor materialov raboty sektsii pisatelei-kraevedov Vserossiiskogo soiuza sovetskikh pisatelei (1929–1931) po dokumentam OR IMLI RAN [A review of the materials of the work of the section of local history writers of the All-Russian Union of Soviet Writers (1929–1931) based on documents from the Manuscript department of IWL RAS]. Piatye vserossiiskie kraevedcheskie chteniia. Moskva-Vladimir 27–28 maia 2011 g. [Fifth All-Russian local history readings. Moscow-Vladimir May 27–28, 2011]. Moscow, Izdatel’skii tsentr “Kraevedenie” Publ., 2012, pp. 468–474. (In Russ.)
22 Moskovskaia D.S. Pervaia redaktsiia p’esy “Vysokoe napriazhenie”: “Ob”iavlenie o smerti” [The first edition of the play “High Voltage”: “Announcement of Death”]. Arkhiv A.P. Platonova [Archive of A.P. Platonov]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2009, book 1, pp. 178–237. (In Russ.)
23 Moskovskaia D.S. Platonov i kraevedenie [Platonov and local history]. “Strana filosofov” Andreya Platonova: Problemy tvorchestva [The country of philosophers by Andrey Platonov: Problems of creative art]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2003, issue 5, pp. 7–35. (In Russ.)
24 Moskovskaia D.S. “…ia po sushchestvu masterovoi, brattsy”. Vladimir Maiakovskii v reministsentsiiakh p’esy Andreya Platonova «Vysokoe napriazhenie» [“...I’m essentially a craftsman, brothers.” Vladimir Mayakovsky in the reminiscences of Andrey Platonov’s play “High Voltage”]. Russkaia literatura, 2012, no 1, pp. 178–193. (In Russ.)
25 Na literaturnom postu [At a literary post], 1930, no 4. (In Russ.)
26 Na literaturnom postu [At a literary post], 1930, no 5–6. (In Russ.)
27 Na literaturnom postu [At a literary post], 1930, no 8. (In Russ.)
28 Na literaturnom postu [At a literary post], 1930, no 9. (In Russ.)
29 Nashi dostizheniia [Our achievements], 1929, no 1. (In Russ.)
30 Nashi dostizheniia [Our achievements], 1930, no 6. (In Russ.)
31 Platonov A. Vospominaniia sovremennikov: Materialy k biografii. Sbornik [Memoirs of contemporaries: Materials for the biography. Compilation]. Moscow, Sovremennyi pisatel’ Publ., 1994. 496 p. (In Russ.)
32 Platonov A. Sochineniia [Works]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2004. Vol. 1: 1918–1927. Book 2: Stat’i [Articles]. 501 p. (In Russ.)
33 Platonov A. Sochineniia [Works]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2016. Vol. 2: 1926–1927. Povesti, rasskazy, stsenarii, stat’i [Tales, stories, scripts, articles]. 869 p. (In Russ.)
34 Platonov A. “…ia prozhil zhizn’”: Pis’ma. 1920–1950 gg. [“...I have lived my life”: Letters. 1920–1950]. Moscow, Astrel’ Publ., 2013. 685 p. (In Russ.)
35 Poliustrovskii gigant [Polyustrovsky giant], 1930, January 30. (In Russ.)
36 Pravda [The Truth], 1930, November 26. (In Russ.)
37 Prishvin M.M. Dnevniki 1920–1922 [Diaries, 1920–1922]. Moscow, Moskovskii rabochii Publ., 1995. 336 p. (In Russ.)
38 Prozhektor [The Searchlight], 1923, no 22, December 31. (In Russ.)
39 Stalin I.V. Polnoe sobranie sochinenii: v 13 t. [Complete works: in 13 vols.]. Moscow, Gospolitizdat Publ., 1949. Vol. 13. 212 p. (In Russ.)
40 Trenev K. Liubov’ Iarovaia. Pugachevshchina [Lubov Yarovaya. Pugachevshina]. Moscow, Nedra Publ., 1927. 212 p. (In Russ.)
41 Eikhenbaum B.M. O literature [On literature]. Moscow, Sov. pisatel’ Publ., 1987. 540 p. (In Russ.)
