Poetics of Akaki Tsereteli: Main Trends

Abstract

The author's English summary from the article:

Key words: Georgian literature, realism, romanticism.

In a previous article we examined the general regularities of the poetics of Ilya Chavchavadze as a representative of critical realism. In order to substantiate our conclusions, it would be useful to identify the main trends in the work of other representatives of this literary direction, and in particular the poetics of Akaki Tsereteli, a prominent representative of 19th-century Georgian realistic literature; identify the common features of critical realism in his work, as well as the specific forms in which they are embodied. When discussing the main features of critical realism (realism of the 19th century), one should consider the problem of the criterion for the classification of literary trends.

Roman Jacobson formulated one of the most important principles used as a tool for classifying literary trends. According to Jacobson, either metaphor (synthesis principle) or metonymy (analysis) dominates in various literary directions. This idea of ​Jacobson was not developed extensively in philology, with the exception of several works, such as “Megahistory” by professor of the University of Constanz, I.P. Smirnov (Smirnov, 2000), in which the most significant and fundamental conclusions are made on the basis of an analysis of world literature. Our study of Georgian romantic literature revealed that, contrary to Jacobson’s opinion, the artistic thinking of Georgian romantic poets is metonymic, analytical.

The question arises: which – metaphorical or metonymic – principle of thinking and perception is revealed in realism and, in particular, in the work of Georgian representatives of the so- called critical realism? Naturally, having studied the main features of the poetics of Ilya Chavchavadze, it is necessary to analyze the work of Akaki Tsereteli in this regard. In the study, we took into account the postulates of I.P. Smirnov, expressed by him in the book “Megahistory”. It can be assumed that, in contrast to romanticism, in realistic 19th-century literature not metonymy dominates, but a metaphor, i.e. not analysis, but synthesis. An analysis of the poetics of Ilya Chavchavadze confirmed this assumption.

What unites Akaki Tsereteli and Ilya Chavchavadze as realist writers is a metaphorical principle of thinking and worldview in general. This is reflected even in the active participation of Akaki Tsereteli (along with Ilya Chavchavadze) in the so-called the struggle of the “fathers” and “sons”. The fact is that the thinking of young Akaki Tsereteli, as well as the thinking of Ilya Chavchavadze, is such that the world will inevitably appear to him as an antagonistic relationship of different planes, different worldviews. Despite the absence of a signifi- cant confrontation, Ilya and Akaki contributed to the formation of two formally, but not fundamentally opposing camps, two “generations”, and a confrontation between them, a confrontation that did not actually exist.

It existed from the very beginning in the minds of the young generation, which led to the perception of reality and artifacts as a coexistence of contradictions. Thus, the metaphorical principle of thinking undoubtedly takes place here. It is interesting that in the works of Akaki Tsereteli and Ilya Chavchavadze various functions are combined – on the one hand, artistic, and on the other – didactic, political, philosophical, etc. certainly this is also an expression of a metaphorical (synthetic) principle. In the program poem of Akaki Tsereteli “Poet” the motive of mediation is emphasized. In this work (as well as the poem of the same name by Ilya Chavchavadze), the poet is a mediator between life and art.

In the work of Akaki Tsereteli there is also an aestheticization of labor processes, which is characteristic of realism and is based on an understanding of labor as the middle link between nature and culture. The rainbow image in the poem “Tornike Eristavi” has a similar function. A rainbow is observed in the sky, but indicates expected events on Earth. Thus, the rainbow is a mediating link between heaven (God) and man. The historical poem „Tornike Eristavi“ itself is a mediator between the past and the future. It describes the past and at the same time indicates a happy future for the nation. Obviously, this is also associated with metaphorical thinking.

The main invented character of the story “Bashi-Achuki”, Glakh Bakradze, is surrounded by historical characters. Thus, this character is a mediator between the story and the reader. This story features metaphorical, interchangeable pair characters. Akaki Tsereteli’s desire to erase the boundaries between the past and the present is reflected in the creation of such works in which the present is implied in the images of the past (“Tornike Eristavi”, “Bashi-Achuki”). The task of Akaki Tsereteli as a realist writer is to find common features of various objects and observe the interconnections of these objects. In the poem “Educator” Akaki Tsereteli from the very beginning introduces the theme of the confrontation between nature and culture.

Representatives of the culture – Safar-run and Zia-Khanum – are subject to carnal passions and are characterized by other negative qualities. Batu, as a child of nature, for whom only true, eternal values ​are valuable, is free from such feelings. The metaphorical, interchangeable essence of the paired characters Sapar-bag and Batu is that they are both brought up by the wise old man Haji-Usub, both received the same education. The powerlessness of culture compared with nature is confirmed by the suicide of Haji-Usub. When discussing this poem, Georgian critical literature focused on the ideological and thematic aspect of the work, and the artistic concept, as a whole, the artistic side, remained in the shadows.

On the other hand, realistic literature itself, which is as close as possible to objective reality, forces critics to consider works of art as a continuation of this objective reality. In any case, the ideological aspect of the “Educator” Akaki Tsereteli was much more interested in critics than the artistic features of the poem. Indeed, realistic art is characterized by “proximity to life”, “persuasiveness” and publicism. Therefore, the characters of the “Educator” are considered as real people, and it seems that the most necessary and urgent problem of literature is moral problems. A similar trend is characteristic of realistic literature. Thus, an analysis of the general trends in the work of the prominent representative of 19th-century Georgian realistic literature, Akaki Tsereteli, confirms that in realistic literature, in contrast to romantic literature, the principle of synthesis and the principle of metaphor prevail.

This conclusion allows us to rethink the work of Akaki Tsereteli, and the specifics of realistic literature of the 19th century, in general.

Published in the journal Sjani, vol. 21 (2020), pp. 15–25. Open the paper