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Comment
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AlisonPegg
Registered User
(3/31/04 10:41 am)
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Question for Helen Pilinovsky
Hi Helen, I was reading your article about Russian fairy tales over at the Endicott Studio, which I found very interesting. In particular I was intrigued by what you said regarding the difference in the way fairy tales were handed down in Russia as compared to the western tradition. The difference being that Russian fairy tales on the whole were not "retold" or adapted, where the western tradition seems to have encouraged some change and embellishment according to the audience. Anyway my question is, do you think the Russian tradition is very much influenced by the attitude to the sung Eucharist, whose very purpose was to preserve the Mass in its original form? Something that is sung in exactly the same way and is not open to discussion will certainly preserve a ritual like nothing else. When everything else falls apart or is fogotten, the sung ritual will be preserved.
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Helen
J Pilinovsky
Registered User
(3/31/04 11:45 am)
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Re: Question for Helen Pilinovsky
You know, that's a fascinating question, and one that I hadn't taken into account. While the Russian Orthodox Church was certainly a major factor in the preservation of certain traditions, I'm not certain of how far-flung its influence was during the 16th, 17th, and even 18th centuries in Russia: Russia is notorious for being one of the countries that, while it certainly paid lip service to the ideals of Christianity, retained many of its folk traditions in spite of heavy attempts at conversion (i.e., the sacrifice of the rooster upon the raising of a house, the belief in the bannik, etc.) - the closest Western parallel would probably be Ireland, although there the teachings of the Church became far more entertwined with the native beliefs. The question that occurs to me, in the context of your question, is why the same effect wouldn't be visible through the liturgy of other nations religious institutions: I'm simply not well versed enough in religious studies, at this point to answer. From what I've read, I'd attribute it, simply enough, to the fact that Russian tales only began to be collected at the point when folklore had already begun to become a fromal discipline; its proponents, from Zhukovski on, gave the matter of editing a great deal of consideration, and expressed the opinion that it was a betrayal of the ethnographic principle vocally enough to influence their peers. But I think that you have set me off on a whole new train of thought concerning their motivations - thanks! I'll see if I can dig anything up on this, and post back.
Best,
Helen
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