Viktor Shklovsky began his career as an automotive instructor in 1915 before emerging as a primary architect of Russian Formalism. Born in 1893 in Saint Petersburg, he navigated the collapse of the Russian Empire, the turbulence of the Civil War, and the subsequent consolidation of the Soviet Union through a career that spanned literary criticism, screenwriting, and memoir.
Foundations of Formalism
In 1916, Shklovsky established the Society for the Study of Poetic Language (OPOYAZ) in Saint Petersburg. His 1917 essay, Art as Technique, introduced the concept of ostranenie, or defamiliarization. He proposed that art functions by slowing the process of perception, forcing the reader to experience familiar objects as if for the first time. This theoretical framework, further detailed in his 1925 Theory of Prose, distinguished between the fabula, the chronological sequence of events, and the syuzhet, the artistic arrangement of those events within a narrative.
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Shklovsky's life during the 1917 revolutions and the ensuing Civil War was marked by political volatility. After participating in the February Revolution and serving as an assistant commissar, he later opposed the Bolsheviks and participated in an anti-Bolshevik conspiracy. Following a period of underground movement, he received a pardon in 1919. In 1922, faced with renewed threats of arrest, he fled to Germany. During his time in Berlin, he authored A Sentimental Journey and Zoo, or Letters Not About Love, before securing permission to return to the Soviet Union in 1923.
Film and Later Career
Beyond his literary contributions, Shklovsky was a pioneer in film scholarship and screenwriting. His work, Literature and Cinematography, appeared in 1923, reflecting his early interest in the medium. Throughout the Soviet era, he served as a screenwriter for numerous films and taught at the Top Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors. He maintained an active professional life until his death in Moscow in 1984, where he was interred at Kuntsevo Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1893, Saint Petersburg
- Died: 1984, Moscow
- Education: Saint Petersburg State University
- Key Theory: Ostranenie (Defamiliarization)
- Notable Awards: USSR State Prize, Order of the Red Banner of Labour
- Primary Fields: Literary criticism, film theory, screenwriting
Questions readers ask
What is the primary contribution of Viktor Shklovsky to literary theory?
He developed the concept of defamiliarization, arguing that the purpose of art is to disrupt habitual perception by complicating the form of a work.
Did Shklovsky work in the film industry?
Yes, he was an early film critic and served as a professional screenwriter for numerous Soviet films starting in the 1920s.
Achievements
- USSR State Prize
- Order of Friendship of Peoples
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour
- Notable work: Lev Tolstoy
- Genres: screenplay and essay
