Generate QR code
Open Access
Subscription Access
Küchelbecker’s Lyceum-era Dictionary. A reading list of a young intellectual in the 1810s
https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2020-2-231-277
Abstract
The article discusses W. Küchelbecker’s Dictionary [Slovar] that he compiled during his studies at the Tsarskoe Selo Lyceum as a kind of reading diary from 1815 to 1817. Dictionary gives an insight into formative influences on the future writer as well as his close friends from among fellow students – most notably Pushkin, who is known to have read the manuscript. It contains extracts from books of fiction as well as philosophical and historical works and periodicals read by Küchelbecker at the time. Among others, Dictionary mentions Pseudo-Longinus, J.-J. Rousseau, F. de Weiss, F. Schiller, L. Sterne, etc., listing the extracts in alphabetical order. Most translations from German, French, and English are penned by Küchelbecker himself. A fi st such experiment in the systematic analysis of this relic of the 1810s intellectual culture, the article reconstructs the reading list of Küchelbecker and his fellow students at the Lyceum. Approximately one sixth of Dictionary, covering the entries from A to G, is published in the appendix to the article, supplied with notes on the sources and their brief description.
About the Author
E. V. Abdullaev
Tashkent Orthodox Theological Seminary
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Evgeny V. Abdullaev – Candidate of Philology
91 Avlieot St., Tashkent, 100015
References
1. Alekseev, M. (1972). Pushkin and the issue of ‘eternal peace’. In: M. Alekseev, Pushkin. Comparative historical studies. Leningrad: Nauka, pp. 160-207. (In Russ.)
2. Arkhangelsky, A. (2005). Alexander the First. Moscow: Molodaya gvardiya. (In Russ.)
3. Arkhipova, A. (1972). Russian children’s literature. Moscow: Prosveshchenie. (In Russ.)
4. Batyushkov, K. (1885). Someone else’s things I treasure. In: L. Maykov and V. Saitov, eds., The works of K. Batyushkov (3 vols). Vol. 2. St. Petersburg: P. N. Batyushkov, pp. 288-367. (In Russ.)
5. Bazanov, V. (1964). The learned republic. Moscow, Leningrad: Nauka. (In Russ.)
6. Blair, H. (1801). Lectures on rhetoric and belles lettres (3 vols). Vol. 1. Basil: James Decker. Blair’s lesson 38 <translated by> D<a>v<y>d<o>v. (1815). Vestnik Evropy, 9, pp. 15-28. (In Russ.)
7. Blanchard, P., ed. (1808-1810). Plutarch for the youth; or, Plutarch for adolescence, or Lives of glorious men of all nations. From ancient times to this day. Translated by G. Dubetskoy. St. Petersburg: V Tip. Shnorra. (In Russ.)
8. Bokarius, M. and Nekrasov, S. (2015). The Lyceum library. [online] The Library of A. S. Pushkin National Museum. Available at: http://museumpushkin-lib. ru/o-biblioteke/knizhnye-fondy/liceyskaya-biblioteka/ [Accessed 20 Dec. 2019]. (In Russ.)
9. Chereysky, L. (1989). Martynov I. I. In: L. Chereysky, Pushkin and his circle. Leningrad: Nauka, p. 255 (In Russ.)
10. Danilevsky, P. (2004). Weiss. In: V. Rak, ed., Pushkin. Research and materials. Vol. 18-19. St. Petersburg: Nauka, pp. 74-75. (In Russ.)
11. Dombrovsky, Y. (1992). W. Küchelbecker. In: A. Grigoriev, ed., The works of Y. Dombrovsky (6 vols). Vol. 1. Moscow: Terra, pp. 257-261. (In Russ.)
12. Florovsky, G., prot. (2006). The paths of Russian theology. Minsk: Belorusskaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov. (In Russ.)
13. Fontenelle. (1846). Vie de Corneille. In: Théatre de Pierre et de Thomas Corneille, avec notes et commentaires. 2 tomes. T. 1. Paris: F. Didot. (In French).
14. Gippius, V., Eichenbaum, B., Tsyavlovskaya-Zenger et al., eds. (1949). The complete works of A. Pushkin (16 vols). Vol. 12: Literary criticism. Autobiography. Moscow, Leningrad: AN SSSR. (In Russ.)
15. Gippius, V., Tomashevsky, B. and Eichenbaum, B., eds. (1949). The complete works of A. Pushkin (16 vols). Vol. 11: Literary criticism and political essays, 1819-1834. Moscow, Leningrad: AN SSSR. (In Russ.)
16. Glinka, F. (1815-1816). A Russian officer’s letters about Poland, Austrian lands, Prussia and France with detailed descriptions of the Patriotic War in Russia and beyond its borders from 1812 to 1814 (8 vols). Moscow: Tip.S. Selivanovskogo. (In Russ.)
17. Glinka, G. (1815). A letter to W. Küchelbecker, dtd. 5 Apr. 1815. In: N. Izmaylov, ed., Pushkin. Research and materials. Vol. 8. Leningrad: Nauka, 1978, p. 150. (In Russ.)
18. Grot, A. (1911). Pushkin’s Lyceum (1811-1817). Notes from year 1 collected by the scholar A. Grot. St. Petersburg: Tip. Ministerstva Putey Soobshcheniya. (In Russ.)
19. History of the library collection. (2019). M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University Research Library. [online] Available at: http://nbmgu.ru/about/ funds/fundshist/ [Accessed 20 Dec. 2019]. (In Russ.)
20. Krasnoborodko, T. and Khitrova, D. (2008). Pushkin’s objection to Küchelbecker, a draft. In: A. Dolinin, L. Fleishman and L. Livak, eds., Russian Literature and the West. A Tribute for David M. Bethea. Part I. Stanford: Stanford University, pp. 66-116. (In Russ.)
21. Küchelbecker, W. (1979). The journey. Diary. Articles. Leningrad: Nauka. (In Russ.)
22. Longinus. (1803). On the sublime, or, the majestic. Translated by I. Martynov. St. Petersburg: Impeatorskaya tipografiya. (In Russ.)
23. Mansvetov, G., prot. (1856). The school of piety, or examples of Christian virtues selected from the Lives of the Saints. 7th ed. St. Petersburg: I. Glazunov i K. (In Russ.)
24. Mayofis, M. (2008). Appealing to Europe: The Arzamas Literary Society and Russian modernization project of 1815-1818. Moscow: NLO. (In Russ.)
25. Mazur, N. (2009). The mask of a boisterous poet in ‘Eugene Onegin’ [‘Evgeny Onegin’] and its polemical functions. In: O. Larionova and E. Muravyova, eds., Pushkin and his contemporaries, Issue 5. St. Petersburg: Nestor-Istoriya, pp. 141-208. (In Russ.)
26. Meilach, B. (1975a). W. Küchelbecker’s ‘Dictionary’ (history of the project, ideas, structure). In: B. Meilach, ed., The Decembrists and Russian culture. Leningrad: Nauka, pp. 185-204. (In Russ.)
27. Meilach, B. (1975b). W. Küchelbecker’s precious ‘Dictionary’. Voprosy Literatury, 11, pp. 195-206. (In Russ.)
28. Mikhaylova, N. (1986). On the origin of the remark ‘The people remain silent’ in ‘Boris Godunov’. Vremennik Pushkinskoy Komissii, 20, pp. 150-153. (In Russ.)
29. Montaigne, M. (1958). On violence. Translated by A. Bobovich. In: A. Bobovich, F. Kogan-Bernstein, N. Rykova et al., eds., Essays by M. Montaign (3 vols). Vol. 2. Moscow, Leningrad: AN SSSR, pp. 110-126. (In Russ.)
30. Müller, J. von. (1819). Sämmtliche Werke. <In 26 Bände.> Вd. 8: Kleine historische Schriften. Tubingen: J. G. Cotta’schen Buchhandlung. (In German).
31. Nazarian, R. (1993). Wilhelm Küchelbecker as the addressee of Pushkin’s poem ‘To my friend the poet’ [‘K drugu stikhotvortsu’] and the author of the ode ‘On the capture of Paris’ [‘Na vzyatie Parizha’] (a hypothesis). Vremennik Pushkinskoy Komissii, 25, pp. 93-106. (In Russ.)
32. Pensées de Sénèque recueillies par M. Angliviel de la Beaumelle et traduites en françois pour servir à l’éducation de la jeunesse. (1768). Paris: Barbou. (In French).
33. Petrunina, N. (1988). From the commentary to Pushkin’s texts. Vremennik Pushkinskoy Komissii, 22, pp. 88-97. (In Russ.)
34. Pichler, K. (1814). Agathocles; or, Letters sent from Rome and Greece in the beginning of the 4th century. Translated from German. Written by Madame Pichler. Moscow: Tip. N. S. Vsevolozhskogo. (In Russ.)
35. Pichler, C. (1820-1832). Sämmtliche Werke von Caroline Pichler, gebornen von Greiner. <In 30 Bände.> Wien: Anton Pichler. (In German).
36. Plutarch. (1896). Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, recognovit Gregorius N. Bernard’akis (7 vols). Vol. 7. Lippsiae: In aedipus B. G. Teubneri. (In Latin).
37. Plutarch. (1977). Isis and Osiris. Translated by N. Trukhina. Vestnik Drevney Istorii, 3, pp. 253-265; 4, pp. 229-249. (In Russ.)
38. Plutarch. (1993). On Alexander’s good fortune and valour. Translated by G. Chistyakov and E. Yunts. In: Quintus Curtius Rufus, The history of Alexander the Great. Accompanied by essays on Alexander by Diodorus, Justin and Plutarch. Moscow: Moskovskiy Gosudarstvenniy Universitet, pp. 429-452. (In Russ.)
39. Potapova, N. (2017). Speaking from their cells: Discourse and political strategies in the Decembrists case. St. Petersburg: Evropeyskiy universitet. (In Russ.)
40. Pushkin, V. (1815). Thoughts and personalities. Rossiyskiy Muzeum, Part 4, 12, pp. 300-309. (In Russ.)
41. Rak, V. (2004). Richardson. In: V. Rak, ed., Pushkin. Research and materials. Vol. 18-19. St. Petersburg: Nauka, pp. 291-293. (In Russ.)
42. Rigoley de Juvigny, M. (1776). Vie de Piron. In: M. Rigoley de Juvigny, ed.,Œuvres complettes d’Alexis Piron (7 vols). Vol. 1. Paris: M. Lambert, pp. 3-158. (In French).
43. Rousseau, J.-J. (1854). Émile, ou De l’education. Paris: F. Didot. (In French).
44. Saint-Pierre, J.-H.-B. de. (1808). La Mort de Socrate, Drame, précédé d’un Essai sur les Journaux, et suivi d’un Discours Académique, par Jaques-Henri-Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. Paris: P. Didot. (In French).
45. Saint-Pierre, J.-H.-B. de. (1815). The death of Socrates. Rossiyskiy Muzeum, Part 3, 9, pp. 277-313. (In Russ.)
46. Schiller, F. (1801). Geschichte des Abfalls der vereinigten Niederlande von Spanischen Regierung. Leipzig: S. L. Grusius. (In German).
47. Severnaya Pochta; or, A new St. Petersburg newspaper. (1815). 15 Dec. (In Russ.)
48. Staёl, de. (1845). De l’Allemagne. Paris: F. Didot Fréres. (In French).
49. Sterne, L. (1805). The works of Laurence Sterne, A. M. (5 vols). The sermons of Mr. Yorick. Harrisburg: J. Wyeth.
50. The Lyceum lectures (based on A. Gorchakov’s notes). (1937). Krasniy Arkhiv, 1, pp. 75-203. (In Russ.)
51. The Lyceum Library register from 1811-1817. (1811-1817). [register] Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg, Fond 11, inv. 2, file 3714. St. Petersburg, Russia. (In Russ.)
52. Toddes, E. (1987). On the source of ‘Excerpts from Letters, Thoughts and Observations’ [‘Otryvki iz pisem, mysli i zamechaniya’]. Pushkin readings in Tartu. 13-14 Nov. 1987. Tartu: Tartuskiy Gosudarstvenniy Universitet, pp. 32-34. (In Russ.)
53. Tynyanov, Y. (1934). Pushkin and Küchelbecker. In: I. Zilberstein and I. Sergievsky, eds., Literary heritage. Vol. 16/18: <Alexander Pushkin>. Moscow: Zhurnalno-gazetnoe obyedinenie, pp. 321-378. Available at: http://feb-web.ru/ feb/pushkin/critics/lit/lit-321-.htm [Accessed 20 Dec. 2019]. (In Russ.)
54. Tynyanov, Y. (1936). ‘To my friend the poet’ [‘K drugu stikhotvortsu’]. Pushkin: Vremennik Pushkinskoy Komissii, 1, pp. 201-202. Available at: http://feb-web. ru/feb/pushkin/serial/vr1/vr122012.htm [Accessed 20 Dec. 2019]. (In Russ.)
55. Vatsuro, V., Ilyin-Tomich, A., Kiseleva, L. et al., eds. (1994). ‘Arzamas’: Collected works (2 books). From the literary heritage of The Arzamas Society. Book 2. Moscow: Khudozhestvennaya literatura. (In Russ.)
56. Veselitsky. (1815). Plutarch (from Laharpe). Amfion, August, pp. 51-86. (In Russ.)
57. Volpert, L. (2004). Fontenelle. In: N. Skatov, ed., Pushkin. Research and materials. Vol. 19/20. St. Petersburg: Nauka, p. 340. (In Russ.)
58. Voltaire. (1792). Œuvres de Voltaire. Eloge historique de Voltaire. La Henriade. Essai sur les guerres civiles de France. Essai sur la poésie épique. Paris: Stoupe; Serviere. (In French).
59. Voltaire. (1802). An essay on epic poetry. With a description of life and works of Homer, Virgil, Lucan, Trissino, Camoens, Tasso, Don Alonzo D’Ereilla and Milton. Translated by N. Ostolopov. St. Petersburg: Privilegirovannaya tip. Vilkovskogo. (In Russ.)
60. W. Küchelbecker’s dictionary. [n. d.] [dictionary] Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, Fond 2224, inv. 1, item 107. Moscow, Russia. (In Russ.)
61. Weiss, F. (1807). The Foundation, or Essential rules of philosophy, politics, and morality. Work of Colonel de Weiss, a member of various academies. Translated by Al. St. Strugovshchikov. Part 1. St. Petersburg: Tip. Akademii nauk. (In Russ.)
62. Weiss. (1838). Principes philosophiques, politiques et moraux par le colonel De Weiss. Quatrième édition. Bruxelles: Meline, Cans et compagnie.(In French).
63. Yakubovich, D. (1941). Classical Antiquity in Pushkin’s works. Pushkin: Vremennik Pushkinskoy Komissii, 6, pp. 92-152. (In Russ.)
Review
For citations:
Abdullaev E.V. Küchelbecker’s Lyceum-era Dictionary. A reading list of a young intellectual in the 1810s. Voprosy literatury. 2020;(2):231-277. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2020-2-231-277
Views:
499
Email this article 
