Transformation of the NATIONAL CHARACTER IN A.N. OSTROVSKY’s TRANSLATIONS

 

Irina Budanova

Assoc. Prof., Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), RUSSIA,

 budanova_ib@pfur.ru

Abstract

The article is a comparative study of works of the Russian playwright A.N. Ostrovsky and Italian playwright C. Goldoni.

Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the modification of the category of national character in A.N. Ostrovsky’s play Coffee Shop, which is his translation of C. Goldoni’s play La bottega del caffè, as a key parameter in the creative work of both playwrights.

The article defines the commonality of Goldoni and Ostrovsky’s attitude towards the creation of a national theatre (based on new aesthetics that justifies all genres of comedy subject to its maximum approximation to the truth of life); the reasons for Goldoni’s interest in the category of national character; the key problem in reforming the theatre (the lack of the comedy of characters in the native theatre as the most useful genre in terms of the educational mission of theatrical art as well as the lack of real characters drawn from life in the existing repertoire); the linguistic features of the comedy of characters; the Italian national character traits; and also the reasons for Ostrovsky’s addressing to Goldoni’s work.

Analysing textual changes, it is possible to understand the principle of describing and recreating national characters in translations, which allows us to identify the features of A.N. Ostrovsky’s translation manner in relation to Italian dramatic works.

The materials of the article can find practical application in the study of the history of the intercultural dialogue, in academic and special courses on the theory, practice and history of literature and literary translation in higher educational institutions, in studies on the category of national character or linguistic world view as well as in comparative linguistics, comparative cultural or literature studies.

Keywords: national character, culture, Russian-Italian cultural ties, playwriting, A.N. Ostrovsky, C. Goldoni, Russia, Italy.

- The reported study was funded by RFBR according to the research project №20-012-00084-