Thaddeus Zielinski, Vyacheslav Ivanov, and the “Slavic Renaissance”

The article examines the concept of the “Slavic Renaissance” proposed by the classical scholar and philosopher of culture Thaddeus Zielinski. It is based on the idea of the beneficial and continuous influence of the heritage of ancient Greece on the cultures of modern Europe. Zielinski points out that the history of European culture (of which he considered Slavic culture to be a part) has experienced a series of revivals in its development, caused by appeals to antiquity. The most significant were the Romanesque and German renaissances. Zielinski believes that the next one should be the Slavic Renaissance. Since the most effective channel of cultural transfer, according to Zielinski, is poetry, the creator of such a revival should be a scholar who possesses the qualities of an expert on antiquity and, at the same time, a poet capable of enriching the Russian language with all intricacies of the ancient Greek language and way of thinking, thereby reforming it. Zielinski assigned the role of the prophet of the Slavic Renaissance to Vyacheslav Ivanov. The concept of the “Slavic Renaissance”, being at the same time a manifesto, ideologeme, a program and cultural phenomenon of Russian modernism of the early 20th century, requires consideration in various aspects and contexts, which is undertaken in this publication. The intellectual background of Thaddeus Zielinski’s reflections is discussed. It is argued that his concept is a variant of reasoning about translatio studii (transfer of learning), in connection with which examples of the transfer of culture and power are considered. The metaphors used by Zielinski are discussed, in particular, the oppositions of south/north, heat/cold, images of vegetation and sea currents, as well as the basic antagonism of culture and barbarism. The texts of Lucretius, Hippolyte Taine, Ernest Renan are indicated and analyzed as Zielinski’s sources. The article examines Zielinski’s views on the interpenetration of the ancient and Christian worldviews, his idea of “living antiquity”, which suggests the continuing presence and influence of the ancient legacy in all spheres of spiritual life of modern Europe. It examines the specifics of Vyacheslav Ivanov’s understanding of Zielinski’s concept: Ivanov gave it a “Dionysian” and strengthened its Christian dimension. The intellectual evolution of Zielinski’s and Ivanov’s views is considered taking into account their dramatically changing biographical circumstances and historical context.