DURHAM, N.H. -- Much has been written about Russia's literary
giants Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, but a new book takes a provocative new look
at the
writing of these masters by analyzing their use of eating as an expression
for male sexual desire.
"
Slavic Sins of the Flesh" (University of New Hampshire Press, 2009) by Ronald
LeBlanc, professor of Russian and humanities at the University of New Hampshire,
has been hailed as a path-breaking "gastro-critical" approach to the poetics
of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and their contemporaries. The book is the first study
to appraise the representation of food and sexuality in the 19th century Russian
novel.
Meticulously researched and elegantly and accessibly written, "Slavic Sins of
the Flesh" sheds new light on classic literary creations as it examines how authors
Nikolai Gogol, Ivan Goncharov, Grigory Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, Fyodor Dostoevsky,
and Lev Tolstoy used eating in their works as a trope for male sexual desire.
"
The treatment of carnal desire in these renowned works of fiction stimulated
a generation of young writers to challenge Russian culture's anti-eroticism,
supreme spirituality, and utter disregard for the life of the body, so firmly
rooted in centuries of ideological domination by the Russian Orthodox Church,"
LeBlanc
says.
LeBlanc's book has received critical acclaim from Russian and Slavic scholars.
" 'Slavic Sins of the Flesh' offers a magisterial new reading of the Russian
classics. It not only illuminates the great works of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy but
also tackles larger, underlying questions of Russian culture. By analyzing representations
of power and pleasure in texts both familiar and obscure, LeBlanc explores the
ideals that shaped Russian society. This book is a triumph of scholarship and
innovation," said Darra Goldstein, Francis Christopher Oakley Third Century Professor
of Russian at Williams College and editor of "Gastronomica: The Journal of Food
and Culture."
"Ronald LeBlanc has written a marvelous study of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy
from the perspective of 'gastro-criticism.' His comparison of the alimentary
and psycho-sexual dynamics in their works leads to an intriguing analysis of
their influences on early 20th century Russian and Soviet literature. A
book to be both tasted and devoured by all readers interested in the Russian
novel and early Soviet fiction," said Eric Naiman, professor of Slavic and comparative
literature at the University of California-Berkeley.
LeBlanc is a professor of Russian and humanities at the University of New Hampshire
and research associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at
Harvard University. He is the author of "The Russianization of Gil Blas: A Study
in Literary Appropriation" and many scholarly book chapters, articles, and book
reviews.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 11,800 undergraduate and 2,400 graduate students.
PHOTOS
Ronald LeBlanc
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Ronald LeBlanc on a hand-made bridge at the Tolstoy family estate at Yasnaya Polyana, Russia.
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Cover of "Slavic Sins of the Flesh"
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