|
|
Article: Imperial Knowledge: Russian Literature and Colonialism.(Review)
- Article from:
- World Literature Today
- Article date:
- June 22, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 University of Oklahoma. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Ewa M. Thompson. Imperial Knowledge: Russian Literature and Colonialism. Westport, Ct. Greenwood. 2000. viii + 239 pages. $59.95. ISBN o-313-31311-3.
An ambitious study, and one sure to draw a most diverse response, Ewa Thompson's Imperial Knowledge pursues several ends, all important and sharply defined. It seeks to reveal Russia's real essence to the West, following the example of the Marquis de Custine. It finds this essence in the concept of Empire as defined by Edward Said ("thinking about, settling on, controlling land that you do not possess, that is distant, that is lived on and owned by others"). It then proceeds to characterize the nature of Russian ...