Central European LiteraryTheory: Sources, Context, and Dissemination
Brno, September 2−6, 2019
Department of Czech Language and Literature
Faculty of Education, Masaryk University
Galery RUV
Poříčí 9, 603 00 Brno
Questions of what Central Europe is, where its borders are, and how we may characterize it, have been
considered for a long time. A lot of prominent writers, historians, philosophers, and literary theorists
have joined in debates of these topics in the last years and decades.According to many of them, Central
Europe is not just an area spreading from Germany to Russia, and from the Baltic to the Adriatic seas,
but primarily it is a space characterized by a specific cultural milieu.The countries, cultures and nations
present in this space are connected by something we might call a shared historical memory, a cultural
and political experience and, without doubt, shared experience of research activities.This is illustrated by
numerous scientific findings, approaches and theories that were produced, developed and disseminated in
the Central European space in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Focusing on literary theory and linguistics, which are inseparable in this context, one needs to
admit that the Central European space was exceptionally prosperous in creating, disseminating and
interconnecting new linguistic and literary theoretical concepts developed by the Vienna Circle, the
Prague Linguistic Circle, the Bratislava Linguistic Circle, and others.
The Prague Linguistic Circle in particular was a sort of (Central European) scientific and
sociocultural crossroads from its foundation in 1926. Czechs, Slovaks, Germans, Russians, Ukrainians and
members of various other nations were present at its meetings. Ideas both domestic and foreign were
exchanged. A lot of issues were discussed in the environment of the Circle, such as Ferdinand de
Saussure’s linguistics and semiology, functionalism, Russian formalism (Roman Jakobson,Viktor Shklovsky,
and Yuri Tynyanov), phenomenology (Edmund Husserl, Roman Ingarden, and Gustav Shpet), the arts and
culture, as well as findings, theories and methods of various disciplines of the social studies.This was the
environment that gave birth to structuralism (Vilém Mathesius, Bohuslav Havránek, Jan Mukařovský, and
FelixVodička), phonology (NikolaiTrubetzkoy), and modern semiotics.
Some aesthetic and philosophical conceptions also played an important role in Central Europe.
Among them, the aesthetic formalism of Johann Friedrich Herbart deserves a mention, as it connected
Prague with Vienna, as well as Edmund Husserl’s phenomenology, and philosophical conceptions of the
Budapest School, namely Georg Lukács and his interpretation of Marxism and modern literature. Both
Slovak (František Miko and Anton Popovič) and Polish (Michał Głowiński and Janusz Sławiński) schools of
interpretation and semiotics have made an impact on the history of literary criticism.
The main aim of the conference Central European Literary Theory: Sources, Context, and
Dissemination is to provide space to revise some of literary theory and criticism’s findings, and for a more
general discussion of particular literary theoretical and linguistic conceptions created and disseminated in
the Central European space in the 20th century despite the complexities of its historical and political
developments.The conference also aims to commemorate Roman Jakobson’s departure from Brno and
Czechoslovakia in 1939; linguistics and literary theory would be different today without his influence,
energy, and creative initiative.This holds also outside the Central European space.
Contacts:
Assoc. Prof. Ondřej Sládek, Ph.D.; e-mail: osladek@ped.muni.cz, osladek@centrum.cz
Adam Veřmiřovský, Ph.D.; e-mail: vermirovsky@ped.muni.cz
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Central European LiteraryTheory: Sources, Context, and Dissemination
Brno, September 2−6, 2019
Department of Czech Language and Literature
Faculty of Education, Masaryk University
Galery RUV
Poříčí 9, 603 00 Brno
Programme
MONDAY 2 SEPTEMBER
09.00–09.45 Registration (Galery RUV)
09.45–10.00 Conference Opening
10.00–10.45 Assoc. Prof. Ondřej Sládek, Ph.D. (Faculty of Education – The Czech Academy of
Sciences):The Rises and Falls of Modern LiteraryTheory in Central and Eastern Europe
10.45–11.00 Discussion
11.00–11.20 Tea & Coffee Break
11.20–12.20 Panel Session 1: From Formalism to Structuralism
11:20–11:40 Jessica Merrill, Ph.D. (Columbia University)
Poetic Innovation and Everyday Language:The Moscow Linguistic Circle versus the
Prague Linguistic Circle
11:40–12:00 Assoc. Prof. ValteirVaz, Ph.D. (São Paulo State University)
The First HundredYears of the Shklovsky’s Concept of Ostranenie (остранение)
12:00–12:20 Discussion
12.20–13.20 Lunch Break
13.20–14.40 Panel Session 2: Russian Formalism and Czech Structuralism
13.20–13.40 Prof. Zhu Liyuan, Ph.D. (Fudan University) – ZhangYunxian, Ph.D. (ShanghaiTech
University)
On the Characteristics of Prague School's LiteraryTheory.Take Jakobson and
Mukarovsky as Examples
13.40–14.00 Prof. Zhou Qichao, Ph.D. (Zhejiang University)
Interdisciplinary and Cross-cultural Modern Slavic Literary Theories:
on the Exploration of Roman Jacobson’s Literary Theory
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14.00–14.20 Prof. Ilaria Aletto, Ph.D. (La Sapienza – RomaTre Universities)
Between “contiguity” and “pars pro toto”: R. Jakobson and S. Eisenstein
14.20–14.40 Discussion
14.40–15.00 Tea & Coffee Break
15.00–16.00 Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A. Ph.D. (Masaryk University)
Faculty of Education and Masaryk University
16.00–16.10 Tea & Coffee Break
16.10–17.20 Prof. Peter Steiner, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania)
What Is Central Europe?
17.30 Welcome Drink
TUESDAY 3 SEPTEMBER
09.00–11.00 Panel Session 3: Russian Formalism and Roman Jakobson
9.00–9.20 SunYe, Ph.D. (SunYat-sen University)
Roman Jakobson andYuri Tynjanov in Prague:A New Perspective On Literary History
from the Perspective of Linguistics (Co-authorship of “Problems in the Study of Language
and Literature”)
9.20–9.40 Mgr.Vít Gvoždiak, Ph.D. (The Czech Academy of Sciences)
Roman Jakobson on the Concept of Subcode
9.40–10.00 Prof. Jiang Fei, Ph.D. (Anqing Normal University)
On Roman Jakobson’s "Dominant" Poetics
10.00–10.40 Galina Babak, M.A. (Charles University)
To the Problem of Reception of Russian Formalism in Ukraine: Roman Jakobson’s “On
Realism in Art” and “Über die HeutigenVoraussetzungе der Russischen Slavistik”
10.40–11.00 Discussion
11.00–11.20 Tea & Coffee Break
11.20–12.40 Panel Session 4: The Prague School and Jan Mukařovský
11.20–11.40 Manlin Sun, M.A. (Chongqing University)
Functional Aesthetics and Social Construction in Prague School
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11.40–12.00 XiaofangYang, M.A. (Chongqing University)
The Prague School Aesthetics:The Case of Jan Mukarovsky
12.00–12.20 Prof. John Pier, Ph.D. (University of Tours – Center for Research in the Arts and Language
at the CNRS)
Jan Mukařovský in France
12.20–12.40 Discussion
12.40–13.40 Lunch Break
13.40–15.20 Panel Session 5:The Metamorphoses of the Prague School
13.40–14.00 Mgr. Michal Kříž, Ph.D. (Palacký University)
Standard and Poetic Language as a Problem of Linguistics and LiteraryTheory
14.00–14.20 PhDr. David Kroča, Ph.D. (Masaryk University)
Literary Conception of Drama in theWork of JiříVeltruský
14.20–14.40 Mgr. Marel Lollok, Ph.D. (Masaryk University – The Czech Academy of Sciences)
Sylvie Richterová´s (Conception of) Czech Literature
14.40–15.00 Prof. PhDr. Bohumil Fořt, Ph.D. (Masaryk University –The Czech Academy of Sciences)
Lubomír Doležel and Structural Poetics
15.00–15.20 Discussion
15.20–15.40 Tea & Coffee Break
15.40–17.20 Panel Session 6: Social Roles of the Men and Women of Knowledge
15.40–16.00 Dr. hab. Przemysław Pietrzak (University of Warsaw)
In and Out of the Academy. Jan Baudouin de Courtenay and His Community Awareness
16.00–16.20 Prof. Dr. hab. Danuta Ulicka (University of Warsaw)
Jakobson and the Poles. From Warsaw to NewYork and Back Again
16.20–16.40 Dr.Artur Hellich (University of Warsaw)
Janusz Sławiński as a “Scholar”
16.40–17.00 Dr. Joanna Jeziorska-Haładyj (University of Warsaw)
Aniela Gruszecka: Narrative Theory and Practice
17.00–17.20 Discussion
19.00 Conference Dinner at Restaurant Sharingham
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WEDNESDAY 4 SEPTEMBER
09.40–11.20 Panel Session 7: Phenomenology
09.40–10.00 Prof. Michał Mrugalski, Ph.D. (Humboldt-Universität)
Intuition vs. Instrumentalism. On the Use and Abuse of Phenomenology for Modernist
LiteraryTheory
10.00–10.20 Prof. Xiao Jingyu, Ph.D. (Guandong University)
The Hermeneutic Phenomenology of G. G. Shpet
10.20–10.40 Gao Shubo, Ph.D. (Sichuan University)
Intentionality:A key Jargon of Jan Mukarovsky and Roman Ingarden
10.40–11.00 Mgr. JanTlustý, Ph.D. (Masaryk University)
Traces of Phenomenological Thought in the Works of Milan Jankovič
11.00–11.20 Discussion
11.20–11.40 Tea & Coffee Break
11.40–12.40 Panel Session 8: Mikhail M. Bachtin
11.40–12.00 Prof.Wang Hongzhang, Ph.D. (Fudan University)
Bakhtin’sTheory of the Novel as a Dialogue with Lukács, Shpet and Others
12.00–12.20 Assoc. Prof.Tao Chen, Ph.D. (ChinaWomen's University)
Chronotope: Bildung of Bakhtin’s Phenomenology
12.20–12.40 Discussion
12.40–13.40 Lunch Break
13.40–15.20 Panel Session 9: György Lukács and Beyond
13.40–14.00 František A. Podhajský, Ph.D. (The Czech Academy of Sciences)
Lukács´s Historical-Systematic Method and Its Intellectual Context
14.00–14.20 Prof. Chen Liang, Ph.D. (Fudan University)
Reception of George Lukács’ Literary and ArtisticTheory in China (1935–2019)
14.20–14.40 Assoc. Prof.YinhuiWang, Ph.D. (Henan University)
TheTranslations and Studies on Lukács in Contemporary China
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14.40–15.00 Jie Ding, M.A. (Fudan University)
Studies of Lukács in China
15.00–15.20 Discussion
15.20–15.40 Tea & Coffee Break
15.40–17.20 Panel Session 10: Narrative and Narration
15.40–16.00 Mgr. Richard Změlík, Ph.D. (Palacký University)
Spatiality of fictional narrative: the model of multi-variant analysis
16.20–16.40 Mgr.AdamVeřmiřovský, Ph. D. (Masaryk University)
Philological Interpretation of DramaticText: Pavese’sThe Mountain.
16.40–17.00 ChenWeng, Ph.D. (Fudan University)
A Feminist Study of the C-E Translation of Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting.
Based on Narrative Theory and Hermeneutics
17.00–17.20 Discussion
THURSDAY 5 SEPTEMBER
09.40–12.00 RoundTable Panel Discussion: Central European LiteraryTheory: Sources,
Context, and Dissemination (Chair: Prof. Peter Steiner, Ph.D., University of
Pennsylvania)
12.00–13.00 Lunch Break
14.30–16.30 VillaTugendhat
FRIDAY 6 SEPTEMBER
8.30–16.30 Special Session: Social and CulturalValues of South Moravia (Venue: Lednice,
Valtice)
16.30 Conference Ending