Mikhail Bakhtin: Literary Critic & Advocate of Pluralism
Table of Contents
Mikhail Bakhtin (1895-1975) was a prominent Russian literary critic known for his theories rooted in the idea of pluralism. His work "Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics" (1963) introduced the concepts of polyphony and unfinalizability. Polyphony: Diverse Voices and Perspectives Polyphony refers to the presence of multiple voices and perspectives within a single narrative. Bakhtin's concept of polyphony allows for a pluralistic setup where a narrative incorporates various voices and perspectives to tell the story. For example, in "Crime and Punishment," Raskolnikov's internal struggle is explored through multiple viewpoints, creating a multi-layered narrative structure. Unfinalizability: Rejection of Closure Unfinalizability rejects the notion of concrete finality or completion of a character in a novel. It advocates for incompleteness, ensuring openness to alterations and changes within the story. This concept challenges the idea of characters as enclosed, finish…