Viktor Shklovsky: Pioneer of Defamiliarization

Viktor Shklovsky (1893-1984) was a prominent Russian literary theorist associated with the class of Russian Formalism. He played a significant role in the development of Russian Formalism by founding OPOYAZ (Society for the Study of Poetic Language) in 1916. Opposition to Bolshevism and Contribution to Russian Civil War Shklovsky opposed Bolshevism, a far-left Marxist faction, and faced consequences for his dissent. He went into hiding but was later pardoned in 1919. He also actively participated in the Russian civil war. Defamiliarization: The Concept of Making the Familiar Unfamiliar In his essay "Art as Device" from the book "Theory of Prose" (1925), Shklovsky introduced the concept of "Defamiliarization," also known as estrangement. Defamiliarization aims to make common entities unfamiliar to the reader, distinct from practical language which emphasizes easy comprehension and factual assertion. Poetic Language and Sense through Implication Shklovsky argues …