기억의 문학적 재구성: 톨스토이의 서유럽 여행

Abstract

Lev Tolstoy traveled in Western Europe only twice all throughout his long life. Moreover, he did not write travelogues, quite an unusual phenomenon in comparison with his fellow Russian writers. Consequently, Tolstoy’s travels have not attracted much critical attention. Yet he kept a journal and wrote letters during his travels. An examination of Tolstoy’s non-fiction writing (diary and letters) and fictional works proves that Tolstoy’s experience inspires his fiction writing, but in different manners. “Lucerne” and Anna Karenina serve as good examples to explore the relationship between Tolstoy’s personal experience of the West and his literary treatment in fiction. “Lucerne” demonstrates that Tolstoy’s first European travel was immediately and directly translated into fiction. A clear direction of development is detected: first, Tolstoy wrote diary, and subsequently expanded it in a letter addressed to a critic. Finally, the writer completed his manuscript within two weeks and got it published shortly afterwards. “Lucerne” reveals a process of Tolstoy’s creative writing. Anna Karenina, on the other hand, relies upon a different method. Tolstoy projects his travel experience onto two female characters: Anna and Kitty. In particular, Kitty’s experience in Soden overlaps with Tolstoy’s, focusing on the theme of a brother’s death. However, Tolstoy’s choice of Kitty, not his alter-ego, indicates the artistic distance between his real-life experience and the fictional character’s.