Page 174 - Vinkler, Jonatan, Ana Beguš and Marcello Potocco. Eds. 2019. Ideology in the 20th Century: Studies of literary and social discourses and practices. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 174
Ideology in the 20th Century: studies of literary and social discourses and practices
adopts, processes, and perfects the culture received (Reitzenstein 1927,
19). On the other hand, while studying the influence of Persian culture
on Georgian literature, Von Wesendonk noted that a national culture is
regarded as more developed if it adopts and processes more foreign ele-
ments from other cultures (Wesendonk 1926, 250). According to Noza-
dze, the acceptance and transfer of cultural patterns and their processing
in one’s own national consciousness are not characteristic of all nations:
if the Georgian nation was a follower of world culture, it was a result of
its high national capability, and this is especially true of The Knight in the
Panther’s Skin (Nozadze 2009, 75–76).
Inspired by this idea, Nozadze devoted a number of fundamental
works to The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, and he reviewed its ideolo-
gy, worldview, and ethical and aesthetic ideals. However, his works were
174 completely unknown to Georgian scholars until the 1950s because Noza-
dze, like all Georgians living in emigration, was labeled an ‘enemy of the
people’. Nozadze’s book The Language of Colors in The Knight in the Pan-
ther’s Skin (Georgian: Vepkhistqaosnis pertametqveleba), published in Bue-
nos Aires, was discovered by the librarian Vakhtang Salukvadze at Mos-
cow’s Lenin Public Library when he was sorting literature received from
abroad. Salukvadze informed Revaz Baramidze of his find (Kharazish-
vili 2009, 140), and several Georgian scholars became familiar with the
book and were amazed by its depth of research, topicality, and scale. They
also observed that the content of the book was not politically contaminat-
ed. In his memoirs, Revaz Baramidze shares with readers the impression
produced on him by The Language of Colors in The Knight in the Pan-
ther’s Skin:
I was carried away by the book, by the abundant material studied by the
scholar and the depth and large scale of his research. The scholar has discov-
ered the rare regularity in the use of colors by Rustaveli: every color in The
Knight in the Panther’s Skin has a logical function, and by perceiving them
we understand the mood of the characters as well as the general situation.
Namely, when light, sunny colors predominate in the work, author speaks
about the characters of great spirituality, whereas when harsh, dark colors
occur in the work, evil powers appear on the scene. I would also like to note
here that this book is written at a high professional level and there are no
political digressions or anti-Soviet positions in it (R. Baramidze 2004, 30).
Revaz Baramidze also recalls that he introduced a synopsis of the book to
academy member Korneli Kekelidze, one of the founders of Tbilisi State
University, who was fascinated by the profound and noteworthy observa-
adopts, processes, and perfects the culture received (Reitzenstein 1927,
19). On the other hand, while studying the influence of Persian culture
on Georgian literature, Von Wesendonk noted that a national culture is
regarded as more developed if it adopts and processes more foreign ele-
ments from other cultures (Wesendonk 1926, 250). According to Noza-
dze, the acceptance and transfer of cultural patterns and their processing
in one’s own national consciousness are not characteristic of all nations:
if the Georgian nation was a follower of world culture, it was a result of
its high national capability, and this is especially true of The Knight in the
Panther’s Skin (Nozadze 2009, 75–76).
Inspired by this idea, Nozadze devoted a number of fundamental
works to The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, and he reviewed its ideolo-
gy, worldview, and ethical and aesthetic ideals. However, his works were
174 completely unknown to Georgian scholars until the 1950s because Noza-
dze, like all Georgians living in emigration, was labeled an ‘enemy of the
people’. Nozadze’s book The Language of Colors in The Knight in the Pan-
ther’s Skin (Georgian: Vepkhistqaosnis pertametqveleba), published in Bue-
nos Aires, was discovered by the librarian Vakhtang Salukvadze at Mos-
cow’s Lenin Public Library when he was sorting literature received from
abroad. Salukvadze informed Revaz Baramidze of his find (Kharazish-
vili 2009, 140), and several Georgian scholars became familiar with the
book and were amazed by its depth of research, topicality, and scale. They
also observed that the content of the book was not politically contaminat-
ed. In his memoirs, Revaz Baramidze shares with readers the impression
produced on him by The Language of Colors in The Knight in the Pan-
ther’s Skin:
I was carried away by the book, by the abundant material studied by the
scholar and the depth and large scale of his research. The scholar has discov-
ered the rare regularity in the use of colors by Rustaveli: every color in The
Knight in the Panther’s Skin has a logical function, and by perceiving them
we understand the mood of the characters as well as the general situation.
Namely, when light, sunny colors predominate in the work, author speaks
about the characters of great spirituality, whereas when harsh, dark colors
occur in the work, evil powers appear on the scene. I would also like to note
here that this book is written at a high professional level and there are no
political digressions or anti-Soviet positions in it (R. Baramidze 2004, 30).
Revaz Baramidze also recalls that he introduced a synopsis of the book to
academy member Korneli Kekelidze, one of the founders of Tbilisi State
University, who was fascinated by the profound and noteworthy observa-
