Literaturnaja nauka na pod'eme (parte 2, di B. Mejkach) [31-12-1938] - [D077]

Concise description of the directive:

RAPP critics argued that the form did not matter for a literary work; the important thing was the content. In doing so, the critics altered the Marxist-Leninist thesis on form. Yet the content of literary works cannot exist outside the form; paying attention to it does not at all mean reverting to formalism. Questions of form are also of great importance to readers, who show great interest in the Poet’s Library series. An engineer from Mosenergo asks to publish the library of world poetry, i.e. Byron, Shelley, Hugo, etc. Lately, there has been a lot of criticism of introductions and, more generally, of commentaries on literary works. However, it is incorrect to completely deny materials that help the reader understand the works. Gorky, as director of the Poet’s Library, already stated the necessity of providing introductions and commentaries. Unfortunately, our publishers do not distinguish between academic editions, which need extensive commentary, and mass editions, which do not need too much detail. The Party Central Committee’s decree on the approach to propaganda is a powerful stimulus for the development of theoretical thinking in every area of science, including the theory of literature.