Vladimir Odoevsky, Salamandra [The Salamander]

Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error
Salamandra

[

The Salamander

, 1841] is, in length, more novella than short story. It has, as Neil Cornwell says, “a curious bi-partite structure, termed by Odoevsky a ‘dilogy’ (as compared to the more common ‘trilogy’ form)” (Introduction:

The Salamander

, 6). The first part, entitled “Iuzhnyi bereg Finliandii v nachale XVIII stoletiia” [“The Southern Shore of Finland at the Beginning of the Eighteenth Century”], dedicated to Countess Emilia Musina-Pushkina, was published separately and overlaps with the historical novel genre, drawing heavily too on Finnish folklore. The second part, now called “El’sa” [“Elsa”], dedicated to Count V.A. Sollogub, was also published in 1841 and reads more like a Gothic tale, complete with alchemy, villainy, “a rousing…

2613 words

Citation: Sucur, Slobodan. "Salamandra". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 March 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16243, accessed 13 December 2024.]

16243 Salamandra 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.