Dimensions of the Chronotope of the 1970s: Fragmentary Writing in Academic Discourse (with examples from Roland Barthes and Aron Brudny)

Abstract

The essay is devoted to the analysis of the diaries of the famous Soviet philosopher Aron Brudny from 1974 to 1989. The style of writing, which can be called «writing by fragments», is chosen for the analysis. We discuss the emergence of such writing in the 1970s in France and the USSR using the example of Brudny’s diaries and books, in comparison with Roland Barthes’ texts «A Lover’s Discourse: fragments» and «How to Live Together», as part of a common chronotope. We offer an interpretation of the emergence and popularization of fragmentary writing in academia as a moment of shift in the understanding of the author’s role in the production of meanings. In the 1970s, the focus of meaning-­making moves from the figure of the author to the text itself, and to the reader who interacts with this text. To illustrate this thesis, materials from Brudny’s diaries and Barthes’ works are used.