Bulgakov's novella "Heart of Dog" - Masterpieces of 20th Century Russian Literature (Russian-Chinese Edition) (Includes 1 Bonus CD)

Author: Zhang Jianhua
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-06-01
Features:
Two, Dogs' Hearts (Dogs' Hearts and the aforementioned The Unlucky Egg share thematic and stylistic similarities. On the surface, Dogs' Hearts appears to be a science fiction story, but in reality, it delves into profound philosophical and social reflections akin to dystopian literature. The internationally renowned physician, Professor Philip Preobrazhensky, to conduct eugenic experiments, transplanted the pituitary gland and testicles of a recently deceased alcoholic thief into a dog named Sharik. Sharik unexpectedly became a "human in a low stage of development"—Sharikov. This creature, capable of speaking human language and dressing like a human, gradually revealed itself to be a scoundrel with a "vile and despicable heart": alcoholism, theft, lying, betrayal, shamelessness, and even framing and threatening to seize Professor Preobrazhensky's residence with a gun. More intriguingly, this dog-born Sharikov was even recognized by the government and appointed as the head of the stray animal control department in the Moscow Public Health Bureau. He wore a leather jacket (a typical image of revolutionaries in literary works of the time) and traveled in a special car—even though it was a truck. Fortunately, the two "creators," Professor Preobrazhensky and Dr. Bormanty, performed surgery to revert Sharikov back to Sharik, preventing a catastrophe.
In this novel, Bulgakov explores the relationship between humans and nature, humans and society, the limits of human ability, and human responsibility toward the entire natural world. In reality, Bulgakov continues to elaborate on a major theme: humans should not overstep their bounds or covet the position of an all-powerful God. This God is the objective laws of nature and society. Attempting to transcend the processes of society and nature, turning science into a of destructive objective laws, and fanatically "creating history" is inevitably met with punishment. Just as in the novel The Unlucky Egg, Professor Persikov, despite scientific knowledge, lacked a sense of responsibility toward human society and ultimately died at the hands of a frenzied mob. On the other hand,, who brought terrible misfortune to human society, was both and intellectually inferior to the point where the issue of responsibility was irrelevant. Yet, he carried "official documents" and was even more frightening.
In Dogs' Hearts, the unprecedentedly perfect by the internationally top-tier physician, Professor Philip Preobrazhensky, could only create a social scoundrel who nearly cost him his life. After enduring the consequences of his "scientific experiment," Professor Preobrazhensky finally realized: "Look, if a researcher does not follow the pulse of nature and progress with it, but instead tries to accelerate solutions and unveil the mysteries, then give him Sharikov to taste—and he will have to eat his words."
It seems that when humans attempt to play the role of God—the creator—the result is only a satirical imitation of the divine. Interfering with the objective progress of the world will ultimately lead to the fate of "kicking the stone and hurting oneself."
In a letter to the Soviet government in 1930, Bulgakov wrote: "I have deep doubts about the revolutionary process taking place in my backward country; in contrast, I propose a more humane and grand evolutionary theory." This is precisely the perspective on the direct social reality that the novel seeks to express. Through the character of Professor Preobrazhensky, the author argues that one must treat both animals and humans with "tenderness," as this allows one to interact with every living being. "Terror has no effect on animals, regardless of their stage of development. I have always maintained this, and I maintain it now and will continue to do so. They baselessly believe that terror can work. No, no, terror, whether white, red, or even brown, is useless to them."
The author also uses the character of Professor Preobrazhensky to earnestly state: "Never commit crimes, no matter who the victim is. Always keep your hands clean."
In the novel, the characters of Sharikov and Sch?n are particularly noteworthy. Sharikov can be seen as a portrayal of a. His innate vices are nurtured and exacerbated by the social bureaucratic forces represented by Sch?n, turning him into a social evil force that takes advantage of others. Even more thought-provoking is how Sharikov's various pronouncements reflect the vulgar notions some people had about socialism at the time. For example, according to Sharikov, socialism means: "Whatever there is, just take it and divide it among yourselves." Sharikov often utters grand phrases like "proletariat," "counter-revolution," and "legitimate rights," but these cannot hide his intolerable vulgarity, barbarity, and even cruelty in pursuing his base and autocratic goals.
Sch?n, on the other hand, is Bulgakov's satirical portrayal of the young people in the Soviet Union at the time. Their shallow ignorance and arrogance not only always put them in embarrassing and ridiculous situations but also severely damage the image of the "revolution." Tragically, they become Sharikov's supporters and backers.
Of course, we should also note that this artist with a conservative social and political stance expresses dissatisfaction and misunderstanding about the early conditions of the October Revolution in the novel. For instance, some of the protagonists' remarks reveal anti-revolutionary sentiments. We should understand Bulgakov's creative attitude historically and critically.
Additionally, in many works, including Dogs' Hearts, Bulgakov also shows a certain disdain for ordinary people. From the bare-chested revolutionary fighter Antonov in The Fire of the Sweat Palace to the ignorant and shallow masses—including and his comrades in The Unlucky Egg"—as well as Sharikov, Sch?n, and even the commoners like doorkeepers and maids in these works—all reflect Bulgakov's mocking and satirical attitude toward non-intellectual classes. For example, these people are mostly "profit-driven," while only professors and scholars are "virtue-driven." This one-sided attitude persists in his The Master and Margarita. Of course, this also reveals Bulgakov's unique reflection on the weaknesses of humanity. This is why, when he ponders how a lovable dog Sharik could become a "human in a low stage of development"—Sharikov, he uses the character of Professor Preobrazhensky to say: "The horror lies in the fact that now he has not a dog's heart, but a human heart—a heart as corrupt as any in the world!" And when discussing natural selection, he says humans "will annually weed out the ignorant masses to create dozens of outstanding geniuses to enrich the earth" with such "injurious" words.
At the time, this novel was not allowed to be published and even became confiscated during searches of Bulgakov's residence. It was not officially published in the Soviet Union until 1987. Since then, Dogs' Hearts has not only become a widely read and beloved work both domestically and internationally but has also been adapted into stage plays and films, remaining popular.
Dogs' Hearts not only established Bulgakov's satirical and absurd artistic style but also fully expressed his views on society, life, politics, and the human condition. Today, in the 21st century, we should re-examine this novel from the perspective of critiquing modernity in the 20th century. In doing so, we will find that this artist with a conservative social and political stance has long cast a deep suspicion on the world entering modernization. His exposure and critique of scientism (Dogs' Hearts, The Unlucky Egg), rationalism, determinism, and logocentrism (The Master and Margarita) far preceded his time.
Zhu Zelin
PⅧ-Ⅻ