Codex manuscriptus Codex manuscriptus 2949-0510 2949-0502 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/CM.2949-0510-2025-6-238-263 Research Article Articles The Problems of Illustrating Fiction in Theoretical Discussions of the First Third of the 20th century Fomin Dmitry V. codeximli@yandex.ru 21 02 2025 6 238 263 illustration book art book graphics theoretical discussions literary text word and image interpretation Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 The article examines the discussions of figures of national culture of the first third of the last century regarding book illustration: is it needed in fiction publications for an adult audience? What should it be, what are its tasks and possibilities, how should it relate to a literary text so as not to interfere with the reader’s perception of it? All these questions were of great interest to writers, art- ists, cholars, but they were solved in completely different ways. Along with the famous article by Yu.N. Tynyanov, much less well-known remarks in this dispute are analyzed, first of all, statements by principled opponents of illustrating fiction. Among them are poets M.I. Tsvetaeva and S.P. Bobrov, art critic P.P. Muratov, literary critics Yu.N. Tynyanov and V.B. Shklovsky. Their judgments, which are of un- doubted interest from the point of view of today’s science, of course, did not destroy or abolish the art of book graphics, but significantly influenced its evolution, helped illustrators to rethink their work in a new way, to master unexpected approaches to the literature of reality.   1. Gerchuk, Iu.Ia. Khudozhestvennaia struktura knigi [The Artistic Structure of the Book]. Moscow, Kniga Publ., 1984. 208 p. (In Russ.) 2. Zvonareva, L.U., Kudriavtseva, L.S. Serebrianyi vek v Parizhe: Poteriannyi rai Aleksandra Alekseeva [The Silver Age in Paris: Alexander Alekseev’s Paradise Lost]. Moscow, AST Publ., Beloniia M Publ., 2020. 448 p. (In Russ.) 3. Illiustratsiia, [sb. st. i publ.], sost. G.V. El’shevskaia [Illustration: [coll. of articles and publ.], comp. G.V. Yelshevskaya]. Moscow, Sov. Khudozhnik Publ., 1988. 412, [2] p. (In Russ.) 4. Molok, Iu.A. “‘Tri vozrasta’ odnoi stat’i Tynianova” [“‘Three Ages’ of One Article by Tynyanov”]. Tynianovskii sb. Vtorye Tynianovskie chteniia, sb. st., otv. red. M.O. Chudakova [The Tynyanovsky coll. The 2nd Tynyanovsky Readings, coll. of articles, ex. ed. M.O. Chudakova]. Riga, Zinatne Publ., 1986, pp. 44–58. (In Russ.) 5. Fomin, D.V. “Kak illiustrirovat’ Lermontova?” [“How to Illustrate Lermontov?”]. Pro knigi. Zhurnal bibliofila, no. 3 (31), 2014, pp. 4–23. (In Russ.) 6. Chegodaeva, M.A. Tam za gorami goria…: poety, khudozhniki, izdateli, kritiki v 1916–1923 gg. [Beyond the Mountains of Sorrow...: Poets, Artists, Publishers, Critics in 1916–1923]. St. Petersburg, Dmitrii Bulanin Publ., 2002. 423, [1] p. (In Russ.)