OPOYAZ

OPOYAZ, or the "Society for the Study of Poetic Language," was a group of Russian formalist literary theorists in the early 20th century. They focused on how language and literary devices shape the meaning and experience of poetry and prose, emphasizing the importance of form over content. Key figures included Viktor Shklovsky and Boris Eikhenbaum, who believed that art should defamiliarize everyday experiences, making the familiar feel strange to enhance perception. Their innovative ideas greatly influenced literary criticism and theory, highlighting the relationship between language, meaning, and aesthetics in literature.