symptomatic treatment

[pars]

Dear everybody!
What is the exact meaning of "symptomatic treatment" in the following passage?
Griboedov received the most ridiculous and symptomatic treatment in the TV program Name of Russia, which nominated him in the category “national identity symbol” as “Wunderkind, and the author of waltzes” (sic.).
I should add Griboedov was a Russian official in Persia who was killed in 1829. The text is from the book "Russians in Iran".
Thanks very much.

 

[Rover_KE]

Please name the author of the book.

 

[pars]

The book is a collection of essays. its editors are Rudi Matthee and Elena Andreeva. But, the writer of the concerned essay is Firuza Melville.

 

[GoesStation]

"Symptomatic treatment" doesn't make sense. The author probably meant sympathetic.

 

[teechar]

"Symptomatic treatment" doesn't make sense.

I agree. Otherwise, more context is needed to understand why "symptomatic" was used.

 

[pars]

Hi!
The whole paragraph is as follow:
The main paradox regarding Griboedov revolves around the fact that an extremely ambitious and talented diplomat, who was instrumental in Russia gaining its important
Caucasian territories, is now known in his own country mainly as a rebellious poet and sometimes a composer which is, in fact, what he always wanted to be. Griboedov received the most ridiculous and symptomatic treatment in the TV program Name of Russia, which nominated him in the category “national identity symbol” as “Wunderkind, and the author of waltzes” (sic.).
Another example in the same text:
The main role in shaping the stereotype of Griboedov's image in the Soviet Union belongs to Yu. Tynyanov and his novel The Death of Vazir Mukhtar (1928).Among the Russian
émigré milieu of Europe, Tynyanov and his protagonist embodied the idea of moral degradation, betrayal and treachery.Such critics saw Tynyanov's Griboedov constantly
suffering from a double identity crisis, being presented as both his own protagonist Chatskii, a nuisance and troublemaker, and a haughty and snobbish careerist who was eventually punished for his own sins.Despite several other attempts to present Griboedov's biography as belletristic, it was Tynyanov's interpretation that was exploited the most. Quite symptomatically, both known cinematographic versions follow very closely Tynyanov's novel.

 

[teechar]

I googled and found the above excerpt in the book "Russians in Iran" by Rudi Matthee and Elena Andreeva. It's available online on Google books.

If you go to page 50, you'll find the sentence "The mystery of Griboedov's martyr-like death launched a whole mythological cycle around him". So it seems that "symptomatic" and "symptomatically" refer to this mythologizing of Griboedov.

 

[teechar]

Thank you teechar and GoesStation.

You're welcome!

Let me teach you a useful expression in English.
Good manners cost nothing.

You could have at least clicked Like or Thank. It wouldn't have given you RSI.