Poetry in early twentieth-century Russia: Parallels and affinities with the eighteenth century

This dissertation is an attempt to foreground parallelisms with the eighteenth century in the works of such diverse poets as Brjusov, Severjanin, and Zabolockij. While each belongs to a different literary movement or a group and hence is studied in the corresponding context, all of the poets under consideration seem to share many features with eighteenth-century Russian poetry: sometimes on the level of genre, sometimes in theme or specific device. Although the work of these poets cannot be confined to a distinct systemic pattern of borrowing, a study of their affinities reveals influences and ties that are generally considered alien to the turbulent world of Russian Silver Age poetry.Chapters 2, 3 and 4 offer concrete textual analyses of the affinities between the works of Brjusov, Severjanin, and Zabolockij, on the one hand, and eighteenth-century Russian poetry, on the other, with one chapter devoted to each poet. Parallels are discussed on the level of theme, genre, and specific device. The work of Kuzmin is also briefly considered in this regard. Conclusions drawn from the study are presented in the final two chapters, and some of the areas for future research, in the direction outlined by this study are proposed.Chapter 1 contains methodological background for the discussion of parallelisms between the two periods. It notes that whenever an evolutionary introspection of the history of Russian literature was attempted, the poetry of the early twentieth century was studied in its connections with the period of Romanticism, and the term "Neo-Romantic period" has often been used in describing the general literary attitude of the time. However, while being perfectly appropriate in its basic thrust, the term tended to focus scholarly attention upon itself, at the expense of seeking productive comparisons with other periods in Russian literary history. This chapter also contains a survey of scholarly publications pertinent to the topic and indicates the basic lines along which most general parallels are drawn.