A Study Of Baratynsky’s Philosophic Poetry

As the founder of Russian philosophic poetry, the achievement of Baratynsky’s poetry has long been recognized in Russia and the West. But in China, there is a lack of study on Baratynsky without any translation of his works, which is entirely inconsistent with his status in the history of literature. In Russia, although the research on Baratynsky is relatively abundant, but issues like the concept of individuals, the relationship between time and space, the dialogue between the past and the future in Baratynsky’s poetry have not been sufficiently examined. With Baratynsky’s lyrics as the research object, this dissertation attempts to investigate the artistic characteristics and value of Baratynsky’s poetry by focusing on the concept of individuals, the relationship between one’s home town and a foreign land as well as the dialogue with the future.This dissertation consists of six chapters.Chapter1includes a survey of the study on Baratynsky’s poetry in Russia, a review of Chinese translation of Baratynsky’s poetry, the author’s experience and understanding of translating Baratynsky’s poetry, and a summary of the research task and approaches.Chapter2deals with the concept of individuals in Baratynski’s poetry. Baratynsky’s understanding of the people and the world differs essentially from the romantic view of individuals that is a principal one in the early1920s. Neither a person’s fate nor his personality dominates his lyrics. His images of individuals and personal emotions are not subordinate to the individuality, but turn into abstract individuality that is deindividualized and detached from daily life.Chapter3focuses on the issue of home town in Baratynsky’s poetry. One’s home town and foreign land are interwoven in Baratynsky’s scenic poems. If there is no home town, there is no foreign land; without homesickness, there would be no sense of home town. Baratynsky’s home town and homesickness are not only achieved through direct scenic descriptions of one’s home town and four seasons, but also reflected by exotic delineation to expose their own national characteristics. His poetry begins with homesickness, yet, in stead of ending with life, extends to an exploration of time and eternity.Chapter4explores dialogues with the future in Baratynsky’s poetry. The "time" in his poetry is not identical to the one in reality. A metaphor of the past and the future is hidden in the seasons. A close reading of Autumn from the perspective of the dialogue theory might lead to a new interpretation of the tragic connotation of Baratynski’s poetry. The dialogue with the future adds a bright hue to the pessimism at the end of the19th century by expressing good wishes for reincarnation. Baratynsky believes that his poetry is for the future readers. Poets of his age might be his friends, but are not intelligent enough to be his congenial readers.Chapter5argues about the value of Baratynsky’s pessimistic poetics in the present age. Based on an irreconcilable paradox, most of Baratynsky’s late lyrics are imbued with profound pessimism. But he has a serious and positive view of poetry, holding that poetry takes ultimate responsibility of approaching the extreme of human thoughts, which is an important part in the development of human rationality.The final chapter summarizes the main idea of each chapter and manifests the significance of Baratynsky studies.