A Poem by Vladimir Mikhail Kheraskov: Historical Sources

The article examines historical sources of the poem Vladimir by Mikhail Kheraskov (1785, 3d ed. 1797). It focuses on the following aspects: 1) the image of philosopher Cyrus, a key character in the poem, the main mentor of Prince Vladimir; 2) description of the images of the Last Judgment, heaven an...

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Main Author: Anastasia V. Semenova
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences 2019-09-01
Series:Studia Litterarum
Subjects:
Online Access:http://studlit.ru/images/2019-4-3/Semenova.pdf
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author Anastasia V. Semenova
author_facet Anastasia V. Semenova
author_sort Anastasia V. Semenova
collection DOAJ
description The article examines historical sources of the poem Vladimir by Mikhail Kheraskov (1785, 3d ed. 1797). It focuses on the following aspects: 1) the image of philosopher Cyrus, a key character in the poem, the main mentor of Prince Vladimir; 2) description of the images of the Last Judgment, heaven and hell on the “Charter” (veil) presented by Cyrus to Vladimir; 3) Vladimir’s son Vsevolod’s duel with Pecheneg. The last episode is an additional storyline that appeared only in the third edition. The sources of the poem include The Tale of Bygone Years, The Russian Chronicle according to the Nikon Lis (1767), The Kiev Synopsis (1674), The Core of Russian History (1770), and historical works of V. Tatishchev, M. Lomonosov, M. Shcherbatov, and Catherine II. The article draws parallels between the poem and these sources, including textual parallels. In conclusion, it is argued that in “Vladimir,” as earlier in “Rossiyada”, the poet whenever possible relates his narrative to historical evidence, constantly borrows from different sources. This concerns important ideological aspects of the poem (for example, the image of the main preacher, which also has Masonic connotations) as well as adventurous battlefield episodes (i.e. Vsevolod’s adventures), introduced, according to the author’s design, primarily to entertain young readers.
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spelling doaj.art-b7c8c75bcaa047fc844f2c1fbf23e28b2022-12-21T19:14:53ZengA.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of SciencesStudia Litterarum2500-42472541-85642019-09-01417218710.22455/2500-4247-2019-4-3-172-187A Poem by Vladimir Mikhail Kheraskov: Historical SourcesAnastasia V. Semenova0Kazakhstan branch of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Kazhimukan St. 11, 010010 Astana, Republic of KazakhstanThe article examines historical sources of the poem Vladimir by Mikhail Kheraskov (1785, 3d ed. 1797). It focuses on the following aspects: 1) the image of philosopher Cyrus, a key character in the poem, the main mentor of Prince Vladimir; 2) description of the images of the Last Judgment, heaven and hell on the “Charter” (veil) presented by Cyrus to Vladimir; 3) Vladimir’s son Vsevolod’s duel with Pecheneg. The last episode is an additional storyline that appeared only in the third edition. The sources of the poem include The Tale of Bygone Years, The Russian Chronicle according to the Nikon Lis (1767), The Kiev Synopsis (1674), The Core of Russian History (1770), and historical works of V. Tatishchev, M. Lomonosov, M. Shcherbatov, and Catherine II. The article draws parallels between the poem and these sources, including textual parallels. In conclusion, it is argued that in “Vladimir,” as earlier in “Rossiyada”, the poet whenever possible relates his narrative to historical evidence, constantly borrows from different sources. This concerns important ideological aspects of the poem (for example, the image of the main preacher, which also has Masonic connotations) as well as adventurous battlefield episodes (i.e. Vsevolod’s adventures), introduced, according to the author’s design, primarily to entertain young readers.http://studlit.ru/images/2019-4-3/Semenova.pdfKheraskovVladimirhistorical sourceschronicleshistoriography of the 18th century
spellingShingle Anastasia V. Semenova
A Poem by Vladimir Mikhail Kheraskov: Historical Sources
Studia Litterarum
Kheraskov
Vladimir
historical sources
chronicles
historiography of the 18th century
title A Poem by Vladimir Mikhail Kheraskov: Historical Sources
title_full A Poem by Vladimir Mikhail Kheraskov: Historical Sources
title_fullStr A Poem by Vladimir Mikhail Kheraskov: Historical Sources
title_full_unstemmed A Poem by Vladimir Mikhail Kheraskov: Historical Sources
title_short A Poem by Vladimir Mikhail Kheraskov: Historical Sources
title_sort poem by vladimir mikhail kheraskov historical sources
topic Kheraskov
Vladimir
historical sources
chronicles
historiography of the 18th century
url http://studlit.ru/images/2019-4-3/Semenova.pdf
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