The uncompleted cycle about poetry as theurgy in Vl. Solovyov’s lyrical poetry of the second half of the 1890s

Abstract

The author examines the inter-connections of subjects and motives in ten poems which Solovyov wrote in the second half of the 1890s. The method of motive analysis shows that those works bear the mark of a verse unity making an uncompleted cycle. It appears that Solovyov’s poems during that period can be related not only to his aesthetic and philosophical works but also to the lyrical pieces of earlier poets. Thus, it is shown that ten poems belong to the tradition of A.A. Fet, K.K. Sluchevsky, A.N. Maykov, V.A. Zhukovsky and Ya.P. Polonsky. It is suggested to call this uncompleted cycle “Poetry as theurgy”. A brief review is proposed of the aesthetic and philosophical ideas which are important to understand the general theme canvass of the cycle. The common theme and cross-cutting motives of twelve poems forming that cycle are defined. It is suggested to consider that the lyrical mystery theme is common to all the poems of that cycle. It is shown that the prophetic motive and images/symbols of nature and of the poet as prophet can be traced throughout the whole of the cycle. The conclusion is that Solovyov has created a series of poems which, through their themes and motives, prolong and complete each other, thus offering an uncompleted cycle of poetry as theurgy. From the point of view of its structure and content, that cycle is typical of the literary epoch when it was composed, being a continuation of the classical tradition while at the same time creating a new tradition, that of the symbolists. © 2020 Ivanovo State Power Engineering University. All rights reserved.