Elements of postmodernism poetics in the Caucasian corpus of texts by M.Y. Lermontov

Literature on such a trend as postmodernism in the second half of the twentieth century took a leading position. It captured the crisis of modern thought that was brought on by rapid advances in science and technology, as well as disillusionment with the notions of European humanism.

The expression of the crisis, the cultural rift in literature, occurred mainly through the form of a literary work – its destruction, deliberate “wrongness”, the blurring of genre boundaries and the lack of clear structures. In addition, techniques such as imitation, stylization, literary play, and the use of simulacra come to the fore.

Postmodern approval was difficult in Russia in the 20th century due to socialist realism in literature. The first postmodern novel in Russian is considered being “Pushkin House” by Andrey Bitov. However, back in 1840, a novel was published, which includes numerous techniques and principles, later attributed to the poetics of postmodernism: this is the “Hero of Our Time” by M.Y. Lermontov. He often depicted the worldview of a person in a crisis era in his works. Elements of literary poetics, which will later be called postmodern, we find not only in the designated novel but also in the whole corpus of Lermontov’s texts: “Mtsyri”, “Demon”, the essay “Caucasian” and others related to the so-called Caucasian corpus of Lermontov’s texts. This article attempts to identify these elements, analyze the pragmatics of their use, and study the forms of literary play used by Lermontov.

The optics we have chosen – Lermontov’s Caucasian works – is not accidental: many researchers have noted that in his work (especially in later works) the topos of the Caucasus outgrows the role of romantic orientalist scenery and gives an artistic conflict additional depth and fullness, saturates with unexpected and vivid details.

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