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Two centuries of Russian classics

Philological journal
A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the
 Russian Academy of Sciences

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121069 Moscow, Russia

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  • Funding Sources:

    This work was carried out at Kostroma State University with financial support of the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 24-28-00058 “The Poetic Heritage of Anna Ivanovna Gotovtseva: Preparation for a Scientific Publication” (https://rscf.ru/project/24-28-00058/).

  • For citation:

    Koptelova, N. G. “Elegies by A. I. Gotovtseva in the 1820s: Genesis and Poetics.” Dva veka russkoi klassiki, vol. 7, no. 3, 2025, pp. 6–31. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2025-7-3-6-31

  • Abstract:

    The article traces the genesis and analyzes the poetics of Gotovtseva’s elegies of the 1820s, created within her attraction to Lamartine’s tradition. We emphasize that a free translation of Lamartine’s elegy “Loneliness” already shows the creative uniqueness of Gotovtseva. In “Hope,” the poet responds to the motifs of Lamartine’s elegy “On Man (To Lord Byron)”. The semantic polyphony of this poem by Gotovtseva is provided through reminiscences from Batyushkov’s elegy “Hope,” from Derzhavin’s ode “To the Death of Prince Meschersky,” as well as from the Psalter and the Book of Prayers. The article notes that in “Autumn,” Gotovtseva inherits images of nature and human beings from Lamartine. The poet overcomes the feeling of inconsolable bitterness typical of Lamartine and asserts the idea of eternal life through the active use of Christian motifs.

  • Keywords: A. I. Gotovtseva, A. de Lamartine, elegy, genesis, poetics, tradition, motif, biblical reminiscences, paschality.
  • Author: Nataliya G. Koptelova
  • Information about the author:

    Nataliya G. Koptelova, DSc in Philology, Professor, Kostroma State University, Dzerzhinskogo 17/11, 156005 Kostroma, Russia.

    ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7145-223X

    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  • Received: March 21, 2025
  • Approved after reviewing: May 30, 2025
  • Published: September 25, 2025
  • Issue: 2025 Volume 7 No. 3
  • Department: Russian Literature of the 18th–19th Centuries
  • Pages: 6-31
  • DOI: Visit Website
  • EDN:

    https://elibrary.ru/OGOSXF

  • UDK: 821.161.1.09"19"
  • Publication Type: Research Article

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