The Image of St. Sophia in Alexander Blok’s Letters to His Wife

The image of St. Sophia, developed in the works of Plato, the Sophists, the Gnostics, as well as in the teachings of Vladimir Solovyov, European and Russian symbolist poets of the late XIX – early XX century, has found its reflection in the oeuvre of A.A. Blok. The study of this iconic Russian poet’s work, particularly his epistolary legacy and the transformation of his attitude towards symbolist poetry, remains relevant today. The image of St. Sophia, drawn from Solovyov’s teachings, is extrapolated by A.A. Blok onto his relationship with his fiancée and later wife, L.D. Mendeleeva. Through an analytical examination of A.A. Blok’s letters, one can discern the embodiment of the image of Eternal Femininity in the poet’s romantic feelings towards his fiancée. The celestial beauty of Sophia, as envisioned by V. Solovyov, is transposed by A.A. Blok onto his affections for L.D. Mendeleeva. The conclusion is made about the change in the tone of correspondence on the part of the poet under the influence of the transformation of views on symbolism and personal relations with L.D. Mendeleeva.