THE “VERTEBRAL BODY” (TO THE QUESTION OF “ANATOMICAL” IMAGERY IN RUSSIAN POETRY OF THE 1910S AND 1930S)

The article is devoted to the symbolism of the spine as one of the key elements of “anatomical” imagery in Russian poetry of the 1910s and 1930s. The poetic texts of V. Mayakovsky, M. Zenkevich, O. Mandelstam are considered against the background of some features of this segment of the bodily code in the poetry of the studied period. The purpose of the article is to find out whether there are general patterns in individual variations of related images, whether it is possible to talk about the similarity of their semantic content, about a kind of leitmotif. The symbolic meanings of the spine image are born in the structure of complex metaphors, in cultural associations and allusions, in a combination of traditional semantics and individual poetic thought. This complex of images and motifs is directly related to the theme of the poet's fate and purpose, the essence of his being. At the same time, he synthesizes the themes of life and death, integrity and decay, threshold states of consciousness, and also touches on gender issues. Elements of this imagery can be associated with both pagan archaic and Christian tradition.