Lermontov and the Mythopoetics of Russian Symbolism

Aim. To identify the ideological and artistic samples of M. Yu. Lermontov’s work that influenced the formation and evolution of Russian symbolism.Metodology. The aesthetic role of mythopoetic elements of Lermontov’s imagery world in the formation of the theory of Russian symbolism and literary criticism is established by V. V. Rozanov, V. S. Solovyov, V. I. Ivanov, D. S. Merezhkovsky, S. N. Bulgakov, A. Bely, A. A. Blok, M. A. Voloshin, D. L. Andreev. The transformation of visionary images of Romanticism lyrics as an aesthetic model of works of symbolism of the turn of the XIX–XX centuries is considered. The gnostic nature of understanding the lyrical “I”, the mystical perspective of love poetry, the Russian landscape, and social motives are revealed. The author discovers separate semantic layers of imagery linking Lermontov’s poetry with Russian mythopoeic symbolism.Results. It is concluded that in several M. Yu. Lermontov’s poems there are images and ideas that influenced the formation of the theory and practice of Russian symbolism as examples of mythopoetic thinking.Research implications. The results of the study expand and complement the ideas about mythopoetic parallels and traditions in the integral artistic space of Russian lyrics, the historical and literary context and the possibilities of interpreting classical poems by M. Yu. Lermontov and several poets of the turn of the XIX–XX centuries in the system of discussion and the phenomenon of increment of meanings.