Nikolskii E.V., Papilova E.V.

 

The image of Italy in Mikhail Lermontov’s poetry. Pp. 91–102.

UDC 821.161.1-1.09″18″

DOI 10.37724/RSU.2025.89.4.010

 

Abstract: The image of Italy in M. Yu. Lermontov’s lyrical verse has never been a focus of individual analysis, and this determines the relevance of the present research. The role of Italy in Lermontov’s poetic system relates to broader issue of imagology and the study of the “image of a stranger” in Russian literature of the 19th century. The purpose of the article is to identify ways of poetic construction of the image of Italy and to determine its semantic function in the poet’s worldview. The subjects of our research were the poems The Dying Gladiator, This happened in the last years of mighty Rome, Venice, Romance, and To E. K. Musina-Pushkina. There, Italy is presented as ancient Rome, a symbol of civilizational crisis and moral decay; Venice is shown as a field of sensual play and romantic mystery, the “golden land,” a promised land of escape and spiritual solace, and a model of artistic and feminine beauty.

The results of the analysis show that Lermontov did not limit himself to reproducing stereotypical cultural clichés: he filled them with new philosophical and personal content, enhancing traditional images with a weight of moral warning. The findings of our study show that in Lermontov’s poetry the Italian theme provides a moral and cultural projection, allowing the author to comprehend the conflicts of modernity through allegories of the past.

The research results contribute to imagological and comparative studies and are applicable in teaching Russian literary history, as well as the study of cultural contacts between Russia and Europe.

In the conclusion of the article, the authors outline prospects for further research on the imagological aspects of the poet’s work in the context of Italian motifs of Russian classical literature.

 

Keywords: Lermontov’s poetry, the image of Italy, literary imagology, national stereotypes, ancient discourse, poetics of romanticism, author’s interpretation.

 

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