Abstracts
Derzhavin: Truth and Sincerity in Panegyric Poetry
In contrast to Lomonosov and the other panegyric poets of the preceding generation, Derzhavin had to deal with the reproach of sycophancy. Taking this criticism very seriously, he insisted repeatedly about the factual truth of his panegyric poems and the purity of his personal motives. These claims shed a light not only on Derzhavin’s biography and his personal values, but also on the development of Russian literature in the eighteenth century. A shift of critical criteria had taken place: from that point onwards, readers tended to see literary texts in the first place not as an expression of the author’s literary ability, but of his innermost feelings and convictions — as a ‘mirror of his soul’. For the history of the panegyric ode as the main genre of Russian lyric poetry in the eighteenth century, this was a very dangerous development. No poet who devoted his works to the praise of the Russian ruler was now immune to accusations of self-interested flattery. Rather, praising the ruler was liable to be seen as incompatible with the ideal of personal authenticity.
- Joachim Klein, Leiden University
joachim.klein
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