Zenevich E. V., Afanasyeva E. M.

The image of a falling star in poems by Yu. V. Zhadovskaya P. 93 -100.

UDC 821.161.1-1.09«18»

DOI 10.37724/RSU.2023.80.3.009

Abstract. In connection with continuous interest in the study of astral images and motifs in literary texts, it is increasingly important to study the elements of the astral myths about mysterious connections between heavenly bodies and human destinies, especially in individual poetic systems. In classical Russian lyrics, one of the key images is that of a falling star or a shooting star). It is believed that making a wish when you are observing the phenomenon is rewarded, as the wish will be granted you. The poetic vocabulary of the 19th century fixes the stable phrase “shooting star” (cf. A. S. Pushkin, M. Yu. Lermontov, A. A. Fet and others). This article is the first to suggest a systematic analysis of this image in lyrics of the poetess of the middle of the 19th century Yu. V. Zhadovskaya (1824–1883). The object of the study is her poems containing the image of a shooting star: Evening (1846), P*** (It is in vain that you foretell me fame…) (1847), Believe it or not (1858), At last it’s getting cooler… (1858), What should I do when in my soul… (1858). The subject of the study was the means and methods of creating the image of a shooting star in each of the pieces.

In the present analysis of Yulia Zhadovskaya’s lyrical verse, we restore the elements of the astral myth in the poet’s artistic system. Firstly, the image of a shooting star in the author’s picture of the world correlates with her philosophical perception of time. The brief moment of the fall of a heavenly body is paralleled by the transience of earthly existence and metaphorically correlates with fleeting youth or a memory of past happiness. Secondly, the image under study is associated with popular belief: if you see a shooting star and make a wish, then it will come true. The folklore and mythological context form the egocentric aspect of the astral myth, when the lyrical subject is endowed with some higher knowledge about the possibility of a positive promise regarding one’s destiny. Thirdly, this image is combined with the motif of “holy feeling” and the state of prayer, defining the value characteristics of the spiritual microcosm of the subject of the lyrical utterance.

In the Yu. V. Zhadovskaya’s poetic world, the shooting star becomes part of an astral myth that closely connected with the emotional experiences of the lyrical heroine.

The results obtained of this research can build a basis for further study of astral images and motifs in relation to specific authors’ images of the world. The proposed method of analysis can be used in studying 19th–century poetry in school classes of literature, as well as in the development and teaching of courses in Russian poetry in undergraduate and graduate philology curricula.

 

Keywords: Yu. V. Zhadovskaya, lyrics, astral myth, artistic image, falling star.

 

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