Russian Epicurean Romanticism: Worldview, motives, and poetics

Abstract

The present paper deals with the phenomenon of Russian Epicurean Romanticism of the first third of the 19th century in the context of both the fundamental postulates of Epicureanism and the advanced problems of studying the phenomenon of “Russian antiquity”. The poems of K.N. Batyushkov, D.V. Davydov, A.A. Delvig, and N.M. Yazykov have been analyzed. In the course of study, we have revealed semantic tendencies of the median culture, at the structural level actualized through the genesis and evolution of Trinitarian thinking in the system of national Epicurean Romanticism as well. The ethical program of the great ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus with ideas of a dialogue between the moment and eternity, purifying / cathartic spiritual bliss leading to immortality, attainability of the ideal perfection in mortal life is the closest one to national authors. The Epicurean Romanticism anticipating the discovery of Russian anthology lyrics of the second half of the 19th century and the literary culture of the “Silver Age” first starts the process of transforming the traditional binary thinking, rejecting the canons of the World Duality in many respects and synthesizing the new knowledge in the symbol images of “dream”, “hop plant as beauty” and “beauty as hop plant”, “peace”. A complex study of the peculiarities of the relationship between the Epicurean ideals of harmony and peace and the phenomenon of irony in poetics of Russian Romanticism is among the nearest research prospects.

Keywords

• epicurean romanticism
• russian poetry of first third of 19th century
• trinitarian systems
• archetypical images
• median culture
• ethical teaching on harmony
• philosophy of epicurus