Studia Litterarum (Jun 2020)
Schumann’s Carnival in the Poetry of Dmitry Klenovsky
Abstract
The ballet-pantomime Carnival by R. Schumann directed by M.M. Fokin (1910) contributed to the reform of the language of the ballet. Semantization of some elements and automation of others found reflection in the poetry of Dmitry Klenovsky. The poet devoted a cycle of two poems to the ballet, however, many of his poems contain allusions to the artistic principles of this performance. This article argues that Klenovsky’s appeal to the plot of the ballet Carnival is not limited to the general interest of this poet in Fokin’s ballets and Tamara Karsavina’s dance but is necessary for him to construct his own image as a poet. Klenovsky invented the concept of a lonely poet relying on the role of Pierrot in the ballet, while taking into account not only the peculiarities of Fokin’s production but also the polemical meaning of Schumann’s work itself. Klenovsky inherits not only the tragic irony of Annensky but also the romantic irony of Schumann. Examining Schumann ideas allows me to explain the imagery of Klenovsky’s poems dedicated to ballet and his other poems with transgressive images. Besides the study of the motivations behind obscure images in Klenovsky’s poetry, the article draws typological similarities between his understanding of irony and the achievements of contemporary Russian humanities.
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