Aleksandr Pushkin, Poltava

Polina Rikoun (University of Denver)

Ed. by Neil Cornwell, University of Bristol
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 2.2.1.00: Slavic and Russian Writing and Culture: Old, Medieval and Tsarist, 700-1917.
Vol. editors: Neil Cornwell (University of Bristol), Roman Koropeckyj (University of California, Los Angeles), Andrei Rogatchevski (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1829

Places

Russia (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

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Alexander Pushkin’s long narrative poem

Poltava

, composed in 1828, centers on a historical figure, the Ukrainian hetman Mazepa [or ‘Mazeppa’], telling the story of his disastrous love affair with his god-daughter Maria [or ‘Mariia’] and unsuccessful aspiration to rule Ukraine independently from Russia. A highly complex work,

Poltava

weaves together diverse narrative and stylistic strands: its plot combines romance with political intrigue, its exposition dovetails third-person narrative into dramatic dialogues, its hybrid genre synthesizes neo-classical, romantic, realist, and folkloric elements. Pushkin considered

Poltava

his most mature and original work up to that date. However, the poem was strongly criticized upon publication for lack of unity, and generally underestimated…

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2678 words

Citation: Rikoun, Polina. "Poltava". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 December 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11203, accessed 23 November 2024.]

Aleksandr Pushkin, Poltava

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