Women’s Poetry of Silver Age as a Continuation of M.Yu. Lermontov’s Spiritual Traditions

This study explores the reception of M.Yu. Lermontov’s traditions within the poetry of the Silver Age. The relevance of this research is underscored by the significance of Russian classical literature traditions as foundational to the integrity of national literary discourse, serving as a source of creative reflection for subsequent generations and a means of grappling with contemporary issues. The novelty of this investigation lies in the examination of how female poetic consciousness at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century engaged with Lermontov’s spiritual legacies, highlighting both shared and distinctive traits in creative continuity. The religious and aesthetic underpinnings of Lermontov’s artistic expression are emphasized, particularly his interpretations of the divine and earthly realms within a unified cosmological framework. The study identifies the reasons behind the enduring relevance of Lermontov’s insights in the literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Special attention is given to the female poetic line represented by the works of Anna Akhmatova, Zinaida Gippius, and Mira Lokhvitskaya. A typology of women’s poetry is developed based on their shared attraction to a common spiritual-aesthetic center. It is demonstrated that this poetry is intrinsically linked to the preservation of Lermontov’s primary ideological trajectory — the religious-aesthetic perspective. Furthermore, the analysis reveals unique characteristics in each poetess’s interpretation of various thematic, imagery-based, and stylistic elements from Lermontov’s vast legacy.

women's lyric poetry, reception of Lermontov's aesthetics, Anna Akhmatova, Zinaida Gippius, Mira Lokhvitskaya, Silver Age of Russian poetry