Abstract
The article examines the relationship of E.I. Kostrov’s works, written on the death of prominent statesmen, with the hagiographic genre of Ancient Russia. For the first time it introduces into scientific use texts published in the XVIII century and not reprinted later: «Poems on the death of the Moscow mayor Prince Vasily Mikhailovich Dolgoruky-Crimean» (1782), «Poems on the death of Prince Vasily Vladimirovich Dolgoruky» (1782), «Poems on the death of His Excellency Count Fyodor Grigoryevich Orlov» (1796). The article also analyzes «Poems on the death of Senator Pyotr Vasilyevich Khitrov» (1793), included in the collection «Poets of the XVIII century» (1972). The study uses a comparative typological method. It establishes the continuity between the lamentations and rhetorical techniques in the works of Ancient Russia, mourning and glorifying the deceased saint, and the «mourning» elegies of E.I. Kostrov. The leading emotional themes in Old Russian hagiography and Kostrov's works are sorrow and admiration. The connection with the emotionally expressive style of ancient Russian literature is most clearly revealed in earlier mourning elegies. They give vivid emotional pictures of universal groaning, intensify the atmosphere of grief. Lamentations are also present in later works, but other themes prevail: philosophical arguments about life and death and the depiction of the virtues and merits of the deceased. In all texts the cross-cutting motive is transmigration of the soul of the deceased into the space of Eternity which is associated with the Russian Orthodox mentality. The theme of faith in the peaceful life of the soul in Divine Villages turns out to be the leading one in the elegy written in the last year of E.I. Kostrov's life. The main idea of all the works is to affirm the virtue and immortality of those who led a righteous life on earth.
Keywords
Russian poetry of the XVIII century, old Russian hagiography, mourning elegy, hagiographic lament, axiology of literature.