Shevchenko and Pushkin: Deconstructing Imperial Narrative

Oksana Dzеra

Abstract


This article examines the intertextual dynamics between Taras Shevchenko’s The Caucasus and The Dream and Alexander Pushkin’s narratives where the author justifies imperial expansion and assigns roles and identities to Russia’s multinational colonies. Through ironic references and subversive recontextualization, Shevchenko critiques the glorification of Russian imperialism based on the falsified “knowledge” about the colonized subjects and challenges Pushkin’s portrayal of Russia’s dominance in the Slavic world. The analysis highlights Shevchenko’s use of hypertextuality to deconstruct Pushkin’s vision of imperial grandeur, contrasting it with Shevchenko’s advocacy for a future grounded in Slavic equality and mutual respect.

 


Keywords


Shevchenko; Pushkin; deconstruction; hypertextual links; imperial narrative; “knowledge”

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/lsmll.2024.48.4.95-110
Date of publication: 2024-12-19 12:33:07
Date of submission: 2024-08-13 11:56:43


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