„Le meurtrier d’Alexandre“: Zur Funktion des Mottos in M. Ju. Lermontovs „Smert’ poėta“

Abstract

Lermontov’s famous poem “Smert’ poėta” (1837) has always attracted the interest of literary scholars. A number of important literary reference texts has been discovered and discussed under various aspects. However, the intertextual function of the poem’s motto has so far been neglected. The present paper focuses on this aspect and analyses the semantics of the intertextual relationship between the poem’s motto and Rotrou’s tragedy “Venceslas” (1647/1648). It describes the textological basis of this relationship as well as its double function arising from its references both to a particular text and to the tragedy as a genre. As a result, the paper shows that these references form a complex system which points to the diverse circumstances of Pushkin’s death, corroborates the poem’s accusatory impetus and establishes Pushkin as a tragic hero.