Pushkin and the Golden Age of Political Thought

Pushkin and the Golden Age of Political Thought Perhaps one of the most important political poems in the Russian language, Alexander Pushkin’s The Bronze Horseman, has been revered as both a literary masterpiece and manifesto for the modern Russian political landscape. In the realm of political science discipline, Pushkin emphasizes the relationship between the state (manifested in the equestrian statue of Peter the Great outside of Saint Petersburg) and the individual (Evgenii). The poem is a classic piece of Romantic era literature, swirled in enlightenment ideology of the post 19th century Tsarist period. However, it’s the political element that gives this poem its true backbone. The research provided will attempt to draw parallels between Pushkin and his characters, along with notable authors of the Tsarist period, in order to display the underlying political implications of the Russian Golden Age. The introduction of The Bronze Horseman is narrated in the first person and reads as an ode to the city of the Saint Petersburg. The poet-narrator (Evgenii) describes how he loves the city’s "view of stern and grace," which “gentle transparent twilight” illuminates “the night’s darkness” (The Bronze Horseman 44-55). Evgenii encourages the city to retain its beauty and strength, while standing firm against the waves of the Neva. In March 1936, a poll in Literaturnyi sovremennik praised Pushkin 's portrayal of Peter, stating how “The Bronze Horseman depicted the resolution of the conflict between public and private” sentiments of government (Literaturnyi sovremennik). Tsarist mentality placed deeper meaning into Pushkin 's works, particularly during the enlightenment era, where poets such as Andrei Platonov wrote essays to commemorate the life of Pushkin. In his the self-titled biography Pushkin, Our Comrade, Platonov expanded upon his view of Pushkin as a prophet during the rise of socialism. Pushkin not only “divined the secret of the people,” he compared Peter

Cited: Debreczeny, Paul. The Other Pushkin: A Study of Alexander Pushkin’s Prose Fiction. Stanford: University Press. 1983. Print. Horton, Scott. “Pushkin – The Bronze Horseman”. Harper’s Magazine. 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 June 2013. Morson, Gary. Russian Literature: The “Golden Age” of Poetry. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2013. 21 June 2013 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/513793/Russian-literature/29150/The-Golden-Age-of-poetry