"TOGDA VSTUPIL KNIAZ’ IGOR’ SAPOGOM VO ZLAT STREMEN’" ["THEN PRINCE IGOR STEPPED INTO THE GOLDEN STIRRUP WITH HIS BOOT"]: ОLD RUSSIAN MILITARY FORMULA IN V. SOSNORA’S "THE TALE OF IGOR'S CAMPAIGN" |
| 3 | |
| 2026 |
| scientific article | 821.161.1 | ||
| 32-41 | русская литература, поэзия XX в., В. Соснора, «Всадники», «Слово о полку Иго-реве», древнерусская воинская формула «вступить в стремя», поэтика, традиции древнерусской литературы в литературе ХХ в., авангард, Russian literature, poetry of the 20th century, V. Sosnora, ", The Riders, ", ", The Tale of Igor, ’s Campaign, ", Оld Russian military formula ", to step into the stirrup, ", poetics, traditions of Old Russian literature in the literature of the 20th century, avant-garde. |
| The canonical version of the adaptation of "The Tale of Igor’s Campaign" from V. Sosnora’s "Old Russian" cycle "The Riders" (1969) contains a free poetic interpretation of the beginning of Igor’s campaign against the Polovtsians. In the original work it is marked by the military formula "vstupit’ v stremia" ["to step into the stirrup"] ("Togda vstupi Igor’ kniaz’ vo zlat stremen’ i poekha po chistomu poliu" ["Then Prince Igor stepped into the golden stirrup / and rode across the open field"]). Sosnora develops this situation with a stylistically neutral message: "I poekhali polki po poliu" ["And the regiments rode across the field"]. The article compares the beginning of Igor's campaign from the original work, Sosnora’s "The Tale of Igor’s Campaign" in the typewritten version of the "Old Russian" cycle "Gol’ Perekatnaya" (1959–1960) (Central State Archive of Literature and Art of Saint Petersburg, Maya Borisova’s collection), also the canonical version of "The Tale…" from "The Riders". In "Gol’ Perekatnaya" the beginning of Igor's campaign is close to the Old Russian text and contains a poetic interpretation of the military formula: "Then Prince Igor stepped / with his boot into the golden stirrup". In "The Riders" the author conceptually changes the beginning of Igor’s campaign. Sosnora abandoned the military formula and hiding Igor's figure with silence. As a result, the focus shifts from the prince to the army, perished entirely in the Polovtsian steppe. This episode is previously unprecedented in Russian history. If the reader remembers the Old Russian text, then they should be able to independently reconstruct the details of the beginning of the campaign. The phrases missing from Sosnora’s text, in our case, the military formula, are implied, as Viktor Sosnora is a master of various kinds of silence that engages one in active reading of his works. |
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