Reinventing Romantic Poetry : Russian Women Poets of the Mid-nineteenth Century

this work. An excerpt appeared in 1844 in the journal Moskvitianinun-

der the title “Otryvok iz romana” (Excerpt of a novel), a possible allu-

sion to Pushkin’s novel in verse, although Pavlova’s work consists of four

stories. In 1851 another section, “Rasskaz Lizy,” appeared in the literary

collection (al’manakh) Raut,under a confusing note that described it suc-

cessively as otryvok, povest’ v stikhakh, poema,and rasskaz:“This excerpt

(otryvok) from a tale in verse (povest’ v stikhakh) is not an excerpt, but an

entire poema written in trochaic pentameter, something one rarely meets

among us, especially in an entire piece. In this tale (povest’), four ladies

meeting at a masquerade recount to one another some events from their

lives. Each story (rasskaz) is written in a different meter.”^25 Although the

publisher of Raut,N. V. Sushkov, signed the note, one suspects that it re-

flects Pavlova’s own indecision. In 1859 Kadril’ appeared in full in the

journal Russkii vestnikwithout any generic subtitle.

Pavlova further expresses nervousness about her undertaking in her

invocation to the dead Pushkin, whom she describes as the “specter of

the bogatyr’(epic hero) of singers” (prizrak pevtsa-bogatyria). She depicts

Pushkin as a kind of antimuse who, instead of helping her, sternly con-

demns her for daring to enter with her “childish verse” the “cherished

world” of his Tatiana, that is, for daring to compete with his poetic skill

and to dispute his depiction of women.

,    

       ,



          ,


           

 - ?

U

 u    

U

 u      

       

?

h

(Why, shaking your head,

Looking at me so sternly,

Why do you stand before me,

Specter of the bogatyr’ of singers?

Can it be that my thoughts’ deceptions

Dare entice my childish verse

Into the cherished world of your Tatiana?)^26

Pavlova’s genre anxiety in Kadril’may have been heightened further

by her polemics with Evgenii Baratynsky, whom she considered her

mentor. In 1842 she had written to him in “E. A. Baratynskomu” (To

E. A. Baratynsky)

Gender and Genre 67