«Вельможа» Крылова: Жанр, источники, датировка [Krylov’s “Vel’mozha”: Genre. Sources. Dating]

Abstract

This pioneering article-length study of Ivan Krylov’s last fable “Vel’mozha” (“Grand Seigneur”) addresses the text’s central character (there are serious reasons to assume that the grand seigneur represents Chancelor Viktor Kotchubey), and examines the fable’s pragmatics, involved allusions, and genre. It also puts forth a likely new date of the “Grand Seigneur’s” composition — 1834.

Keywords: 19^th-Century Russian Literature, Ivan Krylov (1769—1844), “Grand Seigneur” (1834), Prince Viktor Kochubey (1768—1834), Role Models “grand seigneur” / “homme d’état,” History of Literature.