Visual metaphor as a means of creating the image of the enemy in the Collected Verses Related to the Unforgettable 1812

The study aims to consider symbolic metaphor as a mechanism for constructing a visual image in the battle poetry of the 1810s and to clarify the actual semantic component of the created image. To reach the aim, the author identifies the sources of battle poetry’s visual imagery that correlate with worldview foundations and creative concepts, and reveals the poetic mechanisms for creating a visual image. The novelty of the study is connected with the consideration of the battle poetry of the period of the Patriotic War of 1812 in the aspect of the originality of the artistic image, with the clarification of the genesis of the visuality of verbal battles. The material for the study was the Collected Verses Related to the Unforgettable 1812, which attracts attention as a source for studying the poetics of the visual image in battle studies. Battle images from the Collected Verses are considered in comparison with the figurative system of the ancient Russian military narrative. The author shows that, in the aspect of visuality, the poetic system of the Collected Verses is closest to the poetics of medieval Russian literature, the works created at different times are united by a system of axiological coordinates, a strong patriotic sound. The aspiration of the poets of 1812 to medieval Russian literature is explained by the search for similar trials and a spiritual path to overcome them. The author infers that the detailed artistic pictures based on the use of the original metaphorical nomination of the key concepts for battle poetry - war, peace, Russian warrior, enemy - became the poetic tool for creating morale-raising pathos in the Collected Verses. The main metaphors of the Collected Verses, with their bright and visible forms, are zoomorphic images; they designate the generalized image of the French enemy or Napoleon Bonaparte. The author establishes that metaphor in the poetry of the Patriotic War of 1812 is the most suitable tool to make verses clear and visible for comprehending the full depth of the meaning of the unfolding events. The author concludes that the visual metaphorical images of representing the opposition of the Russian army and the enemy force developed in the Collected Verses have a pronounced theological nature, corresponding to the main intentions of the collection, associated with the rise of patriotic sentiments. A systematic analysis of the metaphors used to create a battle image shows that metaphorical images of the enemy and enemy actions in the battle poetry of the 1810s, built on the basis of the model of oratorical constructions from the ancient Russian military narrative, go back to the New Testament Revelation of John the Theologian, which provided the basis for the formation of a visual-symbolic formula for designating the enemy as a snake-like creature.