Second degree poetry from Osip Mandelstam to Timur Kibirov: the phenomenon of lyrical allomotive

This paper explores the distinction between first degree and second degree poetry, indicating that the latter engages inter-textually with preexisting texts. Without this engagement with cultural antecedents, the meaning of the poetic text may remain inaccessible to the reader. Whereas first degree poetry seeks to articulate the world through original language, second-degree poetry weaves its fabric from traces of prior texts, manifesting itself as a longing for world culture. The study contends that twentieth-century Russian literature underwent a transformative shift in the lyrical motif within second degree poetry. Early-century works retained direct ties to their generative motifemes , while late-century works employed allomotives autonomously, referencing broader artistic concepts rather than specific inter-texts. Building on Askoldov’s theory of concepts as mental formations that condense analogous objects, the analysis contrasts the poetic systems of Osip Mandelstam and Timur Kibirov. The acmeist approach of Mandelstam constructs a unified metaplot through cultural signs, whereas Kibirov’s conceptualist practice isolates signs as autonomous units. The inherent objectivity of the fabula contrasts sharply with the deobjectified signifying elements of the plot, resulting in a unique, profoundly logical rupture that dismantles the pathos of the lyrical statement. In conclusion, the poetry of Mandelstam and Kibirov may be categorized as representative examples of the contrasting systems of Acmeism and Conceptualism. By tracing this evolution, the paper reveals a broader movement within twentieth-century aesthetics, signaling a transition from a reliance on inherited cultural capital to a self-reflexive engagement with the linguistic and conceptual structures of poetry itself.

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