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Two centuries of Russian classics

Philological journal
A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the
 Russian Academy of Sciences

Povarskaya St., 25A, bld. 1,
121069 Moscow, Russia

+7 (495) 690-50-30

red@rusklassika.ru

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  • Funding Sources:

    The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 25-78-00038, https://rscf.ru/project/25-78-00038/

  • For citation:

    Potashova, K. A. “Education of a Citizen in the Cycle ‘Kleftic Songs’ by N. I. Gnedich.” Dva veka russkoi klassiki, vol. 8, no. 2, 2026, pp. 6–27. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2026-8-2-6-27

  • Abstract:

    The article analyzes N. I. Gnedich’s poetic cycle “Vernacular Songs of the Modern Greeks.” It identifies parallels between the cycle and the biography of Prince Alexander Nevsky compiled by the Greek priest Konstantinos Ikonomou, revealing that at its center stands an integral personality who glorifies the unity of spiritual and physical strength and steadfastness in the struggle for Christian values. The article also examines how freedom is conceptualized through the symbolic nature of the mountain landscape and demonstrates the identity of kleft and the Christian warrior- martyr. Using the poem “Olympus” as an example, it compares the Greek original, the French translation from C. Fauriel’s edition, and Gnedich’s version, showing not only Gnedich’s reworking of the Greek national song, transforming the allegorical image from abstract to concrete, but also the affinity of the songs’ tonality to Russian folklore and Old Russian literature. The article concludes that freedom, while serving as the leading ideological and emotional dominant of Gnedich’s song cycle, is intertwined with firm spiritual foundations, which confirm the soundness of its ideological orientation.

  • Keywords: poetics, ontology, N. I. Gnedich, emotional and semantic dominant, heroism
  • Author: Ksenia A. Potashova
  • Information about the author:

    Ksenia A. Potashova, DSc in Philology, Associate Professor, State University of Education, Friedrich Engels St., 21 a, 105005 Moscow, Russia.

    ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0164-0371

    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  • Received: February 04, 2026
  • Approved after reviewing: April 19, 2026
  • Published: June 25, 2026
  • Issue: 2026 Volume 8 No. 2
  • Department: Russian Literature of the 18th–19th Centuries
  • Pages: 6-27
  • DOI: Visit Website
  • EDN:

    https://elibrary.ru/XQSRGI

  • UDK: 821.161.1.09"18"
  • Publication Type: Research Article

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