Abstract: The study focuses on the polemical response of the publicist M. O. Menshikov (who gained popularity in the 1890s) to the critical and philosophical work of D. S. Merezhkovsky, “A. S. Pushkin,” little studied by contemporary scholars. The article aims to reveal the features of critical assessments in M. O. Menshikov’s article “The Slander of Adoration” to determine the specifics of his views at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. The work explores the creative connections of M. O. Menshikov with V. S. Solovyov, reveals the features of the polemic with the decadent writer, and notes the critic’s ability to delve into the historical and spiritual context of Pushkin’s work. In particular, M. O. Menshikov’s understanding of the central images of the poem “The Poet and the Crowd” and “The Bronze Horseman” by Pushkin refutes interpretations of works based on Nietzscheanism, which is alien to Pushkin’s oeuvre. The article proves that when analyzing the poem “The Poet and the Crowd,” Menshikov was one of the first to point out the differences between the image of the Poet and the personality of Pushkin. The research indicates the connection between Menshikov’s beliefs and the teachings of L. N. Tolstoy in understanding such phenomena as “non-resistance to evil by violence,” “heroism,” and “church.” The critic in the polemic acted as a defender of the traditions of Russian classics despite the inconsistency of some of his assessments.
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