Литературная распря в «Капитанской дочке»: Из материалов для комментария (43) [The Literary Dispute in _The Captain’s Daughter_ (Notes and Queries, 43)]

Abstract

This article examines a scene in Pushkin’s novel where the protagonist, Pyotr Grinev, shares his poetry, prompting a mocking response from the antagonist, Alexei Shvabrin. The rivalry reflects the literary feud between 18^th-century authors Trediakovsky and Sumarokov. The scene’s narrative mode intertwines surface text with allusive layers, causing Grinev’s verses to shift between the semantic fields of the two poets. This interplay undercuts both poetic schools' values. Key to understanding this scene is Pushkin’s unfinished Journey from Moscow to Petersburg, which revises the legacy of Russian eighteenth-century rhymed poetry and prefigures a shift toward blank verse.