Typology of the Subject in Russian Poetry of 1990-2010

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Since 1990, Russian poetry has reached an intensity of development which is unique in its history. The borders of its genres and its functions are being transformed in a remarkable way. Caused by the challenges of Perestrojka on the one hand and by the postmillennial digital means of communication as well as social and political conditions on the other, the complexity of contemporary literature requires a rethinking of theoretical and methodological tools in philology. In spite of the fact that contemporary poetry, in comparison to other genres, is rarely being studied in depth, scholars have recognized its aesthetical and social relevance. Since 2010, a research network has been established that is dedicated to the problem of a methodologically reflected description of contemporary Russian poetry. The network is the basis for the proposal. The structures of contemporary poetry demand an approach that reveals its innovations by means of aesthetic parameters. The project aims to typologize the variety of contemporary poetry by the category of subject. This category has been selected because the subject which is traditionally considered as constitutive for lyrical poetry and which is believed to be negated by postmodernism, has gained fundamental significance in contemporary poetry as well as in current research on poetry. Contemporary poetry requires a broad concept of "poetry", which includes all texts with a poetical denomination (for this reason we prefer to use the terms "poetical texts" or "Dichtung"). "Subject" is used as a broader term that allows the application of various literary and linguistic theories and methods in correlation to the diversity of poetic phenomena. "Subject" designates the so-called "speaker" as well as more abstract forms of subjectivity. The project analyses forms and devices used by the poetical expression of the subject from the point of view of literary and linguistic studies, in the German and Russian proposals, respectively. Comparative and transcultural issues help to reveal the specifics of contemporary Russian poetry. Due to similar historical conditions, German poetry seems to be most appropriate for comparison. The results will be contextualized through a comparison with the expression of the subject in other genres of contemporary literature and in philosophy. The realization of this project is possible only through the coordinated teamwork of a research network. The project's network includes literary scholars and linguists from the field of Slavonic studies as well as some scholars of German philology and philosophy. The cooperation with the Russian partner is synergetic but preserves the autonomy of both sides. The German project part will result in a collective monograph, a thematic volume and a special issue of the journal Russian Literature.