Melodrama, Feeling, and Emotion in the Early Poetry of Anna Akhmatova

Harrington, A.K.

doi:10.5699/modelangrevi.108.1.0241

Melodrama, Feeling, and Emotion in the Early Poetry of Anna Akhmatova

Harrington, A.K.

Authors

Professor Alexandra Harrington a.k.harrington@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

This article investigates the ways in which Akhmatova's early love poetry combines features of melodrama with others that suggest its rejection. It argues that a consideration of the poetry's relationship with melodrama furnishes insights into how the peculiar emotional intensity of some key lyrics is created, challenging the prevalent association of Akhmatova with tragedy, and offering a means of exploring some of the problems which arise in situating Akhmatova in relation to modernism. It demonstrates, through close readings of selected early lyric poems, that Akhmatova combines melodramatic expression with modernist impersonality to create a paradoxical, restrained melodrama.

Citation

Harrington, A. (2013). Melodrama, Feeling, and Emotion in the Early Poetry of Anna Akhmatova. Modern Language Review, 108(1), 241-273. https://doi.org/10.5699/modelangrevi.108.1.0241

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Jan 1, 2013
Deposit Date	Mar 26, 2012
Publicly Available Date	Jun 19, 2019
Journal	Modern Language Review
Print ISSN	0026-7937
Electronic ISSN	2222-4319
Publisher	Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA)
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	108
Issue	1
Pages	241-273
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5699/modelangrevi.108.1.0241