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

Harrington, A.K.

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
• 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
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1478661