Article

Name: Plots of Literary Epitaphs of the 18th – 19th Centuries

Authors: Ksenia V. Abramova

Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section The Plot in Literature and Folklore

Abstract:

Our article is devoted to the analysis of plots appearing in poetic epitaphs from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The study focuses on a specific variety of this genre known as the literary epitaph. This term refers to a work dedicated to the memory of the deceased, existing in the form of a publication, distinguishing it from a real epitaph, which is placed on a tombstone. We note that features such as small volume, lapidary nature, formulaic style, and subject matter are characteristic of this genre and lead to distinctive elements in the plot structure of epitaphs. In such works, the eventfulness becomes hidden, only inferred from the images and characteristics present in the text. We emphasize that in the case of epitaphs, it is impossible to talk about the plot in the same way as in epic or dramatic works. Furthermore, a lyrical plot does not arise in such works, since the plot of the epitaph, which is not fully manifested in the text, can be reconstructed, although it is usually impossible to retell it. We highlight and describe plots that can be conventionally called “the death of the bride,” “the life of a righteous man,” a plot about an unremarkable life and its variations, including satirical and philosophical ones. We also separately discuss idyllic plots in epitaphs and consider epitaphs dedicated to animals, birds, and other unusual subjects (a bee, a purse, a calf, overlays, and high hairstyles). Thus, the study examines some plots characteristic of Russian poetic epitaphs from the 18th to the 20th centuries, using examples to analyze plot signs and the methods of their introduction into the text. We also demonstrate that literary epitaphs can use distortions of traditional formulaic phrases to create satirical content. Additionally, we have found that in epitaphs dedicated to any social phenomenon or object, the plot component can be almost entirely displaced from the text for the same satirical purpose.

Keywords: epitaph, literary epitaph, poetic epitaph, plot, epigram, satire, plot sign, epigram

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