The image of a pure soul in Russian poetry is a stable moral ideal that goes back to folklore, Old Russian literature and the Christian tradition. The article traces the evolution of this image from spiritual poems and hagiographic literature to the poetry of the 18th-20th centuries. In folklore, purity of soul is associated with righteousness and holiness, which is reflected in proverbs (“The soul is as pure as spring water”) and popular prints that refer to biblical images. In Old Russian literature, purity of soul is associated with humility, sacrifice and readiness to accept martyrdom, as in the lives of the holy princes-martyrs Boris and Gleb or “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”. In the poetry of the 18th century (Lomonosov, Derzhavin), a pure soul is understood in the context of the frailty of life and gratitude to God. In the 19th century, this motif is heard less often, mainly in connection with childish innocence (Pushkin). However, in the 20th century it gains new strength, becoming a personal confessional statement. For Nikolai Rubtsov, Vladimir Nabokov, Alexander Solodovnikov, Vyacheslav Bogdanov and Hieromonk Roman (Matyushin-Pravdin), purity of soul is no longer just an attribute of holiness or infancy, but a conscious spiritual choice, an inner core resisting the chaos of the modern era. Particular attention is paid to the transformation of the image: from an external characteristic (“pure soul” as a property of another) to a deeply personal experience. In the context of historical catastrophes of the 20th century, poets see purity of soul as a form of resistance to dehumanization, which brings them closer to the tradition of ancient Russian ascetics. Thus, the image of a pure soul in Russian poetry is revealed as a key axiological constant of Russian culture, uniting evangelical ideals, folk wisdom and the author’s understanding of inner purity as the highest moral value.
Anastasiya E. Chernova (Thu,) studied this question.