The authors' strategies of Catherine II in the "historical representation" of "The Initial Governance of Oleg"

The subject of the study is the methods of Catherine II's influence on the reader, expressed through the prism of authorial strategies and tactics. Authorial strategy is understood as the author's focus on the addressees, while authorial tactic is viewed as a way to address this focus through a specific idea. This allows for the identification of the multifaceted and multivectoral rhetorical realizations of the author. The relevance of the topic under consideration is linked to the need to examine the process of the emergence of authorship as a distinct institution that required theatrical representation in the XVIII century. The play based on historical sources "The Initial Rule of Oleg" serves as a vivid example of the realization of authorial strategies and tactics by the Russian Empress in literary creativity, being central to demonstrating to the subjects important ideological tasks and state objectives articulated by Catherine II during a complex period of her reign. The article employs methods such as comparative-historical, cultural-historical, and holistic analysis of the artistic work. The theoretical foundation of the research is based on the works of Yu. V. Stennik, T. I. Akimova, S. Ivanov, M. Mayofis, Yu. S. Semyonova, G. N. Moiseeva, and others. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that it presents the "historical representation" of Catherine II's "The Initial Rule of Oleg" from the perspective of analyzing authorial strategies and tactics for the first time. The study identified three authorial strategies: the strategy of elevating the prestige of the Russian state; the strategy of affirming the enlightened ruler; and the strategy of legitimizing power. Each authorial strategy is realized through several authorial tactics as specific means of literary influence on the reader in constructing the imagery system of the work and its ideological context. Thus, the play "The Initial Rule of Oleg" acts as a peculiar translator of the ideas of the sovereign empress, combining a chronicle plot about the campaigns of the ancient Russian prince with concepts of power relevant to her era in the context of Enlightenment discourse.