In Russian poetry there are a large number of genres, many of which are actively used by modern writers, while others are backward and rarely used by authors. Among the second is the ode. In literature, this is an outdated genre that was in demand in the era of classicism, but gradually went out of use by the masters of the word. Let's get to know this term better.
Definition
What is an ode to literature? The definition can be formulated as follows: it is a lyrical genre of poetry, a solemn song dedicated to a person with the goal of exaltation, praise. Also, in individual texts of the genre, not a person is praised, but some important event. The first author in the literature is the poet of ancient Hellas, Pindar, who in his grandiloquent poems honored the winners of sports.
In Russia, the heyday of the genre fell on the era of classicism, when the great classics - Derzhavin and Lomonosov created their immortal works. By the nineteenth century, the genre had lost its relevance, giving way to simpler lyrics for perception.
The specifics of the genre
Ode in the literature is a rather specific genre due to its following features:
- Using 4-foot iamba.
- The presence of high, often outdated, archaic vocabulary, which conceived difficult to understand the text.
- The text has a clear structure, at the beginning and end there should have been an appeal to the addressee. True, some authors have departed from this canon.
- An abundance of rhetorical questions, lush paths, long common sentences.
- Often in solemn verses you can find an amazing interweaving of lyrical and journalistic principles, which is especially inherent in the work of Lomonosov.
- Most of the works are quite large in volume.
- Replacing in the text of the pronoun "I" with "we" (which is also characteristic of Lomonosov) suggests that the author does not express his personal opinion, but the position of the whole people.
Such works were intended to be said out loud, only loud emotional reading was able to convey all the feelings that glowed in the soul of the author. That is why many odes are taught by heart.
Theme
The most frequently used topics in literature are the most important historical events, heroic deeds, and the praise of monarchs. So, the first solemn ode to Lomonosov is dedicated to the capture of the Turkish fortress Khotin. And Derzhavin in his poem turned to Felitsa - that’s exactly what he calls Catherine the Second.
Oda is an interesting genre of Russian literature, in which we can look at the main events of Russian history from a different angle, find out the author’s perception of a particular historical person, and understand its role. That is why such complex at first glance, but partly fascinating in fact, works can and should be read.