Homer's traditions in Lermontov's poem “Borodino”

The issue of the place of Lermontov’s “Borodino” poem among the poetic works devoted to the War of 1812 has frequently been the subject of research but the problem of Homeric tradition development in this poem has not even been posed. Lermontov diverges from the principles indicative for battle descriptions at his time. He transforms the text from the early “Borodino Field” to the later “Borodino” and introduces a modified quote from the “Iliad”, used Homeric techniques of a battle scene construction, a description of its “inside”, understanding the meaning of what was happening, opposes the generations on the principle of belonging to the great historical event. The poet discards a direct comparison of the Borodino battle with the great battles of the past, but enters it in their numbers only by using artistic means, he seeks to maximize the vividness of the battle, and mythologises it. Outwardly discarding the seemingly outdated tradition, Lermontov finds new ways for its development.