Emotional-aesthetic maximalism of Russian poetry at the beginning of the century: on continuity between symbolism and acmeism

The article focuses on the tendency of intense emotional-aesthetic perception and representation of the world in poetry of Russian Symbolism and Acmeism as manifestation of continuity between these schools. The analysis is based on the data got from D.Merezhkovsky, Z.Gippius, K.Balmont, V.Bryusov, F.Sologub, A.Blok, A.Bely and N.Gumilev's poetry. Special attention is given to the motif and image of fire in N. Gumilev's poetry. The authors of the article are taking part in a long-term literary dispute about the relationship between Acmeism and Symbolism and suggest a new argument to prove their similarity.