Vera Polozkova's ambivalent feminism: reimagining Russian poetry in the internet age

This study is dedicated to the analysis of works by Vera Polozkova, a prominent figure of contemporary Russian women’s Internet poetry, who gained her popularity through an ambivalent position in Russian society. The relevance of this work stems from Polozkova’s inherent feminism as an implicit form of empowerment conveyed to the reader in her poems, offering a powerful paradigm for understanding Russian poetic culture in the Internet age. The analysis was based on 4 printed books by Polozkova as well as 7 interviews with her participation. Analysis of the material showed that despite distancing herself from feminism and any kind of political activism, Polozkova still became the symbol of the search for inherent feminism through offering new images and paradigms for exploring feminine agency and identity. The article also traces Polozkova’s emergence as a prominent cultural figure through the context of female Internet poetry in Russian culture from the early 18th century to the present day. The article deals with the main themes and motives of Polozkova’s Internet poetry, as well as provides an analysis of the linguistic and expressive means used in her works, including the classification of poetic elements of the feminist discourse delivered by the poet. The main conclusion drawn from the study is that in Russian literary-oriented culture, Internet poetry is one of the best ways to influence public opinion, taking into account some social contradictions.