Genre and thematic aspects of the cyclization in the book of poems “Me eum esse” by V.Ya. Bryusov

With its integrity and strict composition, the book of poems becomes the standard for symbolist publications of lyrics. V.Ya. Bryusov formulates in the preface to “Urbi et Orbi” (1903) the principles of such “over-cyclization”, comparing the book of poems with a novel, and sections with chapters. However, in practice, he came to the idea of a book of poetry even earlier. This article will examine the book “Me eum esse” (1897) from the point of view of those aspects that influenced its structural organization. First, attention will be paid to the thematic principle. It represents a conflict between the poetic world created by the artist’s imagination and the real world. In the book of poems the plot unfolds sequentially. The lyrical subject tries to overcome the border of reality. This struggle is associated with the choice between worldly passions, embodied in the image of the beloved, and the maxims that the poet-mentor conveys to the lyrical subject. Secondly, the genre aspect will be analyzed. It seems that the elegiac tradition influenced the book. First of all, it is involves the opposition of irrevocable individual human time and cyclical time of nature. In the book this translates into a gap between a focus on the past in the real world and immortality in the poetic world. The two types of time in the book are also given through the characteristic elegy designations of autumn as dying and spring as rebirth. From the same genre tradition, if considering this within the framework of the plot, comes the connection of dreams with poetry and its accompanying images. Combining, both principles create a special harmony that is missing in the collections of poems. The structural principles implemented by Bryusov in “Me eum esse” outline how the book of poems will be understood in the future.