Irony in the Epistles and Amphiguri of Antony Pogorelsky

The article analyzes the techniques of creating irony in three poems by Anthony Pogorelsky: “Neelov the dissolute...”, “Message to my friend N. N., a military man” and “Abdul the Vizier...”. In two poems written in an epistolary genre, namely, in a form of a message about poetic creativity, traditional dichotomies (a talented lazy person and a mediocre worker; a wanderer and a homebody) are being paradoxized by Pogorelsky and filled with unexpected meaning.

The ironic effect is based on pseudo-exposure or, on the contrary, pseudo-exaltation of the message recipients, as well as on the demonstrative presentation of obviously false and untenable matters as if they were due and proper. The author refers to the technique of “putting on masks”; resorts to reducing pathos (in particular, in the poet’s high calling theme), combining high style with colloquial vocabulary, using grotesque and emphasized convention (for example, cartoon portraits), and creates connotative oppositions.

In the third poem, written in the amphuri genre, Pogorelsky constructs an image of the absurd reality, using techniques of combining the incompatible and breaking logical connections. Taking into account the presence of Pogorelsky and other epistles in poetry, where irony is not found, it can be concluded that irony is not inherent in the genre of the epistle in general, it is the artistic task of the author in these specific works. The considered techniques, only outlined in early poetry, will be productively applied by A. Pogorelsky in the future, during the period of mature creativity.