Chapter Seven. Politics as Carnival in Derzhavin’s Ode to Fortun
Journal: Academic Studies Press eBooks
Year: 2019

Ode to Fortune I n the 1780s, Derzhavin composed a set of odes which were united by their political rhetoric, dedication to the Empress Catherine-Felitsa, and the concept of the so-called "amusing style" (" "). The odes of this cycle expose the unfolding story of the special relationship between the Empress, personified as the Kirgiz-Kaisak Tsarina, and Derzhavin as Tatar Murza. The odes contain references to Catherine's works, sayings, bon mots, and quite intimate judgments of political and per