The personal mythology of Peter III Feodorovich as deployed in Russian panegyrics of 1742, 1743, and 1762

• Личная мифология Петра III Феодоровича в русских панегириках 1742, 1743 и 1762 гг.

• Author / Creator

  Kutuzov, Maria

• This dissertation examines the process of creation and evolution of
  the personal mythology of the 7th Russian Emperor Peter III. It
  explores the phenomenon of personal mythology as a system of
  representation of the monarch’s identity, which was, on the one hand,
  clearly displayed and, on the other hand, actively developed in XVIII
  century literary texts. The main aim of the thesis is to reconstruct
  the metaphorical and narrative core of Peter’s III personal mythology
  as it was both expressed and created in Russian panegyrics of the
  1740-1760.
  The first chapter consists of 3 sections and provides a survey of two
  solemn odes by M. Lomonosov (an ode on Peter’s arrival to
  Sankt-Petersburg, 1742, and an ode on his name day, 1743), and a
  sermon of Simon Todorskiy dedicated to Peter’s 15th birthday. Analysis
  of these panegyrics forms the basis for understanding key elements in
  Peter’s personal mythology as it was formed and elaborated during the
  first years of his life in Russia. The second chapter consists of 4
  sections and includes analysis of the solemn odes by M. Lomonosov, A.
  Sumarokov, M. Kheraskov and I. Bogdanovich written in 1762, soon after
  the new monarch’s accession to the throne. Findings derived from the
  close reading of these panegyrics indicate that the main discourse
  models used to organize Peter’s personal mythology in 1762, in many
  respects, coincided with, but in some key elements varied
  significantly from, the corresponding rhetorical tools implemented in
  the first stage of its evolution.
  The thesis concludes with a discussion of the question why the process
  of the creation of an effective personal mythology for Peter III
  failed. I argue that the key elements of the personal mythology
  proposed to Peter III by Russian authors in 1742, 1743 and 1762 were
  borrowed from the personal mythology of his grandfather Peter I (also
  known as Peter the Great). I suggest that the deep inconsistency of
  these rhetorical models with the biographical circumstances and hybrid
  identity of Peter III led to a systematic failure in the process of
  legitimization and popularization of the image of the monarch.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Todorskiy
  • 1743
  • Panegyric
  • Identity
  • Bogdanovich
  • 1762
  • Peter the Great
  • Accession
  • Sermon
  • Ode
  • 1742
  • Peter I
  • Rhetoric
  • Peter III
  • Lomonosov
  • Kheraskov
  • Sumarokov
  • Mythology
  • Hybrid
  • XVIII

• Graduation date

  Spring 2013

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3KG7M

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.