The Bride's Universe in E. Barsov’s «Lamentations of the Northern Land»

Abstract

The article is based on the material of the third volume of the E. Barsov’s «Lamentations of the Northern Land». The author considers the conceptual sphere which is crucial for wedding lamentations: the material context of the bride (all the belongings and the space of this character: the courtyard and the house with its architecture and interior: furniture, tools; material property of the bride's and groom’s families: clothes, jewelry, etc.). The names of material values in the lamentations are numerous, various and are accompanied by idealizing epithets, which contributes to the creation of an image of a carefree, luxurious, abundant life, conceptually corresponding to the ideas of the golden age. Material values also construct the physicality of the bride: only those parts of the girl's body that can be decorated and dressed up are mentioned in the lamentations.