Patriotic discourse in Contemporary Russian Poetry: Axiological Constants and Value Hierarchies (Based on the Poetic Corpus of the Collection Call of Victory)

Abstract

This study examines contemporary patriotic discourse in Russian poetry through the anthology Call of Victory (2024). The relevance of the study lies in the need to examine patriotic poetry not only as a literary phenomenon but also as a form of discourse, which reflects social values, cultural memory and collective identity. The purpose of the study is to identify the main axiological constants of present–day patriotic poetic discourse and to show that they form an interconnected system of values. The paper draws upon an interdisciplinary methodology to define discourse as both a communicative/cognitive and axiological phenomenon at the text level, as well as to contextualise it against a broader socio–cultural background. Additionally, the study differentiates between the concepts of “text” and “discourse” and emphasises the functional–cognitive dimension of discourse in the analysis of poetic material. Through a cognitive–frame approach, poetic texts are viewed as a medium where culturally relevant frames are verbalised and connected with each other. The material of the study is the anthology Call of Victory, which contains patriotic poems by 36 authors. The analysis has shown that the most important axiological constants of patriotic poetic discourse are MOTHERLAND, DEFEND ER, DUTY, HEROISM, SACRIFICE, MEMORY and FAITH. These constants do not exist in isolation but form an interconnected system. The concept MOTHERLAND is connected with the concepts DEFENDER and DUTY; DUTY is realised through HEROISM and SACRIFICE; MEMORY preserves the connection between the past and the present; FAITH gives moral meaning to struggle, suffering and loss. The paper also examines how value oppositions, such as “ours/theirs”, “loyalty/betrayal” and “memory/oblivion”, build the structure of discourse, develop a sense of collective identity and facilitate the continuation of cultural norms in Russia. The analysis demonstrates that the primary purpose of patriotic poetry is to communicate values and to express their ethical, historical and emotional dimensions. The identified axiological constants organise the main meanings of present–day patriotic poetic discourse and ensure their connection within one system of national and cultural values.