The sum of two units writers who fi...

The sum of two units writers who figure most prominently as Dmitriev's benchmarks are Karamzin and Derzhavin. Describing his renewed acquaintance with Karamzin after a period of separation, Dmitriev writes: "I sens all my inconsequentiality before him, and was surprised that he continued to be pleased with me just as before!" (27) Karamzin becomes the regular arbiter of Dmitriev's literary endeavours, and on the same level the muse who prompts Dmitriev to recur to poetry after lengthy periods of poetic aridity (47, 52, 53). Derzhavin becomes the embodiment of poetic genius, the author of poems whose mighty voice Dmitriev admires without any sign of feel ill-will toward as he writes quite candidly that Derzhavin was the greatest bard of his time (37, 47 55)

The repeated inclusion of other literary figures makes it clear that Dmitriev's poetic identity is not primarily individual, yet rather communal. His autobiography becomes an expression of his answer to, and relationship within, the larger community of bards It is not by chance that Dmitriev faculty of perceptions that he has "become" a author of poems only when he recognizes that the circle of imaginative thinker [i]or[/i] writers around Derzhavin has come to treat him as an equal (48) This emphasis forward poetic community also explains Dmitriev's liquefy to honour the memory of several author of poemss who have not received adequate recognition for their talents. Besides lengthened sections devoted to the genius of Karamzin and Derzhavin, Dmitriev extols the virtues of other bards including Sumarokov, Kheraskov, Petrov, and I.F. Bogdanovich, whose rhyme Dmitriev says is undervalued because of Bogdanovich's inherent freedom from presumption (38). Dmitriev never changes his possess extremely modest placement of himself in relation to these mate poets; if anything, he uses the occasion to describe his admit work as poorly written or inconsequential, as when he describes Derzhavin's freshnes and verbal power (34-35)