ENJAMBEMENT IN SONNETS OF RUSSIAN POETS

The articles analyses enjambements in sonnets, which is the first study of the type, despite of large number of studies about sonnet as genre and form. The study was based on Russian sonnets from 1730-es to 1980-s, including “Twenty sonnets to Maria Stuart” of J. Brodsky (1974) and “Twenty sonnets to Sasha Zapoyeva” of T. Kibirov (1995). 680 en- jambements in 1296 sonnets of 214 poets were identified and analysed from perspective of two types — Italian and English. Analysis was done in synchronic and diachronic aspects. The results of this study demonstrates, that enjambements were appearing in sonnets du- ring the whole period of their life in Russian poetry. Frequency of enjambements vary, depending on type of sonnet, age, personality of an author. Important aspect is graphics, which impacts both amount of intonationally incomplete stanzas and frequency of en- jambements. The study demonstrated, that stanza enjambements are usually surrounded by verses enjambements, the latter prepare the first; frequency and position of stanza enjambements depend on frequency and position of incomplete stanzas in a sonnet. Distribution of verse enjambements within stanzas is different in Italian and English sonnet. The structure of enjambements by parameters is analyzed: types of enjambements; upper-verse clauses; word sections of the lower verse-line; the set and frequency of syn- tactic connections (the latter based on the hierarchy of syntactic connections dev eloped by M. L. Gasparov and T. V. Skulacheva). Comparison of data on frequency and structure of enjambements in sonnets with frequency and structure of enjambements in other forms shows that sonnet is a conservative form, which inhibits innovation in verse. On the other hand, the study proved that sonnets reflects all of the processes running in Russian poetry. The history of sonnet through the prism of enjambements looks like history of consistent erosion of strict forms and introduction of tricks from other stanza forms.