Kryuchkov N.N. V. K. Trediakovsky and A. P. Volynsky: a conflict in history and human memory

Abstract: This article examines the conflict between the poet V. K. Trediakovsky and the Russian statesman A. P. Volynsky. After physically assaulting the poet in public, Volynsky was arrested on charges of conspiracy and misconduct and was later beheaded. The tragic death of the cabinet minister was then associated in public opinion with the figure of the poet. The public’s attitude towards V. K. Trediakovsky changed only years later: from the culprit of the patriot-minister’s death he came to be seen as a victim of tyranny and violence from the high-ranking official. These circumstances determined the poet’s literary tradition. In this study the author used the historical-genetic research method, which is one of the principle methods of acquiring historical knowledge. It is primarily based on descriptive means. The main goal of this method is to explain facts and to identify their causes, development, and consequences. The main sources used were historical novels and literary works. The novelty and relevance of this research is the author’s attempt, on the basis of working with original sources, to understand how society’s attitude changed towards its history, and how society itself and its ideals changed. The article not only refers to the historiography of the conflict, but also touches upon the question of the phenomenon of historical memory.

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