"Stixi na koncinu ...": Russian funeral poetry in the 18th century

Funeral poetry was a very popular type of occasional poetry in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Russia. In its development, it expressed an enlightened, sentimentalist zeitgeist, turning away from the fundamental values of the Petrine ethos. The shift entailed a rethinking of the concept of human greatness. Now, not only monarchs and military heroes were considered worthy of a funeral poem but also heroes of culture and of charity. The principle of personal achievement also shifted: to be deserving of a funeral poem, it was now sufficient to be an ordinary person. Funeral poetry was increasingly dedicated to relatives and especially to friends. It turned out to be a favourite medium for the cult of sentimental friendship in Russia.