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Pushkin’s The Captain’s Daughter [ Kapitanskaya dochka ]: Why is the fort called Belogorskaya?
https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2020-1-22-36
Abstract
The article is concerned with the origin and symbolism of the name of the Belogorskaya fort in Pushkin’s The Captain’s Daughter [ Kapitanskaya dochka ]. It is a fictional name, although the story also mentions the real forts in the Orenburg Governorate. The name pattern may have come from the fort Krasnogorskaya ( The Pugachev History [ Istoriya Pugacheva ]), but other toponyms seem important too: Svyatogorskiy [ of/on a holy mountain ] monastery, Trigorskoye estate [ of/near three mountains ]. Pushkin may have also been inspired by the Ural’s limestone cliffs, but more significantly, by his long-term contemplation of ‘the white on the mountain’ (I. Surat) and a white mountain as an image of a moral ideal. Both roots in the name Belogorskaya play an important role. The first one [ bel- (white) ] reflects the sacred symbolism of the white color. The second root ( gor(a) [ mountain ]) is a play on the fort’s elevated location, which, in turn, corresponds to the significance of a mountain in Christian mythology. The name of the fortress, therefore, is evocative of the noble spirit of its defenders, as well as the enduring nature of family ties.
About the Author
V. V. ShaposhnikovaRussian Federation
Candidate of Philology literary critic, independent researcher
10 Bolshoy Gnezdnikovsky Ln., Moscow, 125009
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Review
For citations:
Shaposhnikova V.V. Pushkin’s The Captain’s Daughter [ Kapitanskaya dochka ]: Why is the fort called Belogorskaya? Voprosy literatury. 2020;1(1):22-36. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2020-1-22-36
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