TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE BATTLE AS A FEAST TOPOS IN THE HISTORICAL SONGS OF THE 18–19th CENTURIES

Drawing the material from the various cycles of the Russian historical songs composed by the soldiers in the 18–19th centuries, the article considers the universal battle as a feast topos that had first emerged in the Lay of Igor’s Regiment. Songs from various cycles are analyzed, those about the Russian-Swedish, Russian-Turkish, Russian-French wars. The topos is primarily used in two situations: in the words addressed by the Russian soldiers to the enemy and in the words of a character who perceives his injury or hardships of military life through culinary images. Various versions of the topos are identifi ed: with a toponymic component (flatbreads baked in Moscow and Tula); with elements of table decoration (tablecloths, plates, etc.); with decoding of metaphorical images (tables — Preobrazhensky Regiment); folding the topos into one word («treat» the enemy). Observations on the lyrics are summarized in a table, which clearly demonstrates that the core of the figurative system of the topos is comprised of the images associated with grain (bread, pies, flatbreads, etc.). The frequent use of grain images leads to believe that the songs were based on the mundane, ritual and folkloric experiences of the Russian peasantry.