The Specificity of M. Slugina’s Poetry in the Context of Representing the Sociocultural Processes of the 2000s

Abstract

Introduction. Against the backdrop of global sociocultural transformations, which have heightened the importance of preserving ethnic identity, the study of the works of the Mordovian poet M. V. Slugina makes it possible to reveal the distinctive features of the national worldview reflected in her poetry and to demonstrate how regional poetry, through innovative imagery rooted in traditional values, provides an artistic interpretation of contemporary challenges. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to identify the ethnocultural characteristics of contemporary poetry, to examine how it reflects the pressing issues of the time, and by the limited scholarly attention that has been paid to this topic. The aim of the research is to identify the national identity and distinctive features of the artistic imagery created by M. Slugina and to reveal how the sociocultural transformations that took place in Mordovia at the beginning of the 21st century are reflected in her poetry. Materials and Methods. The study is based on a comprehensive approach to the analysis of poetic texts. An integral analysis of both the artistic form and content made it possible to examine the poetry collection Tyust (Shades, 2021) as a unified artistic system and to identify the key themes and motifs in the works of M. Slugina. The cultural approach was employed to reveal the ethnocultural specificity of the poetry and the ways in which it reflects sociocultural transformations. The hermeneutic approach facilitated the interpretation of individual cultural and historical references requiring clarification. The structural method was used to characterize the principles of poetic discourse organization. Results and Discussion. The analysis reveals the pressing issues of the contemporary world and modern society reflected in the poetry of M. Slugina, including urbanization leading to the decline of rural settlements and the growing alienation of people from nature; low birth rates; digitalization, which has contributed, among other things, to society’s dependence on social media and computer games; and the transformation of people’s values, social norms, and patterns of behavior. The study also describes the innovative artistic techniques employed by the poet to create the images of the lyrical persona and other lyrical characters. The author’s poetic reflection encompasses such sociocultural realities as the integration of innovative technologies into everyday life, the migration of young people from rural areas, the erosion of centuries-old national traditions and its underlying causes, as well as the challenges of educating the younger generation and preserving the native language. The originality of the author’s poetic style is manifested in the use of humor and satire, as well as in the creation of original authorial metaphors and similes. Conclusion. The central theme of the poet’s works is the representation of the traditional spiritual and moral values of the Mordovian people. These values have become particularly significant against the backdrop of young people’s excessive fascination with Western values and computer games, as well as the declining rural population, which has traditionally served as the primary bearer of the region’s ethnocultural heritage. The authors’ findings contribute to the development of contemporary Mordovian literary studies, particularly by advancing approaches to the analysis of poetic texts that take into account their sociocultural and ethnocultural characteristics. The prospects for further research lie in applying the proposed methods of lyrical text analysis to the works of other contemporary poets of Mordovia.