The introduction of Pushkin’s The Bronze Horseman serves as a powerful account of the reawakening of Russian culture and greatness.  After centuries of isolation at the hand of the Mongols and a time of instability throughout the Time of Troubles, Russia is ready to embark on a process of modernization.  

The city of St. Petersburg and the reforms of Peter the Great serve as tangible examples of the new Russia that is beginning to emerge.  St. Petersburg “shall break a window to the west” and “outsh[i]ne old Moscow”. Furthermore, the language Pushkin uses paints an idealized portrait of St. Petersburg–a portrait consisting of rivers, gardens, love, and greatness.  Additionally, Pushkin remarks that the city will be built in “defiance of the haughty neighbor” and stretch from “the four corners of the world” signaling an international outlook not seen since ancient Kievan Rus. The Bronze Horseman, in a sense, articulates a renaissance of sorts in Russia at the hands of Peter of Great.  

However, the city is later destroyed by a flood, and Evengii is eventually left surrounded by nothing but water–and the bronze statue of Peter the Great looking down on him. This image, to me, was a powerful one that paints Peter in an almost god-like, transcendent nature.  The flood in particular reminds me of the biblical story of Noah’s ark, with the world destroyed by a flood with God looking down upon it. I’m not sure if those to images are supposed to be related, but it was a similarity that fascinated me nonetheless. I was particularly intrigued and somewhat confused by the statue coming to life and would like to discuss its significance in class.  

The Bronze Horseman articulates Russia’s new role in the world, signaling a nation eager to emerge from its centuries of isolation as well as little social and cultural progress relative to the West.