Scorched Wordscapes: A Multidisciplinary Study of the Transformations in Russophone Poetry Before and After the 2022 Invasion of Ukraine

Abstract

This thesis explores the changes in Russophone poetry before and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, by developing and analyzing a novel database of 3,222 Russian-language poems posted to the internet from 2017 to 2022. The interdisciplinary study employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, such as computational semantic analyses and close readings, to uncover the shifting relationships between language and politics in Russophone poetry. The findings reveal authors' deepening estrangement from the Russian language and a changing thematic landscape. Post-invasion poetry exhibited an increased focus on themes of war, morality, and mortality and a diminished focus on nature, memory, and everyday human experiences. The research highlights the potential of natural language processing for detecting larger-scale thematic shifts in text. This study also emphasizes the value of poetry as a subject that can enhance our understanding of the political and historical moment.