Symbolism of Classical Color Triad in Siegfried Lipiner’s Poem “Freed Prometheus”

Abstract

The question of the relationship between the motive series of the poem “Freed Prometheus” (1876) by the Austrian writer Siegfried Lipiner (1856—1911) and the symbolism of the classical color triad is considered. The novelty of the study is seen in the fact that the analysis of the symbolism of color in Lipiner’s lyrics is carried out for the first time in Russian literary criticism. It is noted that the Austrian context of the 1870—1880s correlates with the symbolism of color in world literature. A selective review of the evolution of color and motif from the early Middle Ages to the turn of the 19th—20th centuries is made. Particular attention is paid to the comparative analysis of the color symbols of Lipiner’s poem with the elements of the color triad in Dante’s Divine Comedy, as well as the treatise “Theory of Colours” by Goethe. Red and yellow (golden) tones of the color triad are presented as dominant. It is shown that the symbolism of the red color in the poem “Freed Prometheus” is interconnected, first of all, with the leitmotif of the Promethean fire, which determines the relevance of the study: the theme of the Promethean fire is actively studied in modern Western literary criticism. It is proved that the symbolism of the classical color triad has a significant impact on the motifs of Lipiner’s lyrical work.