Fatal Thought: E.A. Baratynskij and the Inferior Function

This article argues that the predominance of thought as a motif in Baratynskii's work is because thinking can be seen as the “inferior function” in the psyche of his poetic persona. Poems featuring thought are analyzed to demonstrate that thought and thinking, while generally negative in Baratynskii's poetry, also push the poetic persona towards maturity and transformation, as well as serving as a gateway to creativity and artistic production. The concept of the inferior function from Jungian analytical psychology is briefly explained, and examples are given of “inferior thinking” and of psyches that are under the influence of such thinking. The article concludes with a discussion of how this conception of “thought” in Baratynskii's oeuvre can explain its seemingly contradictory status in his work.