The characteristics of neoromantic aesthetics in Ruben Sevak's poetic system in the context of literary developments of the early 20th century

Abstract

This research is aimed at the re-evaluation of the artistic heritage of Ruben Sevak, a prominent representative of early 20th-century Western Armenian literature, within an interdisciplinary framework. The core of the study focuses on the influence of the author's medical discourse and professional experience on the formation of his artistic thinking and poetic system. The relevance of the research is determined by the necessity of examining Sevak’s work in the context of the creative practices of world-renowned physician-poets (such as A. Chekhov, G. Benn, and W. Williams). The study substantiates that the author's "clinical gaze" did not limit his neo-romantic inspiration; on the contrary, it led to an exceptional synthesis of scientific rationalism and sensibility. It analyzes the mechanisms of poetic transformation of scientific terminology, through which biological and corporeal realities in Sevak’s texts acquire ontological and philosophical resonance. Special attention is paid to the role of European university education (University of Lausanne) as the foundation for the aesthetic views of the Western Armenian intellectual elite. It is demonstrated that in Sevak’s work, medical ethics evolves into a creative "therapy," where the literary word assumes the mission of diagnosing the national catastrophe and collective trauma, while searching for paths to spiritual healing. The research concludes that Sevak's poetic system is an original manifestation of "physiological lyricism," where anatomical precision serves to profoundly reveal human psychology and national destiny. This work can serve as a basis for further typological studies of Western Armenian literature.