icting opinions concerning him is, that he is
merely a satirist, "The Russian Juvenal," which opinion is founded on
his contributions to "The Whistle," a publication added, as a
supplement, to "The Contemporary," about 1857. Yet his satirical verses
form but an insignificant part of his writings. And although there does
exist a certain monotony of gloomy depression in the tone of all his
writings, yet they are so varied in form and contents that it is
impossible to classify them under any one heading without resorting to
undue violence. He is not the poet of any one class of society, of any
one party or circle, but expresses in his poetry the thoughts of a whole
cycle of his native land, the tears of all his contemporaries and
fellow-countrymen. This apparently would be set down to the credit of
any other man, and regarded as a proof that he kept in intimate touch
with the spirit and deepest sentiments of his time, instead of being
reckoned a reproach, and a proof of commercialism. Moreover, he wrote
things which were entirely peculiar to himself, unknown hitherto, and
which had nothing in common with the purely reflective lyricism of the
'40's of the nineteenth century. These serve to complete his
significance as the universal bard of his people and his age, to which
he is already entitled by his celebration of all ranks and elements of
society, whose fermentation constitutes the actual essence of that
period.

There is one point to be noted about Nekrasoff which was somewhat
neglected by the critics during his lifetime. No other Russian poet of
that day was so fond of calling attention to the bright sides of the
national life, or depicted so many positive, ideal, brilliant types with
such fervent, purely Schilleresque, enthusiasm as Nekrasoff. And most
significant of all, his positive types are not of an abstract, fantastic
character, clothed in flesh and blood of the period and environment,
filled with conflicting, concrete characteristics--not one of them
resembles any other. He sought and found them in all classes of society;
in "Russian Women" he depicts the devoted princesses in the highest
circle of the social hierarchy, with absolute truth, as faithful
representatives of Russian life and Russian aristocrats, capable of
abandoning their life of ease and pleasure, and with heroism worthy of
the ancient classic heroines, accompanying their exiled husbands to
Siberia, and there cheerfully sharing their hardships. H