The paper considers the poetics of A.I. Podolinsky՚s ballads. The comprehensive analysis of the ballads shows how the poet makes a departure from the romantic cult of the main character. Special attention is paid to the author’s treatment of common topical lines and the functioning of general romantic formulae, which in Podolinsky՚s ballads serve to discredit the central character̕ s authority. The author demonstrates in what way the plot models of Podolinsky՚s ballads reflect the national cultural tradition. The purpose of the paper is to reveal the evolution of artistic devices in Podolinsky՚s ballads and to determine how the consistent deposing of the main romantic character affects the restructuring of ballad poetics.