Writing History in Late Imperial Russia: Scholarship and the Literary Canon

Description

It is commonly held that a strict divide between literature and history emerged in the 19th century, with the latter evolving into a more serious disciple of rigorous science. Yet, in turning to works of historical writing during late Imperial Russia, Frances Nethercott reveals how this was not so; rather, she argues, fiction, lyric poetry, and sometimes even the lives of artists, consistently and significantly shaped historical enquiry. Grounding its analysis in the works of historians Timofei Granovskii, Vasilii Klyuchevskii, and Ivan Grevs, Writing History in Late Imperial Russia explores how Russian thinkers--being sensitive to the social, cultural, and psychological resonances of creative writing--drew on the literary canon as a valuable resource for understanding the past. The result is a novel and nuanced discussion of the influences of literature on the development of Russian historiography, which shines new light on late Imperial attitudes to historical investigation and considers the legacy of such historical practice on Russia today. Cover Contents Acknowledgements Introduction 1 Between State Patronage and Oversight: Developments in History as a University Discipline 2 The Scholar-Artist: Master Historians and their Literary Muses 3 Style: The Literary Cadences of Russian Historical Narrative 4 The Historian’s Literary Toolbox: Portraiture 5 Literary Evidence: Realist Aesthetics and Historical Enquiry 6 Place: Excursion History and the Question of Literary Sites 7 The Historian’s Literary Compass: Modern Poets and Novelists 8 Historical and Literary Historical Scholarship: A Hybrid Science? Epilogue: The Forgotten Legacy Notes Select Bibliography Index