Wolkonky Serge. Pictures of Russian History and Russian Literature

Boston, Mass.: Lamson, Wolffe & Co., 1897. — xii, 283 p. — ( Lowell lectures).In the few hours at our disposal for the development of our programme, there can be no question of presenting a complete course of Russian history and literature. We will endeavour to hold an uninterrupted thread of events, but we cannot possibly devote equal attention to all the epochs we shall have to study, and even in those epochs which we may examine with more special attention we shall not be able to embrace the entire many-sidedness of historical life; we shall have to abstract from each period that which constitutes its main characteristic, considering that it is more useful and interesting to know much about one thing than little about many things.Once more, a course of Russian history and literature is unrealizable in eight hours’ time; the only thing we may venture under such conditions is to give pictures of Russian history and literature, connected, as far as possible, by an uninterrupted thread of facts. Rut that which makes our task still harder is the fact that so little as yet is known about Russia abroad. Intending to retrace Russia’s historical growth before a foreign audience, I know that I shall have to raise up a good portion of the building before I reach a fact or a name which is universally known and which may enable me to form a link between our subject and the average cycle of knowledge of a well-educated foreigner.Foreign notions of Russia; reasons for their scarcity
Bird’s-eye view of Russian history from its origin to the present timeTwo voices from antiquity. East and West in the destiny of European nations. Russia’s beginning
Ecclesiastical literature. Nestor and the annals
Popular literature — religious songs, epic songs. "The Word about Igor's Fights"
The "Veche" and the princeThe Tartar yoke. Europe and Asia — secular struggle. The rise and growth of Moscow
John III — first sovereign of unified Russia
John IV, the Terrible — first Tsar of RussiaThe first Romanovs. Characteristic of the period
Peter the Great. His historical figureThe eighteenth century. Brief sketch from Peter I to Catherine II
The Academy of Science. Tatischev, Prince Kantemir
Lomonossov — the scientist, the poet. Russian pseudoclassicism — Soumarokov, Trediakofsky
Accession of Catherine the GreatSuddenness and many-sidedness of intellectual growth in the 19th century
Sentimentalism in Russia. Karamsin
Romanticism. Joukovsky
Poushkin. His literary career. His poetryAn epoch of youth. Lermontov — romantic pessimism, parallel with Poushkin
Literary and other aristocratism of the time (Nicholas I)
Gogol. Genesis of the naturalistic school. Poushkin and Gogol. Significance of Gogol's appearance
"The forties". The Moscow university. Belinsky — his influence as critic. Slavophiles and "Westernists""The sixties". Aexander II and the emancipation of the serfs
Servitude in United States and Russia. Moral significance of the reform
The three chief representatives of the naturalistic school
Tourgenieff — the thinker overweighed by the artist. NihilismDostoyevsky — the artist overweighed by the thinker. Dostoyevsky’s influence on his generation
Dostoyevsky’s teachings from the universal and the national point of view
Leo Tolstoi — the artist and the thinker in rivalry. Artistic power. Tolstoi’s teachingsChronological Index
Genealogical Table
Index of Names