Russian Literature of the 19th Century: A Course of Lectures for Bachelors of Theology: In 2 Vols

The textbook Russian Literature of the 19th Century in two volumes written by the famous scholar, Doctor of Philology Yuriy V. Lebedev is regarded as one of the most important publications in the author's entire patriotic series of educational books. The review notes the scope of the textbook, the peculiarities of its structure, the position of the author and his concept of the development of Russian classical literature. The concept is particularly emphasized: Russian classical literature is more than just literature, for Russian people it is both philosophy and a moral guideline, and the best description of a certain period of the life of the country and the people. The review reflects the main advantages of the textbook, emphasizes its scientific basis, many valuable discoveries and generalizations that make the book relevant not only for students, but for a wide range of literary critics. Despite the primary educational goal of the reviewed work, both volumes - in terms of the depth of the covered material, the number of new thoughts and significant conclusions - are a scientific publication with a simplified system of references and minimized argumentation. Lebedev, together with the reader, takes the path of academic search, raising all questions openly. The textbook accumulates the findings Lebedev made throughout his career in articles and monographs dedicated to many classics of Russian literature, as well as minor writers of the 19th century. Lebedev recreates the conceptual connection of all events and phenomena of the literary process of the period under consideration. The review notes that the History of Russian Literature of the 19th Century attracts the reader by the researcher's initiative in presenting parallels that reveal the connection between Russian and European literatures, the original path of our classics, as well as general ideas and life schemes that never disappeared from the writers' field of vision but were creatively mastered in each new generation. Much attention in the textbook is paid to poetics: changes and dynamics of genres, blending of certain features of currents and trends, the image of a person and their psychology and inner world. Lebedev traces how the writers' manner, voice, and themes are transformed along the creative path: from early to late works, how they increasingly feel the deep religious crisis growing in the country.