Waiting for Pushkin : : Russian fiction in the reign of Alexander I (1801-1825) / / Alessandra Tosi.

• Superior document: Studies in Slavic literature and poetics ; v. 44
• Author: Tosi, Alessandra.
• Year of Publication: 2006
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Studies in Slavic literature and poetics ; v. 44.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (430 pages)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

Waiting for Pushkin provides the only modern history of Russian fiction in the early nineteenth century to appear in over thirty years. Prose fiction has a more prominent position in the literature of Russia than in that of any other great country. Although nineteenth-century fiction in particular occupies a privileged place in Russian and world literature alike, the early stages of this development have so far been overlooked. By combining a broad historical survey with close textual analysis the book provides a unique overview of a key phase in Russian literary history. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including rare editions and literary journals, Alessandra Tosi reconstructs the literary activities occurring at the time, introduces neglected but fascinating narratives, many of which have never been studied before and demonstrates the long-term influence of this body of works on the ensuing "golden age" of the Russian novel. Waiting for Pushkin provides an indispensable source for scholars and students of nineteenth-century Russian fiction. The volume is also relevant to those interested in women's writing, comparative studies and Russian literature in general.

Table of Contents

Preface -- Chapter I: Fiction in Alexander's Russia: the social and cultural context -- Chapter II: Literary circles, periodicals and the debate over Prose -- Chapter III: The eighteenth-century literary heritage -- Chapter IV: Sentimentalism in early nineteenth-century Russia: Karamzin's epigones and new trends in sentimental prose -- Chapter V: Contemporary literary influences: pre-romantic and romantic trends -- Conclusions -- Bibliography -- Index.