BRITISH TRAVELERS’ IMPRESSIONS OF THE RUSSIANS DURING THE REIGN OF ALEXANDER II
Journal Title: Studia Litterarum - Year 2016, Vol 1, Issue 1
Abstract
This article examines the image of Russia and its people in the travelogues of British travelers during the rule of Alexander II (1855–1881). In reality, hardly anybody from Britain visited the country of the tsars, and very few could speak its language. The upper classes, mostly nobility, surprised English visitors with their Western European looks, good manners, and elegance. However, generalizations about Russians as a nation were based on the observations of lower classes, mostly coachmen. Russians in the opinion of the travelers were faithless, servile, and lazy. Slavonic passivity made them perfectly ft for the absolutist rule. Russia was perceived as a semi-barbaric and despotic country. Over the period of 25 years, there were no substantial changes in the travelers’ descriptions of the country.
Authors and Affiliations
Sakowicz I
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP26087
- DOI 10.22455/ 2500-4247-2016-1-1-2-211-218
- Views 650
- Downloads 25
PORTRAIT IN LITERATURE AND GRAPHIC ART: THE CASE OF THE FIERY ANGEL
This essay analyzes portraits in several editions of The Fiery Angel published during Bryusov’s lifetime and claims that the portrait was as a universal point of convergence for verbal and visual arts. The dialogue bet...
New Admissions to the K.G. Paustovsky Moscow Literary Museum-Center
This is an overview of а new collection received by the K.G. Paustovsky Moscow Literary Museum-Center in 2017, the year of the 125th anniversary of his birth. The collection consists of 366 items. Among them are manusc...
PATERNAL CARE: EMPEROR NICOLAS I IN GOGOL’S FATE
The essay for the frst time highlights the history of a long-term attention and patronage that Еmperor Nicholas I as philanthropist, censor, and reader bestowed on Nikolay Gogol. It shows the increasing interest of the...
SHADOW OF IMANA: TRAVELS IN THE HEART OF RWANDA BY VÉRONIQUE TADJO AS THE FIRST TRAVELOGUE IN THE FRANCOPHONE AFRICAN LITERATURES
This essay focuses on the genre of travelogue that was new to the African Francophone literatures. The analysis of the novel In the Shadow of Imana: Travels in the Heart of Rwanda (2000) by the Ivorian writer Véronique...
Illustrations in Biographical Studies: Sharing Experience of Preparing The Chronicle of Life and Work of Sergey Esenin
The article discusses the function of illustrations in biographical studies. In particular, it examines a section “Appendix” in the 5-volume Chronicle of Life and Work of Sergey Esenin that includes documentary and visua...