The Russians: The People of Europe (The Peoples of Europe)

TheRussians-stilloneofthemostnumerousandpowerfulpeoplesonearth-haveundergoneanhistoricaldevelopmentwhosedirectionanddestinycontinuestofascinateaftermorethan1100years.Thisbookrepresentsanexplorationoftheancientrootsandsubsequenttransformationsoftheirculturalhistory.ByconcentratinginthefirstinstanceonthesevenhundredyearsuptoRussia's"Westernization"intheeighteenthcentury,thebookfollowsseveralimportantsocial,culturalandartisticthemesthroughtomoderntimes.Thuspre-modernandfolk-basedculturalpatternsareshowntohavehadanafterlifethathascontributedessentialcomponentstotheconfigurationofmodernRussianculture,eveninitsostensiblysophisticatedand"Europeanized"manifestations.LandscapeandgeographicalconstantsareseentohaveplayedalargepartindeterminingboththematerialandimaginativecultureofRus(asOldRussiawasknown).Thisisthemainsubjectofthebook'sfirstchapter,togetherwithanaccountofthetraditionalRussianwayoflife.Thereafterthesocio-politicaldevelopmentandthebelief-systemsofRus/Russiaarediscussedandrelatedtohistoricalevents.Thetwofinalchapterstreat,respectively,theroleoflanguageandliteratureinRussianconsciousness,andthe"iconicworld"asmanifestedinvariousaspectsofRussia'svisualandoralculture."TheRussians"providesawide-rangingandoriginalexplorationoftheRussianculturalexperience.Anunderlyingthemeisthatofthemeaningof"Russianness"atbothacollectiveandpersonallevel.Thebookthuscontributes,too,toourunderstandingofcontroversialmattersofethnicityandhistoricalidentityforthishugelyinfluential,ifoftenunstable,nation.