Historical Transformations of the Russian Literary Canon in Russia and the United Kingdom

Abstract

The article aims to reveal the changes in studies of Russian literature in Russia and the United Kingdom in the last three decades. The authors use the concept of the Russian literary canon to highlight the differences in the content and focus of the study of Russian literature. The empirical base of the research is Russian official documents, school textbooks, syllabi of university courses in Russian literature, and the collections of university libraries in the UK. Russian literary canon has changed to bridge the ideological break in Russian literature of the twentieth century. In Russia, the main channel for transmitting the canon is school education. The study of literature is supposed to ensure the formation of national identity, patriotism, humanistic values, and understanding of the exclusivity of Russian literature. The national canon understood as “compulsory reading”, performs socializing, educational, and stabilizing functions. The study of Russian literature in the UK began in the late 19th century at universities, where course content reflected the changing political context. Library collections and university curricula demonstrate the wide range of authors and research topics studied. The study of Russian literature in the UK could not be defined through the Russian literature canon as there is no mandatory reading, and it is studied mainly in translation. Thus, there is no connection between language and literature. The stable interest in the UK towards Russian literature of the 19th and 20th centuries confirms that it belongs to the world’s cultural heritage beyond national borders.