The “Russian foreigner” Leo Tolstoy and the “Russian European” Ivan Turgenev: Their perception of the French society

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of perception by Leo Tolstoy and Ivan Turgenev of the French and their society. The writers adopted different models of perception through factors such as personality, communication skills, and worldviews. With all the similarities, Tolstoy, a “Russian foreigner,” emphasized the differences between the two cultures, and Turgenev, a “Russian European,” strove to find a common language between them. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.