Travel literature genre in the works of E. P. Kovalevsky

E. V. Alexandrova

* alexandrova.aulena@yandex.ru

Тomsk State University, Tomsk, Russian Federation

Travel literature genre in the works of E. P. Kovalevsky

Abstract: The article examines the problem of travel literature genre design in the middle of the XIX century on the material of E. P. Kovalevsky’s prose. The relevance of the presented topic lies in the absence of serious scientific works on literary oeuvre of Kovalevsky, who was a widely known traveler, scientist, statesman and public figure in the 40s and 60s, one of the founders of the Literary Fund Society for the benefit of writers and scientists in need and is explained by the interest of modern literary studies to the problems of the travelogue and essay genres’ evolution. The aim of the study is to identify and analyze the genre features of Kovalevsky’s travels in the 40s of the XIX century. The “Asian” and “Slavic” essays of the writer are analyzed basing on the material of the work “Wanderer by Land and Seas” and giving an idea of his natural philosophical concept and the main artistic constants. The role of Kovalevsky in the literary process of Russia in the 1840s is considered as one of the creators of the syncretic travel literature genre, where sentimental romantic and realistic traditions were embodied. The methodology of the research is based on comparative, cultural and historical study. The results of the study are of interest as an illustration of the historical and literary process of the mid-19th century and can be used in special courses concerning “Travelogue in Russian literature of the 40s”. Further study of E. P. Kovalevsky’s oeuvre seems promising from the viewpoint of representation of the literary process in the corresponding period reflecting the vital problems of his contemporaries in his works of various genres.

Keywords: Kovalevsky, Wanderer by Land and Seas, travel literature, essay.

Paper submitted: December 1, 2021.

For citation: Alexandrova E. V. (2022). Travel literature genre in the works of E. P. Kovalevsky. Russian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 38–50. DOI: 10.17238/issn1998-5320.2022.16.2.5.

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