Includes bibliographical references (pages 302-307) and index.
Contents
Introduction: Labyrinth of links: Russian literature and its cultural contexts -- The origins: Russian Medieval culture -- The spirit of Peter: Russian culture in the eighteenth century -- The spirit of poetry: Russian culture in the age of Alexander I (1801-25) -- The Russian idea: the quest for national identity in nineteenth-century Russian culture -- Russian psychology: the quest for personal identity in nineteenth-century Russian culture -- Life as theatre: Russian modernism -- The art of the future: the Russian avant-garde -- The future as present: Soviet culture -- After the future: Russian thaw culture -- Instead of the apocalypse: Russian culture today -- Conclusion: whither Russian literature.