V.A. Zhukovsky's epistolary as reflection and expression of contemporaryliterary life

The article describes Zhukovsky's epistolary heritage as a dynamic and creative system. Each partfixes different aspects of the poet's epistolary basing on the addressee type, peculiarities of theaesthetic and social-philosophical views of the author, the atmosphere of the time.The epochs of self-perfection (1802-1806), poetic formation (1806-1814), love drama (1814-1817), aesthetic manifestos (1815-1824), teaching activity (1818-1840), family life in Germany andexperiments with poetic epos (1841-1852) are uniquely reflected in the poet's letters. In this sense theybecome a chronicle of the poet's creative evolution, as well as a chronicle of Russian public andliterary life of the 1800s-1840s.The article is an attempt to interpret Zhukovsky's epistolary as reflection and expression ofcontemporary literary life.The addressee type defines the content of the poet's epistolary reflection. Letters to Russianculture representatives (writers, artists, journalists) recreate the features of literary struggle, newthinking formation, behaviour specificity in the atmosphere of the Patriotic War of 1812, civilexaltation of the 1820s, after the Decembrist revolt.In these letters, members of the Arzamas Society, Karamzin and Dmitriev, Pushkin and Gogol,Grech and Bulgarin, Bryullov and Ivanov appear as live activists of the epoch with definite ethical andaesthetic views. The idea of inner dignity, peculiar behavioural text becomes principal in thedescription of the contemporary ideas.Zhukovsky's letters to the Turgenev brothers are of particular significance in the poet's epistolary.Zhukovsky was in correspondence with Alexander Ivanovich Turgenev for almost 50 years. Thenumber of letters, the sharp issues they discussed on topical problems of history, philosophy, literaturemake them a real encyclopaedia of Russian historical-literary process of the 1800s-1840s.The uniqueness of Zhukovsky's letters to the Royal persons is a subject of a separate discussion.Letters to Nicholas I on prohibition of Yevropeets (The European) journal, on the last days of Pushkin,speeches in defence of Vyazemsky, Kireevsky, Decembrists, letters to Grand Duchess AlexandraFeodorovna on Raphael's Madonna, on German romanticists, reflections on history, on the 1948Revolution in letters to the Heir, Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich, thoughts on history, painting,The Odissey, in letters to Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevnaare priceless material for describing the poet's dialogue with the authorities, for analysing Zhukovsky'saesthetic and social views.Thus, Zhukovsky's epistolary heritage with over 2000 texts is an important document of Russianliterary culture and public thought of the 1800s-1840s.The pathos of the article is connected with the project of publishing the Complete Collection ofWorks and Letters by Zhukovsky in 20 volumes, six of which will be devoted to his letters, carried outby the collective of the Chair of Russian and Foreign Literature of Tomsk State University; the authorof the article is the executive editor of the Collection.

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