The Norman problem and Russian belles-lettres

The articleis devoted to the changing of historical consciousness in modern Russian society on the basis of solving the Norman problem. Theauthor tries to answer the question whether the Norman problem will be the eternal question for Russian social ideas or accumulatedcultural potential will be an antidote to the creation of deconstructive historical myths. The author analyzes belles-lettres devoted to theestablishment of the Old Russian State. The author of this article demonstrates how methods of solution of the Norman problem weremetamorphosing in the length of time and what new elements every generation introduced in the interpretation of the Varangian Question.Ethnicity of the Varangians and the influence of the alien element on the establishment of the Old Russian State are the key pointsin the understanding of the Varangian Question, which were interpreted in different ways by writers at different stages of social andscientific thought. On the one hand, main achievements of historical studies adopted by writers are reflected in literary texts. On theother hand, some raw spots in dominant scientific conceptions are reflected in the belles-lettres too. Moreover, nationalism and politicalviews (straightly or implicitly expressed) directly influence on the historical belles-lettres. In this connection opinions of writers on theVarangian Question is repeatedly revised. Like a pendulum motion, critical attitude to the Norman Theory and the denial of any foreigninfluences on the Slavic culture were changed by yet another concession of the Scandinavian contribution to the birth of the Old Russianstatehood. The author of the article researches the reflection of the Norman problem in the Russian belles-lettres from the second half ofthe eighteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century and notices great disjuncture, which repeatedly appeared betweenprofessional historical knowledge and collective historical consciousness. However, the understanding of the Norman problem in Russianhistorical memory has greatly changed during the two-and-a-half centuries. The idea of the participation of the Vikings in the Slavichistory of the ninth century has come to stay in collective historical consciousness. Thus, the analyzed aspect of cultural consciousnesswhich dominates in belles sphere and which is topical for Russian present-day readers may indicate a steady tendency of formation ofappropriate national consciousness in the contemporary Russian society.

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