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History and Literature

© Gail Giordano

Through the age of time, literature has been a tool used to tell the story of history. The Golden Age of Russian Literature covers a span of time when history was in the making every single day. It starts in the mid-eighteen twenties and extends roughly a hundred years. The end dates vary depending on the scholar and the discussion. Pushkin, Tolstoy, Turgnev, Dostoyevsky, and so many more of the Russian great writers wrote during this time. Their writings cover the issues of the times from society to the peasants, the criminal to royalty. The styles of writing reflect the time period and are similar to those around the world but yet so vastly different. Alexander Pushkin, Russia's greatest poets, is a master of the technique and is known for his style and not necessarily so much his ideas. Turgenev deals with the peasants, also referred to as serfs. Tolstoy picks up where he leaves off and approaches the issue of the serfs and what he fills is hypocrisy within the Russian Orthodox Church. Dostoyevsky writes about being exiled during the same times as Tolstoy but through the eyes of a lower class Russian versus that of upper class society. What were the events that shaped the writings of these literary figures? It all started around the year 1835.

In 1835, under the rule of Nicholas the First, a member of the Romanov dynasty, the peasant uprisings began. Under the rule of Nicholas the First liberal ideas were not allowed, in fact they were greatly suppressed. The peasants were considered property. Another term used for this group of people would be serfs or slaves. They took care of the vast farms and property owned by the upper nobility. The serfs started protesting and wanting their freedom. The emancipation of the serfs did not occur during Nicholas the First's rule, it occurred 30 years after the first uprising. On March 3, 1861 Alexander the First issued the Emancipation of the Peasants. This freed them and gave them part of the land they had been caring for.

Prior to the Bolshevik Revolution in the early 1900's the serf/peasant class made up every four out of five Russians. Of those four out of five, only two percent were literate. The peasant families had many children, for one out of three died during their first year of life. Upon being freed in 1861, they received eighty percent of the land and shortly after doubled the amount of people that were living on the land. During the 1860's a new generation arose, a generation that was urged to reject authority. It is neat to note that the group that worked to liberate the serfs also encouraged the new generation of liberals. During the later part of Tolstoy's life the viewpoint he held was very similar to the group of literate young people apart of the movement. This group was urged to mingle and familiarize themselves with the "People of Russia" out on the countryside. The peasants were put on a pedestal and idealized. They were considered a fount of moral purity and untainted simplicity. The vision presented was very unrealistic.