Description
Book SynopsisBoundless Russia, humble yet full of hidden grandeursuch visions of the motherland became crucial markers of Russian national identity. This Meager Nature is the first full-length study to trace the cultural construction of Russia''s landscape during the nineteenth century, showing how artistic and literary representations of nature reflected and shaped Russians'' ideas about themselves and their nation.
In the early 1800s, Russians commonly accepted the European judgment that their land lacked aesthetic value. That view changed with the outpouring of literary and artistic creativity that followed the century''s political upheavals. Artists such as Aleksei Savrasov, Fedor Vasil''ev, Ivan Shishkin, and Nikolai Nekrasov turned to their native land and revealed the power of grey skies, vast open fields, and simple birch forests.
Russians came to embrace their land''s modest beauty, which represented strength and hidden depths. The historical creation of Russia''s sen
Trade Review
An elegant, stimulating and compelling work.
* Slavic and East European Journal *
Superbly researched, well written, and incisive.
* The Historian *
[Ely] deftly succeeds in bringing the Russian landscape, as it existed in the imaginations of travel writers, poets, and painters, into a bold new perspective.
* Journal of Modern History *
Table of ContentsTable of Contents
Preface and Acknowlegments
Introduction: Russia, Landscape, and National Identity
1. Arcadia on the Steppe
2. The Search for a Picturesque Russia
3. Landscapes of Nationality and Nostalgia
4. Outer Gloom and Inner Glory
5. To Paint the Russian Landscape
6. A Portrait of the Motherland
Conclusion: A Russian Sense of Place
Notes
Bibliography
Index
