Periodization of Old Russian literature is a phenomenon that was inevitable during the development of the literary side of Russian culture. This phenomenon we will consider in this article, all periods and those prerequisites that designated this periodization.
The historical stages of periodization
Old Russian literature changed its direction with each historical stage. In total, three such stages are distinguished in history: Kievan Rus, the time of which is designated by 11-13 centuries; literature, which was written during the period of feudal fragmentation in Russia, 13-15 centuries; the period of the creation of a single centralized Russian state, designated 16-17 centuries.
In addition, it is important to say that each stage of periodization has always been accompanied by specific historical events, which, in fact, pushed the Russian people to develop both literary and political. Indeed, for many centuries, literature carried a purely political, state and legal character. Before the advent of fiction, a lot of time has passed since the moment that literature arose in Russia.
Factors to consider
If we talk about the periodization of Old Russian literature, there are some factors that must be taken into account in order to rationally evaluate all the changes that have taken place in literature for a long time. One of these factors was the translation of many works from the Old Slavonic language into modern Russian. Since the originals of many works have been lost over the years, it is worth considering that only census works have survived to this day. Despite this, we even boldly call such works literary monuments, which is characteristic of ancient Russian literature.
In addition, it is important to say about the images that were present in ancient literature. Undoubtedly, after each periodization, Old Russian literature changed the images that were in the center. This is explained by the fact that development did not stand still, people’s life values and morals changed. Another factor that influenced the development of Old Russian literature was the change in the genre structure of the text. If we talk about ancient literature, it is clear that at that time some writing styles prevailed, and today preference is given to completely different ones.
Literature of Kievan Rus
Speaking of the periods of Old Russian literature, we start from the earliest, which is designated 11-13 centuries. At this time, literature was replete with its solemn and praising images. The emergence of Old Russian literature in history occurs with the adoption of Christianity. It is after Christianity is accepted as the main state religion that literature appears in Russia. At first, it consisted of documents and important texts, which were official papers, which is characteristic of ancient Russian literature.
Russia came to such a development in literature thanks to cooperation with Bulgaria, which was located next to Byzantium, where writing and literature had already acquired a more developed character. In order to streamline its state affairs, Russia needed to maintain its nomenclature, which today we call the most ancient literature. By creating ancient Russian literature, a patriotic spirit, which was very important for the authorities, was to develop in the population. In addition, this contributed to the fact that Russia became a single state in terms of politics and history.
Literature of feudal Russia
This period of Old Russian literature is designated 13-15 centuries. This time was very difficult for the Russian state. The main feature of this period was that the literary texts described various confrontations between Russia and the enemy peoples. You can even distinguish several key themes that prevailed at that time: for example, the opposition to the Pechenegs. Or you can find texts telling about the great and centuries-old struggle of the princes over the Kiev throne.
Speaking about this period, it can be noted that the famous D. Likhachev called this literary period only monumental historicism. It was at this time that the first annals appeared, which became the beginning of the appearance of fiction in Russia.
Works of this period
The famous work of Old Russian literature of this period can be called "The Tale of Bygone Years." The work did not reach our time in its original form: the composition of the story includes several ancient chronicles of a later time. Despite this, a well-known fact about this ancient document is its compiler - the monk Nestor, who was a publicist and historian. The writing of this story dates back to 1113, and its annals were its basis, which, unfortunately, has not survived to the present day. In addition, there is an equally ancient work, which can be found in textbooks on Old Russian literature - “The Legend of Kozhemyak”.
It is also worth noting that these monuments of ancient Russian literature are the work of professionals, they are filled with excellent oratory, are able to inspire patriotism in every reader. Speaking about this period, I would also like to mention such works as “The Word on the Law and Grace” by the famous Hilarion, “Words and Teachings”, authored by Cyril Turovsky and, of course, the great work of Prince Vladimir Monomakh - “The Tutorial”.
"The word about Igor's regiment"
Separately, I would like to highlight this particular work. It bears a special historical value. The well-known ancient work “The Word about Igor's Regiment” tells us not only about the fate of Prince Igor, but also about the fate of an entire nation. Unfortunately, the name of the author of this creation is unknown to this day. Most likely, the author’s name will forever remain a mystery to Russian history.
It is important to say that this particular work is a good example that can tell about the literature of this time. It perfectly reflects those fundamental foundations of ancient Russian literature, which are Russian history. Not only does the work describe events that happened not with fictional heroes, but with real historical figures, it also tells about the past of Russia, about how people lived before, how they live now, what they dream about and what they hope for in the near future.
The “Word of Igor’s Regiment” is a very important element not only in ancient literature. To date, the work is studied by students of such faculties as legal, historical, philological, journalistic and many others. This is already a good indicator that such an ancient monument contains something that plays a very important role in the history of such a huge country like Russia.
First lives
Speaking about the literature of the middle period, it is important to note that the first lives appear in Russia, the writing of which dates from the 11th century. Lives told about the lives of extremely famous personalities of that time. Theodosius Pechersky, Boris and Gleb became the heroes of 11th century Old Russian literature. These lives have an interesting feature: they are very distinguished by a clear identification of the problems of that time, vitality. Speaking specifically about the development of the linguistic factor, from the point of view of ancient literature they are written in perfect language.
Literature of the united Russian state
Speaking about the last period that characterizes Old Russian literature, it is important to say that at this time literature acquires splendor and special solemnity. Especially popular are those works that regulate the political, spiritual, domestic and legal spheres of the life of the population. One of the most striking examples of the literature of this period is the work "The Great Mineas of Chety." This literary monument consists of twelve books. Each was intended for independent reading per month. At this time, Domostroy, better known as the first set of laws that are necessary for well-being in the family, also appears in everyday life.
Modern Literature
But already in the 17th century, Russian literature was changing dramatically. This period becomes the period of the formation of modern literature. Russia becomes a state in which the state system is gradually changing - there is a gradual transition to democracy. You can see how much the role of personality in history is changing. This is due to the outcome of the peasant war, which fell on the 16-17th century. In addition, many contributed to the changes and the time of troubles.
The affairs of such heroes of ancient Russian literature and history as Ivan the Terrible, Vasily Shuisky and Boris Godunov were explained at that time not only by God's will, but also by the character traits of each of these characters. At the same time, a new literary genre was emerging, which was called the democratic satire. In the works belonging to this genre, all church and political orders are ridiculed, often the proceedings themselves.
Conclusion
It is the 17th century that the period of the literature that we call ancient today ends. This is one of the features of Old Russian literature. Today, a huge number of literary monuments has survived, which are able to give us an explicit idea of life in the centuries that are presented above. The entire periodization of Russian literature of the ancient centuries is very important for the history of Russia, for the history of its development and formation as a strong world state.
The main feature of Old Russian literature was that it, like history, has its own specific stages. Despite this, one must understand how strongly connected the ancient history and literature of the 11-17th centuries. Let each of these branches of science have its own periodization and pace of development, one cannot exist without the other.