Literature is an integral part of culture. No one can deny the importance of this type of artistic creation. The 9-volume History of World Literature is a series of books prepared by the Gorky Institute of World Literature. Changes in literature are analyzed throughout the existence of writing: from ancient times to the beginning of the twentieth century.
Initiator
In 1983, Irina G. Neupokoeva advocated the creation of the first large-scale Russian multivolume, which would illuminate the history of not only Russian but also world literature from ancient times to the present. For forty-four years before, Neupokoeva herself graduated with honors (separated at that time from Moscow State University) Chernyshevsky Moscow Institute of Philosophy, Literature and History.
Irina Grigoryevna was a doctor of philological sciences, an ardent supporter of the party and socialism. For example, when her father, People's Commissar Grigory Grinko, fell victim to Stalinist repression, student Irina did not fail to take part in an institute rally. Her fellow students later claimed that she voted for the execution of the traitor-father. Such views could not affect her future brainchild. In the History of World Literature Soviet ideas and thoughts were often put forward.
The composition of the editorial board
One cannot but mention the chief editor of this work (from the first to the seventh volume) Georgy Petrovich Berdnikov. A connoisseur of Russian literature of the nineteenth century, deputy minister of culture, a participant in the Great Patriotic War and a doctor of philological sciences, Berdnikov was an indispensable member of the editorial board. Without it, such a large-scale scientific study as the “History of World Literature” would hardly have come to light.
But do not belittle the contribution of other literary scholars. Among the members of the editorial board were Alexei Sergeyevich Bushmin, academician and researcher of creativity Saltykova-Shchedrin, Dmitry Sergeyevich Likhachev, art critic and chairman of the board of the Soviet Cultural Foundation, Dmitry Fedorovich Markov, an expert on ancient Slavonic literature, who played a decisive role in creating the History of World Literature ( t. 2). And also Georgy Iosifovich Lomidze, an expert on literature of the Soviet period, Georgy Mikhailovich Fridlender, a researcher of Russian literature of the nineteenth century, Evgeny Petrovich Chelyshev, a researcher of oriental literature and a doctor of philological sciences, Boris Borisovich Piotrovsky, a researcher of oriental literature and a doctor of historical sciences, Mikhail Borisovich Khrapchenko, statesman and head of the Committee of Arts, Pyotr Alekseevich Nikolaev, literary theorist and researcher of the realism trend, Andrei Dmitrievich Mikhailov, Lava of the department of the Gorky Institute of World Literature and Doctor of Philology, Vladimir Rodionovich Shcherbin, literary theorist and critic, Sergei Vasilievich Nikolsky, researcher of Slavic culture. Later, Leonid Grigoryevich Andreev, head of the department of the history of foreign literature and a doctor of philological sciences, joined the team (to replace the chief editor Berdnikov).
Identification of patterns in the development of literature
As stated in the preface to the book "History of World Literature" (Volume 1), no one has attempted to fully characterize the course of world literature from ancient times (when writing was just emerging) until the fifties of the twentieth century. There was nothing even approximately equal in scale to the material being studied. But Soviet scientists did not just want to describe various writers, genres, styles. They sought to identify patterns in the development of literature. That is, apply the theory of Marx and Engels to the cultural sphere.
At the beginning and middle of the twentieth century, new, more convenient ways of studying literature began to appear. Philologists were no longer limited by space and history. Soon there was a desire to generalize all new and old knowledge into a single system. This is what the creators of The History of World Literature, brought up on the teachings of universal interconnectedness and interdependence, tried to achieve.
Research Objectivity
The books show objectivity in relation to little-known authors, rare genres, as well as west-center or east-center views. This is especially noticeable in the example of "History of World Literature." T. 2 fits perfectly into this concept. This attitude distinguished the Russian cycle of books from European publications of a similar type.
Attention little-known authors
The objects of the study were not only writers claiming world fame, but also individual authors who contributed to the development of literature.
Reviews
The attitude of the general public towards work was positive. The book "History of World Literature" (volume 2 including) was particularly successful. People far from literature and philology were not read out by such detailed and thoughtful work, but experts noted a rather high scientific level of research. Professional philologists found a series of oversights that did not greatly affect their overall impression.
Nowadays, interest has noticeably subsided, but students of philological departments are still turning to the publication for educational purposes.
The first volume of "History"
The first book covers the period in world literature, starting three thousand years BC, and ending with the third century AD. Most of the book stands out for the culture of ancient countries, but the authors do not bypass the literature of ancient Asia and Africa.
The second volume of labor
The second book begins where the first ends, and ends on the Renaissance. The authors describe in detail the changes in the literature of different countries and characterize the process of the formation of literature in young states.
The third volume of research
The third book analyzes the literature of the Renaissance. Great importance in the History of World Literature (Volume 3) is given to the humanistic ideas of Eastern thinkers.
The fourth volume of "History"
The fourth volume focuses on the confrontation of feudal principles and new capitalist tendencies in the seventeenth century. Everything is signed in great detail.
Fifth volume of labor
The entire fifth book is devoted to eighteenth-century literature. Culture then developed rapidly in the wake of a social upsurge.
Sixth volume of research
The sixth book covers the period from the French Revolution to the national liberation movements of the mid-nineteenth century. Against the backdrop of so many unrest, the same vivid and very passionate literature arises.
Seventh volume of "History of Literature"
The seventh volume describes the literature of the second half of the nineteenth century. The art of this period is developing rapidly and unevenly.
Eighth volume of the cycle
The last volume describes the literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Particular attention is paid to the art of the Russian Empire on the eve of the First World War and Revolution.
The ninth volume: was it?
Despite the fact that to date on the title page of each of the books the inscription "in nine volumes" appears, the creators had to complete their research on the eighth. It was originally planned to finish the analysis on fiction of the era of the Lost Generation, but in the preface to the eighth volume, the Main Editorial Board exhaustively explains what the matter is. As you know, in the period of the nineties in the countries of the former Soviet Union, a serious rethinking of values occurred. What previously seemed a priori true now was in doubt. Such changes affected almost all spheres of social life of Soviet people. This radical turning point and literature did not bypass. The main editorial board says plainly in The History of World Literature (vol. 9 was never published) that "ideological dogmas" interfered with the comprehension of twentieth-century literature. But while the whole country is at a crossroads, they cannot offer new or completely refute the old beliefs about literature during the Soviet Union.
Conclusion
This cycle of books is one of the most important stages in the development of Russian literary criticism. The importance of the information that the authors have collected and classified cannot be understated.