RUSSIAN LITERATURE IN THE 18th CENTURY IN PURSUIT OF HARMONY (A SYSTEMATIC STUDY)

The paper studies literary culture of the 18th century in Russia within the framework of transitional periods in history and culture. Literary culture is viewed as the focus on dialectical controversies giving impetus to cultural, historic and societal development. The data analysis drawn on prior studies gives evidence to suggest that the specifics of literary culture becomes most explicit at a time of transitional periods with moral and aesthetic values changing rapidly along with a certain crisis in people’s reflections on history and contemporary life. Phenomena and processes embedded in the literary culture uncover two interrelated aspects. On the one hand, there is an apparent drift towards contrasts and clashes which is best seen during the watershed and transitional periods. Detailed analysis brings to light conflicting pairs based on the unity and struggle of the opposites principle. On the other hand, the ultimate goal of the literary culture is to suggest ways to coordinate and harmonize these clashes. From this perspective prominence should be given to the literary culture of the 18th century which opens the era of modern time in Russia. Then the paper provides a comprehensive analysis and review of contemporary western Slavistics’ views on the controversies in Russia’s literary culture of that time. The first subject area is represented by works which look into transition in the Russian literary culture of the 18th century by defining its mainstream and marginal elements. The second cluster of works focuses on the overall trends in the transition of epochs and the turning points. The third area of research relates to psychological and philosophic aspects which are intertwined with creative work. The forth subject area features views on transition patterns through genre interconnections within the literary process itself. Ultimately, when it comes to dialectics of controversies which push the literary culture forward during a transitional period western researchers turn to the central issue of changing philosophic and literary ideologems. Then we provide arguments to support the dominant role of a conflict between sense and sensibility in literary groups in Russia between 1690 and 1810: a drift from Barocco to pre-Romanticism. It was determined that the role of literary culture as a unifying ground during the transitional periods is facilitated by ideology, which in the 18th century revolved around the dynamic correlation between the notions of Duty and Virtue. Duty and Virtue determine the correlation between external (state and ideological) and internal (psychological) facets to the literary culture in the era of modern time in Russia. Duty and Virtue are intertwined and overlap in the Weltanshauung constructed by Russian literature in the 18th century. The unity of Duty and Virtue is characteristic of nearly all the historic and literary periods between 1700 and 1810. Ultimately the dialogue of ideologems of Duty and Virtue brings about a utopia of a specific state as well as personal Optimism.