Two centuries of Russian classics

Acknowledgments: This work was carried out with financial support from the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 24-28-01431, https://rscf.ru/ project/24-28-01431/

Abstract: The paper deals with spatial images of the liminal South-West of the Russian Empire thatare presented in “Travel Notes across Russia” by M. P. Zhdanov and include a representation of Kharkiv, Ekaterinoslav (Novorossiya), as well as Poltava, Kyiv, and Chernihiv (Little Russia) provinces. The description of these three local types unfolds from the point of view of economic, historical, and everyday spheres (including education). The article highlights the core motifs of novelty, wildness, disorder, scarcity of people, and projectness typical for the southwestern Russia image. In this regard, the space of Novorossiya appears primarily as a steppe, a frontier, and a subject to colonization. At the same time, the Kyiv topos appears variable and combines old and new elements. The article emphasizes the differences between Zhdanov’s rational narration manner and the tradition of representing the “noonday Russia” space.

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