The Semiotics of Russian Cultural History: Essays

The essays that make up this collection focus on stages of behavior in Russian history—ways of acting and viewing the world that are characteristic of specific periods of the Russian past. The authors are well known, and their broad understanding of semiotic theory and literary analysis is much in evidence in this book. Their backgrounds, and their theoretical biases, make them at home with the formation of literary characters and literary style, and also with biographical and historical sources. The result not only sheds light on certain problems of Russian history but on a more theoretical plane, reveals unexpected aspects of the relationship between literature and the world beyond it