Social History of the 19th Century Russian Literature. Academic Objectives and Perspectives

The article outlines prospective expansion of the traditional approaches to the studies of the 19th century Russian literature, focusing on social aspects. The full understanding of literature of this period can only be gained through the integration of historical, literary and sociological methods, so that literature would be studied not only as an aesthetic phenomenon, but as a social and political institution as well. Traditional literary scholarship, based on the studies of the legacy of the «firstrate» writers, does not seem to offer the full picture of the 19th century literature, ignoring «minor» authors and a wide range of social and cultural contexts. The article calls for innovative approaches to the social history of Russian literature and for the emergence of new, data-driven approaches to literary studies.