The Siberia of the 19th century through the Russian Intelligentsia’ eyes

Abstract

The paper reveals particularities of Siberia perception in the 19th century by the representatives of Russian intelligentsia, considers aims of their stay in Siberia and its contacts with various representatives of local population. Characteristic traits of life in governorate and provincial towns of Siberia are explained. Regularities revealed in the course of analyzing sources that were left by the Russian intelligentsia, let us speak about commonness of socio-cultural processes, which happened in the region of Siberia and central Russia in the 19th century, as well, as give reasoning for dependence of this processes from changes that occurred in cultural life of Russia. In the process of comparative analysis of diaries, traveler's notes and letters of L.F. Panteleev, A.P. Chekhov, V.Ya. Shishkov, V.G. Korolenko, S.P. Shvetsov, there were revealed differences and common features in their perception of certain sides of Siberians' life. Differences in perception of cultural life in the region by representatives of Russian intelligentsia were conditioned by reasons, due to which they found themselves in Siberia and, in much part by that with what representatives of the Siberian people they happened to contact. The article discusses distinctive features in ethic and esthetic perception of reality between the Russian population and Siberians. Such character traits of the Siberian people as pride, independence, practical absence of religious feelings and undeveloped ability of the world esthetic perception are reveled. Importance of these observations made by the Russian intelligentsia, is conditioned by that the local intelligentsia originated from the simple folk mainly, meaning they inherited their character traits, which in its turn influenced system of cultural values created by the them.