We are not Barbarians: Literature and the Russian Émigré Press in England, 1890–1905

We are not Barbarians: Literature and the Russian Émigré Press in England, 1890–1905

If any single factor militated against late Victorian support for a Russian revolution, it was the entrenched belief that Russians were barbarians, incapable of governing themselves, a race of ‘besotted savages utterly unfit for civilisation'. Yet during the last years of the nineteenth century...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Carol Peaker
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Open Library of Humanities 2006-10-01
Series:19 : Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century
Online Access:http://www.19.bbk.ac.uk/articles/451
id doaj-7f24128c291b4626879d421b15b649e2
record_format Article
spelling doaj-7f24128c291b4626879d421b15b649e22021-06-02T10:02:34ZengOpen Library of Humanities19 : Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century1755-15602006-10-01310.16995/ntn.451436We are not Barbarians: Literature and the Russian Émigré Press in England, 1890–1905Carol PeakerIf any single factor militated against late Victorian support for a Russian revolution, it was the entrenched belief that Russians were barbarians, incapable of governing themselves, a race of ‘besotted savages utterly unfit for civilisation'. Yet during the last years of the nineteenth century, England faced a challenge to her conception of the Russian race. Educated and cultured Russian exiles toured up and down the country lecturing on Russian themes; they also published propaganda aimed at winning English hearts over to the Russian revolution. This paper examines two émigré magazines – the pro-Nihilist Free Russia (1890–1914) and its ostensibly less radical rival, The Anglo-Russian (1897–1914). Specifically, it explores how they used fiction, commentaries on Russian literature, and descriptions of Russian literary culture to advertise the race's creative and spiritual potential and its readiness for self-government.http://www.19.bbk.ac.uk/articles/451
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Carol Peaker
spellingShingle Carol Peaker
We are not Barbarians: Literature and the Russian Émigré Press in England, 1890–1905
19 : Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century
author_facet Carol Peaker
author_sort Carol Peaker
title We are not Barbarians: Literature and the Russian Émigré Press in England, 1890–1905
title_short We are not Barbarians: Literature and the Russian Émigré Press in England, 1890–1905
title_full We are not Barbarians: Literature and the Russian Émigré Press in England, 1890–1905
title_fullStr We are not Barbarians: Literature and the Russian Émigré Press in England, 1890–1905
title_full_unstemmed We are not Barbarians: Literature and the Russian Émigré Press in England, 1890–1905
title_sort we are not barbarians: literature and the russian émigré press in england, 1890–1905
publisher Open Library of Humanities
series 19 : Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century
issn 1755-1560
publishDate 2006-10-01
description If any single factor militated against late Victorian support for a Russian revolution, it was the entrenched belief that Russians were barbarians, incapable of governing themselves, a race of ‘besotted savages utterly unfit for civilisation'. Yet during the last years of the nineteenth century, England faced a challenge to her conception of the Russian race. Educated and cultured Russian exiles toured up and down the country lecturing on Russian themes; they also published propaganda aimed at winning English hearts over to the Russian revolution. This paper examines two émigré magazines – the pro-Nihilist Free Russia (1890–1914) and its ostensibly less radical rival, The Anglo-Russian (1897–1914). Specifically, it explores how they used fiction, commentaries on Russian literature, and descriptions of Russian literary culture to advertise the race's creative and spiritual potential and its readiness for self-government.
url http://www.19.bbk.ac.uk/articles/451
work_keys_str_mv AT carolpeaker wearenotbarbariansliteratureandtherussianemigrepressinengland18901905
_version_ 1721405408029966336

Similar Items