How St. Petersburg learned to study itself : the Russian idea of kraevedenie /

The aim of this study is twofold: to instruct about a peculiar genre of local history that exists in Russia, especially St. Petersburg; and, a la Foucault, to inform how a field of inquiry comes into existence and matures to become a part of the identity of the cultured citizenry. Literature about St. Petersburg originated in the 18th century soon after its founding, as a panegyric to Peter the Great, the builder of the city. By the turn of the 19th century, travelers "discovered" the city's architectural and artistic beauty. Travel guides began to appear, and the genre continues to attract readers today. Writers noted that St. Petersburg was a "rational" city that could satisfy modern tastes as the old European municipalities could not. By mid-19th century, the city became simultaneously an object of interest and a milieu for Russia's writers, such as Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Bely. The book is well argued and documented. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. A. Ezergailis Ithaca College