The economy of feelings. Russian literature of the era of Nicholas I

The book proposes a new interpretation of plots about the swollen or infringed ambition, characteristic of the Russian literary tradition of the 19th century. J. Porter compares the history of the concept of "ambitions" in post-napleon France and Russia after the Decembrists uprising and concludes that Russian literature of the era of Nicholas I (1825-1855) is based on differences in understanding this economic passion in Russia and abroad. The author invites the reader to think about the degree of conformity of the same concepts, feelings and forms in the "original" and "borrowed" versions. The historical materials used in the book give a new, unexpected understanding of the actions of the characters of Pushkin, Bulgarin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, what makes them listen, fraud, shimmer or, conversely, save money. The interdisciplinary approach of Porter will be interesting to the researchers of Russian literature, comparativists, and everyone who is interested in Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century in a historical context