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Which four major periods divide the history of Russian literature?
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Russian literature
Aleksandr Pushkin, oil on canvas by Vasily Tropinin, 1827; in the National Pushkin Museum, St. Petersburg
The history of Russian literature is defined by three sudden, politically driven breaks that divide the tradition into four distinct periods:
- Pre-Petrine (or Old Russian): Beginning with the Christianization of Kievan Rus in the late 10th century, this period encompasses early written works before the Westernizing reforms of Peter I.1
- Imperial: This era followed the rapid Westernization initiated by Peter the Great and includes the 19th century, which is widely considered the most celebrated period of Russian literary history.1
- Post-Revolutionary: Triggered by the 1917 Russian Revolution and the Bolshevik coup, this period saw literature increasingly influenced by the political requirements of the communist state.1
- Post-Soviet: Marking the final major break, this period began following the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 and the subsequent collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1991.1