The Familiar Letter as a Literary Genre in the Age of Pushkin

In the field of Russian literary studies, there is surprisingly little discussion of independent genres and their effect on the creativity of an era. This important text on the quasi-public "friendly letter" of nineteenth-century Russia addresses this deficiency, examining the tradition of familiar letter writing that developed in the early 1800s among literary circles that included such luminaries as Pushkin, Karamzin, and Turgenev, and arguing that these letters constitute a distinct literary genre.

"Light, sensitive and pleasantly in harmony with [the] gentle and civilized subject." --Modern Language Review

"Professor Todd's thoughtful inquiry into this engaging subject is a valuable addition to the scholarly literature on the Age of Pushkin. It is written with a clarity and grace which the Arzamasians themselves would have appreciated." --Russian Review