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Nikolai Leskov’s national economies: An investigation of work and commerce

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Published/Copyright: June 1, 2017
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Summary

Economic and national questions often go hand in hand in Leskov’s work, and their combination makes one of the author’s strategies particularly apparent: In the economic actions of his characters, he takes the rivalry of the nations to the point of absurdity. But work and economics, commerce and craftsmanship also permeate Leskov’s texts from within: Writing itself is an economic proposition. The paper presents Leskov’s narrative economies with particular reference to his stories Skaz o Tul’skom kosom Levshe i o stal’noi blokhe and Zheleznaia volia. Unlike the majority of his contemporaries, Leskov gives prominence to the Russian “third estate” – craftsmen, merchants and small businessmen – yet he also questions the morality of the market, expresses scepticism regarding the burgeoning industrialisation in Russia, and criticises political interference in economic processes.

Acknowledgement

This article was written in spring 2016 during my research fellowship at the Davis Center, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. I am extremely grateful for the fantastic working conditions and the inspiration afforded by the Davis Center, the Slavic department, the Widener Library, and Harvard University in general.

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Published Online: 2017-6-1
Published in Print: 2017-5-30

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