Seminarian Prose in Russian Fiction of the 19th Century: General Characteristics

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of prose devoted to theological schools as a significant phenomenon in Russian literature of the 19th century, reflecting the acute social and moral problems of the life of pupils of theological schools and seminaries. The article examines the historical context of the emergence of this literary trend, due to reforms in the field of education, social stratification and the crisis of spiritual values. The article analyzes the work of prominent authors of prose devoted to theological schools: V. T. Narezhny, I. S. Nikitin, N. G. Pomyalovsky, A. K. Voronsky and M. F. Burtsev, and the characteristic conflicts of their works: the difficult financial situation of students, contradictions between pupils and teachers, problems of moral choice and personality formation, criticism of the shortcomings of church education. Special attention is paid to the image of bursa as an “anti-home” symbolizing alienation and spiritual crisis. It is shown how the authors, through the description of the harsh living conditions of seminarians, raised the question of the need to reform the system of spiritual education.