| My dissertation explores the image of the Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich Romanov (1779–1831) in Russian Mentality. It is a very wide-spread phenomenon that historical reality differs greatly from its subsequent cultural conceptualization. The grand duke Constantine, the brother of two Russian Emperors, a monarchist, and a serfdom advocate was perceived by Russian peasants as their liberator and protector. Russian gentry also believed that Constantine's reign would herald a golden age. However, he never came to be a Russian Ruler. The political conspiracies and rumors; inspired by the figure of Constantine Pavlovich have risen to myths and legends and this resulting cultural mythology is my main interest.; In the first chapter I gave the main cultural background, upon which this myth was constructed. Then in each other chapter, I examine the definite grain of the myth of Constantine: “Constantine Pavlovich-Byzantine Emperor”, “Constantine Pavlovich-Russian Emperor”, “Constantine-Romantic Hero”, “Constantine-King of Poland”. The Last chapter describes the further history of the Constantine Myth in Russian Culture and History.; I used two basic types of sources: historical and literary. My historical sources include memoirs, diaries, personal and official letters of Constantine Pavlovich's contemporaries and also his own writings. The literary sources of my dissertation are literary works about the grand duke: panegyric verse written for his birthday, all poems in Constantin's honor and two nineteenth-century plays about him written by J. Slowacki and S.Wyšpianski.; On the basis of these kinds of sources I reconstructed public opinion, individual judgments, conversations in salons, rumors, and other unofficial legends that circulated in the nineteenth century about grand duke Constantine. Due to the heterogeneity of my sources, I have been obliged to combine historical and philological methodologies and to take an interdisciplinary approach. Study of Constantine's influence on Russian revolutionary movements required research on the background of the Decembrist rebellion of 1825. In analyzing literary sources I have naturally relied on the Literary Criticism.; The main result of my work is the reconstruction of the public opinion, individual judgments, conversations in salons, rumors, and other unofficial legends that circulated in the nineteenth century about grand duke Constantine. |
