Russia's French Connection: A History of the Lasting French Imprint on Russian Culture

by Adam Coker

Overview

While it is generally acknowledged that Russia’s culture has been influenced by France, the present study goes beyond the Francophile preferences of the noble elite and examines Russian society more broadly, exploring those elements of French cultural influence that are still relevant today. This is done through an historical analysis of French loanwords in the Russian language from the time of Peter the Great to the present. The result of this lexical analysis and subsequent study of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century archival, periodical, and memoir material is to empirically link Russia’s present culture to two major Franco-Russian events: the wave of immigration to Russia following the French Revolution and Russia’s war with Napoleon.

This is primarily a book for those interested in European history, particularly imperial Russia, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic Wars. The study of Russian officer memoirs includes original campaign maps, which may be of interest to military historians. The analysis of periodical literature will likewise be a resource for those studying the history of printing, publishing, and journalism in Russia. The book’s interdisciplinary nature, however, broadens its relevance to linguists, cultural historians, and those in the emerging field of Immigration Studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367515454
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/01/2022
Series:	Routledge Studies in Cultural History
Pages:	370
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Adam Coker is Assistant Professor of History at Brewton-Parker College in Mt. Vernon, Georgia.

Table of Contents

1. In Search of Russia’s French Connection 2. Lexical Analysis of French Influence in Russia 3. French Immigration to Russia 4. The Russian Army’s Foreign Campaigns of 1813–1815 and French Cultural Influence 5. Russian Periodical Literature and French Influence, 1788–1825. Conclusion