{"product_id":"this-meager-nature-landscape-and-national-identity-in-imperial-russia-paperback-softback-9780875809854","title":"This Meager Nature; Landscape and National Identity in Imperial Russia (Paperback \/ softback) 9780875809854","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThis Meager Nature\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eLandscape and National Identity in Imperial Russia\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eChristopher Ely (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780875809854\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 11 June 2009\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e290 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 2.1 cm, 0.454 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn elegant, stimulating and compelling work.\u003c\/p\u003e (Slavic and East European Journal) \u003cp\u003eSuperbly researched, well written, and incisive.\u003c\/p\u003e (The Historian) \u003cp\u003e[Ely] deftly succeeds in bringing the Russian landscape, as it existed in the imaginations of travel writers, poets, and painters, into a bold new perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e (Journal of Modern History)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoundless Russia, humble yet full of hidden grandeur—such visions of \"the motherland\" became crucial markers of Russian national identity. \u003ci\u003eThis Meager Nature\u003c\/i\u003e is the first full-length study to trace the cultural construction of Russia's landscape during the nineteenth century, showing how artistic and literary representations of nature reflected and shaped Russians' ideas about themselves and their nation.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the early 1800s, Russians commonly accepted the European judgment that their land lacked aesthetic value. That view changed with the outpouring of literary and artistic creativity that followed the century's political upheavals. Artists such as Aleksei Savrasov, Fedor Vasil'ev, Ivan Shishkin, and Nikolai Nekrasov turned to their native land and revealed the power of grey skies, vast open fields, and simple birch forests.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRussians came to embrace their land's modest beauty, which represented strength and hidden depths. The historical creation of Russia's sense of place resulted not so much from its citizens' encounters with their environment, Ely argues, as from their long-term struggle to distinguish Russia from Europe. The humble beauty of the Russian land served to assert the genuineness of Russia against the inauthenticity of western Europe. For those who embraced it, the \"meager\" beauty of the landscape provided a powerful means for experiencing and expressing Russian national identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTable of Contents\u003cbr\u003e Preface and Acknowlegments \u003cbr\u003e Introduction: Russia, Landscape, and National Identity \u003cbr\u003e 1. Arcadia on the Steppe \u003cbr\u003e 2. The Search for a Picturesque Russia \u003cbr\u003e 3. Landscapes of Nationality and Nostalgia \u003cbr\u003e 4. Outer Gloom and Inner Glory \u003cbr\u003e 5. To Paint the Russian Landscape \u003cbr\u003e 6. A Portrait of the Motherland \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion: A Russian Sense of Place \u003cbr\u003e Notes \u003cbr\u003e Bibliography \u003cbr\u003e Index\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Northern Illinois University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52584762310936,"sku":"9780875809854","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/this-meager-nature-landscape-and-national-identity-in-imperial-russia-paperback-softback-9780875809854","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}