Transformation of Literary Texts in the 19-th Century Textbooks: Discussing the School Canon

Abstract

Anna Sen’kina's article examines the ways by which works of fiction were selected and modified for school books and primary readers in the 19th century Russia. The process of transforming the literary works to suit their educational purposes was a widely accepted practice employed by the editors and publishers. As a result of all changes made to the original texts, these literary works had acquired new meaning, as well as new functions. Large literary works were reduced to excerpts that began to function independently, thus obtaining the life of their own. Such texts, viewed as independent works of literature, were in certain instances more popular than the originals. Such transformation prompted the formation of the school literary canon.   Keywords: literary texts, transformation, school literary canon, readers, independent work of literature, textbook