On the Genre Specificity of Historical Prose for Children

Abstract

Marina Balina’s article, “On the Genre Specificity of Historical Prose for Children”, examines Soviet-era historical prose for children. The works of children’s historical prose analyzed in this article show how complex and contradictory was the rise and development of this genre in Soviet children’s literature. Historical narratives written for children during the Soviet era allow the reader to observe various trends in children’s literature discourse, from

blatant propaganda to the no less blatant dissent-stance of fronda – the complex phenomenon that Russian historian Jakov Gordin terms an act of “oppositionist enlightenment.”

Keywords: historical narratives for children, Soviet children’s literature, Marxist approach to history, ancient Egypt, S. Grigoriev, N. Ostromenskaia.