“IMPORTANT MONUMENTS OF THE PAST LIFE OF OUR ANCESTORS”: FAIRY TALES IN THE RUSSIAN LITERATURE HISTORY CURRICULUM FOR ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL SEMINARIES IN 1868

Abstract

The article focuses on the analysis of fairy tales as part of the Russian literary history course, which was first introduced at Orthodox theological schools in 1868. Both the program’s connection to the 1860s pedagogical debates and the development of this subject in secular education are investigated. The author demonstrates that, in the late 1860s, theological schools were the first to implement the historical approach to literature. Russian folktales were included as a component of “folk literature”, studied as a result of the emphasis on nationalizing the school canon. Seminarians studied fairy tales not as pedagogical works for children but as historical materials, whose examination reveals the “ideal” of the Russian people. The program was not provided with appropriate teaching aids. Relying on a variety of literature, each teacher was required to create a course on their own. In addition to being overly complex for students, the suggested textbook lacked concrete examples of fairy tale analysis. Few teachers were equipped to analyze fairy tales and identify the program’s prescribed mythical, domestic, and Christian components. Furthermore, this kind of work transformed seminarians from secondary school students into specialists in folk literature and even collectors. In their search for mythological components, theological school students may have incorporated elements such as the exorcism of demons through prayer, alongside the “superstitions” of Baba Yaga and Leshy.

Keywords: history of reading, reform of theological educational institutions of 1867, theological seminary, literary education, history of literature curriculum, fairy tails