Симпатии к барину в русских бытовых сказках

Abstract

The article reveals the degree and character of the positive barin`s image in Russian vernacular tales. It is usually argued that a landlord as pictured in the vernacular tales is an antagonist of a peasant combining greed, stupidity, idleness and rigidity. One can hardly question this argument knowing the dominant behavior stereotypes of Russian landlords, for most of whom the peasants were basically animated objects. However, the social relations in the Russian village were more complex and multilayered, and it is also reflected in folklore, including vernacular tales. The landed gentry had different incomes, while their education, worldview and religiosity also varied. Therefore, barins` attitude towards their serfs differed as well: from inhuman cruelty to «paternal» virtue determined by the awareness that their prosperity depended on the well-being and loyalty of their serfs. Although rarely, there were also some barins who were sincere benefactors of their serfs. One can reveal this variety of attitudes in the vernacular tales. The positive moral characteristics of the gentry might be intertwined with the abovementioned negative ones. This highlights the complexity of perception of barin`s power by peasants. Thus, the vernacular tales is an important historical source to study the barin-muzhik relations in the Russian village, especially its socio-psychological aspect.