“Genuine Anecdotes about Peter the Great” by J. Shtelin (at the Origins of Historical Anecdote Genre in Russia)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the collection of historical anecdotes about Peter the Great by J. Shtelin (1709—1785), first published in 1785 in German in Leipzig. It is proved that historical anecdotes (about Peter the Great) as a genre of literature appeared in Russia in the second half of the 1730s. According to the author, they appeared on the basis of the stories about Peter the Great that were widespread in society. It is reported that the first collection of historical anecdotes about Peter the Great created by Jakob Shtelin is a collection of 34 anecdotes from 1744. It is noted that later on he created collections of 95, 110 and 117 anecdotes. The study has shown that Shtelin's historical anecdotes are the result of a deep literary reworking of the messages and legends he heard. It is revealed that Jakob Shtelin worked on the transformation of the sketches written by him, based on the oral stories he heard, into historical anecdotes for over 40 years. It is argued that as a result, the publication of his historical anecdotes in 1785 was a resounding success in Europe, including Russia, and marked the beginning of the flourishing of this genre in Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.