LETTERS FROM THE FRONT AS A SOURCE FOR THE STUDY OF THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL CONTENT OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

Abstract

In recent decades the direction of the domestic historical science exploring the anthropological content of the Great Patriotic War is actively developing. In this regard ego-documents come into the view of scientists – memories (memoirs), diaries and letters. The purpose of this article is to identify the representativeness of letters from the front for the anthropological study of the content of the Great Patriotic War. The investigation of the letters from the front was made on the basis of formulary analysis, which represents an epistolary text as a system of interrelated elements. The author concludes that the researchers' reference to epistolary sources makes it possible to illuminate the little-known aspects of the Great Patriotic War, to see events through the eyes of their direct witnesses and participants. However, it is pointed out that a full study of the anthropological content of the war is possible only with the integrated use of all types of documents of personal origin.