Museum-type institutions with literary themes in Russia and abroad: History of genesis and present condition

Abstract

The article discusses the history of the genesis and the present condition of museum-type institutions in Russia and abroad, dealing with the preservation, representation or popularization of the literary heritage. The reasons and history of the formation of the term “paramuseum” abroad in the 1980s and the term “museum-type institution” in Russia in the 2000s are considered, examples of researchers who addressed this topic are given. An attempt has been made to give a broader definition of the existing term “museum-type institution” based on a comparison of museum-type institutions with institutions closest to them — museums and to highlight their main differences. The reasons for the emergence of museum-type institutions are revealed and their classification is given. It is indicated what is meant by literary themes in the context of this article. Examples of various types of museum-type institutions with literary subjects in Europe (Netherlands, Italy, Finland, Sweden, Russia and others), Asia (Japan, Korea and others) and North America (USA) are given. Their main features are indicated — a different amount of museum functions performed, the principle of location. Examples are given of theme parks (Efteling, Pinocchio Park, Astrid Lindgren’s World, Moomin World, Canadian World, Petite France and others), cultural centers (Patrick Kavanagh Centre, John Dos Passos Cultural Center, Cultural Center. A.I. Solzhenitsyna and others) and children’s museums (such as “Tower of Snegurochka”, “Wizard Forest”, interactive museum-theater “Pushkin’s fairy tales”) with literary themes, rooms of writers and expositions dedicated to them in libraries and educational institutions, cafe-museum and restaurant-museum. Based on these examples, the author concludes that many institutions seem to be very promising and have the potential to become full-fledged museums.