The Siberian Journey of Vasily Zhukovsky and Tsesarevich Alexander Nikolaevich in 1837: Two Images of the Russian East

Abstract

The article investigates regularities of psychological perception and image constructing of Siberia by V.A. Zhukovsky and tsesarevich (crown prince) Alexander Nikolaevich during their travel across Russia in 1837. On the materials of the travelers’ letters, diaries and the 19th century periodicals, the author of the article shows the formation of two versions of Siberia’s image. Alexander Nikolayevich’s perception leant in many respects on cultural models familiar to him and provided mostly by the tradition of travel-writing ranging widely from the initiation archetypes to Russian practices of province revision. Zhukovsky, on the contrary, demonstrated the ability to separate the devices of literary travel from the circumstances of the real journey. The former he applied, when the voyage started, in his translation of the eastern story “Nala and Damaianti”. It is shown in the article that the travel of the heir to throne was a marking event and it was included in the process of symbolic annexing of the isolated territory which was typical for imperial culture of the first half of the 19th century: the discourse of Siberia which was being created in the cultural centre was subjected in a larger degree to the idea of the integral imperial space. In the heir’s notes about the travel the words of Siberians became the frame for this symbolic annexation. Seeing the future the czar for the first time on his land said: “hitherto Siberia was a peculiar land and now it became Russia”.