1807 E. A. Protasova Letters Concerning the Marriage Proposal by V. A. Zhukovsky

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Abstract

The article offers the first publication of the letters of E. A. Protasova to V. A. Zhukovsky, related to his first proposal to her daughter in November 1807. The letters are instrumental for determining the date of this event, the previous, erroneous, dating being 1805. They provide insights into the contents of Zhukovsky’s unpreserved letters where he offers his hand in marriage to Masha Protasova, and into his response to her mother’s refusal. The article is based on ca. twenty previously unpublished letters of M. A. Protasova to Zhukovsky, 1802–1807, and analyzes the dynamics of their relations. It touches on the Russian marriage legislation before and after 1917, as well as on the public sentiments that point to the rejection of the type of marital union that the poet aspired to (between an uncle and his niece).

About the authors

S. V. Berezkina

Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkinskij Dom), Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: s.berezkina@mail.ru

V. S. Kiselev

Tomsk State University

Email: kv-uliss@mail.ru

References

  1. Antonov D. N., Antonova I. A. Metricheskie knigi Rossii XVIII — nachala XX v. M., 2006.
  2. Berezkina S. V. Sovetskii istoricheskii roman v zerkale istoricheskogo istochnika («Sud’ba Pleshcheevykh» A. N. Glumova i pis’ma A. A. Pleshcheeva k V. A. Zhukovskomu) // Tekst. Kniga. Knigoizdanie. 2024. № 35.
  3. Berezkina S. V., Dmitrieva N. L. «Obnimaiu tebia bratski, druzheski…» (pis’ma A. A. Pleshcheeva k V. A. Zhukovskomu, 1809–1814) // Literaturnyi fakt. 2024. № 1 (31).
  4. Kiselev V. S., Lebedeva O. B., Tret’iakov E. O. Problemy graficheskoi, sintaksicheskoi i semanticheskoi klassifikatsii rukopisnykh dokumentov rubezha XVIII—XIX vv. iz rossiiskikh arkhivov: vozmozhnosti mashinnogo analiza dannykh (na materiale kollektivnykh pisem k V. A. Zhukovskomu) // Imagologiia i komparativistika. 2023. № 19.
  5. Kiseleva L. N., Stepanishcheva T. N. Problema avtotsenzury v perepiske M. A. Protasovoi i V. A. Zhukovskogo // Trudy po russkoi i slavianskoi filologii. Literaturovedenie. V. Novaia seriia. Tartu, 2005.
  6. Konshina E. N. Arkhiv Elaginykh i Kireevskikh // Zapiski Otdela rukopisei. M., 1953. Vyp. 15.
  7. Perepiska V. A. Zhukovskogo i A. A. Voeikovoi. 1811–1829 / Vstup. stat’ia i komm. S. V. Be rezkinoi; sost. i podg. teksta S. V. Berezkinoi, N. L. Dmitrievoi, V. S. Kiseleva i O. B. Lebedevoi. Tomsk, 2020.
  8. Perepiska V. A. Zhukovskogo i A. P. Elaginoi: 1813–1852 / Sost., podg. teksta i komm. E. M. Zhiliakovoi. M., 2009.
  9. Zhukovskii V. A. Poln. sobr. soch. i pisem: V 20 t. M., 2004–2019. T. 8, 13, 15, 16.

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML

Copyright (c) 2025 Russian Academy of Sciences