Russia Through Women's Eyes: Autobiographies from Tsarist RussiaToby W. Clyman, Judith Vowles Nineteenth-century Russia has been known to the West mainly through the writings of men. Russian women, however, were far from silent and have left vivid testimony about their families, their education, their careers, and their country. This collection presents, for the first time in English, the lives of eleven remarkable Russian women as told in their own words. These autobiographies span the century and cover a wide range of classes and professions. Among the authors are women of the gentry (Natalia Grot), the merchant class (Aleksandra Kobiakova), the lower bureaucracy (Praskovia Tatlina), and the serf class (Liubov Nikulina-Kositskaia). They include writers (Elizaveta Lvova, Anastasia Verbitskaia), a journalist (Emilia Pimenova), an actress in the provincial theater (Liubov Nikulina-Kositskaia), and two physicians (Varvara Kashevarova-Rudneva, Ekaterina Slanskaia)--one the first woman to earn a medical degree in Russia, the other a doctor in the slums of St. Petersburg. Their memoirs show their fierce engagement in the debate over woman's nature, her duties and responsibilities, her upbringing, and her place in society. Each autobiography is introduced and annotated by Toby Clyman and Judith Vowles, who also provide a general introduction that situates these writings within the Russian and Western autobiographical traditions. |
Contents
FOUR | 11 |
Nadezhda Sokhanskaia An Autobiography | 47 |
Aleksandra Kobiakova An Autobiography | 60 |
Liubov NikulinaKositskaia Notes | 109 |
FIVE | 136 |
Varvara KashevarovaRudneva M D | 158 |
A Day in the Practice | 186 |
EIGHT | 242 |
Emiliia Pimenova Bygone Days | 311 |
A Bibliographical Note | 381 |
Other editions - View all
Russia Through Women's Eyes: Autobiographies from Tsarist Russia Judith Vowles No preview available - 1996 |
Common terms and phrases
academy actress Afrosinia Aksakov's Anastasiia Nikitichna Anna Stepanovna appeared asked Askold's Grave Baba Bashkir became began child childhood class matron Clyman course Dashkova daughter doctor Dorothy Atkinson dress everything eyes father gentry girl give Grandmother hand happy heart husband Imperial Russia institute Ivan Kashevarova Kharkov kind knew later laughed literary literature lives look Maly Theater Mama Mariia marriage married medicine memoirs Moscow mother Nanny narrative never Nikolai Nikulina-Kositskaia nineteenth century Orenburg peasant Petersburg Petr physicians play poor published remember reminiscences role rubles Russian Literature Russian Review Russian society Russian Women Writers Russkaia Russkii Russkii vestnik Smolny Institute Sokhanskaia soul story Tarnovsky teacher tears tell theater thought told took University Press Varenka Verbitskaia versts vestnik Volga Voronezh Vospominaniia walk woman women's autobiography write wrote Yaroslavl young Zapiski zemstvos