Imagological Stereotypes in Letters and Diaries of Besieged Leningrad

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of cross-cultural communication and imagological stereotypes that every nation has. It discusses their influence on the assessment of historical events. It analyses “Pryamaya rech” (Direct Speech) - a documentary book created by amateur writers L. Romankov, M. Romankova - engineers and physisits, L. Myasnikova – a surgeon, and the reviews of a historical book written by Boston University assosiate professor of history A. Peri, containing diaries of besieged Leningrad. The Russian belief in such principles as collectivism, generosity, self-restriction, self-control, diligence and conscientiousness is considered by foreign scholars to have been imposed by “Soviet propaganda”. Nevertheless, I argue that they became the result of theRussian nation’s evolutionary development during its long and tragic history. It is these traits of character rather than individualism, found by A. Peri in the diaries, that are more typical for Russian people and that can help to survive in historical catastrophes. I also suppose that Russian classical literature has become part and parcel of foreign hetero -stereotype image of Russia. Several intertextual links of besieged Leningrad diaries to classical Russian literature have been found by A Peri and the authors of foreign reviews.