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Abstract:

The article focuses on one of the central episodes of the second book of A.N. Tolstoy’s novel Peter the Great — the Battle of Narva, as well as the main historical sources that became the basis for the depiction of this scene by the writer. One of the first battles of the Northern War was not successful for the army of Peter the Great, but it became the subject of the writer’s careful research. The article also makes a textual analysis of the most illustrative examples of scenes from the novel in comparison with N.G. Ustryalov’s The History of the Reign of Peter the Great and S.M. Solovyov’s The History of Russia since Ancient Times. The novelty of the article includes a comprehensive analysis of these works, as well as finding fragments, which became the basis for the depiction of these scenes by A.N. Tolstoy. The specific examples from the texts are given. As a result, the conclusion is made concerning author’s careful work with historical sources based on the writer’s marks in these books, as well as the creative work of the writer.