Information about the author:

Acknowledgments:

The study was carried out as part of the state assignment of Institute of History and Archeology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences No. AAAA-A19-119080590022-9 “Historical Continuity and Transformation Processes in the Context of Anthropo-natural Interactions” (headed by Doctor of Historical Sciences N.V. Surzhikova).

Abstract:

The article analyzes the literary works of Dmitrii V. Volkov, a descendant of scribes (podyachie), who later became a leading statesman — his poems (1754), the description of Elizaveta Petrovna’s death and ascension to the throne of Peter III (1762) and the comedy “Education” (1774). The beginning of his career during the reign of Elizaveta Petrovna coincided with the active development of court writing. In his spare time from civil service, Volkov wrote several poems that proved useful for his official career: his confessional lyrical poetry, as well as his odic composition, became an important testimony to his faithful and zealous service to the monarch. Under Catherine II, in imitation of the empress, he created an anonymous comedy “Education”, in which he extolled state service as the main duty of a nobleman and referred with scepticism to the nobleman’s honor in preference to duty. Volkov’s writings with such ideas may be seen as echoes of the podyachie’s culture bounded to the civil service, as well as evidence of the importance of literature to the 18^th-century Russian ruling elite.

Кeywords: history of Russian literature, history of Russia in the 18^th century, D.V. Volkov, Catherine the Great.