{"product_id":"this-meager-nature-landscape-and-national-identity-in-imperial-russia-niu-series-in-slavic-east-european-and-eurasian-studies-9780875803036","title":"This Meager Nature: Landscape and National Identity in Imperial Russia (NIU Series in Slavic  East European  and Eurasian Studies)","description":"\u003cp\u003eBoundless Russia  humble yet full of hidden grandeursuch visions of \"the motherland\" became crucial markers of Russian national identity. This Meager Nature is the first full-length study to trace the cultural construction of Russias landscape during the nineteenth century  showing how artistic and literary representations of nature reflected and shaped Russians ideas about themselves and their nation. In the early 1800s  Russians commonly accepted the European judgment that their land lacked aesthetic value. That view changed with the outpouring of literary and artistic creativity that followed the centurys political upheavals. Artists such as Aleksei Savrasov  Fedor Vasilev  Ivan Shishkin  and Nikolai Nekrasov turned to their native land and revealed the power of grey skies  vast open fields  and simple birch forests. Russians came to embrace their lands modest beauty  which represented strength and hidden depths. The historical creation of Russias sense of place resulted not so much from its citizens encounters with their environment  Ely argues  as from their long-term struggle to distinguish Russia from Europe. The humble beauty of the Russian land served to assert the genuineness of Russia against the inauthenticity of western Europe. For those who embraced it  the \"meager\" beauty of the landscape provided a powerful means for experiencing and expressing Russian national identity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67636879622197,"sku":"ByrdShop_0875803032","price":57.54,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780875803036.jpg?v=1791557733","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/this-meager-nature-landscape-and-national-identity-in-imperial-russia-niu-series-in-slavic-east-european-and-eurasian-studies-9780875803036","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}