Creating the Nation: Identity and Aesthetics in Early Nineteenth-century: NIU Series in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies

 Offering an incisive new study of literature and nationalism, Cooper examines fundamental developments in Russian and Czech literature and criticism from 1800 to 1830, a period that has largely been neglected in the English-language scholarship. While other books have focused on the question of why developing nations look to literature as a source of national identity, Cooper asks why ideas of nationality were necessary for critics and writers seeking to evolve new genres and forms and modernize literary values. Cooper’s ambitious work produces a clear picture of the paradigm shift in literary values that drove the development of national identity and demonstrates how critical this period is to understanding the major trends and concerns of Russian and Czech literatures over the 19th century.