The purpose of the study is to find out the degree of reflection of the diverse social characteristics of the Russian capital bureaucracy in the first half of the 19 century, through the lens of a specific literary illustration — «St. Petersburg stories» by М. V. Hohol (N. V. Gogol). The methodology of the study is consisted of methods of scientific criticism, historical-chronological, historical-typological, structural-system methods for the study of belles-lettres as a historical source and the presentation of intrinsic results. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the actualization of the St. Petersburg cycle of stories by M. V. Hohol as a fact of objective reality and a historical source in the history of bureaucracy; proving the likelihood of engaging fiction in the original arsenal of scientific studies on the basis of a prudent critical approach. The Conclusions. Comprehensive long-term reform of the bureaucratic apparatus of the Russian Empire in the first half of the 19 century caused: significant changes in the quantitative and qualitative composition of the bureaucracy; professionalization of bureaucratic activity and corresponding changes in professional education; mental transformations related to the conscious attitude at the state level to the importance of the official mission; reducing the impact of family, clan ties, that is, patronage, on promotion of business ladders; the growing role of the bureaucracy in the development of the state. The characteristics of class bureaucracy as a special professional group with its own subculture illustrate the images of the Hohol titular adviser and collegial assessor, depicted against the background of the historical era, taking into account the peculiarities of public and private life of the inhabitants of the Northern capital. The specificity of their activities is determined by the functional responsibilities of the representative of each rank. The discovery and disclosure of literary genrefunction techniques of the «St. Petersburg Stories» enables a multifaceted presentation of the image of the bureaucrat and the historical context of his life.
Source: Bezdrabko V. (2019). Bureaucrat`s portrait in «The St. Petersburg tales» by Mykola Hohol. East European Historical Bulletin. Scientific conference proceedings: 8–30
Source web-site: http://eehb.dspu.edu.ua/article/view/184406/188052
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