The history of the fatherland or the biography of a historical person can be studied not only from textbooks, but also from sources of personal origin. What is it? You will learn about this in our article, and we will also tell you about the various types and classifications of this phenomenon.
Sources of personal origin. Definition
Many scientists explain that this is a huge layer of various verbal sources, which are united by common signs of origin. It is they who most accurately and consistently convey the process of developing interpersonal relationships.
The sources are very diverse in their content and origin. Their differences lie not only in content and form, but also in the ways of transmitting and providing information. Therefore, they are classified. Here are the classifications of sources of personal origin.
Split by features
Initially, sources are classified according to communication links, which are considered in twoaspects. Sources of personal origin are divided into diary entries or interpersonal. The latter group is divided into documents with a fixed addressee (they are also classified as epistolary genres) and an indefinite addressee (confessions and essays).
There is another method of source study of sources of personal origin, but it is not so relevant for us.
It is noteworthy that epistolary genres were originally intended for immediate publication. And the genres of essays are delayed publication.
Search and use of autocommunicative sources is difficult. Often they were destroyed by the creators or carelessly stored. Unfortunately, in our state there is no system for their storage, unlike office sources. If they were kept, they ended up in personal funds in the form of collections.
Historians have noted a trend of changing attitudes towards materials of personal origin as historical sources.
But before we get into the evolution of such documents, let's talk about some examples.
Paper exhibits from the past
We have already covered the definition and classification. Let's look at some examples of sources of personal origin: memoirs, autobiographies, essays, confessions, letters.
We will consider each type separately. In the meantime, let's talk about the formation of personal documents.
Evolution of verbal sources
In the 17th century, emerging sources of personal origin were formed in Western Europe. They were likedomestic. In the future, their development led to the fact that Russian analogues differed significantly from sources of Western European origin. Scientists believe that the whole thing is in the evolution of memoirs.
The 18th century is characterized by the progressive development of human individuality, as well as the creation of secondary social bonds that have been shaped and structured by society and government intervention. Unfortunately, this factor has reformed the development of sources of personal origin. It is noteworthy that the essay as a genre is almost absent, and as for memoirs, they live in the form of an autobiography. Domestic authors of memoirs of the 18th century wrote their biographies as if in "isolation". Since they did not have the opportunity to read the works of other authors.
In the sixties of the 19th century, the formation of the consciousness of Russian society was completed. This is evidenced by the publication of historical journals, including the Russian Archive. It is under these conditions that memoirs acquire the status of documents of personal origin as a historical source. Now let's take a closer look at each type of such documents.
Memoirs or "modern stories"
Their "father" is considered to be Philippe de Commines. He wrote his first memoirs at the end of the 15th century. They were published only after three or four decades. But, first of all, let's start with the definition.
Memoirs "modern stories" are a source of personal origin, in which the author captures a significant social event.
De Commin compares hisactivity with the case of the chronicler. In Russia, such a genre appears only by the 17th century. So, Sylvester Medvedev described "contemplation … of Sofya Alekseevna's activities." His contemporary A. A. Matveev writes similar notes.
French nobleman Rouvroy Saint-Simon created the standard of memoirs. He described not only the events he saw, but also the people who participated in them, and also comprehended the tasks of contemporary history.
But there were also such “modern stories” that grew from the genre of memoirs into diaries. This is what happened to Armand de Caulaincourt's memories of the Napoleonic battles.
Historians conclude that memoirs are sources of personal origin, as a historical source they were written in order to be immediately published. After all, many of them contained a response to the reaction of society.
Memoirs-autobiographies
This genre of memoir reflects the author's secondary social connections in the world. These works most often pursue family goals.
Features of sources of personal origin are as follows. The entries are for posterity. At the initial stage of their existence, the selection of information is characteristic. Domestic memoirs and autobiographies draw their origin from the traditions of life, since in Russia in the Middle Ages there were no biographical genres. These include autobiographies of famous people, as well as office autobiographies, which are in the personal files of employees of institutions. Historians note the outstanding memoirs of Andrei Timofeevich Bolotov, born in October 1738. He received a conventional home education. Studiedforeign languages, including French and German. He studied for a short time in a private boarding school. At the age of 17, he was left without parents. Then he entered the service and received the rank of officer. Soon he had to participate in the Seven Years' War. He was in reserve. Bolotov had the opportunity to observe the battle he described. His position as an observer has become normal for him. Bolotov saw a lot, but did not participate in the events of the 18th century, which he had to describe in his memoirs.
After the war, Andrei Timofeevich already served in the governor's office. The 18th century is considered to be the era of the encyclopedists. Bolotov himself was also fascinated by the sciences. He especially liked agronomy. A man was the first in the 18th century to start breeding varieties of tomatoes. He developed his own digging system, and also practiced healing. Then there are the magazines. Bolotov publishes his magazine "The Villager". At this time, he began to publish philosophical works, and also wrote plays for theaters. Andrei Timofeevich was fond of all the directions of his century. However, he managed to avoid palace coups, although he was closely acquainted with Count Orlov.
The source of personal origin are autobiographical memoirs. Great attention is paid to the issues of service, the production of ranks, as well as the receipt of salaries, are described in particular detail. However, researchers have noticed that the authors have no desire to fix the course of history or historical realities. In the 19th century, the memoirs of modern history relegated autobiographies to the background, but in the future theyinterest arises. Consider the following concept of a source of personal origin.
Essays
Essays are another type of source that is designed to convey the unique experience of an individual in a historical period of time. The essayist on paper expresses his own opinion on the acute problem he has chosen. He differs from a publicist in that he speaks on his own behalf, and not from a representative of any social group.
Essays, as a type of source of personal origin, refers to the works of Michel Montaigne, namely the "Experiments" of 1581. In them, he conveys his own opinion on the issues of grief, solitude, resilience, and so on. At the very beginning, he addresses the reader and declares that this book is sincere. The author did not set any goals for himself, except for private and family ones. He did not think about profit or glory. He wanted to please his family with his work. If you read the author's appeal from beginning to end, you get the impression that we have memoirs before us. Yes, indeed, the Frenchman recounts personal experience, but it is worth noting that there is no retrospective information in his text.
It is noteworthy that essays and essays in Russia have not found much popularity. The first such texts appeared only at the beginning of the 19th century. These were Gogol's letters to friends or philosophical letters written by Chaadaev. Publicism soon choked, as the personal position was subordinated to the public interest.
Thus, essay writing has become a philosophical genre in Russia. Vasily Vasilyevich Rozanov preferred him.
Confession
Monologue-confession - a source of personal origin, as a historical source is a philosophical work, which affirms the uniqueness of a person's individuality. It is the purpose that brings the confession closer to the essay. This genre cannot be considered widespread. However, it is especially important for understanding the source of modern times. It should be noted that medieval texts are not only theological, but also didactic in nature. Jean-Jacques Rousseau laid the foundation for such confessions. The philosopher created his confession in the 60s of the XVIII century.
Let's try to determine what the purpose of this work was. Initially, the philosopher's text can be considered a memoir, since the author's personality is at the center of the narrative. He reproduces and transmits events from his life from memory. It does not select events. Rousseau describes everything he remembers, even the smallest details. Literary critics note that in these traditions he is similar to Bolotov. But Rousseau's text contains even more small details from his life. To understand the meaning of his work, you need to pay special attention to the first paragraphs.
Thus, Rousseau's "Confession" is a philosophical work. Its meaning is to affirm the uniqueness of a person, which goes against the generally accepted ideas of the Enlightenment.
In Russian literature there is a "Confession" by Leo Tolstoy.
Sources of personal origin. Learning process
When familiarizing historians with documents of personal origin, work is carried out, consisting ofthree steps:
- The origin of this source is determined, that is, the time and place of creation, authenticity. Historians also determine the motives for creating a written document. At this stage, additional sources are also determined, which will be attracted.
- The content is studied, the reliability, completeness, relevance and so on are determined.
- The historian analyzes the surrounding reality, which is reflected by the author in the materials.
Basic properties of sources
For sources of personal origin, the main properties are defined:
- documentary;
- subjectivity;
- retrospective.
All of them are connected with the manifestation of the personal principle in documents of this type. These properties made it possible to determine the value and peculiarity of this document, to take into account its specifics in the study. The documentary nature of such sources is characterized from the position of reflecting real events of the past. Such sources are also documents that tell us about the past. Retrospectivity of the document characterizes the attitude to the events of the past and is associated with the reflection of realities in the form of a written document. To date, the value of sources of personal origin is sufficiently justified. However, discussions continue in scientific circles about the secondary importance of memoirs, diaries, and memoirs. The thing is that the emotional side of the author prevails in documents of personal origin. But his professional style is clearly visible andevent analysis.
The value of such documents
There is no doubt that sources of personal origin have value. They have their own characteristics, because they belong to a certain person and are able to reflect his perception of the world around him, phenomena, as well as historical events. Such documents contain socio-psychological information, which is very difficult to find in official sources. Also, such sources contain information and facts that are not covered in other materials. This enables the researcher to reproduce not only individual events, but also the features of a certain historical period.
The informational value of materials lies in the fact that there is often not enough information in official documents. And it is the study of memoirs that provides researchers with useful factual material. Such a problem affected the documents of the era of the Soviet Union under Stalin. Therefore, it would not be superfluous to recall the works of the domestic publicist and historian, as well as the politician R. A. Medvedev. He wrote more than 35 books on national history, where the author described in the first person the political events that took place in the Soviet Union from the 20th Congress to its collapse. Memoirs are especially important when writing a biography or for recreating the political situation within a state. However, for the description of mass events or for the study of agriculture, memoirs will play a secondary role.
Personal correspondence, diaries, memoirs and memoirs are of great value for historians during the reconstruction of the militaryevents.
Conclusion
Thus, our article has come to an end. We need to draw conclusions. Firstly, sources of personal origin are considered a very valuable and important document for the study of historical events and phenomena. Secondly, the involvement of such documents in historical research will allow the historian to work more accurately and deviate from unnecessary grounds on official sources, which means that the cognitive significance of the problem under study will increase dramatically.
Many of us kept diaries as children. They contained various memories. They reflected our emotional experiences, shocks. As they grow up and everyday problems appear, people give up their hobby, I don’t understand the fact that after many years it would be interesting for children, grandchildren and other descendants to read what we felt at their age, and also what worried our consciousness most of all, what events happened around us.
History can be studied not only from textbooks, but also from works of art, documentaries. For example, Lydia Yakovlevna Ginzburg, a contemporary of Blok and Akhmatova, was familiar with many poets of the 20th century. All the memories associated with Mayakovsky or Yesenin, she collected bit by bit and wrote down. Then these memoirs were embodied in a serious work, which philologists and literary critics study with great pleasure. It turns out that Vladimir Mayakovsky in five minutes could write a poem that children learn at school. He said that big poems take away from him as much as 20minutes!
Memoirs, diaries, letters will also be useful when studying history. If children and adults do not learn history, then our people and our society will be doomed to gradual disappearance. After all, each of us should know that history is written and studied in order not to make past mistakes and learn from them.
