OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY
The article is devoted to the issue of historical authenticity and a pragmatic component of the
image of the Maltese knights in Russian narratives. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Russian
man, from a representative of the nobility to the man reading the fiction, was well aware
of the military reputation of the Maltese knights.
The diary entries of the European travels of B. P. Sheremetyev and P. A. Tolstoy (both visited
Malta in 1689) represent the Maltese as experienced and successful warriors as defenders of the
Christian world in the European-Turkish conflicts of the 16th–17th centuries. Information about
the Maltese knights Russian reader of the first third of the 18-th century. could be found in the
books of A. Schonebeck and R.-Au. de Vertot.
Russian manuscript fiction has preserved the reputation of the Maltese knights as glorious and
recognized by all Europe knights, although they do not appear in it in their «historical» mission.
Concerning the translated stories, this can be an indicator of the time of their creation, the original
ones by the factor of following the literary tradition and the desire to «inscribe» their fictional
history in this tradition.
In some stories the mention of the Maltese cavaliers is on the periphery of the plot. However,
there are cases of greater involvement in the plot of the Maltese knights. Like the heroes
of knightly novels, the Maltese knights in these novels embark on individualistic adventures for
the sake of love and glory (The Franzel Venetian’s Story, The George’s and Flarent’s Story).
In two other stories, the involvement in the fictional events of the Maltese knights is related
to the recognition of the outstanding military qualities of the hero or his moral superiority. In the
Story of the Russian Knight Alexander, the recognition by the Maltese knights of the military
prowess of the main hero confirms Russia's entry into the league of European states. In the later
Story of Ephrodite and Maxion, Russian chivalry overshadows Maltese knights. These cultural
shifts in fiction, of course, are associated with the view of the average citizen of the increased role of Russia in the world arena and, perhaps, reflected the historical extinction of the military activity
of the Maltese by the middle of the 18th century.
Apsit T. N. Povest' o Francele Veneciane – pamjatnik russkoj literatury pervoj treti XVIII v.
[The Story of Franzel Venetian is a monument of Russian literature of the first third of the 18th
century]. Abstract of Philol. Cand. Diss. Leningrad, 1985.
Begunov Ju. K. Neizvestnaja rukopisnaja povest' pervoj poloviny XVIII v. o Georgii i Flarente
[Unknown handwritten story of the first half of the XVIII century about George and Flarent].
XVIII vek [XVIII century]. St. Petersburg, 1993, iss. 18, pp. 383–397.
Bykova T. A., Gurevich M. M. Opisanie izdanij grazhdanskoj pechati 1708 – janvar' 1725 g.
[Description of publications of the civil press 1708 – January 1725]. Moscow, Leningrad, 1955.
Małek E. Istorija o Gendrike i Melende i ee dramaticheskaja obrabotka. K voprosu o sud'be
drevnepol'skogo romana v Rossii [The Hendrik’s and Melend’s story and its dramatic treatment.
On the fate of the Ancient Polish novel in Russia]. Warszawa, 2017.
Moiseeva G. N. Ideyno-khudozhestvennyy analiz povesti o rossijskom kavalere Aleksandre
[Ideological and artistic analysis of the Russian Knight Alexander’s story]. Russkie povesti pervoy
treti XVIII veka [Russian novels of the first third of the XVIII century]. Мoscow, Leningrad,
1965, pp. 91–126.
Nastenko I. A., Jashnev Ju. V. Istorija Mal'tijskogo ostrova [History of the Maltese Island]:
in 2 vols. Vol. 1. Мoscow, 2005.
Nastenko I. A., Primachaniya i kommentarii. Vertot R. Au. de Istorija mal'tijskih rycarej [The
History of the Knights of Malta]: in 2 vols. Vol. 1. Мoscow, 2014, pp. 3–5.
Nikolaeva M. V. Ustnye skazanija «o pokinutom syne» i rukopisnye povesti pervoj poloviny
XVIII v. (Istorija o Efrodite i Maksione) [Oral legends «about the abandoned son» and handwritten
novels of the first half of the XVIII century. (The story of Ephrodite and Maximion)].
Trudy otdela drevnerusskoy literatury [Transactions of the Department of Old Russian Literature].
Moscow, Leningrad, 1958, vol. XIV, pp. 474–480.
Ol'shevskaja L. A., Reshetov A. A., Travnikov S. N. Arheograficheskij obzor spiskov
i redakcij «Puteshestvija po Evrope bojarina B. P. Sheremeteva» [An archaeographic survey
of the lists and editions of «Travels through Europe to boyar B. P. Sheremetev»]. Puteshestvija
po Evrope bojarina B. P. Sheremeteva 1697–1699 [Travels through Europe to boyar B. P. Sheremetev
1697–1699]. Moscow, 2013, pp. 337–374.
Ol'shevskaja L. A., Travnikov S. N. Arheograficheskij obzor [An archaeographic survey].
Puteshestvie stol'nika P. A. Tolstogo po Evrope 1697–1699 [Journey of the apprentice PA Tolstoy
in Europe 1697–1699]. Moscow, 1992, pp. 292–301.
Ol'shevskaja L. A., Travnikov S. N. Primechanija [Notes]. Puteshestvija po Evrope bojarina
B. P. Sheremeteva 1697–1699 [Travels through Europe to boyar B. P. Sheremetev 1697–1699].
Moscow, 2013, pp. 411–465.
Shljapkin I. A. Istorija o Francele Venciane i Istorija o Parizhe i Vene [The story of Franzel
Vincian and the Story of Paris and Vienna]. Zhurnal Ministerstva narodnogo prosveshhenija
[Journal of the Ministry of Education]. 1916, January, pp. 70–73.
OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY // Сюжетология и сюжетография. 2017. № 1. Pp. 28–35.