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In:Transnational Books for Children 1750-1900: Producers, consumers, encounters
Edited by Charlotte Appel, Nina Christensen and M.O. Grenby
[Children’s Literature, Culture, and Cognition 15] 2023
► pp. 89–108

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Chapter 4
Catherine the Great’s writings for children in transnational context

 | University of California, Santa Barbara
Published online: 8 August 2023
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https://doi.org/10.1075/clcc.15.04wel
Abstract
When Russian Empress Catherine the Great (1729–1796) wrote allegorical fairy tales and educational materials for her grandsons, as well as an audience of Russian children, she actively partook in transnational traditions, finding inspiration and models in genres that fluidly crossed geographical boundaries in the eighteenth century. Comparing Catherine’s writings for children both nationally and transnationally with other mirrors for princes intended to guide young rulers, allegorical fairy tales in exotic settings, and broader enlightening projects of the time, reveals how her works hybridise different genres and transnational sources of inspiration to create something new and never seen before in Russia. At the same time, the example of Catherine’s writings also exemplifies how writings for a child become literature for children.
Article outline
  • The education of Catherine the Great
  • Mirrors for Princes
  • Catherine’s writings for children and the oriental tale
  • Catherine’s writings for children and Diderot’s Encyclopedia
  • Catherine’s writings and Comenius’ Orbis Pictus
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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