The experience of reconstructing the intellectual culture of the gentry based on the material of estate libraries

The study focuses on intellectual culture of the nobility in the Russian Empire from the 18th to the first half of the 19th century. The research aims to reconstruct the cultural practices of the intellectual elite among the enlightened nobility by analyzing their reading circles and literary practices. Special emphasis is placed on manor libraries, as this period witnessed the flourishing of Russian manor culture, a time when many nobles, freed from obligatory service, relocated to their manors. This led to a redistribution of intellectual capital across the empire and the emergence of a unique phenomenon: manors as semi-autonomous "states within a state," often forming self-contained microcosms. Manor culture, largely independent and minimally influenced by church or academic intellectual elites, continued to evolve, showing the results of intra-class intellectual practices, particularly self-education. Personal libraries, serving as the cornerstone of this development, adapted to the changing needs of the nobility. The research employs the method of cultural reconstruction, utilizing estate library catalogs, archival and ego-documents (memoirs, letters), and material sources (estate interiors) to restore elements of noble intellectual culture. The methodology includes source identification, content analysis, comparative studies of library catalogs, and a biographical approach. The key findings of the study are: firstly, from the late 18th century estate libraries functioned as hubs for accumulating practical, scientific, and life knowledge, sustaining and disseminating the culture of the noble intellectual elite from the capital to the provinces. Secondly, the growth of estate intellectual culture, driven by personal libraries, fostered patronage, educational support, and scientific-technical advancements in remote regions of the empire. The novelty of this work lies in its introduction of previously unexamined sources (data on specific publications in estate libraries) as well as in the integration of research findings and materials that had previously been confined to different academic disciplines.

intellectual culture, nobility, manor culture, personal libraries, cultural history, XVIII century, cultural reconstruction, Russian Empire, ego-documents, Enlightenment