CHAPTER XII.
SEVENTH PERIOD: DANILEVSKY, SALTYKOFF, L.N.TOLSTOY, GORKY, AND OTHERS.
Under the influence of the romantic movement in western Europe, in the '30's of the nineteenth century, and in particular under the deep impression made by Sir Walter Scott's novels, historical novels and historical studies began to make their appearance in Russia, and in the '50's underwent two periods of existence, which totally differed from each other.
During the first period the romance-writers, including even Pushkin, treated things from a governmental point of view, and dealt only with such epochs, all more or less remote, as the censorship permitted.

For example, Zagoskin, the best known of the historical novelists, wrote "Askold's Grave," from the epoch of the baptism of the Russians, in the tenth century, and "Yury Miloslavsky," from the epoch of the Pretender, early in the seventeenth century; while Lazhetchnikoff wrote "The Mussulman," from the reign of Ivan III., sixteenth century, and "The Last Court Page," from the epoch of Peter the Great's wars with Sweden.
The historical facts were alluded to in a slight, passing way, or narrated after the fashion of Karamzin, in lofty terms, with artificial patriotic inspiration.

As the authors lacked archaeological learning, the manners and accessories of the past were merely sketched in a general, indefinite way, and often inaccurately, while the pages were chiefly filled with the sentimental love-passages of two or three virtuous heroes of stereotyped patterns, who were subjected to frightful adventures, perished several times, and were resuscitated for the purpose of marrying in ordinary fashion at the end.
In the '50's people became far too much interested in the present to pay much heed to the past.

Yet precisely at that time the two finest historians came to the front, Sergyei M.Solovieff and N.I.
Kostomaroff, and effected a complete revolution in historiography.
Solovieff's great history brings the narrative down to the reign of Katherine II.

Kostomaroff dealt with periods, giving a complete picture of each one; hence each study, while complete in itself, does not of necessity always contain the whole career of the personages who figure in it.