Tokmacheva P.A. Achievements of Historicism in the English Culture of the XIXth Century

Abstract: The article is devoted to the phenomenon of historicism as a distinctive feature of the European mind in the XIXth century as well as the implementation of the phenomenon of historicism in Victorian culture. The author of the article traces back the prerequisites and the main stages of the development of historicism, describes the genres and styles influenced by historicism such as a historical novel in literature (illustrated by the novels of Walter Scott), archeological naturalism in theatre (plays staged by William Macready, Charles Kean or Henry Irving), the Neo-Gothic architecture (Augustus Pugin's and Charles Barry's projects), historicism in art (creative work of the Pre-Raphaelites). In her research the author has applied the descriptive method to state historical and factual material (including the description of new historical genres and movements in the art of the XIXth century) as well as the cultural-philosophical approach to interpreting this material. The author concludes that there were the two main directions of English historicism. The first one was addressed to the national Middle Ages (Medievalism) and the second one referred to Italian Renaissance (Italianism). The vastness of the material collected and analyzed by the author allows to conclude that historicism was one of the key factors in the process of development of the English national art. Projection on the historical trends of the century moved historicism from the periphery to the avant-garde of the European art. 

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