Tinyakova E.A. How Folklore Can Become a Historical Source

Abstract: The object of the present research is the narrative functions of the forms of Russian traditional folklore culture, most of all, oral forms and vocal art. The subject of the research is the historical content of the narrative aspect of Russian traditional folklore culture. The purpose of the article is to present the historical content of Russian folklore culture as an additional historical discipline among other supporting historical disciplines such as genealogy, toponymy, heraldry etc. Historical content, kept in traditional culture, helps to make teaching Russian history more illusrative, besides learners are proposed to choose details and facts, present in folk tales and legends, folk songs and other forms of traditional culture and build up historic texts themselves, hence it is just the beginning of research approach to historic information. Russian foklore culture is represented as a historical text. Emelian Pugachev's revolt is given as the case study. Under contemporary educational process, strongly dependent on internet resources, this approach to collect details of historic facts in forms of traditional culture is very cognitively activating, because historic knowledge itself is vertical not horizontal. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author views Russian folklore as a historical text represented in the nation's collective consciousness. The new scientific approach implies a new research method. History, kept in forms of folk culture, presents mass historic conscience, polished through a lot of various opinions and confirmed in the course of history pacing. Folk culture is the treasury of historic moods that accompanied events, it follows the 'iceberg' principle: little is on the surface and much is to be discovered and guessed. 

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