The Origins of Classicalization

Publication and Perception of Academic Heritage of S.B. Veselovskiy

Abstract

The research of how scientific works acquire the status of “classics” is an essential aspect of studying the actualization of ideas and approaches, their circulation in the academic field, as well as the current state of a scientific direction or discipline. Based on historiographical sources and documentation, this article analyzes the role of publication and perception of academic heritage of the famous historian, academician Stepan Borisovich Veselovskiy (1876–1952) in classification. In this research, the creation and activity of the Commission for the publication of Veselovskiy's papers are considered one of the key stages in the process of classicalization. The reasons for creating the Commission and its history, personal membership, and publishing plans based on documentation materials from the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) are studied. Also, the influence of Veselovskiy's literary heritage on the historiography of the late Soviet era is analyzed. The author considers the continuity of Veselovskiy's scientific views and research approaches on pre-Petrine Russia's history, the criticism of papers published both during his lifetime and posthumously. Special attention is paid to the influence of reviews on the classification of literary heritage. Further research prospects are highlighted, and it is assumed that the posthumous publication of Veselovskiy's academic works and their involvement in historiography created the basis for the classification of Veselovskiy's literary heritage in the late Soviet period.