Abstract: The book describes the views of old Russian writers of the 11th–17th centuries about nature, animals, man, his appearance and vigor, about women, about the Russian land, wealth and poverty, politics and culture, about other countries and peoples, finally, about extraterrestrial worlds. All this constitutes the artistic content of Old Russian literature, the study of which is carried out by a relatively new branch of literary studies — the aesthetic hermeneutics of Old Russian literature. The greatest attention in the book is given to The Tale of Bygone Years, The Tale of Igor’s Campaign and texts of the Kulikovo cycle, 17th century tales, the works of Avvakum and early Russian drama. Several thematic essays on the history of Old Russian literature as a whole are also given.
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