The role of merchants in the life of the russian society: Oral tradition case study

Abstract

The paper considers modern oral stories about the merchants, existing in Elabuzhsky District of the Republic of Tatarstan, determines their genre features, offers thematic classification, detects style peculiarities. These stories are valued due to the significant potential in the historic reconstruction of the personalities and events of this region. They also contain the general trend of the domestic literature, which is to overcome the one-sided view of the past, perceive and estimate everything from the positions of truth, welfare and beauty.