Key issues of the problem of archaic style in language of historical fiction

The article highlights different points of view on the archaic style in the language of historical fiction in a chronological order. The positions of the West-European school and the Russian school are compared. Qualification signs of historical fiction are given. The statements of the critics over the individual, the most significant works in the culture are remarked. A crisis of the genre is described. Some assumptions about the typology requiring further development are made.