Russian epic in the domestic pedagogy of the XIX century: the start of studying Russian epos

The article deals with the initial period of the school (gymnasium) study of the Russian epos in XIX century when an upper-class» tradition of underestimating of bylina»s aesthetic and moral value was broken. Educational tools and textbooks have been identified, which paved the way for such a study, as well as those that were the first to include the Russian epics in the curriculum. The choice of the epic texts for these textbooks is analysed in the light of the value meanings of the Russian epos.