THE IMAGE OF THE RUSSIAN MERCHANT ABROAD IN RUSSIAN LITERATURE: FROM PETER'S TIMES TO THE BEGINNING OF THE XX CENTURY
The article examines the reflection of the image of the merchant and the social status of the Russian merchant class in the historical development, starting from the Peter the Great times. The object of study was artistic and journalistic works, memoir literature. The analysis of literary and journalistic works is given against the background of social history, the history of culture. The article examines the role of the third estate in the economic life of the country and its evolution in connection with the death of the feudal system, which led to the growth of international contacts of Russian business circles, which revealed a significant difference in the behavior of representatives of the nobility and merchants abroad.