The role and place of the gallant discourse in letters of Catherine II in 1762—1774 gg

Letters of Catherine 2 1762—1774 gg. to European correspondents were essential informative channel for the Empress, who came to the Russian throne with the application for enlightened absolutism. One of its components E2 saw gallant discourse is embodied in its epistolyarii in a light and playful tone, which is connected to the mistress of the work 1) on the formation of educational image in Europe, and 2) in the direction of the growing influence of Russia's role in world space, and 3) to demonstrate peace-building functions of the monarch.

epistolary genre, courteous discourse, enlightened monarch, enlightened absolutism, Catherine II