This new book by Valentin Nedzvetskiy is dedicated to the problems of the modern scientifi c history of the Russian XIXth century novel. The author suggests to his readers well-reasoned answers to the argumentative questions about the substantial forms of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, Goncharov's «trilogy» novel, «five-book» novel by F. Dostoyevsky, and My Past and Thoughts by A. Herzen. Using the cast of N. Leskov's work No way out the unique issues of the Russian novel are revealed. The chapters about antique origins of the classical Russian novel; its passionate supporter Belinsky; V. Kozhinov, the bright historian of the novel genre, and a dismaying state of the Russian classic literature teaching in our universities, make this book essential not only for the specialists and students in philology, but also for all language arts teaches.