Caterinian Russia in the Notes of Englishwomen: Peculiariries of the Image of the "Other"

During the eighteenth century, relations between Britain and Russia went through a series of changes. Not only in official fields, such as politics and trade, but also in terms of cultural exchange. Coming to another country, people faced a completely different worldview, a different mentality, they are surprised and perplexed by many things, which speaks about the difference in cultures and gives important information about the formation of cross-cultural ties. Such contacts expanded the ideas of one people about another, replaced the image that already existed in the head with a completely new one. This is exactly what happened between Britain and Russia throughout the XVIII century and reached the greatest changes by the time of the reign of Catherine II. This paper analyzes the peculiarities of the perception of the Russian Empire in the notes of three English women (Elizabeth Dimsdale, Elizabeth Craven and Mary Kynnersley) who visited the country during the reign of Catherine II.