Literary studies is a branch of knowledge that examines literature as an artistic phenomenon, its development, structure, forms, and connection with society and culture. In the study of Russian literature, literary studies plays an important role in understanding the historical growth of literary traditions, the ideas expressed in literary works, and the artistic methods used by writers. Literary studies is generally divided into several main sections, each dealing with a specific aspect of literature. The first important section is literary theory. Literary theory studies the general principles and laws of literature. It examines the nature of literature, its social and aesthetic functions, types and genres, artistic methods, themes, plots, images, and styles. Concepts such as realism, romanticism, symbolism, and modernism are studied within literary theory. In the context of Russian literature, literary theory helps to understand the artistic features of works by writers such as Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov. The second section is literary history. Literary history studies the development of literature over time. It focuses on different historical periods,