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Abstract

This article studies the main functions of textile and sartorial artifacts in a three-volume edition of Russian folktales collected by Aleksandr Afanas’ev. The author explores the revealing, concealing, transformational, aesthetic, utilitarian, and metaphorical roles of attire. Special attention is given to historical, social, and gender-related issues in pre- Petrine and post-Petrine Russian culture that may have had an impact on the representations of dress and sartorial motifs in the tales. Occasional references to similar motifs and images in Western folklore are provided.

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