Surface tension: History of culture and Boris Eikhenbaum’s concept of “Literary environment”

This article serves as an introduction to the special issue of Rhema entitled “Literary Environment and Artistic Culture in the 20th century” and devoted to Russian and Ukrainian literary and artistic associations. The concept of “literary environment” developed by Boris Eikhenbaum is revived and expanded here: a follow-up concept of “literary and artistic environment” is introduced, describing the forms of selforganization of the community of “culture makers”. The dynamics of socio-cultural forms of production and consumption of art are interpreted as a catalyst for literary and artistic evolution.