The journal has been published since 1990 and aims to promote the development of humanitarian education and science in Russia and abroad, and to publish new research in the field of comparative historical study of poetics. The journal presents new interpretations of works of Russian and world literature, created on the basis of original ideas and concepts. Until 2017, each issue of the journal had a thematic title. The most famous issues were “The Gospel Text in Russian Literature of the 18th–20th Centuries: Quote, Reminiscence, Motif, Plot, Genre”, which resulted from the International Conference “The Gospel Text in Russian Literature”. This conference, which discusses the new concept of Russian literature, is held once every three years at Petrozavodsk State University, opening on Holy Spirit Day. These issues of “Problems of Historical Poetics” developed a special area of ​​research – ethnopoetics, which makes it possible to reveal the national originality of Russian literature in the categories of poetics. In 2017, the journal changed the format and frequency of publication. Since then, it has been published quarterly and offers researchers from Russia and other countries an international platform for publishing the results of their research work on the study of world folklore and literature. The journal strives for the international integration of Russian literary studies and the inclusion of the latest foreign research in the Russian context.