The article deals with methodological problems of contemporary studying of the Russian peoplesʼ literature. The crisis of the former regular and ideologically motivated representations about their historical dynamics has revealed the need of searching a new paradigm of the research. It is not enough to postulate the multiplicity and differentiation of the national literary types of artistic consciousness. It is important to aspire to integrative characteristics, to complementarity «identity» and «dialogue», ethno-cultural discourse and axiological approach, and given the historical experience of our coexistence of peoples and cultures, to the articulation of «civilizational paradigm» which refers us to the «unity of different».