Quote Originally Posted by adoc
Well, the book is fictional. I've heard that Pushkin had done some research before he wrote it, but then again, how accurate and reliable could it have been? I don't think much is known about Pugachev's personality, and perception of morals was quite different back then. Historical facts can always be found online.
In fact, this book is *fictional*, and even more: some researchers, for example Marina Tsvetayeva, thought, what Pushkin in "Капитанская дочка" created a very idealized (and much "romanticized") image of Pugatchev. And Pushkin knew it perfectly well: he also wrote "Историю Пугачевского бунта" ("The history of Pugachev's revolt") -- the strictly historic book, with lots of examples of terrible attrocies, comitted by Pugachev's rebels. The real Pugachev was a rather cruel and cold-hearted bastard, having little in common with imaginary hero of "Captain's daughter"...