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Abstract: The article deals with one of the aspects of educational activity of R. F. Yashen’kina. Until 2010 she worked as a Professor at Department of World Literature and Culture (the former Department of Foreign Literature) of Perm State University. The article examines the problems touched upon in ten teaching guides published by R. F. Yashen’kina. Among them, special attention is given to the 19th century foreign prose and poetry (West European Romanticism and Critical Realism). The author proves the urgency of theoretical interpretation of the methodological approaches to teaching 19th century foreign literature, and specifically West European Romanticism, on the basis of comparative analysis of various (including multi-authored) teaching guides published in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and other cities. Thus, R. F. Yashen’kina’s teaching guides “French Romantic Prose” (2000) and “German Romantic Prose” (2006) are considered in the context of contemporary textbooks in the History of Foreign Literature of the 19th century (Chapter “Romanticism”). The article explains the author’s approaches to material structure and the accent on genre characteristics of a novel, novella, and short story, on aesthetic and poetological principles of romantic typification, on Christian problems, and other aspects. Special attention is drawn to the students’ self-learning, as well as to the combination of their academic studies and research activity. In accordance with the genre of lecture, every part of her teaching guides is preceded by a plan and ends with a conclusion, list of main terms and concepts, and with questions for revision. Unlike most contemporary textbooks, R. F. Yashenkina’s lecture courses are provided with references to fiction and scientific sources included in the list of literature used. This orients students towards individual scientific research activity and correct use of sources of information. In agreement with the main areas of scientific activity of the department, focus is made on the detailed study of the prose genre poetics of French and German Romanticists. The inclusion of specialized prose analysis into the academic course of West European Romanticism compensates for the traditional emphasis on studying mostly Romantic poetry and helps the students to follow the role of Romantic and Realistic Movements in the genesis of the 19th century prose genre poetics independently.