Prose of the first quarter of the 19th century. Russian literature of the 19th century

The century before last became an interesting stage in the development of human history. The emergence of new technologies, faith in progress, the spread of educational ideas, the development of new public relations, the emergence of a new bourgeois class, which became dominant in many European countries - all this was reflected in art. The literature of the 19th century reflected all the turning points in the development of society. All shocks and discoveries were reflected on the pages of novels by famous writers. Literature of the 19th century– multifaceted, varied and very interesting.

Literature of the 19th century as an indicator of social consciousness

The century began in the atmosphere of the Great french revolution, whose ideas captured all of Europe, America and Russia. Under the influence of these events there appeared greatest books 19th century, a list of which you can find in this section. In Great Britain, with the coming to power of Queen Victoria, new era stability, which was accompanied by national growth, development of industry and art. Public peace has created best books 19th century, written in all possible genres. In France, on the contrary, there was a lot of revolutionary unrest, accompanied by a change political system and the development of social thought. Of course, this also influenced 19th century books. Literary age ended with an era of decadence, characterized by gloomy and mystical moods and a bohemian lifestyle of representatives of art. Thus, the literature of the 19th century presented works that everyone needs to read.

Books of the 19th century on the KnigoPoisk website

If you are interested in 19th century literature, the list of the KnigoPoisk website will help you find interesting novels. The rating is based on reviews from visitors to our resource. “Books of the 19th century” is a list that will not leave anyone indifferent.

The nineteenth century in Russian literature is the most significant for Russia. In this century, A.S. began to show his creativity. Pushkin, M.Yu. Lermontov, N.V. Gogol, I.S. Turgenev, F.M. Dostoevsky, L.N. Tolstoy, A.N. Ostrovsky. All their works are unlike anything else and carry makes a lot of sense in yourself. Even to this day, their works are shown in schools.

All works are usually divided into two periods: the first half of the nineteenth century and the second. This is noticeable in the problems of the work and the visual means used.

What are the features of Russian literature in the nineteenth century?

The first is that A.N Ostrovsky is considered to be a reformer who brought a lot of innovations to dramatic works. He was the first to touch upon the most exciting topics of that time. I was not afraid to write about the problems of the lower class. Also, A.N. Ostrovsky was the first to show the moral state of the soul of the heroes.

Secondly, both I.S. Turgenev is famous for his novel Fathers and Sons. He touched eternal themes love, compassion, friendship and the theme of the relationship between the old generation and the new.

And, of course, this is F.M. Dostoevsky. His themes in his works are extensive. Faith in God, the problem of little people in the world, the humanity of people - he touches on all this in his works.

Thanks to the writers of the nineteenth century, today's youth can learn kindness and sincere feelings through the works of great people. The world was lucky that these talented people were born and lived in the nineteenth century, who gave all of humanity new food for thought, discovered new problematic topics, taught compassion for one’s neighbor and pointed out the mistakes of people: their callousness, deceit, envy, renunciation of God, humiliation of another person and their selfish motives.

Several interesting essays

• Analysis of Platonov's work Love for the Motherland or The Journey of a Sparrow

  The genre of the work belongs to a parable, an allegorical story that has the author’s moral teaching, the main theme of which is reflections on the true moral principles of humans

• The image and characteristics of Pavlushi from the story Bezhin Meadow by Turgenev

  Pavlusha stood out from the rest of the boys, both in appearance and character. The guys had blond hair, but his hair was black and disheveled. Strong and squat, with a large head, he attracted attention.

• The image and characteristics of the Devils in Gogol's story The Night Before Christmas essay

  One of the characters in Gogol's work The Night Before Christmas is Osip Nikiforovich, a rural clergyman. The author describes the appearance of Osip Nikiforovich as rather unprepossessing and not particularly outstanding

• Analysis of the story Living Hat by Nosov

  Creativity of the Soviet children's writer N. N. Nosova is imbued with sincere love for children. The story “The Living Hat” was written in 1938, when the writer’s career was just beginning.

• Analysis of the story Hamlet of Turgenev's Shchigrovsky district

  The work, in terms of its genre orientation, refers to a story with autobiographical features, which is part of the writer’s prose collection “Notes of a Hunter,” which considers as the main theme

Due to the presence of a variety of programs, especially for schools with in-depth study of literature, gymnasiums and lyceums of the humanities, indicating the complication of literary education schoolchildren, deepening their scientific and theoretical orientations, special role acquires an understanding of Russian literary process mid-19th century.

In high school, the history of Russian literature and features of the literary process are studied: art world literature of the 40-50s of the 19th century; development of Russian literature of the 40-70s; the problem of forming Russian literary criticism different ideological and aesthetic orientations; formation of directions, creative groups writers ( literary schools); the problem of the nationality of literature, as well as the typology of realism and the individual originality of the writer (“the artistic world of the writer”) 1.

Consideration of the literary process of the 60s presupposes familiarity with the work of democratic writers: N.V. Uspensky, V.A. Sleptsova, F.M. Reshetnikova, A.I. Levitova. Students should have a good idea that the pictures folk life are reproduced not only by N.A. Nekrasov in his poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” (a programmatic work), but also by other writers of the time, creating a broad picture of people’s life. Peasant theme was dominant in literature during these years, which is a kind of sign of the times.

The manual clarifies the origins of democratic prose in Russian realism in developing the theme of the peasantry, in connection with which attention is drawn to the role natural school and its representatives. In addition to writers known to students - I.S. Turgeneva, A.N. Ostrovsky, N.A. Nekrasova, I.A. Goncharov, it seems necessary to turn to the work of V.I. Dalia, D.V. Grigorovich, A.F. Pisemsky, P.I. Melnikov-Pechersky, whose works make it possible to understand many aspects of peasant life in Russia, to note the role of A.N. Ostrovsky in the general process of Russian folk studies, to emphasize the folk studies interests of the playwright. Writers such as P.I. should also be included in the literary education of schoolchildren. Yakushkin, S.V. Maksimov, F.D. Nefedov - collectors, folklorists, ethnographers - whose works, based on folk culture, represent a unique phenomenon in Russian literature and make a significant contribution to the aesthetic education of schoolchildren, their familiarization with the originality of the spiritual essence of the people, with the origins of moral aesthetic values.

The manual addresses the requirements school curriculum features of the Russian literary process of the mid-19th century, democratic prose presented individual works V.A. Sleptsova, F.M. Reshetnikova, N.V. Uspensky, G.I. Uspensky, A.I. Levitova, S.V. Maksimova, P.I. Yakushkin, the features of democratic prose and its originality are clarified. The manual draws attention for the first time to the folklore and ethnographic orientation of the democratic prose of the sixties. It characterizes the specifics of the Russian literary process of the 50-60s of the 19th century and the features of democratic prose as artistic phenomenon, are given curriculum vitae on writers, analysis of their works, test questions and assignments, a list of recommended literature for independent reading and study.

The 19th century is one of the most significant in Russian literature. It was this era that gave the world the names of great classics who influenced not only Russian, but also world culture. The main ideas characteristic of the literature of this time are the growth human soul, the struggle between good and evil, the triumph of morality and purity.

Difference from the previous century

Giving a general description of Russian literature of the 19th century, it can be noted that the previous century was characterized by very calm development. Throughout the previous century, poets and writers sang the dignity of man and tried to instill high moral ideals. And only at the end of the century more daring and bold works- the authors began to focus on human psychology, his experiences and feelings.

Reasons for the rise

While working on homework or a report on the topic “ General characteristics Russian Literature of the 19th Century" a student may have a natural question: what caused these changes, why literature was able to achieve such high level development? The reason for this was social events - the war with Turkey, the invasion of Napoleonic troops, the abolition of serfdom, and the public reprisal of oppositionists. All this contributed to the fact that completely new methods began to be used in literature. stylistic devices. When working on the general characteristics of Russian literature of the 19th century, it is worth mentioning that this era rightfully went down in history as the “Golden Age”.

Literature focus

Russian literature of that time was distinguished by a very bold formulation of questions about the meaning of human existence, about the most pressing socio-political, moral and ethical problems. She extends the significance of these questions far beyond her own historical era. When preparing a general description of Russian literature of the 19th century, one must remember that it became one of the most powerful means of influencing both Russian and foreign readers, gaining fame as an influential force in the development of education.

Phenomenon of the era

If you need to give a general description of Russian literature of the 19th century briefly, it can be noted that a common feature of this era was such a phenomenon as “literary-centrism.” This means that literature became a way of communicating ideas and opinions in political debates. It turned into a powerful tool for expressing ideology, defining value guidelines and ideals.

It is impossible to say for sure whether this is good or bad. Of course, giving a general description of the Russian literature of the 19th century century, one can blame the literature of that time for being too “preachy”, “instructive”. After all, it is often said that the desire to become a prophet can lead to inappropriate guardianship. And this is fraught with the development of intolerance towards dissent of any kind. Of course, there is some truth in such reasoning, however, when giving a general description of Russian literature of the 19th century, it is necessary to take into account the historical realities in which the writers, poets, and critics of that time lived. A. I. Herzen, when he found himself in exile, described this phenomenon as follows: “For a people who have been deprived of freedom of speech and self-expression, literature remains almost the only outlet.”

The role of literature in society

N.G. Chernyshevsky said practically the same thing: “Literature in our country still concentrates the entire mental life of the people.” Here it is worth paying attention to the word “yet.” Chernyshevsky, who argued that literature is a textbook of life, still recognized that the mental life of the people should not be constantly concentrated in it. However, “for now”, in those conditions of Russian reality, it was she who took on this function.

Modern society should be grateful to those writers and poets who, in difficult social conditions, despite persecution (it is worth remembering N. G. Chernyshevsky, F. M. Dostoevsky and others), with the help of their works contributed to the awakening of a bright person in a person, spirituality, integrity, active opposition to evil, honesty and mercy. Taking all this into account, we can agree with the opinion expressed by N. A. Nekrasov in his message to Leo Tolstoy in 1856: “The role of a writer in our country is, first of all, the role of a teacher.”

General and different in representatives of the “Golden Age”

Preparing materials on the topic “General characteristics of Russian classical literature 19th century,” it is worth saying that all the representatives of the “Golden Age” were different, their world was unique and original. It is difficult to fit the writers of that time into one general image. After all, everyone true artist(by this word we mean a poet, a composer, and a painter) creates his own world, guided by personal principles. For example, the world of Leo Tolstoy is not similar to the world of Dostoevsky. Saltykov-Shchedrin perceived and transformed reality differently than, for example, Goncharov. However, representatives of the “Golden Age” also have common feature- this is responsibility to the reader, talent, a high understanding of the role that literature plays in a person’s life.

General characteristics of Russian literature of the 19th century: table

The “Golden Age” is a time of writers of completely different literary movements. First, let's look at them in a summary table, after which each of the directions will be considered in more detail.

Russian literature of this era reflected the leap that was made in the previous century. The “Golden Age” began mainly with the flourishing of two movements - sentimentalism and romanticism. Since the middle of the century, the direction of realism has become increasingly powerful. This is the general characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th century. The tablet will help the student navigate the main movements and representatives of the “Golden Age”. In the process of preparing for the lesson, it should be mentioned that the further socio-political situation in the country is becoming more and more tense, the contradictions between the oppressed classes and common people. This leads to the fact that in the middle of the century the development of poetry somewhat subsides. And the end of the era is accompanied by revolutionary sentiments.

Classicism

This direction is worth mentioning when giving a general description of Russian literature of the early 19th century. After all, classicism, which arose a century ago before the beginning of the “Golden Age”, primarily refers to its beginning. This term translated from Latin means “exemplary” and is directly related to imitation classic images. This trend arose in France in the 17th century. At its core, it was associated with absolute monarchy and the establishment of the nobility. It is characterized by ideas of high civic themes, strict adherence to the norms of creativity, established rules. Classicism reflects real life V ideal images, which gravitate towards a certain pattern. This direction strictly adheres to the hierarchy of genres - the highest place among them is occupied by tragedy, ode and epic. They illuminate the most important problems for society and are designed to display the highest, heroic manifestations human nature. As a rule, “high” genres were contrasted with “low” ones - fables, comedies, satirical and other works that also reflected reality.

Sentimentalism

Giving a general description of the development of Russian literature of the 19th century, one cannot fail to mention such a direction as sentimentalism. The narrator's voice plays a big role in it. This direction, as indicated in the table, is characterized by increased attention to a person’s experiences, to his inner world. This is the innovation of sentimentalism. In Russian literature, Karamzin’s “Poor Liza” occupies a special place among the works of sentimentalism.

The words of the writer are noteworthy, which can characterize this direction: “And peasant women know how to love.” Many claimed that ordinary person, commoner and peasant, in morally in many ways superior to a nobleman or representative of high society. Landscape plays an important role in sentimentalism. This is not just a description of nature, but a reflection of the inner experiences of the characters.

Romanticism

This is one of the most controversial phenomena of Russian literature of the Golden Age. For more than a century and a half, there have been debates about what lies at its basis, and no one has yet given any recognized definition to this movement. The representatives themselves this direction They emphasized the uniqueness of the literature of each individual people. One cannot but agree with this opinion - in each country, romanticism acquires its own characteristics. Also, giving a general description of the development of Russian literature of the 19th century, it is worth noting that almost all representatives of romanticism advocated for social ideals, but did so in different ways.

Representatives of this movement dreamed not of improving life in its particular manifestations, but of a complete resolution of all contradictions. For many romantics, the prevailing mood in their works is the struggle against evil, protest against the injustice reigning in the world. Romantics also tend to turn to mythology, fantasy, and folk tales. In contrast to the direction of classicism, serious influence is given to the inner world of man.

Realism

The goal of this direction is to truthfully describe surrounding reality. It is realism that matures on the basis of a tense political situation. Writers are starting to turn to social problems, to objective reality. The three main realists of this era are considered to be Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Turgenev. The main theme of this direction is life, customs, life events ordinary people from the lower classes.

Russian national culture in the 19th century it reached heights in art, literature, and in many areas of knowledge, defined by the word “classics.” Russian literature of the 19th century is deservedly called the “golden age.” Even those ignorant of literature cannot object. It became a trendsetter in literary fashion, quickly bursting into world literature. The "Golden Age" gave us many famous masters. The 19th century is the time of development of Russian literary language, which took shape mostly thanks to . It began with the flowering of sentimentalism and the gradual emergence of romanticism, especially in poetry. There were many poets during this period, but the main figure of that time was Alexander Pushkin. As they would now call him a “star.”

His ascent to the Olympus of literature began in 1820 with the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila.” And “Eugene Onegin,” a novel in verse, was called an encyclopedia of Russian life. The era of Russian romanticism was discovered by him romantic poems « Bronze Horseman", "Bakhchisarai Fountain", "Gypsies". For most poets and writers, A.S. Pushkin was a teacher. The traditions laid down by him in the creation literary works, many of them continued. Among them was. Russian poetry of that time was closely connected with the socio-political life of the country. In their works, the authors tried to comprehend and develop the idea of ​​their special purpose. They called on the authorities to listen to their words. The poet of that time was considered a prophet, a conductor of divine truth. This can be seen in Pushkin’s poem “The Prophet”, in the ode “Liberty”, “The Poet and the Crowd”, in Lermontov’s “On the Death of the Poet” and many others. In the 19th century, English had a huge influence on all world literature. historical novels. Under their influence A.S. Pushkin writes the story "The Captain's Daughter".

Throughout the 19th century, the main artistic types were like " little man” and the “extra person” type.

From the 19th century, literature inherited a satirical character and journalistic style. This can be seen in “Dead Souls”, “The Nose”, in the comedy “The Inspector General”, in M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “The History of a City”, “The Golovlevs”.

Becoming Russian realistic literature originates from the mid-19th century. She reacted sharply to the socio-political situation in Russia. A dispute arises between Slavophiles and Westerners about the paths of historical development of the country.

The development of the realistic novel genre begins. A special psychologism can be traced in the literature; philosophical, socio-political issues predominate. The development of poetry is somewhat calming down, but, despite the general silence, the voice in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'?” is not silent. illuminates the difficult and hopeless life of the people. -

The end of the century gave us... Pre-revolutionary sentiment runs like a red thread in literature. The realistic tradition began to fade away, which was replaced by decadent literature, with mysticism, religiosity, and also a premonition of changes in the socio-political life of Russia. Then everything turned into symbolism. And a new page opened in the history of Russian literature.

From the works of writers of that time, we learn humanity, patriotism, and study our own. More than one generation of people - Humans - has grown up on this “classic”.