"Truly, this was the Golden Age of our literature,
the period of her innocence and bliss!..”
M. A. Antonovich
M. Antonovich in his article called the beginning of the 19th century, the period of creativity of A. S. Pushkin and N. V. Gogol, the “golden age of literature.” Subsequently, this definition began to characterize the literature of all XIX century- right up to the works of A.P. Chekhov and L.N. Tolstoy.
What are the main features of Russian classical literature this period?
Sentimentalism, fashionable at the beginning of the century, gradually fades into the background - the formation of romanticism begins, and from the middle of the century realism rules the roost.
New types of heroes appear in literature: " small man", who most often dies under the pressure of the accepted principles of society and the "superfluous person" - this is a string of images, starting with Onegin and Pechorin.
Continuing the traditions of satirical depiction, proposed by M. Fonvizin, in XIX literature century satirical image the vices of modern society becomes one of the central motives. Satire often takes grotesque forms. Vivid examples— Gogol’s “The Nose” or “The History of a City” by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.
Another one distinguishing feature literature of this period had an acute social orientation. Writers and poets are increasingly turning to socio-political topics, often plunging into the field of psychology. This leitmotif permeates the works of I. S. Turgenev, F. M. Dostoevsky, L. N. Tolstoy. A new form is emerging - the Russian realistic novel, with its deep psychologism, severe criticism of reality, irreconcilable hostility with existing foundations and loud calls for renewal.
Well, the main reason that prompted many critics to call the 19th century the golden age of Russian culture: the literature of this period, despite a number of unfavorable factors, had a powerful influence on the development of world culture as a whole. Absorbing all the best that was offered world literature, Russian literature was able to remain original and unique.
Russian writers of the 19th century
V.A. Zhukovsky- Pushkin’s mentor and his Teacher. It is Vasily Andreevich who is considered the founder of Russian romanticism. We can say that Zhukovsky “prepared” the ground for Pushkin’s bold experiments, since he was the first to expand the scope of the poetic word. After Zhukovsky, the era of democratization of the Russian language began, which Pushkin so brilliantly continued.
Selected poems:
A.S. Griboyedov went down in history as the author of one work. But what! Masterpiece! Phrases and quotes from the comedy “Woe from Wit” have long become popular, and the work itself is considered the first realistic comedy in the history of Russian literature.
Analysis of the work:
A.S. Pushkin. He was called differently: A. Grigoriev argued that “Pushkin is our everything!”, F. Dostoevsky “a great and still incomprehensible Forerunner,” and Emperor Nicholas I admitted that, in his opinion, Pushkin is “the most clever man in Russia." Simply put, this is a Genius.
Pushkin's greatest merit is that he radically changed Russian literary language, saving him from pretentious abbreviations like “mlad, breg, sweet”, from the absurd “zephyrs”, “Psyches”, “Cupids”, so revered in pompous elegies, from the borrowings that then abounded in Russian poetry. Pushkin brought colloquial vocabulary, craft slang, and elements of Russian folklore to the pages of printed publications.
A. N. Ostrovsky pointed out another important achievement of this brilliant poet. Before Pushkin, Russian literature was imitative, stubbornly imposing traditions and ideals alien to our people. Pushkin “gave the Russian writer the courage to be Russian,” “revealed the Russian soul.” In his stories and novels, for the first time the theme of the morality of social ideals of that time is raised so clearly. And with the light hand of Pushkin, the main character now becomes an ordinary “little man” - with his thoughts and hopes, desires and character.
Analysis of works:
M.Yu. Lermontov- bright, mysterious, with a touch of mysticism and an incredible thirst for will. All his work is a unique fusion of romanticism and realism. Moreover, both directions do not oppose at all, but rather complement each other. This man went down in history as a poet, writer, playwright and artist. He wrote 5 plays: the most famous is the drama “Masquerade”.
And among prose works a real diamond of creativity was the novel “A Hero of Our Time” - the first realistic novel in prose in the history of Russian literature, where for the first time the writer tries to trace the “dialectics of the soul” of his hero, mercilessly subjecting him psychological analysis. This innovative creative method Lermontov will be used in the future by many Russian and foreign writers.
Selected works:
N.V. Gogol known as a writer and playwright, but it is no coincidence that one of his most famous works is " Dead Souls"is considered a poem. There is no other such Master of Words in world literature. Gogol's language is melodious, incredibly bright and imaginative. This was most clearly manifested in his collection "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka."
On the other hand, N.V. Gogol is considered the founder of " natural school", with its satire bordering on the grotesque, accusatory motives and ridicule of human vices.
Selected works:
I.S. Turgenev- the greatest Russian novelist who established the canons of the classic novel. He continues the traditions established by Pushkin and Gogol. He often refers to the topic " extra person", trying to convey the relevance and significance of social ideas through the fate of his hero.
Turgenev’s merit also lies in the fact that he became the first propagandist of Russian culture in Europe. This is a prose writer who opened the world of the Russian peasantry, intelligentsia and revolutionaries to foreign countries. And the string female images in his novels became the pinnacle of the writer's skill.
Selected works:
A.N. Ostrovsky- outstanding Russian playwright. Most accurately, I. Goncharov expressed Ostrovsky’s merits, recognizing him as the creator of the Russian folk theater. The plays of this writer became a “school of life” for playwrights of the next generation. And the Moscow Maly Theater, where most of the plays of this talented writer were staged, proudly calls itself the “House of Ostrovsky.”
Selected works:
I.A.Goncharov continued to develop the traditions of the Russian realistic novel. The author of the famous trilogy, who was able to describe like no other major vice Russian people are lazy. With the light hand of the writer, the term “Oblomovism” appeared.
Selected works:
L.N. Tolstoy- a real block of Russian literature. His novels are recognized as the pinnacle of the art of writing novels. L. Tolstoy's style of presentation and creative method are still considered the standard of the writer's skill. And his ideas of humanism had a huge influence on the development of humanistic ideas throughout the world.
Selected works:
N.S. Leskov- a talented successor to the traditions of N. Gogol. He made a huge contribution to the development of new genre forms in literature, such as pictures from life, rhapsodies, and incredible events.
Selected works:
N.G. Chernyshevsky — outstanding writer And literary critic, who proposed his theory about the aesthetics of the relationship between art and reality. This theory became the standard for the literature of the next several generations.
Selected works:
F.M. Dostoevsky — brilliant writer, whose psychological novels known all over the world. Dostoevsky is often called the forerunner of such cultural movements as existentialism and surrealism.
Selected works:
M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin- the greatest satirist who brought the art of denunciation, ridicule and parody to the heights of mastery.
Selected works:
A.P. Chekhov. With this name, historians traditionally end the era of the golden age of Russian literature. Chekhov was recognized throughout the world during his lifetime. His stories have become the standard for short story writers. A Chekhov's plays had a huge influence on the development of world drama.
Selected works:
TO end of the 19th century centuries of tradition critical realism began to gradually fade away. In a society thoroughly permeated with pre-revolutionary sentiments, mystical, partly even decadent, sentiments came into fashion. They became the forerunners of the emergence of a new literary direction- symbolism and marked the beginning of a new period in the history of Russian literature - silver age poetry.
Aksakov Ivan Sergeevich (1823-1886) - poet and publicist. One of the leaders of Russian Slavophiles. The most famous work: the fairy tale “The Scarlet Flower”.
Aksakov Konstantin Sergeevich (1817-1860) - poet, literary critic, linguist, historian. The inspirer and ideologist of Slavophilism.
Aksakov Sergei Timofeevich (1791-1859) – writer and public figure, literary and theater critic. Wrote a book about fishing and hunting. Father of writers Konstantin and Ivan Aksakov.
Annensky Innokenty Fedorovich (1855-1909) - poet, playwright, literary critic, linguist, translator. Author of the plays: “King Ixion”, “Laodamia”, “Melanippe the Philosopher”, “Thamira the Kefared”.
Baratynsky Evgeniy Abramovich (1800-1844) - poet and translator. Author of the poems: “Eda”, “Feasts”, “Ball”, “Concubine” (“Gypsy”).
Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich (1787-1855) - poet. Also the author of a number of well-known prose articles: “On the character of Lomonosov”, “Evening at Kantemir’s” and others.
Belinsky Vissarion Grigorievich (1811-1848) - literary critic. He headed the critical department in the publication Otechestvennye zapiski. Author of numerous critical articles. He had a huge influence on Russian literature.
Bestuzhev-Marlinsky Alexander Alexandrovich (1797-1837) - Byronist writer, literary critic. Published under the pseudonym Marlinsky. Published the almanac "Polar Star". He was one of the Decembrists. Author of prose: “Test”, “Terrible fortune-telling”, “Frigate Nadezhda” and others.
Vyazemsky Pyotr Andreevich (1792-1878) - poet, memoirist, historian, literary critic. One of the founders and first head of the Russian Historical Society. Close friend of Pushkin.
Dmitry Vladimirovich Venevetinov (1805-1827) - poet, prose writer, philosopher, translator, literary critic. Author of 50 poems. He was also known as an artist and musician. Organizer of the secret philosophical association “Society of Philosophy”.
Herzen Alexander Ivanovich (1812-1870) - writer, philosopher, teacher. The most famous works: the novel “Who is to Blame?”, the stories “Doctor Krupov”, “The Thieving Magpie”, “Damaged”.
Glinka Sergei Nikolaevich (1776-1847) - writer, memoirist, historian. The ideological inspirer of conservative nationalism. Author of the following works: “Selim and Roxana”, “The Virtues of Women” and others.
Glinka Fedor Nikolaevich (1876-1880) - poet and writer. Member of the Decembrist Society. The most famous works: the poems “Karelia” and “The Mysterious Drop”.
Gogol Nikolai Vasilievich (1809-1852) - writer, playwright, poet, literary critic. Classic of Russian literature. Author: “Dead Souls”, the cycle of stories “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”, the stories “The Overcoat” and “Viy”, the plays “The Inspector General” and “Marriage” and many other works.
Goncharov Ivan Aleksandrovich (1812-1891) – writer, literary critic. Author of the novels: “Oblomov”, “Cliff”, “ An ordinary story».
Griboyedov Alexander Sergeevich (1795-1829) - poet, playwright and composer. He was a diplomat and died in service in Persia. The most famous work is the poem “Woe from Wit,” which served as the source of many catchphrases.
Grigorovich Dmitry Vasilievich (1822-1900) - writer.
Davydov Denis Vasilievich (1784-1839) – poet, memoirist. Hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. Author of numerous poems and war memoirs.
Dal Vladimir Ivanovich (1801-1872) – writer and ethnographer. Being a military doctor, he collected folklore along the way. The most famous literary work is “ Dictionary living Great Russian language." Dahl worked on the dictionary for more than 50 years.
Delvig Anton Antonovich (1798-1831) – poet, publisher.
Dobrolyubov Nikolai Alexandrovich (1836-1861) - literary critic and poet. He published under the pseudonyms -bov and N. Laibov. Author of numerous critical and philosophical articles.
Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich (1821-1881) - writer and philosopher. Recognized classic of Russian literature. Author of works: “The Brothers Karamazov”, “Idiot”, “Crime and Punishment”, “Teenager” and many others.
Zhemchuzhnikov Alexander Mikhailovich (1826-1896) - poet. Together with his brothers and the writer Tolstoy A.K. created the image of Kozma Prutkov.
Zhemchuzhnikov Alexey Mikhailovich (1821-1908) - poet and satirist. Together with his brothers and the writer Tolstoy A.K. created the image of Kozma Prutkov. Author of the comedy “Strange Night” and the collection of poems “Songs of Old Age”.
Zhemchuzhnikov Vladimir Mikhailovich (1830-1884) - poet. Together with his brothers and the writer Tolstoy A.K. created the image of Kozma Prutkov.
Zhukovsky Vasily Andreevich (1783-1852) - poet, literary critic, translator, founder of Russian romanticism.
Zagoskin Mikhail Nikolaevich (1789-1852) - writer and playwright. Author of the first Russian historical novels. Author of the works “The Prankster”, “Yuri Miloslavsky, or the Russians in 1612”, “Kulma Petrovich Miroshev” and others.
Karamzin Nikolai Mikhailovich (1766-1826) – historian, writer and poet. Author of the monumental work “History of the Russian State” in 12 volumes. He is the author of the stories: “ Poor Lisa", "Evgeniy and Yulia" and many others.
Kireevsky Ivan Vasilievich (1806-1856) - religious philosopher, literary critic, Slavophile.
Krylov Ivan Andreevich (1769-1844) - poet and fabulist. Author of 236 fables, many of which became popular expressions. Published magazines: “Mail of Spirits”, “Spectator”, “Mercury”.
Kuchelbecker Wilhelm Karlovich (1797-1846) - poet. He was one of the Decembrists. Close friend of Pushkin. Author of works: “The Argives”, “The Death of Byron”, “The Eternal Jew”.
Lazhechnikov Ivan Ivanovich (1792-1869) - writer, one of the founders of the Russian historical novel. Author of the novels “The Ice House” and “Basurman”.
Lermontov Mikhail Yurievich (1814-1841) - poet, writer, playwright, artist. Classic of Russian literature. The most famous works: the novel “A Hero of Our Time”, the story “ Prisoner of the Caucasus", poems "Mtsyri" and "Masquerade".
Leskov Nikolai Semenovich (1831-1895) – writer. The most famous works: “Lefty”, “Cathedrals”, “On Knives”, “Righteous”.
Nekrasov Nikolai Alekseevich (1821-1878) - poet and writer. Classic of Russian literature. Head of the Sovremennik magazine, editor of the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine. The most famous works: “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, “Russian Women”, “Frost, Red Nose”.
Ogarev Nikolai Platonovich (1813-1877) - poet. Author of poems, poems, critical articles.
Odoevsky Alexander Ivanovich (1802-1839) - poet and writer. He was one of the Decembrists. Author of the poem "Vasilko", the poems "Zosima" and "Elder Prophetess".
Odoevsky Vladimirovich Fedorovich (1804-1869) - writer, thinker, one of the founders of musicology. He wrote fantastic and utopian works. Author of the novel “Year 4338” and numerous short stories.
Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich (1823-1886) – playwright. Classic of Russian literature. Author of plays: “The Thunderstorm”, “Dowry”, “The Marriage of Balzaminov” and many others.
Panaev Ivan Ivanovich (1812-1862) – writer, literary critic, journalist. Author of works: “Mama’s Boy”, “Meeting at the Station”, “Lions of the Province” and others.
Pisarev Dmitry Ivanovich (1840-1868) - literary critic of the sixties, translator. Many of Pisarev’s articles were dismantled into aphorisms.
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich (1799-1837) - poet, writer, playwright. Classic of Russian literature. Author: the poems “Poltava” and “Eugene Onegin”, the story “The Captain’s Daughter”, the collection of stories “Belkin’s Tales” and numerous poems. Founded the literary magazine Sovremennik.
Raevsky Vladimir Fedoseevich (1795-1872) - poet. Participant in the Patriotic War of 1812. He was one of the Decembrists.
Ryleev Kondraty Fedorovich (1795-1826) - poet. He was one of the Decembrists. Author of the historical poetic cycle "Dumas". Published the literary almanac "Polar Star".
Saltykov-Shchedrin Mikhail Efgrafovich (1826-1889) - writer, journalist. Classic of Russian literature. The most famous works: “Lord Golovlevs”, “ The wise minnow", "Poshekhonskaya antiquity". He was the editor of the journal Otechestvennye zapiski.
Samarin Yuri Fedorovich (1819-1876) – publicist and philosopher.
Sukhovo-Kobylin Alexander Vasilievich (1817-1903) - playwright, philosopher, translator. Author of the plays: “Krechinsky’s Wedding”, “The Affair”, “The Death of Tarelkin”.
Tolstoy Alexey Konstantinovich (1817-1875) - writer, poet, playwright. Author of the poems: “The Sinner”, “The Alchemist”, the plays “Fantasy”, “Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich”, the stories “The Ghoul” and “The Wolf’s Adopted”. Together with the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers, he created the image of Kozma Prutkov.
Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich (1828-1910) - writer, thinker, educator. Classic of Russian literature. Served in the artillery. Participated in the defense of Sevastopol. The most famous works: “War and Peace”, “Anna Karenina”, “Resurrection”. In 1901 he was excommunicated from the church.
Turgenev Ivan Sergeevich (1818-1883) - writer, poet, playwright. Classic of Russian literature. The most famous works: “Mumu”, “Asya”, “The Noble Nest”, “Fathers and Sons”.
Tyutchev Fedor Ivanovich (1803-1873) - poet. Classic of Russian literature.
Fet Afanasy Afanasyevich (1820-1892) – lyric poet, memoirist, translator. Classic of Russian literature. Author of numerous romantic poems. Translated Juvenal, Goethe, Catullus.
Khomyakov Alexey Stepanovich (1804-1860) - poet, philosopher, theologian, artist.
Chernyshevsky Nikolai Gavrilovich (1828-1889) - writer, philosopher, literary critic. Author of the novels “What to do?” and “Prologue”, as well as the stories “Alferyev”, “Small Stories”.
Chekhov Anton Pavlovich (1860-1904) - writer, playwright. Classic of Russian literature. Author of plays " The Cherry Orchard", "Three Sisters", "Uncle Vanya" and numerous stories. Conducted a population census on Sakhalin Island.
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, the ideas of which 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.
In the Decembrists' views on history, strengths were combined with weaknesses. The Decembrists were convinced that monarchism was a despotic form of government, that it restrained the mighty forces of the nation and slowed down the progress of the country. In a word, autocracy is the strangler of the free initiative of the nation and each individual.
At the same time, the noble revolutionaries extended the ideas of modernity to the entire historical Russian experience, without seeing the qualitative originality of a particular era and without noticing that at a certain stage of history, autocracy played a positive unifying role. Since, the Decembrists believed, there are no fundamental differences between the historical past and the present, the struggle between tyrant fighters and tyrants is equally characteristic of all periods of Russian history. Consequently, the freedom-loving ideas of antiquity are identical to the freedom-loving ideas of modernity. Therefore, all ancient and new freedom-loving heroes think the same way with each other and with the author. And this meant that these selfless people were not at all generated by this or that era, its social conditions. If the heroism of historical figures brought out by the Decembrists were dependent on the circumstances of historical life, then the guarantees for the appearance of virtues in the modern era would disappear. Thus, the character of the freedom lover was explained by the Decembrists not by the time that created him, but by the commonality of patriotic and civil ideas of the past with the patriotic and civil ideas of our time. The Decembrists sought to reveal the unity of national character at all times, leaving the historical development of the Russian people outside the brackets of their thoughts. This, in essence, consisted of that anti-historicism and that rationalistic approach to history, which were manifested with particular force in many works of the Decembrists, including in the historical story.
If Karamzin wrote that “we will not find any repetitions in history,” then the Decembrists insisted on the self-evidence of repetitions, for patriotism and love of freedom are repeated throughout all eras. “Every age,” Karamzin asserted, “has its own special moral character, plunges into the depths of eternity and never appears on earth another time.” For Karamzin, each century has a relatively independent character. Historical development is accomplished by changing such eras, which are no longer resurrected in the future. According to the Decembrists, the content and distinctive features moral existence of people do not disappear anywhere and, of course, do not disappear without a trace. History, with its examples, convinces us of the vitality of patriotic and civic virtues. This is where the characteristic of the Decembrist historical literature allusiveness, consisting in the fact that examples of civil virtues are found in history, directly imposed on modernity and overturned into it. Historical figures or events illustrate the Decembrist understanding of the underlying conflict. The method of allusions and “applications” was intended to justify the Decembrist ideas historically and to give them a national meaning.
Because the historical heroes were like-minded people of each other and the Decembrist author, they thought, felt, and spoke the same way. In addition, the Decembrists glorified historical figures who, for one reason or another, found themselves in conflict with tyrants, but the real reasons for the clashes were not taken into account and therefore appeared distorted. So, for example, for Ryleev it is enough that Artemy Volynsky was Biron’s opponent. This prompted the poet to paint the image of a passionate and unyielding freedom-lover, dying for his beliefs, but not changing them. Meanwhile, Volynsky, of course, was neither a revolutionary1 nor a lover of freedom. He belonged to that noble oligarchy that wanted to overthrow Biron, assert its influence over Anna Ioannovna and seize power. In other words, his actions were not driven by revolutionary or democratic considerations. With Ryleev, Volynsky turned into a fiery freethinker, a Decembrist in thoughts and feelings. The poet Katenin was surprised by the coverage of Mazepa in the poem “Voinarovsky,” who appeared to Ryleev as “some kind of Cato,” that is, instead of a traitor and enemy of Russia, a hater of tyranny and a republican.
The Decembrists in their historical consciousness initial stage were far from recognizing the immutable fact that autocracy is a form of government that naturally arose in the course of history, that monarchism is an objective result of the historical process, independent of our subjective desires and tastes. The Decembrists approached history romantically and therefore excluded the idea of development, but had not yet risen to the point of recognizing the historical period as a necessary link in the fate of the people. At the same time, the Decembrists did not want to deliberately distort history. On the contrary, they sought to rely on documents, borrowing them from different sources, mostly from “History...” by Karamzin. Thus, they showed interest in historical truth-telling and historical documentation. For example, each “Duma” by Ryleev was preceded by historical reference, which talked about the event depicted in the poem. Ryleev, therefore, convinced readers of the accuracy of what he had drawn. historical painting. Over time, the Decembrists became more and more attentive to the historically accurate presentation of events, linking the concept of historicism with the concept of nationality. Attempts to capture the uniqueness of the era, to penetrate into the “soul” of the people led the Decembrists to reproduce the morals of the people in a particular historical era.
Reproducing traditional motifs and relying on existing ones structural elements, the Decembrists introduced an original into the historical story ideological content and expressed history through the prism of modernity. Thanks to new content, early historical story Decembrists, which included the ideas of romantic historicism, replaced the sentimental story with a historical plot and preceded the further deepening of the genre.
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Section KHRK-612
RUSSIAN HISTORICAL STORY
FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY
For children of senior school age Compiled by Valentin Ivanovich Korovin
Artist Yu. K. Bazhenov
- M.: Sov. Russia, 1989.— 368 p.
The historical stories collected in this book belong mostly to Russian romantic writers. With their creativity, they stirred up interest in the dramatic events of Russian history, thanks to their activity, historical thinking began to take shape, which later manifested itself so powerfully in the works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, L. Tolstoy and our other classics.
Content:
V. Korovin. “Treasured Legends.”
Alexander Bestuzhev
An old story.
Orest Somov
A traveler's story.
Nikolay Polevoy
The Tale of Simeon, Prince of Suzdal.
Alexander Kryukov
.
Alexander Kornilovich
Andrey Bezymeny. An old story.
Konstantin Masalsky
Biron's regency.
Notes
RUSSIAN HISTORICAL STORY
FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY
"CHECKED TRADES"
AND Interest in history at the beginning of the 19th century surged in Russia with extraordinary force after the powerful national upsurge caused by the Napoleonic Wars and especially the Patriotic War of 1812. Awakened national identity determined the originality spiritual development Russian society. And the Decembrist movement, and the monumental work of Karamzin, and the fables of Krylov, and the works of Pushkin - all these are echoes of major historical events, which themselves have become facts of our history. First decades XIX centuries pass under the sign of history. Belinsky drew attention to this feature. “Our age is par excellence historical century. Historical contemplation, the critic wrote, has powerfully and irresistibly penetrated all spheres of modern consciousness. History has now become, as it were, the general foundation and the only condition of all living knowledge: without it, it has become impossible to comprehend either art or philosophy.”
Russian society felt an urgent need to realize what the distinctive features of the national character, the national spirit, as they said then, were. Historicism became the banner of the new century. He was inseparable from the ideas of the people. But in order to understand the feat of the people in Patriotic War 1812, surprised noble Russia In order to comprehend the way of his life, thoughts and feelings, it was necessary to look into the past, into the “dark antiquity”, to turn to the origins of national existence. Karamzin’s “History of the Russian State” opened up to Russian society pages of antiquity that had been covered by almost no one until then. Russian society saw in it a reliable picture of life, the struggle of opinions, the psychological intensity of passions and ready-made subjects for philosophical, historical, moral and artistic reflection. Real ground was created for the flourishing of historical genres. But, perhaps, Karamzin’s “History” played no less important role in the formation of the method of historicism. From now on, historical thinking becomes not only a tool with which to open
1 Belinsky V. G. Complete. collection cit.— M., 1955.— T. VI.— P. 90.
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the door of knowledge into the depths of centuries, but with the necessary quality of philosophical or artistic thought, illuminating living modernity with its beam.
At the same time, Karamzin’s “History” is a work in which the scientific presentation merged with artistry. The element of artistry, very strong in “History,” was based on genuine and reliable facts and evidence. This circumstance immediately confronted the writers whole line purely creative problems - how appropriate is fiction in artistic essay how to combine historical truth and an imaginary plot? Narrative forms have not yet been so refined and refined that contradictory terms work of art on historical topic could be reconciled in some organic unity. Therefore, in a historical story, either an artistic task predominates, mostly ignoring historical reality, or an essay in which the characters look pale, devoid of full-blooded life and persuasiveness. Between them were intermediate forms of memories, “events,” and “incidents.” Often historical material played an auxiliary, service role—the writers were not interested last century in its truth, but its own views on modernity, carried out with the help of historical information.
The fate of the historical story is also instructive in the sense that it clearly demonstrated how historical thinking was formed and the forms of historical narration took shape, and how the features of realism were honed.
If Karamzin awakened theoretical thought, forced us to pay attention to historical reality, to the era, to the conflict of interests, then Walter Scott was his historical novels were already widely known to Russian society - had a tremendous influence on the form of historical narration.
Walter Scott, like Karamzin, relied on the document, but from the documents he chose the most characteristic for a particular time. At the same time, he was attracted by some episode, scene, touch, “anecdote”, in which morals, customs, and thinking, determined by the era or environment, vividly and vividly revealed themselves. This resulted in an attitude towards the ordinariness of the image. “The main charm is rum.<анов>W. Sc. “,” wrote Pushkin, “consists<в том>, that we get acquainted with the past tense not with enflure (puffiness - Ed.) fr.<анцузских>tragedies - not with the stiffness of sensitive novels - not with dignite (in an upbeat tone - Ed.) history, but in a modern, but homely way" Thus, the "anecdote" became one of the important weak-
1 Pushkin A. S. Complete. collection op.—M.; JI., 1949.—T. XII.—P. 195.
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required artistic historical description. Thanks to careful selection, special cases carried artistic appreciation, originality of characters, and typicality of the era. History was depicted in everyday simplicity, it was made by people, and not by figures placed on pedestals or sentimental heroes endowed with a sensitive author's heart. Walter Scott managed to organically merge artistic intuition and scientific documentation. In his novels, historical events and historical time naturally revealed themselves in the actions, thoughts, and feelings of ordinary people. The task of conveying the typical in the special, and, in comparison with modernity, even unusual and strange, and through it to understand the rights of the people and each person participating in history, came to the fore.
The Russian historical story gradually assimilated both the historicism of Karamzin and narrative style Walter Scott. However, this assimilation was extremely difficult and was accompanied by disagreements, disputes, and harsh judgments.
The principles of historicism and their implementation in literature became the subject of open or hidden polemics.
With all their admiration for Karamzin, the Decembrists decisively disagreed with him in their view of Russian history. They did not and could not accept Karamzin's monarchism. They believed that the idea of a monarchy was alien to the Russian people, that autocracy was imposed on them. The people were forced into an autocratic order by deception and force and their freedom was taken away, turning the peasants into forced serfs. From the point of view of the Decembrists, the entire people one way or another ended up in slavery to the autocrats with varying degrees of freedom - more (nobles) or less (peasants). Inspired by the national-patriotic idea, the Decembrists divided the entire nation into tyrants and republicans. Tyrants are those who defended autocracy and slavery with thoughts, feelings, and actions; Republicans are freedom lovers, although they turned out to be “slaves”, but with their thoughts, feelings and actions they have not resigned themselves to a pitiful fate. The overwhelming majority of the Russian nation, the Decembrists believed, was a nation of republicans. Novgorod and Pskov served as historical evidence of this for them, where the free popular voice dominated the veche and where they were “strangled latest outbreaks Russian freedom". From this point of view, the content of Russian history was the unceasing struggle of the Republicans against tyranny and its champions.
In the Decembrists' views on history, strengths were combined with weaknesses. The Decembrists were convinced that monarchism was a despotic form of government, that it restrained the mighty forces of the nation and slowed down the progress of the country. In a word, autocracy is the strangler of the free initiative of the nation and each individual person.
At the same time, the ideas of modernity, the noble revolutionaries
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extended to the entire historical Russian experience, without seeing the qualitative originality of a particular era and but noting that at a certain stage of history, the autocracy played a positive unifying role. Since, the Decembrists believed, there are no fundamental differences between the historical past and the present, the struggle between tyrant fighters and tyrants is equally characteristic of all periods of Russian history. Consequently, the freedom-loving ideas of antiquity are identical to the freedom-loving ideas of modernity. Therefore, all ancient and new freedom-loving heroes think the same way with each other and with the author. And this meant that these selfless people were not at all generated by this or that era, its social conditions. If the heroism of historical figures brought out by the Decembrists were dependent on the circumstances of historical life, then the guarantees for the appearance of virtues in the modern era would disappear. Thus, the character of the freedom lover was explained by the Decembrists not by the time that created him, but by the commonality of patriotic and civil ideas of the past with the patriotic and civil ideas of the present. The Decembrists sought to reveal the unity of national character at all times, leaving the historical development of the Russian people outside the brackets of their thoughts. This, in essence, consisted of that anti-historicism and that rationalistic approach to history, which were manifested with particular force in many works of the Decembrists, including in the historical story.
If Karamzin wrote that “we will not find any repetitions in history,” then the Decembrists insisted on the self-evidence of repetitions, for patriotism and love of freedom are repeated throughout all eras. “Every age,” Karamzin asserted, “has its own special moral character, plunges into the depths of eternity and never appears on earth another time.”1 For Karamzin, each century has a relatively independent character. Historical development occurs through the succession of such eras, which are no longer resurrected in the future. According to the Decembrists, the content and distinctive features of people’s moral existence do not disappear anywhere and, of course, do not disappear without a trace. History, with its examples, convinces us of the vitality of patriotic and civic virtues. From here comes the allusion characteristic of Decembrist historical literature, which consists in the fact that examples of civil virtues are found in history, directly imposed on modernity and overturned into it. Historical figures or events illustrate the Decembrist understanding of the underlying conflict. The method of allusions and “applications” was intended to justify the Decembrist ideas historically and give them a national meaning.
1 Karamzin N. M. Izbr. op.—M.; JI., 1904.—T. 2.—S. 258.
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Since the historical heroes were like-minded people of each other and the Decembrist author, they thought, felt, and spoke the same way. In addition, the Decembrists glorified historical figures who, for one reason or another, found themselves in conflict with tyrants, but the real reasons for the clashes were not taken into account and therefore appeared distorted. So, for example, for Ryleev it is enough that Artemy Volynsky was Biron’s opponent. This prompted the poet to paint the image of a passionate and unyielding freedom-lover, dying for his beliefs, but not changing them. Meanwhile, Volynsky, of course, was neither a revolutionary nor a lover of freedom. He belonged to that noble oligarchy that wanted to overthrow Biron, assert its influence over Anna Ioannovna and seize power. In other words, his actions were not driven by revolutionary or democratic considerations. With Ryleev, Volynsky turned into a fiery freethinker, a Decembrist in thoughts and feelings. The poet Katenin was surprised by the coverage of Mazepa in the poem “Voinarovsky,” who appeared to Ryleev as “some kind of Cato,” that is, instead of a traitor and enemy of Russia, a hater of tyranny and a republican.
The Decembrists, in their historical consciousness at the initial stage, were far from recognizing the immutable fact that autocracy is a form of government that naturally arose in the course of history, that monarchism is an objective result of the historical process, independent of our subjective desires and tastes. The Decembrists approached history romantically and therefore excluded the idea of development and had not yet risen to understand the historical period as a necessary link in the fate of the people.
At the same time, the Decembrists did not want to deliberately distort history. On the contrary, they sought to rely on documents, borrowing them from various sources, mostly from Karamzin’s “History”. Thus, they showed interest in historical truth-telling and historical documentation. For example, each of Ryleev’s thoughts was preceded by a historical note, which told about the event depicted in the poem. Ryleev, therefore, convinced readers of the accuracy of the historical picture he painted. Over time, the Decembrists became more and more attentive to the historically accurate presentation of events, linking the concept of historicism with the concept of nationality. Attempts to capture the uniqueness of the era, to penetrate the “soul” of the people led the Decembrists to reproduce the morals of the people in a particular historical era.
The Decembrists felt that each nation lived its own historical life that the life and customs of Russian people cannot be confused with the life and customs of the Germans, French, English or Arabs. In those first decades of the 19th century, opposing types of culture were distinguished.
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tour, still very generalized - northern, “Ossnan”, and southern, “antique”. The contrast “East” - “West” dominated in the Byronic poem. Byron's “oriental” poems are permeated with the flavor of the East. Next to the Arab, Muslim Mediterranean lives another - Western, European - type of culture, originating in antiquity. Consequently, the historical fate of the eastern and Western peoples is thought to be different. The contemporaries of Byron and Walter Scott, the Decembrists, were close to the idea that the life of a people depends on their living conditions, occupations, climate, customs, traditions, beliefs, language, and on what is called “local color.” The moral character of a people is inseparable from the totality of the circumstances surrounding it. The Decembrists went even further. They realized that the Russian man of the 12th century was different from Russian XIX centuries. However, such a difference does not relate to the content of national heroism, but only to the external forms of its expression.
The historical story reflected that stage in the creation of a historical style when, on the one hand, the writers already felt the difference between the speech of the narrator and the speech of the characters, and on the other hand, they were not yet able to give the speeches of the heroes a historical flavor. Not least of all, this happened because the early historical story could not rely on a deep narrative tradition and at first depended on lyrical-narrative forms. This dependence concerned the organization of the plot (gaps in the narrative, the absence of gradual transitions), the “peak” and episodic nature of the composition, built from one intense dramatic moment to another, leaving the intermediate course of events unsaid; attention to exceptional, unusual characters, "to forced emotional experiences; the introduction of spectacular scenes, gestures, poses. From the romantic poem, situations associated with horror, secrets and moral perversions moved from the romantic poem. Increased exaltation, the lofty language of passions along with ancient sayings, everyday realities and moral and religious concepts and relationships formed the linguistic background of the historical story, in which the stylistic principles of the “eastern” or historical poem were easily discerned. Reproducing traditional motifs and relying on existing structural elements, the Decembrists introduced original ideological content into the historical story and expressed history through. the prism of modernity. Thanks to the new content, the early historical story of the Decembrists, which included the ideas of romantic historicism, replaced the sentimental story with a historical plot and preceded the further deepening of the genre.
The first romantic historical stories are associated with the names of Alexander Bestuzhev, V. Kuchelbecker, N. Bestuzhev and other Decembrists. In A. Bestuzhev’s early prose there is a strong interest in the Russian medium.
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ageless Two themes stand out here - Livonian and purely Russian. The second of them is dedicated to events reflecting the struggle between Novgorod and Moscow. A striking example of it was the story “Roman and Olga”, which had an impact strong impact on romantic writers who addressed the same or similar historical era.
For the historical narrative, A. Bestuzhev chooses a plot briefly outlined in Karamzin’s “History”. This choice is dictated by the desire to follow the truth of history. The writer deliberately took specific historical event, striving to be documentary accurate. This allowed Bestuzhev, as he thought, to historically correctly recreate the historical flavor: the morals of the people, the thoughts, feelings, desires of the heroes, the peculiarities of their behavior and language. In the afterword to the story, the writer referred to the documentary nature of his narrative: “The course of my story lies between the halves of 1396 and 1398 (counting the year from March 1, according to the then style). All historical incidents and persons mentioned in it are presented with relentless accuracy, and I depicted morals, prejudices and customs, according to considerations, from legends and remaining monuments.” As evidence of “persistent accuracy,” Bestuzhev referred to the works of N. Karamzin, E. Bolkhovitinov and G. Uspensky. The reader had to believe that the author was based on authentic documents and evidence. He was convinced that the action of the story was strictly confined to a certain time, and “mores, prejudices and customs” were extracted “from legends and remaining monuments.” However, Bestuzhev “depicted them... out of consideration,” that is, following fiction, fantasy, his artistic intuition, but verifying it with the same historical facts. Thus, he tried to combine two principles - historical evidence and artistic fiction, which again goes back to authentic documents. All this, according to the writer, ensured historical authenticity to the story.
However, coverage of the historical past is highly romanticized. The intention to reproduce the era “relentlessly accurately” came into conflict with the Decembrist understanding of history. In the conflict between Novgorod and Moscow, all the Decembrist’s sympathies were given in advance to Novgorod and his love of freedom. Moscow was portrayed as oppressive and unrighteous. She encroached on the freedoms of Novgorod. For the sake of glorifying the Novgorod freemen, Bestuzhev distorted historical facts. Karamzin, for example, wrote about the “selfish Novgorod government”, that certain parts of Novgorod “willingly” and “friendly” greeted the Moscow army. Bestuzhev, on the contrary, idealizes the veche and emphasizes the unity of Novgorodians who do not want to recognize the power of Moscow. Although the Novgorodians argue about whether to fight with Vasily Dmitrievich or surrender to the mercy of a strong enemy, Moscow remains an enemy for both, and its claims are a gross attack on independence and ancient customs. Them
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In the process, historical accuracy is sacrificed to the Decembrist worldview.
The hero of the story, the novel, acts as a conductor of the author’s idea about the Novgorod freemen. This is a romantic Decembrist, dressed in the costume of a Novgorod boyar. Above all for him is the freedom of Novgorod, which he is ready to defend and defend at the cost own life. The writer, creating the image of a fiery champion of freedom, capable of sacrificing himself, of course, appealed to his contemporaries, attracting them to struggle and awakening in them feelings of honor and duty. At the same time, the novel speaks and thinks as a contemporary of the author and those young nobles to whom the writer is addressing. The hero’s speech combines two stylistic streams - lyrically excited and pathetically passionate, full of exclamations, questions and “overturned” into the past, replete with ancient phrases, expressions, proverbs and sayings. Interspersed with ancient Russian words, concepts, everyday realities, descriptions of clothing, utensils, fabrics add a historical flavor to the narrative, but it turns out not to be a reproduction of the authenticity of a bygone era, but just a spectacular ornament that sets off the completely modern ones. characters and actions of the heroes.
Bestuzhev’s attempts to convey the moral image of the era “out of consideration” based on authentic documents turn out to be unsuccessful, because the basis of the author’s narrative is the speech of the Decembrist writer, slightly embellished and covered up in ancient words. So, talking about the behavior of Olga, Roman’s beloved, Bestuzhev reports that the heroine remembers “that unforgettable Seven Week, when for the first time her hand trembled in Roman’s hand.” Not to mention Olga’s behavior, which was impossible for the morals of antiquity (she could not see Roman before the matchmaking and wedding, because “our ancestors” did not show their daughters not only to strangers, but even to their brothers), the stylistic accents in the thoughts of the heroine, conveyed by Bestuzhev , are placed incorrectly. The word “semik,” which is deliberately used here for supposed historical fidelity, looks like an alien oddity, while the word “unforgettable” carries a strong emotional load, explaining Olga’s state of mind. But the epithet “unforgettable” was taken by Bestuzhev from modern romantic language, while the word “semik” belongs to religious and everyday vocabulary. In the second part of the phrase (“when her hand trembled in Roman’s hand”) the style of romanticism dominates. This phrase is firmly linked to the word “unforgettable”. They are selected based on stylistic similarity and form a single stylistic layer, from which the word “semik” falls out. At the same time, it loses its historical flavor and means the word “day”, which was common for that time. All this proves that Olga thinks about her sweetheart like a typical romantic heroine, and not the sedate beauty of our folklore or ancient monuments.
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The description of morals “out of consideration” does not stand the test of historical accuracy, excluding the organic unity of style and allowing a conflict of words bearing historical overtones with words and expressions used in romantic prose. In accordance with the general artistic assignment Bestuzhev focuses on the inner world of the characters, on the motives of their behavior and experiences, and external images become signs of deep passions. All narrative material was subordinated to the expression of the patriotic idea. In Novgorod’s struggle for its freedom, both the civil and personal fate of Roman was decided. If the Decembrist writer correlated with the image of Olga the idea of personal and, moreover, female independence, protesting against the constraining foundations of the medieval way of life and standing up for the dignity of the girl, for her right to love, for which the heroine is ready to sacrifice herself, then with the image of Roman Bestuzhev associated the idea of public freedom, in which the highest personal feelings gave way to civic virtues. Roman does not doubt for a minute that he will be able to bring his love for Olga to the altar of loyalty to Novgorod freedom. At the same time, the spirit of freedom in Novgorodians is so strong that it does not fade even among the robbers who first captured Roman and then rescued him from trouble.
Plot-composition and stylistic features historical story of the Decembrists, where the patriotic spirit of the hero is revealed in his “transformations” (the hero seems to change different masks; remaining selfless and faithful to public duty, he appears either as a sorrowful lover, separated from his girlfriend, or as a mysterious wanderer, or as a prisoner imprisoned, sometimes an unexpected savior of his offender, and finally a happy winner who receives a bride as a reward), are easily distinguishable in subsequent historical stories of romantics.
The Decembrist historical story, in which two principles are combined - documentary and fictional ("on the basis"), became the progenitor of two types of historical narration, conventionally designated as "poetic", gravitating towards the romantic, and "prosaic", with features of realism ripening in it . At the same time, both principles were certainly present, but the emphasis shifted either to “fiction” or to “document”.
The “poetic” type of historical narration was then embodied in N. Polevoy’s story about Simeon, the Suzdal Prince and in other stories of this “tireless and gifted fighter” for romanticism, according to Belinsky. N. Polevoy sought to reproduce the national spirit on the basis of poetic intuition. He brought to the fore the principle of philosophical and poetic penetration into the historical era. From this point of view, N. Polevoy contrasted Walter Scott, in whom he found only a decoration of morals, a true depiction of the nationality and customs,
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but I did not see either philosophy or poetry, the school of French historical novelists (V. Hugo, A. de Vigny).
Unlike Pushkin, N. Polevoy, thus, decisively preferred the French romantics to the realist W. Scott. To the romantic imagination of N. Polevoy, history seemed extremely sublime. The writer believed that the characters in Ancient Rus' were significantly stronger than those contemporary to him and, therefore, neither his consciousness nor the consciousness people XIX centuries are inaccessible and unattainable for them. Therefore, in his story all the main characters- extraordinary, exceptional, authentic romantic characters. Simeon, for example, is depicted as brave and noble. He has a special destiny, marked by fate. However, he acts contrary to the fate prepared for him. The merchant Zamyatya, who frees Simeon from prison, and the boyar Dimitri are equal to him. The struggle that Simeon wages with his uncle is caused by a sense of justice and love of freedom. The support given to him by some of the residents of Nizhny Novgorod is also explained by their desire for independence. Thus, the conflict is based on reasons of a moral nature: a conspiracy arises where the primordial property of the Russian person - the ineradicable love of freedom - is infringed. This interpretation of history brought N. Polevoy closer to the romantic Decembrists and alienated him from the realists, primarily from Pushkin. However, N. Polevoy, although he saw the historical past in a romantically sublime light, believed that a truthful reproduction of the era is impossible without preserving historical accuracy, attributed primarily to historical facts. Therefore, unlike A. Bestuzhev, N. Polevoy combines the romantic idea of personal freedom with the historical important task overthrow Russian principalities Tatar yoke. He understands that Simeon is pursuing personal goals, which, if successfully implemented, will not yet bring freedom to the Russian people. Moscow, having intervened in the feud between Boris Konstantinovich and Simeon Kirdyak and deprived both of power over Nizhny Novgorod, united forces for the final liberation of Russian lands.
Gradually the fate of Rus' becomes main theme works, and on the last pages of the story the author places a lyrical and pathetic “prophecy” from “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” directly addressing national patriotic motives.
Comprehending the philosophical and poetic meaning of history, N. Polevoy, naturally, weakened the romantic, love story in comparison with A. Bestuzhev. a line that has only just emerged, but has not developed into an intrigue of any significance for the fate of the country or the heroes.
Along with the “poetic” historical narrative, steeped in romance, another, “prosaic” type of depiction of antiquity arose. It also began with Decembrist prose, in particular the stories of A. O. Korpilovich. Decembrist A. Kornilovich received, in addition to stories,
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There were also essays, paintings and sketches of morals. Contemporaries (P. Vyazemsky, V. Belinsky) believed that in Russian documentary sources, unlike, for example, Scottish or English, “there are no morals, community life, citizenship and home life,” which, in their opinion, made it extremely difficult to reproduce correctly stories in the spirit of W. Scott. A. Kornlovich focused his efforts precisely on this. He turned to the era of Peter I and wrote essays about amusements, assemblies, the first balls, and the private life of the emperor and Russians during the time of Peter the Great. Much of his information, described in the essays, was then used by Pushkin in the unfinished novel “Arap of Peter the Great.” A. Nornilovich did not shy away from oral stories and anecdotes that reached his contemporaries from a relatively distant era. For the first time, he widely used written and oral materials of an everyday nature, thanks to which the course of historical life was illuminated.
A. Kornilovich’s story “Andrei the Nameless” is dedicated to the events of the Peter the Great era. Its plot basis is documentary: the writer borrowed the plot from the works of I. Golikov (an episode about a private and unfair trial). The story clearly distinguishes two principles: historical material and romantic intrigue. However, the historian and the novelist are in conflict in the work. As a historian, A. Kornilovich carefully selects facts, creating a historical background. Documents are almost not processed and become self-sufficient. Detailed Descriptions Petersburg, in which excursions into the past are combined with comments and appeals to the present (“In a long row of buildings, the former palace of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich (now the Gough Quartermaster’s Office) stood out, Foundry yard, which has not changed its then appearance, the Summer Palace, the wooden Winter Palace (where now Imperial Hermitage), the huge house of Admiral Apraksin (broken down to form the current Winter Palace), the Maritime Academy. Admiralty..."), are mechanically connected with the romantic "history" and written in a different - rather dry and precise - style. The most important thing for A. Kornilovich is to express his attitude towards the era of Peter the Great, to talk about the beneficial undertakings and transformations of the tsar in all areas - from state institutions to small signs of private life. In this case, the documentary material is separated from the plot and turned into essays of larger or smaller volume. A. Kornilovich talks about St. Petersburg, about his activities and hobbies, about the private life of the tsar and his entourage. Peter's transformations and the very spirit of the era captivate the writer, and he conveys them in detail, with many characteristic features, lovingly naming the names of the tsar's associates and sympathetically drawing pictures of morals and life.
Against this historical background, the fate of the nobleman Andrei Gorbunov unfolds, from whom the powerful and greedy Menshikov takes away
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estate, and along with the estate, honor, dignity and a bride, because Gorbunov, deprived of his noble title, can no longer lay claim to Varvara’s hand. The hero is saved by chance: having entered the Preobrazhensky Regiment, he once found himself alone with Peter I and told him about his sad story. The Tsar, who knew the habits of his favorite, checked Gorbunov’s story and returned his hereditary title and estate. In a word, he restored the justice violated by Menshikov. This story is presented by Kornilovich in conventional and rather worn-out romantic colors. She confirms, according to overall plan writer, the greatness of Peter as a statesman and as a person. However, A. Kornilovich did not achieve an organic fusion of the historical background and the romantic plot, heroes and environment. Historical documentary material entered the story unprocessed, although with its help the story was depicted in the manner of W. Scott in a “homely way.” The hero’s private story, both in content and style, seemed to “stand out” from the sketch narration: in its presentation, the romantic style prevailed, which affected the unnaturalness of the experiences, and the speeches, and the behavior of the characters. The characters, as the writer himself admitted, turned out to be undeveloped.
A. Kryukov also experienced difficulties in transforming documentary material into an artistic narrative in “My Grandmother’s Story.” On the one hand, the story from the time of the Pugachev uprising was filled with expressively truthful details of everyday life (unsightly houses woven from twigs and coated with clay, uncleaned and hardly suitable for firing cannons, “in which sparrows made nests for themselves,” wretched clothes, mended and repaired , disabled soldiers who could barely stand on their feet due to decrepitude), and on the other, a romantic story that happened to an orphan girl. The Pugachevites appear in the story as romantic villains, fiends of hell, and the author does not spare black colors to paint their faces, clothes, to talk about their terrible intentions and base feelings. A. Kryukov wanted to contrast an episode from real history with the “fictional disasters of romantic heroes,” but the life of his heroine Nastenka proceeds according to a long-known romantic template: here is the rumor about the secret relations of the old woman who sheltered Nastenka with otherworldly creatures, and the servant playing the role of the devil and getting into a stove, and a secluded corner from where you can eavesdrop on the speeches of the robbers, and then disrupt their conspiracy, and a happy ending.
Descriptions of everyday life containing realistic elements were strong point historical stories. It is known that Pushkin used many everyday realities from A. Kryukov’s story in “ The captain's daughter", depicting life in Belogorsk fortress. At the same time, the document in Pushkin’s historical prose ceases to serve as an illustration and loses its decorative effect. He is subjected to such creativity
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technical processing, as a result of which the image and environment merge into a single whole. Historical conditions become necessary for understanding the heroes, and the heroes naturally act in circumstances, “for such circumstances are familiar to them,” as Pushkin himself put it about the characters in W. Scott’s novels.
The historical story of the romantics aroused interest in the uniqueness of the national character and its reliable reproduction, stirred up a sense of patriotism and made us think again about the historicism and nationality of literature. By comprehending them, the historical story has advanced quite far. So, for example, in the story “The Sign” O. Somov, a writer and critic close to the Decembrists, and then to Pushkin’s circle of writers, depicted two ways of life - French and Russian, two types of behavior of simple, ordinary people different nations. The ideological core of the story is the idea of the unity of the Russian people during the Napoleonic invasion. The peasants and the landowner commanding them act in harmony and deftly, capturing the French. In this sense, the glorious past is more sublime than the present, in which people are divided and interests are different. In part, the events of the past were portrayed as a reproach to modernity and as the so far unattainable ideal of better, more perfect social relations. The historical story of the romantics here directly interfered with life, and its problems to some extent anticipated the ideas of the realistic story or merged with them.
Since the second half of the 1830s, the genre of the historical story has been fading away. It becomes the property of writers, although knowledgeable in Russian history, such as K. Masalsky, but too preoccupied with an entertaining, action-packed narrative to the detriment of true historical depth. The patriotic content of K. Masalsky's story “The Regency of Biron” is narrowed to the denial of German influence and deviations from Orthodoxy. Nevertheless, K. Masalsky quite correctly described the dark era of “Bironovism” with its general suspicion, court intrigues, squabbles for power and complete defenselessness ordinary people in the kingdom of detective and torture. The romantic story on a historical theme retained its dual character: documentary and fiction, historical background and images, everyday realities and entertainment did not become a convincing artistic fusion. This was not least due to a superficial assimilation of the principles of historicism. Man has not yet been explained by history, but has been planted on sometimes even detailed historical soil. His behavior and experiences were not organically associated with her. Therefore, against the background of the past, either a modern character was depicted, or a conventional, bookish one, created according to well-known literary models. Only Pushkin, and then Gogol (“Taras Bulba”) and Lermontov (“Borodino”, “Song about the Merchant Kalashnikov”) managed to say a new word in the historical narrative and apply the principles of historicism to the work.
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money for modern theme(“Eugene Onegin”, “Hero of Our Time”). In saying this, there is no need, of course, to belittle the romantic historical story that has become an important stage towards a realistic narrative. The desire to capture and understand the spirit of the era, attention to historical documents, language, everyday life, morals, customs, costumes - all this, of course, had a fruitful significance for the fate of Russian literature. The Romantics were the first to not only declare the demands of historicism and nationality, but also proposed bold and artistic solutions in historical stories that have not disappeared without a trace, preserving both cognitive and aesthetic interest to this day.
V. Korovin