Works of classical literature, undoubtedly, are the foundations of the foundations: they contain the culture, history, philosophy of the people about whom the authors narrated in their works. In the niche of world classical literature there are quite significant place Russian literature occupies: huge amount works domestic authors read with pleasure abroad. We will try to consider 15 of the most iconic works of Russian classical literature, which everyone should be familiar with.
A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin"
The most famous novel in verse tells us unusual story love between the main character, Evgeny Onegin and Tatyana. Their feelings are born in different times and influence the characters in different ways: having fallen in love first, Tatyana, after an explanation with her beloved, withdraws into herself, but, in essence, remains herself. Onegin’s feeling, which flared up much later, changes him beyond recognition. He appears before the reader full of passion and tenderness, having lost his former coldness and pride and is capable of real, sincere, human feeling. Against the background of the main storyline, the remaining actions of the novel unfold, during which the Russian poet raises a huge number of important problems, such as, for example, the social, everyday and cultural way of the entire Russian society of the early 19th century.
A.N. Ostrovsky "Dowry"
An immortal play that tells about the sad fate of Russian women, the heartlessness of rich people and the petty-bourgeois character of small people. It was superbly filmed by E. Ryazanov.
Stories by A.P. Chekhov
Chekhov wrote many stories, both funny and tragic. Chekhov's main character is an ordinary person with his own daily affairs and worries. The stories “Rothschild’s Violin”, “Ward No. 6”, “The Cure for Hard-drinking”, “The Man in a Case”, “Tears Invisible to the World”, etc. tell us that no one else understood the soul of the Russian person like Chekhov. Despite the genre, Chekhov's stories are precious stone Russian literature.
A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit"
The main idea of Griboedov's comedy is expressed in the title of the work. The main character, Chatsky, who returned from abroad, comes to the house of the nobleman Famusov to see his daughter Sophia, his ex-lover. This is where it happens, his rather unpleasant encounter with everything " Famusovsky society": by Famusov, Sofia, Molchalin, Skalozub themselves, who live fenced off from the world with their stereotypes and long-outdated views on the world. They instantly mistake Chatsky, a progressive, educated man who looks at the world differently, for a madman and a danger to society. The problem of a person who stands out from the stereotypical crowd and because of this is not accepted by society, so acutely posed by Griboyedov, is still relevant to this day.
L.N. Tolstoy "Anna Karenina"
Main storyline of this novel - tragic story love between married Anna Karenina and officer Vronsky. Meeting your true love changes Anna's life, she is ready to sacrifice everything for her, but does not see a reciprocal gesture in her direction from her lover. The heroine, forced to struggle with her own feelings and public contempt, decides to throw herself under a train. The problematics of the work are questions about marriage, love and family that concern modern society no less than at the time of writing this novel.
L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace"
Tolstoy's epic novel describes the life of Russian society during the period Patriotic War with Napoleon, hence the title of the novel. Scenes of war give way to scenes peaceful life, where are hundreds acting heroes reveal to readers their character, their spiritual qualities and life values. Among the huge number of heroes, Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky stand out from the rest, whose names are known even to those who are not familiar with this novel. The first is soft, afraid of committing wrong acts, and non-conflict later becomes a Decembrist. Bolkonsky, presented at the beginning of the novel as cold, tired of the entire society around him, is revealed as a sensitive nature, capable of a feat for the sake of his Motherland and of strong feelings towards the woman he loves. This novel certainly deserves the attention of any literature connoisseur for its variety of problems raised and all the brightness and contrast of the social life described.
F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"
The plot of the socio-psychological novel is based on the murder of an old money-lender by Rodion Raskolnikov and his subsequent state of mind, searching for an answer to the question “is he a trembling creature or does he have the right.” The reader is immediately struck by the problem of poverty raised by the author, which, in part, pushes Raskolnikov to commit a terrible act. But here the author’s idea about faith in goodness and love, about the ability to forgive and about those bright feelings that should suppress cruelty in the struggle for power borders.
M.A. Sholokhov "Quiet Don"
Sholokhov's novel touches on pictures of the life of the Cossacks, their traditions, customs and life values. Their cruel, strict morals of life make the Cossacks special, and the forbidden love of Gregory and Aksinya unfolding against this background is extraordinary, contrary to all the rules, rebellious, but sincere to the depths of the soul.
N.V. Gogol "The Inspector General"
Gogol’s well-known comedy “The Inspector General” sets as its primary goal ridicule the city authorities, who, having learned about the arrival of the inspector, became seriously worried, and then, in his presence, began to openly grovel before him, missing only one important detail - Khlestakov, accepted them for the auditor, turned out to be the most ordinary sly and deceiver from the street. The problems of bribery, neglect of one's duties, pettiness and cowardice are highlighted in Gogol's comedy.
N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls"
The book tells about the adventures of Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich, the main character of the poem, a former collegiate adviser posing as a landowner. Chichikov arrives in an unnamed town, a certain provincial “city N”, and immediately tries to gain the trust of all any important inhabitants of the city, which he successfully succeeds in doing. The hero becomes an extremely welcome guest at balls and dinners. The townspeople of the unnamed city have no idea about Chichikov's true goals. And its goal is to buy up or acquire free of charge dead peasants who, according to the census, were still listed as living among local landowners, and then register them in their own name as living.
M.Yu. Lermontov "Hero of Our Time"
It's about spiritual world person. This topic is well covered thanks to the contradictory image of Pechorin. This person is not the most pleasant character, not always noble deeds, but also completely difficult fate. Someone may condemn him for his treatment of Bela, Maksim Maksimych and the princess, someone sympathizes with him, especially after his monologue about the difficulty of his fate in “Princess Mary”. Pechorin is a person who is in deep conflict with society, but at the same time, a person who cannot but arouse admiration from this same society for the strength of his personality.
I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"
The novel became iconic for its time, and the image of the main character Evgeniy Bazarov was perceived by young people as an example to follow. Ideals such as uncompromisingness, lack of admiration for authorities and old truths, the priority of the useful over the beautiful were accepted by the people of that time and were reflected in Bazarov’s worldview.
I.S. Turgenev "Notes of a Hunter"
The classic hunted a lot in the Oryol province. They met him there different people, he followed the life of the Russian people, which he describes in his book. This is a collection of stories published in 1847-1851 in the Sovremennik magazine and published as a separate edition in 1852. Three stories were written and added by the author to the collection much later.
M.A. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"
The main theme of the novel “The Master and Margarita” is the search for truth, the search for oneself, one’s personality, one’s direction, life path. The Master's novel is presented here as truth, but one who has comprehended and found the truth inevitably becomes mentally ill. One of the main ideas in the novel is also the struggle between good and evil, which affects all the heroes of the novel, intertwining the genres of fiction, satire and philosophy. Although the novel was published in Soviet era, it has become an undisputed classic.
M.A. Bulgakov "Heart of a Dog"
At the heart of the story " Heart of a Dog" - a story about how Professor Preobrazhensky decides to transplant a human pituitary gland and ovaries into a homeless dog. His fantastic experiment ends with the transformation of a cute stray dog into a disgusting representative of the proletariat, Sharikov. The problem of the proletariat, by the way, is one of the main issues of the story. The post-revolutionary structure of society, which causes Preobrazhensky’s undisguised irritation, makes the reader think deeply.
“As the classics teach”, “I’ll go read the classics” - these phrases can be heard in everyday speech. However, it is unlikely that we fully understand which writers have the right to be included in the golden fund of fine literature, and what this phenomenon generally represents - the classics of world literature. This article will answer such questions.
Terminology problems
It is quite difficult to outline the concept of classical, because this definition is used in the most different meanings. For the average native speaker, it is akin to an ideal, a standard, something to strive for. However, it would not be an exaggeration to say that in relation to literature, the framework of these parameters is flexible and changes depending on a particular era. Thus, for Corneille and Racine, the classics of world literature are, first of all, works of Antiquity, while the Middle Ages did not welcome them at all. And in early XIX centuries, there were even those who liked to claim that all the best in Russia had already been written. Agree: to fans of Pushkin, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, such hypotheses seem extremely ridiculous.
A different point of view
Also, “classical literature” sometimes refers to works created before modernism. Although now this view can be considered somewhat outdated, since the novels of Kafka, Joyce and Proust, the paintings of Dali and Malevich have long since become the golden fund of art, weeding out less talented contemporaries.
At the same time, despite historical modifications, the classics of world literature remain timeless, universal and talented. Even after hundreds of years, humanity turns to the works of Shakespeare, Goethe or Pushkin, interpreting them in various discourses. This becomes possible due to the depth of their content and relevance for everyone.
So, to summarize: what does it include? classical literature? whose works are still read today.
Are classical and “high” literature the same thing?
The division of literature into three “floors” - high, fiction and mass - appeared relatively recently. More precisely, when entertaining books began to be created specifically for the average reader. The classics of world literature largely correspond to “high” works. They are intellectual and require significant work on the part of the reader and his experience. However, the term “classical” is also applied to samples of so-called mass literature, albeit with a slightly different meaning. An example of this is the detective stories of Agatha Christie and the fantasy of Tolkien. When their fans claim that this is a classic of world literature, they mean that “Ten Little Indians” or “The Lord of the Rings” served as a successful model for subsequent writers who worked within these genres. It is difficult to judge how much the named works will remain in the memory of readers; literary criticism does not give an exact answer to this question.
List of world classics
It has already become traditional to compile ratings of books that are required reading for those who want to be considered a truly educated person. These lists open with the works of ancient Greek and Roman authors: Homer (Iliad), Aeschylus (Prometheus Bound) and Virgil (Aeneid). These works have the unconditional right to bear the honorary title of “classics of world literature.” became the cradle of the creativity of J. Chaucer and F. Villon, as well as an endless number literary monuments without an author.
The Renaissance gave us creators eternal images- Shakespeare and Cervantes. However, we must also remember Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Francois Rabelais and some others. The 17th century was marked by baroque (Pedro Calderon, Gongora) and classicist (Racine, Corneille, Moliere) art. Then came the enrichment of literature with the names of Voltaire, Rousseau, Goethe and Schiller.
19th century opens romantic creativity Byron, Scott, Hoffmann, Hugo, Poe. Somewhere in the middle of the century, romanticism gave way to the novels of Stendhal, Balzac, and Dickens.
The turn of the century is distinguished by the appearance of the first modernist movements- symbolism (Verlaine, Rimbaud, Wilde), naturalism (Zola) and impressionism. At the same time, the so-called new drama (Ibsen, Shaw, Maeterlinck), which seeks to completely rethink outdated dramatic techniques, is gaining popularity. The twentieth century enriched literature with the modernist novel (mentioned Kafka, Proust and Joyce), a large number avant-garde movements- surrealism, dadaism, expressionism. The second half of the last century was marked by the work of Brecht, Camus, Hemingway and Marquez. We can also talk about modern postmodern works that have become classical (Pavic, Süskind).
Russian classic writers
Russian classics are, of course, a separate conversation. The 19th and 20th centuries revealed the names of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Fet, Goncharov, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Blok, Gorky, Yesenin, Bulgakov, Sholokhov... Their works form the classics of Russian and world literature.
Ancient Greece
Homer "Odyssey" and "Iliad"
Did Homer really write these poems? Was he blind? And did it exist in principle? These and other questions still remain unanswered, but they fade in the face of the eternity and value of the texts themselves. The epic Iliad, which tells the story of Trojan War, for a long time was better known than the Odyssey, and in to a greater extent influenced European literature. But the wanderings of Odysseus, written in simple language, are almost a novel, perhaps the first one that has come down to us.
United Kingdom
Charles Dickens "The Adventures of Oliver Twist"
A groundbreaking novel featuring real life without embellishment, Dickens composed it at the age of 26. He didn’t have to strain his imagination much: main character, who lived in poverty, is the author himself, whose family went bankrupt when the future writer was just a child. And Dickens even took the surname of the main villain Feigin from life, borrowing, however, from his best friend.
The release of Oliver Twist had the effect of a bomb exploding in England: society, in particular, vied with each other to discuss - and condemn - child labor. Thanks to the novel, readers learned that literature can serve as a mirror.
Jane Austen "Pride and Prejudice"
A cornerstone text for British literature, as classic as Eugene Onegin in Russia. A quiet, homely young lady, Austen wrote Pride when she was very young, but published it only 15 years later, after the success of Sense and Sensibility. The Austen phenomenon, among other things, is that almost all of her novels are classics, but Pride and Prejudice stands out from the crowd because of the presence of one of the most amazing couples in world literature - Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Darcy is a common noun; without him, Britain is not Britain. In general, “Pride and Prejudice” is the very case when the sign “ women's novel"causes not a grin, but admiration.
Germany
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "Faust"
The 82-year-old Goethe finished the last, second part of Faust six months before his death. He began working on the text when he was twenty-five. Goethe invested all the meticulousness, efficiency and attention to detail inherited from his pedantic father into this ambitious work. Life, death, world order, good, evil - “Faust,” like “War and Peace,” in its own way is a comprehensive book in which everyone will find answers to any answers.
Erich Maria Remarque "Arc de Triomphe"
“One of the two always leaves the other. The whole question is who will get ahead of whom,” “Love does not tolerate explanations. She needs actions” - Remarque’s novel is one of those books that are divided into quotes. The love story in Paris besieged by the Germans turned the heads of more than one generation of readers, and the author’s romance with Marlene Dietrich, and persistent rumors that it was Dietrich who became the prototype of Joan Madou, only add to the charm of this beautiful book.
Russia
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment”
Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote this novel forcedly, due to the need for money: gambling debts, the death of his brother Mikhail, which left his family without funds. The plot of Crime and Punishment was "inspired" by the case of Pierre François Lacière, a French intellectual murderer who believed that society was to blame for his actions. Dostoevsky composed in parts, each of which was published in the magazine “Russian Messenger”. Later novel came out as a separate volume, in a new edition, abridged by the author, and began independent life. Today “Crime and Punishment” is part of the world classics, one of the symbols of Russian literature and culture in general, translated into many languages and filmed many times (up to the manga comic of the same name).
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy “War and Peace”
The epic four-volume masterpiece, written over several sessions, ultimately took Tolstoy almost six years to complete. “War and Peace” is inhabited by 559 heroes, the names of the main ones - Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Bolkonsky - have become household names. This novel is a large-scale (many believe that it is completely exhaustive) statement about everything in the world - war, love, state, etc. The author himself quickly lost interest in War and Peace, calling the book “wordy” a few years later, and at the end of his life simply “nonsense.”
Colombia
Gabriel Garcia Marquez "One Hundred Years of Solitude"
The Buendia family saga is the second most popular text on Spanish all over the world (the first is “Don Quixote” by Cervantes). Sample of the genre " magical realism”, which has become a kind of brand that unites completely different authors, such as Borges, Coelho and Carlos Ruiz Zafon. “One Hundred Years of Solitude” was written by 38-year-old Marquez in a year and a half; To write this book, the father of two children quit his job and sold his car. The novel was published in 1967, at first it sold poorly, but eventually gained worldwide fame. The total circulation of “One Hundred Years” today is 30 million, Marquez is a classic, a laureate of everything in the world, including Nobel Prize, a symbolic writer who has done more for his native Colombia than anyone. It is thanks to Marquez that the world knows that in Colombia there are not only drug lords, but also
Many of us have been left with the conviction since school that for the most part Russian classics are rather boring and unimaginably drawn out works of several hundred pages about the hardships of life, mental suffering and the philosophical quests of the main characters. We have collected Russian classics that are impossible not to read to the end.
Anatoly Pristavkin “The golden cloud spent the night”
“The golden cloud spent the night” by Anatoly Pristavkin- a piercingly tragic story that happened to orphaned twin brothers Sashka and Kolka Kuzmin, evacuated along with the rest of the pupils orphanage during the war in the Caucasus. Here it was decided to establish a labor colony to develop the land. Children turn out to be innocent victims of government policies towards the peoples of the Caucasus. This is one of the most powerful and honest stories about war orphans and deportation. Caucasian peoples. “The Golden Cloud Spent the Night” has been translated into 30 languages and is rightfully one of the best works Russian classics. 10th place in our ranking.
Boris Pasternak "Doctor Zhivago"
Novel Boris Pasternak "Doctor Zhivago", which brought him world fame and the Nobel Prize - in 9th place in the list of the best works of Russian classics. For his novel, Pasternak was sharply criticized by representatives of the official literary world countries. The book's manuscript was banned from publication, and the writer himself, under pressure, was forced to refuse to receive the prestigious award. After Pasternak's death, it was transferred to his son.
Mikhail Sholokhov " Quiet Don»
In terms of the scale and scope of the period of life of the main characters described in it, it can be compared with “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy. This is an epic story about the life and destinies of representatives Don Cossacks. The novel covers three most difficult eras of the country: the First world war, the revolution of 1917 and Civil War. What was going on in the souls of people in those days, what reasons forced relatives and friends to stand on opposite sides of the barricades? The writer tries to answer these questions in one of the best works of Russian classical literature. “Quiet Don” is in 8th place in our ranking.
Stories by Anton Chekhov
A generally recognized classic of Russian literature, they occupy 7th place on our list. One of the most famous playwrights in the world, wrote more than 300 works different genres and died very early, at 44 years old. Chekhov's stories, ironic, funny and eccentric, reflected the realities of life of that era. They have not lost their relevance even now. Its peculiarity short works– do not answer questions, but ask them to the reader.
I. Ilf and E. Petrov “Twelve Chairs”
Novels by writers with a wonderful sense of humor I. Ilf and E. Petrov “The Twelve Chairs” and “The Golden Calf” take 6th place among the best works of Russian classics. After reading them, every reader will understand that classical literature is not only interesting and exciting, but also funny. The adventures of the great schemer Ostap Bender, the main character of the books by Ilf and Petrov, will not leave anyone indifferent. Immediately after the first publication, the writers' works were received ambiguously in literary circles. But time has shown their artistic value.
In fifth place in our ranking of the best works of Russian classics - "The Gulag Archipelago" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. It's not only great novel about one of the most difficult and terrible periods in the history of the country - repressions in the USSR, but also autobiographical work, based on personal experience the author, as well as letters and memoirs of more than two hundred camp prisoners. The release of the novel in the West was accompanied by loud scandal and persecution launched against Solzhenitsyn and other dissidents. Publication of The Gulag Archipelago became possible in the USSR only in 1990. The novel is among best books century.
Nikolai Gogol “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is a universally recognized classic of world significance. The crowning achievement of his work is considered the novel " Dead souls", the second volume of which was destroyed by the author himself. But our ranking of the best works of Russian classics includes the first book Gogol – “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”. It’s hard to believe that the stories included in the book and written with sparkling humor were practically Gogol’s first experience in writing. A flattering review of the work was left by Pushkin, who was sincerely amazed and fascinated by Gogol’s stories, written alive, poetic language without feigned affectation and stiffness.
The events described in the book take place in different time periods: in XVII, XVIII XIX centuries.
Fyodor Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"
Novel “Crime and Punishment” by F. M. Dostoevsky takes third place in the list of the best works of Russian classics. He received the status cult book of global significance. This is one of the most frequently filmed books. It's not only deep philosophical work, in which the author poses to readers the problems of moral responsibility, good and evil, but also a psychological drama and a fascinating detective story. The author shows the reader the process of transforming a talented and respectable young man into a killer. He is no less interested in the possibility of Raskolnikov’s atonement for his guilt.
Great epic novel Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy "War and Peace", the volume of which has terrified schoolchildren for many decades, is actually very interesting. It covers the period of several military campaigns against the strongest France at that time, led by Napoleon Bonaparte. This is one of the brightest examples of the best works of not only Russian, but also world classics. The novel is recognized as one of the most epic works in world literature. Here every reader will find his favorite topic: love, war, courage.
Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"
Topping our list of examples of the best classical literature is the amazing novel. The author never lived to see the publication of his book - it was published 30 years after his death.
The Master and Margarita is such a complex work that not a single attempt to film the novel has been successful. The figures of Woland, the Master and Margarita require filigree accuracy in conveying their images. Unfortunately, no actor has yet managed to achieve this. The film adaptation of the novel by director Vladimir Bortko can be considered the most successful.
(Russian) - this is broad concept, and everyone puts their own meaning into it. If you ask readers what associations it evokes in them, the answers will be different. For some, this is the basis of the library collection, others will say that works of classical Russian literature are a kind of example of high artistic merit. For schoolchildren, this is everything that is studied at school. And they will all be absolutely right in their own way. So what is classical literature? Russian literature, today we will talk only about it. ABOUT foreign classics we'll talk about it in another article.
Russian literature
There is a generally accepted periodization of formation and development Russian literature. Its history is divided into the following time periods:
What works are called classics?
Many readers are sure that classical literature (Russian) is Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy - that is, the works of those writers who lived in the 19th century. This is not true at all. It can be classic from both the Middle Ages and the 20th century. By what canons and principles can one determine whether a novel or story is a classic? Firstly, classic must have high artistic value, be a model for others. Secondly, it must have worldwide recognition, it must be included in the fund of world culture.
And you need to be able to distinguish between the concepts of classical and popular literature. A classic is something that has stood the test of time, and oh popular work They can forget quite quickly. If its relevance remains for decades, perhaps it will also become a classic over time.
The origins of Russian classical literature
At the end of the 18th century, the newly established nobility of Russia split into two opposing camps: conservatives and reformers. This split was due different attitude to the changes that took place in life: Peter's reforms, understanding of the tasks of the Enlightenment, the painful peasant issue, attitude towards power. This struggle of extremes led to the rise of spirituality and self-awareness, which gave birth to Russian classics. We can say that it was forged during the dramatic processes in the country.
Classical literature (Russian), born in the complex and contradictory 18th century, was finally formed in XIX century. Its main features: national identity, maturity, self-awareness.
Russian classical literature of the 19th century
The growth of national consciousness played a major role in the development of culture at that time. More and more is opening up educational institutions, the social importance of literature is increasing, writers are beginning to pay a lot of attention to their native language. It made me think even more about what was happening in the country.
Karamzin's influence on the development of 19th-century literature
Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, the greatest Russian historian, writer and journalist, was the most influential figure in Russian culture XVIII-XIX centuries His historical stories and the monumental “History of the Russian State” had a huge influence on the work of subsequent writers and poets: Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Griboedov. He is one of the great reformers of the Russian language. Karamzin put it into use large number new words, without which we cannot imagine modern speech today.
Russian classical literature: list of the best works
Selecting and compiling a list of the best literary works is a difficult task, since each reader has his own preferences and tastes. A novel that will be a masterpiece for one may seem boring and uninteresting to another. How to create a list of classic Russian literature that would satisfy the majority of readers? One way is to conduct surveys. Based on them, one can draw conclusions about which work the readers themselves consider the best of the proposed options. These types of information collection methods are conducted regularly, although the data may change slightly over time.
The list of the best creations of Russian classics, according to versions of literary magazines and Internet portals, looks like this:
Under no circumstances should this list be considered a reference. In some ratings and polls, the first place may not be Bulgakov, but Leo Tolstoy or Alexander Pushkin, and some of the listed writers may not be at all. Ratings are an extremely subjective thing. It’s better to make a list of your favorite classics for yourself and focus on it.
The meaning of Russian classical literature
The creators of Russian classics have always had great social responsibility. They never acted as moralizers and did not give ready-made answers in their works. Writers put before the reader difficult task and made him think about her decision. They raised serious social and social problems, which still have for us great value. Therefore, Russian classics remain just as relevant today.