Denis Fonvizin in Russian literature. Essay “Contribution of Denis Fonvizin to the development of the Russian literary language

08.04.2019

Khakass State University

them. N.F. Katanova

Institute of Philology (Russian language and literature)

ABSTRACT

Subject: Prose D.I. Fonvizin in Russian history literary language

You completed: Feskov K.V.

group 4b

Contribution of D.I. Fonvizin in the development of Russian literature

native language ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 03

Peculiarities of the language of D.I.’s comedies Fonvizin at the

comedy "Minor" ………………………………………….……………………… 04

Prose language D.I. Fonvizina ……………………………………………………………… 05

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 08

Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 09

CONTRIBUTION D.I. FONVIZIN IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIAN

LITERARY LANGUAGE

One of the writers who played a significant role in the development of the Russian literary language at a new stage was Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin.

In the second half of the 18th century. magnificent verbosity, rhetorical solemnity, metaphorical abstraction and obligatory decoration gradually gave way to brevity, simplicity, and accuracy.

The language of his prose widely uses folk colloquial vocabulary and phraseology; as building material sentences include various non-free and semi-free colloquial phrases and stable expressions; is happening so important for the subsequent development of the Russian literary language combining “simple Russian” and “Slavonic” language resources.

He developed linguistic techniques for reflecting reality in its most diverse manifestations; principles for constructing linguistic structures characterizing the “image of a storyteller” were outlined. Many important properties and trends emerged and received initial development, which found their further development and were fully completed in Pushkin’s reform of the Russian literary language.

Fonvizin’s narrative language is not confined to the conversational sphere; in its expressive resources and techniques it is much broader and richer. Of course, focusing on the spoken language, on “living usage” as the basis of the narrative, Fonvizin freely uses “book” elements, Western European borrowings, and philosophical and scientific vocabulary and phraseology. The wealth of linguistic means used and the variety of methods of their organization allow Fonvizin to create on a common conversational basis various options narratives.

Fonvizin was the first of the Russian writers who understood that by describing complex relationships and strong feelings of people simply, but definitely, you can achieve a greater effect than with the help of certain verbal tricks.

It is impossible not to note Fonvizin’s merits in developing techniques for realistic depiction of complex human feelings and life conflicts.

FEATURES OF THE LANGUAGE OF D.I.’S COMEDIES FONVIZINA

ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE COMEDY “UNDERGROUND”

In the comedy “Minor” inversions are used: “ slave of his vile passions"; rhetorical questions and exclamations: “ How can she teach them good manners?"; complicated syntax: abundance subordinate clauses, common definitions involved and participial phrases and other characteristic means of book speech. Uses words of emotional and evaluative meaning: soulful, cordial, corrupt tyrant.

Fonvizin avoids the naturalistic extremes of low style, which many contemporary outstanding comedians could not overcome. He refuses rude, unliterary speech means. At the same time, he constantly retains colloquial features in both vocabulary and syntax.

The use of realistic typification techniques is also evidenced by colorful speech characteristics created by using words and expressions used in military life; and archaic vocabulary, quotes from spiritual books; and broken Russian vocabulary.

Meanwhile, the language of Fonvizin’s comedies, despite its perfection, still did not go beyond the traditions of classicism and did not represent a fundamentally new stage in the development of the Russian literary language. In Fonvizin's comedies, a clear distinction between the language of negative and positive characters. And if in the construction of linguistic characteristics negative characters While on the traditional basis of using vernacular the writer achieved great liveliness and expressiveness, the linguistic characteristics of the positive characters remained pale, coldly rhetorical, divorced from the living element of the spoken language.

PROSE LANGUAGE D.I. FONVIZINA

In contrast to the language of comedy, the language of Fonvizin’s prose represents a significant step forward in the development of the Russian literary language; here the trends emerging in Novikov’s prose are strengthened and further developed.

In “Letters from France,” folk colloquial vocabulary and phraseology are quite richly represented, especially those groups and categories that are devoid of sharp expressiveness and are more or less close to the “neutral” lexical and phraseological layer: “ Since I arrived here I haven’t heard my feet...»; « We're doing pretty well»; « Wherever you go, it’s full».

There are also words and expressions that differ from those given above; they are endowed with that specific expressiveness that allows them to be classified as colloquial: “ I won't take both of these places for nothing»; « When entering the city, we were mistaken by a disgusting stench».

Observations of folk colloquial vocabulary and phraseology in “Letters from France” make it possible to draw three main conclusions.

Firstly, this vocabulary and phraseology, especially in that part that is closer to the “neutral” lexical and phraseological layer than to the vernacular, are freely and quite widely used in letters.

Secondly, the use of folk colloquial vocabulary and phraseology is distinguished by a careful selection that was amazing for that time. Even more important and significant is that the overwhelming majority of the colloquial words and expressions used by Fonvizin in “Letters from France” have found a permanent place in the literary language, and with one or another special stylistic “task”, and often simply along with the “neutral” lexical and phraseological material, these expressions were widely used in the literature of later times.

Thirdly, the careful selection of colloquial vocabulary and phraseology is closely related to the change and transformation of the stylistic functions of this lexical and phraseological layer in the literary language.

The stylistically opposite colloquial lexical and phraseological layer - “Slavicisms” - is distinguished by the same main features of use. Firstly, they are also used in letters, secondly, they are subjected to a rather strict selection, and thirdly, their role in the language of “Letters from France” does not completely coincide with the role assigned to them by the theory of three styles.

The selection was manifested in the fact that in “Letters from France” we will not find archaic, “dilapidated” “Slavicisms”. Slavicisms, contrary to the theory of three styles, are quite freely combined with “neutral” and colloquial elements, lose to a large extent their “high” coloring, are “neutralized” and no longer act as a specific sign of “high style”, but simply as elements of bookish, literary language.

Here are some examples: “ what it was like for me to hear her exclamations»; « his wife is so greedy for money...»; « writhing, disturbing the human sense of smell in an unbearable way».

Folk colloquial words and expressions are freely combined not only with “Slavicisms”, but also with “Europeanisms” and “metaphysical” vocabulary and phraseology: “ here they applaud for everything about everything»; « In a word, although war has not been formally declared, this announcement is expected any hour».

The features of the literary language developed in “Letters from France” were further developed in Fonvizin’s artistic, scientific, journalistic and memoir prose. But two points still deserve attention.

Firstly, the syntactical perfection of Fonvizin’s prose should be emphasized. In Fonvizin we find not individual well-constructed phrases, but extensive contexts, distinguished by diversity, flexibility, harmony, logical consistency and clarity of syntactic structures.

Secondly, in artistic prose Fonvizin further develops the technique of narration on behalf of the narrator, the technique of creating linguistic structures that serve as a means of revealing the image.

CONCLUSION

Analysis various works DI. Fonvizin’s works allow us to talk about his undoubtedly important role in the formation and improvement of the Russian literary language.

Let's note the main points.

1. Became a successor to Novikov’s traditions. I was studying further development first-person narration.

2. Made a decisive transition from the traditions of classicism to new principles for constructing the language of prose.

3. Done great job on the introduction of colloquial vocabulary and phraseology into the literary language. Almost all the words he used found their permanent place in the literary language.

5. Made an attempt to normalize the use of “Slavicisms” in the language.

But, despite all Fonvizin’s linguistic innovation, some archaic elements still appear in his prose and some unbroken threads remain that connect him with the previous era.

1. Gorshkov A.I. “About the language of Fonvizin - a prose writer” // Russian speech. – 1979. - No. 2.

2. Gorshkov A.I. “History of the Russian literary language”, M.: graduate School, - 1969.

Contribution of D. I. Fonvizin to the development of the Russian literary language

Peculiarities of the language of D. I. Fonvizin’s comedies using the example of the comedy “Minor”

The language of prose by D. I. Fonvizin

Conclusion

Bibliography

D. I. FONVIZIN’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RUSSIAN LITERARY LANGUAGE

One of the writers who played a significant role in the development of the Russian literary language at a new stage was Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin.

In the second half of the 18th century. magnificent verbosity, rhetorical solemnity, metaphorical abstraction and obligatory decoration gradually gave way to brevity, simplicity, and accuracy.

The language of his prose widely uses folk colloquial vocabulary and phraseology; various non-free and semi-free colloquial phrases and stable phrases act as the building material of sentences; the unification of “simple Russian” and “Slavic” linguistic resources, which is so important for the subsequent development of the Russian literary language, takes place.

He developed linguistic techniques for reflecting reality in its most diverse manifestations; principles for constructing linguistic structures that characterize the “image of a storyteller” were outlined. Many important properties and trends emerged and received initial development, which found their further development and were fully completed in Pushkin’s reform of the Russian literary language.

Fonvizin’s narrative language is not confined to the conversational sphere; in its expressive resources and techniques it is much broader and richer. Of course, focusing on the spoken language, on “living usage” as the basis of the narrative, Fonvizin freely uses “book” elements, Western European borrowings, and philosophical and scientific vocabulary and phraseology. The wealth of linguistic means used and the variety of methods of their organization allow Fonvizin to create various narrative options on a common conversational basis.

It is impossible not to note Fonvizin’s merits in developing techniques for realistic depiction of complex human feelings and life conflicts.

FEATURES OF THE LANGUAGE OF D. I. FONVIZIN’S COMEDIES ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE COMEDY “UNOROSL”

In the comedy “Minor” inversions are used: “ slave of his vile passions” ; rhetorical questions and exclamations: “ How can she teach them good manners?” ; complicated syntax: an abundance of subordinate clauses, common definitions, participial and participial phrases and other characteristic means of book speech. Uses words of emotional and evaluative meaning: soulful , cordial , depraved tyrant .

Meanwhile, the language of Fonvizin’s comedies, despite its perfection, still did not go beyond the traditions of classicism and did not represent a fundamentally new stage in the development of the Russian literary language. In Fonvizin's comedies, a clear distinction was maintained between the language of negative and positive characters. And if in constructing the linguistic characteristics of negative characters on the traditional basis of using vernacular the writer achieved great liveliness and expressiveness, then the linguistic characteristics of positive characters remained pale, coldly rhetorical, divorced from the living element of the spoken language.

LANGUAGE OF PROSE D. I. FONVIZIN

The work that marked a decisive transition from the traditions of classicism to new principles of constructing the language of prose in Fonvizin’s work was the famous “Letters from France”.

In “Letters from France,” folk colloquial vocabulary and phraseology are quite richly represented, especially those groups and categories that are devoid of sharp expressiveness and are more or less close to the “neutral” lexical and phraseological layer: “ Since I arrived here I haven’t heard my feet... ” ; “ We're doing pretty well ” ; “ Wherever you go, it’s full ” .

There are also words and expressions that differ from those given above; they are endowed with that specific expressiveness that allows them to be classified as colloquial: “ I won't take both of these places for nothing ” ; “ When entering the city, we were mistaken by a disgusting stench ” .

Observations of folk colloquial vocabulary and phraseology in “Letters from France” make it possible to draw three main conclusions.

Here are some examples: “ what it was like for me to hear her exclamations ” ; “ his wife is so greedy for money... ” ; “ writhing, disturbing the human sense of smell in an unbearable way ” .

Folk colloquial words and expressions are freely combined not only with “Slavicisms”, but also with “Europeanisms” and “metaphysical” vocabulary and phraseology: “ here they applaud for everything about everything ” ; “ In a word, although war has not been formally declared, this announcement is expected any hour ” .

The literary language features developed in “Letters from France” were further developed in Fonvizin’s artistic, scientific, journalistic and memoir prose. But two points still deserve attention.

Secondly, in Fonvizin’s fiction, the technique of narration on behalf of the narrator, the technique of creating linguistic structures that serve as a means of revealing the image, is further developed.

CONCLUSION

An analysis of various works by D. I. Fonvizin allows us to talk about his undoubtedly important role in the formation and improvement of the Russian literary language.

Let's note the main points.

1. Became a successor to Novikov’s traditions. He was engaged in the further development of the first-person narration technique.

2. Made a decisive transition from the traditions of classicism to new principles for constructing the language of prose.

3. Did a lot of work on introducing colloquial vocabulary and phraseology into the literary language. Almost all the words he used found their permanent place in the literary language.

5. Made an attempt to normalize the use of “Slavicisms” in the language.

But, despite all Fonvizin’s linguistic innovation, some archaic elements still appear in his prose and some unbroken threads remain that connect him with the previous era.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gorshkov A.I. “About the language of Fonvizin - a prose writer” // Russian speech. – 1979. - No. 2.

Gorshkov A. I. “History of the Russian literary language”, M.: Higher School, - 1969.

/ / / What is the role of positive characters in Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor”?

The comedy by Denis Fonvizin has a vivid gallery of images, both negative and positive. The role of the first in exposing the vices of 18th century society. Mrs. Prostakova and Skotinin personify the ignorance and cruelty of the serf owners, Mitrofanushka - laziness and reluctance to learn. The author helps us judge the qualities of the character, starting with their first and last names. If we read about Skotinin, we understand that this hero behaves like an animal. Prostakova is a simple ignorant whose plans, although vile, are not far off. And Mitrofanushka - “revealed by the mother” - really looks like his mother, Prostakova.

The main idea of the comedy is in depicting the far from comedic problems of society: inhumane serfdom, autocracy and evil education. Negative characters help readers understand these problems more deeply, while positive characters show that these problems can still be dealt with.

The fact that the hero is positive can also be learned from his name. There are several such characters in the comedy: Starodum, Sophia, Pravdin, Milon. Each of them has its own important role.

- nobleman, uncle main character Sophia. He is the girl's guardian, but leaves for Siberia for long time, leaving her in the care of the Prostakovs. The surname Starodum comes from the phrase “old thoughts.” That is, the writer hints that this hero thinks in the old way. One might think that this is bad, because you need to live with the times. However, the time of action in the play was a time of self-will of cruel serf owners who worried only about their estates and did not think about the development of culture. Starodum received his education and upbringing under Peter, the tsar who was for enlightenment. And therefore the “old” time was precisely more progressive than the “new” one. The hero cannot accept the fact that the nobles care only about their own benefit and have forgotten about their duty to their homeland. Therefore, he leaves his villages and goes to Siberia, where he can honestly earn a fortune.

- a wise girl, which is clear from the meaning of her name. She got a good education, therefore he looks at the Prostakovs with irony, seeing their ignorance and greed. The heroine is not a rebel, but she fights for her love. She does not agree to marry Mitrofan or Skotinin because she is in love with Milon.

- a nobleman, a member of the governorship, who is vested with the right to conduct audits in villages. He stops at the Prostakovs’ estate for a couple of days and little by little realizes that they are cruel serf owners. He is asked to read Starodum's letter, but he replies that he does not read letters intended for others. Pravdin lives up to his name because he always tells the truth and despises lies.

And after Prostakova acts badly towards Sophia, she decides to excommunicate her family from managing their villages. Pravdin is the embodiment of harsh justice in comedy.

Milon is a brave officer, Sophia's lover. He is a worthy person.

Positive characters play the role of a noble force that opposes ignorance and cruelty in the guise of negative characters.

Among the Russian writers who had a special gift for seeing and conveying everything absurd in life, the first was Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin. And readers still feel the full extent of his wit, continuing to repeat the expressions: “Everything is nonsense that Mitrofanushka does not know,” “Not I want to study, I want to get married” and others. But it is not so easy to see that Fonvizin’s witticisms were born not of a cheerful disposition, but of the deepest sadness due to the imperfection of man and society.

Fonvizin entered literature as one of the successors of Kantemir and Sumarokov. He was brought up in the belief that the nobility, to which he himself belonged, should be educated, humane, constantly concerned about the interests of the fatherland, and that the royal government should promote worthy nobles to high positions for the common benefit. But among the nobles he saw cruel ignoramuses, and at court - “nobles in the case” (to put it simply, the empress’s lovers) who ruled the state according to their whim.

From a long historical distance it is clear that the Fonvizin time, like any other, was neither absolutely good nor absolutely bad. But in Fonvizin’s eyes, evil overshadowed good. Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin was born on April 3, 1745. For a long time, Fonvizin’s surname was written in the German manner: “Von Vizin,” and during his lifetime, sometimes even “von Wiesen.” The current form was one of the first to be used by Pushkin with the following comment: “What kind of infidel is he? He is Russian, a pre-Russian Russian.” The spelling “Fonvizin” was finally established only after 1917.

Family of Fonvizins German origin. Denis Ivanovich’s father was a fairly wealthy man, but he never aspired to great ranks and excessive wealth. He lived not at the royal court in St. Petersburg, but in Moscow. Denis’s older brother Pavel wrote some good poetry in his youth and published them in the magazine “Useful Amusement.”

The future writer received a fairly thorough education, although later in his memoirs he described his gymnasium at Moscow University unflatteringly. However, he noticed that he had learned there European languages and Latin, “and most of all... gained a taste for verbal sciences.”

While still at the gymnasium, Fonvizin translated from German one hundred and eighty-three fables of the once famous children's writer L. Golberg, to which he then added forty-two more. He translated a lot later too - translations make up the majority of all his works.

In 1762, Fonvizin became a student at Moscow University, but soon left it, moved to St. Petersburg and entered the service. Around the same time, his satirical poems began to circulate. Of these, two were later published and have come down to us: the fable “Fox-Koznodey” (preacher) and “Message to my servants Shumilov, Vanka and Petrushka.” Fonvizin's fable is a vicious satire on court flatterers, and "The Message" is a wonderful work, rather unusual for its time.

Fonvizin addresses the most important philosophical question: “Why was this light created?” illiterate people of that time; It is immediately clear that they will not be able to answer it. This is what happens. Honest uncle Shumilov admits that he is not ready to judge such complex things:

I know that we must be servants forever

And we will work forever with our hands and feet.

The coachman Vanka exposes the general deception and in conclusion says:

Everyone understands that this world is bad,

But no one knows why it exists.

Lackey Petrushka is frank in his desire to live for his own pleasure:

The whole world, it seems to me, is a child's toy;

Just need to, believe me, find out

How best to play with that toy, tenacious.

The servants, and with them the reader, are waiting for a reasonable answer from an educated author. But he only says:

And you, my friends, listen to my answer: “And I myself do not know why this light was created!”

This means that the author has nothing to oppose to the opinion of the servants, although he himself does not share it. An enlightened nobleman knows no more about the meaning of life than a lackey. “Message to the Servants” sharply breaks out of the framework of the poetics of classicism, according to which it was required that the work clearly prove some very definite idea. The meaning of Fonvizin’s work is open to different interpretations.

Having moved to St. Petersburg, Fonvizin began composing comedies - the genre in which he became most famous. In 1764 he wrote verse comedy"Corion", converted from a sentimental drama French writer L. Gresse "Sydney". Around the same time, an early edition of “Minor” was written, which remained unpublished. At the end of the sixties, the comedy “Brigadier” was created and was a huge success, which played an important role in the fate of Fonvizin himself.

Having heard “The Brigadier” performed by the author (Fonvizin was a wonderful reader), Count Nikita Ivanovich Panin noticed the writer. At this time he was the tutor of the heir to the throne, Paul, and a senior member of the board (in fact, minister) of foreign affairs. As a teacher, Panin developed an entire political program for his ward - essentially, a draft of the Russian constitution. Fonvizin became Panin's personal secretary. They became as close friends as possible between a nobleman and his subordinate.

The young writer found himself at the center of court intrigue and, at the same time, the most serious politics. He took a direct part in the constitutional plans of the Earl. Together they created a kind of “political testament” of Panin, written shortly before his death - “Discourse on the indispensable state laws.” Most likely, Panin owns the main ideas of this work, and Fonvizin owns their design. In the "Discourse", full of formulations remarkable in wit, it is proved, first of all, that the sovereign does not have the right to rule the country according to his own arbitrariness. Without strong laws, Fonvizin believes, “heads are engaged in nothing but thinking about means of getting rich; those who can rob, those who cannot, steal.”

This is exactly the picture Fonvizin saw in Russia at that time. But France, where the writer traveled in 1777-1778 (partly for treatment, partly on some diplomatic assignments), turned out to be no better. He expressed his joyless impressions in letters to his sister and to Field Marshal Pyotr Panin, Nikita Ivanovich’s brother. Here are some excerpts from these letters, which Fonvizin was even going to publish: “Money is the first deity of this land. The corruption of morals has reached such an extent that a vile act is no longer punished with contempt...”, “It’s rare that I meet someone in whom I would be inconspicuous.” one of two extremes: either slavery or insolence of reason.”

Much in Fonvizin’s letters seems to be simply the grumbling of a spoiled master. But in general, the picture he painted is scary precisely because it is true. He saw the state of society, which twelve years later was resolved by revolution.

During his years of service as a secretary, Fonvizin had almost no time left for literature. It appeared in the late seventies, when Panin was already ill and in undeclared disgrace. Fonvizin, in 1781, completed his best work - the comedy “The Minor”. Displeasure high authorities its production was delayed for several months.

In May 1782, after Panin's death, Fonvizin had to resign. In October of the same year, the premiere of “The Minor” finally took place - the greatest success in the author’s life. Some delighted spectators threw full wallets onto the stage - in those days a sign of the highest approval.

In retirement, Fonvizin devoted himself entirely to literature. He was a member Russian Academy, which united the best Russian writers. The Academy worked to create a dictionary of the Russian language; Fonvizin took upon himself the compilation of a dictionary of synonyms, which he, literally translating the word “synonym” from Greek, called “estates”. His “Experience of a Russian Estatesman” was a very serious linguistic work for its time, and not just a screen for satire on Catherine’s court and the Empress’s methods of governing the state (this is how this work is often interpreted). True, Fonvizin tried to come up with sharper examples for his “classes”: “Deception (promising and not doing. - Ed.) is the art of great boyars,” “A madman is very dangerous when in power,” and the like.

“Experience” was published in the literary magazine “Interlocutor of Lovers” Russian word", published at the Academy. In it, Catherine II herself published a series of morally descriptive essays, “Things and Fables.” Fonvizin published in the magazine (without a signature) bold, even daring “Questions to the author of “Facts and Fables,” and the Empress answered them. In the answers, irritation was barely contained. True, at that moment the queen did not know the name of the author of the questions, but soon, apparently, she found out.

Since then, Fonvizin’s works began to be banned one after another. In 1789, Fonvizin did not receive permission to publish the satirical magazine Friend honest people, or Starodum." The writer’s articles, already prepared for him, first saw the light only in 1830. The announced publication of his collected works was twice disrupted. During his lifetime he managed to publish only one new work - detailed biography Panina.

All Fonvizin’s hopes were in vain. None of the previous political plans were implemented. The state of society only became worse over time,

And now the banned writer could not enlighten him. In addition, Fonvizin suffered from a terrible illness. The man, who was not at all old even at that time, turned into a decrepit wreck: half of his body was paralyzed. To add insult to injury, by the end of the writer’s life, almost nothing was left of his considerable wealth.

From a young age, Fonvizin was a freethinker. Now he became religious, but this did not save him from despair. He began writing memoirs entitled " Sincere confession in my deeds and thoughts,” in which I intended to repent of the sins of my youth. But about my inner life he hardly writes there, but again veers into satire, evilly depicting Moscow life in the early sixties of the 18th century. Fonvizin still managed to finish writing the comedy “The Tutor’s Choice,” which has not been completely preserved. The play seems rather boring, but the poet I. I. Dmitriev, who heard the author read the comedy out loud, recalls that he was able to convey the characters unusually vividly characters. The day after this reading, December 1, 1792, Fonvizin died.

Speaking about the historical and literary significance of Fonvizin, we should especially emphasize the large role he played in the development of the literary language. It is not without reason that Batyushkov associates the “education” of our prose with him. In this regard great importance have not only Fonvizin’s comedies, but also the beginning of his confessional memoirs “A sincere confession in my deeds and thoughts” and even his private letters from abroad, the language of which is distinguished by remarkable clarity, conciseness and simplicity, significantly ahead in this regard even of “Letters Russian traveler" Karamzin.