Russian world in the prose of the 19th century. General characteristics of Russian literature of the XIX century

The 19th century is called the "Golden Age" Russian poetry and the century of Russian literature on a global scale. It should not be forgotten that the literary leap that took place in the 19th century was prepared by all means. literary process 17-18 centuries. The 19th century is the time of the formation of the Russian literary language, which took shape largely thanks to A.S. Pushkin .

But the 19th century began with the heyday of sentimentalism and the formation of romanticism. These literary trends found expression primarily in poetry. Poetic works of poets E.A. Baratynsky, K.N. Batyushkova, V.A. Zhukovsky, A.A. Feta, D.V. Davydova, N.M. Yazykov. Creativity F.I. Tyutchev's "Golden Age" of Russian poetry was completed. Nevertheless, central figure of this time was Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

A.S. Pushkin began his ascent to the literary Olympus with the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" in 1920. And his novel in verse "Eugene Onegin" was called an encyclopedia of Russian life. Romantic poems by A.S. Pushkin " Bronze Horseman"(1833)," The Fountain of Bakhchisaray", "Gypsies" opened the era of Russian romanticism. Many poets and writers considered A. S. Pushkin their teacher and continued the traditions of creating literary works laid down by him. One of these poets was M.Yu. Lermontov. Known for it romantic poem"Mtsyri", the poetic story "Demon", many romantic poems.

Interesting that Russian poetry of the 19th century was closely connected with the social and political life of the country. Poets tried to comprehend the idea of ​​their special purpose. The poet in Russia was considered a conductor of divine truth, a prophet. The poets urged the authorities to listen to their words. Vivid examples of understanding the role of the poet and influence on political life countries are poems by A.S. Pushkin "Prophet", ode "Liberty", "The Poet and the Crowd", a poem by M.Yu. Lermontov "On the Death of a Poet" and many others.

Along with poetry, prose began to develop. Prose writers of the beginning of the century were influenced by English historical novels W. Scott, whose translations were very popular. The development of Russian prose of the 19th century began with prose works A.S. Pushkin and N.V. Gogol. Pushkin, under the influence of English historical novels, creates the story " Captain's daughter”, where the action takes place against the backdrop of grandiose historical events: at the time Pugachev rebellion. A.S. Pushkin did a colossal job exploring this historical period. This work was largely political in nature and was directed to those in power.

A.S. Pushkin and N.V. Gogol was designated the main artistic types that would be developed by writers throughout the 19th century. This artistic type « extra person”, an example of which is Eugene Onegin in the novel by A.S. Pushkin, and the so-called type " little man", which is shown by N.V. Gogol in his story "The Overcoat", as well as A.S. Pushkin in the story " Stationmaster».
Literature inherited its publicism and satirical character from the 18th century. In the prose poem N.V. Gogol " Dead Souls"The writer in a sharp satirical manner shows a swindler who buys up dead souls, various types of landowners who are the embodiment of various human vices (the influence of classicism affects).

In the same plan, the comedy "The Inspector General" is sustained. are full satirical images and works by A. S. Pushkin. Literature continues to satirically depict Russian reality. The trend of depicting vices and shortcomings Russian society - characteristic all Russian classical literature. It can be traced in the works of almost all writers of the 19th century. At the same time, many writers implement the satirical trend in a grotesque form. Examples of grotesque satire are the works of N.V. Gogol "The Nose", M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin "Gentlemen Golovlevs", "History of one city".

Since the middle of the 19th century, the formation of Russian realistic literature has been taking place, which is created against the backdrop of a tense social political environment that developed in Russia during the reign Nicholas I. The crisis of the feudal system is brewing, the contradictions between the authorities and common people. There is a need to create a realistic literature that sharply reacts to the socio-political situation in the country. literary critic V.G. Belinsky means new realistic direction in literature. His position is being developed by N.A. Dobrolyubov, N.G. Chernyshevsky. A dispute arises between Westerners and Slavophiles about the ways historical development Russia.

Writers turn to the socio-political problems of Russian reality. The genre of the realistic novel is developing. Their works are created by I.S. Turgenev, F.M. Dostoevsky, L.N. Tolstoy, I.A. Goncharov. The socio-political prevails philosophical problems. Literature is distinguished by a special psychologism.

The development of poetry somewhat subsides. It is worth noting poetic works Nekrasov, who was the first to introduce into poetry social issues. His poem “Who is living well in Rus'?” is known, as well as many poems, where the hard and hopeless life of the people is comprehended.

The end of the 19th century was marked by the formation of pre-revolutionary sentiments. The realist tradition was beginning to fade. It was replaced by the so-called decadent literature, the hallmarks of which were mysticism, religiosity, as well as a premonition of changes in the socio-political life of the country. Subsequently, decadence grew into symbolism. From this opens new page in the history of Russian literature.

Russian literature of the 20th century: general characteristics

Description of the literary process of the 20th century, presentation of the main literary movements and directions. Realism. Modernism(symbolism, acmeism, futurism). literary vanguard.

Late XIX - early XX centuries. become time of the bright flowering of Russian culture, its " silver age"(The "golden age" was called Pushkin's time). In science, literature, art, new talents appeared one after another, bold innovations were born, competed different directions, groupings and styles. At the same time, the culture of the "Silver Age" was characterized by deep contradictions, characteristic of the entire Russian life of that time.

The rapid breakthrough of Russia in development, the clash of different ways and cultures changed self-consciousness creative intelligentsia. Many were no longer satisfied with the description and study of visible reality, the analysis of social problems. I was attracted by deep, eternal questions - about the essence of life and death, good and evil, human nature. Revived interest in religion; the religious theme had a strong influence on the development of Russian culture at the beginning of the 20th century.

However, the critical era not only enriched literature and art: it constantly reminded writers, artists and poets of the coming social explosions, that the whole habitual way of life, the whole old culture, could perish. Some were waiting for these changes with joy, others with longing and horror, which brought pessimism and anguish into their work.

On turn of XIX and XX centuries. literature developed in other historical conditions than before. If you look for a word that characterizes the most important features of the period under consideration, then it will be the word "crisis". Great scientific discoveries shook the classical ideas about the structure of the world, led to a paradoxical conclusion: "matter has disappeared." A new vision of the world, thus, will also determine the new face of realism of the 20th century, which will differ significantly from classical realism predecessors. Also devastating to the human spirit was a crisis of faith (" God dead!" exclaimed Nietzsche). This led to the fact that the man of the 20th century began to increasingly experience the influence of non-religious ideas. The cult of sensual pleasures, the apology of evil and death, the glorification of the self-will of the individual, the recognition of the right to violence that turned into terror - all these features testify to the deepest crisis of consciousness.

In Russian literature of the beginning of the 20th century, a crisis of old ideas about art and a sense of the exhaustion of past development will be felt, a reassessment of values ​​will be formed.

Literature update, its modernization will cause the emergence of new trends and schools. The rethinking of the old means of expression and the revival of poetry will mark the onset of the "silver age" of Russian literature. This term is associated with the name N. Berdyaeva, who used it in one of the speeches in the salon of D. Merezhkovsky. Later art critic and the editor of "Apollo" S. Makovsky consolidated this phrase by naming his book about Russian culture at the turn of the century "On Parnassus of the Silver Age." Several decades will pass and A. Akhmatova will write "... silver month brightly / Above the silver age froze".

The chronological framework of the period defined by this metaphor can be described as follows: 1892 - the exit from the era of timelessness, the beginning of a social upsurge in the country, the manifesto and collection "Symbols" by D. Merezhkovsky, the first stories of M. Gorky, etc.) - 1917. According to another point of view, the chronological end of this period can be considered 1921-1922 (the collapse of past illusions, which began after the death of A. Blok and N. Gumilyov mass emigration of figures of Russian culture from Russia, the expulsion of a group of writers, philosophers and historians from the country).

The nineteenth century is the golden age of Russian literature. During this period, a whole galaxy of geniuses of the art of the word, poets and prose writers was born, whose unsurpassed creative skill determined further development not only Russian literature, but also foreign.

fine weave social realism and classicism in literature absolutely exactly corresponded to the national ideas and canons of that time. In the 19th century, for the first time, such acute social problems began to be raised, such as the need to change priorities, the rejection of outdated principles, and the confrontation between society and the individual.

The most significant representatives of Russian classics of the 19th century

Word geniuses like A.A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky and A.S. Griboyedov, in their writings openly demonstrated contempt for upper strata society for their selfishness, vanity, hypocrisy and immorality. V.A. Zhukovsky, on the contrary, introduced dreaminess and sincere romance into Russian literature with his works. In his poems, he tried to get away from the gray and boring routine in order to show in all colors the sublime world that surrounds a person. Speaking of Russian literary classics, it is impossible not to mention the great genius A.S. Pushkin - poet and father of the Russian literary language. The works of this writer made a real revolution in the world literary art. Pushkin's poetry, story " Queen of Spades"and the novel" Eugene Onegin "became a stylistic presentation, which was repeatedly used by many domestic and world writers.

Among other things, the literature of the nineteenth century was also characterized by philosophical concepts. They are most clearly revealed in the works of M.Yu. Lermontov. All my creative activity the author admired the Decembrist movements and defended freedoms and human rights. His poems are saturated with criticism of the imperial power and opposition calls. In the field of dramaturgy, A.P. Chekhov. Using subtle but "prickly" satire, the playwright and writer ridiculed human vices and expressed contempt for the vices of the representatives of the nobility. His plays from the moment of his birth to the present day do not lose their relevance and continue to be staged on the stage of theaters all over the world. It is also impossible not to mention the great L.N. Tolstoy, A.I. Kuprin, N.V. Gogol, etc.

Group portrait of Russian writers - members of the editorial board of the journal Sovremennik». Ivan Turgenev, Ivan Goncharov, Leo Tolstoy, Dmitry Grigorovich, Alexander Druzhinin, Alexander Ostrovsky.

Features of Russian literature

In the nineteenth century, Russian realistic literature acquired an unprecedented high artistic perfection. Her main hallmark was selfish. The second half of the 19th century in Russian literature passed with the idea of ​​decisive democratization artistic creation and under the sign of tense ideological struggle. Among other things, the pathos of artistic creativity changed during these time frames, as a result of which the Russian writer was faced with the need for artistic understanding of the unusually mobile and impetuous elements of being. In such an environment, literary synthesis originated in much narrower temporal and spatial periods of life: the need for a certain localization and specialization was dictated by the special state of the world, characteristic of the era of the second half of the nineteenth century.

The period of the end of the nineteenth - the beginning of the twentieth century can safely be called a "turning point". Social upheavals were brewing, changing public consciousness there was a reassessment of values. Literature has also changed. Many new directions appeared, new topics and problems entered the field of literary consideration.

Russian prose of this era is very diverse. Then many talented authors wrote, and each brought something new to literature. First of all, it should be said about the change of genres. If in the sixties of the nineteenth century the form of the long novel dominated literature, now it has been replaced by short story(although novels were also written). The small form implies a much greater concentration of information than the large form, hence the authors' attention to artistic detail. Description of life with the help of such details that create comic effect- the basis of the work of Leikin and early Chekhov - Antosha Chekhonte. The detail carries a huge informational load in all of Chekhov's work, so Misyu's "weak hands" in the "House with a Mezzanine" tell us about her mental weakness, and the smell of fried onions in "Ionych" further emphasizes the vulgarity of the existence of the Turkin family.

Bunin artistic detail has primarily aesthetic value. His prose is the prose of a poet, this must not be forgotten. He lists details that may not contain specific information, but are absolutely necessary to create a mood, to convey the author's intonation.

In the novels of Merezhkovsky, the detail always has symbolic meaning. He is a theorist of symbolism and almost the head of the school - he writes nothing in vain, and every detail is a symbol. When Peter in "Peter and Alexei" accidentally steps on the icon with his foot and splits it in half, then this, in the context of the novel, becomes philosophical meaning. In general, symbolist prose is very meaningful. It is characterized by an interest in philosophical questions, in the problems of Christianity. Hence their interest in antiquity (“Julian Otsupnik” by Merezhkovsky, “The Altar of Victory” by Bryusov), in the Middle Ages (“ Fire Angel Bryusov), to mysticism and in general everything mysterious.

The stories of L. Andreev cannot be attributed to a certain direction. He himself called himself a "neorealist", and sought to show "the unreal in the real." Hence the completely symbolist theme of his stories, which are purely realistic in form. His favorite topic is the relationship between man and fate, and the whole pathos of his work is pessimistic. Along with "neo-realism" there was also "neo-romanticism". Early stories M. Gorky, such as "Chelkash", "Old Woman Izergil" are saturated with a romantic attitude.

We see that Russian prose of the late nineteenth - early twentieth century developed in several directions, groped different ways In a word, she lived a full-blooded and creative life.

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

Difference from the previous century

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

Reasons for flourishing

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

Orientation of literature

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

Epoch phenomenon

If it is necessary to give a brief general description of Russian literature of the 19th century, it can be noted that the common feature of this era was such a phenomenon as “literary centrism”. This means that literature has become a way of conveying ideas and opinions in political disputes. It has become a powerful tool for expressing ideology, defining value orientations and ideals.

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

The role of literature in society

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

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

Common and different in the representatives of the "Golden Age"

When preparing materials on the topic “General characteristics of Russian classical literature of the 19th century”, it is worth saying that all representatives of the “Golden Age” were different, their world was unique and peculiar. Writers of that time are difficult to sum up under any one general image. After all, every true artist (this word means a poet, a composer, and a painter) creates own world guided by personal principles. For example, the world of Leo Tolstoy is not similar to the world of Dostoevsky. Saltykov-Shchedrin perceived and transformed reality differently than, for example, Goncharov. However, representatives of the "Golden Age" and common feature- this is a responsibility to the reader, a talent, a high idea of ​​the role that literature plays in a person's life.

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

The "Golden Age" is the time of writers of completely different literary movements. To begin with, we will consider them in a summary table, after which each of the directions will be considered in more detail.

Russian literature of this era was a reflection of the leap that was made in the previous century. The "Golden Age" began mainly with the flowering of two currents - sentimentalism and romanticism. Since the middle of the century, the direction of realism has been gaining more and more power. Such is the general characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th century. The tablet will help the student to navigate the main trends and representatives of the "Golden Age". In the process of preparing for the lesson, it should be mentioned that the further socio-political situation in the country is becoming more and more tense, the contradictions between the oppressed classes and the common people are growing. This leads to the fact that in the middle of the century the development of poetry somewhat calms down. And the end of an era is accompanied by revolutionary sentiments.

Classicism

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

Sentimentalism

Giving a general description of the development of Russian literature of the 19th century, one cannot fail to mention such a direction as sentimentalism. In him big role plays the voice of the narrator. This direction, as indicated in the table, differs increased attention to the feelings of man, to his inner world. This is the innovation of sentimentalism. In Russian literature, Karamzin's "Poor Lisa" occupies a special place among the works of sentimentalism.

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

Romanticism

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

Representatives of this movement dreamed not of improving life in its particular manifestations, but of the complete resolution of all contradictions. Many romantics in their works are dominated by the mood of fighting evil, protesting against the injustice reigning in the world. Romantics also tend to turn to the mythological, fantasy, folk tales. In contrast to the direction of classicism, a serious influence is given to the inner world of a person.

Realism

The purpose of this direction is a true description surrounding reality. It is realism that matures on the soil of a tense political situation. Writers are starting to social problems to objective reality. The three main realists of this era are Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Turgenev. The main theme of this direction is life, customs, events from life ordinary people from the lower classes.

19th century gave birth a large number of Russian talented prose writers and poets. Their works quickly broke into and took their rightful place in it. The work of many authors around the world was influenced by them. The general characteristics of Russian literature of the 19th century became the subject of a separate section in literary criticism. Undoubtedly, events in political and social life served as prerequisites for such a rapid cultural take-off.

Story

The main trends in art and literature are formed under the influence of historical events. If in XVIII century public life Russia was relatively measured, the next century included many important twists and turns that influenced not only the further development of society and politics, but also the formation of new trends and trends in literature.

The striking historical milestones of this period were the war with Turkey, the invasion of the Napoleonic army, the execution of oppositionists, the abolition of serfdom and many other events. All of them are reflected in art and culture. A general description of Russian literature of the 19th century cannot do without mentioning the creation of new stylistic norms. The genius of the art of the word was A. S. Pushkin. This great century begins with his work.

Literary language

The main merit of the brilliant Russian poet was the creation of new poetic forms, stylistic devices and unique, previously unused plots. Pushkin managed to achieve this thanks to comprehensive development and excellent education. Once he set himself the goal of achieving all the heights in education. And he reached it by his thirty-seven years. Pushkin's heroes became atypical and new for that time. The image of Tatyana Larina combines beauty, intelligence and features of the Russian soul. This literary type there were no analogues in our literature before.

Answering the question: “What is the general characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th century?”, A person who has at least basic philological knowledge will remember such names as Pushkin, Chekhov, Dostoevsky. But it was the author of "Eugene Onegin" who made a revolution in Russian literature.

Romanticism

This concept originates from the Western medieval epic. But to XIX century it has acquired new shades. Having originated in Germany, romanticism also penetrated the work of Russian authors. In prose, this direction is characterized by the desire to mystical motives and folk tales. In poetry, there is a desire to transform life for the better and chanting folk heroes. The opposition and their tragic end have become fertile ground for poetic creativity.

The general characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th century is marked by romantic moods in the lyrics, which were quite common in the poems of Pushkin and other poets of his galaxy.

As for prose, new forms of the story appeared here, among which important place takes fantasy genre. Vivid examples romantic prose - early works Nikolai Gogol.

Sentimentalism

With the development of this direction, Russian literature of the 19th century begins. General prose is sensibility and emphasis on the perception of the reader. Sentimentalism penetrated into Russian literature as early as late XVIII century. Karamzin became the founder of the Russian tradition in this genre. In the 19th century, he had a number of followers.

satirical prose

It was at this time that satirical and journalistic works. This trend can be traced primarily in the work of Gogol. Starting his creative path with a description of his small homeland, this author later moved on to all-Russian social topics. It is difficult to imagine today what Russian literature of the 19th century would be without this master of satire. The general characteristic of his prose in this genre is not only critical eye to the stupidity and parasitism of the landowners. The satirist writer "walked" through almost all sectors of society.

masterpiece satirical prose became the novel "Lord Golovlev", dedicated to the theme of the poor spiritual world landowners. Subsequently, the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin, like the books of many other satirical writers, became the starting point for the emergence

realistic novel

In the second half of the century, the development realistic prose. romantic ideals turned out to be untenable. There was a need to show the world as it really is. Dostoevsky's prose is an integral part of such a thing as Russian literature of the 19th century. The general characteristic is briefly a list important features this period and the prerequisites for the emergence of certain phenomena. As for the realistic prose of Dostoevsky, it can be characterized as follows: the stories and novels of this author were a reaction to the moods that prevailed in society in those years. Depicting in his works the prototypes of people he knew, he sought to consider and solve the most pressing issues of the society in which he moved.

In the first decades, Mikhail Kutuzov was glorified in the country, then the romantic Decembrists. This is clearly evidenced by Russian literature of the early 19th century. A general description of the end of the century fits in a couple of words. This is a revaluation of values. It was not the fate of the whole people that came to the fore, but of its individual representatives. Hence the appearance in prose of the image of the “superfluous person”.

folk poem

In the years when the realistic novel took the leading position, poetry faded into the background. A general description of the development of Russian literature in the 19th century allows us to trace long haul from dreamy poetry to true romance. In this atmosphere, Nekrasov creates his brilliant work. But his work can hardly be attributed to one of the leading genres of the mentioned period. The author combined several genres in his poem: peasant, heroic, revolutionary.

End of the century

At the end of the 19th century, one of the most read authors became Chekhov. Despite the fact that at the beginning creative way critics accused the writer of coldness to current social topics, his works received an indisputable public acceptance. Continuing to develop the image of the "little man" created by Pushkin, Chekhov studied the Russian soul. various philosophical and political ideas which have been developed in late XIX century, could not but affect the lives of individuals.

Revolutionary sentiments prevailed in late 19th-century literature. Among the authors whose work was at the turn of the century, one of the most bright personalities became Maxim Gorky.

The general characterization of the 19th century deserves more close attention. Every major representative this period created his art world, whose heroes dreamed of the unrealizable, struggled with social evil or experienced their own little tragedy. AND the main task their authors was to reflect the realities of the century, rich in social and political events.