General characteristics of literature of the 19th century. General characteristics of Russian literature

"Truly, this was the Golden Age of our literature,

the period of her innocence and bliss!.."

M. A. Antonovich

M. Antonovich in his article called the “golden age of literature” early XIX century - the period of creativity of A. S. Pushkin and N. V. Gogol. Subsequently, this definition began to characterize the literature of all XIX century- right up to the works of A.P. Chekhov and L.N. Tolstoy.

What are the main features of Russian classical literature this period?

Sentimentalism, fashionable at the beginning of the century, gradually fades into the background - the formation of romanticism begins, and from the middle of the century realism rules the roost.

New types of heroes appear in literature: the “little man”, who most often dies under the pressure of the accepted foundations of society, and the “superfluous man” - this is a string of images, starting with Onegin and Pechorin.

Continuing the traditions of satirical depiction, proposed by M. Fonvizin, in XIX literature century satirical image vices modern society becomes one of the central motives. Often satire takes grotesque forms. Vivid examples— Gogol’s “The Nose” or “The History of a City” by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.

Another one distinguishing feature literature of this period had an acute social orientation. Writers and poets are increasingly turning to socio-political topics, often plunging into the field of psychology. This leitmotif permeates the works of I. S. Turgenev, F. M. Dostoevsky, L. N. Tolstoy. Appears new form- Russian realistic novel, with its deep psychologism, severe criticism reality, irreconcilable hostility with existing foundations and loud calls for renewal.

Well main reason, which prompted many critics to call the 19th century the golden age of Russian culture: the literature of this period, despite a number of unfavorable factors, had a powerful influence on the development of world culture as a whole. By absorbing all the best that world literature offered, Russian literature was able to remain original and unique.

Russian writers of the 19th century

V.A. Zhukovsky- Pushkin’s mentor and his Teacher. It is Vasily Andreevich who is considered the founder of Russian romanticism. We can say that Zhukovsky “prepared” the ground for Pushkin’s bold experiments, since he was the first to expand the scope of the poetic word. After Zhukovsky, the era of democratization of the Russian language began, which Pushkin so brilliantly continued.

Selected poems:

A.S. Griboyedov went down in history as the author of one work. But what! Masterpiece! Phrases and quotes from the comedy “Woe from Wit” have long become popular, and the work itself is considered the first realistic comedy in the history of Russian literature.

Analysis of the work:

A.S. Pushkin. He was called differently: A. Grigoriev argued that “Pushkin is our everything!”, F. Dostoevsky “a great and still incomprehensible Forerunner,” and Emperor Nicholas I admitted that, in his opinion, Pushkin is “the most clever man in Russia." Simply put, this is a Genius.

Pushkin’s greatest merit is that he radically changed the Russian literary language, ridding it of pretentious abbreviations like “mlad, breg, sweet”, from the absurd “zephyrs”, “Psyches”, “Cupids”, so revered in pompous elegies, from borrowings, which were so abundant in Russian poetry at that time. Pushkin brought colloquial vocabulary, craft slang, and elements of Russian folklore to the pages of printed publications.

A. N. Ostrovsky pointed out another important achievement of this brilliant poet. Before Pushkin, Russian literature was imitative, stubbornly imposing traditions and ideals alien to our people. Pushkin “gave the Russian writer the courage to be Russian,” “revealed the Russian soul.” In his stories and novels, the theme of morality is raised so vividly for the first time. social ideals that time. And the main character with light hand Pushkin now becomes an ordinary “little man” - with his thoughts and hopes, desires and character.

Analysis of works:

M.Yu. Lermontov- bright, mysterious, with a touch of mysticism and an incredible thirst for will. All his work is a unique fusion of romanticism and realism. Moreover, both directions do not oppose at all, but rather complement each other. This man went down in history as a poet, writer, playwright and artist. He wrote 5 plays: the most famous is the drama “Masquerade”.

And among prose works a real diamond of creativity was the novel “A Hero of Our Time” - the first realistic novel in prose in the history of Russian literature, where for the first time the writer tries to trace the “dialectics of the soul” of his hero, mercilessly subjecting him psychological analysis. This innovative creative method Lermontov will be used in the future by many Russian and foreign writers.

Selected works:

N.V. Gogol known as a writer and playwright, but it is no coincidence that one of his most famous works is " Dead Souls"is considered a poem. There is no other such Master of Words in world literature. Gogol's language is melodious, incredibly bright and imaginative. This was most clearly manifested in his collection "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka."

On the other hand, N.V. Gogol is considered the founder of " natural school", with its satire bordering on the grotesque, accusatory motives and ridicule of human vices.

Selected works:

I.S. Turgenev- the greatest Russian novelist who established the canons classic novel. He continues the traditions established by Pushkin and Gogol. He often refers to the topic " extra person", trying to convey the relevance and significance of social ideas through the fate of his hero.

Turgenev’s merit also lies in the fact that he became the first propagandist of Russian culture in Europe. This is a prose writer who opened the world of the Russian peasantry, intelligentsia and revolutionaries to foreign countries. And the string female images in his novels became the pinnacle of the writer's skill.

Selected works:

A.N. Ostrovsky- outstanding Russian playwright. Most precisely, Ostrovsky’s merits were expressed by I. Goncharov, recognizing him as the creator of the Russian folk theater. The plays of this writer became a “school of life” for playwrights of the next generation. And the Moscow Maly Theater, where most of the plays of this talented writer were staged, proudly calls itself the “House of Ostrovsky.”

Selected works:

I.A.Goncharov continued to develop the traditions of the Russian realistic novel. The author of the famous trilogy, who, like no one else, was able to describe the main vice of the Russian people - laziness. With the light hand of the writer, the term “Oblomovism” appeared.

Selected works:

L.N. Tolstoy- a real block of Russian literature. His novels are recognized as the pinnacle of the art of writing novels. L. Tolstoy's style of presentation and creative method are still considered the standard of the writer's skill. And his ideas of humanism had a huge influence on the development humanistic ideas worldwide.

Selected works:

N.S. Leskov- a talented successor to the traditions of N. Gogol. Did huge contribution in the development of new genre forms in literature, such as pictures from nature, rhapsodies, incredible events.

Selected works:

N.G. Chernyshevsky — outstanding writer And literary critic, who proposed his theory about the aesthetics of the relationship between art and reality. This theory became the standard for the literature of the next several generations.

Selected works:

F.M. Dostoevsky — brilliant writer, whose psychological novels known all over the world. Dostoevsky is often called the forerunner of such cultural movements as existentialism and surrealism.

Selected works:

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin- the greatest satirist who brought the art of denunciation, ridicule and parody to the heights of mastery.

Selected works:

A.P. Chekhov. With this name, historians traditionally end the era of the golden age of Russian literature. Chekhov was recognized throughout the world during his lifetime. His stories have become the standard for short story writers. A Chekhov's plays had a huge influence on the development of world drama.

Selected works:

By the end of the 19th century, traditions critical realism began to gradually fade away. In a society thoroughly permeated with pre-revolutionary sentiments, mystical, partly even decadent, sentiments came into fashion. They became the forerunners of the emergence of a new literary direction- symbolism and marked the beginning of a new period in the history of Russian literature - the Silver Age of poetry.

The 19th century gave birth to a large number of talented Russian prose writers and poets. Their works quickly burst into world culture and took their rightful position in it. The work of many authors around the world was influenced by them. general characteristics Russian literature of the 19th century has become the subject of study in a separate section in literary criticism. Undoubtedly, the prerequisites for such a rapid cultural rise were events in the political and social life.

Story

The main trends in art and literature are formed under the influence historical events. If in XVIII century public life in Russia was relatively measured, the next century included many important vicissitudes that influenced not only further development society and politics, but also on the formation of new trends and trends in literature. The striking historical milestones of this period were the war with Turkey, the invasion of 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 words 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 his comprehensive development and excellent education. One day he set himself the goal of achieving all the peaks in education. And he achieved it by the age of thirty-seven. They became atypical and new for that time Pushkin's heroes. The image of Tatyana Larina combines beauty, intelligence and characteristics of the Russian soul. This literary type had no analogues in our literature before. Answering the question: “What is the general characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th century?”, a person with 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 Western medieval epic. But to 19th century it acquired new shades. Originating in Germany, romanticism penetrated into the work of Russian authors. In prose, this direction is characterized by a desire for mystical motives and folk legends. Poetry traces the desire to transform life for the better and the chanting folk heroes. The opposition movement of the Decembrists and their tragic end became fertile ground for poetic creativity. The general characteristics of Russian literature of the 19th century are marked by romantic moods in the lyrics, which were quite often found in the poems of Pushkin and other poets of his galaxy. As for prose, new forms of the story have appeared here, including important place takes fantasy genre. Vivid examples of romantic prose - early works Nikolai Gogol.

Sentimentalism

With the development of this direction, Russian literature of the 19th century begins. The general characteristics of sentimental prose are sensuality and an emphasis on the reader's perception. Sentimentalism penetrated into Russian literature at the end of the 18th century. Karamzin became the founder of the Russian tradition in this genre. In the 19th century he gained a number of followers.

Satirical prose

It was at this time that satirical and journalistic works appeared. This trend can be traced primarily in the work of Gogol. Starting your creative journey with a description small homeland, this author later moved to all-Russian social topics. It is difficult today to imagine what Russian literature of the 19th century would have been like without this master of satire. The general characteristics of his prose in this genre come down not only to a critical look at the stupidity and parasitism of the landowners. The satirical writer “traversed” almost all layers of society. A masterpiece of satirical prose was the novel “The Golovlevs,” dedicated to the theme of the poor spiritual world of landowners. Subsequently, the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin, like the books of many other satirical writers, became the starting point for the emergence of socialist realism.

Realistic novel

In the second half of the century, realistic prose developed. 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 concept as Russian literature of the 19th century. The general description briefly represents a list of important features of this period and the prerequisites for the occurrence of certain phenomena. As for Dostoevsky's realistic prose, it can be characterized as follows: the stories and novels of this author became a reaction to the mood that prevailed in society in those years. Depicting prototypes of people he knew in his works, he sought to consider and solve the most current issues society in which he moved. In the first decades, the country glorified Mikhail Kutuzov, then the romantic Decembrists.

This is clearly evidenced by Russian literature of the early 19th century. The general characteristics of the end of the century can be summed up in a few words. This is a revaluation of values. It was not the fate of the entire people, but its individual representatives that came to the fore. Hence the appearance in prose of the image of the “superfluous person.”

Folk poem

In the years when the realistic novel took a dominant position, poetry faded into the background. A general description of the development of Russian literature of the 19th century allows us to trace the long path from dreamy poetry to a truthful novel. 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 readable authors became Chekhov. Despite the fact that at the beginning creative path critics accused the writer of being cold towards current social issues, his works received undeniable public acceptance. Continuing to develop the image " little man”, created by Pushkin, Chekhov studied the Russian soul. Various philosophical and political ideas, which were developed in late XIX centuries, could not help but influence the lives of individual people. IN later literature The 19th century was dominated by revolutionary sentiments. Among the authors whose work was at the turn of the century, one of the most bright personalities became Maxim Gorky.

The general characteristics of Russian classical literature of the 19th century deserve closer attention. Each major representative of this period created his own art world, whose heroes dreamed of the impossible, fought against social evil or experienced their own small tragedy. And the main task of their authors was to reflect the realities of a century rich in social and political events.

The totality of all literary works represents the development of a world verbal society. Historically there have been many national literatures, which determined this process. One way or another, all literary works have general properties. They are all the result creative work writer, therefore have general images, aesthetic significance, true form of embodiment, but at the same time, in connection with the peculiarities cultural development of one country or another, literary works turn out to be specific to each nation.

The peculiarity of Russian literature is that it reflects a close connection with Christianity adopted in 988. Centuries of interaction with dogma Orthodox faith could not but affect the consciousness of Russian writers. The most important moral and philosophical issues, Russian high ethical pathos is associated with the observations of writers on the relationship between the concepts of morality and holiness. From this main feature more specific ones follow:

Russian literature has high spiritual foundations - ancient Russian literature, which was based on spiritual phenomena, principles

Since the 18th century, Russian literature has closely interacted with world philosophical idea. But at the same time, Russian writers rethought the most important ideas of the world, bringing them closer to the principles of philanthropy and the search for an ideal

Russian literature is deeply philosophical. M.V. Lomonosov, N. Karamzin, V.A. Zhukovsky, M.Yu. Lermontov, L.N. Tolstoy

Russian literature always strives for submission in the form of good

Western European writers perceived Russian literature as sacred.

N.V. Gogol, in his book “Selected Passages from Correspondence with Friends,” pointed to the origins of the holiness of Russian literature. According to the writer, it lies in the lyricism of our poets (“lyricism is something close to biblical”). “Our poets saw every lofty subject in its legitimate contact with the supreme sources of lyricism (by God), some consciously, others unconsciously, because the Russian soul, due to its Russian nature, already hears this somehow by itself”

Periodization of Russian literature

1st period - Old Russian literature begins with the 11th century and ends with the 17th century

2nd period - 18th century - era of enlightenment

3rd period - 19th century - golden age, classical era

4th period - the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century is called silver age

5th period - 20th century from 1918 to the 80s

6th period - late 80s, 90s early 21st century

Literature Ancient Rus'

Old Russian literature is the spiritual basis of Russian literature. It arose as a result of the Christianization of Rus'. In connection with the adoption of Christianity, Rus' joined the cultural and ideological foundations of Byzantium, received literature and writing.

The very first literary monuments in Ancient Rus' were of a transferable nature. The first were the Gospel and the Psalter.

The Ostromir Gospel (1056-1057) was translated by Deacon Gregory for the mayor Ostromir in Novgorod.

In addition, historical chronicles, the lives of saints Anthony the Great, St. Andrew the First-Called, and collections of stories about saints - the Patericon - were often translated. In addition, theological works. Over time, original works appeared.

Peculiarities ancient Russian literature

Old Russian literature was based on a system of religious…. This system was based on a religious symbolic method

High spirituality. The central theme can be considered….

Close connection with history

Handwritten works. Therefore, there are options.

All works were written according to certain canons and rules. Each scribe was guided by the previous work.

Genres were formed based on the canons ancient Russian works:

The development of ancient Russian literature followed the path of gradual transformation of the Western system under the influence of the increasing ..... to inner world person.

The original works of ancient Russian literature “The Tale of Bygone Years”, conditionally the first original can be called “The Sermon on Law and Grace” by Hilarion, written in 1037-1050.

The 19th century gave birth to a large number of talented Russian prose writers and poets. Their works quickly burst into the world 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 have become the subject of study in a separate section in literary criticism. Undoubtedly, the prerequisites for such a rapid cultural rise were events in political and social life.

Story

The main trends in art and literature are formed under the influence of historical events. If in the 18th century social life in Russia was relatively measured, then the next century included many important vicissitudes 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 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 words was A.S. Pushkin. This great century begins with his work.

Literary language

Answering the question: “What is the general characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th century?”, a person with 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 Western medieval epic. But by the 19th century it acquired new shades. Originating in Germany, romanticism penetrated into the work of Russian authors. In prose, this direction is characterized by a desire for mystical motives and folk legends. The poetry traces the desire to transform life for the better and the glorification of folk heroes. The opposition and their tragic end became fertile ground for poetic creativity.

The general characteristics of Russian literature of the 19th century are marked by romantic moods in the lyrics, which were quite often found in the poems of Pushkin and other poets of his galaxy.

As for prose, new forms of the story have appeared here, among which the fantastic genre occupies an important place. Vivid examples of romantic prose are the early works of Nikolai Gogol.

Sentimentalism

With the development of this direction, Russian literature of the 19th century begins. General prose is sensual and focuses on the reader's perception. Sentimentalism penetrated into Russian literature at the end of the 18th century. Karamzin became the founder of the Russian tradition in this genre. In the 19th century he gained a number of followers.

Satirical prose

It was at this time that satirical and journalistic works appeared. This trend can be traced primarily in the work of Gogol. Starting his creative career with a description of his small homeland, this author later moved on to all-Russian social topics. It is difficult today to imagine what Russian literature of the 19th century would have been like without this master of satire. The general characteristics of his prose in this genre come down not only to a critical look at the stupidity and parasitism of the landowners. The satirical writer “traversed” almost all layers of society.

A masterpiece of satirical prose was the novel “The Golovlevs,” dedicated to the theme of the poor spiritual world of landowners. Subsequently, the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin, like the books of many other satirical writers, became the starting point for the emergence of

Realistic novel

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

Folk poem

End of the century

At the end of the 19th century, Chekhov became one of the most read authors. Despite the fact that at the beginning of his creative career, critics accused the writer of coldness towards current social topics, his works received undeniable public recognition. Continuing to develop the image of the “little man” created by Pushkin, Chekhov studied the Russian soul. Various philosophical and political ideas that developed at the end of the 19th century could not help but influence the lives of individuals.

Late literature of the 19th century was dominated by revolutionary sentiments. Among the authors whose work was at the turn of the century, one of the most prominent personalities was Maxim Gorky.

The general characteristics of the 19th century deserve closer attention. Each major representative of this period created his own artistic world, the heroes of which dreamed of the impossible, fought against social evil, or experienced their own small tragedy. And the main task of their authors was to reflect the realities of a century rich in social and political events.

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

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

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

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

The formation of Russian realistic literature dates back to the mid-19th century. She reacted sharply to the socio-political situation in Russia. A dispute arises between Slavophiles and Westerners about the ways historical development countries.

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

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

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