Journal controversy. Literary criticism

The beginning of the 19th century was a time of cultural and spiritual upsurge in Russia. Patriotic War 1812 accelerated growth national identity Russian people. The growth of national self-awareness of the people during this period had a huge impact on the development of literature, fine arts, theater and music. The autocratic-serf system with its class policy held back the process of development of Russian culture. Children of non-noble origin received elementary education in parish schools. Gymnasiums were created for the children of nobles and officials, they gave the right to enter the university. In the first half of the 19th century, seven universities were founded in Russia.

Golden age of Russian culture. Pushkin, Lermontov and Gogol. Moral quests of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.
An important factor that contributed to the intensive development of Russian culture was its close communication and interaction with other cultures. N. Gogol, N. Leskov, P. Melnikov-Pechersky, F. Dostoevsky and others created their works in the traditions of Old Russian religious culture. But the work of other geniuses of Russian literature, whose attitude to Orthodox culture is more controversial - from A. Pushkin and L. Tolstoy to A. Blok - bears an indelible stamp testifying to Orthodox roots. Even the skeptical I. Turgenev gave an image of Russian folk holiness in the story “Living Relics”. Russian philosophy and theology influenced Western European culture in the first half of the 20th century. thanks to the works of V. Solovyov, S. Bulgakov, P. Florensky, N. Berdyaev, M. Bakunin and many others. The cultural and historical process in Russia in the 19th - early 20th centuries has its own characteristics. There is a noticeable acceleration in its pace.
In the 19th century Literature becomes the leading area of Russian culture. Pushkin's ode "Liberty", his "Message to Siberia" to the Decembrists and "Response" to this message of the Decembrist Odoevsky, Ryleev's satire "To the Temporary Worker" (Arakcheev), Lermontov's poem "On the Death of a Poet", Belinsky's letter to Gogol were, in essence, , political pamphlets, militant, revolutionary appeals that inspired progressive youth. The spirit of opposition and struggle inherent in the works progressive writers Russia, made Russian literature of that time one of the active social forces.
The names alone of A. Pushkin, M. Lermontov, N. Gogol, F. Dostoevsky, L. Tolstoy immediately evoke ideas about vast artistic worlds, a multitude of ideas and images that are refracted in their own way in the minds of new and new generations of readers. We can say that Pushkin's poetry and Tolstoy's prose are a miracle.
A. Pushkin was the founder of Russian realism, his novel in verse “Eugene Onegin was the highest expression of realism in the work of the great poet. Outstanding examples of realistic literature are the historical drama “Boris Godunov”, the story “ Captain's daughter", "Dubrovsky", etc. Global significance Pushkin is associated with an awareness of the universal significance of the tradition he created. He paved the way for the literature of M. Lermontov, N. Gogol, I. Turgenev, L. Tolstoy, F. Dostoevsky and A. Chekhov, which rightfully became not only a fact of Russian culture, but also the most important moment in the spiritual development of mankind.
Pushkin's traditions were continued by his younger contemporary and successor M. Lermontov. The novel “A Hero of Our Time,” which is in many ways consonant with Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin,” is considered the pinnacle of Lermontov’s realism. The work of M. Lermontov was the highest point in the development of Russian poetry of the post-Pushkin period and opened new paths in the evolution of Russian prose.

Gogol’s work also developed in the direction from pre-romantic and romantic forms to realism, which turned out to be a decisive factor in the subsequent development of Russian literature. “We all came out of Gogol’s “The Overcoat”,” Dostoevsky figuratively remarked, characterizing Gogol’s influence on the development of Russian literature.

The work of the brilliant L. Tolstoy deserves special attention, which marked a new stage in the development of Russian and world realism and built a bridge between the traditions of the classical novel of the 19th century. and literature of the 20th century. A special phenomenon in Russian and world literature is the novel “War and Peace”; In this unique phenomenon of art, Tolstoy combined the form of a psychological novel with the scope and multi-figuration of an epic fresco. More than a hundred years have passed since the first part of the novel appeared in print; many generations of readers have changed during this time. And invariably “War and Peace” is read by people of all ages - from young men to old people.

The truly titanic character of the moral quest of another great Russian writer, Dostoevsky, is striking. He does not describe what is happening, he forces us to “go underground” in order to see what is really happening, he forces us to see ourselves in ourselves.

6. A.N. Ostrovsky. Social and cultural novelty of A.N. Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy. "Storm". The originality of the concept, the originality of the main character, the strength of the tragic outcome in the fate of the drama's heroes.

The rapid development of psychological realism, which we observe in the second half of the 19th century, also manifested itself in drama. Interest in human personality in all its states forced writers to seek means for their expression. In drama, the main such means was the stylistic individualization of the characters’ language, and the leading role in the development of this method belonged to Ostrovsky. The play “The Thunderstorm” was evidence that Ostrovsky took the path of abandoning the idealization of the merchant class and patriarchal life; in it, the author focused on the drama of the life of the merchant class as a consequence of changes that undermined from within the very foundations on which this world rested that seemed eternal and unshakable. The conflict situation arose as a result of an individual’s attempt to live in accordance with the needs of the soul, not submitting to old dogmas and traditions + the internal conflict of the heroine, who understands that she is breaking the moral law.
In addition, Ostrovsky made an attempt to go further in psychologism, along the path of providing his characters with the maximum possible freedom within the framework of the author’s plan - the result of such an experiment was the image of Katerina in “The Thunderstorm”.

Creating a drama of the tragic type (Ovchinin), Ostrovsky uses the situation of a classic tragedy based on the conflict between duty and feeling as a starting point. Having fallen in love strongly, deeply, selflessly, Katerina decides to terrible sin, cheating on her husband, and goes towards the feeling with the consciousness of the inevitable retribution for this. Therefore, her very love for Boris is perceived by her as a misfortune, as a tragedy, with which at the same time something bright and completely new is associated: “I will die soon.<...>Something bad is happening to me, some kind of miracle!<...>There is something so unusual about me. It’s like I’m starting to live again.” The desire for freedom in love is in conflict with the patriarchal way of life; she also considers this feeling sinful = internal struggle = social and everyday tragedy.

Katerina fell in love with Boris, whom she had invented, but in reality he turned out to be weak. Boris, for the sake of his sister, endures Dikiy’s bullying, being confident in advance that neither he nor his sister will receive a penny from their uncle. Such people life trials they don’t harden, but only bend them deeper to the ground. In Katerina, love causes an emotional upsurge, a passionate desire to become a free bird and fly with its wings outstretched. She dreams of being free in her feelings and actions, of getting rid of domestic bondage, where “everything seems to be out of bondage.”

Ostrovsky created a tragedy of a new type (Ovchinin), where the ending is predetermined not only by the character traits of two female natures, not only by the painful struggle between feeling and duty, but also, above all, by the heightened conscience that Katerina is endowed with and which forced her to admit her sin, her judging yourself.

The play shows the world of a simple woman, her spiritual interests, and her connection with religion. The tragedy poses the problem of the need for spiritual interests, the problem of everyday life and comfort, and stereotypical behavior. Katerina understands that she is committing a sin, but she cannot do otherwise.

The situation is dramatic not only for Katerina, but also for other characters: Kuligin, whose noble efforts do not find support, Tikhon and Varvara, who had to run away from the city, Boris, because his love for Katerina did not bring him happiness.

Lecture 7

Topic 2.2. A.N. Ostrovsky "Play "The Thunderstorm".

Questions to study:

1. . Journal controversy. Literary criticism. Aesthetic controversy

2. Information from the biography of A.N. Ostrovsky.

3. Social and cultural novelty of dramaturgy by A.N. Ostrovsky.

4. The history of the creation of the play by A.N. Ostrovsky "The Thunderstorm".

5. The originality of the concept, the originality of the main character, the strength of the tragic outcome in the fate of the heroes of the drama.

Journal controversy. Literary criticism. Aesthetic controversy

Slavophil criticism. Literary-critical position of the Sovremennik magazine. The 1840s entered Russian history as “the era of excited mental interests” (A. I. Herzen), a period of an amazing rise in philosophical, social and literary critical thought. The formulation and solution of all socio-political, philosophical, historical and aesthetic issues in this “wonderful decade” (P.V. Annenkov) were determined by the confrontation between two currents of Russian social thought that formed at the turn of the 1830s and 1840s - Westernism and Slavophilism. At the heart of the dispute between Westerners and Slavophiles was the vital important question about Russia's place in historical process, the connection of its cultural and historical past with the present and future, its possible contribution to world history. The assessment of certain phenomena of literary history and modernity depended on the answer to it.

WESTERNS(V.G. Belinsky, A.I. Herzen, T.N. Granovsky, S.D. Kavelin, V.P. Botkin, V. Annenkov and others) - defended the need historical movement Russia along the European path, highlighted the idea of freedom and the intrinsic value of the human person, emphasizing the exhaustion of those principles that formed the basis of ancient Russian life. The keynote speeches of Westerners were public lectures by T.N. Granovsky, articles by Belnisky, which appeared in “Notes of the Fatherland” for 1841 and later received the general title “Russia before Peter the Great”, and the work of K. D. Kavelin, “A Look at Legal Life”, published in the first issue of Nekrasov’s “Sovremennik” Ancient Russia». SLAVICOPHILES(A.S. Khomyakov. I.V. and P.V. Kireevskys, K.S. and I.S. Aksakovs, Yu.F. Samarin, D.A. Valuev, etc.) - published their articles on the pages of “Moskvityanin”, “Moscow literary and scientific collections”, “Russian conversation”, opposed the transfer of European history schemes to the history of Russia.

Justifying the opposition " Russia-Europe", they emphasized that Europe arose as a result of the conquest of some peoples by others, and Russia - peacefully; in the West, rational Catholicism took hold, in Russia - an integral Christian faith; In European life, the individualistic principle predominates, and in Russian life, the communal principle predominates.

The Slavophiles saw the main task facing the Russian nation as building life on communal and truly Christian principles and thereby embarking on the path to true unity - “conciliarity”. Despite heated disputes among themselves, Westerners and Slavophiles were allies in a common desire to transform Russian life. Both of them criticized the Nikolaev regime, demanded the abolition of serfdom, and defended freedom of conscience, speech, and press. The later recognition of A. I. Herzen is characteristic: “... we were their opponents, but very strange... They and you fell in love with early years one strong, unaccountable... feeling of boundless, all-existence love for the Russian people, Russian way of life, for the Russian mentality. And we, like Janus or like a double-headed eagle, looked in different directions, while the heart beat alone.”

The platform for social and aesthetic debates in the 40s, as in the previous decade, remained Russian journalism, which had undergone major changes. A “magazine period” is beginning in the history of Russian literature. Responding to the weight of the most significant phenomena of the intellectual life of Russia and Europe, absorbing all domestic and translated fiction (Otechestvennye zapiski, Sovremennik, Moskvityanin, etc.) “turned into an extremely important factor in the socio-political and cultural movement and became the centers of the country’s ideological life.” The growing influence of the journals Belinsky and Gsrtsen was approvingly assessed.

According to Herzen, they “have disseminated in the last twenty-five years a huge amount of knowledge, concepts, ideas. They gave residents of the Omsk or Tobolsk provinces the opportunity to read the novels of Dickens or George Sand. two months after their appearance in London or Paris." Publishers and editors of magazines sought to impart ideological unity to all materials published here: journalistic, critical, artistic and scientific. Literary criticism occupied an even more important place in them than before. In the magazines of this time, according to the fair remark of N.G. Chernyshevsky, “aesthetic questions were...primarily only a battlefield, and the subject of the struggle was the influence on mental life in general.” The concept of “literary direction,” which Polevoy actively defended back in the 1830s, acquired decisive significance for magazines. Journal polemics on various issues flared up with renewed vigor, attracting the attention of reading and thinking Russia.

In the 1840s, the types of periodicals became more varied than before. Along with literary monthlies, the theater magazine “Repertoire and Pantheon” by F. A. Koni and the weekly illustrated magazine “Illustration” by N. Kukolnik are published, designed for a wide audience. The importance of newspapers is growing: in a number of cities the publication of the Gubernskiye Gazette has become established. Entrepreneurial relations are increasingly penetrating the publishing industry, and the number of professional journalists and writers is increasing. Next to the reader from the nobility, a new democratic reader appears from among the bureaucrats, merchants and clergy. The central place in journalism of the 1840s was occupied by Otechestvennye zapiski, which in 1839 passed into the hands of a close literary circles A. A. Kraevsky. Trying to resist the magazine monologue of F. Bulgarin. N. Grech and O. Senkovsky, A.A. Kraevsky attracted talented writers of various orientations to the publication. Among the employees of Otechestvennye Zapiski were writers from Pushkin’s circle (P. A. Vyazemsky, V.A. Zhukovsky, V.F. Odoevsky), young writers who were beginning their creative careers (Lermontov, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Panaev, etc.). The magazine, large in volume (up to 40 printed pages), included eight sections: “Modern Sprinkles” of Russia.” (Science”, “Literature”, “Arts”, “Home Economics, Agriculture and Industry in General”, “Criticism”, “Modern Bibliographic Chronicle”, “Mixture”. The direction of the magazine was determined by Belinsky, who, after moving to St. Petersburg, headed the critical-bibliographic department of the magazine, and his friends - Botkin, Katkov, Granovsky, Ketcher, Kudryavtsev. Soon, close critics Herzen, Ogarev and Nekrasov began to collaborate in Otechestvennye Zapiski. Having become the organizational center of Westerners, the Otechch Zapiski magazine actively advocated the Europeanization of Russian life. , introduced readers to highest achievements European scientific artistic thought. Foaming in Otechestvennye Zapiski best works Russian literature, created in the late 1830s and 1840s: poems by Lermontov and individual parts of “Gsroy of our time”, “songs” and “thoughts” by Koltsov, works by Herzen, early works Turgenev, stories and poems by Nekrasov, stories by Dostoevsky and Saltykov-Shchedrin In addition to the above-mentioned writers, D.V. Grigorovich, V.I. Dal, V.A. Sollogub, G. F. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, A.A. .Fet and many others. Translated fiction was represented by the works of J. Side, Dickens, and F. Cooper. G Heine. At the end of the 1840s, Sovremennik took the leading position in Russian journalism. Published after the death of Pushkin by P. A. Pletnev and not attracting active reader attention for many years, this magazine in 1847 passed into the hands of N. A, Nekrasov and I. I. Panaev and acquired, thanks to the participation of Belinsky and Herzen, a radical orientation. In order to counter advanced Russian journalism in the early 1840s, the ruling circles gave permission to publish two new publications - the magazines “Mayak” (edited by Burachok) and “Moskvityanin” (edited by Pogodin). "Mayak" furiously attacked German philosophy, pursued modern French literature and sought to instill a protective spirit in Russian literature, evaluating it exclusively from the standpoint of religiosity, “patriotism” and “nationality”. “The Moskvitian” - slanderous adjustments to advanced journalism and literature, angry invective against the West, mired in depravity, exhausted from “turns and destructions”, coexisted here with a deep assessment of the foundations of European and Russian enlightenment in the articles of I. Kireevsky, insightful, albeit one-sided judgments about Gogol’s work in the articles of K. Aksakov, with faith in the peasantry as the guardian and exponent of people’s beliefs and aspirations in the speeches of A.S. Khomyakov.

In connection with the growing disagreements among Westerners, a polemic began on a number of issues between Sovremennik and the journal Otechestvennye zapiski. However, the most fundamental line of confrontation lay in the 40s between Otechestvennye zapiski and Sovremennik as organs of a democratic direction, on the one hand, and Moskvityanin, on the other. Critical articles and bibliographic notes of Otechestvennye Zapiski had a unity of aesthetic, historical and ethical principles review of works. A large number of review articles in the magazine testified to the desire of critics to identify the main trends in historical and literary development. Belinsky, Galakhov, Botkin defended “the poetry of reality, inspired by a living national interest, the “humane subjectivity” of the artist, and welcomed the movement of Russian literature along the path of realism. On the pages of the magazine, tendentious criticism began to take shape, criticism “about”, which would take a central place in the magazines of the next decade.

In this regard, the recognition of A.D. Galakhov is characteristic: “...we were interested not so much in the content of the work being analyzed, but in the relationship of the content to the beliefs dear to us. We used the new work of a writer or scientist as an occasion to talk about what was the task of the magazine, what gave it color, corresponded to the essence of its program.” In general, the criticism of the late 1840s and early 1850s, reminiscent of the “calm before the storm,” reflects the concentrated expectations of the literary public associated with changes in political life.

2. Information from the biography of A.N. Ostrovsky.

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky was born on March 31 (April 12), 1823 in Moscow. His father, a graduate of the Moscow Theological Seminary, served in the Moscow City Court. He was engaged in private litigation practice in property and commercial matters. The mother from a family of the clergy, the daughter of a sexton and a malt baker, died when the future playwright was eight years old.

Ostrovsky spends his childhood and early youth in Zamoskvorechye, a special corner of Moscow with its established merchant-philistine life. It was easier for him to follow Pushkin’s advice: “It’s not bad for us sometimes to listen to the Moscow malts. They speak an amazingly pure and correct language.” Grandmother Natalya Ivanovna lived with the Ostrovsky family and served as a bread maker in the parish. Nanny Avdotya Ivanovna Kutuzova was famous as a great master of telling fairy tales. His godfather is a titular councilor, his godmother is a court councillor. From them and from his father’s colleagues who were in the house, the future author of “A Profitable Place” could hear plenty of bureaucratic conversations. And since my father left the service and became a private attorney for trading companies, there have been no merchants in the house.

Alexander became addicted to reading as a child and gets good home education, knows Greek, Latin, French, German, and subsequently English, Italian, Spanish. When Alexander was thirteen years old, his father married a second time to the daughter of a Russified Swedish baron, who was not very involved in raising the children from her husband’s first marriage. With her arrival, the household way of life changes noticeably, official life is reshaped in a noble manner, the environment changes, new speeches are heard in the house. By this time, the future playwright had re-read almost his entire father’s library.

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky was born in an old merchant and bureaucratic district - Zamoskvorechye. In Moscow, on Malaya Ordynka, there is still a two-story house in which the future great playwright was born on April 12 (March 31), 1823. Here, in Zamoskvorechye - on Malaya Ordynka, Pyatnitskaya, Zhitnaya streets - he spent his childhood and youth.

The writer's father, Nikolai Fedorovich Ostrovsky, was the son of a priest, but after graduating from the theological academy he chose a secular profession - he became a judicial official. The mother of the future writer, Lyubov Ivanovna, also came from among the clergy. She died when the boy was 8 years old. After 5 years, the father married again, this time to a noblewoman. Successfully advancing in his career, Nikolai Fedorovich received the title of nobility in 1839, and in 1842 he retired and began to engage in private legal practice. With income from clients - mostly wealthy merchants - he acquired several estates and in 1848, having retired from business, he moved to the village of Shchelykovo in the Kostroma province and became a landowner.

In 1835, Alexander Nikolaevich entered the 1st Moscow Gymnasium and graduated in 1840. Even during his gymnasium years, Ostrovsky was attracted to literature and theater. By the will of his father, the young man entered the Faculty of Law of Moscow University, but the Maly Theater, in which the great Russian actors Shchepkin and Mochalov played, attracts him to itself like a magnet. This was not the empty desire of a rich scoundrel who saw pleasant entertainment in the theater: for Ostrovsky the stage became life. These interests forced him to leave the university in the spring of 1843. “From a young age, I gave up everything and devoted myself entirely to art,” he later recalled.

His father still hoped that his son would become an official, and appointed him as a scribe to the Moscow Conscientious Court, which dealt mainly with family property disputes. In 1845, Alexander Nikolaevich was transferred to the office of the Moscow Commercial Court as an official at the “verbal table”, i.e. upon receipt of oral requests from applicants.

His father's law practice, life in Zamoskvorechye and service in court, which lasted almost eight years, gave Ostrovsky many subjects for his works.

From 1835-1840 – Ostrovsky studies at the First Moscow Gymnasium. In 1840, after graduating from high school, he was enrolled in the law faculty of Moscow University. At the university, law student Ostrovsky was lucky enough to listen to lectures by such experts in history, law and literature as T.N. Granovsky, N.I. Krylov, M.P. Pogodin. Here, for the first time, the future author of “Minin” and “Voevoda” discovers the riches of Russian chronicles, the language appears before him in a historical perspective. But in 1843, Ostrovsky left the university, not wanting to retake the exam. At the same time he entered the office of the Moscow Conscientious Court, and later served in the Commercial Court (1845-1851). This experience played a significant role in Ostrovsky's work.

The second university is the Maly Theater. Having become addicted to the stage even in his high school years, Ostrovsky became a regular at the oldest Russian theater.

1847 - in the "Moscow City Leaflet" Ostrovsky publishes the first draft of the future comedy "Our People - We Will Be Numbered" under the title "The Insolvent Debtor", then the comedy "Picture of Family Happiness" (later "Family Picture") and the prose essay "Notes of a Zamoskvoretsky Resident" .

“The most memorable day for me in my life,” Ostrovsky recalled, was February 14, 1847... From that day on, I began to consider myself a Russian writer and, without doubt or hesitation, believed in my calling." Ostrovsky received recognition from the comedy "My People - let's count" (original title - "Bankrut", completed at the end of 1849). Even before publication, it became popular (in the reading of the author and P.M. Sadovsky), caused approving responses from N.V. Gogol, I.A. Goncharov, T.H. Granovsky and others.

“He started out in an extraordinary way...” testifies I.S. Turgenev. His first big play, “We Will Be Numbered as Our Own People,” made a huge impression. She was called the Russian "Tartuffe", "Brigadier" XIX century, the merchant's "Woe from Wit", was compared with "The Inspector General"; Yesterday, the still unknown name of Ostrovsky was placed next to the names of the greatest comedy writers - Moliere, Fonvizin, Griboyedov, Gogol.

After the comedy "Our People - Let's Be Numbered," Ostrovsky releases one, and sometimes two or three, plays every year, thus writing 47 plays of various genres - from tragedy to dramatic episodes. In addition, there are also plays written together with other playwrights - S.A. Gedeonov, N.Ya. Solovyov, P.M. Nevezhin, as well as over 20 translated plays (C. Goldoni, N. Macchiaveli, M. Cervantes, Terence, etc.). In 1859, Ostrovsky translated "Getsira" by the ancient Roman playwright Terence, in which the theme of daughter-in-law and mother-in-law is important (compare with the play "The Thunderstorm").

Possessing an extraordinary social temperament, Ostrovsky spent his whole life actively fighting for the creation of a new type of realistic theater, for a truly artistic national repertoire, and for a new ethics of the actor. He created the Moscow artistic circle in 1865, founded and headed the society of Russian dramatic writers (1870), wrote numerous “Notes”, “Projects”, “Considerations” to various departments, proposing to take urgent measures to stop the decline theatrical arts. Ostrovsky's work had a decisive influence on the development of Russian drama and Russian theater. As a playwright and director, Ostrovsky contributed to the formation of a new school of realistic acting, the promotion of a galaxy of actors (especially in the Moscow Maly Theater: the Sadovsky family, S.V. Vasiliev, L.P. Kositskaya, later - G.N. Fedotova, M.N. Ermolova and etc.).

Theater biography Ostrovsky did not coincide with his literary biography at all. The audience became acquainted with his plays in a completely different order from the order in which they were written and published. Only six years after Ostrovsky began publishing, on January 14, 1853, the curtain rose on the first performance of the comedy “Don’t Get in Your Own Sleigh” at the Maly Theater. The play shown to the audience first was Ostrovsky's sixth completed play.

At the same time, the playwright entered into a civil marriage with the girl Agafya Ivanovna Ivanova (who had four children from him), which led to a break in relations with his father. According to eyewitnesses, she was a kind, warm-hearted woman, to whom Ostrovsky owed much of his knowledge of Moscow life.

In 1869, after the death of Agafya Ivanovna from tuberculosis, Ostrovsky entered into a new marriage with the Maly Theater actress Maria Vasilyeva. From his second marriage the writer had five children.

Corresponding Member of the Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1863)

Ostrovsky's literary views were formed under the influence of the aesthetics of V.G. Belinsky. For Ostrovsky, as for other writers who began in the 40s, an artist is a kind of researcher-“physiologist” who subjects various parts of the social organism to special study, opening up yet unexplored areas of life for his contemporaries. In the open field, these tendencies found expression in the genre of the so-called “physiological essay,” widespread in the literature of the 40s and 50s. Ostrovsky was one of the most convinced exponents of this trend. Many of his early works were written in the manner of a “physiological sketch” (sketches of Zamoskvoretsky life; dramatic sketches and “paintings”: “Family Picture”, “Morning” young man", "An Unexpected Case"; later, in 1857, - "The characters did not agree").

In a more complex refraction, the features of this style were reflected in most of Ostrovsky’s other works: he studied the life of his era, observing it as if under a microscope, like an attentive researcher and experimenter. This is clearly shown by the diaries of his trips around Russia and especially the materials of a multi-month trip (1865) along the upper Volga for the purpose of a comprehensive examination of the region.
Ostrovsky's published report on this trip and draft notes represent a kind of encyclopedia of information on the economy, population composition, customs, and morals of this region. At the same time, Ostrovsky does not cease to be an artist - after this trip, the Volga landscape, as a poetic leitmotif, is included in many of his plays, starting with “The Thunderstorm” and ending with “Dowry” and “Voevoda (Dream on the Volga).” In addition, the idea of a cycle of plays called “Nights on the Volga” arises (partially realized).

“Guilty Without Guilt” is the last of Ostrovsky’s masterpieces. In August 1883, just at the time of work on this play, the playwright wrote to his brother: “The writer’s concern: there is a lot that has been started, there is good stories, but...they are inconvenient, you need to choose something smaller. I am already living out my life; When will I have time to speak out? So go to my grave without having done everything I could have done?”

At the end of his life, Ostrovsky finally achieved material wealth (he received a lifetime pension of 3 thousand rubles), and in 1884 he took the position of head of the repertory department of Moscow theaters (the playwright dreamed of serving the theater all his life). But his health was undermined, his strength was exhausted.

Ostrovsky not only taught, he also studied. Ostrovsky’s numerous experiences in the field of translation of ancient, English, Spanish, Italian and French dramatic literature not only testified to his excellent acquaintance with the dramatic literature of all times and peoples, but were also rightly considered by researchers of his work as a kind of school of dramatic skill, which Ostrovsky went through throughout his entire life. his life (he began in 1850 with a translation of Shakespeare's comedy "The Taming of the Shrew").

Death found him translating Shakespeare's tragedy "Antony and Cleopatra") on June 2 (14), 1886 in the Shchelykovo estate, Kostroma region, from a hereditary disease - angina pectoris. He went to his grave without having done everything he could have done, but he did an extraordinary amount.

After the death of the writer, the Moscow Duma established a reading room named after A.N. in Moscow. Ostrovsky. On May 27, 1929, in Moscow, on Teatralnaya Square in front of the Maly Theater, where his plays were staged, a monument to Ostrovsky was unveiled (sculptor N.A. Andreev, architect I.P. Mashkov).

A.N. Ostrovsky is listed in the Russian Divo Book of Records as “the most prolific playwright” (1993).

Ostrovsky's work can be divided into three periods: 1st - (1847-1860), 2nd - (1850-1875), 3rd - (1875-1886).

FIRST PERIOD (1847-1860)

It includes plays reflecting the life of pre-reform Russia. At the beginning of this period, Ostrovsky actively collaborated as an editor and as a critic with the Moskvityanin magazine, publishing his plays in it. Starting as a continuer of Gogol’s accusatory tradition (“We’ll be our own people,” “Poor Bride,” “We didn’t get along”), then, partly under the influence of the main ideologist of the magazine “Moskvityanin” A.A. Grigoriev, in Ostrovsky’s plays the motifs of idealization of Russian patriarchy and the customs of antiquity begin to sound (“Don’t sit in your own sleigh” (1852), “Poverty is not a vice” (1853), “Don’t live the way you want” (1854). These sentiments muffle Ostrovsky's critical pathos.

Since 1856, Ostrovsky, a permanent contributor to the Sovremennik magazine, has become close to figures in democratic Russian journalism. During the years of social upsurge before the peasant reform of 1861, social criticism in his work intensified again, the drama of conflicts became more acute ("At Someone Else's Feast a Hangover" (1855), "Profitable Place" (1856), "Thunderstorm" (1859).

SECOND PERIOD (1860-1875)

It includes plays reflecting life in Russia after the reform. Ostrovsky continues to write domestic comedies and dramas ("Hard Days", 1863, "Jokers", 1864, "The Deep", 1865), - still highly talented, but rather consolidating already found motifs than mastering new ones. At this time, Ostrovsky also turned to the problems of national history, to the patriotic theme. Based on study wide range sources, he creates a cycle of historical plays: “Kozma Zakharyich Minin - Sukhoruk” (1861; 2nd edition 1866), “Voevoda” (1864; 2nd edition 1885), “Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky” (1866 g.), "Tushino" (1866). In addition, a cycle is created satirical comedies(“For Every Wise Man Enough Simplicity” (1868), “Warm Heart” (1868), “Mad Money” (1869), “The Forest” (1870), “Wolves and Sheep” (1875). Standing apart among the plays of the second period is the dramatic poem in verse "The Snow Maiden" (1873) - a "spring fairy tale", according to the author's definition, created on the basis of folk tales, beliefs, and customs.

THIRD PERIOD (1875 - 1886)

Almost all of Ostrovsky's dramatic works of the 70s and early 80s. published in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski. During this period, Ostrovsky created significant socio-psychological dramas and comedies about tragic destinies richly gifted, sensitive women in the world of cynicism and self-interest ("Dowry", 1878, "The Last Victim", 1878, "Talents and Admirers", 1882, etc.). Here the writer also develops new forms of stage expression, in some respects anticipating the plays of A.P. Chekhov: while maintaining the characteristic features of his dramaturgy, Ostrovsky strives to embody the “internal struggle” in “an intelligent, subtle comedy” (see “A.N. Ostrovsky in the memoirs of his contemporaries,” 1966, p. 294).

The playwright remained in the history of Russian literature not just “Columbus of Zamoskvorechye,” as literary criticism called him, but the creator of the Russian democratic theater, who applied the achievements of Russian psychological prose of the 19th century to theatrical practice. Ostrovsky is a rare example of stage longevity; his plays do not leave the stage - this is the sign of a truly people's writer.

Ostrovsky's drama included all of Russia - its way of life, its customs, its history, its fairy tales, its poetry. It is even difficult for us to imagine how much poorer our idea of Russia, of Russian people, of Russian nature, and even of ourselves would be, if the world of Ostrovsky’s creations did not exist for us.

Not with cold curiosity, but with pity and anger, we look at the life embodied in Ostrovsky’s plays. Sympathy for the disadvantaged and indignation against the “dark kingdom” - these are the feelings that the playwright experienced and which he invariably evokes in us. But especially close to us is the hope and faith that have always lived in this wonderful artist. And we know that this hope is for us, this is faith in us.

3. Social and cultural novelty of dramaturgy by A.N. Ostrovsky Ostrovsky's work was new for Russian drama. His works are characterized by the complexity and complexity of conflicts; his element is socio-psychological drama, comedy of manners. The features of his style are telling surnames, specific author's remarks, original titles of plays, among which proverbs are often used, and comedies based on folklore motifs. The conflict in Ostrovsky's plays is mainly based on the incompatibility of the hero with the environment. His dramas can be called psychological; they contain not only external conflict, but also internal moral drama.

Everything in the plays historically accurately recreates the life of society, from which the playwright takes his plots. New hero Ostrovsky's drama - a simple person - determines the originality of the content, and Ostrovsky creates a “folk drama”. He accomplished a huge task - he made the “little man” a tragic hero. Ostrovsky saw his duty as a dramatic writer in making the analysis of what is happening the main content of the drama. “A dramatic writer... does not invent what happened - it gives life, history, legend; its main task is to show on the basis of what psychological data some event took place and why exactly this way and not otherwise” - this is what, according to the author, expresses the essence of drama. Ostrovsky treated drama as a mass art that educates people, and defined the purpose of theater as a “school of social morals.” His first productions shocked with their truthfulness and simplicity, honest heroes with a "warm heart". The playwright created by “combining the sublime with the comic,” he created forty-eight works and invented more than five hundred characters.

Ostrovsky's plays are realistic. In the merchant environment, which he observed day after day and believed that it united the past and present of society, Ostrovsky reveals those social conflicts, which reflect the life of Russia. And if in “The Snow Maiden” he recreates the patriarchal world, through which modern problems can only be guessed, then his “Thunderstorm” is an open protest of the individual, a person’s desire for happiness and independence. This was perceived by playwrights as a statement of the creative principle of love of freedom, which could become the basis of a new drama. Ostrovsky never used the definition of “tragedy”, designating his plays as “comedies” and “dramas”, sometimes providing explanations in the spirit of “pictures of Moscow life”, “scenes from village life", "scenes from the life of the outback", indicating that we're talking about about the life of an entire social environment. Dobrolyubov said that Ostrovsky created a new type of dramatic action: without didactics, the author analyzed the historical origins of modern phenomena in society.

The historical approach to family and social relations is the pathos of Ostrovsky’s work. Among his heroes are people of different ages, divided into two camps - young and old. For example, as Yu. M. Lotman writes, in “The Thunderstorm” Kabanikha is “the keeper of antiquity,” and Katerina “carries within herself the creative beginning of development,” which is why she wants to fly like a bird.

The dispute between antiquity and newness, according to the literary critic, is an important aspect dramatic conflict in Ostrovsky's plays. Traditional forms of life are considered as eternally renewed, and only in this the playwright sees their viability... The old enters the new, into modern life, in which it can play the role of either a “fettering” element, oppressing its development, or a stabilizing element, ensuring the strength of the emerging novelty, depending on the content of the old that preserves the people’s life.” The author always sympathizes with the young heroes, poeticizes their desire for freedom and selflessness. The title of the article by A. N. Dobrolyubov “A ray of light in dark kingdom"fully reflects the role of these heroes in society. They are psychologically similar to each other; the author often uses already developed characters. The theme of a woman’s position in the world of calculation is also repeated in “Poor Bride”, “Warm Heart”, “Dowry”.

Later, the satirical element in dramas increased. Ostrovsky turns to the Gogolian principle of “pure comedy,” placing the characteristics of the social environment in the first place. The character in his comedies is a renegade and a hypocrite. Ostrovsky also turns to historical and heroic themes, tracing the formation social phenomena, growth from “little man” to citizen. Undoubtedly, Ostrovsky's plays will always have a modern sound. Theaters constantly turn to his work, so it stands outside the time frame.

Independent work No. 1

Subject: Historical and cultural process and periodization of Russian literature of the 19th century.

Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century. The 19th century is called the “Golden Age” of Russian poetry and the century of Russian literature on a global scale. At the beginning of the century, art was finally separated from court poetry and “album” poems; in the history of Russian literature, for the first time, the features of a professional poet appeared, lyricism became more natural, simpler, and more humane. This century has given us such masters. We should not forget that the literary leap that took place in the 19th century was prepared by the entire course of the literary process of the 17th and 18th centuries. The 19th century is the time of formation of the Russian literary language. The 19th century began with the heyday of sentimentalism and the emergence of romanticism. These literary trends found expression primarily in poetry. Sentimentalism : Sentimentalism declared feeling, not reason, to be the dominant of “human nature,” which distinguished it from classicism. Sentimentalism believed that the ideal of human activity was not the “reasonable” reorganization of the world, but the release and improvement of “natural” feelings. His hero is more individualized, his inner world is enriched by the ability to empathize and sensitively respond to what is happening around him. By origin and by conviction, the sentimentalist hero is a democrat; the rich spiritual world of the common people is one of the main discoveries and conquests of sentimentalism. Romanticism: ideological and artistic direction in culture of the late 18th century - the first half of the 19th century. It is characterized by an affirmation of the intrinsic value of the spiritual and creative life of the individual, the depiction of strong (often rebellious) passions and characters, spiritualized and healing nature. In the 18th century, everything strange, fantastic, picturesque and existing in books and not in reality was called romantic. At the beginning of the 19th century, romanticism became the designation of a new direction, opposite to classicism and the Enlightenment. Romanticism affirms the cult of nature, feelings and the natural in man. The image of a “noble savage”, armed with “folk wisdom” and not spoiled by civilization, is in demand. Along with poetry, began to develop. Prose writers at the beginning of the century were influenced by the English historical novels of W. Scott, the translations of which were extremely popular. The development of Russian prose of the 19th century began with the prose works of A.S. Pushkin and N.V. Gogol. Since the mid-19th century, the formation of Russian realistic literature has been taking place, which was created against the backdrop of the tense socio-political situation that developed in Russia during the reign of Nicholas I. A crisis of the serfdom system is brewing, and there are strong contradictions between the authorities and the common people. There is an urgent need to create realistic literature that is acutely responsive to the socio-political situation in the country. Writers turn to socio-political problems of Russian reality. Socio-political and philosophical issues predominate. Literature is distinguished by a special psychologism. Realism in art, 1) the truth of life, embodied by specific means of art. 2) A historically specific form of artistic consciousness of modern times, the beginning of which dates back either to the Renaissance ("Renaissance realism"), or from the Enlightenment ("Enlightenment realism"), or from the 30s. 19th century (“actually realism”). The leading principles of realism of the 19th - 20th centuries: objective reflection of the essential aspects of life in combination with the height of the author's ideal; reproduction of typical characters, conflicts, situations with the completeness of their artistic individualization (i.e., specification of both national, historical, social signs, and physical, intellectual and spiritual characteristics

^ Critical realism- an artistic method and literary movement that developed in the 19th century. Its main feature is the depiction of human character in organic connection with social circumstances, along with a deep social analysis of the inner world of man.

Independent work No. 2

Subject: Romanticism is the leading trend in Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century.

Romanticism(- a phenomenon of European culture in the 18th-19th centuries, which is a reaction to the Enlightenment and the scientific and technological progress stimulated by it; an ideological and artistic direction in European and American culture of the late 18th century - the first half of the 19th century. Characterized by the affirmation of the intrinsic value of the spiritual and creative life of the individual , depicting strong (often rebellious) passions and characters, spiritual and healing nature. Spread to. various areas human activity. In the 18th century, everything strange, fantastic, picturesque and existing in books and not in reality was called romantic. At the beginning of the 19th century, romanticism became the designation of a new direction, opposite to classicism and the Enlightenment.

Romanticism replaces the Age of Enlightenment and coincides with the industrial revolution, marked by the appearance of the steam engine, steam locomotive, steamboat, photography and factory outskirts. If the Enlightenment is characterized by the cult of reason and civilization based on its principles, then romanticism affirms the cult of nature, feelings and the natural in man. It was in the era of romanticism that the phenomena of tourism, mountaineering and picnics took shape, designed to restore the unity of man and nature. The image of a “noble savage”, armed with “folk wisdom” and not spoiled by civilization, is in demand. That is, the romanticists wanted to show an unusual person in unusual circumstances. In a word, the romanticists opposed progressive civilization.

It is usually believed that in Russia romanticism appears in the poetry of V. A. Zhukovsky (although some Russian poetic works of the 1790-1800s are often attributed to the pre-romantic movement that developed from sentimentalism). In Russian romanticism, freedom from classical conventions appears, a ballad and romantic drama are created. A new idea is being established about the essence and meaning of poetry, which is recognized as an independent sphere of life, an expression of the highest, ideal aspirations of man; the old view, according to which poetry seemed to be empty fun, something completely serviceable, turns out to be no longer possible.

The early poetry of A. S. Pushkin also developed within the framework of romanticism. The poetry of M. Yu. Lermontov, the “Russian Byron,” can be considered the pinnacle of Russian romanticism. The philosophical lyrics of F. I. Tyutchev are both the completion and overcoming of romanticism in Russia.

The first decades of the 19th century passed under the sign of romanticism. Zhukovsky is popular, the genius of Pushkin is blossoming, Lermontov is making himself known, Gogol’s creative path is beginning, and the critic Belinsky is actively participating in the development of Russian literature. Literature is increasingly becoming an integral part of the spiritual life of society.

Young people and students create associations that have a socio-political orientation. Thus, at Moscow University, in the circle of N.V. Stankevich - V.G. Belinsky, M.A. Bakunin, K.S. Aksakov participate; in the circle of A. I. Herzen - N. P. Ogarev. As Herzen argued, the “Russia of the future” existed precisely between these “boys who had just emerged from childhood” - they had “the heritage of universal science and purely folk Rus'.”

The autocratic government proclaims the ideological formula of Russian society: “Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationalism. It was made in 1833 in a circular from the Minister of Public Education, Count S.S. Uvarov, which stated “that public education should be carried out in the united spirit of Orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality.”

For Russian literature of the 19th century century, realism can be considered the leading direction. In the literature of different countries, it arose in parallel with the successes of the exact sciences. The position of a realist writer is close to that of a scientist, since they consider the world around them as a subject of study, observation, and research.

Romanticism gravitated towards the depiction of an extraordinary personality, unusual subjects, spectacular contrasts and vivid forms of expression. Realism strives to depict the everyday existence of ordinary people, to reproduce the real flow of life. “To accurately and powerfully reproduce the truth, the reality of life, is the greatest happiness for a writer, even if this truth does not coincide with his own sympathies,” argued I. S. Typgenev.

Independent work No. 3

Subject: The main themes and motives in the lyrics of A.S. Pushkin.

Reading the lyrics of A. S. Pushkin, the great Russian writer N. V. Gogol asked the question: “What became the subject of A. S. Pushkin’s poetry? :And he himself answered: “Everything has become an object.” In his work, the poet addressed the themes of love and friendship; he was concerned with the problems of freedom and the purpose of the poet. All of A. S. Pushkin’s lyrics can be imagined as an endless novel in verse, the main subject of which is the inner world of the lyrical hero with his feelings, experiences and aspirations, be it a gust of passion, a premonition of love or disappointment in the ideal. One of the most important in the poet’s work for me was the theme of love, which develops, like all the motives of his lyrics. In his youth, the lyrical hero of A. S. Pushkin sees joy and great universal value in love: ... my poems, merging and murmuring, Streams of love flow, flow full of you. In the darkness, your eyes shine before me, They smile at me - and I hear the sounds: My friend, my gentle friend... I love... yours... yours!.. But gradually, as the lyrical hero grows up, the theme of love is rethought, and now for A. S. Pushkin's feelings and experiences of the beloved woman become more important: But you tore your lips away from the bitter kiss; From the edge of dark exile You called me to another land. Lyrical hero Pushkin is able to appreciate any feeling and enjoy even the sadness of love: On the hills of Georgia lies the darkness of the night; Aragva makes noise in front of me. I feel sad and light; my sadness is light; My sadness is full of you...

Also in the works of A. S. Pushkin one can see another understanding of freedom: the romantic perception of liberty. One of my favorite poems is “To the Sea,” which manifests the principle of romantic dual worlds. The lyrical hero thinks of himself as an extraordinary person, he cannot find anything equal to himself in society and therefore turns to the natural world, to the elements: The desired limit of my soul! How often have I wandered along your shores, quiet and foggy, tormented by cherished intentions! The pinnacle of the theme of freedom is the poem (From Pindemonti), which is a hymn to personal freedom. I am especially close to the lines dedicated to chanting the honor and dignity of a person: Depend on the king, depend on the people - Do we really care? God be with them. Don’t give an account to anyone, only yourself Serve and please, for power, for the livery Don’t bend your conscience, your thoughts, your neck... Since Pushkin in his work addressed the themes of the poet and poetry, time and eternity, we must not forget about the poet's philosophical lyrics. The young lyricist perceived death very tragically, but realized that life does not stop, since A.S. Pushkin thought of himself as a very important link in the chain of generations, he managed to overcome the tragedy of death: Hello, young, unfamiliar tribe! It’s not me who will see your mighty late age, when you outgrow my acquaintances and shield their old head from the eyes of the passerby. But let my grandson Hear your welcoming noise when, returning from a friendly conversation, full of cheerful and pleasant thoughts, He passes by you in the darkness of the night, And remembers me.

The problem of time and eternity, in my opinion, is one of the main problems in the philosophical lyrics of A. S. Pushkin.

At the end of his life, A. S. Pushkin returns to the theme of the poet and poetry in the poem “Monument”, where the lyrics are concerned with the theme of poetic immortality. In this work, political freedom and freedom of the creative individual merge. The main meaning is contained in the lines: No, all of me will not die - the soul in the treasured lyre will survive my ashes and flee decay - And I will be glorious as long as at least one drinker is alive in the sublunary world. The belief that his works will remain in the hearts and souls of generations fills the poet’s life with meaning and significance not only for A.S. Pushkin, but also for admirers of his talent. The older I become, the works of the great Russian lyricist take on more and more new meaning for me. Every time, re-reading works familiar from childhood, I discover a new Pushkin, because throughout his entire life the poet followed His moral ideals, which are so close to me.

Independent work No. 4

Subject: The main motives of the lyrics of M.O. Lermontov.

“Like any real, and even more so great, poet, Lermontov confessed his poetry, and, leafing through the volumes of his works, we can read the history of his soul and understand him as a poet and a person,” wrote Irakli Andronikov. Lermontov's talent blossomed at a time when the noble revolution was defeated, and new generations of fighters were just being formed. Therefore, the motifs of bitterness, melancholy and loneliness occupy a significant place in his work. Faith in the people, in their powerful forces, largely helped him defeat these sentiments. Lermontov is a national poet. We are captivated by the beauty and humanity of Lermontov’s poems. We hear in his poetry a violent protest against the “gloomy reality”, a proud call for freedom and justice. Wide lines, like steppe expanse, accompany the poet’s thoughts when his gaze turns to the Russian nature dear to his heart. At the sight of the occasional contentment and simple joy of the hardworking peasants, the poet is overcome by a feeling of joy that is incomprehensible to the “patriots” from the noble nobility, who do not know how to look “with a joy unfamiliar to many...”. Lermontov cherishes his native nature, but the simple Russian person is even more dear to him. Belinsky called this poem “Pushkin’s best” thing, meaning Pushkin’s optimism, faith in life and people, which Lermontov inherited. But the dagger turned into a “golden toy,” inglorious and harmless. Previously, the poet’s voice called to fight: “It used to be that the measured sound of your mighty words / Inflamed a fighter for battle...” But now Lermontov does not see such a singer among his contemporaries. The poem ends with the call: Will you wake up again, mocked prophet?

Independent work No. 5

Subject: The significance of N.V.’s creativity Gogol in Russian literature.

The merciless truth spoken by Gogol about his contemporary society, his ardent love for the people, the artistic perfection of his works - all this determined the role that the great writer played in the history of Russian and world literature, in establishing the principles of critical realism, in the development of democratic social consciousness.

Relying on the creative achievements of his glorious predecessors (Fonvizin, Griboedov, Krylov, Pushkin), Gogol paved new paths in literature, continuing and developing its wonderful traditions: connection with life, nationality, humanism. In the science of recent years, doubts have increasingly arisen about the validity of the judgments of the outstanding literary critic M. M. Bakhtin that Gogol’s laughter is “purely folk-festive laughter”, which has nothing in common with satire. Meanwhile, most of Gogol’s works, as D. P. Nikolaev showed in a special study, are imbued with satirical pathos to one degree or another. Gogol acutely felt the unnaturalness of all social forms of life that existed then, their anti-humanistic essence.

This critical trend grew in Gogol from faith in the limitless spiritual possibilities of the individual, from the idea of moral values inherent in the people's consciousness, ideals from the height of which the satirist opposed everything that disfigured and distorted the human personality. The concept of the ideal also existed in romantic literature. But there the ideal was often perceived as an unattainable dream, opposed to reality.

For Gogol, the ideal is not divorced from reality; it is perceived by the writer as a standard of life that existed in the past (“Taras Bulba”) and, therefore, possible and achievable in the present.

This is where the power of satirical negation comes from, organically connected with the passionate desire through the means of fiction to achieve the speedy achievement of the public good, to affirm the high purpose of man, to help him get rid of everything that can lead to moral death.

The harsh and wise lessons of Gogol, so important and necessary for us today, are lessons of love for the Motherland, respect and admiration for its history, nature, people, this is a warning about the terrible danger that comes with the loss of moral criteria, the lack of spirituality that always accompanies the acquirers , predators, people absorbed in the pursuit of rank or wealth, alien to high spiritual interests.

Gogol's immortal creativity enriched the principles of artistic representation of reality and revealed the inexhaustible possibilities of using the grotesque, fantasy, and symbolism in realistic literature. “Gogol’s range was limitless,” wrote M. T. Rylsky.

Not only laughter, but also the creepy fantasy of “Terrible Revenge” and “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala”, and the heroic pathos, patriotic solemnity of “Taras Bulba”, and the poetic melodiousness of “May Night”, and the deep emotion of “Portrait”, and the grotesqueness of “The Nose” " - one of the most fantastic and most realistic works of world literature, and boundless pity for the poor man, which manifested itself so strongly in “The Overcoat” and found its continuation in the early (and not only early) works of Dostoevsky, and in the works of Turgenev, Leskov , Gleb Uspensky, Garshin, Chekhov.”

Independent work No. 6

Subject: Social and cultural novelty of Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy.

Dramaturgy is a genre that involves active interaction between the writer and the reader in considering social issues raised by the author. A. N. Ostrovsky believed that drama has a strong impact on society, the text is part of the performance, but without staging the play does not live. Hundreds and thousands will view it, but read much less. Nationality is the main feature of the drama of the 1860s: heroes from the people, descriptions of the life of the lower strata of the population, searches for the positive folk character. Drama has always had the ability to respond to current issues. Ostrovsky's work was at the center of the dramaturgy of this time; Yu. M. Lotman calls his plays the pinnacle of Russian dramaturgy. I. A. Goncharov called Ostrovsky the creator of the “Russian national theater,” and N. A. Dobrolyubov called his dramas “plays of life,” since in his plays private life people develops into a picture of modern society. In the first great comedy, “We Will Be Our Own People” (1850), it is through intra-family conflicts that social contradictions are shown. It was with this play that Ostrovsky’s theater began; it was in it that new principles of stage action, actor behavior, and theatrical entertainment first appeared.

Ostrovsky's work was new for Russian drama. His works are characterized by the complexity and complexity of conflicts; his element is socio-psychological drama, comedy of manners. The features of his style are telling surnames, specific author's remarks, original titles of plays, among which proverbs are often used, and comedies based on folklore motifs. The conflict in Ostrovsky's plays is mainly based on the incompatibility of the hero with the environment. His dramas can be called psychological; they contain not only external conflict, but also internal moral drama. Everything in the plays historically accurately recreates the life of society, from which the playwright takes his plots. The new hero of Ostrovsky's dramas - a simple man - determines the originality of the content, and Ostrovsky creates a “folk drama”. He accomplished a huge task - he made the “little man” a tragic hero. Ostrovsky saw his duty as a dramatic writer in making the analysis of what is happening the main content of the drama. “A dramatic writer... does not invent what happened - it gives life, history, legend; its main task is to show on the basis of what psychological data some event took place and why exactly this way and not otherwise” - this is what, according to the author, expresses the essence of drama. Ostrovsky treated drama as a mass art that educates people, and defined the purpose of theater as a “school of social morals.” His first productions shocked us with their truthfulness and simplicity, with honest heroes with a “warm heart.” The playwright created by “combining the sublime with the comic,” he created forty-eight works and invented more than five hundred characters.

Ostrovsky's plays are realistic. In the merchant environment, which he observed day after day and believed that it united the past and present of society, Ostrovsky reveals those social conflicts that reflect the life of Russia. And if in “The Snow Maiden” he recreates the patriarchal world, through which modern problems can only be guessed, then his “Thunderstorm” is an open protest of the individual, a person’s desire for happiness and independence. This was perceived by playwrights as a statement of the creative principle of love of freedom, which could become the basis of a new drama. Ostrovsky never used the definition of “tragedy”, designating his plays as “comedies” and “dramas”, sometimes providing explanations in the spirit of “pictures of Moscow life”, “scenes from village life”, “scenes from the life of the outback”, indicating that that we are talking about the life of an entire social environment. Dobrolyubov said that Ostrovsky created a new type of dramatic action: without didactics, the author analyzed the historical origins of modern phenomena in society. The historical approach to family and social relations is the pathos of Ostrovsky’s work. Among his heroes are people of different ages, divided into two camps - young and old. For example, as Yu. M. Lotman writes, in “The Thunderstorm” Kabanikha is “the keeper of antiquity,” and Katerina “carries within herself the creative beginning of development,” which is why she wants to fly like a bird.

The dispute between antiquity and newness, as the literary critic notes, constitutes an important aspect of the dramatic conflict in Ostrovsky’s plays. Traditional forms of life are considered as eternally renewed, and only in this the playwright sees their viability... The old enters the new, into modern life, in which it can play the role of either a “fettering” element, oppressing its development, or a stabilizing element, ensuring the strength of the emerging novelty, depending on the content of the old that preserves the people’s life.” The author always sympathizes with the young heroes, poeticizes their desire for freedom and selflessness. The title of A. N. Dobrolyubov’s article “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom” fully reflects the role of these heroes in society. They are psychologically similar to each other; the author often uses already developed characters. The theme of a woman’s position in the world of calculation is also repeated in “Poor Bride”, “Warm Heart”, “Dowry”.

Independent work No. 7

Subject: Comprehension of the ideal of a person living in a transitional era (based on the novel by I.A. Goncharov “Oblomov”).

The novel "Oblomov" was written by I.A. Goncharov in 1859 and immediately attracted the attention of critics with the problems posed in the novel. "Oblomov" is a socio-psychological novel depicting the destructive influence of the noble-landowner environment on the human personality. The author depicted Russian life in the first half of the 19th century, which he observed from childhood, with objective accuracy and completeness. Oblomov was so immersed in the world of his dreams that he completely broke away from reality, which he was unable to accept. But the habit of receiving satisfaction of his desires not from his own efforts, but from others, developed moral slavery in him.

1. The place of Ostrovsky’s creativity in Russian drama.
2. “Folk Drama” at the Ostrovsky Theater.
3. New heroes.

He revealed to the world a man of a new formation: an Old Believer merchant and a capitalist merchant, a merchant in an army coat and a merchant in a “troika”, traveling abroad and doing his own business. Ostrovsky opened wide the door to a world hitherto locked behind high fences from the prying eyes of others.
V. G. Marantsman

Dramaturgy is a genre that involves active interaction writer and reader in considering social issues raised by the author. A. N. Ostrovsky believed that drama has a strong impact on society, the text is part of the performance, but without staging the play does not live. Hundreds and thousands will view it, but read much less. Nationality - main feature dramaturgy of the 1860s: heroes from the people, descriptions of the life of the lower strata of the population, the search for a positive folk character. Drama has always had the ability to respond to current issues. Ostrovsky's work was at the center of the dramaturgy of this time; Yu. M. Lotman calls his plays the pinnacle of Russian dramaturgy. I. A. Goncharov called Ostrovsky the creator of the “Russian national theater,” and N. A. Dobrolyubov called his dramas “plays of life,” since in his plays the private life of the people develops into a picture of modern society. In the first great comedy, “We Will Be Our Own People” (1850), it is through intra-family conflicts that social contradictions are shown. It was with this play that Ostrovsky’s theater began; it was in it that new principles of stage action, actor behavior, and theatrical entertainment first appeared.

Everything in the plays historically accurately recreates the life of society, from which the playwright takes his plots. The new hero of Ostrovsky's dramas - a simple man - determines the originality of the content, and Ostrovsky creates a “folk drama”. He accomplished a huge task - he made the “little man” a tragic hero. Ostrovsky saw his duty as a dramatic writer in making the analysis of what is happening the main content of the drama. “A dramatic writer... does not invent what happened - it gives life, history, legend; its main task is to show on the basis of what psychological data some event took place and why exactly this way and not otherwise” - this is what, according to the author, expresses the essence of drama. Ostrovsky treated drama as a mass art that educates people, and defined the purpose of theater as a “school of social morals.” His first productions shocked us with their truthfulness and simplicity, with honest heroes with a “warm heart.” The playwright created by “combining the sublime with the comic,” he created forty-eight works and invented more than five hundred characters.

Ostrovsky's plays are realistic. In the merchant environment, which he observed day after day and believed that it united the past and present of society, Ostrovsky reveals those social conflicts that reflect the life of Russia. And if in “The Snow Maiden” he recreates the patriarchal world, through which modern problems can only be guessed, then his “Thunderstorm” is an open protest of the individual, a person’s desire for happiness and independence. This was perceived by playwrights as a statement of the creative principle of love of freedom, which could become the basis of a new drama. Ostrovsky never used the definition of “tragedy”, designating his plays as “comedies” and “dramas”, sometimes providing explanations in the spirit of “pictures of Moscow life”, “scenes from village life”, “scenes from the life of the outback”, indicating that that we are talking about the life of an entire social environment. Dobrolyubov said that Ostrovsky created a new type of dramatic action: without didactics, the author analyzed the historical origins of modern phenomena in society.

The dispute between antiquity and newness, as the literary critic notes, constitutes an important aspect of the dramatic conflict in Ostrovsky's plays. Traditional forms of life are considered as eternally renewed, and only in this the playwright sees their viability... The old enters the new, into modern life, in which it can play the role of either a “fettering” element, oppressing its development, or a stabilizing element, ensuring the strength of the emerging novelty, depending on the content of the old that preserves the people’s life.” The author always sympathizes with the young heroes, poeticizes their desire for freedom and selflessness. The title of A. N. Dobrolyubov’s article “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom” fully reflects the role of these heroes in society. They are psychologically similar to each other; the author often uses already developed characters. The theme of a woman’s position in the world of calculation is also repeated in “Poor Bride”, “Warm Heart”, “Dowry”.

Later, the satirical element in dramas increased. Ostrovsky turns to the Gogolian principle of “pure comedy,” placing the characteristics of the social environment in the first place. The character in his comedies is a renegade and a hypocrite. Ostrovsky also turns to historical-heroic themes, tracing the formation of social phenomena, growth from a “little man” to a citizen.

Undoubtedly, Ostrovsky's plays will always have a modern sound. Theaters constantly turn to his work, so it stands outside the time frame.

Case No. 7 Lecture on the topic: A. N. Ostrovsky. Social and cultural novelty of A. Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy.

Plan:

Biography of A. Ostrovsky

Ostrovsky Theater

Creative path

Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich (03/31/1823, Moscow - 06/02/1886, Shchelykovo, now Ostrovsky district, Kostroma region)- famous Russian playwright. The Russian national theater owes its birth to Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. With its own unique face, flavor, and genre preferences. And most importantly - with your own repertoire. That is, with an extensive range of plays that can be staged throughout the season, constantly performed on stage, changing the poster depending on the mood of the audience.

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky was born on March 31 (April 12), 1823 in Moscow on Malaya Ordynka. His father, Nikolai Fedorovich, was the son of a priest; he himself graduated from the Kostroma Seminary, then from the Moscow Theological Academy, but began to practice as a lawyer, dealing with property and commercial matters; rose to the rank of titular councilor, and in 1839 received the nobility. His mother, Lyubov Ivanovna Savvina, the daughter of a sexton, died early when Alexander was only eight years old. The family had four children. The family lived in prosperity, and great attention was paid to the education of the children who received home education. Five years after the death of his mother, his father married Baroness Emilia Andreevna von Tessin, the daughter of a Russified Swedish nobleman. The children were lucky with their stepmother - she surrounded them with care and continued to educate them.

I spent my childhood and part of my youth in the center of Zamoskvorechye. Thanks to his father's large library, Ostrovsky became acquainted with Russian literature early and felt an inclination towards writing, but his father wanted to make him a lawyer. After graduating from the gymnasium course at the 1st Moscow Gymnasium in 1840 (enrolled in 1835), Ostrovsky entered the law faculty of Moscow University, but he failed to complete the course (he studied until 1843).

At the request of his father, Alexander entered the service as a scribe in court. Served in Moscow courts until 1851; the first salary was 4 rubles per month, after some time it increased to 15 rubles. By 1846, many scenes from the life of a merchant had already been written, and the comedy “The Insolvent Debtor” was conceived (according to other sources, the play was called “A Picture of Family Happiness”; later - “Our People - We Will Be Numbered”). Sketches for this comedy and the essay “Notes of a Zamoskvoretsky Resident” were published in one of the issues of “Moscow City List” in 1847. Under the text were the letters: “A. ABOUT." and "D. G.”, that is, A. Ostrovsky and Dmitry Gorev, a provincial actor who offered him cooperation. The collaboration did not go beyond one scene, and subsequently served as a source of great trouble for Ostrovsky, as it gave his ill-wishers a reason to accuse him of appropriating someone else’s literary work.

Ostrovsky's literary fame was brought to him by the comedy "Our People - Let's Be Numbered!" (original title - “Bankrupt”), published in 1850. The play evoked approving responses from N.V. Gogol, I. A. Goncharov. The comedy was prohibited from being staged on stage. The influential Moscow merchants, offended for their entire class, complained to the “boss”; and the author was dismissed from service and placed under police supervision by personal order of Nicholas I (supervision was lifted only after the accession of Alexander II). The play was only allowed on stage in 1861.

Beginning in 1853 and for more than 30 years, new plays by Ostrovsky appeared at the Moscow Maly and St. Petersburg Alexandrinsky theaters almost every season. Since 1856, Ostrovsky became a permanent contributor to the Sovremennik magazine. In 1856, when, according to the thoughts of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, a business trip took place outstanding writers to study and describe various areas of Russia in industrial and domestic relations, Ostrovsky took upon himself the study of the Volga from the upper reaches to Nizhny Novgorod. In 1859, in the publication of Count G. A. Kushelev-Bezborodko, two volumes of Ostrovsky’s works were published. This publication served as the reason for the brilliant assessment that Dobrolyubov gave to Ostrovsky and which secured his fame as an artist of the “dark kingdom.” In 1860, “The Thunderstorm” appeared in print, prompting an article by Dobrolyubov (“A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom”). From the second half of the 1860s, Ostrovsky took up the history of the Time of Troubles and entered into correspondence with Kostomarov.

In 1863 Ostrovsky was awarded the Uvarov Prize and elected a corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. In 1866 (according to other sources - in 1865) he created an Artistic Circle in Moscow, which subsequently gave many talented figures to the Moscow stage. I. A. Goncharov, D. V. Grigorovich, I. S. Turgenev, A. F. Pisemsky, F. M. Dostoevsky, I. E. Turchaninov, P. M. Sadovsky, L. P. visited Ostrovsky’s house. Kositskaya-Nikulina, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, L. N. Tolstoy, P. I. Tchaikovsky, M. N. Ermolova, G. N. Fedotova.

From January 1866 he was the head of the repertory department of the Moscow imperial theaters. In 1874 (according to other sources - in 1870) the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers was formed, of which Ostrovsky remained the permanent chairman until his death. Working on the commission “to revise regulations on all parts of theatrical management,” established in 1881 under the directorate Imperial theaters, he achieved many changes that significantly improved the situation of artists. In 1885, Ostrovsky was appointed head of the repertory department of Moscow theaters and head of the theater school.

Despite the fact that his plays did well at the box office and that in 1883 Emperor Alexander III granted him an annual pension of 3 thousand rubles, financial problems did not leave Ostrovsky until the last days of his life. His health did not meet the plans he had set for himself. The intense work quickly exhausted the body; On June 14 (old style - June 2), 1886, Ostrovsky died at his Kostroma estate Shchelykovo. The writer was buried there, Alexander III granted 3,000 rubles from the cabinet funds for the funeral, the widow, together with her 2 children, was given a pension of 3,000 rubles, and 2,400 rubles a year for raising three sons and a daughter.

Ostrovsky Theater

It is with Ostrovsky that Russian theater begins in its modern understanding: writer created drama school and a holistic concept of acting in the theater.

The essence of Ostrovsky's theater lies in the absence of extreme situations and opposition to the actor's gut. Alexander Nikolaevich's plays depict ordinary situations with ordinary people, whose dramas go into everyday life and human psychology.

The main ideas of theater reform:

Theater must be built on conventions (there is a 4th wall separating the audience from the actors);

Consistency of attitude towards language: mastery of speech characteristics that express almost everything about the characters;

The bet is not on one actor;

- “people go to watch the game, not the play itself - you can read it.”

Ostrovsky's theater required a new stage aesthetics, new actors. In accordance with this, Ostrovsky creates an acting ensemble, which includes such actors as Martynov, Sergei Vasiliev, Evgeny Samoilov, Prov Sadovsky.

Naturally, innovations met opponents. He was, for example, Shchepkin. Ostrovsky's dramaturgy required the actor to detach himself from his personality, which M. S. Shchepkin did not do. For example, he left the dress rehearsal of “The Thunderstorm”, being very dissatisfied with the author of the play.

Ostrovsky's ideas were brought to their logical conclusion by Stanislavsky.

Ostrovsky's creative path

Early, 1847-1851 , the period of searching for ways and entering into great literature with the play “Our People – We Will Be Numbered”1847-1850

The history of Ostrovsky's first play:

original titles "Insolvent debtor », « Bankrupt " And "Bankrut, or Our own people - let's be numbered »)

The play was under arrest for 10 years, because in it, according to Dobrolyubov, “... human dignity, personal freedom, faith in love and happiness and the shrine of honest labor were thrown into dust and brazenly trampled by tyrants.”

"Moskovityansky", 1852-1854 , when folk comedies “Don’t sit in your own sleigh” and “Poverty is not a vice” were created.

Pre-reform, 1855-1860 , when Ostrovsky’s literary and ideological position was finally determined, the plays “In a Foreign Pen A Hangover”, “Profitable Place2”, “Dowry”, “Thunderstorm” were created.

Post-reform, 1861-1886.

The first work is the play "The Insolvent Debtor"

- “The Thunderstorm” (1860) is a play about an awakening, protesting individual who no longer wants to live according to laws that suppress the individual.

- “The Forest” (1870) - the play raises eternal questions of human relationships, tries to solve the problem of moral and immoral.

- "The Snow Maiden (1873) - a look at the ancient, patriarchal, fairy-tale world, in which material relations also dominate (Bobyl and Bobylikha).

- "Dowry" (1879) - the playwright's view 20 years later on the problems raised in the drama "The Thunderstorm".

Features of Ostrovsky's style.

Speaking surnames;

For example, in the play “The Thunderstorm” there are no random first and last names. A quiet, weak-willed drunkard and mama's boy, Tikhon Kabanov fully lives up to his name. The image of Lazar Elizarych Podkhalyuzin from the play “Our People - Let's Be Numbered!”

Vladimir Dal gives it a fairly clear definition:“Podkhalyuza is a crawler, a clever rogue; a crafty, secretive and flattering person.”

Unusual performance characters in the poster, defining the conflict that will develop in the play;

The role of the scenery presented by the author in determining the space of the drama and the time of action;

The originality of names (often from Russian proverbs and sayings);
The end is the crown of the matter

Folklore moments;

Parallel consideration of comparable heroes;

The significance of the hero's first remark;

- “prepared appearance”, the main characters do not appear immediately, others talk about them first;

The originality of the speech characteristics of the characters.

Final questions

Is it possible to talk about the modernity of Ostrovsky’s plays? Prove your point.

Why modern theaters Do you constantly turn to the playwright's plays?

Why is it so difficult to “modernize” the plays of A. N. Ostrovsky?

Lesson summary . A. N. Ostrovsky turned a page unfamiliar to the viewer, bringing onto the stage a new hero - a merchant. Russian before him theatrical history included only a few names. The playwright made a huge contribution to the development of Russian theater. His work, continuing the traditions of Fonvizin, Griboyedov, Pushkin, Gogol, is distinguished by innovation in the depiction of heroes, in the language of characters and in the social and moral problems raised.

Lesson No. 1 based on the work of A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"

Topic: “Ostrovsky’s most decisive work”

Plan:

History of creation

System of images

Techniques for characterizing characters in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”

Controversy surrounding the play "The Thunderstorm"

Work in groups.

1st group. History of the play (messages about homework with additional reading).

It is necessary to note the general meaning of the work; it is no coincidence that Ostrovsky named his fictional, but surprisingly real city with the non-existent name Kalinov. In addition, the play is based on impressions from a trip along the Volga as part of an ethnographic expedition to study the life of the inhabitants of the Volga region. Katerina, remembering her childhood, talks about sewing on velvet with gold. The writer could see this craft in the city of Torzhok, Tver province.

2nd group. The meaning of the title of the play "The Thunderstorm" (reports of independent observations of the text).

A thunderstorm in nature (act 4) is a physical phenomenon, external, independent of the heroes.

The storm in Katerina's soul - from the gradual confusion caused by love for Boris, to the pangs of conscience from betraying her husband and to the feeling of sin before people, which pushed her to repentance.

A thunderstorm in society is a feeling by people who stand up for the immutability of the world of something incomprehensible. Awakening of free feelings in a world of unfreedom. This process is also shown gradually. At first there are only touches: there is no proper respect in the voice, does not maintain decency, then - disobedience.

A thunderstorm in nature is an external cause that provoked both a thunderstorm in Katerina’s soul (it was she who pushed the heroine to confession) and a thunderstorm in society, which was dumbfounded because someone went against it.

Conclusion. Meaning of the title:

a thunderstorm in nature is refreshing,

a thunderstorm in the soul - cleanses,

a thunderstorm in society illuminates.

3rd group. System characters plays . (Messages about independent observations of the text.)

When studying the list of characters, you should note the telling surnames and the distribution of heroes by age: young - old. Then, when working with the text, students’ knowledge deepens, and the system of heroes becomes different. The teacher, together with the class, draws up a table, which is written down in notebooks.

« Masters of Life" "Victims"

Dikoy: “You are a worm. If I want, I’ll have mercy, if I want, I’ll crush.”

Kabanikha: “I’ve seen for a long time that you want freedom.” “This is where the will leads.”

Kudryash: “Well, that means I’m not afraid of him, but let him be afraid of me.”

Feklusha: “And the merchants are all pious people, adorned with many virtues.” Kuligin: “It’s better to endure it.”

Varvara: “And I wasn’t a liar, but I learned.” “In my opinion, do whatever you want, as long as it’s safe and covered.”

Tikhon: “Yes, Mama, I don’t want to live by my own will. Where can I live by my own will!”

Boris: “The food is not of my own free will: my uncle sends it.”

Questions. What place does Katerina occupy in this system of images? Why were Kudryash and Feklusha among the “masters of life”? How to understand the definition - “mirror images”?

4th group. Features of revealing the characters' characters . (Students’ reports about their observations of the text.)

Speech characteristics (individual speech characterizing the hero):

Katerina is a poetic speech reminiscent of a spell, lament or song, filled with folk elements.

Kuligin is the speech of an educated person with “scientific” words and poetic phrases.

Wild - speech abounds in rude words and curses.

The role of the first remark, which immediately reveals the character of the hero:

Kuligin: “Miracles, truly it must be said: miracles!”

Curly: “What?”

Dikoy: “What the hell are you, you came to beat the ships! Parasite! Get lost!"

Boris: “Holiday; What should I do at home?

Feklusha: “Bla-alepie, dear, blah-alepie! The beauty is wonderful."

Kabanova: “If you want to listen to your mother, then when you get there, do as I ordered you.”

Tikhon: “How can I, Mama, disobey you!”

Varvara: “I won’t respect you, of course!”

Katerina: “For me, Mama, everything is the same as my own mother, as you are, and Tikhon loves you too.”

Using the technique of contrast and comparison:

Feklushi's monologue - Kuligin's monologue,

life in the city of Kalinov - Volga landscape,

Katerina - Varvara,

Tikhon - Boris.

We enter the city of Kalinov from the side of the public garden. Let's pause for a minute and look at the Volga, on the banks of which there is a garden. Beautiful! Eye-catching! So Kuligin also says: “The view is extraordinary! Beauty! The soul rejoices!” People probably live here peaceful, calm, measured and kind. Is it so? How is the city of Kalinov shown?

Work on two monologues by Kuligin (act 1, scene 3; act 3, scene 3).

Highlight the words that especially characterize life in the city.

"Cruel morals"; “rudeness and naked poverty”; “You can never earn more than your daily bread through honest work”; “trying to enslave the poor”; “to make even more money from free labor”; “I won’t pay a penny extra”; “trade is undermined out of envy”; “they are at enmity”, etc. - these are the principles of life in the city.

Highlight the words that especially vividly characterize family life.

“They made the boulevard, but they don’t walk”; “the gates are locked and the dogs are unleashed”; “so that people don’t see how they eat their own family and tyrannize their family”; “tears flow behind these constipations, invisible and inaudible”; “behind these castles there is dark debauchery and drunkenness,” etc. - these are the principles of family life.

If it’s so bad in Kalinov, then why is there a wonderful view at the beginning, the Volga, the same beautiful nature in the scene of the meeting between Katerina and Boris?

Conclusion . The city of Kalinov is contradictory. On the one hand, there is a wonderful place where the city is located. On the other hand, life in this city is terrible. The beauty is that it does not depend on the owners of the city; they cannot subjugate nature.

Issues for discussion

How can you evaluate Feklusha’s monologues (act 1, scene 2; act 3, scene 1)? How does the city appear in her perception? (Bla-alepye, wondrous beauty, promised land, paradise and silence.)

What are the people like who live here? (They believe Feklusha’s stories, which show her darkness and ignorance: a story about a fiery serpent; about someone with a black face; about time that is becoming shorter - act 3, yav. 1; about other countries - act 2, yavl. 1 They are afraid of thunderstorms - act 4, yavl. 4. They believe that Lithuania fell from the sky - act 4, yavl.

How is it different from the residents of the city of Kuligin? ( Educated person, a self-taught mechanic - the surname resembles the surname Kulibin. Feels the beauty of nature. Aesthetically he stands above other heroes: he sings songs, quotes Lomonosov. He advocates for the improvement of the city, tries to persuade Diky to give money for a sundial and a lightning rod. Tries to influence residents, educate them, explaining the thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon. Thus, Kuligin personifies the best part of the city’s residents, but he is alone in his aspirations, so he is considered an eccentric. The eternal motive of grief from the mind.)

Who prepares their appearance? (Kudryash introduces Dikiy, Feklush introduces Kabanikha.)

Dikoya and Kabanikha are the “masters” of the “dark kingdom”. The main technique for revealing their characters is speech characteristic. You should pay attention to the analysis of their main remarks:

Wild

Kabanikha

About him:

"scolder"; "Like I'm off the chain"

Himself:

"parasite"; "damn"; “you failed”; "foolish man"; “go away”; “What am I to you - equal or something”; “he’s the one who starts talking to the snout”; "robber"; "aspid"; "fool" etc.

Conclusion. Wild - abusive, rude, feels his power over people, tyrant

About her: “everything under the guise of piety”; “a prude, he lavishes on the poor, but completely eats up his family”; "swears"; "sharpenes iron like rust"

She herself:

“I see that you want freedom”; “He won’t be afraid of you, and even less so of me”; “you want to live by your own will”; "fool"; “order your wife”; “must do what the mother says”; “where the will leads”, etc.

Conclusion. Kabanikha is a prude, does not tolerate will and insubordination, acts out of fear

General conclusion. The Boar is more terrible than the Wild One, since her behavior is hypocritical. Dikoy is a scolder, a tyrant, but all his actions are open. Kabanikha, hiding behind religion and concern for others, suppresses the will. Her biggest fear is that someone will live by their own will.

The results of the actions of these heroes:

The talented Kuligin is considered an eccentric and says: “There is nothing to do, we must submit!”

The kind, but weak-willed Tikhon drinks and dreams of breaking out of the house: “... and with this kind of bondage you will run away from whatever beautiful wife you want.” He is completely subordinate to his mother.

Varvara adapted to this world and began to deceive: “And I wasn’t a deceiver before, but I learned when it became necessary.”

Educated Boris is forced to adapt to the tyranny of the Wild in order to receive an inheritance.

This is how he “breaks” the “dark kingdom” of good people, forcing them to endure and remain silent.

Katerina's protest against the “dark kingdom”

In the system of characters, Katerina stands alone.

Issues for discussion

Why can’t we call her either “victim” or “mistress”? (The answer is in her character traits.)

What traits of her character are revealed in her very first remarks? (Inability to be a hypocrite, lie, directness. The conflict is immediately obvious: Kabanikha does not tolerate self-esteem or disobedience in people, Katerina does not know how to adapt and submit.)

Where did these traits come from in the heroine? Why does the author only talk about Katerina in such detail, talk about her family, childhood? How was Katerina raised? What kind of atmosphere surrounded her in childhood and in her husband’s family?

In childhood - “Like a bird in the wild,” “mama doted on her soul,” “didn’t force me to work.” Traits of Katerina: love of freedom (the image of a bird); independence; self-esteem; dreaminess and poetry (story about visiting church, about dreams); religiosity; determination (story about the action with the boat)

In the Kabanov family - Katerina’s activities: caring for flowers, going to church, listening to wanderers and praying mantises, embroidering on velvet with gold, walking in the garden “I’ve completely withered here,” “yes, everything here seems to be from under captivity.”

The atmosphere at home is fear. “He won’t be afraid of you, and even less so of me. What kind of order will there be in the house?”

The principles of the Kabanov house: complete submission; renunciation of one's will; humiliation by reproaches and suspicions; lack of spiritual principles; religious hypocrisy

For Katerina, the main thing is to live according to her soul. For Kabanikha, the main thing is to subjugate, not let her live in her own way.

(The relationships between the characters are in a state of sharp contrast and give rise to an irreconcilable conflict.)

What is Katerina’s protest? Why can we call her love for Boris a protest? (Love is the desire to live according to the laws of your soul.)

What is the complexity of the heroine’s internal state? (Love for Boris is: free choice, dictated by the heart; deception that puts Katerina on a par with Varvara; refusal of love means submission to the world of Kabanikha. Love-choice dooms Katerina to torment.)

How do the heroine’s torment, struggle with herself and her strength be shown in the scene with the key and the scenes of the meeting and farewell with Boris? Analyze vocabulary, sentence construction, folklore elements, connections with folk songs. (Scene with the key: “What am I saying, that I’m deceiving myself? I should even die to see him.” Date scene: “Let everyone know, let everyone see what I’m doing! If I wasn’t afraid of sin for you , will I be afraid of human judgment? "The farewell scene: “My joy! Goodbye!” All three scenes show the heroine’s determination. She never betrayed herself: she decided to love at the behest of her heart, she confessed to betrayal out of an inner sense of freedom (a lie). - always lack of freedom), came to say goodbye to Boris not only because of a feeling of love, but also because of a feeling of guilt: he suffered because of her. She rushed to the Volga at the request of her free nature.)

Prove that Katerina's death is a protest. (Katerina’s death is a protest, a rebellion, a call to action. Varvara ran away from home, Tikhon accused his mother of his wife’s death, Kuligin reproached him for being unmerciful.)

Will the city of Kalinov be able to live as before?

Lesson No. 2 based on the work of A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"

Topic: “Controversy surrounding the play “The Thunderstorm””

The controversy surrounding "The Thunderstorm" is determined, firstly, by the nature of the genre, since a work intended for the stage assumes various interpretations, secondly, by the originality of the content, since there is a social and moral conflict in the play, and thirdly, by the active development of critical thought in this period.

Goals:

Introduce students to works critical literature 1860s.

Teach some discussion techniques using the examples of the articles under consideration.

Develop students' critical thinking.

Strengthen the skill of selective note-taking of a literary critical article.

Summarize the material studied.

Text content of the lesson:

A.N. Ostrovsky. Drama "The Thunderstorm" (1859)

N.A. Dobrolyubov “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom” (1860)

A. Grigoriev “After Ostrovsky’s “Thunderstorm”” (1860)

D.I. Pisarev “Motives of Russian drama” (1864)

M.A. Antonovich “Mistakes” (1865)

Homework for the lesson:

Selective summary of the article by A.N. Dobrolyubov “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom” (I version) and the article by D.I. Pisarev “Motives of Russian Drama” (II version).

Determine your attitude to the theses of the article, select an argument.

Individual tasks for the lesson :

prepare brief reports on the literary critical activities of Dobrolyubov, Pisarev, Grigoriev, Antonovich;

select fragments of polemics with D. Pisarev from M. Antonovich’s article “Mistakes”;

determine what are the features of the critical analysis of the drama “The Thunderstorm” made by Apollo Grigoriev.

Lesson format: the topic of the lesson is written on the board; top right - the names of the critics and their years of life; top left - key concepts: discussion, controversy, opponent, thesis, arguments, judgment, critical analysis.

In the center of the board is a layout of a table that will be filled in as the lesson progresses. The table has 2 columns: on the left - Dobrolyubov’s interpretation of the image of Katerina, on the right - by Pisarev.

Progress of the lesson

1. Introductory speech by the teacher.

Not a single truly talented work leaves anyone indifferent: some admire it, others express critical judgments. This happened with Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm”. The writer’s fans called it a truly folk work and admired Katerina’s determination and courage; but there were also those who responded rather harshly, denying the heroine any intelligence. Such controversial assessments were expressed by N.A. Dobrolyubov and D.I. Pisarev, famous literary critics of the 1860s.

To better understand what arguments they were guided by, let's listen to the messages prepared by the guys.

2. Student messages.

I. Nikolai Alexandrovich Dobrolyubov (1836-1861) - critic, publicist, poet, prose writer. Revolutionary democrat. Born into a priest's family. Studied at the Faculty of History and Philology of the Main pedagogical institute St. Petersburg. During his years of study, his materialistic views were formed. “I am a desperate socialist,” Dobrolyubov said about himself. Permanent contributor to Sovremennik magazine. According to the recollections of people who knew him closely, Dobrolyubov did not tolerate compromises, “he did not know how to live” as the majority live.

Dobrolyubov entered the history of Russian literature, first of all, as a critic, a successor of Belinsky’s ideas. Dobrolyubov's literary criticism is clearly journalistic.

Question to the class: How do you understand these words?

Dobrolyubov has detailed parallels between literature and life, appeals to the reader - both direct and hidden, “Aesopian”. The writer counted on the propaganda effect of some of his articles.

At the same time, Dobrolyubov was a sensitive connoisseur of beauty, a person capable of deeply penetrating the essence of a work of art.

Develops the principles of “real criticism”, the essence of which is that a work must be treated as a phenomenon of reality, revealing its humanistic potential. The dignity of a literary work is placed in direct connection with its nationality.

Dobrolyubov’s most famous literary critical articles: “The Dark Kingdom” (1859), “When will the real day come?” (1859), “What is Oblomovism?” (1859), “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom” (1860).

II. Dmitry Ivanovich Pisarev (1840-1868 ) - literary critic, publicist. Born into a poor noble family. He studied at the Faculty of History and Philology of St. Petersburg University. It is at the university that the “poisonous seed of skepticism” sprouts in the young man. Since 1861 he has been working in the magazine “Russian Word”. Pisarev’s articles quickly attracted the attention of readers with their sharpness of thought and fearlessness author's position, brought him fame as a daring and ardent polemicist who did not recognize anyone's authority.

After 1861, Pisarev pinned his hopes on useful scientific and practical activity, on awakening interest in exact, natural science knowledge. From an extremely pragmatic position, he approaches the analysis of some works of art. Pisarev insists that by all means we must increase the number of thinking people.

Tragically died in June 1868.

Pisarev’s most famous critical works: “Bazarov” (1862), “Motives of Russian Drama” (1864), “The Realists” (1864), “The Thinking Proletariat” (1865).

III. Now, guys, let's see how these two critics interpreted the image of Katerina Kabanova, the heroine of Ostrovsky's drama The Thunderstorm. (Students of the first option read the abstracts of Dobrolyubov’s article; students of the second option read the abstracts of Pisarev’s article. The teacher briefly writes them down in a table on the board. Such work will make it possible to more clearly present the different approaches of critics to the image of Katerina).

ON THE. Dobrolyubov

1. The character of Katerina constitutes a step forward in all of our literature

2. Decisive, integral Russian character

3. This character is predominantly creative, loving, ideal 4. With Katerina, everything is done according to the desire of nature

DI. Pisarev

1. Dobrolyubov took Katerina’s personality for a bright phenomenon

2. Not a single bright phenomenon can arise in the “dark kingdom”

3. What is this stern virtue that gives up at the first opportunity? What kind of suicide is this caused by such minor troubles?

4. Dobrolyubov found the attractive sides of Katerina, put them together, created an ideal image, and as a result saw a ray of light in the dark kingdom

5. In Katerina we see a protest against Kabanov’s concepts of morality, a protest carried to the end

5. Upbringing and life could not give Katerina either a strong character or a developed mind

6 Such liberation is bitter; but what to do when there is no other way out. This is the strength of her character.

6. Katerina cuts through the lingering knots with the stupidest means - suicide.

7 We are glad to see Katerina’s deliverance.

7. He who does not know how to do anything to alleviate his own and others’ suffering cannot be called a bright phenomenon

Question to the class: What, in your opinion, is the reason for such different interpretations of the image of Katerina? Should writing time be taken into account?

Pisarev openly and clearly polemicizes with Dobrolyubov. In his article he states: “Dobrolyubov was mistaken in his assessment feminine character" Pisarev remains deaf to Katerina’s spiritual tragedy; he approaches this image from a frankly pragmatic position. He does not see what Dobrolyubov saw - Katerina’s piercing conscientiousness and uncompromisingness. Pisarev, based on his own understanding of the specific problems of the new era that came after the crash revolutionary situation, believes that the main sign of a truly bright phenomenon is a strong and developed mind. And since Katerina has no mind, she is not a ray of light, but just an “attractive illusion.”

IV. Discussion

Question to the class: Whose position is closer to you? Give reasons for your point of view.

The class is ambivalent about the interpretation of the image of Katerina by two critics.

The guys agree with Dobrolyubov, who saw the poetry of Katerina’s image, and understand the position of the critic, who sought to explain the girl’s fatal step by the terrible conditions of her life. Others agree with Pisarev, who considers the heroine’s suicide not the most the best way out from the current situation. However, they do not make harsh judgments about Katerina's intelligence.

V. Maxim Antonovich, an employee of the Sovremennik magazine, expressed his rejection of Pisarev’s interpretation of the image of Katerina in his article. You will encounter the name of this critic when studying I. S. Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons.” Let's listen to a short biographical information about him.

Maxim Alekseevich Antonovich (1835-1918) - radical Russian literary critic, philosopher, publicist. Born into a sexton's family. He studied at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. He was an employee of Sovremennik. He defended the views on art of Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov. He advocated democratic, common literature. However, he vulgarized the provisions of materialist aesthetics. He argued with the magazine D.I. Pisarev "Russian Word".

The most famous works M. Antonovich: “Asmodeus of our time” (1862), “Mistakes” (1864).

Question to the class: Now let's see what answer M. Antonovich gave to Pisarev in his article. Is he convincing in his judgments?

A prepared student reads the most bright sayings from a fragment dedicated to the controversy with Pisarev.

“Pisarev decided to correct Dobrolyubov and expose his mistakes, to which he counts one of his best articles, “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom.” It is this article that Mr. Pisarev tries to drown in the muddy water of his phrases and commonplaces. Pisarev calls Dobrolyubov’s views a mistake and equates him to the champions of pure art"

“It seemed to Pisarev that Dobrolyubov imagined Katerina as a woman with a developed mind, who supposedly decided to protest only as a result of the education and development of her mind, because she was supposedly called a “ray of light.” Pisarev imposed his own fantasy on Dobrolyubov and began to refute it like this, as if it belonged to Dobrolyubov"

“Is this how you, Mr. Pisarev, are attentive to Dobrolyubov, and this is how you understand what you want to refute?”

The student reports that, in Antonovich’s opinion, Pisarev humiliates Katerina with his analysis. However, Antonovich himself, in the heat of controversy, speaks rather rudely, for example, he uses expressions such as “Mr. Pisarev’s fanfare,” “Mr. Pisarev’s arrogant phrases,” “to criticize in this way is simply stupid,” etc.

The guys, having become acquainted with Antonovich’s critical style, note that his arguments are not very convincing, since Antonovich does not provide evidence-based argumentation based on a good knowledge of the material. Simply put, in his polemics with Pisarev, Antonovich does a poor job of hiding his personal hostility.

The teacher's word: M. Antonovich was the initiator of the controversy between Sovremennik and the Russian Word. These leading democratic journals differed in their understanding of the very paths of progressive change. Pisarev's bet on scientific progress led to a certain revision of the views of Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov. This was clearly manifested in Pisarev’s interpretation of the image of Katerina. Antonovich, in his article “Mistakes,” sharply criticized this attempt to revise Dobrolyubov, accusing Pisarev of distorting the meaning of Dobrolyubov’s article.

VI. Apollo Grigoriev demonstrates a completely different approach to analyzing the work.

Word to a prepared student:

Grigoriev Apollo Alexandrovich (1822-1864) - poet, literary and theater critic. Graduated from the Faculty of Law of Moscow University. He began publishing as a poet in 1843. He heads the young editorial board of the Moskvityanin magazine, being a leading critic. Later he edits the magazine “Russian Word”. Grigoriev himself called himself “the last romantic.”

As a critic, he is known for his works about Ostrovsky (“After Ostrovsky’s “Thunderstorm,” 1860), Nekrasov (“Poems by N. Nekrasov,” 1862), and L. Tolstoy (“Count L. Tolstoy and his Works,” 1862).

Let's see how A. Grigoriev evaluates Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm". Think about what is special about this critique.

A student prepared at home reads out the brief abstract of the article “After Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm.”

The guys pay attention to the fact that this is the first time they have seen a critical article written by a poet. Hence its significant differences from previous works, in particular, Dobrolyubov and Pisarev. A. Grigoriev tried to see in “The Thunderstorm”, first of all, a work of art. In his article, he pointed out that Ostrovsky’s virtue is his ability to authentically and poetically portray Russian national life: “The name of this writer is not a satirist, but a people’s poet.” The critic was interested not in the blank fences of the city of Kalinov, but in the picturesque cliff above the Volga. Where Dobrolyubov sought reproof, the poet Grigoriev tried to find admiration. Grigoriev noticed in “The Thunderstorm” only the beauty of Russian nature and the charm of provincial life, as if forgetting about the tragedy of the events depicted in the play. The writer considered the opinion of some “theorists” to “sum up instant results for every phase of life” to be a mistake. Such “theorists,” he believed, had little respect for life and its boundless mysteries.

Teacher's word. Today, folks, you've been introduced to the work of some of the most famous critics of the 1860s. The subject of their critical analysis was the same work - Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm". But look how differently they evaluate it! What do you think is the reason for this?

The guys answer that the determining role is played by such factors as the time of writing the articles, the political beliefs of opponents, the view of art and, undoubtedly, the personality of the critics themselves, which is manifested in polemically sharpened words.

VII. Conclusions.

Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm" caused many mixed reviews with its appearance. This was especially true for the interpretation of the image of Katerina Kabanova, a girl with a warm heart. Some critics perceived her as a heroine who, with her decisive action, managed to illuminate the gloomy world of the “dark kingdom” and thereby contribute to its destruction (Dobrolyubov). Others believed that without a sufficiently developed mind, Katerina is not capable of becoming a “ray of light”; this is just an “attractive illusion” (Pisarev). Still others agreed with Dobrolyubov’s interpretation, convicting Pisarev of his inability to make an objective assessment (Antonovich). But there were also those who stood “above the fray,” not wanting to see anything other than a beautifully written work of art. This was A. Grigoriev’s view.

It seems to us that each critic is right in his own way. It all depends on the angle from which the object of criticism is viewed. Dobrolyubov saw only the rebellious side of Katerina’s character, and Pisarev noticed only the exceptional darkness of the young woman.

Storm

1859

Brief summary of the play.

The events take place in the first half of the 19th century, in the fictional Volga town of Kalinov. The first action takes place in a public garden on the high bank of the Volga. A local self-taught mechanic, Kuligin, talks with young people - Kudryash, the clerk of the rich merchant Dikiy, and the tradesman Shapkin - about the rude antics and tyranny of Dikiy. Then Boris, Dikiy’s nephew, appears, who, in response to Kuligin’s questions, says that his parents lived in Moscow, educated him at the Commercial Academy and both died during the epidemic. He came to Dikoy, leaving his sister with his mother’s relatives, in order to receive part of his grandmother’s inheritance, which Dikoy must give to him according to the will, if Boris is respectful to him. Everyone assures him: under such conditions, Dikoy will never give him the money. Boris complains to Kuligin that he can’t get used to life in Dikiy’s house, Kuligin talks about Kalinov and ends his speech with the words: “Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel!

The Kalinovites disperse. Together with another woman, the wanderer Feklusha appears, praising the city for its “blah-a-lepie”, and the Kabanovs’ house for its special generosity to wanderers. "Kabanovs?" - Boris asks: “A prude, sir, he gives money to the poor, but completely eats up his family,” explains Kuligin. Kabanova comes out, accompanied by her daughter Varvara and son Tikhon and his wife Katerina. She grumbles at them, but finally leaves, allowing the children to walk along the boulevard. Varvara lets Tikhon go out for a drink in secret from his mother and, left alone with Katerina, talks with her about domestic relationships and about Tikhon. Katerina talks about her happy childhood in her parents’ house, about her fervent prayers, about what she experiences in the temple, imagining angels in a ray of sunshine falling from the dome, dreams of spreading her arms and flying, and finally admits that “something wrong” is happening to her. something". Varvara guesses that Katerina has fallen in love with someone and promises to arrange a date after Tikhon leaves. This proposal horrifies Katerina. A crazy lady appears, threatening that “beauty leads into the deep end,” and prophesies hellish torment. Katerina gets terribly scared, and then “a thunderstorm comes”, she hurries Varvara home to the icons to pray.

The second act, taking place in the Kabanovs' house, begins with a conversation between Feklusha and the maid Glasha. The wanderer asks about the Kabanovs’ household affairs and conveys fabulous stories about distant countries, where people with dog heads “for infidelity”, etc. Katerina and Varvara appear, preparing Tikhon for the trip, continue the conversation about Katerina’s hobby, Varvara calls the name of Boris, conveys He bows to him and persuades Katerina to sleep with her in the gazebo in the garden after Tikhon’s departure. Kabanikha and Tikhon come out, the mother tells her son to strictly tell his wife how to live without him, Katerina is humiliated by these formal orders. But, left alone with her husband, she begs him to take her on a trip, after his refusal she tries to give him terrible oaths of fidelity, but Tikhon does not want to listen to them: “You never know what comes to mind...” The returned Kabanikha orders Katerina to bow to her husband in legs. Tikhon leaves. Varvara, leaving for a walk, tells Katerina that they will spend the night in the garden and gives her the key to the gate. Katerina doesn’t want to take it, then, after hesitating, she puts it in her pocket.

The next action takes place on a bench at the gate of the Kabanovsky house. Feklusha and Kabanikha talk about the “last times”, Feklusha says that “for our sins” “the time has begun to come to debasement”, talks about the railway (“they began to harness the fiery serpent”), about the bustle of Moscow life as a devilish obsession. Both are expecting even worse times. Dikoy appears with complaints about his family, Kabanikha reproaches him for his disorderly behavior, he tries to be rude to her, but she quickly stops this and takes him into the house for a drink and a snack. While Dikoy is treating himself, Boris, sent by Dikoy’s family, comes to find out where the head of the family is. Having completed the assignment, he exclaims with sadness about Katerina: “If only to take a look at her with one eye!” Varvara, who has returned, tells him to come at night to the gate in the ravine behind the Kabanovsky garden.

The second scene represents a night of youth, Varvara goes out on a date with Kudryash and tells Boris to wait - “you’ll wait for something.” There is a date between Katerina and Boris. After hesitation and thoughts of sin, Katerina is unable to resist awakened love. “Why feel sorry for me - it’s no one’s fault,” she herself went for it. Don't be sorry, destroy me! Let everyone know, let everyone see what I am doing (hugs Boris). If I wasn’t afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid of human judgment?”

The entire fourth action, taking place on the streets of Kalinov - in the gallery of a dilapidated building with the remains of a fresco representing fiery Gehenna, and on the boulevard - takes place against the backdrop of a gathering and finally breaking thunderstorm. It begins to rain, and Dikoy and Kuligin enter the gallery, who begins to persuade Dikoy to give money to install a sundial on the boulevard. In response, Dikoy scolds him in every possible way and even threatens to declare him a robber. Having endured the abuse, Kuligin begins to ask for money for a lightning rod. At this point, Dikoy confidently declares that it is a sin to defend against a thunderstorm sent as punishment “with poles and some kind of furrows, God forgive me.” The stage empties, then Varvara and Boris meet in the gallery. She reports on Tikhon's return, Katerina's tears, Kabanikha's suspicions and expresses fear that Katerina will admit to her husband that she is cheating. Boris begs to dissuade Katerina from confessing and disappears. The rest of the Kabanovs enter. Katerina waits with horror that she, who has not repented of her sin, will be killed by lightning, a crazy lady appears, threatening with hellish flames. Katerina can no longer hold on and publicly confesses to her husband and mother-in-law that she was “walking” with Boris. Kabanikha gloatingly declares: “What, son! Where will the will leads; […] That’s what I’ve been waiting for!”

The last action is again on the high bank of the Volga. Tikhon complains to Kuligin about his family grief, about what his mother says about Katerina: “She must be buried alive in the ground so that she can be executed!” “And I love her, I’m sorry to lay a finger on her.” Kuligin advises to forgive Katerina, but Tikhon explains that under Kabanikha this is impossible. Not without pity, he also speaks about Boris, whom his uncle sends to Kyakhta. The maid Glasha enters and reports that Katerina has disappeared from the house. Tikhon is afraid that “out of melancholy she might kill herself!”, and together with Glasha and Kuligin he leaves to look for his wife.

Katerina appears, she complains about her desperate situation in the house, and most importantly, about her terrible longing for Boris. Her monologue ends with a passionate spell: “My joy! My life, my soul, I love you! Respond!” Boris enters. She asks him to take her with him to Siberia, but understands that Boris’s refusal is due to the truly complete impossibility of leaving with her. She blesses him on his journey, complains about the oppressive life in the house, about her disgust for her husband. Having said goodbye to Boris forever, Katerina begins to dream alone about death, about a grave with flowers and birds that “will fly to the tree, sing, and have children.” “Live again?” - she exclaims with horror. Approaching the cliff, she says goodbye to the departed Boris: “My friend! My joy! Goodbye!" and leaves.

The stage is filled with alarmed people, including Tikhon and his mother in the crowd. A cry is heard behind the stage: “The woman threw herself into the water!” Tikhon tries to run to her, but his mother does not let him in, saying: “I’ll curse you if you go!” Tikhon falls to his knees. After some time, Kuligin brings in Katerina’s body. “Here is your Katerina. Do what you want with her! Her body is here, take it; but the soul is now not yours; she is now before a judge who is more merciful than you!”

Rushing to Katerina, Tikhon accuses his mother: “Mama, you ruined her!” and, not paying attention to Kabanikha’s menacing shouts, falls on his wife’s corpse. “Good for you, Katya! Why did I stay in the world and suffer!” - with these words from Tikhon the play ends. Retold by A.I. Zhuravleva