Fonvizin's work in criticism and literary criticism. Fonvizin's life and work

The month of April is rich in memorable, significant and historical dates, such as:

In our article we will talk about the wonderful writer D.I. Fonvizin, his work, including the comedy "Undergrowth", which is modern and relevant to this day.

DENIS IVANOVICH FONVIZIN

Fonvizin is widely known as the author of the comedy "Undergrowth", as a bold and brilliant satirist. But the creator of The Undergrowth was not only a major and talented playwright of the 18th century. He is one of the founders of Russian prose, a remarkable political writer, a truly great Russian educator, fearlessly, for a quarter of a century, fought with Catherine II.

This side of Fonvizin's creative activity has not been studied enough, and therefore, first of all, that all original and translated works of Fonvizin have not yet been collected and published. Thus, the militant-enlightenment nature of his works of art, their place in the public life of Russia on the eve of the appearance of Radishchev's book Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow (1790) has not been fully clarified.

Pushkin was the first to point out that Fonvizin was not only "a ripe ruler of satire", but also a "friend of freedom." This estimate refers to 1823. The poet at that time was in exile in the south. A hater of slavery, he was waiting for changes in the state, knowing full well that "our political freedom is inseparable from the emancipation of the peasants." For Pushkin, the concepts of enlightenment and freedom are equivalent. Only through enlightenment can real, and not paper, freedom be achieved. Pushkin wrote down these thoughts in 1822 in Notes on Russian History of the 18th Century.

At the same time, the noble activity of Russian writers-enlighteners of the 18th century was revealed to him.

Pushkin repeatedly urged the participants in the Decembrist movement to remember their predecessors, to remember, in order to feel support and draw strength from the living, long-begun struggle for the freedom of the fatherland, not by the methods of revolution, but by the methods of education, but they did not come to their senses.

Having resolutely taken the position of enlightenment already in the 60s, Fonvizin subordinated all his talent as an artist to the service of a great goal. The ideology of enlightenment raised him to the crest of the indomitably emerging Russian liberation movement. The advanced ideology determined his aesthetic searches, his artistic achievements, his decisive convergence of literature with reality.

Pushkin's assessment is surprisingly concise, historically specific and accurate. Gogol noted this feature of Pushkin's artistic talent, his

the extraordinary art of denoting the whole subject with a few features: Pushkin's epithet is so clear and bold, he wrote, that sometimes one replaces the whole description.

Fonvizin's definition of "a friend of freedom" "meant the whole subject. It should serve as the basis for the "whole description" of his life, his work, his activities.

WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY

Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin was born on April 3, 1745. Fonvizin’s father, a middle-class landowner, was, according to the writer, “a virtuous man”, “loved the truth”, “did not tolerate lies”, “hated covetousness”, “no one saw him in the front nobles”. The mother “had a subtle mind and saw far with soulful eyes. Her heart was compassionate and contained no malice in itself; she was a virtuous wife, a loving mother, a prudent mistress, and a magnanimous mistress.”

Fonvizin spent the first ten years in the family. Here he learned to read and write. His mentor was his father, who "read all Russian books", "ancient and Roman history, opinions of Cicero and other good translations of moral books."

The opening of the first Russian university in 1755 changed the fate of Fonvizin. The writer's father, not being able to hire foreign language teachers, as required by the noble fashion, took advantage of the opportunity to give his son a real education.

did not hesitate, one might say, not a day to send me and my brother to the university, as soon as it became established,

The writer testifies. Fonvizin was enrolled in the Latin school of the noble gymnasium, which prepared for admission to the university. After graduating from the gymnasium in the spring of 1762, he was transferred to the students.

In his gymnasium years, Fonvizin began to engage in literary translations.

My inclination to writing was still in infancy, - the writer recalled, - and I, practicing translations into Russian, reached adolescence.

"Exercises in translations" took place under the guidance of Professor Reichel (he taught general history and German). "," Bargaining of the seven muses. By the same time, the beginning of work on the translation of Voltaire's tragedy "Alzira" also dates back.

YEARS IN PETERSBURG

In 1760, the director of the university took the best students to the capital to present them to the curator I. I. Shuvalov. Among the best was Fonvizin. During his stay in St. Petersburg, he got to see a play recently (in 1756) created by the Russian theater. “The action produced in me by the theater is almost impossible to describe,” the writer later recalled. First impressions determined the fate of Fonvizin. Upon his return to Moscow, he attended with great interest the performances of the Locatelli Theater, in which the university troupe played. After moving to St. Petersburg in 1762, Fonvizin forever associates himself with the Russian theater.

On June 28, 1762, the wife of Peter III, Ekaterina Alekseevna, relying on the guards regiments, made a coup. The political inspirer of the coup was the tutor of Paul's heir, Nikita Panin. The demands of the noble liberals, led by Panin, boiled down to the establishment of a constitution.

It was at this time that the fate of Fonvizin suddenly changed, and he unexpectedly found himself close to political affairs in the state, to the court, to the struggle that was in full swing around the new empress. Vice-Chancellor Golitsyn decided to take the student Fonvizin, who was fluent in foreign languages, to be a translator in a foreign collegium. In October 1762, Fonvizin filed a petition in the name of Catherine. With a petition, he attaches samples of translations from three languages ​​- Latin, French and German. Noteworthy are translations from Latin - M. Tullius Cicero "Speech for Marcel" and from French - "Political Discourse on the Number of Inhabitants of Some Ancient Nations". Fonvizin passed the test not only as a translator. The “materials” he chose for translations testified to the political interests of the student.

Chancellor M. I. Vorontsov, who led the foreign collegium, noticed the talent of the young translator and brought him closer to himself. As Fonvizin later recalled, the chancellor "gave the most important papers to me for translation." Among the "most important" were various political writings. Having become acquainted with one of these French works, Fonvizin made a short essay, titled it "Abstract on the Liberty of the French Nobility and the Usefulness of the Third Rank."

Having outlined the content of the treatise, Fonvizin, deeply understanding the great importance of the "third rank" in the economic and social life of the country, writes that "this third rank is not difficult to establish in Russia." Further, he outlines his plan for the social revival of the fatherland. "The third rank is one with the people." It is necessary to encourage the activity of all those who "strive about manufactories, establish exchanges of things, evaluate goods", - all merchants, artists and artisans. They must all be given free will. Merchants and "glorious artists" "dismissal" to sell. The university accepts the children of peasants, and whoever learns the "higher sciences" must be freed from serfdom according to the certificate.

When, - says Fonvizin, - everyone is able to practice in what he has a talent for, they will all make up an insensitive body of the third rank with the rest of the liberated.

An important part of the plan for social transformation is the question of the peasantry. Fonvizin against slavery. But he believes that it is impossible to free the serfs immediately. Now it is necessary to limit serfdom, increase the rights of the peasants (to allow them to study at universities, to allow them to engage in any business with the right to leave the countryside, etc.) and thereby gradually prepare for their complete emancipation. Fonvizin believes that a free peasant will be richer and will find more ways to pay dues. At the end of the article, Fonvizin succinctly outlined the swap plan:

In a word, in Russia there should be: 1) a nobility, completely free, 2) a third rank, completely freed, and 3) a people practicing agriculture - although not completely free, but at least having the hope of being free when they are. farmers or such artists (artisans), so that in time they could bring to perfection the villages or manufactories of their masters.

The program of social transformations developed by Fonvizin was of a bourgeois liberation character. As an educator, he believes in the possibility of its peaceful implementation. The question of who and how can implement this program has not yet been resolved. Fonvizin will give an answer to it in a few years.

In early October 1763, by decree of Ekaterina Fonvizin, "being listed with a foreign collegium", "to be for some cases with our state adviser Elagin." I.P. Yelagin was in the Empress's office "to accept petitions." In addition, he was in charge of theaters. Elagin was not only a dignitary, but also an educated person, amateurishly engaged in poetry, dramaturgy, translations, history ....

But court life weighed on Fonvizin. His letters to his sister in Moscow are filled with complaints:

Today there is a masquerade at the court, and I will drag myself there in my domino; … boring; ... yesterday I was at the Kurtag, and, I don’t know what, I felt so sad that I left without waiting for the end; ... from the kurtag came home embarrassed; ... there were an awful lot of people, but I swear to you that I, with all that, was in the desert. There was hardly a single person with whom I would consider talking even for a small pleasure.

It is almost impossible to live in the world, and in Petersburg it is absolutely impossible.

In another letter, Fonvizin clarified his thought:

An honest person cannot live in circumstances that are not based on honor.

FEATURES OF FONVIZIN'S CREATIVITY

Despite the troublesome court service, Fonvizin worked hard and hard during these years. The main thing was translations.

The most important feature of the development of Russian social thought in the 18th century was the formation of an educational ideology. Not the bourgeoisie, but the nobility put forward the first enlighteners from their midst. This Enlightenment was not bourgeois, but noble.

In the 60s of the XVIII century, at the time of intensified peasant protest, on the eve of the Pugachev uprising, the enlightenment ideology finally took shape. Enlighteners such as philosopher Yakov Kozelsky, writer and publisher Nikolai Novikov, popularizer of educational ideology, Professor Nikolai Kurganov appeared on the public arena. In the same decade, Fonvizin also took the position of enlightenment.

Enlightenment, as an anti-feudal ideology, has its own characteristic and unique features. Hostility to serfdom and all its offspring in the economic, social and legal fields, the defense of education, freedom and, finally, upholding the interests of the people - these are the main features of enlightenment.

In The Brigadier, Fonvizin laughs merrily at the ugliness of life. Sometimes we smile when we see Frenchmania or the idiotically meaningless life of an idler. But in most cases, the behavior of Ivanushka, his speech causes indignation and indignation. When he, a "fool" according to his father, declares:

I owe... to the French coachman for my love for France and for my coldness towards the Russians,... or: my body was born in Russia, it is true, but my spirit belongs to the French crown,... or: I am a most unfortunate person. I have been living for twenty-five years and have a father and a mother.

Or when he is engaged in dirty loving courtship of someone else's wife - not a smile, but anger arises in the soul of the viewer and reader. And this is the merit of the playwright - the image of Ivan is built sharply satirically and accusatory. Ivans - the young generation of Russian noble serfs - are the enemies of Fonvizin.

The Brigadier is a comedy, and the first comedy is truly Russian, and the first comedy is truly merry. Pushkin highly valued gaiety and was extremely sorry that there were so few truly merry writings in Russian literature. That is why he lovingly noted this feature of Fonvizin's talent, pointing to the direct continuity of the dramaturgy of Fonvizin and Gogol. Speaking of Gogol's Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka, Pushkin wrote:

How amazed we were at the Russian book that made us laugh, we who have not laughed since the time of Fonvizin.

Pushkin's comparison of Gogol and Fonvizin is not accidental. Gogol, the creator of Russian realistic comedy, is closely associated with Fonvizin. Fonvizin began what Gogol completed. In particular, Fonvizin was the first to take a decisive step towards realism and in the field of the comic. "The Brigadier" was written during the heyday of Russian noble classicism.

In 1777, Fonvizin publishes a translation of the political work of the French enlightener Tom, “Eulogy to Marcus Aurelius,” prepared by him.

In September 1777, Fonvizin went to France, upon his return from which Fonvizin began work on a new comedy, which he called "Undergrowth".

COMEDY "NEDOROSL"

"Undergrowth" - the central work of Fonvizin, the pinnacle of Russian dramaturgy of the 18th century - is organically connected with the ideological issues of "Reasoning".

For Pushkin, "Undergrowth" is a "folk comedy." Belinsky, who by the 1940s had developed a revolutionary-democratic understanding of nationality, declared that "Undergrowth", "Woe from Wit" and "Inspector General" "in a short time became popular dramatic plays."

The main conflict in the socio-political life of Russia - the arbitrariness of the landlords, supported by the highest authority, and the serfs without rights - becomes the theme of a comedy. In a dramatic work, the theme is revealed with special power of persuasiveness in the development of the plot, in action, in the struggle. The only dramatic conflict of the "Undergrowth" is the struggle between the progressive-minded advanced nobles Pravdin and Starodum and the feudal lords - the Prostakovs and Skotinin.

In the comedy, Fonvizin shows the pernicious consequences of slavery, which should confirm to the viewer the moral correctness of Pravdin, the need to fight the Skotinins and Prostakovs. The consequences of slavery are truly terrible.

The peasants of the Prostakovs are completely ruined. Even Prostakova herself does not know what to do next:

Since we took away everything that the peasants had, we can no longer tear anything off. Such trouble!

Slavery turns the peasants into slaves, completely killing in them all human traits, all the dignity of the individual. With special force it comes through in the courtyards. Fonvizin created an image of enormous power - the slaves of Eremeevna.

An old woman, Mitrofan's nanny, she lives the life of a dog: insults, kicks and beatings - that's what befell her. She has long lost even a human name, she is called only by abusive nicknames: "beast", "old grunt", "dog's daughter", "scum". Outrages, reproach and humiliation made Eremeevna a serf, a watchdog of his mistress, who humbly licks the hand of the owner who beat her.

In the person of Pravdin and Starodum, for the first time, positive heroes appeared on the scene, who act, putting their ideals into practice. Who are Pravdin and Starodum, who bravely fight against the feudal lords Prostakov and Skotinin? Why were they able to interfere not only in the course of the action of the comedy, but, in essence, in the political life of the state?

As a folk work, the comedy "Undergrowth" naturally reflected the most important and acute problems of Russian life. The lack of rights of the Russian serfs, reduced to the status of slaves, given into the full possession of the landowners, manifested itself with particular force precisely in the 80s. The complete, boundless, monstrous arbitrariness of the landlords could not but arouse feelings of protest among the progressive people of their era. Not sympathizing with the revolutionary methods of action, moreover, rejecting them, at the same time they could not but protest against the slave-owning and despotic regime of Catherine II in relation to the common people. That is why the response to the police regime established by Catherine and Potemkin was the intensification of social activity and the subordination of creativity to the tasks of political satire of such noble educators as Fonvizin, Novikov, Krylov, Krechetov. At the end of the decade, Radishchev will publish his books, directly expressing the aspirations and moods of the serfs.

The second theme of "Undergrowth" was the struggle of noble educators with slave owners and the despotic government of Catherine II after the defeat of the Pugachev uprising.

Pravdin, not wanting to be limited to indignation, takes real steps to limit the power of the landlords and, as we know from the play's finale, achieves this. Pravdin acts in this way because he believes that his struggle against the slave owners, supported by the governor, is "thereby fulfilling the philanthropic types of the supreme power," that is, Pravdin is deeply convinced of the enlightened nature of Catherine's autocracy. He declares himself to be the executor of his will - this is the case at the beginning of the comedy.

That is why Pravdin, knowing Starodum, demands from him that he go to serve at the court.

With your rules, people should not be let go from the court, but they must be called to the court.

The old man is perplexed:

Summon? What for?

And Pravdin, true to his convictions, declares:

Then, why do they call a doctor to the sick.

And then Starodum, a politician who has already realized that faith in Catherine is not only naive, but also destructive, explains to Pravdin:

My friend, you are wrong. It is in vain to call a doctor to the sick is incurable: here the doctor will not help, unless he himself becomes infected.

Fonvizin forces Starodum to explain not only to Pravdin, but also to the audience that faith in Catherine is meaningless, that the legend of her enlightened rule is false, that Catherine approved a despotic form of government, that it is thanks to her policy that slavery can flourish in Russia, the cruel Skotinins and Prostakovs can be in charge , which directly refer to the royal decrees on the freedom of the nobility.

Pravdin and Starodum, in their worldview, are pupils of the Russian Enlightenment. Two major political issues determined the program of the enlighteners at that time: a) the need to abolish serfdom by peaceful means (reform, education, etc.); b) Catherine is not an enlightened monarch, but a despot and inspirer of the policy of slavery, and therefore it is necessary to fight against her (although it must be said that supporting the second process, many worked for the revolutionaries).

"Undergrowth" was met with open hostility by the government and the ideologists of the nobility. The comedy was completed in 1781. It immediately became clear that it was almost impossible to place it. A stubborn, dull struggle between Fonvizin and the government for staging a comedy began.

CREATIVITY IN RECENT YEARS

On March 7, 1782, Fonvizin filed a petition addressed to Catherine to be "dismissed from service." Three days later, the Empress signed a decree of resignation. Fonvizin defiantly refused to serve Catherine, deciding to devote all his strength to literary activity. After writing "Undergrowth", his attention is increasingly drawn to prose. He wants to write small satirical prose works. It would be best to print them in a periodical. This is how the idea of ​​own satirical magazine arises. Unexpected circumstances, which made it possible to take part in the newly opened magazine in the capital, forced us to postpone the plan of organizing our own magazine for a while.

Since May 1783, the magazine "Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word" began to appear. Its official editor was Princess E.R. Dashkov. Behind the scenes, Catherine herself was engaged in the magazine, publishing her historical and satirical writings in it. Fonvizin decided to take part in the magazine and publish anonymously several satirical works in it. The writer gave battle to the empress on her own foothold.

Of all the writings of Fonvizin, published in the "Interlocutor", the political satire, peculiar in form, had the greatest social significance: "Several questions that could arouse special attention in intelligent and honest people." "Nedorosl" has already put before smart and honest people several important questions concerning the life of the Russian state.

In 1783, Fonvizin won the battle with Catherine, which he fought on the pages of the Interlocutor. The empress, who suffered a defeat, decided to take cruel revenge on the impudent writer, and, having learned the name of the author of the “free-language” questions, she, as evidenced by the facts, instructed the police to no longer print Fonvizin’s new works.

In the summer of 1784, Fonvizin left for Italy. Visiting Florence, Livorno, Rome, Fonvizin studied Italian theatre, music and especially famous Italian painting. As during his trip to France, he keeps a journal, which he sends in the form of letters to his sister in Moscow, as before.

Return to Russia in August 1785 was overshadowed by a serious illness. Having reached Moscow, Fonvizin went to bed for a long time - he was paralyzed.

A year later, the doctors demanded that Fonvizin leave for treatment in Carlsbad. Only in September 1787 Fonvizin returned to St. Petersburg. It was not possible to fully restore his health, but nevertheless, after a long treatment, the writer felt better - he began to walk, speech returned. Having rested after a tiring trip, Fonvizin set to work. He decided to publish his own satirical magazine, calling it "Friend of honest people, or Starodum." The roll call with the "Undergrowth" was not accidental: the sick writer was preparing for a new duel with the almighty empress.

Such a journal, of course, could not be printed. Presented to the police, he was banned. The name of the publisher was known - this is "the writer of the Undergrowth." After "Undergrowth" and "A Few Questions" published in "Interlocutor", after "The Life of N.I. Panin" Ekaterina decided to put an end to the activities of Fonvizin as a writer, forbidding him to publish. But the writer hated by Catherine did not let up and in the new magazine he bravely took on the mission of being "the guardian of the common good." Undoubtedly, the police were instructed not to allow Fonvizin's new writings to be printed anymore. That is why the "Friend of honest people, or Starodum" was banned.

The last years of Fonvizin's life were spent in a cruel and tragic struggle with the empress. He selflessly and inventively searched for ways to the reader. That is why, immediately after the magazine was banned, Fonvizin decides to publish a complete collection of his works, which would include all the works intended for The Friend of Honest People. But the collected works were banned in the same 1788. Then Fonvizin decided to publish a new magazine, already in Moscow, and not alone, but in collaboration with other writers. The journal was to be called Moscow Works. Fonvizin had already worked out his program, but this magazine did not see the light either.

During 1791 he suffered four strokes of apoplexy.

At the same time, apparently, the last work was begun - the autobiographical story "Frank-hearted confessions in my deeds and thoughts." The example of the great Rousseau, who wrote his autobiography Confession, inspired him. The surviving fragments of The Sincere Confession testify that when a great writer began to describe in detail the affairs of his youth, a satirist woke up in him again, who maliciously and mercilessly ridiculed the mores of noble society.

Until his death, Fonvizin worked, lived actively, intensely, in close connection with contemporary writers. In the late 80s, he establishes a relationship with a young translator and publisher, Peter Bogdanovich. He agreed with him on the publication of a complete collection of his works. Despite his illness, the writer prepared 5 volumes of this collection, including again the forbidden articles from The Friend of Honest People. This is the best evidence that Fonvizin did not repent of anything at the end of his life and still wanted to fight Catherine and serve his fatherland with his satirical and political writings. When this edition, almost completed, was banned, Fonvizin, realizing that his days were numbered, handed over all the manuscripts to Pyotr Bogdanovich for publication in the future.

CONCLUSION

Bright, deeply original, "from the trans-Russian Russian", according to Pushkin, Fonvizin's talent manifested itself with the greatest force in the language. Fonvizin, a brilliant master of the language, with a great sense of the word, created figurative speech unparalleled before him in richness, freshness and courage, imbued with irony and gaiety. This skill was reflected in comedy, and in prose writings, and in many letters from France and Italy.

Speaking about the state of young Russian prose literature at the beginning of the 19th century, Pushkin wrote that it was still forced to "create turns of words to explain the most ordinary concepts." On this path, it was absolutely necessary to overcome the influence of Karamzin and his school, who left a legacy of "mannership, timidity and pallor." And the dramatic and prose works of Fonvizin, and especially letters from abroad, played a huge, hitherto unappreciated role in the struggle for the “naked simplicity” of Russian prose.

It was here that, with amazing ease and skill, Fonvizin created turns of words to explain concepts, both the most ordinary and the most complex. Simply and businesslike, concretely and vividly, in a truly Russian style, Fonvizin wrote about the life of foreign peoples, about "political matters", about art and economics, about Russian nobles abroad - their behavior, actions, characters, and about European philosophy, theatrical life of Paris , and about roads, taverns and festivities, about museums, religious holidays and theatrical papal service. Belinsky rightly called these letters "efficient", testifying that Fonvizina:

2. Comedy "Undergrowth"

1. Characteristics of Fonvizin's creativity

The work of Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin bears features that are opposite to Russian noble sentimentalism in the literature of the 18th century. Fonvizin opposed this literary trend, and all his work was imbued with the spirit of political struggle and the desire for freedom. Fonvizin's work can be characterized as follows:

✓ is a protest against the developing movement of Russian noble sentimentalism with its rejection of political and social activity in literature and withdrawal from reality into the world of dreams and fantasies;

✓ is an expression of Fonvizin's political ideas and views on the development of the Russian state and its proper management, and these ideas are as follows:

Critics of noble society and its inactivity and ignorance, and this criticism is expressed through harsh satire;

The requirement from the nobility to raise political consciousness and activity;

An indication of major shortcomings in the upbringing and culture of the nobility and seeing in the correct upbringing of future generations of nobles the salvation of Russia and its power as a civilized and strong world power;

Criticism of the commitment of society and nobles to the fashion for everything Western and their contempt for their native language and their homeland;

Propaganda of the fight against serfdom and its wildest forms, which at that time were very common among the landowners;

A protest against the politics and teachings of the Church and the defenders of religion, and this protest is expressed in the form of harsh social satire;

✓ partly influenced by the ideas of bourgeois education, actively developing in France, where Fonvizin lived for some time;

✓ based on the literary traditions of Sumarokov and Kheraskov, on the traditions of noble classicism and liberalism;

✓ deeply poses the problem of a realistic depiction of a person and the surrounding reality, and thus precedes the one that developed in the 19th century. the literary movement of realism, which actively developed in the work of A. S. Pushkin;

✓ serves the purpose of not only educating the nobility as a narrow class, but also creating a layer of the best people in Russia, capable of leading to a great future and great achievements, that is, the nobility, hereditary and possessing a high level of culture, is seen by Fonvizin as the only and natural master of the state;

✓ contains a lot of Western materials both in dramaturgy and satire, processing them, but at the same time, the comedies created by Fonvizin had no analogues in the West and borrowed motifs and elements organically merged into the original style and method of these comedies, contributing to the creation of original works;

✓ includes elements of both classicism and realism, which were closely intertwined throughout Fonvizin's work.

The most famous and important literary works of Fonvizin include the following works:

✓ translated works, which include:

The tragedy of Walter "Alzira" (1762);

Gresse's psychological drama "Sydney", published under the title "Korion" (1764);

✓ fables "Fox Koznodey" and "Message to my servants Shumilov, Vanka and Petrushka" (1763), written in excellent satirical form;

✓ comedy "Undergrowth" (1764 - the first version, which was unfinished, 1781 - the second, final version), which is a brilliant hard satire on the mores of the nobility in raising their children and brought Fonvizin fame, popularity and recognition not only among his contemporaries, but also in descendants;

✓ the comedy Brigadier (1766), reflecting the ideas of noble liberalism, to which Fonvizin was close.

2. Comedy "Undergrowth"

Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth" is the most important work in his work and played an exceptional role in the development of Russian literature in the 19th century. Comedy has the following artistic features:

✓ contains a protest against serfdom;

✓ is, first of all, a comedy about education, which for Fonvizin acts not so much as a moralizing issue, but more as a topical political topic;

✓ acts as a serious manifesto of protest against the existing autocratic power, and it is this feature of comedy that influenced the development of Russian literature of the 19th century. and its protesting nature.

3. The connection between classicism and realism in the work of Fonvizin

The features of classicism and realism are closely intertwined and connected with each other throughout the work of Fonvizin, and this connection has the following features:

✓ classicism has not been thoroughly destroyed, but realism has not been fully developed either;

✓ there is and is already noticeable the struggle of these two trends, which had a significant impact not only on many writers of the second half of the 18th century, for example, Radishchev, but also on the writers of the first half of the 19th century;

✓ there is a close interweaving of these two directions, and it was thanks to this that the ground was prepared for development in the literature of the 19th century. subsequent generations of Russian writers, in particular A.S. Pushkin, realism as the leading literary trend of this period;

✓ the interweaving of classicism and realism is expressed in the artistic method.

4. Fonvizin's artistic method

The artistic method of Fonvizin contains a close interweaving of elements of classicism and realism. In the work of Fonvizin, the following can be distinguished elements of realism:

✓ description of the negative phenomena of reality in satire, which made Fonvizin a participant in the "satirical trend", thanks to which in Russia earlier than in the West, the ground was prepared for the formation of critical realism as the leading literary trend, but this trend itself grew in the bowels of Russian realism ;

✓ the use in comedies of the technique of mixing comic and sad, cheerful and serious motives, forbidden by classicism;

✓ the proximity of elements of a serious drama, which is instructive in nature and designed to make the viewer think, with lyrical elements, designed to touch this viewer;

✓ the introduction of the role of a "resonant person" who preaches from the stage on behalf of the author, which was not in the classic comedies of the early 18th century;

✓ the convergence of comedies with the "sentimental drama" of French authors through the introduction of pictures of true touching virtue;

✓ the use of everyday life scenes to demonstrate a true picture of people's lives, which is not typical of classicism, in which everyday life serves to depict other purposes and should not be an empty stage;

✓ bitterness, anger of Fonvizin's satire, which in this sense differs from the traditions of classicism, indicating the inadmissibility of teaching, which is served by comedy, bitterness and poison. These qualities of Fonvizin's satire prepared the bitter satire of Gogol and Shchedrin;

✓ the appearance in the depiction of the characters of individual heroes of "live", not schematic features, their individual characteristics, which is not characteristic of classical comedy;

✓ the discovery of a realistic method of depicting a hero, which contributes to the understanding of a person as a person and at the same time as a social phenomenon, and this is the crucial importance of Fonvizin's comedies, which led to the further development and strengthening of the realistic method in Russian literature;

✓ the use of real, everyday speech, close to real life, the desire to overcome archaic bookishness.

Receptions of classicism, used by Fonvizin in his work, are due to the influence on him of the classical school of Sumarokov and Kheraskov, the features of which were preserved in all his works, and among these elements the following can be distinguished:

✓ the unity of time, place and action, when all the action of the play is united by one main motive (for example, in "Undergrowth" this is the struggle of three contenders for Sophia's hand, and the whole action of the play is built on this);

✓ the virtues of classicism, which are reduced in the work of Fonvizin to the following:

Rationalistic understanding of the world;

Personality is not as a specific individuality, but as a unit in social classification;

Social and state in man as the leading forces, absorbing into themselves his individual;

The social principle of evaluating human actions and deeds;

✓ the shortcomings of classicism, which are reduced in the work of Fonvizin to the following:

Schematism of abstract classifications of people and moral categories;

A mechanistic idea of ​​a person as a set of abilities of a mental nature;

Antipsychological in the individual sense in the image and understanding of a person, that is, the psychological traits of the hero are shown in relation to the public, and not to the personal, individual;

The mechanistic and abstract idea of ​​the state as a category of social being;

The limitedness of colors and schematization in the depiction of the characters' characters, the demonstration and denunciation of individual shortcomings or feelings without a general picture of the personality and the totality of its features, as evidenced by the so-called speaking surnames and names (Pravdin is a truth-lover, Vyatkin is a bribe-taker, etc.);

One-sidedness in the depiction of everyday life as a scheme of social relationships;

The division of all people into two categories:

Nobles, whose characteristics include signs of their abilities, moral inclinations, feelings, etc.;

All the rest, whose characteristics are reduced to an indication of their profession, class and place in the system of society;

Static in the depiction of human characters and the characters wearing them, i.e., the characters do not develop in the process of acting as individuals;

The use of certain speech techniques characteristic of classicism, for example, the solemnity and height of the syllable in commendable speeches, rich speech patterns, puns.

The famous writer of the Catherine era D.I. Fonvizin was born on April 3 (14), 1745 in Moscow, into a wealthy noble family. He came from a Livonian knightly family, completely Russified (until the middle of the 19th century, the surname was written Fon Wiesen). He received his primary education under the guidance of his father, Ivan Andreevich. In 1755-1760, Fonvizin studied at the newly opened gymnasium at Moscow University; in 1760 he was "produced to the students" of the Faculty of Philosophy, but stayed at the university for only 2 years.

A special place in the drama of this time is occupied by the work of Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin (1745-1792), which was the pinnacle of theatrical culture of the 18th century. Inheriting the traditions of classic comedy, Fonvizin goes far ahead, essentially being the founder of critical realism in Russian dramaturgy. A. S. Pushkin called the great playwright "satire a bold ruler", "a friend of freedom." M. Gorky argued that Fonvizin initiated the most magnificent and, perhaps, the most socially fruitful line of Russian literature - the accusatory-realistic line. Creativity Fonvizin had a huge impact on contemporary and subsequent writers and playwrights. D. I. Fonvizin joined the theater early. Theatrical impressions are the strongest in his youth: “... nothing in St. Petersburg delighted me so much as the theater, which I saw for the first time in my life. The action produced in me by the theater is almost impossible to describe. While still a student, Fonvizin takes part in the life of the Moscow University Theater. In the future, Denis Ivanovich maintains contacts with the largest figures in the Russian theater - playwrights and actors: A. P. Sumarokov, I. A. Dmitrevsky and others, and writes theatrical articles in satirical magazines. These magazines had a great influence on the work of Fonvizin. In them, he sometimes drew motives for his comedies. Dramatic activity of Fonvizin begins in the 60s. At first, he translates foreign plays and "translates" them into Russian. But this was only a test of the pen. Fonvizin dreamed of creating a national comedy. "The Brigadier" is Fonvizin's first original play. It was written in the late 60s. The simplicity of the plot did not prevent Fonvizin from creating a sharply satirical work, showing the manners and character of his narrow-minded heroes. The play "The Brigadier" was called by contemporaries "a comedy about our morals". This comedy was written under the influence of leading satirical magazines and satirical comedies of Russian classicism and imbued with the author's concern for the education of young people. "The Brigadier" is the first dramaturgical work in Russia, endowed with all the features of national originality, nothing resembling comedies created according to foreign standards. In the language of comedy, there are many folk phrases, aphorisms, well-aimed comparisons. This dignity of the "Brigadier" was immediately noticed by contemporaries, and the best of Fonvizin's verbal turns passed into everyday life, entered into proverbs. The comedy The Brigadier was staged in 1780 at the St. Petersburg Theater on the Tsaritsyn Meadow. The second comedy "Undergrowth" was written by D. I. Fonvizin in 1782. She brought the author a long fame, put him in the front ranks of the fighters against serfdom. The play develops the most important problems for the era. It talks about the upbringing of underage sons of the nobility and the mores of the court society. But the problem of serfdom, malevolence and unpunished cruelty of the landowners was posed more acutely than others. "Undergrowth" was created by the hand of a mature master who managed to populate the play with living characters, build the action on the basis of not only external, but also internal dynamics. The comedy "Undergrowth" decisively did not meet the requirements of Catherine II, who ordered the writers "only occasionally touch on vices" and carry out criticism without fail "in a smiling spirit." On September 24, 1782, "Undergrowth" was staged by Fonvizin and Dmitrevsky at the theater on the Tsaritsyn meadow. The performance was a great success with the general public. On May 14, 1783, The Undergrowth premiered on the stage of the Petrovsky Theater in Moscow. The premiere and subsequent performances were a huge success. "The Choice of a Tutor" - a comedy written by Fonvizin in 1790, was devoted to the burning topic of educating young people in aristocratic noble houses. The pathos of comedy is directed against foreign adventurers-pseudo-teachers in favor of enlightened Russian nobles.

What works of Fonvizin are known to modern readers? Definitely "Undergrowth". After all, comedy is part of the school curriculum. It is known that the Russian writer wrote critical articles-translations of foreign authors. However, Fonvizin's works are not limited to literary works and a satirical essay about the ignorant Prostakov family.

What else did the creator of the household comedy write? And why, in his declining years, was it difficult for the author of The Undergrowth to publish his creations?

Russian author of foreign origin

The writer lived and worked in the Catherine era. Fonvizin's works would not have been created if one of the comedian's ancestors had not once been taken into Russian captivity. The creator of such characters as Prostakov, Starodum and Mitrofanushka was of foreign origin, but he was the most Russian of all Russian writers of the eighteenth century. At least that's what Pushkin said about him.

Translation activities

The writer studied at the gymnasium, then became a student of the Faculty of Philosophy. The works of Fonvizin represent the pinnacle of theatrical art of the eighteenth century. However, before gaining recognition, the writer spent many years poring over translations of eminent foreign and even ancient playwrights. And only after gaining experience, he began to write original compositions.

The hero of this article began to engage in literary translation by accident. Once one of the St. Petersburg booksellers heard about his excellent knowledge of foreign languages. The entrepreneur offered the young man to translate the works of Ludwig Holberg into Russian. Denis Fonvizin coped with the task. After that, a lot of offers from publishers rained down.

Literary creativity

When did the original works of Fonvizin begin to appear? The list of his works is small. The following is a list of dramatic writings and publications on a political topic. But first it is worth saying a few words about the worldview of this author.

In the second half of the eighteenth century, throughout Europe, enlightenment thought was in fashion, one of the founders of which was Voltaire. The Russian writer was happy to translate the works of the French satirist. The humor that distinguishes the works of Fonvizin in the style of classicism, probably became a feature that was formed under the influence of Voltaire's work. In the years when the writer was especially active in freethinkers' circles, the first comedy was created.

"Foreman"

Literary studies helped Fonvizin climb the corporate ladder in his youth, but had a detrimental effect on the writer's work in his advanced years. The empress herself drew attention to the translation of the tragedy of Aviary. The comedy Brigadier enjoyed particular success.

Publicism

In 1769, the writer moved to the service which prompted him to write a political treatise. The title of this work is fully consistent with the time in which the author lived: "Reasoning about the completely exterminated any form of state government and about the unsteady state of the empire and sovereigns."

In the Catherine's era, educated people spoke very ornately, even the Empress herself, who, by the way, did not like the essay. The fact is that in this work the author criticized both Catherine and her favorites, demanded a constitutional transformation. At the same time, he even dared to threaten a coup d'état.

In Paris

Fonvizin spent more than two years in France. From there, he corresponded regularly with Panin and other like-minded people. Socio-social problems became the main theme of both letters and essays. The journalistic works of Fonvizin, the list of which is little known to contemporaries, despite the absence of strict censorship in those years, were saturated with a thirst for change, a reformist spirit.

Political Views

After visiting France, Denis Fonvizin wrote a new "Reasoning". This time they were devoted to state laws. In this essay, the author raised the issue of serfdom. Being confident in the need to destroy it, he was still under the impression of "Pugachevism", and therefore offered to get rid of serfdom moderately, slowly.

Fonvizin was engaged in literary creativity until the end of his days. But due to the disapproval of the empress, he could not publish his collected works. Finally, it is worth mentioning the works of Fonvizin.

List of books

1. "Brigadier".
2. "Undergrowth".
3. "Discourses on the indispensable state laws".
4. "Governor's Choice".
5. "Conversation with Princess Khaldina".
6. "Honest Confession"
7. "Korion".

"Frank confession" the writer created, being in advanced years. This work is autobiographical. In recent years, the writer Fonvizin has mainly written articles for magazines. Fonvizin entered the history of Russian literature as the author of comedies in the genre of classicism. What is this direction? What are its characteristic features?

Fonvizin's works

Classicism is a direction based on the principles of rationalism. There is harmony and faith in the works, poetic norms are strictly observed. The heroes of the comedy "Undergrowth" are divided into positive and negative. There are no conflicting images here. And this is also a characteristic feature of classicism.

This trend originated in France. In Russia, classicism was distinguished by a satirical orientation. In the works of French playwrights, antique themes were in the first place. For characteristic national-historical motives.

The main feature of the dramatic works of the eighteenth century is the unity of time and place. The events of "Undergrowth" take place in the house of the Prostakov family. Everything that is described in the comedy is accomplished within twenty-four hours. Fonvizin endowed his characters with speaking names. Skotinin dreams of villages where many pigs graze. Vralman pretends to enlighten Mitrofanushka, while introducing the undergrowth into even more terrible ignorance.

The comedy deals with the theme of education. Enlightenment thought had a significant impact on all of Fonvizin's work. The writer dreamed of changing the state system. But he believed that without enlightenment, any changes would lead to rebellion, "Pugachevism" or other negative socio-political consequences.

Creativity D.I.Fonvizin

1. Biography and personality of the writer.

2. The beginning of the creative path. Translations and original works.

3. The comedy "Undergrowth" is the pinnacle of Russian dramaturgy of the 18th century. Genre, issues, plot and conflict, features of composition, language and style. The problem of creative method.

4. Fonvizin is a publicist.

5. Master class "Genres and forms of youth culture in working with the classical heritage (based on the play" Undergrowth) "

Literature

Fonvizin D.I. Sobr. Cit.: In 2 vols. M., L., 1959

Pigarev K.V. Creativity Fonvizin. M., 1954.

Makogonenko G.P. From Fonvizin to Pushkin. M., 1969. S. 336-367.

Berkov P.N. History of Russian comedy in the 18th century. L., 1977.

History of Russian drama: XVII - the first half of the XIX century. L., 1982.

Moiseeva G.N. Ways of development of Russian drama in the eighteenth century. M., 1986.

Strichek A. Denis Fonvizin: Enlightenment Russia. M., 1994.

Lebedeva O.B. Russian high comedy of the 18th century: Genesis and poetics of the genre. Tomsk, 1996. Ch. 1 (§ 5), 2 (§ 2, 3), 4, 5 (§ 4).

1. Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin is one of the remarkable representatives of the century, who shared with him its ups and downs, hopes and disappointments.

On the one hand, he is a secular man who made an excellent career (personal secretary of I. Elagin and N. Panin, after Panin's resignation, headed the postal department), quite rich, one of the first in Russia began to deal with the acquisition of art objects abroad, on the other - “Satyrs, the brave ruler” and “Friend of Freedom”, the author of “Undergrowth”, “Court Grammar”, who compiled the famous “Panin’s Testament” (certain provisions of this document were used by the Decembrists in their political platforms), a man who was suspected of conspiring against Catherine.

The personality is lively and captivating. A.S. Pushkin wrote about him:

It was a famous writer

Famous Russian merry fellow,

Laurels entwined mocker

Denis, the scourge and fear of the ignorant.

He was an unusually witty man. From the memoirs: “Very early, a penchant for satire appeared in me ... my sharp words rushed around Moscow, and as they were sarcastic for many, the offended announced me as an evil and dangerous boy. ... They soon began to fear me, then hate me. Fonvizin had the gift of a parodist, and had undoubted artistic abilities. In a home performance in the Apraksins' house, he played the role of Taras Skotinin (!). From the memoirs of contemporaries (about reading the comedy "The Brigadier" in the Hermitage for Catherine and her entourage): “... he showed his talent in all its brilliance. ... in the faces he depicted the noblest nobles, busy arguing over playing whist, so skillfully, as if they themselves were here.

A native of a German aristocratic family (rather Russified by the 18th century), who received a good education, a connoisseur of European languages, Fonvizin, in the words of A.S. Pushkin, was “from the Russian Russian”. From the writer’s letter: “If any of my young fellow citizens who have common sense become indignant, seeing abuses and disorder in Russia, and begin to alienate themselves from her in their hearts, then there is no surer means to turn to proper love for the fatherland, how to send him To France. Here, of course, he will learn by experience very soon that all the stories about local perfection are a real lie, that a downright intelligent and worthy person is rare everywhere, and that in our country, no matter how bad things sometimes happen in it, you can, however, be just as happy, as in any other country. Looking ahead a little, I would like to note the following. In 1785, he translated Zimmermann's Discourse on National Piety into Russian. In this translation, he expressed and at the same time deepened his understanding of the essence and nature of patriotism - "love for the fatherland, civic virtue, which is associated with love for freedom."

2.Early work of D.I. Fonvizin associated with the ideas of the French and German Enlightenment. So, he translated into Russian “Fables of the Danish educator and satirist L. Golberg”, the novel “Heroic Virtue, or the Life of Seth, King of Egypt” by J. Terrason, the anti-clerical drama “Alzira” by Voltaire.

He also wrote satires. One of them has survived to our time: “A message to my servants, Shumilov, Vanka and Petrushka” (1760).

The next important period of his literary activity is associated with IP Elagin's circle. The circle, along with Fonvizin (then still von Vizin), included talented representatives of the golden youth of St. Petersburg: Vladimir Lukin, Fedor Kozlovsky, Bogdan Elchaninov. They were engaged in "inclining the texts of foreign plays to Russian customs": the scene was transferred to Russia, the characters were given Russian names, and some features of Russian life were introduced. This is how the well-known comedies of the 18th century by I. Yelagin “The Russian Frenchman” (an alteration of Golberg’s play), Vl. Lukin’s “Mot, corrected by love” (an alteration of Detouch’s play), D. Fonvizin’s “Korion” (an alteration of Gresse’s play) appeared.

2. Original comedy creativity of D.I. Fonvizin connected with the history of the creation and productions of his famous plays "The Brigadier" and "Undergrowth". Fonvizin worked on the comedy "The Brigadier" in 1768-1769. According to contemporaries: "This is the first comedy in our manners." Her themes are: 1) education of the nobility; 2) extortion and bribery; 3) the emergence of new people. According to the genre "Foreman" - a comedy of manners with elements of buffoonery. For the first time in the history of Russian comedy, it presents such techniques as 1) travesty of the structure of the petty-bourgeois drama (respectable fathers of families embark on love affairs) 2) the method of self-disclosure of the character; 3) verbal devices of the comic (use of pasta, puns).

3. The comedy "Undergrowth" is the pinnacle of the playwright's work. He worked on it starting in the 1770s. It premiered on September 24, 1782 in St. Petersburg on the Field of Mars. The most famous Russian actors participated in the production: Dmitrevsky, Plavilshchikov, Mikhailova, Shumsky.

Ivan Dmitrevsky, who played Starodum, chose the play for his benefit performance. At this time, he returned from a brilliant tour of Europe, thanks to which, in fact, the production of "Undergrowth" became possible, Catherine was afraid of publicity. Subsequently, the play was withdrawn from the repertoire, but its premieres nevertheless took place in a number of provincial theaters. The play was a terrific success, they encored it by throwing purses onto the stage. G. Potemkin is credited with the famous phrase: “Die Denis or don’t write anything else, your name is known from this one play!”

The genre of comedy in the research literature is not unambiguously defined: it is called folk, political, and high.

The issue is also multifaceted: 1) the hidden anti-Catherine orientation is so tangible in it: “the spearhead of political satire was directed against the main social evil of the era - the complete lack of control of the supreme power, which gave rise to moral devastation and arbitrariness” (P.N. Berkov). Interesting materials, in our opinion, confirming this point of view are available in the book by Yu.V. Stennik “Russian satire of the 18th century. L., 1985, pp. 316-337). In particular, this is an analysis of the plays of the Empress herself, the scene of trying on a caftan in the first act of Fonvizin’s play, a comparison of the dialogues of Starodum and Pravdin in the third act of the comedy with Fonvizin’s text “Discourses on the indispensable state laws” 2) the problem of the true dignity of a nobleman; 3) education in the broad sense of the word.

The comedy is masterfully crafted. Three levels of structure attract attention: 1) plot level; 2) comedy-satirical, 3) ideally utopian. The main compositional technique is contrast. The climax can be considered a kind of examination of Mitrofan in the fourth act of the play.

At the same time, each level of the structure has its own stylistic dominant: the compositional-satirical one has a superbly written moralistic satire; ideal-utopian - the dialogue manner of philosophical treatises (for details, see Stennik Yu.V. Decree. Op.).

The issue of similarities and differences between this comedy and the classic comedies of Western Europe is also important. As a rule, such comedies did not allow 1) mixing the serious and the comic; 2) images-characters became carriers of one property of character; 3) consisted of five acts, while the climax necessarily occurred in the third act; 4) demonstrated the rules of the three unities; 5) comedies were written in free meter verses.

On this basis, the following classic features can be distinguished in Fonvizin's comedy:

1) she also demonstrated the author's rationalistic interpretation of reality (low reality was displayed in a low genre);

2) her images became carriers of certain advantages and disadvantages, which was reinforced by the presence of meaningful/speaking surnames/nicknames;

3) consisted of five actions;

4) demonstrated the rule of three unities.

There were also serious differences. They can be reduced to the following points:

1) there was a mixture of serious and comic;

2) a description of everyday life has been introduced;

3) there was some individualization of the characters and their linguistic manner;

4) the climax is assigned to the fourth act;

5) the comedy is written in prose.

All these points will be clarified in detail in the practical lesson.

In the 80s, D.I. Fonvizin became the author of remarkable publications in the Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word (Several Questions That Can Arouse Special Attention in Smart and Honest People, The Experience of a Russian Soslovnik, Petition to the Russian Minerva from Russian Writers , "The Narrative of the Imaginary Deaf and Mute"); participated in the compilation of the "Dictionary of the Russian language" (he compiled dictionary entries for the letters "K" and "L"); translated Zimmermann's book "Discourses on National Piety", Schubart's fable "The Treasurer's Fox", wrote the story "Callisthenes", attempted to publish a new magazine "A Friend of Honest People, or Starodum" and even prepared for some original materials, unfortunately, the magazine was prohibited by censorship; compiled the “Court Grammar”, performed in the genre of confession (“Frank confession in my deeds and deeds”), two of the four books were completed.

On November 30, at the Derzhavins' house, already seriously ill, the writer read his new play, The Choice of a Tutor. And on December 1st, 1792, he was gone.