Speech at the plenary session of the Congress of the Society of Russian Literature. A society of Russian literature was created, headed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill

On May 25–26, 2016, the first congress of the Society of Russian Literature, headed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', was held in Moscow. The society is called upon to unite professionals and experts, teachers and parents in the matter of preserving the best traditions of the Russian language and literature.

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On March 9, 2016, the Society of Russian Literature was established, chaired by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. On May 25–26, Moscow hosted the first congress of this organization, which is designed to unite professionals and experts, teachers and parents, and cultural figures.

The President set tasks

Speaking at the plenary session of the congress, which took place in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that "the preservation of the Russian language, literature and our culture is a matter of national security, the preservation of one's identity in the global world."

According to the head of state, the Society of Russian Literature should “become a platform for developing consolidated approaches to promoting the Russian language, popularizing Russian literature, helping young and talented writers and, of course, solving the problems of philological education.”

As Vladimir Putin explained, it is “not only about providing public and expert evaluation of educational and teaching materials, but also about participating in the finalization of federal state educational standards in terms of the Russian language and literature, in the preparation of specialized training programs and a list of literary works, which must be known to the next generation.

“We must do everything so that knowledge of classical and modern literature, literate speech become an integral part of the life of the country, in fact, a rule of good taste, so that it becomes fashionable, so that our entire society takes care of their preservation and development,” the President stressed.

Is it realistic to solve these problems? Patriarch Kirill looks to the future with optimism. According to him, the opinion that "young people read little is a very controversial fact." Firstly, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church stated that not all young people read little, and secondly, this problem is not insoluble if there is a smart mentor nearby, a teacher who can instill a taste for reading and the desire to learn important lessons for life.

Therefore, according to the Patriarch, “pedagogical universities should become intellectual and cultural centers”, applicants should not be accepted there on a residual basis, and the prestige of teachers should be comparable to the prestige of scientists and athletes.

He touched upon His Holiness and such pressing issues as the variability of school and university programs. In his opinion, one should not be afraid of variability - one should talk about the intellectual and spiritual content of school programs, about a reasonable balance of compulsory and variative components. The same applies to the list of literature intended for reading by students: there should be a kind of “golden canon”, which includes time-tested works of Russian classics, from which the language teacher could choose the best books, in his opinion.

Patriarch Kirill did not ignore the ever-relevant topic of the Unified State Examination, criticizing the test part with a choice of answers. True, RAO President Lyudmila Verbitskaya corrected him that now such tasks are already excluded from the Unified State Examination in Russian language and literature and even shared some interesting news: in 2017, it is planned to introduce the oral part into the control and measuring materials in these subjects.

The speech of the Minister of Education and Science Dmitry Livanov made no impression on the congress participants. The reason is that he was talking about achievements and successes (about increasing hours for studying the Russian language and literature; about the growth in the number of children participating in essay competitions; about the upcoming renewal of school library stocks), while people gathered to analyze the accumulated problems requiring urgent solutions.

The teachers decided

This was evidenced by the discussions that unfolded at the meetings of the working sections that took place on the eve of the plenary session.

The most heated discussions took place at the section dedicated to the teaching of the Russian language and literature at school.

Section moderator, absolute winner of the competition "Teacher of the Year" (2012), director of the "Gymnasium No. 1520 named after. Kaptsov, Moscow, Vita Kirichenko set the tone for the discussion from the very beginning, posing the question point-blank: how to relate to the recently developed documents - the Concept of teaching the Russian language and literature and the Exemplary basic educational program for high school in these disciplines?

The leading section offered three options to choose from: 1. These documents are a given that must be accepted. 2. Treat these documents as temporary, in which teachers have the right to make changes at their discretion. 3. These documents will not have a significant impact on the life of the school, they can be ignored in their daily activities.

The participants adopted the second option as a basis. As it turned out, many people are not satisfied with the concept of teaching the Russian language and literature: the reason is that, despite a long professional and public discussion, not all teachers' opinions were taken into account in the final version. But since the document is a framework, it is still possible to make adjustments to it, and at this stage it is important to join the discussion of the action plan for the implementation of the concept.

As for the Exemplary Basic Educational Program for High School, the participants of the section decided to postpone its approval due to the need for revision.

In addition, experts intend to conduct an examination of all textbooks on the Russian language and literature included in the Federal List.

Finally, the idea of organizing a congress of language teachers in 2017 received general support.

Parents wanted to go back in time

No less heated discussion took place at the meeting of the section "The role of parents, parental communities and public organizations in the preservation of the Russian language", which brought together representatives of the National Parents' Association from 48 regions. During the discussion, a variety of proposals could be heard. For example, about the need to return uniform textbooks and programs to the modern school; about the introduction of the course of Russian literature instead of two separate subjects - the Russian language and literature. One of the parents suggested teaching children in elementary school to write with fountain pens with ink - they say, this is the only way to develop calligraphic handwriting ...

Summing up the work of the section, Aleksey Gusev, chairman of the coordinating council of the all-Russian public organization "National Parental Association for Social Support of the Family and Protection of Family Traditions", noted: a survey of more than 1,000 parents showed that the vast majority were dissatisfied with the quality of teaching and textbooks. Many people see a way out in the return of the Soviet school model, the traditional principles of education.

As Aleksey Gusev stated with regret, parents do not have sufficient competence to motivate children to study the Russian language and literature, to examine textbooks, so educating parents is one of the priority tasks of the Society of Russian Literature for the near future.

Preliminary results

By the way, on the sidelines of the congress, teachers complained that parents have recently perceived education as a service sector, putting pressure on teachers, demanding high results in terms of current academic performance and final certification.

Yulia Uvarova, a teacher of Russian language and literature at Moscow School No. 825, told us that the USE has turned from a tool that tests the level of knowledge into an end in itself. With a shortage of hours for a full-fledged study of the Russian language and literature, a colossal amount of time is spent not on the development and upbringing of children, but on all kinds of diagnostics and monitoring, measuring meta-subject results, mock exams, and writing reports.

The bureaucratic shaft is devouring the school: it is no coincidence that the participants in the section “Russian Language and Literature at School” turned to the Ministry of Education and Science with a demand to take control over the expediency of collecting data from teachers by various organizations.

In addition, according to educators, the unjustified pursuit of high scores, on the basis of which school ratings are compiled, leads to even greater stratification and inequality in the education system, increasing the gap between mainstream and elite schools.

Finally, teachers believe that when preparing events such as the congress of the Society of Russian Literature, more time should be left for lively discussions, both in real and virtual space. Many did not have the opportunity to express their opinion during the tense meetings, and the organization of a forum on the Web could greatly expand the circle of participants.

According to the director of the philological center of the united publishing group "DROFA" - "VENTANA-GRAF" and the candidate of philological sciences Larisa Savchuk, very important and urgent problems were announced at the congress - such as the fall of speech culture in society or the creation of special programs and textbooks for teaching Russian to migrants; increasing the role of the Russian language in interethnic communication; support for Russian specialists and Russian-speaking citizens of the near abroad, but the question remains how all this will be implemented in practice, what powers and financial resources the Society of Russian Literature will receive for these purposes.

As for the decisions taken by the congress participants, not all of them can be assessed unambiguously, Larisa Savchuk believes. For example, the intention of specialists to postpone the approval of the Model Basic Education Program for High School may turn out to be a big problem for both textbook authors and publishers, who should prepare textbooks for the new Federal list by September of this year.

If we talk about the Concept of teaching the Russian language and literature, then, according to L. Savchuk, criticism is not entirely legitimate: according to her, this is a rather balanced document, which presents a reasonable combination of mandatory and optional parts, the balance of scientific and practical components is observed.

As she explained, opponents are not satisfied with the fact that the developers have focused on the communicative aspect of learning the Russian language, on the formation of practical skills (the ability to speak, write texts in different genres and styles), allegedly downplaying the importance of the principles of science and consistency. But it should be noted that a good level of communicative competence today is a requirement of the time and one of the main demands of society, reflected in school standards. At the same time, the balance between knowledge of the theory of language and the development of the ability to use it in one's speech practice depends on the qualifications of textbook authors and teachers.

“Russian textbooks are written by well-known linguists and philologists, in this area there is continuity and the preservation of the best traditions,” states Larisa Savchuk. – The only thing to really regret is the loss of such an important procedure as testing new textbooks. But in our publishing house, we constantly support feedback from the teaching community and promptly respond to their comments and recommendations in the process of reissuing textbooks.”

World renewal starts at school

In general, the first congress of the Society of Russian Literature was a success. He demonstrated the civic activity of the professional community, its interest in solving the pressing problems of studying the Russian language and literature. This gives hope that the Society of Russian Literature will become the same authoritative organization as the already existing Russian Historical and Russian Geographical Society, the Royal Literary Society of Great Britain, the German Goethe Institute and the Chinese Confucius Institute. All of them play a significant role in the popularization of science and the renewal of education.

And how can one not recall the words of the outstanding scientist Dmitri Mendeleev that "the renewal of the world begins at school"...

Olga Dashkovskaya

Photo: information portal of the Russkiy Mir Foundation

“The Ministry of Education vaguely represents
features of Russian civilization"

, writer, editor-in-chief of Literaturnaya Gazeta (Moscow):

— The selection of books to read and study at school is far from a minor problem. This choice can be destructive for our entire society, or it can become strengthening, educating new generations in the best traditions of our people.

Starting from early childhood, books educate a growing person, lay the foundations of his personality. And this process should not be left to chance. For example, at Literaturnaya Gazeta we try to regularly give reviews and recommendations on children's literature. There were even special supplements for children's and youth literature. But after all, the Union of Writers did a lot of this before. And the association for children's and youth literature was one of the most influential - it included the classics of children's literature. I still remember Lev Kassil, who headed this association. And, of course, the current hack would simply not slip past such people. But now, unfortunately, we call writers those who published a book. But these are different things. The writer is not the one who wrote something, but the one who can and should be read.

Of course, you can not neglect the classics. You can not give the opportunity to put some second-rate works into the program instead of them. Classic is the base. And these are books that capture the language norm. And, most importantly, they contain our national code.

After all, unfortunately, we have a lot of books, reading which, you will not understand where the author was born, where he lives.

The position of the Ministry of Education means a lot here. But this position is extremely flawed. In my opinion, the people working there have a very vague idea of the features of our Russian civilization. I have encountered this many times. And even there was once a scandal. I once asked a representative of the Ministry of Education: “Why did you include so many emigrant writers, and the third wave, in the list of literature recommended for schoolchildren? Not the first, when there was a revolution, a catastrophe, a forced separation from the Motherland, namely, the third, when people left on their own, simply because they did not like living here. And the official of the Ministry of Education says to me: “Does it really matter where the writer went and where he lives?” I was just indignant: “But what?! Who do you want to educate? A man who got an education here and then took a suitcase and went to Silicon Valley? Then let's include those who left. Because a writer who left of his own free will, even if he writes very well, will still show his attitude towards the country from which he left.

All these misunderstandings are not at all as harmless as they might seem. It is about the existence of language, literature, people.

« 80 percent of parents are unhappy
textbooks and programs on the Russian language and literature"

Alexey Vladimirovich Gusev , chairman of the coordinating council of the "National Parent Association for Social Support of the Family and Protection of Family Traditions" (Moscow):

- The Russian language is not just a school subject, but a living phenomenon, a fundamental value for the people. Too much in our lives depends on his condition and the level of teaching. And today there are many problems. But there are no easy solutions.

They often say: give us time on television, a special program on Channel One, let's call it, for example, "The Russian language is our everything." But in itself it will not give anything, will not solve anything. Children need to watch this show. And they are all on the Internet, and they play electronic games. And our information, our influence in this field is not. But this is exactly what is needed now.

Everyone knows the example when in Pushkin's book a 2-year-old child tries to push the picture apart with two fingers - as on a screen. This means that children from an early age perceive the world in modern formats. And we cannot be left behind – we need to use such formats, enter this field. And this is a serious struggle for our children, for our future.

We have something to offer children, we have something to educate them on. Take, for example, the famous fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower" - not in an adapted version, but in the original text. How much priceless lexical material is there that needs to be studied. This, by the way, also applies to family relationships and the vocabulary of family communication - with such expressions as "friend of the heart" and many others, sparkling like the edges of a diamond.

At the same time, one cannot ignore the global threats and challenges that exist in the world. Let's take the so-called "Creole languages", which are actively developing in different countries and are a mixture of local vocabulary with anglicisms and international slang. On the one hand, this leads to simplification of communication, on the other hand, to spiritual impoverishment. And this can be a huge danger for the language, for the national culture.

How can one not recall the words spoken at one time by Vladimir Dal: “Russian speech will have one of two things: either e utterly impossible, or, sensibly, turn to another path, taking with him all the stocks left in a hurry.

The situation is not easy right now. And the question of textbooks, the choice of works for schoolchildren, the level of teaching becomes very important. Here is the data of recent mass surveys among parents. It turned out that: 81 percent of respondents are not satisfied with the level of teaching Russian language and literature at school; resort to additional classes in these subjects 72 percent; claims to textbooks and programs express more than 80 percent. It is generally agreed that when selecting works for study in schools, expertise is needed at three levels: academic, pedagogical and public.

The opinion of the overwhelming majority of parents that the autonomization of schools has become a colossal blow to the unity of education in the country looks just as unanimous.

What can not be found in the lists of books that children of primary grades of different schools go through instead of studying good classical literature. Here and "Murder in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe, and the anonymous diary of a 15-year-old drug addict "Blue Grass", and numerous variations on the themes of orcs and goblins. Parents are sounding the alarm: urgent action is needed!

“This is a cry from the heart: parents in the ministry are not heard!”

Nadezhda Alekseevna Ilyukhina , Head of the Department of the Russian Language, Samara University named after S.P. Koroleva, Doctor of Philology (Samara):

- The situation is extremely alarming. And I just want to make a cry from the heart: they don’t hear us! The opinion of the parent community is ignored in educational policy. Now there is a vital need for a mechanism for communication between the public (civil society), teachers and the ministry.

And many problems today require joining the efforts of the family with the school. One of them is the impact of the Internet on language culture, or more precisely, on language security. The Internet can be used for good, but you need to learn it, clearly understand what and for whom it is intended. After all, the same thing can have completely different effects on different age groups. The so-called "Albanian language" for an adult, as a rule, is not dangerous. All these "preved", "handsome" and so on are used as a game communication format. But for the child it is harmful and dangerous. After all, as a result, he does not form the correct image of the word. And this undermines the basis of literacy.

Or take emoticons. For an adult, this is normal, it saves time. For a child, it's bad. After all, he no longer needs to memorize words and expressions (I am upset, satisfied, etc.), it is enough to hit the key with his finger.

So it turns out that many young people, including students, are unable to create a detailed text. This effect is exacerbated by the practice of the Unified State Examination, which dictates the methods of teaching the Russian language and provides a benchmark for tests.

We hardly notice that high style has practically disappeared from our life, from communication. We can say that he stayed only on May 9th. But for a normal harmonious life, this layer is necessary. Without it, we are poorer. And our spiritual culture is more flawed.

It so happened that colloquial and everyday speech prevails today. This is a dangerous twist. And in order to correct it, to prevent a further roll, a counterbalance is needed - it is necessary to teach children competent coherent speech, including necessarily written speech.

Elena Leontievna Gerasimova , Head of the Perm Regional Center for Children's Reading, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation (Perm):

- I can say with full confidence that family reading is a guarantee of the preservation of the Russian language, our national language culture. We conducted large-scale studies and found out that this is the main factor influencing the child on the part of the family. The second factor is the home library. The third is the motivation of parents.

The choice of literature for family reading is not such an easy question. Poor awareness of parents about modern literature today is a very big problem. It's a pity that they usually don't know the capabilities of the library. And in this they need to be enlightened in every possible way.

And another very serious problem: parents do not have enough time for family reading. And why? There are few at home, they work a lot. In fact, they prioritize careers. They believe that by doing this they do a lot for children, provide them with material well-being and a future. But this is a dangerous delusion! Family communication, family education, family reading are vital and irreplaceable. Otherwise, there is a huge threat to the moral health of children, their cultural and spiritual development.

We understood that we need to create family reading programs. We accept parents of children 2-4 years old. Often, parents themselves do not know why, for example, read fairy tales to children. We recently discussed with one dad why to read Ryaba the Hen. He then talked a lot about it with his friends. And I came to the conclusion that this fairy tale is about the fact that everything must be given in due time, including the golden egg. Well, that might make sense. The main thing is to think, to arouse interest.

It is necessary to go to the Internet sites where both children and young parents are present, to create websites, forums, and networks there. For example, we launched the Reading with Passion website for parents. One mother wrote the text “10 criteria for selecting books for children” there, now it is being very actively discussed and argued.

This opens up many interesting ways to introduce children to reading. There is, for example, such a feature of child psychology: children need to read for someone, then they are interested. Here, Santa Claus or another fairy-tale character comes from time to time, and the children read aloud to him. With great pleasure! And if it’s just like that, then often you won’t force it.

“The last thing I read was traffic rules”

Tatyana Mikhailovna Barinova , Professor, Department of Primary and School Education, North-Eastern State University (Magadan):

- The global problem today is what a child means for a family, for parents. It turns out that young parents themselves do not always understand this well. They, who grew up in the 1990s, are often themselves brought up somehow, they read little and poorly. I was talking to a young father recently and asked him what was the last book he read. Answer: "SDA". At first I did not understand what it meant: a detective, or something, some? And he explained: "Rules of the road." Like this!

It became obvious that today's parents practically do not know Russian folklore, which for many generations has been used with great effect in raising children. All these “sips”, “water off the goose ...” and other funny rhymes and sayings - after all, they will not only make you laugh and entertain, but they educate very well, create the right contact. Alas, this practice is leaving family communication. And this is also the consequences of a decrease in interest in reading, language, folklore. We must take this into account. And to understand that it is impossible to separate the problem of linguistic culture from the common problem of a young family.

“A child learns what he sees in his home”

Lyudmila Viktorovna Zolotnitskaya , executive director of the Ural Women's Forum (Yekaterinburg):

The problem is that many parents have very different and often weak ideas about the choice of reading for children. Parental education is desperately needed right now. What to read and how to read, few of them know. We conducted research by interviewing both children and their parents. So, the children answered that they read an average of 1-2 hours a day. And the parents laugh at it. Don't believe? Or do they not know?

This is a broken link in the system of family education, which is ineffective without family reading. After all, you can captivate reading only by your own example. There is an old saying: "A child learns what he sees in his home." She is basically right.

So I told my child what I read, he answered that he reads himself. It was useful to me and to him, it gave us a lot. Thanks to the stories of my son, I discovered some authors.

Much needs to be done in this direction and to promote the existing experience. For example, there is a large and useful project "Reading mother - reading nation", but who knows about it? ..

"We need Russification of the world"

Victoria Alexandrovna Dmitrieva , Head of the Department of the Faculty of Psychology of St. Petersburg State University, Director of the Scientific Foundation "Antonio Meneghetti" (St. Petersburg):

— The Russian language needs a variety of support and protection. The situation will change for the better if our students strive to study in Russia and not abroad. It is necessary to destroy the myths about Russia as an ignorant and aggressive country, to develop and promote the possibilities of our education. Let, on the contrary, we have more students from abroad. St Petersburg University, for example, has students from Latvia, Ukraine, Latin America, Central Asia, and European countries. We offer a cultural program to foreign students, because every opportunity must be used to promote the Russian language and Russian culture. We need Russification of the world, as Americanization was done.

“We have to look for old textbooks in the sheds”

Elena Yurievna Masyuk , mother of many children (Tyumen region):

“Now in schools, children are taught literature and the Russian language using terrible textbooks. It often happens that if a child missed some classes, then it is impossible to catch up on his own according to the textbook. The content is just bad. These textbooks discourage reading. We have to look for old textbooks in the sheds. We are already starting to draw up a petition to collect signatures on the need for a unified state textbook.

But if children do not read enough, they will speak badly. And this will hinder their success in life. When a person does not know how to speak freely, speak in public, reads from a piece of paper - this, as a rule, pushes people away from him.

The situation at the school is difficult. Folklore is an important indicator. Look how many jokes about the Ministry of Education have been coming up lately. This is saying something!

A lot of language distortions come from officials and the media. And no responsibility! We have already come up with an initiative: to fine for grammatical and language errors in outdoor advertising, in official documentation. So we will fight this, and at the same time replenish the budget. This proposal is currently being discussed. But they are afraid. There will be too many wrongdoers.

And on the Internet for errors it would be necessary to block sites!

“Not just to teach, but to educate - this is in Russian”

Andrey Ivanovich Lazarev , founder of the Alexey Andreevich Khovansky Foundation (Voronezh):

- No need to reinvent the wheel. We have already burned ourselves on alien systems, test checks and other borrowings. And we have our own invaluable experience. And this is not only much of the recent Soviet past, which has often been discussed recently. But these are also purely Russian discoveries in the field of literature and pedagogy. This, in particular, is about the methodology of Alexei Andreevich Khovansky. He was translated into other languages, based on his experience in different countries, but in our country his works and experience are still in oblivion. Khovansky was called the "teacher of teachers", his journal Philological Notes, which has been published since 1860 and has been renewed now, was recognized as the best publication in this area. The essence of Khovansky's methodology is to teach and educate, and not just to teach. This is still the best method! And much needed.

"Where are the bookstores, where are the children's books?"

Irina Petrovna Medvedeva , chairman of the Primorsky organization "Council of mothers of many children" (Vladivostok):

- What to choose for reading to children is a matter of principle. But no less important is a purely practical question: where to buy a good book? This is faced by a huge number of parents in the regions. Here we have only two bookstores in the whole of Vladivostok. Well, what is sold there, for the most part, with a big stretch, can be called literature. There are only individual worthy authors, such as P. Bazhov, and for the most part, there are numerous publications like Harry Potter.

How, under such conditions, to instill a good reader's taste, interest in the best literary traditions and high standards of the Russian language?

“Without Dostoevsky we will not be Russian”

Vladimir Alexandrovich Akimkin , father of many children (Tver region):

“I have seven children in my family. A large family is, of course, a lot of problems, but also rich opportunities for education. The eldest girl is 14 years old, the eldest boy is 13. And they are already quite responsible people, developed, conscious, masters. The life of a large family is arranged in such a way that the elders take care of the younger ones, help their parents and develop faster. At the same time, family reading helped us a lot. From personal experience I can say that the Russian classics are necessary as the basis of language and soul. Without Dostoevsky we will not be real Russians. On this basis, you can already read everything. But there must be a foundation. Without roots, the plant dies. So is the individual and the nation. Of course, everything must be given and received on time. But that's what they are parents for, in time to offer a suitable book.

And calligraphy is very important! My children have been writing with pen since the very beginning. This gives excellent handwriting. Develops the ability to read, think, speak. I suggest that everyone introduce the following rule: the first three classes in schools should be written with a pen. And to return as a single discipline - Russian literature, including the Russian language, literature, rhetoric, calligraphy.

On May 26, 2016, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' spoke at the plenary session of the Congress of the Society of Russian Literature.

Dear participants of the 1st Congress of the Society of Russian Literature! I cordially greet you all.

I would like to note right away that although, as we know from Russian history, societies of lovers of Russian literature have been created before, such a representative meeting dedicated to the issues of the Russian language and Russian literature is being held for the first time. In 1811, two societies were created in Russia at once, uniting people who were not indifferent to the fate of Russian literature. One of them, the literary and scientific "Society of Lovers of Russian Literature" at Moscow University, existed until 1930. Another - "Conversations of lovers of the Russian word", which united St. Petersburg writers - unfortunately, fell apart already in 1816, after the death of its founder, Gabriel Derzhavin.

The “Society of Lovers of Russian Literature” at Moscow University, which included, in addition to scientists and writers, statesmen and public figures, outstanding sons of our Fatherland, worked for the benefit of the people of their country for almost 120 years. During this time, the Society published many outstanding works of art and folklore, scientific works and dictionaries. Thanks to his active work, the teaching of philological disciplines in Russia has reached an unprecedented flourishing, and the issues of the Russian language and literature have always been in the center of public attention and discussion.

In 1992, on the initiative of Academician Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev, the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature was revived. But a few years later, after the death of Dmitry Sergeevich and the energetic secretary of the Society, Raisa Nikolaevna Kleimenova, it, alas, practically ceased its activities.

And now all of us, who are not indifferent to the fate of Russian culture, have united for the sake of preserving our national heritage - the Russian language and great Russian culture. The main goal of the newly formed Society of Russian Literature, as before, is the study and popularization of Russian literature and the Russian language, as well as increasing the role of philological disciplines in the educational and upbringing processes at all levels of the national school - from primary to higher.

We, representatives of the older generation, remember our school teachers with gratitude, we are deeply grateful to them for their professionalism, for the high quality of teaching they provided. Of course, the education system in the Soviet Union was largely ideologized. But this is precisely the strength and greatness of Russian literature, that it is able to put the light of truth, goodness and love into the hearts of those who read, overcoming any features of the ideological context, including ideological blinders, "iron curtains" and other harmful external circumstances.

The great Russian classical literature, which so providentially came to its most powerful age at the beginning of the tragic twentieth century, took on another important mission, which at that time was beyond the power of any other humanitarian sphere: it fulfilled its mission to preserve for posterity not only Russian culture, but also our national history.

Finally, Russian literature - albeit contradictory, but steadily and courageously - has always led its reader to the knowledge of the highest spiritual and moral values, to the knowledge of the higher meaning of life, to the knowledge of God.

In this connection, I recall the remarkably precise words of Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev about the role and significance of literature and philology in general: “Literature is not only the art of the word. This is the art of overcoming the word.<…>The understanding of the text is the understanding of the whole life of the epoch standing behind the text. Therefore, philology is the connection of all connections.<…>It underlies not only science, but all human culture. Knowledge and creativity are formed through the word, and through overcoming the inertia of the word, culture is born.

It is no coincidence that, perhaps, not quite rationally aware, but vividly feeling with their hearts, many people of the middle and older generation considered literature teachers their favorite teachers at school. But today the same philologists, our contemporaries, both young teachers and teachers of respectable age, are desperately sounding the alarm, seeing and realizing the danger of the situation that has developed in the current philological education more clearly than others.

The opinion that young people read little these days has become a common truth for many. But this fact, fortunately, is highly controversial. First, not all young people read little. And secondly, this problem is not unsolvable.

I remember in the 1950s and 60s there was concern that film adaptations of literary works would cause teenagers to stop reading, just as they now say that computers and adapted books will completely wean young people from reading the classics. Of course, this can happen if the teacher does not instill a taste for literature and reading. That is why in our computerized time the role of a mentor is especially important - a person who transfers knowledge from heart to heart, from mind to mind. Indeed, in this communication there is not only a rational, but also a spiritual, emotional beginning. I think that everyone who is present here has long forgotten the content of the lectures of their professors in higher education. And when we say: “We had a wonderful professor”, the last thing we think about is the content of these lectures. The very fact of meeting a wonderful person is remembered, and not only on a rational level.

Therefore, the role of the teacher cannot be overestimated. He does not just transmit information, as a computer does, he refracts what was said through himself and transmits part of his soul, his mind to those who listen to him. And if this is a sincere person, if this is an ascetic of his craft, then nothing can compare in terms of the power of persuasion and influence on the audience with the words of a true master of his craft - a teacher.

And here, in my opinion, is precisely the root of the problem. Of course, the circle, level and quality of reading of a growing, emerging person is influenced by the modern rhythm of life, and familiarization with the Internet culture, and innovations of the electronic age. But the main problem, I think, is that the school, society and the state, in the end, do not always take care with due diligence and responsibility to instill in young people a taste for reading, teach them to understand and love literature, extract from the reading the most important lessons for life.

This problem is complex, but quite solvable. For this, special attention should be paid to the training of the teaching staff of the humanities. It is impossible for students to enter pedagogical institutes according to the leftover principle: if you do not enter an elite university, where should you go? In pedagogical! Pedagogical universities should become intellectual, cultural centers of our country, and the prestige of teachers should be comparable with the prestige of scientists, astronauts, athletes. In this case, capable people will go to pedagogical universities, and it is they who will form a new generation, even if not everything goes well with programs and manuals. Because a talented teacher can transmit a powerful emotional, spiritual, intellectual signal over bureaucratic documentation - believe me, I know this firsthand.

Nevertheless, it is useful for us to think about the school and university programs that are so actively discussed today, including their variability. I hope we will talk about this topic again, but, anticipating the discussion, I would like to express my opinion: there is no need to be afraid of the word “variability”. Some shy away from him like a scarecrow. But the whole question is what to choose from. If we choose between two works by Dostoyevsky, we will lose nothing. But if the great classic is opposed to a writer whose work does not cause universal admiration, and whose personality does not cause respect, then this is no longer variability, a different term should be applied to such a phenomenon.

Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of variability. We need to talk about the intellectual, spiritual, cultural content of school programs. It is important that behind smart and attractive formulations, such as "modular learning", "thematic principle", "variable content", "strengthening subjectivity in teaching", "the teacher's ability to shape his program with its adaptation to the specifics of the school, class, region" , - there were pedagogical methods verified and tested by time, and not hiding, as it happens, pedagogical helplessness, essentially unnecessary and dubious experiments, taste, restless desire for reforms, unprofessionalism, in the end. But it's not about the terms - it's about the content, a good head and a good heart. Then we will reach a national consensus on all the most difficult issues, including those that we are now considering.

Of course, the school curriculum as a whole is overloaded, and the child does not always successfully cope with it. I remember my school years: the family was poor, and I had to work and study. I didn't have a minute of free time either on the tram or on the bus - always with a book. I know what congestion is. But I thank my wonderful teachers, who, despite this overload, armed me not only with knowledge, but also with love for literature, taught me how to write essays. And trying to make it easier for children to study by providing the opportunity to withdraw from the program the great works of literature recognized throughout the world, of course, is unacceptable.

Preparing for this speech, I tried to delve into the main debatable issues related to the teaching of literature at school. There are problems that I would like to propose for our joint discussion.

Some "experts" argue that Russian classical literature - its language, characters, value paradigm - is incomprehensible to modern schoolchildren, and therefore almost useless in the field of education. Another thing, in their opinion, is the literature of the newest time, which tells about the usual realities, the qualities necessary for a successful life, trends, pardon the word, and so on.

"Trend" is a foreign word. "Trend" is also foreign, but Latin. Why the Latin word "trend" was replaced by the English "trend", explain to me, educated people? Or is the word "trend" an indicator of education? For me, this is a very bad sign. That is why I did not delete the word “trend” from this text, wanting to express my opinion about the often completely illogical, unjustified use of foreign, primarily English, words in our modern Russian language.

Of course, the best works of literature of the turn of the 20th-21st centuries should be studied at school, but they must be introduced into the program without haste, remembering the ideological function of literature, which can awaken “good feelings”, according to Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, or can be promoted as in allegorical , and in an explicit form, images and ideas that are destructive for children.

It is necessary to find a reasonable balance between the basic, mandatory and optional parts of the list of works offered for classroom and extracurricular reading. The need for a responsible discussion and adoption of the so-called "golden canon" is of fundamental importance. It can be called whatever you like: “golden canon”, “national canon”, “canon of Russian literature”, but there should be a set of texts that should be studied without fail in high school. Without this, we simply will not be able to form in children a holistic perception of Russian literature, and hence Russian culture. I think there is no need to be afraid that in such a situation, teachers are deprived of a choice. There is always a choice: to work conscientiously or carelessly, sincerely love children and your profession, or treat it indifferently. But the most important thing is the choice that I mentioned earlier. The teacher can choose from the two best, from his point of view, the best. But the choice cannot be between the best and the mediocre, between obligatory for everyone due to the unique contribution of the work to Russian and world culture, and a purely conceptual text that is interesting at the moment, but loses its meaning along with the disappearance of the historical context. Attaching liberal arts education solely to the context of the era is the wrong method. Undoubtedly, education should actualize ideas coming from culture, from tradition. Without it, culture and tradition die. The modern context cannot fully manage the educational process, because what is very important in our fast-paced time will not be important tomorrow. How we suffered from the problems of the 90s! I remember what happened in this room. Such was the battle between the right and the left! Where are these battles, where are these people? Everything is gone, but Pushkin is not gone! So, I think that it is necessary to find a reasonable balance between the basic, mandatory and optional parts of the list of works offered for classroom and extracurricular reading. Of fundamental importance is the need to preserve, as I said, a kind of canon. And I think that's what we should be focusing on: what kind of canon it is, what kind of books it is, and how variability can operate within this canon.

Obviously, one of the reasons for the decline in interest in Russian literature and its generally unsatisfactory knowledge of the younger generation was, among other things, the ongoing education reforms for several years. I do not want to criticize any specific institutions, people, or the very idea of reforms. Professionals have already made various comments and will probably continue to criticize certain aspects of this reform. It is also impossible without reforms. You cannot stand in one place. The world is developing, the school is developing, our country is developing. May 24, the day of Cyril and Methodius, I was at a concert on Red Square. A girl was sitting next to me. I look - very well, in a clear voice, sings very clearly. I talked to her. The girl is studying in the 5th grade, I looked at her and couldn’t believe my eyes - an adult was sitting in front of me, liberated, smart, knowledgeable. I remember myself in the 5th grade - I would not only be the Patriarch, I would be afraid to say a word to the headmaster. But this is already another generation, and if we say that the school of the 50s-60s should be an indisputable gold standard for us, we will destroy the school, the standard, and everything else.

At the same time, I am sure that it would be wrong to consider education reforms, as I have just said, from an exclusively critical point of view. As a result of lengthy reforms that affected all areas and levels of education, the minimum threshold for the USE had to be radically reduced. We now touch on this difficult topic. Regarding the Unified State Exam, I will express my opinion - I have already expressed it many times in different audiences, I consider it important to do this now, without, of course, claiming any special positive marks - it seems to me that a complete rejection of the Unified State Examination would be a wrong step. I met the USE in Finland about 30 years ago. I was related to this country - I managed our parishes there, being the rector of the theological academy in St. Petersburg. And then one day I came to this country on a spring day, and I see how many young people walk around in white caps. They explained to me that they were those who had passed the state exam for high school. I ask: “What gives this status?” - "The title of the student." “Are they already enrolled in universities?” “No, and many won't. But they are already students, they have their own status, recognized by the state.” And they told me about the USE system, and I thought that it is a good thing when there is some kind of directive assessment of a student's knowledge.

But there is something in this good idea that you must certainly pay attention to in order to correct it for the better, because the current state of the Unified State Examination causes great criticism from parents, children, and teachers. The first objection is the test system of answers. There are subjects whose knowledge cannot be assessed in a test manner. Here you can take the rules of the road in a test manner, and in some countries they refused: they offer consideration of certain situations on computers. I handed over at one time on the rights in Switzerland - you put crosses, and that's it. But people realized that this was not entirely correct, that such an assessment system for a number of subjects was insufficient.

Therefore, it seems to me that, firstly, the introduction of an essay is already a very big step forward. It is important that an oral component be added to the USE, which would not serve as the only method for determining knowledge. After all, the personality is revealed when she talks, and the girl revealed herself when she began to talk to me. And throw her some template, it is still unknown what she would say. Therefore, I am deeply convinced that the oral component in passing the state exam in a number of subjects is a very important point. Of course, this primarily concerns the Russian language and literature. It is impossible to “drive” all the wealth of our literature into tests and short answers to questions. Recently, at the award ceremony of the Patriarchal Literary Prize, I already recalled the words of Yuri Mikhailovich Lotman, with whom I had the joy of personal acquaintance and communication. I cannot say that we were friends, but we were mutually interested interlocutors. I knew him and his wife, and I got a lot from communicating with this person. So, he said that eternal ideas and values invariably put on the clothes of time, and the reader only needs to correctly recognize these thoughts. Today I would like to quote another remarkable statement of this outstanding philologist. Speaking about such categories as culture and information, he said: “Culture is not a warehouse of information at all.<…>Culture is a flexible and complexly organized mechanism of cognition. It is impossible to present literature as a collection of data about writers, their works and main characters. Reading a literary work is always a reflection, a deep inner work of the mind and heart, which cannot be seen and appreciated by correctly ticked boxes.

It is no coincidence that in the 1950s and 1960s critical remarks were sometimes made about the film adaptation of classical works. What happens to a person when he reads a classic literary work? And the more talented the author, the more powerfully what I'm about to say affects a person. Everyone who reads fiction creates an artistic image in his mind. And the stronger the writer, the brighter the image in our minds. I do not live in the images that I saw in films based on the novels of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. I have developed my own images, even my own interiors of rooms; how I imagine clothes according to what was written in these texts, how the characters looked. In other words, each of us, reading a literary text, becomes a co-author, for himself (we have already talked about actualization today), he personally actualizes the content of a literary work. And this cannot be replaced either by cinema, although it is interesting to observe the skill of the director and actors there, or by the theater, although it is important to see the beauty of everything that the director and actor creates there. Because with reading you are the director yourself, you are the artist yourself, you are the director yourself. It is in this part of the assimilation of a literary text, I think, that its enduring significance for the formation of a personality, for the formation of a person's culture is contained.

An extremely important topic, which also needs our joint discussion, is the issue of training future teachers. I have already said this and will not dwell on it. I will only say that Russian literature is, without exaggeration, one of the pillars of our national life, the most important foundation of the civilization of the Russian world, I would say, the cultural pillar of state life. Therefore, the future of the Russian language and literature should be a subject of discussion not only for professionals, but for the entire Russian society. Today, this is a strategic task that must be tackled with all responsibility.

The fertile field of Russian literature should not be an arena for ideological battles, for lobbying someone's interests, for inexpedient experiments. This area needs to be cleared of internecine strife, which we inherited from the 90s. We must fully realize that in recent years, decades, mistakes and distortions have been made, of course, but there is no life without mistakes and distortions. It is very dangerous when a mistake is not noticed, when it is hushed up due to political and human factors and enters into the flesh and blood of people's life. That's when this mistake becomes a historical crime. I think that we are all called today - not only society, but also the Government, the writers' workshop, readers - to realize that we are at a very important point in our spiritual and cultural development. What will happen to our school, to our literature, to our writers' guild and to our readers depends to no small extent on what kind of development this will be.

Thank you for attention.

1) Likhachev D.S. On the art of speech and philology.

2 ― Yu.M. Lotman. Culture and information // Lotman Yu.M. Articles on the semiotics of culture and art.

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

On March 9, under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', an expanded meeting of the Patriarchal Council for Culture was held, dedicated to the establishment of the Society of Russian Literature. The Society includes a permanent author of the Russian Folk Line, Professor of the Department of Russian Literature and Intercultural Communication of the State Institute of the Russian Language named after A.S. Pushkina, Doctor of Philology, Chairman of the Russian Association of Researchers, Teachers and Teachers of Rhetoric, Honorary Worker of Higher Professional Education of the Russian Federation Vladimir Annushkin.

Vladimir Ivanovich shares his impressions of the event:

This event, in my opinion, is of extreme importance. We finally have the Society of Russian Literature - after the Russian Geographical Society and the Russian Historical Society. I am sure that we now have the opportunity to turn in all its breadth to the problems of the word and literature as tools that organize and make up the essence of our life. The idea of the Word is the basic idea not only of Russian but also of European philosophy, philology and culture. Man is the image of God, and therefore verbal.

It is also remarkable that the Society was headed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, whose verbal personality (let me be frank!) One cannot help but admire ... And this time in this meeting he brilliantly commented on the speeches of speakers, correctly, for example, noting to Nikita Sergeevich Mikhalkov that we do not need " coups and revolutions”, and we will act “meekly and humbly”, but gradually and stubbornly ... How persistently he sought an answer from the “general” speech of an authoritative colleague, what texts are proposed to be studied at school ... However, it seems that he did not achieve ...

What should the Society do if we already have ROPRYAL (Russian Society of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature), the Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature at school, a similar one at the university, the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature (MAPRYAL)? I would like to believe that it is the Society of Russian Literature that will deal with many unresolved problems related to both the “life of the language”, our verbal existence, and the problems of teaching the Russian language and literature (however, also literature and rhetoric itself), which was discussed most of all at the founding meeting March 9th.

But two words must be said about history, because we already had a Society of Lovers of Russian Literature, which was opened at Moscow University in 1811. It played a colossal role in the development of Russian education, and, in particular, verbal education. It suffices to cite this fact: Vladimir Ivanovich Dal published his dictionary in the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature. It was through the efforts of the members of the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature that a monument to Pushkin was erected in Moscow. All famous Russian writers took part in its activities. In 1930, the Society was closed, but in 1990 it was revived on the initiative of Academician Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev.

Many of our linguists, my colleagues, including myself, took an active part in the monthly meetings of the Society, which were held mainly at the Museum of Marina Tsvetaeva. The society existed mainly thanks to the extraordinary energy and enthusiasm of its secretary Raisa Nikolaevna Kleimenova(1940-2010). Through her efforts, more than twenty books were published under the heading of OLRS, including the research “Society of Lovers of Russian Literature. 1811-1930 (2002)"; "Pushkin and OLRS (1999)"; "IN AND. Dahl and OLRS (2002)"; "Gogol and OLRS (2005)". But with the death of Raisa Nikolaevna, the Society somewhat lost its activity and now, in fact, under this name does not exist, although it holds separate events.

I place great hopes on the new Society, because the new name must justify the meanings inherent in the very word "literacy".

Our intelligentsia, our philological science is responsible for ensuring that people understand the role and meaning of the word - language - speech in their life, because what is the language - such is life, what is the language - such is the person. Here, each of us bears our share of responsibility for how we, philologists, spread knowledge about the “great Russian word”, how we are able to form in ourselves and our students the art of mastering the word, which begins, of course, with moral philosophy and ethics, set forth in main cultural texts of mankind. Discussing the problems of the word and literature, we always touch on the main thing: what is Truth? How to live according to the "truth of God" (and in our speeches only the truth of "human" is often defended)?

Will the Society of Russian Literature be able to justify the hopes placed on it during its creation? It depends on our "personal" initiatives, inspiration, will, ingenuity, determination, intelligence and tact... Can we hope that the Ministry of Education and Science will listen to the opinion of the Society? It depends on the efforts of both parties. After all, the danger of democracy lies in the fact that your opinion is listened to, thanked, and then they simply do it their own way without regard to the opinion expressed. However, a drop wears away a stone ...

Speaking about my initiatives, I want to tell you that in the very near future we will organize a series of lectures at the International Foundation for Slavic Literature and Culture. On March 28, my evening on Russian literature "Russian language in poetry and music" will take place.

The most significant initiative is the educational project "The Object of Culture", within the framework of which regular lectures will be held at the Government House of Moscow on Novy Arbat. April 7, 2016 will be the first evening called "The Living Word and Literature". We will talk about the culture of modern Russian speech, about the music of the Russian word and the word in music. . If you disagree, please leave the site and do not use it. You can disable cookies in your web browser settings.
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On May 26, 2016, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' spoke at the Congress of the Society of Russian Literature.

Dear participants of the 1st Congress of the Society of Russian Literature! I cordially greet you all.

I would like to note right away: although, as we know from Russian history, societies of lovers of Russian literature were created before, such a representative meeting dedicated to the issues of the Russian language and Russian literature is being held for the first time. In 1811, two societies were created in Russia at once, uniting people who were not indifferent to the fate of Russian literature. One of them - the literary and scientific "Society of Lovers of Russian Literature" at Moscow University - existed until 1930. Another - "Conversations of lovers of the Russian word", which united St. Petersburg writers - unfortunately, fell apart already in 1816, after the death of its founder, Gabriel Derzhavin.

In this connection, I recall the remarkably precise words of Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev about the role and significance of literature and philology in general: “Literature is not only the art of words. This is the art of overcoming the word.<…>The understanding of the text is the understanding of the whole life of the epoch standing behind the text. Therefore, philology is the connection of all connections.<…>It underlies not only science, but all human culture. Knowledge and creativity are formed through the word, and through overcoming the inertness of the word, culture is born.

It is no coincidence that, perhaps, not quite rationally aware, but vividly feeling with their hearts, many people of the middle and older generation considered literature teachers their favorite teachers at school. But today the same philologists, our contemporaries - both young teachers and teachers of respectable age - are desperately sounding the alarm, seeing and realizing the danger of the situation that has developed in the current philological education more clearly than others.

I remember how in the 1950s and 60s there was concern that film adaptations of literary works would cause teenagers to stop reading, just as they now say that computers and adapted books will completely wean young people from reading the classics. Of course, this can happen if the teacher does not instill a taste for literature and reading. That is why in our computerized time the role of a mentor is especially important - a person who transfers knowledge from heart to heart, from mind to mind. Indeed, in this communication there is not only a rational, but also a spiritual, emotional beginning. I think that everyone who is present here has long forgotten the content of the lectures of their professors in higher education. And when we say: “We had a wonderful professor”, the last thing we think about is the content of these lectures. The very fact of meeting a wonderful person is remembered, and not only on a rational level.

Therefore, the role of the teacher cannot be overestimated. He does not just transmit information, as a computer does, he refracts what was said through himself and transfers part of his soul, his mind to those who listen to him. And if this is a sincere person, if this is an ascetic of his craft, then nothing can compare in terms of the power of persuasion and influence on the audience with the words of a true master of his craft - a teacher.

This problem is complex, but quite solvable. For this, special attention should be paid to the training of the teaching staff of the humanities. It is impossible for students to enter pedagogical institutes according to the leftover principle: if you don't enter an elite university, where should you go? In pedagogical! Pedagogical universities should become intellectual, cultural centers of our country, and the prestige of teachers should be comparable with the prestige of scientists, astronauts, athletes. In this case, capable people will go to pedagogical universities, and it is they who will form a new generation, even if not everything goes well with programs and manuals. Because a talented teacher can transmit a powerful emotional, spiritual, intellectual signal over bureaucratic documentation - believe me, I know this firsthand.

Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of variability. We need to talk about the intellectual, spiritual, cultural content of school programs. It is important that behind smart and attractive formulations, such as “modular learning”, “thematic principle”, “variable content”, “strengthening subjectivity in teaching”, “the ability of the teacher to form his program with its adaptation to the specifics of the school, class, region” , - there were pedagogical methods verified and tested by time, and not hiding, as it happens, pedagogical helplessness, essentially unnecessary and dubious experiments, taste, restless desire for reforms, unprofessionalism, in the end. But it's not about the terms - it's about the content, a good head and a good heart. Then we will reach a national consensus on all the most difficult issues, including those that we are now considering.

Of course, the school curriculum as a whole is overloaded, and the child does not always successfully cope with it. I remember my school years: the family was poor, and I had to work and study. I did not have a minute of free time either on the tram or on the bus - always with a book. I know what congestion is. But I thank my wonderful teachers, who, despite this overload, armed me not only with knowledge, but also with love for literature, taught me how to write essays. And trying to make it easier for children to study by providing the opportunity to withdraw from the program the great works of literature recognized throughout the world, of course, is unacceptable.

Preparing for this speech, I tried to delve into the main debatable issues related to the teaching of literature at school. There are problems that I would like to propose for our joint discussion.

It is necessary to find a reasonable balance between the basic, mandatory and optional parts of the list of works offered for classroom and extracurricular reading. The need for a responsible discussion and adoption of the so-called "golden canon" is of fundamental importance. It can be called whatever you like: “golden canon”, “national canon”, “canon of Russian literature”, but there should be a set of texts that should be studied without fail in high school. Without this, we simply will not be able to form in children a holistic perception of Russian literature, and hence Russian culture. I think there is no need to be afraid that in such a situation, teachers are deprived of a choice. There is always a choice: to work conscientiously or carelessly, sincerely love children and your profession, or treat it indifferently. But the most important thing is the choice I mentioned earlier. The teacher can choose from the two best, from his point of view, the best. But the choice cannot be between the best and the mediocre, between obligatory for everyone due to the unique contribution of the work to Russian and world culture, and a purely conceptual text that is interesting at the moment, but loses its meaning along with the disappearance of the historical context. Attaching liberal arts education solely to the context of the era is the wrong method. Undoubtedly, education should actualize ideas coming from culture, from tradition. Without it, culture and tradition die. The modern context cannot fully manage the educational process, because what is very important in our fast-paced time will not be important tomorrow. How we suffered from the problems of the 90s! I remember what happened in this room. Such was the battle between the right and the left! Where are these battles, where are these people? Everything is gone, but Pushkin has not left! So, I think that it is necessary to find a reasonable balance between the basic, mandatory and optional parts of the list of works offered for classroom and extracurricular reading. Of fundamental importance is the need to preserve, as I said, a kind of canon. And I think that's what we should be focusing on: what kind of canon it is, what kind of books it is, and how variability can operate within this canon.

Obviously, one of the reasons for the decline in interest in Russian literature and its generally unsatisfactory knowledge of the younger generation was, among other things, the ongoing education reforms for several years. I do not want to criticize any specific institutions, people, or the very idea of reforms. Professionals have already made various comments and will probably continue to criticize certain aspects of this reform. It is also impossible without reforms. You cannot stand in one place. The world is developing, the school is developing, our country is developing. May 24, the day of Cyril and Methodius, I was at a concert on Red Square. A girl was sitting next to me. I look - very well, in a clear voice, sings very clearly. I talked to her. A girl is studying in the 5th grade, I looked at her and couldn’t believe my eyes - an adult was sitting in front of me, relaxed, smart, knowledgeable. I remember myself in the 5th grade - I would not only be the Patriarch, I would be afraid to say a word to the director of the school. But this is already another generation, and if we say that the school of the 50s-60s should be an indisputable gold standard for us, we will destroy the school, the standard, and everything else.

At the same time, I am sure that it would be wrong to consider education reforms, as I have just said, from an exclusively critical point of view. As a result of lengthy reforms that affected all areas and levels of education, the minimum threshold for the USE had to be radically reduced. We now touch on this difficult topic. Regarding the Unified State Exam, I will express my opinion - I have already expressed it many times in different audiences, I consider it important to do this now, without, of course, claiming any special positive marks - it seems to me that a complete rejection of the USE would be a wrong step. I met the USE in Finland about 30 years ago. I had something to do with this country - I managed our parishes there, being the rector of the theological academy in St. Petersburg. And then one day I came to this country on a spring day, and I see how many young people walk around in white caps. They explained to me that they were those who had passed the state exam for high school. I ask: “What gives this status?” - "The title of the student." “Are they already enrolled in universities?” “No, and many won't. But they are already students, they have their own status, recognized by the state.” And they told me about the USE system, and I thought that it is a good thing when there is some kind of directive assessment of a student's knowledge.

But there is something in this good idea that you must certainly pay attention to in order to correct it for the better, because the current state of the Unified State Examination causes great criticism from parents, children, and teachers. The first objection is the test system of answers. There are subjects whose knowledge cannot be assessed in a test manner. Here you can take the rules of the road in a test manner, and in some countries they refused: they offer consideration of certain situations on computers. I handed over in due time on the rights in Switzerland - you put crosses, and all. But people realized that this was not entirely correct, that such an assessment system for a number of subjects was insufficient.

It is no coincidence that in the 1950s and 1960s critical remarks were sometimes made about the film adaptation of classical works. What happens to a person when he reads a classic literary work? And the more talented the author, the more powerfully what I'm about to say affects a person. Everyone who reads fiction creates an artistic image in his mind. And the stronger the writer, the brighter the image in our minds. I do not live in the images that I saw in films based on the novels of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. I have developed my own images, even my own interiors of rooms; how I imagine clothes according to what was written in these texts, how the characters looked. In other words, each of us, reading a literary text, becomes a co-author, for himself - we have already talked about actualization today - personally actualizes the content of a work of art. And this cannot be replaced either by cinema, although it is interesting to observe the skill of the director and actors there, or by the theater, although it is important to see the beauty of everything that the director and actor creates there. Because with reading you are the director yourself, you are the artist yourself, you are the director yourself. It is in this part of the assimilation of a literary text, I think, that its enduring significance for the formation of a personality, for the formation of a person's culture is contained.

The fertile field of Russian literature should not be an arena for ideological battles, for lobbying someone's interests, for inexpedient experiments. This area needs to be cleared of internecine strife, which we inherited from the 90s. We must fully realize that in recent years, decades, mistakes and distortions have been made, of course, but there is no life without mistakes and distortions. It is very dangerous when a mistake is not noticed, when it is hushed up due to political and human factors and enters into the flesh and blood of people's life. That's when this mistake becomes a historical crime. I think that we are all called today - not only society, but also the Government, writers' workshop, readers - to realize that we are at a very important point in our spiritual and cultural development. What will happen to our school, to our literature, to our writers' guild and to our readers depends to a large extent on what kind of development this will be.

Thank you for attention.

― Likhachev D.S. On the art of speech and philology.
― Lotman Yu.M. Culture and information // Lotman Yu.M. Articles on the semiotics of culture and art.