The selfless work that accompanied the playwright throughout his life was marked by brilliant results. It was A.N. Ostrovsky, with his dramatic masterpieces, who completed the creation of the Russian national original theater begun by Fonvizin, Griboyedov and Gogol. The role of Ostrovsky, a leading writer, a luminary of nationally distinctive drama, was recognized by the entire progressive public during his lifetime. Goncharov wrote: “Ostrovsky is undoubtedly the most great talent in modern literature!"...

DEMOCRATIC THEATER OF THE 19TH CENTURY.

Literary criticism and magazine controversy

In the 60s years XIX century, during the rise of social thought, big role acquires periodicals. The leading journals were:

“Contemporary” (N.A. Nekrasov, N.G. Chernyshevsky. N.A. Dobrolyubov);

« Russian word"(D.I. Pisarev);

“Domestic notes (A.A. Kraevsky);

“Library for reading” (A.V. Druzhinin);

“Time”, “Epoch” (F.M. Dostoevsky, A.A. Grigoriev, N.N. Strakhov).

In the second half of the 19th century, literary criticism occupied a strong place in Russian literature. Many talented critics gathered around the Sovremennik magazine. Many critical articles appear on the pages of magazines, polemics are conducted on the most important problems of social and literary life, almost all works of Russian classical literature are actively discussed.

The concept of “ pure art”, which affirmed art for its own sake, regardless of politics, social problems and educational tasks (A.A. Fet, F.I. Tyutchev, A.V. Druzhinin).

Great contribution to the development of Russian literary criticism contributed by V.G. Belinsky, N.A. Dobrolyubov, N.G. Chernyshevsky, D.I. Pisarev, I.A. potters.

2. Realism is the main one artistic method Russian literature second half of the 19th century century

TO mid-19th century century, realism established itself in Russian literature, its founder was A.S. Pushkin.

The main feature of realism is increased attention to social side reality. The main thing in this method is typing. The writer’s task is to extract the typical from reality, to depict typical image hero.

Realism in the second half of the 19th century was called critical realism, because he saw his main task as criticism of reality. The main question Critical realism is a question about the relationship between man and society. To what extent does society influence the fate of the hero? Who is to blame for a person being unhappy? What to do to change a person and the world? These are the main questions of literature of the second half of the 19th century.

LECTURE No. 8.

A.N. OSTROVSKY – CREATOR OF RUSSIAN

DRAMA “THUNDERSTORM”

A.N. Ostrovsky made a huge contribution to the development of Russian theater. His work, continuing the traditions of Fonvizin, Griboyedov, Pushkin, Gogol, is distinguished by innovation and originality.

Ostrovsky brought to the stage a new hero - a merchant, showed the world of a merchant family, hidden behind high fences from the prying eyes of others.

Features of A.N.’s style Ostrovsky:

§ speaking names and last names;

§ originality of names (often from Russian proverbs and sayings);

§ folklore moments;

§ the significance of the hero’s first remark;

§ “prepared appearance”, i.e. the main characters do not appear immediately, others talk about them first;

§ the originality of the characters’ speech.

Ostrovsky was incredibly productive; he wrote 48 works with 547 characters.

Modern theaters They constantly turn to Ostrovsky's plays. The social and moral problems he raised remain relevant to this day.

2. “The Thunderstorm” is the most decisive work

What is the innovation of A.N. Ostrovsky?

The selfless work that accompanied the playwright throughout his life was marked by brilliant results. It was A.N. Ostrovsky, with his dramatic masterpieces, who completed the creation of the Russian national original theater begun by Fonvizin, Griboyedov and Gogol. The role of Ostrovsky, a leading writer, a luminary of nationally distinctive drama, was recognized by the entire progressive public during his lifetime. Goncharov wrote: “Ostrovsky is undoubtedly the greatest talent in modern literature!”

Ostrovsky's innovation was reflected not only in the fact that he sharply turned drama and theater towards life, towards its current social and moral problems, but also in the fact that he wrote his plays in the name of the people and for the people. And the people gratefully accepted his dramaturgy.

Guided by ardently patriotic intentions, Ostrovsky wrote numerous memos to the directorate of the imperial theaters, in which he proposed specific measures to transform the theater, turning it into a school of social morals. These notes were neglected and were not given any follow-up. But Ostrovsky, sparing no effort, continued to defend his ideas.

The theatrical principles of the great playwright were implemented and continued in the system of K. S. Stanislavsky, they received their further development in the Russian theater.

Ostrovsky’s great creative legacy, which had a huge impact on the development of Russian drama and stage, on dramatic and performing arts in general, retains and will for a long time retain the significance of a wonderful, irreplaceable textbook on life, delivering true aesthetic pleasure to readers and viewers. His plays, being among the world's literary and artistic treasures, are increasingly attracting the attention of foreign publishing houses and theaters.

Russian playwright.

A.N. Ostrovsky grew up in Zamoskvorechye - in merchant environment... Later he entered the Faculty of Law at Moscow University, but due to a conflict with one of the professors, he did not complete the course.

From 1843 to 1951 A.N. Ostrovsky served in the Moscow courts, where, thanks to the specifics of these institutions, he observed many conflicts... Almost all biographers of the playwright note that the abundance life examples, met by them both in Zamoskvorechye and in the courts, significantly helped him in creating (and not “inventing from his head”) plays...

Beginning in 1853 and for more than 30 years, the playwright wrote a new play every year. Many of them were first staged at the Moscow Maly Theater.

Self-esteem:“All decent people live either by ideas, or hopes, or, perhaps, dreams; but everyone has some kind of task. My task is to serve Russian dramatic art. Other arts have schools, academies, high patronage, patrons of the arts; for dramatic art the patronage institution should be imperial theater, but he had his appointment long ago Not performs, and Russian dramatic art has only me. I am everything: the academy, the philanthropist, and the defense. In addition, according to their innate abilities I became the head of the performing arts.”

Ostrovsky A.N., Autobiographical note / Complete collection works in 12 volumes, Volume 12, M., “State Publishing House of Fiction”, 1952, p. 246.

« Ostrovsky actually founded the national theater, filled Volkov's form with inexhaustible content, which set a high folk note for all of our stage art. With him light hand long before Stanislavsky heroes appeared on the stage, carrying out a super task: it did not consist at all in showing life as it is, which is what playwrights of meek talent mainly did, but in pointing out what life is, man, and what is a direct outrage against life and man. In this sense, Ostrovsky's plays completely eclipsed the Russian versions of the vulgarities of Pixerecourt and Kotzebue, as well as the toothless satirical and stupidly democratic opuses of his contemporaries. Finally, to the truly enormous merit Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky before domestic dramaturgy should be attributed the creation of a qualitatively new image - the image of a complex, contradictory, angular person, that is, a person himself. Russian dramatic hero was previously either one-dimensional - if he was a fool, then he was a fool in all respects, or consisted of two balanced halves, for example: a rogue, but a joker and generally a nice fellow; or a tyrant, but due to his official position; or a bribe-taker, but with greyhound puppies. And only in Ostrovsky’s plays do figures appear who act subject not to the conditions of the game, but to the conditions of life in its artistic refraction, like, say, Sergei Sergeevich Paratov from “The Dowry.” Paratov the aristocrat, Paratov the cunning, Paratov the brute, Paratov the scoundrel, Paratov the unhappy man, Paratov the victim..."

Pietsukh V.A., Talents and fans / Cycles. Stories, M., “Culture”, 1991, p. 185.

« Ostrovsky influenced by critical articles Dobrolyubova began to look at himself as a whistleblower of the merchant " dark kingdom" In his first works, he was a more objective artist, leaning towards populist sympathies (“Don’t get into your own sleigh”, “Poverty is not a vice” and especially the drama “Don’t live the way you want”). And later - in a whole series of comedies - he only laughed at his merchants and merchantwomen and rarely went deeper. That's why it didn't capture at all latest development our bourgeois world, when it was in Moscow that the merchant class began to play a more prominent social role.

If by the 80s he had wanted to give us pictures of this very bourgeoisie, he could have done it. […]

Perhaps, of our first-class writers, Ostrovsky remained the brightest, the most exceptional writer of everyday life in his mental make-up, although he had a university education, was well-read on Russian history, and even in his old age learned enough Spanish to translate plays. Cervantes».

Boborykin P.D., Memoirs in 2 volumes, Volume 1, M, " Fiction", 1965, p. 295-296.

“A rare case: Ostrovsky performs with public speech. It was prepared by him carefully, written, he reads it from the paper. Here are his convictions, important thoughts that he considered worthy of publication - and therefore sifted through a tough sieve. Not a word about genius, about gift, about miracle - about mind, only about mind . “The first merit of a great poet is that through him everything that can become smarter becomes smarter...(...) ...the poet gives the very formulas of thoughts and feelings. The rich results of the most perfect mental laboratory are made common property... (...) Pushkin admired and wiser... (...) Our literature owes its mental growth to him... (...) ...we can only wish that Russia would produce more talent, to wish the Russian mind more development and space... »

Ostrovsky makes a distinction between the creative mind and the ordinary mind: the creative mind discovers and offers truths, the ordinary mind assimilates, “and not all of a sudden.” Therefore, the creative mind is synonymous with talent and genius, according to Ostrovsky. ( Distinctive feature creative mind- offer truths. Means, Shchedrin, offering truths, the creative mind is talent, and Ostrovsky seems to consider further fragmentation of the analysis of a person’s creative and artistic abilities to be unnecessary.)

Ostrovsky’s creative mind was expressed not only in creativity and in a smart, reasonable attitude towards own life- his ordinary everyday judgments are smart and accurate, even notes for himself. For example, I really like one of Ostrovsky’s judgments regarding “art for art’s sake”: “The processes of generalization and abstraction are not immediately given to the brain: they must be prepared. The generalizations presented by art are more easily perceived and comprehended and, by practicing the mind, prepare it for scientific discoveries. (...)The higher, more detached, and general the art, the more it practices the brain. Thus, “art for art’s sake,” despite all its apparent uselessness, brings enormous benefits to the development of the nation.”

I have never seen such a judgment anywhere else, either in the 19th century or later. “Art for art’s sake” is usually defended with the help of concepts of freedom of creative will, the artist’s right to self-expression, and the inadmissibility of utilitarian criteria in evaluating works of art. That it “practices the brain of the nation” (also an amazing concept!) and, therefore, is useful - I don’t remember such an opinion and I don’t undertake to refute it: it seems to be true. Note that Ostrovsky writes for himself, for “his own use,” but in such an elastic, aphoristic way, with Pushkin’s clarity and precision; apparently studied his critical style carefully. (In vain I was perplexed P. Boborykin about the fact that it is unclear under what aesthetic influences the playwright developed. Pushkin's influence obviously.)".

Moskvina T.V. , In disputes about Russia: A.N. Ostrovsky: articles, research, St. Petersburg, Limbus Press, 2010, p. 24-25.