Introduction

A new type of realism emerged in the 19th century. This is critical realism. It differs significantly from the Renaissance and from the Enlightenment. Its flourishing in the West is associated with the names of Stendhal and Balzac in France, Dickens, Thackeray in England, and in Russia - A. Pushkin, N. Gogol, I. Turgenev, F. Dostoevsky, L. Tolstoy, A. Chekhov.

Critical realism portrays in a new way the relationship between man and environment. Human character is revealed in organic connection with social circumstances. The subject of deep social analysis was inner world human, critical realism simultaneously becomes psychological.

Development of Russian realism

Feature historical aspect development of Russia in the mid-19th century is the situation after the Decembrist uprising, as well as the emergence of secret societies and circles, the appearance of works by A.I. Herzen, a circle of Petrashevites. This time is characterized by the beginning of the raznochinsky movement in Russia, as well as the acceleration of the process of formation of the world artistic culture, including Russian ones. realism Russian creativity social

Creativity of realist writers

IN Russia XIX century is a period of exceptional strength and scope of development of realism. In the second half of the century, the artistic achievements of realism brought Russian literature to the international arena and won it worldwide recognition. The richness and diversity of Russian realism allow us to talk about its different forms.

Its formation is associated with the name of Pushkin, who led Russian literature onto the broad path of depicting “the fate of the people, the fate of man.” In the conditions of the accelerated development of Russian literature, Pushkin seems to be making up for its previous lag, paving new paths in almost all genres and, with his universality and his optimism, turning out to be akin to the talents of the Renaissance.

Griboedov and Pushkin, and after them Lermontov and Gogol, comprehensively reflected the life of the Russian people in their works.

Writers of the new movement are united by the fact that for them there are no high or low objects for life. Everything that is encountered in reality becomes the subject of their depiction. Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol populated their works with heroes of “lower, middle, and upper classes.” They truly revealed their inner world.

Writers of the realistic school saw in life and showed in their works that “a person living in society depends on it both in the way he thinks and in the way he acts.”

Unlike the romantics, realistic writers show character literary hero not only as an individual phenomenon, but also as a result of certain, historically established social relations. Therefore, the character of the hero of a realistic work is always historical.

A special place in the history of Russian realism belongs to L. Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. It was thanks to them that the Russian realistic novel acquired global significance. Their psychological mastery, penetration into the “dialectic” of the soul opened the way for the artistic quest of writers of the 20th century. Realism in the 20th century throughout the world bears the imprint of the aesthetic discoveries of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. It is important to emphasize that Russian realism of the 19th century did not develop in isolation from the world historical and literary process.

The revolutionary liberation movement played a major role in the realistic understanding of social reality. Until the first powerful uprisings of the working class, the essence of bourgeois society and its class structure remained largely mysterious. The revolutionary struggle of the proletariat made it possible to remove the seal of mystery from the capitalist system and expose its contradictions. Therefore, it is quite natural that it was in the 30-40s of the 19th century that realism in literature and art was established in Western Europe. Exposing the vices of serfdom and bourgeois society, the realist writer finds beauty in objective reality itself. His positive hero not elevated above life (Bazarov in Turgenev, Kirsanov, Lopukhov in Chernyshevsky, etc.). As a rule, it reflects the aspirations and interests of the people, the views of the advanced circles of the bourgeois and noble intelligentsia. Realistic art bridges the gap between ideal and reality, characteristic of romanticism. Of course, in the works of some realists there are vague romantic illusions where we are talking about the embodiment of the future (“The Dream of a Funny Man” by Dostoevsky, “What to Do?” Chernyshevsky...), and in this case we can rightfully talk about the presence in their work romantic tendencies. Critical realism in Russia was a consequence of the rapprochement of literature and art with life.

Critical realism took a step forward along the path of democratization of literature also in comparison with the work of the enlighteners of the 18th century. He took a much broader view of his contemporary reality. Feudal modernity entered the works of critical realists not only as the arbitrariness of serf owners, but also as the tragic situation of the masses - the serf peasantry, the dispossessed urban people.

Russian realists of the mid-19th century depicted society in contradictions and conflicts, which reflected the real movement of history and revealed the struggle of ideas. As a result, reality appeared in their work as an “ordinary flow,” as a self-propelled reality. Realism reveals its true essence only if art is considered by writers as a reflection of reality. In this case, the natural criteria of realism are depth, truth, objectivity in revealing the internal connections of life, typical characters acting in typical circumstances, and the necessary determinants of realistic creativity are historicism, the nationality of the artist’s thinking. Realism is characterized by the image of a person in unity with his environment, the social and historical concreteness of the image, conflict, plot, and the widespread use of such genre structures as the novel, drama, story, story.

Critical realism was marked by an unprecedented spread of epic and drama, which noticeably replaced poetry. Among the epic genres, the novel gained the greatest popularity. The reason for its success is mainly that it allows the realist writer to most fully implement the analytical function of art, to expose the causes of social evil.

At the origins of Russian realism of the 19th century is Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. In his lyrics one can see a contemporary public life with its social contrasts, ideological quests, the struggle of progressive people against political and serfdom. The poet's humanism and nationality, along with his historicism, are the most important determinants of his realistic thinking.

Pushkin’s transition from romanticism to realism was manifested in “Boris Godunov” mainly in a specific interpretation of the conflict, in recognition of the decisive role of the people in history. The tragedy is imbued with deep historicism.

The further development of realism in Russian literature is associated primarily with the name of N.V. Gogol. The pinnacle of his realistic work is “Dead Souls”. Gogol watched with alarm as he disappeared into modern society Everything that is truly human, just as man is diminished and vulgarized. Seeing art as an active force for social development, Gogol cannot imagine creativity that is not illuminated by the light of a high aesthetic ideal.

The continuation of Pushkin and Gogol traditions was the work of I.S. Turgenev. Turgenev gained popularity after the publication of “Notes of a Hunter.” Turgenev’s achievements in the genre of the novel are enormous (“Rudin”, “ Noble Nest", "The Eve", "Fathers and Sons"). In this area, his realism acquired new features.

Turgenev's realism was expressed most clearly in the novel Fathers and Sons. His realism is complex. It shows the historical concreteness of the conflict, reflections of the real movement of life, the truthfulness of the details, “ eternal questions"the existence of love, old age, death - objectivity of the image and tendentiousness, lyricism penetrating the soul.

Democratic writers (I.A. Nekrasov, N.G. Chernyshevsky, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, etc.) brought a lot of new things into realistic art. Their realism was called sociological. What it has in common is the denial of the existing serfdom, showing its historical doom. Hence the sharpness of social criticism and the depth of artistic exploration of reality.

Realism is a trend in literature and art that truthfully and realistically reflects the typical features of reality, in which there are no various distortions and exaggerations. This direction followed romanticism, and was the predecessor of symbolism.

This trend originated in the 30s of the 19th century and reached its peak in the middle of it. His followers sharply denied the use in literary works any sophisticated techniques, mystical trends and idealization of characters. The main feature of this direction in literature is the artistic representation of real life with the help of ordinary and familiar images to readers, which for them are part of their everyday life (relatives, neighbors or acquaintances).

(Alexey Yakovlevich Voloskov "At the tea table")

The works of realist writers are distinguished by a life-affirming beginning, even if their plot is characterized by a tragic conflict. One of the main features of this genre is the authors’ attempt to consider the surrounding reality in its development, to discover and describe new psychological, public and social relationships.

Having replaced romanticism, realism has characteristic features art, striving to find truth and justice, wanting to change the world for the better. The main characters in the works of realist authors make their discoveries and conclusions after much thought and deep introspection.

(Zhuravlev Firs Sergeevich "Before the Crown")

Critical realism developed almost simultaneously in Russia and Europe (approximately 30-40s of the 19th century) and soon emerged as the leading trend in literature and art throughout the world.

In France literary realism, first of all, is associated with the names of Balzac and Stendhal, in Russia with Pushkin and Gogol, in Germany with the names of Heine and Buchner. They all experience in their literary creativity the inevitable influence of romanticism, but gradually move away from it, abandon the idealization of reality and move on to depicting a broader social background, where the life of the main characters takes place.

Realism in Russian literature of the 19th century

The main founder of Russian realism in the 19th century is Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. In his works " Captain's daughter", "Eugene Onegin", "Belkin's Stories", "Boris Godunov", "The Bronze Horseman" he subtly captures and skillfully conveys the very essence of all important events in the life of Russian society, presented by his talented pen in all its diversity, colorfulness and inconsistency. Following Pushkin, many writers of that time came to the genre of realism, deepening the analysis of the emotional experiences of their heroes and depicting their complex inner world (“Hero of Our Time” by Lermontov, “The Inspector General” and “ Dead Souls"Gogol).

(Pavel Fedotov "The Picky Bride")

The tense socio-political situation in Russia during the reign of Nicholas I aroused a keen interest in the life and fate of the common people among progressive public figures that time. This is noted in the later works of Pushkin, Lermontov and Gogol, as well as in the poetic lines of Alexei Koltsov and the works of the authors of the so-called “natural school”: I.S. Turgenev (cycle of stories “Notes of a Hunter”, stories “Fathers and Sons”, “Rudin”, “Asya”), F.M. Dostoevsky (“Poor People”, “Crime and Punishment”), A.I. Herzen (“The Thieving Magpie”, “Who is to Blame?”), I.A. Goncharova (“ An ordinary story", "Oblomov"), A.S. Griboyedov “Woe from Wit”, L.N. Tolstoy (“War and Peace”, “Anna Karenina”), A.P. Chekhov (stories and plays “ The Cherry Orchard", "Three Sisters", "Uncle Vanya").

Literary realism of the second half of the 19th century was called critical; the main task of his works was to highlight existing problems and address issues of interaction between man and the society in which he lives.

Realism in Russian literature of the 20th century

(Nikolai Petrovich Bogdanov-Belsky "Evening")

The turning point in the fate of Russian realism was the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when this direction was experiencing a crisis and a new phenomenon in culture loudly declared itself - symbolism. Then a new updated aesthetics of Russian realism arose, in which History itself and its global processes were now considered the main environment shaping a person’s personality. The realism of the early 20th century revealed the complexity of the formation of a person’s personality, it was formed under the influence of not only social factors, history itself acted as the creator of typical circumstances, under the aggressive influence of which the main character fell.

(Boris Kustodiev "Portrait of D.F. Bogoslovsky")

There are four main trends in realism of the early twentieth century:

Critical: continues the traditions of classical realism of the mid-19th century. The works place emphasis on the social nature of phenomena (the works of A.P. Chekhov and L.N. Tolstoy);
Socialist: displaying the historical and revolutionary development of real life, analyzing conflicts in conditions of class struggle, revealing the essence of the characters of the main characters and their actions committed for the benefit of others. (M. Gorky “Mother”, “The Life of Klim Samgin”, most works by Soviet authors).
Mythological: display and rethinking of real life events through the prism of plots of famous myths and legends (L.N. Andreev “Judas Iscariot”);
Naturalism: an extremely truthful, often unsightly, detailed depiction of reality (A.I. Kuprin “The Pit”, V.V. Veresaev “A Doctor’s Notes”).

Realism in foreign literature of the 19th-20th centuries

The initial stage of the formation of critical realism in European countries in the mid-19th century is associated with the works of Balzac, Stendhal, Beranger, Flaubert, and Maupassant. Merimee in France, Dickens, Thackeray, Bronte, Gaskell - England, the poetry of Heine and other revolutionary poets - Germany. In these countries, in the 30s of the 19th century, tension was growing between two irreconcilable class enemies: the bourgeoisie and the labor movement, a period of growth was observed in various spheres of bourgeois culture, and a number of discoveries were taking place in natural science and biology. In countries where a pre-revolutionary situation developed (France, Germany, Hungary), the doctrine of the scientific socialism of Marx and Engels arose and developed.

(Julien Dupre "Return from the Fields")

As a result of complex creative and theoretical polemics with the followers of romanticism, critical realists took for themselves the best progressive ideas and traditions: interesting historical topics, democracy, trends folklore, progressive critical pathos and humanistic ideals.

Realism of the early twentieth century, which survived the struggle of the best representatives of the “classics” of critical realism (Flaubert, Maupassant, France, Shaw, Rolland) with the trends of new non-realistic trends in literature and art (decadence, impressionism, naturalism, aestheticism, etc.) is acquiring new character traits. He turns to social phenomena real life, describes social motivation human character, reveals the psychology of personality, the fate of art. Modeling basis artistic reality philosophical ideas are laid down, the author's focus is primarily on the intellectually active perception of the work when reading it, and then on the emotional one. A classic example of an intellectual realistic novel is the works German writer Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain" and "Confession of the Adventurer Felix Krull", dramaturgy by Bertolt Brecht.

(Robert Kohler "Strike")

In the works of realist authors of the twentieth century, the dramatic line intensifies and deepens, there is more tragedy (the work of the American writer Scott Fitzgerald “The Great Gatsby”, “Tender is the Night”), and a special interest in the inner world of man appears. Attempts to depict the conscious and unconscious moments of a person’s life lead to the emergence of a new literary device, close to modernism called “stream of consciousness” (works by Anna Segers, W. Keppen, Yu. O’Neill). Naturalistic elements appear in the work of American realist writers such as Theodore Dreiser and John Steinbeck.

Realism of the 20th century has a bright, life-affirming coloring, faith in man and his strength, this is noticeable in the works of American realist writers William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Jack London, Mark Twain. The works of Romain Rolland, John Galsworthy, Bernard Shaw, and Erich Maria Remarque were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Realism continues to exist as a direction in modern literature and is one of the most important forms of democratic culture.

Realism in literature is a direction whose main feature is a truthful depiction of reality and its typical features without any distortion or exaggeration. This originated in the 19th century, and its adherents sharply opposed sophisticated forms of poetry and the use of various mystical concepts in works.

Signs directions

Realism in 19th-century literature can be distinguished by clear characteristics. The main one is artistic image reality in images familiar to the average person, which he regularly encounters in real life. Reality in the works is considered as a means for a person to understand the world around him and himself, and the image of each literary character is worked out in such a way that the reader can recognize himself, a relative, colleague or acquaintance in it.

In the novels and stories of realists, art remains life-affirming, even if the plot is characterized by a tragic conflict. Another feature of this genre is the desire of writers to consider the surrounding reality in its development, and each writer tries to discover the emergence of new psychological, public and social relations.

Features of this literary movement

Realism in literature, which replaced romanticism, has the signs of art that seeks and finds truth, striving to transform reality.

In the works of realist writers, discoveries were made after much thought and dreaming, after analyzing subjective worldviews. This feature, which can be distinguished by the author’s perception of time, determined the distinctive features realistic literature beginning of the twentieth century from traditional Russian classics.

Realism inXIX century

Such representatives of realism in literature as Balzac and Stendhal, Thackeray and Dickens, George Sand and Victor Hugo, in their works most clearly reveal the themes of good and evil, and avoid abstract concepts and show real life of their contemporaries. These writers make it clear to readers that evil lies in the lifestyle of bourgeois society, capitalist reality, and people’s dependence on various material values. For example, in Dickens's novel Dombey and Son, the owner of the company was heartless and callous not by nature. It’s just that he developed such character traits due to the presence big money and the ambition of the owner, for whom profit becomes the main achievement in life.

Realism in literature is devoid of humor and sarcasm, and the images of the characters are no longer the ideal of the writer himself and do not embody his cherished dreams. From the works of the 19th century, the hero practically disappears, in whose image the author’s ideas are visible. This situation is especially clearly visible in the works of Gogol and Chekhov.

However, this is most clearly literary direction manifests itself in the works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, who describe the world as they see it. This was expressed in the image of characters with their own strengths and weaknesses, the description of mental torment, a reminder to readers of the harsh reality that cannot be changed by one person.

As a rule, realism in literature also affected the fate of representatives of the Russian nobility, as can be judged from the works of I. A. Goncharov. Thus, the characters of the heroes in his works remain contradictory. Oblomov is a sincere and gentle person, but due to his passivity he is not capable of better things. Another character in Russian literature has similar qualities - the weak-willed but gifted Boris Raisky. Goncharov managed to create the image of an “anti-hero” typical of the 19th century, which was noticed by critics. As a result, the concept of “Oblomovism” appeared, referring to all passive characters whose main features were laziness and lack of will.

Presentation on the topic "Realism as a movement in literature and art" on literature in powerpoint format. A voluminous presentation for schoolchildren contains information about the principles, features, forms, and stages of development of realism as a literary movement.

Fragments from the presentation

Literary methods, directions, trends

Artistic method- this is the principle of selection of phenomena of reality, the features of their assessment and the originality of their artistic embodiment.
Literary direction- this is a method that becomes dominant and acquires more specific features associated with the characteristics of the era and trends in culture.
Literary movement- manifestation of ideological and thematic unity, homogeneity of plots, characters, language in the works of several writers of the same era.
Literary methods, directions and movements: classicism, sentimentalism, romanticism, realism, modernism (symbolism, acmeism, futurism)

Realism- a direction of literature and art that arose in the 18th century, reached its full development and flowering in the critical realism of the 19th century and continues to develop in struggle and interaction with other directions in the 20th century (up to the present).
Realism- a truthful, objective reflection of reality using specific means inherent in a particular type of artistic creativity.

Principles of realism

Typification of the facts of reality, i.e., according to Engels, “in addition to the truthfulness of details, the truthful reproduction of typical characters in typical circumstances.”
Showing life in development and contradictions, which are primarily of a social nature.
The desire to reveal the essence life phenomena without limiting topics and plots.
Aspiration towards moral quest and educational influence.

The most prominent representatives of realism in Russian literature:

A.N. Ostrovsky, I.S. Turgenev, I.A. Goncharov, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, L.N. Tolstoy, F.M. Dostoevsky, A.P. Chekhov, M. Gorky, I. Bunin, V. Mayakovsky, M. Bulgakov, M. Sholokhov, S. Yesenin, A. I. Solzhenitsyn and others.

Main property– through typification, reflect life in images that correspond to the essence of the phenomena of life itself.
Leading criterion of artistry– fidelity to reality; the desire for immediate authenticity of the image, the “recreation” of life “in the forms of life itself.” The artist’s right to illuminate all aspects of life without any restrictions is recognized. Wide variety of art forms.
The task of the realist writer– try not only to grasp life in all its manifestations, but also to understand it, to understand the laws by which it moves and which do not always come out; through the play of chance, one must achieve types - and with all this, always remain faithful to the truth, not be content with superficial study, and shun effects and falsehood.

Features of realism

The desire for a broad coverage of reality in its contradictions, deep patterns and development;
Gravity towards the image of a person in his interaction with the environment:

the inner world of the characters, their behavior bear the signs of the times;
much attention is paid to the social and everyday background of the time;

Versatility in depicting a person;
Social and psychological determinism;
Historical point of view on life.

Forms of realism

educational realism
critical realism
socialist realism

Stages of development

Enlightenment realism(D.I. Fonvizin, N.I. Novikov, A.N. Radishchev, young I.A. Krylov); “syncretistic” realism: a combination of realistic and romantic motifs, with the dominance of the realistic (A.S. Griboyedov, A.S. Pushkin, M.Yu. Lermontov);
Critical realism– accusatory orientation of the works; a decisive break with the romantic tradition (I.A. Goncharov, I.S. Turgenev, N.A. Nekrasov, A.N. Ostrovsky);
Socialist realism- imbued with revolutionary reality and a feeling of socialist transformation of the world (M. Gorky).

Realism in Russia

Appeared in the 19th century. Rapid development and special dynamism.

Features of Russian realism:

Active development of socio-psychological, philosophical and moral issues;
Pronounced life-affirming character;
Special dynamism;
Syntheticity (closer connection with previous literary eras and directions: enlightenment, sentimentalism, romanticism).

18th century realism

imbued with the spirit of educational ideology;
affirmed primarily in prose;
the novel becomes the defining genre of literature;
behind the novel a bourgeois or bourgeois drama arises;
recreated the everyday life of modern society;
reflected his social and moral conflicts;
the depiction of characters in it was straightforward and subject to moral criteria that sharply distinguished between virtue and vice (only in certain works did the depiction of personality differ in complexity and dialectical inconsistency (Fielding, Stern, Diderot).

Critical realism

Critical realism- a movement that arose in Germany at the end of the 19th century (E. Becher, G. Driesch, A. Wenzl, etc.) and specialized in the theological interpretation of modern natural science (attempts to reconcile knowledge with faith and prove the “failure” and “limitations” of science) .

Principles of Critical Realism

critical realism portrays the human-environment relationship in a new way
human character is revealed in organic connection with social circumstances
The subject of deep social analysis has become the inner world of man (critical realism therefore simultaneously becomes psychological)

Socialist realism

Socialist realism- one of the most important artistic movements in the art of the 20th century; a special artistic method (type of thinking) based on knowledge and understanding of the vital reality of the era, which was understood as dynamically changing in its “revolutionary development”.

Principles of socialist realism

Nationality. The heroes of the works must come from the people. As a rule, the heroes of socialist realist works were workers and peasants.
Party affiliation. Reject the truth empirically found by the author and replace it with party truth; show heroic deeds, the search for a new life, the revolutionary struggle for a bright future.
Specificity. Show the process in reality historical development, which in turn must correspond to the doctrine of historical materialism (matter is primary, consciousness is secondary).

Realism as a movement was a response not only to the Age of Enlightenment (), with its hopes for human Reason, but also to romantic indignation at man and society. The world turned out to be not the same as the classicists portrayed it.

It was necessary not only to enlighten the world, not only to show its high ideals, but also to understand reality.

The response to this request was the realistic movement that arose in Europe and Russia in the 30s of the 19th century.

Realism is understood as a truthful attitude to reality in a work of art of one or another. historical period. In this sense, its features can be found literary texts the Renaissance or Enlightenment. But as a literary movement, Russian realism became leading precisely in the second third of the 19th century.

Main features of realism

Its main features include:

objectivism in depicting life

(this does not mean that the text is a “slip” from reality. This is the author’s vision of the reality that it describes)

author's moral ideal

typical characters with undoubted individuality of the heroes

(such, for example, are the heroes of Pushkin’s “Onegin” or Gogol’s landowners)

typical situations and conflicts

(the most common are conflict extra person and society, little man and society, etc.)

(for example, circumstances of upbringing, etc.)

attention to the psychological authenticity of characters

(psychological characteristics of heroes or)

ordinary and everyday life heroes

(the hero is not an outstanding personality, as in romanticism, but one who is recognizable to readers as, for example, their contemporary)

attention to precision and accuracy of detail

(you can study the era based on the details in “Eugene Onegin”)

ambiguity author's attitude to the heroes

(there is no division into positive and negative characters - for example, attitude towards Pechorin)

importance social problems: society and personality, the role of personality in history, " small man"and society, etc.

(for example, in the novel “Resurrection” by Leo Tolstoy)

tongue approach work of art to live speech

the possibility of using a symbol, myth, grotesque, etc. as a means of revealing character

(when creating the image of Napoleon in Tolstoy or the images of landowners and officials in Gogol).
Our short video presentation on the topic

Main genres of realism

story,
story,
novel.

However, the boundaries between them are gradually blurring.

According to scientists, the first realistic novel in Russia was Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin.

This literary movement flourished in Russia throughout the second half of the 19th century. The works of writers of this era have entered the treasury of world artistic culture.

From the point of view of I. Brodsky, this became possible thanks to the height of the achievements of Russian poetry of the previous period.

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