Creativity D.I.Fonvizin

1. Biography and personality of the writer.

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

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

4. Fonvizin is a publicist.

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

Literature

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was a famous writer

Famous Russian merry fellow,

Laurels entwined mocker

Denis, the scourge and fear of the ignorant.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comedy genre in research literature is not defined unambiguously: it is called both popular, and political, and high.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3) consisted of five actions;

4) demonstrated the rule of three unities.

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

1) there was a mixture of serious and comic;

2) a description of everyday life has been introduced;

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

4) the climax is assigned to the fourth act;

5) the comedy is written in prose.

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

In the 1980s, D.I. Russian writers, "The Narrative of the Imaginary Deaf and Mute"); participated in the compilation of the "Dictionary of the Russian language" (he compiled dictionary entries for the letters "K" and "L"); translated Zimmermann's book "Discourses on National Piety", Schubart's fable "The Treasurer's Fox", wrote the story "Callisthenes", attempted to publish a new magazine "A Friend of Honest People, or Starodum" and even prepared for some original materials, unfortunately, the magazine was prohibited by censorship; compiled the “Court Grammar”, performed in the genre of confession (“Frank confession in my deeds and deeds”), two of the four books were completed.

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

1. The beginning of the journey: Fonvizin is a fable.
2. Comedy "Foreman"
3. "Undergrowth" as a satire of its time.
4. Innovation of the writer.

D. I. Fonvizin is a writer in many respects significant for the literature of the 1760s - 1780s. The originality and difference of Fonvizin's work is determined primarily by the fact that the writer stands at the origins of a new stage in the development of Russian satire.

The activity of Fonvizin as a literary critic began with the translation of the fables of the then famous Danish poet Golberg. Later, he himself began to write still largely "raw", but interesting for his time, fables and parables. However, being already known as a translator, Fonvizin more than once found himself in an awkward position - most of the fables he created were considered either elegantly executed transcriptions of foreign works into Russian, or outright plagiarism. Nevertheless, several fables are still known as the true work of Fonvizin and are of particular interest for revealing the initial stages of the master's creative path. These are the political fable "The Fox Treasurer" and the satire "Message to my servants, Shumilov, Vanka and Petrushka", written in 1760.

The first named work was written shortly after the death of Empress Elizabeth and became an angry response to the church ceremony associated with her funeral. The writer ridiculed in his work the sycophancy and sycophancy of the courtiers and revealed to the reader the true essence of the deeds of the highest of this world. The emperor "King-Lion" is depicted as a "dreadful cattle", and his kingdom and leadership of the people are based on oppression and violence:

In his reign, favorites and nobles
They ripped off innocent skins from animals without ranks.

The second work presents the reader with a conversation between the author and his servants. To the question: “For what was this light created? - the author could not get a clear answer. Shumilov believes that there is no point in the question, that the lot of a serf is eternal slavery and humiliation of a servant; he is simply not ready to express his thoughts, which most likely do not exist at all. Vanka expresses his opinion that "the world around here" is bad, and talking about it is a trifle, a worthless conversation. Petrushka, a lackey, also cannot answer the question, but proudly declares his intention to live his pleasure in this world. It becomes obvious to everyone that there is no higher divine plan, and that society and the division into estates are at least unreasonable. The first major satirical work of the writer was the comedy "The Brigadier", written in 1763. In the comedy, the plot, common in the 18th century, was brilliantly beaten, while the hackneyed comedy theme received a new understanding and became almost an innovation in the theatrical tradition. Parents seek to profitably marry children who have long given their hearts to others. Two families - the Counselor and the Brigadier - decide to arrange the marriage of the brigadier's son Ivan and the adviser's daughter Sophia. At the same time, Fonvizin “twirls” the affair that had begun to develop according to the standard in a completely different direction: the brigadier’s son begins to go after the Counselor, while the brigadier is ready to move his son in the battle for the beautiful lady. The Counselor starts hunting for the Brigadier, and the prudent Sophia is left alone, with the choice of her heart. Such clashes of feelings and intrigues are introduced by Fonvizin into the text not by chance. Thus, the author manages to demonstrate all the absurdity and vulgarity of the behavior of feudal lords and gallomaniac dandies. With regard to the genre, Brigadier is an unusual comedy for Russian literature. This is one of the first "comedy of manners" in the history of Russian satire and dramaturgy. The process of formation of this kind of characters has not yet been shown by the author, but the explanation of the behavior and impulses of each of the characters is already present in the text of the comedy. A lot of innovative techniques - self-disclosure, outright buffoonery, grotesque - make the comedy understandable and funny even for a modern reader.

Fonvizin's next work is Undergrowth, a comedy written in 1781. It is the most important stage in the life and work of the writer. This work became a program and was highest point development of domestic satire of the XVIII century.

The main task that the author set for himself was to expose the rotten mores of that time, the formation of which is due to the established tradition of relationships between people within a notorious and conserved society.

The main theme of the comedy is the malevolence of the feudal lords, which Fonvizin presents as the most terrible social evil. The main conflict of the era - landlord arbitrariness and lack of rights of serfs - is the leitmotif of the entire work. The main subject of the image, therefore, is not the nobility in itself, but the nobility, shown in close interaction with the serfs.

The problem of comedy is the decay of the nobility as the main ruling class of the country. The author presents the viewer with an unusual, but easily imagined world even for a modern reader, where some people own others. The ruling figure of this world is Mrs. Prostakova - "despicable fury" and "inhuman lady." The sovereign mistress of this world, Prostakova subjugates both the serf slaves (the old woman Yeremeevna, Trishka, the girl Palashka), and relatives and friends of people in whom she cannot find either support or support.

The author seeks to discover two problems of contemporary society. The fact is that the servility of the serfdom not only kills everything human in the serfs, making them a soulless and meek herd, but also corrupts the serfs themselves, makes them drunk on power over people, and with each new obscene deed pushes down the inclined plane lower and lower.

For the first time in Russian dramaturgy, Fonvizin not only qualitatively and completely gave a possible solution to the social issue, but also fully and voluminously described goodies. Before that, only evil turned out to be visible and weighty, while positive characters were perceived differently - their speeches and actions seemed too straightforward and feigned. Fonvizin and goodies got the right to life. They felt, spoke, and acted like living heroes, not like machines programmed for goodness.

It is difficult to create a work that would become relevant not only for the modern reader, but also for the coming generation. One hot topic is not enough, it also requires a remarkable talent for writing, combined with a pure and clear thought. However, the talent is not so simple thing. Even natural talent requires constant development, polishing.

Fonvizin went through a difficult creative path. Starting with rather “raw” and gray works, he was able to hone his writing talent to such an extent that he became not only an outstanding writer of his time, but also an innovative author who opened the doors to a new stage of development for all Russian literature.

3. Stylistic resources of the syntax of the modern Russian language (a simple sentence).

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1. Dramaturgy D.I. Fonvizin.

Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin (1744-1792), entered the history of national literature as the author of the famous comedy "Undergrowth". But he was also a talented prose writer. The gift of a satirist was combined in him with the temperament of a born publicist. The unsurpassed artistic skill of Fonvizin was noted at the time by Pushkin.

F. began his journey as a writer with translations. IN 1761 The printing house of Moscow University published a book entitled "Fables moralizing with the explanations of Mr. Baron Golberg, translated by Denis Fonvizin." The translation of the book to the young man was ordered by the bookseller of the university bookstore. The works of Ludwig Golberg, the greatest Danish writer of the 18th century, were widely popular in Europe, especially his comedies and satirical pamphlets. The influence of one of Golberg's comedies, "Jean-Frenchman", which ridiculed gallomania, will be reflected in its own way on the plan of Fonvizin's comedy "The Brigadier", which he will write in 1768-1769. The translation of Golberg's book of fables was the first school of educational humanism for the young Fonvizin, instilling in the soul of the future writer an interest in social satire.

1762 - a turning point in the fate of Fonvizin. In the spring, he was enrolled as a student, but he did not have to study at the university. In September, the empress arrived in Moscow for the coronation along with the whole court and ministers. Just at that moment, young translators were required for a foreign collegium. Seventeen-year-old Fonvizin receives a flattering offer from Vice-Chancellor Prince A. M. Golitsyn to enter the service and then, in October 1762, submits a petition addressed to Catherine II.

The Petersburg period of Fonvizin's life began. Fulfillment of assignments for translations, maintenance of official correspondence alternate with obligatory attendance at official receptions at the court (kurtags), masquerades, theaters. Despite the workload in the service, Fonvizin is keenly interested in modern. liter swarm. He often visits the well-known literary salon of the Myatlevs in St. Petersburg, where he meets with A. P. Sumarokov, M. M. Kheraskov, V. I. Maikov, I. F. Bogdanovich, I. S. Barkov and others. Even earlier, Fonvizin met the founder of the Russian theater F. Volkov. Communication with the theatrical circles of the capital contributes to the rapprochement of Fonvizin with the first actor of the court theater I. A. Dmitrevsky, friendship with whom he did not interrupt until the end of his life. It was Dmitrevsky who was the first performer of the role of Starodum in the production of "Undergrowth" in 1782.

1st major lit. Fonvizin's success was brought by his comedy "The Brigadier". Fonvizin's appeal to dramaturgy was facilitated not only by a passionate love for the theater, but also by some circumstances of a service nature. Back in 1763, he was assigned to serve as secretary to the state adviser I. P. Elagine. This nobleman, who was in the palace office "at the reception of petitions", was at the same time the manager of the "court music and theater". In the literary circles of St. Petersburg, he was known as a poet and translator. By the mid-1760s, a circle of young theater lovers rallied around Yelagin, which included Fonvizin. Members of the circle are seriously thinking about updating the national comedy repertoire. Before that, Russian comedies were written by one Sumarokov, but they were also imitative. In his plays, the characters had foreign names, the intrigue was led by the ubiquitous servants who ridiculed the masters and arranged their personal happiness. Life on stage proceeded according to some incomprehensible canons alien to Russian people. All this, according to young authors, limited the educational functions of the theater, which they put at the forefront. theatrical art. As the theorist of the Elagin circle V. I. Lukin wrote, “many viewers do not receive any correction from comedies in other people's manners. They think that it is not them, but strangers who are ridiculed.” In an effort to bring the theater as close as possible to the needs of Russian social life, Lukin proposed a compromise path. The essence of his reform was to incline foreign comedies in every possible way to our customs. Such a "declination" of other people's plays meant replacing the foreign names of the characters with Russian names, transferring the action to an environment corresponding to national customs and customs, and finally, bringing the speech of the characters closer to the norms of the spoken Russian language. Lukin actively put all this into practice in his comedies.

Paid tribute to the method of "declination" Western Europe. plays on Russian manners and Fonvizin. In 1763 he wrote the verse comedy Corion, reworking the drama of the French author L. Gresse "Sydney". Full rapprochement with Russian customs in the play, however, did not work. Although the action in Fonvizin's comedy takes place in a village near Moscow, the sentimental story of Korion and Xenovia separated by misunderstanding and united in the finale could not become the basis of a truly national comedy. Its plot was marked by a strong touch of melodramatic conventionality, characteristic of the traditions of the French. petty-bourgeois "tearful" drama. The real recognition of dramatic talent came to Fonvizin with the creation in 1768-1769 comedy "The Brigadier". It was the result of those searches for Russian original comedy that the members of the Elagin circle lived, and at the same time I carried in myself new, deeply innovative principles of dramatic art as a whole.

Center of gravity ideological issues in the comedy Fonvizin moved to the satirical-denunciatory plane.

A retired Brigadier arrives at the Councilor's house with his wife and son Ivan, whom his parents marry the owner's daughter Sophia. Sophia herself loves the poor nobleman Dobrolyubov, but no one takes into account her feelings. “So if God bless, then the twenty-sixth will be a wedding” - with these words of Sophia's father, the play begins.

Everything characters in the "Brigadier" - Russian nobles. In the modest, everyday atmosphere of middle-class life, the personality of each character appears as if gradually in conversations. Gradually, from action to action, the spiritual interests of the characters are revealed from various sides, and step by step the originality of the artistic solutions found by Fonvizin in his innovative play is revealed.

The conflict, traditional for the genre of comedy, between a virtuous, intelligent girl and a stupid fiancé imposed on her is complicated by one circumstance. Ivan recently visited Paris and is full of contempt for everything that surrounds him at home, including his parents. “Everyone who has been in Paris,” he frankly, “has the right, speaking of Russians, not to include himself among those, because he has already become more French than Russian.” Ivan's speech is replete with French words pronounced by the way and inopportunely. The only person he gets along with is the Counselor, who grew up reading romance novels and crazy about everything French.

The absurd behavior of the newly-minted "Parisian" and the Counselor, who was delighted with him, suggests that the basis ideological concept in comedy is a denunciation of gallomania. With their empty talk and newfangled mannerisms, they seem to oppose Ivan's parents and the Counselor, wise by life experience. However, the fight against gallomania is only part of the accusatory program that feeds the satirical pathos of The Brigadier. Ivan's relationship to all the other characters is revealed by the playwright already in the first act, where they speak out about the dangers of grammar: each of them considers the study of grammar an unnecessary thing, it does not add anything to the ability to achieve rank and wealth.

This new chain of revelations, exposing the intellectual horizons of the main characters of the comedy, brings us to an understanding of the main idea of ​​the play. In an environment where mental apathy and lack of spirituality reign, familiarization with European culture turns out to be an evil caricature of enlightenment. The moral wretchedness of Ivan, proud of his contempt for his compatriots, is a match for spiritual deformity; the rest, because their manners and way of thinking are, in essence, just as base.

And what is important, in comedy this idea is revealed not declaratively, but by means of psychological self-disclosure of the characters. If earlier the tasks of comedic satire were conceived mainly in terms of bringing out a personified vice on the stage, for example, “stinginess”, “evil-tonguing”, “bragging”, now, under the pen of Fonvizin, the content of vices is socially concretized. The satirical pamphletiness of Sumarokov's "comedy of characters" gives way to a comically pointed study of the mores of society. And this is the main significance of Fonvizin's Brigadier.

Fonvizin found an interesting way to enhance the satirical and accusatory pathos of comedy. In The Brigadier, the everyday authenticity of the portrait characteristics of the characters grew into a comically caricatured grotesque. The comedy of the action grows from scene to scene thanks to a dynamic kaleidoscope of intertwining love scenes. The vulgar flirting in the secular manner of the gallomaniacs Ivan and the Counselor is replaced by the hypocritical courtship of the Counselor for the Brigadier who does not understand anything, and then, with soldierly straightforwardness, the Brigadier himself storms the Counselor's heart. The rivalry between father and son threatens with a brawl, and only a general exposure calms all the unlucky "lovers".

The success of The Brigadier made Fonvizin one of the most famous writers of his time. The head of the educational camp of Russian literature of the 1760s, N. I. Novikov, praised the new comedy of the young author in his satirical magazine Truten. In collaboration with Novikov, Fonvizin finally determines his place in literature as a satirist and publicist. It is no coincidence that in another of his magazines, The Painter, for 1772, Novikov placed Fonvizin's sharpest satirical work, Letters to Falaley, in which the outlines of the ideological program and creative guidelines that determined the later artistic originality of The Undergrowth are already visible.

Work on "Undergrowth" took, apparently, several years after returning from France. By the end 1781. the play was completed. This comedy absorbed all the experience accumulated by the playwright earlier, and in terms of the depth of ideological issues, the courage and originality of the artistic solutions found, remains an unsurpassed masterpiece of Russian dramaturgy of the 18th century. The accusatory pathos of the content of The Undergrowth is fed by two powerful sources: satire and journalism. Destroying and merciless satire fills all the scenes depicting the lifestyle of the Prostakova family. In the scenes of Mitrofan's teachings, in the revelations of his uncle about his love for pigs, in the greed and arbitrariness of the mistress of the house, the world of the Prostakovs and Skotinins is revealed in all the ugliness of its spiritual poverty.

But no less annihilating sentence to this world is pronounced by the group of positive noblemen present right there on the train, contrasted in their views on life with the bestial existence of Mitrofan's parents. The dialogues between Starodum and Pravdin, which touch upon deep, sometimes state problems, are passionate publicistic speeches containing the author's position. The pathos of the speeches of Starodum and Pravdin also performs a denunciatory function, but here the denunciation merges with the affirmation of the author's positive ideals.

Two problems that particularly worried Fonvizin lie at the heart of The Undergrowth. This is, first of all, the problem of the moral decay of the nobility. The scientific literature has repeatedly noted a direct connection between the statements of Starodum and Pravdin and the key provisions of Fonvizin’s essay “Discourse on the indispensable state laws”, which was written simultaneously with “Undergrowth” (in the treatise - reasoning about the sovereign’s good manners as the basis of the people’s good manners, in the play he concludes . Starodum's remark: "Here are worthy fruits of malevolence!" and other correspondences).

Another problem of "Undergrowth" is the problem of education. In Fonvizin's ideas, the problem of education acquired state significance, because in the right education, the only reliable, in his opinion, source of salvation from the evil threatening society - the spiritual degradation of the nobility - was rooted.

A significant part of the dramatic action in "Undergrowth" is projected in one way or another to solve the problem of education. Both the scenes of Mitrofan's teachings and the vast majority of Starodum's moralizing are subordinate to her. The culminating point in the development of this theme, no doubt, is the scene of Mitrofan's exam in the 4th act of the comedy. This satirical picture, deadly in terms of the strength of the accusatory sarcasm contained in it, serves as a verdict on the education system of the Prostakovs and Skotinins. The passing of this sentence is ensured not only from within, due to the self-disclosure of Mitrofan's ignorance, but also thanks to the demonstration right there on the stage of examples of a different upbringing. We mean the scenes in which Starodum talks with Sophia and Milon.

With the production of "Undergrowth" Fonvizin had to experience a lot of grief. The performance scheduled for the spring of 1782 in the capital was cancelled. And only in the autumn, on September 24 of the same year, thanks to the assistance of the all-powerful G. A. Potemkin, the comedy was played in a wooden theater on Tsaritsyn Meadow by the actors of the court theater. Fonvizin himself took part in learning the roles of the actors, he entered into all the details of the production. The performance was a complete success. According to a contemporary, "the audience applauded the play by throwing purses." The audience was especially sensitive to the political hints hidden in Starodum's speeches.

The last major plan of Fonvizin in the field of satirical prose, unfortunately not realized, was the magazine "Friend of honest people, or Starodum." Fonvizin planned to publish it in 1788. It was planned to release 12 issues during the year. In a warning to readers, the author informed that his journal would be published “under the supervision of the writer of the comedy “Undergrowth”, which, as it were, indicated the ideological continuity of his new idea.

The magazine opened with a letter to Starodum from “the author of The Undergrowth,” in which the publisher turned to a “friend of honest people” with a request to help him by sending materials and thoughts, “which, with their importance and moralizing, no doubt, Russian readers will like.” In his response Starodum not only approves the author's decision, but immediately informs him of sending him letters received from "acquaintances", promising to continue to supply him with the necessary materials. Sophia's letter to Starodum, his answer, as well as "Taras Skotinin's letter to his own sister Mrs. Prostakova” and were supposed to be, apparently, the first issue of the magazine.

Skotinin's letter is especially impressive in its accusatory pathos. Uncle Mitrofan, already familiar to the writer's contemporaries, tells his sister about the irretrievable loss he has suffered: his beloved motley pig Aksinya has died. In the mouth of Skotinin, the death of a pig appears as an event filled with deep tragedy. The misfortune so shocked Skotinin that now, he confesses to his sister, “I want to stick to moralizing, that is, to correct the morals of my serfs and peasants.<...>birch.<...>And I want all those who depend on me to feel the effect of such a great loss on me.

No less sharp were the subsequent materials, also "transferred" to the publisher of the magazine Starodum. First of all, this is the “General Court Grammar” - a brilliant example of political satire that denounced court mores.

The magazine conceived by Fonvizin was supposed to continue the best traditions of magazine Russian satire of the late 1760s. But it was useless to count on the consent of Catherine's censorship in issuing such a publication. By decision of the council of the deanery, it was forbidden to print the magazine. Some of its parts were distributed in handwritten lists.

Fonvizin did not leave his pen until the very last days of his life. He also wrote a three-act comedy "Governor's Choice". About the reading of this comedy in Derzhavin's house on November 30, 1792, the day before the death of the great satirist, news was preserved in the memoirs of I. I. Dmitriev.

2. Comedy "Undergrowth"

1. Characteristics of Fonvizin's creativity

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To the most famous and important literary works Fonvizin can be attributed the following works:

✓ translated works, which include:

The tragedy of Walter "Alzira" (1762);

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

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

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

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

2. Comedy "Undergrowth"

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

✓ contains a protest against serfdom;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Fonvizin's artistic method

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rationalistic understanding of the world;

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

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

The social principle of evaluating human actions and deeds;

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

Schematism of abstract classifications of people and moral categories;

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

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

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

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

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

The division of all people into two categories:

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

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

Static in the image human characters and the characters wearing them, that is, the characters do not develop in the course of action as individuals;

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

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

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

Russian author of foreign origin

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

Translation activities

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

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

Literary creativity

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

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

"Foreman"

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

Publicism

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

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

In Paris

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

Political views

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

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

List of books

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

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

Fonvizin's works

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

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

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

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