General characteristics of the literature of the early 19th century. Methodological development in literature (grade 9) on the topic: General characteristics of literature of the 19th century

The 19th century gave rise to a large number of talented Russian prose writers and poets. Their works quickly broke into and took their rightful place in it. The work of many authors around the world was influenced by them. The general characteristics of Russian literature of the 19th century became the subject of a separate section in literary criticism. Undoubtedly, events in political and social life served as prerequisites for such a rapid cultural take-off.

Story

The main trends in art and literature are formed under the influence of historical events. If in the 18th century social life in Russia was relatively measured, then the next century included many important ups and downs that influenced not only the further development of society and politics, but also the formation of new trends and trends in literature.

The striking historical milestones of this period were the war with Turkey, the invasion of the Napoleonic army, the execution of oppositionists, the abolition of serfdom and many other events. All of them are reflected in art and culture. A general description of Russian literature of the 19th century cannot do without mentioning the creation of new stylistic norms. The genius of the art of the word was A. S. Pushkin. This great century begins with his work.

Literary language

The main merit of the brilliant Russian poet was the creation of new poetic forms, stylistic devices and unique, previously unused plots. Pushkin managed to achieve this thanks to the all-round development and excellent education. Once he set himself the goal of achieving all the heights in education. And he reached it by his thirty-seven years. Pushkin's heroes became atypical and new for that time. The image of Tatyana Larina combines beauty, intelligence and features of the Russian soul. This literary type had no analogues in our literature before.

Answering the question: “What is the general characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th century?”, A person who has at least basic philological knowledge will remember such names as Pushkin, Chekhov, Dostoevsky. But it was the author of "Eugene Onegin" who made a revolution in Russian literature.

Romanticism

This concept originates from the Western medieval epic. But by the 19th century, it had acquired new shades. Having originated in Germany, romanticism also penetrated the work of Russian authors. In prose, this direction is characterized by the desire for mystical motives and folk legends. In poetry, there is a desire to transform life for the better and the glorification of folk heroes. The opposition and their tragic end have become fertile ground for poetic creativity.

The general characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th century is marked by romantic moods in the lyrics, which were quite common in the poems of Pushkin and other poets of his galaxy.

As for prose, new forms of the story appeared, among which the fantastic genre occupies an important place. Vivid examples of romantic prose are the early works of Nikolai Gogol.

Sentimentalism

With the development of this direction, Russian literature of the 19th century begins. General prose is about sensuality and an emphasis on the reader's perception. Sentimentalism penetrated into Russian literature at the end of the 18th century. Karamzin became the founder of the Russian tradition in this genre. In the 19th century, he had a number of followers.

satirical prose

It was at this time that satirical and journalistic works appeared. This trend can be traced primarily in the work of Gogol. Starting his creative path with a description of his small homeland, this author later moved on to all-Russian social topics. It is difficult to imagine today what Russian literature of the 19th century would be without this master of satire. The general characterization of his prose in this genre is reduced not only to a critical look at the stupidity and parasitism of the landowners. The satirist writer "walked" through almost all sectors of society.

The masterpiece of satirical prose was the novel "Lord Golovlev", dedicated to the theme of the poor spiritual world of the landowners. Subsequently, the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin, like the books of many other satirical writers, became the starting point for the emergence

realistic novel

In the second half of the century, the development of realistic prose takes place. Romantic ideals proved untenable. There was a need to show the world as it really is. Dostoevsky's prose is an integral part of such a thing as Russian literature of the 19th century. The general characteristic is briefly a list of important features of this period and the prerequisites for the emergence of certain phenomena. As for the realistic prose of Dostoevsky, it can be characterized as follows: the stories and novels of this author were a reaction to the moods that prevailed in society in those years. Depicting in his works the prototypes of people he knew, he sought to consider and solve the most pressing issues of the society in which he moved.

In the first decades, Mikhail Kutuzov was glorified in the country, then the romantic Decembrists. This is clearly evidenced by Russian literature of the early 19th century. A general description of the end of the century fits in a couple of words. This is a revaluation of values. It was not the fate of the whole people that came to the fore, but of its individual representatives. Hence the appearance in prose of the image of the “superfluous person”.

folk poem

In the years when the realistic novel took the leading position, poetry faded into the background. A general description of the development of Russian literature in the 19th century allows us to trace a long path from dreamy poetry to a true novel. In this atmosphere, Nekrasov creates his brilliant work. But his work can hardly be attributed to one of the leading genres of the mentioned period. The author combined several genres in his poem: peasant, heroic, revolutionary.

End of the century

At the end of the 19th century, Chekhov became one of the most widely read authors. Despite the fact that at the beginning of his career, critics accused the writer of coldness to current social topics, his works received undeniable public recognition. Continuing to develop the image of the "little man" created by Pushkin, Chekhov studied the Russian soul. Various philosophical and political ideas that were developed at the end of the 19th century could not but affect the lives of individuals.

Revolutionary sentiments prevailed in late 19th-century literature. Among the authors whose work was at the turn of the century, one of the most prominent personalities was Maxim Gorky.

The general characteristics of the 19th century deserve closer attention. Each major representative of this period created his own artistic world, whose heroes dreamed of the unrealizable, struggled with social evil, or experienced their own little tragedy. And the main task of their authors was to reflect the realities of the century, rich in social and political events.

The 19th century is one of the most significant in Russian literature. It was this era that gave the world the names of the great classics, who influenced not only Russian, but also world culture. The main ideas inherent in the literature of this time are the growth of the human soul, the struggle between good and evil, the triumph of morality and purity.

Difference from the previous century

Giving a general description of Russian literature of the 19th century, it can be noted that the previous century was distinguished by a very calm development. Throughout the previous century, poets and writers sang of the dignity of man, tried to instill high moral ideals. And only at the end of the century more daring and bold works began to appear - the authors began to focus on human psychology, his experiences and feelings.

Reasons for flourishing

In the process of working on homework or a report on the topic “General characteristics of Russian literature of the 19th century”, a student may have a natural question: what caused these changes, why was literature able to reach such a high level of development? The reason for this was social events - this is the war with Turkey, and the invasion of Napoleonic troops, and the abolition of serfdom, and public reprisals against oppositionists. All this led to the fact that completely new stylistic devices began to be applied in literature. Working on a general description of Russian literature of the 19th century, it is worth mentioning that this era rightfully went down in history as the "Golden Age".

Orientation of literature

Russian literature of that time was distinguished by a very bold formulation of questions about the meaning of human existence, about the most pressing socio-political, moral and ethical problems. The significance of these questions she deduces far beyond the limits of her historical epoch. When preparing a general description of Russian literature of the 19th century, one must remember that it became one of the most powerful means of influencing both Russian and foreign readers, gaining fame as an influential force in the development of education.

Epoch phenomenon

If it is necessary to give a brief general description of Russian literature of the 19th century, it can be noted that the common feature of this era was such a phenomenon as “literary centrism”. This means that literature has become a way of conveying ideas and opinions in political disputes. It has become a powerful tool for expressing ideology, defining value orientations and ideals.

It is impossible to say unequivocally whether this is good or bad. Of course, giving a general description of Russian literature of the 19th century, one can reproach the literature of that time for being too "preaching", "mentoring". Indeed, it is often said that the desire to become a prophet can lead to inappropriate guardianship. And this is fraught with the development of intolerance towards dissent of any kind. Of course, there is some truth in such reasoning, however, when giving a general description of Russian literature of the 19th century, it is necessary to take into account the historical realities in which writers, poets, and critics of that time lived. AI Herzen, when he found himself in exile, described this phenomenon as follows: "For a people who have been deprived of freedom of speech and self-expression, literature remains almost the only outlet."

The role of literature in society

Almost the same thing was said by N. G. Chernyshevsky: “Literature in our country still concentrates the entire mental life of the people.” Pay attention to the word "yet" here. Chernyshevsky, who argued that literature is a textbook of life, still recognized that the mental life of the people should not be constantly concentrated in it. However, "for now", in those conditions of Russian reality, it was she who took on this function.

Modern society should be grateful to those writers and poets who, in the most difficult social conditions, despite persecution (it is worth remembering the same N. G. Chernyshevsky, F. M. Dostoevsky and others), with the help of their works contributed to the awakening of a bright man, spirituality, adherence to principles, active opposition to evil, honesty and mercy. Considering all this, we can agree with the opinion expressed by N. A. Nekrasov in his message to Leo Tolstoy in 1856: “The role of a writer in our country, first of all, is the role of a teacher.”

Common and different in the representatives of the "Golden Age"

When preparing materials on the topic “General characteristics of Russian classical literature of the 19th century”, it is worth saying that all representatives of the “Golden Age” were different, their world was unique and peculiar. Writers of that time are difficult to sum up under any one general image. After all, every true artist (this word means a poet, a composer, and a painter) creates his own world, guided by personal principles. For example, the world of Leo Tolstoy is not similar to the world of Dostoevsky. Saltykov-Shchedrin perceived and transformed reality differently than, for example, Goncharov. However, representatives of the "Golden Age" also have a common feature - this is responsibility to the reader, talent, a high understanding of the role that literature plays in human life.

General characteristics of Russian literature of the 19th century: table

The "Golden Age" is the time of writers of completely different literary movements. To begin with, we will consider them in a summary table, after which each of the directions will be considered in more detail.

Russian literature of this era was a reflection of the leap that was made in the previous century. The "Golden Age" began mainly with the flowering of two currents - sentimentalism and romanticism. Since the middle of the century, the direction of realism has been gaining more and more power. Such is the general characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th century. The tablet will help the student to navigate the main trends and representatives of the "Golden Age". In the process of preparing for the lesson, it should be mentioned that the further socio-political situation in the country is becoming more and more tense, contradictions are growing between the oppressed classes and the common people. This leads to the fact that in the middle of the century the development of poetry somewhat calms down. And the end of an era is accompanied by revolutionary sentiments.

Classicism

This direction is worth mentioning, giving a general description of Russian literature of the early 19th century. After all, classicism, which arose a century ago before the beginning of the "Golden Age", primarily refers to its beginning. This term, translated from Latin, means "exemplary" and is directly related to the imitation of classical images. This direction arose in France in the 17th century. At its core, it was associated with absolute monarchy and the establishment of the nobility. It is characterized by ideas of high civic topics, strict observance of the norms of creativity, established rules. Classicism reflects real life in ideal images that gravitate towards a certain model. This direction strictly adheres to the hierarchy of genres - the highest place among them is occupied by tragedy, ode and epic. It is they who illuminate the most important problems for society, are designed to reflect the highest, heroic manifestations of human nature. As a rule, "high" genres were opposed to "low" ones - fables, comedies, satirical and other works that also reflected reality.

Sentimentalism

Giving a general description of the development of Russian literature of the 19th century, one cannot fail to mention such a direction as sentimentalism. The voice of the narrator plays an important role in it. This direction, as indicated in the table, is characterized by increased attention to the experiences of a person, to his inner world. This is the innovation of sentimentalism. In Russian literature, Karamzin's "Poor Lisa" occupies a special place among the works of sentimentalism.

Noteworthy are the words of the writer, which can characterize this direction: "And peasant women know how to love." Many argued that an ordinary person, a commoner and a peasant, is morally superior in many respects to a nobleman or a representative of high society. Landscape plays an important role in sentimentalism. This is not just a description of nature, but a reflection of the inner experiences of the characters.

Romanticism

This is one of the most controversial phenomena of Russian literature of the Golden Age. For more than a century and a half, there have been disputes about what lies at its basis, and no one has yet given any recognized definition of this trend. The representatives of this trend themselves emphasized the originality of the literature of each individual people. One cannot but agree with this opinion - in every country romanticism acquires its own features. Also, giving a general description of the development of Russian literature of the 19th century, it is worth noting that almost all representatives of romanticism stood up for social ideals, but they did it in different ways.

Representatives of this movement dreamed not of improving life in its particular manifestations, but of the complete resolution of all contradictions. Many romantics in their works are dominated by the mood of fighting evil, protesting against the injustice reigning in the world. Romantics also tend to turn to the mythological, fantasy, folk tales. In contrast to the direction of classicism, a serious influence is given to the inner world of a person.

Realism

The purpose of this direction is a truthful description of the surrounding reality. It is realism that matures on the basis of a tense political situation. Writers begin to turn to social problems, to objective reality. The three main realists of this era are Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Turgenev. The main theme of this direction is life, customs, events from the life of ordinary people from the lower classes.

The 19th century as a cultural epoch begins in the calendar 18th century with the events of the French Revolution of 1789-1793. This was the first bourgeois revolution on a world scale (the previous bourgeois revolutions of the 17th century in Holland and England had a limited, national significance). The French Revolution marks the final fall of feudalism and the triumph of the bourgeois system in Europe, and all aspects of life with which the bourgeoisie comes into contact tend to accelerate, intensify, begin to live according to the laws of the market.

The 19th century is an era of political upheaval that redraws the map of Europe. In socio-political development, France stood at the forefront of the historical process. The Napoleonic wars of 1796-1815, and the attempt to restore absolutism (1815-1830), and a series of subsequent revolutions (1830, 1848, 1871) should be considered as consequences of the French Revolution.

The leading world power of the 19th century was England, where the early bourgeois revolution, urbanization and industrialization led to the rise of the British Empire and domination of the world market. Profound changes took place in the social structure of English society: the peasant class disappeared, there was a sharp polarization of the rich and the poor, accompanied by mass demonstrations of workers (1811-1812 - the movement of machine-tool destroyers, the Luddites; 1819 - the execution of a demonstration of workers on St. Peter's Field near Manchester , which went down in history as the "Battle of Peterloo"; the Chartist movement in 1830-1840). Under the pressure of these events, the ruling classes made certain concessions (two parliamentary reforms - 1832 and 1867, the reform of the education system - 1870).

Germany in the 19th century painfully and belatedly solved the problem of creating a single national state. Having met the new century in a state of feudal fragmentation, after the Napoleonic wars, Germany turned from a conglomerate of 380 dwarf states into a union of 37 independent states at first, and after the half-hearted bourgeois revolution of 1848, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck set out to create a united Germany "with iron and blood." The unified German state was proclaimed in 1871 and became the youngest and most aggressive of the bourgeois states of Western Europe.

The United States of America during the XIX century mastered the vast expanses of North America, and as the territory increased, so did the industrial potential of the young American nation.

In 19th century literature two main directions - romanticism and realism. The Romantic era begins in the nineties of the eighteenth century and covers the entire first half of the century. However, the main elements of romantic culture were fully defined and revealed the possibilities of potential development by 1830. Romanticism is an art born from a brief historical moment of uncertainty, a crisis that accompanied the transition from the feudal system to the capitalist system; when by 1830 the outlines of capitalist society were determined, romanticism was replaced by the art of realism. The literature of realism at first was the literature of singles, and the term "realism" itself appeared only in the fifties of the XIX century. In the mass public consciousness, romanticism continued to remain contemporary art, in fact, it had already exhausted its possibilities, therefore, in literature after 1830, romanticism and realism interact in a complex way, in different national literatures generating an endless variety of phenomena that cannot be unambiguously classified. In fact, romanticism does not die throughout the entire nineteenth century: a straight line leads from the romantics of the beginning of the century through late romanticism to symbolism, decadence and neo-romanticism of the end of the century. Let's take a look at both literary and artistic systems of the 19th century using the examples of their most prominent authors and works.

XIX century - the century of the addition of world literature when contacts between individual national literatures are accelerated and intensified. Thus, Russian literature of the 19th century had a keen interest in the works of Byron and Goethe, Heine and Hugo, Balzac and Dickens. Many of their images and motifs directly echo in the Russian literary classics, so the choice of works for considering the problems of foreign literature of the 19th century is dictated here, firstly, by the impossibility, within the framework of a short course, to give proper coverage of various situations in different national literatures and, secondly, by the degree popularity and significance of individual authors for Russia.

Literature

1. Foreign literature of the 19th century. Realism: Reader. M., 1990.
2. Morois A. Prometheus, or the Life of Balzac. M., 1978.
3. Reizov B. G. Stendhal. Artistic creativity. L., 1978.
4. Reizov B. G. Flaubert's work. L., 1955.
5. Mystery of Charles Dickens. M., 1990.

Read also other topics of the chapter "Literature of the 19th century".

Literature in the 19th century in Russia is associated with the rapid flowering of culture. Spiritual uplift and important are reflected in the immortal works of writers and poets. This article is dedicated to the representatives of the Golden Age of Russian literature and the main trends of this period.

Historical events

Literature in the 19th century in Russia gave birth to such great names as Baratynsky, Batyushkov, Zhukovsky, Lermontov, Fet, Yazykov, Tyutchev. And above all Pushkin. This period was marked by a number of historical events. The development of Russian prose and poetry was influenced by the Patriotic War of 1812, and the death of the great Napoleon, and the passing of Byron. The English poet, like the French commander, for a long time dominated the minds of revolutionary-minded people in Russia. and the Russian-Turkish war, as well as the echoes of the French revolution, heard in all corners of Europe - all these events turned into a powerful catalyst for advanced creative thought.

While revolutionary movements were being carried out in Western countries and the spirit of freedom and equality began to emerge, Russia was strengthening its monarchical power, and suppressing uprisings. This could not go unnoticed by artists, writers and poets. The literature of the early 19th century in Russia is a reflection of the thoughts and experiences of the advanced strata of society.

Classicism

This aesthetic direction is understood as an artistic style that originated in the culture of Europe in the second half of the 18th century. Its main features are rationalism and observance of strict canons. Classicism of the 19th century in Russia was also distinguished by its appeal to ancient forms and the principle of three unities. Literature, however, in this artistic style already at the beginning of the century began to lose ground. Classicism was gradually supplanted by such trends as sentimentalism, romanticism.

Masters of the artistic word began to create their works in new genres. Works in the style of historical novel, romantic story, ballad, ode, poem, landscape, philosophical and love lyrics gained popularity.

Realism

Literature in the 19th century in Russia is associated primarily with the name of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Closer to the thirties, realistic prose took a strong position in his work. It should be said that Pushkin is the ancestor of this literary trend in Russia.

Journalism and satire

Some features of the European culture of the 18th century were inherited by the literature of the 19th century in Russia. Briefly, we can outline the main features of the poetry and prose of this period - the satirical nature and publicism. The tendency to depict human vices and shortcomings of society is observed in the work of writers who created their works in the forties. In literary criticism, it was later defined that united the authors of satirical and journalistic prose. "Natural School" - this was the name of this artistic style, which, however, is also called the "Gogol School". Other representatives of this literary trend are Nekrasov, Dal, Herzen, Turgenev.

Criticism

The ideology of the "natural school" was substantiated by the critic Belinsky. The principles of the representatives of this literary movement became the denunciation and eradication of vices. A characteristic feature in their work was social problems. The main genres are essay, socio-psychological novel and social story.

Literature in the 19th century in Russia developed under the influence of the activities of various associations. It was in the first quarter of this century that there was a significant rise in the journalistic field. Belinsky had a huge influence on. This man possessed an extraordinary ability to feel the poetic gift. It was he who first recognized the talent of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoevsky.

Pushkin and Gogol

The literature of the 19th and 20th centuries in Russia would have been completely different and, of course, not so bright without these two authors. They had a huge impact on the development of prose. And many of the elements they introduced into literature have become classical norms. Pushkin and Gogol not only developed realism, but also created completely new artistic types. One of them is the image of the "little man", which later developed not only in the work of Russian authors, but also in foreign literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Lermontov

This poet also had a considerable influence on the development of Russian literature. After all, it is to him that the creation of such a concept as the “hero of time” belongs. With his light hand, it entered not only literary criticism, but also into public life. Lermontov also took part in the development of the psychological novel genre.

The entire period of the nineteenth century is famous for the names of talented great personalities who worked in the field of literature (both prose and poetry). Russian authors at the end of the eighteenth century adopted some of the merits of Western colleagues. But due to a sharp jump in the development of culture and art, it eventually became an order of magnitude higher than the Western European one that existed at that time. The works of Pushkin, Turgenev, Dostoevsky and Gogol have become the property of world culture. The works of Russian writers became a model on which German, English and American authors later relied.

Russian national culture in the 19th century reached in art, literature, in many areas of knowledge the heights defined by the word "classic". Russian literature of the 19th century is deservedly called the "golden age". Even an ignoramus of literature cannot object. It became the trendsetter of literary fashion, rapidly bursting into world literature. The "Golden Age" gave us many famous masters. The 19th century is the time of the development of Russian literary language, which took shape for the most part thanks to A. S. Pushkin. It began with the flourishing of sentimentalism and the gradual formation of romanticism, especially in poetry. There were many poets during this period, but the main figure of that time was Alexander Pushkin. As now he would be dubbed a "star" .

His ascent to the Olympus of Literature began in 1820 with the poem Ruslan and Lyudmila. And "Eugene Onegin" - a novel in verse was called an encyclopedia of Russian life. The era of Russian romanticism was opened by his romantic poems "The Bronze Horseman", "The Fountain of Bakhchisaray", "Gypsies". For most poets and writers, A. S. Pushkin was a teacher. The traditions laid down by him in the creation of literary works were continued by many of them. Among them was M. Lermontov. Russian poetry of that time was closely connected with the socio-political life of the country. In the works, the authors tried to comprehend and develop the idea of ​​their special purpose. They urged the authorities to listen to their words. The poet of that time was considered a prophet, a conductor of divine truth. This can be seen in Pushkin's poem "The Prophet", in the ode "Liberty", "The Poet and the Crowd", in Lermontov's "On the Death of a Poet" and many others. In the 19th century, English historical novels had a huge impact on all world literature. Under their influence, A.S. Pushkin writes the story "The Captain's Daughter".

Throughout the 19th century, the main artistic types were the "little man" type and the "extra man" type.

From the 19th century, literature inherited a satirical character and publicism. This can be traced in Gogol's "Dead Souls", "The Nose", in the comedy "The Government Inspector", in M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin "History of one city", "Gentlemen Golovlev".

The formation of Russian realistic literature has been going on since the middle of the 19th century. She reacted sharply to the socio-political situation in Russia. A dispute arises between the Slavophiles and the Westernizers about the paths of the country's historical development.

The genre of the realistic novel begins to develop. A special psychologism can be traced in the literature, philosophical, socio-political problems prevail. The development of poetry somewhat subsides, but, despite the general silence, the voice of Nekrasov is not silent, which in the poem “Who is living well in Russia?” illuminates the hard and hopeless life of the people. -

The end of the century gave us A.P. Chekhov, A.N. Ostrovsky, N. S. Leskov, M. Gorky. Pre-revolutionary moods run like a red thread in literature. The realistic tradition began to fade, replaced by decadent literature, with mysticism, religiosity, as well as a premonition of changes in the socio-political life of Russia. Then everything grew into symbolism. And a new page has been opened in the history of Russian literature.

On the works of writers of that time, we learn humanity, patriotism, we study our history. More than one generation of people - Humans - has grown up on this "classic".