Russian literature of the 18th century. Russian literature of the 18th century Than modern literature of the 18th century plan


High civic-patriotic poetry has come to the fore in literature, which has a positive effect on the modern reader. Indeed, in our time, unfortunately, there are so few patriots of their homeland.

Literature is not affected by the passage of time. In our time, people continue to get acquainted with the masterpiece works of the 18th century. The literature of those times is directly connected with history.

Of all the works of the 18th century I read, I liked the story of N.M.

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Karamzin " Poor Lisa". This is a very romantic and sad work, which deals with issues relating to and modern society. For example, the problem of selfishness, as well as the fact that the thirst for wealth often becomes a privilege for people, the problem of the predominance of feelings and emotions over the mind. It seems to me that this work is one of the most understandable and close to the modern reader of the creations of the 18th century.

Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin's poem "To Rulers and Judges" is the most emotional poem I have ever taught. It is completely "saturated" with the truth. Derzhavin's poems cannot leave readers indifferent, because a poetic fire burns in them, thanks to which they deliver true artistic pleasure.

Creativity M.V. Lomonosov, unfortunately, did not make much of an impression on me. I think that his works are not entirely clear to the modern reader. Ode - a genre in which he often wrote, contains many words that are incomprehensible to us, the works are difficult to read expressively.

Thanks to the works of the 18th century, society draws conclusions about the history and life of the people of those times.

After taking a course in the literature of the 1700s, I came to the conclusion that I am still closer to modern literature, which deals with problems that are close and familiar to me. But the works of that time still have a huge impact on the modern reader. Of course, I took a lot of lessons from the works of the 18th century.

Updated: 2018-08-27

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Today's reader of Russian literature of the 18th century, taking a book, plunges into the style of classicism. This style dominated Russian literature of the 18th century. The maximum (at that time) simplicity of forms, reasonableness, some grandiloquence of presentation ... So verbal description works of any classicist.

The "high style" ode of Mikhail Lomonosov, which did not skimp on refined expressions and pompous phrases, is not always clear to the modern reader. It is not clear to everyone that such a style was then taken as fundamental, especially in the popular genre of ode and praise. Not just the style of the classicists, but the very language of presentation in the work of the 18th century poets Vasily Trediakovsky, Antioch Cantemir, Gavrila Derzhavin may seem outdated to the modern reader.

The style of sentimentalism, also popular in the 18th century, is represented in Russian literature by the work of Nikolai Karamzin. His most famous work is the story "Poor Lisa" about the tragic fate of a young peasant girl. Yes, it was sincerely difficult for me to understand the outcome of the book, the suicide of the main character. Times have changed. Modern girls know how to forget about unfaithful lovers, find others for themselves, and do not drown in a pond, like Lisa. For them, it has not been necessary for a long time to preserve “honor” before the wedding, rather, “honor” is already becoming a burden, they are trying to get rid of it as soon as possible. And the loss of "honor" now does not lead to suicide.

But here is the theme of betrayal in love, inflicting a heart wound, a story when love is exchanged for money, when the poor (in this case, Lisa) are treated like a second-class person ... Alas, this topic is still acute in society.

But before us is the poetry of the revolutionary Radishchev. Perhaps this wit and critic is closest to our time. Both in style and content. At least, according to my humble opinion, Alexander Radishchev was just such a person. As long as there is unfair inequality in society, the oppression of one person by another, bureaucracy and chaos in the state, Radishchev's work will be relevant. And his famous work "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" will remain an eternal masterpiece.

In the Petrine era of the XVIII century. in response to the demands of the time, literature was rapidly transformed, its ideological, genre and thematic image was updated. The reforming activity of Peter, the initiative to transform Russia, led to the organic assimilation of enlightenment ideas by literature and new writers, and above all the political teachings of the enlighteners - the concept of enlightened absolutism. Enlightenment ideology gave modern forms to the traditional features of Russian literature. As D.S. Likhachev pointed out, in the era of the accelerated construction of the Russian centralized state, state and social topics begin to predominate in literature, and journalism is rapidly developing.

Publicism will also penetrate into other genres of literature, thereby determining its special, openly instructive character. Teaching as the most important tradition of young Russian literature was inherited by the new time and acquired a new quality: the Russian writer acted as a citizen who dared to teach the next monarch to reign. Lomonosov taught Elizabeth to reign, Novikov and Fonvizin - first Catherine II, and then Paul I, Derzhavin - Catherine II, Karamzin - Alexander I, Pushkin in the difficult time of defeating the Decembrist uprising - Nicholas I.

Publicism became a feature of Russian literature of the 18th century, determining the originality of its artistic appearance.

Undoubtedly, the most important and fundamental feature new literature was that it was literature created by the efforts of individual authors. A new type of writer appeared in society, whose literary activity was determined by his personality.

During this period, Russian classicism enters the historical arena, becoming a necessary stage in the development of Russian literature as a pan-European literature. Russian classicism created a multi-genre art, which at first asserted its existence only with a poetic word; prose will develop later - from the 1760s. Through the efforts of several generations of poets, many genres of lyrical and satirical poetry were developed. Classical poets (Lomonosov, Sumarokov, Kheraskov, Knyaznin) approved the genre of tragedy. Thus, conditions were prepared for the organization and successful operation of the Russian theater. Created in 1756, the Russian theater began its work under the direction of Sumarokov. Classicism, having begun the creation of national literature, contributed to the development of the ideals of citizenship, formed the idea of ​​a heroic character, included the artistic experience of ancient and European art in national literature, showed the ability of poetry to analytically reveal the spiritual world of a person.

About the literature of the 18th century can be said in one word - heavy. It is difficult for us to read all the works of that time, it is difficult to understand turns, vocabulary, comparisons ...

It is clear that reality itself is changing, language is also changing. The realities that were described at that time simply do not exist anymore. The language is also getting easier. (Now in SMS messages we, in general, reduce everything.) Complex structures are leaving. After Mayakovsky with his chopped rhythm (one word per line), read, for example, Kantemir, in whose works there are a dozen long words in each line! ..

At that time, the church was still very influential, so there are many biblical comparisons in the verses. Also, people studied ancient languages, encountered myths, so mythical heroes were familiar. Now everyone knows only about the Muse. In the verses of that one, everything was clear to everyone from one word-name, we have to look on the Internet.

There were also many solemn verses praising kings. For example, Derzhavin's odes are known. Now it may seem to people that the ode is an attempt to win over the monarch, on whose one word your fate may depend. But I feel that these were sincere words of praise. Gabriel Romanovich believed in the chosenness of Catherine II, understood her responsibility to all the people.

There was criticism at that time. For example, Fonvizin denounced the vices of society in his works. In the most famous work of his “Undergrowth”, Denis Ivanovich criticizes the limited and cruel landowner, her spoiled son, who, as they said then, neglected the sciences. In this play, as in others, the characters are clear, they are "pure", as in the ancient theater, where masks were still used. If the character is negative, then he is bad, and good - vice versa. This next century blurred all the boundaries between good and evil with its psychologism.

It is important that at that time enlightened people worked specifically on versification, on the Russian language. They deliberately tried to make it lighter, more expressive... To make it no worse than, for example, the French who dominated the court.

I think that poets and writers have achieved their goal.

Option 2

The 18th century is a century of change for Russia, not only from a territorial point of view, but also from a literary one. In the 18th century, Russian readers learned about such geniuses of the pen as Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov, Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin, Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin, Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev. The images created by the great classicists evoked a lot of different emotions in the reader's public, especially the Fonvizin comedy "Undergrowth" can boast of this. But more than two hundred years have passed since Fonvizin's glory, how do modern readers relate to the literature of the 18th century?

In classical literary criticism, the 18th century is considered the century of the birth of Russian literature. The authors actually had no liberties and wrote whatever the authorities wanted, trying to really reflect in colorful and sublime tones.

However, despite this, literature is indebted to the 18th century for the birth of such geniuses as Radishchev and Fonvizin, who for the first time spoke about the litigation of peasant life in Russia and the decaying nobility.

In particular, Radishchev did this successfully in his work “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”, main character who acts as a writer of everyday life of the common population during the trip. The terrible cases of oppression by the landlords of the peasants, told by Radishchev, aroused the wrath of incredible strength in the ruling circles and aroused understanding in the eyes of the progressive nobility. The government machine paid a heavy price to Radishchev for a liberty unprecedented at that time, but the idea of ​​total injustice in Russian Empire gave rise to the Decembrists, who in turn are the progenitors of the popular revolutions in Russia. That is, we can say with confidence that the work "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" influenced the liberation of the peasants from under the landowner's boot.

The modern reader, perfectly understanding this, cannot help but pay a debt to the past and read the thoughts of a person fighting for freedom during tsarist totalitarianism, and even though the style of the writers of the 18th century is very specific and largely incomprehensible to us, the inhabitants of the 21st century, however, the thoughts embodied in the works of that time are an excellent foundation for every person who is not alien to such concepts as justice, freedom, equality.

In conclusion, I would like to say that the modern reader does not just read the literature of the 18th century, he loves and understands it, because without love and understanding for Russian literature it is impossible to understand either himself or the people around him living throughout Russia.

18th century literature

Each of us read different authors, poets, got acquainted with their works and biographies. Thanks to the classics and poetry, one can understand what true love should be like, the norms of behavior in society. Despite the years and centuries that have passed between the works and our time, human feelings, cases and situations that arise in life are similar. Literature teaches us not to withdraw into ourselves, to explore new world to be open to new feelings and adventures, to be able to behave with dignity in any situation, to be noble. The authors of the 18th century, creating their works, convey to us the features of that era, the time in which they lived. In writing works, the style changes from classicism to sentimentalism. Clarity and logic are replaced by highlighting the emotional side of the characters. Their emotions and experiences come to the fore.

Classicism

For example, the play "Undergrowth" by Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin. A striking example of classicism. The play is written in the style of a comedy.

The name itself at that time meant young man belonging to the nobility, who for some reason did not receive a proper education. They were not hired, they could not marry. By ridiculing these people, the author wanted to draw the attention of children to the importance of learning. In the play there are different estates from peasants to the nobility. Main characters: Mitrofanushka and Mrs. Prostakova, who is his mother. A woman is powerful, manages everything and everyone who is subordinate to her. This play openly condemns the traditional upbringing of the nobility, their savagery and morals. There are only good and bad characters. Their names speak for them all: the Prostakovs, the Skotinins, Mitrofan, Starodum, Pravdin and others.

The work itself is easy to read, even after so much time we understand all the humor and horror of that situation.

Sentimentalism

We can see a completely different picture in later works.

For example, the story "Poor Lisa" by Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin.

The main character Lisa is forced to work to support herself and her mother. Unfortunately, she met a young man with whom she fell in love. Her lover was not quite decent and left her. When Lisa saw him with another girl, her heart could not stand it, and she threw herself into the pond. The author describes in detail the feelings of the heroine, and the reader is completely immersed in those magical sensations of the first love and knows all the bitterness of the situation at the end. The modern reader is not at all alien to such feelings, he also experiences love and parting, resentment and hatred.

From all this we can conclude that no matter in what style the works were written at that time, they will forever remain relevant and interesting for the reader. It is in them that you can experience the deepest feelings of love, learn about life and customs, learn how to behave in society.

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Literature at all times is an integral part of the life of every person and society. In every era there were outstanding and talented personalities who touched people with their works, touched their hearts and souls, inspired them to exploits, but most importantly, made them live. Unlike history, literature shows not only the features of being, but also the inner experiences of ordinary people and important personalities. It raises philosophical questions and makes its reader look at their life in a different way.

The 18th century is a bright period in the heyday of literature. The reader can clearly see how classicism is replaced by sentimentalism, and later by romanticism. But they are very different from each other. For example, classicism preserves the unity of time, place and action. In sentimentalism, abrupt changes are pronounced: violation of literary rules, bringing feelings and emotions to the fore, the main thing was the personal life of the character, his love vicissitudes.

Modern literature is very different from the literature of the 18th century. And this is not surprising. After all, values, interests and worldviews of people change over time. Political events also influenced - the abolition of serfdom, the change political power, economic changes, wars and other changes.

Despite this, many today are fond of the literature of that time, reread and memorize the statements of the main literary characters.

One of the brightest works of the 18th century is N.M. Karamzin's story "Poor Lisa". A story about tender and reverent feelings that end with the death of the main character and thus affect the soul of the reader. Despite the time when the work was written, the reader understands that love at all times has brought people happiness and sorrow. The thoughts of lovers are clear and familiar to everyone.

It is worth noting that the works of the 18th century tell about noble deeds, true friendship and other actions that evoke a bunch of different emotions in the reader. Moral teachings and advice will help the modern reader in his life. The problems raised by the authors of the 18th century in their works are still relevant today (for example, the relationship between power and society, democracy, and so on).

Thanks to such literature, the modern reader gets to know himself and recognizes the life of the past.

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