Fonvizin Denis Ivanovich. The main ideas of Fonvizin's creativity

Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin, a famous Russian writer, a prominent representative of the literary era of Catherine II, was born on April 3, 1745 in Moscow. He came from an old German noble family, which, under Ivan the Terrible, left Livonia (Baron Peter von Wisin; this surname was written separately in the middle of the 19th century: von Wisin, and only later was a combined spelling established). Until the age of 10, Fonvizin was raised at home. His father, although not a very educated man, taught his eight children himself. After the establishment of the university in Moscow, Fonvizin the father sent his two eldest sons, Denis and Pavel, to the noble gymnasium that opened under him. Denis was in excellent standing at the gymnasium; He repeatedly received awards and twice gave speeches at public events in Russian and German. In 1758, young Fonvizin, among the best students, was taken to St. Petersburg to be presented to the patron of the university, I. I. Shuvalov, and Empress Elizabeth. The splendor of the court and, in particular, the theatrical performances made a stunning impression on the boy. In 1759, Fonvizin was “promoted to student,” and 3 years later, at 17 years old, he completed his university education.

The university at that time was just being established, and at first there were many shortcomings in its organization, but Fonvizin, like his comrades, brought from it both cultural interests and sufficient knowledge of both the sciences and foreign languages. During these years of the beginning of Fonvizin’s creative biography, Moscow University was the most prominent center of literary life in Russia. Under the leadership of one of the university officials, M. M. Kheraskov, in 1760 the magazine “Useful Amusement” began to be published, uniting on its pages all the almost young writers of that time, also connected by the unity of the literary school: all of them were more or less successive students of Sumarokov. The literary movement also spread to students; many of the university students tried their hand at translations, which were later published in Useful Entertainment. Fonvizin was among them; Kheraskov’s journal published his translation of the moralizing story “Just Jupiter.” At the same time, Fonvizin, at the suggestion of the university bookseller Wever, who had heard about the gifted student, translated a book of fables by the Danish writer Golberg from German; the translation was published at the same time (1761). The following year (1762), Fonvizin energetically collaborated in the popular science magazine of his teacher, Professor Reichel (“Collected Best Works”) - he published 5 translated articles in it. At the same time, he translated Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” (not published) and 1 volume of Terrason’s extensive political and moral novel “Heroic Virtue and the Life of Seth, King of Egypt” (1762, the next 3 volumes were printed until 1768; the translation was made from German). At the same time, Fonvizin first tried his creative powers in the field of poetry; he translated Voltaire's tragedy "Alzira" into verse. However, he himself was dissatisfied with his translation and did not send it either to the stage or to print.

Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin

After graduating from university, Fonvizin turned out to be a sergeant of the Semenovsky Guard Regiment, in which, according to the custom of that time, he had been in service since 1754, i.e., from the age of 9. Military service could not interest him, and at the first opportunity, taking advantage of the arrival of the court and government at the end of 1762 in Moscow, he got a job at the College of Foreign Affairs as a translator with a salary of 800 rubles. per year, and then was sent on an honorary mission to Schwerin. In 1763, together with the court, Fonvizin moved to St. Petersburg, and already in October of the same year he went to serve the “cabinet minister” in accepting petitions addressed to the empress, I. P. Elagin, who later (from 1766) received under his jurisdiction and theater management. Fonvizin's rapid steps in his career are largely explained by his literary successes and secular talents. From early childhood, extraordinary liveliness began to appear in his character. Over the years, he developed that ability to see all things from their funny side, a craving for wit and irony, which did not leave him until the end of his biography. His epigrams, witty and evil remarks about people circulated in society. This made him many friends, but also many enemies. Among the latter was Elagin’s secretary, a well-known playwright V. I. Lukin, enmity with whom made Fonvizin’s service very difficult.

In St. Petersburg, Fonvizin's literary work continued. In 1763, he translated Barthelemy’s novel “The Love of Carita and Polydor” and continued to translate “Sif”. At this time, he became acquainted with a circle of young people who were passionate about the doctrines of French enlightenment philosophers and preached atheism. Fonvizin paid tribute to this hobby; traces of religious skepticism remained in the satire written in this era (“Message to the Servants”; perhaps the fable “The Fox-Kaznodey” and some other poetic plays that have come down to us in fragments date back to the same time). However, quite soon Fonvizin renounced his doubts and again became a religious man, as he had been in his father’s house and university. In 1764, Fonvizin staged his poetic adaptation of Gresse's comedy "Sydney", entitled "Corion". This was an example of “inclination to our morals,” that is, a free translation with the transfer of action to Russia and a corresponding change in everyday details, names, etc. This was the recipe for writing comedies from Elagin’s group, which included Fonvizin and Lukin. Corion was a dubious success; opponents of the rework system were unhappy with it.

Fleeing from clashes with Lukin on more or less long vacations to Moscow, Fonvizin completed his famous “Brigadier” on one of these trips. Upon his return to St. Petersburg (1766), the comedy became famous in society; the author, who read it masterfully, was invited to read it to the empress, and then to a number of noble houses. The success was unprecedented. “The Brigadier” was put on stage and did not leave it for a long time. Fonvizin immediately became one of the luminaries of literature; he was extolled with praise and compared to Moliere. While reaping laurels in the field of drama, Fonvizin did not abandon other types of literary creativity. In 1766, he published his translation of Quayer’s treatise “The Trading Nobility, Opposed to the Military Nobility” (with the addition of Justi; translated from German), which argued that the state and the nobility itself were interested in the nobles engaging in trade. In 1769, his translation of Arno’s sentimental story “Sidney and Scilly” and a translation of Bitobe’s extensive work “Joseph” (2 volumes) were published.

In the same 1769, Fonvizin, dissatisfied with the slowness of his career and having lost interest in Elagin, went to serve in the Collegium of Foreign Affairs under N.I. Panin, under whom he remained until the latter’s death. At this service, Fonvizin advanced. He worked hard, corresponded with Russian envoys in Western Europe, and helped N.I. Panin in all his endeavors. Fonvizin's diligence was rewarded; when in 1773 Panin received 9,000 souls upon the marriage of his pupil, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, he donated 1,180 of them (in Vitebsk province) to Fonvizin. The following year, Fonvizin married the widow E.I. Khlopova (born Rogovikova), who brought him a significant dowry.

Fonvizin. Minor. Maly Theater performance

In 1777, Fonvizin left for France to improve his wife’s health; from there he wrote extensive letters to his sister F.I. Argamakova and the brother of his boss, P.I. Panin; he described in detail his journey, the morals and customs of the French. In witty and vivid sketches, he depicted the decaying society of pre-revolutionary France. He truly felt the approach of a thunderstorm and saw the madness that gripped the country before the catastrophe; in addition, he did not like many things because he did not want and could not abandon his own, Russian, landowner concepts when assessing a culture alien to him. Fonvizin treated his letters as real literary work; this is evident from the fact that he introduced into them many remarks borrowed from French and German publicists and geographers.

In the 1770s, Fonvizin wrote and published a little (“Callisthenes”, “Ta-Gio or Great Science”, “Word for the recovery of Pavel Petrovich” 1771, “Word of praise to Marcus Aurelius” 1777). But from the beginning of the 1780s, his creative energy began to rise again. All the works of this stage of his biography seem to be the fruit of deep reflection on political, moral, and pedagogical topics. Even in Tom’s “Eulogy to Marcus Aurelius,” translated by Fonvizin, and in some of his other works of an earlier era, his interest in issues of government and politics is visible. Then, on the instructions of N.I. Panin and, no doubt, under his leadership, Fonvizin draws up a draft of reforms necessary for the prosperity of Russia. This project also talks about the liberation of the peasants, the limitation of autocracy, etc. Abroad, Fonvizin studies not only philosophy, but also legal sciences: the political system and legislation of France. In 1782, his “Questions” appear in the “Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word”, in which he boldly points out the shortcomings of state and court life in Russia; along with the “Questions,” the answers to them were published by Empress Catherine, who was so dissatisfied with Fonvizin’s insolence that he had to apologize to her in print. The same magazine published “Petition to the Russian Minerva from Russian Writers,” an article in which Fonvizin protests against the neglect of literary pursuits; he himself believed that writing was one of the useful and sublime ways to serve the fatherland and humanity. The same period of Fonvizin’s biography includes: “The Experience of the Russian Soslovnik”, an excerpt from a dictionary of synonyms, in which original satirical attacks are added to borrowings from Girard’s dictionary of French synonyms, “The Teaching delivered on Spiritual Day by Priest Vasily” and, finally, “The Minor”.

If in “The Brigadier” Fonvizin gave only a gallery of comic types and a number of satirical attacks, not commented on with the help of abstract reasoning and not colored by a trend, then in “The Minor” (see on our website for a summary, full text and analysis of this play) we have before us a complete cycle of ideas both expressed by individual characters and evident from the action itself. The perniciousness of ignorance, the resulting abuse of serfdom, the moral and mental decline of the nobility constitute the main ideological cores of the comedy. Fonvizin demands from the nobleman, first of all, consciousness, hard work and devotion to the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhonor, which he considers the basis of the well-being of society. In the field of pedagogy, he, according to Western teachings of that time, asserts the primacy of moral education over the communication of specific knowledge, believing that a learned villain is no less dangerous than an ignoramus. Fonvizin reinforces the development of his views with a vivid satire on the life of the provincial nobility; Along the way, the court also gets it with its intrigues, lies, sycophancy and the like. “The Minor” was staged in 1782 in St. Petersburg for a benefit performance by I. A. Dmitrevsky, who played Starodum. The success was complete, amazing; Fonvizin was at the height of his fame. Despite the resistance of Moscow censorship, he achieved the production of the comedy at the Moscow theater, and since then it has not left the stage for many decades and still enjoys the reputation of the best Russian comedy of the 18th century.

This was Fonvizin's last creative success. In 1783, N.I. Panin died, and Fonvizin immediately retired with the rank of state councilor and a pension of 3,000 rubles. in year. In 1784 – 1785 he traveled throughout Western Europe; He spent a lot of time in Italy, where he purchased, among other things, objects of art for the trading house he founded in Russia together with the merchant Klosterman; This is how Fonvizin practically implemented the idea of ​​a “trading nobility.” From abroad, Fonvizin again wrote long literary letters to his sister. Upon returning to Russia, Fonvizin was struck by paralysis, which deprived him of the use of his left arm and leg and partly of his tongue. The following years are years of extinction. Fonvizin saw his illness as a punishment for the sins and delusions of his youth and traveled in search of healing. He was unable to continue his literary work. In 1788, he prepared a number of satirical articles for the proposed publication of the magazine “Starodum or Friend of Honest People,” but censorship prohibited publication; Apparently, “Questions”, the reform project, and perhaps some places in “Nedoroslya” were not forgotten by the government; even Fonvizin’s idea to translate Tacitus met with the disapproval of the authorities. Shortly before his death, Fonvizin wrote a short comedy, “The Tutor’s Choice,” and began writing an autobiography, “Frank Confession of My Deeds and Thoughts.” He died on December 1, 1792.

Brilliant talent, great intelligence and wide erudition give us the right to consider Fonvizin one of the outstanding people of Catherine's era. And in private life he was a wit and a mocker. A dandy, a lover of painting, poetry, theater, and also a good table, in his youth he strived with all his might for an official career, in his old age he took up the salvation of his soul, a cunning but honest man, he was a characteristic representative of the Russian noble intelligentsia of that time.

Books to read

Film adaptation of a classic

Biography of the writer

– playwright, publicist, translator.

Born April 3(14), 1745 in Moscow. He came from an old noble family (the Livonian knight von Wisin was captured under John IV , then began to serve the Russian Tsar). Since 1755, Denis Fonvizin was enrolled in the gymnasium at Moscow University, where he successfully studied Latin, German and French and gave speeches in Russian and German at ceremonial events. In 1760, among the best students, Fonvizin was taken to St. Petersburgfor presentation to the curator of the university I.I. Shuvalov and “promoted to student.” He made his debut in the literary field as a translator: he translated from German a collection of the Danish writer Ludwig Golberg, popular in Europe.Moral fables (1761). Several minor translations by Fonvizin appeared in university publications in 1761–1762 (including in the journalM.M. Kheraskova“Useful entertainment”, where poems by Fonvizin’s older brother Pavel were also published); translation of the tragedyVoltaireAlzira (1762) was not published at the time, but became widespread in lists (published in 1894). At the same time, he began to translate a lengthy, four-volume adventure-didactic novel by Abbot Jean TerrasonHeroic Virtue, or the Life of Seth, King of Egypt, taken from the Mysterious Evidence of Ancient Egypt (1762–1768).

In 1762, Fonvizin left the university and became a translator at the College of Foreign Affairs. In 1763, after the coronation celebrations in Moscow, he moved with the court to St. Petersburg and until 1769 served under the State Councilor of the Palace Chancellery I.P. Elagin, who, being the manager of “court music and theater,” patronized aspiring writers. Fonvizin entered the so-called “Elagin circle”, whose participants (Elagin himself, V.I. Lukin, B.E. Elchaninov and others. ) were busy developing original Russian comedy. For this purpose, foreign plays were altered, “bent” “to our morals” (i.e., the names of the characters, everyday realities, etc. were changed). Lukin argued that the latter is necessary, since “many spectators do not receive any improvement in the morals of others from comedies. They think that it is not them, but strangers who are being ridiculed.” In addition, the circle mastered the traditions of the bourgeois “tearful drama” (otherwise known as “serious comedy”), of which he was the theoreticianD. Diderot, i.e. a mixture of “funny” and “touching” in comedies was allowed. In this spirit, Fonvizin composed his first poetic comedyCorion (1764), based on the drama of the French author Jean-Baptiste-Louis GressetSydney . The action in it takes place in a village near Moscow and consists of a presentation of the sentimental story of lovers Corion and Xenovia, separated by a misunderstanding and happily united in the finale.Corion , however, was only a test of the pen of Fonvizin the playwright.

His comedy became a completely original and innovative workBrigadier (1768–1769, post. 1772, pub. 1786). This is the first “comedy of manners” in Russian literature, in contrast to the previously dominant satirical “comedy of characters”, when personified vices (“stinginess”, “bragging”, etc.) were brought to the stage. INForeman vices, peculiarities of speech and behavior of characters are socially conditioned. This is achieved with the help of “verbal masks”. After subtracting the speech characteristics, no other, individual human traits remain” (G.A. Gukovsky). “Talking” in comedy prevails over “action”: on stage they drink tea, play cards, discuss what books are needed for education, etc. The characters constantly “let slip” about themselves. Declarations of love (Adviser - Foreman, Foreman - Advisor) do not achieve their goal due to the fact that they speak, essentially, in different languages, i.e. a “dialogue of the deaf” emerges. What unites the negative characters of the comedy is their “stupidity”, shaded by the “prudence” of the positive ones - Sophia and Dobrolyubov, whose participation, however, is kept to a minimum (they say practically nothing and only scold everyone else as “brutes”). The figure of the “hallomaniac” Ivanushka is brought to the fore (the influence of Golberg’s comedy on the idea of ​​“The Brigadier” was noted)Jean-French ), with which the most important topic for Fonvizin is the education of a nobleman.

In the 1760s, during the era of the Commission for drawing up the New Code (1767), Fonvizin spoke out on the issue of rights and privileges of the nobility that worried everyone. He translates the treatise by G.-F. QuayerMerchant nobility (1766), where the right of a nobleman to engage in industry and trade was justified (it is no coincidence inUnderage Starodum became rich as a Siberian industrialist, not a courtier). The manuscript distributed his compilation from the works of the German lawyer I.G. YustiAn abbreviation on the liberties of the French nobility and the benefits of the third rank (late 1760s). As an appendix to the story translated by Fonvizin by F.-T.-M.ArnoSidney and Scilly, or Beneficence and Gratitude (1769) one of his few poems was publishedMessage to my servants - Shumilov, Vanka and Petrushka (there are elements of anticlerical satire here, believed to be inspired by Fonvizin’s close communication with the writer F.A. Kozlovsky, a famous Voltairian and freethinker). Fonvizin’s activity as a translator of fiction was crowned by the translation of Paul Jérémie Bitobe’s story on a biblical plotJoseph (1769): This is a sentimental, lyrical narrative written in rhythmic prose. Later, Fonvizin proudly wrote that this story “served me to draw tears from sensitive people. For I know many who, reading Joseph, which I translated, shed tears.”

In 1769, Fonvizin became one of the secretaries of Chancellor Count N.I. Panin, who was making plans for the early transfer of the throne to Pavel Petrovich and limiting autocracy in favor of the Supreme Council of nobles. Having soon become Panin's confidant, Fonvizin plunged into an atmosphere of political projects and intrigues. In the 1770s, he only twice acted as a writer (more precisely, as a political publicist of the “Panin party”, instructing the monarch on how to rule for the good of the nation) - inA word for Pavel Petrovich's recovery (1771) and translation Words of praise to Marcus Aurelius A.Thoma (1777). Fonvizin’s letters, written during a trip to France in 1777–1778 and addressed to P.I. Panin (the chancellor’s brother), are a remarkable description of the mores of French society on the eve of the revolution in style and satirical sharpness.

After the disgrace and resignation of N.I. Panin, Fonvizin also retired (in March 1782). In 1782–1783, “according to Panin’s thoughts,” he composedDiscourse on indispensable state laws (so-called Panin's will ), which was supposed to be a preface to the prepared but unrealized N.I. and P.I. Panin to the project “Fundamental rights that cannot be applied at all times by any authority” (i.e., essentially, the project of a constitutional monarchy in Russia). Later thisPanin's will , replete with attacks against the autocracy, was used for propaganda purposes by the Decembrists. Immediately after the death of the patron (March 1783), Fonvizin composed a brochureLife of Count N.I. Panin , published in St. Petersburg, first in French (1784), and then in Russian (1786).

The comedy brought Fonvizin fame and universal recognitionMinor (1779–1781, post. September 1782, pub. 1783). The extraordinary success of the play when it was first staged on the court stage on Tsaritsyn Meadow was testified by the unknown author of the Dramatic Dictionary (1787): “The theater was incomparably filled, and the audience applauded the play by throwing purses.” This is a “comedy of manners”, depicting the domestic life of a wild and dark family of provincial landowners. At the center of the comedy is the image of Mrs. Prostakova, a tyrant and despot in her own family and even more so among her peasants. Her cruelty in dealing with others is compensated by her unreasonable and ardent tenderness for her son Mitrofanushka, who, thanks to such maternal upbringing, grows up spoiled, rude, ignorant and completely unfit for any business. Prostakova is confident that she can do whatever she wants, because a decree on “noble freedom” has been given for this. Opposed to her and her relatives, Starodum, Pravdin, Sophia and Milon believe that the freedom of a nobleman lies in the right to study, and then serve society with his mind and knowledge, which justifies the nobility of the noble title. In the finale, retribution comes: Prostakova is cut off from her estate and abandoned by her own son (the theme of a cruel tyrant, indulging in his passions and destroying his subjects, brings Fonvizin’s comedy closer to tragediesA.P. Sumarokova). Contemporaries most of all inUnderage Starodum’s prudent monologues captivated him; later, comedy was valued for the colorful, socially characteristic language of the characters and colorful everyday scenes (often these two levels of comedy - ideological and everyday - were contrasted, as, for example, in the epigramI.F. Bogdanovich: The venerable Starodum, / Hearing the vile noise, / Where the woman is unattractive, / With nails crawling into her face, / He quickly went home. / Dear writer, / Sorry, I did the same ).

In 1783, Princess E.R. Dashkova invited Fonvizin to participate in the magazine “Interlocutor of the Russian Word” that she published. In the very first issue hisThe experience of a Russian estate . Compiled as if for the needs of the “Dictionary of the Russian Academy of Sciences” being prepared, FonvizinskyExperience… was a covert political satire, exposing the court order and the “idleness” of the nobles. In the same magazine in 1783, without a title or signature, Fonvizin’s politically acute and daring “questions” were published (in the manuscript they are titled asSeveral questions that can arouse special attention in intelligent and honest people ), addressed to Catherine II and supplied with “answers” ​​from the empress herself, who at first believed I.I. Shuvalova to be the author of the “questions”. The truth soon became clear, and thus Fonvizin, with his “free speech,” incurred the displeasure of the authorities and subsequently experienced difficulties with the publication of his works. Translation of the work by I.G. ZimmermanAbout national curiosity (1785), a story about the persecution suffered by a wise man who speaks truth to the ruler (Callisthenes. Greek story , 1786), and a poetic fableFox-Kaznodey (17887) were published anonymously. By 1788 he had prepared hisComplete works and translations in 5 volumes: a subscription was announced, but publication did not take place, and even its manuscript is now lost. In the same 1788, he unsuccessfully sought permission to publish the author’s magazine “Friend of Honest People, or Starodum” (some of the magazine materials prepared by Fonvizin were published only in 1830).

In recent years, Fonvizin’s health had deteriorated greatly (in 1784–1785 he and his wife traveled to Italy for treatment) and at the same time his religious and repentant sentiments increased. They were reflected in an autobiographical essay written “in the footsteps”Confessions J.-J. Rousseau, – Sincere confession of my deeds and thoughts (1791). His last comedy, incompletely preservedChoosing a tutor (between 1790 and 1792), dedicated, as in many ways,Minor , issues of education, however, it is much inferior to the latter in artistic terms.

Fonvizin died on December 1 (12), 1792 in St. Petersburg after an evening spent visitingG.R.Derzhavina, where, according to the reviews of those present, he was cheerful and playful. He was buried at the Lazarevskoye cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Vladimir Korovin

Fonvizin was an educator, but the stamp of noble narrow-mindedness marked both his faith in enlightened absolutism and in the primordial selectivity of his class. It should be noted, however, that Fonvizin’s early interest in class, and essentially in social issues, characteristic of his subsequent work, will allow him to more soberly than many of his contemporaries assess the political situation that developed during the reign of Catherine II . Later, creating the image of the nobleman Starodum in “The Minor,” an image to which the author’s thoughts and sympathies are given in this play, he will note that his hero made his fortune and achieved independence as an honest industrialist, and not as a sycophantic courtier. Fonvizin was among the first Russian writers who began to consistently destroy the class barriers of feudal society.

Fonvizin knew the Russian nobility too well to expect support from them in implementing the educational program. But he believed in the effectiveness of the propaganda of educational ideas, under the influence of which a new generation of honest sons of the fatherland was to be formed. As he believed, they would become assistants and support for an enlightened sovereign, whose goal would be the good of the fatherland and the nation. Therefore, Fonvizin, a satirist by the nature of his talent, starting from his early works, also promotes a positive ideal of social behavior.

“Corion”, a free adaptation of the comedy by the French playwright J.-B. Gresse "Sydney", opens the St. Petersburg period of Fonvizin's work. The translation of Voltaire's tragedy "Alzira" (which was distributed in copies) created his reputation as a talented aspiring author. At the same time, he was accepted into a circle of young playwrights who grouped around his immediate superior I. P. Elagin, a famous translator and philanthropist. In this circle, the theory of “declining” foreign works “to Russian customs” was developed. Elagin was the first to apply the principle of “declension” in the play “Jean de Molay, or the Russian Frenchman,” borrowed from Golberg, and V. I. Lukin consistently formulated it in the prefaces to his comedies.

Until this time, translated plays depicted life that was incomprehensible to the Russian audience, and foreign names were used. All this, as Lukin wrote, not only destroyed the theatrical illusion, but also reduced the educational impact of the theater. Therefore, the “remaking” of these plays in the Russian style began. With “Korion” Fonvizin declared himself as a supporter of national themes in drama and joined the fight against translators of entertainment plays.

In Elagin’s circle they showed a keen interest in the new genre of “serious comedy,” which received theoretical justification in Diderot’s articles and conquered European stages. An attempt, half-hearted and not entirely successful, to introduce the principles of moralizing dramaturgy into the Russian literary tradition was already made in Lukin’s plays. But his comedies turned out to be devoid of a sense of the comic and, most importantly, resisted the growing penetration of satire into all areas of literature, which a few years later led to the emergence of satirical journalism. Such private themes as a touching depiction of suffering virtue or the correction of a vicious nobleman did not in any way correspond to the political goals of Russian enlighteners, who raised the question of transforming society as a whole. Close attention to human behavior in society allowed Fonvizin to understand more deeply than his contemporaries the foundations of Diderot's educational aesthetics. The idea of ​​a satirical comedy about the Russian nobility took shape in an atmosphere of controversy surrounding the Commission for drawing up the New Code, where the majority of nobles came out in defense of serfdom. In 1769, “The Brigadier” was completed, and, turning to social satire, Fonvizin finally broke with the Elagin circle.

In 1872, Fonvizin completed work on the comedy "The Minor"

Outwardly remaining within the confines of an everyday comedy, offering the viewer a number of everyday scenes, Fonvizin in “The Minor” touched on new and deep issues. The task of showing modern “mores” as the result of a certain system of relationships between people determined the artistic success of “The Minor” and made it a “folk” comedy, according to Pushkin. Touching upon the main and topical issues, “Nedorosl” was indeed a very vivid, historically accurate picture of Russian life in the 18th century. and as such went beyond the ideas of the narrow circle of the Panins. Fonvizin in “Nedorosl” assessed the main phenomena of Russian life from the point of view of their socio-political meaning. But his idea of ​​the political structure of Russia was formed taking into account the main problems of class society, so that the comedy can be considered the first picture of social types in Russian literature.

In terms of genre, “Minor” is a comedy. The play contains many truly comic and partly farcical scenes, reminiscent of The Brigadier. However, Fonvizin’s laughter in “The Minor” takes on a darkly tragic character, and the farcical brawls, when Prostakova, Mitrofan and Skotinin take part in them, cease to be perceived as traditional funny interludes.

Addressing far from funny problems in comedy, Fonvizin did not so much strive to invent new stage techniques as rethink the old ones. In The Minor, the techniques of bourgeois drama were interpreted in a completely original way in connection with the Russian dramatic tradition. For example, the function of the sounding board of classical drama has changed radically. In “The Minor,” a similar role is played by Starodum, who expresses the author’s point of view; This person is not so much acting as speaking. In translated Western drama there was a similar figure of a wise old nobleman. But his actions and reasoning were limited to the area of ​​moral, most often family, problems. Starodum Fonvizin acts as a political speaker, and his moralizations are a form of presentation of a political program. In this sense, he rather resembles the heroes of the Russian tyrant-fighting tragedy. It is possible that the latent influence of the high “drama of ideas” on Fonvizin, the translator of Voltaire’s Alzira, was stronger than it might seem at first glance.

Fonvizin was the creator of social comedy in Russia. His socio-political concept determined the most characteristic and general feature of his dramaturgy - a purely educational opposition between the world of evil and the world of reason, and thus the generally accepted content of everyday satirical comedy received a philosophical interpretation. Bearing in mind this feature of Fonvizin’s plays, Gogol wrote about how the playwright deliberately neglects the content of the intrigue, “seeing through it another, higher content.”

For the first time in Russian drama, the love affair of comedy was completely relegated to the background and acquired an auxiliary meaning. e.

According to the plot and title, “The Minor” is a play about how badly and incorrectly a young nobleman was taught, raising him as a direct “minor.” In fact, we are not talking about teaching, but about “education” in the broad sense of the word that is usual for Fonvizin.

Although Mitrofan is a minor figure on stage, the fact that the play received the name “Minor” is not accidental. Mitrofan Prostakov is the last of three generations of Skotinins, who pass before the audience directly or in the memories of other characters and demonstrate that during this time nothing has changed in the world of the Prostakovs. The story of Mitrofan’s upbringing explains where the Skotinins come from and what needs to be changed so that they do not appear in the future: to destroy slavery and overcome the “bestial” vices of human nature with moral education.

In "The Minor" not only the positive characters outlined in "The Brigadier" are developed, but also a deeper image of social evil is given. As before, Fonvizin’s focus is on the nobility, but not in itself, but in close ties with the serf class, which it rules, and the supreme power, representing the country as a whole. The events in the Prostakovs' house, quite colorful in themselves, are ideologically an illustration of more serious conflicts.

From the first scene of the comedy, the fitting of a caftan sewn by Trishka, Fonvizin depicts the very kingdom where “people are the property of people,” where “a person of one state can be both a plaintiff and a judge over a person of another state” (2, 265), as he wrote in "Discourse". Prostakova is the sovereign mistress of her estate. Whether her slaves Trishka, Eremeevna or the girl Palashka are right or wrong, this depends only on her arbitrariness, and she says about herself that “she doesn’t give up: she scolds, she fights, and that’s how the house holds together” (1, 124). However, calling Prostakova a “despicable fury,” Fonvizin does not want to emphasize that the tyrant landowner he depicts is an exception to the general rule. His idea was, as M. Gorky accurately noted, “to show the nobility degenerate and corrupted precisely by the slavery of the peasantry.” Skotinin, Prostakova’s brother, the same ordinary landowner, is also “to blame for everything” (1, 109), and the pigs in his villages live much better than people. “Isn’t a nobleman free to beat a servant whenever he wants?” (1, 172) - he supports his sister when she justifies her atrocities by referring to the Decree on the Liberty of the Nobility.

Accustomed to impunity, Prostakova extends her power from the serfs to her husband, Sophia, Skotinin - to everyone from whom she hopes she will not meet resistance. But, autocratically managing her own estate, she herself gradually turned into a slave, devoid of self-esteem, ready to grovel before the strongest, and became a typical representative of the world of lawlessness and tyranny. The idea of ​​the “animal” lowland of this world is carried out in “Nedorosl” as consistently as in “The Brigadier”: both the Skotinins and the Prostakovs are “of the same litter” (1, 135). Prostakova is just one example of how despotism destroys the human being in a person and destroys the social ties of people.

Talking about his life in the capital, Starodum paints the same world of selfishness and slavery, people “without a soul.” Essentially, Starodum-Fonvizin asserts, drawing a parallel between the small landowner Prostakova and the noble nobles of the state, “if an ignoramus without a soul is a beast,” then the “most enlightened clever woman” without her is nothing more than a “pathetic creature” (1, 130). The courtiers, to the same extent as Prostakova, have no idea of ​​duty and honor, subservient to the nobles and push around the weak, crave wealth and rise at the expense of their rival.

Starodum's aphoristic invective touched the entire noble class. There is a legend that some landowner filed a complaint against Fonvizin for Starodum’s remark “she’s a master at interpreting decrees,” feeling personally insulted. As for his monologues, no matter how secret they were, the most topical of them were removed at the request of the censor from the stage text of the play. Fonvizin’s satire in “Nedorosl” was directed against Catherine’s specific policies.

Central in this regard is the first scene of the 5th act of “The Minor,” where, in a conversation between Starodum and Pravdin, Fonvizin sets out the main thoughts of the “Discourse” about the example that the sovereign should set for his subjects and the need for strong laws in the state. Starodum formulates them as follows: “A sovereign worthy of the throne strives to elevate the souls of his subjects... Where he knows what his true glory is..., there everyone will soon feel that everyone must seek their happiness and benefits in the one thing that is legal and that which is oppressed by slavery their own kind is lawless" (1, 167–168). In the pictures drawn by Fonvizin of the abuses of serf owners, in the story he depicted of Mitrofan’s upbringing as a slave Eremeevna, so that “instead of one slave there are two” (1, 169), in the reviews of the favorites standing at the helm of power, where there is no place for honest people, there was an accusation of the very the reigning empress. In a play composed for a public theater, the writer could not express himself as precisely and definitely as he did in the “Discourse on Indispensable State Laws,” intended for a narrow circle of like-minded people. But the reader and viewer understood the inevitable misunderstandings. According to Fonvizin himself, it was the role of Starodum that ensured the success of the comedy; The audience “applauded the performance of this role by I. A. Dmitrevsky by throwing wallets” onto the stage.

The role of Starodum was important for Fonvizin in one more respect. In scenes with Sophia, Pravdin, Milon, he consistently sets out the views of an “honest man” on family morality, on the duties of a nobleman engaged in the affairs of civil government and military service. The appearance of such an extensive program indicated that in Fonvizin’s work, Russian educational thought moved from criticism of the dark sides of reality to the search for practical ways to change the autocratic system.

Fonvizin's heroes are static. They leave the stage the same way they appeared. The clash between them does not change their characters. However, in the living journalistic fabric of the works, their actions acquired ambiguity that was not characteristic of the dramaturgy of classicism. Already in the image of the Brigadier there are features that could not only make the viewer laugh, but also evoke his sympathy. The foreman is stupid, greedy, evil. But suddenly she turns into an unhappy woman who, with tears, tells the story of Captain Gvozdilova, so similar to her own fate. An even stronger similar stage technique - assessing the character from different points of view - was carried out in the denouement of "The Minor".

The atrocities of the Prostakovs suffer a well-deserved punishment. An order comes from the authorities to take the estate into government custody. However, Fonvizin fills the external rather traditional denouement - vice is punished, virtue triumphs - with deep internal content. The appearance of Pravdin with a decree in his hands resolves the conflict only formally. The viewer knew well that Peter’s decree on guardianship over tyrant landowners was not applied in practice. In addition, he saw that Skotinin, Prostakova’s worthy brother in oppressing the peasants, remained completely unpunished. He is just frightened by the thunderstorm that broke out over the Prostakovs’ house and safely retreats to his village. Fonvizin left the viewer in clear confidence that the Skotinins would only become more careful.

“Undergrowth” concludes with the famous words of Starodum: “Here are the fruits worthy of evil!” This remark refers not so much to Prostakova’s abdication from landowner power, but to the fact that everyone, even her beloved son, is leaving her, deprived of power. Prostakova's drama is the final illustration of the fate of every person in a world of lawlessness: if you are not a tyrant, then you will find yourself a victim. On the other hand, with the last scene Fonvizin emphasized the moral conflict of the play. A vicious person prepares his own inevitable punishment through his actions.

Fonvizin’s most important achievement, as already noted, was an understanding of character that was new to Russian literature. True, even his entire complexity of character is limited to one or two traits. But the playwright motivates and explains these character traits with biographical circumstances and class affiliation. Pushkin, having read “A Conversation with Princess Khaldina,” a scene from Fonvizin’s unfinished play, admired how vividly the writer was able to portray a person as nature and the Russian “half-education” of the 18th century made him. Later researchers, regardless of whether we are talking about elements of realism in Fonvizin’s work or about his belonging to “enlightenment realism,” noted the literally historical accuracy of his works. Fonvizin was able to paint a reliable picture of the morals of his time, since he was guided not only by the enlightenment idea of ​​human nature, but also realized that a specific character bears the imprint of social and political existence. Showing this connection between man and society, he made his images, conflicts, and plots an expression of social patterns. Demonstrated with the brilliance of talent, this discovery of Fonvizin in practice became one of the basic principles of mature realism.

Part B tasks

Short answer questions

Part C tasks

Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin was born on April 3 (14), 1745 in Moscow into a noble family descended from a Livonian knightly family. The future writer received his primary education at home. A patriarchal atmosphere reigned in the Fonvizin family.

Since 1755, Denis Ivanovich studied at the noble gymnasium at the university in Moscow, then at the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow University. In 1760, Fonvizin, among the “selected students,” left for St. Petersburg, where he met Lomonosov and Sumarokov.

The beginning of a creative journey

Since the 1760s, Denis Ivanovich created his first works. Fonvizin's early work was distinguished by its sharp satirical orientation. In 1760, the so-called “early “Nedorosl”” was published in “Literary Heritage”. At the same time, the writer was engaged in translations. In 1761, Fonvizin translated Holberg's fables into Russian. In 1762 - works by Terrason, Voltaire, Ovid, Gresse, Rousseau.

Since 1762, Fonvizin has worked as a translator, and since 1763 - secretary of the cabinet minister Elagin in the Collegium of Foreign Affairs. In 1769, Denis Ivanovich entered the service of Count Panin as his personal secretary.

In 1768, the writer created the satirical comedy “The Brigadier”. The play received a wide response and Fonvizin, whose biography was still unknown in high circles, was invited to Peterhof to read the work to Empress Catherine II herself.

Public service. Mature creativity

From 1777 to 1778, Fonvizin spent abroad and spent a long time in France. Returning to Russia in 1779, Denis Ivanovich entered the service as an adviser to the chancellery of the Secret Expedition. At the same time, the writer was translating the book “Ta-Gio”. In 1783, Fonvizin created one of the best works of Russian journalism - “Discourse on Indispensable State Laws.”

Since 1781, Denis Ivanovich has taken the place of state councilor. In 1782 he retired. In the autumn of the same year, the premiere of the playwright’s most important work, the comedy “Minor” (written in 1781), took place in St. Petersburg. In 1783 the play was staged in Moscow.

Disease. Last years

Since 1783, Denis Ivanovich has been traveling around Europe, visiting Italy, Germany, and Austria. In 1785, the writer suffered his first apoplexy. In 1787, Fonvizin returned to Russia.

In the last years of his short biography, Fonvizin suffered from a serious illness - paralysis, but did not stop engaging in literary activities. Despite the ban of Catherine II on the publication of a five-volume collected works, Denis Ivanovich at this time created the comedy “The Tutor’s Choice”, the feuilleton “Conversation with Princess Khaldina”, and worked on the autobiography “Pure Confession” (remained unfinished).

On December 1 (12), 1792, Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin died. The writer was buried at the Lazarevskoye cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg.

Other biography options

• During a trip to St. Petersburg in 1760, Fonvizin attended a theatrical performance for the first time. It was Holberg's play Henry and Pernille. What happened on stage made an indelible impression on the writer, and he retained his passion for theater throughout his life.
• The success of the premiere of "The Minor" during the premiere was so great that the audience, according to the custom of that time, threw wallets with money on the stage.
• Fonvizin paid special attention to his appearance, for which he was recognized as a dandy. The writer decorated his clothes with fresh flowers, wore a sable frock coat and shoes with large buckles.
• Denis Ivanovich was married to Katerina Ivanovna Rogovikova, the daughter of a wealthy merchant.

Biography test

The test will help you better remember Fonvizin’s short biography.

The famous writer of Catherine's era D.I. Fonvizin was born on April 3 (14), 1745 in Moscow, into a wealthy noble family. He came from a Livonian knightly family that had become completely Russified (until the mid-19th century, the surname was spelled Von-Wiesen). He received his primary education under the guidance of his father, Ivan Andreevich. In 1755-1760, Fonvizin studied at the newly opened gymnasium at Moscow University; in 1760 he was “promoted to student” at the Faculty of Philosophy, but stayed at the university for only 2 years.

A special place in the dramaturgy of this time is occupied by the work of Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin (1745-1792), which was the pinnacle of theatrical culture of the 18th century. Inheriting the traditions of classicist comedy, Fonvizin goes far ahead, essentially being the founder of critical realism in Russian drama. A. S. Pushkin called the great playwright “a brave ruler of satire,” “a friend of freedom.” M. Gorky argued that Fonvizin began the most magnificent and, perhaps, the most socially fruitful line of Russian literature - the accusatory-realist line. Fonvizin's work had a tremendous influence on contemporary and subsequent writers and playwrights. D.I. Fonvizin joined the theater early. Theatrical impressions were the strongest in his youth: “... nothing in St. Petersburg delighted me so much as the theater, which I saw for the first time when I was a child. The effect the theater produced in me is almost impossible to describe.” While still a student, Fonvizin took part in the life of the Moscow University Theater. In the future, Denis Ivanovich maintains connections with the largest figures of the Russian theater - playwrights and actors: A. P. Sumarokov, I. A. Dmitrevsky and others, and appears with theatrical articles in satirical magazines. These magazines had a great influence on Fonvizin's work. From them he sometimes drew motives for his comedies. Fonvizin's dramatic activity began in the 60s. At first, he translates foreign plays and “transposes” them into the Russian style. But this was only a test of the pen. Fonvizin dreamed of creating a national comedy. "Brigadier" is Fonvizin's first original play. It was written in the late 60s. The simplicity of the plot did not prevent Fonvizin from creating a sharply satirical work, showing the morals and character of his narrow-minded heroes. Contemporaries called the play “The Brigadier” “a comedy about our morals.” This comedy was written under the influence of advanced satirical magazines and satirical comedies of Russian classicism and imbued with the author’s concern for the education of youth. “The Brigadier” is the first dramatic work in Russia, endowed with all the features of national originality, and in no way reminiscent of comedies created according to foreign standards. The language of comedy contains many popular expressions, aphorisms, and apt comparisons. This dignity of the “Brigadier” was immediately noticed by contemporaries, and the best of Fonvizin’s verbal expressions passed into everyday life and became proverbs. The comedy “The Brigadier” was staged in 1780 at the St. Petersburg Theater on Tsaritsyn Meadow. The second comedy “The Minor” was written by D. I. Fonvizin in 1782. It brought the author long-lasting fame and placed him in the forefront of the fight against serfdom. The play explores the most important issues of the era. It talks about the education of underage noble sons and the morals of court society. But the problem of serfdom, evil and unpunished cruelty of landowners is posed more acutely than others. “The Minor” was created by the hand of a mature master, who managed to populate the play with living characters and build the action according to the signs of not only external, but also internal dynamics. The comedy “The Minor” absolutely did not meet the requirements of Catherine II, who ordered the writers to “only occasionally touch upon vices” and to conduct criticism without fail “in a smiling spirit.” On September 24, 1782, “The Minor” was staged by Fonvizin and Dmitrevsky at the theater on Tsaritsyn Meadow. The performance was a great success among the general public. On May 14, 1783, the premiere of “The Minor” took place on the stage of the Petrovsky Theater in Moscow. The premiere and subsequent performances were a huge success. “The Tutor's Choice”, a comedy written by Fonvizin in 1790, was dedicated to the burning topic of educating young people in aristocratic noble houses. The pathos of the comedy is directed against foreign adventurers-pseudo-teachers in favor of enlightened Russian nobles.

“Science and intelligence are subject to fashion as much as earrings and buttons”

DI. Fonvizin.

The Russian writer is the founder of Russian everyday comedy (“The Brigadier” and “The Minor”); translator. He came from the Russified Livonian nobles and his last name during his lifetime was written like this: Von-Vizin.

In 1777-1778 DI. Fonvizin traveled to Germany, France, where he met Jean D'Alembert ,Benjamin Franklin and witnessed the triumph staged on the occasion of his arrival in Paris Voltaire.

DI. Fonvizin, while in Milan, writes in a letter about his impressions: “Neither in the rural villages nor in the cities are there any police: everyone does what he wants, without fear of government. It’s amazing how everything still holds up to this day and how people themselves have not yet exterminated each other. If we had such permission as here, I am sure that the disorder would be even worse. I think that the Italians have become so accustomed to disorder that it no longer produces cruel consequences and that self-will has naturally calmed down over time and lost its strength”...

Later DI. Fonvizin wrote: “A discussion about the extinction of every form of government in Russia and therefore about the precarious state of both the empire and the sovereigns themselves.”

“In it, the educator, playwright, publicist refers to his time as prosperous for unworthy people, whose heads are occupied with the mere concoction of means to enrich themselves. Greedy greed is all around: whoever can, robs; those who cannot, steal; justice has turned into a marketplace and one can be afraid of losing one’s own without guilt and hope to take someone else’s without the right. The subjects of farming were not only the trade in wine, salt or the collection of taxes, but also justice, the distribution of awards, official places, etc. In “Discourse...” the Russian writer developed a picture of the Russia of that time, “a state encompassing space, like no other in the whole the known globe does not embrace and which, in proportion to its vastness, is not in the world less populous; a state divided into more than thirty large regions and consisting, one might say, of only two cities, of which people live in one mostly out of need, in the other mostly out of whim; a state whose numerous and brave army is terrifying and whose situation is such that the loss of one battle can sometimes completely destroy its existence; a state which, with its power and glory, attracts the attention of the whole world and which a man who differs in one human form from cattle and not led by anyone, can lead, so to speak, in a few hours to the very edge of final destruction and death; a state that gives kings to foreign lands and whose own throne depends on the opening of taverns for the brutal crowd of brawlers who guard the safety of the royal persons; a state driven by daily and often contradictory decrees, but not having any firm legal provisions; a state where people constitute the property of people, where a person of one state has the right to be both a plaintiff and a judge over a person of another state, where everyone, consequently, can always be either a tyrant or a victim; the state is not monarchical, because it does not have fundamental laws; not an aristocracy, for its supreme government is a soulless machine, driven by the arbitrariness of the sovereign; But a land where the people, groveling in the darkness of the deepest ignorance, silently bear the burden of cruel slavery cannot even resemble democracy.”

The picture is truly hopeless and joyless.

When "Discourse..." became known Catherine II, Fonvizin was immediately dismissed from service, a virtual ban was imposed on his literary activities; Until the end of his life, the writer's works were not published.

“I have a hard time living, and Mr. Fonvizin wants to teach me how to reign!” - the empress spoke with undisguised bitterness among her courtiers.”

Pompeev Yu.A., History and philosophy of domestic entrepreneurship, St. Petersburg, “St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts,” 2003, p. 177-178.

“... Denis Ivanovich will try to create a dictionary of Russian synonyms, and literary specialties will be presented in it in this way: “A scribe is the name of the one who composes his own or rewrites someone else’s. A writer is someone who writes in prose. Writer - someone who writes poetry and prose. Creator - who wrote a famous work in poetry or prose.” The poet didn't even fit in here. Just like a dramatic writer, a tragedian or a comedian. The division is unsuccessful and unclear, and this just speaks of the situation in literature at that time.”

Rassadin S.B., Die, Denis, or the empress’s unwanted interlocutor, M., “Text”, 2008, p. 77.

“Much less well known than “The Minor” is his story “Callisthenes” - a remarkable work written in 1786, six years before his death. The product, one might say, is final. This is what it's about. Aristotle sends one of his students, a philosopher Callisthenes, to another student, to Alexander the Great. For he, who has not yet forgotten the lessons of his mentor and is aware of how power corrupts him, prays for spiritual help: “I am a man and am surrounded by flatterers; I’m afraid that the poison of flattery will finally penetrate my soul and poison my good inclinations.” And at first things go well; Callisthenes twice manages to curb Alexander’s bad inclinations. But... In a word, it’s clear. The flatterers take their toll, the straightforward philosopher falls into disgrace, and then to the chopping block, which, however, he did not receive. Gave up the ghost. Lucky..."

Rassadin S.B., Russians, or from nobles to intellectuals, M., “Book Garden”, 1995, p. 39.

“A person can be low in condition, but mean in soul. In a low state one can have the noblest soul, just as a very great gentleman can be a very vile person. The word baseness refers to a state, and meanness to behavior; for there is no base state except the idle. A person sometimes comes to a low state involuntarily, but he always becomes vile voluntarily. The contempt of a noble scoundrel for good people of low status is a spectacle that humiliates humanity.”

Fonvizin D.I., Low, vile / The experience of a Russian class member, Collected works in 2 volumes, Volume 1, p. 226-227.

Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin Having lost the ability to write, he became disabled in the most literal sense of the word - he fell ill, lost the ability to walk, and died a few years later. “Fonvizin, paralyzed, was carried in a stroller,” says M. Zoshchenko in the book “Youth Restored,” and more than once he ordered the footman to stop his carriage on the embankment, near the Academy of Sciences, and when the students left the university, Fonvizin waved his hand and shouted to them: “Don’t write, young people, don’t write. That’s what literature did to me.”

Chkhartishvili G., Writer and suicide, M., “New Literary Review”, 2001, p. 410-412.