Can the comedy ignoramus be considered a classic work? Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin

The comedy “The Minor” was written by D. I. Fonvizin in 1781 and became the pinnacle of Russian drama of the 18th century. This is a work of classicism, but it also displays certain features of realism, which makes this work innovative.

Classicism is a literary movement based on the principles of philosophical rationalism, the ideal of harmony and measure, strict adherence to normativity in poetics, imitation of examples of ancient literature, faith in human mind. Harmony of content and form, strict division of heroes into positive and negative, the use of “speaking” surnames, the rules of “three unities”, adherence to the hierarchy of genres - these are the main features of classicism.

Russian classicism is distinguished by the satirical orientation of its works, the predominance of national historical themes over ancient ones.

D. I. Fonvizin observes the unity of place and time in “Nedorosl”: all the events of the comedy take place in the house of Mrs. Prostakova and the action takes place within 24 hours. But the author of the comedy violates the unity of action, since there are two conflicts in the work: love and socio-political. Love conflict is the main one. The heroes of the comedy are divided into negative (Mrs. Prostakova, Mr. Skotinin) and positive (Milon, Starodum, Sophia). The author gives the characters “speaking” surnames: Pravdin, Skotinin, Vralman. Positive heroes- Starodum, Sophia, Milon - they say the right thing literary language, their speech is instructive; negative characters use colloquial words, swear words, their speech is more lively (for example, Prostakova says: “And you, brute, come closer. Didn’t I tell you, you thieving mug, that you should let your caftan go wider? Tell me, you idiot, than you will you justify yourself?"). The speech of the heroes is a means of characterizing the heroes. The connection with folklore is clearly visible: the characters in conversation use proverbs and sayings that make the comedy “folk” (for example, “Everyone should marry his bride,” “Live and learn,” “I don’t want to study, I want to get married”).

Comedy has educational orientation, since it touches on the most important issues of upbringing a citizen, education, morality, and the arbitrariness of landowners. The comedy was topical in nature, because D.I. Fonvizin showed all the hardships of serfdom and the shortcomings of education. This play became the predecessor of A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit.”

The problem of raising children, the legacy destined for the country, played important role in society in ancient times and remains relevant to this day. Members of the Prostakov family are strangers to each other. They don't look like strong ones at all. loving family. Mrs. Prostakova is rude...

The case of “Nedoroslya” is special. Comedy is studied at school so early that by the time the final exams arrive there is nothing left in your head except famous phrase: “I don’t want to study, I want to get married.” This maxim can hardly be felt by those who have not reached puberty...

Mitrofan is an undergrowth, a negative character in a comedy, a young nobleman. He is very similar to his mother, Mrs. Prostakova, and brother Taras Skotinin. In Mitrofan, in Mrs. Prostakova, in Skotinin one can notice such character traits as greed...

(based on the work of D.I. Fonvizin) Magic land! There in the old days, Satires brave ruler, Fonvizin, friend of freedom, shone. A. S. Pushkin The brave master of satire, a writer of great talent, an artist merciless in his truth, Denis Ivanovich...

Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin came from a Russified German family, whose original surname was von Wiesen. The modern spelling Fonvizin was proposed by A.S. Pushkin much later.

At first, Fonvizin studied with private teachers, then he entered the gymnasium at Moscow State University, where he later studied. But he didn’t finish the University; he dropped out to start his military service. While still at the gymnasium, he made his debut as a writer and translator from German: when Fonvizin was a first-year university student, a translator was needed at court, and he was accepted into the service of the College of Foreign Affairs, where he worked all his life. In 1763, Fonvizin moved to St. Petersburg, where he met writers, incl. with Elagin: he joins his circle and becomes a fan of the theory of declinations.

Fonvizin as a playwright

1764 - Fonvizin’s debut as a playwright: he publishes the play Corion. It is poorly written, but in full accordance with the theory of declensions - it is a reworking of the French comedy.

After this failure, Fonvizin did not write for a long time; only in 1769 did he create a comedy Brigadier. From this play it is clear that Fonvizin understood: it is not enough just to give the characters Russian names, it is also necessary to introduce Russian problems into the play. In Brigadier this problem is gallomania- imitation of everything French, this was relevant in Russia mid-18th century century; another, no less current problem, - education of young nobles. But the influence of the theory of declinations is also felt in The Brigadier, because the plot device there is borrowed from French drama- this is the so-called symmetry in red tape(a situation where in two married couples the husbands simultaneously care for other people’s wives). But since the Brigadier was nevertheless sensibly adapted for Russia, it is considered the first Russian play.

At first, the production of The Brigadier in the theater was prohibited, because Elagin and Lukin were afraid that Fonvizin would take away their dramatic fame. And, in order to bring the play to the public, Fonvizin began to organize public readings. At one of them he met Count Nikita Panin, the teacher of the heir to the throne, Paul. Communicating with him, Fonvizin began to become more interested in politics and became bolder.

Fonvizin's ideals in the comedy Nedorosl

Fonvizin knew how to distinguish and describe any problems Russian society, possessed good feeling humor, could think like a statesman. All this was manifested in his main work - comedy Minor, written in 1781. However, the comedy was first published only in 1830, after the death of Fonvizin.

The main problem that is raised in this comedy- education of a young Russian nobleman, ideas of enlightenment. This was very relevant in the 1780s, when even Empress Catherine herself thought a lot about education and was opposed to home education with tutors.

In the 18th century there were several philosophical theories about education. According to one of them, initially a child is not a full-fledged person; he only copies the behavior of adults. Since Catherine shared this theory, she recommended tearing children away from their parents and placing them in educational institutions. Fonvizin, who was also a supporter of this theory, shows in the comedy Nedorosl the harmfulness of home education.

Fonvizin strives to prove that education is synonymous with happiness.

Comedy protagonist- a young nobleman Mitrofan, who has many negative role models before his eyes. Firstly, his mother, Mrs. Prostakova, is a cruel and willful landowner who does not see the point in education at all. Secondly, his nurse Eremeevna is a slave in spirit, from whom Mitrofan adopts the psychology of admiration for the strong (as well as from his father). Thirdly, his uncle, Taras Skotinin, is a nobleman who does not want to serve his fatherland; most of all, he loves his pigs. It is emphasized that Mitrofanushka learns something from all of them.

Despite the satire, the play was not originally intended to be funny. Contemporaries, reading it, were horrified.

Minor as a work of classicism

The comedy is undoubtedly a work of the era of classicism, but with some deviations from the canonical rules. For example, here only one rule from the trinity- unity of place, because All the action takes place on the Prostakov estate.

Present masked heroes: Sophia is the mistress, Starodum is the father (although he is not stupid!), he is also the hero-reasoner, Milon is the hero-lover, Mitrofan and Skotinin are negative suitors, Pravdin is god ex machina. There is no role of soubrette here.

In the play, as expected, five actions: exposition, plot, development of conflict, climax and denouement (which includes an unjustified denouement and catharsis when we feel sorry for Prostakov).

Classic conflict feelings and duty is expressed in the fact that the positive heroes of this play live submissive to reason, the state and the will of their elders. Negative ones become slaves to their feelings, often evil and selfish. Of course, in the end, the positive characters are rewarded with happiness, while the negative ones end up losing.

Comedy contains many speaking names: Skotinin, Tsifirkin, Milon, etc.

The play is written in a low style, easy spoken language, in prose.

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Essay plan

1. Introduction. Classicism as artistic method. Fonvizin's comedy style.

2. Main part. The principles of classicism and deviations from them in “Nedorosl”. Realistic elements in comedy.

The civil theme of the work.

Fonvizin's preservation of the principle of three unities.

Traditional roles of heroes and the playwright’s deviations from the accepted tradition.

Function of off-stage characters.

The principle of unity of characters in the depiction of positive heroes.

The versatility of negative images.

Portrayal of character in typical circumstances.

The principle of “speaking” surnames in Fonvizin’s comedy.

Reflection in the speech of the characters of their personal characteristics and life circumstances.

3. Conclusion. Synthesis of elements of classicism and realism in Fonvizin’s comedy.

Classicism is an artistic movement in literature and art XVII – early XIX centuries, which is characterized by high civil themes, the cult of reason, a strict plot and compositional organization of works, the presence of one conflict resolved by the “triumph of virtue” and “punishment of vice” in the finale, a hierarchy of genres (“high” and “low”), the presence of conventional heroes, positive and negative, uniqueness of characters, the presence of a certain “role system” of characters in the work. The aesthetics of this artistic direction lies the principle of rationalism. The theorists of classicism considered antiquity, as well as certain canons of Renaissance art, to be their ideal model. Russian classicism was characterized by a satirical orientation and the predominance of national historical themes in literature. Russian writers and poets who worked in the style of classicism - M.M. Kheraskov, V.K. Trediakovsky, M.V. Lomonosov, G.R. Derzhavin, A.P. Sumarokov, Ya.B. Knyazhnin, D.I. Fonvizin. Comedy D.I. Fonvizin's "Minor" was created by the author in line with the classicist tradition. However, the work also contains features of a realistic style. Let's try to consider this issue in more detail.

The theme of comedy itself reminds us of classicism. In it D.I. Fonvizin touches on many important social issues. Depicting the life and customs of the Prostakov family, the playwright brilliantly illustrates the theme of Russian upbringing and education, touches on the problem of serfdom, government policy, exposes ignorance, cruelty, tyranny, so widespread in the Russian landowner environment. According to V.G. Belinsky, D.I. Fonvizin truthfully portrayed his contemporary reality, exposed it “as if to shame, in all its nakedness, in all its terrifying ugliness...”. The comedy "The Minor" was a brilliant and sharp satire on the vices of contemporary society.

Further, we note that in the comedy “The Minor” the classic principle of “three unities” is preserved: the unity of place, the unity of time and the unity of action. Events take place in the house of the landowner Prostakova during the day. The play has five acts. The plot of the comedy is based on a traditional love affair - the relationship between Sophia and contenders for her hand and heart (Milon, Skotinin and Mitrofan). However, Fonvizin also outlined another line: in the play, the motive of the confrontation between the advanced, enlightened people of his time and the ignorant, “evil” landowners is palpably heard. The conflict in “The Minor” is resolved in a completely traditional spirit: “vice is punished” and “virtue triumphs.” At the end of the play, Sophia remains with Milon, the plans of Mrs. Prostakova and her brother suffer a complete collapse, by government decree the Prostakovs’ house and villages are given into the custody of Pravdin, a government official sent to the district to oversee order, while Mitrofan is going to be sent to the service.

The comedy character system is partly associated with the character system of the classic family comedy with a love triangle, where the roles of the heroes are easily visible: “noble hero” - “lover”, “heroine”, “second lover”, “soubrette” (maid, assistant), "noble deceived father." In the comedy “The Minor,” such a heroine is Sophia, the “noble lover” is Milon, and the role of the second lover is probably assigned to Mitrofan. But Fonvizin also has a third potential groom - Skotinin, the brother of Mrs. Prostakova. However, this character, like Mitrofan, is not controlled by love, but only by selfish calculation. Both the fledgling ignorant and the wise old man are attracted by Sophia’s condition. Also, we do not see a “noble deceived father” in the play (the heroine is an orphan). This function is partly performed by Starodum, a relative of Sophia. However, the motive of deception is not present here: the heroine’s heart preferences and the intentions of her uncle miraculously coincide.

In addition, when analyzing the character system of the comedy “Minor”, ​​it should be noted that off-stage characters(Sophia's parents, Count Chestan) expand the living space of comedy, expand the range of phenomena and concepts that are in the field of view of the author and readers.

The comedies of classicism were characterized by unambiguity in the depiction of the characters' characters (each had one dominant feature). The characters were clearly divided into positive and negative. We see such a confrontation in Fonvizin’s comedy. Starodum, Milon and Pravdin are contrasted in the play with the entire Prostakov family. It is worth noting a certain schematism of the playwright in depicting the positive characters of the play. So, Starodum, for example, is a reasoning hero in a comedy, expressing the views of the author himself. This character notes that a decent upbringing should be the key to the well-being of the state. Education is also very important, but it should not be an end in itself. The main goal of all human knowledge is “good behavior”, “enlightenment elevates one virtuous soul.”

However, Fonvizin’s “negative” heroes are already multifaceted; he tries to avoid schematism in depicting the characters. Thus, Mitrofanushka in “The Minor” is not only ignorant, but also rude, cowardly, and malicious. In the finale, he actually renounces his own mother, who has completely failed in her intentions. Mrs. Prostakova rushes to her son, trying to find support and consolation from him, and in response she hears: “Let go, mother, how you imposed yourself...” In in a certain sense The character of the landowner herself is also multifaceted. Mrs. Prostakova is depicted in the play in various guises: she is a landowner who is cruel in her relations with the serfs, and a domineering wife, and a mother who blindly loves her child.

Moreover, Fonvizin shows us the origins of the emergence of characters. From the remarks of Mitrofan's mother we learn about the conditions of her life in parental home, where children were never taught anything, no concepts of morality, good and evil were instilled in them. As a result, civic duty, honor, conscience, culture, mercy - all these concepts turned out to be alien to all members of the Prostakov family. The dotted line indicates life story Taras Skotinin: he once served in the guard, then retired and began to live in his village. The playwright made an attempt to show the defining role social environment in the formation of the character of the hero, which is a property of the realistic style. Depicting the life and customs of a certain environment, Fonvizin sought to show his characters in typical circumstances. In the comedy, the alternation of scenes was so organized that their changes reflected the typical daily routine of a landowner's house. So, in the morning, Mrs. Prostakova scolds her tailor for the caftan he sewed, then she discusses Mitrofan’s breakfast with Eremeevna, then talks with her husband and brother, introducing them to Pravdin who has arrived. Then the servant brings news of the arrival of soldiers in the village, and this news causes a commotion in the quiet course of life on the estate. Thus, the playwright strove for the most reliable reflection of reality.

The characters in the comedies of classicism had “speaking” surnames. This principle was also implemented in the play “The Minor.” The playwright gives his characters first and last names that indicate their main features. So, Mitrofan translated from Greek means “like a mother.” The surname Prostakova comes from the word “simpleton”, which in the time of Fonvizin meant “poor-witted”, “misguided”. The names of other characters in the play are equally eloquent: Skotinin, Vralman, Starodum, Pravdin, Tsyfirkin.

The life-like authenticity of the comedy and the versatility of the characters are largely created thanks to the speech of the heroes. Thus, in the speech of the landowner Prostakova, rude, abusive, and insulting expressions are often found. “From morning to evening, as if hanged by the tongue, I don’t lay down my hands: I scold, I fight; This is how the house holds together,” she confidentially tells Pravdin. “Cattle”, “thief”, “thief’s mug”, “scum”, “beast”, “dog’s daughter” - these are her addresses to the servants. She considers her husband a “freak” and a “weeper.” Affectionate, ingratiating intonations conveying mother's love, appear in her mind only when communicating with her son: “my dear friend,” “darling.” Skotinin’s speech also clearly outlines the range of his interests: “Well, be I a pig’s son, if ...”, “I want to have my own piglets”, “if I ... have a special barn for each pig, then I will find a little room for my wife.” Researchers have repeatedly noted that likening a hero to an animal is one of the main techniques for creating satirical characters. Fonvizin actively uses this technique in his comedy, emphasizing the animal nature of all the “negative” heroes of “The Minor.” Skotinin’s remark about himself takes on a symbolic character: “I love pigs, sister, and in our neighborhood there are such large pigs that there is not a single one of them that, standing on its hind legs, would not be a whole head taller than each of us.” The speech of Mitrofan's teachers also reflects their personality and life circumstances. Thus, a half-educated seminarian Kuteikin often uses words of high style, Church Slavonicisms in his speech: “meal”, “fingers”, “a byword”. Retired Sergeant Kuteikin, with his remarks, reminds us of military service: “We wish your honor good health...” German Vralman teaching Mitrofan French, also reveals to us in his remarks traces of his former “profession” (previously he was a coachman for Starodum): “horse”, “little horses”, “carriage”. The speech of Eremeevna, Mitrofan’s nurse, is bright and colorful. Her remarks contain stable phrases (“a column of smoke”, “she carried away her legs with force”), repetitions (“get married, my father, get married”), words with diminutive suffixes (“little head”, “brother”).

Thus, the comedy “Nedorosl” is located at the origins of Russian realistic literature. Having paid a certain tribute to classicism (the presence of traditional love triangle in the plot, the presence of “talking” names, schematism in the depiction of some characters, the definition of characters as positive and negative), the playwright strives for a wide coverage of the phenomena of contemporary reality, for the versatility of images. The playwright shows the dependence of the characters and the behavior of the heroes on the environment in which they live. All these elements of realism are reflected in the comedy “Minor.”

One of the most difficult tasks facing a literature teacher is to develop in students an understanding of the literary direction. Classicism, sentimentalism, romanticism, realism - literature lessons that give an idea of ​​the characteristic features of each of these movements are difficult for both children and teachers. Practice shows that the mastery of such difficult material by 9th grade children is possible only if it is examined step by step. Let us name these stages, making a few incidental explanations:

• reading an orientation lecture with recording of individual provisions, new concepts (it is possible to work according to a support plan drawn up in advance by the teacher);
• reading and analyzing an educational article available to students, supplementing lecture materials (this work is carried out at home);
• reading literary texts, analysis of them as works of one or another literary movement;
• involvement of art historical material that allows you to expand your understanding of the direction being studied (this can be an integrated lesson conducted jointly with MHC teacher, messages made by high school students or by students themselves, especially if they are studying in art school);
• conducting a lesson in the classroom as part of the special course “Literature and Music”, for example on the topic “Classicism in Music” (this is a common practice in our educational institution: such classes are conducted jointly with an art school teacher).

Following this path, the teacher helps the children in mastering the most complex concepts. This becomes the key to successful work with literary works of both foreign and Russian literature. The children gradually learn to see the characteristics of each direction, reflected in the works of different authors. This allows the teacher to talk with students about how the “rules” and “signs” of the direction and the creative individuality of the writer relate. But a special place is occupied by lessons dedicated to works, which make it possible to see how something new is born in the “bowels” of a work, violating the laws and rules of a literary movement. It is precisely this lesson that we dedicate our material to.

Completing the study of the topic “Russian classicism”, we conduct a two-hour lesson on the topic “DENIS IVANOVICH FONVIZIN. COMEDY “UNDERGROUND”: FROM CLASSICISM TO REALISM.” Before the lesson is carried out preliminary work. Start their activities creative groups students, supervised by student consultants and student directors. One group prepares literary material, the other two prepare dramatizations. The role of student leaders is a very responsible one. Although they work in contact with the teacher, they have to decide a lot themselves, for example, recruiting actors, staging, selecting the composition of the group, choosing the form of presenting the material. The teacher’s help is thus reduced to a minimum or provided very unobtrusively, with respect for the children’s suggestions and their creative searches.

The lesson itself begins with reading and analyzing the topic written on the board. The guys are given the task:

You are a teacher. Based on the topic of the lesson, formulate the goals that you should achieve as a result of the lesson.

Students cope well with the proposed task: they understand that they must see the traditions of classicism and innovation in the play of the wonderful Russian playwright, about which V.G. Belinsky said: “Russian comedy began long before Fonvizin, but it began only from Fonvizin.”

Further in his opening remarks the teacher says the following: “A number of our lessons were devoted to studying literature XVIII century. The leading direction of the era is classicism, the best achievements of which were adopted by writers of other eras and determined the characteristics of Russian literature as a whole. Classicist writers made artistic discoveries that paved the way for a movement that became leading and achieved its highest peaks in the 19th century. I'm talking about realism. So, you have understood the topic correctly. Let me emphasize once again: our task today is, firstly, to evaluate the comedy “Minor” as a work of classicism, and secondly, to see in it those features that we define as innovative. Literary critic A.P. Valagin wrote: “It is no coincidence that Fonvizin’s comedy begins the tradition of “deceptive” comedies in Russian literature, where behind the apparent simplicity of dramatic structures lies the complexity of a contradictory life, and behind the laughter are “tears unknown to the world.” This feature of Fonvizin’s play was already understood and felt by the playwright’s contemporaries. A group of guys will tell you about this. The leader, a student of your class, determined the composition of the participants, and together the guys selected the material, found a form for their story about how the play “Minor” came to the stage, who helped its author along the way and, finally, about how it was greeted by its first spectators.”

The experience of conducting such lessons has shown that students offer a wide variety of forms of presenting this material: this is a small talk - a dialogue between ladies about the performance of a comedy and the impressions caused by it, this is a conversation between the author and the actors: Ivan Afanasyevich Dmitrevsky, the first performer of the role of Starodum, Pyotr Alekseevich Plavilshchikov , the performer of the role of Pravdin, Avdotya Mikhailova (Prostakova), Yakov Danilovich Shumsky, who was persuaded to play the role of Eremeevna; dialogue-dispute with opponents of Fonvizin and his supporters. Of course, offered in this form educational material is perceived by listeners with keen interest. Let’s not forget that in this way we give the children the opportunity to show their creative abilities, initiative, and creative activity.

The next stage of the lesson is a heuristic conversation. On the one hand, it allows you to repeat a lot (after all, children have studied the topic of Russian classicism!), on the other hand, it makes it possible to deepen knowledge, obtain new information, and systematize it. For this purpose, the teacher prepares in advance for each student a special sheet, which indicates the most important concepts that will need to be paid attention to; In addition, a supporting dictionary is provided here. The printout sheet looks like this:

1. The subject of the image in comedy.
2. The nature of the conflict.
3. Image of goodies.
4. Image negative heroes.
5. Preservation of the genre form.
6. Plot elements.
7. Compliance with the basic rules of classicism.

Dictionary: burning issues of social life, progressive views, “speaking” surnames, self-exposure phrases, extra-plot scenes, off-stage characters, method of direct correlation of characters, direct expression of the author’s ideal, reasoning, individualization of speech, anachronism

Each student receives such a sheet before the lesson, and he begins to work with it now. The teacher, having assessed the work of the first creative group, addresses the class: “More than two hundred years have passed since the first performance of “The Minor,” but Fonvizin’s comedy is successfully performed on stage modern theater, which means that the “river of times in its rush” did not swallow up the eighteenth-century play. And we explain this phenomenon by the fact that the play, created in the era of classicism, incorporating its features, thanks to the talent of the author, went beyond the scope of classicism, occupying a very special place in Russian drama. We will begin a conversation with you, in which I hope you will accept Active participation. During the conversation, you will work on the sheets that lie in front of you. They indicate those aspects that will be discussed in connection with the stated purpose of the lesson. You will make all notes and notes directly on the sheets. Pay attention to the dictionary offered to you. At the end of the lesson, the notes you take will help us summarize the material that will be discussed. So, let's begin.

Question. What is classic comedy? What requirements did she have to meet?

Answer. The comedy of classicism is a work of low genre, depicting everyday life.

Fonvizin's comedy meets this requirement. The action takes place in the Prostakov estate.

Question. Why, although the subject of the image was private life one noble family, the play sounded so poignant?

Answer. The comedy touched on topical issues in Russian life late XVIII centuries of problems. The characters of the play speak out on the most pressing issues of public life.

Question. So what might our first conclusion be?

Answer. Fonvizin's play as a comedy of classicism was social comedy.

Question. Remind me of what the main conflict in the comedy was?

Answer. Main conflict comedy - the conflict of the era: the struggle of progressive, enlightened nobles with ignorant serf owners.

Question. What is the purpose of classic comedy?

Answer. To make people laugh, to “correct one’s temper with mockery,” to enlighten.

Question. Who becomes the subject of ridicule in comedy and why?

Answer. This is, of course, Skotinin, Prostakova, Prostakov, Mitrofan. These are the negative heroes of comedy, ignorant, rude, cruel. They are proud of their ignorance. Everything in the Prostakovs’ house is arranged unreasonably: the husband is humiliated and faceless, the wife, an “evil fury,” keeps both her husband and the whole house in fear, the son is cunning and resourceful, he is cruel to his mother, who loves him madly.

Answer. Fonvizin uses “talking” names and self-exposing phrases.

Question. This traditional techniques for the comedy of classicism. Pay attention to the appearance of extra-plot scenes, i.e. scenes not related to the plot, which was completely new in Russian drama. Name such scenes. What do you think this gave the author?

Answer. Extra-plot scenes are, for example, the scene with trying on a caftan, Prostakova’s conversation with her brother, with Eremeevna. They allowed the author to deepen his understanding of the uncultured landowner family, the baseness of its demands and aspirations, the lack high ideals, about the unreasonableness of such an intra-family arrangement. All this convinced the viewer of the verisimilitude and vitality of what was happening on stage.

Question. Now I invite you to watch an excerpt from the comedy. Who are the participants in this scene? What is the role of these characters in the play?

Members of the second group show a scene of a conversation between Starodum and Milon.

After the performance, the student director says that it was difficult to stage this scene, as well as for the performers to play their roles. Students understand why this happens. They say that the characters in the scene are positive. They differ little from each other, their characters are uninteresting, and therefore it is difficult to play their roles: there is, as they say, nothing to play.

Question. Why did contemporaries greet these particular scenes with thunderous applause?

Answer. As it should be, the comedy of classicism was supposed to not only make people laugh, but also to enlighten and teach, affirming the reasonable, positive, and expressing the author’s ideal. Therefore, negative heroes were necessarily opposed to positive heroes. The technique of direct correlation of characters is one of the features of Russian comedy of classicism. In the comedy “Minor”, ​​four heroes on one side are contrasted with four on the other. Positive heroes only clarified author's attitude to what is happening. They put forward a reasonable ideal in various spheres of human life and the life of society. That is why everything that Starodum, Milon, Pravdin, and Sophia spoke about was so close to Fonvizin’s contemporaries.

The teacher must add that Fonvizin still tried to make the positive heroes more interesting, to get away from schematism and unambiguity in the depiction of their characters.. So, for example, Starodum had a biography, and other positive heroes also have elements of biography. Milo is a man of clear mind, but he is also characterized by manifestations of rather strong feelings. The playwright wanted to individualize everyone’s speech, to avoid its excessive bookishness, but all this was not enough, so the images of positive heroes still remained traditionally classicistic. According to V.O. Klyuchevsky, “these are noble and enlightened reasoners, academicians of virtue... not so much living people as moralistic dummies.”

Next, we invite you to watch another dramatization. This is the work of another creative team. Usually, for production they take 1-4 events of 1 act (or others with the participation of negative characters). After watching, we listen to the director explain his plan and evaluate its implementation. Then we turn to the students: “Why are these scenes viewed with genuine interest?” The answer is found quite quickly: the guys understand that the characters of the negative heroes turned out to be more vital, deeper, and more interesting. The teacher explains that this happened for a number of reasons: the playwright tried to explain the characters’ characters by their living conditions and upbringing. Students prove this with examples from comedy. Further, we note that the speech of negative heroes highlights the individual characteristics of the heroes, which is also confirmed by examples from the text. Then we invite the children to determine another feature of the comedy “The Minor”, ​​starting from the words of Vyazemsky about Prostakova: “Her image stands on the line between tragedy and comedy.”

Question. Which the most important feature noticed P. Vyazemsky?

Answer. The comedy combines the sad and funny, the sublime and the ordinary. And this was new for classicism.

The teacher will clarify that Fonvizin destroyed the closed genre form, and will pose the following question: “What did you see as the features of the comedy’s ending?”

Students usually talk about the traditional outcome for the comedy of classicism: vice is punished, virtue triumphs. However, the most prepared students understand that in essence this did not happen, because the heroes did not take the path of virtue, which would contradict their moral essence.

Question. Are the three rules of classicism observed in comedy?

This question does not cause difficulties, so the moment comes when it is necessary to summarize. This is the final part of the lesson. Based on the notes made during the lesson, students talk about the features of classicism in comedy and, most importantly, about the writer’s artistic discoveries. After listening to a number of statements, the teacher sums up: “Of course, the comedy “Minor” is a work of Russian classicism. But it is at the origins of Russian realistic literature. In Fonvizin’s play everything is Russian, national: theme, plot, conflict, characters. Fonvizin's great merit is that, being within the framework of classicist rules and conventions, he managed to destroy many of them, creating a work that was deeply innovative both in content and in artistic form. Concluding our conversation, let’s try to answer a few more questions: “Do you think that for our time, which is very difficult, imbued with a thirst for money and power, are the ideas so dear to Fonvizin viable? Are the ideas of citizenship and service to the Fatherland, so beloved by the classicists, outdated today? What words of the heroes of “Minor” have the right to life even now?”

We conclude our lesson with a discussion of these questions. The methodological paths we have chosen, of course, are far from the only ones, but the repeated use of this technique during such classes speaks of their effectiveness. Everything else will be determined by the teacher himself, his experience, knowledge of the characteristics of classes, creative abilities and cognitive activity of students.

1.Valagin A.P. Let's read together... M., “Enlightenment”, 1991, p. 6

1. Kulakova L.I. Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin. M., L., 1966

2. Klyuchevsky V.O. “Minor” by Fonvizin (An experience of historical explanation of an educational play)//

Klyuchevsky V.O. Op. M., 1959. T.8. pp. 263-287

3. Moskvicheva G.V. Russian classicism. M., 1986

4. Rassadin S.B. Satire is a brave ruler. M., 1985.

5. Stennik Yu.V. Dramaturgy of Russian classicism. Comedy. L., 1982.

One of important issues Fonvizin's comedy "The Minor" is the problem of education. This always worried Fonvizin. He tirelessly advocated for the flourishing of education in Russia and believed that nobles brought up in strict civil rules would be worthy leaders of the country.

Everyone talks about education in the play - starting with Mrs. Prostakova and ending with Pravdin and Starodum. Fonvizin shows the clash of two views on upbringing and education: patriarchal (Prostakova, Skotinin, Mitrofan) and advanced, educational (Starodum, Pravdin, Milon, Sophia).

Prostakova and Skotinin take conservative positions. Prostakova declares that she does not know how to read, and in general, has it ever been heard that “girls can read and write!” Skotinin, who also “hasn’t read anything since birth,” adheres to the same view.

But both Skotinin and Prostakova are beginning to understand that times are changing, and one cannot do without education. Certainly, noble title will allow you to get some rank, but get into high society only possible if you have a good education. Therefore, they force Mitrofan to study and hire teachers for him. But even here they try in every possible way to protect Mitrofanushka from teachers and the damned teaching.

As a result, Mitrofan grows up not just as an ignoramus, knowing absolutely nothing and not wanting to learn anything. He is also an evil, rude, cruel and heartless person. He grew up to be a soulless egoist with absolutely no respect even for his mother. Starodum is absolutely right when he says that these are the worthy fruits of evil.”

In contrast to Mitrofanushka, Fonvizin creates positive image young man, honest, noble, educated. This is the young officer Milon. The playwright puts a certain idea into this image, because he sincerely believes that it is precisely such people who can truly serve their homeland.

Fonvizin put his ideas regarding education into the mouth of the hero Starodum younger generation Significant phenomenon 2 fourth act plays where Starodum educates Sophia, expressing to her his thoughts, his life observations. From the conversation of the heroes, we learn that Sophia wants to earn a good opinion of herself from worthy people. She wants to live in such a way that, if possible, she will never offend anyone. Starodum instructs the girl on the “true path”, and she absorbs everything life truths his uncle. We can say that Starodum’s instructions fell on fertile soil. They will undoubtedly bear positive fruit.

The problem of education is also manifested in the images of Mitrofan’s teachers. By creating them, Fonvizin most likely sought to show that it is unlikely that teachers like Kuteikin, who himself did not graduate from the seminary, or Vralman, a former coachman, would be able to teach a young man anything intelligent. Of these, only Tsyfirkin evokes sympathy with his honesty, directness and conscientiousness. He refuses to take money that he doesn’t deserve, because he couldn’t teach the club-headed Mitrofan anything.

The playwright believes that she has an important national significance, because only in proper education there is a source of salvation from the evil that threatens society. The story of Mitrofanushka’s upbringing explains where the Skotinins come from and what should be changed so that they no longer appear: to destroy slavery and overcome moral education vices of human nature.

The artistic originality of "The Minor" is determined by the fact that the play combines the features of classicism and realism. Formally, Fonvizin remained within the framework of classicism: adherence to the unity of place, time and action, the conventional division of characters into positive and negative, schematism in the depiction of positive ones, “ speaking names", features of reasoning in the image of Starodum, and so on. But, at the same time, he took a certain step towards realism. This is manifested in the accuracy of the reproduction of the provincial noble type, social relations in a fortress village, faithful recreation of typical features negative characters, life-like authenticity of images. For the first time in the history of Russian drama love affair was relegated to the background and acquired secondary importance.

Thus, Fonvizin’s comedy is a new phenomenon, because it is written on the material of Russian reality. It combines the features of realism and classicism. Moreover, the author innovatively approached the problem of the character of the hero; he was the first of the Russian playwrights to strive for his psychologization, to individualize the speech of the characters. In his work, Fonvizin introduces biographies of heroes, takes a comprehensive approach to solving the problem of education, denoting the trinity of this problem: family, teachers, environment, that is, the problem of education is posed here as social problem. All this allows us to conclude that “The Minor” is a work of educational realism.