Sentimentalism of the work. Sentimentalism as a literary movement

Sentimentalism remained faithful to the ideal of a normative personality, but the condition for its implementation was not the “reasonable” reorganization of the world, but the release and improvement of “natural” feelings. The hero of educational literature in sentimentalism is more individualized, his inner world enriched by the ability to empathize and sensitively respond to what is happening around. By origin (or by conviction) the sentimentalist hero is a democrat; the rich spiritual world of the common people is one of the main discoveries and conquests of sentimentalism.

The most prominent representatives of sentimentalism are James Thomson, Edward Jung, Thomas Gray, Laurence Stern (England), Jean Jacques Rousseau (France), Nikolai Karamzin (Russia).

Sentimentalism in English literature

Thomas Gray

England was the birthplace of sentimentalism. At the end of the 20s of the 18th century. James Thomson, with his poems “Winter” (1726), “Summer” (1727) and Spring, Autumn, subsequently combined into one whole and published () under the title “The Seasons,” contributed to the development of a love of nature in the English reading public by drawing simple, unpretentious rural landscapes, following step by step the various moments of the life and work of the farmer and, apparently, striving to place the peaceful, idyllic village environment above the bustle and spoiled city.

In the 40s of the same century, Thomas Gray, the author of the elegy “Rural Cemetery” (one of the most famous works of cemetery poetry), the ode “Towards Spring”, etc., like Thomson, tried to interest readers village life and nature, to awaken in them sympathy for simple, unnoticed people with their needs, sorrows and beliefs, while at the same time giving their creativity a thoughtful and melancholy character.

Richardson's famous novels - "Pamela" (), "Clarissa Garlo" (), "Sir Charles Grandison" () - are also of a bright and typical product of English sentimentalism. Richardson was completely insensitive to the beauties of nature and did not like to describe it - but he put it first psychological analysis and made the English, and then the entire European public, keenly interested in the fate of the heroes and especially the heroines of his novels.

Laurence Sterne, author of "Tristram Shandy" (-) and " A sentimental journey"(; after the name of this work the direction itself was called “sentimental”) combined Richardson’s sensitivity with a love of nature and a kind of humor. Stern himself called the “sentimental journey” “a peaceful journey of the heart in search of nature and all spiritual attractions that can inspire us with more love for our neighbors and for the whole world than we usually feel.”

Sentimentalism in French literature

Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre

Having moved to the continent, English sentimentalism found somewhat prepared soil in France. Quite independently of the English representatives of this trend, Abbé Prévost (“Manon Lescaut,” “Cleveland”) and Marivaux (“Life of Marianne”) taught the French public to admire everything touching, sensitive, and somewhat melancholy.

Under the same influence, Rousseau's "Julia" or "New Heloise" was created, who always spoke of Richardson with respect and sympathy. Julia reminds many of Clarissa Garlo, Clara reminds her of her friend, miss Howe. The moralizing nature of both works also brings them closer to each other; but in Rousseau's novel nature plays a prominent role, with wonderful art the shores are described Lake Geneva- Vevey, Clarent, Julia's grove. Rousseau's example did not remain without imitation; his follower, Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, in his famous work"Paul and Virginie" () moves the scene to South Africa, as if foreshadowing the best works of Chateaubreand, makes his heroes a charming couple of lovers living away from urban culture, in close communication with nature, sincere, sensitive and pure in soul.

Sentimentalism in Russian literature

Sentimentalism penetrated into Russia in the 1780s and early 1790s thanks to translations of the novels “Werther” by J.V. Goethe, “Pamela,” “Clarissa” and “Grandison” by S. Richardson, “The New Heloise” by J.-J. Rousseau, "Paul and Virginie" by J.-A. Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. The era of Russian sentimentalism was opened by Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin with “Letters of a Russian Traveler” (1791–1792).

His story "Poor Liza" (1792) is a masterpiece of Russian sentimental prose; from Goethe's Werther he inherited general atmosphere sensitivity, melancholy and themes of suicide.

The works of N.M. Karamzin gave rise to a huge number of imitations; at the beginning of the 19th century appeared" Poor Lisa"A.E.Izmailov (1801), "Journey to Midday Russia" (1802), "Henrietta, or the Triumph of Deception over Weakness or Delusion" by I.Svechinsky (1802), numerous stories by G.P. Kamenev ("The Story of Poor Marya "; "Unhappy Margarita"; "Beautiful Tatiana"), etc.

Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev belonged to Karamzin’s group, which advocated the creation of a new poetic language and fought against archaic pompous style and outdated genres.

Marked by sentimentalism early work Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky. The publication in 1802 of a translation of Elegy written in the rural cemetery of E. Gray became a phenomenon in artistic life Russia, because he translated the poem “into the language of sentimentalism in general, translated the genre of elegy, and not an individual work of an English poet, which has its own special individual style” (E.G. Etkind). In 1809, Zhukovsky wrote a sentimental story “Maryina Roshcha” in the spirit of N.M. Karamzin.

Russian sentimentalism had exhausted itself by 1820.

It was one of the stages of the pan-European literary development, which ended the Age of Enlightenment and opened the way to romanticism.

Main features of the literature of sentimentalism

So, taking into account all of the above, we can identify several main features of Russian literature of sentimentalism: a departure from the straightforwardness of classicism, an emphasized subjectivity of the approach to the world, a cult of feelings, a cult of nature, a cult of innate moral purity, innocence, the rich spiritual world of representatives of the lower classes is affirmed. Attention is paid to the spiritual world of a person, and feelings come first, not great ideas.

In painting

Direction Western art second half of the XVIII., expressing disappointment in “civilization” based on the ideals of “reason” (Enlightenment ideology). S. proclaims feeling, solitary reflection, simplicity rural life “little man" J.J.Russo is considered the ideologist of S.

One of characteristic features Russian portrait art of this period was civic-minded. The heroes of the portrait no longer live in their own closed, isolated world. The consciousness of being necessary and useful to the fatherland, caused by the patriotic upsurge in the era Patriotic War 1812, the flowering of humanistic thought, which was based on respect for dignity individual person, anticipation of imminent social changes restructures the worldview advanced person. The portrait of N.A., presented in the hall, is adjacent to this direction. Zubova, granddaughters A.V. Suvorov, copied by an unknown master from a portrait of I.B. Lumpy the Elder depicting a young woman in a park, away from convention social life. She looks at the viewer thoughtfully with a half-smile; everything about her is simplicity and naturalness. Sentimentalism is opposed to straightforward and overly logical reasoning about nature human feeling, an emotional perception that leads directly and more reliably to the comprehension of truth. Sentimentalism expanded the idea of ​​human mental life, coming closer to understanding its contradictions, the very process of human experience. At the turn of two centuries, the work of N.I. developed. Argunov, a gifted serf of the Sheremetyev counts. One of the significant trends in Argunov’s work, which was not interrupted throughout the 19th centuries, is the desire for concreteness of expression, an unpretentious approach to a person. A portrait of N.P. is presented in the hall. Sheremetyev. It was donated by the Count himself to the Rostov Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery, where the cathedral was built at his expense. The portrait is characterized by realistic simplicity of expression, free from embellishment and idealization. The artist avoids painting the hands and focuses on the model’s face. The coloring of the portrait is based on the expressiveness of individual spots of pure color, colorful planes. IN portrait art this time a type of modest chamber portrait, completely freed from any features of the external environment, demonstrative behavior of models (portrait of P.A. Babin, P.I. Mordvinov). They do not pretend to be deeply psychologistic. We are dealing only with a fairly clear fixation of models, calm state of mind. A separate group are made up of children's portraits presented in the hall. What is captivating about them is the simplicity and clarity of the interpretation of the image. If in the 18th century children were most often depicted with attributes mythological heroes in the form of cupids, Apollos and Dianas, then in the 19th century artists strive to convey the direct image of a child, the childish character. The portraits presented in the hall, with rare exceptions, come from noble estates. They were part of estate portrait galleries, the basis of which were family portraits. The collection was of an intimate, predominantly memorial nature and reflected the personal attachments of the models and their attitude towards their ancestors and contemporaries, the memory of whom they tried to preserve for posterity. The study of portrait galleries deepens the understanding of the era, allows you to more clearly sense the specific environment in which the works of the past lived, and understand a number of their features artistic language. Portraits provide rich material for studying the history of Russian culture.

V.L. experienced a particularly strong influence of sentimentalism. Borovikovsky, who depicted many of his models against the background of an English park, with a soft, sensually vulnerable expression on his face. Borovikovsky was connected with the English tradition through the circle of N.A. Lvova - A.N. Venison. He knew well the typology of English portraiture, in particular from the works of the German artist A. Kaufmann, fashionable in the 1780s, who was educated in England.

English landscape painters also had some influence on Russian painters, for example, such masters of idealized classicist landscape as Ya.F. Hackert, R. Wilson, T. Jones, J. Forrester, S. Dalon. In the landscapes of F.M. Matveev, the influence of “Waterfalls” and “Views of Tivoli” by J. Mora can be traced.

In Russia, the graphics of J. Flaxman (illustrations to Gormer, Aeschylus, Dante) were also popular, which influenced the drawings and engravings of F. Tolstoy, and small plastic Wedgwood - in 1773, the Empress placed a fantastic order for the British manufacture for “ Service with green frog"of 952 objects with views of Great Britain, now stored in the Hermitage.

Miniatures by G.I. were performed in English taste. Skorodumov and A.Kh. Rita; The genre “Pictorial Sketches of Russian Manners, Customs and Entertainments in One Hundred Colored Drawings” (1803-1804) performed by J. Atkinson were reproduced on porcelain.

There were fewer British artists working in Russia in the second half of the 18th century than French or Italian ones. Among them, the most famous was Richard Brompton, the court artist of George III, who worked in St. Petersburg in 1780 - 1783. He owns portraits of the Grand Dukes Alexander and Konstantin Pavlovich, and Prince George of Wales, which became examples of the image of heirs at a young age. Brompton's unfinished image of Catherine against the backdrop of the fleet was embodied in the portrait of the Empress in the Temple of Minerva by D.G. Levitsky.

French by birth P.E. Falcone was a student of Reynolds and therefore represented English school painting. The traditional English aristocratic landscape presented in his works, dating back to Van Dyck English period, has not received wide recognition in Russia.

However, Van Dyck's paintings from the Hermitage collection were often copied, which contributed to the spread of the genre of costume portraiture. The fashion for images in the English spirit became more widespread after the return from Britain of the engraver Skorodmov, who was appointed “Engraver of Her Imperial Majesty’s Cabinet” and elected Academician. Thanks to the work of the engraver J. Walker, engraved copies of paintings by J. Romini, J. Reynolds, and W. Hoare were distributed in St. Petersburg. The notes left by J. Walker talk a lot about the advantages of the English portrait, and also describe the reaction to the acquired G.A. Potemkin and Catherine II of Reynolds's paintings: "the manner of thickly applying paint... seemed strange... for their (Russian) taste it was too much." However, as a theorist, Reynolds was accepted in Russia; in 1790 his “Speeches” were translated into Russian, in which, in particular, the right of the portrait to belong to a number of the “highest” types of painting was substantiated and the concept of “portrait in the historical style” was introduced.

Literature

• E. Schmidt, “Richardson, Rousseau und Goethe” (Jena, 1875).
• Gasmeyer, “Richardson’s Pamela, ihre Quellen und ihr Einfluss auf die englische Litteratur” (Lpc., 1891).
• P. Stapfer, “Laurence Sterne, sa personne et ses ouvrages” (P., 18 82).
• Joseph Texte, “Jean-Jacques Rousseau et les origines du cosmopolitisme littéraire” (P., 1895).
• L. Petit de Juleville, “Histoire de la langue et de la littérature française” (Vol. VI, issue 48, 51, 54).

• “History of Russian Literature” by A. N. Pypin, (vol. IV, St. Petersburg, 1899).
• Alexey Veselovsky, " Western influence in new Russian literature" (M., 1896).
• S. T. Aksakov, “ Various essays"(M., 1858; article about the merits of Prince Shakhovsky in dramatic literature).

Links

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• Luchko, Klara Stepanovna
• Stern, Lawrence

See what “Sentimentalism” is in other dictionaries:

Sentimentalism - literary direction in the West Europe and Russia XVIII beginning 19th century I. SENTIMENTALISM IN THE WEST. The term "S." formed from the adjective “sentimental” (sensitive), to swarm is already found in Richardson, but gained particular popularity after ... Literary encyclopedia

Sentimentalism- SENTIMENTALISM. By sentimentalism we understand that direction of literature that developed at the end of the 18th century and colored the beginning of the 19th century, which was distinguished by the cult human heart, feelings, simplicity, naturalness, special... ... Dictionary of literary terms

sentimentalism- a, m. sentimentalisme m. 1. The literary movement of the second half of the 18th and early 19th centuries, which replaced classicism, characterized by special attention to the spiritual world of man, to nature and partly idealizing reality. BAS 1.… … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

SENTIMENTALISM- SENTIMENTALISM, SENTIMENTALISM sensitivity. Complete dictionary foreign words, which have come into use in the Russian language. Popov M., 1907. sentimentalism (French sentimentalisme sentiment feeling) 1) European literary movement of the late 18th… Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

SENTIMENTALISM- (from the French sentiment), a current in European and American literature and art of the 2nd half of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Starting from enlightenment rationalism (see Enlightenment), he declared that the dominant of human nature is not reason, but... Modern encyclopedia

In the mid-18th century, the process of decomposition of classicism began in Europe (in connection with the destruction of the absolute monarchy in France and other countries), as a result of which a new literary movement appeared - sentimentalism. England is considered to be its homeland, since it typical representatives were English writers. The term “sentimentalism” itself appeared in literature after the publication of “A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy” by Laurence Stern.

Catherine the Great vault

In the 60-70s, the rapid development of capitalist relations began in Russia, resulting in the growing phenomenon of the bourgeoisie. The growth of cities increased, which led to the emergence of the third estate, whose interests are reflected in Russian sentimentalism in literature. At this time, that layer of society, which is now called the intelligentsia, begins to form. The growth of industry turns Russia into a strong power, and numerous military victories contribute to the rise national identity. In 1762, during the reign of Catherine II, nobles and peasants received many privileges. The Empress thereby tried to create a myth about her reign, showing herself to be an enlightened monarch in Europe.

The policies of Catherine the Second largely impeded progressive phenomena in society. So, in 1767, a special commission was convened to examine the state of the new code. In her work, the empress argued that an absolute monarchy is necessary not to take away freedom from people, but to achieve a good goal. However, sentimentalism in literature meant depicting the life of the common people, so not a single writer mentioned Catherine the Great in his works.

The most important event of this period was peasant war under the leadership of Emelyan Pugachev, after which many nobles sided with the peasants. Already in the 70s, mass societies, whose ideas of freedom and equality influenced the formation of a new movement. Under such conditions, Russian sentimentalism in literature began to take shape.

Conditions for the emergence of a new direction

In the second half of the 18th century there was a struggle against feudal orders in Europe. Enlightenmentists defended the interests of the so-called third estate, which often found itself oppressed. Classicists glorified the merits of monarchs in their works, and sentimentalism (in Russian literature) became the opposite direction in this regard several decades later. The representatives advocated for the equality of people and put forward the concept natural society and the natural man. They were guided by the criterion of reasonableness: the feudal system, in their opinion, was unreasonable. This idea was reflected in Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe, and later in the works of Mikhail Karamzin. In France a shining example and the manifesto becomes the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau “Julia, or the new Heloise”; in Germany - "Suffering young Werther“Johann Goethe. In these books, the tradesman is portrayed as an ideal person, but in Russia everything is different.

Sentimentalism in literature: features of the movement

Style is born in fierce ideological struggle with classicism. These currents oppose each other in all positions. If the state was depicted by classicism, then a person with all his feelings was depicted by sentimentalism.

Representatives in the literature introduce new genre forms: love story, a psychological story, as well as confessional prose (diary, travel notes, travel). Sentimentalism, unlike classicism, was far from poetic forms.

The literary movement affirms the transcendental value of the human personality. In Europe, the tradesman was portrayed as ideal person, whereas in Russia the peasants have always been oppressed.

Sentimentalists introduce alliteration and descriptions of nature into their works. The second technique is used to display psychological state person.

Two directions of sentimentalism

In Europe, writers smoothed out social conflicts, while in the works Russian authors on the contrary, they worsened. As a result, two directions of sentimentalism were formed: noble and revolutionary. The representative of the first is Nikolai Karamzin, known as the author of the story “Poor Liza.” Despite the fact that the conflict occurs due to the clash of interests of a high and low class, the author puts the conflict in the first place as a moral one, not a social one. Noble sentimentalism did not advocate the abolition of serfdom. The author believed that “even peasant women know how to love.”

Revolutionary sentimentalism in literature advocated the abolition of serfdom. Alexander Radishchev chose just a few words as the epigraph for his book “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”: “The monster barks, mischievously, laughs and barks.” That's how he imagined it collective image serfdom.

Genres in sentimentalism

In this literary direction, the leading role was given to works written in prose. There were no strict boundaries, so genres were often mixed.

N. Karamzin, I. Dmitriev, A. Petrov used private correspondence in their work. It is worth noting that not only writers turned to him, but also personalities who became famous in other areas, such as M. Kutuzov. A novel-journey in its own way literary heritage left by A. Radishchev, and the novel-education by M. Karamzin. Sentimentalists also found application in the field of drama: M. Kheraskov wrote “tearful dramas”, and N. Nikolev - “comic operas”.

Sentimentalism in the literature of the 18th century was represented by geniuses who worked in several other genres: satirical tale and fable, idyll, elegy, romance, song.

"Fashionable wife" by I. I. Dmitrieva

Often sentimentalist writers turned to classicism in their work. Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev preferred to work with satirical genres and odes, so his fairy tale called “The Fashionable Wife” was written in poetic form. General Prolaz, in his old age, decides to marry to a young girl, who is looking for an opportunity to send him for new things. In the absence of her husband, Premila receives her lover Milovzor right in her room. He is young, handsome, a ladies' man, but a naughty man and a talker. The replicas of the heroes of "The Fashionable Wife" are empty and cynical - with this Dmitriev is trying to portray the depraved atmosphere prevailing in the noble class.

"Poor Liza" by N. M. Karamzin

In the story, the author talks about the love story of a peasant woman and a master. Lisa - a poor girl, who became a victim of betrayal by the rich young man Erast. The poor thing lived and breathed only for her lover, but did not forget the simple truth - a wedding between representatives of different social classes cannot take place. A rich peasant wooes Lisa, but she refuses him, expecting exploits on the part of her lover. However, Erast deceives the girl, saying that he is going to serve, and at that moment he is looking for a rich widowed bride. Soul feelings, impulses of passion, loyalty and betrayal - feelings that sentimentalism often depicted in literature. During last meeting the young man offers Lisa a hundred rubles as a token of gratitude for the love she gave him during their dating days. Unable to bear the breakup, the girl commits suicide.

A. N. Radishchev and his “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”

The writer was born in a prosperous noble family, but despite this, he was interested in the problem of inequality of social classes. His famous work “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” in the genre direction can be attributed to travel popular at that time, but the division into chapters was not a mere formality: each of them examined a separate side of reality.

Initially, the book was perceived as travel notes and successfully passed through the censors, but Catherine the Second, having familiarized herself with its contents personally, called Radishchev “a rebel worse than Pugachev.” The chapter "Novgorod" describes the depraved morals of society, in "Lyuban" - the problem of the peasantry, in "Chudovo" we're talking about about the indifference and cruelty of officials.

Sentimentalism in the works of V. A. Zhukovsky

The writer lived at the turn of two centuries. At the end of the 18th century, the leading genre in Russian literature was sentimentalism, and in the 19th it was replaced by realism and romanticism. Early works Vasily Zhukovsky were written in accordance with the traditions of Karamzin. “Maryina Roshcha” is a beautiful story about love and suffering, and the poem “To Poetry” sounds like a heroic call to accomplish feats. In his best elegy, “Rural Cemetery,” Zhukovsky reflects on the meaning human life. Big role in emotional coloring The work plays out an animated landscape in which the willow slumbers, the oak groves tremble, and the day turns pale. Thus, sentimentalism in the literature of the 19th century is represented by the work of a few writers, among whom was Zhukovsky, but in 1820 the movement ceased to exist.

In the mid-18th century, the process of decomposition of classicism began in Europe (in connection with the destruction of the absolute monarchy in France and other countries), as a result of which a new literary movement appeared - sentimentalism. England is considered to be its homeland, since its typical representatives were English writers. The term “sentimentalism” itself appeared in literature after the publication of “A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy” by Laurence Stern.

Catherine the Great vault

In the 60-70s, the rapid development of capitalist relations began in Russia, resulting in the growing phenomenon of the bourgeoisie. The growth of cities increased, which led to the emergence of the third estate, whose interests are reflected in Russian sentimentalism in literature. At this time, that layer of society, which is now called the intelligentsia, begins to form. The growth of industry turns Russia into a strong power, and numerous military victories contribute to the rise of national self-awareness. In 1762, during the reign of Catherine II, nobles and peasants received many privileges. The Empress thereby tried to create a myth about her reign, showing herself to be an enlightened monarch in Europe.

The policies of Catherine the Second largely impeded progressive phenomena in society. So, in 1767, a special commission was convened to examine the state of the new code. In her work, the empress argued that an absolute monarchy is necessary not to take away freedom from people, but to achieve a good goal. However, sentimentalism in literature meant depicting the life of the common people, so not a single writer mentioned Catherine the Great in his works.

The most important event of this period was the peasant war led by Emelyan Pugachev, after which many nobles sided with the peasants. Already in the 70s, mass societies began to appear in Russia, whose ideas of freedom and equality influenced the formation of a new movement. Under such conditions, Russian sentimentalism in literature began to take shape.

Conditions for the emergence of a new direction

In the second half of the 18th century there was a struggle against feudal orders in Europe. Enlightenmentists defended the interests of the so-called third estate, which often found itself oppressed. Classicists glorified the merits of monarchs in their works, and sentimentalism (in Russian literature) became the opposite direction in this regard several decades later. Representatives advocated the equality of people and put forward the concept of a natural society and natural man. They were guided by the criterion of reasonableness: the feudal system, in their opinion, was unreasonable. This idea was reflected in Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe, and later in the works of Mikhail Karamzin. In France, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s work “Julia, or the new Heloise” becomes a striking example and manifesto; in Germany - “The Sorrows of Young Werther” by Johann Goethe. In these books, the tradesman is portrayed as an ideal person, but in Russia everything is different.

Sentimentalism in literature: features of the movement

Style is born in a fierce ideological struggle with classicism. These currents oppose each other in all positions. If the state was depicted by classicism, then a person with all his feelings was depicted by sentimentalism.

Representatives in literature introduce new genre forms: love story, psychological story, as well as confessional prose (diary, travel notes, travel). Sentimentalism, unlike classicism, was far from poetic forms.

The literary movement affirms the transcendental value of the human personality. In Europe, the tradesman was portrayed as an ideal person, while in Russia the peasants were always oppressed.

Sentimentalists introduce alliteration and descriptions of nature into their works. The second technique is used to display the psychological state of a person.

Two directions of sentimentalism

In Europe, writers smoothed out social conflicts, while in the works of Russian authors, on the contrary, they intensified. As a result, two directions of sentimentalism were formed: noble and revolutionary. The representative of the first is Nikolai Karamzin, known as the author of the story “Poor Liza.” Despite the fact that the conflict occurs due to the clash of interests of a high and low class, the author puts the conflict in the first place as a moral one, not a social one. Noble sentimentalism did not advocate the abolition of serfdom. The author believed that “even peasant women know how to love.”

Revolutionary sentimentalism in literature advocated the abolition of serfdom. Alexander Radishchev chose just a few words as the epigraph for his book “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”: “The monster barks, mischievously, laughs and barks.” This is how he imagined a collective image of serfdom.

Genres in sentimentalism

In this literary direction, the leading role was given to works written in prose. There were no strict boundaries, so genres were often mixed.

N. Karamzin, I. Dmitriev, A. Petrov used private correspondence in their work. It is worth noting that not only writers turned to him, but also personalities who became famous in other areas, such as M. Kutuzov. A. Radishchev left the travel novel in his literary heritage, and the educational novel - M. Karamzin. Sentimentalists also found application in the field of drama: M. Kheraskov wrote “tearful dramas”, and N. Nikolev - “comic operas”.

Sentimentalism in the literature of the 18th century was represented by geniuses who worked in several other genres: satirical fairy tales and fables, idylls, elegy, romance, song.

"Fashionable wife" by I. I. Dmitrieva

Often sentimentalist writers turned to classicism in their work. Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev preferred to work with satirical genres and odes, so his fairy tale called “The Fashionable Wife” was written in poetic form. General Prolaz, in his old age, decides to marry a young girl who is looking for an opportunity to send him for new things. In the absence of her husband, Premila receives her lover Milovzor right in her room. He is young, handsome, a ladies' man, but a naughty man and a talker. The replicas of the heroes of "The Fashionable Wife" are empty and cynical - with this Dmitriev is trying to portray the depraved atmosphere prevailing in the noble class.

"Poor Liza" by N. M. Karamzin

In the story, the author talks about the love story of a peasant woman and a master. Lisa is a poor girl who became a victim of betrayal by the rich young man Erast. The poor thing lived and breathed only for her lover, but did not forget the simple truth - a wedding between representatives of different social classes cannot take place. A rich peasant wooes Lisa, but she refuses him, expecting exploits on the part of her lover. However, Erast deceives the girl, saying that he is going to serve, and at that moment he is looking for a rich widowed bride. Emotional experiences, impulses of passion, loyalty and betrayal are feelings that sentimentalism often depicted in literature. During the last meeting, the young man offers Lisa one hundred rubles as a token of gratitude for the love she gave him during their dating days. Unable to bear the breakup, the girl commits suicide.

A. N. Radishchev and his “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”

The writer was born into a wealthy noble family, but despite this, he was interested in the problem of inequality of social classes. His famous work “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” in the genre direction can be attributed to travel popular at that time, but the division into chapters was not a mere formality: each of them examined a separate side of reality.

Initially, the book was perceived as travel notes and successfully passed through the censors, but Catherine the Second, having familiarized herself with its contents personally, called Radishchev “a rebel worse than Pugachev.” The chapter "Novgorod" describes the depraved morals of society, in "Lyuban" - the problem of the peasantry, in "Chudovo" we are talking about the indifference and cruelty of officials.

Sentimentalism in the works of V. A. Zhukovsky

The writer lived at the turn of two centuries. At the end of the 18th century, the leading genre in Russian literature was sentimentalism, and in the 19th it was replaced by realism and romanticism. The early works of Vasily Zhukovsky were written in accordance with the traditions of Karamzin. “Maryina Roshcha” is a beautiful story about love and suffering, and the poem “To Poetry” sounds like a heroic call to accomplish feats. In his best elegy, “Rural Cemetery,” Zhukovsky reflects on the meaning of human life. A major role in the emotional coloring of the work is played by the animated landscape, in which the willow slumbers, the oak groves tremble, and the day turns pale. Thus, sentimentalism in the literature of the 19th century is represented by the work of a few writers, among whom was Zhukovsky, but in 1820 the movement ceased to exist.

Sentimentalism is not only a trend in culture and literature, it is primarily a state of mind human society at a certain stage of development, which in Europe began somewhat earlier and lasted from the 20s to the 80s of the 18th century, in Russia it occurred in late XVIII- beginning of the 19th century. The main features of sentimentalism are as follows: human nature the primacy of feelings, not reason, is recognized.

From mind to feelings

Sentimentalism closes, which covered the entire 18th century and gave rise to a series of classicism and rococo, sentimentalism and pre-romanticism. Some experts consider romanticism to be the next direction described, and sentimentalism is identified with pre-romanticism. Each of these areas has its own characteristic distinctive features, everyone has their own normative personality, the one whose traits better than others express the trend that is optimal for a given culture. We can name some signs of sentimentalism. This is a concentration of attention on the individual, on the strength and power of feelings, the prerogative of nature over civilization.

Towards nature

What distinguishes this direction in literature from previous and subsequent movements is primarily the cult of the human heart. Preference is given to simplicity and naturalness; the hero of the works becomes a more democratic person, often a representative of the common people. Great attention is paid to the inner world of man and the nature of which he is a part. These are the signs of sentimentalism. Feelings are always freer than reason, which classicism worshiped or even deified. Therefore, sentimentalist writers had more freedom imagination and its reflection in a work that was also no longer squeezed into the strict logical framework of classicism.

New literary forms

The main ones are travel and novels, but not just, but instructive or in letters. Letters, diaries, memoirs are the most frequently used genres, as they make it possible to more widely reveal a person’s inner world. Poetry gives preference to elegy and message. That is, in themselves, also signs of sentimentalism. Pastoral cannot belong to any other direction than the one described.

In Russia, sentimentalism was reactionary and liberal. The representative of the first was Pyotr Ivanovich Shalikov (1768-1852). His works represented an idyllic utopia - infinitely kind kings sent by God to earth solely for the sake of peasant happiness. None social contradictions- good-heartedness and general goodness. Probably, thanks to such sweet and sour works, a certain tearfulness and far-fetchedness have become attached to this literary movement, which are sometimes perceived as signs of sentimentalism.

Founder of Russian sentimentalism

Prominent representatives of the liberal trend are Karamzin Nikolai Mikhailovich (1766-1826) and the early Zhukovsky Vasily Andreevich (1783-1852), these are among the famous. You can also name several progressive liberal-minded writers - A. M. Kutuzov, to whom Radishchev dedicated “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”, M. N. Muravyov, sage and poet, poet, fabulist and translator, V. V. Kapnist and N. A. Lvov. The earliest and most striking work of this direction was Karamzin’s story “Poor Liza.” It should be noted that the characteristics of Russia have distinctive features from Europe. The main thing is the instructive, moral and educational nature of the works. Karamzin said that you need to write the way you speak. Thus, another feature of Russian sentimentalism is the improvement literary language works. I would like to note that a positive achievement or even discovery of this literary movement is that it was the first to turn to spiritual world people of the lower classes, revealing his wealth and generosity of soul. Before the sentimentalists, poor people, as a rule, were shown to be rude, callous, and incapable of any spirituality.

“Poor Liza” - the pinnacle of Russian sentimentalism

What are the signs of sentimentalism in “Poor Liza”? The plot of the story is simple. That's not the beauty of it. The very idea of ​​the work conveys to the reader the fact that the natural naturalness and rich world of Liza, a simple peasant woman, is incomparably higher than the world of the well-educated, secular, well-trained Erast, in general, and a good person, but squeezed by the framework of conventions that did not allow him to marry beloved girl. But he did not even think about getting married, because, having achieved reciprocity, Erast, full of prejudices, lost interest in Lisa, she ceased to be for him the personification of purity and purity. A poor peasant girl, even full of merit, having trusted a rich young man who condescended to a commoner (which should speak of the breadth of her soul and democratic views), is initially doomed to the final run to the pond. But the dignity of the story is in a completely different approach and perspective of the rather banal events covered. It is precisely the signs of sentimentalism in “Poor Liza” (the beauty of the soul common man and nature, the cult of love) made the story incredibly popular among contemporaries. And the pond in which Lisa drowned began to be called after her (the place in the story is indicated quite accurately). The fact that the story became an event is also evidenced by the fact that even among current graduates of Soviet schools, almost everyone knows that “Poor Liza” was written by Karamzin, like “Eugene Onegin” by Pushkin, and “Mtsyri” by Lermontov.

Originally from France

Sentimentalism itself is a more significant phenomenon in fiction than classicism with its rationalism and dryness, with its heroes, who, as a rule, were crowned heads or generals. "Julia, or the New Heloise" by Jean-Jacques Rousseau burst into fiction and laid the foundations for a new direction. Already in the works of the founder of the movement appeared general signs sentimentalism in literature, forming a new artistic system, which glorified a simple person who is capable of empathizing with others without any selfishness, endlessly loving loved ones, and sincerely rejoicing in the happiness of others.

Similarities and differences

And sentimentalism largely coincides, because both of these movements belong to the Age of Enlightenment, but they also have differences. Classicism glorifies and deifies reason, and sentimentalism - feeling. The main slogans of these directions also differ: in classicism it is “a person subject to the dictates of reason”; in sentimentalism it is “a feeling person”. The forms of writing also differ - the logic and rigor of the classicists, and the works of authors of a later literary movement, rich in digressions, descriptions, memories and letters. Based on the above, we can answer the question of what are the main features of sentimentalism. The main theme of the works is love. Specific genres - pastoral (elegy), sentimental story, letters and travel. In the works there is a cult of feelings and nature, a departure from straightforwardness.

Unlike Russian, European sentimentalism edification and moralizing were inherent.

The first Russian sentimentalists

“Poor Liza” was one of the first Russian works that ends with the death of the heroine.

V.A. also started in a sentimental vein. Zhukovsky. The poet knew Karamzin, and from him he learned about new literary movement. Descriptions of feelings fascinated young Zhukovsky, and he created his first sentimental piece- “Rural”. The poem became a free elegy of the English poet Thomas Gray, but already here Zhukovsky showed character traits of your creativity. The work was published in the almanac “Bulletin of Europe”. Later, Zhukovsky continued to publish in the publication, and in 1808 he became its editor.

Other sentimentalists were not so famous, and by 1820 the movement had completely exhausted itself.

It has not been established for certain whether the ancient Greek sage named Aesop, according to legend, who lived in the 6th century BC, actually existed. However, it is he who is considered the founder of the fable. Many of his stories were used and creatively reworked by such great fabulists as Jean de La Fontaine and Ivan Andreevich Krylov.

Instructions

Legend says that Aesop was lame and hunchbacked, and his face resembled. By social status, he was a slave, and lived on the island of Samos. Subsequently, the owner, captivated by the wisdom of Aesop, decided to set him free. The famous historian Plutarch adhered to a different version. He wrote that Aesop lived in Sardis and served as an adviser to King Croesus.

All sources tell approximately the same story about Aesop's death. During the fabulist's stay in Delphi, several residents of the city hated him for his courage and wit. They came up with an insidious plan: they stole from famous temple Apollo the golden cup and tossed it to Aesop. When the temple servants discovered the loss and decided to search the parishioners, the cup was found in Aesop’s possession. Since theft was considered a mortal sin, unfortunate Aesop was thrown from a cliff.

From generation to generation, people passed on fables whose authorship was attributed to Aesop. At the turn of the 4th–3rd centuries BC. Demetrius of Falersky combined them into a collection called “Aesop's Fables,” containing more than two hundred works.