What new did the literature of the 19th century bring? Russian literature of the 19th century

The century before last became interesting stage development of human history. The emergence of new technologies, faith in progress, the spread of enlightenment ideas, the development of new social relations, the emergence of a new bourgeois class, which became dominant in many European countries - all this was reflected in art. 19th century literature reflected everything turning points development of society. All shocks and discoveries were reflected on the pages of novels by famous writers. Literature of the 19th century– multifaceted, varied and very interesting.

Literature of the 19th century as an indicator of social consciousness

The century began in the atmosphere of the Great french revolution, whose ideas captured all of Europe, America and Russia. Under the influence of these events there appeared greatest books 19th century, a list of which you can find in this section. In Great Britain, with the coming to power of Queen Victoria, new era stability, which was accompanied by national growth, development of industry and art. Public peace produced the best books of the 19th century, written in every genre. In France, on the contrary, there was a lot of revolutionary unrest, accompanied by a change political system and the development of social thought. Of course, this also influenced 19th century books. Literary age ended with an era of decadence, characterized by gloomy and mystical moods and a bohemian lifestyle of representatives of art. Thus, the literature of the 19th century presented works that everyone needs to read.

Books of the 19th century on the KnigoPoisk website

If you are interested in 19th century literature, the list of the KnigoPoisk website will help you find interesting novels. The rating is based on reviews from visitors to our resource. “Books of the 19th century” is a list that will not leave anyone indifferent.

Russian literature XIX century

The 19th century is the heyday of Russian literature, which develops at a feverish pace; directions, trends, schools and fashions change with dizzying speed; every decade has its own poetics, its own ideology, its own art style. The sentimentalism of the tenths gives way to the romanticism of the twenties and thirties; the forties see the birth of Russian idealistic “philosophy” and Slavophile teaching; the fifties - the appearance of the first novels by Turgenev, Goncharov, Tolstoy; the nihilism of the sixties gives way to the populism of the seventies, the eighties are filled with the glory of Tolstoy, artist and preacher; in the nineties, a new flowering of poetry began: the era of Russian symbolism.

By the beginning of the 19th century, Russian literature, having experienced the beneficial effects of classicism and sentimentalism, was enriched with new themes, genres, artistic images and creative techniques. In your new Age She entered on the wave of the pre-romantic movement, aimed at creating a national literature, original in its forms and content, and meeting the needs artistic development our people and society. It was a time when, along with literary ideas began the widespread penetration into Russia of all kinds of philosophical, political, historical concepts, formed in Europe at the turn of the 19th century.

In Russia romanticism as an ideological and artistic direction in the literature of the early 19th century, it was generated by the deep dissatisfaction of the advanced part of Russians with Russian reality. The formation of romanticism

Connected with the poetry of V.A. Zhukovsky. His ballads are imbued with ideas of friendship and love for the Fatherland.

Realism It was established in the 30s and 40s along with romanticism, but by the mid-19th century it became the dominant trend in culture. According to his ideological orientation, he becomes critical realism. At the same time, the work of the great realists is permeated with the ideas of humanism and social justice.

For some time now it has become a habit to talk about nationalities, demand nationality, complain about the lack of nationality in works of literature - but no one thought to define what he meant by this word. “Nationalism in writers is a virtue that may well be appreciated by some compatriots - for others it does not exist or may even seem like a vice” - this is how A.S. thought about nationality. Pushkin

Living literature must be the fruit of the people, nourished but not suppressed by sociability. Literature is and is literary life, but its development is constrained by the one-sidedness of the imitative direction, which kills the people, without which it cannot be complete. literary life.

In the mid-1930s, critical realism established itself in Russian classical literature, opening up enormous opportunities for writers to express Russian life and Russian national character.

The special effective force of the Russian critical realism is that, pushing aside progressive romanticism as the predominant trend, he mastered, preserved and continued its best traditions:

Dissatisfaction with the present, dreams of the future. Russian critical realism is distinguished by its strong national identity and in the form of its expression. The truth of life, which served as the basis for the works of Russian progressive writers, often did not fit into traditional genre-specific forms. Therefore, Russian literature is characterized by frequent violations of genre-specific forms.

V. G. Belinsky most decisively condemned the errors of conservative and reactionary criticism, who saw in Pushkin’s poetry a transition to realism, considered “Boris Godunov” and “Eugene Onegin” to be the peaks, and abandoned the primitive identification of nationality with common people. Belinsky underestimated Pushkin’s prose and his fairy tales; on the whole, he correctly outlined the scale of the writer’s creativity as the focus literary achievements and innovative initiatives that define further paths development of Russian literature in the 19th century.

In Pushkin’s poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” there is a palpable desire for nationality, which manifests itself early in Pushkin’s poetry, and in the poems “ Bakhchisarai fountain”, « Prisoner of the Caucasus“Pushkin switches to the position of romanticism.

Pushkin’s work completes the development of Russian literature early XIX centuries. At the same time, Pushkin stands at the origins of Russian literature, he is the founder of Russian realism, the creator of Russian literary language.

Tolstoy's brilliant work had a huge influence on world literature.

In the novels “Crime and Punishment” and “The Idiot,” Dostoevsky realistically depicted the clash of bright, original Russian characters.

The work of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is directed against the autocratic-serf system.

One of the writers of the 30s is N.V. Gogol. In the work “Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka” he is disgusted bureaucratic world and he, just like A.S. Pushkin, plunged into fairy world romance. Maturing as an artist, Gogol abandoned romantic genre and moves on to realism.

The activities of M.Yu. Lermontov also date back to this time. The pathos of his poetry lies in moral issues about the fate and rights of the human person. The origins of Lermontov's creativity are connected with the culture of European and Russian romanticism. IN early years he wrote three dramas marked with the stamp of romanticism.

The novel “Heroes of Our Time” is one of the main works of psychological realism literature of the 19th century.

Stage 1 dates back to the same time critical activity V.G. Belinsky. He had a huge influence on the development of literature, social thought, and reading tastes in Russia. He was a fighter for realism and demanded simplicity and truth from literature. The highest authorities for him were Pushkin and Gogol, to whose works he devoted a number of articles.

Having studied V.G. Belinsky’s letter to N.V. Gogol, we see that it is directed not only against Gogol’s anti-social, political and moral sermons, but in many ways against his literary judgments and assessments.

In conditions of post-reform life social thought Russia, which found its predominant expression in literature and criticism, increasingly turned from the present to the past and future in order to identify the laws and trends of historical development.

Russian realism of the 1860-1870s acquired noticeable differences from Western European realism. In the works of many realist writers of that time, motifs appeared that foreshadowed and prepared that shift to revolutionary romance and socialist realism which will occur at the beginning of the 20th century. The flowering of Russian realism manifested itself with the greatest brightness and scope in the novel and story in the second half of the 19th century. It was the novels and stories of the largest Russian artists of that time that acquired the greatest public resonance in Russia and abroad. The novels and many stories of Turgenev, L.N. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky almost immediately after their publication received a response in Germany, France, and the USA. Foreign writers and critics felt in the Russian novel of those years the connection between specific phenomena of Russian reality and the processes of development of all mankind.

The rise of the Russian novel, the desire to penetrate the depths human soul and at the same time to comprehend the social nature of society and those laws in accordance with which its development occurs, became the main distinctive quality of Russian realism of the 1860-1870s.

The heroes of Dostoevsky, L. Tolstoy, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Chekhov, Nekrasov thought about the meaning of life, about conscience, about justice. In the structure of the new realistic novel and the stories of their hypotheses were confirmed or rejected, their concepts and ideas about the world when faced with reality too often dissipated like smoke. Their novels should be regarded as real feat artist. I.S. Turgenev did a lot for the development of Russian realism with his novels. The most famous novel was “Fathers and Sons.” It depicts a picture of Russian life at a new stage of the liberation movement. The last novel Turgenev’s “Nove” was received by Russian critics. In those years, populism was the most significant phenomenon public life.

The flourishing of critical realism also manifested itself in Russian poetry of the 1860s and 1870s. One of the peaks of Russian critical realism of the 60-80s is the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin. The brilliant satirist, using allegories and personifications, skillfully posed and pursued the most pressing questions modern life. Accusatory pathos is inherent in the work of this writer. The stranglers of democracy had a sworn enemy in him.

A significant role in the literature of the 80s was played by such works as “Little things in life”, “Poshekhonskaya satire”. With great skill he reproduced in them the terrible consequences of serf life and no less terrible pictures moral decline of post-reform Russia. “The story of how a man fed 2 generals” or “ Wild landowner”, dedicated critical issues Russian life, they were published with great censorship difficulties.

The greatest realist writers not only reflected life in their works, but also looked for ways to transform it.

The literature of post-reform Russia, which worthily continued the traditions of critical realism, was the most philosophical and social in Europe.

Bibliography.

1. History of Russian literature of the 11th-20th centuries

2. Textbook on Russian literature

(Yu.M. Lotman)

3. Great Russians writers XIX century

(K.V. Mochulsky)

4. Russian literature XIX century

(M.G.Zeldovich)

5. History of Russian literature first

half of the 19th century

(A.I. Revyakin)

6. History of Russian literature of the 19th century

(S.M. Petrova)

7. From the history of Russian novel XIX century

(E.G. Babaev)

Test

1. N.V.Gogol (1809-1852)

a) the story “The Overcoat”

b) the story “Viy”

(estimates: 31 , average: 4,26 out of 5)

In Russia, literature has its own direction, different from any other. The Russian soul is mysterious and incomprehensible. The genre reflects both Europe and Asia, which is why the best classical Russian works are extraordinary, striking in their soulfulness and vitality.

Main actor- soul. For a person, his position in society, the amount of money is not important, it is important for him to find himself and his place in this life, to find the truth and peace of mind.

The books of Russian literature are united by the features of a writer who has the gift of the great Word, who has completely devoted himself to this art of literature. The best classics saw life not flatly, but multifacetedly. They wrote about life not of random destinies, but of those expressing existence in its most unique manifestations.

Russian classics are so different, with different destinies, but what unites them is that literature is recognized as a school of life, a way of studying and developing Russia.

Russian classic literature was created the best writers from different corners Russia. It is very important where the author was born, because this determines his formation as a person, his development, and it also affects his writing skills. Pushkin, Lermontov, Dostoevsky were born in Moscow, Chernyshevsky in Saratov, Shchedrin in Tver. Poltava region in Ukraine is the birthplace of Gogol, Podolsk province - Nekrasov, Taganrog - Chekhov.

The three great classics, Tolstoy, Turgenev and Dostoevsky, were completely different people from each other, had different destinies, complex characters and great talents. They made a huge contribution to the development of literature, writing their best works, which still excite the hearts and souls of readers. Everyone should read these books.

Another important difference books of Russian classics - ridiculing the shortcomings of man and his way of life. Satire and humor are the main features of the works. However, many critics said that this was all slander. And only true connoisseurs saw how the characters are both comical and tragic at the same time. Such books always touch the soul.

Here you can find the best works of classical literature. You can download books of Russian classics for free or read them online, which is very convenient.

We present to your attention 100 best books Russian classics. IN full list The books included the best and most memorable works of Russian writers. This literature known to everyone and recognized by critics from all over the world.

Of course, our list of top 100 books is just a small part that brings together best works great classics. It can be continued for a very long time.

A hundred books that everyone should read in order to understand not only how they used to live, what were the values, traditions, priorities in life, what they were striving for, but to find out in general how our world works, how bright and pure the soul can be and how valuable it is for a person, for the development of his personality.

The top 100 list includes the best and most famous works Russian classics. The plot of many of them is known from school. However, some books are difficult to understand at a young age and require wisdom that is acquired over the years.

Of course, the list is far from complete; it can be continued endlessly. Reading such literature is a pleasure. She doesn’t just teach something, she radically changes lives, helps us understand simple things that we sometimes don’t even notice.

We hope you liked our list of classic books of Russian literature. You may have already read some of it, and some not. A great reason to make your own personal list of books, your top ones that you would like to read.

The beginning of the 19th century was unique time for Russian literature. In literary salons and on the pages of magazines there was a struggle between supporters of various literary trends: classicism and sentimentalism, educational trends and emerging romanticism.

In the first years of the 19th century, the dominant position in Russian literature was occupied by sentimentalism, inextricably linked with the names of Karamzin and his followers. And in 1803 a book entitled “Discourses on the Old and New Syllable” was published. Russian language”, the author of which A. S. Shishkov very strongly criticized the “new style” of the sentimentalists. The followers of the Karamzin reform of the literary language give the classicist Shishkov a sharp rebuke. A long controversy begins, in which everyone was involved to one degree or another. literary forces that time.

Why is there controversy on special literary question acquired such social significance? First of all, because behind the discussions about the syllable there were more global problems: how to portray a person of modern times, who should be positive and who - negative hero, what is freedom and what is patriotism. After all, these are not just words - this is an understanding of life, and therefore its reflection in literature.

Classicists with their very clear principles and rules brought into literary process such the most important qualities hero, as honor, dignity, patriotism, without blurring space and time, thereby bringing the hero closer to reality. They showed it in “truthful language”, conveying sublime civic content. These features will remain in the literature of the 19th century, despite the fact that classicism itself will leave the stage of literary life. When you read “Woe from Wit” by A. S. Griboyedov, see for yourself.

Close to the classicists educators, for whom political and philosophical topics, of course, was the leading one, most often turning to the ode genre. But under their pen, the ode from the classic genre turned into a lyrical one. Because the most important task poet-educator - to show his civil position, to express the feelings that take possession of him. In the 19th century, the poetry of the Romantic Decembrists would be inextricably linked with educational ideas.

There seemed to be a certain affinity between the Enlightenmentists and the Sentimentalists. However, this was not the case. Enlightenmentists also reproach the sentimentalists for “feigned sensitivity,” “false compassion,” “loving sighs,” “passionate exclamations,” as did the classicists.

Sentimentalists, despite the excessive (with modern point vision) melancholy and sensitivity, show sincere interest in a person’s personality, his character. They begin to be interested in an ordinary, simple person, his inner world. Appears new hero — a real man, interesting to others. And with him to the pages works of art the ordinary one comes, everyday life. It is Karamzin who first makes an attempt to reveal this topic. His novel "A Knight of Our Time" opens a gallery of such heroes.

Romantic lyrics- These are mainly lyrics of moods. Romantics deny vulgar everyday life; they are interested in the mental and emotional nature of the individual, its aspiration towards the mysterious infinity of a vague ideal. The innovation of the romantics in artistic knowledge reality consisted in a polemic with the fundamental ideas of Enlightenment aesthetics, the assertion that art is an imitation of nature. The Romantics defended the thesis of the transformative role of art. The romantic poet thinks of himself as a creator creating his own new world, because the old way of life does not suit him. Reality, full of insoluble contradictions, was subjected to severe criticism by the romantics. The world of emotional unrest is seen by poets as enigmatic and mysterious, expressing a dream about the ideal of beauty, about moral and ethical harmony.

In Russia, romanticism takes on a pronounced national identity. Remember the romantic poems and poems of A. S. Pushkin and M. Yu. Lermontov, early works N.V. Gogol.

Romanticism in Russia is not only new literary movement. Romantic writers not only create works, they are “creators” own biography which will eventually become theirs" moral story". In the future, the idea of unbreakable connection art and self-education, the artist’s lifestyle and his work. Gogol will reflect on this on the pages of his romantic story “Portrait”.

See how intricately intertwined styles and views are, artistic media, philosophical ideas and life...

As a result of the interaction of all these areas in Russia, a realism How new level knowledge of man and his life in literature. A. S. Pushkin is rightfully considered the founder of this trend. We can say that the beginning of the 19th century was the era of the birth and formation of two leading literary methods: romanticism and realism.

The literature of this period had another feature. This is the unconditional predominance of poetry over prose.

Once Pushkin, while still a young poet, admired the poems of one young man and showed them to his friend and teacher K.N. Batyushkov. He read and returned the manuscript to Pushkin, indifferently remarking: “Who doesn’t write smooth poetry now!”

This story speaks volumes. The ability to write poetry was then a necessary part noble culture. And against this background, Pushkin’s appearance was not accidental, it was prepared by the general high level culture, including poetic.

Pushkin had predecessors who prepared his poetry, and contemporary poets - friends and rivals. All of them represented the golden age of Russian poetry—the so-called 10-30s of the 19th century. Pushkin- starting point. Around him we distinguish three generations of Russian poets - the older, the middle (to which Alexander Sergeevich himself belonged) and the younger. This division is conditional, and of course simplifies the real picture.

Let's start with the older generation. Ivan Andreevich Krylov(1769-1844) belonged to the 18th century by birth and upbringing. However, he began to write the fables that made him famous only in the 19th century, and although his talent manifested itself only in this genre, Krylov became the herald of a new poetry, accessible to the reader by language, which opened the world to him folk wisdom. I. A. Krylov stood at the origins of Russian realism.

It should be noted the main problem poetry at all times, and at the beginning of the 19th century too, is a problem of language. The content of poetry is unchanged, but the form... Revolutions and reforms in poetry are always linguistic. Such a “revolution” occurred in the work of Pushkin’s poetic teachers - V. A. Zhukovsky and K. N. Batyushkov.
With works Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky(1783-1852) you have already met. You probably remember his “The Tale of Tsar Berendey...”, the ballad “Svetlana”, but perhaps you don’t know that many of the works you have read foreign poetry were translated by this lyricist. Zhukovsky is a great translator. He got used to the text he was translating so much that the result was an original work. This happened with many of the ballads he translated. However, our own poetic creativity the poet was of great importance in Russian literature. He abandoned the ponderous, outdated, pompous language of 18th century poetry and immersed the reader in the world emotional experiences, created new image a poet with a keen sense of the beauty of nature, melancholic, prone to tender sadness and reflections on the transience of human life.

Zhukovsky is the founder of Russian romanticism, one of the creators of the so-called “light poetry”. “Easy” not in the sense of frivolous, but in contrast to the previous, solemn poetry, created as if for palace halls. Zhukovsky's favorite genres are elegy and song, addressed to a close circle of friends, created in silence and solitude. Their contents are deeply personal dreams and memories. Instead of pompous thunder, there is a melodious, musical sound of the verse, which expresses the poet’s feelings more powerfully than written words. No wonder Pushkin in his famous poem “I remember wonderful moment..." used the image created by Zhukovsky - "a genius of pure beauty."

Another poet of the older generation of the golden age of poetry - Konstantin Nikolaevich Batyushkov(1787-1855). His favorite genre is the friendly message, which glorifies simple joys life.

Pushkin highly valued the lyrics of the legendary Denis Vasilievich Davydov(1784-1839) - hero Patriotic War 1812, organizer partisan detachments. The poems of this author glorify the romance of military life and hussar life. Not considering himself a true poet, Davydov disdained poetic conventions, and this only made his poems gain in liveliness and spontaneity.

As for the middle generation, Pushkin valued it above others Evgeny Abramovich Baratynsky(Boratynsky) (1800-1844). He called his work “the poetry of thought.” This is a philosophical lyric. The hero of Baratynsky's poems is disappointed in life, sees in it a chain of meaningless suffering, and even love does not become salvation.

Lyceum friend of Pushkin Delvig gained popularity with songs “in the Russian spirit” (his romance “The Nightingale” to the music of A. Alyabyev is widely known). Languages became famous for the image he created of a student - a merry fellow and a freethinker, a kind of Russian vagante. Vyazemsky possessed a merciless irony that permeated his poems, which were mundane in theme and at the same time deep in thought.

At the same time, another tradition of Russian poetry continued to exist and develop - civil. It was connected with names Kondraty Fedorovich Ryleev (1795—1826), Alexander Alexandrovich Bestuzhev (1797—1837), Wilhelm Karlovich Kuchelbecker(life years - 1797-1846) and many other poets. They saw in poetry a means of struggle for political freedom, and in the poet - not a “pet of the muses”, a “son of laziness” who avoids public life, but a stern citizen calling for a battle for the bright ideals of justice.

The words of these poets did not diverge from their deeds: they were all participants in the uprising in Senate Square in 1825, convicted (and Ryleev executed) in the “case of December 14th”. “Bitter is the fate of poets of all tribes; Fate will execute Russia the hardest of all...” - this is how V. K. Kuchelbecker began his poem. It was the last one he wrote with his own hand: years in prison had deprived him of his sight.

Meanwhile, a new generation of poets was emerging. The first poems were written by the young Lermontov. A society arose in Moscow wise men- lovers of philosophy who interpreted German philosophy in the Russian manner. These were the future founders of Slavophilism Stepan Petrovich Shevyrev (1806—1861), Alexey Stepanovich Khomyakov(1804-1860) and others. The most gifted poet of this circle was the one who died early Dmitry Vladimirovich Venevitinov(1805—1827).

One more thing interesting phenomenon this period. Many of the poets we named turned in one way or another to folk poetic traditions, to folklore. But since they were nobles, their works “in the Russian spirit” were still perceived as stylization, as something secondary compared to the main line of their poetry. And in the 30s of the 19th century, a poet appeared who, both by origin and by the spirit of his work, was a representative of the people. This Alexey Vasilievich Koltsov(1809-1842). He spoke in the voice of a Russian peasant, and there was no artificiality, no game in this, it was his own voice, suddenly standing out from the nameless choir of Russian folk poetry.
Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century was so multifaceted.

(Russian) - this is broad concept, and everyone puts their own meaning into it. If you ask readers what associations it evokes in them, the answers will be different. For some, this is the basis of the library collection, others will say that works of classical Russian literature are a kind of example with high artistic merit. For schoolchildren, this is everything that is studied at school. And they will all be absolutely right in their own way. So what is classical literature? Russian literature, today we will talk only about it. ABOUT foreign classics we'll talk about it in another article.

Russian literature

There is a generally accepted periodization of formation and development Russian literature. Its history is divided into the following time periods:

What works are called classics?

Many readers are sure that classical literature (Russian) is Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy - that is, the works of those writers who lived in the 19th century. It's not like that at all. It can be classic from both the Middle Ages and the 20th century. By what canons and principles can one determine whether a novel or story is a classic? Firstly, classic must have high artistic value, be a model for others. Secondly, it must have worldwide recognition, it must be included in the fund of world culture.

And you need to be able to distinguish between the concepts of classical and popular literature. A classic is something that has stood the test of time, and oh popular work They can forget quite quickly. If its relevance remains for decades, perhaps it will also become a classic over time.

The origins of Russian classical literature

IN late XVIII century, only the established nobility of Russia split into two opposing camps: conservatives and reformers. This split was due different attitude to the changes that took place in life: Peter's reforms, understanding of the tasks of the Enlightenment, the painful peasant issue, attitude towards power. This struggle of extremes led to the rise of spirituality and self-awareness, which gave birth to Russian classics. We can say that it was forged during the dramatic processes in the country.

Classical literature (Russian), born in the complex and contradictory 18th century, was finally formed in XIX century. Its main features: national identity, maturity, self-awareness.

Russian classical literature of the 19th century

The growth of national consciousness played a major role in the development of culture at that time. More and more is opening up educational institutions, intensifies public importance literature, writers are beginning to pay a lot of attention native language. It made me think even more about what was happening in the country.

Karamzin's influence on the development of 19th-century literature

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, the greatest Russian historian, writer and journalist, was the most influential figure in Russian culture XVIII-XIX centuries His historical stories and the monumental “History of the Russian State” had a huge influence on the work of subsequent writers and poets: Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Griboedov. He is one of the great reformers of the Russian language. Karamzin put it into use a large number of new words, without which we cannot imagine modern speech today.

Russian classical literature: list of the best works

Select and list the best literary works- a difficult task, since each reader has his own preferences and tastes. A novel that will be a masterpiece for one may seem boring and uninteresting to another. How to create a list of classic Russian literature that would satisfy the majority of readers? One way is to conduct surveys. Based on them, one can draw conclusions about which work the readers themselves consider the best of the proposed options. These types of information collection methods are conducted regularly, although the data may change slightly over time.

The list of the best creations of Russian classics, according to versions of literary magazines and Internet portals, looks like this:

Under no circumstances should you consider this list reference. In some ratings and polls, the first place may not be Bulgakov, but Leo Tolstoy or Alexander Pushkin, and some of the listed writers may not be at all. Ratings are an extremely subjective thing. It’s better to make a list of your favorite classics for yourself and focus on it.

The meaning of Russian classical literature

The creators of Russian classics have always had great social responsibility. They never acted as moralizers and did not give ready-made answers in their works. The writers presented the reader with a difficult task and forced him to think about its solution. They raised serious social and social problems, which still have for us great importance. Therefore, Russian classics remain just as relevant today.