Works of classics in the 19th century. 19th century in Russian literature

The century before last became an interesting stage in the 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. The literature of the 19th century reflected all the turning points in the 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, the ideas of which captured all of Europe, America and Russia. Under the influence of these events, the greatest books of the 19th century appeared, a list of which you can find in this section. In Great Britain, with the coming to power of Queen Victoria, a new era of stability began, which was accompanied by national growth, the 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 in the political system and the development of social thought. Of course, this also influenced 19th century books. The 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.

(estimates: 42 , average: 4,21 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.

The main character is the 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 classical literature was created by the best writers from different parts of 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 between the books of Russian classics is that they ridicule the shortcomings of a person 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 the 100 best books of Russian classics. The full list of books includes the best and most memorable works of Russian writers. This literature is known to everyone and is recognized by critics from all over the world.

Of course, our list of top 100 books is just a small part that brings together the best works of the 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 of 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.

XIX century rightly called the “golden age” of Russian literature. Already in the first half of the century, literature took a giant step forward. At the beginning of the 19th century. Romanticism replaced classicism and sentimentalism. In literature, this was most clearly reflected in the work of the poet V. A. Zhukovsky (1783-1852), as well as in the early poems of A. S. Pushkin (1799-1837). Romantics in their works turned to historical events, legends, and oral folk poetry.

At the turn of the 20-30s. A new direction begins to develop - realism. One of the first realistic works was the comedy by A. S. Griboyedov (1795-1829) “Woe from Wit.” But A. S. Pushkin should be considered the true founder of realism in Russian literature; he was also the founder of the Russian literary language. The author of lyrical poems and caustic epigrams, the novel in verse "Eugene Onegin", the poems "The Bronze Horseman", "Boris Godunov", "The Captain's Daughter" and others, A. S. Pushkin not only proved himself to be a great poet, but also managed to comprehend the essence of the most important phenomena of Russian history and reality, depicted by him in all their diversity, complexity and inconsistency. Realism is largely inherent in the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov (1814-1841) “A Hero of Our Time.” N.V. Gogol (1809-1852) developed critical realism, the purpose of which was to reveal the vulgarities of life, as well as social criticism (“The Inspector General,” “Dead Souls”). Gogol deepened the theme of the “little man” (“The Overcoat”), introduced into Russian literature by A. S. Pushkin (“The Station Agent”).

In the 40s A school of realist writers (“natural school”) was formed, rallying around V. G. Belinsky (1811-1848). Realists sought to depict everyday life truthfully. They described details of everyday life, peculiarities of speech, and emotional experiences of peasants, townspeople, and minor officials. The map of Moscow and the surrounding area in those days already included thousands of objects used by writers as settings in their works. The best works of that time include “Poor People” by F. M. Dostoevsky (1821-1881), “Notes of a Hunter” by I. S. Turgenev (1818-1883), “The Thieving Magpie” by A. I. Herzen (1812-1870 ), “Ordinary History” by I. A. Goncharov (1812-1891).

In the 1850-1870s. aphorisms, parodies and poems signed by Kozma Prutkov began to appear. Kozma Prutkov is a generalized image of an official-bureaucrat of the Nicholas era, who considers himself a model of wisdom. Kozma Prutkov's aphorisms are a sharp satire on bureaucracy, stupidity, veneration for rank, vulgarity and careerism.

An ideological, political and literary struggle broke out around the peasant reform of 1861. The most radically minded of the “people's defenders” - the revolutionary democrats, whose leader was N. G. Chernyshevsky (1828-1889), and whose main mouthpiece was the Sovremennik magazine, even called for “Rus to the axe”. In this atmosphere of intense struggle, such masterpieces of Russian literature are created as “Who Lives Well in Rus'” by N. A. Nekrasov (1821-1877), “The Past and Thoughts” by A. I. Herzen, “Crime and Punishment” by F. M. Dostoevsky, “Fathers and Sons” by I. S. Turgenev, “The Thunderstorm” by A. N. Ostrovsky (1823-1886), “What to do?” N. G. Chernyshevsky, “Oblomov” by I. A. Goncharov, “War and Peace” by L. N. Tolstoy (1828-1910), “Lord Golovlevs” by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (1826-1889). In these, in the full sense of the word, classic works, and this series can be significantly continued, the high civic spirit and depth of depiction of life inherent in Russian literature were most clearly expressed. The dominant literary genre was the novel.

In the last decades of the 19th century. The talents of A.P. Chekhov (1860-1904), V.G. Korolenko (1853-1921), V.M. Garshin (1855-1888) appeared. In their works they were able to show that dissatisfaction with autocratic reality was becoming nationwide, that protest was brewing even in the souls of the most downtrodden and humiliated “little” people. The melancholy of Chekhov's heroes, their characteristic sense of the strangeness and unreasonableness of life, acquired a global meaning. V. M. Garshin is already planning to overcome naturalistic tendencies and attempt to combine romantic and realistic principles in lyrical prose.

In the 1890s. “Old” literature, in the words of the poetess Z. N. Gippius, “was at the end”; it was replaced by the literature of the “Silver Age” (the Art Nouveau era).

VSEVOLOD SAKHAROV

Russian literature of the 19th (XIX) centuries

In the 19th century, Russian literature reached unprecedented heights, which is why this period is often called the “golden age”

One of the very first events was the reissue of the ATS. Following it, 4 volumes of the “Dictionary of Church Slavonic and Russian Language” were published. Over the course of a century, the world has learned about the most talented prose writers and poets. Their works have taken their rightful place in world culture and influenced the work of foreign writers.

Russian literature of the 18th century was characterized by very calm development. Throughout the century, poets praised the sense of human dignity and tried to instill in the reader high moral ideals. Only in the late 90s did more daring works begin to appear, the authors of which emphasized personality psychology, experiences and emotions.

Why did Russian literature of the 19th century achieve such development? This was due to the events that took place in the political and cultural life of the country. This is the war with Turkey, and the invasion of Napoleon’s army, and the public execution of oppositionists, and the eradication of serfdom... All this gave impetus to the emergence of completely different stylistic devices.

A prominent representative of Russian literature of the 19th century is Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. A comprehensively developed and highly educated person was able to reach the peak of enlightenment. By the age of 37 he was known throughout the world. He became famous thanks to the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. And “Eugene Onegin” is still associated with a guide to Russian life. Pushkin became the founder of traditions in writing literary works. His heroes, completely new and original for that time, won the hearts of millions of contemporaries. Take Tatyana Larina for example! Intelligence, beauty and characteristics inherent only in the Russian soul - all this was perfectly combined in her image.

Another author who forever entered the history of Russian literature of the 19th century is M. Lermontov. He continued the best traditions of Pushkin. Like his teacher, he tried to understand his purpose. They really wanted to convey their principles to the authorities. Some compared the poets of that time to prophets. These writers also influenced the development of Russian literature of the 20th century. They gave her journalistic features.

It was in the 19th century that realistic literature began to emerge. Slavophiles and Westerners constantly argued about the peculiarities of the historical formation of Russia. From this time on, the realistic genre began to develop. Writers began to endow their works with features of psychology and philosophy. The development of poetry in Russian literature of the 19th century begins to decline.

At the end of the century, writers such as A.P. made themselves known. Chekhov, A.N. Ostrovsky, N. S. Leskov, M. Gorky. Pre-revolutionary sentiments begin to be traced in most of the works. The realistic tradition begins to fade into the background. It was supplanted by decadent literature. Her mysticism and religiosity appealed to both critics and readers.

Style trends of Russian literature of the 19th century:

Romanticism. Romanticism has been known in Russian literature since the Middle Ages. But the 19th century gave it completely different shades. It originated not in Russia, but in Germany, but gradually penetrated into the works of our writers. Russian literature of the 19th century is characterized by romantic moods. They are reflected in the poems of Pushkin and can be traced in the very first works of Gogol.
Sentimentalism. Sentimentalism began to develop at the very beginning of the 19th century. He emphasizes sensuality. The first features of this trend were already visible in Russian literature of the 18th century. Karamzin managed to reveal it in all its manifestations. He inspired many authors and they followed his principles.
Satirical prose . In the 19th century, satirical and journalistic works began to appear in Russian literature, especially in the works of Gogol. At the very beginning of his journey, he tried to describe his homeland. The main features of his works are the unacceptability of lack of intelligence and parasitism. It affected all layers of society - landowners, peasants, and officials. He tried to draw the attention of readers to the poverty of the spiritual world of wealthy people.
1. Realistic novel . In the second half of the 19th century, Russian literature recognized romantic ideals as completely untenable. The authors sought to show the real features of society. The best example is Dostoevsky's prose. The author reacted sharply to people's mood. By depicting prototypes of friends, Dostoevsky tried to touch upon the most pressing problems of society. It is at this time that the image of the “extra person” appears. There is a revaluation of values. The fate of the people no longer means anything. Representatives of society come first.
Folk poem. In Russian literature of the 19th century, folk poetry occupied a secondary place. But, despite this, Nekrasov does not miss the opportunity to create works that combine several genres: revolutionary, peasant and heroic. His voice does not let you forget the meaning of the rhyme. The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'?” is the best example of real life at that time.

Late 19th century

At the end of the 19th century, Chekhov was at the peak of popularity. At the very beginning of his career, critics repeatedly noted that he was indifferent to sensitive social issues. But his masterpieces were extremely popular. He followed Pushkin's principles. Each representative of Russian literature of the 19th century created a small artistic world. Their heroes wanted to achieve more, fought, worried... Some wanted to be needed and happy. Others set out to eradicate social failure. Still others experienced their own tragedy. But each work is remarkable in that it reflects the realities of the century.