A message about the life and work of Alexander Ostrovsky. Ostrovsky A.N.
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky is a Russian playwright and writer, on whose works the classical repertoire of Russian theaters is based. His life is full of interesting events, and his literary heritage numbers in dozens of plays.
Childhood and youth
Alexander Ostrovsky was born in the spring of 1823 in Zamoskvorechye, in a merchant's house on Malaya Ordynka. In this area the playwright spent his early years, and the house where he was born still exists to this day. Ostrovsky's father was the son of a priest. After graduating from the theological academy, the young man decided to devote himself to a secular profession and became a judicial official.
Mother Lyubov Ostrovskaya died when her son was 8 years old. 5 years after the death of his wife, Ostrovsky Sr. married again. Unlike his first marriage to a girl from the world of the clergy, this time the father paid attention to a woman from the noble class.
Nikolai Ostrovsky's career went uphill, he received the title of nobility, devoted himself to private practice and lived on income from providing services to wealthy merchants. Several estates became his property, and towards the end of his working life he moved to the Kostroma province, to the village of Shchelykovo, where he became a landowner.
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The son entered the First Moscow Gymnasium in 1835 and graduated in 1840. Already in his youth, the boy was interested in literature and theater. Indulging his father, he entered Moscow University at the Faculty of Law. During his years of study there, Ostrovsky spent everything free time at the Maly Theater, where actors Pavel Mochalov and Mikhail Shchepkin shone. Enthusiasm young man forced him to leave the institute in 1843.
The father hoped that this was a whim, and tried to place his son in a profitable position. Alexander Nikolaevich had to go to work as a scribe in the Moscow Conscientious Court, and in 1845 in the office of the Moscow Commercial Court. In the latter, he became an official who received petitioners orally. The playwright often used this experience in his work, recalling many interesting cases he heard during his practice.
Literature
Ostrovsky became interested in literature in his youth, engrossed in the works of and. To some extent, the young man imitated his idols in his first works. In 1847, the writer made his debut in the newspaper “Moscow City Listok”. The publisher has published two scenes from the comedy “The Insolvent Debtor.” This is the first version of the play “Our People – We Will Be Numbered”, known to readers.
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In 1849, the author finished work on it. The writer’s characteristic style is visible in his very first work. He describes national themes through the prism of family and domestic conflict. Characters Ostrovsky's plays– owners of colorful and recognizable characters.
The language of the works is easy and simple, and the ending is marked by a moral background. After the publication of the play in the magazine "Moskvityanin" Ostrovsky became a success, although the censorship committee banned the production and re-publication of the work.
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Ostrovsky was included in the list of “unreliable” authors, which made his position unfavorable. The situation was complicated by the playwright’s marriage to a bourgeois woman, which was not blessed by his father. Ostrovsky Sr. refused to finance his son, and the young people were in need. Even the difficult financial situation did not prevent the writer from abandoning his service and, from 1851, devoting himself entirely to literature.
The plays “Don’t Get in Your Own Sleigh” and “Poverty is Not a Vice” were allowed to be staged on the theatrical stage. With their creation, Ostrovsky revolutionized the theater. The public came to look at simple life, and this, in turn, required a different acting approach to the embodiment of images. Declamation and outright theatricality were to be replaced by the naturalness of existence in the proposed circumstances.
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Since 1850, Ostrovsky became a member of the “young editorial board” of the Moskvityanin magazine, but this did not correct the material problem. The editor was stingy in paying for the large amount of work that the author did. From 1855 to 1860, Ostrovsky was inspired by revolutionary ideas that influenced his worldview. He became close to and became an employee of the Sovremennik magazine.
In 1856 he took part in a literary and ethnographic journey from the Naval Ministry. Ostrovsky visited the upper reaches of the Volga and used his memories and impressions in his work.
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The year 1862 was marked by a trip to Europe. The writer visited England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Hungary. In 1865, he was among the founders and leaders of an artistic circle, from which talented Russian artists: Sadovsky, Strepetova, Pisareva and others. In 1870, Ostrovsky organized the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and was its chairman from 1874 until last days life.
Over the course of his entire life, the playwright created 54 plays and translated the works of foreign classics: Goldoni,. The author’s popular works include “The Snow Maiden”, “The Thunderstorm”, “The Dowry”, “The Marriage of Balzaminov”, “Guilty Without Guilt” and other plays. The writer's biography was closely connected with literature, theater and love for his homeland.
Personal life
Ostrovsky's work turned out to be no less interesting than his personal life. He was in a civil marriage with his wife for 20 years. They met in 1847. Agafya Ivanovna and her young sister settled not far from the writer’s house. A lonely girl became the playwright's chosen one. Nobody knew how they met.
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Ostrovsky's father was against this connection. After his departure to Shchelykovo, the young people began to live together. The common-law wife was by Ostrovsky’s side no matter what drama was happening in his life. Need and deprivation did not extinguish their feelings.
Ostrovsky and his friends especially valued intelligence and warmth in Agafya Ivanovna. She was famous for her hospitality and understanding. Her husband often turned to her for advice while working on a new play.
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Their marriage did not become legal even after the death of the writer's father. The children of Alexander Ostrovsky were illegitimate. The younger ones died in childhood. The eldest son Alexei survived.
Ostrovsky turned out to be an unfaithful husband. He had an affair with actress Lyubov Kositskaya-Nikulina, who played a role in the premiere play “The Thunderstorm” in 1859. The actress chose a rich merchant over the writer.
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The next lover was Maria Bakhmetyeva. Agafya Ivanovna knew about the betrayal, but did not lose her pride and endured the family drama steadfastly. She died in 1867. The location of the woman's grave is unknown.
After the death of his wife, Ostrovsky lived alone for two years. His beloved Maria Vasilievna Bakhmetyeva became the first official wife of the playwright. The woman bore him two daughters and four sons. The marriage with the actress was happy. Ostrovsky lived with her until the end of his life.
Death
Ostrovsky's health was depleted in proportion to the workload that the writer took upon himself. He led a stormy social and creative activity, but always found himself in debt. Productions of plays brought in considerable fees. Ostrovsky also had a pension of 3 thousand rubles, but these funds were always insufficient.
The poor financial situation could not but affect the author’s well-being. He was in worries and troubles that affected the work of his heart. Active and lively, Ostrovsky was in a string of new plans and ideas that required speedy implementation.
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Many creative ideas were not realized due to the deterioration of the writer’s health. On June 2, 1886, he died in the Kostroma estate Shchelykovo. The cause of death is considered to be angina. The playwright's funeral took place near the family nest, in the village of Nikolo-Berezhki. The writer's grave is located in the church cemetery.
The writer's funeral was organized through a donation ordered by the emperor. He gave the relatives of the deceased 3 thousand rubles and assigned the same pension to Ostrovsky’s widow. The state allocated 2,400 rubles annually for the education of the writer’s children.
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The works of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky have been republished several times. He became an iconic figure for classical Russian drama and theater. His plays are still staged on the stages of Russian and foreign theaters. The playwright's work contributed to the development literary genre, directing and acting.
Books containing Ostrovsky's plays are sold in large numbers several decades after his death, and the works are disassembled into quotes and aphorisms. Photos of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky are published on the Internet.
Bibliography
- 1846 - “Family Picture”
- 1847 - “Our people - we will be numbered”
- 1851 - “Poor Bride”
- 1856 - “Profitable place”
- 1859 - “Thunderstorm”
- 1864 - “Jokers”
- 1861 - “The Marriage of Balzaminov”
- 1865 - “In a busy place”
- 1868 - “Warm Heart”
- 1868 - “Simplicity is enough for every wise man”
- 1870 - "Forest"
- 1873 - “The Snow Maiden”
- 1873 - “Late Love”
- 1875 - “Wolves and Sheep”
- 1877 - “The Last Victim”
Quotes
Someone else's soul is darkness.
There is no worse shame than this, when you have to feel ashamed for others.
But jealous people get jealous for no reason.
As long as you don’t know a person, you believe him, and as soon as you find out about his deeds, his worth is determined by his deeds.
You shouldn't laugh at stupid people, you should be able to take advantage of their weaknesses.
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky
Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich (1823, Moscow - 1886, Shchelykovo estate, Kostroma province) - playwright. Genus. in the family of a judicial official. Having received a serious education at home, he graduated from the gymnasium and in 1840 entered the legal department Moscow University, from where he left without completing the course in 1843. He entered the service in judicial institutions, which allowed O. to collect vivid material for his plays. Despite endless difficulties with censorship, Ostrovsky wrote about 50 plays (the most famous are “Profitable Place”, “Wolves and Sheep”, “Thunderstorm”, “Forest”, “Dowry”), creating a grandiose artistic canvas depicting the life of various classes of Russia in the second century. floor. XIX century He was one of the organizers of the Artistic Circle, Society -Rus. dramatic writers and opera composers, did a lot to improve the state of theatrical affairs in Russia. In 1866, shortly before his death, Ostrovsky headed the repertoire part of the sinks. theaters The significance of Ostrovsky’s activities was recognized by his contemporaries. I.A. Goncharov wrote to him: “You alone completed the building, the foundation of which was laid by Fonvizin, Griboyedov, Gogol. But only after you, we Russians can proudly say: “We have our own Russian, national theater.” He, in fairness, , should be called “Ostrovsky Theatre”.
Book materials used: Shikman A.P. Figures of Russian history. Biographical reference book. Moscow, 1997.
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky (1823-1886) - an exceptional figure in the background literature of the 19th century century. In the West, before Ibsen appeared, there was not a single playwright who could be placed on a par with him. In the life of the merchants, dark and ignorant, entangled in prejudices, prone to tyranny, absurd and funny whims, he found original material for his stage works. Pictures of the life of the merchants gave Ostrovsky the opportunity to show an important side of Russian life as a whole, the “dark kingdom” of old Russia.
Ostrovsky is a folk playwright in the true and deep sense of the word. His nationality is manifested in the direct connection of his art with folklore - folk songs, proverbs and sayings, which even make up the titles of his plays, and in a truthful depiction of people's life, imbued with a democratic tendency, and in the extraordinary convexity and relief of the images he created, clothed in an accessible and democratic form and addressed to the public audience.
Quoted from: World History. Volume VI. M., 1959, p. 670.
OSTROVSKY Alexander Nikolaevich (1823 - 1886), playwright. Born on March 31 (April 12 n.s.) in Moscow in the family of an official who earned the nobility. His childhood years were spent in Zamoskvorechye, a merchant and bourgeois district of Moscow. He received a good education at home, studying foreign languages since childhood. Subsequently he knew Greek, French, German, and later English, Italian, Spanish.
At the age of 12 he was sent to the 1st Moscow Gymnasium, from which he graduated in 1840 and entered the Faculty of Law of Moscow University (1840 - 43). I listened to lectures by such advanced professors as T. Granovsky, M. Pogodin. The desire for literary creativity coincides with a passion for the theater, on the stages of which the great actors M. Shchepkin and P. Mochalov performed at that time.
Ostrovsky leaves the university - he is no longer interested in legal sciences, and he decides to seriously study literature. But, at the insistence of his father, he entered the service of the Moscow Conscientious Court. Work in court gave the future playwright rich material for his plays.
In 1849, the comedy "Our People - Let's Be Numbered!" was written, which brought recognition to the author, although it appeared on stage only 11 years later (it was banned by Nicholas 1, and Ostrovsky was placed under police supervision). Inspired by success and recognition, Ostrovsky wrote one, and sometimes several plays every year, creating an entire “Ostrovsky Theater”, including 47 plays of various genres.
In 1850 he became an employee of the magazine "Moskvityanin" and entered the circle of writers, actors, musicians, and artists. These years gave a lot to the playwright creative attitude. At this time, “The Morning of a Young Man” and “An Unexpected Incident” (1850) were written.
In 1851, Ostrovsky left the service in order to devote all his time and energy to literary creativity. Continuing Gogol's accusatory traditions, he wrote the comedies "The Poor Bride" (1851), "The Characters Didn't Match" (1857).
But in 1853, abandoning the “hard” view of Russian life, he wrote to Pogodin: “It is better for a Russian person to rejoice when he sees himself on stage than to be sad. Correctors will be found even without us.” Comedies followed: “Don’t get into your own sleigh” (1852), “Poverty is not a vice” (1853), “Don’t live the way you want” (1854). N. Chernyshevsky reproached the playwright for the ideological and artistic falsity of his new position.
Ostrovsky's further work was influenced by his participation in an expedition organized by the Ministry of the Navy to study the life and trades of the population associated with rivers and shipping (1856). He made a trip along the Volga, from its sources to Nizhny Novgorod, during which he kept detailed notes and studied the life of the local population.
In 1855 - 60, in the pre-reform period, he became closer to the revolutionary democrats, came to a kind of “synthesis”, returning to denouncing the “rulers” and contrasting his “little people” with them. The following plays appeared: “There’s a Hangover at Someone Else’s Feast” (1855), “A Profitable Place” (1856), “The Kindergarten” (1858), “The Thunderstorm” (1859). Dobrolyubov enthusiastically appreciated the drama "The Thunderstorm", dedicating the article "A Ray of Light in dark kingdom" (1860).
In the 1860s, Ostrovsky turned to historical drama, considering such plays necessary in the theater's repertoire: the chronicles "Tushino" (1867), "Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky", the psychological drama "Vasilisa Melentyeva" (1868).
In the 1870s, he depicts the life of the post-reform nobility: “Simplicity is enough for every wise man,” “Mad Money” (1870), “The Forest” (1871), “Wolves and Sheep” (1875). A special place is occupied by the play “The Snow Maiden” (1873), which expressed the lyrical beginning of Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy.
In the last period of creativity, a whole series of plays was written dedicated to the fate of women in the conditions of entrepreneurial Russia 1870 - 80: “The Last Victim”, “Dowry”, “Heart is not a Stone”, “Talents and Admirers”, “Guilty Without Guilt”, etc.
Materials used from the book: Russian writers and poets. Brief biographical dictionary. Moscow, 2000.
Vasily Perov. Portrait of A. N. Ostrovsky. 1871
Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich (31.03. 1823-2.06.1886), playwright, theater figure. Born in Moscow in Zamoskvorechye - a merchant and philistine-bureaucratic district of Moscow. The father is an official, the son of a priest, who graduated from the theological academy, entered the public service and later received the nobility. Mother - from the poor clergy, was distinguished, along with beauty, by high spiritual qualities, died early (1831); Ostrovsky's stepmother, from an old noble family of Russified Swedes, transformed the patriarchal life of the Zamoskvoretsky family into a noble way, took care of the good home education of her children and stepchildren, for which the family had the necessary income. My father, in addition to public service, was engaged in private practice, and in 1841, after retiring, he became a successful jury solicitor of the Moscow Commercial Court. In 1840, Ostrovsky graduated from the 1st Moscow Gymnasium, which at that time was an exemplary secondary educational institution with a humanitarian focus. In 1840-43 he studied at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University, where at that time M. P. Pogodin, T. N. Granovsky, P. G. Redkin taught. While still at the gymnasium, Ostrovsky became interested in literary creativity, V student years he becomes a passionate theatergoer. The great actors P. S. Mochalov and M. S. Shchepkin, who had a great influence on young people, shone on the Moscow stage during these years. As soon as classes in special legal disciplines began to interfere with Ostrovsky’s creative aspirations, he left the university and, at the insistence of his father, in 1843 he became a clerk in the Moscow Conscientious Court, where property disputes, juvenile crimes, etc. were dealt with; in 1845 he was transferred to the Moscow Commercial Court, from where he left in 1851 to become a professional writer. Work in the courts significantly enriched Ostrovsky’s life experience, giving him knowledge of the language, life and psychology of the petty-bourgeois-merchant “third class” of Moscow and the bureaucracy. At this time, Ostrovsky tries himself in different areas literature, continues to compose poetry, writes essays and plays. Ostrovsky considered the play “Family Picture” to be the beginning of his professional literary activity, which was published on February 14. 1847 was successfully read in the house of the university professor and writer S.P. Shevyrev. The “Notes of a Zamoskvoretsky Resident” date back to this time (for them, back in 1843, a short story was written, “The Tale of How the Quarterly Warden Started to Dance, or From the Great to the Ridiculous Only One Step”). The next play is “Our own people - we will be numbered!” (original title “Bankrupt”) was written in 1849, published in the magazine “Moskvityanin” (No. 6) in 1850, but was not allowed on stage. For this play, which made Ostrovsky's name known throughout reading Russia, he was placed under secret police surveillance.
S n. In the 50s, Ostrovsky became an active contributor to “Moskvityanin”, published by M. P. Pogodin, and soon, together with A. A. Grigoriev, E. N. Edelson, B. N. Almazov and others, formed the so-called. the “young editors” who tried to revive the magazine by promoting realistic art and interest in folk life and folklore. The circle of young employees of “Moskvityanin” included not only writers, but also actors (P. M. Sadovsky, I. F. Gorbunov), musicians (A. I. Dyubuk), artists and sculptors (P. M. Boklevsky, N. A . Ramazanov); Muscovites had friends among the “common people” - performers and lovers of folk songs. Ostrovsky and his comrades in “Moskvityanin” were not only a group of like-minded people, but also a friendly circle. These years gave Ostrovsky a lot creatively, and above all a deep knowledge of “living”, non-academic folklore, speech and life of the urban common people.
All R. In the 40s, Ostrovsky entered into a civil marriage with the bourgeois girl A. Ivanova, who remained with him until her death in 1867. Being poorly educated, she had intelligence and tact, excellent knowledge of common people’s life and sang wonderfully, her role in creative life the playwright was undoubtedly significant. In 1869, Ostrovsky married the Maly Theater actress M.V. Vasilyeva (with whom he already had children by that time), who was prone to noble, “secular” forms of life, which complicated his life. For many years Ostrovsky lived on the brink of poverty. Being the recognized leader of Russian playwrights, he was constantly in need even in his declining years, earning a living through tireless literary work. Despite this, he was distinguished by his hospitality and constant readiness to help any person in need.
Ostrovsky's whole life is connected with Moscow, which he considered the heart of Russia. Of Ostrovsky’s relatively few travels (1860 - a trip with A.E. Martynov, who was on tour, to Voronezh, Kharkov, Odessa, Sevastopol, during which the great actor died; an overseas trip in 1862 to Germany, Austria, Italy with a visit to Paris and London; a trip with I F. Gorbunov along the Volga in 1865 and with his brother, M. N. Ostrovsky, in Transcaucasia in 1883), the greatest influence on his work was exerted by an expedition organized by the Maritime Ministry, which sent writers to study the life and trades of the population associated with rivers and shipping. Ostrovsky made a trip along the Volga, from its sources to N. Novgorod (1856), during which he kept detailed notes and compiled a dictionary of shipping, shipbuilding and fishing terms of the Upper Volga region. Life in his beloved Kostroma estate Shchelykov, which the writer’s father bought in 1847, was also of great importance for him. The very first trip there (1848, along the way Ostrovsky examined the ancient Russian cities of Pereslavl Zalessky, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Kostroma) made a huge impression on Ostrovsky (remained enthusiastic entry in the diary). After the death of his father, Ostrovsky and his brother M. N. Ostrovsky bought the estate from their stepmother (1867). The history of the creation of many plays is connected with Shchelykov.
In general, Ostrovsky’s passionate concentration on creativity and theatrical affairs, making his life poor in external events, inextricably intertwined it with the fate of the Russian theater. The writer died at his desk in Shchelykovo, working on a translation of Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra.
The following periods can be distinguished in Ostrovsky’s creative path: early, 1847-51 - a test of strength, the search for his own path, which ended with a triumphant entry into great literature with the comedy “Our People - Let’s Be Numbered!” This initial period passes under the influence of the “natural school”. The next, Moskvityanin period, 1852-54 - active participation in the circle of young employees of Moskvityanin, who sought to make the magazine an organ of the current of social thought, akin to Slavophilism (the plays “Don’t Get in Your Own Sleigh,” “Poverty is not a Vice,” “Don’t Live Like That”) , as you wish"). Ostrovsky's worldview in the pre-reform period, 1855-60, is finally determined; There is a rapprochement with the populists (“In someone else’s feast there is a hangover”, “Profitable place”, “Keeper”, “Thunderstorm”). And the last, post-reform period - 1861-86.
The play “Our people - we will be numbered!” has a rather complex compositional structure that combines moral descriptiveness with intense intrigue, and at the same time the slowness of the unfolding of events characteristic of Ostrovsky. The extensive slow-motion exposition is explained by the fact that Ostrovsky’s dramatic action is not limited to intrigue. It also includes morally descriptive episodes with potential conflict (Lipochka’s arguments with her mother, visits from the matchmaker, scenes with Tishka). The conversations of the characters are also peculiarly dynamic, not leading to any immediate results, but having their own “microaction”, which can be called a speech movement. Speech, the very way of reasoning, is so important and interesting that the viewer follows all the turns, it would seem idle chatter. In Ostrovsky, the speech of the characters itself is almost an independent object of artistic depiction.
Ostrovsky's comedy, depicting the seemingly exotic life of the closed merchant world, in fact in its own way reflected all-Russian processes and changes. Here, too, there is a conflict between “fathers” and “children.” Here they talk about enlightenment and emancipation, without, of course, knowing these words; but in a world whose very basis is deception and violence, all these lofty concepts and the liberating spirit of life are distorted, as if in a distorting mirror. The antagonism of rich and poor, dependent, “younger” and “senior” is deployed and demonstrated in the sphere of struggle not for equality or freedom of personal feelings, but in selfish interests, the desire to get rich and “live according to your own will.” High values have been replaced by their parodic counterparts. Education is nothing more than a desire to follow fashion, contempt for customs and a preference for “noble” gentlemen over “bearded” grooms.
In Ostrovsky's comedy there is a war of all against all, and in the very antagonism the playwright reveals the deep unity of the characters: what was obtained by deception is retained only by violence, the rudeness of feelings is a natural product of the rudeness of morals and coercion. The severity of social criticism does not interfere with objectivity in the depiction of characters, especially noticeable in the image of Bolshov. His rough tyranny is combined with directness and simplicity, with sincere suffering in the final scenes. By introducing into the play, as it were, 3 stages of a merchant’s biography (mention of Bolshov’s past, the image of Tishka with his naive hoarding, the “devoted” Podkhalyuzin, robbing the owner), Ostrovsky achieves epic depth, showing the origins of character and the “crisis”. The history of the Zamoskvoretsky merchant house appears not as an “anecdote”, the result of personal vices, but as a manifestation of life’s patterns.
After Ostrovsky created the comedy “Our People - Let’s Be Numbered!” such a bleak picture inner life merchant house, he had a need to find positive principles that could resist the immorality and cruelty of his contemporary society. The direction of the search was determined by the playwright’s participation in the “young editorial staff” of “Moskvityanin”. At the very end of the reign of the Emperor. Nicholas I Ostrovsky creates a kind of patriarchal utopia in the plays of the Muscovite period.
Muscovites were characterized by a focus on the idea of national identity, which they developed mainly in the field of art theory, especially manifested in their interest in folk songs, as well as in the pre-Petrine forms of Russian life, which were still preserved among the peasantry and patriarchal merchants. The patriarchal family was presented to Muscovites as a model of an ideal social structure, where relations between people would be harmonious, and the hierarchy would be based not on coercion and violence, but on recognition of the authority of seniority and everyday experience. The Muscovites did not have a consistently formulated theory or, especially, a program. However, in literary criticism they invariably defended patriarchal forms and contrasted them with the norms of a “Europeanized” noble society, not only as primordially national, but also as more democratic.
Even during this period, Ostrovsky sees the social conflict in the life he depicts and shows that the idyll of a patriarchal family is fraught with drama. True, in the first Muscovite play, “Don’t Get in Your Own Sleigh,” there is drama within family relations emphatically devoid of social connotation. Social motives here are connected only with the image of the noble playmaker Vikhorev. But the next one best play of this period, “Poverty is not a vice” brings social conflict in the Tortsov family to high tension. The power of the “elders” over the “younger” here is clearly of a monetary nature. In this play, for the first time Ostrovsky’s comedic and dramatic principles are very closely intertwined, which will happen in the future distinctive feature his creativity. The connection with Muscovite ideas here is manifested not in smoothing out the contradictions of life, but in the understanding of this contradiction as a “temptation” of modern civilization, as a result of the invasion of outsiders, internally alien to the patriarchal world, personified in the figure of the manufacturer Korshunov. For Ostrovsky, the tyrant Gordey, confused by Korshunov, is by no means a true bearer of patriarchal morality, but a man who betrayed it, but is capable of returning to it under the influence of the shock experienced in the finale. Poetic image of the world folk culture and morality created by Ostrovsky (Christmas scenes and especially folk songs, serving as a lyrical commentary on the fate of the young heroes), with his charm and purity he resists tyranny, but he, however, needs support, he is fragile and defenseless against the onslaught of the “modern”. It is no coincidence that in the plays of the Muscovite period, the only hero who actively influenced the course of events was Lyubim Tortsov, a man who “broke out” of patriarchal life, gained bitter life experience outside of it and therefore was able to look at the events in his family from the outside and soberly evaluate them and direct their course towards the general welfare. Ostrovsky’s greatest achievement lies precisely in creating the image of Lyubim Tortsov, which is both poetic and very lifelike.
Exploring the archaic forms of life in the family relationships of the merchants in the Muscovite period, Ostrovsky creates an artistic utopia, a world where, relying on folk (peasant in its origins) ideas about morality, it turns out to be possible to overcome discord and fierce individualism, which is increasingly spreading in modern society, to achieve the lost, destroyed by history, unity of people. But the change in the entire atmosphere of Russian life on the eve of the abolition of serfdom leads Ostrovsky to an understanding of the utopianism and unrealizability of this ideal. New stage his path begins with the play “At Someone Else’s Feast, a Hangover” (1855-56), where the brightest image of the merchant-tyrant Tit Titych Bruskov, who became a household name, was created. Ostrovsky covers the life of society more widely, turning to traditional themes for Russian literature and developing them in a completely original way. Touching upon the widely discussed topic of bureaucracy in “Profitable Place” (1856), Ostrovsky not only denounces extortion and arbitrariness, but reveals the historical and social roots of the “clerical philosophy” (the image of Yusov), the illusory nature of hopes for a new generation of educated officials: life itself pushes them to compromise (Zhadov). In “The Pupil” (1858), Ostrovsky depicts the “tyrant” life of a landowner’s estate without the slightest lyricism, so common among writers of the nobility when referring to local life.
But Ostrovsky’s highest artistic achievement in the pre-reform years was “The Thunderstorm” (1859), in which he discovered the heroic character of the people. The play shows how a violation of the idyllic harmony of patriarchal family life can lead to tragedy. main character plays Katerina lives in an era when the very spirit is destroyed - the harmony between an individual and the moral ideas of the environment. In the soul of the heroine, an attitude towards the world is born, a new feeling, still unclear to her, - an awakening sense of personality, which, in accordance with her position and life experience takes the form of individual, personal love. Passion is born and grows in Katerina, but this passion is highest degree spiritual, far from the thoughtless desire for hidden joys. The awakened feeling of love is perceived by Katerina as a terrible, indelible sin, because love for a stranger for her, a married woman, is a violation of moral duty. Moral commandments patriarchal world for Katerina they are full of pristine meaning and significance. Having already realized her love for Boris, she strives with all her might to resist it, but does not find support in this struggle: everything around her is already collapsing, and everything that she tries to rely on turns out to be an empty shell, devoid of genuine moral content. For Katerina, form and ritual in themselves do not matter - the human essence of relationships is important to her. IN moral value Katerina does not doubt her moral ideas, she only sees that no one in the world cares about the true essence of these values and she is alone in her struggle. The world of patriarchal relations is dying, and the soul of this world passes away in pain and suffering. Under the pen of Ostrovsky, the planned social and everyday drama from the life of the merchants grew into a tragedy. He showed the people's character at a sharp historical turning point - hence the scale of the “family history”, the powerful symbolism of the “Thunderstorm”.
Although modern social drama is the main part of Ostrovsky’s legacy, in the 60s he turned to historical drama, sharing the general interest of Russian culture of this period in the past. In connection with the educational understanding of the tasks of the theater, Ostrovsky considered plays on themes of national history necessary in the repertoire, believing that historical dramas and chronicles “develop self-knowledge and cultivate conscious love for the fatherland.” For Ostrovsky, history is the sphere of the highest in national existence (this determined the appeal to poetic form). Ostrovsky's historical plays are heterogeneous in genre. Among them there are chronicles (“Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk”, 1862; “Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky”, 1867; “Tushino”, 1867), historical domestic comedies(“Voevoda”, 1865; “Comedian of the 17th century”, 1873), psychological drama “Vasilisa Melentyeva” (co-authored with S. A. Gedeonov, 1868). The preference for the chronicle over the traditional genre of historical tragedy, as well as the appeal to the Time of Troubles, was determined folk character Ostrovsky Theater, his interest in the historical deeds of the Russian people.
In the post-reform period in Russia, the isolation of class and cultural and everyday groups of society is collapsing; The “Europeanized” way of life, which was previously the privilege of the nobility, becomes the norm. Social diversity also characterizes the picture of life created by Ostrovsky in the post-reform period. The thematic and temporal range of his dramaturgy becomes extremely wide: from historical events and privacy XVII century to the hottest issue of the day; from the inhabitants of the outback, the poor middle-class outskirts to the modern “civilized” business tycoons; from the noble living rooms disturbed by the reforms to the forest road on which the actors Schastlivtsev and Neschastlivtsev meet (“Forest”).
Early Ostrovsky does not have the hero-intellectual, the nobleman, characteristic of most Russian classical writers. extra person" In the late 60s he turned to the type of noble hero-intellectual. The comedy “Enough Simplicity for Every Wise Man” (1868) is the beginning of a kind of anti-noble cycle. Although there is social criticism in all of Ostrovsky’s plays, he has few actual satirical comedies: “Simplicity is Enough for Every Wise Man,” “Mad Money” (1870), “The Forest” (1871), “Wolves and Sheep” (1875). Here to the sphere satirical image not individual characters involved or storylines, but the whole life represented, not so much people, personalities, but the way of life as a whole, the course of things. The plays are not connected by plot, but this is precisely the cycle, which generally provides a broad canvas of the life of the post-reform nobility. According to the principles of poetics, these plays differ significantly from the main genre of pre-reform creativity - the type of folk comedy created by Ostrovsky.
Ostrovsky, in the comedy “Every Wise Man Has Enough Simplicity,” with satirical sharpness and the objectivity characteristic of his manner, captured a special type of evolution of the “superfluous man.” Glumov's path is a path of betrayal towards one's own personality, moral division, leading to cynicism and immorality. The lofty hero in Ostrovsky’s post-reform dramaturgy turns out to be not nobleman, and the poor actor Neschastlivtsev. And this declassed nobleman goes through his “path to herohood” in front of the audience, first playing the role of a gentleman who has returned to rest in his native land, and in the finale he sharply and decisively breaks with the world of the estate, pronouncing judgment on its inhabitants from the position of a servant of high, humane art.
The broad picture of the complex social processes taking place in Russia after a decade of reforms makes The Forest similar to the great Russian novels of the 70s. Like L.N. Tolstoy, F.M. Dostoevsky, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (it was during this period that he created his “estate family romance"" "Gentlemen Golovlevs"), Ostrovsky sensitively grasped that in Russia "everything has turned upside down and is just getting back to normal" (as it is said in "Anna Karenina"). And this new reality is reflected in the mirror of the family. Through the family conflict in Ostrovsky's comedy, the enormous changes taking place in Russian life shine through.
The noble estate, its owner, respectable guests and neighbors are depicted by Ostrovsky with all the force of satirical denunciation. Badaev and Milonov, with their conversations about “current times,” are similar to Shchedrin’s characters. Not being participants in the intrigue, they are, however, needed not only to characterize the environment, but also participate in the action as necessary spectators of the performance played by the main antagonists of the play - Gurmyzhskaya and Neschastlivtsev. Each of them puts on their own performance. Neschastlivtsev’s path in the play is a breakthrough from far-fetched melodrama to genuine heights of life, the hero’s defeat in “comedy” and a moral victory in real life. At the same time, and having emerged from the melodramatic role, Neschastlivtsev turns out to be an actor. His last monologue imperceptibly transitions into the monologue of Karl More from F. Schiller’s “The Robbers,” as if Schiller were judging the inhabitants of this “forest.” Melodrama is discarded, great, real art comes to the aid of the actor. Gurmyzhskaya refused the expensive role of the head of a patriarchal noble family, caring for her less fortunate relatives. From the Penki estate he goes to merchant's house Aksyusha's pupil, who received a dowry from a poor actor. The last Gurmyzhsky, the traveling actor Neschastlivtsev, leaves on foot along the country roads, with a knapsack over his shoulders. The family disappears, falls apart; a “random family” arises (Dostoevsky’s expression) - a married couple consisting of a landowner well over fifty and a dropout high school student.
In work on satirical comedies from modern life A new stylistic manner of Ostrovsky was emerging, which, however, did not displace the previous one, but interacted with it in a complex manner. His arrival in literature was marked by the creation of a nationally original theatrical style, based in poetics on folklore tradition(which was determined by the nature of the “prepersonal” environment depicted by the early Ostrovsky). The new style is associated with the general literary tradition of the 19th century, with the discoveries of narrative prose, with the study of the personal hero-contemporary. New task prepared the development of psychologism in Ostrovsky’s art.
The play “The Snow Maiden” (1873) occupies a very special place in Ostrovsky’s legacy and in Russian drama in general. Conceived as an extravaganza, a cheerful performance for festive performances, written on the plot of folk tales and widely using other forms of folklore, primarily calendar poetry, the play outgrew its concept during the process of creation. In terms of genre, it is comparable to European philosophical and symbolic drama, for example. with Ibsen's Peer Gynt. In “The Snow Maiden” the lyrical beginning of Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy was expressed with great force. Sometimes “The Snow Maiden” is called a utopia without sufficient reason. Meanwhile, utopia contains an idea of an ideally fair, from the point of view of its creators, structure of society; it must be absolutely optimistic; the genre itself is, as it were, designed to overcome the tragic contradictions of life, resolving them in fantastic harmony. However, the life depicted in The Snow Maiden, beautiful and poetic, is far from idyll. Berendeys are extremely close to nature, they do not know evil and deception, just as nature does not know it. But everything that, by its own will or force of circumstances, falls out of this cycle of natural life must inevitably perish here. And this tragic doom of everything that goes beyond the boundaries of “organic” life is embodied by the fate of the Snow Maiden; It is no coincidence that she dies precisely when she accepted the law of life of the Berendeys and is ready to translate her awakened love into everyday forms. This is inaccessible to either her or Mizgir, whose passion, unfamiliar to the Berendeys, pushes him out of the circle of peaceful life. An unambiguously optimistic interpretation of the ending creates a contradiction with the audience's immediate sympathy for the fallen heroes, so it is incorrect. “The Snow Maiden” does not fit into the genre of a fairy tale; it approaches a mystery action. A mythological plot cannot have an unpredictable ending. The arrival of summer is inevitable, and the Snow Maiden cannot help but melt. All this does not devalue her choice and sacrifice, however. The characters are not at all passive and submissive - the action does not at all cancel the usual action. Mysterious action is each time a new embodiment of the essential foundations of life. The free will of the Snow Maiden and Mizgir in Ostrovsky is included within this life cycle. The tragedy of the Snow Maiden and Mizgir not only does not shake the world, but even contributes to the normal flow of life, and even saves the Berendey kingdom from “coldness”. Ostrovsky's world may be tragic, but not catastrophic. Hence the unusual, unexpected combination of tragedy and optimism in the finale.
In “The Snow Maiden” the most generalized image of “Ostrovsky’s world” is created, reproducing in folklore and symbolic form the author’s deeply lyrical idea of the essence of national life, overcoming, but not canceling, the tragedy of individual personal existence.
IN artistic system Ostrovsky's drama was formed in the depths of comedy. The writer develops a type of comedy in which, along with negative characters their victims are certainly present, evoking our sympathy and compassion. This predetermined the dramatic potential of his comedic world. The drama of individual situations, sometimes destinies, grows more and more over time and, as it were, shakes and destroys the comedic structure, without, however, depriving the play of the features of “major comedy.” “Jokers” (1864), “The Abyss” (1866), “There wasn’t a penny, but suddenly it was altyn” (1872) are clear evidence of this process. Here the qualities necessary for the emergence of drama in the narrow sense of the term gradually accumulate. This is, first of all, personal consciousness. Until the hero feels himself spiritually opposed to the environment and does not separate himself from it at all, he, even arousing complete sympathy, cannot yet become the hero of the drama. In “Jokers,” the old lawyer Obroshenov ardently defends his right to be a “jester,” since it gives him the opportunity to feed his family. The “strong drama” of his monologue arises as a result of the viewer’s spiritual work, but remains outside the sphere of consciousness of the hero himself. From the point of view of the development of the drama genre, “The Deep” is very important.
The formation of the personal moral dignity of poor workers, the urban masses, the awareness in this environment of the extra-class value of the individual person attracts the keen interest of Ostrovsky. The rise in the sense of individuality caused by the reform, which has captured fairly wide sections of the Russian population, provides material for creating drama. IN art world Ostrovsky, this conflict, dramatic in nature, often, however, continues to be embodied in a comedic structure. One of the most expressive examples of the struggle between the dramatic and the comedic is “Truth is good, but happiness is better” (1876).
The formation of drama was associated with the search for a hero who, firstly, was able to enter into a dramatic struggle and, secondly, arouse the sympathy of the viewer, having a worthy goal. The interest of such a drama should be focused on the action itself, on the vicissitudes of this struggle. In the conditions of Russian post-reform reality, Ostrovsky, however, did not find a hero who could simultaneously turn out to be a man of action, capable of entering into a serious life struggle, and arouse the sympathy of the audience with his moral qualities. All the heroes in Ostrovsky's dramas are either callous, successful businessmen, vulgar, cynical wasters of life, or beautiful-hearted idealists, whose powerlessness in front of the “business man” is predetermined. They could not become the center of dramatic action - a woman becomes the center, which is explained by her very position in modern Ostrovsky society.
Ostrovsky's drama is family and everyday. He knows how to show the structure of modern life, its social face, while remaining within these plot frames, since he, as an artist, is interested in refracting all the problems of our time in the moral sphere. Putting a woman at the center naturally shifts the emphasis from action in the proper sense to the feelings of the characters, which creates conditions for the development of a psychological drama. The most perfect of them is rightfully considered “Dowry” (1879).
In this play there is no absolute confrontation between the heroine and the environment: unlike the heroine of “The Thunderstorm,” Larisa is devoid of integrity. A spontaneous desire for moral purity, truthfulness - everything that comes from her richly gifted nature raises the heroine high above those around her. But Larisa’s everyday drama itself is the result of the fact that bourgeois ideas about life have power over her. After all, Paratova fell in love not unconsciously, but, in her own words, because “Sergei Sergeich is... the ideal of a man.” Meanwhile, the motive of bargaining, running through the entire play and concentrating in the main plot action - bargaining over Larisa - covers all male heroes, among whom Larisa must make her life choice. And Paratov is not only not an exception here, but, as it turns out, he is the most cruel and dishonest participant in the bargaining. The complexity of the characters (the inconsistency of their inner world, like Larisa’s; the discrepancy between the inner essence and the external pattern of the hero’s behavior, like Paratov) requires the genre solution chosen by Ostrovsky - the form of psychological drama. Paratov's reputation is that of a great gentleman, a generous nature, and a reckless brave man. And Ostrovsky leaves all these colors and gestures to him. But, on the other hand, he subtly and casually accumulates touches and cues that reveal his true face. In the very first scene of Paratov’s appearance, the viewer hears his confession: “What is “pity”, I don’t know that. I, Mokiy Parmenych, have nothing cherished; If I find a profit, I’ll sell everything, anything.” And immediately after this it turns out that Paratov is selling not only “Swallow” to Vozhevatov, but also himself to a bride with gold mines. Ultimately, the scene in Karandyshev’s house compromises Paratov, because the decoration of the apartment of Larisa’s ill-fated fiance and the attempt to arrange a luxurious dinner is a caricature of Paratov’s style and lifestyle. And the whole difference is measured in the amounts that each of the heroes can spend on it.
The means of psychological characteristics in Ostrovsky are not the self-recognition of the heroes, not reasoning about their feelings and properties, but mainly their actions and everyday, not analytical dialogue. As is typical for classical drama, the characters do not change during the dramatic action, but are only gradually revealed to the audience. Even the same can be said about Larisa: she begins to see the light, learns the truth about the people around her, and makes the terrible decision to become “a very expensive thing.” And only death frees her from everything that everyday experience has endowed her with. At this moment, she seems to return to the natural beauty of her nature. The powerful finale of the drama - the death of the heroine amid the festive noise, accompanied by the singing of gypsies - amazes with its artistic audacity. Larisa’s state of mind is shown by Ostrovsky in the “strong dramatic” style characteristic of his theater and at the same time with impeccable psychological accuracy. She is softened and calmed down, forgives everyone, because she is happy that she has finally caused an outbreak of human feeling - Karandyshev’s reckless, suicidal act, which freed her from terrible life kept women. Ostrovsky builds the rare artistic effect of this scene on an acute collision of multidirectional emotions: the more gentle and forgiving the heroine, the stricter the viewer’s judgment.
In Ostrovsky’s work, psychological drama was an emerging genre, therefore, along with such significant plays as “The Last Victim” (1878), “Talents and Admirers” (1882), “Guilty Without Guilt” (1884), such a masterpiece as “Dowry” , in this genre the writer also knew relative failures. However, Ostrovsky's best works laid the foundation for the further development of psychological drama. Having created a whole repertoire for the Russian theater (about 50 original plays), Ostrovsky also sought to replenish it with both world classics and plays by modern Russian and European playwrights. He translated 22 plays, including Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Goldoni's The Coffee House, Cervantes' Interludes and many others. Dr. Ostrovsky read many manuscripts of aspiring playwrights, helped them with advice, and in the 70s and 80s he wrote several plays in collaboration with N. Ya. Solovyov (“Happy Day”, 1877; “The Marriage of Belugin”, 1878; “Savage Woman”) ", 1880; "It shines, but does not warm", 1881) and P. M. Nevezhin ("Whim", 1881; "Old in a new way", 1882).
Zhuravleva A.
Site materials used Great encyclopedia Russian people - http://www.rusinst.ru
Ostrovsky, Alexander Nikolaevich - famous dramatic writer. Born on March 31, 1823 in Moscow, where his father served in the civil chamber and then practiced private law. Ostrovsky lost his mother as a child and did not receive any systematic education. All of his childhood and part of his youth were spent in the very center of Zamoskvorechye, which at that time, according to the conditions of his life, was a completely special world. This world populated his imagination with those ideas and types that he later reproduced in his comedies. Thanks to his father's large library, Ostrovsky became acquainted with Russian literature early and felt an inclination towards writing; but his father certainly wanted to make him a lawyer. After graduating from the gymnasium course, Ostrovsky entered the law faculty of Moscow University. He failed to complete the course due to some kind of collision with one of the professors. At the request of his father, he entered the service as a scribe, first in the conscientious court, then in the commercial court. This determined the nature of his first literary experiments; in court, he continued to observe the peculiar Zamoskvoretsky types familiar to him from childhood, who begged for literary treatment. By 1846, he had already written many scenes from the life of a merchant, and conceived a comedy: “The Insolvent Debtor” (later - “Our People - We Will Be Numbered”). A short excerpt from this comedy was published in No. 7 of the Moscow City Listok in 1847; Below the passage are the letters: "A. O." and “D.G.”, that is, A. Ostrovsky and Dmitry Gorev. The latter was a provincial actor (real name Tarasenkov), the author of two or three plays that had already been performed on stage, who accidentally met Ostrovsky and offered him his cooperation. It did not go beyond one scene, and subsequently served as a source of great trouble for Ostrovsky, since it gave his ill-wishers a reason to accuse him of appropriating someone else’s literary work. In No. 60 and 61 of the same newspaper, another, already completely independent work by Ostrovsky appeared, without a signature - “Pictures of Moscow life. A picture of family happiness.” These scenes were reprinted, in a corrected form and with the name of the author, under the title: “Family Picture”, in Sovremennik, 1856, No. 4. Ostrovsky himself considered the “Family Picture” to be his first printed work and it was from this that he began his literary activity. He recognized February 14, 1847 as the most memorable and dear day of his life. : on this day he visited S.P. Shevyrev and, in the presence of A.S. Khomyakov, professors, writers, employees of the Moscow City Listok, read this play, which appeared in print a month later. Shevyrev and Khomyakov, hugging the young writer, welcomed his dramatic talent. “From that day,” says Ostrovsky, “I began to consider myself a Russian writer and, without doubt or hesitation, believed in my calling.” He also tried his hand at the narrative genre, in feuilleton stories from life in Zamoskvoretsk. In the same “Moscow City List” (No. 119 - 121) one of these stories was published: “Ivan Erofeich”, with the general title: “Notes of a Zamoskvoretsky resident”; two other stories in the same series: “The Tale of How the Quarterly Warden Started to Dance, or From the Great to the Ridiculous” and “Two Biographies” remained unpublished, and the latter was not even finished. By the end of 1849, a comedy entitled “Bankrupt” had already been written. Ostrovsky read it to his university friend A.F. Pisemsky; at the same time he met the famous artist P.M. Sadovsky, who saw a literary revelation in his comedy and began to read it in various Moscow circles, among other things, with Countess E.P. Rostopchina, who usually hosted young writers who had just begun their literary careers (B.N. Almazov, N.V. Berg, L.A. Mei, T.I. Filippov, N.I. Shapovalov, E.N. . Edelson). All of them had been in close, friendly relations with Ostrovsky since his student days, and all accepted Pogodin’s offer to work in the updated Moskvityanin, forming the so-called “young editorial staff” of this magazine. Soon, Apollo Grigoriev occupied a prominent position in this circle, acting as a herald of originality in literature and becoming an ardent defender and praiser of Ostrovsky, as a representative of this originality. Ostrovsky's comedy, under the changed title: "Our people - we will be numbered", after much trouble with censorship, which reached the point of appealing to the highest authorities, was published in the 2nd March book of "Moskvityanin" in 1850, but was not allowed to be presented; censorship did not even allow talking about this play in print. It appeared on stage only in 1861, with the ending altered from the printed one. Following this first comedy by Ostrovsky, his other plays began to appear annually in "Moskvityanin" and other magazines: in 1850 - "The Morning of a Young Man", in 1851 - “An Unexpected Case”, in 1852 - “Poor Bride”, in 1853 - “Don’t Sit in Your Own Sleigh” (the first of Ostrovsky’s plays to appear on the stage of the Moscow Maly Theater, January 14, 1853), in 1854 - “Poverty is not a vice”, in 1855 - “Don’t live as you want”, in 1856 - “There is a hangover at someone else’s feast.” In all these plays, Ostrovsky portrayed aspects of Russian life that before him were almost not touched upon in literature and were not reproduced at all on stage. Deep knowledge of the life of the depicted environment, the bright vitality and truth of the image, a unique, lively and colorful language, clearly reflecting that real Russian speech of the “Moscow breadwinners”, which Pushkin advised Russian writers to learn - all this artistic realism with all the simplicity and sincerity, to which even Gogol did not raise, was met in our criticism by some with stormy delight, by others with bewilderment, denial and ridicule. While A. Grigoriev, proclaiming himself the “prophet of Ostrovsky,” tirelessly insisted that in the works of the young playwright the “new word” of our literature, namely “nationality,” found expression, critics of the progressive trend reproached Ostrovsky for his attraction to pre-Petrine antiquity, to "Slavophilism" of the Pogostin sense, they even saw in his comedies the idealization of tyranny, they called him "Gostinodvorsky Kotzebue." Chernyshevsky had a sharply negative attitude towards the play “Poverty is not a vice”, seeing in it some kind of sentimental sweetness in the depiction of a hopeless, supposedly “patriarchal” life; other critics were indignant at Ostrovsky for elevating some sensitivities and boots with bottles to the level of “heroes”. The theater audience, free from aesthetic and political bias, irrevocably decided the matter in favor of Ostrovsky. The most talented Moscow actors and actresses - Sadovsky, S. Vasiliev, Stepanov, Nikulina-Kositskaya, Borozdina and others - were forced until then to perform, with isolated exceptions, either in vulgar vaudevilles, or in stilted melodramas converted from French, written by to the same, in barbaric language, they immediately felt in Ostrovsky’s plays the spirit of a living, close and dear Russian life to them and devoted all their strength to its truthful depiction on stage. And the theater audience saw in the performance of these artists a truly “new word” of stage art - simplicity and naturalness, they saw people living on stage without any pretense. With his works, Ostrovsky created a school of true Russian dramatic art, simple and real, as alien to pretentiousness and affectation as all the great works of our literature are alien to it. This merit of his was primarily understood and appreciated in the theatrical environment, which was most free from preconceived theories. When in 1856, according to the thoughts of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, a business trip of outstanding writers took place to study and describe various areas of Russia in industrial and domestic relations, Ostrovsky took upon himself the study of the Volga from the upper reaches to the Lower. A short report about this trip appeared in the “Sea Collection” in 1859, the full one remained in the author’s papers and was subsequently (1890) processed by S.V. Maksimov, but still remains unpublished. Several months spent in close proximity to the local population gave Ostrovsky many vivid impressions, expanded and deepened his knowledge of Russian life in its artistic expression - in a well-aimed word, song, fairy tale, historical legend, in the mores and customs of antiquity that were still preserved in the backwoods. All this was reflected in Ostrovsky’s later works and further strengthened their national significance. Not limiting himself to the life of the Zamoskvoretsky merchants, Ostrovsky introduces into the circle characters the world of large and small officials, and then of landowners. In 1857, “A Profitable Place” and “A Festive Sleep Before Lunch” were written (the first part of the “trilogy” about Balzaminov; two further parts - “Your dogs are biting, don’t pester someone else’s” and “What you go for is what you will find” - appeared in 1861), in 1858 - “They Didn’t Get Along” (originally written as a story), in 1859 - “The Pupil”. In the same year, two volumes of Ostrovsky’s works appeared, published by Count G.A. Kusheleva-Bezborodko. This publication served as the reason for the brilliant assessment that Dobrolyubov gave to Ostrovsky and which secured his fame as an artist of the “dark kingdom.” Reading now, after half a century, Dobrolyubov’s articles, we cannot help but see their journalistic character. Ostrovsky himself, by nature, was not at all a satirist, and almost not even a humorist; with truly epic objectivity, caring only about the truth and vitality of the image, he “calmly regarded the right and the guilty, knowing neither pity nor anger” and not in the least hiding his love for the simple “little mermaid”, in whom, even among the ugly manifestations of everyday life, he always knew how to find certain attractive features. Ostrovsky himself was such a “little Russian,” and everything Russian found a sympathetic echo in his heart. In his own words, he cared, first of all, about showing a Russian person on stage: “let him see himself and rejoice. Correctors will be found even without us. In order to have the right to correct the people, you need to show them that you know what is good about them.” Dobrolyubov, however, did not think of imposing certain tendencies on Ostrovsky, but simply used his plays as a truthful depiction of Russian life, for his own, completely independent conclusions. In 1860, “The Thunderstorm” appeared in print, causing Dobrolyubov’s second remarkable article (“A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom”). This play reflects the impressions of a trip to the Volga and, in particular, the author’s visit to Torzhok. An even more vivid reflection of the Volga impressions was the dramatic chronicle published in No. 1 of Sovremennik in 1862: “Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk.” In this play, Ostrovsky first took up the processing historical theme, prompted to him both by Nizhny Novgorod legends and by a careful study of our history of the 17th century. The sensitive artist managed to notice the living features of folk life in dead monuments and perfectly master the language of the era he was studying, in which he later, for fun, wrote entire letters. "Minin", which received the approval of the sovereign, was, however, banned by dramatic censorship and could appear on stage only 4 years later. On stage, the play was not successful due to its prolixity and not always successful lyricism, but critics could not help but notice the high dignity of individual scenes and figures. In 1863 Ostrovsky published a drama from folk life : “Sin and misfortune do not live on anyone” and then returned again to the paintings of Zamoskvorechye in the comedies: “Hard Days” (1863) and “Jokers” (1864). At the same time, he was busy processing a large play in verse, begun during a trip to the Volga, from the life of the 17th century. It appeared in No. 1 of Sovremennik in 1865 under the title: “The Voevoda, or a Dream on the Volga.” This excellent poetic fantasy, something like a dramatized epic, contains a number of vivid everyday pictures of the long past, through the haze of which one feels in many places a closeness to everyday life, which to this day has not yet completely passed into the past. The comedy “On a Lively Place,” published in No. 9 of Sovremennik in 1865, was also inspired by Volga impressions. From the mid-60s, Ostrovsky diligently took up the history of the Time of Troubles and entered into a lively correspondence with Kostomarov, who was studying the same era at that time. The result of this work were two dramatic chronicles published in 1867: “Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky” and “Tushino”. In No. 1 of "Bulletin of Europe" in 1868, another historical drama appeared, from the time of Ivan the Terrible, "Vasilisa Melentyev", written in collaboration with the theater director Gedeonov. From this time on, a series of plays by Ostrovsky began, written, as he put it, in a “new manner.” Their subject is the image no longer of merchants and bourgeois, but of noble life: “Simplicity is enough for every wise man,” 1868; "Mad Money", 1870; “Forest”, 1871. Interspersed with them are everyday comedies of the “old style”: “Warm Heart” (1869), “It’s not all Maslenitsa for the cat” (1871), “There wasn’t a penny, but suddenly it was Altyn” (1872). In 1873, two plays were written that occupy a special position among Ostrovsky’s works: “The Comedian of the 17th Century” (for the 200th anniversary of the Russian theater) and the dramatic fairy tale in verse “The Snow Maiden,” one of the most remarkable creations of Russian poetry. In his further works of the 70s and 80s, Ostrovsky turns to the life of various strata of society - the nobility, the bureaucrats, and the merchants, and in the latter he notes changes in views and conditions caused by the demands of the new Russian life. This period of Ostrovsky’s activity includes: “Late Love” and “Labor Bread” (1874), “Wolves and Sheep” (1875), “Rich Brides” (1876), “Truth is good, but happiness is better” (1877), “The Last Victim” (1878), “Dowry” and “Good Master” (1879), “Heart is not a Stone” (1880), “Slave Women” (1881), “Talents and Admirers” (1882), “Handsome Man” (1883), “Guilty Without Guilt” (1884) and, finally, the last play, weak in concept and execution: “Not of this world” (1885). In addition, several plays were written by Ostrovsky in collaboration with other persons: with N.Ya. Solovyov - “The Marriage of Belugin” (1878), “Savage” (1880) and “It shines but does not warm” (1881); with P.M. Nevezhin - "Whim" (1881). Ostrovsky also owns a number of translations of foreign plays: Shakespeare's "Pacification of the Wayward" (1865), "The Great Banker" by Italo Franchi (1871), "The Lost Sheep" by Teobaldo Ciconi (1872), "The Coffee House" by Goldoni (1872), "The Family of a Criminal" Giacometti (1872), an adaptation from French of “The Slavery of Husbands” and, finally, a translation of 10 interludes by Cervantes, published separately in 1886. He wrote only 49 original plays. All these plays provide a gallery of the most diverse Russian types, remarkable in its vitality and truthfulness, with all the peculiarities of their habits, language and character. In relation to the actual dramatic technique and composition, Ostrovsky's plays are often weak: the artist, deeply truthful by nature, was himself aware of his powerlessness in inventing a plot, in arranging the beginning and ending; he even said that “the playwright should not invent what happened; his job is to write how it happened or could have happened; that’s all his work; when he turns his attention in this direction, living people will appear and speak themselves.” Talking about his plays from this point of view, Ostrovsky admitted that his most difficult task is “fiction,” because any lie is disgusting to him; but it is impossible for a dramatic writer to do without this conventional lie. That “new word” of Ostrovsky, for which Apollo Grigoriev so ardently advocated, essentially lies not so much in “nationality” as in truthfulness, in the artist’s direct relationship to the life around him with the goal of its very real reproduction on stage. In this direction, Ostrovsky took a further step forward in comparison with Griboedov and Gogol and for a long time established on our stage that “natural school”, which at the beginning of his activity already dominated in other departments of our literature. A talented playwright, supported by equally talented artists, caused competition among his peers who followed the same path: playwrights of a homogeneous trend were Pisemsky, A. Potekhin and other, less noticeable, but in their time writers who enjoyed deserved success. Devoted with all his soul to the theater and its interests, Ostrovsky also devoted a lot of time and labor to practical concerns about the development and improvement of dramatic art and the improvement financial situation dramatic authors. He dreamed of the opportunity to transform the artistic taste of artists and the public and create a theater school, equally useful both for the aesthetic education of society and for the training of worthy stage performers. Amidst all sorts of griefs and disappointments, he remained faithful to this cherished dream until the end of his life, the realization of which was partly the Artistic Circle he created in 1866 in Moscow, which subsequently gave many talented figures to the Moscow stage. At the same time, Ostrovsky was concerned about alleviating the financial situation of Russian playwrights: through his works, the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers was formed (1874), of which he remained the permanent chairman until his death. In general, by the beginning of the 80s, Ostrovsky firmly took the place of the leader and teacher of Russian drama and stage. Working hard in the commission established in 1881 under the directorate of the Imperial Theaters “to revise the regulations on all parts of theatrical management,” he achieved many changes that significantly improved the situation of artists and made it possible to more efficiently organize theatrical education. In 1885, Ostrovsky was appointed head of the repertory department of Moscow theaters and head of the theater school. His health, already weakened by this time, did not correspond to the broad plans of activity that he had set for himself. The intense work quickly exhausted the body; On June 2, 1886, Ostrovsky died in his Kostroma estate Shchelykovo, without having time to implement his transformative assumptions.
Ostrovsky's works have been published many times; the latest and more complete publication - the Enlightenment partnership (St. Petersburg, 1896 - 97, in 10 volumes, edited by M.I. Pisarev and with a biographical sketch by I. Nosov). Separately published were “Dramatic Translations” (Moscow, 1872), “Interlude of Cervantes” (St. Petersburg, 1886) and “Dramatic Works of A. Ostrovsky and N. Solovyov” (St. Petersburg, 1881). For the biography of Ostrovsky, the most important work is the book of the French scientist J. Patouillet “O. et son theater de moeurs russes” (Paris, 1912), which contains all the literature about Ostrovsky. See memoirs of S.V. Maksimov in "Russian Thought" 1897 and Kropachev in "Russian Review" 1897; I. Ivanov “A.N. Ostrovsky, his life and literary activity” (St. Petersburg, 1900). The best critical articles about Ostrovsky were written by Apollo Grigoriev (in "Moskvityanin" and "Time"), Edelson ("Library for Reading", 1864), Dobrolyubov ("The Dark Kingdom" and "A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom") and Boborykin ("The Word ", 1878). - Wed. also books by A.I. Nezelenova "Ostrovsky in his works" (St. Petersburg, 1888), and Or. F. Miller "Russian writers after Gogol" (St. Petersburg, 1887).
P. Morozov.
Reprinted from the address: http://www.rulex.ru/
OSTROVSKY Alexander Nikolaevich (03/31/1823-06/2/1886), an outstanding Russian writer and playwright. Son of a judicial officer.
After graduating from the 1st Moscow Gymnasium (1840), Ostrovsky entered the Faculty of Law Moscow University, but a year before graduation, due to a conflict with teachers, he was forced to leave his studies and become a “clerical servant” - first in the Moscow Conscientious Court (1843), and two years later - in the Moscow Commercial Court.
From his youth, Ostrovsky had a passion for theater and was closely acquainted with artists Maly Theater: P. S. Mochalov, M. S. Shchepkin, P. M. Sadovsky. In 1851 he left the service and devoted himself entirely to literary and theatrical activities. Work in the Moscow courts, the study of merchant claims, which Ostrovsky’s father often dealt with, provided the future playwright with rich vital material related to the life and customs of Russian merchants, and allowed him to subsequently create works in which the artistic brightness of the characters is closely intertwined with their realism.
On January 9, 1847, the newspaper “Moskovsky Listok” published a scene from Ostrovsky’s comedy “The Careless Debtor,” later called “Our People - We Will Be Numbered.” In the same year, the comedy “Picture of Family Happiness” was written. These works, created in the spirit of the “natural school” N. V. Gogol, brought the author his first fame. Ostrovsky’s next dramatic experiments, which consolidated his first successes, were the plays of 1851-54: “Poor Bride”, “Don’t Sit in Your Own Sleigh”, “Poverty is not a Vice”, “Don’t Live the Way You Want”, the heroes of which are people from poor environment - act as bearers of truth and humanity.
In 1856-59 he published sharply satirical plays: “There’s a Hangover at Someone Else’s Feast”, “A Profitable Place”, “The Kindergarten” and the drama “The Thunderstorm”, which caused a wide public response, for which in 1859 Ostrovsky was awarded the Uvarov Prize.
In the 1860s, Ostrovsky created social and everyday comedies and dramas - “Sin and misfortune lives on no one”, “Jokers”, “On a lively place”, “The Deep”, as well as a number of plays on historical subjects: about the era Ivan the Terrible(“Vasilisa Melentyevna”) and about Time of Troubles(“Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk”, “Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky”, “Tushino”). In the 1870s-80s they appeared widely famous plays: “Wolves and Sheep”, “Forest”, “Handsome Man”, “Simplicity is enough for every wise man” - from the life of a provincial nobility;“Talents and fans”, “Guilty without guilt” - about the everyday life of actors; “The Snow Maiden” is the embodiment of fairy-tale and folklore motifs; “The Dowry” is a kind of pinnacle of Ostrovsky’s creativity, standing out among other works for its deep socio-psychological disclosure of images.
In total, Ostrovsky penned 47 literary and dramatic works, as well as 7 more plays written in collaboration with other authors. Ostrovsky's plays occupied a leading place in the repertoire of the Moscow Theater Maly Theater, with whom the writer was closely associated: he repeatedly acted as a director of his own plays, and was a creative mentor to many wonderful actors of this theater. A number of operas were created based on Ostrovsky’s works, among which the most famous are “The Snow Maiden” N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov,“Voevoda” P.I. Tchaikovsky,"Enemy Power" A. N. Serova.
About the theater. Notes, speeches, letters. L.; M., 1947;
About literature and theater / Comp., intro. Art. and comment. M. P. Lobanova.
Literature:
Lotman L.M. A.N. Ostrovsky and Russian drama of his time. M-L. 1961.
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky was born on April 12 (March 31, old style) 1823 in Moscow.
As a child, Alexander received a good education at home - he studied ancient Greek, Latin, French, German, and later English, Italian, and Spanish.
In 1835-1840, Alexander Ostrovsky studied at the First Moscow Gymnasium.
In 1840 he entered Moscow University at the Faculty of Law, but in 1843, due to a collision with one of the professors, he left his studies.
In 1943-1945 he served in the Moscow Conscientious Court (a provincial court that considered civil cases through the conciliation procedure and some criminal ones).
1845-1851 - worked in the office of the Moscow Commercial Court, resigning with the rank of provincial secretary.
In 1847, Ostrovsky published in the newspaper "Moscow City Listok" the first draft of the future comedy "Our People - Let's Count Together" entitled "The Insolvent Debtor", then the comedy "Picture of Family Happiness" (later "Family Picture") and the prose essay "Notes of Zamoskvoretsky" resident."
Ostrovsky received recognition from the comedy “Our People - We Will Be Numbered” (original title “Bankrupt”), which was completed at the end of 1849. Before publication, the play received favorable reviews from writers Nikolai Gogol, Ivan Goncharov, and historian Timofey Granovsky. The comedy was published in 1950 in the magazine "Moskvityanin". The censors, who saw the work as an insult to the merchant class, did not allow its production on stage - the play was first staged in 1861.
Since 1847, Ostrovsky collaborated as an editor and critic with the magazine "Moskvityanin", publishing his plays in it: "The Morning of a Young Man", "An Unexpected Case" (1850), the comedy "Poor Bride" (1851), "Not on Your Sleigh" sit down" (1852), "Poverty is not a vice" (1853), "Don't live the way you want" (1854).
After the publication of "Moskvityanin" ceased, Ostrovsky in 1856 moved to "Russian Messenger", where his comedy "A Hangover at Someone Else's Feast" was published in the second book of that year. But he did not work for this magazine for long.
Since 1856, Ostrovsky has been a permanent contributor to the Sovremennik magazine. In 1857 he wrote the plays “A Profitable Place” and “A Festive Sleep Before Dinner”, in 1858 - “The Characters Didn’t Get Along”, in 1859 - “The Kindergarten” and “The Thunderstorm”.
In the 1860s, Alexander Ostrovsky turned to historical drama, considering such plays necessary in the theater repertoire. He created a cycle of historical plays: "Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk" (1861), "The Voevoda" (1864), "Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky" (1866), "Tushino" (1866), the psychological drama "Vasilisa Melentyeva" (1868 ).
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
A.N. Ostrovsky is one of Russia's most popular playwrights, and it is worth considering some interesting facts from the life of Ostrovsky. He was the founder of the Russian theater school, and also the teacher of the widely known Stanislavsky and Bulgakov. Ostrovsky's life is as interesting as his work.
- The playwright was born on April 12, 1823 in Moscow, into a family of clergy and was educated at home.. The mother died when the future pioneer Russian theater turned seven years old and his father married Baroness Emilia von Tessin. The stepmother took an active part in the upbringing and education of the future writer and his brothers.
- Ostrovsky was a polyglot, and with early years knew many foreign languages, including French, Greek and German. Later he also learned Spanish, Italian and English. Throughout his life, he translated his plays into foreign languages, honing his mastery of them.
- Ostrovsky entered the university, but was forced to quit his studies due to contradictions with one of the teachers.
- After leaving his studies, Alexander got a job at the Moscow court as a scribe, where litigation between relatives was dealt with.
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- In 1845, the future playwright went to work in the office of the commercial court. This stage of his career gave Ostrovsky many vivid impressions that would be useful to him in his future works.
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- The released comedy “Our People – Let’s Be Numbered!” gave the playwright recognition and popularity. But along with its enormous success, this play almost became the last in the writer’s work. She displeased the bureaucrats whom she denounced. Alexander Nikolaevich was removed from service and placed under close police surveillance.
- An unenviable fate could await the play “The Thunderstorm”. This work might not have been born at all if not for the intervention of the Empress, who liked it. Dobrolyubov called this play “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom.”
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- Despite the fact that Ostrovsky was from the upper class, he knew the customs of the common people very well.. This is due to his wife, who was a commoner. Alexander Nikolaevich's parents did not approve of this union, and opposed his marriage to a representative of the lower class. Therefore, he lived for 20 years in an unofficial marriage with his first wife. They had five children, but they all died early. The second marriage was with actress Maria Bakhmetyeva, with whom they had 2 daughters and 4 sons.
- In 1856, he worked for the Sovremennik magazine and went with an expedition along the upper reaches of the Volga, where he carried out research. The materials about language and morals collected during the expedition will be very useful to the playwright later in making his works more realistic.
- Many people do not realize that the opera by P.I. Tchaikovsky's "The Snow Maiden" is a joint work of the eminent composer and the great playwright. The opera was based on folk tales and traditions.
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- As the founder of the Russian theater, Ostrovsky played a large role in Stanislavsky's career. We can say that Alexander Nikolaevich was a pioneer of Russian acting. He created a school in which he taught actors expressive and emotional acting without losing authenticity. This approach has gained enormous popularity. But there were also obvious opponents of this technique. The well-known actor Shchepkin at that time openly criticized this method of acting and left the rehearsal of the play “The Thunderstorm”.
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- Even by modern standards, it must be admitted that Ostrovsky was a genius. Polyglot, outstanding playwright, founder of the Russian theatrical arts. An outstanding, educated and inquisitive person.
- After many years of hard work, the writer’s well-being worsened, and on June 14, 1886, Alexander Nikolaevich passed away and was buried in the Kostroma region.
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- Over the 40 years he spent in art, he had a strong influence on a whole layer of Russian theater. For his achievements in art he was awarded the Uvarov Prize. At that time, he was a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, and led the Artistic Circle, where he helped future talents grow.
- Ostrovsky wrote that the viewer comes to watch the actors play, not the play.
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4. The play "The Thunderstorm"
5. The play "Dowry"
1. Periods and characteristics of the work of A.N. Ostrovsky.
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky (1823-1886) is one of the greatest playwrights second half of the 19th century V. He wrote 54 plays, each of which reflected the versatility of his talent. Creative path Ostrovsky can be characterized as follows:
✓ first period(1847-1860), having the following characteristics:
Use of Gogolian traditions;
Mastering the advanced aesthetics of his time;
Expanding the theme and strengthening the social urgency of the play, as, for example, in the plays “The Kindergarten” (1858), “A Festive Sleep - Before Dinner” (1857), “The Characters Didn’t Match” (1858), “The Thunderstorm” (1856);
Creation of the plays “Your People – Let’s Be Numbered!”, “Poor Bride”, “Don’t Get in Your Own Sleigh”, the comedy “Poverty is not a Vice”, the drama “Don’t Live the Way You Want”;
✓ second period(1860-1875), having the following characteristics:
Appeal to the traditions of historical dramaturgy of A. S. Pushkin, increased interest in the country’s past;
Conviction in the importance of literary coverage of history, as it helps to better understand the present;
Revealing the spiritual greatness of the Russian people, their patriotism, asceticism;
Creation of historical plays: "Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk" (1862), "Voevoda" (1865), "Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky" (1867), "Tushino" (1867), "Vasilisa Melentyeva" (1868);
The use of new images and motifs that reflected both new social relations in the country and the essence of the worldview of the author himself;
Development of the genre of chronicle and poetic tragedy;
Continuation of the traditions of Pushkin and Gogol in developing the theme little man in such plays as "The Jokers" (1864), "The Abyss", "Labor Bread";
Development of the genre of satirical comedy, which reflected Russian life during the period of bourgeois reforms through the development of the motif of contrasting “wolves” and “sheep,” that is, characters - businessmen, predators and their disadvantaged victims, in plays such as “Simplicity is Enough for Every Wise Man” (1868), “Mad Money” (1869), “Forest” (1870), “Snow Maiden” (1873) and in the comedy “Wolves and Sheep” (1875), created in the third period of the author’s work;
✓ third period(late 70s - early 80s of the 19th century), having the following characteristics:
Continuation of the development of the themes and motifs outlined at the previous stages: satire on Russian bourgeois reality, themes of the little man;
Deepening psychologism in the study and disclosure of characters and in the analysis of the environment surrounding the heroes of Ostrovsky’s plays;
Creating the foundations of Chekhov's dramaturgy in such plays as "Dowry", "Slave Women", "It Shines, but Doesn't Warm", "Not of This World".
2. The originality of the creativity of A.N. Ostrovsky.
The originality and importance of Ostrovsky’s work are as follows:
✓ innovation in themes, genres, literary style and images of plays;
✓ historicity: the events and plots of his plays cover a huge historical period in the development of Russia from Ivan the Terrible to the second half of the 19th century;
✓ everyday fullness, the immersion of the plot in family, private relationships, since it is in them that all the vices of society are manifested, and through revealing the essence of these family relationships, the author also reveals common human vices;
✓ revealing the conflict between two “parties”: older and younger, rich and poor, willful and submissive, etc., and this conflict is one of the central ones in Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy;
✓ organic connection between drama and the epic principle;
✓ widespread use of traditions of folklore and fairy tales both in titles ("It's not all Maslenitsa for the cat", "Don't sit in your own sleigh", "Truth is good, but happiness is better") and in plots ("The Snow Maiden"), and a proverb often defines not only the title, but the whole concept and ideas of the play;
✓ the use of "speaking" names and surnames of heroes, often dictated folklore images and the literary traditions of previous authors (Tigry Lvovich Lyutov from the play “There wasn’t a penny, but suddenly it was altyn”);
✓ individualization, richness and brightness of the language of the characters and the plays themselves.
Ostrovsky’s work and the dramatic traditions he developed had a strong influence on subsequent generations of playwrights and writers of the 19th and 20th centuries, and in particular on such authors as L.N. Tolstoy, A.P. Chekhov, A. I. Yuzhin-Sumbatov, V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, E.P. Karpov, A.M. Gorky, A.S. Neverov, B.S. Romashov, B.A. Lavrenev, N.F. Pogodin, L.M. Leonov and others.
3. The play "Our people - we will be numbered!"
The play "Our People - Let's Be Numbered!", written in the first period of Ostrovsky's work, has the following peculiarities:
✓ denunciation of despotism, tyranny and self-interest;
✓ orientation towards Gogolian traditions in literature, which is manifested in highlighting the theme of money through the description of property relations between the characters with a predominance of their thirst for profit;
✓ the use of traditions of the “natural school”, which is manifested through an extensive depiction of the life of the merchant class;
✓ at the same time, a departure from Gogol’s poetics of the study of the character and principles of the natural school, which is manifested in the following:
Focusing not only on revealing the psychology of the hero and describing his everyday life, but also on research and analysis of the features of the social environment around him;
The appearance of characters who are not related to the central conflict, but contribute to a vivid depiction of merchant life;
Refusal to deeply consider the facts of reality, and the desire to generalize them;
Changing the essence and attitude towards a love affair that is subordinated main topic- monetary relations benefit, and its occurrence among the heroes is dictated by material interest;
✓ the novelty of the composition, the essence of which is the development of a story of one type on different stages;
✓ the novelty and originality of the plot, which is built on the principle of a swing, that is, the characters alternately rise and fall in their position;
✓ special expressiveness and individualization of the characters’ language, which very accurately expresses the comic in this play.
4. The play "The Thunderstorm"
Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" is one of the most interesting and popular in Russian drama. The play is based on Ostrovsky’s real impressions from a trip along the Upper Volga in 1856; the morals of the merchant classes, the customs of patriarchal antiquity, and the most beautiful and rich natural landscapes of the Volga were expressed in it. The dramatic action of the play takes place in the fictional city of Kalinov, which, according to the author's plan, is located on the banks of the Volga. "Thunderstorm" has the following artistic features:
✓ organic, masterful use of paintings of the Volga landscape, which perform the following important artistic functions:
They bring bright colors to the description of the location of the play, helping the reader to understand the situation as clearly and clearly as possible;
Compositionally, they are of great importance, as they make the structure of the play complete, integral, beginning and ending the action of the play with a steep river bank;
✓ plot and compositional originality, which is as follows:
The slowness of the pace of action at the beginning, which is due to the extensive exposition of the play, which fulfills the author’s most important task of acquainting the reader in as much detail as possible with the circumstances, life, morals, characters and conditions in which the action will subsequently unfold;
Introduction to the exhibition of several “minor” characters (Shapkin, Feklusha, Kudryash, etc.), who will subsequently play a crucial role in the unfolding of the conflict of the play;
The originality of the plot of the play, which lies in various variants of its definition, and at the same time we can call the plot of the play triple, including Kulagin’s condemning words at the beginning of the 1st act, which determine the development of social struggle in the play, Katerina’s dialogue with Varvara (act seven ) and Katerina’s last words in the second act, which finally determine the nature of her struggle;
Development in action of a social and individual line of struggle and two parallel love affairs (Katerina - Boris and Varvara - Kudryash);
The presence of “extra-fab” episodes, for example, the meeting of Kabanikha with Feklusha, which fulfill the function of completing the image of the “dark kingdom”;
Development of tension of dramatic action in each new act;
The climax in the middle of the play is in the 4th act, associated with the scene of repentance, and its function is to aggravate the heroine’s conflict with the environment;
The real denouement is in the 5th act, where both intrigues reach their conclusion;
Ring structure of the play: the events of the 1st and 5th acts take place in the same place;
✓ the originality, brightness and completeness of the images of the play by Katerina, Kabanikha, Dikiy, Boris, each of which has a certain integral character;
✓ the use of the technique of contrasting characters (Kabanikha and Dikoy and other characters), landscapes of the 1st and 4th acts, etc.;
✓ disclosure of the tragic circumstances of the life of an educated, spiritually filled person in the society of the “dark kingdom”;
✓ the symbolism of the title of the play, which is present in the play both as a natural phenomenon and as a kind of symbol expressing the idea of the entire work, and here there is a echo with Griboyedov’s “Woe from Wit”, Lermontov’s “Hero of Our Time”, and as having a figurative meaning, personifying a thunderstorm , raging in Katerina’s soul.
5. The play "Dowry"
The play "Dowry" (1878) is Ostrovsky's fortieth work and opens a new - the third stage in his work. The play has the following artistic features:
✓ echoes "Thunderstorm" on the following points:
The scene is small towns on the banks of the Volga;
The main theme and main characteristics of the residents are monetary motives, benefits;
Both main heroines do not correspond to the world in which they live, they are above it and come into conflict with this world, and this is their tragedy, the end of both heroines is the same - death, freeing them from the vices and injustice of the world around them;
✓ has significant differences from "The Thunderstorm", which consist in a change in the social status, morals and characters of the heroes, who are now modern educated industrialists, and not ignorant merchants, are interested in art, are active, ambitious, strive for development, but nevertheless have their own, albeit different, but also vices;
✓ has a connection with the "Snow Maiden", which is expressed in the characters of both main heroines - Larisa Ogudalova and Snegurochka, attracted by the love of nature with a strong will and with the same strong passions, and this love is the cause of the death of both heroines;
✓ In terms of genre, it is a socio-psychological drama;
✓ The techniques developed by Ostrovsky in this play influenced the work of A.P. Chekhov, and among these techniques the following can be named:
The development of such motifs as the pistol that was previously hung on the wall, the dinner during which the fate of the heroes is decided;
An in-depth analysis of the human soul;
Objective assessment and characteristics of heroes;
Symbolism of images;
Revealing the disorder of life in general.