Portrayal of merchants in the plays of A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" and "Forest"

Keywords

RUSSIA / MERCHANTS / A.N. OSTROVSKY / ACTIVITY / APPEARANCE / RUSSIA / MERCHANTS / A.N. OSTROVSKY / ACTIVITY / APPEARANCE

annotation scientific article on linguistics and literary criticism, author of the scientific work - Boyko Vladimir Petrovich

The evolution of the appearance of the Russian merchants in the works of A.N. is considered. Ostrovsky in the second half of the 19th century. and the attitude of his contemporaries, especially professional critics, to his plays. The main periods in his work are noted: at first Ostrovsky followed the canons of the natural school, then he became a “soilist,” then he paid tribute to the revolutionary-democratic trend in Russian literature, and only after the reform of 1861 he embarked on the path of mature realism. This evolution did not go without the close attention of contemporaries and was reflected in literary criticism, which is also discussed and analyzed in the article.

Russian merchants in plays by A.N. Ostrovsky and in the articles of his critics

The article is devoted to the history of the Russian merchants "entrepreneurship, reflected in the works of A.N. Ostrovsky, and is about contemporaries" attitude to his plays, especially professional critics." Here are highlighted the key periods in creativity of the great playwright. The period when he followed the canons of a natural school, then became a Slavophile was the first one. Then A.N. paid tribute to the revolutionary-democratic trend in Russian literature and it was only after the reform of 1861 that he embarked on the path of mature realism. This evolution did not remain without the close attention of contemporaries and was reflected in literary criticism, which is also examined and analyzed in the article Ostrovsky's works of art, materials of his expedition to the Upper Volga and correspondence, memories of his contemporaries, critical articles about him in the periodical press were used as the main sources here. In addition, the author of the article got acquainted with many works of literary critics that show the features of the great playwright's creativity and the evolution of his views throughout almost four decades of the 19th century. The most close to the author's convictions is the concept proposed by the well-known critic Apollon Grigoriev who believed that the merchant class was an inseparable part of the people and had many positive qualities that in his contemporary society had been undervalued. This applies to both the whole class and its individual representatives of the merchants . The concept of "the dark kingdom" was imposed on revolutionary criticism for propaganda purposes and was not the truth of life, which was present in the plays of Ostrovsky. The very notion of a "dark kingdom" was imposed by revolutionary criticism for propaganda purposes and was not the truth of life that was presented in Ostrovsky's plays. His work was based on a deep knowledge, understanding of the way of life and activity of the merchant class, it has become known through many historical studies only recently. Nevertheless, Dobrolyubov's interpretation of Ostrovsky was dominant for almost a century and a half and finds his supporters to this day. The Great Russian playwright A.N. Ostrovsky showed the sprouts of new relations in the Russian reality of the second half of the nineteenth century, which also gave positive results. Although the article notes that Russian entrepreneurship and commerce in the pre-reform time were covered by Ostrovsky as a rudimentary and primitive, in 30 years certain changes in this characteristic had already been noted. Here are some of the results of this development: most merchants received a good education, were interested in politics and culture, and often went abroad, had being become the leading force in the economy and a notable figure in the social and cultural life of the country.

Text of scientific work on the topic “Russian merchants in the plays of A. N. Ostrovsky and in the articles of his critics”

Vestnik Tomskogo state university. Story. 2017. No. 48

UDC 94 (470) "18"

B01: 10.17223/19988613/48/2

V.P. Boyko

RUSSIAN MERCHANTS IN THE PLAYS OF A.N. OSTROVSKY AND IN THE ARTICLES OF HIS CRITICS

IN modern Russia Having embarked on the bourgeois path of development, the past of Russian capitalism, its positive and negative features are being widely and actively studied, and certain successes have already been achieved. Important achievements of domestic historians were the two-volume “History of Entrepreneurship in Russia”, dedicated to memory Valery Ivanovich Bovykin, “History of Russian Merchants” by V.B. Perkhavko, “Encyclopedic Dictionary of the History of Merchants and Commerce of Siberia” in two volumes and many other major works worthy of attention and useful for research. Nevertheless, active study of the history of merchants continues, and one of the ways to expand and update the corpus of previously unknown facts was the publication of new sources on the topic of research, the inclusion into circulation of already known, but little used sources, among which we include primarily works of fiction.

The closed world of first Moscow, and then provincial, all-Russian merchants was examined more closely than other writers by the great Russian playwright Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky (1823-1886). He was born in Zamoskvorechye - an area where small and middle Moscow merchants traditionally settled, who, as a rule, came from recent peasants or townspeople who had become “people” after going through a harsh school of life. The father of the future playwright was a clergyman, but entered the civil service and later received the dignity of nobility. Besides civil service He was engaged in private practice and succeeded in this complex and fraught with dangers business - after his resignation, he became a successful sworn solicitor (lawyer) of the Moscow Commercial Court. After graduating from the prestigious First Moscow Gymnasium and three years of study at the Faculty of Law at Moscow University, A. N. Ostrovsky became a clerk at the Moscow Conscientious Court, and two years later, in 1845, at the Moscow Commercial Court, from where he left in 1851. to become a professional writer. While still at the gymnasium, Ostrovsky read a lot, was fond of literary creativity.

ity, and during his university years he became a passionate theatergoer, which was completely natural, since at that time “the great Russian actors P.S. Mochalov and M.S. shone on the Moscow stage. Shchepkin, who had a great influence on young people."

Creative path A. N. Ostrovsky can be divided into the following periods: the first, earliest period, when the “natural school” had the greatest influence on him, is associated with the comedy “Our people, let us be numbered!” (1849) and lasted until 1851. The main principle of this school was to depict the whole truth of life of those sections of the population that had not previously been considered by writers as an object of study. This was a continuation of the Gogol tradition in Russian literature, when an objective depiction of reality was accompanied by criticism and irony of existing orders. A collection of essays under the prosaic title “Physiology of St. Petersburg,” compiled by N.A. Nekrasov and V.G. Belinsky from the works famous writers, belonging to the “natural school” was a certain stage in the formation of domestic realism, when it was necessary to overcome the romantic period in Russian literature, partly inspired by writers and poets from the Decembrist circles and those sympathizing with them. The collection was compiled from articles by Russian writers of the 40s. XIX century and published in 1845 in two parts. Among the descriptions of many layers and groups of the population of the then Russia, we note the vivid description of the Moscow merchants given by Belinsky in the essay “Petersburg and Moscow”: “The core of the indigenous Moscow population is the merchants. Nine-tenths of this numerous class wears an Orthodox beard, bequeathed from their ancestors, a long-skirted coat of blue cloth and boots with a tassel, hiding the ends of corduroy or cloth trousers; one tenth allows themselves to shave their beard and, in their clothes, in their lifestyle, and in general in appearance, resemble commoners and even middle-class nobles. How many ancient noble houses have now become the property of the merchants!<...>For a Russian merchant, especially a Muscovite, a fat, statuesque horse and

a fat, statuesque wife is the first blessings of life... In Moscow you meet merchants everywhere, and everything shows you that Moscow is primarily a city of the merchant class.”

Although Ostrovsky’s first comedy was dedicated to this influential layer of the population of Moscow, while depicting the exotic life of the closed merchant world, it actually reflected all-Russian processes and changes. Story line The comedy revolves around two main figures - large merchant Samson Silych Bolshov and his clerk Lazar Podkhalyuzin. The merchant wants to retire, having increased his capital through false bankruptcy, and transfer the right to his property to the faithful and flattering clerk Podkhalyuzin. Trade, in their opinion, does not bring the necessary income, despite the dexterity of the clerks and the abundance of goods, and the idea comes to Bolshov’s head to transfer his property to the clerk, and to go to debtor’s prison for some time. However, things turn out in such a way that the former clerk becomes the complete master of the situation, who marries the merchant’s daughter and does not care at all about the fate of his former patron.

The main achievement of A.N. Ostrovsky during this period should be recognized for his deep penetration into inner world merchants, mastering the terms and the very structure of the merchant language, which allows you to draw bright and convex images of the merchant of the “old school”, whose significance and power is already declared in his very name, and the merchants of the new generation, who get their way with cunning and ingenuity, imaginary education and adherence for changing fashion both in clothing and in the way of thinking. The play “Our people - we will be numbered!” - this is an objective picture of society before bourgeois reforms, the whole world contradictions between fathers and children, between the roles of men and women that they played in the merchant environment. Let us also note that during the course of the drama human sympathy remains with the former tyrant and his devoted wife, and not with the winners in the person of Podkhalyuzin and his soulless wife, who has little interest in the fate of her parents. Ostrovsky’s classmate at the gymnasium, enlightened official N.V. Berg noted with delight the publication of the comedy “Bankrupt” (as it was originally called): “The entire intelligentsia of Moscow started talking about this play as something extraordinary, as if unprecedented. What was most striking about it was the language of the Moscow merchants, which first appeared in our literature with such liveliness, brightness and strength. But, in addition to language, the very life of the merchant, the ways of thinking and life techniques of this class were painted with a powerful, broad brush<... >like an experienced artist whose existence no one knew; no one saw his gradual development, various small, timid, adolescent articles.” For a long time, this play not only could not be staged, but even sung.

chat. Only after persistent petitions from influential admirers of Ostrovsky’s talent did the play appear in print, and before that the author had to read it dozens of times at literary evenings, where N.V. was once even present. Gogol fully approved of the work of the “national nugget.” The origins of his talent N.V. Berg, who knew the writer from childhood, saw that “Ostrovsky spoke a merchant’s language like none of our writers, because he lived and moved among merchants from a young age. His father was the secretary of the Moscow Commercial Court. Merchants milled about in his house from morning to night, solving their various problems. The boy Ostrovsky saw not just one bankrupt there, but dozens; and I heard enough talk about bankruptcy, God knows how much; no wonder that the language of the merchants became some of his language. He mastered it to the point of subtlety” [Ibid. P. 40-41].

The next stage in the creativity of A.N. Ostrovsky (1852-1854) became closer to the editors of the magazine “Moskvityanin”, or rather, with a group of young critics and writers in this editorial office, who in their views were close to the Slavophiles. Later, this cultural and philosophical movement would be called “pochvennichestvo” for its passion for Russian traditions and some idealization of patriarchal, essentially folk relations. The best play of this period, “Poverty is not a vice,” is dedicated to the history of the relationship between two generations in the merchant family of the Tortsovs. As in the early comedy “Our People - We Will Be Numbered!”, again older generation conflicts with the younger ones, but, unlike the first play, the younger ones lose here, give way to the strong and go into the shadows. The power of the elders over the younger ones is of a material (monetary) nature, and the play closely intertwines dramatic and comedic principles, which then become characteristic of Ostrovsky’s work. An element alien to it penetrates into the patriarchal life of the Tortsov family in the person of the manufacturer Korshunov, who was able to confuse the head of the family Gordey Tortsov, playing on his pride and tyranny, but he finds the strength to return to the patriarchal principles of his life and thereby save the whole family from shame. The conclusion that Ostrovsky makes in this play is fully consistent with the ideas of the Slavophiles that loyalty to ancient traditions is the source of social and personal well-being, while innovations carry the most difficult trials and troubles.

The only hero and at the same time a victim of such circumstances in this play becomes the merchant’s son Lyubim Tortsov, who was supposed to become to some extent an “ideal” merchant, since he was not deprived of talent, education and conscience, but, as is usual in Rus', having lost faith into people, instantly went bankrupt and drank himself from grief. I.F. Gorbunov, Famous actor in Russia mid-19th V., who became a writer of everyday life among merchants, noted in his memoirs: “In those days, such people represented a type. They

usually came out of a ruined merchant's nest. For example, a merchant went bankrupt, and all the relatives who made up the merchant’s house wandered off separately: “merchant brothers”, “merchant nephews”, aunts, etc.<...>Young people, who had tasted all the delights of the former Nizhny Novgorod fair with its historical village of Kunavin, with the taverns of Nikita Egorov, Barbatenka, etc., were wandering around Moscow without anything to do. Others joined some singing choir, others were sold as soldiers, and some became actors.” At the same time, Lyubim Tortsov, having lost his merchant title and fortune, having gained bitter life experience, was able to look at the events in his family from the outside, “soberly evaluate them and direct their course towards general well-being.” Ostrovsky’s greatest achievement during this period was the creation of the image of Lyubim Tortsov, when the eternally drunk and shabby little man simultaneously manifests the poetic and typically life-like traits of a bankrupt merchant. Having lost everything, he does not lose his mind and human dignity.

One wealthy Moscow merchant kept his house open not only to business colleagues, but also to people of art, singers, musicians, artists, and writers. I. F. Gorbunov recalled that among the artists he had celebrities - Sadovsky and Zhivokini. Once, after visiting the theater, the owner said to the incomparable performer of the role of Lyubim Tortsov, P. M. Sadovsky: “Believe me, Prov Mikhailovich, I cried. By God I cried! How I thought that this could happen to any merchant<.>passion! We have a lot of them walking around our city - well, give it to him, but to regret it.<...>And I felt sorry for you, that’s what I’m saying. I think, Lord, I myself was susceptible to this, well, suddenly! Believe God, it became scary. Thank you, my dear, many of us may feel it. Now, brother, I don’t drink anything, it will happen! I drank everything I was supposed to!” . The picture of the disintegration of the merchant's son's personality was drawn by the actor Sadovsky so faithfully and vividly that it became a role model for many contemporary performers of this role, and subsequent generations of actors took a lot of useful things from him.

The third stage of A. N. Ostrovsky’s work is associated with rapprochement with revolutionary democratic circles on the eve of the abolition of serfdom (1855-1860). The socio-political situation in the country was tense, and Ostrovsky’s plays reflected it in their own way. They also featured a merchant theme. In the play "At Someone Else's Feast a Hangover" was created bright image merchant-tyrant Tit Titych Bruskov, who became a household name. However, viewers did not immediately notice the ironic and humorous notes in the image of this businessman, who makes more noise and threatens than offends and punishes. The image of Tit Titych had such an effect on a wealthy Moscow merchant of the “old school” that when he met the performer of this role, P. M. Sadovsky, he did not

could hide his delight: “Well, Prov Mikhailovich, you showed such respect to me, the Moscow first guild merchant Ivan Vasiliev N-vu, that I should bow at your feet. When you came out, I gasped! Yes, and I tell my wife - you’ll see, ask her - look, I’m talking as if it were me!<. >Only your beard was shorter. Well, that's how it is, that's when I'm drunk. This, I say, is criticism of me. I even felt ashamed. Well, of course, when you’re drunk, you’ll hit whoever comes your way and scream. Just the other day, in a Moscow tavern, I pulled the sex worker Gavrila away and gave him two red ones (20 rubles - V.B). What are you talking about? I’m sitting in the box and looking around: if they’re looking at me, I think. By God!.. And when you started talking about the tarantass, I started rolling! Makarya, too, had an incident with a tarantass... And he told how, returning from the Nizhny Novgorod fair to Moscow, he did not get out of the tarantass for three days.”

In the year this comedy was written, in 1856, Ostrovsky traveled along the Volga to study, on behalf of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, “the life of the inhabitants engaged in maritime affairs and fishing.” This was due to the fact that in order to recruit recruits into the fleet who were familiar with maritime affairs, the Admiralty allocated funds for scientific expeditions to the coastal areas in the north and south of the country, to areas where people lived near large rivers and were engaged in water-related trades. According to the famous traveler and writer of everyday life S.V. Maksimov, the result of this trip by Ostrovsky was “an amazing amount of various materials collected on the upper Volga, which were only partially published in the Marine Collection.” The collected materials and the impressions received served as the basis for several historical plays dedicated to the tragic and heroic moments of Russian history: “Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk”, “Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky”, “Tushino” and others, but the main result of the trip to the Volga was the drama "The Thunderstorm" (1859). Thanks to this play by Ostrovsky, we see the life of the Russian province as if at a turning point, in the transition from the patriarchal principles of the “dark kingdom” to new ones in the form of protest and transition to personal and social freedom, which, according to writers and critics from the revolutionary camp, are so necessary for the Russian society for everyone's happiness.

Let us now turn to the legacy of the young idol of that era, critic of the then popular Sovremennik magazine N.A. Dobrolyubov (1836-1861) to assess the situation created on the eve of the Great Reforms. He was born into a priest's family in Nizhny Novgorod and was raised at home until the age of 11, and then studied at the Nizhny Novgorod seminary. In 1853, he left for St. Petersburg to enter the Theological Academy, but instead entered the Faculty of History and Philology of the Main Pedagogical Institute as a “state employee,” i.e., as they say today, he became a “state employee.”

Very early, the young man showed a talent for criticism, and in 1854 he wrote a sharp review of F.I.’s collection. Buslaev “Russian proverbs and sayings”, where he accused the author of exaggeration in explaining the mythological origins of proverbs and sayings, and attributing book maxims to them. In the same year, Dobrolyubov suffered a heavy blow - the death of his father and mother, as a result of which he sharply broke with Orthodoxy, became a convinced atheist and critic of the regime, first at the pedagogical institute where he studied, and then in the country, and began to actively collaborate with Kolokol. , published in the free Russian printing house in London.

Family life of N.A. Dobrolyubova did not work out - his matchmaking with his wife’s sister N.G. Chernyshevsky ended in failure. Chernyshevsky resolutely opposed this, which led to Dobrolyubov’s departure abroad in 1860, where he was treated for tuberculosis at resorts in Switzerland, as well as France and Italy. A year later, he returned to his homeland and continued to work at Sovremennik, but treatment abroad was not successful, and in November 1861 he died. The critic had little life experience, so he judged society mainly from literary sources, attributing, for example, to the merchant class, qualities that later became textbook for his contemporaries and subsequent generations of readers. This is how he describes the life circumstances of the merchants, about which the playwright he was reviewing, i.e. Ostrovsky himself, had no idea: “This is a world of hidden, quietly sighing sorrow, a world of dull, aching pain, a world of prison, deathly silence, only occasionally enlivened by the deaf , a powerless murmur, timidly fading at its very inception. There is no light, no warmth, no space. The dark and low prison smells of rot and dampness. Not a single sound from the free air, not a single ray of light will penetrate it.”

The appearance of the play "The Thunderstorm" caused new article Dobrolyubov about Ostrovsky’s work, which is no longer so permeated with pessimism and is entitled “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom.” The author sees in Katerina’s action a protest against “a bad environment that interferes with good activity.” Russian radicals, supporters of decisive transformations of society by all means available to them, including terror and revolution, were ready to sacrifice not only other people's lives, but also their own, for the sake of these ideas. It is quite natural that they accepted and welcomed suicide, one of the most terrible sins in Orthodoxy, as a protest against the existing order. Therefore, Dobrolyubov sees something “refreshing and encouraging” in the drama “The Thunderstorm”; he believes that this play is “Ostrovsky’s most decisive work, the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness... are brought to the most tragic consequences in it. The background of the play indicates the precariousness and the near end of tyranny. Then the very character of Katerina, drawn on this

background, also blows on us new life, which is revealed to us in its very death” [Ibid. P. 231].

Dobrolyubov was strongly influenced by his senior colleague N.G. in many social and aesthetic issues. Chernyshevsky (1828-1889), with whom he had much in common both in his biography and in his way of thinking. Both of them were influenced by German philosophers, in particular L. Feuerbach, so Dobrolyubov’s worldview quickly turned into a materialist one, and he became an enemy of idealism, very reminiscent of Turgenev’s Bazarov, although many literary scholars speak of a prototype in the person of Pisarev. Following Chernyshevsky, Dobrolyubov adhered to the concept of “ reasonable selfishness“, according to which each person first of all strives to satisfy his own needs if they contribute to the common good. In all matters related to economic and social problems, he repeats and retells, only in his own words, the thoughts of Chernyshevsky [Ibid. P. 27]. This includes revolutionism, sympathy for socialism, hatred of liberalism and Slavophilism.

In this regard, the conflict between Dobrolyubov and a critic from the magazine “Moskvityanin”, who then collaborated with many publications, Apollon Grigoriev, is interesting, who also wrote several articles devoted to the work of Ostrovsky, in one of which he enthusiastically exclaimed: “There is no god except Ostrovsky and his prophet is higher.” Sadovsky". It must be said that Ostrovsky’s work gave rise to controversy between the Slavophiles, to whom A. Grigoriev then belonged, and the revolutionary democrats represented by Chernyshevsky, Dobrolyubov and others. This also touched upon the problem of illuminating the appearance of the Russian merchants in Ostrovsky’s plays. Dobrolyubov notes sarcastically: “It should be noted that Mr. A. Grigoriev is one of the enthusiastic admirers of Ostrovsky’s talent; but - probably from an excess of delight - he never manages to express himself with some clarity as to why exactly he values Ostrovsky. We read his articles and could not get any sense. Meanwhile, analyzing “The Thunderstorm,” Mr. Grigoriev devotes several pages to us and accuses us of attaching labels to the faces of Ostrovsky’s comedies, dividing them all into two categories: tyrants and downtrodden individuals, and of developing the relations between them, the usual in merchant life, concluded the whole business of our comedian. Having expressed this accusation, Mr. Grigoriev exclaims that no, this is not Ostrovsky’s peculiarity and merit, but his nationality.”

Apollo Aleksandrovich Grigoriev, a native of Zamoskvorechye, who had seen everyday and commercial details of the life of the Moscow merchants since childhood, could not agree with Dobrolyubov’s sharply accusatory characterization. He had vivid memories of the streets of Zamoskvorechye, where the houses of the nobles “stood with some gloomy revelers, neglected or abandoned

himself out of grief, in a row of other tightly built and economically looking merchant houses with high gates and fences. With memories of the gray horses of the owner, the gray-haired merchant Ignatius Ivanovich, who encouraged me to often look at the clean and bright stable; about the reckless cab driver Dementier, who often gave me rides from the Tverskaya Gate to the present-day Triumphal Gate, probably out of sympathy for the brown hair and rosy cheeks of my youngest nanny; about a wide square with the gates of the Passion Monastery in front of your eyes and with the image of the “Passion of the Lord” on them.” . Therefore Ap. Grigoriev did not agree to see only a satirist in Ostrovsky: “Tarritability is just scum, foam, a comic residue, it, of course, is depicted by the poet comically, but how else can it be depicted? - but it is not the key to his creations!<.>the name for this writer, for such a great writer, despite his shortcomings, is not a satirist, but a people's poet. The word for the clue to his activities is not “tyranny,” but “nationality.”

One of the descendants of the merchant dynasty, who found himself in exile since 1920, Pavel Afanasyevich Buryshkin, completely agreed with this definition of the work of A. N. Ostrovsky, with such a characterization of the merchants in his plays. In his memoirs, he wrote that “the famous critic Apollo Grigoriev, in his articles “After the Thunderstorm,” pointed out all the falsity of the methods of liberal criticism, reflected in the fact that it saw the satirist’s humor where in reality there was only one naive truth of the people’s poet. Especially this applies to the comedy “Don’t Get in Your Own Sleigh,” regarding which there can be no doubt that the author’s sympathy is on the side of the representatives of the “dark kingdom” Rusakov and Vanya Borodkin, while the “gentlemen,” Vikhorev and Baranchevsky, are depicted as such colors that in no way could attract the sympathy of not only the author, but even the most unprejudiced viewer.” In our opinion, Grigoriev’s assessment is fair; Ostrovsky’s plays are shown to readers and theater audiences, and after the film adaptation of his dramas and comedies, to a wide circle of moviegoers. , first of all, a writer of everyday life, impartially reflecting reality in his creations as he sees and understands it.

In the post-reform period, when the isolation of class and cultural and everyday groups in society was crumbling, Ostrovsky switched from the “merchant theme” as the main one in his work to others, no less pressing. Social and chronological diversity characterizes his work during this period: from historical events and private life of the 17th century. to the “spite of the day”, the inclusion in the circle of characters of poor townspeople of the Russian outskirts, provincial actors and actresses, inhabitants of ruined noble estates, completely civilized and Europeanized business tycoons. This period - from 1861 until the death of the great playwright in June 1886 - was unusually

fruitful and took place within the framework of the critical realism of great Russian literature, characteristic of most classics of this era.

Ten years after the release of “The Thunderstorm”, another play by Ostrovsky appeared, dedicated to the provincial merchants - “Warm Heart” (1869). The action takes place in the same Volga region town of Kalinov, the characters of the comedy also have something in common: the place of the Wild is taken by the merchant Kuroslepov, Katerina by Parasha, Boris by Vasya. However, big changes are also noticeable: instead of a drama that turns into tragedy in “The Thunderstorm,” in “Warm Heart” there is a comedy - cheerful and perky, and the plot is based, in fact, on a detective story, when the mysterious loss of money turns into an exposure of the owner’s scandalous affair at home with her clerk, to whom she secretly transfers them. By this time, the basic moral foundations of his former life have been shaken: Kuroslepov’s daughter Parasha leaves home without permission, his wife enters into a sinful relationship with the clerk, and the head of the family himself is in some kind of relaxed state, unable to adapt to the new conditions of life and business. The hero of the new era becomes the merchant of the new formation Khlynov, whose image echoes the colorful personality of the merchant Khludov, who is more cynical and practical in his actions than the merchants of the old formation. His only weakness is the desire to spend money “with imagination”, so that everyone will talk about it and be surprised, why does he take with him the “former intelligent man” rich in invention, Aristarchus, takes the merchant Vasya as a jester, makes friends with the mayor and officials who is ready to pay huge fines, thereby disguising actual bribes. Like Leskov’s “Chertogon,” Khlynov is ready to indulge in the most ridiculous undertakings: organize grandiose revelries, water garden paths with champagne, shoot a cannon in honor of a guest, and perform other actions prompted by a drunken mind. Such seemingly meaningless actions, in my opinion, are associated with the great stress of entrepreneurial activity, when there is a constant threat of ruin or even criminal prosecution, boredom Everyday life find a way out in the form of insane spending of money, effort and invention in order to gain, at least temporarily, peace of mind (for more details, see:).

Another ten years later, the play “Dowry” (1879) appears, the characters of which no longer bear much resemblance to the merchants with whom A. N. Ostrovsky introduced us earlier. There is not a trace in them of the patriarchy and uncouthness that distinguished Dikiy and Kuroslepov. These are the owners of trading companies, not shops and warehouses, they wear European clothes instead of merchant clothes, read Parisian newspapers and behave proudly, almost inaccessible to communication, like the millionaire Knurov, who, according to him, travels to St. Petersburg and abroad to talk. His fellow businessman Vozhevatov is still more lively and accessible, although he is also

follows the established rules: instead of traditional merchant tea, in the morning he drinks champagne, poured into teapots, “so that people don’t say anything bad.” However, according to Ostrovsky, merchant life is still dominated by cold prudence and cynicism, confidence in the irresistibility of banknotes and a checkbook. Love becomes the bargaining chip in such a life. The two already mentioned merchants and the master businessman Paratov compete for the favor of Larisa Ogudalova, but there is very little love in the play. Vozhevatov gives in to Larisa Knurov in advance, believing that every product has a price and he can’t afford Larisa yet. Knurov willingly avoids Paratov, so that later it will be easier to take revenge and take the broken Larisa to Paris for an exhibition. And it all ends with the merchants testing fate once again and playing Larisa at the toss, but no one gets her and dies at the hands of her fiancé, the modest but ambitious Karandyshev. According to the famous critic V. Lakshin, due to the special complexity and intensity of hidden emotional experiences, “Dowry” represents a new word in Ostrovsky’s work and in this capacity anticipates Chekhov’s psychological drama.”

Thus, for more than 30 years A.N. Ostrovsky observed and depicted the diverse life of the merchants. At first it was some exotic country that was nearby, but was not known to literature. The writer, as it were, invites you to look into the windows of merchant mansions and not only see merchants, roguish and servile clerks, merchant wives and daughters decorously discussing their affairs over a samovar, but also hear their original and figurative language, see with their own eyes their way of life, learn their thoughts and aspirations. In the minds of readers and theater audiences Ostrovsky has established himself as a writer of everyday life of the merchants, who himself, as in the portrait of Perov, looks like a merchant in a spacious robe with a fur trim, calm, balanced, and good-natured.

However, not everything is so simple in the work of the great playwright: throughout his adult life, his views and life position changed. First, following the traditions of N.V. Gogol’s stage school, then several years of collaboration in the Slavophile “Moskvityanin” and even a passion for the views of revolutionary democrats. But many years of work in the leading magazines Sovremennik and Otechestvennye zapiski changed the thoughts and style of Ostrovsky’s plays, and in his work he anticipates the innovative dramaturgy of Chekhov. Ostrovsky’s most famous critic, Dobrolyubov, in the articles already discussed here, gave a detailed, albeit pretentious, criticism of his first plays, but later many critical points were transferred to more late works playwright. E.M.’s dissertation was written about this and defended in 1968 at Tomsk University. Zhilyakova, in which the analysis of creativity was continued

A.N. Ostrovsky in last years his life. It is gratifying that even today this author continues to study the legacy of the great playwright, but as a prolific translator.

The work of A. N. Ostrovsky, the unprecedented success of his plays, which formed the main repertoire of the Russian theater, gave rise to a whole stream of imitators who tried to use the “merchant theme” to their advantage. According to P.A. Buryshkin, a representative of the last generation of pre-revolutionary merchants, who later found himself in exile, “I.F. should be placed next to Ostrovsky. Gorbunov, who depicted the life of the merchants in approximately the same colors. He was an actor Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, but was famous mainly as an inimitable storyteller. He wrote the play “The Tyrant,” where he surpassed Ostrovsky in “exposing” merchant dishonesty and crime, but, like Gorbunov’s other works, they were not particularly successful.” Famous literary critic L. Lotman examines the work of a number of playwrights, followers of A.N. Ostrovsky, who belonged to the “merchant school” of drama, but most of them did not gain fame because they did not have the originality and talent of their literary leader and simply adapted his plays. Without Ostrovsky's talent and wisdom, this direction quickly dried up, leaving only a weak trace in the literary and theatrical history of the country.

In conclusion, we note that the work of A.N. Ostrovsky has undergone serious evolution over the course of more than three decades and gone through a number of stages. In general, there was a transition from the critical direction of his plays in relation to the merchants to everyday life writing, and then to artistic insight into the essence of the depicted phenomena and processes. If Ostrovsky saw and denounced social vices and shortcomings, then of almost all groups of the population, and not just the Russian merchant environment. The very concept of the “dark kingdom” was imposed by revolutionary criticism for its propaganda purposes, but was not the truth of life, which was present in Ostrovsky’s plays and was based on a deep knowledge and understanding of the lifestyle and activities of the merchants. Nevertheless, the “Dobrolyubov” interpretation of Ostrovsky was dominant for almost a century and a half and still finds its supporters to this day. In my opinion, the concept proposed by another critic, Apollon Grigoriev, is much more acceptable and interesting for studying the history of the merchants, the essence of which is that the merchants are an inseparable part of the people, and carries many positive qualities that are underestimated in contemporary society. This applies to both the class as a whole and its individual representatives. A.P. Grigoriev repeatedly stood up for the “merchant,” as his opponents sometimes called him, N.A. Polevoy, author of the capital

his work “History of the Russian People” and the publisher of the magazine “Moscow Telegraph”. This magazine was closed by decree of Emperor Nicholas I for the editor’s negative review of the pseudo-patriotic play by N.V. Puppeteer “The hand of the Almighty saved the fatherland.” Burdened with family and debts, Polevoy, who was once the son of an Irkutsk merchant, was now forced to write official patriotic dramas from Russian history himself. A positive assessment of the role of the merchant class in Russian history is also reflected in some contemporary works. For example, the compiler of the “Encyclopedia of Merchant Family” O. Platonov believes that “the idea of acquisitiveness, wealth for the sake of wealth - the idea of progress was alien to the Orthodox Russian people

as a constant increase in the possession of an ever-increasing number of things and objects. Russian spiritual culture contrasts the idea of progress as acquisitiveness with the idea of transforming life through overcoming the sinful basis of man through selfless ascetic labor.” It is through labor, and complex, skilled labor of the owner of an enterprise and his employees, that the correct (righteous) path to wealth is possible, and many Russian writers and scientists have spoken about this. Such a path would lead Russia to the middle of the 20th century. to world leadership in the economy, population size, standard of living and many other indicators. However, this, unfortunately, did not happen, and today much will have to be created anew.

LITERATURE

1. History of entrepreneurship in Russia. M.: ROSSPEN, 2000. Book. 1: From the Middle Ages to the mid-19th century.

2. Merchant diaries and memoirs of the late XVIII - first half of the 19th century centuries / comp.: A.V. Semenova, A.I. Aksenov, N.V. Sereda. M., 2007.

3. Russian writers: biobibliographic dictionary: in 2 volumes / ed. P. A. Nikolaeva. M.: Education, 1990.

4. Belinsky V.G. St. Petersburg and Moscow // Physiology of St. Petersburg. M.: Sov. Russia, 1984. pp. 42-72.

5. Ostrovsky A.N. Collected works: in 10 volumes. M.: Khudozh. lit., 1959.

6. Berg N.V. Young Ostrovsky // A.N. Ostrovsky in the memoirs of his contemporaries. M.: Khudozh. lit., 1966. pp. 36-46.

7. Gorbunov I.F. Excerpts from memories // A.N. Ostrovsky in the memoirs of his contemporaries. M.: Khudozh. lit., 1966. pp. 47-64.

8. Ostrovsky A.N. Collected works: in 6 volumes. M.: TERRA, 1999.

9. Maksimov S.V. Literary travels. M.: Sovremennik, 1986.

10. Dobrolyubov N.A. Dark Kingdom(Works by A. Ostrovsky. Two volumes. St. Petersburg, 1859) // Articles about Ostrovsky. M.: State. art publishing house lit.,

1956. P. 3-152.

11. Dobrolyubov N.A., Pisarev D.I. Favorites. M.: ROSSPEN, 2010.

12. Grigoriev Ap. Memories. L.: Nauka, 1980.

13. Grigoriev A.A. Essays. SPb. : Ed. N.N. Strakhov. St. Petersburg, 1876.

14. Buryshkin P. A. Merchant Moscow: memoirs. M.: Higher School, 1991.

15. Boyko V.P. Russian merchants as depicted by N.S. Leskova // Bulletin of Tomsk State University. 2016. No. 406. pp. 45-50.

16. Lakshin V. Ostrovsky - playwright // Ostrovsky A.N. Selected plays. M.: Khudozh. Lit-ra, 1982. P. 3-44.

17. Zhilyakova E.M. Features of realism in dramaturgy by A.N. Ostrovsky 70-80s: dis. ...cand. Philol. Sci. Tomsk, 1968. 276 p.

18. Zhilyakova E.M., Budanova I.B. “Mandrake” by N. Machiavelli in the translation heritage of A.N. Ostrovsky // Bulletin of Tomsk State University. 2016. No. 411. P. 5-11.

19. Lotman L. A.N. Ostrovsky and Russian drama of his time. M.; L.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1961.

20. 1000 years of Russian entrepreneurship: from the history of merchant families / comp., entry. Art., note. O. Platonova. M.: Sovremennik, 1995.

Boyko Vladimir P. Tomsk State University of Architecture and Building (Tomsk, Russia). Email: [email protected] RUSSIAN MERCHANTS IN PLAYS BY AN. OSTROVSKY AND IN THE ARTICLES OF HIS CRITICS. Key words: Russia; merchants; A.N. Ostrovsky; activity; appearance.

The article is devoted to the history of the Russian merchants" entrepreneurship, reflected in the works of A.N. Ostrovsky, and is about contemporaries" to his plays, especially professional attitude critics." Here are highlighted the key periods in creativity of the great playwright. The period when he followed the canons of a natural school, then became a Slavophile was the first one. Then A.N. paid tribute to the revolutionary-democratic trend in Russian literature and it was only after the reform of 1861 that he embarked on the path of mature realism. This evolution did not remain without the close attention of contemporaries and was reflected in literary criticism, which is also examined and analyzed in the article Ostrovsky's works of art, materials of his expedition to the Upper Volga and correspondence, memories of his contemporaries, critical articles about him in the periodical press were used as the main sources here. In addition, the author of the article got acquainted with many works of literary critics that show the features of the great playwright's creativity and the evolution of his views throughout almost four decades of the 19th century. The most close to the author's convictions is the concept proposed by the well-known critic Apollon Grigoriev who believed that the merchant class was an inseparable part of the people and had many positive qualities that in his contemporary society had been undervalued. This applies to both the whole class and its individual representatives of the merchants. The concept of "the dark kingdom" was imposed on revolutionary criticism for propaganda purposes and was not the truth of life, which was present in the plays of Ostrovsky. The very notion of a "dark kingdom" was imposed by revolutionary criticism for propaganda purposes and was not the truth of life that was presented in Ostrovsky's plays. His work was based on a deep knowledge, understanding of the way of life and activity of the merchant class, it has become known through many historical studies only recently. Nevertheless, Dobrolyubov's interpretation of Ostrovsky was dominant for almost a century and a half and finds his supporters to this day. The Great Russian playwright A.N. Ostrovsky showed the sprouts of new relations in the Russian reality of the second half of the nineteenth century, which also gave positive results. Although the article notes that Russian entrepreneurship and commerce in the pre-reform time were covered by Ostrovsky as a rudimentary and primitive, in 30 years certain changes in this characteristic had already been noted. Here are some of the results of this development: most merchants received a good education, were interested in politics and culture, and often went abroad, had being become the leading force in the economy and a notable figure in the social and cultural life of the country.

1. Bovykin, V.I., Gavlin, M.L., Epifanova L.M. et al. (2000) Istoriyapredprinimatel"stva vRossii. Book 1. Mos-

2. Semenova, A.V., Aksenov, A.I. & Sereda, N.V. (2007) Kupecheskie dnevniki i memoirs kontsa XVIII - first poloviny XIX centuries. Moscow: ROSSPEN.

3. Nikolaev, P.A. (ed.) (1990) Russian writings. Biobibliograficheskiy slovar": v 2 t. . Mos-

cow: Prosveshchenie.

4. Belinskiy, V.G. (1984) Peterburg i Moscow. In: Belinskiy, V.G. & Nekrasov, N.A. (eds) Phiziologiya Peterburga. Moscow: Sov. Rossiya. pp. 42-72.

5. Ostrovskiy, A.N. (1959) Sobranie sochineniy: v 101. . Moscow: Khudozhestvennaya literatura.

6. Berg, N.V. (1966) Molodoy Ostrovskiy. In: Grigorenko, V.V., Makashin, S.A., Mashinskiy, S.I. & Ryurikov, B.S. (eds)A.N. Os-

trovskiy v vospominaniyakh sovremennikov. Moscow: Khudozhestvennaya literatura. pp. 3646.

7. Gorbunov, I.F. (1966) Otryvki iz vospominaniy. In: Grigorenko, V.V., Makashin, S.A., Mashinskiy, S.I. & Ryurikov, B.S.

To the first period literary activity A. N. Ostrovsky includes plays, the content of which is taken from the life of merchants and petty officials (“We are our own people, we will be numbered”, “Poverty is not a vice”, “In someone else’s feast there is a hangover”, “Profitable place”, “Thunderstorm”, etc.) . Both of these classes have developed in our country over the centuries, and the features of ancient life have been preserved more intact than the “cultural” part of Russian society (the highest nobility and the highest bureaucrats). Already in the 18th century, these features seemed so peculiar that they were ridiculed in satirical magazines and comedies; It was especially hard on the “prikazniks” - these small fry of the bureaucratic world who produced “sneaks” - they were “litigators”, took bribes, robbed the treasury.

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. Educational video. Part 2

The main features of merchant life - the patriarchal, domostroevsky system of life, the isolation and rudeness of this life, the humiliation of women and the tyranny of the landlord - all this, more or less, was vividly depicted more than once in Russian everyday comedy before Ostrovsky, but no one had this life illuminated so widely and deeply, no one before Ostrovsky looked so seriously at the foundations of this system of life in the “dark kingdom”. For Gogol, who knew the bureaucratic world well (“Dead Souls”, “The Inspector General”), merchant life was barely outlined in the most general outline in his “Marriage”, where he brought out both the old Testament merchants in the person of Arina Panteleevna, the young merchant Starikov and the father of Agafya Tikhonovna, with his imperious hand, “the size of a bucket” - and the new one, which is already reaching out to the nobility, - in the person of Agafya Tikhonovna .

Ostrovsky lovingly outlined many of the bright sides of the “Old Testament” merchants, he noted the patriarchal simplicity and cordiality that binds everyone, both relatives and employees, into one family, he also noted the closeness of these merchant houses to the people, the worldview in these houses is still purely folk, entertainment is also popular. But Ostrovsky did not close his eyes to the dark sides of this life, paying special attention to the despotism that flowed from the patriarchal structure of the then merchant life. When this despotism was not softened by reason and cordiality, it turned into wild and bizarre “tyranny.” This very term was introduced into circulation by Ostrovsky, who in the comedy “At Someone Else’s Feast There’s a Hangover,” through the mouth of one character, gives the following definition of this trait:

A tyrant - it’s called when a person doesn’t listen to anyone; You can even amuse him with a stake on his head, but he’s all his own. He will stamp his foot and say: “Who am I?” - here everyone at home is already at his feet, otherwise there’s trouble!

Feeling his strength not only physical, but also spiritual over the depersonalized, humiliated household, spoiled by the consciousness of his strength, the “tyrant”, often a person who is not evil in himself, mocks everyone, demands to guess what his “leg wants.” “Nastasya,” says one of these tyrants to his wife, “who dares to offend me?” “No one, Father Kit Kitich, dares to offend you. You yourself will offend everyone.”

Such “tyranny,” a phenomenon as characteristic as “Oblomovism,” grew up among us for centuries and was best preserved in the rough environment of the merchants, who retained their originality more than the nobility... To a lesser extent and in a more softened form, such despotism preserved in other classes: S. Aksakov, in his “ Family Chronicle", gave several examples of this type; Goncharov brought him out as a “grandmother” (“ Break"), Pushkin - in Troekurov and old man Grinev ("

Detailed plan for the essay ““Merchants and Citizenship” in N.V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General””
I Introduction
1. The question of how the “merchants and citizens” will react to the arrival of the auditor worries Gorodnichy. He believes, not without reason, that a flood of complaints will fall on the visiting official. Representatives of merchants and citizens could talk about many abuses committed by city authorities.
2. Who represents “merchants and citizenship” in the play? By decree of Catherine II of 1775, a division into classes was established in Russia, of which the peasantry, merchants and petty bourgeois were classified as taxable, that is, those obliged to pay taxes. Merchants and townspeople (the latter are called “citizens” by the Mayor) were subject to conscription and had limited freedom of movement. The bourgeoisie included artisans, small traders and homeowners; these were freed peasants or ransomed peasants from serfdom, soldiers who had served their term of service, but never nobles, even those who were impoverished, so Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky find themselves surrounded by the Governor and not opposed to him.
Merchants:
A. Merchant Abdulin.
b. Merchant Chernyaev.
V. Other merchants whose names are not mentioned.
Bourgeois:
A. Innkeeper.
b. Teachers.
V. Non-commissioned officer's widow.
City locksmith Fevronya Petrovna Poshlepkina.
d. Tens, who were chosen from the townspeople from every tenth household to assist the police. “Helping” actually involves sweeping the streets.
e. Other residents of the city.
3. It should be said that all representatives of the “merchants and citizens” in the play are considered secondary or episodic acting persons. There are off-stage characters whom V. Nabokov, characterizing Gogol’s creative method, calls “homunculi”, born of the poetic imagination of the author (V. Nabokov, “Nikolai Gogol”).
4. The Gorodnichy and other officials of the district city have committed many crimes and misdemeanors, and the injured party is often the representatives of the “merchants and citizens.” However, the author’s attitude towards the “injured party” is very ambiguous.
II Main part
5. The mayor’s misdeeds are varied and are connected mainly with his desire to enrich himself at the expense of his neighbor and to deceive the state. Anton Antonovich calls them “sins”. The surname “Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky” can be considered “speaking”: “draft” is associated with “draft”, and “dmukhnut” - “blow”, that is, an association arises with the expression “blown beast”.
A. Exorbitant fees.
b. Torture. He force-fed the merchants herring.
V. “We froze them,” that is, he constantly sent military personnel or officials who arrived in the city for official business to merchants’ and townspeople’s houses for temporary residence. Obviously, the Mayor expected a bribe from the homeowners for getting rid of this duty.
d. “He does not act according to his actions.” That is, he does not value the obedience of merchants and townspeople, punishes both the right and the wrong, and robs everyone without mercy.
d. “He takes whatever he gets.”
e. I came up with a second name day for myself in order to receive more offerings.
and. During his reign, a non-commissioned officer's widow was flogged. Women, when married, were considered to be of the same class and rank as their husbands. A non-commissioned officer is a lower rank, but still this is not a simple soldier or peasant who could be flogged with impunity. The mayor had to pay a fine for insulting the non-commissioned officer.
h. A married mechanic became a soldier. According to the law, it was impossible to give a married man as a soldier, but the parents of those whose turn it was to become recruits paid off with large bribes.
And. Participated in the theft of money intended for the construction of the temple.
j. Did not fight against abuses committed by other representatives of the city government.
6. Misconduct of officials
A. The trustee of charitable institutions, Artemy Filippovich Zemlyanika, is a “weasel and a rogue.” The charitable institutions under his leadership are poor and neglected; apparently, the trustee sends the funds intended for charitable institutions into his own pocket.
b. The superintendent of schools, Luka Lukich Khlopov, is not able to maintain order in the department entrusted to him. This frightened and pathetic little man himself admits that he is “afraid of everything.” There are no freethinkers in his department, but there are crazy and unbalanced teachers.
V. Judge Ammos Fedorovich Lyapki-Tyapkin - after Gorodnichy, the second person in the city - is more passionate about hunting than business, and does not hide the fact that he takes bribes with greyhound puppies. The judge had an assessor, a bitter drunkard. The cases in court were neglected and so complicated that even an inspector could hardly figure them out.
Postmaster Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin illustrates correspondence, that is, reads other people's letters, and even keeps the ones he likes for himself.
d. The private bailiff Stepan Ilyich Ukhovertov and the police are rude and prone to theft. The quarterly steals silver spoons from the tavern. “Ukhovertov”, “Derzhimorda” - “ speaking names”, indicating the methods by which these government officials restore order in the city. The mayor says: “Yes, tell Derzhimorda not to give too much free rein to his fists; For the sake of order, he puts lights under everyone’s eyes: both those who are right and those who are guilty.”
I recommend that you carefully read the text of the play and find as many examples of abuse as possible!
7. How do “merchants and citizens” react to abuses committed by city authorities?
A. Merchants are ready to give bribes; they are only dissatisfied with the amount of extortion.
b. No one is indignant that the temple has not been built, that the streets are dirty, that the hospital is not working well, that children are taught by half-crazed teachers; people complain to Khlestakov about personal troubles, do not think about what the city looks like, how the poor and disadvantaged live in it.
V. The non-commissioned officer's widow believes that being flogged is “great happiness”, since now she can demand a fine for the insult inflicted on her.
Mr. The locksmith is an intemperate and rude woman; it is not love, but a consumerist attitude towards her husband that makes her indignant at the fact that her husband was recruited into a soldier.
d. In the second scene of the last (fifth) act, the merchants congratulate the Governor and beg for mercy.
e. The only positive face in comedy is laughter. This is indeed so, since the “merchants and citizens” who suffered from the arbitrariness of officials moral qualities little different from his tormentors. They seem to suffer, but do not evoke the author’s sympathy.
III Conclusion
In Gogol's play, the role of minor, episodic and off-stage characters, united along social lines as “merchants and citizens,” is great.
It would seem that the residents of the county town suffered from the arbitrariness of officials, but they themselves do not resist the arbitrariness, they are ready to give bribes, live in a city where it is dirty and uncomfortable, and arrange dumps near any fence, curse the tormentors, shower them with terrible curses, but rejoice at the opportunity for their torment to receive some kind of bribe.
“Merchants and citizens” do not stand on the side of justice, therefore neither merchants nor citizens can be considered positive heroes opposed to city officials.
The only positive face in N.V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” is laughter. More often it is satirical laughter “through tears invisible to the world,” but it also contains notes of humor, irony, and sarcasm.

Correct link to the article:

Brykina Yu.Ya. — Early works A. N. Ostrovsky as a historical source for studying the objective world of merchants (using the example of a merchant house) // Genesis: historical studies.

- 2016. - No. 5. - P. 166 - 173. DOI: 10.7256/2409-868X.2016.5.18476 URL: https://nbpublish.com/library_read_article.php?id=18476

Early works of A. N. Ostrovsky as a historical source for studying the objective world of merchants (using the example of a merchant house)

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26-03-2016

10.7256/2409-868X.2016.5.18476

27-03-2016

Article review date:

09-11-2016

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The subject of this study is the description of a merchant's house in the works of A. N. Ostrovsky of the pre-reform period. The purpose of the study is to establish the degree of reliability in the description of the house and elements of the home interior in the early works of the playwright. The stereotype about the work of A. N. Ostrovsky as a literary pioneer of the merchant class was formed during the life of the playwright. His plays were perceived as “pictures from the life” of the trading class, which back in the 1830-1850s. existed in its own world, hidden from prying eyes. Already the playwright’s first works aroused wide interest from both critics and readers. Knowledge of the described environment from the inside, language, and creative manner of A. N. Ostrovsky gave special plausibility to his plays. The wide popularity of the works of A. N. Ostrovsky, from the appearance of the first plays to the present, the persistence of the stereotype of the “writer of everyday life of the merchants” prompted the scientific study of his work as a historical source for recreating the objective world of this class. The degree of authenticity in the depiction of the objective world of the merchants created by the playwright and reality can be determined by comparing the descriptions of the elements of a merchant's house in the plays of A. N. Ostrovsky with similar information from the memoirs of representatives of this class. Memoir heritage documenting the life of the Moscow merchants of the 1845-1860s. not much. The memoirs of N.P. Vishnyakov, N.K. Krestovnikov and N.A. Naidenov were taken for the study. The novelty of the research lies in the use of works of drama to study everyday life. Fiction as a historical source has long attracted the attention of researchers, however, plays are rarely used in this capacity. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that the home interior can be considered as a cultural code for understanding the characters of not only its inhabitants, in particular, but also the social group to which they belong in general. The description of the house consists of two parts: a description of the exterior and interior. The study found that descriptions appearance There is practically no merchant house in the plays. A. N. Ostrovsky limits himself to only mentioning the location of the action. The memories of merchant representatives make up for the lack of this information. As for the interior furnishings, a comparative analysis of the works of A. N. Ostrovsky and memoirs indicates the complete identity of the “literary” and actually existing interiors. This gives every reason to classify the playwright’s early works as historical sources for studying the objective world of the merchant class of the pre-reform period. The playwright created not only a typical image of the Moscow merchants, but also a typical picture of the objective environment of their existence. Reliability in the depiction of everyday life opens up opportunities for studying the work of A. N. Ostrovsky as a historical source in the depiction of morals and other aspects of life of both the merchant and other classes described in the works of the playwright.

Keywords: A. N. Ostrovsky, early dramaturgy of Ostrovsky, merchants, the life of the merchants, the objective world of the merchants, the interior of a merchant's house, the exterior of a merchant's house, historical source, memoirs of representatives of the merchants, cultural code

Abstract.

The subject of this research is the description of the merchant house in the compositions of A. N. Ostrovsky of the pre-reforming period. The goal of this work consists in establishing the level of authenticity in description of the house and elements of the home interior in the early oeuvres of the playwright. Stereotype about the creative work of A. N. Ostrovsky as the literary pathfinder of the merchant class, formed during the playwright’s lifetime. His plays were perceived as the “image of life” of the tradespeople, which in the 1830-1850’s has existed in its own, hidden from the strangers’ eyes of the world. Even the very first works of Ostrovsky attracted the interest of the critics and audience. The acquaintance with the environment from inside, language, and artistic manner of Ostrovsky imparted his compositions with a specific believability. The comparison of description of the elements of the merchant house in the works of A. N. Ostrovsky with the similar facts from the memories of the representatives of this class allow establishing the level of authenticity in depiction of the realities of the merchants. The memoir heritage, which has records of the life of Moscow merchants of 1845-1860’s, is not quite large. The scientific novelty consists in the use of the dramaturgical compositions for examination of the real life of the merchant class. The relevance of the work lies in the fact that home interior can be viewed as a cultural code towards understanding not only of the characters of its dwellers in particular, but also the social group which they belong to as a whole. The description of the house contains two parts: description of the interior and exterior. The research demonstrated that the plays do not depict the outside view of the merchant house. A. N. Ostrovsky just mentions the place of action. The memories of the merchant class representatives help to fulfill this gap in lack of information. As of the interior scenery, the comparative analysis of the works of A. N. Ostrovsky with the memoirs indicates the complete identity of the interiors pictured in the literary compositions and existed in reality.

Keywords:

Merchants, Cultural code, Memoirs of the merchant representatives, Historical source, Exterior of the merchant house, Interior of the merchant house, Realities of the merchant world, Daily life of the merchants, Early dramaturgy of A. N. Ostrovsky , A. N Ostrovsky

The problem of using works of fiction as a historical source has been relevant for several decades. A historiographical review of this issue is thoroughly presented in the article by I. A. Mankevich. If the source study approach to fiction generally entered into the practice of historical research, the use of drama as a historical source in research was practically not reflected.

The first articles devoted to the works of A. N. Ostrovsky began to appear immediately after the publication of the playwright’s first plays, and somewhat later studies of his work followed. However, the bulk of these works were and continue to be of a biographical or literary nature. The novelty of the research lies in the use of works by A. N. Ostrovsky as a historical source for recreating the objective world of the merchants.

The subject of this study was the description of a merchant's house in the early works of A.N. Ostrovsky.

The use of the comparative method made it possible to establish the degree of reliability in the description of the merchant's house in the works of A. N. Ostrovsky. For this purpose, the memoirs of representatives of the merchant families Vishnyakov, Krestovnikov, and Naydenov were selected, describing the home life of their families.

In his plays A. N. Ostrovsky portrayed representatives different classes, however, starting with the appearance of the play “Our People - We Will Be Numbered!”, among the overwhelming majority of critics, the playwright’s fame as a literary pioneer of the merchant class was established. This opinion was supported by the facts of the biography of the aspiring playwright. A. N. Ostrovsky was born in Zamoskvorechye and knew its life very well. Work in the Moscow Conscientious Court, and then in the Moscow Commercial Court, significantly enriched the experience of the young playwright, giving him knowledge of the language, life and psychology of merchant Moscow. Long trips along the Volga helped to feel the spirit of the provincial merchants. “Columbus of Zamoskvorechye”, “Przhevalsky of Inner Asia” - these epithets began to be most often applied to A. N. Ostrovsky. P. N. Polevoy, a historian of Russian and general literature, saw the merits of the playwright in the fact that “he was the first to lift the edge of the veil, which had hitherto hidden the isolated, tightly closed world of the merchants from everyone.” The famous actress A. I. Schubert noted: “But then Ostrovsky appeared, and the roles of merchants received the right of citizenship: before him, merchants were depicted only in caricature.” However, A. N. Ostrovsky was not the first who turned to the merchants as material literary embodiment. The merchant class was “discovered” through the efforts of a number of playwrights of the 18th century, and by prose writers even earlier. Playwrights of the 18th century covered almost all the main aspects of merchant life

Against the backdrop of vaudeville and melodrama, which filled the theater repertoire, everyday drama and comedy, including those with merchant themes, early XIX V. faded into the background. Only in the 1830s. The theater's keen interest in plays about the merchants became evident. A decade later, the life of a merchant in dramatic literature is already turning into a cliche. “The entire use of Russian imagination and humor on stage,” a theater observer wrote in 1847, “is limited... in comedy to two or three stereotypical figures of petty officials and merchants of Shchukin’s court, whose authors in each new play, like dolls, they only change into a new costume, depending on the time and location of the action.” During this period, numerous essays appeared about the merchants. Revival of interest in the merchant class in the 1830s - 1840s. explained by the increasing role of the commercial and industrial bourgeoisie. Already in 1832, most of the houses in Moscow belonged to the “middle class”. In 1845, V. G. Belinsky writes: “The core of the indigenous Moscow population is the merchant class. How many ancient noble houses have now become the property of the merchants!” The depiction of merchants at this time reflected public interest in this class. A. N. Ostrovsky managed to emphasize its most characteristic features. According to the remark of one of the largest researchers of the work of A. N. Ostrovsky, A. I. Revyakin, the playwright “found the essence of the general (requirements - Yu. B.’s note) of life at a time when they were hidden and expressed by very few and very weakly” . It was with the image of the merchants that A.N. began. Ostrovsky his work. The playwright discovered a country “until now unknown to anyone in detail and undescribed by any traveler... This country, according to official news, lies directly opposite the Kremlin, on the other side of the Moskva River, which is probably why it is called “Zamoskvorechye” ... Until now, only the position and name of this country were known; as for its inhabitants, that is, their way of life, language, morals, customs, degree of education - all this was covered in the darkness of the unknown.”

The choice of location for the early plays of A. N. Ostrovsky played an important role in his work. It is noteworthy that while very reliably describing the Moscow way of life, which was well known to him, when transferring the scene of the play to the provinces, the playwright preferred fictional cities. This formed the typical image of the provincial merchants.

The location of the first plays by A. N. Ostrovsky is Moscow. In the plays “Picture of Family Happiness” and “Our People – Let’s Be Numbered!” - Zamoskvorechye. The playwright moves the actions of the so-called “Slavophile” plays from the capital to the district towns (the fictional Cheremukhin, “Don’t sit in your own sleigh”), then returns again to the capital (“At someone else’s feast, a hangover,” “Holiday dream,” “Didn’t get along”) characters"). Moreover, the last two plays are designated by A.N. Ostrovsky as pictures of Moscow life. The drama "The Thunderstorm" takes place in the fictional city of Kalinov on the banks of the Volga. The events described in the comedies “Picture of Family Happiness” and “Our People - Let's Be Numbered!” unfold in the merchant houses of the Puzatovs and Bolshovs. Scenes "Morning" young man"played out in Nedopekin's room, but in which one it is not known exactly. If in the first plays of A.N. Ostrovsky, all events take place in the enclosed space of a house, then in the play “Don’t Sit in Your Own Sleigh,” the action moves from a tavern to a merchant’s house, to a Russian wooden hut. The same can be observed in “The Thunderstorm”, where only the 2nd act takes place in the house, and all the rest - in a public garden, on the banks of the Volga. Thus, A. N. Ostrovsky gradually takes the characters out of the houses, trying to show their relationships , both with each other and with representatives of other social groups. This allows us to determine the difference in behavior at home and in public places. However, while expanding the location of the plays, the playwright rarely moved it outside of Moscow. Thus, the plays of the pre-reform period form a stereotype about the life and morals of the Moscow merchants.

There are practically no descriptions of the house's exterior in the plays. Memoirs help fill in the missing information. For example, from the memoirs of N.A. Naydenov, you can find out that the house in which the family lived was built in the 1820s. and for a long time (until the 1870s) it was not equipped. The house had a stone extension and was surrounded by two gardens.

The Vishnyakov family lived in a house that consisted of two stone buildings: the front, main, two-story with a mezzanine, overlooking Malaya Yakimanka, and the back, three-story, standing in the courtyard. The house had a large garden and courtyard with a bathhouse, a storage room, a barn and a stable. The family kept 5 horses: one ceremonial riding pair, a simpler pair and a single horse. The bathhouse was dilapidated and was rarely used, preferring public baths. Little Nikolai Vishnyakov was washed in the kitchen, on a Russian stove.

A. N. Ostrovsky pays more attention to the interior decoration of the house. In the first plays this trait is still weakly expressed. For example, the playwright does not mention the situation in Bolshov’s house (“We are our own people!”), however, from Lipochka’s conversation about her future home and her desire to decorate it with “puketas” and “birds of paradise,” we can conclude that despite Bolshov’s wealth and fashionable trends did not in any way affect Bolshov’s house. Lipochka could dream of a house like the Puzatovs had, for example (“ Family picture"). A. N. Ostrovsky described one of the rooms in this house: the room is furnished “without taste”; above the sofa there are portraits, on the ceiling there are “birds of paradise” (which Lipochka dreamed of so much), on the windows there are multi-colored draperies and bottles of castor oil.

The rooms of the young merchants were different from the rooms in the Puzatovs’ house. For example, Podkhalyuzin’s living room (“We’ll count our own people!”) is richly furnished, and Nedopekin’s room (“Morning of a Young Man”) meets the requirements of fashion, but does not look tasteless. In the young man’s room there was a Turkish sofa and “all kinds of upholstered furniture,” a desk with rich accessories, a dressing table; the windows are “luxuriously” draped, there are prints on the walls.

The “Slavophile” plays of A. N. Ostrovsky already describe merchant houses in more detail. Depicting the life of Rusakov (“Don’t sit in your own sleigh”), the playwright seems to be trying to show the house of one of the best representatives of the merchant class (unlike Bolshov and Puzatov), the guardian of Russian life (unlike Tortsov, “Poverty is not a vice” ). The room in Rusakov’s house has the “usual interior of a merchant’s house”: a table, a sofa, flowers on the windows, a guitar. In his notes to the play, A. N. Ostrovsky describes the room as follows: “a room in a merchant’s house, cleanly decorated and well furnished, there are flowers on the windows, family portraits on the walls and antique clock". In this house there are no longer “birds of paradise”, “capidons”, “pouquets”, or bottles on the windows. Tortsov's living room is the complete opposite of Rusakov's room. There is a sofa, a large table and six armchairs, mirrors, and under the mirrors there are small tables. The living room of Gordey Karpych cannot have the “ordinary interior of a merchant’s house,” since Tortsov strives to follow fashion in everything and is ashamed of everything Russian and traditional. Although the houses of Rusakov and Tortsov are very different from each other, they have nothing in common with the tasteless house of the Puzatovs. In addition to the living room in Tortsov’s house, A. N. Ostrovsky described the rooms of Pelageya Egorovna (the wife of Gordey Karpych) and the clerk Mitya. Tortsova’s room is a “hostess’s office”, from where she manages the entire house and where she receives guests. The “office” is furnished with various types of cabinets, chests and shelves with dishes and silver; The furniture in the room includes sofas, armchairs, tables: “everything is very rich and placed closely.”

In subsequent plays, A. N. Ostrovsky pays little attention to interior details. From the playwright’s notes, you can find out that the living rooms in the houses of Bruskov (“At Someone Else’s Feast, a Hangover”) and Nichkina (“A Festive Dream - Before Dinner”) are rich. In addition to good furniture, Nichkina’s living room also had a piano. There is not even such information about the houses of Dikiy (“Thunderstorm”), Kabanikha (“Thunderstorm”), Tolstogorazdov (“They didn’t get along”).

Thus, the objective life of the merchants is described in most detail in the early and “Slavophile” plays of A. N. Ostrovsky. Probably, using this technique, the playwright tried to complement the characters. Subsequently, the playwright uses other techniques, but to achieve the same goal.

Describing the home environment is one of the techniques that allows you to reveal the character of the inhabitants of the house. Negative traits The Bolshovs and Puzatovs are emphasized by their passion for “birds of paradise” and colorful draperies. The playwright focuses on the bad taste of the characters. The well-furnished room of Nedopekin, the living room of Tortsov, these followers of fashion, reveal other character traits. The house of the merchant Rusakov differs from previous interiors in the absence of both fashionable elements and “bundles” with “birds of paradise”. There are no frills, everything is modest and neat.

The early works of A. N. Ostrovsky include the essay “Notes of a Zamoskvoretsky Resident.” This genre allowed A. N. Ostrovsky to describe in more detail one of the merchant interiors: “It is she (the Zamoskvoretsk force - Yu. B.’s note) that drives a man into a stone house and locks the iron gates behind him<…>she puts a cross on the gate because of an evil spirit, and because of evil people she lets dogs roam the yard. She places bottles in the windows, buys annual quantities of fish, honey, cabbage and salts corned beef for future use.” Rich merchants painted their houses in an “amazing way.” The “house” of the moneylender Mavra Agurevna was “littered and filled with things of all kinds: there were pianos, tables, and chests of drawers, clocks of various shapes on the tables, cloaks hung in the corners under the sheets, overcoats warm and cold, silver in the cupboards, table linen and, in a word, everything that a person can pawn in need.”

Memoirists also paid attention to describing the home environment. The Vishnyakov family owned a house with 20 rooms. N.P. Vishnyakov describes it as follows: “The mezzanine of the main house faced the street with three large, high and bright windows - a hall and two living rooms. According to the custom of that time, they were intended exclusively “for the parade,” i.e. for receiving guests." The living rooms, “distinguished by their relatively modest size, low ceilings and small windows into the courtyard,” occupied the third floor of the second house. The walls of the main staircase were painted with landscapes with shepherdesses, sheep, deer and birds of paradise. The front rooms were decorated with glass cabinets with shelves, “on which were placed a lot of things that were valuable from memories - those sometimes expensive trinkets that had historical meaning to the lives of their owners" (gilded cups, painted snuff boxes, bottles, ivory fans, bronze incense burners of various shapes, cups for flowers and bouquets, gifts and offerings from relatives and friends). In the first living room there was a large English Benjamin Ward clock with mechanics. In the second living room, above the large sofa hung large oil portraits of P. M. Vishnyakov and his first wife. According to N. P. Vishnyakov, the situation in the house did not change for years, remaining the same from day to day, from year to year.

The Krestovnikov family also owned a large house, consisting of a main building in the style of the Alexander era, three large stone outbuildings and large servants' quarters. There were two gardens near the house. The main staircase was made of granite. The vast living room and hall with choirs were painted on the walls and ceiling with landscapes depicting Naples with Vesuvius spewing fiery lava, views of Switzerland, flying cupids, etc. There were many living rooms on all floors; the lower floor housed an office and rooms for employees.

Thus, A. N. Ostrovsky’s plays and memoirs in describing the interior of a merchant’s house do not contradict each other. The playwright’s works say practically nothing about the exterior of the house. Drama, more focused on the viewer, as a historical source for studying the objective world of the merchants, is labor-intensive to research. However, A.N. Ostrovsky did not neglect the opportunity to introduce additional, very subtle, but apt semantic accents into his works, laconically describing the elements of the home environment. This allows us to more fully reveal the characters of the inhabitants of the house and allows us to reconstruct not only the objective, but also the spiritual world of the merchants.

Bibliography

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A. N. Ostrovsky is a writer who introduced unrivaled innovation and pressing social themes into Russian drama that had not been raised before. Ostrovsky entered drama with his merchant hero.

The world of merchants in Ostrovsky's comedies

Ostrovsky's merchants are a whole world, where their own rules and responsibilities, customs and regulations, moral and ethical standards reign. The playwright's work was entirely devoted to the study of the life of the merchants.

This was new for the Russian literary environment, because earlier in drama, like all other genres, the emphasis was placed primarily on relationships within the nobility or peasantry.

The great playwright raised in his works topics relating to both national acute social problems associated with the strengthening and formation of the merchant class, as well as issues that faced an individual person. The world of merchants is cruel and principled; it has its own laws, which often go against the spiritual worldview of a person.

Ostrovsky, thanks to his social sense, was able to sense new changes in the life of society. The heroes of Onegin, Chatsky and Pechorin were already losing their relevance, because they did not correspond to the new social environment. Ostrovsky created his own hero, who is a prominent representative of the era.

Ostrovsky's dramaturgy

He doesn't single out any positive hero, since they were all guided by their own selfish goals and were easily able to step over universal human values. The merchant class was described by the author as a society for which the main goal in life is material enrichment.

The victims of such a society are people seeking spiritual development and freedom. The heroine of Catherine from “The Thunderstorm” appears on the pages of Russian literature. She is a child of the merchant era, but instead of joining environment and accept its rules and norms, she tries to change her life and gain spiritual freedom.

The price of such disagreement is life main character. Merchant society turned out to be stronger than a free individual, and yet was able to drive her into a dead end. Play "Storm" raised another important social issue of that time. The peasantry remained the bearers of Russian culture; the nobility in that era was actually Europeanized.

The merchants broke away from the peasantry economically, and accordingly began to alienate themselves from their traditions. However, the merchants, so eager to be like the aristocracy, were never able to reach their level of cultural development.

The spiritual life of merchants represented a kind of symbiosis of native Russian and new European traditions. Often it looked like a caricature of the life of the noble classes.

This situation is vividly described in the comedy play "Poverty is not a vice", Where main character carried away by Western trends, does not allow his daughter to marry a poor, but dearly loved man. But still, at the end of the work, not without the help of his brother, he returns to ancient Russian traditions and blesses her for marriage.

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Portrayal of merchants in the plays of A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" and "Forest"

annotation scientific article on linguistics and literary criticism, author of the scientific work - Boyko Vladimir Petrovich

Related topics scientific works on linguistics and literary criticism, the author of the scientific work is Vladimir Petrovich Boyko

Russian merchants in plays by A.N. Ostrovsky and in the articles of his critics

Text of scientific work on the topic “Russian merchants in the plays of A. N. Ostrovsky and in the articles of his critics”

The world of merchants in Ostrovsky's comedies

Ostrovsky's dramaturgy

Makeup. Skin and hair care. Manicure

annotation scientific article on linguistics and literary criticism, author of the scientific work - Boyko Vladimir Petrovich

Related topics scientific works on linguistics and literary criticism, the author of the scientific work is Vladimir Petrovich Boyko

Russian merchants in plays by A.N. Ostrovsky and in the articles of his critics

Text of scientific work on the topic “Russian merchants in the plays of A. N. Ostrovsky and in the articles of his critics”

The world of merchants in Ostrovsky's comedies

Ostrovsky's dramaturgy

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