Historical and cultural process and periodization of Russian literature. Periodization of Russian literature of the 19-20 centuries: table

Russian literature is a great asset of the entire Russian people. Without it, starting from the 19th century, world culture is unthinkable. The historical-cultural process and periodization of Russian literature have their own logic and characteristic features. Beginning more than a thousand years ago, its phenomenon continues to develop in the time frame of our days. It will be he who will be the subject of the description of this article. We will answer the question of what is the periodization of Russian literature (RL).

general information

At the very beginning of the story, we generalized and presented the periodization of Russian literature. The table, which compactly and clearly demonstrates the main stages of its development, illustrates the development of the cultural process in Russia. Next, consider the information in detail.

The periodization of Russian literature is as follows:

The purpose of this article is to provide a brief description of the stages of development of the radar presented in the table.

Russian literature in antiquity

• The pre-literary stage, it is characterized by a lack of writing and the formation of an oral epic (epics and tales transmitted orally from generation to generation). This period ended with the invention of Old Russian writing in the framework of the adoption of Christianity (10th century A.D.).
• Old Russian literature (11-17th century). The main genres were chronicles, as well as church-religious texts.

Read more about Old Russian literature. Dawn of creativity

The creation of Old Russian literature (DRL) as a cultural phenomenon was facilitated by two events: the invention of writing and the translation of Christian religious texts (initially the DRL was strictly canonical). In other words, the periodization of Russian literature has its starting point on the timeline.

The writing was created by the ancient Greek monks - brothers Cyril and Methodius at the request of the Moravian (present-day Czech Republic) Prince Rostislav and the blessing of the hundred and seventh Pope Adrian II at the end of the 9th century. Almost at the same time, the Psalter and the Gospel were translated into a new language. Through the communication of monasteries at the end of the 9th century, writing penetrated the territory of Ancient Rus, where the first writers were monks: Nestor, Hilarion, Polycarpus and Simon, Cyril Turovsky, Archpriest Avvakum and others. The periodization of ancient Russian literature can be divided into five stages:

1. The period of the creation of the school of canonical Orthodox DRL in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra by the monks Anthony and Theodosius. Writing by the monk Nestor in the XII century, "The Tale of Bygone Years."
2. At monasteries (the cities of Vladimir-Zalessky, Suzdal, Smolensk, etc.), new DRL centers are created. The development of the literary process is noticeable.
3. The periodization of ancient Russian literature contains a period of violent deformation of society: the stage of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. In the first half of the century, “The Life of the Right Prince Alexander Nevsky”, “The Word about the Ruin of the Russian Earth” were created. At the second stage, ending with the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, the annals take on a heroic and panegyric character.
4. The period of the decline of DRL, lasting until the end of the XVI century. The readership is limited to monasteries and a few literate nobles, by the way, trained by the same monks.
5. The last stage of the DRL prepared the final transition from canonical literature to author's literature. It is characterized by the emergence of new genres: historical, autobiographical narration, poetry. The subject of DRL is gradually becoming the everyday sphere of human activity, a more tangible personal beginning. The era of transformations of Peter I affects the literary process.

What priceless literary works does the periodization of Russian literature characterize at the DRL stage? The table below systematically shows these compositions.

Literature of the Russian Empire

The positive influence of the state on the literary process is demonstrated by the history of the Russian Empire. It cannot be argued that writers were nurtured there. However, civil society existed in the country. There was a certain pluralism of opinions. With the formation of statehood, experts distinguish in the history of literature:

• The period of the Russian Enlightenment. It represents a fundamentally important stage, chronologically covering the 18th century. In the literature, the main niche is occupied by classics, laying the foundation for its further development.
• A special superproductive "golden stage", which supplemented the periodization of Russian literature in the 19th century. She finally declared herself in full voice, actively influencing world literature. The works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov became a favorite classic for a foreign reader.

XVIII century in the periodization of Russian literature

The stage of the Russian Enlightenment is chronologically correlated with the European enlightenment, the tone set by France.

The first Russian emperor Peter I and Empress Catherine II systematically introduced European secularism into literature. Future writers began to receive university education. By the decree of Peter I, the Academic University and the Academy of Arts were opened, by decree of Catherine II - Moscow State University.

The scientist, poet and publicist Lomonosov, poet Vasily Trediakovsky, linguist and writer Dmitry Kantemir became early Russian enlighteners. A Russian silabotonic versification system was developed. A century later, she declared herself in the splendor and charisma of the work of Pushkin and Lermontov. However, we will mention them later, when we will discuss the periodization of Russian literature of the 19th century.

In the second half of the XVIII century. The directions of the literary process in Russia were determined by the first playwright Denis Fonvizin (it is difficult to underestimate the influence of his "Little Growth" on the education of the nobility) and the first writer - an opponent of the government, who can be called a people's conscience - Alexander Radishchev.

Even the perspicacious Catherine II did not realize then that the genius of the writer and philosopher showed her as a hint the pain points of the Russian Empire, which should be reformed. But she then acted as the chief apologist for the feudal system, calling Alexander Nikolaevich for his ideas set forth in Travels from St. Petersburg to Moscow, a "rebel worse than Pugachev."

Unfortunately, rulers often do not hear the voice of Cassandra, sounding in the works of the classics!

The era of the Russian Enlightenment laid a good foundation for the further rise of creativity. Pride in the homeland, which broke Napoleon, the conqueror of Europe, also served as an incentive for future intellectual breakthroughs.

Background and birth of Russian realism of the XIX century

The periodization of Russian literature of the 19th century reflects the formation of a new classical world literature. How hard it is to write succinctly about the literature of this century!

The first two decades of the golden Russian century of literature can be called the interaction and competition of various styles.

In the style of sentimentalism, the historian and writer Nikolai Karamzin created. The classic poet Gabriel Derzhavin created magnificent odes (for example, “Felitsa” - in honor of Catherine II), which became the titular imperial works.

Classicism and a pre-trial position are characteristic of the poet Vasily Zhukovsky, the author of the first anthem of Russia (“Prayer of Russians”).

The executed Decembrist and poet Kondraty Ryleev wrote in the style of civil romanticism.

The second stage, which is famous for the periodization of Russian literature of the 19th century, can rightly be called Pushkin's. Indeed, it is tedious to overestimate the contribution to the Russian language and Russian poetry of the rhyme wizard Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. His words about himself, who created the “miraculous monument”, turned out to be prophetic.

The creativity of a genius was multifaceted. The poet began to write in the style of romanticism (poems "Gypsies", "Bakhchisarai Fountain"). Then, after the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, in his work the historicism and civicism characteristic of classicism began to appear more powerfully (the tragedy “Boris Godunov”, the poem “Poltava”).

Then Alexander Sergeyevich goes in his work to a completely new style - Russian realism. His novel in verses “Eugene Onegin” and the collection of prose “Belkin's Tales” are full of truth about the social condition of people, life credibility.

The third stage of golden Russian literature of the 19th century

Pushkin was the spark that ignited the flame. It is like a chain reaction. Later, two classics developed Pushkin's Russian realism: Lermontov and Gogol, but each in its own way. Lermontov delves deep into the personality of the protagonist, a man tormented by contradictions, conflicting with the outside world and not finding use for his life forces. Gogol, on the other hand, is going “in breadth”, trying to present a global picture of Russian life.

And as a result, already at its third stage the world is surprised by the unprecedented creative potential of the periodization of Russian literature of the 19th century. The table of Russian classics who worked between 1840 and 1990 contains world-famous names.

All these lights of Russian literature realized what invaluable creative legacy they received from their predecessors. And they managed to use it correctly. You must admit that the periodization of 19th-century Russian literature, adorned with the names of the classics not forgotten and now in the world, is impressive. This table, we note, is artificially limited to the ten most vivid persons who are the creators of entire creative directions.

XX century. Periodization of literature

The silver age of Russian literature is called the short period: from 1892 to 1921. It is distinguished by a powerful upsurge of poetic creativity, a real constellation of rhyme makers. Judge for yourselves: Alexander Blok, Anna Akhmatova, Marina Tsvetaeva, Nikolai Gumilev, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Sergey Yesenin. What gave birth to him? The revolutionary utopian romanticism with which the creative elite of Russian society fell ill?

The Soviet period of Russian literature is characterized by a confrontation between the formal, canonically “soviet” socialist realism and individual artists who risked to go beyond their works. For some reason, it is believed that the periodization of Russian literature of the 20th century states an exclusively systemic decline from the widespread dictate of ideological cliches.

One can only regret that literary critics who preach this view reflected reality only in black and white. Was it really so?

The antagonism of literature and totalitarianism

Yes, on the whole, mass Soviet literature was decadent. Yes, a few were engaged in real creativity. However, literature still did not enter the crisis. Boris Pasternak did not follow the zombie influence of the Communists, going against the tide and writing in the language of a “smoking conscience” the truth about his generation, becoming an outcast in his homeland. This is what the dying Mikhail Bulgakov did when, contrary to everything, not published by the will of Stalin, he wrote “Masters and Margarita” on the table.

And sometimes the pen of the author inexplicably and imperiously led love for his small Motherland, which did not allow either to lie or to grovel. So once it happened to the communist Mikhail Sholokhov, when he wrote his “Quiet Don”. Despite the attacks and “urgent recommendations”, he did not change the image of Grigory Melekhov under the Soviet standard. Often the Strugatsky brothers wrote to the table, whose works also had nothing to do with the notorious socialist realism.

However, it should be recognized that the periodization of Russian literature, depending on the political commitment of its interpreting persons, ambiguously characterizes this period.

New Russian literature

New Russian literature was born in 1991, after the collapse of the USSR. The start was set for her by convicting works, among which the “Gulag Archipelago” by Alexander Solzhenitsyn stands out, as well as the works of emigrants who became legal in the homeland: Vladimir Nabokov, Ivan Shmelev, Andrey Bely, Konstantin Balmont.

Then, during perestroika, a new wave of writers was initiated in Russian literature: Viktor Pelevin, Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Boris Akunin, Sergey Lukyanenko. These novelist writers are characterized by the compositional skills of the classic, the unique artistic vision of the problems of our time, the masterful plot construction, and the narrative fascination.

Obviously, the historical and cultural process and the periodization of Russian literature are constantly in a state of development. Who knows, maybe we are now at the beginning of the time period when Russian literature is again entering a new quality. One thing is not in doubt: new approaches in it, like new trends, are no doubt still to come.

XX century - the crisis of Russian literature

The periodization of Russian literature of the 20th century involves three periods:

1. The Silver Age is a short time at the turn of the century.
2. 20s - the middle of the 50s of the 20th century.
3. The second half of the 50s - 90s of the 20th century.

The Silver Age began in the 90s of the 19th century. The poets, whose heyday fell on this period, is filled with a premonition of a revolutionary crisis. The verses of Alexander Blok, Nikolai Gumilyov, Marina Tsvetaeva, Anna Akhmatova are full of sadness. The masters of the word of art are sentimental and refined, like autumn flowers, foreseeing the approach of frost ...

Since 1917, with the growth of the class struggle in society, the transition to the next stage of Russian literature of the 20th century begins. As a reflection of this process, the chased lines of Vladimir Mayakovsky, which gloomyly predict the "last hour" "bourgeois", should be taken.

In 1921, the first stage ended. Russian literature was divided into two parts: writers living in Soviet Russia, and their emigrated colleagues. The former tried to “destroy to the ground”, the latter tried to preserve traditions. The reason for the separation was the publication of the pro-partisan literary journals "Press and Revolution" and "Krasnaya Nov".

In 1932, these magazines cheerfully stated the fact of creating a new style of fiction of socialist realism. Emigrant writers initially rejected the concept of party creativity, first voiced in the novel "Mother" by M. Gorky.

Among the poets of the second period, M. Voloshin, N. Klyuyev, V. Khodasevich, N. Rubtsov, N. Zabolotsky stand out. Among the writers are E. Zamyatin, M. Prishvin, I. Babel, A. Green.

The death of I.V. Stalin (1953) marks a qualitatively new stage in literature. Weakened party dictatorship. Writers hope for creative freedom. However, instead, Secretary General Khrushchev announces the persecution of Nobel laureate Boris Pasternak for the novel Doctor Zhivago. Poets and writers emigrate from the USSR (for example, Joseph Brodsky). Honest works find readers through "samizdat".

However, already in the 60s young poets mark the “thaw”: emotional Yevgeny Yevtushenko, lyrical Bella Akhmadulina, inclined to innovation Andrei Voznesensky, pathetic civil Robert Rozhdestvensky.

There is also a deep, unbiased prose about contemporaries, about their soul movements, suffering from such writers: Vasily Shukshin, Yuri Kazakov, Valentin Rasputin. Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Anatoly Rybakov write epic novels about the terrible time of the personality cult. In dramaturgy, plays appear illuminating the inner world of a person (for example, “Duck Hunt” and “The Elder Son” of playwright Alexander Vampilov).

Conclusion

Russian literature is really capable of stirring up "good feelings." Its potential is bottomlessly deep. From the sunny musical syllable of Pushkin and Balmont to the intellectually deep and imaginative representation of our virtual age by Pelevin. Fans of sentimental lyrics will love the work of Akhmatova. It contains both the wisdom inherent in Tolstoy and the filigree psychology of Dostoevsky, to whom Freud himself took off his hat. Even among prose writers there are those whose syllable in artistic expression resembles poetry. These are Turgenev and Gogol. Lovers of subtle humor will discover Ilf and Petrov. Those who want to enjoy the adrenaline from the plots of the criminal world will open the novels of Friedrich Neznansky. Fantasy connoisseurs will not be disappointed by the books of Vadim Panov.

In Russian literature, every reader will be able to find something that touches his soul. Good books are like friends or fellow travelers. They are able to console, advise, entertain, support.