Great Russian literature consists of a huge number of genres. One of the most interesting and most revealing is poetry. Famous poets of the 18th century had a significant impact on its development.
What is poetry?
This is a special kind of art, quite complex and multifaceted. In world literature, poetry is of great importance. From ancient times to the present day, it exists in various spheres of human activity. It is enough to recall how the people together sing funny songs during the holidays, the texts of which were created by poets of the 18th century, the 19th and the 20th. In the war, poetic lines and corresponding melodies raised the patriotic spirit of the fighters who fought for the Fatherland.
In the Middle Ages, singing serenades under the balconies of beautiful ladies was especially popular - in this way men confessed their love feelings. Russian and foreign poets of the 18th century (including Friedrich Schiller and Robert Burns) created such delightful masterpieces that in the next century there was a fashionable tendency for noble gentlemen to recite verses to ladies dear to their hearts.
Thanks to poetry, it is possible to convey the emotions, feelings and mood of a person, his attitude to surrounding events. Among the poetic works, lyrics, drama, a novel in poems and a poem stand out especially. All of them, unlike prose, have different ways of organizing artistic speech. Today, despite the changed rhythm of life, other tastes and preferences, poetry remains a faithful companion of man.
The time of the appearance of poetry in Russia
Russian poetry arose in the seventeenth century. Speaking about the famous poets of Russia, we should mention the name of Simeon Polotsky - the first poet, Russian professional poet. He owns solemn poems, which are rightly considered a type of ode. Russian poets of the 18th century learned a lot from his most interesting works. Simeon of Polotsk, being the main poet of his time, created two collections of syllabic poems. Another great merit of the poet is that he introduced Moscow to the dramatic art by writing three plays in the spirit of medieval mysteries. These plays were staged at the royal court.
18th century Russian poetry
Russian poets of the 18th century used syllabic versification in their works. Thus, they continued the foundations and traditions laid down by Simeon of Polotsk. Starting from the middle of this century, syllabic versification is replaced by a syllabic-tonic verse. The creators of the new poetic system were famous poets of the 18th century: Lomonosov M.V., Sumarokov A.P. and Trediakovsky V.K. Of the genres existing at that time, they preferred a laudatory ode. The great scientist of Russia Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov was no less remarkable poet. Most often in his work he used iambic. In his opinion, it was iambic that gave the poem special magnificence and nobility. He suggested that all kinds of rhymes be used in poetry.
Russian poets of the 18th century. List
- Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev.
- Alexey Andreevich Rzhevsky.
- Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov.
- Anna Petrovna Bunina.
- Anna Sergeyevna Zhukova.
- Andrey Andreevich Nartov.
- Antioch Dmitrievich Kantemir.
- Vasily Petrovich Petrov.
- Vasily Vasilyevich Popugaev.
- Vasily Lvovich Pushkin.
- Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky.
- Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin.
- Gavriil Petrovich Kamenev.
- Ermil Ivanovich Kostrov.
- Ivan Semenovich Barkov.
- Ippolit Fedorovich Bogdanovich.
- Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev.
- Ivan Petrovich Pnin.
- Ivan Ivanovich Chemnitzer.
- Ivan Mikhailovich Dolgoruky.
- Ivan Perfilievich Elagin.
- Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov.
- Mikhail Ivanovich Popov.
- Mikhail Matveevich Kheraskov.
- Nikolai Nikitich Popovsky.
- Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov.
- Pavel Pavlovich Ikosov.
- Semyon Sergeevich Bobrov.
- Sergey Nikiforovich Marin.
- Yakov Borisovich Knyazhnin.
Fundamental differences of 18th-century Russian poetry from Old Russian literature
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin underlined with one phrase the new character of literature that poets of the 18th century brought with them. What were the cardinal differences of this century from the previous stages of the history of literature? First of all, in ancient Russian literature the author’s principle was completely absent. A huge number of writers were nameless. Then there was impersonal literature, which corresponded to feudal ideology and religious consciousness. In this regard, Old Russian literature resembles folklore, where the authorship was also absent. There were great masters of their craft, but not artists with a bright and characteristic personality. In the Renaissance, the idea of personality arose in the West. At this time, new literature appeared, where the author's beginning came to the fore. In Russia, the idea of personality was born much later, in the great Petrine era. The poets of the 18th century and their works marked the beginning of a new period. Russian literature received a dynamic and rapid development. In just 70 years, such successes have appeared in literature that have been conquered for centuries in other countries.
The first steps of Russian literature of the new time
A solid foundation was laid within three decades by three poets.
In 1729, from the pen of A.D. Cantemira left the first satire, which opened a whole direction. In 1735 V.K. Trediakovsky aims to create nationally distinctive literature and is reforming versification. The syllabonic system proposed by the poet opened up the prospect of the development of Russian poetry. Its importance and wisdom, as well as its wide possibilities, have been confirmed. To date, this system is used by contemporary artists.
In 1739 M.V. Lomonosov creates an ode "On the capture of Khotin," based on the reform developed by Trediakovsky.
The great Russian poet M.V. Lomonosov, through his work, radically changed the appearance and character of literature, its role and place in the cultural and social life of the country. Our literature affirmed its right to exist in poetic genres and “spoke” to the reader in a completely new language. This was achieved by poets of the 18th century. The Russian verses of these creators are so magnificent that over the course of a century, poetry has occupied a dominant position. It is thanks to her that prose is successfully perceived, which arose from the 1760s and gained its heyday in the 30s of the 19th century. Then, when A.S. lived and created their unique creations Pushkin and N.V. Gogol. After this, prose will take its first place in the literature.
Conclusion
Thus, the poets of the 18th century made a great contribution to the development of Russian poetry. They used syllabic versification in their works. Thus, they continued the foundations and traditions laid down by Simeon of Polotsk. The creators of the new poetic system were: A.D. Cantemir, M.V. Lomonosov, A.P. Sumarokov and V.K. Trediakovsky. Thanks to them, poetry has held a dominant position for a century. The poems of Russian poets of the 18th century are magnificent. They won the hearts of many readers.