At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, symbolism in literature designated a special stage characteristic of that time. His trends were felt throughout the last decades of the nineteenth century. Symbolism in literature, with its aesthetics and philosophical aspirations, matured against the backdrop of the political reaction that came after the defeat of revolutionary populism. This era was a social stagnation. Symbolism was born in this era.
Literature, poetry in particular, was experiencing almost a disease, decline at that time. Poetry, having lost its former strength, tension and height, faded and faded. The technique of the poem itself has lost its energy and truly creative beginning.
Symbolism in literature was formed in the form of a protest against impoverishment, the desire to restore the power of life to it, saying a fresh word. Along with this, the direction brought with it a negative reaction to Russian criticism with its materialistic views. The confrontation also began with Marxist critics. Poetic symbolism in literature promoted religion and idealism.
The first manifestations of the movement became noticeable in the treatise of Dmitry Merezhkovsky, his collection of poems "Symbols". In the years 1894-95. Russian Critics came out. In these three collections predominantly the works of young Bryusov, Balmont, were printed. In these works, a new trend was felt.
In Russia, symbolism in literature arose from the West not in isolation. Young poets were influenced to a certain extent by English, French, German poetry. Despite the fact that in some way the Symbolists perceived the echoes of the philosophy of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, they very strongly denied that they had a fundamental dependence on Western European literature. They tried to find their roots in native literature, the works of Fet, Tyutchev, Fofanov. There were prerequisites to establish a kind of "kinship" with the works of Lermontov and Pushkin. According to Balmont, symbolism has existed for a long time. He considered the symbolists of Calderon and Blake, Baudelaire and Edgar Allan Poe and others.
There is no doubt that in the work of Tyutchev and Fet there were signs of symbolism. In addition, the fact that the trend did not die, but, on the contrary, developed, attracting new forces into its own direction, testifies to a certain relationship of the current with the spiritual culture of Russia, its national soil.
It should be noted that Russian symbolism in literature from the West differed quite sharply. This was due, first of all, to spirituality, the wealth of achievements in this direction in Russia.
In the early periods of the formation of the movement, the works of the Symbolists were often ridiculed and even mocked. The name of the decadents was added to the poets, thus assessing their decadent mood of hopelessness, pronounced individualism, and a sense of rejection in life. However, by the beginning of the next century, symbolism began to stand out as a literary trend in all faces with all certainty. It was difficult to confuse it with other phenomena of art, he began to possess his aesthetics, poetics, his system and teachings. The year 1900 became a certain boundary - during this period the “face” of symbolism in literature was established. This was marked by the release of mature, brightly colored by the individuality of Balmont’s book “Burning Buildings” and the work of Bryusov “Third Guard” (“Tertia Vigilia”).
In literature, the symbolist movement was a movement of romantics who were inspired by idealistic philosophy, while recognizing the religious background of the new direction. The Symbolists were able to sensitively grasp and express the alarming forebodings of the tragic social catastrophes of the early twentieth century.