Literary critic.

  • 24.07.2019

Baby's sleep Criticism from the Greek “kritice” - to disassemble, to judge, appeared as a unique form of art back in antiquity, over time becoming a real professional occupation, which for a long time had an “applied” character, aimed at overall assessment

works that encourage or, conversely, condemn the author’s opinion, as well as recommend or not the book to other readers. Over time, this literary trend developed and improved, beginning its rise in European Age

Renaissance and reaching significant heights by the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. On the territory of Russia, the rise of literary criticism occurred in the mid-19th century, when it, having become a unique and striking phenomenon in Russian literature, began to play a role in public life a huge role at that time. In the works of eminent critics XIX century (V.G. Belinsky, A.A. Grigoriev, N.A. Dobrolyubov, D.I. Pisarev, A.V. Druzhinin, N.N. Strakhov, M.A. Antonovich) was concluded not only detailed review literary works other authors, analysis of the personalities of the main characters, discussion artistic principles and ideas, but also a vision and own interpretation of the whole picture modern world

in general, its moral and spiritual problems, ways to solve them. These articles are unique in their content and the power of their impact on the minds of the public, and today they are among the most powerful tools for influencing the spiritual life of society and its moral principles.

Russian literary critics of the 19th century At one time, A. S. Pushkin’s poem “Eugene Onegin” received many varied reviews from contemporaries who did not understand the brilliant innovative techniques of the author in this work, which has a deep, genuine meaning. It was this work of Pushkin that the 8th and 9th critical articles of Belinsky’s “Works of Alexander Pushkin” were devoted to, who set himself the goal of revealing the relationship of the poem to the society depicted in it. The main features of the poem, emphasized by the critic, are its historicism and the truthfulness of the reflection of the actual picture of the life of Russian society in that era; Belinsky called it “an encyclopedia of Russian life”, and in highest degree

In the articles “A Hero of Our Time, the Work of M. Lermontov” and “Poems of M. Lermontov,” Belinsky saw in Lermontov’s work an absolutely new phenomenon in Russian literature and recognized the poet’s ability to “extract poetry from the prose of life and shake souls with its faithful depiction.” In works outstanding poet the passion of poetic thought is noted, in which all the most pressing problems are touched upon modern society, the critic called Lermontov the successor of the great poet Pushkin, noting, however, the complete opposite of their poetic character: in the former everything is permeated with optimism and described in bright colors, in the latter, on the contrary, the writing style is characterized by gloom, pessimism and grief over lost opportunities.

Selected works:

Nikolai Aleksandrovich Dobrolyubov

Famous critic and publicist of the mid-19th century. N. And Dobrolyubov, a follower and student of Chernyshevsky, in his critical article “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom” based on Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”, called him the most decisive work author, which touches on very important “pressing” social problems of that time, namely the clash of the personality of the heroine (Katerina), who defended her beliefs and rights, with “ dark kingdom"- representatives of the merchant class, distinguished by ignorance, cruelty and meanness. The critic saw in the tragedy described in the play the awakening and growth of protest against the oppression of tyrants and oppressors, and in the image main character the embodiment of the great people's idea of ​​liberation.

In the article “What is Oblomovism,” devoted to the analysis of Goncharov’s work “Oblomov,” Dobrolyubov considers the author to be a talented writer who in his work acts as an outside observer, inviting the reader to draw conclusions about its content. Main character Oblomov is compared with others " extra people of his time" Pechorin, Onegin, Rudin and is considered, according to Dobrolyubov, the most perfect of them, he calls him a "nonentity", angrily condemns his character traits (laziness, apathy towards life and reflection) and recognizes them as a problem not only of one specific person, and the entire Russian mentality in general.

Selected works:

Apollo Aleksandrovich Grigoriev

The play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky made a deep and enthusiastic impression on the poet, prose writer and critic A. A. Grigoriev, who in the article “After the “Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky. Letters to Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev” does not argue with Dobrolyubov’s opinion, but somehow corrects his judgments, for example, replacing the term tyranny with the concept of nationality, which, in his opinion, is inherent specifically in the Russian people.

Selected work:

D. I. Pisarev, the “third” outstanding Russian critic after Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov, also touched on the topic of Goncharov’s Oblomovism in his article “Oblomov” and believed that this concept very successfully characterizes a significant vice of Russian life that will always exist, highly appreciated this work and called it relevant for any era and for any nationality.

Selected work:

The famous critic A.V. Druzhinin, in his article “Oblomov,” a novel by I.A. Goncharov,” drew attention to the poetic side of the nature of the main character, landowner Oblomov, which evokes in him not a feeling of irritation and hostility, but even a certain sympathy. He considers the most important positive qualities Russian landowner's tenderness, purity and gentleness of soul, against the background of which the laziness of nature is perceived more tolerantly and is regarded as a certain form of protection from the influences of harmful activities " active life» other characters

Selected work:

One of famous works The outstanding classic of Russian literature I.S. Turgenev, which caused a stormy public response, was the novel “Fathers and Sons” written in 18620. In the critical articles “Bazarov” by D. I. Pisarev, “Fathers and Sons” by I. S. Turgenev” by N. N. Strakhov, as well as M. A. Antonovich “Asmodeus of Our Time,” a heated debate flared up over the question of who should be considered the main the hero of Bazarov's work - a jester or an ideal to follow.

N.N. Strakhov in his article “Fathers and Sons” by I.S. Turgenev" saw the deep tragedy of Bazarov's image, his vitality and dramatic attitude to life and called him the living embodiment of one of the manifestations of the true Russian spirit.

Selected work:

Antonovich viewed this character as an evil caricature of the younger generation and accused Turgenev of turning his back on democratically minded youth and betraying his former views.

Selected work:

Pisarev saw in Bazarov a useful and real person, which is capable of destroying outdated dogmas and outdated authorities, and thus clearing the way for the formation of new advanced ideas.

Selected work:

The common phrase that literature is created not by writers, but by readers turns out to be 100% true, and the fate of the work is decided by the readers, on whose perception the future fate of the work depends. It is literary criticism that helps the reader form his personal final opinion about this or that work. Critics also provide invaluable assistance to writers when they give them an idea of ​​how understandable their works are to the public, and how correctly the thoughts expressed by the author are perceived.

Literary criticism is biased intuitive-intellectual reading of verbal and artistic texts, permeated with interests, worries, temptations, doubts connecting verbal art with the multicolored reality of life. Literary critical statements are addressed to a wide range of social and moral issues, to “the living needs of the social organism” (Grigoriev A. Literary criticism). According to R. Barth, literary criticism “occupies an intermediate position between science and reading” (Barth R. Selected Articles). Literary critic, capable of expressing an individual understanding of the artistic revelations contained in the text, is a conscious or involuntary intermediary on the path of a literary work from the author to the reader. In one person he often represents both the writing workshop and the reading world. “The function of criticism,” wrote F. Brunetier in 1891, “is to influence public opinion, on the authors themselves and on the general direction of development of literature and art” (Brunetiere F. Literary criticism. Foreign aesthetics and literary theory of the 1920s). Literary critical work is almost invariably accompanied by a polemical mood, a polemical dialogue with the author, with intended readers, with fellow opponents. A literary critic is one of the first, not yet having any traditions of interpreting a newborn text, to determine its value parameters. A critic can also turn to texts that are ancient in origin, but continue to powerfully influence the mindset of the reading public. Critical study I.A. Goncharov’s “A Million Torments” (1872), which responded to the production of “Woe from Wit” (1822-24) on stage Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and containing a detailed analysis of A.S. Griboyedov’s comedy itself, is separated from the time of the birth of comedy by several decades. With such a time distance from to a greater extent probability, the journalistic pathos of a critical speech makes itself felt, returning to the literary events of yesterday to clarify their topical sound. Literary critical texts are interpreted and formulated literary process. Based on the rich historical experience of Western European and Russian literature, V.G. Belinsky concluded: “Art and literature go hand in hand with criticism and have a mutual effect on each other” (“Speech on Criticism,” 1842). In modern philology, literary criticism is distinguished between professional, literary and readerly. Professional criticism includes literary critical activity, which has become the dominant occupation for the author. Professional criticism is a phenomenon bordering between artistic literature and literary criticism. “A critic, while remaining a scientist, is a poet” (Bely A. Poetry of the Word Semiotics). A professional critic is characterized by the depth of literary and general cultural memory, a strictly aesthetic approach to the phenomenon of literary text, and ways of reacting to the ethical, social and moral dictates of modernity, and to reader demand.

Literary criticism in Russia

In Russia, the formation of literary criticism, its understanding of its subject and its tasks takes place in the 18th century. The literary text, however, is not yet recognized as an aesthetic phenomenon, and its Critical Assessment is built primarily on a rationalistic basis; The critic's thought is closed and focused on a narrow circle of writers and lovers of the elegant. At the beginning of the 19th century, a sharp confrontation between rationalistic and aesthetic approaches to the work was indicated. Criticism is gradually becoming professionalized and acquiring a magazine character. Since the mid-19th century, the opposition between real, aesthetic and organic criticism has been indicated. The utilitarian approach to literature is opposed to absorption in aesthetic analysis; a work of art becomes a convenient pretext for concentrated reflection on the problems of “real life.” Literary criticism of the radical trend invades near-literary issues related to the “topic of the day” and enters into fierce debates with points of view that are unacceptable to it on the most important social issues. “Olympic calm,” asserts D.I. Pisarev, “may be very appropriate in a scientific meeting, but it is no good on the pages of a magazine serving a young, not yet fermented society” (Pisarev D.I. Works: In 4 volumes) . In the last third of the 19th century, abandoning aesthetic criteria, criticism increasingly subordinated its assessments to certain sociological concepts. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, the active work of critics, whose creative path began back in the 1860-70s under the influence of ideas real criticism(N.K. Mikhailovsky, A.M. Skabichevsky, L.E. Obolensky, etc.). A criticism is formed, focused mainly on the phenomenon of the text and at the same time addressed to a larger philosophical, religious, aesthetic context. Literary critical platforms are taking shape modernist movements, characterized by a wide genre and thematic range and stylistically refined diversity. The signs of mass magazine and newspaper (“feuilleton”) criticism are finally determined. The original literary-critical concepts of V.S. Solovyov, I.F. Annensky, V.V. Rozanov clearly reveal themselves, standing apart.

IN Soviet time the traditions of aesthetic criticism are being destroyed, the functions of which are partly taken over by literary criticism. New ways of communication between authors and readers are developed on the basis of normatively interpreted ideas about the “testaments” of the revolutionary-democratic criticism of the “sixties”. Rapp's postulates about the utilitarian role of literature take over. Literary criticism of the 1920s is characterized by a clear movement from analytical pluralism to pseudo-monologism and fusion with official structures. 1930-50s - a period of consolidation, forced doctrinaire “unanimity” and cruel control over the art of speech by official party literary criticism 1960s - a “thaw” in social and literary life, marked by the destruction of blinkered monologue consciousness, the strengthening of the subjective principle in criticism , a return to lost forms and methods of communication with the reader (the revival of magazine literary criticism, relatively independent from the authorities, and polemical discussions). The 1970s were marked by the turn of criticism to the classical verbal and artistic experience, to the moral potential Russian classics. Recent decades The 20th century is marked by a noticeable strengthening of self-valued, aesthetic, anti-utilitarian tendencies in literary criticism.

In Western European professional literary criticism of the 19th and early 20th centuries, there was an increased interest in the biographical method (“Literary-critical portraits”, 1836-39, S.O. Sainte-Beuve; “Literary walks”, 1904-27, R. de Gourmont and etc.), to positivist approaches to the assessment of belles-lettres, going back to the Frenchman I. Taine, the Italian F. De Sanctis, the Dane G. Brandes. In literary criticism of the 20th century in the West, the intuitionist ideas of A. Bergson and B. Croce, the psychoanalytic doctrine of S. Freud, the existentialism of J. P. Sartre, and the semiology of R. Barthes enjoy special credit.

Writer's criticism implies literary-critical and critical-journalistic performances of writers, the main body creative heritage of which - literary texts(in Russia - literary critical articles, letters by V.A. Zhukovsky, A.S. Pushkin, N.V. Gogol, F.M. Dostoevsky, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, D.S. Merezhkovsky, Rozanov, A.A.Blok, M.Gorky, A.P.Platonov, A.T.Tvardovsky, A.I.Solzhenitsyn, etc.). In the creative practice of some authors, a relative balance develops between poetic and literary-critical creativity itself (A.S. Khomyakov, I.S. Aksakov, Annensky). Writer's criticism is interesting for its clearly manifested unconventionality, the suddenness of associative series, the involuntary or completely conscious desire to understand the “alien” in the all-consuming light of one’s own poetic practice, in the scale of one’s innermost aesthetic quests.

Reader criticism is a variety of reactions to artistic literature belonging to people who are not professionally associated with literary work. Reader criticism is often marked by spontaneity and imbued with the spirit of confession.

The phrase literary criticism comes from Greek kritike, which means the art of disassembling.

Story

Already distinguished in antiquity in Greece and Rome, also in ancient india and China as a special professional occupation. But for a long time has only “applied” meaning. Its task is to give a general assessment of the work, to encourage or condemn the author, and to recommend the book to other readers.

Then, after a long break, it again develops like special kind literature and as an independent profession in Europe, beginning with 17th century and until the first half 19th century (T. Carlyle , C. Sainte-Beuve , I. Ten , F. Brunetier , M. Arnold, G. Brandeis).

History of Russian literary criticism

Until the 18th century

Elements of literary criticism appear already in written monuments of the 11th century. Actually, as soon as someone expresses his opinion about a work, we are dealing with elements of literary criticism.

Works containing such elements include

  • The word of a certain good old man about reading books (included in the Izbornik of 1076, sometimes mistakenly called Elected Svyatoslav);
  • A Word on Law and Grace Metropolitan Hilarion, where there is a consideration of the Bible as a literary text;
  • A Word about Igor's Campaign, where at the beginning the intention is stated to sing in new words, and not in the usual “boyan” - an element of discussion with “boyan”, a representative of the previous literary tradition;
  • Lives of a number of saints who were the authors of significant texts;
  • Letters Andrey Kurbsky Ivan the Terrible, where Kurbsky reproaches Grozny for caring too much about the beauty of the word, about the weaving of words.

Significant names of this period - Maxim Grek , Simeon of Polotsk , Avvakum Petrov(literary works), Meletius Smotrytsky.

XVIII century

For the first time in Russian literature the word “critic” was used Antioch Cantemir in 1739 in the satire “On Education”. Also in French - critique. In Russian writing it will come into frequent use in the middle of the 19th century.

Literary criticism begins to develop with the advent of literary magazines. The first such magazine in Russia was “ Monthly essays for the benefit and amusement of those serving"(1755). The first Russian author to write a review is considered to be N. M. Karamzin, who preferred the genre of monographic reviews.

Characteristic features of literary polemics of the 18th century:

  • linguistic-stylistic approach to literary works(the main attention is paid to errors of language, mainly the first half of the century, especially characteristic of the speeches of Lomonosov and Sumarokov);
  • normative principle (characteristic of the dominant classicism);
  • taste principle (put forward at the very end of the century by sentimentalists).

19th century

The historical-critical process takes place mainly in the relevant sections of literary magazines and other periodicals, and is therefore closely related to the journalism of this period. In the first half of the century, criticism was dominated by such genres as replica, response, the note, later the main ones became the problematic article and review. The reviews of A. S. Pushkin are of great interest - these are short, elegantly and literaryly written, polemical works that testify to the rapid development of Russian literature. In the second half, the genre of a critical article or a series of articles, approaching a critical monograph, predominates.

Belinsky and Dobrolyubov, along with “annual reviews” and major problem articles, also wrote reviews. In Otechestvennye Zapiski, Belinsky for several years ran the column “Russian Theater in St. Petersburg,” where he regularly gave reports on new performances.

Sections of criticism first half of the 19th century centuries are formed on the basis of literary trends ( classicism , sentimentalism , romanticism). In criticism of the second half of the century literary characteristics complemented by socio-political ones. A special section includes literary criticism, which is distinguished by great attention to the problems of artistic mastery.

At the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries, industry and culture were actively developing. Compared with mid-19th century, censorship is significantly weakened, and the level of literacy increases. Thanks to this, many magazines, newspapers, and new books are being published, and their circulation is increasing. Literary criticism is also flourishing. Among the critics a large number of writers and poets - Annensky, Merezhkovsky, Chukovsky. With the advent of silent films, film criticism was born. Before the 1917 revolution, several magazines with film reviews were published.

XX century

A new cultural surge occurs in the mid-1920s. Ended Civil War, and the young state gets the opportunity to engage in culture. These years saw the heyday of the Soviet avant-garde. Malevich, Mayakovsky, Rodchenko, Lissitzky create. Science is also developing. The largest tradition of Soviet literary criticism of the first half of the 20th century. - formal school - is born precisely in line with strict science. Its main representatives are considered to be Eikhenbaum, Tynyanov and Shklovsky.

Insisting on the autonomy of literature, the idea of ​​independence of its development from the development of society, rejecting the traditional functions of criticism - didactic, moral, socio-political - the formalists went against Marxist materialism. This led to the end of avant-garde formalism during the years of Stalinism, when the country began to turn into a totalitarian state.

In the subsequent years 1928–1934. principles are formulated socialist realism- the official style of Soviet art. Criticism becomes a punitive tool. In 1940, the Literary Critic magazine was closed, and the criticism section of the Writers' Union was dissolved. Now criticism was to be directed and controlled directly by the party. Columns and criticism sections appear in all newspapers and magazines.

Famous Russian literary critics of the past

Genres of Literary Criticism

  • critical article about a particular work,
  • review, problematic article,
  • critical monograph on the modern literary process.

Schools of literary criticism

Notes

Literature

  • Krupchanov L. M. History of Russian literary XIX critics century: Proc. allowance. - M.: "Higher School", 2005.
  • History of Russian literary criticism: Soviet and post-Soviet eras / Ed. E. Dobrenko and G. Tikhanova. M.: New Literary Review, 2011

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    See what “Literary criticism” is in other dictionaries: Region literary creativity on the verge of art ( fiction ) and the science of literature (literary criticism). Engaged in the interpretation and evaluation of works of literature from the point of view of modern times (including pressing problems... ... Big

    encyclopedic Dictionary Engaged in assessment individual works literature. Dictionary foreign words , included in the Russian language. Pavlenkov F., 1907 ...

    Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language literary criticism - (from the Greek kritike the art of evaluating, judging) the area of ​​literary creativity on the verge of art and the science of literature (literary criticism). Engaged in the interpretation and evaluation of works of art from the point of view of the interests of modern... ...

    Terminological dictionary-thesaurus on literary criticism The field of literary creativity on the verge of art (fiction) and the science of literature (literary criticism). Engaged in the interpretation and evaluation of works of literature from the point of view of modernity (including pressing problems... ...

    encyclopedic Dictionary Evaluation and interpretation work of art , identification and approval of the creative principles of one or another literary direction ; one of the types of literary creativity. L.K. is based on the general methodology of the science of literature (see... ...

    Great Soviet Encyclopedia See Literary criticism...

    Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron LITERARY CRITICISM - LITERARY CRITICISM, see Literary criticism...

    Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language Literary encyclopedic dictionary Dictionary linguistic terms

    Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language T.V. Foal - Particular theory of the text, considering the current state of literature, interpreting the literature of the past from the point of view of modern social and artistic tasks...

    Methods of research and text analysis. Dictionary-reference book Literary criticism - In the era of antiquity, literature developed in close connection with rhetoric and poetics. Its emergence is associated with the activities of the sophists, the study of other Greek genres. poetry, primarily of the Homeric era, according to the laws of rhetoric, morality and pedagogy...

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In the West, literary critics are people on whom the fate of a book directly depends. If they give you a good grade, that means they will good sales, give a bad one - sales will be low; will not notice at all - there is a high probability that the unsold edition will be returned to the publishing house. In short, a literary critic is a very honorable and highly paid profession. We asked Dmitry Bavilsky, a full member of the Academy of Russian Modern Literature (a professional guild that unites the country's leading literary critics), to talk about how things are with literary criticism in Russia.

E.B.: Dmitry, what, in your opinion, is the work of a literary critic?

D.B.: A critic is, first of all, an attentive and biased reader. If a common person simply evaluates a book - “like” - “dislike”, then the critic must justify his position, and without any direct emotional assessments. Ideally, a critical article is an attempt to analyze a work in such a way that a potential reader can decide for himself whether this book is worth reading or not. If he the target audience- people who are already familiar with this work, then the critic talks about the meanings that he saw in the text. In this case, his task is to give an interpretation. After all, writers often do not themselves understand what they wrote.

E.B.: Is the profession of literary critic in demand in Russia now?

D.B.: Unfortunately, it is slowly but surely fading away. The traditional “ruler of thoughts” is being replaced by a marketing critic involved in product promotion. Few people are interested in text analysis as such. Perhaps because almost no one knows how to do this. People have forgotten how to draw information about a text from the text itself - from how it is structured and how it comments on itself. It is much easier to fit the text under review into one of the social contexts - political, bonus, etc.

E.B.: How do you choose the books to write critiques on?

D.B.: I read, first of all, what interests me: high-quality fiction, for example, competent non-fiction. I don’t like writing negative reviews: firstly, it’s easy to criticize (it’s even easier to feel smarter than the author, despite Pushkin’s covenant to judge the artist according to the laws he accepted over himself), and secondly, it leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. I have experience and instinct, so I know approximately what to expect from this or that text. If you have your own internal concept, then it is from the point of view of this concept that you divide texts into, relatively speaking, “worth reviews” and “not worth.”

E.B.: Can a writer offer you his work?

D.B.: I don’t like it when writers themselves offer me their texts. It’s better, of course, that I myself find what I want to write about. As a rule, the books that the writers themselves present, with rare exceptions, are nothing good.

E.B.: So you work only with popular writers? After all, somehow you have to find out about them.

D.B.: I work a lot with young authors. Participated in one of the first “Debut” drawings. Then, on the jury, I was responsible for the nomination " short prose" Denis Osokin from Kazan and Volodya Lorchenkov from Chisinau reached the finals. Since then I have been constantly in touch with them. I helped Lorchenkov release the first book - in the “Neformat” series from Vyacheslav Kuritsin, when he was looking for interesting texts. All new texts by Osokin (they are very strange, experimental) are passed through the site "Topos", which I edit together with Valeria Shishkina and Svetlana Kuznetsova. This is a very important site for young people; there have been so many debuts on it that you can’t even remember them all. Our policy is a combination (in approximately equal proportions) of texts by newcomers and “old-timers”, established writers. Young people feed off veterans and vice versa. Several times publications in Topos provoked interest and came out separate books. It’s very convenient to attach a link to the publication on Topos to the synopsis. It obliges you to a lot.

E.B.: Reviews from critics are most important for beginning authors. How can a talented but completely unpromoted newcomer attract the attention of a critic? What exactly does he need to do for this?

D.B.: Honestly, I don’t know. The will of chance. There is a selection committee, there are different sites... After all, there is LiveJournal, where the virtual earth is instantly filled with rumors about good texts. To the young author What he needs is not a review from a critic, he needs his text to get to the publisher. Criticism has little to do with the publishing business these days (except for a few critics who advise big monsters. Although, frankly, it would be better if they didn't do that). Personally, I think what a new author needs most is an experienced editor.

E.B.: What do you think about the state of Russian literature today?

D.B.: That everything is fine, the process is ongoing. New names, new books, new phenomena appear. Culture is smarter than our idle thoughts about culture; it is self-regulating. I believe that literature is not threatened by new media as long as the desire for self-improvement and self-realization is alive in a person. That is, as long as “man” exists as a species.

E.B.: How do you solve the problem of grievances from writers who feel that you have “criticized” something “wrong”?

D.B.: I don’t pay attention. They have their job, I have mine. And I write offensive texts extremely rarely. I try to spare - first of all, myself. There are more bad books than good ones, and I don't think I need to waste my time on them.