Literature lesson (grade 8)
DI. Fonvizin and his time. Traditional elements of classicism and innovation in the comedy "Undergrowth".
Lesson Objectives:
To acquaint students with the personality of D.I. Fonvizin.
Repeat the genres of literature and features of the drama.
Create conditions for the formation of the initial concept of various trends in literature.
To create conditions for revealing traditional elements of classicism and innovation in comedy
DI. Fonvizin "Undergrowth".
5. To reveal the reader's perception of comedy by students.
Equipment: computer, multimedia projector, computer presentation for the lesson, task cards.
During the classes.
1. Introduction (slides 1-4)
Magic edge! There in the old days
Satyrs are a bold ruler,
Fonvizin shone, friend of freedom...
A.S. Pushkin. "Eugene Onegin"
... The satirist is excellent
Ignorance was executed in folk comedy.
A.S. Pushkin. "Message to the Censor"
What contributed to the fact that Pushkin praised the work of Fonvizin so highly, calling him an excellent satirist? Probably, first of all, Fonvizin was a master who, using traditions in his work, created an innovative work. What is the playwright's innovation and what traditions did he adhere to in his work, we have to find out today.
Acquaintance with the biography of D.I. Fonvizin (video film).
Fonvizin's literary activity begins in the 60s of the 18th century. An inquisitive and witty man, he was created in order to become a satirist. And there were enough reasons for bitter laughter in the Russian reality of that time.
DI. Fonvizin is a representative of Russian classicism, one of the literary movements.
What is a literary movement? Attention to the screen.
What information did you get from this table?
What are the literary trends? (with the coincidence of creative settings, themes, genres and style in the writer's work)
List the named literary trends.
DI. Fonvizin is a representative of classicism. What is characteristic of this literary movement? Working with a spreadsheet.
Do you understand all the features of classicism? A printout of this table is on your desks. This is card number 1. In the future, you can use it as a reference material. Mark on the card what you do not understand with a question mark.
Today, Veronica Kopina and Sveta Breeva were preparing an advanced individual task for the lesson. They will try to answer your questions. What features of classicism do you not understand?
^ 2. Review (slides 5)
Consider the genres of literature. What type of literature does the work of Fonvizin you read belong to?
What are the characteristics of a dramatic work? Each of you has card number 2, which indicates the features of the drama. But there are errors in the card. Fix them.
So what are the features of drama? (Checking work with cards)
^3. Explanation of the new.
Classical comedy was built according to certain canons (slide 7 of the presentation)
Today we have to find out if Fonvizin adheres to these rules in his comedy.
But first, let's explain the name of the comedy and get acquainted with the characters.
Who was called an undergrowth in the 18th century?
What features of the characters' names attract attention? Can surnames and names be called speaking? (^ Yes.) Mitrofan from Greek. “like a mother”, Sophia - “wisdom”, etc.)
4. Dramatization of comedy episodes (slide 8)
The heroes of comedy are visiting us today.
5. Conversation.
There is almost no commentary in the list of actors in the comedy. Did your initial idea of the characters in the play match what you saw? What features of the comedy heroes did the actors of the drama circle try to embody? (students' statements)
From the very first pages of the comedy, conflict flares up. What is conflict in a work? (the collision underlying the development of the action)
Between whom does the collision take place in the first phenomenon? (between Prostakova and Trishka)
What phrase does Prostakova think of driving Trishka into a dead end? And how does Trishka parry this remark? (“So is it really necessary to be a tailor in order to be able to sew a caftan well. What a bestial reasoning. “But the tailor studied, madam, but I didn’t”).
Does Prostakova understand the importance and necessity of education?
Why does she hire teachers? (firstly, she declares: “We are no worse than others”, and secondly, there is a decree of Peter 1 on the nobility, according to which every nobleman had to learn different sciences before entering the public service, since educated people can bring more benefit to the state
What is the theme of Fonvizin's comedy? (the topic of education and upbringing)
Who else from the heroes of the play opposes Prostakova? (Starodum). Write down your homework. Write out quotes about education and enlightenment from the replicas of comedy heroes. Now let's work in groups and individually.
^ 6. Work in groups. I remind you of the rules of working in groups. We are discussing in an undertone. We express all your opinions. The group commander sums up and answers, who has the right to entrust the answer to any of you.
Group 1 (strong students) You will conduct a study and answer the question: “Which of the rules and techniques of classical comedy, in your opinion, did D.I. Fonvizin, which ones did he violate? You have card number 3 - a table of canons for the construction of a classic comedy. + mark the traditions followed by Fonvizin. In the second column, write the playwright's innovation.
The 2nd group (middle students) will match quotes from the comedy to these illustrations.
The 3rd group (members of the drama circle) will remember the text and try to restore the aphorisms from the comedy, which, unfortunately, have crumbled.
4th and 5th groups (other students, mixed groups). You have the most serious and responsible task. You work individually with a control test built according to the USE type. Answer options are marked in the boxes next to the question.
^ 7. Summing up the results of the lesson (group reports on the work done, except for the 4th and 5th groups, which pass the completed tests to the teacher) (slides 9-14)
8. The final word of the teacher (slide 15)
Today we met D.I. Fonvizin, made the first attempt to penetrate the secrets of his immortal comedy "Undergrowth". We will continue talking about her heroes, about the problems raised by the author in the next lessons. For this work, highly appreciated by Russian critics, requires careful reading.
“Russian comedy began long before Fonvizin, but began only with Fonvizin. His "Undergrowth" and "The Brigadier" made a terrible noise when they appeared and will forever remain in the history of Russian literature, if not art, as one of the most remarkable phenomena. Indeed. These comedies are the work of a strong mind. A gifted person."
So highly appreciated the work of Fonvizin V.G. Belinsky in the article "Woe from Wit". Let's try to comprehend the secret of the immortal work of D.I. Fonvizin.
Features of classicism
Idealization of heroes
Features of classicism
Appeal to samples and forms of antiquity as an ideal
The principle of rationalism, the cult of reason
Strict observance of the rules, the canon in the construction of a work of art
Compliance with the unity of place, time and action in the drama
The desire to capture the essential properties of life phenomena
Appeal to public issues
Adoption of the ideas of absolutism, patriotism, citizenship
The straightness of the presentation of human characters
Idealization of heroes
Classicism as a literary movement
Classicism arose in the first half of the 18th century. During this period, the autocratic system was strengthened in Russia. The main support of the autocracy was the nobility. The literature of classicism served the needs of the absolute state. She preached the ideas of citizenship associated with this form of social structure, the ideas of an enlightened monarchy.
Translated from the Latin "classicism" - "exemplary", "first-class". In the 17-18 centuries, works of ancient Greco-Roman art were considered exemplary, worthy of imitation.
The study of works of ancient art allowed the theorists of classicism to derive the canons by which writers had to follow in artistic creation.
Classicist writers believed that human feelings are deceptive, that only with the help of the mind can life be known and harmoniously reflected in literature.
The rules of classicism provided for the division of literature into strictly defined genres of high (ode, poem, tragedy) and low (comedy, satire, fable).
Human characters were outlined one-sidedly, acting usually were carriers of any one trait. The actors were clearly divided into carriers of good or evil.
Dramatic works obeyed the rules of the three unities. Events took place within one day, in one place, the plot was not complicated by side episodes.
^ CARD #3
Canons of classic comedy
Fonvizin's innovation
Image of everyday life, human vices
Heroes are people of low class, with base interests worthy of ridicule;
Each of the heroes is the bearer of one trait, one vice
A clear division into positive and negative characters
Speaking surnames
one idea
Unity of action (comedy must be based on one conflict)
Unity of place and time (the action takes place in one place during the day)
The heroic and tragic are not allowed (comedy should execute vices with laughter)
Setting to spoken language
A happy ending
^ CARD #2
Task: find errors in the features of drama as a kind of literature.
The basis of drama is the narration of events
The portrait of the hero is the main means of creating an image
The drama has a detailed narrative and descriptive image
The role of landscape and artistic details is important
^ CARD #1
Features of classicism
Appeal to samples and forms of antiquity as an ideal
The principle of rationalism, the cult of reason
Strict observance of the rules, the canon in the construction of a work of art
Compliance with the unity of place, time and action in the drama
The desire to capture the essential properties of life phenomena
Appeal to public issues
Adoption of the ideas of absolutism, patriotism, citizenship
The straightness of the presentation of human characters
Idealization of heroes
There in the old days
Satyrs are a bold ruler,
Fonvizin shone, friend of freedom...
A. S. Pushkin
Classicism is a literary movement that existed in the 18th - early 19th centuries. It is characterized by high civic themes, which demanded that everything personal be sacrificed in the name of national tasks; strict adherence to certain rules and regulations. Classicist writers found examples of beauty in the monuments of ancient art, unchanged for all times.
In classicism, there was a clear division of genres of literature into "high" and "low". The subject of high genres (poems, odes, tragedies) could be the highest, spiritual life, the actors - only kings and aristocrats. The content of low genres (satire, comedy, fables) was reduced to depicting private, everyday life. The characters were representatives of the lower classes - the petty nobility, bureaucracy, serf servants. "High" and "low" have never been combined in one work. The character of the hero was dominated by a single trait - positive or negative. As a result, the characters were either completely vicious or completely noble.
Classicism solved the problems of educating a person-citizen. The behavior of others has a decisive influence on the personality of the child. Virtuous or vicious, it serves as an example, a role model. The ideal of the era is proclaimed a person who is able to bring public benefit, for whom the interests of the state are higher than personal interests. The attention of the comedy was drawn to the negative phenomena of reality. The goal of comedies, according to classicism, is to enlighten, ridiculing shortcomings, to educate with laughter.
The most outstanding work of classicist dramaturgy in Russian literature of the 18th century is Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth". In the construction of his play, Fonvizin strictly followed the rules of classicism. "Undergrowth" consists of five canonical acts. In each, the rule of triunities is observed - action, time and place. The events depicted by Fonvizin take place within one day and in one place - in the house of the landowner Prostakova.
According to the rules of classicism, the actors of the comedy are divided into vicious and virtuous, and in the finale of the play, the evil ones are punished, the good ones triumph. Comic heroes are put to shame. Prostakova was deprived of her rights over the peasants for the abuse of her power, her estate was taken under guardianship.
The clash of "evil" and "virtuous" heroes reflects the deep social conflict between the advanced noble intelligentsia and the reactionary feudal landowners. The playwright deliberately sharpens negative images, thereby achieving greater persuasiveness in exposing serfdom.
The images of positive comedy characters are sketchy in the spirit of classicism. Pravdin, Starodum, Milon, Sophia do not so much live and act as they talk extensively and importantly on moral and political topics, teach lessons of noble virtues.
Like these positive characters of the play, its negative characters are endowed with "talking" names by which one can immediately judge each of them: Prostakov, Vralman, Skotinin.
Three themes run through Fonvizin's dramatic work: the theme of education, serfdom and the state structure of Russia.
The problem of upbringing and education of young nobles deeply worried the playwright, who dreamed of a new generation of enlightened Russian people. According to Fonvizin, the only reliable source of salvation from the spiritual degradation of the nobility is rooted in proper education. Fonvizin raised the question of what a true nobleman should be like and whether the Russian nobility meets its purpose. Starodum expressed the following idea about this: “A nobleman, for example, would consider it a first dishonor not to do anything when he has so much to do: there are people to help, there is a fatherland to serve!” material from the site
Another problem of the "Undergrowth" is the problem of serfdom: the terrible situation of the Russian serfs, given into the full possession of the landowners, the monstrous arbitrariness of the nobles. The writer, speaking in favor of curbing the ignorant landowners who abused their power over the peasants, shows that faith in Catherine II is meaningless. In response to Pravdin’s words that with such rules, “as they are with Starodum, people should not be let go from the court, but they must be called to the court ... for what a doctor is called to the sick for,” Starodum answers with complete conviction: “My friend, you are wrong. It is in vain to call a doctor to the sick is incurable: here the doctor will not help, unless he himself becomes infected. The author puts another thought into the mouth of Starodum: “It is illegal to oppress your own kind by slavery.”
Thus, the comedy "Undergrowth" reflected the most important and acute problems of Russian life. Fonvizin believed that the main weapon of a comedian is laughter and vice can and should be portrayed as funny.
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- the traditions of classicism preserved in the undergrowth
- underage slavery problem
"Undergrowth" written by D. I. Fonvizin in 1781 and became the pinnacle of Russian dramaturgy of the 18th century. This is a work of classicism, but certain features of realism are also manifested in it, which makes this work innovative.
The play "Undergrowth" has the following features of classicism:
- educational orientation of literature, the writer sought to influence the human mind in order to correct the vices of society,
- a clear division of heroes into positive and negative,
- "speaking names" of heroes"Undergrowth" (Pravdin, Skotinin, Vralman)
- the comedy is instructive in nature (it touches upon the most important issues of the upbringing of a citizen, education, morality, and the arbitrariness of the landowners.
- the play preaches civic duty
The comedy "Undergrowth" was written in the strict framework of classicism(Fonvizin observes the unity of place and time in The Undergrowth): it consists of 5 acts, the events take place during the day, in one place, without being distracted by side storylines, the scene is the Prostakovs' estate, the action begins in the morning and ends in the morning of the next day, the action is subordinated to one main idea - the need to educate a worthy, honest, good-natured citizen.
In accordance with the requirements of classicism, all comedy heroes are divided into positive and negative.
Positive heroes "Undergrowth": Starodum, Pravdin, Milon, Sophia, Tsifirkin.
Negative heroes of "Undergrowth": Skotinina, Prostakova, Eremeevna, Vralman, Kuteikin- act under the "leadership" of Mrs. Prostakova, a landowner-serf. In such an environment, the morality of a young nobleman, a minor, Mitrofan Prostakov, is formed. This is how the theme of family education arises, the theme of the family, intra-family relations.
Classicism (from lat. classicus - exemplary)
1) The literary and artistic direction (as well as the era and style) of the 17th-18th centuries, which was formed in France and took ancient art as a model with its inherent ideas about beauty and the principles of “imitation of nature”, observing a sense of proportion, striving for harmony. The literature of classicism developed a set of clear laws and rules that implied the separation of genres, themes and styles.
2) Artistic style and aesthetic direction in European literature and art of the 17th - early 18th centuries. The most important feature of it was the appeal to the samples of ancient literature and art as an ideal aesthetic standard. Writers focused on the writings of the Greek philosopher Aristotle and the Roman poet Horace. The aesthetics of classicism established a strict hierarchy of genres and styles.
High genres - tragedy, epic, ode.
Low genres - comedy, satire, fable.
Classicism as a cultural phenomenon originated in the 17th century in northern Italy, during the late Renaissance. In France, low genres prevailed, which reached such a high level that Molière's comedies were even called "high comedies". Classicism fell into decline after the French Revolution of 1789-1794.
Russian classicism is characterized by an appeal to national sources, and not to antiquity. It also developed mainly within the "low genres".
3) Literary direction, which originated in the XVII century. but France in the conditions of the formation of an absolutist state. Classical writers chose ancient art as a role model, but interpreted it in their own way. Classicism is based on the principle of rationalism (racio). Everything must obey reason both in the state and in private life, and egoistic feelings, passions, it is by reason that they must be introduced into the framework of civic and moral duty. The theoretician of classicism was the French poet Nicolas Boileau, who outlined the program of the direction in the book Poetic Art. In classicism, certain creative rules (norms) were established:
The main conflict of the works is the struggle between selfish feeling and civic duty, or between passion and reason. At the same time, duty and reason always win.
In accordance with their attitude to public duty, the actors were divided into positive and negative. Only one quality was imprinted in the characters, one dominant feature (cowardice or courage, deceit or nobility, etc.), i.e. characters were the same.
A strict hierarchy of genres was established in literature. All of them were divided into high (ode, heroic poem, tragedy) and low (fable, satire, comedy). Outstanding events were depicted in high genres, the heroes were monarchs, statesmen, generals. They glorified deeds for the benefit of the state and the monarchy. The language in the works of high genres had to be solemn, majestic.
In the low genres, the life of people of the middle classes was depicted, everyday phenomena and individual traits of a person were ridiculed. The language of fables, comedies was close to colloquial.
Dramatic works in the aesthetics of classicism were subject to the requirement of three unities: time, place and action. The unity of time and place meant that the action in the play should take no more than a day and take place in one place. The unity of action prescribed a plot line, not complicated by side episodes.
In France, the leading writers of classicism were the playwrights P. Corneille and J. Racine (in the genre of tragedy), Molière (comedy), J. La Fontaine (fable).
In Russia, classicism developed from the 18th century. Although Russian classicism had much in common with Western European, in particular with French, national specificity was clearly manifested in literature. If Western European classicism turned to ancient subjects, then Russian writers took material from national history. In Russian classicism, a critical note sounded distinctly, the denunciation of vices was sharper, the interest in the folk language and in general in folk art was more pronounced.
Representatives of classicism in Russian literature - A.D. Kantemir, M.V. Lomonosov, A.P. Sumarokov, D.I. Fonvizin.
2. Comedy "Undergrowth"
1. Characteristics of Fonvizin's creativity
The work of Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin bears features that are opposite to Russian noble sentimentalism in the literature of the 18th century. Fonvizin opposed this literary trend, and all his work was imbued with the spirit of political struggle and the desire for freedom. Fonvizin's work can be characterized as follows:
✓ is a protest against the developing movement of Russian noble sentimentalism with its rejection of political and social activity in literature and withdrawal from reality into the world of dreams and fantasies;
✓ is an expression of Fonvizin's political ideas and views on the development of the Russian state and its proper management, and these ideas are as follows:
Critics of noble society and its inactivity and ignorance, and this criticism is expressed through harsh satire;
The requirement from the nobility to raise political consciousness and activity;
An indication of major shortcomings in the upbringing and culture of the nobility and seeing in the correct upbringing of future generations of nobles the salvation of Russia and its power as a civilized and strong world power;
Criticism of the commitment of society and nobles to the fashion for everything Western and their contempt for their native language and their homeland;
Propaganda of the fight against serfdom and its wildest forms, which at that time were very common among the landowners;
A protest against the politics and teachings of the Church and the defenders of religion, and this protest is expressed in the form of harsh social satire;
✓ partly influenced by the ideas of bourgeois education, actively developing in France, where Fonvizin lived for some time;
✓ based on the literary traditions of Sumarokov and Kheraskov, on the traditions of noble classicism and liberalism;
✓ deeply poses the problem of a realistic depiction of a person and the surrounding reality, and thus precedes the one that developed in the 19th century. the literary movement of realism, which actively developed in the work of A. S. Pushkin;
✓ serves the purpose of not only educating the nobility as a narrow class, but also creating a layer of the best people in Russia, capable of leading to a great future and great achievements, that is, the nobility, hereditary and possessing a high level of culture, is seen by Fonvizin as the only and natural master of the state;
✓ contains a lot of Western materials in both dramaturgy and satire, processing them, but at the same time, the comedies created by Fonvizin had no analogues in the West and borrowed motifs and elements organically merged into the original style and method of these comedies, contributing to the creation of original works;
✓ includes elements of both classicism and realism, which were closely intertwined throughout Fonvizin's work.
The most famous and important literary works of Fonvizin include the following works:
✓ translated works, which include:
The tragedy of Walter "Alzira" (1762);
Gresse's psychological drama "Sydney", published under the title "Korion" (1764);
✓ fables "Fox Koznodey" and "Message to my servants Shumilov, Vanka and Petrushka" (1763), written in excellent satirical form;
✓ comedy "Undergrowth" (1764 - the first version, which was unfinished, 1781 - the second, final version), which is a brilliant hard satire on the mores of the nobility in raising their children and brought Fonvizin fame, popularity and recognition not only among his contemporaries, but also in descendants;
✓ the comedy Brigadier (1766), reflecting the ideas of noble liberalism, to which Fonvizin was close.
2. Comedy "Undergrowth"
Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth" is the most important work in his work and played an exceptional role in the development of Russian literature in the 19th century. Comedy has the following artistic features:
✓ contains a protest against serfdom;
✓ is, first of all, a comedy about education, which for Fonvizin acts not so much as a moralizing issue, but more as a topical political topic;
✓ acts as a serious manifesto of protest against the existing autocratic power, and it is this feature of comedy that influenced the development of Russian literature of the 19th century. and its protesting nature.
3. The connection between classicism and realism in the work of Fonvizin
The features of classicism and realism are closely intertwined and connected with each other throughout the work of Fonvizin, and this connection has the following features:
✓ classicism has not been thoroughly destroyed, but realism has not been fully developed either;
✓ there is and is already noticeable the struggle of these two trends, which had a significant impact not only on many writers of the second half of the 18th century, for example, Radishchev, but also on the writers of the first half of the 19th century;
✓ there is a close interweaving of these two directions, and it was thanks to this that the ground was prepared for development in the literature of the 19th century. subsequent generations of Russian writers, in particular A.S. Pushkin, realism as the leading literary trend of this period;
✓ the interweaving of classicism and realism is expressed in the artistic method.
4. Fonvizin's artistic method
The artistic method of Fonvizin contains a close interweaving of elements of classicism and realism. In the work of Fonvizin, the following can be distinguished elements of realism:
✓ a description of the negative phenomena of reality in satire, which made Fonvizin a participant in the "satirical trend", thanks to which in Russia, earlier than in the West, the ground was prepared for the formation of critical realism as the leading literary trend, but this trend itself grew in the depths of Russian realism ;
✓ the use in comedies of the technique of mixing comic and sad, cheerful and serious motives, forbidden by classicism;
✓ the proximity of elements of a serious drama, which is instructive in nature and designed to make the viewer think, with lyrical elements, designed to touch this viewer;
✓ the introduction of the role of a "resonant person" who preaches from the stage on behalf of the author, which was not in the classic comedies of the early 18th century;
✓ the convergence of comedies with the "sentimental drama" of French authors through the introduction of pictures of true touching virtue;
✓ the use of everyday life scenes to demonstrate a true picture of people's lives, which is not typical of classicism, in which everyday life serves to depict other purposes and should not be an empty stage;
✓ bitterness, anger of Fonvizin's satire, which in this sense differs from the traditions of classicism, indicating the inadmissibility of teaching, which is served by comedy, bitterness and poison. These qualities of Fonvizin's satire prepared the bitter satire of Gogol and Shchedrin;
✓ the appearance in the depiction of the characters of individual heroes of "live", not schematic features, their individual characteristics, which is not characteristic of classical comedy;
✓ the discovery of a realistic method of depicting a hero, which contributes to the understanding of a person as a person and at the same time as a social phenomenon, and this is the crucial importance of Fonvizin's comedies, which led to the further development and strengthening of the realistic method in Russian literature;
✓ the use of real, everyday speech, close to real life, the desire to overcome archaic bookishness.
Receptions of classicism, used by Fonvizin in his work, are due to the influence on him of the classical school of Sumarokov and Kheraskov, the features of which were preserved in all his works, and among these elements the following can be distinguished:
✓ the unity of time, place and action, when all the action of the play is united by one main motive (for example, in "Undergrowth" this is the struggle of three contenders for Sophia's hand, and the whole action of the play is built on this);
✓ the virtues of classicism, which are reduced in the work of Fonvizin to the following:
Rationalistic understanding of the world;
Personality is not as a specific individuality, but as a unit in social classification;
Social and state in man as the leading forces, absorbing into themselves his individual;
The social principle of evaluating human actions and deeds;
✓ the shortcomings of classicism, which are reduced in the work of Fonvizin to the following:
Schematism of abstract classifications of people and moral categories;
A mechanistic idea of a person as a set of abilities of a mental nature;
Antipsychological in the individual sense in the image and understanding of a person, that is, the psychological traits of the hero are shown in relation to the public, and not to the personal, individual;
The mechanistic and abstract idea of the state as a category of social being;
The limitedness of colors and schematization in the depiction of the characters' characters, the demonstration and denunciation of individual shortcomings or feelings without a general picture of the personality and the totality of its features, as evidenced by the so-called speaking surnames and names (Pravdin is a truth-lover, Vyatkin is a bribe-taker, etc.);
One-sidedness in the depiction of everyday life as a scheme of social relationships;
The division of all people into two categories:
Nobles, whose characteristics include signs of their abilities, moral inclinations, feelings, etc.;
All the rest, whose characteristics are reduced to an indication of their profession, class and place in the system of society;
Static in the depiction of human characters and the characters wearing them, i.e., the characters do not develop in the process of acting as individuals;
The use of certain speech techniques characteristic of classicism, for example, the solemnity and height of the syllable in commendable speeches, rich speech patterns, puns.