Presentation biography of fonvizin, history of the creation of the undergrowth. D. I. Fonvizin "Undergrowth". Positive heroes: Starodum, Pravdin, Milon, Sophia

DENIS IVANOVICH FONVIZIN

COMEDY “UNDERGROUND”

“The Minor” is the first Russian realistic comedy. Having made both negative and positive characters life-like, Fonvizin managed to create new type realistic comedy. Gogol wrote that the plot of “The Minor” helped the playwright to deeply and insightfully reveal the most important aspects of the social existence of Russia, “the wounds and illnesses of our society, severe internal abuses, which by the merciless power of irony are exposed in stunning evidence” (N.V. Gogol, complete collection . op. vol. VIII). THEME OF THE COMEDY THE THEME OF THE COMEDY The comedy “Minor” is based on two problems that especially worried the writer. This is the problem of the moral decay of the nobility and the problem of education. The comedy “Nedorosl” (1782) became a landmark event in the development of Russian comedy. It represents a complex, well-thought-out system in which every line, every character, every word is subordinated to the identification of the author's intention. Having started the play as an everyday comedy of manners, Fonvizin does not stop there, but boldly goes further, to the root cause of “evil morals,” the fruits of which are known and strictly condemned by the author. The reason for the vicious education of the nobility in feudal and autocratic Russia is the established state system, which gives rise to arbitrariness and lawlessness. Thus, the problem of education turns out to be inextricably linked with the entire life and political structure of the state in which people live and act from top to bottom. IDEA OF THE COMEDY The main idea of ​​the comedy: condemnation of ignorant and cruel landowners who consider themselves full masters of life, do not comply with state and moral laws, affirmation of the ideals of humanity and enlightenment. THE NATURE OF CONFLICT IN COMEDY The conflict of comedy lies in the clash of two opposing views on the role of the nobility in the public life of the country. Mrs. Prostakova states that the decree “on noble freedom” (which freed the nobleman from compulsory service to the state established by Peter I) made him “free” primarily in relation to serfs, freeing him from all burdensome human and moral responsibilities to society. Fonvizin puts a different view on the role and responsibilities of a nobleman in the mouth of Starodum, the person closest to the author. In terms of political and moral ideals, Starodum is a man of the Peter the Great era, which is contrasted in the comedy with the era of Catherine. All the heroes of the comedy are drawn into the conflict, the action seems to be taken out of the landowner's house, family and acquires a socio-political character: the arbitrariness of the landowners, supported by the authorities, and the lack of rights of the peasants. HEROES OF THE COMEDY The audience was attracted to the comedy “The Minor”, ​​first of all, by the positive characters. The serious scenes in which Starodum and Pravdin performed were received with great enthusiasm. One of the main characters of Fonvizin's play is Starodum. In his worldview, he is a bearer of the ideas of the Russian noble Enlightenment. Starodum served in the army, fought bravely, was wounded, but was not rewarded. It was received by his former friend, the count, who refused to go to the active army. Having retired, Starodum tries to serve at court. Disappointed, he leaves for Siberia, but remains true to his ideals. He is the ideological inspirer of the fight against Prostakova. NEGATIVE CHARACTERS Fonvizin presents the negative characters with amazing realism: Mrs. Prostakova, her husband and son Mitrofan, Prostakova’s evil and greedy brother Taras Skotinin. All of them are enemies of enlightenment and law, they bow only to power and wealth, they fear only material force and are always cunning, using all means to achieve their benefits, guided only by their practical mind and their own interest. They simply do not have morals, ideas, ideals, or any moral principles, not to mention knowledge and respect for laws. The central figure of this group, one of the significant characters in Fonvizin’s play, is Mrs. Prostakova. She immediately becomes the main spring driving the stage action, for in this provincial noblewoman there is some powerful vital force that is lacking not only in the positive characters, but also in her lazy, selfish son and pig-like brother. “This face in a comedy is unusually well conceived psychologically and superbly sustained dramatically,” historian V.O., an expert on the era, said about Prostakova. Klyuchevsky. The central figure of this group, one of the significant characters in Fonvizin’s play, is Mrs. Prostakova. She immediately becomes the main spring driving the stage action, for in this provincial noblewoman there is some powerful vital force that is lacking not only in the positive characters, but also in her lazy, selfish son and pig-like brother. “This face in a comedy is unusually well conceived psychologically and superbly sustained dramatically,” historian V.O., an expert on the era, said about Prostakova. Klyuchevsky. The plot and composition of the comedy Fonvizin based the plot of the comedy on the conflict of the era, the socio-political life of the 70s - early 80s of the 18th century. This is a struggle with the serf woman Prostakova, depriving her of the right to own her estate. At the same time, other storylines: the struggle for Sofia Prostakova, Skotinin and Milon, the story of the union of Sofia and Milon who love each other. Although they do not form the main plot. Artistic originality A fascinating, rapidly developing plot, sharp remarks, bold comic situations, individualized colloquial speech of the characters, a vicious satire on the Russian nobility, ridicule of the fruits of the French enlightenment - all this was new and attractive. Young Fonvizin attacked noble society and its vices, the fruits of semi-enlightenment, the ulcer of ignorance and serfdom that struck people's minds and souls. He showed this dark kingdom as a stronghold of severe tyranny, everyday everyday cruelty, immorality and lack of culture. Theater as a means of social public satire required characters and language that were understandable to the audience, pressing current problems, and recognizable conflicts. All this is in Fonvizin’s famous comedy “The Minor,” which is still staged today. PLACE OF MINOR CHARACTERS Other characters also act on the stage: Prostakova’s downtrodden and intimidated husband, and her brother Taras Skotinin, who loves his pigs more than anything in the world, and the noble “minor” - his mother’s favorite, the Prostakovs’ son Mitrofan, who does not want to learn anything, is spoiled and depraved maternal upbringing. Next to them are the following: the Prostakovs' servant - the tailor Trishka, the serf nanny, the former nurse Mitrofana Eremeevna, his teacher - the village sexton Kuteikin, the retired soldier Tsifirkin, the cunning rogue German coachman Vralman. The names of Prostakova, Mitrofan, Skotinin, Kuteikin, Vralman became household names. The names of Prostakova, Mitrofan, Skotinin, Kuteikin, Vralman became household names. Fonvizin created the language of Russian drama, correctly understanding it as the art of words and a mirror of society and man. He did not at all consider this language ideal and final, or his heroes as positive characters. Being a member Russian Academy , the writer was seriously engaged in studying and improving his contemporary language. Fonvizin masterfully builds the linguistic characteristics of his characters: these are rude, offensive words in Prostakova’s uncouth speeches; the words of soldier Tsy-firkin, characteristic of military life; Church Slavonic words and quotes from the spiritual books of seminarian Kuteikin; Vralman's broken Russian speech and the speech of the noble heroes of the play - Starodum, Sophia and Pravdin. Certain words and phrases from Fonvizin's comedy became popular. Thus, already during the playwright’s lifetime, the name Mitrofan became a household name and meant a lazy person and an ignorant person. Phraseologisms became widely known: “Trishkin caftan”, “I don’t want to study, but I want to get married”, etc. Fonvizin created the language of Russian drama, correctly understanding it as the art of words and a mirror of society and man. He did not at all consider this language ideal and final, or his heroes as positive characters. As a member of the Russian Academy, the writer was seriously engaged in studying and improving his contemporary language. Fonvizin masterfully builds the linguistic characteristics of his characters: these are rude, offensive words in Prostakova’s uncouth speeches; the words of soldier Tsy-firkin, characteristic of military life; Church Slavonic words and quotes from the spiritual books of seminarian Kuteikin; Vralman's broken Russian speech and the speech of the noble heroes of the play - Starodum, Sophia and Pravdin. Certain words and phrases from Fonvizin's comedy became popular. Thus, already during the playwright’s lifetime, the name Mitrofan became a household name and meant a lazy person and an ignorant person. Phraseologisms have become widely known: “Trishkin caftan”, “I don’t want to study, but I want to get married”, etc. The significance of the work is People’s, according to Pushkin, the comedy “Unorosl” reflected the acute problems of Russian life. The audience, seeing it in the theater, at first laughed heartily, but then they were horrified, experienced deep sadness and called Fonvizin’s cheerful play a modern Russian tragedy. Gogol, Fonvizin’s student and heir, aptly called “The Minor” a truly social comedy: “Fonvizin’s comedy amazes the brutal brutality of man, resulting from a long, insensitive, unshakable stagnation in the remote corners and backwaters of Russia... There is nothing caricatured in it: everything is taken alive from nature and tested by the knowledge of the soul." Realism and satire help the author of the comedy talk about the fate of education in Russia. Fonvizin, through the mouth of Starodum, called education “the key to the well-being of the state.” And all the comic and tragic circumstances he described and the very characters of the negative characters can safely be called the fruits of ignorance and evil. In Fonvizin's comedy there is grotesque, and satirical comedy, and a farcical beginning, and a lot of serious things, something that makes the viewer think. With all this, “Nedorosl” had a strong impact on the development of Russian national drama, as well as the entire “most magnificent and, perhaps, most socially fruitful line of Russian literature - the accusatory-realistic line” (M. Gorky).

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Magic land! There, in the old days, the brave ruler of Satire, Fonvizin, the friend of freedom, shone... A.S. Pushkin

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Born into a wealthy noble family. From 1755 to 1760 he studied at the gymnasium at Moscow University, and in 1761-1762 - at the Faculty of Philosophy of the same university. During his student years he was engaged in translations. In 1762, Fonvizin became a translator at the College of Foreign Affairs and moved to St. Petersburg.

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A nobleman by birth, Fonvizin entered the gymnasium that had just opened at Moscow University at the age of ten. In 1760, among the ten best students, he was taken to St. Petersburg to meet with the founder of the university, M.V. Lomonosov. A student in the philosophy department, Fonvizin established himself by translating from Latin, French and German. Excellent knowledge foreign languages brought him to serve in the College of Foreign Affairs. In St. Petersburg he became close to the outstanding writers of his time - Derzhavin, Kheraskov, Knyazhnin...

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Fonvizin's literary activity began in the 60s of the 18th century. An inquisitive and witty person, he was created to become a satirist. And there were enough reasons for bitter laughter in the Russian reality of that time. Fonvizin saw that embezzlers, bribe-takers, and careerists had gathered around the throne of Catherine II, that waves of peasant uprisings were formidable signs of an impending popular storm.

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As a result of communication with a circle of young freethinking officers, he created “Message to My Servants...” (1769) - a satirical work based on the traditions of Russian fables and satire. At the same time, the writer showed interest in drama, and he conceived the idea of ​​an original Russian satirical comedy. The first example of this kind was his “Brigadier” (1766-1769).

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Drama as one of the genders fiction differs significantly from lyrics and epic primarily in that it is intended for performance on stage. Its content consists of speeches, conversations of characters in the form of dialogue (conversation between two or more characters) and monologue (speech, story, expression of thoughts and feelings in the first person). The speech of the characters is accompanied by remarks - the author's instructions about the situation of the action, about internal state characters, their facial expressions and gestures.

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The main types of dramatic works are tragedy, drama, comedy. In comedy, certain aspects of social life, negative traits and characteristics of people’s characters are ridiculed. Satire (from Latin sature - mixture, mishmash) - a type of comic that most mercilessly ridicules human imperfection, sharply condemning human vices or imperfection through ridicule human life

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In his most significant work - the comedy "The Minor" (1781) - Fonvizin points to the root of all Russia's troubles - serfdom. The author evaluates and judges not human vices in themselves, but first of all social relations. Positive heroes - enlightened nobles - not only condemn serfdom, but fight against it. The comedy is based on acute social conflict. Life in the Prostakovs' house is presented not as a summary picture of absurd customs, but as a system of relations based on serfdom.

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The author creates multifaceted characters, revealing the inner drama of such negative characters as Eremeevna and Prostakova. According to N.V. Gogol, “The Minor” is “... a truly social comedy.” In 1782, Fonvizin resigned and was engaged only in literary activities. In 1783 he published a number of satirical works. The empress herself answered them with irritation.

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Last years During his life, Fonvizin was seriously ill (paralysis), but continued to write until his death. In 1789, he began work on the autobiographical story “Frank Confession of My Deeds and Thoughts,” but did not finish this work. The story is a wonderful work of Russian prose. Here, in the image of the author, the character of a person and writer is recreated - Russian in mentality, humor, irony, the spiritual wealth of a personality is shown, who knows how to rise above his weaknesses and fearlessly tell his compatriots about them.

Mitrofan is 16 years old, and, therefore, the “inhuman lady” is a little over 30 and hardly more than 40 years old (this was the era of early marriages). This age-related perception of the heroine is probably due to the fact that everyone is afraid of her and no one loves her. She grew up in an ignorant family and received neither upbringing nor education. He believes that education is unnecessary: ​​“People live and have lived without science.” Why did she hire teachers for her son? Firstly, “we are no worse than others,” and secondly, she is forced to follow the decree of Peter I on noble children. She is merciless to those who are in her power, considers the serfs to be their property, and has robbed them to the bone: “Since we took away everything that the peasants had, we can no longer rip off anything. Such a disaster! The main thing for her in life is personal gain. He does not stand on ceremony with others. If she doesn't meet resistance, she becomes arrogant. But if she encounters force, she becomes cowardly and is even ready to humiliate herself in front of the strong. She is despotic towards her husband and pushes him around. The autocratic, immoral, “despicable fury” loves only her son: she is tender and caring with him, even something human appears in communication. The meaning of her life is caring for his happiness and well-being. But blind maternal love does not ennoble, but disfigures Mitrofan.

First productions

The meaning of comedy

The problem of upbringing and education of the younger generation in D.I. Fonvizin’s play “The Minor”

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Comedy "Undergrown"

Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin

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“Fonvizin executed in his comedies the wild ignorance of the old generation and the rough gloss of the superficial and external European half-education of the new generations,” wrote V.G. Belinsky.

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Fonvizin worked on a comedy for about three years. The premiere took place in 1782. There is also a text, presumably from the early 1760s, on the same topic and with the same title, but with different characters and plot (the so-called “Early “Undergrown””); it is unknown whether this play belongs to the young Fonvizin or to some of his anonymous predecessors.

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The heroes of the comedy are representatives of different social strata of the 18th century in Russia: statesmen, nobles, serf owners, servants, self-proclaimed fashionable teachers. The main characters: the ignorant Mitrofanushka himself and his mother, the 18th-century lady-serf-owner - Mrs. Prostakova, who controls everything and everyone - in her hands is the household with courtyard servants, who she does not consider as people, and her own husband, whom, without hesitation, she can beat, and raising her son Mitrofan - in fact, she is not burdened with his upbringing and education, but only diligently fulfills the fashionable conventions of society and her position in it: “I scold, then I fight, and that’s how the house holds together.”

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Like other plays of the era of classicism, “Minor” is straightforward in its problematics - condemnation of traditional noble education and “evil morality”, “savagery” of the provincial nobility; the characters are clearly divided into positive and negative, they are given meaningful surnames (Prostakovs, Skotinins, Mitrofan - “manifestation of the mother” in Greek, Starodum, Milon, Pravdin, Sophia - “wisdom” in Greek, Tsyfirkin, Vralman, Kuteikin).

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Characters

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Prostakov is the head of the family. The person himself is “small” and weak. He tries to please his wife in everything. “Before your eyes, mine see nothing,” he says at the beginning of the work, when she asks about the caftan. Loves his son. “At least I love him, as a parent should, he’s a smart child, he’s a sensible child, he’s funny, he’s an entertainer; sometimes I am beside myself with him and with joy I truly do not believe that he is my son.” Can't read. When he is asked to read the letter sent to Sophia, he only answers: “It’s tricky.”

Mrs. Prostakova is his wife, the main negative character of the play. He loves his son very much and strives to marry him to Sophia after he learns about her inheritance. She is a noblewoman, which is why she believes that everything is allowed to her.

Mitrofan is their son, an undergrowth. Quite indifferent to everyone around him and also a slack boy, outwardly he loves his mother very much, but only pretends because of her authority. In the finale, he is sent to the army, and he shows what he really thinks about his mother (“Get rid of yourself, mother, how you imposed yourself...”).

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Eremeevna, mother (that is, nurse) of Mitrofan.

Pravdin is a government official called upon to understand the affairs of the Prostakovs. He learns about Prostakova’s atrocities, as well as the fact that she is robbing Sophia. With the help of Starodum and Milon, he incriminates Prostakova and takes away her estate in favor of the state.

Starodum is Sophia's uncle and guardian. It was because of his condition that Prostakova tried to marry Mitrofan to Sophia.