Social realism writers of the 20th century rus lit. Realism in literature

V. Korolenko, those who have won a name for themselves in previous years as masters of Russian literature.

New trends in the development of realism both as a movement in the Silver Age and as a literary movement appeared in the works of M. Gorky, I. Bunin, L. Andreev, A. Kuprin and others.

The creativity of this period is characterized by a mixture of directions (realism and). Even realistic works the writer to one degree or another reflect the features characteristic of romanticism (the unusual hero is a tramp, the contrast is both artistic technique– “Chelkash”, “Grandfather Arkhip and Lenka”, “Malva”, etc.). However, the writer gradually moves away from the image of the tramp as a rebel, from the idealization of tramping (“Rogue” ) . In 1899, Gorky published the novel « Foma Gordeev", which shows the change of generations in a bourgeois family. A theme characteristic of European literature(“Buddenbrooks” by T. Mann). With the play, the author responds to the demands of our time - about the meaning of life, about truth and lies, about the purpose of man.

The fading of the old landowner way of life, the impoverishment of noble nests is one of the themes of the prose (“Baybaks”, “ Antonov apples", "Sukhodol"). Many of the writer’s stories are dedicated to the life of the village. And here Bunin is characterized by a sober, sharp look, which allows him not to admire the people or talk about the difficult life of the peasants. The ego is concerned about topics-problems: decay peasant family, inertia, patriarchy, life, sometimes devoid of meaning (“Village”, “Tanka”, “Pass”, “On the Farm”).

New topics are introduced by A. Kuprin. As you know, the writer tried many professions, which is why his stories are so full of the truth of life. This is the theme of the inhumanity of the bourgeois world order (“Moloch”), life circus performers(“At the Circus”, “Bad Pun”), the meaningless life of army officers (“Duel”), tragic force love that is higher than the surrounding world ( « Olesya").

The cruelty and abomination of life are contrasted with beautiful human characters, the beauty of simple human feelings and relationships ( « Gambrinus", "Listrigons"). Love and social inequality are revealed in a new way in the story “Garnet Bracelet” .

The theme of human transformation, manifestations in him best qualities, awareness of oneself as a person sounds in many works L. Andreeva. His early stories often called “Yuletide”, i.e. with realistic content in Andreev’s stories, a miracle of human transformation occurs ( « Bargamot and Geraska"), which enriches realism as a movement Silver Age. The simple, at first glance, plot of the story “Petka at the Dacha” (the arrival of a teenage craftsman at the dacha to his mother’s owners) partly explains the events of 1917 - the social abyss between the masters of life and those who work for them. The story “The Life of Vasily of Fiveysky” is a rebellion against the absurdly arranged human life, which condemns people to loss and suffering. The horror of war is shown in the story “Red Laughter”. The famous "Tale of the Seven Hanged Men" » allows the author not only to explore the theme of imminent death, anticipation of execution, not only to condemn the judicial system, but also to have a negative impact against terrorism as such, because the horror of death is not only for those who were going to be killed, but also for the one who was going to kill

What is realism in literature? It is one of the most common trends, reflecting a realistic image of reality. The main task this direction stands reliable disclosure of phenomena encountered in life, with the help detailed description of the depicted characters and the situations that happen to them through typification. What is important is the lack of embellishment.

Among other directions, only in realistic special attention given to the right artistic depiction life, and not the emerging reaction to certain life events, for example, as in romanticism and classicism. The heroes of realist writers appear before readers exactly as they were presented to the author's gaze, and not as the writer would like to see them.

Realism, as one of the widespread trends in literature, settled closer to the middle of the 19th century after its predecessor - romanticism. The 19th century is subsequently designated as the era of realistic works, but romanticism did not cease to exist, it only slowed down in development, gradually turning into neo-romanticism.

Important! The definition of this term was first introduced in literary criticism DI. Pisarev.

The main features of this direction are as follows:

1. Full compliance with the reality depicted in any work of the painting.
2. True specific typification of all the details in the images of the heroes.
3. The basis is a conflict situation between a person and society.
4. Image in the work deep conflict situations, the drama of life.
5. The author paid special attention to the description of all phenomena environment.
6. A significant feature of this literary movement is considered to be the writer’s significant attention to the inner world of a person, his state of mind.

Main genres

In any direction of literature, including realistic, a certain system of genres develops. It was the prose genres of realism that had a particular influence on its development, due to the fact that they were more suitable than others for a more correct artistic description new realities, their reflection in literature. Works of this direction are divided into the following genres.

1. A social and everyday novel that describes way of life and a certain type of character inherent in a given way of life. A good example of a social genre was “ Anna Karenina».
2. A socio-psychological novel, in the description of which one can see a complete detailed disclosure of the human personality, his personality and inner world.
3. A realistic novel in verse is a special type of novel. A wonderful example of this genre is “”, written by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.
4. A realistic philosophical novel contains eternal reflections on such topics as: the meaning of human existence, the confrontation between good and evil sides, a certain purpose of human life. An example of realistic philosophical novel is “”, the author of which is Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov.
5. Story.
6. Tale.

In Russia, its development began in the 1830s and was a consequence of the conflict situation in various fields society, contradictions between higher ranks and ordinary people. Writers began to turn to current problems of its time.

Thus begins the rapid development of a new genre - realistic novel, which, as a rule, described the hard life of the common people, their hardships and problems.

The initial stage in the development of the realistic trend in Russian literature is the “natural school”. During the period natural school» literary works V to a greater extent they sought to describe the hero’s position in society, his belonging to some kind of profession. Among all genres, the leading place was occupied by physiological essay.

In the 1850s–1900s, realism began to be called critical, since the main goal was to criticize what was happening, the relationship between a certain person and spheres of society. Issues such as: the measure of the influence of society on life were considered individual person; actions that can change a person and the world around him; the reason for the lack of happiness in human life.

Given literary direction has become extremely popular in Russian literature, since Russian writers were able to make the world genre system richer. Works appeared from in-depth questions of philosophy and morality.

I.S. Turgenev created an ideological type of heroes, the character, personality and internal state of which directly depended on the author’s assessment of the worldview, finding certain meaning in the concepts of their philosophy. Such heroes are subject to ideas that they follow until the very end, developing them as much as possible.

In the works of L.N. Tolstoy, the system of ideas that develops during the life of a character determines the form of his interaction with the surrounding reality and depends on the morality and personal characteristics of the heroes of the work.

Founder of realism

The title of pioneer of this trend in Russian literature was rightfully awarded to Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. He is the generally recognized founder of realism in Russia. "Boris Godunov" and "Eugene Onegin" are considered a shining example realism in Russian literature of those times. Also distinguishing examples were such works by Alexander Sergeevich as “Belkin’s Tales” and “The Captain’s Daughter”.

IN creative works Pushkin gradually begins to develop classical realism. The writer’s portrayal of the personality of each character is comprehensive in an effort to describe the complexity of his inner world and state of mind, which unfold very harmoniously. Recreation of the experiences of a certain person, his moral character helps Pushkin overcome the self-will of the description of passions inherent in irrationalism.

Heroes A.S. Pushkin appear before readers with open sides of their being. The writer pays special attention to describing the aspects of the human inner world, depicts the hero in the process of development and formation of his personality, which are influenced by the reality of society and the environment. This was due to his awareness of the need to depict a specific historical and national identity in the characteristics of the people.

Attention! Reality in Pushkin’s depiction collects an accurate, concrete image of the details of not only the inner world of a certain character, but also the world that surrounds him, including his detailed generalization.

Neorealism in literature

New philosophical, aesthetic and everyday realities at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries contributed to a change in direction. Implemented twice, this modification acquired the name neorealism, which gained popularity during the 20th century.

Neorealism in literature consists of a variety of movements, since its representatives had different artistic approaches to depicting reality, including characteristic features realistic direction. It is based on appeal to the traditions of classical realism XIX century, as well as to problems in the social, moral, philosophical and aesthetic spheres of reality. A good example containing all these features is the work of G.N. Vladimov “The General and His Army”, written in 1994.

Although it is generally accepted that the art of the 20th century is the art of modernism, a significant role in literary life of the last century has a realistic direction, which on the one hand represents a realistic type of creativity. On the other hand, it comes into contact with that new direction, which has received a very conventional concept “ socialist realism”, - more precisely the literature of revolutionary and socialist ideology.

Realism of the 20th century is directly related to the realism of the previous century. And how did this one come about? artistic method V mid-19th century century, having received the rightful name of “classical realism” and having experienced various kinds of modifications in the literary work of the last third of the 19th century, it experienced the influence of such non-realistic movements as naturalism, aestheticism, and impressionism.

Realism of the 20th century is taking shape a certain story and has destiny. If we cover the 20th century in total, then realistic creativity manifested itself in its diversity and multi-composition in the first half of the 20th century. At this time, it is obvious that realism is changing under the influence of modernism and mass literature. He connects with these artistic phenomena, as with revolutionary socialist literature. In the 2nd half there is a dissolution of realism, which has lost its clear aesthetic principles and poetics of creativity in modernism and postmodernism.

Realism of the 20th century continues the traditions of classical realism in different levels– from aesthetic principles to the techniques of poetics, the traditions of which were inherent in realism of the 20th century. The realism of the last century acquires new properties that distinguish it from this type of creativity of the previous time.

Realism of the 20th century is characterized by an appeal to social phenomena reality and social motivation human character, personality psychology, the fate of art. As is obvious, the appeal to the social topical problems of the era, which are not separated from the problems of society and politics.

Realistic art of the 20th century, like the classical realism of Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert, is distinguished by a high degree of generalization and typification of phenomena. Realistic art tries to show the characteristic and natural in their cause-and-effect conditionality and determinism. Therefore, realism is characterized by different creative embodiments of the principle of depicting a typical character in typical circumstances, in the realism of the 20th century, which is keenly interested in individual human personality. Character is like a living person - and in this character the universal and typical has an individual refraction, or is combined with the individual properties of the personality. Along with these features of classical realism, new features are also obvious.

First of all, these are those features that manifested themselves in the realistic already in late XIX century. Literary creativity in this era takes on a philosophical-intellectual character, when philosophical ideas formed the basis of the modeling artistic reality. At the same time, the manifestation of this philosophical principle is inseparable from the various properties of the intellectual. From the author’s attitude towards an intellectually active perception of the work during the reading process, then emotional perception. Folds in its specific properties intellectual novel, intellectual drama. A classic example of an intellectual realistic novel is given by Thomas Mann (“The Magic Mountain”, “Confession of the Adventurer Felix Krull”). This is also noticeable in the dramaturgy of Bertolt Brecht.

The second feature of realism in the 20th century is the strengthening and deepening of the dramatic, mostly tragic, beginning. This is obvious in the works of F.S. Fitzgerald (“Tender is the Night”, “The Great Gatsby”).

As you know, the art of the 20th century lives by its special interest not just in a person, but in his inner world. The study of this world is connected with the desire of writers to state and depict unconscious and subconscious moments. For this purpose, many writers use the technique of stream of consciousness. This can be seen in Anna Zegers’ short story “Dead Girls’ Walk”, W. Köppen’s work “Death in Rome”, dramatic works Y. O’Neill “Love under the Elms” (the influence of the Oedipus complex).

Another feature of 20th century realism is the active use of conditional artistic forms. Especially in realistic prose of the second half of the 20th century artistic convention extremely widespread and diverse (for example, Y. Brezan “Krabat, or the Transfiguration of the World”).

Literature of revolutionary and socialist ideology. Henri Barbusse and his novel "Fire"

Realistic direction in the literature of the 20th century it is closely connected with another direction - socialist realism or, more precisely, the literature of revolutionary and socialist ideology. In the literature of this direction, the first criterion is ideological (ideas of communism, socialism). In the background in literature of this level is the aesthetic and artistic. This principle is true picture life under the influence of a certain ideological and ideological author’s attitude. The literature of revolutionary and socialist ideology in its origins is connected with the literature of revolutionary socialist and proletarian turn of XIX-XX centuries, but the pressure of class views and ideologization are more noticeable in socialist realism.

Literature of this kind is often associated with realism (the portrayal of a truthful, typical human character in typical circumstances). This direction was developed until the 70s of the 20th century in the countries of the socialist camp (Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Germany), but also in the works of writers of capitalist countries (the panoramic-epic version of Dimitar Dimov’s work “Tobacco”). In the work of socialist realism, the polarization of two worlds is noticeable - bourgeois and socialist. This is also noticeable in the image system. Indicative in this regard is the work of the writer Erwin Strittmatter (GDR), who, under the influence socialist realist creativity Sholokhov (“Virgin Soil Upturned”) created the work “Ole Binkop”. In this novel, like Sholokhov’s, it is shown contemporary to the author the village, in the depiction of which the author sought to reveal, not without drama and tragedy, the affirmation of new, revolutionary socialist foundations of existence, like Sholokhov, recognizing the importance, first of all, of the ideological principle, sought to depict life in its revolutionary development.

In the first half of the 20th century, socialist realism became widespread in many countries of the “capitalist world” - in France, Great Britain, and the USA. The works of this literature include “10 days that shook the world” by J. Reed, A. Gide “return to the USSR”, etc.

Just like in Soviet Russia Maxim Gorky was considered the founder of socialist realism; Henri Barbusse (life: 1873-1935) is recognized in the West. This writer, very controversial, entered literature as a poet who felt the influence of symbolist lyrics (“Mourners”). The writer whom Barbusse admired was Emile Zola, to whom Barbusse, at the end of his life, dedicated the book “Zola” (1933), which is considered by researchers as an example of Marxist literary criticism. At the turn of the century, the writer was significantly influenced by the Dreyfus Affair. Under his influence, Barbusse affirms in his work a universal humanism in which goodness, prudence, cordial responsiveness, a sense of justice, and the ability to come to the aid of another person dying in this world operate. This position is captured in the 1914 collection of short stories, We.

In the literature of revolutionary and socialist ideology, Henri Barbusse is known as the author of the novels “Fire”, “Clarity”, the 1928 collection of stories “True Stories”, and the essayistic book “Jesus” (1927). IN last work The image of Christ is interpreted by the writer as the image of the world's first revolutionary, in the ideological certainty in which the word “revolutionary” was used in the 20-30s of the last century.

An example of a work of socialist realism in its unity with realism can be called Barbusse’s novel “Fire”. “Fire” is the first work about World War I, which revealed a new quality of conversation about this human tragedy. The novel, which appeared in 1916, largely determined the direction of development of literature about World War I. The horrors of war are described in the novel with a colossal amount of detail; his work pierced the picture of war varnished by censorship. War is not an attack similar to a parade, it is super-monstrous fatigue, waist-deep water, mud. It was written under the direct influence of the impressions that the writer made while personally at the front on the eve of the war, as well as in the first months after it began. 40-year-old Henri Barbusse volunteered to go to the front; he learned the fate of a soldier as a private. He believed that his injury (1915) saved him from death, after which Barbusse spent many months in the hospital, where he generally comprehended the war in its various manifestations, the specifics of events and facts.

One of the most important creative goals that Barbusse set for himself when creating the novel “Fire” is associated with the writer’s desire to show clearly and mercilessly what war is. Barbusse does not build his work according to tradition, highlighting certain storylines, but writes about the life of ordinary soldiers, from time to time snatching and giving close up some characters from the mass of soldiers. Either this is the farm laborer La Mousse, or the carter Paradis. This principle of organizing a novel without highlighting the organizing plot element is noted in the subtitle of the novel “The Diary of One Platoon.” In the form of a diary entry by a certain narrator to whom the author is close, this story is built as a series of diary fragments. This form of non-traditional novel compositional solution fits into the number of various artistic quests and landmarks of 20th-century literature. At the same time, these diary entries They are authentic pictures, since what is captured on the pages of this diary of the first platoon is perceived artistically and authentically. Henri Barbusse purposefully depicts in his novel the simple life of soldiers with bad weather, hunger, death, illness and rare glimpses of rest. This appeal to everyday life is connected with Barbusse’s conviction, as his narrator says in one of the entries: “war is not waving banners, not the calling voice of a horn at dawn, it is not heroism, not the courage of exploits, but diseases that torment a person, hunger, lice and death."

Barbusse turns here to naturalistic poetics, giving repulsive images, describing the corpses of soldiers who float in a stream of water among their dead comrades, unable to get out of the trench during a weeks-long downpour. Naturalistic poetics is also palpable in the writer’s use of a special kind of naturalistic comparisons: Barbusse writes about one soldier crawling out of a dugout like a bear backing away, about another scratching his hair and suffering from lice, like a monkey. Thanks to the second part of the comparison, a person is likened to an animal, but Barbusse’s naturalistic poetics here is not an end in itself. Thanks to these techniques, a writer can show what war is like and evoke disgust and hostility. The humanistic beginning of Barbusse’s prose is manifested in the fact that even in these people doomed to death and misfortune he shows the ability to show humanity.

The second line of Barbusse’s creative plan is connected with the desire to show the growth of consciousness of the simple mass of soldiers. To trace the state of consciousness of the mass of soldiers, the writer turns to the technique of non-personalized dialogue, and in the structure of the work, dialogue occupies as significant a place as the depiction of the events of the characters’ lives in reality, and as descriptions. The peculiarity of this technique is that when fixing a replica actor, the words of the author accompanying these remarks do not indicate exactly who personally, individually, the statement belongs to (the narrator says “someone said”, “someone’s voice was heard”, “one of the soldiers shouted”, etc.).

Barbusse traces how a new consciousness of ordinary soldiers is gradually being formed, who were driven to a state of despair by the war with hunger, disease, and death. Barbusse's soldiers realize that the Boches, as they call their German enemies, are just as simple soldiers, just as unfortunate as they are, the French. Some who have realized this state this openly, in their statements marked by excitement, they declare that war is opposed to life. Some say that people are born to be husbands, fathers, children in this life, but not for the sake of death. Gradually, a frequently repeated thought arises, expressed by various characters from the mass of soldiers: after this war there should be no wars.

Barbusse's soldiers realized that this war was not being waged in their human interests, not in the interests of the country and people. The soldiers, in their understanding of this ongoing bloodshed, identify two reasons: the war is being waged solely in the interests of a select “bastard caste”, for whom the war helps fill their bags with gold. War is in the careerist interests of other representatives of this “bastard caste” with gilded shoulder straps, to whom the war gives the opportunity to rise to the top. new level up the career ladder.

The democratic mass of Henri Barbusse, growing in their awareness of life, gradually not only feels, but also realizes the unity of all people from the simple classes, doomed to war, in their desire to resist the anti-life and anti-human war. Moreover, Barbusse’s soldiers are maturing in their international sentiments, as they realize that in this war it is not the militarism of a particular country and Germany as the one who started the war that is to blame, but world militarism, therefore ordinary people must, like world militarism, unite, since in this nationwide international unity they will be able to resist war. Then one feels the desire that after this war there will be no more wars in the world.

In this novel, Barbusse reveals himself as an artist who uses various artistic media to reveal the author's main idea. In connection with the depiction of the people's growth of consciousness and awareness, the writer does not turn to a new technique of novelistic symbolism, which is manifested in the name last chapter containing climax growth of the international consciousness of soldiers. This chapter is called "Dawn". In it, Barbusse uses the technique of a symbol, which arises as a symbolic coloring of the landscape: according to the plot, it was endless rain for many months, the sky was completely covered with heavy clouds hanging to the ground, pressing on a person, and it is in this chapter, where the climax is contained, that the sky begins Clearly, the clouds are parting, and the first ray of sun timidly breaks through between them, indicating that the sun exists.

In Barbusse's novel, the realistic is organically combined with the properties of literature of revolutionary and socialist ideology, in particular this is manifested in the depiction of the growth of popular consciousness. This ideological tension, with his characteristic French humor, was played out by Romain Rolland in a review of “Fire”, which appeared in March 1917. Revealing different sides of the issue, Rolland talks about the justification of a truthful and merciless depiction of war and that, under the influence of military events, the everyday life of war, There is a change in the consciousness of the simple mass of soldiers. This change in consciousness, Rolland notes, is symbolically emphasized by the first ray of sun timidly breaking through in the landscape. Rolland declares that this ray does not yet make the difference: the certainty with which Barbusse seeks to show and depict the growth of consciousness of the soldiers is still very far away.

“Fire” is a product of its time, the era of the spread of socialist and communist ideology, their implementation in life, when there was a sacred belief in the possibility of their implementation in reality through revolutionary upheavals, changing life for the benefit of every person. In the spirit of the times, living with revolutionary socialist ideas, this novel was appreciated by its contemporaries. Barbusse's contemporary, communist-oriented writer Raymond Lefebvre called this work ("Fire") an "international epic", declaring that this is a novel that reveals the philosophy of the proletariat of war, and the language of "Fire" is the language of proletarian war.

The novel “Fire” was translated and published in Russia at the time of its release in the author’s country. It was far from the establishment of socialist realism, but the novel was perceived as a new word about life in its cruel truth and a movement towards progress. This is exactly how the leader of the world proletariat, V.I., perceived and wrote about Barbusse’s work. Lenin. In his reviews, he repeated the words of M. Gorky from the preface to the publication of the novel in Russia: “every page of his book is a blow from the iron hammer of truth on what is generally called war.”

Literature of revolutionary and socialist ideology continues to exist in socialist and capitalist countries until the end of the 80s of the 20th century. Creativity is associated with this literature in the late period of its existence (60-70s) German writer from the GDR by Hermann Kant (“Assembly Hall” - a novel in a retro style (70s), as well as “Stopover”, which returns the reader to the events of the Second World War).

Of the writers of the capitalist countries of the West, the poetic and novelistic works of Louis Aragon (a number of novels in the series “ Real world» - historical novel"Holy Week", novel "Communists"). In English-language literature - J. Albridge (his works of socialist realism - “I Don’t Want Him to Die”, “Heroes of Desert Horizons”, the dilogy “The Diplomat”, “Son of a Foreign Land (“Prisoner of a Foreign Land”)).

Realism is a trend in literature and art that aims to faithfully reproduce reality in its typical features. The dominance of realism followed the era of Romanticism and preceded Symbolism.

1. At the center of the work of realists is objective reality. In its refraction through the worldview of art. 2. The author subjects life material to philosophical processing. 3. The ideal is reality itself. The beautiful thing is life itself. 4. Realists approach synthesis through analysis.

5. The principle of the typical: Typical hero, specific time, typical circumstances

6. Identification of cause-and-effect relationships. 7. The principle of historicism. Realists turn to the problems of the present. The present is the convergence of past and future. 8. The principle of democracy and humanism. 9. The principle of objectivity of the story. 10. Socio-political and philosophical issues predominate

11. psychologism

12. .. The development of poetry is somewhat calming down 13. The novel is the leading genre.

13. Heightened social-critical pathos is one of the main features of Russian realism - for example, “The Inspector General”, “Dead Souls” by N.V. Gogol

14. The main feature of realism as a creative method is the increased attention to the social side of reality.

15. The images of a realistic work reflect the general laws of existence, and not living people. Any image is woven from typical traits manifested in typical circumstances. This is the paradox of art. An image cannot be correlated with a living person; it is richer than a specific person - hence the objectivity of realism.

16. “The artist should not be a judge of his characters and what they say, but only an impartial witness

Realist writers

Late A. S. Pushkin is the founder of realism in Russian literature (the historical drama “Boris Godunov”, the stories “The Captain’s Daughter”, “Dubrovsky”, “Belkin’s Tales”, the novel in verse “Eugene Onegin” back in the 1820s - 1830s)

M. Yu. Lermontov (“Hero of Our Time”)

N. V. Gogol (“Dead Souls”, “The Inspector General”)

I. A. Goncharov (“Oblomov”)

A. S. Griboedov (“Woe from Wit”)

A. I. Herzen (“Who is to blame?”)

N. G. Chernyshevsky (“What to do?”)

F. M. Dostoevsky (“Poor People”, “White Nights”, “Humiliated and Insulted”, “Crime and Punishment”, “Demons”)

L. N. Tolstoy (“War and Peace”, “Anna Karenina”, “Resurrection”).

I. S. Turgenev (“Rudin”, “The Noble Nest”, “Asya”, “Spring Waters”, “Fathers and Sons”, “New”, “On the Eve”, “Mu-mu”)

A. P. Chekhov (“The Cherry Orchard”, “Three Sisters”, “Student”, “Chameleon”, “The Seagull”, “Man in a Case”

Since the middle of the 19th century, the formation of Russian realistic literature has been taking place, which was created against the backdrop of the tense socio-political situation that developed in Russia during the reign of Nicholas I. A crisis of the serfdom system is brewing, there are strong contradictions between the authorities and common people. There is an urgent need to create realistic literature that is acutely responsive to the socio-political situation in the country.

Writers turn to socio-political problems of Russian reality. The genre of the realistic novel is developing. His works are created by I.S. Turgenev, F.M. Dostoevsky, L.N. Tolstoy, I.A. Goncharov. It is worth noting the poetic works of Nekrasov, who was the first to introduce social issues into poetry. His poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'?” is known, as well as many poems that reflect on the difficult and hopeless life of the people. End of the 19th century - The realistic tradition began to fade away. It was replaced by so-called decadent literature. . Realism becomes, to a certain extent, a method of artistic cognition of reality. In the 40s, a “natural school” arose - the work of Gogol, he was a great innovator, discovering that even an insignificant event, such as the acquisition of an overcoat by a minor official, can become a significant event for understanding the most important issues of human existence.

The “Natural School” became the initial stage in the development of realism in Russian literature.

Topics: Life, customs, characters, events from the life of the lower classes became the object of study by “naturalists”. The leading genre was the “physiological essay,” which was based on accurate “photography” of the life of various classes.

In the literature of the “natural school,” the hero’s class position, his professional affiliation, and the social function he performs decisively prevailed over his individual character.

Those who joined the “natural school” were: Nekrasov, Grigorovich, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Goncharov, Panaev, Druzhinin and others.

The task of truthfully showing and exploring life presupposes in realism many techniques for depicting reality, which is why the works of Russian writers are so diverse in both form and content.

Realism as a method of depicting reality in the second half of the 19th century. received the name of critical realism, because its main task was the criticism of reality, the question of the relationship between man and society.

To what extent does society influence the fate of the hero? Who is to blame for a person being unhappy? What to do to change a person and the world? - these are the main questions of literature in general, of Russian literature of the second half of the 19th century V. - in particular.

Psychologism - the characterization of a hero through the analysis of his inner world, consideration of the psychological processes through which a person’s self-awareness is realized and his attitude to the world is expressed - has become the leading method of Russian literature since the formation of the realistic style in it.

One of the remarkable features of Turgenev’s works of the 50s was the appearance in them of a hero who embodied the idea of ​​the unity of ideology and psychology.

Realism of the 2nd half of the 19th century reached its peak precisely in Russian literature, especially in the works of L.N. Tolstoy and F.M. Dostoevsky, who at the end of the 19th century became the central figures of the world literary process. They enriched world literature with new principles for constructing a socio-psychological novel, philosophical and moral issues, new ways of revealing the human psyche in its deep layers

Turgenev is credited with creating literary types of ideologists - heroes, whose approach to personality and characterization of their inner world is in direct connection with the author’s assessment of their worldview and the socio-historical meaning of their philosophical concepts. The merging of the psychological, historical-typological and ideological aspects in Turgenev’s heroes is so complete that their names have become a common noun for a certain stage in the development of social thought, a certain social type representing a class in its historical state, and the psychological makeup of the individual (Rudin, Bazarov, Kirsanov , Mr. N. from the story “Asya” - “Russian man on rendez-vous”).

Dostoevsky's heroes are at the mercy of ideas. Like slaves, they follow her, expressing her self-development. Having “accepted” a certain system into their soul, they obey the laws of its logic, go through all the necessary stages of its growth with it, and bear the burden of its reincarnations. Thus, Raskolnikov, whose concept grew out of rejection of social injustice and a passionate desire for good, passing through all its logical stages along with the idea that took possession of his entire being, accepts murder and justifies the tyranny of a strong personality over the voiceless masses. In lonely monologues-reflections, Raskolnikov “strengthens” in his idea, falls under its power, gets lost in its ominous vicious circle, and then, having completed the “experience” and suffering internal defeat, begins to feverishly seek dialogue, the possibility of jointly assessing the results of the experiment.

In Tolstoy, the system of ideas that the hero develops and develops in the course of his life is a form of his communication with the environment and is derived from his character, from the psychological and moral characteristics of his personality.

It can be argued that all three great Russian realists of the mid-century - Turgenev, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky - depict the mental and ideological life of a person as a social phenomenon and ultimately presuppose obligatory contact between people, without which the development of consciousness is impossible.

First half. 20th century - an abundance of experiments in literature, new forms, new techniques, new religions are invented. Modernism of the 20th century enters a new stage, which is called. "avant-garde" But the most striking direction is Realism. Along with tard. Classic Forms of realism in the 20th century. In this direction, fantastic absurdity, dream poetics, and deformation are widely used. 20th century realism is distinguished by its use of previously incompatible techniques. In the literature, a concept of man is emerging. The concept's range has expanded throughout the century. Discoveries occur in the field of psychology - Freud, existentialism and the teachings of Marxists appear. Paraliterature appears, that is popular literature. It is not art, it is popular commercial literature that brings instant income. Mass art is a convenient means of manipulating consciousness. Popular culture must be under control.

The main themes are the theme of war, socio-political catastrophes, the tragedy of the individual (the tragedy of the individual who seeks justice and loses spiritual harmony), the problem of faith and unbelief, the relationship between the personal and the collective, morality and politics, problems of the spiritual and ethical.

Features of realism of the 20th century - abandoned the priority of the principle of imitation. Realism began to use methods of indirect knowledge of the world. In the 19th century, a descriptive form was used, in the 20th century - analytical research (the effect of detachment, irony, subtext, grotesque, fantastic and conditional modeling. Realism of the 20th century began to actively use many modernist techniques - stream of consciousness, suggestiveness, absurdity. Realism becomes more philosophical, philosophy enters literature as a technique that deeply penetrates the structure of a work, which means the genre of parables develops (Camus, Kafka).

The heroes of realism also change. The person is portrayed as more complex, unpredictable. The literature of realism poses more complex tasks - to penetrate into the sphere of the irrational, into the sphere of the subconscious, exploring the sphere of instincts.

The novel remains a genre, but its genre palette changes. It becomes more diverse, uses others genre varieties. There is an interpenetration of genres. In the 20th century, the structure of the novel loses its normativity. There is a turn from society to the individual, from the social to the individual, and interest in the subject dominates. A subjective epic appears (Proust) - individual consciousness is at the center and it is the object of study.

Along with new trends, the trend of classical realism continues to exist. Realism is a living and developing method, a discovery of past masters and constantly enriched with new techniques and images.