Critics and their articles. Critic's own view

CHAPTER VII

METHODOLOGY FOR STUDYING SYSTEMATIC

LITERATURE COURSES IN HIGH SCHOOL (ending)

Study of literary critical articles

In high school, along with the study of works of art, students are introduced to individual literary critical articles and statements, as well as small fragments of literary works that are devoted to the interpretation and analysis of these works. Methodologically correct work with critical texts in lessons and in the process of independent homework can significantly improve the literary education of schoolchildren, their spiritual, artistic and aesthetic development, and speech activity.

Domestic methods of teaching literature paid considerable attention to working with literary critical materials in the system of lessons for studying a literary work. In the works of methodological scientists, specific practical recommendations determined the content of the analysis of critical articles, methods of attracting criticism to the study of a literary text, methods of comparing different points of view expressed in articles by two or more authors, and organizing debates on them. Options for studying individual critical articles have been developed, and ways to increase the independence of schoolchildren in mastering both the full text of the article and its fragments are shown. In manuals and methodological recommendations the stages and content of work on the critical works of I. A. Goncharov, V. G. Belinsky, N. A. Dobrolyubov, D. I. Pisarev are revealed in detail. The most significant and interesting methodological works on the problems of studying criticism in school should be considered articles and studies by V.V. Golubkov, Ts.P. Baltalon, D.A. Ogolikhin, D.Ya. Raikhin, O.L. Kostylev, N.A. . Demidova, O. Yu. Bogdanova, A. V. Danovsky and others.

The complexities of the modern period of socio-political and spiritual development The Russian state, in particular the education system, necessitates the need to take increased care to improve this area in the methodology of teaching literature while carefully preserving positive and proven traditions. Requirements for strengthening work on the development of the student’s creative, independently thinking personality, respect for his inner world, development various types educational institutions with in-depth study of the subject, changes that have occurred in the content of literary education, due to the publication of artistic and literary critical works that were previously inaccessible to readers for ideological reasons, new aspects that have appeared in literary studies - all this makes it necessary to rethink the tasks of studying materials of criticism and literary criticism in the senior classes of modern schools, to make certain adjustments to this work.

The study of literary critical articles contributes to solving problems that are essential for the literary education of schoolchildren. First of all, it is a deepening of perception work of art. Articles by critics and literary statements serve as a content and methodological model for schoolchildren to analyze a literary text. By getting acquainted with a critical article, first under the guidance of a teacher, and then independently, drawing up its theses or synopsis, students master the path of analysis of the work chosen by the author; comprehend his socio-philosophical and aesthetic positions; hero ratings; searches and solutions to current problems posed in this work; techniques for combining the author’s own reflections with quoted and extra-textual material in a critical text. All this helps the student create his own ideas about the analysis of the work of art being studied, and develop his own methodology for handling fiction and educational books.

Articles of this kind, offering examples of analysis of the work, include I. A. Goncharov’s sketch “A Million Torments”, the eighth and ninth articles about Pushkin by V. G. Belinsky, his article about M. Yu. Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time” , "Ray of Light in dark kingdom» N. A. Dobrolyubov, articles by A. V. Druzhinin, I. F. Annensky and others.

At the same time, staging in last years The question of developing students’ skills to interpret a literary text, as well as the emerging opportunities to expand the range of literary critical materials used in the interpretation of a literary work, leads to the fact that articles and statements by critics and literary scholars often act as options for interpreting the text. When comparing different interpretations of the text, students can join one of them, naturally, motivating their position, find positive principles in different options, or form your own opinion that differs from those contained in the proposed articles. Various options interpretations of works of art are revealed when referring to the critical works of D. I. Pisarev, A. A. Grigoriev, I. F. Annensky, V. S. Solovyov, D. S. Merezhkovsky, N. A. Berdyaev, modern critics and literary scholars. As a rule, these materials (small articles or individual fragments) are used in lessons on textual analysis of works, or in special lessons on the analysis of a critical article for comparison with an interpretation already established in science and stimulate the thoughts of schoolchildren, helping them form a personal position. Thus, when studying A. S. Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin,” you can introduce students to excerpts from Pisarev’s article “Pushkin and Belinsky. "Eugene Onegin"; when solving the problem of the genre of “Thunderstorms” by Ostrovsky, compare Dobrolyubov’s positions with A. Grigoriev’s assessment of it, especially the third act; It has become a tradition to hold debates about Katerina after studying “The Thunderstorm,” comparing the opinions of Dobrolyubov and Pisarev (articles “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom” and “Motives of Russian Drama”).

The study of literary critical articles increases the level of literary education of schoolchildren, forming the concept of literary criticism as one of the types of literary creativity, the purpose of which is the interpretation of works of art, as well as the phenomena of life reflected in them. In the process of working on criticism, students develop the idea that “it is not so much the material as the approach itself, dictated by modern social tasks and the living perception of the reader, that distinguishes literary criticism even in cases where we're talking about about the classical heritage of the past, which is part of the cultural use of our time" (Brief Literary Encyclopedia. T. 4. - M., 1967. - P. 254). This is very important for high school students to know and understand due to the fact that when working on a work, not only contemporary criticism of the writer is used, but also articles that were written by critics of a much later time, containing certain interesting things and often dictated by the time in which he lived. critic, evaluation of the work, elements of its poetics, main images. Thus, when studying I. A. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov,” tenth-graders are introduced not only to the approaches to the novel of the writer’s contemporaries: N. A. Dobrolyubov and A. V. Druzhinin, but also I. F. Annensky, D. S. Merezhkovsky, whose articles were written in the early 1890s, approximately three decades after its publication. Naturally, this requires a selection of material for alternative criticism, which the teacher himself will do, using his data about the characteristics of the students in his class. Note that even the titles of critical articles reflect the author’s position, dictated by the social tasks of his time. For example, if Dobrolyubov is interested in Oblomovism as a social and moral phenomenon, then Annensky examines the image of the protagonist of the novel “Oblomov” in connection with the analysis of the artistic style of Goncharov as a writer (compare the titles: “What is Oblomovism?” and “Goncharov and his Oblomov”) .

Each literary critical article analyzes not only problems, events, but also artistic form reflected in the work, but also the phenomena of the very reality of those years, disputes, discussions that took place in intellectual circles and had big influence on the development of Russian literature. Acquaintance with these phenomena, problems of real life and discussion positions expands schoolchildren's ideas about the era, recreates in their minds pictures of the spiritual life of the society of that time. Such, for example, are the arguments of V. G. Belinsky about various ways of determining the essence of nationality and the national character of literature; Dobrolyubov’s presentation of the tasks of “real criticism”; Druzhinin's understanding of the role of the writer in the light of the theory of aesthetic criticism. From the standpoint of religious, philosophical and aesthetic quests late XIX- beginning of the 20th century analyze the works of Russian literature of the entire nineteenth century and their contemporaries V.S. Solovyov and D.S. Merezhkovsky, placing emphasis on the problems of continuity, the deeply national origins of Russian literature. The best articles by Solovyov and Merezhkovsky are useful to use in literature lessons in the context of familiarization with today's debates on the most various issues spiritual life.

When working on a critical article, especially considering it in full, and not just paying attention to individual statements of the author, you should dwell on the reasons that prompted you to take up its creation. This could be the publication of an outstanding work that played a decisive role in the spiritual life of society, for example, the novel “Eugene Onegin,” assessed by Belinsky as the poet’s “most sincere work,” in which the picture of Russian society, “taken into one of the most interesting moments its development." This could be the premiere of the play, which caused serious controversy, the writer’s anniversary, or other reasons.

High school students are enriched by acquaintance with the personality and creative method of the most outstanding literary critics, with whose articles they work in class and in the process of completing homework, since personal orientation, worldview, connection with the interests of certain classes leave a noticeable imprint on the nature of his perception and interpretation of a work of art, and the assessment of the writer’s work as a whole. The personality of the critic and his biographical information are revealed to students in classes on review topic, during the lessons of textual analysis of the article, in particular, in opening remarks for such a lesson (in the form of brief comments). The young reader is far from indifferent to the critic’s environment and his friendly connections with literary figures, journalists, critics, and his antipathies towards certain cultural figures. Schoolchildren are interested to know what else student years Belinsky gained great authority among young people and writers of democratic orientation; that Dobrolyubov, together with Chernyshevsky, directed the Sovremennik magazine during the period of Nekrasov’s editorship there; that Soloviev and Berdyaev were philosophers and their philosophical knowledge and understanding of reality and art undoubtedly influenced the choice of works and problems on which they spoke in critical articles, in particular about the religious consciousness of Lermontov and Dostoevsky. It is also interesting to know that Merezhkovsky and Annensky were themselves poets and, analyzing the lyric and prose works, they, first of all, paid attention to the perfection of artistic form; that their critical prose was written in a special way language style characteristic of the poet's prose.

Wishing that critical article, studied textually, has become a model for analyzing a work of art, the teacher helps schoolchildren not only understand its content, but also comprehend the form, that is, the genre; stylistic features; logical connections between its provisions; methods of argumentation. In this case, literary criticism becomes for them a model for constructing their own statement on literary theme, both written and oral. With systematic work on the analysis of criticism, students develop skills that contribute to the development of their own literary critical activity, naturally, for now at the school level.

In the study of B.F. Egorov, devoted to the critical genres, style and composition of articles by Belinsky, Dobrolyubov, Slavophiles, Botkin, Annenkov, Grigoriev, etc., a literary review, a monographic review, a problem article, a review, a cycle are highlighted, and the relationship between them in the works of critics. It is noteworthy that they single out dialogue and literary parallel. To them you can also add a letter, drama - dialogue, feuilleton. In modern critical literature, there are such genres of article as theoretical, anniversary, essay and polemical. “The composition of an article can be, roughly speaking, logical, subjective-lyrical and factual, respectively, conveying primarily the movements of either the author’s thought, or the author’s feeling, or the cited factual material of the works of art involved. It is clear that the logical construction is closer to the scientific origins of criticism and is most characteristic of the theoretical problematic, anniversary variety of the genre. Lyrical construction, where, at least in the first layer of the text, feelings of public indignation, temperament, and pathos boil, are more often inherent in articles of an essayistic or open journalistic type” (Bocharov A.G. Genres of literary and artistic criticism: Lectures. - M., 1982 . – P. 16).

For example, we draw the attention of schoolchildren to the combination of signs of theoretical and polemical articles in V. G. Belinsky’s articles about the novel “Eugene Onegin”. Thus, in the eighth article, the critic first identifies and explains to the reader the general, main assessments of the novel, shows its role in the development of social consciousness, connects them with topical issues of public discussions, for example about nationality, polemicizes with its opposite own positions views, then, as he reads the novel, he focuses on analyzing the image of the main character, provides a large amount of factual material in the form of an analytical retelling and quotation, and again polemicizes with the opinions of his opponents. A. Grigoriev, directly responding to the premiere of the play based on A. N. Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm,” put his critical article in the form of letters to I. S. Turgenev, which allowed him to freely convey his impressions of the premiere and discuss a number of problems related to the relationship between art and life; remember some fragments of your conversations with the addressee; review the dramaturgy of Ostrovsky's Muscovite period in the context of the literary life of the era; express your own idea of ​​the nationality. The article is perceived as a critic’s reflection after watching “The Thunderstorm.”

Innokenty Annensky acted as a subtle subjective essayist with a tragic perception of life, a chamber critic speaking to a narrow circle of readers. By referring to his articles and statements in class, the teacher prepares students for a different perception than when reading the articles of Belinsky, Goncharov, and Dobrolyubov. In Annensky’s works they will not find a comprehensive analysis of the problem, character, or work as a whole, but they will get acquainted with the critic’s views on the spiritual world of the writer, the experiences of his characters, and feel how he considered the issues of beauty in art and the associated concepts of good, evil, and the psychology of creativity .

As a rule, Annensky first conveys his impressions of what he read or some facts of his personal acquaintance with the writer, then conveys different points of view on a particular problem or character. He often speaks and thinks either on behalf of the writer or the character, transforming himself into his image. His articles lack precise and definite solutions to the problems posed; they only encourage the reader to search for their own positions and allow for ambiguous answers. Techniques that stimulate discussion include emphasized reticence, omissions, half-questions, and hints of possible guesses, which are concentrated at the end of the essay. In terms of their stylistic features, Annensky’s articles represent speech focused on live communication with listeners.

Experience has shown that after learning about A. M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths” and Annensky’s essay in class, this work was presented as one of the possible options for interpreting the drama, its reading by a contemporary critic. The contentiousness and ambiguity of interpretations caused high school students to want to engage in polemics using the genre-stylistic coloring of the essay, which made personal communication in the classroom involuntary and gave it the features of polemics and associativity.

As the last example has already convincingly shown, turning to literary critical articles and statements, including them in the process of studying a work of art contributes to the establishment of a dialogic relationship between the reader and the critic, who, in turn, jointly conduct a conversation with the writer, which makes it more and more close communication of the student reader with the work, positive reading motivation is enhanced, the desire to personally comprehend the problems raised by the writer and critic, interested in looking for answers to them both directly in the work and in the biography of the writer, as well as in articles and statements of critics and literary scholars and in classrooms debates in which literary criticism actively encourages participation.

Main stages and methods of using literary critical articles

The methodology for studying literary critical articles is carried out in high school in stages, according to which the process of developing the skills to independently work with critical materials occurs (select the main thing, thesis, take notes, compare different points of view). At the same time, there is a gradual complication of the methods of working on articles, starting from reading and analyzing its fragments under the guidance of a teacher and ending with conducting business games that show and consolidate already formed initial skills.

In classes on review topics introduction to critical thought era, reveals aesthetic and moral-philosophical trends in Russian literature and criticism, their interaction and the struggle of concepts. Thus, in a review of the literature of the first half of the 19th century. material on the origins of professional criticism in Russian literary magazines should be included, and the names of the authors of literary critical articles should be named. N. M. Karamzin, whom V. G. Belinsky considered the founder of criticism in Russian literature, made the department of criticism and bibliography a permanent department in the Moscow Journal and in the Vestnik Evropy. A. F. Merzlyakov, V. A. Zhukovsky, P. A. Vyazemsky, V. K. Kuchelbecker, A. A. Bestuzhev, P. A. Katenin and others. These names are either already familiar to students or will soon be encountered in connection with the era of the Decembrists and the work of Pushkin.

Decembrist criticism, represented by K. F. Ryleev, affirmed the ideas of the originality of Russian literature, the development of a satirical and civil direction in it.

In the 20-30s. three directions were identified in criticism: modified romantic criticism (N. A. Polevoy), emerging philosophical criticism (D. V. Venevitinov, V. F. Odoevsky, I. V. Kireevsky and, above all, N. I. Nadezhdin) and realistic quests Pushkin, which were reflected in his critical practice.

“In the activities of V. G. Belinsky, Russian literary criticism reached its peak. Adhering mainly to the philosophical direction of criticism, Belinsky assimilated and developed the achievements of its other movements. He completed the reassessment of the artistic phenomena of the past, putting in his first great work “Literary Dreams” (1834) “... on confrontation all Russian literature..." (A. Grigoriev). In an effort to combine social and aesthetic criteria, Belinsky developed the doctrine of “pathos” (in the fifth article about Pushkin, 1844), which required criticism to consistently solve two problems: deep penetration into art world the writer and - on this basis - determining his historical merits. Belinsky’s provisions on the difference between high poetry and fiction, purely artistic talents and talents guided by “conscious” thought were innovative.” (Mann Yu. V. Literary criticism // KLE. T. 4. – M., 1967. – P. 259). Belinsky developed a complete theory of realism and associated with it a specific critical practice, which students will become familiar with when studying the works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, the first works of Turgenev and Dostoevsky, already being oriented in his general literary positions.

In the review “Russian Literature of the Second Half of the 19th Century,” tenth-graders will become familiar with the further development of the main directions of literary critical thought, the controversy between supporters of “aesthetic criticism” (A. V. Druzhinin, P. V. Annenkov, V. P. Botkin, A. A. Grigoriev), who set the task of exploring the specifics of literature from the point of view of its artistic form, and revolutionary-democratic criticism (N. G. Chernyshevsky, N. A. Dobrolyubov, D. I. Pisarev, the magazines “Sovremennik” and “Russian Word” "), based on the principles of "real criticism". In this review lesson, the teacher sets the task of objectively presenting the points of view on literature, its role in the life of society, its artistic and aesthetic values ​​of the polemicizing parties. Students have already become acquainted with the texts of critical articles by V. G. Belinsky, the statements of other critics and literary scholars when studying the literature of the first half of the century (for the methodology of this work, see below) and therefore acquired certain skills in comparing different critical points of view and forming their own position. Consequently, in classes with a strong and average composition of students, as well as in classes where there is a circle of humanitarian-oriented students, it is possible, instead of a lecture presentation of part of this material conduct a theatrical and artistic dialogue by the schoolchildren themselves ( role-playing game) between participants representing the positions of revolutionary democratic and “aesthetic” criticism. Such experience has been accumulated in a number of Moscow schools (1133, 1284, 1293, 1129) - teachers T. A. Vavilova, L. V. Kolycheva, T. E. Poteryayeva, M. G. Kalintseva). Each point of view is presented from the “first person”. The impact of his arguments on the audience depends on the persuasiveness of the speakers’ speech, their argumentation, mastery of the material, ability to polemicize, listen carefully to the interlocutor and base their own judgments on his positions. At the same time, listeners have the opportunity to choose positions or form their own instead of accepting a ready-made, one-sidedly presented and “correct” one in advance.

Dialogue participants do not need to take on specific roles historical figures, critics, since their task is to present the essence of a certain literary critical movement and compare positions. Among the works read, on which students who were preparing to conduct a dialogue relied, are the dissertation of N. G. Chernyshevsky and his article “Essays on the Gogol period of Russian literature”, and the article by N. A. Dobrolyubov “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom”, and the article by A V. Druzhinina “Criticism of the Gogol period of Russian literature and our relationship to it.” The teacher indicates fragments of articles taking into account the level of literary development of the class. Naturally, general theoretical positions and discussions about the tasks of art and criticism are supported by examples of the evaluation of specific works of art, which have not yet been studied textually, but have been read independently. The dialogue is conducted in a free form, students are not constrained by pre-written texts, only a small quotation material from works and critical articles. Willingly or unwittingly, improvisation becomes a necessary component of polemics. Here are some excerpts recorded during one of the lessons.

Worthy colleague! I am glad to meet with you to discuss the urgent tasks of our common cause - literary criticism. Perhaps we will be able to find common ground despite all the obvious differences in our views, for we both carry out the noble mission of enlightening our reader.

I hope we'll talk frankly. I will try to convince you, dear sir, of the need to use the methods of “real criticism”. When analyzing a work, we, as Mr. Dobrolyubov rightly points out, “group the data, make considerations about in a general sense work, we point out its relationship to the reality in which we live, and we draw our conclusion.” For real critic, colleague, it is important to find out some aspects of Russian reality and whether the writer reproduces them correctly. In a critical work, we examine how literature reflects the aspirations of the time and the people, whether it raises or not issues that concern society and require resolution. These are the main requirements for the work of a word artist.

But only?! But these are the interests of the moment, they are fleeting. We must judge a work from the point of view of the eternal ideas of goodness, beauty and truth contained in it. A poet should not teach people to improve, he paints them as they are, and if he gives lessons to society, it is unconsciously. Let us remember the words of Alexander Vasilyevich Druzhinin about the writer: “He lives among his sublime world and descends to earth, as the Olympians once descended upon it, firmly remembering that he has his duty on high Olympus.” It seems to me that the purpose of literature is that it ennobles the reader not through direct moral teaching based on the example of the momentary interests of society, but through the presentation of eternal ideals in the elegant artistic form of our novels, stories, poems, and dramatic works.

In the dialogue, critics touch upon such issues as: which is higher, life or art, what topics can be raised on the pages of the writer’s works of art, what should be the artist’s position in relation to his characters and how it is expressed, and exchange judgments about any particular work.

Schoolchildren approach the 11th grade having already studied the basic critical works XIX century, as well as statements and articles by critics of later times, for example, the end of the 19th - the first decades of the 20th century. In classes on the review topic, it is advisable to generalize these ideas, showing what factors determine their literary and aesthetic positions, what caused the interest in understanding the work of individual writers of the past and present, how these positions are related to the problems raised in the literary work itself.

The development of criticism of this period is determined by the influence of Russian philosophical thought. Particularly important in Russian philosophy was the appeal to epistemological and ethical issues. They focused their attention on spiritual world man, personality, interpreted life in such categories as literature, such as life and fate, conscience and love, insight and delusion. They led the reader to an understanding of the diversity of practical and spiritual experience. Philosophers N.A. Berdyaev, V.S. Solovyov, I.A. Ilyin acted as literary critics, in whose works works of art were evaluated from the indicated philosophical positions. The critics were the poets I. F. Annensky, D. S. Merezhkovsky, M. Voloshin, N. S. Gumilyov, who professed the philosophy of the “Silver Age”. Thus, the originality of criticism at the beginning of the 20th century. was to combine philosophy and poetry in the formation of criteria for evaluating the literary and artistic creativity of the writer and his individual works. This is exactly how, for example, Merezhkovsky evaluates Dostoevsky, giving him preference over other great novelists: “Dostoevsky at some moments is closer to us than those with whom we live and whom we love - closer than family and friends. He is a comrade in illness, an accomplice not only in good, but also in evil, and nothing brings people closer together than common shortcomings. He knows our deepest thoughts, the most criminal desires of our hearts. Often, when you read him, you feel fear from his omniscience, from this deep penetration into someone else’s conscience. You come across secret thoughts in him that you wouldn’t dare express not only to a friend, but also to yourself. And when such a person, who has confessed our heart, nevertheless forgives us, when he says: “believe in goodness, in God, in yourself,” this is more than aesthetic delight in beauty; more than the arrogant preaching of an alien prophet...

• Even if the author of the article has conducted his own research and cites authoritative experts, analyze the feasibility and applicability of the idea in real conditions.
• Explore the introduction and conclusion, which should be consistent and provide compelling supporting elements to the paper.

Review the article for unintentional and intentional biases. If the author of the article benefits from the conclusions made, then his conclusions may turn out to be subjective.

• A biased author ignores counterarguments, misinterprets facts to distort conclusions, and imposes his own unfounded opinion on the reader. A supported opinion is not controversial, but unsubstantiated claims should always be taken with a grain of salt.
• Bias can also be based on prejudice (race, ethnicity, gender, class or political affiliation).