The main features of sentimentalism. Signs of sentimentalism in literature

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Sentimentalism is not only a direction in culture and literature, it is primarily the mindset of human society at a certain stage of development, which in Europe began a little earlier and lasted from the 20s to the 80s of the 18th century, in Russia it occurred at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries. The main signs of sentimentalism are as follows - in human nature, the primacy of feelings, not reason, is recognized.

From reason to feelings

Sentimentalism closes the Enlightenment, which covered the entire XVIII century and gave rise to a number of literary trends. This is classicism and rococo, sentimentalism and pre-romanticism. Some experts consider romanticism to follow the described trend, and sentimentalism is identified with pre-romanticism. Each of these areas has its own distinctive features, each has its own normative personality, the one whose features are better than others.express a trend that is optimal for a given culture. There are some signs of sentimentalism. This is a concentration of attention on the individual, on the strength and power of feelings, the prerogative of nature over civilization.

Towards nature

This direction in literature differs from previous and subsequent trends primarily in the cult of the human heart. Preference is given to simplicity, naturalness, the hero of the works becomes a more democratic personality, often a representative of the common people. Great attention is paid to the inner world of man and nature, of which he is a part. These are the signs of sentimentalism. Feelings are always freer than reason, which was worshiped or even deified by classicism. Therefore, sentimentalist writers had greater freedom of imagination and its reflection in a work that also no longer fit into the strict logical framework of classicism.

New literary forms

The main genres of sentimentalism are travel and novels, but not just, but instructive or in letters. Letters, diaries, memoirs are the most frequently used genres, as they make it possible to reveal the inner world of a person more widely. In poetry, elegy and epistle take precedence. That is, literary genres, in themselves, are also signs of sentimentalism. Pastoral cannot belong to any other direction than the one described.

In Russia sentimentalism was reactionary and liberal. The representative of the first was Shalikov Petr Ivanovich (1768-1852). His works were an idyllic utopia - infinitely kind kings sent by God to earth solely for the sake of peasant happiness. No social contradictions - beautiful soul and universal goodness. Probably, thanks to such sweet and sour works, a certain tearfulness and far-fetchedness, which are sometimes perceived as signs of sentimentalism, have entrenched this literary movement.

Founder of Russian sentimentalism

Bright representatives of the liberal trend are Karamzin Nikolai Mikhailovich (1766-1826) and the early Zhukovsky Vasily Andreevich (1783-1852), these are well-known. You can also name several progressive liberal-minded writers - these are A. M. Kutuzov, to whom Radishchev dedicated "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow", M. N. Muravyov, sage and poet, I. I. Dmitriev, poet, fabulist and translator, V. V. Kapnist and N. A. Lvov. The earliest and most striking work of this trend was Karamzin's story "Poor Liza". It should be noted that the signs of sentimentalism in the literature of Russia have distinctive features from Europe. The main thing is the instructive, moral and enlightening nature of the works. Karamzin said that one should write the way one speaks. Thus, another feature of Russian sentimentalism is the improvement of the literary language of the work. I would like to note that a positive achievement or even discovery of this literary movement is that it was the first to turn to the spiritual world of people.lower classes, revealing his we alth and generosity of soul. Before the sentimentalists, poor people were usually shown as rude, callous, incapable of any spirituality.

"Poor Lisa" is the pinnacle of Russian sentimentalism

What are the signs of sentimentalism in "Poor Liza"? The plot of the story is uncomplicated. Its charm is not that. The very idea of \u200b\u200bthe work conveys to the reader the fact that the natural naturalness and rich world of Lisa, a simple peasant woman, is incomparably higher than the world of a well-educated, secular, well-trained Erast, in general, and a good person, but squeezed by the framework of conventions that did not allow him to marry beloved girl. But he did not even think of marrying, because, having achieved reciprocity, Erast, full of prejudices, lost interest in Lisa, she ceased to be the personification of purity and purity for him. A poor peasant girl, even full of dignity, trusting a rich young man who has descended to a commoner (which should speak of the breadth of her soul and democratic views), is initially doomed to the final run to the pond. But the merit of the story lies in a completely different approach and perspective of the rather banal events covered. It was the signs of sentimentalism in "Poor Lisa" (the beauty of the soul of a simple person and nature, the cult of love) that made the story incredibly popular with contemporaries. And the pond, in which Liza drowned herself, began to be called by her name (the place in the story is indicated quite accurately). The fact that the story became an event is also evidenced by the fact that among the current graduates of Soviet schools there are almosteveryone knows that "Poor Lisa" was written by Karamzin, as "Eugene Onegin" by Pushkin, and "Mtsyri" by Lermontov.

From France

Sentimentalism itself is a more significant phenomenon in fiction than classicism with its rationalism and dryness, with its heroes, who, as a rule, were crowned persons or generals. "Julia, or New Eloise" by Jean-Jacques Rousseau burst into fiction and laid the foundations of a new direction. Already in the works of the founder of the movement, general signs of sentimentalism appeared in literature, forming a new artistic system that glorified a simple person who was able to empathize with others without any self-interest, endlessly love loved ones, sincerely rejoice in the happiness of others.

Similarities and differences

Signs of classicism and sentimentalism largely coincide, because both of these directions belong to the Enlightenment, but they also have differences. Classicism glorifies and deifies the mind, and sentimentalism - feeling. The main slogans of these trends also differ: in classicism it is “a person subject to the dictates of reason”, in sentimentalism it is “a feeling person”. The forms of writing works also differ - the logic and rigor of the classicists, and the works of authors of a later literary direction, rich in digressions, descriptions, memoirs and letters. Based on the foregoing, we can answer the question of what are the main features of sentimentalism. Main themeworks of love. Genres specific - pastoral (elegy), sentimental story, letters and travel. In the works there is a cult of feelings and nature, a departure from straightforwardness.