Periodization of Old Russian literature. History and features of Old Russian literature

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

Periodization of Old Russian literature is a phenomenon that was inevitable in the development of the literary side of Russian culture. It is this phenomenon that we will consider in this article, all periods and those prerequisites that marked this periodization.

Historical stages of periodization

Old Russian literature changed its direction with each historical stage. In total, three such stages are distinguished in history: Kievan Rus, the time of which is indicated by 11-13 centuries; literature that was written during the period of feudal fragmentation in Russia, 13-15 centuries; the period of creation of a single centralized Russian state, marked by the 16th-17th centuries.

In addition, it is important to say that each stage of periodization has always been accompanied by specific historical events, which, in fact, pushed the Russian people to develop both literary and political. After all, for many centuries literature carried a purely political, state and legal character. Before the advent of artliterature, a lot of time has passed since literature arose in Russia.

Factors to consider

If we talk about the periodization of ancient Russian literature, then there are some factors that must be taken into account in order to rationally evaluate all the changes that have occurred in literature for a long time. One of these factors was the translation of many works from Old Church Slavonic into modern Russian. Since the originals of many works have been lost over the years, it is worth considering that only rewritten works have survived to this day. Despite this, we boldly call even such works literary monuments, which is typical of ancient Russian literature.

In addition, it is important to say about the images that were present in ancient literature. Undoubtedly, after each periodization, ancient Russian literature changed the images that were in the very center. This can be explained by the fact that development did not stand still, people's values and morals changed. Another factor that influenced the development of Old Russian literature was the change in the genre structure of the text. If we talk about ancient literature, it is clear that at that time one style of writing prevailed, and today completely different styles are preferred.

Literature of Kievan Rus

Speaking of the periods of ancient Russian literature, let's start with the earliest, which is designated 11-13 centuries. At this time, literature is full of its solemn and praising images. The emergence of Old Russianliterature in history occurs with the adoption of Christianity. It was after Christianity was accepted as the main state religion that literature appeared in Russia. At first it consisted of documents and important texts, which were office papers, which is typical for ancient Russian literature.

Rus came to such a development in literature thanks to cooperation with Bulgaria, which was next to Byzantium, where writing and literature had already become more developed. In order to streamline its state affairs, Russia had to maintain its own nomenclature, which today we call the most ancient literature. With the help of the creation of ancient Russian literature, a patriotic spirit was to develop in the population, which was very important for the authorities. In addition, this contributed to the fact that Russia became a single state in terms of politics and history.

Literature of feudal Russia

This period of ancient Russian literature is designated 13-15 centuries. This time was very difficult for the Russian state. The main feature of this period was that various confrontations between Russia and enemy peoples were described in literary texts. One can even single out several main themes of the works that prevailed at that time: for example, opposition to the Pechenegs. Or you can find texts that tell about the great and centuries-old struggle of princes for the throne of Kyiv.

Speaking of this period, you canIt should be noted that the well-known D. Likhachev called this literary period only as monumental historicism. It was at this time that the first chronicles appeared, which became the beginning of the emergence of fiction in Russia.

Works from this period

The Tale of Bygone Years can be called a well-known work of ancient Russian literature of this period. The work has come down to our time not in its original form: the story includes several ancient chronicles of a later time. Despite this, a well-known fact about this ancient document is its compiler - the monk Nestor, who was a publicist and historian. The writing of this story is dated 1113, and its basis was chronicle codes, which, unfortunately, have not survived to this day. In addition, there is an equally ancient work that can be found in textbooks on ancient Russian literature - "The Tale of Kozhemyak".

It is also worth noting that these monuments of ancient Russian literature are the works of professionals, they are filled with excellent oratory skills, capable of instilling patriotism in every reader. Speaking about this period, I would also like to note such works as the “Sermon on Law and Grace” by the famous Illarion, “Words and Teachings”, authored by Kirill Turovsky and, of course, the great work of Prince Vladimir Monomakh - “Teaching”.

The Tale of Igor's Campaign

Separately, I would like to highlight this particular work. It carries a specialhistorical value. The well-known ancient work "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" tells us not only about the fate of Prince Igor, but also about the fate of an entire people. Unfortunately, the name of the author of this creation is unknown to this day. Most likely, the name of the author will forever remain a mystery to Russian history.

It is important to say that this particular work is a good example that can tell about the literature of this time. It perfectly reflects those fundamental foundations of ancient Russian literature, which are Russian history. Not only does the work describe events that happened not with fictional characters, but with real historical figures, it also tells about the past of Russia, about how people lived before, how they live now, what they dream about and what they hope for in the near future.

"The Tale of Igor's Campaign" is a very important element not only in ancient literature. Today, the work is being studied by students of such faculties as law, history, philology, journalism and many others. This is already a good indicator that such an ancient monument contains something that plays a very important role in the history of such a huge country as Russia.

First Lives

Speaking about the literature of the middle period, it is important to note that the first lives appeared in Russia, the writing of which dates back to the 11th century. Lives told about the lives of extremely famous personalities of that time. The heroes of ancient Russian literature of the 11th century were Theodosius of the Caves, Boris andGleb. These lives have an interesting feature: they differ greatly in the clear identification of the problems of that time, in their vitality. If we talk specifically about the development of the language factor, then from the point of view of ancient literature, they are written in perfect language.

Literature of the united Russian state

Speaking of the last period that characterizes Old Russian literature, it is important to say that at this time literature acquires splendor and special solemnity. Especially popular are those works that regulate the political, spiritual, domestic and legal spheres of life of the population. One of the most striking examples of the literature of this period is the work "The Great Menaion of the Chetya". This literary monument consists of twelve books. Each was meant to be read on its own within a month. At this time, Domostroy also appeared in everyday life, better known as the first set of laws that are necessary for the well-being of the family.

Literature of the new time

But already in the 17th century, Russian literature was changing a lot. This period becomes the period of the formation of modern literature. Russia is becoming a state in which the political system is changing smoothly - there is a gradual transition to democracy. You can see how much the role of the individual in history is changing. This is due to the outcome of the peasant war, which fell on the 16th-17th centuries. In addition, the time of unrest contributed a lot to the changes.

The cases of such heroes of ancient Russian literature and history as Ivan the Terrible,Vasily Shuisky and Boris Godunov, were explained at that time not only by God's will, but also by the character traits of each of these characters. At the same time, a new literary genre arose, which was called democratic satire. In the works belonging to this genre, all church and political orders are ridiculed, often the judiciary itself.

Conclusion

It is the 17th century that ends the period of the literature that today we call ancient. This is one of the features of ancient Russian literature. Nowadays, a huge number of literary monuments have been preserved that can give us a clear idea of \u200b\u200blife in the centuries presented above. The whole periodization of Russian literature of ancient centuries is very important for the history of Russia, for the history of its development and formation as a strong world state.

The main feature of ancient Russian literature was that it, like history, has its own specific stages. Despite this, one must understand how strongly ancient history and literature of the 11th-17th centuries are connected. Let each of these branches of science have its own periodization and rates of development, one cannot exist without the other.