Each of us at school or institute has heard of such a thing as classicism. This is an aesthetic trend found in many types of culture and art. In general, the word classicism comes from the Latin classicus, which means “exemplary” in translation. Does it inspire thoughts of something strict, exact, even antique, right? That's right, the poetics of classicism began to take shape in the late Renaissance in Italy, and finally formed in the XVII century in France.
The foundations of this trend - the rules of the ancient works of Aristotle, Horace - require strict adherence to canons that are unshakable and unquestioning in this genre. The aesthetics of classicism also has its own special hierarchy of genres: epic, ode, tragedy - “high” genres; satire, comedy, fable - "low." Let us consider the basis of literary classicism.
The Rule of Three Unities
It includes the following concepts:
- The unity of time - action strictly during the day.
- The unity of the place - throughout the entire work, actions take place in one place, as a rule, this is a house, a palace, a manor, etc.
- The unity of action is the absence of side parties and characters, the presence of one main plot.
What is the rule of three unity in literature for?
The requirement of the unity of time can be explained as follows: a spectator who has been in the theater for a small number of hours will not believe events on the stage, the duration of which does not correspond much to the duration of the performance itself. If in Shakespeare’s plays the action can take several months, then in the drama of classicism this is impossible. The action in a play written in this style is necessarily divided into five acts and takes no more than a day. The physical time of perception of the viewer must certainly coincide with the time of action on the stage.
The requirement of unity of place is based on the same principles. It was believed that the viewer should understand that in front of him all the time the same scene. This strict character of the principle of classicism is especially evident in comparison with another type of drama - Shakespearean. Recall his plays, where the action is transferred from one place to another. The requirements of the unity of time and place greatly reduced the diversity of the plot of works of classic drama, but at the same time contributed to the particular rigor and clarity of the construction of the play.
The last requirement - unity of action - in each play the number of actors should be minimal; the action develops logically, strictly, clearly, without sidelines. It will be difficult for the viewer to watch the production to the end if there is no unity of action in it.
Classicism in foreign literature
Classicism first relied on the theories of Aristotle and Horace, the ancient authors. In European literature, this style ends in the 1720s. It also strictly complied with the rule of three unities, which is mentioned earlier in the article.
European classicism in its development went through two main stages:
- The heyday of the monarchy, the positive development of science, culture and economics. At this time, classic writers saw the task of glorifying the monarch.
- The crisis of the monarchy, criticism of shortcomings in the political system. The authors condemn the monarchy.
The development of classicism in Russia
This artistic direction found a response in Russia later than in other countries of the world. National traditions - that is what Russian classicism was based on. It was in this that its uniqueness and originality manifested itself.
Classicism developed especially strongly in architecture, where it reached very high heights. This was due to the creation and construction of a new capital (St. Petersburg) and the active growth of other cities in Russia. Achievements of classicism manifested themselves in a large number of buildings, for example, the arrow of Vasilievsky Island (J. F. Tom de Tomon) in St. Petersburg, the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (I. Starov), the architecture of Tsarskoye Selo (A. Rinaldi) and many others.
In Tsarskoye Selo, the Italian architect Antonio Rinaldi worked on seven objects, including the Chinese Theater, the Chesmenskaya Column, the Kagul Obelisk.
Pictured is the Marble Palace (A. Rinaldi) in St. Petersburg.
The development of classicism in Russian literature
In Russia, classicism arose in the second quarter of the 18th century and presented us with such wonderful creators as M.V. Lomonosov, A. D. Kantemir, V. Trediakovsky, G. R. Derzhavin, A. P. Sumarokov, Ya. B. Knyazhnin and many other great names.
Of course, Mikhail Lomonosov made a greater contribution to the development of Russian classicism in literature. He developed a system of three "calm", created a sample of an ode - a solemn message, which became very popular at that time. Especially clearly the traditions of classicism were reflected in the comedy of Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin "Undergrowth".
In addition to the mandatory rule of the three unity of classicism in literature, the following are also related to the features of this style in Russia:
- division of heroes into negative and positive characters, the obligatory presence of a resonator - a hero expressing the position and opinion of the author;
- the presence in the plot of a love triangle;
- the triumph of goodness in the finale and the indispensable punishment of vice.
Classicism played a huge role in the development of world art. This direction is the basis, the basis of literature. The classic style belongs to a huge number of great works. Every day in all theaters of the world, famous comedies, tragedies and plays are played, which have become unsurpassed masterpieces.