The poet Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin (1743–1816) wrote in the style of Russian classicism, which at that time forbade combining high ode and satire in one work, but more on that later.
The poet belonged to a family of small noblemen who lived in Kazan. The Derzhavin family, as recorded in the personal archive of the writer himself, began with the descendants of Bagrim's Murza, who voluntarily sided with Prince Vasily II.
Derzhavin’s poetic work is mainly represented by odes: civil, philosophical, victorious patriotic and anacreonic.
Derzhavin, “Felitsa”: short essays
A separate niche is occupied by civilian odes, which are addressed to influential government officials: monarchs and nobles. One of the most striking representatives of this poetic genre is the ode "Felitsa", a brief summary of it will be presented below. The poet dedicated it to the Russian Empress Catherine II.
Derzhavin began his service in the Preobrazhensky Regiment of St. Petersburg, this moment coincided with the beginning of his poetic activity. For 40 years he held various civilian and military posts and even served on the secret commission to capture Emelyan Pugachev. Then he was in the service of General A. A. Vyazemsky. At this very time, he will write his famous ode "Felitsa". A brief summary of this work tells about the wise and kind Kyrgyz princess, whose name was Felitsa. Here she acts as a just ruler, lawgiver and gracious monarch.
Ode and praise
Starting the topic: “Felitsa, a brief summary”, it should be noted that Derzhavin took the image for his ode from “Tales of Tsarevich Chlora” written by Catherine II for his grandchildren.
Derzhavin continued this tradition - writing a laudable ode of the image of an enlightened monarch - borrowing it from Lomonosov. These great people saw in the monarch a man who was entrusted with society to take care of the welfare of the state and its people.
The work shows the struggle against the abuse of their position by high-ranking nobles. Everyone should serve for the good of Russia - this was the defining feature of Derzhavin’s work. It was in the enlightened monarchy that he saw the force that would worthily lead such a powerful state as Russia.
G. Derzhavin, “Felitsa”: a poem
Ode "Felitsa" brought unbelievable fame to its author and generous rewards from the Empress herself, who presented him with a precious snuffbox made of pure gold and all strewn with diamonds.
In the 80s, Derzhavin was not yet so close acquainted with Catherine II, she created her image from stories that were spread by her own will. But the poet knew many of her associates, under whose command he had to serve at different times. In an ode, the idealization of the image of Catherine II is combined with criticism of her court nobles.
Merciful queen
An assistant to create the main image was an order document written by Catherine II. In this “Punishment,” she wrote about the need to soften some laws on the death penalty, which were often applied due to minor offenses. Therefore, Derzhavin endowed his heroine with such mercy and indulgence as Her Majesty Catherine II.
Felitsa in the work is glorified in the fact that she stopped the persecution of those who had the courage to express all kinds of insults against her.
This is clearly stated in the ode "Felitsa." The summary describes that from the first lines of the ode you can recognize the Russian ruler Catherine II. So Derzhavin paints her image, first of all, based on her inherent human qualities, and adds that from her first days in Russia she began to follow her rites and customs. In this matter, she very much succeeded and therefore aroused sympathy for her courtyard nobles and guards. There is evidence that the ode to tears touched the empress.
Derzhavin showed innovative literary abilities and combined laudatory and revealing principles with a satire in an ode, and then this was unacceptable. The wise Felice and her ideal image were opposed by negligent nobles - “Murza”. In the Catherine’s court they were G.A. Potemkin, Count P.I. Panin, Count Orlovs, Prince A.A. Vyazemsky, etc.
Derzhavin depicted them so accurately that it was not difficult to guess who was mentioned in his work.
Satire on the nobles
Literary analysis of the ode “Felitsa” suggests that Derzhavin, with deep satire, emphasized all their weaknesses, petty interests and whims. Honorable people of high rank cannot look in such an inappropriate way. For example, he portrayed Potemkin as a gourmet and a glutton, who loved feasts and table amusements. The Orlovs loved to have fun dancing and fist fighting. Panin, leaving others to perform his duties, went hunting with dogs. And Vyazemsky enlightened his mind by reading “Polkan and Bova,” since he often fell asleep over the Bible.
We will continue to study odes in brief. Derzhavina "Felitsa" originally and very boldly presents the image of the author himself in the work. Vibrantly and truthfully, he wrote: "Sitting at home, I will leprosy, playing fools with my wife ...".
The very original oriental flavor of the ode is also noteworthy, since it narrates on behalf of the Tatar Murza, and the eastern cities of Smyrna, Kashmir and Baghdad are also mentioned. The ode traditionally ends in a high and laudatory style.
Derzhavin in his ode compares the reign of Catherine II, which creates a series of laws useful to the Great State, with the unjust and cruel mores that reigned in Russia under Anna Ioannovna, called the times of Bironism.
The image of Felitsa in the odes of Derzhavin "Felitsa", "Nobleman"
After the “Felitsa”, which forever glorified Derzhavin, the poet proceeds to the ode of the “Nobleman”. Here again, the construction is based on two principles - laudatory and satirical. But if in “Felitsa” there was more of a positive beginning, cheerful satire and laughter over nobles, then in the ode of “The nobleman” there is a different ratio of good and evil. The laudatory part is very small - only at the very end, more related to the mention of P. A. Rumyantsev. Most outweighed by angry satire. One can hear the author’s indignation from the indifference of the nobles to the duty to their Fatherland. This is not much different works of the XVIII century. Derzhavin is indignant at the situation of his people and subjects suffering from criminally indifferent courtiers, to the reception of which the military commander, the widow with the child in her arms, and the wounded soldier could sit and wait for hours in the waiting room.
Conclusion
So, we have analyzed the odes summary. Derzhavin's “Felitsa” and “The Nobleman” is such an appeal to satire, which a little later, in the 19th century, was repeated by Gogol in the work “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” and Nekrasov in “Reflections at the Main Entrance”.
Creativity was highly appreciated and in many respects later imitated his predecessor A.S. Pushkin and the Decembrist K.F. Ryleyev.