KRYTYKA LITERACKA NA ŁAMACH CZASOPISMA „MOSKWITIANIN” W OKRESIE „MŁODEJ REDAKCJI”
LITERARY CRITICISM IN THE COLUMNS OF THE JOURNAL “MOSKVITIANIN” IN THE PERIOD OF “THE YOUNG EDITORS”

Summary/Abstract: In the 40’s of the nineteenth century Russia “Moskvitianin” , (Muscovite), a decisively conservative journal propagating the ideas of “official popular character of art and literature” played a very special role. Pronouncing against the democratic and progressive tendencies in Russian literature it aroused controversies and stimulated all the more enlightened intellectuals of Russia to action. The period of activity of “the young editors” was the second stage of existence of “Moskvitianin” already when the influence of the theoretician of “official character of art and literature” , S. Sheviriov is not as strong as it had been in the initial period. A. Grigoriev who headed “the young” tried to create his own conception of literary criticism, and besides the “young Slavophils” idealizing the patriarchal Russian merchants went far from the slogan “Orthodox Church, autocracy, folk character of art and literature”. The emphasis on the historical role of the class of merchants was connected with the fascination with the dramas of Alexander Ostrovski. For “the young editors” Ostrovski was the writer who said the “new word” in Russian literature. This standpoint caused a critical attitude towards the writers deriving from the “natural school” . However, one should stress that Apollon Grigoriev, who almost alone dealt with the critical assessments, although he erred often, could still perceive and objectively evaluate the merits of the literary work.

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