Жанры литературного творчества Дени Дидро

Abstract

The paper aims at revealing the features of the artistic worldview of Denis Diderot, one of the most prominent figures in French culture, a philosopher, prose writer, playwright, art theorist, who made a significant contribution to the literary enlightenment of the French society. The scientific originality of the paper lies in considering the dynamics of the French enlightener’s views and conducting a comprehensive analysis of Diderot’s literary contribution to establishing and developing such literary genres of the era as novels together with “serious comedies” (dramas), which proved to be a historical and literary phenomenon of the Enlightenment. The study of Diderot’s creative work allows the researcher to define him as a versatile personality, original thinker and encyclopaedist. As a result, it has been proved that being a central and paradoxical personality of the Enlightenment era, Denis Diderot consciously combined everyday, theoretical, artistic and philosophical thinking in his literary works, which was manifested in his contribution to the development of literary genres common for the XVIII century and to the establishment of new ones. The analysis of the content of the French writer’s works shows that they are enlightening, since their author as a thinker and writer used a “creative method”, as defined by G. Gachev, that smoothed the sharp distinction between him as an artist, critic and philosopher.