"A Spring’s Tale" "The Snow Maiden" by Alexander Ostrovsky in the 1870s literary process

Abstract

Organic connection of perspective and poetics of "The Snow Maiden" by Alexander Ostrovsky with spiritual search of his contemporaries, the 1870s writers, is shown in the article, and the playwright's aesthetic position originality – going beyond the limits of poetic schools which were at enmity with each other, and overcoming contradiction between them in new artistic synthesis – comes to light. Fragility of human communications, disappearance of attachment to family life from daily communication is very characteristic of that time, that found refl ection in Leo Tolstoy's, and Fyodor Dostoevsky's, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin's and Alexander Ostrovsky's creative work. It becomes clear that the playwright's confl ict with Nikolay Nekrasov concerning "The Snow Maiden" was caused by distinction of aesthetic positions rather than by finance disputes. New poetic synthesis which refl ected breadth and Christian "toleration" of Alexander Ostrovsky's lyric soul sickened Nikolay Nekrasov. After aesthetic rejection, rejection of the substantial party of "Spring's Tale" as well did not take long – social actuality characteristic of Nikolay Nekrasov as a poet, was obviously softened in it.