On the autobiography of M. Y. Lermontov's dramaturgy of the early period (plats “Menschen und Leidenschaften” and “A Strange Man”)

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the analysis of the two plays written by M. Y. Lermontov in the the early period – “Menschen und Leidenschaften” and “A Strange Man” form the perspective of manifestation of autobiographical context therein. These works are based on the dramatic events in Lermontov's biography that took place in 1830–1831, such as conflict between the poet's grandmother and father, death of his father, as well as Lermontov's relationship with N. F. Ivanova. Analysis is conducted on the texts of these two dramas, as well as on the biographical situation that encouraged Lermontov to create these plays. Special attention is given to determination of specificity of interrelation between the biographical and fictional in Lermontov's dramaturgy of the early period. Lermontov’s appeal to the drama genre is associated directly with the need for artistic mastering of the biographical context. The article analyzes the process of instilling life facts in the dramaturgical text, as well as the specificity of manifestation of the autobiographical in the plotline, images of the heroes, as well as ideological-thematic aspect of the work. The result of the conducted research lies in tracing the evolution of the image of the protagonist based on self-projection of the author's personality, as well as the peculiarities building a romantic conflict that has autobiographical grounds. The two compositions represent a different perspective upon the personality and behavior of a “strange” man; autobiographical accuracy in depicting a romantic conflict is associated with the possibility of conveying the history of relationships in the play, due to the closeness of this literary genre to empirical reality. This allows viewing the two plays as a system of artistic development of biographical events in the dramatic discourse.