Shakespearean Theatre in Criticism and Journalism of Petr Boborykin

Abstract

The aim of the study is to analyze the functions and forms of Boborykin’s references to Shakespeare’s dramatic heritage and determine the extent of Shakespearean theatre’s influence on the formation of the writer’s creative system. The material consists of feuilletons and articles by P. D. Boborykin for the journals “Library for Reading” (1861, 1862), “Case” (1871), “Word” (1878), publications in the newspapers “New Time” (1876), “Theatrical World” (1887), as well as the book “Theatrical Art” (1872) and the memoirs “For Half a Century” (1929, 1965). It is shown that in his feuilleton publicism, Boborykin turns to Shakespeare to criticize the contemporary theatre in all its manifestations — from the quality of plays, the choice of repertoire by theatre administration, acting, to the level of the audience. When evaluating A. N. Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy, the writer uses criteria developed by himself for analyzing Shakespearean theatre. Boborykin does not recognize historicism in artistic texts due to the author’s inability to be unbiased in reproducing the realities of the depicted era. In relation to Shakespeare’s plays, the writer introduces the term “universal human nature”, implying the reflection by the playwright of his contemporary reality in the settings of the chosen era. Boborykin reproaches A. N. Ostrovsky for an abundance of epic elements which, in his opinion, are unacceptable in dramaturgical art. Shakespeare’s works became the aesthetic, artistic, and philosophical foundation for the writer’s system of evaluating theatrical art.