The play “Not of This World” by Alexander Ostrovsky as family scenes

Abstract

The subject of the study is the compositional and content features of the scene genre, which was of great importance in the artistic system of Alexander Ostrovsky and aimed at depicting the mores and life of the environment. The article notes that the playwright significantly expanded the idea of the genre of scenes. His later plays of this genre are full-fledged works with a complete plot and developed intrigue. The play “Not of This World” shows the everyday life of the characters with their habits and entertainment. Particular attention is drawn to the poetry of the last work of the playwright, a pronounced lyrical element, the mastery of psychological characteristics. The psychological complexity and inconsistency of images and the tragic nature of the conflict based on the opposition of the main character Kseniya Kochuyeva, a woman “not of this world”, and a society ruled by money and cold calculation are noted. The moral problems of the play are revealed – it raises eternal questions about the soul, sin, family values and relationships between people. Reviews on the play “Not of this world” of critics who failed to understand or accept it, are considered. It is concluded that in this play, behind the local situation, beyond the image of a separate fate, one can see the state of society in the 1880s.