Vissarion Belinsky. Literary marshal. Literary theorist. Literary patron. An essay.
There are not so many biographical books about Vissarion Belinsky. A well-known biography - one (N. Vodovozov "Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky" - published in 1944).
Vissarion Belinsky is a well-known person ...
Nevertheless ... His father, Grigory Nikiforovich Belynsky, was a military doctor.
"Grigory Nikiforovich was the son of a priest in the village of Belyn in the Penza province, he studied at the Penza theological seminary, where he received his surname Belynsky - usually seminarians were given nicknames at their place of origin." (N. Vodovozov 'Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky').
Not everything fits together in this version. The priest had a surname - at the time of the appearance of the son, the future military doctor?
The fate of Vissarion Belinsky was peculiar. Political success did not accompany him (as well as the all 'seminarians").
Belinsky did not become the author of widely known works of art.
Belinsky's life, in general, is free from those biographical details that make reading biographies interesting. What could be interesting in the endless struggle for survival? In life financially scarce, in a situation of constant lack of money?
So, today many people know the name Belinsky. Often this surname is mentioned. It is generally understood that Belinsky was a correct, progressive, and useful human.
But what is his usefulness? To this question, a biography written by N. Vodovozov, published in 1944, gives meager and unclear answers.
However, a comparison of the biography written by N. Vodovozov and a number of Turgenev's biographies written by different authors allows us to make judgments about the role of Vissarion Belinsky in Russian culture and in Russian literature.
Vissarion Belinsky can be called (1) a literary marshal, (2) a literary theorist, (3) a literary patron (philanthropist).
The term 'marshal' is used in this case to a greater extent in the American (common, citizen-wide) meaning (person responsible for order; main, leading person; trustee) than in French (military) (head of large military units). But the French meaning of the word, nevertheless, remains relevant.
To the American (general) meaning of the word "marshal" is adjacent, to some extent, the Latin concept of "tribunes of the plebs." The tribunes of the plebs not only publicly defended the interests of the plebs, the people, but also defended the order, the rules.
What biographical details are guessed in the biographical fog surrounding Belinsky's life?
"The great critic already boldly put Gogol in first place next to Pushkin, calling him" the head of literature, the head of poets. " (N. Vodovozov 'Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky').
'... Mr. Gogol has an extraordinary, strong and high talent. At least at present he is the head of literature, the head of poets; he takes the place left by Pushkin. " (V. Belinsky "On the Russian novel and the stories of Gogol", 1835).
If literature has a head, a leader, then, therefore, is literature a kind of social institution?
Turgenev used the term a "literary department."
In other words, Vissarion Belinsky announces the existence of such a public institution as Russian literature, and appoints head (Nikolai Gogol).
But Belinsky calls Gogol to account - when it is necessary ('Letter to Gogol.' 1847).
Vissarion Belinsky published annual reviews of Russian literature (from 1840 to 1845). Responsible public figures regularly publish reports, reviews of the situation...
In all these actions, the function of the marshal is visible (in the common civil sense - of the person organizing, controlling, ensuring order).
Literature, as a public institution, is called upon to function according to certain rules. What are the rules?
"Belinsky created and approved the theory of truthfulness, realism in art." (N. Vodovozov 'Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky').
On the topic of "realism" you can reason, and argue, and debate.
But the question itself is important in itself: 'How to live?' How to act? What to strive for? '
The function of the theoretician of Russian literature is visible.
Finally, Belinsky, who had lost his strength at his literary desk, gave an important initial impetus to Ivan Turgenev, Nikolai Nekrasov, Fedor Dostoevsky ...
Assessing this role of Belinsky, we see a literary patron, a literary philanthropist, a literary benefactor.
The roles of the literary marshal (in the common civilian meaning), the literary theorist, and the literary patron were reproduced in the activities of various public and cultural figures.
For example, Dmitry Grigorovich played the role of a literary patron, philanthropist in relation to Anton Chekhov (1886).
Nikolay Dobrolyubov (1836 - 1861), for example, acted as a literary theorist.
Maxim Gorky (1868 - 1936) proved himself as a marshal (in the American, in the general civilian sense, and in the French, military, sense of the term) - and until 1917, and especially in 1934 - when the Union of Writers was created. Of course, he also showed himself as a literary patron, philanthropist.
The merit of Vissarion Belinsky in that he declared the Russian literature as an independent public (non-government) institution, and that he combined the functions of a literary marshal, a literary theorist and a literary patron (philanthropist), gave an example of the performance of these social functions.
An updated, more complete biography of Vissarion Belinsky is needed in (await for) a capable performer.
June 9, 2020 09:45
Translation from Russian into English: June 9, 2020 11:27.