DOI: 10.25136/2409-8744.2017.2.22564

Abstract:   The subject of this article is the marital relations of various generations in a merchant family described in the early compositions of A. N. Ostrovsky. In the literary world, Ostrovsky holds a role of the “daily life writer” of the merchant class. His contemporaries perceived the plays of the dramaturge not just as artistic oeuvres, but also “paintings of life”. Having responded to the emerged in society interest for the life of different social classes, Ostrovsky, being well familiarized with various aspects of merchant life, made it open for the wide audience. Dramaturge’s plays were considered as sketches from the daily life, and established a new stereotype in the perception of merchants. The goal of this work consists in determination of the level of authenticity in depicting one of the personal aspects of a merchant family – the marital relationship. The author examines the descriptions of the relationship between wife and husband in the early compositions of A. N. Ostrovsky (“The Young Man's Morning”, “Celebratory Sleep Is That Before Dinner”, “The Storm”, “Picture of a Family Happiness”, etc.), as well as the reminiscences of representatives of the merchant class of the mid-XIX century). The scientific novelty of this research consists in the use of dramaturgical compositions as a historical source alongside the attempt to reveal the nature of marital relationships of the older and younger generations of the merchants over the period of 1840’s – 1860’s. The work demonstrates that the pattern of family life of the merchants of older generation, described in the early works of Ostrovsky, was based on the traditional principle taking its roots from “Domostroy” – full authority of the head of family and servile obedience of the wife. Marital relations of the younger representatives of the merchants were more diverse. Memoirs of the representative of merchant class of this time are extremely poor in description of the relationship between husband and wife, which can be explained either by the desire to keep their life private, or in lack of vivid memories.  

DOI: 10.7256/2409-8744.2016.2.18692

Abstract: The subject of this research became the topic of deception in business and personal life of merchantry in the early works of A. N. Ostrovsky. The contemporaries perceived A. N. Ostrovsky’s plays as a satire on flaws and imperfections of merchantry. Through the efforts of literary criticism of the revolutionary-democratic character, and particularly N. A. Dobrolyubov, there has been formed a public opinion about Ostrovsky as a denunciator of the “nether world”. This “world” primarily meant merchantry which supported the traditions of “Domostroy”. The goal of this research is to clarify whether or not the dramaturge was right by condemning this flaw; and the magnitude of the scale of this phenomenon within merchantry environment. The author analyzed the content of the early compositions of A. N. Ostrovsky that described the daily life of the merchantry during the pre-reformation period. The illustrated in the plays data on the motives and ways of deception within the business and personal life were compared with the memories of the representatives of this social class about this period. The scientific novelty consists in the use of the dramaturgic compositions as a historical source for the study of manifestations of deception and swindling within the entrepreneurial activity, as well as within the personal life of merchantry. Almost all storylines of Ostrovsky’s early plays are based on one or another form of deception.  He chose the position of a satirist by revealing the imperfections of this social class, which reflected on the theatrical fate of his early works. This became one of the reasons for formation of a negative stereotype about the merchantry world.  The dramaturgy of A. N. Ostrovsky can be referred to as the historical sources for examination of the entrepreneurial activity and personal life of merchantry.