Nikitin O.V.

 

200 years since M. Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin’s birth. Historical, literary and linguistic reminiscences. Pp. 84–90.

 

UDC 821.161.1-3.09«18»

DOI 10.37724/RSU.2026.90.1.008

 

Abstract. The article is devoted to the personality of the outstanding Russian writer M. Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin (1826–1889) in the context of our historical, cultural and philological traditions. It emphasizes the ambiguous attitude of society and critics to the evaluation of his works, which have preserved their great resonance. It is noted that many of his fictional characters have become personifications of negative phenomena. His ruthless satire, mastery of character portrayal, special verbal aesthetics, excellent knowledge of administrative nomenclature and its language allowed the writer to create literary masterpieces that surpassed his time. Historical, literary and linguistic reminiscences touch upon the pro et contra issues in Shchedrin’s work and allow us to re-interpret the controversial problems of perception of the writer’s art and his unique “Aesopian” manner of portraying reality. The work uses both classical works and memoires about M. Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin (by N. V. Uspensky, I. I. Yasinsky, K. M. Saltykov, N. G. Chernyshevsky, et al.) and recent publications (S. A. Makashin, G. A. Shestopalova, S. F. Dmitrenko, E. N. Stroganova). Parallels are drawn with other pre-revolutionary researchers and publicists, Soviet scholars and modern literary critics who debate the phenomenon of the writer as a prominent representative of the Russian realistic school of the second half of the 19th century. The paper discusses the legacy of N. V. Gogol and Shchedrin’s “hoaxes” that foreshadowed new trends in literature in early 20th century. The observations and generalizations of the author will also help to reveal some details of M. Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin’s biography and refresh the memory of such features of the artist as aphorism, allegory, parody of official office documents, political satire, autobiography, etc. The paper is written in the genre of a historical and literary essay, which presents the experience of personal perception of M. Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin’s work, philosophical, aesthetic and philological analysis of his works, and the reception of his image in the 21st century.

 

Keywords: M. Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin, realism, satire, literary aesthetics, historical and literary tradition, criticism, social thinking, individual psychology, philology and culture, writer’s image.

 

Bibliography

 

  1. Bushmin A. S. Khudozhestvennyy mir Saltykova-Shchedrina [The artistic world of Saltykov-Shchedrin]. Ed. by D. S. Likhachev, V. N. Baskakov. Leningrad, Nauka Publ., 1987, 366 p. (In Russian)
  2. Goryachkina M. S. Ye. Saltykov-Shchedrin: posobiye dlya uchiteley sr. shk. [M. Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin: a guide for secondary school teachers]. Moscow, State educational Publ. of the RSFSR Ministry of Education, 1952, 200 p. (In Russian)
  3. Efimov A. I. Yazyk satiry Saltykova-Shchedrina [The language of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s satire]. Moscow, Moscow Univ. Publ., 1953, 496 p. (In Russian)
  4. Znakomtes: M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin [Meet M. Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin]. Authors and comp.: P. P. Barashev, E. P. Demina, G. B. Pronchev. Moscow, INFRA-M Publ., 2011, 378 p. (In Russian)
  5. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin i ego sovremenniki: entsikl. slov. [M. Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin and his contemporaries: encyclopedic dictionary]. Comp. and ed. by E. N. Stroganova. St. Petersburg, Rostok Publ., 2021, 514 p. (In Russian)
  6. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin: pro et contra: antol. [M. Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin: pro et contra: anthology]. St. Petersburg, RKhGA Publ., 2013, bk. 1, 1008 p. (In Russian)
  7. Nikitin O. V. Stylization of business language in the fictional texts of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (on the 200th anniversary of his birth). Russkiy yazyk v shkole [Russian language at school]. 2026, vol. 87, iss. 2, pp. 65–74. (In Russian)
  8. Turgenev I. S. Polnoe sobranie sochineniy i pisem: v 30 t.: Sochineniya: v 12 t.; pisma: v 18 t. [Complete works and letters: in 30 volumes: Works: in 12 vols.; letters: in 18 vols.]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 2000, vol. 12, 506 p. (In Russian)
  9. Saltykov-Shchedrin i russkaya literatura: sb. st. [Saltykov-Shchedrin and Russian literature: collection of articles]. Ed. by V. N. Baskakov, V. V. Prozorov. Leningrad, Nauka Publ., 1991, 315 p. (In Russian)
  10. Shestopalova G. A. Aforizmy M. E. Saltykova-Shchedrina: monogr. [M. Y. Saltykov-Shchedrin’s aphorisms: monograph]. Moscow, IIU MGOU Publ., 2014, 176 p. (In Russian)
Uncategorized