The term "ancient literature" is understood as a peculiar layer of Russian culture, covering the period from the 11th to the 17th centuries. The works created in these centuries are distinguished by originality and originality. The differences are primarily due to the fact that the culture of Ancient Russia was not like any other in the medieval period.
Characteristics
The main feature that ancient Russian literature has, and at the same time its key difference from the works that are present in Western European culture, is that it was by no means intended for entertainment and idle reading. The goal set by the authors of those years was, first of all, spiritual instruction. Their works taught, passed on the life experience of generations, brought up the patriotic spirit. Consequently, the characteristic features of this literature are instructive, documentary, publicistic.
One of the main subjects of artistic representation in the works of that era is the realhistorical event. There is no fictional storyline. The authors, as a rule, depicted those events that they themselves witnessed. They could not take a detached objective position.
The works, which include ancient literature, are imbued with an extraordinary patriotic spirit. There is historicism in them, but at the same time, one more characteristic feature should be mentioned - anonymity. Very few authors left their names on the pages of these creations, although they wrote them, of course, by hand. The handwritten character can also be attributed to the distinctive properties that ancient literature has. The first printed books in Russia appeared later than in the countries of Western Europe. That is why cultural monuments of Ancient Russia are, as a rule, handwritten texts.
Influence from other literary movements
As already mentioned, the authors of ancient Russian works did not consider it necessary to entertain their readers with easy-to-understand adventure stories. Therefore, there is no fiction whatsoever in the books of that period. An important function of works of art was the development of spiritual consciousness.
Ancient Russian literature is quite distinctive. It is impossible to find anything similar in the works of other peoples. However, hagiographic literature still had a certain influence on her. Christianity was already adopted in Russia. And it was from this medieval literary trend, originating in Byzantine church writings, that the authors adopted instructiveness and spirituality. But at the same time, on the pages of their works one can find shades of national color. In the works of ancient Russian writers, undoubtedly, the influence of oral folk art can be traced. This is manifested primarily in the images of the main characters.
Good character
The main criterion by which ancient literature differs from others is the spirituality and exemplary spiritual beauty of the protagonist. He couldn't be a negative character. Only the one who is kind can be beautiful. Only a person with a noble soul can be beautiful. This attitude originates in Russian folk art.
The writers of Ancient Russia were entrusted with a huge responsibility. Taking a clear civil position, they glorified their native land and worried about its strengthening. According to modern critics, the work of ancient literature contributed to the strengthening of the unity of the people. The proof of this point of view is "The Tale of Igor's Campaign".
Alexander Musin-Pushkin
This man was a well-known public figure in his time, a scrupulous collector of oral folk art. He was extremely interested in the history of ancient Russian literature. And "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" was first read by this person.
In 1792, he worked in the archives of the Spaso-Yaroslavl Monastery and discovered a copy of an ancient manuscript. Unfortunately, during the Patriotic War of 1812, this document burned down. Musin-Pushkin moved the find to the Moscow archive, where itdied in the legendary fire. Thus, neither the original nor copies have survived to this day. However, there is evidence of the authenticity of the Lay. Researchers whose subject of study is the history of ancient literature, found in the largest monument of Russian culture "Zadonshchina" excerpts from the text of the mentioned manuscript.
Storyline
"The Tale of Igor's Campaign" has, like other ancient Russian creations, a historical character. The plot is based on events related to the campaign against the Polovtsy of Novgorod-Seversky Prince Igor Svyatoslavovich. This campaign took place in 1185. The main stages of the plot, as in other works of ancient Russian literature, are the plot, the culmination, the denouement. Such a scheme is also characteristic of the military story, one of the main genres of this cultural period.
The plot structure of "The Word"
The plot is placed, oddly enough, not at the beginning of the work, but a little further. This structure is explained by the fact that the author preferred to pay attention to the introduction first. In it, he determined the time frame of his work and introduced readers to his peculiar manner of narration. The plot is Igor's decision to go camping.
Progression of the plot - these are events such as a solar eclipse and the first battle. In the climax, we are talking about the defeat of the Russian army and the capture of Igor. The denouement of the plot is the escape from captivity, as well as the rejoicing of the inhabitants of the Russian land.
There are many copyright digressions in the plot andartistic sketches. All these elements serve to reinforce the idea of the work, which is a call to unite all Russian people in the fight against an external enemy.
The genre of "The Words about Igor's Campaign" is defined differently. This is a song, a poem, and a heroic story. Most likely, this work can be attributed to one of the main artistic trends - the word. Other genres of ancient literature should also be considered. Some are original, others are borrowed from other sources.
Life
Different forms have works that include ancient literature. Life is one of the genres of that era. It belongs to the ecclesiastical literature. The subject of the image in such works is the life and deeds of the saints.
Life is a kind of artistic biography of one or another legendary person who is canonized as a saint. A work in this genre, as a rule, tells about events covering the period from the moment the protagonist was born until his death. The composition has a ring structure. A striking example is the Life of Sergius of Radonezh.
It should be said that none of the works of ancient Russian authors stands apart. The works complemented each other, grew, and gradually new stories about miracles connected with the deeds of the saints were inscribed in them. Military tales, the plots of which are intertwined with each other, also have this character.
Other genres
Chroniclewas a detailed record of important historical events. Of course, the main feature in the works of this genre was publicism. They almost did not use artistic means. The name itself is explained by the fact that the entries were made annually, and each of them began with the words: “In the summer…”.
The authors tried to create and approve a model of behavior for any ancient Russian person. To do this, they created original instructive works, which, as a rule, were part of the annals. The norms that were indicated in them concerned everyone - from the prince to the commoner. Such a genre in ancient literature is called sermon.
The military story depicted the battles of Russian soldiers with an external enemy. Such works could be part of the annals. But often they were also a separate full-fledged creation.
Many ancient Russian works are valuable due to their documentary nature and are important historical sources and heritage of national culture.
