The topic of today's story is the history of the creation and analysis of Fonvizin's "Undergrowth". The work of the author of the Catherine era has not lost its relevance today. Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth" was included in the fund of classical literature. This work will touch upon a number of problems and issues that attract readers at all times.

The analysis of Fonvizin's "Undergrowth" should include a brief description of the heroes of this dramatic work. It is also worth talking about the idea of ​​a Russian writer. What inspired Fonvizin to write a comedy that has been popular for over two hundred years? What shortcomings of society did the author primarily want to ridicule in his essay? And what was the reaction of contemporaries to this work? The answers to all these questions are contained in the article. But before proceeding to the analysis of Fonvizin's "Undergrowth", one should talk about the main events depicted in the play.

Actions, as in any other dramatic work of the era of classicism, take place within just one day.

Events take place in the village of landowners Prostakov. What is the meaning of the name of the comedy "Undergrowth" by Fonvizin? Even without knowing the meaning of this word, one can guess that it has a negative connotation. The meaning of the name of the comedy "Undergrowth" by Fonvizin should be sought in the realities of the 18th century. The writer's contemporaries used this term in relation to young nobles who did not receive a special certificate indicating that they had received an education. This document was issued by the teacher. If the young man did not have a certificate, he was not accepted into the service and was not allowed to marry.

The undergrowth in the comedy is the son of the main character - the landowner Prostakova. The work begins with a scene taking place in her house. Prostakova is angry with Trishka, because he sewed an overly wide caftan for her son Mitrofanushka. The fact that the servant does not have the necessary skills in tailoring, and giving him such instructions was initially a mistake, she does not take into account.

The sixteen-year-old boy does not show much zeal in his studies, which is facilitated by the ignorance and stupidity of his mother. We'll talk more about these characters later. First, the author introduces readers to Sophia, the positive heroine of the work.

The girl not so long ago lives in Prostakova's house. She is a relative of the landowner, and she does not have any fortune. At least, Prostakova believes so. But one day Sophia receives a letter from her uncle Starodum. Mrs. Prostakova is not able to read the message, because she is not educated in reading and writing. Pravdin, after reading the letter, gives her a summary. In Fonvizin's Undergrowth, this hero, along with Starodum, is a supporter of enlightenment.

What is the letter received by Sophia about? Starodum writes to his niece that he bequeaths to her a huge fortune. This leads to the excitement of almost all the characters in the comedy. Prostakova believed that the girl was an orphan. But an unexpected turn of events suggests that Starodum's niece can be married off to the careless Mitrofan.

Skotinin also begins to dream of marrying Sophia. However, Sophia's heart is busy. She is in love with officer Milon, whom she met in Moscow before she was orphaned. Soon she will meet the young man again, and he will save her from the claims of the mercenary Skotinin and the despotic Prostakova.

Starodum arrives in a small town where the main events take place. He recognizes one of Mitrofanushka's teachers as his former coachman. The teachers of the son of Prostakova deserve special attention.

Kuteikin is a half-educated seminarian. Tsyfirkin - retired sergeant. Vralman, whose last name speaks very eloquently about his human qualities, Mitrofanushka does not teach anything, because he himself knows little. As already mentioned, he used to work as a coachman. But he was fired, he did not find a suitable job, and therefore he became a teacher. The fact that Vralman is incompetent in teaching, Prostakova does not notice, since she herself is extremely ignorant.

History of writing

The idea of ​​the comedy "Undergrowth" came from Fonvizin in 1778. The Russian writer spent more than a year in France, where he studied jurisprudence and philosophy. He watched how the European aristocrats lived, and came to a rather disappointing conclusion: the Russian nobility was mired in inertia and ignorance. Upon returning home, Fonvizin began writing the work. It took him over three years.

The idea of ​​​​the comedy "Undergrowth" by Fonvizin was very original at that time. The writer sought to ridicule the shortcomings of typical representatives of the landowner class. It is not surprising that both in Moscow and in St. Petersburg they refused to stage his comedy for a long time.

Criticism of contemporaries

The theme of the comedy "Undergrowth" by Fonvizin seemed interesting to the censors, but there were too many bold remarks in it. The play premiered in 1782. Fonvizin's work was a resounding success. True, the theater on the stage of which the play was staged was almost closed. In addition, the comedy displeased Catherine II.

The idea of ​​the work

The spiritual decay of the representatives of the nobility under the conditions of serfdom is the main theme of the comedy, which is discussed in this article. According to Fonvizin, pedagogical methods determine the moral character of an entire generation. In the 18th century, landowners often entrusted the upbringing of their children to half-educated deacons, illiterate nannies, and foreigners with dubious education. Such "teachers" are able to teach only young men like Mitrofanushka, the central character in Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth".

The author of this work, using simple examples, showed that the nobles for the most part do not remember either honor or dignity. They do not serve the interests of the state, do not comply with moral and state laws. The sharpness of Fonvizin's dramatic work is given by the victory of good over evil, which, however, has an accidental character. If Starodum had not returned from Siberia on time, and Pravdin had not received an order to take Prostakova's property, everything would not have ended so well for Sophia. She would not have left the city with the young educated officer Milon, but would have become the wife of the stupid Mitrofanushka.

Characters

The image system in Fonvizin's "Undergrowth" is quite simple. Heroes are divided into positive and negative, almost all of them have speaking names: Vralman, Starodum, Pravdin. Negative characters are representatives of the old nobility, trying with all their might to hold on to the outdated ideas of the feudal system. They are opposed by heroes who support the ideas of the Enlightenment - Pravdin, Sophia, Milon, Starodum.

Positive and negative characters

Among the characters of the comedy, several dual pairs can be distinguished. So, Sophia is opposed to Mitrofanushka. Starodum is an adherent of enlightenment views. This is a man of the new age. Therefore, he is the opposite of the landowner Prostakova. Milon is opposed to Skotinin. If the first is educated and brought up and has sincere feelings for Sophia, then the second wants to marry a girl for selfish reasons. Skotinin dreams of acquiring land where he will be actively engaged in animal husbandry, namely raising pigs.

Mitrofanushka

An analysis of Fonvizin's "Undergrowth" cannot do without a description of this bright character. A stupid spoiled young man is absolutely not prepared for an independent life. Everything for him is done by his mother, servants or nannies. From Prostakova, the lad takes over an uncontrollable passion for money. He, like his mother, is rude, disrespectful to his relatives. Mitrofanushka inherited his lack of will from his father. A sixteen-year-old boy does not want to study, but he wants to get married. He is the opposite of Sophia, an educated, serious, intelligent girl with a difficult fate.

Prostakov

When making an analysis of Fonvizin's "Undergrowth", attention should be paid to the negative heroine. Prostakova is an uneducated, stupid woman, but at the same time very cunning. She is a practical housewife, a loving mother. For Prostakova, the carefree future and happiness of Mitrofanushka are above all else. But in education she makes fatal mistakes, because she does not know anything about the correct pedagogical methods. She treats her son the way her parents once treated her. In managing the household and raising her son, the landowner uses exhausted values ​​and ideas.

Starodum

When analyzing Fonvizin's "Undergrowth", special attention should be paid to the hero, who symbolizes educational ideas, about which few were known in Russia in the 18th century. Starodum communicates with Sophia in a completely different way than Prostakova and Mitrofanushka. He uses completely different methods of education. Talking with Sophia on an equal footing, he instructs, gives advice based on his rich experience. Knowing nothing about Sophia's feelings for Milon, he does not make decisions for her. Starodum wants her niece to marry an intelligent, educated officer, but does not impose his views on her.

In this image, the author portrayed his ideal educator and parent. Starodum is an authoritative strong personality who has come a worthy path. For modern readers, this hero, of course, is not an ideal educator. But he made a strong impression on Fonvizin's contemporaries, who were inspired by educational ideas.

The comedy "Undergrowth" was written by Denis Fonvizin in the 18th century. In the work, the author reveals the most relevant topics and ideas for that time - issues of social ideals, morality, personal honor and service to the fatherland, the conflict of "fathers and children" and the importance of parental education in the formation of a conscious personality.

The theme of the comedy "Undergrowth"

The leading theme of the comedy "Undergrowth" by Fonvizin is the theme of educating a new nobility. The author reveals it by contrasting the characters-bearers of the ideas of enlightenment (Pravdin, Starodum, Sophia, Milon) and representatives of the obsolete, obsolete foundations of feudal society (Prostakovs, Mitrofan, Skotinin). Such a division of heroes for the work "Undergrowth" is not accidental - they are brought up differently, which means they have radically opposite views on life. This is reflected even in the relationship between parents and children - it is enough to recall how mutual respect between Sophia and Starodum contrasts with the excessive indulgence of the whims of the spoiled Mitrofan, who does not appreciate what Prostakov gives him and in the end refuses his mother altogether.

It is in the problems of family education that Fonvizin sees the cause of the general moral degradation and lack of education of the Russian nobility of that era. Prostakova, wanting to save money, hires unprofessional teachers - a retired sergeant Tsyfirkin, who did not graduate from the Kuteikin seminary and has nothing to do with the sciences of Vralman. Mitrofan is essentially taught by slaves, but what can they teach, except to be the same as them? (Recall the ironic moment when the young man repeated after Kuteikin “I am a worm ...” and “I am a cattle”). Ironically, Fonvizin drew attention to the fact that Russia of that era needed an urgent reform of education. Nobles should be brought up as strong, independent, enlightened individuals with high ideals. And people serving at the court are no exception - we learn about the decline in their morals from the speeches of Starodum when he recalls the years of his service.

An additional theme of "Undergrowth" is the question of duty to the motherland and its honest fulfillment. As it becomes clear from a detailed analysis of the work, it is closely related to the theme of education. High morality, the concept of honor, the ability to neglect one's own benefit and comfort for the sake of a bright future for the homeland can only be instilled from parents or educated teachers. At the time of writing the play, these views were advanced, since the idea was implanted among the nobility that it was necessary to serve first of all the sovereign, and not the fatherland. It was for such rather harsh statements in the work that Fonvizin was limited in literary activity by order of Catherine II.

The idea of ​​the comedy "Undergrowth"

The idea of ​​the comedy "Undergrowth" echoes its theme - it is a condemnation of immorality, cruelty, stupidity, greed of the landowners and the glorification of the ideals of enlightenment and humanism. Fonvizin himself was a personality of the Enlightenment, therefore the highest human principles were the main ones for him. Depicting the horrors of the ignorance of the "old" nobles in comedy, the author exposed the shortcomings of the social system that existed in Russia. Fonvizin saw victory over them in the supremacy of a just, humane law, as happens at the end of the play. Personifying the letter of the law, Pravdin, after receiving confirmation that the Prostakov village is coming under his care, forbids Prostakov to “act out” anger at the serfs. Moreover, he himself pays off teachers, but in the way they really deserve. However, the reader (or viewer) understands that the just law triumphed only in this village, and not throughout tsarist Russia, since the highest ranks are still occupied by representatives of landlord morality - the same Prostakovs and Skotinins, who, for their own benefit, are ready to flatter a stranger and deceive their relatives.

Thus, the theme and the idea of ​​"Undergrowth" are closely related. In the comedy, Fonvizin not only ridiculed the cruel, uneducated landowners, but also, using the example of Pravdin, Milon, Sophia, Starodum, showed what the personality of the Enlightenment should be like in tsarist Russia. The author focuses on the fact that it is possible to achieve the renewal of society only through a complete reformation of the system of upbringing and education. Outdated ideals must be discarded, while humanism, honesty, justice, morality must become the basis of the renewed nobility.

Summing up, it is worth noting that Fonvizin created a brilliant work, the ideas of which have not lost their relevance today. The play attracts more and more readers and researchers with its depth and topicality of the issues being clarified.

Artwork test

The main themes, ideas and images of D.I. Fonvizin "Undergrowth"

It is worth pronouncing the name of Fonvizin's comedy so that in our imagination the image of a loafer, an ignoramus and a sissy appears. Such a meaning, thanks to Fonvizin's Mitrofan, was acquired by the very word "undergrowth", which had hitherto contained nothing shameful. “Undergrowths” were called noble teenagers who had not reached fifteen years of age, that is, the age determined by Peter I for entry into the service. In 1736, the period of stay in the "undergrowth" was extended to twenty years. The decree on the freedom of the nobility, which abolished the mandatory term of service until then and thereby granted the nobles the right to serve or not to serve, confirmed the compulsory education introduced under Peter and prescribed, “so that no one dares to bring up their children without teaching the sciences worthy of the noble nobility anger." Prostakova is not only “a skilled interpreter of decrees”: she also knows how to bypass them when she wants to. Following the established procedure, she hires teachers for Mitrofanushka, but intends to extend the period of his stay “in the undergrowth”. She cherishes the following thought: “How is happiness written for the family, brother. From our surname Prostakov, look, lying on your side, they fly to their ranks. Why is their Mitrofanushka worse? And, hearing such reasoning, the viewer is convinced that with such a mother, Mitrofan Prostakov will not disgrace his “surname”.

In the image of Mitrofan, Fonvizin shows the living result of the Prostakov's interpretation of the decree on the freedom of the nobility. And as a contrast to this lazy man, who is accustomed to hitting his thumbs and climbing the dovecote, he displays positive images of the nobles fulfilling their public duty, that is, those who are in the public service. Their images personify two types of service: military Milon) and civil Pravdin).

Mandatory training for minors in “sciences worthy of the noble nobility” is perceived by Prostakova and Mitrofan himself as torment, as a painful burden. His famous saying: “I don’t want to study, I want to get married” takes on a special meaning if we recall that Peter’s decree of January 20, 1714 ordered “to teach noble children tsyfiri and geometry, and to impose a fine such that they would not be free to marry until everything won't learn."

The plot of the “Undergrowth”, according to the tradition of classicism, is based on a love affair. However, she plays an unusual role in Fonvizin's comedy and is closely connected with the ideological orientation of the play. Fonvizin completely subordinates the love affair to the tasks of social satire. Psychologically, as a means of revealing the inner experiences of the characters, the love of Milon and Sophia is of little interest to him: he needs it as a convenient excuse for depicting the “evil-minded” characters of people who, for personal reasons, are trying to prevent their connection.

Disclosure of the ideological essence of "Undergrowth" are primarily brought out in comedy artistic images.

A typical comedy technique of that time in the fight against evil was the opposition of a negative phenomenon to a positive phenomenon, and in those cases when it did not exist in reality, it was depicted as allegedly really existing ...

In full accordance with these aesthetic requirements, the four negative characters of the Undergrowth - Prostakova, Prostakov, Skotinin and Mitrofan - Fonvizin opposed the same number of positive characters - Starodum, Pravdin, Sophia and Milon.

The characters in the play are clearly divided into three groups. The first group consists of negative characters: its center is Prostakova. A group of positive characters unite around Starodum. Finally, the third group includes comedy characters who are outside the actual plot intrigue, but the author needs to create the social background of the play: Trishka, Eremeevna, Kuteikin, Tsyfirkin, Vralman, Prostakov's servant and Starodum's valet.

Of the fifteen actors in the comedy, eleven are endowed with meaningful names. The explanation of the word “simpleton” or “simpleton”, given in the “Dictionary of the Russian Academy” (“foolish, blundered”), is the most consistent with the image of Prostakov himself. But the character of his wife is by no means covered by such a definition. It should not be forgotten that she is nee Skotinina. Its “simplicity” is of a different kind, such as the proverb says: “Simplicity is worse than theft.” Prostakova is not averse to pretending to be ingenuous, but this does not convince anyone.

Such surnames-characteristics as Skotinin, Starodum, Pravdin, Vralman speak for themselves and do not need explanations. The surnames Kuteikin and Tsyfirkin primarily express the social face of the characters. Clerks were called clerks in derision. The tsyfirny doctrine meant arithmetic. Thus, the very name of Tsyfirkin indicated his occupation. Along with openly “speaking” names, Fonvizin also uses hidden “speaking” ones. It is not for nothing that the undergrowth is called Mitrofan. This name in literal translation from Greek means: “revealing his mother”, that is, similar to his mother. Fonvizin gives the positive heroine of the play the name Sofya (“wisdom”), which has become traditional in Russian comedy. A special meaning lies in the name of Milo. Sophia is disgusted by such contenders for her hand as Mitrofan and Skotinin, but she is “nice to him”, this honest and noble young officer.

If the very list of characters in The Undergrowth already contains hints of the character or social affiliation of both negative and positive characters, then their external essence, which are names and surnames, fully corresponds to their inner essence.

The character of Prostakov is determined at the very beginning of the comedy by his own confession to his wife: “In your eyes, mine do not see anything.” Throughout the rest of the play, the viewer is convinced of this more than once. Prostakov is completely under the shoe of his wife. His role in the house is emphasized by the author's remark at the very first remark of Prostakov: "stammering from timidity." This “timidity” or, as Pravdin characterizes it, “extreme weak-mindedness” leads to the fact that Prostakova’s “inhumanity” does not meet any restrictions from her husband and at the end of the comedy Prostakov himself turns out, by his own admission, “guilty without guilt” .

With much more complex visual means, Fonvizin outlined the character of the “despicable fury” - Mrs. Prostakova, nee Skotinina. “... All the scenes in which Prostakova appears,” Vyazemsky wrote, “are full of life and fidelity, because her character is sustained to the end with unrelenting art, with unchanging truth. A mixture of arrogance and meanness, cowardice and malice, vile inhumanity towards everyone and tenderness, equally vile, to the son, for all that ignorance, from which, like from a muddy source, all these properties flow, are coordinated in her character by a sharp-witted and observant painter. These words combine the main character traits of Prostakova. But not ignorance in itself, to which Vyazemsky is inclined to attribute the cause of all evils, but the corrupting influence of serfdom, which, in particular, gives rise to this ignorance, is their "muddy source."

In describing the character of Prostakova, Fonvizin retreats from the straightforwardness and schematism inherent in classicism. If the image of her husband from the first to the last action of the comedy remains unchanged, then the character of Prostakova herself is gradually revealed at the entrance of the play. For all her cunning, Prostakova is stupid, and therefore constantly gives herself away with her head.

Prostakova knows how to pretend. Maddened in her vicious impulse to get "to Skotinin's face", she runs into the stage in the third act and runs into the arriving Starodum. In her fury, Prostakova does not immediately realize who is in front of her. When Starodum calls himself, she, “timid and frightened,” begins to lavish flattering greetings on him.

Only one human feeling, it would seem, remains accessible to this terrible woman - love for her son, but the wonderful feeling of motherly love is manifested in her in a distorted form. Prostakova herself involuntarily exposes the animal essence of her love for her son.

The last action of the "Undergrowth" fully justifies the justice of Vyazemsky's judgment about the character of Prostakova: "Just as Molière's Tartuffe stands on the boundary between tragedy and comedy, so does Prostakov."

The main positive character of the play, Starodum, is to a large extent a spokesman for the author's opinions. Not only the content, but also the form of Starodum’s speeches are reminiscent of such works by Fonvizin as “Discourse on the indispensable state laws”, “The experience of the Russian classmate” and “Several questions that can arouse special attention in smart and honest people”. Fonvizin will subsequently emphasize his unanimity with Starodum by naming a journal after him, intended to serve as an organ of the same range of ideas that found vivid expression in The Undergrowth.

The artistic expressiveness of the characters in "Undergrowth" largely depends on the degree of skill with which Fonvizin developed their speech features.

In the language of the negative characters of the comedy, Fonvizin managed to convey in all life authenticity the colloquial speech of the widest circles of the local nobility. The veneer of "secularism" hardly touched this environment, except for rare manifestations of it in Prostakova's speech. However, when she says "delicate addition", she distorts the words "arithmetic" and "geography", turning them into "arithmetic" and "georgaphy". The characters of "Undergrowth" themselves create proverbs and sayings, starting from existing ones. So, for example, in contrast to the saying, born of popular experience and based on the belief that "learning is light", Skotinin creates an aphorism dictated by Skotinin's attitude to science and stating that "learning is nonsense." In its construction, close to the proverb is the expression that Mitrofan utters when, after a collision with his uncle, he is persuaded to sit down for a lesson: “from his fists and for hours”. All these features of the language of the Prostakovs and Skotinins are important not so much for the psychological as for their social and everyday characteristics. Fonvizin is true to reality when he shows that the spoken language of the middle landlord mass is closer to folk speech than to the language of educated representatives of the nobility. The difference between the language of Prostakova and the language of Eremeevna, Trishka, and even Tsyfirkin is less noticeable than the line separating it from the language of Starodum or Pravdin.

The language of the positive characters of The Undergrowth also has some common features: logical roundness and bookishness of phrases and, as a natural consequence of this bookishness, the presence of gallicisms. There are a lot of them in the language of Pravdin: “I rejoice at having made our acquaintance”, “I don’t leave to notice”, “makes misfortune”, etc. Pravdin is not inferior to Milon.

It should be noted that the comedy "Undergrowth" was not completely free from convention and artificiality, steadily arising from the dramatic rules of classicism, which were still mandatory for Fonvizin. By virtue of these rules, the action of the comedy takes place over the course of one day. Such limited time, giving the action a certain tension, forces Fonvizin to build plot intrigue on the interlocking of accidents. Prostakov has just reported that for several years now there has been no hearing or spirit from Starodum, as Sophia brings a letter from him. The unnaturalness of such provisions is indisputable. It is implausible, for example, that Starodum arrives from Moscow a few minutes after Sophia receives a letter from him; it is even more improbable that a few hours after his arrival he is already reading a letter sent to him by courier from Count Chestan. However, this unnaturalness of particulars is redeemed by the great naturalness of the whole, and this not only makes their conditionality relatively little perceptible, but also involuntarily compels one to look for a possible explanation for them.

Despite the outward observance of the traditional rules of classical comedy, Fonvizin's play reflects the general movement for Russian comedy of that time through “tearful drama” towards realism. The whole comedy of Fonvizin causes not a simple, cheerful laugh, but a bitter laugh that inspires thought. It is this kind of laughter that has always been inherent in the leading figures of Russian literature. Each of them could apply Cantemir's verse to himself: "I laugh in verse, but in my heart I cry for the malevolent." This laughter-irony is one of the features of the national identity of Russian satire and Russian comedy.

The main theme of this work is the education of the young nobility. The writer paints it through the opposition of the heroes of the thoughts of enlightenment and those who have already outlived their foundations of the feudal estate.

Such a separation of characters for a comedy is not just like that - after all, they have a different upbringing, which means they have different understandings of life. This is expressed even in the communication between parents and children - for example, in mutual respect between Sophia and her father, in contrast to the huge whims of the spoiled Mitrofan, who does not know how to appreciate anything, does not appreciate his mother.

And according to the writer, the whole problem is in education, this is what serves the moral degradation and low education of the Russian nobility of that century. Prostkova, thinking how to save money, invites poorly educated teachers - a retired sergeant who could not graduate from the Kuteikin seminary and who did not know the science of Vralman. By and large, the child is taught by slaves, and what can they give, except to become the same as them?

Comedy Idea Undergrowth

The idea resonates with the theme - it is a judgment about the immorality, greed, stupidity, greed of the landlord class and a huge delight in the ideals of knowledge and kindness.

The writer himself comes from the class of enlightenment, therefore the main thing for him is a person. Demonstrating in the work the horrors of the illiteracy of the elderly nobles, the writer laid bare what was very much in the country of the social system. And it was possible to win only with the help of an honest conscientious law, as in general this happened at the end of the comedy.

In a similar example, the theme and idea of ​​the play are interrelated. The writer not only ridiculed the cruelty, lack of education of the landlord class, but also demonstrated what a person should be like. Education in Rus'. The writer also highlights the fact that it is possible to achieve population renewal only through the reformation of the education and upbringing system. The old cults must be pushed aside, then humanity, however, trust must be the main thing for the new noble class.

The writer created a universal comedy, where ideas have not lost their problem to this day.

The idea and theme of the comedy Undergrowth Fornvisina

The comedy "Undergrowth" was created by the writer Denis Fonvizin in the eighteenth century. The writer Fonvizin was very picky about this kind of idea and topic - the morality of life and soul. Therefore, his work was written with the deepest morality, and therefore quite relevant among people. The theme and idea of ​​Fonvizin's work are very relevant for any time.

The theme of Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth" is very relevant. The most basic theme of comedy is the upbringing of noble children, most of whom are not quite educated as they should be. That is why this topic is touched upon in the work. The writer shows that in his comedy, as it were, two eras are opposed - the old and the new. The new nobility is very ignorant, and some of them are stupid. The old is ready to follow only their thoughts, and therefore their actions may seem old to a younger environment. Such a division by the author is not accidental, because each generation is brought up in its own way, and therefore the views and opinions on life are completely different.

The theme of the family also raises in the work of Fonvizin. After all, it is with any family that the true upbringing of each child begins. In this case, the guy who is studying is too ignorant and stupid to understand anything about studying at all. And it all started with his family, which is also ignorant. Mother and father know absolutely nothing about studying in the same way as their son. Therefore, all the teachers they hire - most of them turn out to be scammers who cannot teach their son anything.

The idea of ​​the comedy "Undergrowth", that is, what the author wants to show in the work, is the author's complete condemnation of the immorality, stupidity and stinginess of Russian landowners who cannot raise a normal, full-fledged person.

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The comedy "Undergrowth" is considered Fonvizin's best work. There is even a legend, according to which Prince Potemkin (according to another version, it was Derzhavin) spoke about his admiration after staging a comedy in a theater in a very ironic way. After the premiere, he told Fonvizin that he could die, because he could not write a better work.

Such a high assessment was not isolated - most critics and contemporaries spoke commendably about "The Undergrowth".

Writing history and sources

Fonvizin's idea for writing a comedy was formed in 1778. At that time, he spent a long time in Europe and returned home under the impression of European comedies. However, it was not possible to quickly write what was conceived - the work stretched out for three years.

In his work, Fonvizin used many sources. The bulk of them were occupied by the materials of satirical magazines. They were joined by the work of European masters, in particular Voltaire and Rousseau.

Fonvizin did not ignore the works of Russian contemporaries (Lukin, Emin), as well as comedies written by Empress Catherine II.

In 1881, the play was ready, but its path to the stage was not easy - censorship did not allow such a work to be shown. As a result, permission to stage was given by the empress. The comedy was definitely a success with the audience and delighted even the most demanding of them.

Characters

• Mrs. Prostakova- the negative heroine of a comedy, an evil and cruel woman, a landowner. The only one who bothers to receive positive attention and attitude from Prostakova is her only child, the son of Mitrofanushka, whom she, despite his adult age, takes care of and pampers in every possible way.
• Terenty Prostakov- the negative character of the comedy, the husband of Mrs. Prostakova and the father of Mitrofanushka. He is a timid and shy person who does not know how to stand up for himself and defend his interests. He constantly suffers humiliation from his wife.
• Mitrofaniy Prostakov- a negative comedy character, a 15-year-old boy. An uneducated teenager, although he has been studying for three years. He is selfish and stupid.
• Taras Skotinin- a negative comedy character, Prostakova's brother. A stupid and greedy person. He has a special love for breeding pigs. For the sake of enrichment, he wants to marry Sonya.
• Starodum- the positive hero of the comedy, Sonya's uncle. A noble man who secured his financial position with honest work. Kind and good person.
• Sofia- a positive comedy character. A kind and sweet girl, an orphan. She lives with the Prostakovs, after the death of her parents, as she is a relative of Prostakov. The Prostakovs first want to marry her to Skotinin, and then to Mitrofanushka - the reason was Sophia's money.
• Milon- a positive character, a young officer who has long been in love with Sophia. For the last six months, the lovers did not communicate, since communication was lost between them, but by chance, the young people met again.
• Pravdin- a good comedy hero, an honest and respectable official, whose job is to control relations between landowners and serfs and punish manifestations of cruelty and rudeness in these relations. He denounces the illegal actions of the Prostakovs in relation to the peasants and takes the affairs of their estate under control.

We bring to your attention which came out from the pen of the talented author Denis Fonvizin.

• Pafnutich Tsyfirkin- a positive comedy character, Mitrofan's teacher, who teaches him arithmetic. Tsyfirkin used to be a military man and served with Milon. He is a good and honest man, but he made a bad teacher.
• Sidorych Kuteikin- the negative character of the comedy, the sexton, the literacy teacher Mitrofan - a cowardly person, a bad, illiterate person.
• Vralman- the negative character of the comedy, the former coachman of Starodub, the teacher of the French Mitrofan. He does not teach French to a teenager, but only creates the appearance of learning. Hypocritical deceiver and rogue.
• Eremeevna- a negative comedy character. A peasant by birth, Mitrofan's nanny, who has been working for the Prostakovs for more than 40 years for a penny.
• Trishka- the positive hero of the comedy, the tailor of the Prostakovs. A kind and sincere person who is not afraid to fight back or enter into an argument with Prostakova.

The plot continuation of "Undergrowth"

Despite the fact that the second part of The Undergrowth was not published, some materials suggest that Fonvizin was thinking about continuing his comedy.

The editors of the magazine "Friend of Honest People, or Starodum" kept two letters confirming this fact - the first of them contains information about Sophia's life after her marriage to Milon.

For the girl, married life did not turn out in the best way and was overshadowed by the fact of Milon's betrayal. The second letter contains information about Starodum's reaction to this news and his consolation for his niece.

Themes and problems of the "Undergrowth"

The comedy raises several important themes and problems of modern society. First of all, the problem of the relationship between serfs and landowners is clearly highlighted - many landlords treat their peasants badly, infringe on their rights, artificially lower the payment for their work and often take out their anger on the peasants.

The next key theme of "Undergrowth" is the theme of upbringing and education. Fonvizin suggests that education is a privilege of the nobility and aristocracy, but not always and not all of them can get a decent education - sometimes the reason for this is unwillingness to learn, personal laziness and lack of motivation.

Sometimes the problem lies in the poor quality of training of the teachers themselves - some of them have too little knowledge, while others may not be conscientious about their work.

We invite the reader to delve into which Denis Fonvizin wrote.

The problem of excessive guardianship on the part of parents and blind love for children. Prostakova allows her son Mitrofan too much, she always spoiled him and overprotected him, and the result was a selfish, stupid and unadapted teenager. Prostakova's love knows no boundaries, and therefore has a detrimental effect on a young man.

The symbolism of the name

The word "undergrowth" denotes a person who has not received a proper document on the education received, in other words, a minor is a dropout. This name is associated with the main goal of Fonvizin's comedy, which is to ridicule contemporary principles of education and upbringing, which do not bring positive results, but, on the contrary, are detrimental to the formation of the personality and its development.

Features of classicism in comedy

Comedy Fonvizin is a classic work of the era of classicism. In the work, according to the laws of European classicism, the law of trinity is observed: the unity of time, place and action.

All the events of the comedy take place within one day, which ensures the unity of time. All the events of the comedy take place in one place, which is typical for the requirement of the unity of the place. Also, all the small events that take place in the comedy are centered around a more important event - Sophia's marriage.
In addition, all the names of the heroes and their surnames are symbolic and, in essence, are a small but concise characteristic of the character.

Thus, the comedy "Undergrowth" is the pinnacle of Fonvizin's work. Thanks to the many sources for work, Fonvizin managed to embody his idea in the best possible way - all the characters in the play look realistic and alive, and the problems and topics raised in the work are relevant and significant.