Factors that Сomplicate the Structure of a Dramatic Character (“Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man” by A. N. Ostrovsky)

Abstract

The article argues that the historical factor of complicating the structure of the dramatic character is dominant. During the work on the comedy “Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man,” N. A. Ostrovskii comprehended the new hero of post-reform Russia in the 1860s in the context of the opposition of the general (folk) and the personal in the transitional eras of Russian history. The literary factor in understanding a new hero relies on the experience of “eternal” images, such as Chatsky and Molchalin. According to the author of the article, their combination in the image of Glumov led to the creation of a holistic and original character with an expanded range of properties, including opposite ones. The author of the article concludes that the search for internal connections and attempts to identify transition situations between them determined the stages of the playwright’s work on the comedy from the first draft notes to the final text. For the first time, the article identifies new pretexts in the historical and literary context of the comedy of 1868 (at different stages of its writing).

Keywords

• a. n. ostrovskii
• “enough stupidity in every wise man
• ” chatsky
• molchalin
• rough sketch
• structure of a dramatic character
• “chatsky – molchalin” plot