Historical / Cultural Influences
For Russia,
the 1800’s proved to be an active century for the country, but was rather dull
for the countrymen. After many centuries of wars, Russia was able
to create a dense and wide area of land. Although Russia’s land mass
began to swell more and more, during the mid-1800’s, the country was no longer
able to generate enough capital to compete with other countries
commercially. It was at this time that Russia began to westernize itself
with the incorporation of the railway system. More economic developments
occurred during the late nineteenth century with increase in numbers in the
coal mining, iron, textiles, and, steel industry. However, despite the
increase in technology, farming was still the major means of production for Russia at that
time. The social conditions of the Russian people during the nineteenth
century were dull despite the dramatic economic changes in the country. Russia
maintained a rigid class system with the czar, other nobility, and clergy on
top and everyone else on the bottom. It is said that “the czar, through
his bureaus, concerns himself with the empire and imperial affairs; the people
manage their own concerns for themselves – and the division of labor is
complete” (“Some Phases of Russian Life”).
With no constitution and no political system to check the czar’s power,
the Russian people were literally in the hands of a small group of people who
did not necessarily care what their countrymen had to say. In turn, the
countrymen felt as though they had no true identity in their own country.
However, they weren’t the only ones who felt that way. With the massive
land expansion, those from the conquered countries were forced to learn the
Russian language and culture leaving them with no real identity as well.
The main occupation during the nineteenth century was farming, which proved to
be uninteresting and left no means for self-advancement. Even those who
were fortunate enough to attend public school did not exactly get the greatest
education since public education was regarded as being dangerous since the
common people may gain the ability to learn how to revolt against the
government. And revolt they did. In two instances, namely the Emancipation of
the serfs in 1861 and the Revolution of 1905, the commoners of Russia reacted
against the government as a way to finally gain the justice that had so long
been denied to them. Although the two
political movements were very influential to nineteenth century Russia, developments in the arts (literature,
art, theater) also played a significant role in the advancement of Russia (Wikipedia).
- The Emancipation of The Serfs - 1861
After given a petition from the Lithuanian provinces and
other provinces all over Russia,
Alexander II, the czar at the time was forced to realize that Russian’s
maintenance of serfdom was holding the country back economically.
Therefore, after considering the options of the serfs remaining dependent on
their landowners or if they should be transformed into their own class of independent
proprietors, Alexander II decided to give them both. However, they were
given both freedom and land under a few conditions: there was a transitional
period of nine months in which the former serfs still had to work for their
landowners, the land owners themselves were given more land from the
government, and the former serfs had to pay their former land owners for their
share in the land. Although this emancipation seemed like a good idea at
the time, it still left some former serfs landless and poor, which was the
problem to begin with. Again, Russian life among the common people became
dull and bleak with little hope of a better future (Wikipedia).
It took about half a century after the Emancipation of the
Serfs in 1861 for the country to see some real change. Political
discontent continued to grow during the last years of the nineteenth
century. Finally, the spark desperately needed to start the Revolution
was seen on January 22, 1905, also known as “Bloody Sunday.” In St. Petersburg, there was
a protest that got out of hand and resulted with the killing of 200 people by
the Russian armed forces. Soon, the country seemed to be split into
groups all making demands for a better life. The peasants fought against
the economic system, wanting fair wages, more land, and more opportunities for
self-advancement. The industry workers all went on strike in hopes of
better wages and labor hours. The Nationalist groups also joined together
against the injustices they had to endure. The Poles, Finns, and Baltic
providences all fought for the freedom to once again speak their own languages
and uphold their own cultures. Finally, on February 4, 1906, the Russian
government created what was called a State Duma,
which was basically a consultative assembly of the lower house of the Russian Federation
(parliament). Also, in April of 1906, the Fundamental Law was put into
affect confirming the czar as absolute leader with control over the executive
powers, the armed forces, and the Church. Also these two changes stopped
the violence of the Revolution, the general outcome
did not seem to change much for the country. Instead, it left the
countrymen confused about what exactly happened and what they were to do until
WWI gave them something new to focus on (Wikipedia).
Russian
Literature
Around the mid-1800’s, Russian literature was at a
low point in Russia
and for other European countries as well. Despite a handful of famous
Russian authors such as Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, there was not a great demand
for Russian works. It was said that Russian literature at that time was
“‘in a condition of decay and stagnation. Having produced some great
names which have gained a world-wide celebrity, Russian genius has for a time
as it were exhausted itself’” (“A Year of Continental Literature”). The
stalemate in Russian literature was most likely to be caused by the political
and social unrest of the country as a whole.
Regardless of the time period, the typical Russian
work seemed to evoke a generally gloominess of life. The gothic themes
seemed to cover the reader in a thick haze that made him or her question his
own humanity. This, in essence, was entirely the point. Russian
writers often wrote on the theme of Truth: to find Truth in every aspect of
life and to never stop searching for it. For it is only through Truth
that one may find all that he or she is looking for in life. Many Russian
works also contain the idea that life is utterly hopeless with no hope for the
future. This can be seen in Chekhov’s own work “Sleepy.” Also,
another main theme in Russian literature was the emphasis on self
reflection. Like Truth, only through self reflection can one fine some
sort of comfort in life. These works argued that the only way to live is
to let your own mind guide you regardless of the trouble it may get you
into. Along with self reflection, the writers encouraged the reader to
have a stronger social consciousness and to actually see the world for what it
is worth.
Overall, the Russian authors did not feel the need to
cloud anyone’s judgment and understanding of the world with frills and
lace. Instead, they took a more upfront approach and basically told it
like it is. They left any kind of Romantic idea aside and completely lost
any use of the aesthetic. To these Russian writers, the world itself did
not contain these Romantic and aesthetic ideals, so it was pointless to
incorporate those themes into their works. Instead, they wanted to show
the world as it really was: dull, pathetic, mysterious, but above all,
hopeless. The Russian writers “embarked on the search for final
meanings. With rare intuition they knew that the light to illuminate the
way could come only from the comprehension of the nature of man, – not man
disguised by romantic pretensions or aesthetic renunciation, – but man as he
really is, in his true self and his naked essence” (“Russian Literature: The
Quest for Life’s Meanings”).
Russian
art
In complete contrast with Russian literature, Russian
art was considered to be colorful with “raw color and harsh treatments” (“An
Art Tour”). Many painters depicted happier scenes than those captured in
literature at that time. Many paintings were nostalgic and centered on
family life. Although Russian art was even less popular than Russian
literature during that time, many art schools were constructed as a way to
teach its people to appreciate and study art. Inspired to create a more
art-friendly city, Count Strogonov established the
first art school called the School
of Design. This art
school was warmly embraced by the city of Moscow
and eventually had over 500 hundred pupils, which was quite a feat. Due
to the success of this school, Moscow was soon
considered to be the art center of Russia. The School of Design
still exists today, but is now called the Moscow School of Industrial and
Applied Art.
Russian
Theater
Like Russian art and literature, the Russian theater
was not favorably regarded during the 1800’s. Although there were many
inspiring playwrights during that time, there just did not seem to be a high
demand for theater. In all actuality, the Russian theaters were namely
built as a way to keep up with the rest of Europe.
Under the orders of Alexander II, five theater houses were built throughout Russia with
little intention to use such facilities. The outside of these houses were
just as elaborate, if not more so, than any theater in Europe.
With extravagant furnishings and pillars and stages, the theaters would appear
to evoke a sense of pride and curiosity among the Russian. However, that
was far from the case.
To the Russian at that time, literature seemed more
influential and more relatable than theater ever could. It is said that
the theaters had not “grown up naturally from a poetic want in the people, and
[found] in the country little or nothing in the way of poetic basis” (“The
Theater in Russia and Poland”).
When the Russians did attend the theater, it was
mainly to keep up appearances. Theater was considered more of a social
event and a symbol of high fashion, rather than a symbol of art. It was
said that the people would show up, socialize, and before the show was even
over, the house would be empty. They merely went to be entertained, not
appreciate theater as an art form.
Aside from the lack of enthusiasm among the Russian
audience, the Russian actors were also not very keen on acting. In fact,
they were horrible. The Russian acting was so bad, that they created
acting schools in hopes to improve the actors’ performances. However,
this did not seem to catch on with the actors because they still remained to be
horrible actors. Therefore, the Russian theater houses hired actors from
other countries and completely disregarded any Russian actors.
Annotated
Bibliography
n
“A
Year of Continental Literature.” The Dial; a Semi-monthly Journal of
Literary Criticism, Discussion, and Inf…
15.292 (Aug 1898): 002. APS Online.
–
This source
generally discusses the gothic influence and other influences on Russian
literature during the 1800s. Although
there is a lot of information in this article, not a whole lot has to do
specifically with Chekhov. However, it
does give a couple good quotes on how Russian literature was not in high demand
during that time period.
n
“An
Art Tour.” The Literary World; a Monthly Review of Current Literature
(1870-1904). 4.8. (Jan 1874): 118. APS Online.
–
This source
discusses Russian art and the creation of Russia’s main art school during the
1800s. Although it is a short article,
it does provide a lot of insight on the elements of Russian art during the
time. The one downfall was that it did
not allow for good quotes and just merely provided facts.
n
“Russian
Literature: The Quest of Life’s Meaning.” The Dial;
A Semi-monthly Journal of Literary Criticism, Discussion… (July 1917). 1.
APS Online.
–
This
article discusses the characteristics of Russian literature during the 1800’s
with small mention of Chekhov. This was
one of the best articles since it was very specific when explaining exactly
what the Russian writers intended to write about. This was also a great article to quote from.
n
“Some
Phases of Russian Life.” Appletons’ Journal: a
Monthly Miscellany of Popular Literature (1876-1878). 2.19 (1877): 369. APS
Online.
–
This
article discusses the general mood of Russia during the 1800’s with
emphasis on politics during that time.
It is a great source to use as a means to have a more intimate look on Russia during
the nineteenth century. This article
also covered every aspect of Russian life from politics, to religion, to family
life.
n
“The
Theater in Russia and Poland.” The
International Monthly Magazine of Literature, Science and Art (1850-1852).
1.8 (1850): 1. APS Online.
–
This
article discusses the early theaters in Russia and how the country
responded to them. While this article
was very actuate and informative, it was also enjoyable to read because there
were small touches of humor throughout.
This article also gave an intimate view on Russian theaters that not
many scholarly sources would provide.
n
Wikipedia.
History of Russia.
12 Nov 2005. 14 Nov 2005. <http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Russia>
–
This website
was very informative and gave a great overview of Russia during the nineteenth
century. It was very easy to navigate
and very helpful by giving definitions to ambiguous terms, such as “serf.” This was a good site to use when trying to
get an overview, but seemed too general to get really specific quotes.