Comical and Tragic in the Russian Province at the turn of the 19-20th centuries (on the material of the cycle of M. Gorky's essays "Across Russia")
In the article the main tendencies of the Russian literature at the turn of the 19-20th centuries which were expressed in updating of classical realism and destruction of the novelistic genre are considered. Reflection of these tendencies in M. Gorky's prose of this period is revealed. The way of formation of Gorky as a writer is shown from feuilletons in «Samarskaya Gazeta» (1895-1896) to the cycle of essays «Across Russia» (1912-1917). Features of Gorky's feuilleton of the Samara period creativity, provincial life in the story «Town of Okurov» (1909) are considered. It is proved that essays «Across Russia» became the major stage in formation of the writer's hallmark. For this purpose in the article is analysed a subject and composite structure of the cycle in general and separate essays on the example of stories «Birth of the Person» (the narration about the birth of the person on the seashore); «Ice drift», «By steamship», «In the gorge» (all three about the power of the nature). In stories «Gubin», «Nilushka», «Woman» it is narrated about the fate of women and children. In essays «Cemetery», «Dead man», «Merry fellow» the writer reflects on the death of the person and the memory of his deeds on the earth. Here are considered means of the description of the Russian province life at the end of the 19th century used by M. Gorky. Conclusions are drawn that at external fragmentariness of essays of the cycle they are united by the conceptual look of the author revealing a paradoxical combination in national character of comical and tragic beginnings as in a separately taken story, and in the cycle in general. It is shown that connection of external comedy of the event and internal dramatic nature of the condition of the character, in fact interface of the mutually exclusive beginnings, became the basic constructive principle of creation of Gorky's Russian Universe.