It is well known that to understand a writer, you must first read him correctly. However, this is not always possible. The researcher needs to know a lot about the author being studied, feel not only the text, but also the subtext of his creations, the aesthetic and emotional structure of each phrase. Otherwise, there may be annoying miscalculations.

In our opinion, such mistakes are allowed when studying N. I. Novikov's satirical magazine "Drone", starting from the author's preface. Researchers usually do not notice the irony of the publisher contained in it, reading it, oddly enough,

page 3

too literal. They take seriously the claim that the publisher himself is the author. "apart from this preface", he will write "very little" for the magazine and intends to publish mostly "other people's works" (see: N. I. Novikov's Satirical Journals, Moscow-L., 1951, p. 47; further only - List and serial number). It was not noted that this text set a special kind of cheerful laughing mood to the entire composition of the weekly. It was written using the technique of literary play, which also none of the researchers focused on.

Addressing readers, Novikov poses as a carefree, restless sloth who does not want to do anything. "No matter how much you think about it," he observes, " you will not correctly guess the intention with which I am issuing this magazine, if I do not tell you about it myself. (...) Well, it's about my weakness: I know that laziness (...) I am an implacable enemy of hard work; I know that it makes a person incapable of public and private benefits ( ... ), but with all that, I can't overcome it in any way." It is further reported that the publisher, because of his laziness, does not go to bow to the "big boyars ", does not read books, does not enlighten the mind with science and knowledge. Being an "eternal slave of laziness", he did not even choose any service for himself (neither military, nor ordered, nor court). I felt only one desire in myself -to publish a weekly essay, despite doubts about my abilities to do so (Drone. 1769. Sheet I).

Novikov speaks here as if not from himself personally, but on behalf of the fictional writer-humorist, which, however, is not specifically stipulated. The publisher's predisposition to anything comical and curious expressed in the preface obliges him to select for the magazine the appropriate literary and journalistic material that can captivate readers both in its content and in its entertaining form. Let's look at how this material is presented and framed in "Drone", what kind of verbal and stylistic embodiment it takes, and how the game setup set out in the preface is implemented.

Already in the next issues of the magazine (Novikov calls them sheets), material is placed, the senders of which directly respond to the unusual preface, sometimes picking up the words and speech turns of the imaginary publisher. Senders seem to enter into a dialogue with him, trying to get into the proposed tone of presentation. Thus, the author of the satirical parable "The Elephant promoted to rank" in a letter to the publisher reports that he, "without entering into a detailed study" of the reasons for the publication of the magazine, hastened to be the first to "help" him by sending his essay. As for the second work included in the second page of the weekly, it is-according to the publisher-as if it was a letter from his uncle, sent to him "in the third year". It is, as the publisher explains, not without hidden slyness,

page 4

it is published only because no other "gentlemen readers" responded to his request. This letter is most directly related to the preface to The Drone. The sender, a district voivode, expresses bewilderment as to why his nephew has not yet found any business for himself: "I have been notified that you have not yet decided on any service. (...) I do not force you to enter either the court or the military service ( ... ), let it be as you wish, and besides, these services do not bring any profit, but only ruin. But please tell me why you don't want to go to the clerk's office." Why are you disgusted with her?"

No, it is not the historical Novikov who recognizes the district voivode - bribe taker as his uncle, but the publisher of a satirical weekly created by his imagination. It is to this fictional person that other letters and materials published in the next issues of "Drone"are addressed. And all of them are filled with a sarcastic tone and a playful mood, they are distinguished by a special manner of expression. To the publisher's ingenuously ironic reflection on why his nephew has not yet decided on any service, his uncle responds in a businesslike way seriously and even persuades the young man to seek an appointment to their city as a prosecutor...

And in the third and fourth issues of the weekly, a lengthy letter is published by an anonymous author who tends to treat everyone and blaspheme, and praise only himself. In a very cheeky manner, he expresses his willingness to become an employee of the magazine, being sure that he will make both himself and the publisher famous with his writings, silencing all other "scribes". He is not embarrassed by his own lack of literacy: "And for that reason, I still don't know where b and e, I and i are put, where a is! and ah! and so on, and where are the punctuation marks, for which instead of a comma, I often put an amazing and interrogative, and a colon for every word... " This narcissistic author addresses the publisher and with such words: "I was glad to be allowed to keep up a correspondence with you, because after the first page of your magazine was published, I became very fond of you, and besides, I have always loved drones" (Leaf III).

It is not difficult to guess why this character took a liking to the publisher: after all, the publisher in the preface confessed his laziness, which made it seem that he also referred to himself as "drones". And as a result, this anonymous author gives a "description" of his own significance, in which, in particular, he appears above all modern writers. To which the publisher responded: being self-critical, he did not tolerate the incompetent braggart and demanded that he no longer send his works. And the received letter is published because the character it captures is " worthy of ridicule and contempt "(Sheet IV).

It is known that in the image of a boastful writer is ridiculed

page 5

The real face is V. I. Lukin. Of course, the letter to the publisher of" Drone " was not written by him and, if not by N. I. Novikov himself, then by one of his correspondents, who clearly caught the orientation towards the game nature of satire in the magazine. Commitment to this kind of satire is shown in the weekly and then-mainly in letters and materials. sent by fictional correspondents. This is most clearly revealed in a letter to the publisher from his well-wisher I. Pryamikov, who felt a kindred spirit in him. "You are lazy, and I am not diligent either," he confesses, "and besides, I have a desire to be known, if not as a creator, then at least as a publisher" (Leaf VII). Together with the letter, he sends a "gramotka" that he received from a friend in the village, or rather, an essay about the criminal tricks of two "informers", the Vertyaev brothers, which he asks to publish.

A most curious moment! In the person of his benevolent reader, the publisher, not devoid of humor and cheerful cunning, meets, in fact, with his own mirror image, as if with his double. The letter to him varies some of the leading motives of the author's preface. The game principle set in it, becoming one of the constructive principles of the weekly, encourages Novikov to look for new ways of ridiculing Russian reality, to show skill and resourcefulness in depicting comic types.

The Vedomosti section, which parodies the official metropolitan newspaper, is becoming very promising. It contained information that, of course, was not official, but that a critical reader would prefer to find. Even the first message placed in this section was alarming and caused indignant laughter. They talked about a vacant high-paying position, which is claimed by three people of different backgrounds, merits and merits. The message ended with an intriguing question: "Reader! guess: is it stupidity supported by kinship with the boyars, or will merit be rewarded with virtue?" It is clear to the reader that stupidity will be rewarded (Sheet IV).

The game element was also present in other messages. In particular, significant names were comically played out: the landowner Zmeyan, who preached "tyrannical" ways of treating serfs, was contrasted with the" prudent Miren", who treats people under his control differently and therefore is not afraid that he will be cursed by them. Or there was a bitter irony: swords, snuffboxes, laces, ribbons and similar products that arrived from France were called very necessary for Russians, while hemp, iron, yuft, lard, and linen that were exchanged for them were called "our household trinkets." Otherwise, an analogy bordering on the grotesque was introduced: a minor noble who was known as a young "Russian pig", having been for the sake of

page 6

When he is enlightened in foreign lands, he returns "completely swine-like" (Leaf VI).

In keeping with the accepted rules of the game, the publisher of" Drone " informed that all the critical material was collected not by him, but by his volunteer assistant; he only publishes the material, believing that it will be of interest to readers.

With no less satirical brilliance, materials were submitted under the heading "Recipes". They were led by a connoisseur of mental human diseases, "G. publisher's all-obedient servant Healer". Thanks to the game installation, "recipes" did not look naive and banal, but turned into witty miniatures. Before writing out a prescription for someone, the satirist drew a colorful portrait of the "patient". For example, the grandee of the Bewildered, who has gone mad at the thought of "the greatness of his breed", or the landowner is Reckless, sick with the opinion that "the peasants are not human beings", but his serfs. The recipes were made strictly logically and with an increased seriousness that hid the satirist's sarcastic grin. Thus, according to the Doctor's prescription, "Bezrassud must examine the master's and peasant's bones twice every day until he finds the difference between the master and the peasant" (Leaf XXIV).

Following the Vedomosti purveyor and Healer, another fictional assistant to the publisher, called the "Laughing Democritus", demonstrated his gift of wit and ridicule on the pages of the weekly: he, like a ubiquitous reporter, looked for subjects worthy of his attention among the inhabitants of the capital city in order to laugh merrily with the readers. Everything was presented as if in the form of oral reports from the places of events, in which a clever and cheerful wit told about certain characters he was observing at that moment. The situation described determined the style of the miniature, especially its beginnings. Here are some of them: "Bah! this is the miser in tattered rags who has been collecting money and wasting his conscience all his life..."; " I think I see the opposite of him. Of course it's a Moth! so, he is..."; "Here's another cavalier. laughable. This is Arrogant..." The cartoon characterization of each ends with a booming laugh: "Ha! ha! ha! " (Sheet XXVIII).

However, in "Drone" there are publications that seem to fall out of the general context and are devoid of a game element. For example, Pravdulyubov's letters to the publisher, which support the focus of satirical works published in the magazine, and polemics on this topic with "All Sorts of stuff".

But this is only a first impression. It is known that Novikov himself performed under the name of Pravdulyubov, although he pretended that this was not the case. The imaginary publisher of "Drone" repeatedly writes about him in the third person, and once even declares that another letter from Pravdulyubov

page 7

it will not be printed because it touches "All sorts of stuff". What is this, if not a special form of the same literary game that becomes one of the organizing principles in the construction of Novikov's magazine?..

It is characteristic that Pravdulyubov's way of writing and expressing himself does not break out of the stylistic norms accepted in the satirical weekly. It is thoroughly ironic and includes various ways of ridiculing reality. Here is an excerpt from his first letter to the publisher: "Your second piece of paper is not written according to your great-grandmother's rules. I myself am of the opinion that human weaknesses are deplorable. However, I will not praise you, and I will never think that this time your great-grandmother will not deceive her thoughts and soul (...) Many people with weak consciences never mention the name of vice without adding humanity to it. They (...) A kaftan was made for vices out of humanity, but it is more appropriate to call such people humanity as vice-love, " etc. (Leaf V). How does this" Pravdulyubovsky "syllable differ from the syllable of, say, notes from the sections "Vedomosti" and"Recipes"? Here is the same witty wordplay, the use of catchy metaphorical similes (to sew a caftan for vices out of humanity), the presence of smile-inducing parallels from everyday life when explaining the meaning of the words "weakness" and "vice" , etc.

The letters of other fictional correspondents, in particular, the author indicated by the initials N. N., fit no less organically into the composition of the materials published in Trutne, and this is despite the fact that the given form of these works initially excludes the game element. They tell about the events that surprised the correspondent, seen in a dream (the story of the chervonets) or in reality (the "true story" about the loss of the watch from the judge). The second story is particularly impressive: the judge decides that the watch was stolen from him by a peasant who supplied him with "food supplies", and not by his nephew, also a judicial official (only these two visited the judge that day). A peasant under torture admits that he stole the watch. However, at the court session, it suddenly turns out that the culprit of the disappearance is the judge's nephew. Even more surprising was the court's decision: "the thief of the nephew, as a noble person, should be punished to the uncle in private, and the contractor should be announced at the time of release that the beatings will be credited to him from now on" (Leaf XIII). As you can see, the trial turned out to be a shameless and dishonest performance, and in order for it not to stand out from a number of other comic miniatures, it was not necessary to resort to special "game" tricks.

However, in "Drone" was presented a work that-quite obviously-is not satirical. This is the "Peasant Unsubscriptions and landowner's decree to the peasants" (its final name). Naturally, the syllable and tone of "unsubscribe" were quite different. In one of them we read: "Your orphan Filatka beats his forehead and weeps.

page 8

According to your lord's decree, I, your orphan, was whipped at a meeting, and my crates were sold for a song, as well as the cow, and the money was taken on rent, and the headman rules the rest from me; only I can't get anywhere... " The syllable here is colloquially vernacular, and the intonation is pleading and pleading. As for the landowner's decree, it is designed in a soulless, imperiously ordered manner. So, regarding Filatka, the decree says:: "At the request of the peasants, Filatka should keep the cow, and collect money from them for it, and so that they do not continue to make such sloths potachki, then buy Filatka a horse with worldly money, and declare to Filatka that he does not bother with his empty petitions in the future and would pay the rent without any reservations and without milk" (Leaf XXX).

The appearance of this work in the weekly did not break the stylistic unity. The self-revealing and immoderately predatory landowner's decree in action was akin to the misanthropic claims of Bezrassud. The publication of "Peasant's Unsubscriptions" was a sharp satire on those who live by robbing the people, and even allow themselves to mock them.

Rereading The Drone for 1769, you are convinced again and again that its publisher appears as if in two guises. On the one hand, he is a simple-minded, but not devoid of hidden slyness, lazy writer who takes pleasure in publishing "other people's works" - comic miniatures corresponding to his cheerful disposition. On the other hand, it is also a real, historical Novikov, who unobtrusively directs the work of his publication and often appears in the magazine under various pseudonyms. It is noteworthy that in "Trutn" there is not a single publication signed directly by Novikov. Moreover, the educator never equates himself with the publisher of a weekly magazine, which is especially clear from the essay "Conversation: I and the Drone", published in one of the last issues for 1769.

In" Conversation... "Novikov himself speaks openly in the first person: his point of view is equivalent to "pravdulyubovskaya". Since it has long been clear to the reader that the real publisher is hidden under the name of Pravdulyubov, he finally considered it possible to openly cast his own voice. The drone in this dialogue conveys the vision of the world peculiar to the imaginary publisher of the magazine. Truten and Novikov (I) do not find mutual understanding on the issue of the purpose for which the weekly is published. The former intends to bring "good and pleasure" to his fellow citizens and win the favor of the nobles by telling them the truth and showing them their "weaknesses" in order to correct them. The second is sure that the favor and patronage of the nobles can be obtained only by pleasing and flattering them, and the word of truth causes only hatred and anger in them.

Thus, publishing "Drone" as if on behalf of a dummy

page 9

However, it is not immediately obvious that Novikov often uses the techniques of a literary game when selecting material and how to present it. The reader is presented with the result of the collaboration of an imaginary publisher and his fictional assistants and correspondents. The creative idea is realized through the use of expressive properties of the language. This is manifested, in particular, in the fact that the speech of almost every character varies stylistically and acquires an internal order. The various word masks that populate the magazine make it very entertaining, witty and interesting for many readers. However, the interesting form of the publication did not detract from its serious social content, which influenced the minds of thinking fellow citizens. From all that has been said, it also follows that the main and dominant works in the magazine were the works of Novikov himself. It was he who was the sole creator of the publication he conceived and produced. This circumstance forces us to take a fresh look at the controversial issue of the enlightener's authorship, but this topic is beyond the scope of this article.

Ivanovo

Permanent link to this publication: