COMEDY “ALIEN CHILD” BY V. SHKVARKIN IN ESTIMATES OF SOVIET CRITICISM
DOI: 10.23951/1609-624X-2019-1-49-57
Introduction. A brief bibliography, the main milestones of the creative path of Vasily Shkvarkin are given. The history of the plays and publications of the play “Alien Child” is recreated. Aim and objectives. The purposes of this paper is to review the reactions of Soviet criticism to the performances of the comedy «Alien Child» by V. Shkvarkin and to study the meaning that the play had for Soviet dramaturgy of its time. Materials and research methods. The research methodology is based on the historical-typological and hermeneutic approaches. Results and discussion. The study revealed the significance of the role played by the play “Alien Child” in the development of the Soviet comedy. It is shown that the reviews published in the newspaper “Pravda” to a large extent determined further critical discussion of the comedy framework. Conclusion. The performances of «Alien Child» were a huge success with the audience and were hotly discussed in the press. Regional authors in their assessments, follow the text of a review by Rosenthal, published in the «Pravda» newspaper. The piece by Shkvarkin was one of the most important modern comedies, so the “Alien Child” was estimated in a press within the framework of soviet drama in general. The simplicity of the plot of «Alien Child» was perceived in a positive way. Shkvarkin’s play was rated as funny, “sincere” and “warm”. Most reviewers noted in the «Alien Child» both entertaining and moral-like functions. Shkvarkin’s comedy was perceived as a very confident and significant, if not without some flaws, a step towards the development of Soviet comedy. Criticism appreciated the optimistic picture of the future that inspired the audience to work hard for the sake of a happy tomorrow. The same few claims were made to it: some unsuccessful puns and several unfinished plot moves and characters. It was perceived as a very confident and significant, though not devoid of in general insignificant flaws, step towards the development of the Soviet comedy. The artistic merits of “Alien Child” led critics to speculations about the tasks of comedies in the Soviet state.
Keywords: V. V. Shkvarkin, Soviet literature, comedy, Soviet dramaturgy, “Alien Child”, theater criticism
References:
1. Uvarova E. Poedinok s oborotnichestvom [Duel with oborotnichestvo]. Paradoks o drame: perechityvaya p’esy 1920–1930-h godov. Otv. red. E. I. Strel’tsova [Paradox about drama: rereading the plays of the 1920–1930s. Executive editor E. I. Streltsova]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1993. Pp. 376–400 (in Russian).
2. Nikolaev D. D. O edinstve russkoy komicheskoy literatury XX veka [On the unity of the Russian comic literature of the XX century]. Komicheskoye v russkoy literature XX veka [Comic in Russian literature of the twentieth century]. Moscow, Institute of World Literature named after A. M. Gorky RAS Publ., 2014. Pp. 5–19 (in Russian).
3. Muromskiy V. P. Shkvarin Vasiliy Vasil’yevich [Shkvarkin Vasily Vasilyevich]. Russkaya literatura XX veka. Prozaiki, poety, dramaturgi: biobibliograficheskiy slovar’: v 3 t. Pod red. N. N. Skatova [Russian literature of the 20th century. Prose writers, poets, playwrights: a biobibliographic dictionary]. Moscow, OLMA-PRESS Invest Publ., 2005. T. 3. P-Ya (in Russian), pp. 729–732.
4. Zorich Z. N. «Chuzhoy rebyonok» v Bol’shom teatre [«Alien child» in the Big theater]. Stalinets, 1934, vol. 1019 (in Russian).
5. Rabochiy put’, 1933, vol. 295 (in Russian).
6. Burgan S., Ginzburg E. «Chuzhoy rebenok» v Tatarskom akademicheskom teatre [«Alien Child» in the Tatar Academic Theater]. Krasnaya Tatariya, 1934, vol. 21 (4792) (in Russian).
7. «Chuzhoy rebenok» [«Alien Child»]. Kurskaya pravda, 1934, vol. 10 (3243) (in Russian).
8. Leninskiy shakhtyor, 1934, vol. 20 (858) (in Russian).
9. Retsenziya iz-za polyarnogo kruga [Polar circle review]. Pravda, 1934, vol. 64 (5950) (in Russian).
10. Shkvarkin V. V. Chuzhoy rebyonok [Alien Child]. Teatr i dramaturgiya, 1933, vol. 9, pp. 1–15 (in Russian).
11. Shkvarkin V. V. Komedii [Comedies]. Moscow, Sovetskiy pisatel’ Publ., 1954. 310 p. (in Russian).
12. Shkvarkin V. V. Komedii [Comedies]. Moscow, Iskusstvo Publ., 1966. 374 p. (in Russian).
13. Gudkova V. V. Rozhdeniye sovetskikh syuzhetov: tipologiya otechestvennoy dramy 1920-kh – nachala 1930-kh godov [The birth of Soviet plots: a typology of the domestic drama of the 1920s and early 1930s]. Moscow, Novoye literaturnoye obozreniye Publ., 2008. 456 p. (in Russian).
14. Zabytye p’esy 1920–1930-kh godov [The forgotten plays of the 1920s and 1930s]. Moscow, Novoye literaturnoye obozreniye Publ., 2014. 992 p. (in Russian).
15. Rozental’ S. «Chuzhoy rebenok» V. Shkvarkina [«Alien Сhild» by V. Shkvarkin]. Pravda, 1933, vol. 302 (5828) (in Russian).
16. Sol’ts A. Chelovek menyaet kozhu («Chuzhoy rebenok») [Man changes skin («Alien Сhild»)]. Pravda, 1933, vol. 346 (5872) (in Russian).
17. Dashevskaya O. A. Tipologiya zhenskikh obrazov v dramaturgii 1930-kh godov [Typology of female images in dramaturgy of the 1930s]. Russkaya literatura v XX veke: imena, problemy, kul’turnyy dialog, 2009, no. 10. pp. 102–125 (in Russian).
18. Delta. Na mestakh [In place]. Teatr i dramaturgiya, 1934, vol. 4, pp. 60–63 (in Russian).
19. Ardamatskiy V. «Chuzhoy rebenok» [«Alien Сhild»]. Bol’shevistskiy molodnyak, 1933, vol. 287 (1388) (in Russian).
20. «Chuzhoy rebenok» [«Alien Сhild»]. Rabochiy put’, 1933, vol 302 (in Russian).
21. Kirpotin V. Uspekhi sovetskoy dramaturgii [Successes of the Soviet dramaturgy]. Teatr i dramaturgiya, 1934, vol. 8 (17), pp. 1–5 (in Russian).
22. «Chuzhoy rebenok» [«Alien Сhild»]. Leninskiy shakhtyor, 1934, vol. 25 (863) (in Russian).
23. Kruti I. Chudesnyy splav [Wonderful alloy]. Teatr i dramaturgiya, 1934, vol. 7, pp. 49–55 (in Russian).
24. Levidov M. Delo o smekhe [A case of laughter]. Teatr i dramaturgiya, 1934, vol. 3, pp. 50–55 (in Russian).
( 444.13 kB ) 
( 434.29 kB )
Issue: 1, 2019
Series of issue: Issue 1
Rubric: PROBLEMATICS AND POETICS OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE OF THE XIX–XXI CENTURIES
Pages: 49 — 57
Downloads: 889