Monologue as a dialogue in Russian literature of the 19th and early 20th centuries
Abstract
The author examines the monologue as an artistic device characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Monologic speech is usually considered redundant for a work of fiction. However, in some cases it is the monologue that makes it possible to express both the special emotional state of characters and the corresponding ideas of the author. Thus, in the poem “The Great Inquisitor” from the novel by F. M. Dostoevsky “The Brothers Karamazov” one can see a typical example of such a monologue. First, the Grand Inquisitor spoke in a peremptory tone to Christ and even wanted to burn him at the stake; however, after the Grand Inquisitor had uttered a monologue he was gripped by fear and allowed Christ to go. At the same time, the Grand Inquisitor did not recant his convictions at all. In this case, the monologue can be conditionally defined as “the dialogue between a tirade and silence”. In Russian literature of the 19th and early 20th centuries, such monologues are a frequent occurrence. The article considers the monologues of Ivan Ivanovich Nyukhin in A. P. Chekhov’s play “On the Harm of Tobacco” and Yulia in the play “The Traveller” by V. Ya. Bryusov. Moreover, a comparative analysis of these three monologues is made. Based on the results of the analysis, the characteristic features of these monologues are determined. In particular, it is concluded that such monologues perform a special function in a literary work: they allow the character, who delivers a monologic speech, to commit such an act which seems unexpected since it does not follow logically from what has been said and even contradicts it in many respects.
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