Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky(Tredyakovsky) (February 22 (March 5), 1703, Astrakhan - August 6, 1769, St. Petersburg) - famous Russian scientist and poet of the 18th century.
Biography
Born into the family of priest Kirill Yakovlevich Trediakovsky. He studied at the school of Capuchin monks and was supposed to be ordained, but, for unknown reasons, he fled to Moscow and entered the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. Here he wrote his first dramas, “Jason” and “Titus Vespasian’s Son”, which have not reached us, as well as “Elegy on the Death of Peter the Great” and “Song”.
Trediakovsky was actively involved in translations and published the nine-volume “Ancient History” by Rollen, and the sixteen-volume “Roman History” by the same author. In 1766 he published Telemachida, a free translation of Fenelon's Adventures of Telemachus, done in hexameter. The work and its author immediately become the object of ridicule and attacks, so in the “Hermitage Etiquette” of Empress Catherine II, a comic punishment for light guilt was established: “If anyone sins against the above, then, according to the evidence of two witnesses, for any crime he must drink a glass of cold water , without excluding that, I will also give you a page of “Tilemakhida” (Tretyakovsky). And whoever stands against three articles in one evening is guilty of learning six lines of “Tilemakhida” by heart.”
In general, Trediakovsky accepted the system proposed by Lomonosov, and even rewrote several of his previous odes so that they corresponded to the new rules of versification. However, one question sparked further discussion:
Lomonosov believed that iambic meters are suitable for writing heroic works, in particular, odes, and the trochee “having tenderness and pleasantness by nature, should constitute only an elegiac kind of poem.” Sumarokov also shared the same opinion. Trediakovsky believed that size itself does not carry any emotional shades.
This dispute found the following continuation: the arguing poets published the book “Three Paraphrastic Odes of Psalms 143.” In it, the same psalm was translated: by Lomonosov and Sumarokov - in iambic, and by Trediakovsky - in trochee.
Creation
Trediakovsky's work caused a lot of controversy both during the author's life and after his death. On the one hand, partly under the influence of the opinions of the court and literary groups opposing him, Trediakovsky remained in history as a mediocre poet, a court intriguer, weaving conspiracies against his talented colleagues. The novel “Ice House” by I. I. Lazhechnikov, published in 1835, supported this myth, which led to the fact that throughout the 19th century the name Trediakovsky was often used as a common noun to designate a mediocre poet. At the same time, A.S. Pushkin, in an article about Radishchev’s book “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” speaks of Trediakovsky as follows:
“Tredyakovsky was, of course, a respectable and decent man. His philological and grammatical research is very remarkable. He had a more extensive concept in Russian versification than Lomonosov and Sumarokov. His love for Fenelon's epic does him honor, and the idea of translating it into verse and the very choice of verse prove an extraordinary sense of grace. “Tilemakhide” contains many good poems and happy phrases... In general, the study of Tredyakovsky is more beneficial than the study of our other old writers. Sumarokov and Kheraskov are certainly not worth Tredyakovsky...”
A number of modern authors call Trediakovsky the founder of Russian lyricism of the New Time, Russian classicism of the 18th century with its ancient European origins, one of the most fruitful ideologists and practitioners of Russian bucolic poetry, etc.
Trediakovsky's early work undoubtedly falls in line with the so-called. Russian literary baroque with its characteristic pomposity of style, layers of metaphors, inversions, and Church Slavonicisms. At the same time, being an innovator, Trediakovsky laid down the main lines of formation of Russian lyrics of modern times, brilliantly developed later by Zhukovsky and Pushkin. Trediakovsky's later poems gravitate towards the emerging classicist tradition created by his contemporaries Lomonosov and Sumarokov. However, Trediakovsky never succeeded in becoming an “exemplary classicist”.
"Songs of the World." Love lyrics
Trediakovsky's first song compositions date back to 1725-1727, that is, the time of his studies at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, but the most interesting works created in this genre should be considered Russian love poems, which arose under the influence of French salon songs in the 30s of the 18th century , that is, during Trediakovsky’s studies in Paris. According to N.P. Bolshukhina, at the beginning of the 18th century, “The love (and more broadly, secular) song was ... beyond the limits of ideas about poetry, poetry. Only in the 30s of the 18th century would it be recognized as a specific genre and ... included by Trediakovsky into the system of national lyrical genres. As one of the characteristic examples of such creativity, we can take “Poems about the power of love.” In it, Trediakovsky refers to ancient and biblical images, noting the extra-spatial and extra-cultural power of love, which “is a great thing.” very much in the spirit of the French song tradition, but it was new for Russian poetry. In a private letter, Trediakovsky wrote that “nature itself, this beautiful and tireless mistress, takes care of teaching all youth what the strong influence of French is.” song lyrics can also be noted in the poem “Song of Love” (1730). The poem is written in verse form, and the two final lines of each verse form a refrain. The presence of masculine rhyme next to feminine rhyme, characteristic of French poetry, is present. Love in the poem is seen as an impulse, unconscious and not amenable to reflection. The lyrical hero “perishes about love”, unable to figure out what is happening to him.
In art
- The life of Trediakovsky is dedicated to the biographical historical novel “Harlequin” by Pyotr Aleshkovsky, the historical stories “The Fugitive” and “Island of Love” by Yuri Nagibin, as well as the poetic cycle “Dedicated to Vasily Trediakovsky” by Vadim Shefner.
- Trediakovsky is one of the characters in the following historical novels: “The Ice House” by Ivan Lazhechnikov, “Biron and Volynsky” by Pyotr Polezhaev, “Word and Deed” by Valentin Pikul.
Notes
Links
- Trediakovsky, Vasily Kirillovich in the library of Maxim Moshkov.
- Trediakovsky in the ImWerden library, including a reproduction of the 1752 edition of “Works and Translations,” which includes “A method for composing Russian poems against that issued in 1735, corrected and supplemented”
- Slozhenikina Yu. V., Rastyagaev A. V. Trediakovsky’s linguistic and personal models // Electronic magazine “Knowledge. Understanding. Skill ». - 2009. - No. 5 - Philology.
- Vasily Kirillovich Tretyakovsky (V.K. Trediakovsky. Gravestone inscription) // Russian antiquity, 1890. - T. 67. - No. 8. - P. 528.
- Trediakovsky V.K. Autobiographical note. Excerpt // Collection of materials for the history of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in the 18th century. - Ed. A. Kunik. - Part 1. - St. Petersburg, 1865. - P. XIII-XIV.
However, his creative legacy was not appreciated by his contemporaries. Only later, already in the 19th century, did his translations and original works gain recognition. The reason for such belated success is that the author’s contemporaries sought to create an easy literary language, while the poet was a supporter of complex versification, focusing on the best examples of antiquity and imitating them.
Childhood and youth
Vasily Trediakovsky was born in 1703 into the family of an Astrakhan priest. He graduated from the Latin school, which was founded at the Catholic mission in the city. As a child, he sang in the church choir. He carried his passion for music throughout his life, later even starting to compose his own compositions. Little information about his youth has been preserved, only a notebook with a quatrain remains, which testifies to the boy’s early passion for poetry.
The future poet was initially going to enter the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, but for unknown reasons he did not go there, but instead went to Moscow. From 1723 to 1725, Vasily Trediakovsky studied at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy at his own expense. At this time, he took up literature seriously: he wrote his own novel and translated some works from Latin. After two years of study, he had the opportunity to go abroad, so he left the academy.
Traveling around Europe
Vasily Trediakovsky lived in The Hague for some time, but soon left this country and moved to Paris, where he settled with the head of the Russian diplomatic mission. In general, very little is known about the poet’s stay in European countries, however, the surviving news suggests that he received a good education in However, he was never able to pass the bachelor’s exams, since they were paid, and the poet had no money .
Nevertheless, this stage was important in his work, since he became acquainted with French culture and enlightenment, which had a great influence on him, although, of course, in just two years he could not fully penetrate the ideas of European ideology that were new to him. From 1729 to 1730 the poet lived in Hamburg. Vasily Trediakovsky, whose work by that time had already taken shape as pro-European, met local intellectuals, studied music and wrote some poems. In addition, he was a member of the circle of Russian diplomats, communication with whom increased his cultural level.
First success
Returning to his homeland, the poet was assigned to the Academy of Sciences as a student, which was a great success, since it opened up great opportunities for him in the scientific world. In 1730 he published his translation of the French novel Ride to the Island of Love. This became a real event in cultural life. This romantic, courtly work immediately gained great popularity among the reading public. After the publication of this work, Vasily Trediakovsky remained the most popular author. The poet accompanied his work with a collection of poems of his own composition.
Versification reform
In the 1730s, the poet began changing the Russian literary language. Trediakovsky sought to separate prose and poetry and considered Latin versification as the standard of the latter, to which he tried to adapt Russian poetry. However, he immediately began to be criticized for the complex construction of sentences, unclear meaning, and confusing grammatical construction. The poet often resorted to inversion and actively used interjections, which, in the opinion of literary scholars of that time, complicated and spoiled the lyrics.
Meaning
Vasily Trediakovsky, whose brief biography is the subject of this review, left a noticeable mark on His experiments, scientific research in the field of literature, disputes with Lomonosov and Sumarokov contributed to the emergence of domestic criticism and original works in various genres. He also made a great contribution as a translator. Thus, thanks to him, the Russian reader became acquainted with the works of the French scientist on ancient history. Towards the end of his life his health deteriorated and he died in 1769.
(1703-1769)
Trediakovsky was born on the distant outskirts of the then Russian state, in provincial Astrakhan, in the family of a priest. He completed a course of study at a school of Catholic monks opened in Astrakhan, and at the age of nineteen he fled to Moscow, overwhelmed by a thirst for knowledge. In Moscow, he studied at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy and soon went abroad. He wanders around Holland, then goes to France, using funds lent to him by the Russian envoy in Holland. In Paris, he became acquainted with French art, the advanced culture of that time, listened to lectures at the Sorbonne, and was especially interested in the humanities. In 1730 he returned to Russia. All his close relatives and parents died of the plague. In Russia, he connects his activities with the recently created Academy of Sciences. But he failed to achieve an independent position and assert his dignity. The machinations of academicians and continuous quarrels with other major cultural figures, including Lomonosov and Sumarokov, led to Trediakovsky’s position in the Academy becoming almost unbearable. His works and translations were no longer published in the then only magazine, Monthly Works. Trediakovsky printed them furtively, hiding under various pseudonyms. Lomonosov calls Trediakovsky, whose initially progressive views gradually faded, “an atheist and a hypocrite.” In 1759 he was dismissed from the Academy and ended his life in poverty and oblivion.
Tredaikovsky's literary activity is represented by artistic and scientific works. As a theorist and experimental writer who opens new paths in Russian literature, Trediakovsky deserves the most serious attention. “His philological and grammatical research,” wrote A.S. Pushkin are very remarkable. He had a more extensive understanding of Russian versification than Lomonosov and Sumarokov... In general, the study of Trediakovsky is more useful than the study of our other old writers.”
Trediakovsky was a reformer of Russian versification, the creator of the syllabic-tonic system of verse on Russian soil. The principles of the new versification were set out by Trediakovsky in the treatise “A New and Brief Method for Composing Russian Poems with the Definition of Previously Appropriate Titles,” published in 1735. In the “New Method” Trediakovsky fought “on two fronts”: against quantitative prosody (the system of pronunciation of stressed and unstressed, long and short syllables in speech) and against syllabic versification. In his treatise, Trediakovsky declares syllabic verses to be “indirect” verses and advocates the use of syllabic verses in Russian poetry. His demands boiled down to the requirement to replace syllabic verses with the so-called Russian “exameter” and “pentameter”. Exameter is a thirteen-syllable trochaic verse, and pentameter is an eleven-syllable trochaic verse. There were reservations in his reform that weakened its role: for example, the need for a caesura (pause) in the middle of the eleven and thirteen-syllable trochaic verses he recommended, and this caesura should be surrounded by stressed syllables, and this violated the syllabic structure of the verse; insisted on the use of female rhyme, considering male rhyme rude and alien to Russian poetry; The main meter should be trochee, and iambic only in comic poems. In 1752, in the second edition of The New Method, Trediakovsky abandoned these restrictions. Despite the half-heartedness and timidity of the restructuring of Russian versification carried out by Trediakovsky, this reform was of great importance in the history of Russian poetry.
In addition to “A New and Brief Method for Composing Russian Poems,” Trediakovsky also wrote other works on the theory and history of verse. For example, “Opinion on the beginning of poetry and poetry in general” and “On ancient, middle and new Russian poems (i.e. versification - I.A.)”, as well as “Discourse on ode in general.”
In the first article he states that “creation, invention and imitation are the soul and life of poetry.” That is, he, developing the thought of Feofan Prokopovich and going much further, affirms the leading role of fiction in poetry and emphasizes the importance of the active individual principle in poetic creativity.
The article “On Ancient, Middle and New Russian Poems” outlines the stages of development of Russian national poetry. At the same time, he reveals an understanding of the historical nature of the literary process. This is the first serious attempt to historically study the development of Russian versification. Trediakovsky divides the entire history of Russian poetry into three periods: the first is ancient, beginning in time immemorial and lasting until 1663; the second - middle - from 1663 to 1735 (the date of the appearance of the “New and Brief Method”), i.e. before the beginning of syllabic-tonic Russian versification; the third is a new period when syllabic-tonic versification completely dominates in Russian poetry. The first Russian poems, according to the author of the treatise, performed a religious, cult function. It is very important to emphasize Trediakovsky’s focus on the rhythm of folk verse. This orientation in the “New and Brief Method” is towards the affirmation of the trochaic meter as organically inherent in Russian verse, as opposed to other syllabic-tonic meters. We are talking about what phenomena caused qualitative changes in the development of Russian poetry; mention is made of the appearance at the end of the 16th century, in 1581, of the first Russian literary poems in the Ostrog Bible. Further, speaking about regular syllabic verse, widespread in Poland in the 17th century, Trediakovsky points out that it was this verse, having penetrated into Ukraine and Belarus, that served as a model for the creation of Russian regular syllabic verse, i.e. verse, which, as a rule, has an odd number of syllables, from 5 to 13, and, in the case of polysyllabicity (11-13 syllables), is also divided by a caesura, “intersection,” as Trediakovsky says, into two unequal parts: seven and six syllables or five and six syllables. Trediakovsky considers the feminine rhyme at the end of a verse to be the most acceptable for Russian poetry, since the combination of two syllables, of which the first is under stress, in itself constitutes a trochaic foot, i.e. foot, which, according to Trediakovsky, is most characteristic of Russian verse.
Speaking about syllabic versification, Trediakovsky shows that it is still so imperfect that poetry written according to its rules is almost no different from prose. Trediakovsky also noted that the dimensions of the verse are not directly related to the content of the work. On this issue, on which he argued with Lomonosov, Trediakovsky was right. His mistake was in preferring the trochee and neglecting other sizes.
In conclusion, Trediakovsky emphasizes that his reform of versification, in essence, is only a renewal of the ancient folk system. Thus, he once again draws attention to the deeply patriotic, truly popular character of his reform, to its national foundations.
In the article “Discourse on Odes in General,” Trediakovsky appears as a theorist of classicism. He emphasizes the need for “red disorder” in the ceremonial ode, i.e. the deliberate imbalance of emotions expressed in the introductory part of the ode, due to which the reader should have the impression that the poet was extremely excited by the events described and was unable to restrain his feelings. Trediakovsky divides the odes into two groups: “praiseworthy” odes and “tender” odes, in other words, anacreontic ones. Trediakovsky insists on the need for a writer to follow established rules and emphasizes the mandatory normativity of artistic creativity. According to Trediakovsky, every writer not only can, but should also imitate certain literary models, taken mainly from ancient literature. Trediakovsky himself willingly imitated the French classicists.
In 1730, immediately upon returning from abroad, Trediakovsky published a novel by the French writer Paul Talman in his translation entitled “A Trip to the Island of Love.” This is a typical love story about the experiences of the characters - Thyrsis and Aminta on the fantastic “island of Love”, where Thyrsis arrived on a ship from Europe, about his “cupid” with the beautiful Aminta, who, however, soon disappointed Thyrsis, having become carried away by another young man. But his grief was short-lived: soon he was surprised to feel himself in love with two beauties at once. The hero was brought out of some confusion about this by the Love of the Eyes he met, who advised Tyrsis not to constrain himself with conventions: you need to love as much as you want - this is the basis of long-term happiness. These experiences are presented in allegorical form. Each feeling of the characters corresponds to the conventional toponymy of the “island of Love”: “cave of Cruelty”, “castle of Straight Luxuries”, “gate of Love”, “desert of Obligation”, “gate of Refusal”, “lake of Frozenness”, etc. Along with real ones, conventional characters such as “Pity”, “Sincerity”, “Eye-lovingness” are presented (this is how Trediakovsky translated the word “coquetry”, still unknown in Russian). It was this frank allegorical nature of the names, the frank conventionality of the area in which the action takes place, that gave capacity and typicality to the description of the characters’ experiences themselves.
The poeticization of the feeling of love, its real cult, the celebration of freedom of feelings, the emancipation of man from the conventions of the old way of life - this is the ideological content of the work. Nevertheless, the end of the novel contradicts this idea, and this contradiction itself is significant: Thyrsis decides not to pursue the joys of love anymore and to devote his life to the glory of the Fatherland. Such an end was quite consistent with the mood of Peter the Great's time. The depiction of the characters’ inner experiences has not yet been given either to the author of the French original or to its translator. That is why allegorical names of caves, cities and bays and personification of the very feelings overwhelming the heroes were needed. The novel operates on Mystery, Coldness, Reverence, and Shame.
Trediakovsky’s book is interesting because on its last pages he placed his own poems, written in French under the title “Poems for Various Occasions.” This is Trediakovsky’s pre-classical lyrics, which present purely personal, autobiographical themes. All the lyrics presented in the book are written in syllabic verse, but four years later Trediakovsky will decisively abandon syllabic verse and propose a new system of versification instead.
In 1766, Trediakovsky published a book entitled “Tilemachis or the Wanderings of Telemacus, son of Odysseus, described as part of an ironic poem” - a free translation of the novel by the early French enlightener Fenelon “The Adventures of Telemachus”. Fenelon wrote his work in the last years of the reign of Louis XIV, when France suffered from devastating wars, which resulted in the decline of agriculture and crafts.
The historical and literary significance of “Tilemakhida” lies not only in its critical content, but also in the difficult tasks that Trediakovsky set himself as a translator. In essence, this is not a translation, but a radical reworking of the book genre itself. Trediakovsky created a heroic poem based on a French novel, modeled on the Homeric epic, and, in accordance with his task, called the book not “The Adventures of Telemachus”, but “Tilemachis”.
As noted in the preface, the plot of a heroic poem should not be associated with the ancient world, its heroes cannot be historically reliable persons of either ancient or modern times. A heroic poem should be written, according to Trediakovsky, only in hexameter. The choice of characters and the plot of “Tilemakhida” fully meets the theoretical requirements of the author.
Trediakovsky carefully preserved the educational pathos of Fenelon's novel. The subject of condemnation becomes the supreme power, it speaks of the despotism of rulers, their addiction to luxury and bliss, the inability of kings to distinguish virtuous people from self-interested people and money-grubbers, and the flatterers who surround the throne and prevent monarchs from seeing the truth.
Fenelon’s novel, written largely in the footsteps of Barclay’s “Argenide,” was intended by the author for his pupil, the grandson of Louis XIV, Duke of Burgundy, and, like “Argenide,” was filled with vivid and very topical political content. Like Barclay, Fenelon is a staunch supporter of the monarchical principle, but at the same time his novel, written towards the end of the reign of one of the most typical representatives of absolutism (the “Sun King” - Louis XIV), is a cruel verdict on the entire state system of the latter, as is known, which had the most detrimental effect on the life of the country, leading France to the brink of complete economic and economic exhaustion. In contrast to this, the Mentor teaches his pupil Telemacus in the novel, i.e. in essence, Fenelon - to the Duke of Burgundy, the science of true government, which, as Trediakovsky explains, represents “the middle between the excesses of despotic power (self-predominant) and the countless anarchic ones (having no commander).” This makes the author of Telemaque a bearer of the ideas of political liberalism, one of Montesquieu’s immediate predecessors. In accordance with his accusatory and satirical attitude, Fenelon sharply attacks the “evil kings.” A number of poems in “Tilemakhida” contain very strong and energetic tirades on the topic of unjust kings who “do not like everyone who boldly speaks the Truth.” Removed from the court, almost excommunicated from literature, Trediakovsky undoubtedly invested a strong personal feeling in these poems.
The content of “Tilemachida,” as well as Fenelon’s novel, is a description of the travels of Odysseus’ son Telemacus. Young Telemachus goes in search of his father, who disappeared without a trace after the end of the Trojan War. The young man is accompanied by a wise mentor - Mentor. During his travels, Telemachus sees different countries with different rulers. This gives the author a reason to talk about the merits of certain forms of state power. Thus, Mentor teaches Telemachus the ability to rule the people. Trediakovsky here expresses his cherished thoughts about the ideal state direction: of course, readers should have applied these considerations to Russian conditions. In his work, Trediakovsky emphasized the importance of the monarch’s observance of laws, both legal and “higher” laws of humanity. If the king has power over the people, then the laws have power over the sovereign, and he has no right to break them. Subsequently A.S. Pushkin will say:
You stand above the people,
But the eternal law is above you!
Trediakovsky gladly retells the instructive story of the Cretan king Idomeneo. This king, distinguished by arbitrariness and lust for power, was expelled by the people from his country. Having realized through bitter experience that he was wrong, Idomeneo becomes the humane and law-respecting ruler of the city of Salanta. It was the idea of the need to limit autocratic power, of the subordination of the ruler (like any citizen) that was not accepted by Catherine II.
I asked him, what does royal sovereignty consist of?
He answered: the king has power over the people in everything,
But the laws have power over him in everything, of course.
“Tilemakhida” evoked different attitudes towards itself both among contemporaries and descendants. Novikov and Pushkin spoke of her with praise. Radishchev made one of her poems the epigraph to his “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow.” “His love for Fenelon’s epic,” wrote Pushkin, “does him honor, and the idea of translating it into verse and the very choice of verse proves his extraordinary sense of grace.” Catherine II took an irreconcilably hostile position. Her ill will was caused by critical remarks addressed to the autocrats. She introduced a comic rule in the palace: for light wine you had to drink a glass of cold water and read a page from Tilemakhida, for more serious wine you had to learn six lines from it. In “Tilemakhide” Trediakovsky clearly demonstrated the variety of possibilities of the hexameter as an epic verse. Trediakovsky’s experience was later used by N.I. Gnedich when translating the Iliad and V.A. Zhukovsky at work on the Odyssey.
The historical and literary significance of Trediakovsky is undeniable. Being of little talent as a poet, Trediakovsky was the greatest philologist of his time, the author of many translations that had great cultural and educational significance, contributed to the development of new forms of literature in Russia, and his works promoted socio-political ideas that were progressive for that time.
The starting point for all further development of Russian literature is the assimilation of the rules of French classicism by four people born under Peter, and their efforts to transfer these rules and norms to Russian literary soil. These four people are Kantemir, Trediakovsky, Lomonosov and Sumarokov.
Trediakovsky and Lomonosov. Lecture by A. N. Uzhankov
Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky (1703–1768) was the son of a poor Astrakhan priest. They say that Peter the Great, passing through Astrakhan, saw little Trediakovsky and, stroking his head, called him “an eternal worker” - a prophecy that determined his whole life.
Trediakovsky was the first non-nobleman to receive an education abroad, moreover, at the very source of European culture - in Paris. He studied French perfectly and even learned to write in it. poetry fugitives(light poetry), which were not below the then accepted level. Upon returning to Russia in 1730, he was appointed secretary of the Academy. One of his duties in this post was the composition of laudatory odes and panegyrics for various occasions and solemn speeches in Russian and Latin.
Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky
There are countless anecdotes about how he failed to maintain his dignity in relations with the arrogant nobles of the time, who saw in a professional poet and speaker something of a domestic servant of the lowest class. His prose translations are unusually clumsy. The poems are devoid of poetic merit and became completely unreadable long before his death. His main work - a translation in hexameters of Fenelon's Telemachus (1766) - became, as soon as it appeared, the personification of everything pedantic and ugly. Trediakovsky went down in history as a despised and ridiculous figure.
The tireless diligence of the “eternal worker” inspires some respect. But Trediakovsky’s right to be recognized as an outstanding figure in the history of Russian literature lies not in the poems he wrote, but in his works on the theory of poetry and versification. His Opinion about the beginning of poetry and poetry in general(1752) is the first presentation in Russia of the classical theory of imitation. Even more important are his works on Russian versification. Although the legend that he was allegedly the first to introduce the correct foot into Russian verse does not correspond to reality, Trediakovsky’s theoretical views are not only remarkable for his time, but are also interesting today.
Vasily Trediakovsky is a man with a tragic fate. As fate would have it, two nuggets lived in Russia at the same time - Lomonosov and Trediakovsky, but one will be treated kindly and remain in the memory of posterity, and the second will die in poverty, forgotten by everyone.
From student to philologist
In 1703, on March 5, Vasily Trediakovsky was born. He grew up in Astrakhan in a poor family of a clergyman. A 19-year-old young man went to Moscow on foot to continue his studies at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy.
But he stayed there for a short time (2 years) and, without regret, left to replenish his knowledge in Holland, and then to France - to the Sorbonne, where, enduring poverty and hunger, he studied for 3 years.
Here he participated in public debates, studied mathematical and philosophical sciences, was a student of theology, and studied French and Italian abroad. He returned to his homeland as a philologist and an atheist.
The rise of a career and the indignation of the clergy
Since 1730, he was the court poet of Anna Ioannovna, his duties included “cleansing” the Russian language, as well as composing ceremonial speeches; later he would become a translator at the Academy of Sciences. Trediakovsky was the first to introduce secular novels into literature.
The clergy will almost accuse him of atheism when he translates Talman’s novel “Riding to the Island of Love” into “colloquial” Russian, since all official literature was written in Old Church Slavonic.
Innovative ideas
On May 14, 1735, Russian poetry received new breath and development. The scientist made a proposal to reform literature and proposed a new versification. In addition, he believed that it was necessary to compile a grammar of the Russian language, dictionaries and rhetoric.
His innovative theoretical ideas were brought to life by Lomonosov; it was he who published “Grammar” and “Rhetoric”. The poet first used the word “ode” in Russian.
He was a pioneer in the composition of praiseworthy odes. From his pen they came out 5 years before the appearance of Lomonosov’s famous creations. In the preface to them he will write the theory “Discourse on Odes in General,” where he will define this genre.
Trediakovsky - poet
Trediakovsky's poems are diverse both in style and genre. One of his best works is “Poems of Praise for Russia,” imbued with patriotism and love for his country.
It is worth noting his significant work “Epistola from Russian Poetry to Apolline,” where he examined all world literature, starting with Homer and Ovid, ending with Spanish and German authors.
Trediakovsky scientist-philologist
Despite his poetic diversity, Trediakovsky the theorist did much more and more significantly. His translations had great educational significance.
A huge work of multi-volume translation of the history of Rome and Greece became the first “textbook” for the Russian reader. Trediakovsky was ridiculed by his contemporaries and was considered mediocrity.
In recent years he lived in poverty and died completely alone in August 1769, in St. Petersburg. And only thanks to A.S. Pushkin, who appreciated his work, critics and scientists reconsidered their views and appreciated Trediakovsky’s merits.
