Sentimentalism as a direction in literature and art appeared in 18th century England. At the turn of the 18-19 centuries, he came to Russia. As you know, the 18th century was considered the century of reason and enlightenment, but sentimentalism highlighted human feelings.
Instruction manual
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The new literary and artistic direction got its name thanks to the English writer Laurence Stern, the author of the novel "Sentimental Journey through France and Italy."
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However, above all, sentimentalism showed itself in poetry. James Thomson’s “Seasons” poem aroused a love of nature in readers' souls, showing the discreet beauty of rural landscapes. The so-called cemetery poetry was also turned to feelings, one of the best examples of which was the Thomas Gray elegy "Rural Cemetery".
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Yet the most famous sentimentalism was created in the genre of the novel. The English, and after them, the Russian young women cried over the fate of the heroes of the novels of Samuel Richardson "Pamela", "Clarissa Garlow", "Sir Charles Grandison". The novelist was completely indifferent to the beauty of nature, his works are devoted to the study of human psychology.
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The beginning of French sentimentalism was laid by the novel by Pierre Marivot, The Life of Marianne, which told the story of a poor but beautiful and noble orphan, whose origin remained a mystery to the reader.
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The famous novel by Abbot Prevost, "Manon Lesko", opened for the reader a new field of feelings - a stormy passion that leads the hero to disaster. The heroine of the novel is also unusual. Instead of an innocent young girl, a courtesan hungering for luxury appeared before the reader.
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The pinnacle of French sentimentalism was the novel by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "Julie, or New Eloise" - a story of unfulfilled love, ending with the early death of the heroine.
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A classic example of German sentimentalism is Johann Wolfgang Goethe's novel The Suffering of Young Werther. This is a story of unhappy love with the suicide of a young man in love in the finale.
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The founder of Russian sentimentalism was the writer and historian Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. The most famous among his works was “Poor Lisa” - written under the strong influence of Goethe Werther, the sad story of a peasant girl's love for a young nobleman who betrayed her.
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Sentimentalism is reflected in Russian painting. He had a particularly strong influence on the work of Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky, who loved to portray dreamy young girls on the background of English landscape parks. A classic example of a sentimental portrait of the artist was "Portrait of M.I. Lopukhina." Romantic Orest Kiprensky, who embodied the image of poor Lisa in one of his best works, did not escape the fascination with sentimentalism.
