THE OSTROVSKY PHENOMENON

Abstract

The article was written by the 200th anniversary of the playwright’s birth, the founder of the Russian theater A.N. Ostrovsky. The anniversary date determined the problems of the article reflected in its title. In the article, the concept of «phenomenon» in connection with Ostrovsky is used in two meaningful ways. The first meaningful plan is defined by the meaning «unique» and is associated with the biography of Ostrovsky. The second meaningful plan is determined by the linguo-culturological approach, which reveals the essential aspects in Ostrovsky’s creative activity. Through an appeal to the biography, the author of the article highlights such aspects of the Ostrovsky phenomenon as focusing on one’s own personality, unwillingness to share one’s inner experiences with other people, and ideological independence from the «trends» of the time. Special attention is paid to the uniqueness of the Ostrovsky’s nationality and idealism. Based on the linguo-culturological approach, Ostrovsky’s phenomenon reveals his creative potential. The role of plays’ translations by Roman comedians and Shakespeare in the development of the basics of Ostrovsky’s stage art is being updated. The essential characteristics in the specifics of Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy as a «new word» in Russian dramaturgy are singled out. Fianlly, the Ostrovsky phenomenon is defined as the ability to convey the iridescence of life, the ambiguity of the heroes’ characters, the ability to see in the particular the general laws of being.