Gorbunova G. The Drama by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin: Problematics and Poetics.

The object is the following plays by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin: the cycle "Dramatic Scenes and Monologues", "Recent Comedies" and "A Morning at Khreptiugin's", "Pazukhin's Death" and "Shadows". The aim is to analyze the peculiarities of problematics and poetics of the dramatic works by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. The methods are cultural-historical approach, integrated, biographical, motive, comparative, typological, intertextual methods of analysis. The dramatic works by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin are closely related to his prose and make a small, but important part of the heritage of the writer. He believed that the purpose of literature is to educate the individual. The didactic character of his plays with the severity of criticism resulted in a slight stage history during the czar and the Soviet era. Devoting his drama to harsh criticism of the contemporary society and the state system M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin recreated the timeless phenomenon and vices. He chose the way of complete denial and described the ideal of equality, freedom and justice. In the thesis M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin's artistic and aesthetic, socio-political views are presented. In the dissertation the genre originality and problematics of his plays are defined, their creative and theatrical history is regarded, the specifics of the plot, composition, system of characters are revealed. For the first time an attempt to analyze space and time, the peculiarities of author's speech, speech of the characters and intertextuality is made. The sphere is the educational process.