The Creativity of Bernard Shaw in the Literary-Critical Perception of K.I.Chukovsky

Abstract

The early reception of Bernard Shaw’s creativity is of considerable interest since it helps to characterise Russian-English historical, cultural and literary connections better, being an indicator of the impact of the aesthetics and drama by B. Shaw on creating a new drama and the development of Russian theatrical art. The research aims to examine the specific perception of the creativity of the English playwright B. Shaw by K.I. Chukovsky. The focus was mostly on the article Bernard Shaw from the series of Anglo-American notebooks, which analyses the works of the English playwright, as well as his aesthetic views, are fragmented. Thus, K.I. Chukovsky paid much attention to the ideological position of B. Shaw, which social-reformist trends in a society strongly influenced formation. In particular, he noted that the adoption of socialism by B. Shaw was slightly mental than emotional, correlated with the features of the social processes that were taking place. The article contained K.I. Chukovsky’s analysis of reviews of A.V. Lunacharsky on the works of B. Shaw and the statements of M. Gorky about paradoxes in English literature, fully characterising the attitude of social thought in Soviet Russia to the artistic legacy of the English playwright. It also reveals the specific understanding of the influence of creativity of G. Ibsen on theatrical innovations and aesthetic beliefs of B. Shaw, reflected in the essay Quintessence of Ibsenism. The role of the discussion as a structure-forming element in B. Shaw’s dramaturgy is defined.  Notes on individual plays by B. Shaw, presented in the works of K.I. Chukovsky, show that the plays of the playwright were accepted in the Russian cultural consciousness and were perceived in the light of the current social and literary trends.