Examples of the grotesque in the work. Grotesque - what does it mean? What is grotesque and the history of this term

In ordinary conversation, many perceive the grotesque as something strange, ugly, eccentric, fantastic. In modern times, the embodiment of this concept for many is presented as carnival masks that are used on Halloween, or images of gargoyles.

What is the grotesque in fact and where it is used is to be learned from the article.

The meaning of the concept

There are two translations of the word "grotesque" - French and Italian, while they are similar to each other. From French, the word is translated as "comic", from Italian - "bizarre", also "grotto".

What is grotesque in in general terms? The term means type artistic imagery. It is based on fantasy, contrast, laughter, which is intertwined with reality. In addition, caricature, alogisms, and hyperbole are inherent in the grotesque.

Etymology of the concept

In Russian, the word, as well as its definition (grotesque), came from France, although its original translation is associated with Italy. It meant "grotto" and appeared after the archaeological excavations of the 15th century. At this time, in Italy, plant paintings with intricate patterns were discovered in underground rooms. These were at one time the rooms and corridors of Nero's house.

Are gargoyles grotesque?

Many mistakenly attribute the grotesque to gargoyles. They are really bizarre, but the purpose of these carvings is to drain rainwater so that it does not fall on the walls of the building. Grotesque stone carving has no such purpose. It is worth noting that gargoyles are chimeras, not grotesque.

Literature and the grotesque

It's in the literature this concept presented most vividly, it is a kind of comic device, combining in the form of fantasy the funny and the terrible, the sublime and the ugly. In the grotesque, the fictional is intertwined with the real, the contradictions of reality are revealed.

The grotesque is not simply comical. It contains humor and irony, but they are inseparably connected with something sinister, tragic. At the same time, behind everything implausible and fantastic lies a deep life meaning. The grotesque always implies a deviation from the norm, it is widely used for satirical purposes.

Examples in literature

In order to understand what the grotesque is, you need to consider its examples presented in the literature.

Examples of the grotesque in the works of world writers:

François Rabelais, Gargantua and Pantagruel. In the work, the main characters are of enormous size, they live with ordinary people. The scene in which one of the entourage falls into the mouth of his master looks grotesque. There he discovers villages and cities.

Erasmus of Rotterdam, Praise of Stupidity. The work was written in a comic form during the travel of the author. Grotesque, examples of which are described above, is expressed from the very beginning when Stupidity is introduced to the audience, giving the theme of his speech.

Nikolai Gogol, "The Nose".Here the disappearance of the Nose is intertwined with the everyday reality of St. Petersburg. The absurdity is that the nose, having disappeared from the face, became an official of the 5th class. Everyone treats him like ordinary person. Even the hero of the incident, who lost his nose, is not concerned about what he will breathe, but how he will look in society with the ladies. The nose in the office of an official does not at all raise unnecessary questions for anyone. The absurdity of the idea itself is grotesque.

Ernst Hoffmann, Little Tsakhes. Describes the life of an ugly dwarf who was bewitched by a good fairy and made different for everyone. The grotesque (this is in literature) is manifested in the very appearance of the hero. His real appearance is seen only by Balthazar, a student in love with the heroine Candida. At the end, Tsakhes, convicted by all, drowns in a chamber pot with sewage.

Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis". Stunning from the very first line, from which it becomes clear what the grotesque is. Main character woke up by insects. The implausibility of the situation is complemented by a sense of disgust that most people feel towards insects. Relatives continue to live their own ordinary life despite the absurdity of the situation. In the end, the insect dies, and his family, as if nothing had happened, goes for a walk.

Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita. In the novel, the real and the fantastic collide. The characters find themselves in many grotesque situations that allow them to be exposed inner world. The grotesque includes the appearance of a human-sized Behemoth cat, Woland's performance at the Variety Theater, the background " bad apartment". The grotesque passes not only through this work by Mikhail Bulgakov. No less interesting are his dog's heart», « Fatal eggs».

"History of a City" as a grotesque novel

The author was able to embody the concept of socio-political satire through the grotesque in the "History of a City". The name of the fictional city says a lot. The history of Glupov begins with the Inventory of the Mayors. The first mayor's name was Amadeus Manuylovich, who received such a position "for the skillful cooking of pasta." The whole horror of this grotesque lies in the fact that for more than a hundred years the Foolovites have chosen their mayors for their knowledge of foreign chatter, exotic surnames, and the like.

The absurdity of many situations is intended to expose the deep immorality of the autocracy. So, one of the heroes was eaten by the leader of the nobility, as he wore a real stuffed head on his shoulders.

Behind the comically absurd picture of Glupov are the real topical problems of autocratic and serf-owning Russia. The grotesque, examples of which are presented above, was able to expose the ugly realities of modern life for the authors.

Unusual styles in art attract the attention of the same unusual people. And also the eccentric grotesque attracts special people. But what is the essence of this genre and how is the grotesque reflected in literature? Let's figure it out. Grotesque is an ugly comic image of something or someone based on contrast and exaggeration. IN everyday life, many perceive the grotesque as something ugly and eccentric. Nowadays, it is widely used in carnival images on various holidays.

A bit of history

The grotesque has quite ancient origin . Its roots go to Ancient Rome the time of Nero. Once upon a time, the emperor, who had incredible imagination and artistic taste, wished that the walls of his palace were decorated with views and images that did not exist in nature.

But fate is not too favorable and subsequently the palace was destroyed by the emperor Trojan. Time passed and soon, the ruins and underground structures were accidentally found during the Renaissance.

The underground ruins found were called grottoes, which is translated from Italian as a grotto or dungeon. The painting that adorned these ruins was later called the grotesque.

Literature

In an effort to immerse the reader in a world full of fantasy and incredible phenomena The author uses many techniques and styles. One of them is the grotesque. It combines seemingly incompatible things - it's terrible and funny, sublime and disgusting.

Grotesque on Wikipedia means a combination of reality and fantasy, as a combination of truth and caricature, as a combination of hyperbole and alogism. Grotesque is from French whimsical. In contrast to the same irony, so that in this style amusing and funny images are both terrifying and frightening. It's like two sides of the same coin.

In literature, the grotesque and satire go hand in hand.. But it's not the same. Under the mask of implausibility and fantasticness lies a kind of generalizing view of the artist on the world and important events in him.

Based on this whimsical style, plays, decor and costumes are created. He struggles with the ordinary and allows authors and artists to discover the unlimited possibilities of their talent. Style will help to expand the inner boundaries of a person's worldview.

Grotesque style examples

A striking example of application is fairy tales. If you remember, then the image of Koshchei the Immortal pops up. Being created, this figure combined and human nature, and unknown forces, mystical possibilities, making him practically invincible. In fairy tales, reality and fantasy are often intertwined, but still the boundaries remain obvious. Grotesque images at first sight appear as absurd, devoid of any meaning. The enhancer of this image is a combination of everyday occurrences.
The story "The Nose" by Gogol is also considered a prime example using a style in a story. The protagonist's nose acquires independent life and separated from the host.

In painting

In the Middle Ages, it was typical for folk culture expressing an original way of thinking. The style reached its peak of popularity during the Renaissance. He endows the work of the great artists of that time with drama and inconsistency.

Don't Miss: Artistic Reception in Literature and the Russian Language.

Satire

This is a manifestation of the comic style in art in its sharpest sense. With the help of irony, grotesque, a share of hyperbole, she reveals humiliating and terrible phenomena, giving her poetic form. Many poets use this artistic style to ridicule any phenomena.

Characteristic of satire will be a negative attitude towards the subject of ridicule.

Hyperbola

An element used by many authors and poets for exaggeration. An artistic figure helps to enhance the eloquence of thoughts. This technique can be successfully combined with other stylistic turns. . Exaggeration is combined with and comparison giving them an unusual coloration. Hyperbole can be found in various artistic styles, such as oratorical, romantic and many others to enhance sensory perception.

Irony

A technique that is used to oppose the hidden meaning to the explicit one. When using this artistic figure, there is a feeling that the subject of irony is not what it seems in reality.

Forms of irony

Straight. Used to belittle and amplify negative traits subject of discussion;
Anti-irony. Used to show that an object is undervalued;
Self-irony. Ridicules own person;
ironic outlook. Rejection to heart public values and stereotypes;
Socratic irony. The subject of discussion itself must come to hidden meaning utterances, considering all the information the subject has said.

GROTESQUE

- (from Italian grottesco - bizarre) - a kind of comic: an image of people, objects or phenomena that violates the boundaries of plausibility in a fantastically exaggerated, ugly comic form. G. is based on the combination of the real and the unreal, the terrible and the ridiculous, the tragic and the comic, the ugly and the beautiful. G. is close to a farce. It differs from other varieties of the comic (humor, irony, satire, etc. (see irony, satire)) in that the funny in it is not separated from the terrible, which allows the author in a particular picture to show the contradictions of life and create an acutely satirical image. Examples of works in which G. is widely used to create a satirical image are N.V. Gogol, "The History of a City", "How one man fed two generals" by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, "Seated", "Bath," Bedbug "by V. Mayakovsky.

Dictionary of literary terms. 2012

Etymology

Word grotesque came to Russian from French. The Primary Meaning of French grotesgue- literally grotto, pertaining to the grotto or in the grotto, from grotte - grotto(that is, a small cave or depression), goes back to the Latin crypto - hidden, underground, dungeon. The expression appeared after the discovery of ancient Roman decorations in caves and burial sites in the 15th century. These "caves" were actually the rooms and corridors of Nero's Golden House, an unfinished palace complex founded by Nero after a great fire in 64 AD. e.

In architecture

Notes

Music

Grotesque is one of the songs by the fictional death metal band Detroit Metal City.

Literature

Sheinberg Esti Irony, satire, parody and the grotesque in Shostakovich's music (Irony, satire, parody and the grotesque in the music of Shostakovich (in English)).. - UK: Ashgate. - P. 378. - ISBN ISBN 0-7546-0226-5
Kayser, Wolfgang (1957) The grotesque in Art and Literature, New York, Columbia University Press
Lee Byron Jennings (1963) The ludicrous demon: aspects of the grotesque in German post-Romantic prose, Berkeley, University of California Press
Bakhtin Mikhail Rabelais and his world. - Bloomington

the image is found in the songs of the group Klimbatika: Indiana University Press, 1941.

Selected bibliography by Philip Thomson, The Grotesque, Methuen Critical Idiom Series, 1972.
Dacos, N. La découverte de la Domus Aurea et la formation des grotesques à la Renaissance(London) 1969.

Kort Pamela Comic Grotesque: Wit And Mockery In German Art, 1870-1940. - PRESTEL. - P. 208. - ISBN ISBN 9783791331959
FS Connelly "Modern art and the grotesque" 2003 assets.cambridge.org
Video tour of the most vivid examples of medieval Parisian stone carving - the grotesques of Notre Dame

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

Synonyms:

See what "Grotesque" is in other dictionaries:

ORIGIN OF THE TERM. The term G. is borrowed from painting. This was the name of the ancient wall painting, which was found in the “grottoes” (grotte) of the cellars of Titus. Raphael used it as a model for decorating the lodges of the Vatican, and his students for painting ... ... Literary Encyclopedia

grotesque- a, m. grotesque, German. Grotesk it. grotesca. 1. claim. An image featuring a whimsical, fantastical combination of motifs and details. Sl. 18. Painting, a picturesque thing of many colors and thin figures. DX 1 2 63. The decoration of the rooms is… … Historical dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language

- (French grotesque, from Italian grotta cave). 1) originally meant the wall painting of the Romans, which consisted of a fantastic combination of people, animals, plants, buildings, etc.; similar paintings were found in the buried buildings of antiquity, under the arches ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Grotesque- GROTESQUE (Italian grottesca) in its basic sense means arabesques like those found in ancient buildings buried underground. Usually the word is used to denote a funny, strange or exceptional phenomenon ... Dictionary literary terms

- (French grotesque, Italian grottesco bizarre, from grotta grotto), 1) a type of ornament that includes pictorial and decorative motifs in bizarre, fantastic combinations (plant and animal forms, human figures, masks, ... ... Art Encyclopedia

Caricature, caricature, parody Dictionary of Russian synonyms. grotesque see caricature Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova. 2011 ... Synonym dictionary

- (French grotesque letters. bizarre; comical), 1) an ornament in which decorative and pictorial motifs (plants, animals, human forms, masks) are bizarrely, fantastically combined. 2) A type of artistic imagery that generalizes and ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

GROTESQUE, grotesque, male. (Italian grottesco). 1. A work of art executed in a bizarrely fantastic, ugly comic style (claim; originally the name of wall painting in Roman grottoes). 2. in value unchangeable adj. The same as grotesque ... ... Dictionary Ushakov

- (French grotesque, literally bizarre; comical), 1) an ornament in which decorative and pictorial motifs (plants, animals, human forms, masks) are bizarrely, fantastically combined. 2) Type of artistic imagery, ... ... Modern Encyclopedia

GROTESQUE - (from fr.- whimsical, intricate; funny, comic, from Italian. - grotto) - an image of people, objects, details in fine arts, theater and literature in a fantastically exaggerated, ugly comic form; a peculiar style in art and literature, which emphasizes the distortion of generally accepted norms and at the same time the compatibility of real and fantastic, tragic and comic, sarcasm and harmless gentle humor. The grotesque necessarily violates the boundaries of plausibility, gives the image a certain convention and takes the artistic image beyond the limits of the probable, consciously deforming it. The grotesque style got its name in connection with the ornaments discovered at the end of the 15th century by Raphael and his students during excavations in Rome of ancient underground buildings, grottoes.

These images, strange in their bizarre unnaturalness, freely connected various pictorial elements: human forms turned into animals and plants, human figures grew out of flower cups, plant shoots intertwined with unusual structures. Therefore, at first, distorted images began to be called grotesque, the ugliness of which was explained by the tightness of the square itself, which did not allow making a correct drawing. Later, the grotesque style was based on complex composition unexpected contrasts and inconsistencies. The transfer of the term to the field of literature and the true flowering of this type of imagery occurs in the era of romanticism, although the appeal to the techniques of satirical grotesque occurs in Western literature much earlier. Eloquent examples of this are the books of F. Rabelais "Gargantua and Pantagruel" and J. Swift "Gulliver's Travels". In Russian literature, the grotesque was widely used to create bright and unusual artistic images N.V. Gogol ("The Nose", "Notes of a Madman"), M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin ("History of one city", " wild landlord"and other fairy tales), F.M. Dostoevsky ("Double. The Adventures of Mr. Golyadkin"), F. Sologub ("Small Demon"), M.A. Bulgakov ("Fatal Eggs", "Heart of a Dog"), A. Bely ("Petersburg", "Masks"), V. V. Mayakovsky ("Mystery-buff", "Bedbug", "Bath", "Seated"), A. T. Tvardovsky ("Terkin in the next world"), AA Voznesensky ("Oz"), EL Schwartz ("Dragon", "Naked King").

Along with the satirical, the grotesque can be humorous, when with the help of a fantastic beginning and in the fantastic forms of the appearance and behavior of the characters, qualities are embodied that cause the reader's ironic attitude, as well as tragic (in works of tragic content that tell about the attempts and fate spiritual definition personality.

Examples of the grotesque in the work. Grotesque - what does it mean? What is grotesque and the history of this term

The meaning of the concept

Etymology of the concept

Are gargoyles grotesque?

Literature and the grotesque

Examples in literature

"History of a City" as a grotesque novel

A bit of history

Literature

Satire

Hyperbola

Irony

Forms of irony

See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what is GROTESQUE in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

Etymology

In architecture

see also

Notes

Music

Literature

See what "Grotesque" is in other dictionaries: