The views of L.N. Tolstoy on theater in the cultural context

In the article the deep roots of Tolstoy's theatrical aesthetics lying in the Christian culture are considered. Tolstoy's perception of theater remained unchanged. In the novel War and Peace the understanding of the theater still carries an imprint of Rousseauism. In his later works, novels Anna Karenina, Resurrection, story Hadji-Murad, the secular theater gets a religious-ethical evaluation; it is already conceptualized as an analogue of the ancient cruel spectacles or masquerade. The negative image of the secular theater is inseparable from the image of the "theater" of the upper-class life: the border is permeable. Tolstoy's views on theater reflect the negative perception of entertainment by Christian art, especially by religious aestheticians close to Tolstoy: Tertullian and N.V. Gogol. In the "Selected Passages from Correspondence with Friends" Gogol gave his criticism of the secular theater, seeing it in opposition to the spiritual theater. In the opinion of Gogol, theater can be an "invisible stage to Christianity", a means of appealing to Christ. In this perception of theater Gogol is very close to Tolstoy. Although there are some differences. For Gogol Christ is the incarnate son of God. Tolstoy had in mind the teaching of Christ, who is not perceived as the God-man. Gogol did not question the classics of the world drama. Tolstoy in his assertion of the spiritual theater goes far beyond Gogol, criticizing even Shakespeare's theatre ("Shakespeare and the Drama"). The thought of performing arts of Tertullian, a philosopher of the early Christianity, the author of the treatise "On Spectacles" ("De spectaculis" (c. 198-206) was extremely close to Tolstoy. Tertullian saw a threat to morality, barbarism in Roman spectacles. Condemning performing arts, Tertullian dissected the mechanism of their aesthetic impact on the viewer. Spectacles awaken affects, repressed instincts and impulses in people. The philosopher condemned their emotional and affective nature in performing arts. Tolstoy was in tune with the view of Tertullian on performing arts in their opposition to Christian art. It is no accident the in the works of Tolstoy, from Anna Karenina, the secular theater was conceptualized as a projection of ancient cruel spectacles. For Tolstoy, as well as for Tertullian and Gogol, the dilemma of arts is essential: sensuous entertainment and spiritual contemplation, the pagan and the Christian.

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