Literary criticism of N.S. Leskov in the aspect of receptive aesthetics (defining the problem)

The article analyses the literary criticism of N. S. Leskov. This concept itself is rather specific because its meaning depends on a cultural, social and historical context, the identity of the artist, his literary tastes. From this point of view Leskov's literary and critical texts are of undoubted concern. Literary criticism is present almost in all texts of the artist not only with critical judgments, but also with art ideas embodied later in his literary works. The literary critical prose is not limited by rigid restrictions of a genre, composition, language or style. That is why it is called one of forms of the literary reception in the article (cultural absorption of a work of art, co-authorship), which is the subject of receptive aesthetics study. A dialogue plays an important role in this study. It is understood in the aspect of Bakhtin's theoretical research and is carried out in literary critical texts at several levels simultaneously: between the writer-critic and the author of the work, the reader, the opponent (the rival, "the peripheral addressee") and between the writer-critic and himself. Moreover, the writer-recipient himself at the same time is the reader, the critic and the author, which distinguishes him from the reader-recipient. All this is important for Leskov's literary and critical prose, which features originality. Here appears the so-called "Socratic dialogue" as a means to find the truth and to achieve the consent. Besides all this, the writer often sides with the reader in the dialogue. His critical prose features the freedom in the choice of a genre, composition, style. There are articles, letters to editors and autocriticism genres in Leskov's heritage. There the paratext has an important role (dedications, prefaces and epilogues, commentaries, notes, subheads). We define this as important that the leading subject of the national idea formation appears in the literary criticism of the second half of the 19th century, and in Leskov's criticism in particular. It would be impossible to analyze his literary and critical heritage without it. As a result, it is clear that Leskov was at the origins of the literary criticism of a new type developed by the beginning of the 20th century when practically all the great writers and poets showed their creative reflection.

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