SOURCE: Kantor, Marvin. Introduction to Dramatic Works of D. I. Fonvizin, translated by Marvin Kantor, pp. 11-45. Bern: Herbert Lang, 1974.

In the following essay, Kantor offers an outline of Fonvizin's life and literary career and examines the playwright's major writings, focusing especially on The Brigadier and The Minor. Kantor considers these plays flawed masterpieces notable for their bold characterization and daring attempts at presenting an ideological message against Catherine the Great's abusive regime.

Life

Laughter may be contagious but with the change of environment and time, it frequently ceases to infect. The humorous virulence of the many Russian comedies of the eighteenth century proved less than infectious and often stopped with the final curtain. However two comedies of this period, The Brigadier (Brigadir, 1769), and The Minor (Nedorosl', 1781), have demonstrated a striking vitality, a comic spirit that has continued to appeal to Russian audiences even down to our times...