SOURCE: Moser, Charles A. “The Brigadier” and “The Minor.” In Denis Fonvizin, pp. 49-67; 68-85. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1979.

In the following excerpts from his full-length study of Fonvizin's life and career, Moser offers detailed analyses of the author's greatest works, discussing the plays' background, place in Russian literature, and major themes.

The Brigadier

I. Background of a Play

The Brigadier was a genuine milestone in the development of the original Russian comedy. It also signaled the maturing of Fonvizin as a literary artist, indicating that the twenty-four-year-old author had discovered the genre which best suited him. Through that genre he would exercise lasting influence on the history of Russian literature.

The play's plot is constructed upon interlocking marital triangles involving two families. The first family is that of the Brigadier and the Brigadier's wife (Brigadirsha), whose son Ivanushka has been betrothed to Sofya, the daughter of the Counsellor...