Russian philology
with an angle of critique. Fonvizin felt the nobility should be held to the standards they were
under the reign of Peter the Great, during which the quality of devotion to the state was
rewarded. His works criticized the current system for rewarding the nobility without holding
them responsible for the duties they once performed. Using satire and comedy, Fonvizin
supported a system of nobility in which the elite were rewarded based upon personal merit
rather than the hierarchal favoritism that was rampant during Catherine the Great's reign.
The 19th century (Golden age)
The 19th century is traditionally referred to as the "Golden Era" of Russian literature.
Romanticism permitted a flowering of especially poetic talent: the names of Vasily
Zhukovsky and later that of his protégé Alexander Pushkin came to the fore. Pushkin is
credited with both crystallizing the literary Russian language and introducing a new level of
artistry to Russian literature
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