The image of a liar in the light comedy of the late 18th - early 19th centuries

The article explores the image of a liar in the comedies of the late 18th - early 19th centuries. The following texts are analyzed: The Talker by N. I. Khmelnitsky (1817), Don’t Like - Don’t Listen, But Don’t Interfere with Lying by A. A. Shakhovskoy (1818), A Lesson to Liars, or a Bridegroom for an Hour by Ya. Lyustikh (1823), The Punished Hypocrite, or a Lesson to Everyone in Turn by B. M. Fedorov (1817), Deception, or It’s All About Screens by V. Sveshnikov (1834). The connection of the Russian light comedy with the French-style salon comedy is noted, special attention is paid to the specifics of translation, adaptation of the work to Russian mores. The main characteristics of the light comedy of the period are highlighted: aphoristic speech, love theme, matchmaking as the key motif. The signs of the salon comedy include: the text size, a comedic intrigue, the recognition of the characters by readers / viewers (the characters’ resemblance to real prototypes), which distinguish this genre from the high comedy of the 18th century. The analysis showed the motif of deception to be the core, plot-forming motif. The representatives of the noble society act as deceiving characters, the age of the character does not matter. Despite the lack of strict didacticism, the hero-deceiver gets what he deserves, he loses either a lucrative position or a bride. Thus, we can talk about the national specifics of the comedies under consideration: the cheater protagonist gets nothing and often loses his influence, status, and even honest name. Despite the negative attitude to deception, showing the liar in his true colors is a virtuous mission, often it is a conflict of close people or relatives. Sveshnikov’s comedy Deception... is considered separately since it is written in prose, not in verse. In addition, the liar is a female character; in this play, ‘verbal’ deception is replaced by deception in action.