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Abstract: The article deals with the critical reception of G. Hauptmann’s dramatic works in Russia at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. Special attention is focused on the images of Hauptmann’s characters as viewed by Russian critics. Nietzscheanism is one of the characteristic features of Hauptmann’s hero. The degree of penetration of domestic magazine critics into the author’s conception is analyzed using the example of the early plays by Hauptmann “Before Sunrise”, Lonely Lives” and “The Sunken Bell”. A review of the materials of Russian periodicals of the turn of the 19th–20th centuries makes it possible to identify the main areas of public interest, to outline the set of the existential problems that shaped the Russian public consciousness of the period under review such as the question of personal freedom, the destiny of man, and the questions of morality and morals. Critical assessment of the most prominent representatives of theatrical and magazine criticism reveals the main dominants in the creativity of Hauptmann and determines the nature of the German playwright’s entry into Russian culture. At the same time, Hauptmann’s reception is an indirect reflection of Nietzsche’s reception in Russia. Most critics of the turn of the century consider the work of the German writer in the context of Nietzsche’s ideas about the superman. On the one hand, frequent comparisons of Hauptmann’s characters with Nietzsche’s Zarathustra testify to the unprecedented popularity of the philosopher on Russian soil. On the other hand, they highlight the specificity of the perception of Nietzsche’s ideas through assessment of Hauptmann’s characters. The aim of the article is to clarify the ideas of the Russian criticism of the 19th–20th centuries about the type of Hauptmann’s Nietzschean hero. The research object of the article covers the perception of Hauptmann’s Nietzschean hero by Russian criticism at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. The scope of research includes the study of dramatic heritage of G. Hauptmann. The undertaken analysis shows that Hauptmann’s dramatic works in many articles and notes at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries are evaluated according to traditional criteria, namely in the romantic or realistic paradigm, and emphasize, first of all, individualism and cruelty in the interpretation of Nietzsche’s “superman”.

About the author(s) :

Yulia Yu. Miklukho

Novosibirsk State Technical University (Novosibirsk, Russia)

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5182-1623

Publication Timeline:

Date of receipt: 09.01.2025; date of publication: 31.10.2025

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