Abstract: The article is devoted to works of the famous Russian literary critic Nestor Aleksandrovich Kotlyarevsky. Thanks to Svetlana Yakovlevna Levitte's efforts it was succeeded to publish two monographs of this researcher devoted to M. Yu. Lermontov and N. V. Gogol's creativity. N. A. Kotlyarevsky could collect biographic materials which have accumulated at the end of the 19th century about M. Yu. Lermontov's life and to show creativity of this author on a wide historical background. The researcher was interested first of all a subject of "demonic natures", the social conflicts and internal intense life of the poet. Addressing N. V. Gogol's creativity, N. A. Kotlyarevsky sought to reveal secrets of soul of the writer, to show connection with creativity of other Russian authors. About life and works of the called authors is written much. Also details of their spiritual aspirations are investigated. However N. A. Kotlyarevsky's monographs haven't lost the value. On the contrary, they can be an example of serious and versatile studying of works of the called artists. The author uses in this case methods of historico-literary research. He widely is guided by archival documents. Also hermeneutical method helping to get deeply into details of works of writers is applied. In article experience of monographic research of creativity of two famous representatives of the Russian literature is estimated: Lermontov and Gogol. Are analyzed not only texts of works, their semantic maintenance, the reader plunges into a stream of biographic details. The analysis of works is realized on the basis of reflections about intense spiritual life of these authors.

Keywords: imagination, activity, ideal, feelings, reason, freedom, Russian history, ethics, novel, poetry