Author's strategies and tactics of Catherine II in the comedy "Seduced"

Akimova Taiana Ivanovna Doctor of Philology Professor, Department of Russian and Foreign Literature, Ogarev Mordovia State University 430034, Russia, Saransk, Metallurgov str., 11-8 akimova_ti@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Maskinskova Irina Anatol'evna PhD in Pedagogy Associate Professor, Department of German Philology, Mordovian State University named after N.P. Ogaryova 430005, Russia, Republic of Mordovia, Saransk, Bolshevistskaya str., 68, office 722 amaskinskova@mail.ru

The comedy "The Seduced" (1785) by Catherine II occupies a central place in the dramatic cycle ^[15] directed against the Masons. The special position of this play is determined both by the increasing number, in comparison with the previous comedy, of Catherine's methods of anti-Masonic education of nobles, and by the increase in the author's strategies and tactics used by the writer-Empress in drama, which determines the relevance of studying this work, special consideration of which is just beginning to be carried out by modern literary critics ^{[2, 5, 10]}. The main thesis claimed by researchers in relation to the comedy "Seduced" is the conscious construction by Empress Catherine II of the myth of Freemasons as deceivers in order to keep the line of Enlightenment "from above" as opposed to Masonic attempts to enlighten "from below", for this reason, "the authorities urgently needed a dialogue with society, in explaining their position on the exciting her the Masonic question" ^{[12, p. 148]}.

The scientific novelty of the research is due to the study of Catherine's comedy "The Seduced" through the prism of the author's strategies and tactics. If the author's strategy is understood as the author's behavior in relation to the image of the hero and the image of the reader ^{[1, 11]}, then the author's tactics should be defined as specific ways of writer's influence on the reader in the construction of both the figurative system of the work and its ideological context ^{[4, 14, 16]}.

In the comedy "The Seduced", the author, unlike the previous comedy "The Deceiver", focuses not on ridiculing the images of Masons ^[13], but on the result of their activities – the involvement of the owner of the house and his daughter in mystical rituals and reading books of a certain orientation, as a result of which they are distanced from other relatives, threatening to disintegrate and the ruin of the family.

The second fundamental difference between this comedy and the comedy "The Deceiver" is the transfer of the resonant function of the hero from the younger generation to the older. So, it is the brother of the wife of the head of the family, Brityagin, who is both the initiator of the action and the one who is trusted to utter the final remark in the comedy. It is he, along with Radotov's mother, who acts as the sane comedy character who tries to prevent the disorder that has reigned in the house, arranged by the secret affairs of the Masons ^[7], and also Brityagin and Radotov's mother decide, in fact, the fate of the younger generation of the family.

Addressing her work to the entire Russian nobility, Catherine II formed the image of a sensible, logical and responsible nobleman for his actions and decisions, like the Fonvizin image of Starodum in "Nedorosle" ^[3]. The images of Freemasons acting as opponents of the empress were presented as images of charlatans and thieves with only one goal – personal enrichment at the expense of gullible and duped nobles. It should be noted that the tradition of using masks of fools and charlatans was founded in the Russian theater by A. P. Sumarokov ^[8], but it is the crowned playwright who transfers this technique to the genre of political comedy ^[9].

In this regard, the author's strategy of the Empress is to expose ideological opponents using tactics such as

1.      A look at events from the outside – through the servants' vision of what is happening.

In the comedies of Catherine II, it is the servants who act as those guileless objective witnesses who give the most accurate and faithful characteristics to their masters. So, the maid Praskovya informs the viewer about the change that took place in the manor house after the head of the family informed the friendship with the Masons: "Our master has changed all over now: he was cheerful, courteous, liked to visit guests, or his house was filled with people; recently he became thoughtful and moves away from people" ^{[6, p. 306]}. Thus, the viewer draws conclusions about the violation due to Masonic interference of the order adopted by the nobles, which was legalized by the empress and ensured a free and carefree life.

The maid, with her naive look, reduced Masonic rituals to child's play, thereby immediately refuting the Masons' application for participation in the Russian Enlightenment. The conclusion after Praskovya's remark about the host's classes with new guests: "They seemed to me to be playing blind man's buff..." ^{[6, p. 322]} was unequivocally pejorative for Masons: they have no place in the harmonious world order that was built by the Russian empress for the onset of the "golden age" of noble life.

After refuting any role of Freemasons in the Russian educational movement, the author of the comedy "Seduced" focuses on the lack of meaning both in the actions of "strange guests" and in the behavior of the "infected" rich nobleman.

2. Illogical behavior.

Ekaterina, through the mouths of her characters, draws attention to the Masons belonging to a different social class than the nobles: "On the road, or something, I met some man whom he brought here; he locked himself in with him for a long time, and several more people, whose names and fortune are few, are brought to him who knows. They are poorly dressed, speak unintelligible language, their faces are pale, whether from hunger, I do not know; but when they dine with them, then it is necessary to make them drink and eat twice" ^{[6, p. 302]}. They are not just "strange people" - they are those who behave very suspiciously, and sometimes with a complete lack of logic. In order to finally expose ideological opponents, the crowned writer demonstrates to the audience allegedly one of the Masonic rituals, but with the participation of a child who opposes the mysticism of Masons with his logic:

Push (to the child). What do you see?

The child. Nothing.

Push (to the child). Stamp your foot.

The child (stomps his foot).

Push (to the child). Who do you see?

The child. No one. ^{[6, p. 325]}.

The answers of the child, as that "natural person" of the enlightenment writers, who was spoken of as an ideal neophyte, completely deny Masonic activity because of its illogicality and, in general, meaninglessness.

The multiplication of the noble material condition promised by the Masons looks like the same nonsense.  In the eyes of any sane person, all such economic projects that depend on the position of the moon and other cosmic bodies look ridiculous. Thus, Bragin in the comedy reports about the alchemical occupations of the Masons: "We entered the upper room, where they produce priceless treasures by means of fire. Here the Protolk tried to assure us, and especially Rodotov, that the happy ones are the beginning of everything started, that when the month resumes they will undoubtedly see the works of that perfection" ^{[6, p. 328]}. From the point of view of Catherine, who stands exclusively for scientific approaches in any enterprises, such "miraculous transformations" of wealth are mockingly ridiculed and exposed.

3.      Self-disclosureFor greater effectiveness and clarity, the playwright uses all means of self-exposure of Freemasons.

Firstly, the characters admit to using the excessive faith of the nobles in external rituals and verbal expressions. Thus, Tratov says that "... it is known from experiments that a weak mind, imagination, curiosity will be satisfied with colloquial words..." ^{[6, p. 314]}. Secondly, the main condition of noble "seduction" by Freemasons is their hypocrisy, which is what Tratov asks his friend to gain confidence in the converts: "I am her teacher ... and if you don't want to spoil everything, then you should be somewhat hypocritical..." ^{[6, p. 315]}. Thirdly, Masonic writings are built on the same illogical basis – according to Bragin: "From your books ... neither I nor anyone ... she ... she ... understands a word" ^{[6, p. 324]}.

The apotheosis of the confession of being fooled by Freemasons are the words of the head of the family, Radotov himself: "At first I was attracted by curiosity; the desire of two or three acquaintances convinced me; then my vanity found pleasure in being different, thinking differently, like home, like acquaintances; moreover, credulity flattered: maybe I will either see or hear what is considered impossible; only truly inwardly I endured unspeakable boredom!" ^{[6, p. 335]}. With the rolling laughter of the empress, one can recognize the self-exposure of the nobleman seduced by the Masons: all their efforts are recognized as just boredom, a trifle not worth attention.

Another author's strategy of the crowned writer can be called the protection of the younger generation from the seduction of Freemasons, which Catherine carries out using tactics

1.                  An open noble house, built on the rules of sincere communication.

By building a noble life on the model of a self-regulating corporation, Catherine II thereby enabled the aristocrats themselves to understand the problem and solve it without resorting to external interference. The condition for such a life-building was the openness of the noble house for mandatory visits by other aristocrats within the corporation. Sofia's exceptionally sincere confession about her affections allows her to get out of the predicament in which she puts herself: "I don't really understand myself (squats); they say that for you, what am I doing wrong with you; however, you can see for yourself that I always squat very low before you (squats) and press my hands to my chest, eyes downcast, as Madame taught me..." ^{[6, p. 310]}. Thus, the empress softens the satirical tone and assures the audience that the delusions of young noblewomen are not vicious and can be easily corrected if they trust representatives of their circle who want to correct and enlighten them.

2.                  Confidential communication with the maid.

Another way for a young noblewoman to understand the situation can be communication with a maid who will present the situation "from the outside", and thereby allow her to understand the fallacy of her opinions.:

Thais. You don't understand at all what kind of trouble you may have created here! And that the butterfly is a perfume that should have been purified by the flame…

Praskovya. Them, madam! What a smell!...

Thais. Someone from the family or an outsider.

Praskovya. Easily, in our old way, it's nonsense! I felt sorry for the butterfly... did her good… I know by myself: it hurts how you get burned... ^{[6, p. 316]}.

In this episode of Catherine's play, the folk wisdom of the maid is contrasted with the anti-scientific approach of the Freemasons, which is once again discredited by the Empress and ridiculed as a delusion of naive seduced people who preferred bookish false wisdom to natural common sense.

3.                  Obedience of young heroines to their elders.

The same unshakable law in Catherine's upbringing is the obedience of young noblemen to the passions, who must always seek the restoration of justice and the reign of happiness in the house. It is on this rule that Taisiya's happiness happens, which Radotov's mother outwardly equips: "Taisa! Taisa, tell us the right word, tell us: yes... Is it really a mistake now, instead of yes, say no," but the last word always remains for the expression of the free will of Taisa herself: "I must willingly fulfill your will and that of my parents" ^{[6, p. 336]}. Such external piety of noble behavior actually demonstrates not only respectful relationships within the family, but also cements the very genuine happiness of young people, which can be built on complete harmony, taking into account the interests of all representatives within the corporation.

Therefore, an obligatory element of the anti-Masonic drama cycle of the writer-empress is the use of the author's strategy of returning the owner of the house to the bosom of the family, his recognition of his ideological delusion. At the same time , the most successful author 's tactics are

1.      The image of the head of a noble family as insane due to leaving the noble circle and neglect of noble duties.

It is significant that the first phrase of the play, sounding from the mouth of Rodot's wife, characterizes the owner of the house as a madman: "I have a fear, brother, that my husband will not go mad!" ^{[6, p. 300]}. And then this theme becomes central in the play and develops using different arguments. First of all, he renounces earthly joys – according to Rodot's wife: "He is very glad of any pain, both his own and outsiders' people" ^{[6, p. 301]}; shutting himself off from the noble corporation ("he is shy of all of us" ^{[6, p. 301]}), he cannot independently distinguish health from illness: "... he tried to assure me that illness is the good state itself" ^{[6, p. 301]}. And in general, taking the position of a recluse, the nobleman demonstrates a disease of the mind: "He evades what seems good, fun, pleasant to us; evenly and from people and affairs" ^{[6, p. 301]}. Only the insane, according to the author of the play, wants to evade all the benefits arranged for the nobles by the empress.

This is confirmed by other representatives of the family – first of all, Rodotov's mother: "if he hasn't gone mad yet, he will soon lose his last mind ..." ^{[6, p. 302]}. And the owner of the house himself confirms the conclusion made by his family with only a few phrases uttered by him in the play, for example, Rodotov says, (pointing to the forehead): "Numbers are found here (pointing to the belly); the measure of stay is here (pointing to the legs); the whole is certainly here; everything depends on it" ^{[6, p. 304]}. The following phrase of his appears to be just as insane, and, moreover, threatening the position of the entire noble family: "For me now, though... my wife, children, relatives, friends die; all this will not touch me more than this (Snaps his fingers)" ^{[6, p. 305]}. The reader should have understood that the goal of the Masons is not just to deprive the mind, and thereby depersonalize the nobleman, their actions are aimed at destroying the entire noble corporation.

The final verdict on Rodotov is pronounced by Brityagin, pointing out the consequences of such behavior: "This is called preferring self-willed desire with other respect and, turning your eyes away from the whole world, turn your gaze to yourself alone. All your household are rightly alarmed by your condition; you are completely distancing yourself from them both internally and externally. Let me say that I look with horror at your new way of thinking; it destroys in you evenly natural connections and feelings born with a person ..." ^{[6, p. 306]}. The main argument in the dispute between the Empress and the Freemasons lies in the area of unnaturalness as a violation of the very order of things established by the Creator.

2.      Showing the result of reading the wrong books.

The source of the declared unnaturalness and illogicality should, according to Catherine II, be sought in reading Masonic literature. In it, Rodotov's wife sees the reasons for her husband's insanity: "Deep in thought, she sits on a chair; an open book lies on the table in front of him. Whether he reads or not, I do not know, but when I enter, he does not hear me and does not see me, and I usually find his eyes fixed in one place, motionless, as if he were painted in a painting" ^{[6, p. 301]}. And his daughter suffers from the same infection, according to Rodotova's mother: "My granddaughter, Taisiya, came to my room, saw a glass with flowers on the table in front of me; she began to kiss the leaves; I asked; for what? She said that there is a scent on every leaf! .., and as if several thousand fit on the pin end!.." ^{[6, p. 303]}. And this is another weighty argument of the crowned writer, directed against the Masons, when the damage to the mind covers not only the older generation, but also the younger. For the Empress thinking about the future of the Russian state, the test of any case was its assessment by descendants. To enhance the image of the perniciousness of the action of Masonic books, the author of "Seduced" compares the works of the Martinists with lightweight mass literature - a guide to gallant behavior. It is an extract from such a book that Gribin finds; "It seems the title. (Reads) "Black hair is allowed; white hair is not prohibited; red eyebrows and eyelashes are excluded; such a Kalmyk salary and camp; there is no withdrawal to the eyes, as long as they are with fire; height is not below average and not higher than two arshins of ten vershkov; intelligence and extraordinary knowledge is not required..." ^{[6, p. 309]}. And this is confirmed by the words of Sofia: "So it is written in the book of the one I copied off. (Squats)" ^{[6, p. 310]}. The comical behavior of Sofia becomes an exposure of both her empty addiction to affectation and Masonic reading.

3.      The condition of the cure is the exposure of Masons red-handed.

In the dispute with the Martinists, Catherine II needed an unconditional victory. Presenting the fascination of the nobles with Masonic books as a disease, the Empress used the most obvious argument in the comedy – taking Masons red-handed. It is significant that the Child reports about the loss of family heirlooms and securities in the play: "They ... they broke the red casket and took money and papers out of it and took them with them" ^{[6, p. 331]}. In this regard, Rodotov's reaction is predictable: "I was lost, in this box there were not only my money and bills, but also money for many establishments" ^{[6, p. 332]}. The real threat to the head of the house is not only the ruin of his own family, but also the discrediting of the entire noble corporation with which the protagonist is associated.

All this together allows Catherine to designate a real leader of the Russian Enlightenment, who really cares about the nobility in a motherly way and contributes to their personal enrichment, as opposed to Freemasons. The finale of the comedy, according to the genre classic system, is happy. According to Vokitov, Masons are caught red-handed and taken into custody: "I had just managed to get out of the gate when Tratov met me and told me, like new news, that Protolk and Bebin, who live in the same house with him, were taken into custody..." ^{[6, p. 333]}. The three weddings in the last act of the play, modeled on Shakespeare's comedies, should actually praise the system of government created by Catherine II, which is a condition for a happy aristocratic life and recovery from the ideological illness of the nobles.

Thus, the three author's strategies identified by us in the anti-Masonic comedy of Catherine II "Seduced": exposing ideological opponents; protecting the younger generation from seduction by Freemasons; returning the owner of the house to the bosom of the family, recognizing his ideological delusion, demonstrate the author's focus of the comedian to clarify his ideological position by literary means, to actively use the empress of comic means in the fight against political opponents, which the crowned writer recognized the Masons, as well as her desire to establish herself as the only head of the educational movement in Russia who truly cares about her subjects and seeks to protect them from seduction by outwardly beautiful Masonic words.