Fonvizin’s first important comedy, Brigadir (written 1766–69, published 1783; “Brigadier”), ridiculed the contemporary fashion of aping French manners and speech—or rather of aping them incorrectly. His masterpiece, Nedorosl (published 1783; “The Minor”), is considered the first truly Russian drama. It deals with a gentry family so ignorant and brutish…
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