Reading aloud. Reading aloud quickly to improve your diction

When was the last time you read out loud?

Why people read aloud poorly? Why does this happen? Why does it seem: “Now, oh, I’ll read it!”, but the reading comes out dry? Let's think about this.

When was the last time you read aloud?

That was a long time ago?

In this article will be reviewed (in detail) causes why people are bad at reading aloud, recommendations how to develop reading aloud, practical exercises who will help learn to read aloud well, both for yourself and for public speaking.

Reading aloud

As he writes Wikipedia: Reading- a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols aimed at understanding the text.

When we read aloud? Probably more.

What is the result?

Monotonous reading. Inexpressive. Without the desired voice overtones.

At least that's what it sounds like from the outside.

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What can you do to improve your reading aloud quality?

It is useful to realize that skill “reading aloud” We haven’t developed it for a long time, but practiced reading “to ourselves.” And these, although similar, are different skills of our brain.

After all, many of the texts are well written. They are carefully thought out by the writers. They contain words that are little used in everyday life, words that are useful for the development of vocabulary.

How to sight read in front of an audience

Have you ever seen a speaker reading from a piece of paper? Agree - a sad sight.

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Remember, for example, the speeches of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev.

However, there are modern speakers who read speeches very well.

Why don’t good speakers sight read? - They are reading. And how they read.

Remember Altov, Zhvanetsky, and other pop comedians. They read, and they sight read very well.

Even Barack Obama often speaks while looking at a piece of paper.

But he reads in such a way that no one notices his reading.

Here, for example, is one of the videos where Barack Obama speaks using written text. But it looks beautiful. Why? - Because he can read.

• And subscribe to our YouTube channel. There are many interesting videos there.

What should have been done? There are two options:

1. Read and “in your own words” tell this text to the public.
2. Learn the technique of “public reading”.

Public reading

Proper public reading.

Why “correct” - because there is a rule: you need to look into the eyes of those people to whom the speech is addressed, no matter whether it is written or not.

Public reading (reading in front of an audience) is indeed more difficult than ordinary speech and requires special skills.

Why is it more difficult? Because, as with any public speaking, it is important eye contact with the audience, and during sight reading it is difficult to create, and even more so, to maintain this contact.

And not only see, but also feel, how well the audience accepts and assimilates your material.

To see, to feel whether my dear listeners understood the previous words.

Often, very often, the speaker does not notice how quickly he overloads the audience's perception.

Let's remember our wonderful lectures at the institute...

What we pay attention to: pauses, eye contact and the speed of our speech. At what speed can you read aloud? I assume that it will be fast, but we need it so that every word you say is perceived by the audience.

An important technique: read during a pause, and when speaking, look into the audience. And so on alternately.

You need to adjust the speed of speech, the duration of pauses and phrases. All this is achieved through exercise.

Exercises

How to read aloud correctly

So, let's summarize everything written above.

1. No problem.

If you (or someone else) is bad at reading aloud, this is no problem. This - task. You need to start reading aloud, and this skill will quickly develop.

Moreover, very quickly. You just need to start doing it.

How to increase your vocabulary is written in great detail here:

How to increase your vocabulary

2. What to read out loud

• I recommend these
• And this is a whole site of good parables

3. How to read aloud

Yes. Exactly. Do you have any doubts? And you are doing the right thing. After all, there are many recommendations on the Internet where they recommend reading at a speed of “120 words per minute.” But I am a public speaking coach, I know what I recommend.
At normal reading speed, there is no time to pay attention to pauses, intonations, gestures, and facial expressions. At this speed, 120 or more, the brain only has time to read.
When should you remember words?
At this speed (120 words per minute), you can read only by looking at the text. But you need to look not at the text, but directly, at the listener or listeners, or at yourself in the mirror.

• This is written in detail in my book “Mistakes of Speakers”: .

4. Reading aloud slowly will help you read beautifully.

Try to keep the phrases different: something louder, something quieter, something faster, something measured, stretching sounds, something higher or lower intonation.
By reading slowly, you can have time to switch emotions and admire them in the mirror.

5. Practice reading aloud to yourself first.

According to the latest research, reading engages most of the higher areas of the brain - in other words, it best exercise to keep him in shape. This applies equally to silent reading and reading aloud. However, the latter method not only has an interesting history, but also has a positive effect on diction, helps in learning and is simply a pleasant way to communicate with children and adults.

Monopoly of recitation

It’s hard to believe, but in ancient times they only read aloud - there were no other options then. Here are a few passages from Lucian of Samosata (“The Ignorant Who Bought Many Books”) that condemn silent reading, ridicule inept recitation, and demonstrate an unusually reverent (in our understanding) attitude towards the classics:

“You look at your books with all your eyes, you just, I swear by Zeus, overeat with them, and you even read some, albeit too hastily, so that your eyes always get ahead of your tongue.”

“You hold in your hands a most beautiful book, clothed in purple leather, with a gold clasp, and you read it, shamefully distorting the words, so that educated people make fun of you, the flatterers who are with you praise you, and inwardly, turning away, they also laugh a lot.” .

“But if you still decide to remain unchanged in your illness, then go, buy books, keep them locked at home and reap the laurels of the owner. That's enough for you. But never touch them, don’t read, don’t humiliate with your tongue the words spoken by the men of antiquity and their creations, which did nothing wrong to you.”

“Demetrius the Cynic, while in Corinth, saw one ignorant man reading a most beautiful book, namely, “The Bacchae” by Euripides, reaching exactly the place where the messenger talks about the suffering of Pentheus and the act committed by Agave. Demetrius snatched the book from him and tore it, declaring: “It is better for Pentheus to be torn to pieces by me once than to be torn to pieces by you many times.”

Today, historians believe that reading aloud was not only a tribute to cultural traditions, but also helped to better understand the meaning - after all, in those days there were no generally accepted punctuation marks or even separation of words. To this we can add that poetry and the literary word in general fundamentally influenced the ear first of all - hence the attention of the ancients to the rhythm and style of both poetic and prosaic speech.

The birth of modern style

History has preserved that moment from which one can conditionally begin counting the long and difficult process of abandoning recitation and switching to reading “with the eyes.” At the end of the 4th century, Saint Augustine described in his “Confessions” a sight that struck him: his longtime teacher Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was still standing before his inner gaze.

“When Ambrose read, he ran his eyes over the pages, penetrating their soul, doing it in his mind, without uttering a word or moving his lips. Many times - for he did not forbid anyone to enter and it was not the custom to warn him about someone's arrival - we saw him reading silently, always only silently...

After standing for a while, we left, believing that in this short period of time, when, freed from the turmoil of other people's affairs, he could take a breath, he did not want to be distracted, and perhaps feared that someone would listen to him and noticing difficulties in the text, he will ask to explain a dark place or decide to argue with him, and then he will not have time to read as many volumes as he wants. I believe he read in this way to preserve his voice, which he often lost. In any case, whatever the intention of such a person, it, without a doubt, was good ... "

The last words of St. Augustine show that at the turn of the 4th-5th centuries. The “sinister” silent reading was still puzzling and needed not only an explanation, but even a serious justification. However, ultimately, reading ceased to be a mutual art of the author and the reader - all the “magic” was concentrated at the tip of the pen of the one who created poetry and prose. Reading silently transformed literature, led to the dominance of the written word over the spoken word, and left the reader alone with the author.

Beautiful diction

How to read aloud correctly? Firstly, slowly, at an optimal conversational pace, approximately 120 words per minute (we are used to reading to ourselves much faster, since we are not limited by the pace of speech). Secondly, pronouncing the words clearly. Thirdly, expressively and with placement (with emphasis and pauses). Fourthly, artistically voicing the direct speech of the characters, endowing them with a certain character. When reading for others, it is very important to pronounce the words as if you were expressing your own thoughts - not “reading”, but “telling”.

It is also useful to record the text you read on a voice recorder. Subsequent listening to it helps to notice from the outside some nuances of speech - both advantages and disadvantages that a person usually does not notice during the reading process. Such Feedback allows you to correct your speech and improve it: work on intonation, adjust the timbre of your voice, and so on.

How to find time for these exercises? Mix business with pleasure! Many parents read fairy tales to their children before bed. Moreover, not only children love this pastime, but also schoolchildren who can read independently, and even teenagers. Of course, the point is not at all to get new information without straining - many children enjoy listening to the same stories many times in a row. It’s just that this is the time of communication with parents, which modern children most often lack. This is also relevant for adults, for example, for spouses - the main thing is that the selected literature is interesting to both.

The phrase “expressive reading” began to be actively used in the middle of the 19th century and implied the skill of literary expression and the discipline of teaching this skill to children. Expressive reading is the skill of displaying in words the sensations and reflections that fill highly artistic work, showing the performer’s individual assessment of the author’s work.

Expressive reading involves reciting from memory or reading from a book while adhering to the principles of literary pronunciation. At the same time, the figurative and ideological essence of the work is most fully expressed. Expressive reading is used as a technique for teaching language.

Reading is characterized by four criteria:

• Fluency is the speed of reading. Determines the perception (understanding) of the text read. Fluency is typically measured by the number of words or characters read per minute.
• Correctness implies leisurely reproduction without altering the essence of a literary work.
• Consciousness is an understanding of the author’s idea, comprehension of the artistic methods with which the idea is embodied, and an understanding of one’s own attitude to the work.
• The expressiveness of reading is formed during the analysis of a literary work.

To read a text expressively means to find a way through oral speech truthfully and accurately convey the intentions and feelings contained in the essay. This means of transmission is intonation.

Intonation represents the interaction of the components of oral speech (tempo, sound, stress, rhythm, pauses). The components support each other. The interaction between them is generated by the content and emotions of the text, the goal that the author sets for the reader.

Characteristics of the principles of teaching expressive reading

The principle of expressive reading is comprehension of the artistic essence and intent of the composition. It is important to identify the extent to which the text is clear to listeners. Understanding the task, the goal that is pursued when reading, will help make reading effective. The success of transmitting a work largely depends on the beauty, literacy, and brightness of the reader’s speech. The content allows you to accurately identify which means to use when transmitting the text.

Expressive reading involves persistent, labor-intensive work on the means of conveying the intention, feelings and content of the work. Proper breathing, distinct pronunciation of sounds, and skills in accurately conveying emotions through speech are important.

Expressive reading involves the use of brightness means, such as:

• Intonation.
• Logical stress.
• Pause.
• Pace.
• Height and strength of voice.

Intonation

The importance of intonation and its elements when reading is very great, therefore, when forming speech expressiveness, one should Special attention pay attention to the development of intonation brightness.

Intonation components:

• The force that manifests itself in stress and determines the dynamics of oral speech.
• A direction that predetermines the melody of speech and is demonstrated by the voice following sounds of different pitches.
• A hue or timbre that determines emotional coloring.
• Speed, which is expressed in prolonged speech and pauses. Predetermines the rhythm and tempo of speech.

The recitation of a literary work by a teacher, a schoolchild and an actor differs, since the conditions of expressiveness are different for them. The actor has perfect command of his voice and other means, and also has the opportunity to thoroughly prepare for reading. There are other requirements for the student. By watching videos of performances by professional readers, you can learn to read a work with the correct intonation.

Principles of Expressive Reading

The rules of expressive reading are a set of recommendations that help quickly and effectively develop skills literary reading among schoolchildren. The reading instruction is aimed at developing a culture of handling the book and contains recommendations on preparation and correct reading.

A lesson in expressive reading should arouse interest in literary creativity and cultivate a love of figurative words.

Tips for parents on developing a child’s reading interest

• You should buy books for your child that are colorfully designed and have exciting content.
• It is not the duration of reading that is important, but the frequency. That is, it is better to read many times for 15 minutes than once for an hour and a half. A gentle reading mode for a child is preferable - read three lines, rest.
• To form a habit of communicating with a book, you need to read to your child every day.
• The read work should be discussed with the family and the child should be told about the author.
• When remembering a work, you need to slightly alter the text, this will help you understand whether the child remembers the content well.
• Advise your child about the works of your childhood, share your impressions of them.
• Buy books from authors your child likes and create his own library.

Many years later, already in adulthood, the child will associate books with near and dear people, with the warmth of his home.

Memo to parents

• Reading is an entrance into the world of knowledge; it is a guarantee of a child’s success at school.
• A child will love books only thanks to the combined efforts of the school and family.
• Familiarize yourself with the main requirements of expressive, fluent, conscious reading.
• The recommended list will help you choose books for your child.
• Your own children's library will allow you to exchange books with friends, which will help increase interest in reading.

Knowledge of works of children's literature and the works of children's writers and poets makes it easier for parents to choose books for their child. Such knowledge is also indispensable integral part professionalism and competence of a teacher or educator, specialist working with children.

The discipline “Children's Literature with Workshop on Expressive Reading” is designed to familiarize parents and teachers with the literary works of children's poets and writers. The purpose of the subject is to improve the skills of analyzing children literary works, the importance of literary reading in the development of a child’s personality is considered.

The structure of the discipline “Children's Literature with Workshop on Expressive Reading” is a historical, chronological way of presenting material on literature for children. It also includes a logic-based workshop on expressive reading.

Student Reading Guide

Memo No. 1: Reading rules

• You need to spend at least a quarter of an hour a day reading, sitting comfortably, preferably not lying down.
• If you read with the TV or music on, it will be difficult to understand what the text is about. Therefore, you should turn off the TV, music, and remove all objects that distract your attention.
• There is no need to rush when reading and concentrate on time, otherwise the meaning of the text or poem will remain unclear and slip away.
• It is necessary to take breaks, pauses, and exercise minutes.
• You need to analyze the actions and actions of the characters in the work and draw conclusions for yourself. Discuss what you read with friends.
• Mark the place where reading was interrupted by placing a bookmark between the pages.
• Entertaining and interesting information You can write it down in a notepad. It will be useful in the future.

Cheat Sheet #2: Expressive Reading

Expressive reading is impossible without understanding the meaning of the content of the work.

• Maintain the correct pace and rhythm when reading. There is no need for haste here.
• Diction - pronunciation should be intelligible, loud, and distinct.
• Be sure to pause when there are punctuation marks.
• Using logical stress, highlight the key words of a literary work.
• Poems or text, when read, should have an emotional connotation.
• Understanding the content of the poem or prose being read is required.

Memo No. 3: Correct work with the book

The ability to work correctly with a book and process information from printed sources is of exceptional importance for high school students. The inability to work with a book will affect your performance at school, since homework and class work will take up a lot of time. This state of affairs will lead to the student getting tired, and the ability to absorb knowledge will decrease.

• It is necessary to develop the skills of correct, fluent, meaningful reading.
• Expressive reading. Read the text or poems, determine the main idea of ​​creation, find individual elements in the content and their semantic significance, read again.
• Determine the chronological order of actions in a literary work.
• Extracurricular activities involves keeping a diary of works read, using a list of books recommended by the teacher, and the skill of recording data about a work from the title page.

Expressive recitation of a poem

Poetry the best way Gives the child an understanding of the essence of expressive reading. When a good reader recites poems or texts that have long been familiar to them, listeners begin to understand them in a new way. They get into the mood of the person uttering the words.

Actors, thanks to their talent, knowledge and professional skills, read poetry, captivating the audience. By carefully watching videos of performances by famous artists, you can borrow interesting techniques for reading poetry and prose.

The literature lesson at school is designed to arouse interest in artistic, figurative words, and cultivate a love for books. Expressive reading is an important skill that allows you to convey to listeners the intent of a work and its ideological content. Reveal the subtlest nuances of feelings, experiences, and sensations of the characters in a literary text or poetry. Videos of performances by professional readers will help you find a way to penetrate into the heart of your listeners while reading the text.

Textbook for students of specialty No. 2101 “Russian language and literature”

"Enlightenment", Moscow, 1977

OCR Detskiysad.Ru

The book is given with some abbreviations

Expressive reading as the art of artistic reading in a school setting. Among methodologists, a dispute sometimes arises about what is expressive reading, a method or a technique? It seems to us that this formulation of the question is fundamentally wrong. Expressive reading is an art as independent as music or painting. But each of these types of art can be used in the study of language and literature. The only difference is that the use of expressive reading is more necessary and more fruitful than the use of any other form of art. Using it in the process of studying language or literature in each specific case can be either a technique or a method. If a teacher, explaining a sentence with homogeneous members and wanting to show enumerative intonation, reads the sentence expressively, this is just a technique. When a work is analyzed in order to teach students to read it expressively, expressive reading acts as a method.

If expressive reading is not considered as an art, then practicing it loses its life-giving influence on the pedagogical process and leads to students’ memory being cluttered with formal rules about intonation. As a result, instead of excitement from enthusiasm for the work, boredom reigns in the class.

The closer the classroom reading comes to the artistic reading of the masters, the better. But reading the masters (in gramophone or tape recording), while an important addition, cannot replace the readings of the teacher and students. In addition to the fact that the latter convinces schoolchildren that expressive reading is accessible to them, reading by the teacher and friends makes it possible to trace creative path which they were going to. Analysis of reading errors is also very important. In a word, the perception of the reading of masters, being an important element of learning, cannot replace the creativity of the teacher and students.

The connection between the methods of expressive reading and the methods of teaching literature and native language. Unlike the pre-revolutionary period, expressive reading was never a separate subject in Soviet schools. It was used in literature lessons, Russian language lessons and in extracurricular activities. Therefore, in the methodology of teaching the Russian (native) language and in the methodology of teaching literature, some methodological issues of expressive reading were also covered. This connection of methods should not be disrupted in the future.

Teaching expressive reading in literature lessons makes literary analysis more emotional, deepens the perception of a literary work, leads to an understanding of literature as the art of words and arouses the passion without which full-fledged teaching of literature is impossible.

The use of expressive reading in the process of learning their native language opens up the sound side of speech to students, demonstrates the skill of the writer, helps to understand the connection between intonation and syntactic structure, and dramatically improves the culture of oral speech. It is more expedient to teach expressive reading together with literature and language classes also because such training can take place throughout the entire period. school course. Mastery of skills and abilities occurs gradually, without creating additional difficulties for children and adolescents. For these reasons, a close connection between the methods of teaching literature and the Russian language and the methods of expressive reading is necessary.

Ways to develop methods of expressive reading in the Russian pre-revolutionary school. Teaching students expressive reading, that is, the ability to pronounce the text of literary works out loud, has a long path of development. It was determined by the nature of literary works, the level of development of professional art and the tasks that society set for the school.

We don’t know a school that doesn’t teach reading literary texts. Already in the ancient Greek music school they studied Homer and other poets. The text was not just read, but recited first by the teacher, then by the student. Attention was paid not only to correct pronunciation, but also to harmony and rhythm. Teaching recitation was organically combined with teaching music. Usually both music and recitation were taught by the same teacher. Aristotle and other Greek authors testify to this connection between music and singing and speech. In the Russian school, teaching oral speech and, in particular, the pronunciation of literary texts was part of the pedagogical process from the first years of the existence of the school in Rus'. Old Russian literature is usually considered as book literature, yet it was also sound literature.

Long before the emergence of writing and book literature in Rus', the Eastern Slavs had a rich and varied oral poetry. A. M. Gorky called her “the founder of book literature.” Fairy tales, sayings, proverbs, lyrical and ritual songs were performed by non-professionals. Professional performers - buffoons, guslar singers, storytellers - emerged by the time of the formation of the early feudal state.

With the advent of written literature, folklore continued to develop, enriched with new genres, interacting with written literature. “Artistic creativity stood out among other types of creativity in oral poetry earlier than in writing, and in this sense, oral poetry as a whole stood higher than writing.”

Genres such as the sermon were primarily designed for oral delivery. But teachings, lives of saints, and psalms were read aloud, not only in church, but also in families.

Many researchers believe that the brilliant poem “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” was read aloud. Thus, even in Kievan Rus, author’s readings began.

Orthodox worship is a composition in which singing is combined with speech, the latter being semi-chanted in nature and tonally consistent with the singing. Therefore, in schools they taught semi-chanted reading.

The 17th century in the history of Russian culture is characterized by a weakening of church influence and the strengthening of “secular” elements. Reunification with Ukraine led to a rapprochement with Ukrainian and Belarusian culture, and through them - with Western culture. There has been significant progress in pedagogy, with special attention paid to the culture of oral speech. The most interesting in this sense are the statements of two outstanding writers and teachers - Epiphany Slavinetsky and Simeon of Polotsk.

But even before them, certain reading rules were developed in the Russian school. It was recommended to read “clearly, cleanly, loudly”, loudly enough, but not loudly (“neither shout loudly, nor quietly”), recite verse by verse, getting air during pauses (“not a greyhound, but firmly, three or four lines in spirit, and speak exactly in a line"), before reading, take a breath (“every word is sealed with the spirit”). Such rules are given in the instructions (“decrees”) for reading the psalms. As you can see, the rules for speech technique are reasonable and close to those that we adhere to now.

Epiphany Slavinetsky in his essay “Citizenship of Children's Customs” indicates that one should speak in a pleasant, non-shouting voice, but not quietly, so as not to force the interlocutor to listen intently. Speech should not be very fast, “so that it does not precede reason.”

We have the right to consider Simeon of Polotsk not only the founder of syllabic poetry, but also secular artistic reading in Rus'. In the education and upbringing of children, Polotsk attaches great importance to oral speech. He recommends that educators already in the first seven years of a child’s life pay attention to the development of his correct, clear speech, and in the future improve the teenager’s speech to a greater extent. high level. Polotsky’s collection “Rhythmologion” is largely devoted to this, which the author intended “to introduce science to young people, so that they will know how to speak decorously.”

Despite the presence of religious motives and pious instructions, Polotsky viewed his works as secular.

“There I tried to translate rhymes,

Don't let such a reading happen in church,

But I often read in houses.”

All greetings and other verses of Simeon of Polotsk are clearly designed to be spoken out loud. They were read by the poet himself, his students and others.

At this time, the term “declamation” first appeared. Recitation replaced the singing that Polotsky was counting on when creating the “Rhyming Psalter.” Subsequently, Polotsky determined many of the rules of the new art. It should be recited by heart. He expresses such a deep thought as the need for truth in art: “Let them not speak contrary to the truth.” The reader must convey not words, but thoughts, to be “not a catcher of words, but a seeker of the mind.”

As we see, Simeon of Polotsk not only introduced expressive reading into the practice of the Russian school, but also gave many methodological instructions, which were based on the desire for truth and beauty, but truth and beauty were understood at that time in many ways contrary to our modern concepts.

The school theater played an important role in educating students' speech culture. At the Moscow Academy, as well as at the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, whose experience was widely used by the former, school performances were not “amateur performances.” They were included as compulsory classes in the pedagogical system, not only as a means of religious education and propaganda, but also for teaching students the art of speech.

The repertoire of the school theater was varied. The plays included interludes, the performance of which required character and vernacular language from the players. The text of the plays themselves was recited. The delivery of prologues and epilogues was especially emphatically declamatory in nature.

So, expressive reading entered the practice of the Russian school and the education system in the second half of the 17th century. simultaneously with the development of syllabic versification. It was associated with theatrical art.

The reforms of Peter I led to the “worldliness” of literature and school, that is, to their significant liberation from church influence and their transformation into secular ones, subordinate to state interests and the interests of the ruling class - the nobility.

Since the 30s. XVIII century French influence is increasingly affecting Russian culture and literature, and Russian theater. The melodiousness coming from the past collides in the theater with the French style of declamation.

School practice includes teaching recitation. For an educated nobleman, the ability to recite is considered mandatory. Since the 70s XVIII century The decline of classicism in Russian literature begins. At the same time, the nature of stage speech changes. Instead of the pathos that dominated classical declamation, actors strive to convey the diversity of human feelings. Young actors bring “sensitivity” from the stage, move away from the French style of declamation, and realistic tendencies increasingly appear in their work.

The most characteristic figure of this period was Plavilshchikov. The new direction influenced the recitation of students in general education institutions. Plavilshchikov was not only an actor, but also a teacher. He taught at the St. Petersburg Mining Corps, where he taught rhetoric and literature “according to his own style,” and later in Moscow he taught history at military school and taught recitation to the pupils of the Noble boarding school at Moscow University.

Memoirs of contemporaries testify to the enormous impact of theater on young people. In the theater, young people saw examples of speech art, which they imitated. During the same period, the first articles on declamation appeared in magazines. The 19th century brought significant changes in the field of education. The liberal “Charter of Educational Institutions” of 1804, the organization of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum and other higher educational institutions marked a general shift in the field of education.

In literature during this period, along with outgoing classicism and sentimentalism, romanticism, mainly the poetry of Zhukovsky, became increasingly influential. One of the founders of the realistic movement, I. A. Krylov, also publishes his fables. Reading literary works is becoming increasingly widespread and significantly changes its character under the influence of author’s readings. A big step forward towards simplicity and naturalness was the author’s readings by I. A. Krylov. “And how this Krylov reads,” one of his contemporaries admires, “clearly, simply, without any pretentiousness, and, meanwhile, with extraordinary expressiveness, every verse is etched in the memory.”

In parallel with the author's reading, acting reading became more and more widespread. In this reading, we clearly see a change in direction, closely related to the growth of theatrical art and its evolution. Biggest role M. S. Shchepkin played a role in the development of realism in the Russian theater. The desire for national and realistic art began at the end of the 18th century. long before Shchepkin - in the theoretical articles of Plavilshchikov, in the work of a number of actors. But Shchepkin determined the paths for the development of Russian theater with the greatest consistency and completeness, predicting the future fifty years in advance. In him we first encounter the term “declamation” in the sense of unnatural, stilted pronunciation. He writes about foreign theaters: “Where feeling and passion should speak, there I heard declamation everywhere, the same memorized tones.”

The greatest influence on the development of the art of the spoken word in Russia was in the 20-30s. A. S. Pushkin. A. S. Pushkin loved the theater, subtly understood theatrical art and clearly saw the ways of its further development. “The truth of passions,” wrote A. S. Pushkin, “the verisimilitude of feelings in the expected circumstances - this is what our mind requires from a dramatic writer.” And this was said at a time when the Russian theater was still looking for ways to achieve this verisimilitude. A hundred years after A. S. Pushkin, K. S. Stanislavsky will take as one of the main requirements formulated by the poet for theatrical art.

The author's readings by A. S. Pushkin indicated the ways for the further development of the art of the sounding word. One of A. S. Pushkin’s contemporaries, recalling the poet’s reading of his tragedy “Boris Godunov,” writes that instead of the pompous language of the gods, a simple, clear, ordinary and yet poetic and fascinating speech was heard (M. P. Pogodin. From memories of Pushkin ). But A. S. Pushkin, apparently, read his works in different ways, his poems - somewhat melodiously. Although Pushkin read in small circles, his reading evoked imitation. One can trace the influence of Pushkin’s reading style on his contemporaries, and from them on subsequent generations. “Lev Sergeevich Pushkin,” recalls Yu. P. Polonsky, “recited poetry excellently and imagined how his late brother Alexander Sergeevich read them. From this I conclude that Pushkin read his poems as if in a chant, as if wanting to convey to his listener all their musicality.” This tradition of poets performing their poems half-chanted was adopted by subsequent generations of poets. So, for example, I. S. Turgenev read poetry. The melodiousness has also been preserved by some modern poets.

Thus, during this period, different directions coexisted and competed in acting and author’s reading. The classicist Dmitrievsky and the sentimentalist Gnedich continued to teach recitation; the new direction was determined by reading Pushkin, Krylov, the artists Semenova, Martynov, Sosnitsky and especially Shchepkin. All this undoubtedly influenced the organization of reading literary works at school.

IN educational institutions x of this period: the gentry corps, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, boarding schools, institutes for noble maidens and gymnasiums - there was no literature as an independent subject, “Russian calm” was taught, which included grammar, rhetoric and literature. The main task was learning to write in prose and poetry. Circles and student societies were organized for the same purposes. Readings at meetings of circles and societies of their own and exemplary works, as well as accepted everywhere public performance At ceremonial events, students were forced by teachers to pay special attention to the development of oral speech and the ability to speak publicly and read literary works. Among the teachers were skilled readers, for example, Pushkin’s teacher Koshansky.

Meanwhile, declamation is becoming increasingly widespread in the pedagogical practice of educational institutions and in family education, as evidenced by the manual “Recitation Exercises for Children from 8 to 10 Years,” published in St. Petersburg in 1832. A collection of poems for memorizing and reading aloud in educational purposes" The compiler included poems by both old poets and contemporaries in the manual. The author recommends some methods of memorization and provides “the experience of declamatory analysis,” linking memorization with learning expressive reading. In order for the reading to be meaningful, it is necessary to pay attention, first of all, to the position of the poet, to understand the meaning of phrases, to place emphasis, to give the words a psychological justification. As you can see, the unknown author gives a number of very significant and correct advice.

The reaction, including in the field of education, which began in the second half of the reign of Alexander I, intensified under Nicholas I, especially after 1848, but it could not stop the development of social thought. Pedagogy also developed; although slowly, the number of educational institutions grew. Despite all efforts, Nicholas I and his government failed to stifle progressive thought. In the 40s In the 19th century, critical realism - the natural school - became the dominant trend in Russian literature.

The history of artistic reading should begin from this time. For the first time, public readings of poetic works are organized not in salons and living rooms, but in relatively large auditoriums. The readings are performed mainly by theater actors led by M. S. Shchepkin. Contemporaries claimed that Shchepkin “guessed and realized the secret” of the combination of play and recitation, that is, he embarked on the path of creating a special art - artistic reading. They contrasted Shchepkin's performance with the usual acting reading.

N.V. Gogol provided great support to the emerging new art. He himself was an excellent reader. According to the testimony of those who heard him, “Gogol read inimitably.” But the speeches of Gogol the Reader were not so important as his theoretical article “Reading Russian Poets before the Public.” “Our language, which seems to be created for skillful reading, contains all the shades of sounds and the most daring transitions from the sublime to the simple in one and the same speech,” writes Gogol, “also contributes to the education of readers.” Gogol recommends reading poets first of all: “Skillful reading alone can establish a clear concept about them.” “To read a lyrical work properly,” writes N.V. Gogol, “is not a trifle at all: for this you need to study it for a long time; one must sincerely share with the poet the high feeling that filled his soul; you need to feel every word of it with your soul and heart - and then come forward to read it publicly. This reading will not be loud at all, not in the heat and fever. On the contrary, it can even be very calm, but in the reader’s voice an unknown force can be heard, a witness to a truly touched inner state. This power will be communicated to everyone and will produce a miracle: those who have never been shocked by the sounds of poetry will be shocked. It is precisely and in Gogolian figurative and vivid terms what the reader should do when preparing for the public reading of the work. But how to achieve this, how to “sincerely share with the poet the high feeling that filled his soul”? The solution to this issue is the whole essence of the method of artistic reading and the method of expressive reading.

The year 1843, when public readings of literary works began, is considered the date of the birth of literary reading in Russia; in 1943 the centenary of this event was celebrated.

In the 40s In the 19th century, the teaching of literature in secondary schools changed significantly. Since 1833, a section on the history of literature has appeared in the program, which initially presented a dry list of authors and works. This arrangement did not satisfy advanced teachers. Gradually, reading works is included in the pedagogical process, and thus the question arises of how to read.

The first systematic manual on teaching the Russian language and literature was the book by F. I. Buslaev “On Teaching the Russian Language.” In it, the author for the first time talks about the quality of reading aloud as mandatory when studying the Russian language. F. I. Buslaev develops issues of both methods of teaching literature and methods of teaching the Russian language. He sets a single goal - comprehensive mastery of his native, “domestic” language and subordinates both work on the language and reading literary works to it. “By studying our native language we become true partners of our people and heirs of their spirit, so that anyone educated in their language can say: I am the nation.” According to Buslaev’s “method,” which he called “genetic,” based “on the gradual development of the child’s innate gift of speech,” he strives “to form and develop all spiritual abilities together with language.” The student masters the art of reading, speaking and writing. In this combination, reading is the leader. “The best and truest thing we can extract from various pedagogical opinions about the teaching of literature in gymnasiums is that we need to read writers. Reading is the basis for theoretical knowledge and practical skill and practical exercises."

Buslaev’s advice, directed against the cramming that was widespread at that time, is very valuable. “I speak only against learning by heart, and not knowing by heart. I have seen people who never learned anything by heart and knew a lot from memory. The pleasure of reading and listening and then re-reading and re-listening again leads to such thorough knowledge that, if necessary, can easily be brought to knowledge by heart. Therefore, the teacher must guide the student on how to teach from memory, must memorize together with him and thereby prevent the student from falling into a deadening mechanism. It should help him delve into the internal connection of the work and the content of each sentence, as a necessary link between the previous and the subsequent.”

In other words, Buslaev recommends starting to master the text under the guidance of a teacher, so that it is based on a deep understanding of the work as a whole and each phrase. All these recommendations are very useful for the modern teacher. Buslaev is far from underestimating memorization; on the contrary, he states: “Memory not only does not harm the mind, but even helps it, and in children it often replaces the mind itself.”

Considering learning by heart primarily as a means of developing speech, Buslaev gives preference to prose over poetry. “You should pay more attention to prose than to poetry. The poem, by its external form, supports the mechanism of learning by heart and leads the student from verse to verse only formally, and not through internal connections.”

One might think that Buslaev limits himself only to “intelligible”, i.e., in modern terminology, logical reading. Indeed, he writes: “The greatest mistake is to force students to read oratorically what they do not fully understand; this leads to mannerism and spoils the feeling by deception.” This is a warning against playing, not emotionality. Buslaev understands the difficulties standing on the way to full-fledged artistic reading: “Fascinating theatrical reading lies outside the responsibility of the gymnasium, firstly, because among the teachers themselves there are not many good readers, and secondly, dramatic reading, which still does not have positive laws cannot be the subject of strict science.” But Buslaev hopes that ultimately students will read not only “sensibly,” but also with “feeling.” The teacher “must learn to read clearly and meaningfully, the feeling will come by itself.” The recommended path is absolutely correct and from our point of view: from understanding to feeling. “If a teacher can read gracefully, then his example will be a guide for his students.” As we see, F.I. Buslaev not only substantiated the need for expressive reading, but also gave many methodological instructions for its implementation in school, although the term “expressive reading” appeared in the methodological literature later. There is every reason to consider Buslaev the first methodologist to develop the issues of expressive reading, and to date the beginning of the use of expressive reading in Russian schools to 1840, when Buslaev’s book was published, and not to the 70s, as is usually stated.

Second half of the 50s-60s. - a time of great social movement in Russia, when all social issues were raised very sharply. One of the most important was the issue of education. The leading idea, which was shared by all advanced teachers and writers of this period, was the idea of ​​educating a person in the broad sense of the word.

The decisive role in pedagogy and methodology in these years belonged to K. D. Ushinsky. Considering nationality to be the basis of education, Ushinsky paid great attention to the study of his native language and attached special importance to the development of the child’s “gift of speech.” He sets German and Swiss schools as an example for Russian teachers, where “exercises in oral speech begin when the child enters school and ends only when he leaves; in these schools they pay even more attention to oral speech than to written speech.” “In our schools they almost always forget that the responsibilities of the native language teacher include not only the written, but also the oral speech of the students, and that, in addition, good written speech is mainly based on good oral speech.”

Ushinsky distinguishes two types of expressive reading: “one exclusively devoted to logical development, the other to smooth and elegant reading.” Business articles are read first, fiction works second. “For smooth reading, I would advise the teacher to first tell the content of the selected article, then read this article aloud himself, and only then make the students read aloud what was told and read several times.” As we see, Ushinsky, like Buslaev, recommends teaching children expressive reading by imitating the teacher. In addition to individual reading, choral reading is recommended. “If the teacher does not know how to sing, let him teach the children to recite some prayers, poems, proverbs with the whole class: this can partially replace singing as a means of refreshing a tired and upset class.”

All other Methodists of the 60s. also attached great importance to expressive reading, but their articles did not highlight the reader’s experience and did not provide the necessary guidelines. Therefore, in school practice there were often cases of teachers’ anti-artistic reading. A very typical example is given by one of the Smolny institutes. The Russian language teacher devoted part of his lessons to reading Krylov's fables. “He was always dissatisfied with the answer and showed every girl he called how to recite. The real show began. He depicted the animals in their faces: a fox, bent double, squinting his already slanted eyes incredibly, pronounced the words in a treble, and to remind of her tail, he threw one arm back, waving a notebook rolled up from behind. When it came to an elephant, it stood up on its toes, and its long trunk had to be indicated by three notebooks, rolled into a tube and nested one inside the other. At the same time, looking at the animal, he either ran and growled, or, standing still, shrugged his shoulders, bared his teeth.”

Ushinsky, having visited such a performance as an inspector of classes at the institute, said to the teacher: “You have probably heard a lot of praise for expressive reading, but you are already coming up with a whole performance... To grimace like that is even somehow humiliating for the dignity of the teacher.” What was described could be considered simply as an anecdotal incident, but it happens not in a remote province, but in St. Petersburg, where there was one of the best Russian theaters of that time, where talented artists and writers gave readings.

From memories we know that this case is not the only one. The main reason for such facts was that the promotion of expressive reading was not accompanied by the popularization of information on the methods of the art itself and its specifics. These questions were addressed in the 70-80s.

During these years, manuals appeared that spoke not only about the use of expressive reading, but also about the laws of art itself. The name “expressive reading,” which was used earlier, has become a generally recognized term.

The authors of books that covered the laws and techniques of expressive reading were V. P. Ostrogorsky, P. D. Boborykin, D. D. Semenov and D. D. Korovyakov. For the first time, they raise the question of the need for special training of a teacher as a master reader. Manuals on the art of reading are addressed to both teachers and artists, and their authors consider expressive reading at school and artistic reading on the stage to be essentially the same art.

Considering the development of expressive reading in the 80s, it is usually assumed significant mistake: they ignore previous experience and exaggerate the influence of Western authorities on Russian pedagogy. Here, first of all, they mean Legouwe’s book “Reading as an Art,” published in Russian translation in 1879, and do not take into account that Legouwe comes from the formalist direction that dominated the French theater. The Russian theater was already firmly on a realistic position and in this respect was far ahead of the French. In addition, as we have seen, in Russia since the 40s. artistic reading develops independently, largely independently of the theater.

In 1872, P. D. Boborykin’s book “ Theater arts”, and in 1882 - “The Art of Reading”. The last book is a lecture given for the benefit of female students of pedagogical courses. By painting a dismal picture of the state of expressive reading, the author emphasizes the contrast between a student's overall development and his reading ability. He points out the need to explore the pedagogical side of this issue as an independent one, that is, to create a school method of expressive reading based on the laws of professional art. Boborykin covers questions about the role of the teacher, about the individual approach to students, about the correspondence of the material to the personal qualities of the performer, about the importance of expressive reading, about familiarization with “exemplary works.”

The works of V.P. Ostrogorsky had a great influence on the development of expressive reading methods and on the use of expressive reading in Russian schools. Stoyunin’s student and successor, V.P. Ostrogorsky, paid special attention to the emotional side of the perception of a work of art and aesthetic education.

The school must certainly cultivate aesthetic taste, good feelings and a vivid imagination as a solid basis for a person’s further activity, Ostrogorsky believed. From these positions he approached expressive reading. Ostrogorsky considered it appropriate to introduce expressive reading into the program as a special subject, as well as to use it in lessons and in extracurricular work on literature. His book “Expressive Reading” was especially popular, which went through many editions. The author complains that “the ability to read somewhat decently is lost in high school.” The book proposes a certain system for teaching expressive reading: speech technique, speech logic, and then “studying different tones,” that is, working on emotional-figurative expressiveness. This sequence is observed by most authors, including modern ones.

Along with Ostrogorsky, other talented methodologists spoke on issues of expressive reading. In 1886, V.P. Sheremetevsky, in the article “The Word in Defense of the Living Word,” opposed an overly detailed analysis - “catechesis”, which prevents students from perceiving a work of art in its integrity. If V.P. Ostrogorsky in his works had in mind mainly the senior grades of the gymnasium, then V.P. Sheremetevsky paid main attention to the junior grades. He combines expressive reading with explanatory reading and strives for classes to be “conscious reading” and “a school of the living word.” He believes that “a more practical and more interesting goal for both students and teachers is preparation for expressive reading.” Shcheremetevsky gives an example of such a lesson, where he analyzes A. Fet’s poem “Fish” for subsequent expressive reading. In this lesson, the teacher introduces students to pauses, logical stress and, finally, emotional-figurative expressiveness. Classes are based on the sense of language, colloquial speech and on the imagination of students. It is interesting to note that Sheremetevsky follows approximately the same path as modern teachers who are guided by Stanislavsky’s system. Sheremetevsky tells the students: “Let’s try to imagine ourselves in the fisherman’s place,” that is, in modern terminology, let’s put ourselves in the proposed circumstances. Sheremetevsky came close to the methods used by modern schools.

The works of Ostrogorsky and Sheremetevsky significantly enriched the methodology of expressive reading and contributed to the introduction of expressive reading into school practice. But the most solid work on expressive reading during this period must be recognized as the book by D. D. Korovyakov “The Art and Studies of Expressive Reading.” If Ostrogorsky’s book is intended for teachers and students, then Korovyakov is addressed only to teachers, believing that expressive reading classes without a guide are impossible. It is necessary to note Korovyakov’s independent position, independent of foreign authorities. Recognizing that their works, especially Legouwe, whom Korovyakov quotes many times, contain many instructions suitable for a Russian teacher, D. D. Korovyakov writes: “Without at all belittling the importance of the works of Western European theorists... it seems to me that instead of approach the issues of Russian declamation with ready-made theoretical standards, there is a more direct and correct way,” and he recommends revealing theoretical foundations and the ideals of Russian expressive reading. D. D. Korovyakov thoroughly and for the most part correctly interprets the issues of orthoepy, diction and logic of speech. In these matters, his observations and conclusions remain of interest to us. Thus, having examined the attempts of contemporary authors to establish a firm correspondence between logical stresses and grammatical categories, Korovyakov comes to the conclusion that “the desire to determine the place of stress grammatically does not lead to any results.” Korovyakov speaks absolutely correctly about the relativity of pauses and logical perspective. “Pauses on punctuation marks, like all other techniques of logical toning, are subject to the general, main law of logical perspective, according to which everything that is most important is toned with a greater significance of all techniques, and everything less important requires the use of a less significant degree of toning techniques, gradually ratio and strictly parallel direction.”

The situation is different with Korovyakov’s emotional and figurative expressiveness. Here Korovyakov, following some Western authors, tries to establish some standards, using rather arbitrarily the terms of other types of art, primarily the term “tone”. It has 12 “kinds of tones”. This contradicts what the author says a few pages below: “No theory can count and indicate all their (intonations) diversity and shades, just as it is impossible to list all the shades of the movement of the human soul.”

All the theorists of expressive reading were good readers and convincingly confirmed the theory with their own practice. This was not the case in most schools. The same Korovyakov testifies: “Even those of our teachers of Russian literature who assign a certain place to expressive reading in their classroom lessons are limited to superficial scattered comments and corrections of student reading, without a definite system and connection, which is understandable from the novelty of this matter and the lack of developed practice of teaching techniques. As a result, the best teaching intentions remain futile and the level of expressive reading continues to be extremely low.”

Expressive reading in the Russian pre-revolutionary school. In the 90s In the 19th century, a new direction appeared in Russian literature, which gradually strengthened, took shape and later received the name symbolism.

Symbolist poets opposed themselves to the writers of the 60s and 70s, believing that the latter were too rationalistic, while poetry was a kind of magic, comprehended only by intuition and feeling. They also believed that their poetry required a special presentation in reading. They were not satisfied with the reading of actors who, having been brought up on the literature of critical realism, continued to seek in poetry, first of all, an idea, meaning and were not able, according to the symbolist poets, to convey the musical side of speech. The poets themselves perform readings of their works. Poetry evenings are gaining wide popularity.

“The majority,” a contemporary testifies, “read poetry in a calm, measured voice, emphasizing rhythm and rhyme and allowing the content to reach the consciousness of those listening in its own way.” From our modern point of view, neither an actor's reading nor a poet's reading can be unconditionally accepted: the musicality of the verse should reach the listeners, but not obscure the content and imagery of the work.

The theory of expressive reading has taken a significant step forward in these years. The leading methodologist for this period should be recognized as Yu. E. Ozarovsky. Continuing Korovyakov in many ways, Yu. E. Ozarovsky expands and deepens the methodology of expressive reading. In his main book, “The Music of the Living Word,” Yu. E. Ozarovsky gives “the basics of Russian artistic reading,” relying on his theoretical heritage and his extensive teaching experience. He talks about methods of developing imagination, believing that the teacher must “direct the student’s artistic imagination” towards the content of the work being prepared for reading, reproduce the author’s working conditions, his state of mind, and the surrounding environment.

Great importance Yu. E. Ozarovsky gives the reader the ability to take a lively part in everything that happens on the pages of the performed work. The “I” of the reader, in his opinion, should not obscure the “I” of the author, but merge with him. In the book by Yu. E. Ozarovsky, the concept of the “face” of the reader is introduced. Literary reading is characterized as creativity, the success of which is determined by love for the work.

Yu. E. Ozarovsky advocates realism in declamation, that is, a way of reading that is close to “ordinary colloquial speech.”

Yu. E. Ozarovsky also speaks in detail about how to conduct literary and declamatory analysis so that the sound embodiment of the text becomes creativity. He advises to first read the text, recreate the general psychological character of the work, formulate it as briefly as possible, and introduce this psychological nuance into the reading. Further, depending on the nature of the text, the performance analysis will follow one plan or another. The book provides plans for the analysis of literary works of various kinds and types.

By calling his main work “Music of the Living Word,” Yu. E. Ozarovsky reflected not only his point of view, but also the spirit of the times. As already mentioned, the symbolists give primacy to the musical side of speech. K. S. Stanislavsky attaches great importance to the musicality of speech, Yu. E. Ozarovsky unconditionally brings speech closer to music, he writes: “We will have to recognize the presence of the most important musical elements in declamatory performance. For, not to mention phonetic sounds, all vocal sounds of speech represent periodic changes in tone in pitch, strength and duration in the presence of pauses that impart a certain rhythm to the flow of speech, ... connected through a musical relationship with melody, the principles of harmony and decorated with the principles of timbre, give us a complete and convincing picture of musical manifestations.” Ozarovsky distinguishes between the music of thought, where he refers to logical melody, and the music of feeling - timbre.

Contrary to Korovyakov and Ostrogorsky, who believed that emotional-figurative expressiveness is accessible only to talented students, Ozarovsky is confident in the accessibility of expressive reading in in full the average student, subject to systematic study.

Ozarovsky’s observation of accentuation is extremely important. It establishes a “logical hierarchy,” that is, varying degrees of emphasis on words in a phrase. So he quotes a phrase from Borodin, denoting the strongest emphasis with a unit: “Tell me, uncle, it’s not for nothing that Moscow, burned by fire, was given to the Frenchman?” No less interesting is Ozarovsky’s observation of the connection between timbre and facial expressions. He claims that timbre is born in facial expressions. “We noticed,” writes Ozarovsky, “that phrases were never colored with such genuine timbres in recitation lessons as was noticed in facial expression lessons.” We now know well that facial expressions themselves must be generated by sincere experience, otherwise they turn into a grimace.

Ozarovsky's advice is not of a highly technical nature. He recommends oral and written literary creativity, the sophistication of observation by studying the surrounding life, communication with nature, and travel. In other words, he makes the development of reading skill dependent on general and aesthetic development, coming close to the idea of ​​the need for harmonious all-round development, although he does not formulate this position.

In the pre-revolutionary years, many works appeared devoted to the art of the spoken word. Many of them had in mind not only professional art, but also school expressive reading. There were also works specifically dedicated to the school. Of these, the most interesting is the book by N. I. Sentyurina “The Living Word of a Child in Expressive Reading and Oral Speech.” Unlike Sheremetevsky, whom Sentyurina largely follows, she does not combine expressive reading with the explanatory reading provided for in the program, but contrasts expressive reading with explanatory reading. According to Sentyurina, explanatory reading “dissipates and distracts his (the child’s) attention from what is being read. During expressive reading lessons, children learn only those thoughts that the author put into his work and live with the impressions inspired by this work.” N. I. Sentyurina proposes a whole system of classes in the lower grades of gymnasiums, based on the experience of her predecessors and scientific works a number of psychologists. Expressive reading classes, in her opinion, correspond to the very nature of the child. “Nature itself,” writes Sentyurina, “shows the way: we will follow her generous instructions and trust the child’s hearing, living words and healthy imagination as powerful means for his mental and moral development.”

Thus, during the period under review, the theory of artistic and expressive reading was enriched with a number of very serious works. Much has been done to introduce expressive reading into school practice. Some school districts have introduced expressive reading as a special subject and developed programs. The use of expressive reading in literature lessons has also expanded, which was greatly facilitated by the introduction of “immanent” reading into the programs. Among the teachers there were also masters of reading, for example, the teacher of the 1st Vyazma Girls’ Gymnasium, M. A. Rybnikova. But even she did not conduct systematic lessons in expressive reading in the classroom, but transferred them to circle work. In most gymnasiums, expressive reading was not carried out, or was carried out ineptly and without a system.

Expressive reading in the Soviet school (pre-war period). After the revolution, the task arose to decisively and quickly raise the cultural level of the people. In this regard, from the very first years, attention was paid to the culture of oral speech, the ardent promoter of which was the first People's Commissar of Education, A.V. Lunacharsky. Two special higher educational institutions - institutes of speech - were opened in Petrograd and Moscow, and artists and poets performed in front of a wide audience.

In the 20-30s. artistic reading developed as independent species art. Three masters played a major role in its development, each of whom represented a special direction in the art of the sounding word. A. Ya. Zakushnyak considered his art a continuation of the tradition of folk storytellers and storytellers. “More and more facts convinced me,” said Zakushnyak, “of the powerful influence of the spoken word (not oratory, not theater, but literature in living speech) on the mass listener.” He called his performances “story evenings,” he really seemed to be telling the text, but, in our terminology, it was an artistic reading of prose, since the text was not freely retold by the artist, but was reproduced by him literally. The art of V.N. Yakhontov was completely different. He called his art a “one-man theater.” Yakhontov usually performed with specially composed compositions, which included, in addition to poetry and prose, newspaper articles and documents. All this heterogeneous material was transformed into a single artistic alloy. The gesture of Yakhontov was very important, his talking hands. In his performance, the artist used some accessories: costume elements, furniture and objects, such as a cane. Yahontov's performance was a theatrical performance, although very different from the usual performance.

The third master who played a major role in the development of artistic reading was V.K. Serezhnikov, a successor to the art of recitation, who, in accordance with the spirit of the times, created a new form of it - collective, choral recitation. The theater of the reader Serezhnikov, in contrast to the theater of one actor Yakhontov, was a relatively large group. Serezhnikov himself connects the emergence of collective recitation with the trends that dominated art in the pre-revolutionary period. “The whole atmosphere of the pre-revolutionary period was saturated with collectivist aspirations,” recalls Serezhnikov. But in addition to the ideas of “conciliarity”, which were often expressed in theater literature of the pre-revolutionary years, Serezhnikov’s success is also explained by the fact that collective recitation combined reading with music, which was also characteristic of that period. Serezhnikov defines collective recitation as a literary and musical art of recitation, built on the principle of polyphenia.

This diverse practice of artistic reading should have influenced and did influence the production of expressive reading in school. Progressive teachers, attending the performances of Zakushnyak, Yakhontov and Serezhnikov, learned from them and, to the best of their ability, transferred what they had learned into their teaching practice.

The school itself during this period was in the stage of organization and continuous search. But even in this extremely difficult situation, the importance of expressive reading was recognized by both the methodologists and the directives that determined the foundations of the new labor school. Labor itself was understood very broadly. The explanatory note to the Russian language curriculum for 1918 said: “In the field of teaching methods, the labor school puts forward such a powerful and valuable factor as labor. Of course, work as a teaching method, especially at the first stage new school, should be understood in relation to the outlook of students, in the broadest sense of the word, merging, on the one hand, with the area artistic creativity and, on the other hand, expanding to the concept of free initiative of students in relation to the educational material being covered.” Listing the types of classes, the note names familiarity with the rules of diction, basic oratorical techniques, expressive reading, storytelling, and recitation. Even during a period when the existence of literature as a special subject in the school curriculum was questioned, recitation found great use, since simultaneously with the decrease in the role of literature, the extracurricular and social work of the school increased. Schoolchildren performed individual and collective recitations, dramatizations and performances.

If the practice of using expressive reading was wide and varied, then theoretical work on the issues of professional art of the sounding word and school expressive reading gave little to the teacher. The teacher continued to use the books of Ostrogorsky, Korovyakov and Ozarovsky.

The resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of September 5, 1931 on the school and subsequent directives radically changed school policy. The leading role of the teacher in pedagogical process and the lesson is recognized as the main form of education. By this time, socialist realism was becoming the defining trend in Soviet literature and art.

An important step forward in the field of expressive reading methods was the articles of V. G. Artobolevsky in the magazine “Russian Language at School”. This appeal of the great master directly to the teaching profession is very significant. The author characterizes his task as follows: “I did not set myself the goal of giving methodological guidance... I am not talking about how to teach reading, but about what you need to know about reading... Therefore, I did not limit myself to the range of issues related to expressive reading in the narrow sense (“logically expressive”), which is most consistent with the tasks of school teaching, but also touched in part on specific issues of reading as an art, which are important for the teacher in circle work and in his personal practice as a reader.”

Almost simultaneously with Artobolevsky, I tried to answer the methodological questions of M. A. Rybnikov’s expressive reading. The sixth chapter of her “Essays on the Methods of Literary Reading” talks about how to teach expressive reading to schoolchildren. Expressive reading for M. A. Rybnikova is not a technique or a teaching method, but an art with the help of which the main goal is achieved - preparing a young man for life and creative work. This broad view of literary education continues the tradition of Ushinsky, Ostrogorsky and Sentyurina. It is very important that Maria Alexandrovna was not only a methodologist and theorist, but also an excellent reader. What explains the enormous impression that Rybnikova the reader made on her listeners? Here, first of all, her sincere interest in life, people, nature and their reflection in literary works was reflected. This gave her performance heartiness and warmth. The reader's deep penetration into the literary work and love of words were evident. But Maria Alexandrovna also had purely reading qualities. She saw what she read about, and this vision was transmitted to her listeners. Her innate musicality played an extremely important role in Rybnikova’s reading. “Maria Alexandrovna perfectly mastered the musicality of her speech,” recalls one of her regular listeners. - The importance she herself attached to this side of the reader’s creativity can be judged from the words she said after the performance of “Taras Bulba” by A. Ya. Zakushnyak that excited her: “Outside musicality there can be no art of artistic reading.” This is where the perfect sense of rhythm came from. “Maria Alexandrovna’s reading stood comparison with the performance the best masters sounding word."

Rybnikova’s reading practice helped her solve very concretely and convincingly questions about the use of expressive reading in the process of studying the Russian language and literature. Rybnikova used expressive reading both in her lectures and in open lessons which I gave for teachers. In her views on expressive reading, Rybnikova largely followed Ozarovsky, but took into account the specifics of the Soviet school and the current program. Therefore, her advice is closer to practice and can be more easily used by a teacher. The initial position of the methodologist is extremely important. The teacher is recommended to learn from Zakushnyak, Yakhontov, Zhuravlev. Thus, it is clear that Rybnikova considers expressive reading as artistic reading. This is confirmed by her terminology. Calling school reading either expressive or artistic, she clearly considered these terms to be equivalent.

Unlike her pre-revolutionary predecessors, although Rybnikova recommends devoting several lessons specifically to expressive reading, she transfers most of the work to lessons in the Russian language and literary reading.

A step forward is also the recommendation to engage in expressive reading in its entirety, and not just logical reading. Club classes are also recommended, but these are not the main ones, but auxiliary classes. The help of such a circle can be used both in literature lessons and in evenings held at school. The main use of expressive reading is in the classroom. Rybnikova shows which elements of expressive reading should be acquired in the process of language lessons, and which in literary reading lessons.

“The teacher’s expressive reading usually precedes the analysis of the work and is the main key to understanding its content. The student’s expressive reading concludes the process of analysis, summarizes the analysis, and practically realizes the understanding and interpretation of the work.”

M. A. Rybnikova did not create a complete method of expressive reading and could not create it, since the theory of the art of reading had not yet defined the principles of the method borrowed from the system of K. S. Stanislavsky, the feasibility of which is confirmed in psychology and physiology. Rybnikova did not consider her recommendations as a complete methodology. She considered the development of expressive reading techniques to be a matter of the future. She complained that “the ground is not being prepared for the creation of methods for teaching expressive reading at school. This training should be planned, systematic, ascending in degree of difficulty; this should be such work on the word that will give its result, first of all, in the approach to literature, but also in improving the general speech culture of our country.”

The decade from 1931 to 1941 was marked by significant progress in the development of expressive reading: in the works of Artobolevsky and Rybnikova, teachers were given valuable guidelines, there were circles in which language specialists learned the art of sounding words under the guidance of masters. Thanks to radio, literary reading reached millions of listeners. In April 1936, a special conference on expressive reading was held in Moscow. At it, after the report of V.V. Golubkov, teachers and students of Moscow schools showed high examples of expressive reading. But still, expressive reading remained the lot of a small minority.

Expressive reading in the Soviet school (post-war period). The war, naturally, delayed the further development of expressive reading. But already at the end of the war, at the January 1944 meetings, one of the leading issues was the question of improving the culture of oral and writing. “Schools were asked to create a united front in the struggle for a culture of speech, with the leading role of the literature teacher and the support of teachers of other subjects... The teacher’s speech should become a model for students.”

With the beginning of peacetime, the development of the theory of expressive reading was resumed and measures were taken to introduce expressive reading into school practice. IN syllabus pedagogical institutes 1944/45 school year was introduced as a mandatory workshop on expressive reading and oral culture - 30 hours.

In the first post-war years, two directions in the methodology of expressive reading clearly emerged: philological and artistic-psychological. The first of these directions considers expressive reading as something different from the art of the sounding word and focuses on speech intonation as a phenomenon of linguistics. The second considers expressive reading as artistic reading in a school setting and is based on the theory and practice of this art, based on the provisions of the system of K. S. Stanislavsky.

A bright exponent of the philological direction was Associate Professor of the Russian Language Department of the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute named after. V. I. Lenina I. Ya. Blinov. In his book, Blinov writes: “In-depth and systematic work on speech obliges us to search, mainly philological.” He contrasts expressive reading with artistic reading. Claiming that works of art represent best material to study intonation expressiveness, Blinov makes a reservation: “But this circumstance, in itself, of course, does not make our work just a guide to “artistic reading,” that is, that genre of art that suffers most from the lack of genre among performers and persons who lead them, correct philological instinct and objective orientation in speech intonation as a phenomenon of the Russian language.” At the same time as this initial position, Blinov tries to rely on Stanislavsky’s system and repeatedly quotes the latter. The result is a very obscure eclecticism.

Issues of expressive reading were developed in a different direction at the Institute of Teaching Methods, and since 1947 - at the Institute of Artistic Education of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the RSFSR. The expressive reading sector of this institute, together with the Speech Laboratory of the Institute of Psychology of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the RSFSR, set itself the task of answering the question “how can everything that Stanislavsky said be adapted for readers.”

The philological direction that dominated the Pedagogical Institute named after. V.I. Lenin and some other institutes, led to the fact that the workshop on expressive reading and speech culture did not satisfy students, and since 1954 the Ministry of Education of the RSFSR recommended it as an elective subject. But in 1959, a compulsory workshop on expressive reading was introduced, with the number of hours doubling. The program was based on the position that expressive reading is artistic reading in a school setting, and was based on Stanislavsky’s system.

This growth in the importance of expressive reading is explained by the need to look for new ways in teaching literature and language. After the 20th Congress, the parties were thoroughly revised school programs and teaching methods, including methods of teaching literature and the Russian language.

During these years, the professional art of the spoken word acquired the widest scope. Special evenings of artistic reading have become common. Readers very often performed directly in schools. But most importantly, radio and television opened up an audience of millions to readers. An important step was a positive solution to the issue of applying the provisions of the Stanislavsky system in the art of reading, despite the fact that there is a significant difference between the actor and the reader-storyteller. “The reader shows the image for the sake of his task, with his own attitude - conveying and emphasizing only those features of the image that are needed to confirm his thoughts for his task as a storyteller. No matter how convincing, lively and artistic the reader's display may be, the reader never transforms into an image. This is precisely the fundamental difference between the actor’s and the reader’s portrayal of the image.”

Methodologists who worked on issues of expressive reading in school also came to the conclusion that it was advisable and necessary to build a methodology for this art based on Stanislavsky’s system. “The method of expressive reading in school needs to be revised. It must meet the requirements of the realistic art of literary expression, which developed and defined its theoretical principles during the Soviet period.”

In the late 50s - early 60s. A broad discussion arose on the issues of teaching literature. The most striking were the performances of A. T. Tvardovsky. Even at the XXII Congress of the CPSU, Tvardovsky said: “One of the amazing features of art is that if the artist himself is not excited, not truly shocked by the ideas, images, pictures of life with which he fills his creation, then... the reader, the viewer or listener, perceiving this creation, also remains cold, it does not affect his soul.” Based on this basic position, Tvardovsky addressed literature teachers at the teachers’ congress: “It’s all about love for the job. You cannot teach to love what you yourself do not love or do not know how to love.” Love for a literary work is transmitted through the process of reading. Tvardovsky does not at all reject analysis of the work. He is against cold, rational analysis. Solidarizing with S. Ya. Marshak, he says: “Happy is the teacher who manages, starting with simple reading, to move on to serious and thoughtful reading and even analysis of a work, without losing the pleasure that a work of art should give people.”

The discussion about the teaching of literature continued. The cause of anxiety and dissatisfaction was the indifference of schoolchildren to literature, especially classical literature. Some methodologists proposed abandoning historicism and even analysis, which, in their opinion, can be replaced simply by expressive reading, forgetting that expressive reading itself, being primarily conscious reading, requires preliminary analysis. Others defended historicism and analysis. But both of them paid special attention to expressive reading.

Thus, one of the most experienced methodologists notes in his article that “for last years The culture of expressive reading at school has dropped significantly.” Emphasizing the crucial importance for the success of teaching literature of reading literary works, the author points out: “But this should be the kind of reading that would contribute to the maximum extent to emotional and aesthetic perception, that is, expressive reading. Who among the experienced literature teachers does not know that the most beloved literature teacher is not the one who repeats the pages of the textbook, but the one who can read sincerely, truthfully, emotionally, or, when appropriate, recall poetic passages or pieces from prose. This is one of the most important indicators of the skill of a literature teacher. This is often where the very thread begins that draws behind it the schoolchildren’s love for literature, and passion for reading, and the desire to know by heart, to imitate the teacher in his ability to read expressively.”

Extremely important for strengthening the artistic and psychological direction in the methodology of expressive reading was the change in the position of the oldest and most authoritative literature methodologist V.V. Golubkov. In his “Methods of Teaching Literature,” which was reprinted many times, V.V. Golubkov always devoted significant space to expressive reading. But in his interpretation, he proceeded from the books of Leguve, V.P. Ostrogorsky and D.D. Korovyakov, referring to them, repeating their teaching on tones.

In the “Methodology”, published in 1962, the author radically restructured the sections devoted to expressive reading, taking into account latest works on expressive reading, and changes in the most professional art of the sounding word. Two years before the publication of “Methodology”, in a report at a scientific conference on teaching literature at the Institute of Methods of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the RSFSR, Golubkov said: “The first question raised in the teaching of literature and related to its specifics is the strengthening of the direct perception the reader receives from the work, upon initial familiarization with the text, in order to maximum efficiency cognitive, moral and aesthetic impact of literature." The question of direct perception of the text is related to reading. “In terms of correctly organized direct perception of the text, the question of the comparative value of various reading techniques is resolved.” In accordance with this view of direct perception, Golubkov significantly expanded the sections on expressive reading in “Methods of Teaching Literature” (1962) and revised the methodology. He talks about the expressive reading of the teacher and, separately, the expressive reading of the students. In addition, he turns to expressive reading in the study of lyrical and dramatic works, and finally introduces sections on “How to Read Pushkin” and “How to Read Gogol.”

All this information is preceded by a brief historical sketch, where Golubkov, quite correctly, unlike those who wrote before him, who began the history of expressive reading in the 70s. XIX century, states: “Expressive reading in high school is very old. It arose in its elementary form already at the time when literature first entered schools as a subject of instruction. The method of expressive reading in the history of the school has changed depending, on the one hand, on changes in views on the teaching of literature, and on the other, on the development of theatrical and performing arts.” Having traced the history of expressive reading in connection with the history of Russian theater, Golubkov dwells on the works of Korovyakov, criticizes the theory of tones and concludes: “In principle, this was close to what lay at the basis of the old stage declamatory reading.” “The new, third period of stage art begins with the first productions of the Art Theater and with the “Stanislavsky system”... In contrast to the dominant “art of presentation”, K. S. Stanislavsky put forward the “art of experience” and demanded efficiency, purposefulness, and sincerity from acting on stage and simplicity."

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