The duality of the depiction of secular society in the novel "Eugene Onegin". Essay “Secular society in the novel “Eugene Onegin” Depiction of Russian society in the novel Eugene Onegin
In the novel “Eugene Onegin,” Pushkin outlined with light strokes the nobility - the people in whose company Eugene Onegin moved, and with whom, in addition to the main characters, he had to maintain relationships and communicate. The capital's nobility was strikingly different from the provincial landowners who lived in the outback. This gap was all the more noticeable the less often landowners traveled to the capital. The interests, level of culture, and education of both were often at different levels.
The images of landowners and high society nobility were only partly fictitious. Pushkin himself moved among them, and most of the paintings depicted in the work were spotted at social events, balls, and dinners. The poet communicated with provincial society during his forced exile in Mikhailovskoye and during his stay in Boldino. Therefore, the life of the nobility, both in the countryside and in Moscow and St. Petersburg, is depicted by poets with knowledge of the matter.
Provincial landed nobility
Along with the Larin family, other landowners lived in the province. The reader meets most of them at their name day. But some sketches to the portraits of neighboring landowners can be seen in the second chapter, when Onegin settled in the village. Simple in their mental makeup, even somewhat primitive people tried to make friends with their new neighbor, but as soon as he saw the droshky approaching, he mounted his horse and rode off the back porch so as not to be noticed. The maneuver of the newly-minted landowner was noticed, and the neighbors, offended by their best intentions, stopped their attempts to establish friendship with Onegin. Pushkin interestingly describes the reaction to the replacement of corvée with quitrent:
But in his corner he sulked,
Seeing this as terrible harm,
His calculating neighbor;
The other smiled slyly
And everyone decided out loud,
That he is a most dangerous weirdo.
The attitude of the nobles towards Onegin became hostile. Sharp-tongued gossips began to talk about him:
“Our neighbor is ignorant; crazy;
He is a pharmacist; he drinks one
A glass of red wine;
He doesn't suit ladies' arms;
All Yes Yes No; won't tell yes sir
Il no with" That was the general voice.
Invented stories can show the level of intelligence and education of people. And since he left much to be desired, Lensky was also not happy with his neighbors, although he paid them visits out of politeness. Although
Lords of neighboring villages
He didn't like feasts;
Some landowners whose daughters were growing up dreamed of getting a “rich neighbor” to be their son-in-law. And since Lensky did not seek to fall into anyone’s skillfully placed networks, he also began to visit his neighbors less and less:
He ran away from their noisy conversation.
Their conversation is sensible
About haymaking, about wine,
About the kennel, about my family.
In addition, Lensky was in love with Olga Larina and spent almost all his evenings with their family.
Almost all the neighbors came to Tatyana’s name day:
With his portly wife
Fat Pustyakov arrived;
Gvozdin, an excellent owner,
Owner of poor men;
Here Pushkin is clearly being ironic. But, unfortunately, there were quite a few like the Gvozdins, who fleeced their men like sticks, among the landowners.
The Skotinins, the gray-haired couple,
With children of all ages, counting
From thirty to two years;
District dandy Petushkov,
My cousin, Buyanov,
In down, in a cap with a visor
(As you know him, of course)
And retired adviser Flyanov,
Heavy gossip, old rogue,
Glutton, bribe-taker and buffoon.XXVII
With the family of Panfil Kharlikov
Monsieur Triquet also arrived,
Witty, recently from Tambov,
With glasses and a red wig.
Pushkin does not need to spend long stanzas characterizing the guest landowners. The names spoke for themselves.
The celebration was attended not only by landowners representing several generations. The older generation was represented by the Skotinins, a gray-haired couple, they were clearly over 50, retired adviser Flyanov, he was also well over 40. In each family there were children who made up the younger generation, who were happy about the regimental orchestra and dancing.
The provincial nobility tries to imitate the capital by organizing balls and celebrations, but here everything is much more modest. If in St. Petersburg they offer dishes prepared by French chefs from overseas products, then in the provinces they put their own reserves on the table. The over-salted fatty pie was prepared by yard cooks, and liqueurs and liqueurs were made from berries and fruits collected in one’s own garden.
In the next chapter, which describes the preparation for the duel, the reader will meet another landowner
Zaretsky, once a brawler,
Ataman of the gambling gang,
The head is a rake, a tavern tribune,
Now kind and simple
The father of the family is single,
Reliable friend, peaceful landowner
And even an honest person.
It’s him, Onegin is afraid, never having decided to offer reconciliation to Lensky. He knew that Zaretsky could
Encourage young friends to quarrel
And put them on the barrier,
Or force them to make peace,
To have breakfast together,
And then secretly dishonor
A funny joke, a lie.
Moscow Noble Society
Tatiana came to Moscow not by chance. She came with her mother to the brides fair. Close relatives of the Larins lived in Moscow, and Tatyana and her mother stayed with them. In Moscow, Tatyana came into close contact with noble society, which was more archaic and rigid than in St. Petersburg or the provinces.
In Moscow, Tanya was greeted warmly and cordially by her relatives. The old women were scattered in memories, the “young graces of Moscow”, having taken a closer look at their new relative and friend, found a common language with her, shared the secrets of beauty and fashion, talked about their heartfelt victories and tried to extract her secrets from Tatyana. But
the secret of your heart,
Treasured treasure of tears and happiness,
Keeps silent meanwhile
And it is not shared with anyone.
Guests came to Aunt Alina's mansion. To avoid appearing too distracted or arrogant,
Tatyana wants to listen
In conversations, in general conversation;
But everyone in the living room is occupied
Such incoherent, vulgar nonsense;
Everything about them is so pale and indifferent;
They slander even boringly.
All this was not interesting to the romantically inclined girl, who, deep down, was perhaps waiting for some kind of miracle. She often stood somewhere on the side, and only
Archive young men in a crowd
They look at Tanya primly
And about her among themselves
They speak unfavorably.
Of course, such “archival youths” could not interest the young lady. Here Pushkin used the Old Church Slavonic form of the adjective to emphasize that the “young men” belonged to the “past century.” At the end of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, late marriages were not uncommon. Men were forced to serve in order to make a certain fortune, and only then got married. But they chose young girls as brides. So marriages that were unequal in age were not uncommon at that time. They looked down on the provincial young lady.
Together with her mother or cousins, Tatyana visited theaters and was taken to Moscow balls.
There is cramped space, excitement, heat,
Music roars, candles sparkle,
Flashing, a whirlwind of fast steams,
Beauties have light dresses,
Choirs full of people,
A vast semicircle of brides,
All the senses are suddenly struck.
Here the dandies seem to be noteworthy
Your impudence, your vest
And an inattentive lorgnette.
Here the hussars are on vacation
They are in a hurry to appear, to thunder,
Shine, captivate and fly away.
At one of the balls, her future husband drew attention to Tatiana.
Nobles of St. Petersburg
In the first part of the poetic novel, the secular society of St. Petersburg was described with light sketches, from an outside perspective. Pushkin writes about Onegin’s father that
Having served excellently and nobly,
His father lived in debt
Gave three balls annually,
And finally squandered it.
Onegin Sr. was not the only one who lived this way. For many nobles this was the norm. Another touch of the secular society of St. Petersburg:
Here is my Onegin free;
Haircut in the latest fashion,
How dandy London dressed -
And finally saw the light.
He's completely French
He could express himself and wrote;
I danced the mazurka easily
And he bowed casually;
What do you want more? The light has decided
That he is smart and very nice.
With his description, Pushkin shows what interests and worldviews the aristocratic youth have.
No one is embarrassed that the young man does not serve anywhere. If a noble family has estates and serfs, then why serve? In the eyes of some mothers, Onegin may have been a good match for their daughters to marry. This is one of the reasons why young people are accepted and invited to balls and dinners in society.
Sometimes he was still in bed:
They bring notes to him.
What? Invitations? Indeed,
Three houses for the evening call:
There will be a ball, there will be a children's party.
But Onegin, as you know, did not seek to tie the knot. Although he was an expert in the “science of tender passion.”
Pushkin describes the ball to which Onegin arrived. This description also serves as a sketch for characterizing St. Petersburg morals. At such balls young people met and fell in love
I was crazy about balls:
Or rather, there is no room for confessions
And for delivering a letter.
O you, honorable spouses!
I will offer you my services;
Please notice my speech:
I want to warn you.
You, mamas, are also stricter
Follow your daughters:
Hold your lorgnette straight!
At the end of the novel, St. Petersburg secular society is no longer as faceless as at the beginning.
Through the close row of aristocrats,
Military dandies, diplomats
And she glides over proud ladies;
So she sat down quietly and looked,
Admiring the noisy crowded space,
Flashing dresses and speeches,
The phenomenon of slow guests
In front of the young hostess...
The author introduces the reader to Nina Voronskaya, a dazzling beauty. Pushkin gives a detailed portrait of the capital's secular society in his description of dinner at Tatiana's house. All the cream of society, as they said then, gathered here. Describing the people present at the dinner, Pushkin shows how high Tatyana rose up the hierarchical ladder, having married a prince, a military officer and a veteran of the Patriotic War of 1812.
color of the capital,
And know, and fashion samples,
Faces you meet everywhere
Necessary fools;
There were elderly ladies here
In caps and roses, looking angry;
There were several girls here
No smiling faces;
There was a messenger who said
On government affairs;
Here he was in fragrant gray hair
The old man joked in the old way:
Excellently subtle and clever,
Which is a little funny these days.Here he was avid for epigrams,
Angry gentleman:
But, along with representatives of high society, the dinner was attended by several random people who ended up here due to various circumstances
Prolasov was here, who deserved
Fame for the baseness of the soul,
Dulled in all albums,
St.-Priest, your pencils;
Another ballroom dictator is at the door
It stood like a magazine picture,
Blush like a pussy willow cherub,
Strapped, mute and motionless,
And a wandering traveler,
Overstarched impudent guy.
Noble status placed very high demands on its representatives. And in Russia there were many truly worthy nobles. But in the novel “Eugene Onegin” Pushkin shows, along with brilliance and luxury, vices, emptiness and vulgarity. The tendency to spend, living beyond one's means, and the desire to imitate, the reluctance to serve and benefit society, the impracticality and carelessness of secular society are fully shown in the novel. These lines were intended to make readers, most of whom represented this very nobility, think, and reconsider their way of life. It is not surprising that “Eugene Onegin” was received ambiguously by the reading public, and not always favorably.
Choose only ONE of the proposed essay topics (2.1−2.5). In the answer form, indicate the number of the topic you have chosen, and then write an essay of at least 200 words (if the essay is less than 150 words, then it is scored 0 points).
Rely on the author’s position (in a lyric essay, take into account the author’s intention), formulate your point of view. Argument your theses based on literary works (in an essay on lyrics, you must analyze at least two poems). Use literary theoretical concepts to analyze the work. Think over the composition of your essay. Write your essay clearly and legibly, observing the norms of speech.
2.5. Which stories from works of domestic and foreign literature are relevant to you and why? (Based on the analysis of one or two works.)
Explanation.
Comments on essays
The artistic originality of the novel “Eugene Onegin” lies in the fact that one of its characters is the author himself. What brings the author closer to his hero? First of all, life circumstances. The author and the hero are people of the same circle. Both spent their youth in secular society: balls, theater, friendly parties, novels... However, the difference between them is already noticeable here.
From the very beginning of the novel, Onegin appears before us as a secular man, and secular not only in his lifestyle, but also “in spirit”: he feels great in “high” society, he has absorbed secular morality with its hypocrisy, cynicism, false. From the very beginning, the author sharply separates himself from the secular world. Like Onegin, the author perfectly understands how heavy “the conditions of light... are a burden.” The poet describes high society exclusively in ironic tones: the sight of “stately”, “unapproachable” ladies causes a “spleen” in him, their “smart” conversation for him is “unbearable, although innocent nonsense.”
It is here that the author becomes close to Onegin, discovers in the hero the traits he likes: “involuntary devotion to dreams,” “inimitable strangeness” and “a sharp, chilled mind.” However, the poet immediately notices the difference: “I was embittered, he was gloomy.” And from this moment on, the differences between them appear more and more clearly and noticeably. Onegin is far from everything Russian and national. He reads European literature, his idols are Byron and Napoleon. He is, in essence, indifferent to Russia; he was raised by a French tutor, instilling in the child European manners, thinking style, and culture. Onegin is a romantic hero of the “European type.” The author is a Russian man in his spirit and worldview, the origins of his personal development are in Russian culture.
Not in the Russian way,” Onegin is also cynical in the family sphere; family relationships mean practically nothing to him. The novel only mentions his father and uncle, but the hero himself is depicted outside the family. For the author, home and family are the most important values in life.
For Onegin, “freedom and peace are a substitute for happiness.” For the author, happiness is “clarity of soul”, “pure love for good”, “young inspiration”, “unceremonious friends” and “stormy love desires”, “home circle”, “walks, reading, deep sleep, forest shadow, murmuring streams “- all the variety of feelings, thoughts and activities that life gives a person.
Thus, Pushkin’s hero differs in many ways from the author, whose worldview is calm and harmonious, whose life is inspired by creative search, poetic work, and communication with friends. Onegin's life is empty, he is an eternal wanderer in the Russian land. Pushkin leaves him the opportunity for spiritual rebirth, the ability to find love, but happiness is forever lost for him. Onegin's tragedy is not in his life circumstances, but, above all, in his worldview.
2.2. Why was the duel between Pechorin and Grushnitsky inevitable? (Based on the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time.”)
Grushnitsky is presented in the novel through the eyes of Pechorin, who treats his “friend” rather ironically. Both heroes are participants in military operations in the Caucasus. They meet in Pyatigorsk, where they were sent from the active detachment for rest and treatment. Pechorin is a little older than Grushnitsky, but his feeling of superiority over his friend is dictated not by age or even by the officer rank that Grushnitsky dreams of. Firstly, Pechorin looks down on everyone and no one can seriously resist him, and secondly, Grushnitsky really deserves ridicule. The astute Pechorin immediately sees all his minor weaknesses: the fear of appearing too young, pretentiousness of speech, passion for ready-made pompous phrases “for all occasions.” Such people “are simply not touched by the beautiful,” and they “importantly drape themselves into extraordinary feelings, sublime passions and exceptional suffering.” And yet, Pechorin’s statement may seem strange: “...we will someday collide with him on a narrow road, and one of us will be in trouble.” Why does some funny poser Grushnitsky evoke a sharp feeling of antipathy in Pechorin? Probably because Pechorin sees Grushnitsky as a caricature of himself. What Grushnitsky says is truly experienced by Pechorin. Grushnitsky pretends to be disappointed and bored because it is fashionable, but Pechorin is really disappointed and cannot get rid of mortal boredom. For him, the blues are not a pose, but the misfortune of his whole life. Therefore, conflict between them is inevitable.
2.3. What is N.V. Gogol’s attitude towards the main character of the story “The Overcoat”?
“Why depict poverty... and the imperfections of our life, digging people out of life, the remote corners of the state?... no, there is a time when otherwise it is impossible to direct society and even a generation towards the beautiful until you show the full depth of its real abomination.” - wrote N.V. Gogol, and in his words lies the key to understanding the story.
The author showed the “depth of abomination” of society through the fate of the main character of the story - Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. His image has two sides. The first is spiritual and physical squalor, which Gogol deliberately emphasizes and brings to the fore. The second is the arbitrariness and heartlessness of others towards the main character of the story. The relationship between the first and second determines the humanistic pathos of the work: even a person like Akaki Akakievich has the right to exist and be treated fairly. Gogol sympathizes with the fate of his hero. And it makes the reader involuntarily think about the attitude towards the entire world around him, and, first of all, about the sense of dignity and respect that every person should arouse towards himself, regardless of his social and financial status, but only taking into account his personal qualities and merits.
2.4. What are G. R. Derzhavin’s ideas about the essence of poetic creativity?
The theme of the poet and poetry is a traditional theme of Russian literature. Pushkin and Lermontov, Nekrasov and the poets of the Silver Age wrote about the essence of poetic creativity. We encounter this theme in Derzhavin’s works. Derzhavin’s programmatic work was the poem “Monument”. The main theme of the poem is the glorification of true poetry and the affirmation of the high purpose of the poet. “It is a true hymn to poetry. The main theme of the poem is set already in the first stanza: creativity becomes a kind of monument to its creator, and this “wonderful” monument turns out to be stronger and more durable than any “man-made monuments” - such is the power of poetic art. And the last stanza of the poem is traditional Appeal to the Muse:
O Muse! be proud of your just merit,
And whoever despises you, despise them yourself;
With a relaxed, unhurried hand
Crown your brow with the dawn of immortality.
These lines indicate that Derzhavin is grateful to his Muse, and although he does not hope for the unanimous approval of his contemporaries, he retains the features of dignity and greatness on the threshold of immortality..
2.5. You can see essays on a free topic on a separate page: .
The 19th century can be called the “golden age” of Russian literature. Illuminated by the genius of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, and the brilliance of the talent of Zhukovsky, Krylov, Griboedov, Russian literature took a truly gigantic step forward in the first half of the 19th century. And, of course, among the many brilliant works that were written in the 19th century, there were also those dedicated to the life of secular society. The most striking and fully reflective of this issue - the image of secular society - are considered to be the novel by A. S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” and the comedy by A. S. Griboedov “Woe from Wit”.
“Woe from Wit” by A. S. Griboedov and “Eugene Onegin” by A. S. Pushkin are works dedicated to one period in the life of Russia. This era was significant for the country. After the War of 1812, the opinion of the intelligentsia about the Russian people, who liberated Russia from the tyranny of Napoleon, changed profoundly. At the same time, secular society is attracted by foreign trends, fashion, culture, and books. The authors described all these contradictions in their works. In order to better understand what kind of depiction of secular society in these works, I analyzed them in detail and invite you to familiarize yourself with the results obtained.
During my work, I set myself the following goals:
- To most fully reveal the topic “Depiction of secular society in the works of A. S. Pushkin and A. S. Griboyedov.”
- Analyze the works of A. S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” and A. S. Griboyedov “Woe from Wit”.
- Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the 19th century and understand how secular society of that time lived.
- Familiarize yourself with the scientific literature relevant to this topic.
- Assess the relevance of these works today
Main part.
A) A. S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”.
The novel “Eugene Onegin” is one of the most significant works of Russian literature. Its author, A.S. Pushkin, himself belonged to the nobility, so he had a fairly complete understanding of it.
On his father’s side, A.S. Pushkin belonged to an ancient noble family, mentioned in chronicles since the time of Ivan the Terrible, and Pushkin’s mother was the granddaughter of Ibrahim Hannibal, famous for the poet “Arap of Peter the Great.” Having received an excellent education, young Pushkin found himself in high society. His father’s connections and service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave Pushkin access to the best houses of the big world - Counts Butulin and Vorontsov, Prince Trubetskoy, Count Sushkov. Here Pushkin at first became passionately interested in balls and all high-society entertainment. But the big world soon bored him, but even this fleeting touch with high society was enough to understand all its ins and outs, to realize what guides people in this environment, and subsequently to tell about it in his novel “Eugene Onegin.”
The history of the creation of the novel.
On September 13, 1830, in Boldino, Pushkin wrote the eighth, and on September 25, the ninth, last, chapter of his novel “Eugene Onegin”. The long work was over. With the novel, an entire era of life passed into the past. But my soul was restless and sad; the author did not want to say goodbye to his heroes. He expressed this feeling in poetry:
The longed-for moment has come: my long-term work is over,
Why is this incomprehensible sadness secretly disturbing me?
With these poems, the author wanted to express his reluctance to part with his characters, who during the writing of the novel became family to him, with the society that he so carefully and thoughtfully described. After all, human consciousness, the system of life values, as is known, are largely shaped by moral laws adopted specifically in society.
Petersburg A. S. Pushkin.
Pushkin writes in the novel about both the capital and the Moscow and provincial nobility. The author of the novel pays special attention to the St. Petersburg nobility.
A.S. Pushkin knew St. Petersburg. Moreover, he loved this city. Petersburg was for Pushkin a symbol of the greatness and power of Russia. In many of his works he wrote with love about St. Petersburg. For example, in his work “The Bronze Horseman” he noted:
I love you, Petra's creation,
I love your strict, slender appearance,
Neva sovereign current,
Its coastal granite,
Your fences have a cast iron pattern,
of your thoughtful nights
Transparent twilight, moonless shine,
When I'm in my room,
I write, I read without a lamp,
And the sleeping communities are clear
Deserted streets and light
Admiralty needle.
And, not letting the darkness of the night,
To golden skies
One dawn gives way to another
He hurries, giving the night half an hour.
But at the same time, it was, as he wrote to his wife, “Svinsky Petersburg,” where crowned despots lived, where even the bastions of the Peter and Paul Fortress reminded him of his Decembrist friends in captivity. Pushkin understood that there is no freedom in this city, that St. Petersburg secular society values, first of all, not thoughts, feelings and soul, but position in society, titles and money.
The image of a secular young man is Evgeny Onegin.
It would seem that Evgeny Onegin is a typical representative of the St. Petersburg nobility, but is this so? A. S. Pushkin presents Evgeny Onegin in a homely way, in a free, slightly ironic manner - “That’s what the young rake thought,” “my good friend.” Pushkin, in a quick and short digression, draws the biography of Onegin. The environment to which Onegin belonged shaped his beliefs, his morals, interests and tastes. Living in debt, Onegin's father did not come up with a special education system for his son - he acted like everyone else: first he hired a French woman for his son, then a tutor, “The Poor Frenchman.” Superficial secular education was a custom, the norm, everyone lived in this environment. Pushkin himself belonged to it and could rightfully say: “we all learned little by little, something and somehow.” The environment determined Onegin’s “Occupation” when the time of “rebellious youth” came - “High Life”.
Evgeny Onegin was an educated and well-mannered man; he studied at home:
He's completely French
He could express himself and wrote,
I danced the mazurka easily
And he bowed casually.
In a secular society, honor and public opinion were valued above all else, which created a special type of behavior:
And here is public opinion!
Spring of honor, our idol!
And this is what the world revolves on!
Also, Onegin, as a secular young man, is characterized by one day from his life, described by Pushkin.
The morning begins with reading notes with invitations to the ball, then classes in the office of the “fashion student,” a walk along the boulevard, and lunch at the restaurateur’s. In the evening - the theater, after the theater return home - “to get dressed” - and a trip to the ball:
The theater is an evil legislator,
Fickle Adorer
Charming actresses
Honorary citizen of the backstage...
Onegin gets home from the ball only at dawn.
What about my Onegin? Half asleep
He goes to bed from the ball.
Pushkin describes Onegin's office and his outfit in great detail. The author seems to want to once again emphasize the isolation of young people of that time from the national soil, because from early childhood they were in an atmosphere of a foreign language, people (governesses and tutors were foreigners) and things. (“But trousers, tailcoat, vest, /All these words are not in Russian…”).
Eugene Onegin is the main character of the work and A. S. Pushkin devoted the most effort to revealing his character for the reader. Shortly before the end of the novel, pointing to the lonely Onegin (and he, having returned from his trip, immediately appeared at the reception, in the usual bustle of the eternal celebration), Pushkin dropped a truly prophetic remark: “Like something superfluous.”
True, this remark remained in the versions of the chapter. In the canonical text, the corresponding passage looks somewhat different, but also noteworthy:
But who is this in the chosen crowd?
Stands silent and foggy?
He seems alien to everyone.
Despite the external differences in these characteristics, they are essentially related: in both cases, Onegin is taken in relation to the surrounding society. It is for those who make up the world that Onegin is either superfluous or alien. But how could this happen? After all, we remember that by nature Onegin is a dandy, a supporter of balls and social gatherings. But as soon as you leave for a while (as happened with Onegin, who went on a trip), you immediately become unnecessary, an extra person. And this is also significant. A riot of selfish passions rages within the crowd. In exchanges at the card table and during breaks between dances, opinions are sought, the actions of individual people are assessed, and the behavior of entire groups is coordinated.
Such is the secular crowd. Pushkin developed a stable negative attitude towards her.
Secular society as one of the reasons for the duel between Vladimir Lensky and Evgeny Onegin.
Another representative of secular society is Vladimir Lensky.
To my village at the same time
The new landowner galloped up
And equally strict analysis
In the neighborhood the occasion was given by:
Named Vladimir Lenskoy,
With a soul straight from Göttingen,
Handsome man, in full bloom,
Kant's admirer and poet.
He's from foggy Germany
He brought the fruits of learning:
Freedom-loving dreams
The spirit is ardent and rather strange,
Always an enthusiastic speech
And shoulder-length black curls.
This is what A.S. Pushkin says about Vladimir Lensky.
Vladimir Lensky is far from real Russian life. It is impossible to assign him to a certain category of society. We cannot call him a secular person, because he is far from the light and in his poems he glorifies “Separation and sadness, and Something, and far away from the fog...”. Lensky is young and sees everything through the prism of age and literature. Lensky idealizes everything. This also proves his choice. Olga is a typical beauty with no personality. She is mediocre, her image has been glorified so many times that it has lost all its charm. But only Onegin understands this. What about Onegin?
Evgeny Onegin and Vladimir Lensky... Who are they to each other?
They got along. Wave and stone
Poetry and prose, ice and fire
Not so different from each other.
First by mutual difference
They were boring to each other;
Then I liked it; Then
We came together every day on horseback
And soon they became inseparable.
So people (I am the first to repent)
There's nothing to do, friends.
How absurd and insignificant is the quarrel between Onegin and Lensky, and we want to believe: everything will work out, friends will make peace, Lensky will marry his Olga... However, the duel will take place, one of the friends will die. But who? It is clear to even the most inexperienced reader: Lensky will die. Pushkin imperceptibly, gradually prepared us for this thought.
A random quarrel is only a pretext for a duel, but the reason for it, the reason for Lensky’s death, is much deeper. After all, a force enters into the quarrel between Onegin and Lensky that can no longer be turned back - the force of “public opinion.” And again a secular society! Onegin understands everything perfectly... He tells himself that he:
Had to prove myself
Not a ball of prejudice,
Not an ardent boy, a fighter,
But a husband with honor and intelligence.
Pushkin selects verbs that very fully depict Onegin’s state: “blamed himself,” “should have,” “he could,” “he should have disarmed the young heart...” But why are all these verbs in the past tense? After all, you can still go to Lensky, explain yourself, forget the enmity - it’s not too late... “Alone with your soul” Onegin understood everything. But the trouble is that the ability to remain alone with one’s conscience and act as one’s conscience dictates is a rare skill. It requires courage, which the main character does not have. And because of this, an innocent person dies - the poet Vladimir Lensky.
Secular society in the village.
Belinsky called the novel by A. S. Pushkin “Encyclopedia of Russian life. This is where its value lies. In his novel, the author told his readers about all segments of the population. For example, about the serf nobility.
The fortress village occupies a central place in the composition of the novel. It is shown immediately after St. Petersburg, as a sharp contrast to it. It helps us understand how the metropolitan secular society differs from the rural secular society. And are there, in fact, differences?
In the northern capital, time flies quickly, in the village it flows slowly. The northern capital has ample opportunities to follow Western fashion, use the achievements of European civilization, and in the village “the morals of our antiquity” reign, and the connection between man and nature is strong. Pushkin shows the environment that influenced the formation of the life values of the main characters. Onegin spent his childhood and youth among the capital's nobility, and Tatyana grew up in the village. The poet depicts the local nobility satirically, ironically, and sympathetically, with notes of nostalgia and a kind smile.
The author sees different beginnings in the Larin family. The landowners' surname comes from the word "Lary" - gods of the hearth. There is a lot of kindness, patriarchy and touching in their village house. The Larins’ life is “peaceful”, without envy, anger, or cruelty. These are quiet, simple people, hospitable and welcoming. They went through life hand in hand, without great passions, but also without wild quarrels and scenes. Even the indifferent and bored Onegin appreciated the warmth of the home in the Larin family:
By the way: Larina is simple,
But a very sweet old lady.
The poet cherishes the habits of the “dear old days” that Tatyana’s parents followed:
They kept life peaceful
Habits of a dear old man;
At their Shrovetide
There were Russian pancakes;
Twice a year they fasted;
Loved the round swing
Subject to songs, round dance...
She went to work
Salted mushrooms for the winter,
She kept expenses, shaved her foreheads,
I went to the bathhouse on Saturdays.
She beat the maids, getting angry -
All this without asking my husband.
But, on the other hand, the poet is sad that the life of peaceful village people is completely devoid of spiritual interests, searches, and development. They are not interested:
Tribes of past treaties,
The fruits of science, good and evil,
And age-old prejudices
And the grave secrets are fatal...
Dmitry Larin is a mediocre, primitive person:
Her father was a kind fellow,
Belated in the past century;
But I saw no harm in the books;
He never reads
He considered them an empty toy...
But Tatyana’s father was not always a simple gentleman: in his youth he took part in the Russian-Turkish war, earned the rank of brigadier and a medal for the capture of Ochakov.
Tatyana's mother sublimely and romantically loved the guard sergeant, then experienced a spiritual drama when she was married to an unloved man. A measured, calm life “out of habit” led to internal impoverishment, the fading of the spiritual impulses of Tatyana’s mother and her husband. It pains the poet to realize how easily people turn into ordinary people, slowly living out their lives. And yet the Larin family is the best among the local nobles. In their house, not only the ordinary, unremarkable Olga grew up - the most common type of noble girl of the early 19th century, but also a spiritually rich person - Tatyana.
In Pushkin’s portrait of another man in the street, accusatory motives appear. The poet talks about Onegin’s village uncle, who:
For about forty years he was quarreling with the housekeeper,
I looked out the window and squashed flies.
Two lines show a man’s whole life, filled with inexpressible boredom: he spent forty years in a remote village with nothing to do, without a family, in petty squabbles.
At Tatiana's name day we meet many of the Larins' neighbors and friends. When describing secular society, a traditional technique is used - “speaking” surnames: Pustyakov, Skotinin. The characters resemble characters from the comedies of D.I. Fonvizin and A.S. Griboedov. Gvozdin has a “talking” surname. It is formed from the verb “to nail.” This hero is “an excellent master, the owner of poor men.” Pushkin characterizes this landowner in accordance with the everyday logic of serf owners. After all, the one who robs the peasants is good. With deadly irony, the poet describes the local foreigner, the noble ladies, and the district dandy Petushkov.
In this primitive and immoral world of ordinary people, it is impossible not to “suffocate” for the best heroes - Onegin and Tatyana.
The people around them are unbearable. Therefore, Onegin avoided communicating with them, and Tatyana suffered in silence. In a letter to Evgeniy, she admitted:
Imagine: I'm here alone,
Nobody understands me,
My mind is exhausted
And I must die in silence.
The girl was saved from the influence of a vulgar environment by her kind family, books, closeness to nature and folk culture.
By creating a parodic image of the small landed nobility, Pushkin accurately and deeply showed how the way of life on the estate formed mainly narrow-minded, mediocre people who could neither think nor feel.
In Onegin, Pushkin presents, first of all, the spiritual and moral image of the noble intelligentsia of the Decembrist era. He personifies the product of that society, that era, but at the same time he strangely contradicts it. At the very least, we can absolutely say that he stands at a high level of culture of his time, differing in this respect from the majority of noble society. And this unites him with Chatsky, the main character of the comedy “Woe from Wit” by Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov.
B) A. S. Griboedov “Woe from Wit.”
History of creation and main conflicts in comedy.
At A.S. Pushkin has a wonderful saying: “Griboyedov did everything. He wrote "Woe from Wit." “Woe from Wit” is an original, highly artistic, socially significant comedy. A.S. Griboyedov worked on his main work for several years. The final edition was completed in the fall of 1824. Each image in the comedy reflects the essence of real social types of its era. They are not fictitious, not abstract, but deeply alive.
In the work, there is an interaction between two conflicts: a love conflict, the main participants of which are Chatsky and Sophia, and a socio-ideological conflict, in which Chatsky faces conservatives gathered in Famusov’s house. From the point of view of the issue, in the foreground is the conflict between Chatsky and Famusov society, the contradiction between a civically active person and a socially passive, reactionary majority.
A. S. Griboyedov in his comedy, just like Pushkin, showed the confrontation between two camps of the Russian nobility in the early 20s of the 19th century. These were the years when progressive nobles clearly understood the need for change in the country. A battle began, the climax of which was the Decembrist uprising. The best part of the nobility opposed the usual order, which Griboedov masterfully described in his work using the example of the Moscow nobility.
Moscow nobility in A. S. Griboedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit.”
The images of Moscow nobles in Griboedov's comedy have many common features. These are conservatives, opponents of everything new and advanced. These people do not hide their attitude to the changes taking place in the country; on the contrary, they openly talk about their commitment to the past century:
It’s not that new things were introduced - never,
God save us! No…
This speaks about their intelligence, their morality. These people are not interested in the individuality, the soul of each person. Here everyone is assessed according to their financial situation or origin and position in society.
We can see this during the ball scene. Chatsky’s conflict with Moscow society was most clearly manifested at Famusov’s ball. The ball scene is the culmination of Griboedov's comedy. At the ball, Chatsky manages to quarrel with the guests, be branded crazy and be condemned by everyone gathered at the ball.
The ball scene is typical for Moscow of Griboyedov's time. And Famusov’s guests are the most ordinary people of Moscow society of the early 19th century. Some go to balls out of boredom, others to make acquaintances with the right people, and others to arrange the destinies of their children. People of the same circle gather here; there are no strangers here. And the established rules of behavior are the law.
The first people Chatsky meets at the ball are the Gorichi spouses. Platon Gorich, an old acquaintance of Chatsky, a former military man, after his marriage completely fell “under the heel” of his wife. One feels that Chatsky treats Platon Mikhailovich well and is sincerely upset by the change that has happened to his old friend. Although he makes fun of Gorich, he does so with obvious sympathy. And here are the princes Tugoukhovsky with their family, with their many daughters. The first thing the princess is interested in is whether Chatsky is married. And how quickly her interest disappears when she finds out that the candidate for groom is not rich! And here are Countess Khryumina: grandmother and her granddaughter - an old maid. Chatsky responds to her caustic remarks no less sharply. He compares her to French milliners.
And, of course, Chatsky is outraged by the fact that Moscow society, condemning such scoundrels as Zagoretsky, does not close its doors to him, but continues to accept him at balls. Khlestova speaks about this most frankly about this due to her stupidity: “I even locked the doors from him; yes master to serve” Empty, worthless people who not only do not want any changes, but also do not even want to hear about them. Therefore, Chatsky, who thinks and speaks differently, causes rejection in this society with his truthfulness. That is why the rumor about Chatsky’s madness, invented by Sophia, was so easily accepted as truth by Famusov’s guests. So, Moscow society pronounces Chatsky a verdict: insane. But Chatsky also pronounces his verdict on Moscow society:
He will come out of the fire unharmed,
Who will have time to spend a day with you,
Breathe air alone
And his sanity will survive.
The image of Pavel Famusov as a representative of Moscow secular society.
If we talk about Moscow secular society, we cannot help but talk about Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov.
Famusov is one of the central figures in the comedy. This is a bright representative of the “past century”, he preaches the philosophy of the “fathers”, that is, those who have conservative views. The “fathers” in the play are high-ranking officials and at the same time wealthy landowners. This is the Famus Society. They oppose freedom of speech and education. Power is concentrated in the hands of the Famus Society. Famusov's official position is quite high: he is a “government manager.” The material condition and success of many people depends on him: the distribution of ranks and awards, “patronage” for young officials and pensions for old people
Famusov is a staunch defender of everything stagnant. In his opinion, living correctly means doing everything “as our fathers did,” learning “by looking at our elders.” The hero praises Moscow morals, unchanged from century to century:
All have their own laws:
For example, we have been doing this since ancient times,
What honor for father and son:
Be bad, but if you get enough
Two thousand ancestral souls, -
He's the groom.
The image of Alexander Chatsky.
The Famusov society in comedy, which firmly preserved the traditions of the “past century,” is contrasted by Alexander Andreevich Chatsky. This is a leading man of the “present century,” more precisely, of the time when, after the Patriotic War of 1812, which sharpened the self-awareness of all layers of Russian society at that time, secret revolutionary circles and political societies began to emerge and develop. Chatsky in the literature of the 20s of the 19th century is a typical image of a “new” person, a positive hero, a Decembrist in his views, social behavior, moral beliefs, and in his entire mentality and soul. His views against the existing foundations of society are becoming more and more harsh.
If Famusov is a defender of the old century, the heyday of serfdom, then Chatsky speaks with the indignation of a Decembrist revolutionary about serf owners and serfdom. In the monologue “Who are the judges?” he angrily opposes those people who are the pillars of noble society. He speaks sharply against the order of the golden age of Catherine, dear to Famusov’s heart, “the age of humility and fear - the age of flattery and arrogance.”
Chatsky’s ideal is not Maxim Petrovich, an arrogant nobleman and “hunter of indecency,” but an independent, free person, alien to slavish humiliation.
If Famusov, Molchalin, Skalozub consider the service as
a source of personal benefits, service to individuals and not to the cause, then Chatsky breaks ties with the ministers, leaves the service precisely because he would like to serve the cause, and not servile before his superiors. “I’d be glad to serve, but it’s sickening to be served,” he says. He defends the right to serve education, science, literature, but this is difficult in such a society.
If Famus society treats everything folk, national with disdain, slavishly imitates the external culture of the West, especially France, even neglecting its native language, then Chatsky stands for the development of a national culture that masters the best, advanced achievements of European civilization. The collision of Chatsky - a man with a strong-willed character, integral in his feelings, a fighter for an idea - with Famus society is inevitable. This clash gradually takes on an increasingly fierce character; it is complicated by Chatsky’s personal drama - the collapse of his hopes for personal happiness.
Reasons for choosing Sofia Molchalina.
Sophia is a mixture of good instincts with lies, a lively mind with the absence of any hint of ideas and beliefs, confusion of concepts, mental and moral blindness - all this does not have the character of personal vices in her, these can be called general features of her circle.
Let us remember that Sophia was brought up in the Famusov society, she received a classical education of that time - poetry, dancing, piano and her favorite French novels... All this left a certain imprint on her character. On the one hand, she has a lively mind, passion and feminine softness, on the other, a lack of understanding of the world around her, which brought her together with Molchalin.
“I didn’t try! God brought us together!” - she says about her relationship with Molchalin. But is it? And what do we know about Molchalin himself?
He is finally compliant, modest, quiet. And there are no wrongdoings in my soul. He doesn’t cut strangers at random... That’s why I love him!” - this is how Sophia describes Molchalina to Chatsky, not noticing that “the portrait looks vulgar.” Sophia sees in him a modest, poor, not daring to raise his eyes to her, a young man in love... And... patronizes him. She strives to make him a “boy-husband,” and if we remember Famusov’s society, we will understand where Sophia gets these ideas from. After all, it is in this society that such husbands are not uncommon.
In some critical articles (for example, in Goncharov’s article “A Million Torments”), Sophia is compared with Pushkin’s Tatyana and we can talk about the appropriateness of this comparison. “The soul was waiting for someone,” says Pushkin about Tatyana in the work “Eugene Onegin,” but if we take a closer look at Sofya Griboyedov, we will understand that Sofia’s choice of Molchalin fell by chance. Like Tatyana, she chooses her lover without knowing him, without understanding him, his spiritual qualities. Her soul was waiting for someone
A living mind, ideas, thoughts, feelings are ruined in Sophia, so she does not notice in Molchalin what is obvious to others: stupidity, greed, meanness and sycophancy.
The lovers' last meeting shows Molchalin in all his glory.
“And so I take on the appearance of a lover to please the daughter of such a man...” And Sophia? “Don't continue. I blame myself all around. But who would have thought that he could be so insidious!
So, we understand that Sophia’s choice was mainly due to limited choice. After all, Sophia, for all her spiritual inclinations, still belongs entirely to Famus’s world.
B) Comparison of Onegin and Chatsky.
How are these two heroes similar, the secular Onegin and the enlightener Chatsky, heroes of different works, but of the same era?
Of course, they come from the same society, they are the same age, both are smart, insightful, both see the failure of social life, expose its essence from the veil of external tinsel and glitter. Both are trying to find themselves, to find themselves, by traveling or changing their environment. Both have unsuccessful relationships with the weaker sex, but, however, the reasons for this are somewhat different. If Chatsky, still in love with Sophia, gradually becomes disillusioned with her, finding in her character the traits of a society he hates, then Onegin, meeting Tatyana, is already deeply disappointed in life, and therefore he reacts nobly to Tatyana’s love. But he understands that he is not capable of becoming a decent husband and father of the family, so he fears Tatyana’s pure and tender love.
Chatsky personifies a lively mind, progressive aspirations, fire, movement, and vigorous educational activity. Onegin turns out to be more passive against such a background, a man with a fire that has almost gone out, but which can still be rekindled, only someone else needs to do it, fan the fire and turn it into a flame.
Conclusion.
“Together with Griboedov’s contemporary brilliant creation, “Woe from Wit,” Pushkin’s poetic novel laid a solid foundation for new Russian poetry, new Russian literature. Before these two works, Russian poets did not yet know how to be poets, chanting objects alien to Russian reality, and almost did not know how to be poets when starting to depict the world of Russian life,” said V. G. Belinsky.
Indeed, these two works played a huge role in the development of Russian literature. After reading them, you can most fully form your idea of the secular society of that time. After studying this topic, I realized that the lifestyle of adherents of a secular society of that time was not very different from the lifestyle of the elite, the so-called high society, of today. Unfortunately, now the soul, sincere feelings and the best character traits are sometimes valued less than money, position, connections. And therefore I can say that the topic of my essay is relevant to this day. Answers to modern questions and problems can always be found in the classics. Let's read the classics!
Bibliography:
I. E. Kaplan “Analysis of works of Russian classics.”
A. M. Gurevich “The plot of “Eugene Onegin””
S. Sandomirsky “The Mystery of Onegin”
I. Medvedeva “Woe from Wit”
V. I. Korovin “A. S. Griboyedov. Life and art"
N. S. Ashukin “Pushkin Moscow”
Arnold Gessen "Pushkin in Moscow"
Magazine "Literature at School" for 2004, 1997
N. K. Piksanov “Woe from Wit.”
I. A. Goncharov “A Million Torments”
V. Orlov “A. S. Griboyedov and his comedy"
S. E. Shatalov “Heroes of A. S. Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin””
Internet resources.
Discussion is closed.
Secular society in the novel by A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin"
Truthfulness is one of the main qualities of the novel “Eugene Onegin”. In it A.S. Pushkin reflected the reality of the 19th century: people’s habits, their actions, secular society itself. That is why “Eugene Onegin” is an invaluable work in historical and literary terms.
The great critic Belinsky called this novel “an encyclopedia of Russian life.” And indeed it is. It is in this work by A.S. Pushkin was one of the first poets to decide to depict society to readers as it was in the 19th century. Secular society in “Eugene Onegin” is not shown from the best side. In this society, it was enough to dress smartly and do your hair. And then everyone began to consider you a secular person. This happened with the main character of the novel, Onegin. He was bored with social life, and the society that surrounded him oppressed the hero. This life killed all feelings in the main character, and it was impossible for him to escape anywhere from the mood that was in his soul. Onegin is opposed to the majority of people of this era, and secular society does not accept him. Evgeniy is forced to leave. He arrives in the village. From this moment we are transported to a completely different environment, where everything was much calmer than in the city. The main character was not accepted here either, since he was sharply different from the majority of the village population. But here, too, Onegin managed to find people who understood him. Here he found a devoted friend Lensky, the true love of Tatyana Larina. Tatyana grew up as a reserved girl, but with a huge imagination, her soul was constantly full of many different feelings:
One wanders with a dangerous book,
She searches and finds in her
Your secret heat, your dreams...
Having given her heart to Onegin, Tatyana could no longer trust her secret to anyone, not even her closest relatives. And not only because she was a secretive girl, but also because the society around her would never be able to understand her. This situation occurs quite often nowadays. The surrounding society does not allow a person to develop individually: it either adjusts it in its own way or rejects it. The person becomes withdrawn and is afraid to trust anyone.
This work has great historical significance. Studying “Eugene Onegin”, the reader learns what the life of people was like, their activities, habits, holidays; Pushkin describes in detail the festive atmosphere of Tatyana Larina’s name day, guests who seemed to her completely boring people, dances:
Monotonous and crazy
Like a young whirlwind of life,
A noisy whirlwind swirls around the waltz;
Couple flashes after couple.
Probably the most striking example of people’s insensitivity, their disrespect for others, was the death of Lensky. Lensky was an unusual, sincere person, but who, unfortunately, was not really noticed during his life, and after his death they forgot about him:
But now... the monument is sad
Forgotten. There's a familiar trail to him
I stalled. There is no wreath on the branch;
One under him, gray-haired and frail,
The shepherd is still singing...
Apparently, Lensky was born too early, because society would never have been able to rise to his level.
Moscow!.. Tatyana turned from a provincial girl into a noble lady by marrying a general. And in appearance she was no different from other women. She was able to achieve this without much effort. Her life changed dramatically... But was she happy?..
The novel “Eugene Onegin” is of great importance for Russian people. And as Belinsky said: “To evaluate such a work is to evaluate the poet himself in the entire scope of his creative activity.” And although two centuries have passed, the themes raised in “Eugene Onegin” remain relevant today.
Human consciousness and the system of life values, as is known, are largely shaped by moral laws adopted in society. Pushkin writes in the novel about both the capital and the Moscow and provincial nobility.
The author of the novel pays special attention to the St. Petersburg nobility, a typical representative of which is Eugene Onegin. The poet describes in every detail the day of his hero, and Onegin’s day is a typical day of a metropolitan nobleman. Thus, Pushkin recreates a picture of the life of the entire St. Petersburg secular society. A fashionable daytime stroll along a specific route (“Wearing a wide bolivar, Onegin goes to the boulevard.”), lunch at a restaurant, a visit to the theater. Moreover, for Onegin the theater is not an artistic spectacle or even a kind of club, but rather a place of love affairs and behind-the-scenes hobbies. Pushkin gives his hero the following characteristics:
The theater is an evil legislator,
Fickle Adorer
Charming actresses
Honorary citizen of the scenes.
Pushkin describes Onegin's office and his outfit in great detail. The author seems to want to emphasize once again
The isolation of young people of that time from the national soil, because from early childhood they were in an atmosphere of a foreign language, people (governesses and tutors were foreigners) and things. (“But trousers, tailcoat, vest, / All these words are not in Russian.”). The day of the young dandy ends with a ball, a favorite pastime of the capital's nobles.
Pushkin speaks of St. Petersburg high society with a fair amount of irony and without much sympathy, because life in the capital is “monotonous and colorful,” and “the noise of the world gets boring very quickly.”
The local, provincial nobility is represented very widely in the novel. This is Onegin’s uncle, the Larin family guests at Tatiana’s name day, Zaretsky.
Onegin’s uncle was a “village old-timer”, he was busy quarreling with the housekeeper, looking out the window, squashing flies and reading the “eighth year calendar”.
Prominent representatives of the provincial nobility gather at Tatiana’s name day: Gvozdin, “an excellent owner, the owner of poor men”; Petushkov, “county dandy”; Flyanov, “heavy gossip, old rogue.” If Pushkin introduces real historical figures into the story about the capital’s nobility, for example Kaverin, then in this case the author uses the names of famous literary characters: Skotinins are the heroes of Fonvizin’s “The Minor,” Buyanov is the hero of V.L. Pushkin’s “Dangerous Neighbor.” The author also uses telling surnames. For example, Triquet means “beaten with a stick” - a hint that he cannot be accepted in high society, but in the provinces he is a welcome guest.
Not far from Lensky lives Zaretsky, “once a brawler”, “the head of a rake”, now “a single father of a family”, “a peaceful landowner”. But he cannot be called a decent person, because he loves “to quarrel young friends / And put them on the barrier.” This is what happens in the case of Lensky and Onegin. In general, Zaretsky is responsible for the death of Lensky; although he, as a second, could have prevented the duel, he did everything possible to ensure that it took place.
And Vladimir Lensky can be classified as a local nobleman. He is “a romantic and nothing more,” according to Belinsky’s definition. As a romantic, he does not know life at all, he sees people either in a rosy or black light (“He was an ignoramus at heart.”). He is alienated from national culture, perhaps more so than Onegin (his neighbors call Lensky half-Russian). When discussing the future of Vladimir Lensky, Pushkin sees two possible paths. Following the first of them, he could become Kutuzov, Nelson or Napoleon, or even end his life like Ryleev, because Lensky is a passionate man, capable of a reckless, but heroic act (in this he is close to Pushkin). But his trouble is that the environment in which he finds himself is hostile to him, in it he is considered an eccentric. Lensky would rather take the second path:
Or maybe even that: a poet
The ordinary one was waiting for his destiny.
He would have become an ordinary landowner, like Onegin’s uncle or Dmitry Larin.
Larin, about whom Belinsky says that he is “something like a polyp, belonging at the same time to two kingdoms of nature - plant and animal,” was a “kind fellow,” but in general an ordinary person (evidence of this is the Ochakov medal , which was not an individual award, unlike the order). His wife was fond of books in her youth, but this hobby was rather age-related. She got married against her will, was taken to the village, where she “was torn and cried at first,” but then she took up housekeeping and “got used to it and became happy.”
The world of the landed nobility is far from perfect, because in it spiritual interests and needs are not decisive, just like intellectual interests (“Their conversation is prudent / About haymaking, about wine; / About the kennel, about their relatives”). However, Pushkin writes about him with more sympathy than about St. Petersburg. In the provincial nobility, naturalness and spontaneity are preserved as properties of human nature (“The neighbors are a good family, / Unceremonious friends”). The local nobles were quite close to the people in terms of their attitude and way of life. This is manifested in the attitude towards nature and religion, in the observance of traditions (“They kept in their peaceful life / The habits of dear old times.”).
Pushkin pays less attention to the Moscow nobility than to the St. Petersburg nobility. Several years have passed since Pushkin wrote the 1st chapter of his novel, and A. S. Griboyedov finished the comedy “Woe from Wit,” but Pushkin adds Griboyedov’s lines to the epigraph of the seventh chapter, thereby emphasizing that since then in Moscow little has changed. The ancient capital has always been patriarchal. So, for example, Tatiana is met at her aunt’s by a gray-haired Kalmyk, and the fashion for Kalmyks was at the end of the 18th century. The Moscow nobility is a collective image, in contrast to the St. Petersburg nobility, where Eugene Onegin is the main character. Pushkin, speaking about Moscow, seems to populate it with the heroes of Griboyedov’s comedy, whom time has not changed (“But no change is visible in them, / Everything about them is like the old model.”). A real historical figure also appears in Moscow society: “Vyazemsky somehow sat down with her (Tatyana”). But in Moscow there is still the same bustle, “noise, laughter, running around, bowing,” which leaves both Tatyana and the author indifferent.
The author himself assesses the influence of high society ambiguously. Chapter 1 gives a sharply satirical depiction of light. The tragic 6th chapter ends with a lyrical digression - the author’s reflections on the age limit that he is preparing to cross: “Will I soon be thirty years old?” And he calls on “young inspiration” to save the “soul of the poet” from death, not to let
.get stoned
In the deadening ecstasy of light,
In this pool where I am with you
I'm swimming, dear friends!
So, a whirlpool that deadens the soul.
But here is the 8th chapter:
.and now I’m a muse for the first time
I bring it to a social event.
And what?
She likes the harmonious order of oligarchic conversations, And the coldness of calm pride, And this mixture of ranks and years.
Y. Lotman explains this contradiction very correctly: “The image of light received a double illumination: on the one hand, the world is soulless and mechanistic, it remained an object of condemnation, on the other hand, as the sphere in which Russian culture develops, life is inspired by the play of intellectual and spiritual forces, Poetry, pride, like the world of Karamzin and the Decembrists, Zhukovsky and the author of “Eugene Onegin” himself, it retains unconditional value.
Society is heterogeneous. It depends on the person himself whether he will accept the moral laws of the cowardly majority or the best representatives of the world.”
- In all elements, a person is a Tyrant, a traitor or a prisoner. A. S. Pushkin In 1828, A. S. Pushkin found himself in unbearably difficult conditions. The government's quibbles with a poet who returned from exile...
- Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin” was published in separate chapters over several years. Some critics, apparently for this reason, perceived the novel as a “set of motley chapters” and considered this motley nature of the narrative an artistic flaw, they said...
- Andrei Gavrilovich Dubrovsky and Kirila Petrovich Troekurov were once service comrades. Both of them married for love, but were widowed. Dubrovsky has a son, Vladimir, and Troekurov has a daughter, Masha....
- AND INJUSTICE IN A.S. PUSHKIN’S STORY “DUBROVSKY” (2) Before Pushkin, who was anxiously reflecting on the fate of the Russian peasantry, on the future of his homeland, among others there was a question: what is the relationship between the landowners and...
- Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is a great national poet. In his personality and creativity, such remarkable traits of the Russian people as love of freedom, multifaceted talent, and powerful creative force were manifested with great force. One of...
- The revolutionary sentiments of Pushkin at this time are eloquently evidenced by entries from the diary of the poet’s Chisinau colleague, Prince P. I. Dolgorukov. So, on May 27, 1822, Dolgorukov wrote down the following very characteristic and...
- The action of the story “The Captain's Daughter” takes place during the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev. Of course, the assault and fall of the Belogorsk fortress did not have decisive historical significance, but one can quite speak of the heroes of the story as...
- Reflections on the poetry of A. S. Pushkin I have in front of me two not very thick volumes, including Pushkin’s lyrics from 1813 to 1836. And in almost every poem...
- V. G. Belinsky called “Eugene Onegin” “an encyclopedia of Russian life,” since it reflected the entire life of the Russian nobility of that era, like a mirror. The poet's focus is on life, everyday life, morals, actions...
- School essay: Female images in the works of A. S. Griboyedov “Woe from Wit” and A. S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”. In the works of A. S. Griboyedov “Woe from Wit” and A. S. Pushkin...
- The fairy tales of A. S. Pushkin introduced into literature the idea of protest against autocracy and serfdom. “The Tale of the Priest and His Worker Balda” is a satire on the ministers of the Orthodox Church who deceive the people. IN...
- From the fragments of the poem relating to all the main characters - Onegin, Tatyana, Lensky and the author - it is not difficult to explicate the meaning even in a discursive-rational form. It is, of course, poetically complicated in the text, being scattered...
- The story “The Captain's Daughter” was written during a very difficult period of Pushkin’s life – 1833-1836. It was preceded by the article “The History of Pugachev,” which the author wrote in 1833 in the village of Boldino, Novgorod region...
- How many great poets and writers there are in Russia! How many were there and how many more will there be? It is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to this question, but we can say with confidence: Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is the most...
- Pushkin.! When you remember this wonderful poet, tirades of poems about love and friendship, honor and the Motherland appear before you, images of Onegin and Tatyana, Masha and Grinev appear. For now...The poem “To Chaadaev,” written in 1818, is perhaps the most lyrical expression of a political idea. In it, the poet addresses his friend Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev, a hussar of the Semenovsky Guards Regiment, a highly educated man...
- A. S. Pushkin is one of the greatest poets of Russian and world literature. The personality of Pushkin, a poet and a citizen, was formed in the tenth years of the 19th century, when Russians returning from the War of 1812...
- On our first acquaintance with Vladimir Dubrovsky, we are presented with a young nobleman, confident in himself and his future, a guards cornet, who rarely thinks about where the money comes from and how much...