Lefty is a folk hero. “Lefty”, analysis of Leskov’s story, essay The closeness of the image of Lefty with folk heroes

The topic of patriotism was often raised in works of Russian literature of the late 19th century. But only in the story “Lefty” is it connected with the idea of ​​the need to take care of talents that ennoble the face of Russia in the eyes of other countries.

History of creation

The story “Lefty” first began to be published in the magazine “Rus” Nos. 49, 50 and 51 in October 1881 under the title “The Tale of the Tula Lefty and the Steel Flea (Workshop Legend).” The idea for Leskov’s creation of the work was the popular joke that the British made a flea, and the Russians “shod it and sent it back.” According to the testimony of the writer’s son, his father spent the summer of 1878 in Sestroretsk, visiting a gunsmith. There, in a conversation with Colonel N.E. Bolonin, one of the employees of the local arms factory, he found out the origin of the joke.

In the preface, the author wrote that he was only retelling a legend known among gunsmiths. This well-known technique, once used by Gogol and Pushkin to give special authenticity to the narrative, in this case did Leskov a disservice. Critics and the reading public literally took the writer’s words, and subsequently he had to specifically explain that he was, after all, the author, and not a reteller of the work.

Description of the work

Leskov's story would most accurately be called a story in terms of genre: it presents a large time layer of the narrative, there is a development of the plot, its beginning and conclusion. The writer called his work a story, apparently in order to emphasize the special “narrative” form of narration used in it.

(The Emperor examines the savvy flea with difficulty and interest)

The story begins in 1815 with the trip of Emperor Alexander I with General Platov to England. There, the Russian Tsar is presented with a gift from local craftsmen - a miniature steel flea that can “drive with its antennae” and “switch with its legs.” The gift was intended to show the superiority of English masters over Russians. After the death of Alexander I, his successor Nicholas I became interested in the gift and demanded to find craftsmen who would be “no worse than anyone.” So in Tula, Platov called three masters, among them Lefty, who managed to shoe a flea and put the name of the master on each horseshoe. Lefty didn’t leave his name, because he forged nails, and “there’s no small scope there that can take it.”

(But the guns at court were cleaned the old fashioned way.)

Lefty was sent to England with a “savvy nymphosoria” so that they would understand that “this is not surprising to us.” The British were amazed by the jewelry work and invited the master to stay and showed him everything they had learned. Lefty could do everything himself. He was struck only by the condition of the gun barrels - they were not cleaned with crushed bricks, so the shooting accuracy from such guns was high. Lefty began to get ready to go home, he urgently needed to tell the Emperor about the guns, otherwise “God bless the war, they are not suitable for shooting.” Out of melancholy, Lefty drank all the way with his English friend “half-skipper”, fell ill and upon arrival in Russia found himself near death. But until the last minute of his life he tried to convey to the generals the secret of cleaning guns. And if Lefty’s words were brought to the attention of the Emperor, then, as he writes

Main characters

Among the heroes of the story there are fictional and real personalities who existed in history, among them: two Russian emperors, Alexander I and Nicholas I, ataman of the Don Army M.I. Platov, prince, Russian intelligence agent A.I. Chernyshev, Doctor of Medicine M.D. Solsky (in the story - Martyn-Solsky), Count K.V. Nesselrode (in the story - Kiselvrode).

(Left-handed "nameless" master at work)

The main character is a gunsmith, left-handed. He has no name, only a craftsman's peculiarity - he worked with his left hand. Leskov's Lefty had a prototype - Alexey Mikhailovich Surnin, who worked as a gunsmith, studied in England and, after returning, passed on the secrets of the business to Russian craftsmen. It is no coincidence that the author did not give the hero his own name, leaving the common noun - Lefty is one of the types of righteous people depicted in various works, with their self-denial and sacrifice. The hero's personality has clearly defined national traits, but the type is universal and international.

It is not for nothing that the hero’s only friend, about whom the story is told, is a representative of a different nationality. This is a sailor from the English ship Polskipper, who did his “comrade” Lefty a disservice. To dispel the longing of his Russian friend for his homeland, Polskipper made a bet with him that he would outdrink Lefty. A large amount of vodka drunk became the cause of the illness and then the death of the yearning hero.

Lefty's patriotism is contrasted with the false commitment to the interests of the Fatherland of the other heroes of the story. Emperor Alexander I is embarrassed in front of the British when Platov points out to him that Russian craftsmen can do things just as well. Nicholas I's sense of patriotism is mixed with personal vanity. And the brightest “patriot” in Platov’s story is such only abroad, and upon arriving home, he becomes a cruel and rude serf owner. He does not trust Russian craftsmen and is afraid that they will spoil the English work and replace the diamond.

Analysis of the work

(Flea, savvy Lefty)

The work is distinguished by its genre and narrative originality. It resembles the genre of a Russian fairy tale, based on a legend. There is a lot of fantasy and fabulousness in it. There are also direct references to the plots of Russian fairy tales. So, the emperor first hides the gift in a nut, which he then puts in a golden snuff box, and the latter, in turn, hides in a travel box, almost the same way as the fabulous Kashchei hides a needle. In Russian fairy tales, tsars are traditionally described with irony, just as in Leskov's story both emperors are presented.

The idea of ​​the story is the fate and place in the state of a talented master. The entire work is permeated with the idea that talent in Russia is defenseless and not in demand. It is in the interests of the state to support it, but it brutally destroys talent, as if it were a useless, ubiquitous weed.

Another ideological theme of the work was the contrast of the real patriotism of the national hero with the vanity of characters from the upper strata of society and the rulers of the country themselves. Lefty loves his fatherland selflessly and passionately. Representatives of the nobility are looking for a reason to be proud, but do not give themselves the trouble to make life in the country better. This consumer attitude leads to the fact that at the end of the work the state loses another talent, which was sacrificed to the vanity of first the general, then the emperor.

The story “Lefty” gave literature the image of another righteous man, now on the martyr’s path of serving the Russian state. The originality of the language of the work, its aphorism, brightness and accuracy of wording made it possible to parse the story into quotes that were widely circulated among the people.

Composition

1. The best features of the Russian people are Lefty.
2. The hero’s originality and talent.
3. Lefty's patriotism.
4. The tragedy of the image.

Leskov is a most original Russian writer, alien to any outside influences. Reading his books, you feel Rus' better...
M. Gorky

N. S. Leskov based his famous tale “Lefty” on a folk joke about how “the British made a flea out of steel, and our Tula people shod it and sent it back to them.”

With the power of artistic imagination, the writer created the image of a talented hero-nugget. Lefty is the embodiment of natural Russian talent, hard work, patience and cheerful good nature. The image of Lefty embodied the best features of the Russian people: intelligence, modesty, originality. How many such unknown folk craftsmen were there in Rus'!

The whole story is imbued with a feeling of deep patriotism. Undoubtedly, an important point is the fact that “Sovereign Nikolai Pavlovich was very confident in his Russian people, and did not like to yield to any foreigner.” This is what he told the Cossack Platov, ordering him to convey it to the Tula craftsmen: “Tell them from me that my brother was surprised at this thing and praised the strangers who made the ciliates most of all, but I hope for my own people that they are no worse than anyone. They won’t take my word, they’ll do something.”

Before any big or small matter in Rus', people always asked for God's blessing. And the craftsmen in Leskov’s story pray in front of the icon of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of trade and military affairs. The strict secret under which they did their work suggests that the Russian people did not like to flaunt themselves. The main thing for them was to get the job done, not to disgrace their working honor. We tried to scare them, as if the house next door was on fire, but nothing would stop these cunning masters. Once only Lefty stuck out up to his shoulders and shouted: “Burn yourself, but we have no time.” The sad thing is that many such nuggets of Russia lived in a terrible situation of trampled human dignity. And, unfortunately, the “anarchic-intoxicated element” had power over many of them, aggravating their already sad situation. Any tyrant could inadvertently, through negligence, indifference, or simply stupidity, ruin a talent. The submission of Lefty, who is taken away from his native land to God knows where without a “tugament,” sadly speaks of this. “The masters only dared to say to him on behalf of his comrade, how can you take him away from us without any tugment? It will be impossible to follow him back!” But the answer to them was only Platov’s fist. And this humility, combined with self-esteem, confidence in one’s skillful hands, and genuine modesty is clearly reflected by Leskov in the character of Lefty.

His answer to Platov, when he, without understanding, beats him and pulls his hair, evokes respect: “I already had all my hair torn out during my studies, but now I don’t know why I need such repetition?” And confident in his work, he further says with dignity: “We are very pleased that you vouched for us, and we didn’t spoil anything: take a look through the strongest microscope.”

Lefty is not ashamed to appear before the sovereign himself in his “old little house”, whose collar is torn. There is no servility or servility in him. The natural simplicity with which he answers the sovereign without embarrassment surprises the nobles, but all their nods and hints about how to deal with the sovereign in a courtly manner with flattery and cunning lead nowhere. The sovereign himself says: “Leave him... let him answer as best he can.” With this, Leskov once again emphasizes that the main thing in a person is not his appearance and manners (anyone can be dressed and taught manners), but his talent, his ability to bring benefit and joy to people. After all, it was Lefty who interested the British, and not the courier, although he “had a rank and was learned in different languages.”

Lefty's patriotism, even in its naive simplicity, evokes sincere sympathy and respect. It is constantly emphasized by the author: “We are all committed to our homeland,” “I have parents at home,” “Our Russian faith is the most correct, and as our forefathers believed, our descendants should believe the same.” The British even poured him tea out of respect, “in Russian style, with a bite of sugar.” And what they offered to Lefty, appreciating his talent and inner dignity, but “the British could not bring him down, so that he would be seduced by them...”.

His longing for his homeland is all the stronger because no comforts, amenities, or innovations could keep Lefty in a foreign land: “As they left the buffet into the Solid Earth Sea, his desire for Russia became such that it was impossible to calm him down...” And what could be more annoying, more deplorable and more absurd than Lefty’s behavior on the ship when returning from England? The “anarchic-intoxicated element” played a tragic role in his fate.

The fate of the hero Leskov is deeply tragic. With what indifference he was greeted in his homeland! Lefty dies senselessly and unknown, as often happened in Russian history, amazing talents perished, neglected by their contemporaries and bitterly mourned by their descendants. “They were transporting Lefty so uncovered, and when they transferred him from one cab to another, they would drop everything, but when they picked him up, they would tear his ears so that he would remember. They brought him to one hospital - they wouldn’t admit him without a certificate, they brought him to another - and they wouldn’t admit him there, and so on to the third, and to the fourth - until the very morning they dragged him along all the remote crooked paths and kept changing them, so that he was completely beaten.” Being already near death, Lefty thinks not about his life, but about his Fatherland and asks to convey to the sovereign what struck him most about the British: “Tell the sovereign that the British don’t clean their guns with bricks, even if they don’t clean ours, but God bless the war, they are not good for shooting.”

The tale of Lefty, who shod a steel flea, soon after it was written became a legend in Russia, and the hero himself became a symbol of the amazing art of folk craftsmen, a true type of Russian folk character, his amazing spiritual simplicity, inner human dignity, talent, patience and honesty. The writer himself agreed with the general idea of ​​the reviewer of “New Time” that “where “left-handed” stands, one should read “Russian people.”

Other works on this work

We are presenting a report by a student of the 10th humanities class at the Topaler Readings 2015.

Zhirnova Sasha. Features of the story by N.S. Leskov “Lefty” and its film adaptations

(before the start of the report, a cartoon is displayed on the screen from the beginning until 00:25 sec)

Introduction

Many of us must have been familiar with this old Soviet cartoon based on the story “Lefty” from childhood. However, even those who have carefully read Leskov’s story are unlikely to think about how accurately this seemingly simple film adaptation conveys the main features of not only Leskov’s work, but also the entire so-called “folk epic”.

Features of the genre

To identify the characteristic features of the story “Lefty,” you should first of all turn to the genre of the tale in which the story was written. A tale is a genre with a focus on the spoken word (that is, the recreation or imitation of speech), or a genre in which the narrator and the author do not coincide. Most likely, “Lefty” belongs to the second type of tale, which explains the need to publish a preface to the story: “Of course, the preface was an obvious literary device designed to justify the introduction of a personified narrator, a bearer of a special speech structure, that is, to motivate the tale narrative form of the story” (E .L. Beznosov, “The Tale of the Tula Lefty...” as a folk epic”: ).

In a cartoon, unlike a story, the separation of the author and the narrator is not so obvious, because, although they speak different languages, compositionally, the author’s speech is in no way separated from the narrator’s speech and begins almost immediately after it.

(here you need to show the cartoon from 40:50 minutes to the end)

However, we should not forget that the tale is not the only genre to which the story “Lefty” belongs. Leskov does not fit into the “mainstream” of Russian literature of his time at all - there are no so-called “big ideas” in his works, he is interested in an anecdote, which he writes about in his “Literary Explanation”, published after readers, having read the preface, in which said that the author heard the story about Lefty from an old Tula master, they began to reproach Leskov for the fact that his role in the story was purely shorthand. “As for the most knowledgeable English flea from Tula, this is not a legend at all, but a short joke or joke, like the “German monkey”, which “the German invented, but she couldn’t sit down (she kept jumping), and the Moscow furrier took her tail sewn on, - she sat down.” In this monkey and in the flea there is even the same idea and the same tone, in which boasting, perhaps, is much less than gentle irony over his ability to improve any overseas cunning,” he writes.

So what is a joke? First of all, this is an intricate story that does not pretend to be plausible, which is clearly reflected in the story, where there is a lot of implausibility: from anachronisms (Platov’s arrival in St. Petersburg, mentioned in the story, could not have happened before 1826, while Platov died already in 1818, which Leskov certainly knew about) to the fairy-tale elements, which will be discussed below.

Popular print tradition

Speaking about the anecdote in the Russian literary tradition, it is impossible not to recall lubok, or lubok pictures, which were very popular among the third estate in the period from the 18th to the 19th centuries. A distinctive feature of such pictures was the simplicity of the drawing technique and composition, as well as, depending on the genre, the instructiveness or intricacy of the depicted plot.

(here you need to show several examples of popular prints, for example: “Mice are burying a cat”, “Battle of Kulikovo”:).

The creators of the cartoon very accurately captured the spirit of the story, as if it had come out of one of these popular prints, and filmed “Lefty” in exactly this style.

(here you can turn on the cartoon in one place and compare the image with popular prints)

Epic

But, in my opinion, the most important thing in the cartoon is not even the reproduction of popular print tradition, but the preservation and correct presentation of the features of the folklore-epic genre, which are noticeable here almost more than in the original story.

This applies, for example, to the character and image of the heroes, as A.A. wrote about. Gorelov: “The overturning of the entire Russian historical world into the folklore sphere gave the characters of Leskov’s tale those features that make it possible to see in each owner of a real-historical name not a genuine figure of history, but a certain oral-folk version of his activity, to imply behind each name some kind of merit deserved by its bearer in history, among the people, a reputation, an idea accepted and spread by general rumor.” First of all, we should remember the image of Ataman Platov, who “when he heard that there was such unrest in the palace, he now rose from his couch and appeared to the sovereign in all orders.”

(here you need to show an episode from the cartoon where Platov arrives in St. Petersburg, 13:10)

In the same article, E.L. Beznosov writes: “Platov’s continuous lying on the “annoying couch” and equally endless smoking of a pipe speaks of the same kind of [supernatural] abilities for an incredibly long time from the everyday point of view. This indicates that the narrator of the story about the left-hander puts it in folklore forms, as if he thinks in clichéd folklore images.” These folklore images include Platov’s extraordinary way of riding, which is also reflected in the cartoon.

(episode with a trip to Tula, 14:30)

No less important is the image of a jewel stored in several containers, which can be found in many folk tales and epics (for example, we all remember the tale of Koshchei the Immortal).

(episode with buying a flea, 9:57)

Bottom line

All these and many other features of the story, reflected in the film adaptation, serve one purpose, and this purpose is not to humiliate the Russian people, as some thought, and not to flatter them, as others thought, but to explore (namely explore) the amazing Russian character depicted not even in the nameless left-handed master, but in the epic nature of the narrative, which is created in the cartoon with the help of detail, general style and adherence to Russian traditions.

The work “The Tale of the Tula Oblique Lefty and the Steel Flea” was written by the famous Russian writer of the 19th century N. S. Leskov in 1881, 20 years after the abolition of serfdom. These difficult years were a difficult period in the history of our country and they are reflected in the work of the prose writer.

“Lefty,” like most of the author’s other works, is dedicated to ordinary Russian people. When the story was first published in the magazine “Rus”, N. S. Leskov left a preface in which he called his creation “a specially gunsmith’s legend” and a “tale”, but later removed it, since criticism took his words literally and considered the work to be a record of a truly existing one legends.

The work is a story stylized by the author as a fairy tale, and its plot is written based on both real and fictional events. Why did Leskov call his creation a folk legend? Most likely, the writer tried to draw the attention of readers to the development of the plot outline, to make his hero in tune with the characters of ancient Russian epics. Perhaps the fact that Leskov wanted to create the appearance of his non-involvement in the history of Lefty in order to make his image more popular also played a role. Despite the fact that the work contains fairy-tale motifs, the story belongs to the genre of critical realism, since when creating it the author emphasized problems of a national nature: autocracy, the difficulties of the life of a Russian person, the opposition of our world in those years to the civilized Western one. The interweaving of the comic and the tragic, fairy tales and reality are the distinctive features of Leskov’s creations.

Leskov's colorful style of writing makes his works a real museum of Russian dialects. His style does not contain the elegant classical forms with which the speech of Pushkin or Turgenev was rich, but there is a simplicity characteristic of our people. The worker and the sovereign speak completely differently, and this difference only emphasizes one of the themes that the author identified: the problem of social inequality, the split between the top and the bottom, which was observed in Russia at that time.

After Leskov removed the preface from “The Tale of the Tula Oblique Lefty and the Steel Flea,” the composition of the story lost its integrity, since initially the main plot was framed by the preface and the final chapter.

The main compositional device in the story is opposition. The author draws attention not so much to the differences between English and Russian life, but to the difference between ordinary workers and the top of the government, which in the work is represented by the sovereign. The writer reveals his portrait, consistently showing the attitude of the emperor towards his subordinates.

In “The Tale of the Tula Oblique Lefty and the Steel Flea,” the main character is a skilled craftsman, personifying the hard work and talent of the Russian people. Drawing the image of Lefty, Leskov portrays his character as a righteous man and a national hero. He is ready to sacrifice himself in the name of the Fatherland. The main features of this person are high morality, patriotism, and religiosity. He is not attracted by the riches of England; being in another country, he constantly thinks about his homeland. However, when Lefty returns to Russia, he falls ill and dies, of no use to anyone. The author deeply sympathizes with his hero; his lines show bitterness towards a man whose merits and name have been forgotten.

But Leskov is not the only one who pays attention to Lefty. The problem of a gifted person is not the only one raised by the author in this story. The contrast between a simple craftsman and an emperor can be read in many episodes of the work. The scene of Lefty’s conversation with the sovereign is indicative, in which the latter demonstratively condescends to be an ordinary worker. Next, the author depicts the meeting of the protagonist with English masters, who treat Lefty without a hint of arrogance. This antithesis proves Leskov’s desire to show the conflict not so much between two states, but rather between different social strata.

An extensive list of problems raised by N. S. Leskov in the story “Lefty” was reflected in the everyday life of Russia at that time. The indifference of the authorities to their subjects, the lack of education of the Russian people, the cultural and economic backwardness of the country from the West - all this was of acute relevance at the end of the 19th century. It is in the inattention of the highest ranks to the destinies of real geniuses that Leskov sees the reason for social disorder in Russia.

Although more than a hundred years have passed since the publication of the work, many of the themes posed by the author in “The Tale of the Slanting Tula Lefty and the Steel Flea” are relevant in our modern life. N. S. Leskov created a story that is complex in its content, which provides answers to the pressing questions that concern us.

• “Lefty”, a summary of the chapters of Leskov’s story
• “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk”, analysis of Leskov’s story

The core of my essay “Lefty is a People’s Hero” (as well as the idea of ​​N.S. Leskov’s tale itself) is an unquenchable faith in the Russian people, his decency, loyalty to the fatherland and incomparable skill. The personification of the collective image of the folk hero in the story of Nikolai Semenovich is the simple Tula master Lefty.

The similarity of the image of Lefty with folk heroes

The image of Lefty in Leskov’s work echoes the heroes of Russian folk art, where the generalized image personified the characteristic features, identity and aspirations of the Russian people. Lefty's closeness to folk heroes is also evidenced by his namelessness. After all, we do not know his name or any biographical information. The namelessness of the hero emphasizes the fact that in Rus' there were many people just as devoted to the state - unsurpassed masters and true sons of their land.

Individual traits in the image of the Tula master

The hero has only two features. The main feature is the extraordinary talent of the master. Together with Tula craftsmen, Lefty managed to create a truly wonderful invention by shoeing a miniature English flea. In addition, in this very difficult work, Lefty got the most difficult part - forging microscopic nails for horseshoes.

The second individual feature of the hero is his natural feature - he is left-handed, which has become the character’s common name. This fact, which simply shocked the British, only emphasizes his uniqueness - being able to create such a complex invention without any special devices, and even being left-handed.

The problem of power and people in the story

The people and power in the tale “Lefty” is one of the problems that the author raises. N.S. Leskov contrasts two kings - Alexander and Nicholas, during whose reign the events of the work take place, in their attitude towards the Russian people. Emperor Alexander Pavlovich loved everything foreign and spent little time in his native country, because he believed that Russian people were not capable of anything great. His brother Nicholas, who followed him to the throne, had a completely opposite point of view; he believed in the true skill and dedication of his people.

Nikolai Pavlovich’s attitude towards ordinary Russian people is perfectly illustrated by the case of Lefty. When Platov could not understand what the invention of the Tula craftsmen was, deciding that they had deceived him, he sadly reported this to the tsar. However, the emperor did not believe it and ordered to send for Lefty, expecting something incredible: “I know that my people cannot deceive me. Something has been done here beyond the pale.”

And the Russian people, in the form of Lefty, did not disappoint the sovereign.

Simplicity and modesty, indifference to wealth and fame, the namelessness of the character and great love for the fatherland allow us to consider Lefty as a collective image of the Russian people in the work. The national hero Lefty is the personification of the true soul of a simple Russian man, for whom the work of serving the fatherland, although it cost his life, was able to justify the trust placed in him and prove the power of skill.

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