Gorky's early romantic works. Romantic ideas in the early works of M
Introduction
1. A word about the writer.
2Features of Gorky’s early work.
3. The story “Old Woman Izergil” - awareness of a person’s personality:
a) “ethereal cloud” human life;
b) burning heart;
c) the origins of fame and infamy;
d) Izergil is a romantic ideal of freedom.
Conclusion
Introduction
Maxim Gorky entered literature during the period spiritual crisis, which struck Russian society at the turn of the century. The dreams of harmony between man and society that inspired nineteenth-century writers remained unrealized; Social and interstate contradictions are aggravated to the limit, threatening to be resolved by world war and a revolutionary explosion. Lack of faith, despondency, and apathy have become the norm for some, while for others it has become an impetus to search for a way out. Gorky noted that he began to write “due to the force of pressure ... a painfully poor life,” to which he sought to contrast his idea of a person, his ideal.
The early work of M. Gorky (90s of the 19th century - the first half of the 1900s) goes under the sign of “collecting” the truly human: “I recognized people very early and even in my youth began to invent Man in order to satiate my thirst for beauty. Wise people...convinced me that I had invented a bad consolation for myself. Then I went to people again and - it’s so clear! “I am returning from them to Man again,” Gorky wrote at that time. Gorky's stories of the 90s can be divided into two groups. Some of them are based on fiction: the author uses legends or invents them himself. Others draw characters and scenes from real life tramps (“Chelkash”, “Emelyan Pilyai”, “Once Upon a Time in Autumn”, “Twenty Six and One”, etc.). The heroes of all these stories have a romantic attitude.
The hero of Gorky’s first story, “Makar Chudra,” reproaches people for their slave psychology. In this romantic narrative, slave people are contrasted with the freedom-loving natures of Loiko Zobar and the beautiful Rada. The thirst for personal freedom is so strong for them that they even look at love as a chain that fetters their independence. Loiko and Rada surpass everyone around them with their spiritual beauty and power of passion, which leads to a tense conflict that ends in the death of the heroes. The story “Makar Chudra” affirms the ideal of personal freedom.
The story “Old Woman Izergil” is one of the masterpieces of M. Gorky’s early work. The writer here is not interested in the manifestation individual character hero, but a generalized concept of humanity in the individual.
In Gorky's early romantic works, a concept of personality is formed, which will be developed in the writer's later works.
1. A word about the writer
Alexey Maksimovich Peshkov (M. Gorky - pseudonym) was born in Nizhny Novgorod on March 16 (28), 1868. His father, a cabinetmaker who became the manager of a shipping office in Astrakhan, died early of cholera (1871). Mother, daughter of the owner of the dyeing workshop V.I. Kashirina, remarried, but soon died of consumption (1879). The boy lived in his grandfather’s house, where there were quarrels and litigation over the division of property between his mother’s brothers. It was very difficult for a child to be among them. He was saved by his active, gifted spirit and the love of his grandmother. At the age of six, Alyosha, under the guidance of his grandfather, mastered Church Slavonic literacy, then the civil seal. He studied for two years at a suburban school, passed the 3rd grade as an external student, and received a certificate of merit. By that time, the grandfather had gone bankrupt and gave his grandson “to the people.” Peshkov worked as a delivery boy in a fashion store, as a servant for a draftsman-contractor and Sergeev, as a cook on ships, as a student in a foreign-painting workshop, as a foreman at fair buildings, and as an extra in the theater. And he read a lot greedily, at first “everything that came to hand,” later he discovered the rich world of Russian literary classics, books on art and philosophy.
In the summer of 1884 he went to Kazan, dreaming of studying at the university. But he was forced to earn a living as a day laborer, laborer, loader, and baker's assistant. In Kazan, he met students, attended their meetings, became close to the populist-minded intelligentsia, read forbidden literature, and attended self-education circles. The hardships of life, perception of repression against students, personal love drama led to a mental crisis and attempted suicide. In the summer of 1888, Peshkov left with the populist M.A. Romas to the village of Krasnovidovo to promote revolutionary ideas among the peasantry. After the destruction of Romasya's bookstore, the young man went to the Caspian Sea and worked there in the fishing industry.
What he experienced over all these years later gave rise to the autobiographical prose of M. Gorky; He named the stories about the first three periods of his life according to their content: “Childhood”, “In People”, “My Universities” (1913–1923).
After staying in the Caspian Sea, “walking around Rus'” began. Peshkov walked on foot, earning his living by labor, average and southern regions Russia. In between his travels, he lived in Nizhny Novgorod (1889–1891), doing various menial jobs, then was a clerk for a lawyer; participated in revolutionary conspiracy activities, for which he was first arrested (1889). In Nizhny I met V. G. Korolenko, who supported the creative endeavors of “this nugget with undoubted literary talent.”
2. Romantic ideas in the early works of M. Gorky
A special group in the writer’s work of the 1890s consists of romantic works (“Makar Chudra”, “Old Woman Izergil”, “About the Little Fairy and the Young Shepherd”, “Song of the Falcon”, “Mute”, “Khan and His Son”, etc. .). The writer gives new breath to this literary movement (romanticism), which had lost its influence by the middle of the 19th century.
What made Gorky turn to romanticism? Already in the writer’s early, creatively immature poem, the words sound: “I came into the world to disagree.” These words can serve as an epigraph to Gorky’s entire work. The motive of disagreement with reality, in which “lead abominations” reign, there is social injustice, the oppression of some people by others, cruelty, violence, poverty, is the leading one. Gorky dreams of a strong, independent, free personality, “with the sun in his blood.” But in real life and even in contemporary writer there were no such people in literature, so the writer directly stated, “...that the luxurious mirror of Russian literature for some reason did not reflect the outbursts of popular anger...” and accused literature of not looking for “heroes, it loved to talk about people who are strong only in patience, meek, soft, dreaming of paradise in heaven, silently suffering on earth.” This position was unacceptable for a maximalist writer. Therefore, Gorky turned to romanticism, which allowed him to portray a hero-activist. Gorky's romantic works are imbued with the pathos of life affirmation and faith in man.
The following features are characteristic of Gorky’s romantic works:
hero type– the hero stands out sharply from the environment (remember formula of romanticism : "an exceptional hero in exceptional circumstances") he is rejected, lonely, opposed to the world of everyday reality (cf. Falcon - Already), abstractly beautiful (Gorky’s heroes are not endowed with detailed portrait and psychological characteristics), proud, independent; this hero is ready to argue with fate itself, defending his right to freedom (and this is the main value for which it is worth going to death);
Traditional choice themes of love of freedom(personal freedom), poeticization of freedom (the conflict “mind-feeling” is transformed in Gorky’s works into the conflict “feeling-freedom” (“Makar Chudra”); the author uses images-symbols, traditional in the works of romantics - sea, steppe, sky, wind, falcon (petrel));
The heroes do not act in the real world, but in a fictional world(the writer refers to a legend, a fairy tale, were - folklore material);
Plays a special role scenery, acting simultaneously as both the background and the hero of the story (the legend of Danko, “Old Woman Izergil”);
Use of special figurative means: hyperbole(in the description of feelings, thoughts, actions, portrait), epithets, metaphors, comparisons, personifications, highly solemn vocabulary(which makes prose similar to poetry);
Common framing composition(story within a story). This narrative composition is subordinated to one goal: to recreate the image of the main character as completely as possible.
In addition to the narrator (old woman Izergil, Makar Chudra), image of a “passer”, a listener(image of the narrator). This image does not manifest itself directly, but is necessary to express the author’s position.
The romantic hero is conceived as a destroyer of the sleepy vegetation of the majority. It is said about the gypsy Loiko Zobar (“Makar Chudra”): “With such a person you yourself become better...” In the bloody drama that unfolded between him and Radda, there is also a rejection of the ordinary human destiny. In the Wallachian fairy tale “About the Little Fairy and the Young Shepherd” (1892), the young shepherd dreams of “going somewhere far, far away, where there would be nothing that he knew...”, and the fairy Maya can only live in her native forest. The heroine of “The Girl and Death” (early 90s, published in 1917) carries in her heart “unearthly power” and “unearthly light.” Everywhere, boring everyday life is countered by rare energy of spiritual impulses. Chudra concludes his tale this way: “...go your own way, without turning to the side. Straight ahead and go. Maybe you won’t lose your life in vain.”
Having glorified a bright personality following his own path, Gorky turned to acute mental conflicts legendary heroes. In a whole series of romantic stories “Old Woman Izergil”, “Song of the Falcon” » (1895–1899), "Khan and His Son" (1896), "Mute » (1896) reflects a heterogeneous clash, often tragic, between a dream, spiritualized feeling, attraction to the Beautiful and fear of life, dull indifference to beauty.
3 The story “Old Woman Izergil” - awareness of a person’s personality
The story was published in 1894 in the Samara Gazeta, where Gorky received a position as a permanent employee. Ideologically and thematically, this work is close to the story “Makar Chudra”. Firstly, the writer here complicated the composition. He used double frame. The first “frame” is traditionally seascape, mysterious and fantastic. Against its background, the image of the main character stands out - the old gypsy Izergil, who tells a random listener (the image of the narrator) the story of her life. The image of the old woman is endowed with the same qualities as the image of Makar Chudra in story of the same name. She is characterized by uncompromisingness, the desire for personal freedom, and admiration for strong personalities. And the legends inserted into her story (the first is about the proud Larra, the second about Danko), in addition to serving as a second “frame,” also allow us to better understand and comprehend life position main character. These legends tell about events long ago days gone by, and the heroes are exponents of two opposing points of view (antithesis) on the problem of the meaning of life.
Condemnation of individualism and affirmation of heroic deeds in the name of freedom and happiness of the people - this is the idea of the story “Old Woman Izergil”.
The story is structured in a unique way: with an internal unity of idea and tone, it consists of three, as it were, independent parts. The first part is the legend of Larra, the second is Izergil’s story about his youth, the third is the legend of Danko. At the same time, the first and third parts - the legends of Larra and Danko - are opposite to each other. A characteristic feature of the story is that it has two narrators and, accordingly, two narrative plans. The general narration is conducted on behalf of the author, who speaks with his thoughts, reflections, and assessments. In conclusion, he emphasizes the beauty of the tale of Danko. And the second narrator is the old woman Izergil, who keeps in her memory folk legends about heroism, about evil and good in human life.
The people surrounding the old woman Izergil are also depicted as mighty, strong and almost fabulous heroes.
Gorky writes about the Moldovans:
“They walked, sang and laughed; men - bronze, with lush, black mustaches and thick shoulder-length curls, in short jackets and wide trousers; women and girls - cheerful, flexible, with dark blue eyes, also bronze...
These people are not much different in appearance from Loiko Zobar, Radda and Danko. In this way, romantic and heroic features were emphasized in life. They are also given in Izergil’s biography. This was done in order to highlight an important idea: heroic romance is not opposed to life, it only expresses in a stronger and more vivid form what is inherent in reality itself.
The first legend tells about "antihero"- selfish and proud Larre, who, being the son of an eagle and a mortal woman, is filled with contempt for people, their laws, their way of life.
Larra is the embodiment of extreme individualism. He considers himself the first on earth. He does not consider it necessary for himself to obey the laws of the human community, so he easily commits a crime - the murder of the girl who refused him. For this he is rejected by human society, expelled from among people. At first he does not feel punished, but living alone makes him ask for death. People refuse him this, and even the earth does not want to accept him into its bosom. So he turns into an eternal wanderer, into a shadow, and he has no shelter or peace anywhere. And the greatest good - life - becomes hopeless torment for him.
The second legend introduces a different hero, Danko. He, just like Larra, is handsome and proud, and also stands out from the crowd of people. But Danko, unlike Larra, heroic personality. His entire short life was given to people. Danko leads his people to freedom from a slave life: from the darkness of swampy swamps and dark forests, he leads his desperate fellow tribesmen to the light (read, to another life). There were extraordinary difficulties and insurmountable obstacles along the way. And when, tired of the difficult path, people lost heart, when they began to reproach Danko for his inability to manage them, they hesitated and were ready to turn back, the hero’s heart flared up with the fire of desire to save them. And in order to illuminate the difficult and long path and support the doubting and tired, he tore out his heart from his chest, which, like a torch, was burning with great love and compassion for people, and raised it high above his head.
“It burned so brightly; like the sun, and brighter than the sun, and the whole forest fell silent, illuminated by this torch great love to people, and the darkness scattered from its light and there, deep in the forest, trembling, it fell into the rotten mouth of the swamp. The people, amazed, became like stones.
- Let's go! - Danko shouted and rushed forward to his place, holding his burning heart high and illuminating the path for people with it.”
The idea of selfless love for people, heroic self-sacrifice in the name of the happiness of the people is affirmed by Gorky in the legend of Danko.
So, Larra's freedom – this is an individualistic, egoistic freedom that turns into punishment by loneliness. Freedom Danko – This is altruistic freedom, necessary in the name of selfless service to people.
The legends about Larra and Danko are conditional; they are needed in order to clarify the worldview of the main character and the point of view of the author.
Really, central place What occupies the work is Izergil’s own story about her life. This is a story of meetings and partings, short-lived romances that do not leave a noticeable mark on the heroine’s soul. Talking about her hobbies, the heroine focuses the listener’s attention on herself, on her indomitable thirst for life and love. But none of her lovers are described in detail, even the names of some have already been erased from her memory. They, like shadows, pass in front of the listener: a black-moustached fisherman from the Prut, a fiery red-haired Hutsul, an important Turk, his son, a “little Pole.” But only for the sake of his last lover, Arcadek, Izergil risks his life. Arcadek is a heroic person. He fought for the freedom of the Greeks and was ready to accomplish a feat, “he was ready to go to the ends of the world to do something.” To save him from captivity, Izergil, disguised as a beggar woman, enters the village where her lover and his comrades are languishing in prison. She has to kill the sentry. But having heard false gratitude, Izergil herself rejects her lover. As a result, rebellious and proud Izergil becomes like all people: starts a family, raises children, and when he grows old, he tells legends and fairy tales to the young, reminding him of past, heroic times.
Izergil herself lived a significant and colorful life in her own way. She loved helping good people.
But she lacked what we call ideal. And only Danko embodied the highest understanding of the beauty and greatness of man, sacrificing his life for the happiness of the people. So in the very composition of the story its idea is revealed.
What type of personality is represented in the image of the old woman Izergil? The old woman herself brings her life closer to Danko’s life; it is this hero who is an example for her. Indeed, one can find similar traits in her life: the ability to achieve feats in the name of love, life among people. It is she who owns the aphoristic statements: “Beautiful people are always brave”, “In life there is always a place for feat.”
But still The image of the old woman is devoid of integrity; one can notice some contradictions: her feelings are sometimes shallow, superficial, her actions are unpredictable, spontaneous, selfish. These traits bring her closer to Larra. Thus, Izergil’s character is ambiguous and contradictory.
But in addition to the point of view of the heroine herself, the story also expresses point of view of the author-narrator. The narrator occasionally asks questions to the old woman, inquiring about the fate of her lovers. And it is from her answers that it becomes clear that Izergil is not very concerned about their fate. She explains this indifference to people in her own way: “I was happy about it: I never met again with those whom I once loved. These are not good meetings, it’s still as if they were with the dead...” The author does not accept this explanation, and we feel that he is still inclined to consider Izergil’s personality type to be close to Larra’s personality type. Portrait characteristics Izergil, given by the author-narrator, once again emphasizes this similarity: “Time bent her in half, her once black eyes were dull and watery. Her dry voice sounded strange, it crunched, as if the old woman was speaking with bones... Where her cheeks were, there were black pits, and in one of them lay a strand of ash-gray hair... The skin on her face, neck and arms was all cut up with wrinkles... “Such a portrait gives a resemblance to Larra, who “has now become like a shadow.”
So, central image The story is not ideal at all, but rather contradictory. This indicates that the consciousness of the individualist hero is anarchic; his love of freedom can be directed both for good and for evil of people.
In the story “Old Woman Izergil,” Larra, who considered himself “the first on earth,” is likened to a mighty beast: “He was dexterous, predatory, strong, cruel and did not meet people face to face”; “He had no tribe, no mother, no cattle, no wife, and he didn’t want any of this.” And as the years pass, it turns out that this “son of an eagle and a woman” is devoid of a heart: Larra wanted to stab himself with a knife, but “the knife broke - it was as if someone had hit a stone with it.” The punishment that befell him is terrible and natural - to be a shadow: “He understands neither the speech of people, nor their actions - nothing.” The anti-human essence is recreated in the image of Larra.
Danko cultivated in himself an inexhaustible love for those who “were like animals,” “like wolves,” who surrounded him, “to make it easier for them to capture and kill Danko.” And only one desire possessed him - to oust from their consciousness the darkness, cruelty, fear of the dark forest, from where “something terrible, dark and cold was looking at those walking.” Danko’s bright feeling was born of deep melancholy at the sight of his fellow tribesmen who had lost their human appearance. And the hero’s heart caught fire and burned to dispel the darkness not only of the forest, but above all of the soul. The final emphasis is sad: the rescued did not notice the “proud heart” that had fallen nearby, and one of them, “afraid of something,” stepped on it with his foot. The gift of selfless compassion seemed not to have been achieved; its highest goal.
The story “Old Woman Izergil” in two legendary parts and the woman’s memories of the lovers of her youth conveys the bitter truth about the dual human race. For centuries, he has united in himself antipodes: handsome men who love, and “old men from birth.” Therefore, the story is permeated with symbolic parallels: light and darkness, sun and swamp cold, fiery heart and stone flesh. Thirst complete overcoming base experience remains unfulfilled, people continue to live in two ways.
Conclusion
The legend of Larra, the story of Izergil and the legend of Danko at first glance seem independent, existing independently of each other. Actually this is not true. Each of the three parts of the story expresses general idea and answers the question of what makes a person happy.
People decide to punish the selfish Larra with eternal loneliness. And the greatest good - life - becomes hopeless torment for him.
The old woman Izergil plays a significant role in the story. While completely preserving the realistic character of the image, Gorky at the same time depicts a man of “rebellious life.” Of course, Izergil’s “rebellious life” and Danko’s feat are different phenomena, and Gorky does not identify them. But the image of the narrator enhances the overall romantic flavor of the work.
Izergil speaks with delight about people with strong will, with powerful and bright characters, capable of feats. She remembers her lover: “...he loved exploits. And when a person loves feats, he always knows how to do them and will find where it is possible. In life, you know, there is always room for exploits.”
Gorky’s very manner of writing in “Old Woman Izergil” also has a romantic character. The writer emphasizes mainly the unusual, sublime and beautiful in both people and nature. When Izergil talks about Larra and Danko, fragments of clouds of “lush, strange shapes and colors” wander across the sky, the sky is decorated with golden specks of stars. “All this - sounds and smells, clouds and people - was strangely beautiful and sad, it seemed like the beginning of a wonderful fairy tale.”
Everything is here means of expression are subordinated not so much to the desire to accurately depict an object or phenomenon, but to create a certain heightened mood. This is served by the abundantly used hyperbole, lyrically colored epithets, and comparisons.
List of sources used
1. Dementyev A., Naumov E., Plotkin L. Russian Soviet literature. Textbook for 10th grade high school. 22nd edition. – M.: Education, 1973.
2. Eremina O. A. Lesson planning according to literature. 8th grade to the textbook-reader “Literature. 8th grade: Textbook for general education. institutions. At 2 o'clock / Auto-stat. V. Ya. Korovina and others - M.: Education, 2002": Methodological manual / O. A. Eremina. – M.: Publishing house “Exam”, 2003. – 256 p.
3. Russian literature of the twentieth century. Textbook for 11th grade general education institutions. At 2 p.m. Part 1 / L.A. Smirnova, A.M. Turkov, V.P. Zhuravlev and others; Comp. E. P. Pronina; Ed. V. P. Zhuravleva. – 2nd ed. – M.: Enlightenment. 1998. – 335 p.
4. Soviet literature: textbook for grades 6-7. evening (shift) schools, 4th ed. / Compiled by E. V. Kvyatkovsky.
5. Tolkunova T.V., Alieva L.Yu., Babina N.N., Chernenkova O.B. Preparing for the literature exam: Lectures. Questions and assignments. – M.: Iris-Press, 2004. – 384 p. – (Home tutor).
6. Exam questions and answers. Literature. 9th and 11th grades. – M.: AST-PRESS, 1999. – 352 p.
Academic discipline:Russian language and literature
Lesson topic:M. Gorky. Information from the biography. Themes and problems of early creativity.
Type of activitylesson
Type of lesson:lesson of studying and primary consolidation of new knowledge
Purpose of the lesson:give an idea of the life and creative path of A.M. Gorky, teach how to analyze the text, highlight the main thing, draw your own conclusions using analytical method knowledge
Educational:
Get acquainted with the biography of M. Gorky;
- repeat and generalize knowledge about romanticism as a direction of literature;
- identify the features of the romantic works of M. Gorky
Educational
:
- promote the development of a sense of patriotism;
- promote a sense of respect for the interlocutor, his opinion ;
- contribute to the development of the intellectual culture of the individual.
Educational:
- improve the skills of analytical work with text, the ability to generalize and draw conclusions;
- develop oral monologue speech skills;
- develop discussion skills and the ability to work in a group.
Interdisciplinary connections:"Story"
Training equipment (equipment) classes:multimedia projector (viewing presentations), audio recordings (E. Morricone and Wagner).
Methodological support for the lesson:PowerPoint presentations “Biography of A.M.Gorky”, “Romantic stories of A.M.Gorky”, texts fiction(stories by A.M. Gorky “Old Woman Izergil”, “Makar Chudra”), handouts (task cards, table, test)
Advance tasks for students:1) Preparation of reports and presentations on the biography of M. Gorky; based on the romantic stories of A.M. Gorky, about romanticism, reading romantic stories A.M. Gorky “Makar Chudra”, “Old Woman Izergil”
Lesson progress
Introduction
Music is playing E. Morricone “Wind, Cry.” The teacher reads T. Grishina’s poem “Everything down to the smallest detail is familiar to us here” (on the screen of a room in the house of M. Gorky in those years):
Everything here is familiar to us down to the smallest detail:
The creaking of the well and the knocking of the gate.
The owners have not been home for many years,
And long ago the grandson came out into the public eye. . .
Life has gone somewhere nearby,
Like a lizard she darted into the grass,
But childhood remains in this house -
Gorky childhood in reality...
Teacher's opening speech.
Our lesson today is dedicated to the life and work of Alexei Maksimovich Gorky. For you and me, this is not just one of the famous Russian and Soviet writers. He is a resident of Nizhny Novgorod, which means our fellow countryman. His biography is part of our history, history Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod region. And it is important for us to know the biography of M. Gorky, memorable places associated with his name. you studied at school autobiographical trilogy Gorky, his childhood and youth. Today we will get acquainted with all the milestones in the life of our fellow countryman, we will also talk about his work - in the 2ndPart of the lesson we will turn to the romantic stories of Gorky.
Write down the date and topic of the lesson "Maxim Gorky. Information from the biography. Themes and problems of early creativity."
The epigraph of today's lesson will be the words of Alexey Maksimovich
:
"A person is created by his resistance environment"
(M. Gorky)
Since we need to make reference summary based on theoretical material about the life and work of Maxim Gorky, weWe will adhere to the following work plan. You can see it on the slide. Write it down in your notebook and work according to it.
. At the end of the lesson, I will collect the notebooks and give each student a grade.
I .The life and work of Alexei Maksimovich Gorky.
Alexey Maksimovich Gorky was and remains the central figure of the literary process of the endXIX – first third of the twentieth centuries, one of the main characters Soviet literature . Oh him early years Sergey Galenko will tell us. You need to write down the main points about your speech.
1.stage.
EARLY YEARS. (prepared by students from group 1). (After your speech, you need to write down the main points of the writer’s biography; a presentation will help)
Alexey Maksimovich Peshkov (M. Gorky - pseudonym) was born in Nizhny Novgorod on March 16, 1868. Father, Maxim Savvatievich Peshkov, cabinetmaker, died early from cholera. Mother, Varvara Vasilievna Kashirina, The daughter of the owner of the dyeing workshop, Vasily Vasilyevich Kashirin, died early from consumption. The boy lived in his grandfather's house, where quarrels reigned between his mother's brothers. It was very difficult for the child to be among them; he was saved by the love of his grandmother, Akulina Ivanovna. At the age of 6, Alyosha, under the guidance of his grandfather, mastered Church Slavonic literacy. He studied for 2 years at a suburban school, passed the 3rd grade as an external student, and received a certificate of merit. By that time, the grandfather had gone bankrupt and gave his grandson “to the people.” Peshkov worked as a delivery boy in a store, as a servant for a draftsman, and as a cook on ships. And I read a lot greedily, especially Russian literary classics.
In the summer of 1884 he went to Kazan, dreaming of entering the university. There I met students, attended their meetings, and read forbidden literature. In the summer of 1888, Peshkov left with the populist Mikhail Antonovich Romas to the village of Krasnovidovo to promote revolutionary ideas. After the destruction of Romasya's bookstore, the young man went to the Caspian Sea and worked there in the fishing industry. What he experienced over all these years was included in M. Gorky’s autobiographical trilogy: “Childhood”, “In People”, “My Universities”. After staying in the Caspian Sea, “walking around Rus'” began. In Nizhny, he met Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko, who supported his creative endeavors and called him “a nugget with undoubted literary talent.”
2.stage. Becoming a writer. (prepared by a student from group 2), Lyuba Sazonova will tell us. (Again, we write down the main dates in the notebook).
In the spring of 1891, Gorky left Nizhny Novgorod and traveled across the country, to Tiflis, where a local newspaper in September 1892 published the debut story of 24-year-old Maxim Gorky, “Makar Chudra.” In October of the same year, Gorky returned to Nizhny Novgorod, and then created his first novel there - “Foma Gordeev”; in 1901 he personally met Anton Pavlovich Chekhov and Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, under their influence, the prose writer first turned to the genre of drama, writing the plays “The Bourgeois” (1901) and “At the Lower Depths” (1902). Transferred to the stage, they enjoyed enormous popularity. “The Bourgeois” was staged in Berlin and Vienna, which brought Gorky fame on a European scale.
In April 1901, Gorky was arrested in Nizhny Novgorod and taken into custody for participating in student unrest in St. Petersburg, and then in May he was exiled to Arzamas under police supervision, but in August 1902, Gorky’s “case” was discontinued due to insufficient grounds for charges, and the Arzamas exile ended. Gorky did not remain aloof from the revolution of 1905; in the fall he became a member of the Russian Social Democratic workers' party, in exile he writes the novel “Mother”, which marked the beginning of a new direction in literature - socialist realism. In 1913, Gorky returned to Russia and began writing an artistic autobiography. If February revolution While Maxim Gorky met with enthusiasm, his reaction to the events of October 1917 was more contradictory. Nevertheless, already in the 2nd half of 1918, Gorky was an ally of the Bolshevik power, although he demonstrated disagreement with a number of their principles and methods, in particular in relation to the intelligentsia.
3.stage. Emigration period and recent years life. (prepared by a student from group 3). Markin Daniil will tell us about him. (Let’s make a conjecture again),
In 1921, Gorky went abroad to Europe. According to a widespread version, he did this at the insistence of Lenin, who was worried about the health of the great writer due to the worsening of his illness (tuberculosis). In honor of the writer’s 60th birthday in 1928, the Soviet government and Stalin personally invited Gorky to come to the Soviet Union, organizing gala reception. In 1932, Maxim Gorky returned to his homeland for good and became the leader of the new Soviet literature. The great proletarian writer, as he came to be called, conducts active social and organizational work, founds large number printed publications, not forgetting about literary creativity (the plays “Yegor Bulychev and others”, the novel “The Life of Klim Samgin”). In 1934 he headed the Union of Writers of the USSR, created on his initiative. In 1936, on June 18, the news spread across the country that Maxim Gorky had passed away.
The work of Maxim Gorky was controversial nature and was influenced by diverse and significant historical events. The following video will help us highlight these contradictions. (Video clip).
II . Romanticism of young Gorky as an artistic and aesthetic system (characteristics early stage creativity).
Early period Maxim Gorky's work is represented mainly by romantic stories. Wandering around the country, observing the lives of people, Gorky tried to find the unusual, the heroic in everyone. He was looking for a hero - a rebel who rebelled against the injustices of life.M. In his youth, Gorky dreamed of beauty, of goodness, he wanted the world to be bright, full of extraordinary personalities. It is enough to read at least one of his early stories to make sure of this. Motto early works Gorky could choose words from his early poem: “I came into this world to disagree.”
The romantic works of M. Gorky have a number of features, identifying which will be our goal for the near future. But before we begin to analyze the texts, we will listen to a speech about the main features of such a literary movement as romanticism.
(Student’s speech about romanticism and its features, the romanticism of Gorky’s early works). Vitkina Nastya will tell us. (We again record the main points in our notebook).
Romanticism – a direction in literature, a special type of creativity, characteristic feature which is the display and reproduction of life outside the real concrete connections of a person with surrounding reality, a depiction of an exceptional personality, often lonely and dissatisfied with the present, striving for a distant ideal and therefore in sharp conflict with society and people.
Features of romanticism: (write it down guys right away)
proclamation of the human personality, complex, deep;
affirmation of inner infinity, human individuality;
interest in everything strong, bright, sublime;
attraction to fantasy, conventional forms, a mixture of low and high, comic and tragic, ordinary and unusual;
the hero's painful experience of discord with reality;
the hero's refusal of the ordinary;
the individual’s desire for absolute freedom, for spiritual perfection, an unattainable ideal.
In a letter to Pyatnitsky dated July 25, 1900, Gorky writes: “The task of literature is to capture in colors, words, sounds, and forms what is best, beautiful, honest, noble in a person. In particular, my task is to awaken a person’s pride in himself, to tell him that he is the best, the most sacred thing in life and that besides him there is nothing worthy of attention. World – the fruit of his creativity, God is a particle of his mind and heart...” The writer understands that in reality modern life a person is oppressed and powerless, and therefore says: "It's time for romance."
It was the group of romantic stories that was perceived as a kind of business card young writer, it was they who testified to the arrival in literature of a writer who stood out sharply against the background of his predecessors. The works of this period of Gorky's creativity are dominated by the features of romanticism. First of all, because they examine the romantic problem of a strong man’s confrontation with the world around him, as well as the problem of man as an individual in general. It is the problem of freedom that becomes the central problem of the writer’s early stories. The action of stories and legends is transferred to conditions that are fantastic for real life. The world of the works is sharply divided into light and darkness, and these differences are important when assessing the characters: after Larra there remains a shadow, after Danko there are sparks. In Gorky's early stories of this period, the lyrical element prevails over the epic. Folklore motifs are often heard, and there are frequent cases of reference to biblical subjects and images. He animates nature. Man and nature are often identified and can even speak. Animals and birds acting in the stories become symbols (Uzh and Falcon). Using the genre of legend allows the writer to most clearly express his thoughts and ideas in allegorical form. The young writer is interested in character, personality as a manifestation of the individual, the special. This is the brightness, exclusivity of their characters, which distinguished them from those around them, and the drama of their relationship with the world of everyday reality, and fundamental loneliness. Two qualities are especially noticeable in Gorky’s romantic heroes: pride and strength, which force them to defy fate and boldly strive for boundless freedom, even if they have to sacrifice their lives for the sake of freedom. Gorky's romantic heroes: strong, proud, freedom-loving,
lonely, special, bright, unusual, strong, mysterious. And the main romantic works of M. Gorky were “Makar Chudra” and “Old Woman Izergil”.
III . Analysis of romantic stories by M. Gorky (“Makar Chudra” and “Old Woman Izergil”).
We remembered the main features of the romantic works of M. Gorky, and our task in the lesson is to analyze the romantic stories of A. M. Gorky “Makar Chudra” and “Old Woman Izergil”.
Now we will divide into groups, each of which will receive an assignment for one of the stories.
Group 1 – work with the story “Makar Chudra”, where you need to determine:
2. Find a description of the romantic heroes: Loiko Zobar and Rada:
Appearance (according to text)
Groups 2 and 3 will work with the story “Old Woman Izergil”
Group 2 – work with the episode “The Legend of Larra” (for the same tasks).
1. Features of the story composition (theme and nature of the conflict)
2. Find a description of the romantic hero Lara:
Appearance (according to text)
Character Traits (prove with text)
Group 3 – work with the episode “The Legend of Danko” (for the same tasks).
1. Features of the story composition (theme and nature of the conflict)
2. Find a description of the romantic hero Danko:
Appearance (according to text)
Character Traits (prove with text)
As part of working on these tasks, you will have to fill out the table that you see on the slide. When filling out the table, refer to the works, remember what you read about at home.
(We are working with tables and texts)
Let's see what conclusions each of the groups came to, what features of the romantic stories the guys identified.
Group 1 worked with the story “Makar Chudra”. Let's watch the excerpt from a film based on this work directed by Emil Loteanu, filmed in 1976. The film is called “The Camp Goes to the Sky” (Roller “Song of the Rada”).
Well, let's see how you analyzed this work (working with table No. 1).
| 1. Theme of the work | About the values of life, about choice: |
| 2. Nature of the conflict | |
|
| |
| 4. Features of the destinies of heroes | |
|
| |
Group 2 worked with the legend of Larra from the story “Old Woman Izergil”. And we will watch a video on this legend prepared by a student I course of our technical school (Sukhov's video).
A Now let's turn to your analyzes of this legend (working with table No. 2).
| 1. Theme of the work | About the meaning of life: (Despises people, refers to |
| 2. Nature of the conflict | |
|
| Pride, selfishness, extreme individualism, cruelty |
| 4. Features of the hero’s fate | |
|
| Anti-ideal, condemns him |
Group 3 worked with the legend of Danko from the story “Old Woman Izergil”. This legend will be illustrated for us by another video (Video of the Legend).
And working with this legend, we turn to the analyzes that group 3 did (work with table No. 3).
| 1. Theme of the work | About the meaning of life: |
| 2. Nature of the conflict | |
| 3. The hero’s appearance and distinctive character traits | mercy, courage, skill suppress pride |
| 4. Features of the hero’s fate | Blue sparks (light, heat) |
| 5. The writer’s attitude towards the hero | |
Thanks guys, you did a really good job. And as you have seen, in his stories Gorky shows us heroes traditional for romantic works, freedom-loving, proud, wayward, but lonely. Those people who cannot come to terms with human imperfection, who are ready to challenge society, the elements, everything that contradicts ideas about freedom and dignity. Saw author's attitude to them.
Now let’s summarize the knowledge that you received in today’s lesson, take a test on “Biography and Works of M. Gorky” using 2 options (1 option - odd tasks, 2 option - even tasks). The approximate time allotted for completing the test is 10 minutes. Bug fixes. We close the notebooks. Let's start working. Now let’s do a self-test, look at the correct answers on the slide and give yourself a + for the correct answers and a - for the wrong ones. Count them. And rate yourself according to the following criteria. If you succeed:
From 5-6 correct answers - “3”;
From 7-8 correct answers – “4”;
From 9-10 correct answers – “5”.
IV
.
Conclusion
.
Teacher's word.
Gorky wrote: “Feats are needed! Feats! We need words that would sound like an alarm bell, disturb everything and, shaking, push us forward. I saw that the people around me were not capable of feats... and it was difficult to understand what was interesting in their lives? I don’t want to live such a life...” He became the savior of people from their weakness and worthlessness romantic hero. He is the embodiment of spiritual impulse, justice, and a full-blooded, happy life.
V
. Reflection.
This brings us to the end of our lesson. Let's think about what each of you learned new about the life of our fellow countryman-writer, what you learned during these 2 hours.Questions (on slide):
- What did I learn in class today?
- Was the topic of the lesson interesting for me?
- Am I satisfied with my work?
- What made me think?
-What do I remember most?
Based on what you said, I can conclude that our lesson was fruitful, you learned a lot about the life and work of Maxim Gorky, about the life of his heroes, their characters, and motives for their actions.
All the guys who prepared messages for today's lesson receive excellent marks. For active work in the process of analyzing works (names of students), ______________________ receive grades _________ (4 and 5). And please hand in your notebooks with written work (supporting notes and analysis of works) for checking.
VI . Homework: read M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths.”
Literature:
1.Literature: textbook for students, in 2 parts, ed. G.A. Obernikhina – 6th ed. – M.: Publishing Center« Academy", 2014
2. Egorova N. Lesson developments in Russian literature of the twentieth century. 11th grade. – M.: VAKO, 2007
3. Zhuravlev V. et al. Russian literature of the twentieth century. (Parts 1, 2). 11th grade – M., 2007.
4. Marantsman V. Literature (parts 1, 2). 11th grade – M., 2009.
5. Musatov V. History of Russian literature of the first half of the twentieth century. – M., 2001.
6. Petelin V. “I am a convict who worked for others all my life...”. // Literature at school. – 2008. - No. 7. – p.18-24.
7.Primochkina N. Gorky today. // Literature at school. – 2008. - No. 7. – p.2-6.
8. Toropchina L. “I came into the world to disagree...” - About the work of M. Gorky, about the heroes of his works. // Literature. – 2008. - No. 14. - With. 11 – 14.
9. Sorokina S. Walking through Capri, checking with Gorky // Echo of the Planet. – 2006. - No. 3. - With. 22 – 27.
10.Internet resources
Appendix No. 1
| Analysis of the story “Makar Chudra” |
|
| 1. Theme of the work | |
| 2. Nature of the conflict | |
| 3. Appearance of the 2 main characters and distinctive character traits | |
| 4. Features of the destinies of heroes | |
| 5. The writer’s attitude towards the characters | |
Appendix No. 1 Table to fill out for the story “Makar Chudra”
| Analysis of the story “Makar Chudra” |
|
| 1. Theme of the work | About the values of life, about choice: (About love, about will and freedom, ready to die for it). |
| 2. Nature of the conflict | Both of them have such a strong desire for personal freedom that they even look at their love as a chain that fetters their independence. Each of them, declaring their love, sets their own conditions, trying to dominate. |
| 3. Appearance of the 2 main characters and distinctive character traits | “You can’t say anything about her, this Radda, in words. Perhaps its beauty could be played on a violin, and even then to someone who knows this violin like his own soul.” “So here he is, Loiko Zobar! The mustache lay on the shoulders and mixed with the curls, the eyes glow like clear stars, and the smile is the whole sun, by God! It’s as if he was forged from one piece of iron along with the horse.” For Loiko, the highest value is freedom, frankness and kindness: “He loved only horses and nothing else... He had nothing cherished - you need his heart, he himself would tear it out of his chest and give it to you, if only it would make you feel good was". Radda is so proud that her love for Loiko cannot break her: “I have never loved anyone, Loiko, but I love you. And I also love freedom! Will, Loiko, I love you more than you.” |
| 4. Features of the destinies of heroes | An insoluble contradiction between Radda and Loiko - love and pride, which can only be resolved by death. And the heroes refuse love, happiness and prefer to die in the name of will and absolute freedom. |
| 5. The writer’s attitude towards the characters | Gorky performed a hymn to a wonderful and strong man. The desire for achievement, the worship of strength, the glorification of freedom. |
Appendix No. 2
| Analysis of the story “The Legend of Larra” |
|
| 1. Theme of the work | |
| 2. Nature of the conflict | |
| 3. The hero’s appearance and distinctive character traits | |
| 4. Features of the hero’s fate | |
| 5. The writer’s attitude towards the hero | |
Appendix No. 2 Table to fill out for the story about Lara.
| Analysis of the story “The Legend of Larra” |
|
| 1. Theme of the work | About the meaning of life: (Despises people, refers to arrogantly, does not take them into account) |
| 2. Nature of the conflict | The conflict between the crowd and the hero (which is based on his pride, extreme individualism, he treats people with contempt and arrogance, considers himself the first on earth). |
| 3. The hero’s appearance and distinctive character traits | “..A young man, handsome and strong...he was no better than them, only his eyes were cold and proud, like those of the king of birds. And they talked to him, and he answered if he wanted, or remained silent..." Pride, selfishness, extreme individualism, cruelty |
| 4. Features of the hero’s fate | Loneliness and eternal existence (immortality). Turns into shadow (darkness, cold) |
| 5. The writer’s attitude towards the hero | Anti-ideal, condemns him actions, anti-human essence. |
Appendix No. 3
| Analysis of the story “The Legend of Danko” |
|
| 1. Theme of the work | |
| 2. Nature of the conflict | |
| 3. The hero’s appearance and distinctive character traits | |
| 4. Features of the hero’s fate | |
| 5. The writer’s attitude towards the hero | |
Appendix No. 3 Table to fill out for the story about Danko
| Analysis of the story “The Legend of Danko” |
|
| 1. Theme of the work | About the meaning of life: (Ready to sacrifice my life to save people) |
| 2. Nature of the conflict | Conflict between the crowd and the hero (since the path turned out to be difficult, many died along the way; now the crowd is disappointed in Danko, they are ready to tear him to pieces, but he is driven by love for people) |
| 3. The hero’s appearance and distinctive character traits | “Danko is one of those people, a handsome young man. Handsome ones are always brave... They looked at him and saw that he was the best of all, because a lot of strength and living fire shone in his eyes.” Love, compassion, courage, mercy, courage, skill suppress pride |
| 4. Features of the hero’s fate | Danko accomplishes a feat, saving people, he leads them out of darkness to light and harmony, tearing out his heart from his chest. Blue sparks (light, heat) |
| 5. The writer’s attitude towards the hero | Ideal, glorifies his beauty, courage, feat for the sake of love for people |
Alexey Peshkov, better known as the writer Maxim Gorky, is a cult figure in Russian and Soviet literature. He was nominated five times Nobel Prize, was the most published Soviet author throughout the existence of the USSR and was considered on a par with Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin and the main creator of Russian literary art.
Alexey Peshkov - future Maxim Gorky | Pandia
He was born in the town of Kanavino, which at that time was located in the Nizhny Novgorod province, and is now one of the districts of Nizhny Novgorod. His father Maxim Peshkov was a carpenter, and in the last years of his life he managed a shipping company. Vasilievna’s mother died of consumption, so Alyosha Peshkova’s parents were replaced by her grandmother Akulina Ivanovna. From the age of 11, the boy was forced to start working: Maxim Gorky was a messenger at a store, a barman on a ship, an assistant to a baker and an icon painter. The biography of Maxim Gorky is reflected by him personally in the stories “Childhood”, “In People” and “My Universities”.
Photo of Gorky in his youth | Poetic portal After an unsuccessful attempt to become a student at Kazan University and arrest due to connections with a Marxist circle future writer became a watchman at railway. And at the age of 23, the young man set off to wander around the country and managed to reach the Caucasus on foot. It was during this journey that Maxim Gorky briefly wrote down his thoughts, which would later become the basis for his future works. By the way, the first stories of Maxim Gorky also began to be published around that time.
Alexey Peshkov, who took the pseudonym Gorky | Nostalgia Having already become a famous writer, Alexey Peshkov leaves for the United States, then moves to Italy. This did not happen at all because of problems with the authorities, as some sources sometimes present, but because of changes in family life. Although abroad, Gorky continues to write revolutionary books. He returned to Russia in 1913, settled in St. Petersburg and began working for various publishing houses.
It is curious that with all the Marxist views October Revolution Peshkov was quite skeptical. After the Civil War, Maxim Gorky, who had some disagreements with new government, again leaves abroad, but in 1932 finally returns home.
Writer
The first published story by Maxim Gorky was the famous “Makar Chudra,” which was published in 1892. And the two-volume “Essays and Stories” brought fame to the writer. Interestingly, the circulation of these volumes was almost three times higher than what was usually accepted in those years. Of the most popular works of that period it is worth noting the stories “Old Woman Izergil”, “ Former people", "Chelkash", "Twenty six and one", as well as the poem "Song of the Falcon". Another poem, “Song of the Petrel,” has become a textbook. Maxim Gorky devoted a lot of time to children's literature. He wrote a number of fairy tales, for example, “Sparrow”, “Samovar”, “Tales of Italy”, published the first special children's magazine and organized holidays for children from poor families.
Legendary Soviet writer | Kyiv Jewish Community Very important for understanding the writer’s work are Maxim Gorky’s plays “At the Lower Depths,” “The Bourgeois” and “Yegor Bulychov and Others,” in which he reveals the playwright’s talent and shows how he sees the life around him. The stories “Childhood” and “In People” are of great cultural significance for Russian literature. social novels“Mother” and “The Artamonov Case”. Last job Gorky’s epic novel “The Life of Klim Samgin” is considered, which has a second title “Forty Years”. The writer worked on this manuscript for 11 years, but never managed to finish it.
Personal life
The personal life of Maxim Gorky was quite stormy. For the first time and officially the only time he got married at 28. The young man met his wife Ekaterina Volzhina at the Samara Newspaper publishing house, where the girl worked as a proofreader. A year after the wedding, a son, Maxim, appeared in the family, and soon a daughter, Ekaterina, named after her mother. The writer was also raised by his godson Zinovy Sverdlov, who later took the surname Peshkov.
With his first wife Ekaterina Volzhina | LiveJournal But Gorky's love quickly disappeared. He began to feel burdened family life and their marriage to Ekaterina Volzhina turned into a parental union: they lived together solely because of the children. When little daughter Katya died unexpectedly, this tragic event became the impetus for the severance of family ties. However, Maxim Gorky and his wife remained friends until the end of their lives and maintained correspondence.
With his second wife, actress Maria Andreeva | LiveJournal After separating from his wife, Maxim Gorky, with the help of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, met the Moscow Art Theater actress Maria Andreeva, who became his de facto wife for the next 16 years. It was because of her work that the writer left for America and Italy. From her previous relationship, the actress had a daughter, Ekaterina, and a son, Andrei, who were raised by Maxim Peshkov-Gorky. But after the revolution, Andreeva became interested in party work and began to pay less attention to her family, so in 1919 this relationship came to an end.
With third wife Maria Budberg and writer H.G. Wells | LiveJournal Gorky himself put an end to it, declaring that he was leaving for Maria Budberg, a former baroness and part-time his secretary. The writer lived with this woman for 13 years. The marriage, like the previous one, was unregistered. Maxim Gorky's last wife was 24 years younger than him, and everyone he knew knew that she was having affairs on the side. One of Gorky's wife's lovers was an English science fiction writer H.G. Wells, to whom she left immediately after the death of her actual spouse. There is a huge possibility that Maria Budberg, who had a reputation as an adventurer and clearly collaborated with the NKVD, could be a double agent and also work for British intelligence.
Death
After his final return to his homeland in 1932, Maxim Gorky worked in newspaper and magazine publishing houses, created a series of books “History of Factories and Works”, “Poet’s Library”, “History of the Civil War”, organized and conducted the First All-Union Congress Soviet writers. After the unexpected death of his son from pneumonia, the writer wilted. During his next visit to Maxim’s grave, he caught a bad cold. Gorky had a fever for three weeks, which led to his death on June 18, 1936. Body Soviet writer was cremated and the ashes were placed in Kremlin wall on Red Square. But first, Maxim Gorky’s brain was extracted and transferred to the Research Institute for further study.
In the last years of life | Electronic library Later, the question was raised several times that legendary writer and his son could have been poisoned. People's Commissar Genrikh Yagoda, who was the lover of Maxim Peshkov's wife, was involved in this case. They also suspected involvement and even. During the repressions and the consideration of the famous “Doctors’ Case,” three doctors were blamed, including the death of Maxim Gorky.
Books by Maxim Gorky
- 1899 - Foma Gordeev
- 1902 - At the bottom
- 1906 - Mother
- 1908 - The life of an unnecessary person
- 1914 - Childhood
- 1916 - In People
- 1923 - My universities
- 1925 - Artamonov case
- 1931 - Egor Bulychov and others
- 1936 - Life of Klim Samgin
Features of the creativity of M. M. Gorky.
It was as if two people lived in Gorky: an artist and a publicist. And if the publicist called on his brothers to write about Stalin’s camps and did not notice the tragedy of what was happening, then the artist wrote about the fate of the individual in the terrible reality of the twentieth century, which deprives a person of his natural social and creative freedom.
The problem of human freedom or unfreedom - central theme of Gorky's entire work. In the writer’s first stories, it sounded like a hymn to the romantically interpreted complete freedom of the individual from all the shackles of the external social world, but even then it contained doubts about the value of such freedom for a person. Gorky's last work - "The Life of Klim Samgin" - leads the reader to the conclusion about the impossibility of gaining personal freedom in the tragic conditions of Russian reality of the twentieth century.
The question of freedom is a philosophical question, and each era, including literary times, interprets it in its own way, based on the prevailing philosophical principles.
In the new type of realism, the emergence of which is associated with the name of Gorky, a new concept of personality is being formed - a person not simply reacting to the life around him, but creating, realizing himself not in the sphere of private intrigue, but in the public arena. In addition, in a new type of realism, historical time is established as typical circumstances affecting personality, and man, the hero of new literature, is entrusted with being the father of history.
The writer outlines two possible types of relationships between the individual and historical time: contact with it and alienation from it. A person alienated and not alienated from historical time are two poles, two giant differently charged magnets, between which Gorky’s concept of the human personality is formed.
By placing private human destiny in the context of historical time, insisting on the indispensability of this connection, the writer changed the entire system of values proposed by the romantic tradition of the last century. The most important, the most valuable is no longer considered to be the individual, not his right to inner life and secret freedom, as Pushkin insisted, but social life, and the value of the individual is placed in direct dependence on participation in this life.
The traditional proportions of the relationship between man and time in Gorky's works are shifted. Now a person is no longer confined to the narrow confines of his environment, but comes face to face with his era, whether he wants it or not.
Gorky interpreted the relationship between character and history as fatal and saw in it the beginning that elevates a person capable of contact with the leading historical pattern. He perceived a person’s reluctance or inability to make such contact as negative and denied such a hero the right to sympathy and respect.
Thus, in Gorky’s epic there are two objects of depiction: objective reality and the consciousness of the hero, who perceives this reality. The interaction of these two objects forms the conflict between reality and its perception and, ultimately, the problematic of the work.
Romantic stories of Gorky
In his early works, Gorky appears to the reader as a romantic writer. For the romantic consciousness, the correlation of character with circumstances is unthinkable - hence main feature romantic artistic world - two worlds. The confrontation between romance and reality, romance and the surrounding world is the main feature of this literary movement.
This is exactly how the heroes of Gorky’s early romantic stories are presented. Their consciousness and characters, with sometimes mysterious contradictions, become the main subject of the image. An insoluble contradiction between two principles in a romantic character - love and pride
- is thought of as completely natural, and it can only be resolved by death.
The composition of the narrative in romantic stories is subordinated to one goal - to most fully show the image of the main character, and the romantic legend - the most important means to create his image. With its help, the author presents a system of values, shows which personality traits, from the point of view of his heroes, are worthy of respect or contempt. In other words, the heroes thus seem to set a coordinate system, based on which they themselves can be judged.
A very important compositional feature of Gorky’s early romantic stories is the presence of the image of the narrator, who is an autobiographical hero.
It is the close, interested gaze of the autobiographical hero that snatches from the meetings given to him by fate the most interesting and ambiguous characters, which turn out to be the main subject of depiction and research. In them the author sees a manifestation of the folk character of the turn of the century and tries to explore its strengths and weaknesses. Autobiographical view. The hero is realistic, he can understand the limitations of a purely romantic worldview.
Gorky's early work amazes, first of all, with its artistic diversity, unusual for a young writer, and the bold confidence with which he creates works of different colors and poetic intonation. Huge talent artist of the rising class - the proletariat, drawing powerful strength from the “movement of the masses themselves”, emerged already at the very beginning literary work Maxim Gorky.
By acting as a herald of the coming storm, Gorky fell in line with the public mood. In 1920, he wrote: “I began my work as a stirrer of revolutionary sentiment through the glory of the madness of the brave.” Exam questions and answers. Literature. 9th and 11th grades. Tutorial. - M.: AST-PRESS, 2000. - P.214. This applies, first of all, to Gorky’s early romantic works. In the 1890s. he wrote the stories “Makar Chudra”, “Old Woman Izergil”, “Khan and His Son”, “Mute”, “Return of the Normans from England”, “Blindness of Love”, fairy tales “The Girl and Death”, “About the Little Fairy and the Young Shepherd” ”, “Song of the Falcon”, “Song of the Petrel”, “Legend of Marco”, etc. All of them are distinguished by one feature, which can be defined in the words of L. Andreev: “the taste of freedom, something free, broad, bold.” Gorky M. Prose. Dramaturgy. Journalism. - M.: Olimp; LLC "AST Publishing House", 1999. - P.614. In all of them there is a motif of rejection of reality, confrontation with fate, and a daring challenge to the elements. In the center of these works is the figure of a strong, proud, brave man, not submitting to anyone, unbending. And all these works, like living gems, shimmer with unprecedented colors, spreading a romantic glow around.
The story “Makar Chudra” is a statement of the ideal of personal freedom
At the center of Maxim Gorky's early works are exceptional characters, strong in spirit and proud people who, according to the author, “have the sun in their blood.” This metaphor gives rise to a number of similar images associated with the motif of fire, sparks, flame, and torch. These heroes have burning hearts. This feature is characteristic not only of Danko, but also of the characters in Gorky’s first story, “Makar Chudra.” Rogover E.S. Russian literature of the twentieth century. To help school graduates and applicants: Study guide. - St. Petersburg: “Paritet”, 2002. - P.131.
The old gypsy Makar Chudra begins his story to the brooding melody of the splashing of the oncoming waves. From the very first lines, the reader is overwhelmed by a feeling of the unusual: the boundless steppe on the left and the endless sea on the right, the old gypsy lying in a beautiful strong pose, the rustling of coastal bushes - all this sets the mood for a conversation about something intimate, the most important. Makar Chudra slowly talks about man’s calling and his role on earth. “A person is a slave as soon as he is born, a slave all his life and that’s it,” argues Makar. Gorky M. Prose. Dramaturgy. Journalism. - M.: Olimp; LLC "AST Publishing House", 1999. - P.18. And he contrasts this with his own: “A person will be born to know what freedom is, the expanse of the steppe, to hear the voice of the sea wave”; “If you live, then you become kings over the whole earth.”
This idea is illustrated by the legend of the love of Loiko Zobar and Rada, who did not become slaves to their feelings. Their images are exceptional and romanticized. Loiko Zobar has “eyes like clear stars, and a smile like the whole sun.” Ibid., p.21. When he sits on a horse, it seems as if he was forged from one piece of iron along with the horse. Zobar's strength and beauty are not inferior to his kindness. “You need his heart, he himself would tear it out of his chest and give it to you, if only it would make you feel good.” Ibid., p.20. The beautiful Rada matches. Makar Chudra calls her an eagle. “You can’t say anything about her in words. Perhaps its beauty could be played on a violin, and even those who know this violin like their soul.”
The proud Rada for a long time rejected the feelings of Loiko Zobar, because will was more valuable to her than love. When she decided to become his wife, she set a condition that Loiko could not fulfill without humiliating himself. An insoluble conflict leads to tragic ending: heroes die, but remain free, love and even life are sacrificed to the will. In this story we appear for the first time romantic image loving human heart: Loiko Zobar, who could tear the heart out of the chest for the happiness of his neighbor, checks whether his beloved has a strong heart and plunges a knife into it. And the same knife, but in the hands of soldier Danila, strikes Zobar’s heart. Love and the thirst for freedom turn out to be evil demons that destroy people's happiness. Together with Makar Chudra, the narrator admires the strength of character of the heroes. And together with him, he cannot answer the question that runs like a leitmotif through the entire story: how to make people happy and what happiness is.
In the story “Makar Chudra” two different understandings happiness. The first is in the words of the “strict man”: “Submit to God, and he will give you everything you ask.” Ibid., p.18. This thesis is immediately debunked: it turns out that God did not give “ to a strict person» even clothes to cover the naked body. The second thesis is proven by the fate of Loiko Zobar and the Rada: will more valuable than life, happiness is in freedom. Romantic worldview young Gorky goes back to the famous Pushkin words: “There is no happiness in the world, but there is peace and will...”
The story “Old Woman Izergil” - awareness of a person’s personality
On the seashore near Akkerman in Bessarabia, the author of the old woman’s legend, Izergil, listens. Everything here is full of atmospheric love: the men are “bronze, with lush black mustaches and thick shoulder-length curls,” the women are “cheerful, flexible, with dark blue eyes, also bronze.” The author's imagination and the night make them irresistibly beautiful. Nature harmonizes with the author’s romantic mood: the foliage sighs and whispers, the wind plays with the silky hair of women.
The old woman Izergil is depicted in contrast: time has bent her in half, a bony body, dull eyes, a creaky voice. Ruthless time takes away beauty and with it love. The old woman Izergil talks about her life, about her lovers: “Her voice crunched, as if the old woman was speaking with bones.” Gorky leads the reader to the idea that love is not eternal, just as man is not eternal. What remains in life for centuries? Gorky put two legends into the mouth of the old woman Izergil: about the eagle’s son Lara, who considered himself the first on earth and wanted happiness only for himself, and about Danko, who gave his heart to people.
The images of Lara and Danko are sharply contrasting, although both of them are brave, strong and proud people. Lara lives according to the laws of the strong, to whom “everything is permitted.” He kills the girl because she did not submit to his will, and steps on her chest with his foot. Lara's cruelty is based on a sense of superiority strong personality above the crowd. Gorky debunks popular late XIX V. ideas German philosopher Nietzsche. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche argued that people are divided into strong (eagles) and weak (lambs) who are destined to be slaves. Nietzsche's apology for inequality, the idea of the aristocratic superiority of the chosen over all others were subsequently used in the ideology and practice of fascism. Spiridonova L.A. “I came into the world to disagree.”
In the legend of Lara, Gorky shows that a Nietzschean who professes the morality “everything is permitted to the strong” will face loneliness, which worse than death. “His punishment is in himself,” says the wisest of people after Lara commits a crime. And Lara, doomed to eternal life and eternal wandering turns into a black shadow, dried up by the sun and winds. Condemning an egoist who only takes from people without giving anything in return, the old woman Izergil says: “For everything that a person takes, he pays with himself, with his mind and strength, sometimes with his life.”
Danko pays with his life, performing a feat in the name of people's happiness. The blue sparks that flare up at night in the steppe are the sparks of his burning heart, which illuminated the path to freedom. The impenetrable forest, where the giant trees stood like a stone wall, the greedy mouth of the swamp, strong and evil enemies gave birth to fear among people. Then Danko appeared: “What will I do for people,” Danko shouted louder than thunder. And suddenly he tore his chest with his hands and tore his heart out of it and raised it high above his head. It burned as brightly as the sun, and brighter than the sun, and the whole forest fell silent, illuminated by this torch of great love for people, and the darkness scattered from its light...”
As we have seen, the poetic metaphor of “giving your heart to your loved one” arose both in the story “Makar Chudra” and in the fairy tale about the little fairy. But here it turns into an expanded poetic image, interpreted literally. Gorky invests a new one high meaning into an erased banal phrase that has accompanied declarations of love for centuries: “to give your hand and heart.” Danko's living human heart became a torch illuminating the path to a new life for humanity. And although the “cautious man” nevertheless stepped on him, blue sparks in the steppe forever remind people of Danko’s feat.
The meaning of the story “Old Woman Izergil” is determined by the phrase “In life there is always a place for exploits.” The daredevil Danko, who “burned his heart for people and died without asking them for anything as a reward for himself,” expresses Gorky’s innermost thought: the happiness and will of one person are unthinkable without the happiness and liberation of the people.
“Song of the Falcon” - a hymn to action in the name of freedom and light
“The madness of the brave is the wisdom of life,” Gorky states in “Song of the Falcon.” The main method by which this thesis is affirmed is a dialogue between two different “truths”, two worldviews, two contrasting images - the Falcon and the Snake. The writer used the same technique in other stories. The free shepherd is the antipode of the blind Mole, the egoist Lara is opposed to the altruist Danko. In “The Song of the Falcon,” a hero and a tradesman appear before the reader. Smug Already convinced of the inviolability of the old order. He feels great in the dark gorge: “warm and damp.” Heaven for him - empty space, and Falcon, who dreams of flying into the sky, is a real madman. With poisonous irony, Already claims that the beauty of flying is in the fall.
In the soul of the Falcon lives an insane thirst for freedom and light. By his death, he confirms the rightness of the feat in the name of freedom.
The death of the Falcon is at the same time a complete debunking of the “wise” Snake. In “Song of the Falcon” there is a direct echo with the legend of Danko: blue sparks of a burning heart flash in the darkness of the night, forever reminding people of Danko. The death of the Falcon also brings him immortality: “And drops of your hot blood, like sparks, will flare up in the darkness of life and will ignite many brave hearts with an insane thirst for freedom and light!”
From work to work in Gorky’s early work, the theme of heroism grows and crystallizes. Loiko Zobar, Rada, the little fairy commit crazy things in the name of love. Their actions are extraordinary, but this is not yet a feat. The girl, who comes into conflict with the king, boldly defeats Fear, Fate and Death (“The Girl and Death”). Her courage is also the madness of the brave, although it is aimed at protecting personal happiness. Lara’s courage and audacity lead to a crime, for he, like Pushkin’s Aleko, “only wants freedom for himself.” And only Danko and Sokol, by their death, affirm the immortality of the feat. So the problem of the will and happiness of an individual person fades into the background, replaced by the problem of happiness for all humanity. “The Madness of the Brave” brings moral satisfaction to the daredevils themselves: “I go to burn as brightly as possible and to illuminate the darkness of life more deeply. And death for me is my reward! - declares Gorky's Man. Spiridonova L.A. “I came into the world to disagree.” Gorky's early romantic works awakened the consciousness of the inferiority of life, unfair and ugly, and gave birth to the dream of heroes rebelling against the orders established over centuries.
The revolutionary romantic idea determined artistic originality Gorky's works: pathetic sublime style, romantic plot, fairy tale genre, legends, songs, allegories, conventionally symbolic background of action. In Gorky's stories it is easy to detect the exceptional character, setting, and language characteristic of romanticism. But at the same time, they contain features characteristic only of Gorky: a contrasting comparison of the hero and the tradesman, the Man and the slave. The action of the work, as a rule, is organized around a dialogue of ideas; the romantic frame of the story creates a background against which the author’s thought appears prominently. Sometimes such a frame is a landscape - a romantic description of the sea, steppe, thunderstorm. Sometimes - a harmonious harmony of the sounds of a song. The importance of sound images in Gorky’s romantic works is difficult to overestimate: the melody of the violin sounds in the story of the love of Loiko Zobar and Rada, the whistle of the free wind and the breath of a thunderstorm - in the tale of the little fairy, “wonderful music of revelation” - in the “Song of the Falcon”, a menacing roar storms - in “Song of the Petrel”. The harmony of sounds complements the harmony of allegorical images. The image of an eagle as a symbol of a strong personality arises when characterizing heroes who have Nietzschean traits: the eagle Rada, free as an eagle, the shepherd, the son of the eagle Lara. The image of the Falcon is associated with the idea of an altruistic hero. Makar Chudra calls a falcon a storyteller who dreams of making all people happy. Finally, the Petrel symbolizes the movement of the masses themselves, the image of future retribution.
Gorky generously uses folklore motifs and images, retells Moldavian, Wallachian, Hutsul legends that he overheard while wandering around Rus'. The language of Gorky's romantic works is flowery and patterned, melodiously sonorous.
Conclusion
The early work of Maxim Gorky is remarkable different styles, noted by L. Tolstoy, A.P. Chekhov and V.G. Korolenko. The work of young Gorky was influenced by many writers: A.S. Pushkin, Pomyalovsky, G. Uspensky, N.S. Leskova, M.Yu. Lermontov, Byron, Schiller.
The writer turned to both the realistic and romantic movements of art, which in some cases existed independently, but were often whimsically mixed. However, at first, Gorky's works were dominated by the romantic style, standing out sharply for their brightness.
Indeed, features of romanticism predominate in Gorky's early stories. First of all, because they depict a romantic situation of confrontation between a strong man (Danko, Lara, Sokol) and the world around him, as well as the problem of man as an individual in general. The action of the stories and legends is transferred to fantastic conditions (“He stood between the boundless steppe and the endless sea”). The world of the works is sharply divided into light and darkness, and these differences are important when assessing the characters: after Lara there remains a shadow, after Danko there are sparks.
The gap between the heroic past and the pitiful, colorless life in the present, between the “should” and the “existent”, between the great “dream” and the “gray era” was the soil on which the romanticism of early Gorky was born.
All the heroes of Gorky's early works are morally emotional and experience mental trauma, choosing between love and freedom, but they still choose the latter, bypassing love and preferring only freedom.
People of this type, as the writer foresaw, may turn out to be great in extreme situations, in days of disasters, wars, revolutions, but they are most often unviable in the normal course of human life. Today, the problems posed by the writer M. Gorky in his early work are perceived as relevant and pressing for solving the issues of our time.
Gorky, who openly declared at the end of the 19th century about his faith in man, in his mind, in his creative, transformative capabilities, to today continues to arouse readers' interest.
