Early works of M. Gorky

The work of early Gorky should not be reduced only to romanticism: in the 1890s. he created works that were both romantic and realistic in style (among the latter, for example, the stories “The Beggar Woman,” “Chelkash,” “Konovalov” and many others). However, it is the group romantic stories was perceived as a kind 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.

First of all, the type of hero was new. Much in Gorky's heroes made us remember the romantic literary tradition. 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 the fundamental loneliness, rejection, and mystery for others. Gorky's romantics make too stringent demands on the world and the human environment, and in their behavior they are guided by principles that are “crazy” from the point of view of “normal” people.

Two qualities are especially noticeable in Gorky’s romantic heroes: pride and strength, which force them to defy fate, to boldly strive for boundless freedom, even if they have to sacrifice their lives for the sake of freedom. It is the problem of freedom that becomes the central problem early stories writer.

These are the stories “Makar Chudra” and “Old Woman Izergil”. The poeticization of love of freedom itself is a completely traditional feature for the literature of romanticism. It was not fundamentally new for Russian literature and appeal to the conventional forms of legends. What is the meaning of the conflict in Gorky’s early romantic stories, what are the specifically Gorky features of it? artistic embodiment? The uniqueness of these stories lies in the fact that the source of conflict in them is not the traditional confrontation between “good” and “evil,” but the collision of two positive values. This is the conflict of freedom and love in “Makar Chudra” - a conflict that can only be resolved tragically. Loving friend friend Rudd and Loiko Zobar value their freedom so much that they do not allow the thought of voluntary submission to their loved one.

Each of the heroes will never agree to be led: the only role worthy of these heroes is to dominate, even if we're talking about about mutual feeling. “Will, Loiko, I love you more than you,” says Radda. The uniqueness of the conflict lies in the complete equality of equally proud heroes. Unable to conquer his beloved, Loiko at the same time cannot give up on her. Therefore, he decides to kill - a wild, “crazy” act, although he knows that by doing so he sacrifices his pride and his own life.

Likewise The heroine of the story “Old Woman Izergil” also behaves in the sphere of love: feelings of pity or even regret give way to the desire to remain independent. “I was happy... I never met those I once loved,” she tells her interlocutor. “These are not good meetings, it’s like meeting dead people.” However, the heroes of this story are included not only and not so much in love conflicts: it talks about price, meaning and various options for freedom.

The first option is presented by the fate of Larra. This is another “proud” person (such a characteristic in the mouth of the narrator is more likely to be praise than a negative assessment). The story of his “crime and punishment” receives an ambiguous interpretation: Izergil refrains from direct assessment, the tone of her story is epically calm. The verdict was entrusted to the nameless " to a wise man»:

«– Stop! There is punishment. This is a terrible punishment; You wouldn’t invent something like this in a thousand years! His punishment is in himself! Let him go, let him be free. This is his punishment!”

So, Larra’s individualistic freedom, not enlightened by reason, is the freedom of rejection, turning into its opposite - into punishment by eternal loneliness. The opposite “mode” of freedom is revealed in the legend of Danko. With his position “above the crowd,” his proud exclusivity, and finally, his thirst for freedom, at first glance, he resembles Larra. However, the elements of similarity only emphasize the fundamentally different directions of the two “freedoms”. Danko’s freedom is the freedom to take responsibility for the team, the freedom to selflessly serve people, the ability to overcome the instincts of self-preservation and subordinate life to a consciously defined goal. The formula “in life there is always a place for achievement” is an aphoristic definition of this freedom. True, the ending of the story about Danko’s fate is not unambiguous: the people saved by the hero are not at all complimentary attested by Izergil. Admiring the daredevil Danko is complicated here by a note of tragedy.

Central location The story takes up the story of Izergil herself. The framing legends about Larra and Danko are deliberately conventional: their action is devoid of specific chronological or spatial signs, and is attributed to an indefinite deep antiquity. On the contrary, Izergil’s story unfolds against a more or less specific historical background (during the course of the story, well-known historical episodes are mentioned and real place names are used). However, this dose of reality does not change the principles of character development - they remain romantic. The life story of the old woman Izergil is a story of meetings and partings. None of the heroes of her story are awarded detailed description– the metonymic principle dominates in the characterization of the characters (“a part instead of the whole”, one expressive detail - instead of detailed portrait). Izergil is endowed with character traits that bring her closer to the heroes of legends: pride, rebellion, rebellion.

Like Danko, she lives among people, for the sake of love she is capable of heroic act. However, her image does not have the integrity that is present in Danko’s image. After all, the series of her love interests and the ease with which she parted with them evokes associations with Danko’s antipode, Larra. For Izergil herself (namely, she is the narrator), these contradictions are invisible; she tends to bring her life closer to the model of behavior that makes up the essence of the final legend. It is no coincidence that, starting with the story of Larra, her story rushes to Danko’s “pole”.

However, in addition to Izergil’s point of view, the story also expresses another point of view, belonging to that young Russian who listens to Izergil, occasionally asking her questions. This persistent character in Gorky’s early prose, sometimes called “passing,” is endowed with some autobiographical features. Age, range of interests, wandering around Rus' bring him closer to biographical Alexey Peshkov, therefore in literary studies the term “autobiographical hero” is often used in relation to him. There is also another version of the terminological designation - “author-narrator”. You can use any of these designations, although from the point of view of terminological rigor, the concept of “image of the narrator” is preferable.

Often, the analysis of Gorky’s romantic stories comes down to talking about conventional romantic heroes. Indeed, the figures of Radtsa and Loiko Zobar, Larra and Danko are important for understanding Gorky’s position. However, the content of his stories is broader: they themselves romantic stories are not independent, included in a larger narrative structure. Both in “Makar Chudra” and in “Old Woman Izergil” the legends are presented as stories of old people who have seen life. The listener of these stories is the narrator. From a quantitative point of view, this image takes up little space in the texts of the stories. But for understanding the author’s position, its significance is very great.

Let's return to the analysis central plot story "Old Woman Izergil". This segment of the narrative - the heroine’s life story - is framed in a double frame. The inner frame consists of the legends about Larra and Danko, told by Izergil herself. External - landscape fragments and portrait characteristics of the heroine, communicated to the reader by the narrator himself, and his short remarks. The outer frame determines the spatiotemporal coordinates of the “speech event” itself and shows the narrator’s reaction to the essence of what he heard. Internal - gives an idea of ​​the ethical standards of the world in which Izergil lives. While Izergil’s story is directed towards Danko’s pole, the narrator’s meager statements make important adjustments to the reader’s perception.

Those short remarks with which he occasionally interrupts the old woman’s speech, at first glance, are of a purely official, formal nature: they either fill pauses or contain harmless “clarifying” questions. But the very direction of the questions is indicative. The narrator asks about the fate of the “others,” the heroine’s life companions: “Where did the fisherman go?” or “Wait!..Where is the little Turk?” Izergil tends to talk primarily about herself. Her additions, provoked by the narrator, indicate a lack of interest, even indifference, to other people (“The boy? He died, the boy. From homesickness or from love...”).

It is even more important that in the portrait description of the heroine given by the narrator, features are constantly recorded that associatively bring her closer not only to Danko, but also to Larra. Speaking of portraits. Note that both Izergil and the narrator act as “portrait painters” in the story. The latter seems to deliberately use in his descriptions of the old woman certain signs that she endowed legendary heroes, as if “quoting” her.

The portrait of Izergil is given in some detail in the story (“time has bent her in half, her once black eyes were dull and watery,” “the skin on her neck and arms is all cut up with wrinkles,” etc.). Appearance The legendary heroes are presented through individually selected characteristics: Danko - “a handsome young man”, “a lot of strength and living fire shone in his eyes”, Larra - “a handsome and strong young man”, “only his eyes were cold and proud.”

The antithetical nature of the legendary heroes is already given by the portrait; however, the appearance of the old woman combines individual features of both. “I was alive, like a ray of sunshine” - a clear parallel with Danko; “dry, cracked lips”, “wrinkled nose, curved like an owl’s beak”, “dry... skin” - details that echo the features of Larra’s appearance (“the sun dried up his body, blood and bones”). The “shadow” motif common in the description of Larra and the old woman Izergil is especially important: Larra, having become a shadow, “lives for thousands of years”; the old woman - “alive, but withered by time, without a body, without blood, with a heart without desires, with eyes without fire - also almost a shadow.” Loneliness turns out to be the common fate of Larra and the old woman Izergil.

Thus, the narrator does not at all idealize his interlocutor (or, in another story, his interlocutor Makar Chudra). He shows that the consciousness of a “proud” person is anarchic, not enlightened by a clear idea of ​​the price of freedom, and his very love of freedom can take on an individualistic character. That is why the final landscape sketch sets the reader up for concentrated reflection, for the counter activity of his consciousness. There is no straightforward optimism here, the heroism is muted - the pathos that dominated the final legend: “It was quiet and dark in the steppe. The clouds kept crawling across the sky, slowly, boringly... The sea rustled dully and sadly.” The leading principle of Gorky’s style is not spectacular external depiction, as it might seem if only “legends” came into the reader’s field of view. The internal dominant of his work is conceptuality, tension of thought, although this quality of style in his early work is somewhat “diluted” by stylized folk imagery and a tendency towards external effects.

The appearance of the characters and the details of the landscape background in Gorky's early stories are created by means of romantic hyperbolization: showiness, unusualness, “excessiveness” - the qualities of any Gorky image. The very appearance of the characters is depicted with large, expressive strokes. Gorky does not care about the visual concreteness of the image. It is important for him to decorate, highlight, enlarge the hero, and attract the reader’s attention to him. Gorky's landscape is created in a similar way, filled with traditional symbolism and imbued with lyricism.

Its stable attributes are the sea, clouds, moon, wind. The landscape is extremely conventional, it serves as a romantic decoration, a kind of screensaver: “... dark blue patches of sky, decorated with golden specks of stars, sparkled tenderly.” Therefore, by the way, within the same description, the same object can be given contradictory, but equally catchy characteristics. So, for example, initial description moonlit night in “The Old Woman Izergil” contains in one paragraph contradictory friends friend color characteristics. At first, the “disc of the moon” is called “blood-red,” but soon the narrator notices that the floating clouds are saturated with the “blue radiance of the moon.”

The steppe and the sea are figurative signs of the endless space that opens up to the narrator in his wanderings across Rus'. Art space a specific story is organized by the correlation of the boundless world and the “meeting place” of the narrator with the future narrator highlighted in it (the vineyard in “The Old Woman Izergil”, the place by the fire in the story “Makar Chudra”). IN landscape painting The words “strange”, “fantastic” (“fantasy”), “fabulous” (“fairy tale”) are repeated many times. Fine precision gives way to subjective expressive characteristics. Their function is to present an “other”, “unearthly”, romantic world, and contrast it with the dull reality. Instead of clear outlines, silhouettes or “lace shadow” are given; lighting is based on the play of light and shadow.

The external musicality of speech is also noticeable in the stories: the flow of phrases is leisurely and solemn, replete with various rhythmic repetitions. The romantic “excessiveness” of the style is also manifested in the fact that nouns and verbs are entwined in the stories with “garlands” of adjectives, adverbs, participles - whole series of definitions. This stylistic manner, by the way, was condemned by A.P. Chekhov, who friendly advised the young writer: “...Cross out, where possible, the definitions of nouns and verbs. You have so many definitions that the reader finds it difficult to understand and gets tired.”

In Gorky’s early work, “excessive” colorfulness was closely connected with the young writer’s worldview, with his understanding of true life as a free play of unfettered forces, with the desire to introduce a new – life-affirming tonality into literature. Subsequently, M. Gorky’s prose style evolved towards greater conciseness of descriptions, asceticism and accuracy portrait characteristics, syntactic balance of a phrase

In his youth, M. 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 be convinced of this. Motto early works Gorky, one 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. Having a storyteller and a listener is one of them. In many stories, the narration is narrated not by the author himself, but by one of the characters. Stories are often named after them (“Emelyan Pilyai”, “Old Woman Izergil”, “Makar Chudra”). The narration is usually preceded by some insignificant external event: a shadow or sparks, as in “Old Woman Izergil”, or Nonka’s behavior in “Makar Chudra”. The listener conveys a conversation with the narrator, describes the nature around them, portraits of the characters. The listener helps the reader imagine more clearly and fully what the narrator is talking about. But the listener also has his own point of view, often different from the point of view of the narrator. This assessment is not expressed directly. For example, at the end of the story, a vision appears before the listener - the shadows of Radda and Loiko Zobar, to whom the sea sings a hymn, and “the handsome Loiko cannot possibly compare with the proud Radda.” Their appearance at the end of the story helps to understand author's position-no matter how beautiful the romantic heroes are in their desire for absolute freedom, their life is barren and illusory, it can be likened to the very shadows into which Loiko and Radda turned.
The heroes of Gorky's romantic stories are noble, proud, and often overly proud. Therefore, the conflicts of the stories are very intense, the struggle of the heroes is uncompromising. The heroes of the legends told by the old woman Izergil - Danko and Larra - are opposed to each other. Larra's shadow and the sparks of Danko's heart are like two poles: good and evil, selfishness and selflessness. Larra's semi-animal origin becomes a source of selfishness, rather than selflessness and philanthropy. Larra doesn't understand people. He is a shadow, he is immortal and rejected. Danko's immortality is of a different kind. Danko dreams of freeing people from anger, hatred and powerlessness, teaching them to love life and helping them get out of wild forest which they got into. But it is not so easy to transform the human soul, and therefore this very “cautious” person was found who stepped on Danko’s burning heart.
Many storytellers (Izergil, Makar) admire the heroes of their legends and sometimes compare themselves with them, wanting to find similarities or, conversely, not wanting this. And they note with bitterness that “there are fewer and fewer handsome men.”
One more distinguishing feature early Gorky's stories - a bright, multi-colored landscape. According to the author, the strength and power of nature is endless, and only it can help a person strengthen his spirit, become better, kinder, and stop being petty and embittered. The sea, night, moon, stars, endless steppes - all this creates a unique atmosphere of the romantic sublimity of what is being described and helps to better reveal the soul of the heroes.
M. Gorky constantly tried to find a heroic personality not only in legends, but also among the tramps and vagabonds whom he observed during his wanderings around Rus'. An example would be the hero of the story “Chelkash,” who is difficult to classify as positive or negative heroes. But the heroes of the legends Izergil and Makar Chudra were not ideal either. Just remember Loiko Zobar - he was a horse thief, but at the same time he was a noble and passionate person. It is impossible to judge unequivocally about Gavril. Chelkash and Gavrila dream together about the future, remember the past, talk about life. However, Chelkash is much more difficult than Gavrila, because he suffered life ideals which he adhered to. Gavrila is afraid of everything, afraid of Chelkash, afraid of the sea, the elements. Freedom, a concept clearly expressed in Gorky’s early prose, is also perceived differently by them. For Gavrila: “ Went to where do whatever you want.” For Chelkash everything is different. Gorky notes a certain kinship between his protagonist and the sea element. The sea is not only a symbol human existence, mysterious and wonderful, but also correlates with the image human soul- incomprehensible and contradictory.
In my opinion, the brightest and most unifying early work The Gorky line is the idea that a person is imperfect, but within him lies the desire for harmony, freedom and happiness.

Early romantic stories by M. Gorky

“I came into the world to disagree,” these words of Gorky can be attributed to any of his heroes romantic works. Loiko Zobar, Radda, Makar Chudra, Danko, Larra, Izergil - all of them are proud and independent, they are distinguished by personal originality, brightness of nature, exclusivity of passions. Gorky's romanticism was formed in an era seemingly not intended for romanticism - the nineties of the 19th century, however, it was the writer's furious rebellion against the "leaden abominations of life" that gave birth to the concept of a man-doer, the creator of his own destiny: Gorky's romantic heroes do not bow to circumstances, but overcome them. “We need feats, feats!” - Gorky wrote a few months before the creation of the story “Old Woman Izergil” and embodied in his romantic works heroes capable of accomplishing these feats, therefore works with a dramatic, or even tragic ending, reveal a bold, joyful view of the world of the young writer.

"Makar Chudra" (1892)

“Makar Chudra” is the first work that made Gorky famous. The heroes of this story - young gypsies Loiko Zobar and Radda - are exceptional in everything: in appearance, feelings, fate. Radda’s beauty cannot be expressed in words; it “could be played on a violin, and by the one who played the violin. He knows his own soul.” Zobar has “eyes like clear stars, shining,” “a smile like the whole sun, a mustache lay on his shoulders and mixed with his curls.” Makar Chudra cannot hide his admiration for Zobar’s daring, spiritual generosity, and inner strength: “I’ll be damned if I didn’t already love him, before he said a word to me. He was a daring fellow! Was he afraid of anyone? 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. With such a person you become a better person. There are few such people, my friend!” Beauty in Gorky's romantic works becomes a moral criterion: one is right and worthy of admiration simply because one is beautiful.

Matches Zobar and Radda - and she has the same royal pride, contempt for human weakness, no matter what it is expressed in. The large purse of the Moravian magnate, with which he wanted to seduce the proud gypsy, only deserved to be carelessly thrown into the dirt by Radda. It is no coincidence that Radda compares herself to an eagle - independent, high soaring, lonely, because there are few who can match her. “Look for the dove - those are more pliable,” her father Danila advises the tycoon.

The basis of a romantic work is the conflict of the romantic hero with generally accepted values; in this case, two passions collide in the souls of Zobar and Radda - freedom and love as affection, responsibility, submission. “And I can’t live without you, just as you can’t live without me... I’ve never loved anyone, Loiko, I love you. And I also love freedom. Will, Loiko, I love more than you.” Gorky's heroes are faced with a choice that can be called tragic, since it is impossible to make - all that remains is the denial of the very necessity of choice, that is, life. “If two stones roll towards each other, you cannot stand between them - they will mutilate you.” Pride and love cannot be reconciled, since compromise is unthinkable for the romantic consciousness.

Compositional framing plays a special role in Gorky's story. A romantic story, in the center of which there are exceptional characters and situations, affirms a special system of values, into which ordinary, everyday human life does not fit. The antithesis of the narrator and Makar Chudra, who told the legend about the love and death of the proud, handsome gypsies, reveals the dual world characteristic of a romantic work - the inconsistency, the opposition of the everyday view of the world and life philosophy romantic hero. Freedom, not constrained by any attachments - neither to a person, nor to a place, nor to work - this in the eyes of Makar Chudra is the highest value. “This is how you need to live: go, go - and that’s it. Don't stand in one place for a long time - what's in it? Just as they run day and night, chasing each other, around the earth, so you run away from thoughts about life, so as not to stop loving it. And if you think about it, you’ll stop loving life, this always happens.”

"Old Woman Izergil" (1895)

The system of images in the story “Old Woman Izergil” is built on the principle of antithesis, which is typical for a romantic work. Larra and Danko are proud and beautiful, but already in the description of their appearance there is a detail that sharply distinguishes them: Danko has eyes in which “a lot of strength and living fire shone,” and Larra’s eyes were “cold and proud.” Light and darkness, fire and shadow - this will distinguish not only the appearance of Larra and Danko, but also their attitude towards people, their destinies, the memory of them. Danko has a fiery heart in his chest, Larra has a heart of stone, Danko will live in blue steppe sparks even after death, and the ever-living Larra will turn into a shadow. Larra sees nothing but herself. The son of Eagle, a lonely predator, he despises the laws of people, lives by his own laws, obeys only his momentary desires. “The punishment of a person is in himself” - this is why eternal lonely life became for Larra a punishment worse than death.

Burning is the ideal of life for another hero of this story - Danko. Danko saves those people who, from weakness, exhaustion and fear, were ready to kill him, those among whom there was one who stepped on his proud heart. It is no coincidence that Gorky introduces this episode into the artistic fabric of the story: people were poisoned not only by the poisonous fumes of the swamp, but also by fear, they were accustomed to being slaves, it is very difficult to free themselves from this “internal slavery”, and even Danko’s feat is not able to wrest fear out in an instant from human souls. People were frightened by everything: both the road back and the road forward; they blamed Danko, a man endowed with “the courage of the West,” for their weakness. And”, that is, the courage to be first. “People began to reproach him for his inability to manage them; in anger and anger they attacked Danko, the man who walked ahead of them.” Danko gives his life to people, dreaming of awakening light in their souls.

The life of Izergil, the third heroine of the story, was called “rebellious” by Gorky. This life was filled with rapid movement and vivid feelings; extraordinary, brave, strong people often found themselves next to her - especially the red-haired Hutsul and the “lord with the chopped up face.” She left the weak and vile without regret, even if she loved them: “I looked at him from above, and he was floundering there, in the water. I left then. And I never met him again” (about the nun), “Then I gave him kicked him and would have hit him in the face, but he recoiled and jumped up... Then I went too” (about Arcadek).

Izergil was not afraid to sacrifice herself in the name of love, but at the end of her life she was left alone, “without a body, without blood, with a heart without desires, with eyes without fire - also almost a shadow.” Izergil was absolutely free, she stayed with a person as long as she loved him, she always parted without regret and even remembered little of the person with whom she spent part of her life: “Where did the fisherman go? - Fisherman? And he...here... -Wait, where is the little Turk? - Boy? He died...” Izergil put her freedom above attachment to a person, calling it slavery: “I have never been anyone’s slave.”

Another romantic hero of Gorky’s stories can be called nature, which in its exclusivity is akin to Zobar, Radda, Danko, Izergil. Only where there was steppe space and free wind could Gorky’s romantic heroes live. Nature in the story “Old Woman Izergil” becomes one of the characters: it is a living creature that takes part in people’s lives. And just like among people, there is good and evil in nature. The Moldavian night, the description of which precedes the events of the first legend, creates an atmosphere of mystery. Before Larra appears, nature dresses in bloody tones and becomes alarming. In the legend of Danko, nature is hostile to people, but its evil energy was defeated by Danko’s love: with his feat, he overcame the darkness not only in the souls of people, but also in nature: “The sun was shining here; the steppe sighed, the grass glittered in the diamonds of the rain, and the river sparkled with gold.”

The exclusivity and colorfulness of their characters, the desire for freedom and the ability to take decisive actions distinguish all the heroes of Gorky’s romantic works. The words given by the writer to the old woman Izergil have already become an aphorism: “In life, do you know, there is always room for exploits.” This reflects the concept of a human doer capable of transforming the world. At the turn of the century, this concept turned out to be consonant with a time when many already felt the approach of global historical changes.

Romanticism as a movement in literature arose in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and became most widespread in Europe in the period from 1790 to 1830. The main idea of ​​romanticism was the assertion creative personality, and its peculiarity is the violent depiction of emotions. The main representatives of romanticism in Russia were Lermontov, Pushkin and Gorky.

Gorky's romantic mood was prompted by growing discontent in society and the expectation of change. It was thanks to the protest against “stagnation” that images of heroes who were capable of saving the people, leading them out of darkness, and showing them the right path began to appear in the writer’s head. But this path seemed completely different to Gorky, different from his usual existence; the author despised everyday life and saw salvation only in freedom from social shackles and conventions, which was reflected in his early stories.

Historically, this period of Gorky’s creativity coincided with the heyday revolutionary movements in Russia, whose views the author clearly sympathized with. He sang the image of a selfless and honest rebel, consumed not by greedy calculations, but by romantic aspirations to change the world for the better and destroy an unjust system. Also, in his works of that time, a craving for freedom and unrealistic ideals was revealed, because the writer had not yet seen the changes, but only had a presentiment of them. When dreams of a new social system took on real shape, his work transformed into socialist realism.

Main features

The main feature of romanticism in Gorky’s work is a clear division of characters into bad and good, that is, there are no complex personalities, a person has either only good qualities, or only bad. This technique helps the author to more clearly show his sympathy and highlight those people who need to be imitated.

In addition, in all of Gorky’s romantic works a love for nature can be traced. Nature is always one of the main acting characters, and all romantic moods are transmitted through her. The writer loved to use descriptions of mountains, forests, seas, endowing every particle of the surrounding world with its own character and behavior.

What is revolutionary romanticism?

The early romantic works of Zhukovsky and Batyushkov were based on the ideas of classicism and, in fact, were a direct continuation of it, which did not correspond to progressive and radical sentiments thinking people that period. There were few of them, so romanticism acquired classic shapes: conflict between the individual and society, an extra person, longing for an ideal, etc. However, time passed, and there were more and more revolutionary-minded citizens.

Divergence between literature and popular interests led to a change in romanticism, to the emergence of new ideas and techniques. The main representatives of the new revolutionary romanticism were Pushkin, Gorky and the Decembrist poets, who, first of all, promoted progressive views on the prospects for the development of Russia. The main theme was folk identity - the possibility of independent existence of peasants, hence the term nationality. New images began to appear, and the main ones among them were the genius poet and hero, capable of saving society at any moment from the impending threat.

Old woman Izergil

IN this story there is a juxtaposition of two heroes, two types of behavior. The first is Danko - an example of that very hero, the ideal who must save the people. He feels free and happy only when his tribe is free and happy. The young man is filled with love for his people, sacrificial love, which personifies the spirit of the Decembrists, who were ready to die for the well-being of society.

Danko saves his people, but at the same time dies himself. The tragedy of this legend is that the tribe forgets its heroes, it is ungrateful, but for the leader this does not matter, because the main reward for the feat is the happiness of the people for whom it was accomplished.

The antagonist is the son of the eagle, Larra, he despised people, despised their way of life and law, he recognized only freedom, turning into permissiveness. He did not know how to love and limit his desires; as a result, he was expelled from the tribe for violating social foundations. Only then did the proud young man realize that without the people he was nothing. When he is alone, no one can admire him, no one needs him. Having shown these two antipodes, Gorky brought everything to one conclusion: the values ​​and interests of the people should always be higher than your values ​​and interests. Freedom is to free people from the oppression of the tyranny of the spirit, ignorance, that darkness that hid behind the forest, unfit for life for the Danko tribe.

It is obvious that the author follows the canon of romanticism: here is the confrontation between the individual and society, here is the longing for the ideal, here is the proud freedom of loneliness and extra people. However, the dilemma about freedom was not resolved in favor of Larra’s proud and narcissistic loneliness; the writer despises this type, glorified by Byron (one of the founders of romanticism) and Lermontov. Its perfect romantic hero- this is the one who, being above society, does not renounce it, but helps it even when it persecutes the savior. In this feature, Gorky is very close to the Christian understanding of freedom.

Makar Chudra

In the story “Makar Chudra,” freedom is also the main value for the heroes. The old gypsy Makar Chudra calls her the main treasure of a person; in her he sees an opportunity to preserve his “I”. Revolutionary romanticism It is colorfully manifested precisely in this understanding of freedom: the old man claims that under conditions of tyranny a moral and gifted individual will not develop. This means that it is worth taking risks for the sake of independence, because without it the country will never become better.

Loiko and Radda have the same message. They love each other, but see marriage only as chains and shackles, and not as a chance to find peace. As a result, the love of freedom, which so far appears in the form of ambition, since the heroes cannot use it correctly, leads to the death of both characters. Gorky puts individualism above marriage ties, which only lull a person’s creative and mental abilities with everyday worries and petty interests. He understands that it is easier for a loner to sacrifice his life for the sake of freedom, it is easier to gain complete harmony with my inner world. After all, married Danko cannot really rip out the heart.

Chelkash

The main characters of the story are the old drunkard and thief Chelkash and the young village boy Gavrila. One of them was going to go on a “deal,” but his partner broke his leg, and this could complicate the whole operation, and that’s when the experienced rogue met Gavrila. During their conversation, Gorky paid great attention to Chelkash’s personality, noticed all the little things, described his slightest movements, all the feelings and thoughts that arose in his head. The refined psychologism of the image is a clear adherence to the romantic canon.

Nature also occupies a special place in this work, since Chelkash had a spiritual connection with the sea, and his state of mind often depended on the sea. The expression of feelings and moods through the states of the surrounding world is again a romantic trait.

We also see how Gavrila’s character changes over the course of the story, and if at first we felt pity and compassion for him, then in the end they turn into disgust. The main idea of ​​the story is that it doesn’t matter what you look like or what you do, but what’s in your soul is important, the most important thing is to always remain a decent person in any matter. This thought itself carries a revolutionary message: how does it matter what the hero does? Does this mean that the murderer of a dignitary can also be a decent person? Does this mean that a terrorist can blow up His Excellency’s carriage and at the same time maintain moral purity? Yes, this is exactly the kind of freedom the author deliberately allows: not everything is a vice that society condemns. A revolutionary kills, but his motive is sacred. The writer could not say this directly, so he chose abstract examples and images.

Features of Gorky's romanticism

The main feature of Gorky's romanticism is the image of a hero, a certain ideal designed to save the people. He does not renounce the people, but on the contrary wants to lead them to the right path. The main values ​​that the writer exalted in his romantic stories are love, freedom, courage and self-sacrifice. Their understanding depends on the revolutionary sentiments of the author, who writes not only for thinking intelligentsia, but also for a simple Russian peasant, so the images and plots are not ornate and simple. They have the character of a religious parable and are even similar in style. For example, the author very clearly shows his attitude towards each character, and it is always clear who the author likes and who he doesn’t.

Gorky also had nature actor and influenced the heroes of the stories. In addition, its individual parts are symbols that must be perceived allegorically.

The early works (1892-1899) of M. Gorky are filled with a romantic mood. These are “Makar Chudra”, “Old Woman Izergil”, “Song of the Falcon”. It cannot be stated unequivocally that the author’s early stories were created only within the framework of romanticism: Gorky at the same time created and realistic works- “Emelyan Pilyai”, “My Companion”, “Konovalov”, “The Orlov Spouses”, “Malva”, etc. M. Gorky’s romanticism is, first of all, an atmosphere - night, ancient stories and legends, incredible love stories and colorful characters. The main concepts of the author’s romantic works are “freedom”, “independence”, “struggle”, which corresponded to the revolutionary spirit of the times: “ Only he is worthy of life and freedom who goes to battle for them every day"(Goethe).

Romantic stories are born from the desire to contrast the tired, measured, monotonous reality with its spiritual poverty and degradation with the rise of human fantasy, heroism, the desire “for freedom, for light,” the thirst for realization in the world, the passion for recognition. Gorky's heroes stand above everyday life and everyday life. They are not content with the “average”; they strive for the high, the eternal.

The center of the story “Makar Chudra” is the clash of two strong and independent characters – Radda and Loiko Zobar. Both long for love, but this is a different love - love is passion, love is fire, love is beauty And love-freedom, love-independence simultaneously. The heroes' thirst for freedom reaches the extreme: heroes are able to pay for not being subject to someone own life. The love of freedom and beauty of the heroes are poeticized by the author and raised to the ideal. A tragic legend Makar Chudra talks about Radda and Loiko, who contrasts them to modern man: “They are funny, those people of yours. They’re huddled together and crushing each other, and there’s so much room on earth.”

From conflict between heroes M. Gorky in the story “Old Woman Izergil” moves on to conflict "hero-society". This conflict is deeper, psychologically and socially acute. From the numerous legends and stories told by the Old Woman, the images of Larra - the son of a woman and an eagle, Danko - “the best of all”, etc. are born. Larra, for his selfishness and desire to rule over people, was punished with freedom and the impossibility of ending his life earlier than intended: " This is how the man was struck for his pride!" Danko, at the cost of his life, tried to lead his fellow tribesmen to freedom and light: “ 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" But Danko’s sacrifice went unnoticed: because of fatigue, people refused to continue on their way. The story of Izergil herself, which serves as a link between the two legends, is full of dedication and feat, which the author emphasizes the presence of heroism in man.

It is noteworthy that in his stories Gorky brings the private to the level of the global. Thus, in “Makar Chudra” the proud figures of Radda and Loiko turned into the clouds, where the second tries, but cannot overtake the first. In “Old Woman Izergil” the sparks of Danko’s heart turned into “ blue sparks of the steppe that appear before a thunderstorm.”

“Song of the Falcon” depicts the collision of two truths – the truth of the Falcon, “ happiness of battle", and the truth of the Snake: " Fly or crawl, the end is known: everyone will fall into the ground, everything will be dust" Despite the measured and thoughtful position of the Snake, the author is on the side of the “fighting” Falcon: “ The madness of the brave is the wisdom of life».

Contrary to use Gorky's works in revolutionary propaganda, their meaning is deeper: these stories are philosophical reflection the author about the nature of humanity in man.

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