Composition

The novel "The Artamonov Case" was published in 1925. But it was conceived even before the revolution, at the beginning. 900s. This is attested by Gorky himself. In his memoirs about Leo Tolstoy, the writer cites next conversation with Tolstoy, referring to 1902:
“I told him the story of three generations of a merchant families, history, where the law of degeneration acted especially ruthlessly; then he began to excitedly tug at my sleeve, persuading me:
- This is the truth! I know this, there are two such families in Tula. And it needs to be written. Briefly write a big novel, you know? By all means!
And his eyes sparkled eagerly.
- …It is very serious. The one who goes to the monks to pray for his family is wonderful! This is real: you are sinning, and I will go to pray for your sins, And the other one, bored, money-grubbing builder, is also true! And that he drinks, and a beast, a libertine, and loves everything, and suddenly he killed - oh, that's good!
“The history of three generations”, where the “law of degeneration” acted especially ruthlessly”, “the one who goes to the monks to pray for his family”, “bored”, “acquisitive builder” - all these are elements of the plot and the initial sketches of the characters of the Artamonov Case ".
Later, Gorky, in a conversation with V.I. Lenin, told him about his plans. “An excellent topic,” Lenin replied to Gorky, “of course, difficult, it will take a lot of time, I think that you would cope with it, but I don’t see: how will you finish it? Reality does not end. No, this should be written after the revolution.”
Tolstoy saw in the plot told by Gorky, mainly religious and philosophical problems. The center of the story for him is the image. Nikita: "You are sinning, and I will go to pray for your sins." This is for Tolstoy "real". Lenin saw in the vital material that interested Gorky a deep and instructive socio-historical meaning. Lenin stressed that only a revolution could resolve the contradictions of bourgeois-landowner Russia. That is why he advised Gorky to carry out his plan after the revolution, when reality itself would suggest a solution.
Gorky did just that. He wrote “The Artamonov Case” in those years when history decided the fate of the bourgeoisie.
Chronological framework novels are defined by the writer very accurately. The action in The Artamonov Case begins, as Gorky points out, “two years after the will,” in other words, in 1863. last scenes novels date back to 1917.
During this time, the writer develops the history of three generations of the Artamonov family of merchants and manufacturers.
In an extremely concise form, with amazing skill, Gorky draws representatives of the Artamonovs' house - from its rise and flourishing to its collapse and death.
The head of the family and the initiator of the "case" is Ilya Artamonov. He is given relatively little space in the novel. His characterization serves as an introduction to the story.
A former serf, Ilya Artamonov is gifted by nature with energy and enterprise, and even under serfdom he becomes a clerk. After the reform, well rewarded, he comes to the town of Dremov "to set up his own business" - a textile factory. In Ilya are expressed specific features Russian bourgeoisie early period its development. He has strength, industriousness, iron energy, still not completely broken connection with the people from whose bowels he emerged, and at the same time he is cruel and ruthless to people.
Ilya Artamonov energetically invades the life of Dremov, whose very name symbolizes the sleepy life of a quiet and stagnant backwater. But with all the mighty integrity of his nature and the PREDATORY grip in the mind of Ilya Artamonov, the thought of the inferiority and even the doom of his work begins to disdain.

From the first pages of the novel, the author introduces us to the head of the Artamonov family, Ilya, who came to the city to build a plant for the production of linen. Once upon a time, a man worked for rich gentlemen as a clerk, where, after an excellent service, he was released and awarded a significant amount of money.

Ilya has three heirs, who are not at all similar in character to each other. The eldest son Peter is constantly thinking, Leshka, on the contrary, will be able to cheer anyone up, and his work is going well, the youngest was disabled since childhood, but he loved taking care of the plants.

Artamonov, the eldest, visits the headman and talks with him that it would be nice to marry his daughter Natalya to Peter. But Yevsey Mitrich refuses him. He did not like him, and the villagers are unhappy with him. Not only is he too smart, he is also going to build something, disturb the peace of their quiet life.

Soon Baimakov died, and before his death he told his wife that he was giving his blessing for the marriage of his daughter with Peter. Since Ilya was a charming man and loved women, he begins to show signs of attention to the wife of the late elder. Ulyana could not refuse Artamonov, the elder, and for some time they entered into an intimate relationship. But the villagers quickly learned about this case, and began to condemn Ulyana. But, the woman did not listen to anyone, because she was in love.

The construction of the enterprise proceeded on its own. Two daughters are born to Peter, and a little later a son, who was named after his grandfather Ilya. And Artamonov, the elder, dies from a rupture of a vessel in his head, and Peter continues the work of his father. However, his relationship with his son did not go well. Later, the family of Natalia and Peter is added. And it seems that their life goes on peacefully and amicably, but, suddenly, everyone will find out that his younger brother Nikita is in love with Natalya. He is even going to commit suicide out of hopelessness, but he is saved. And then he decides to take the tonsure.

Suddenly, Peter realizes that he doesn’t like doing his father’s business at all. Alexei was also his partner, but he soon has a girlfriend, whom he marries, and he gradually moves away from the management of the factory. And soon he dies, and his son Miron is legally married to a rich city lady.

Following the middle brother, Nikita also leaves for the other world. Peter leads a stupid life. He rejects his firstborn, brings Jacob closer, completely stupid and cunning. But it doesn't make any sense either. He leaves for Moscow, and dies on the way.

The factory becomes restless, the workers refuse to perform their duties. Pyotr Artamonov becomes bankrupt, and soon he dies.

The novel teaches that only together with a specific goal can one achieve high altitudes in your business. Disunity, envy and frivolous attitude can destroy your business that has been created over the years.

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Volume 2. "Problems of Dostoevsky's creativity", 1929. Articles about L. Tolstoy, 1929. Recordings of a course of lectures on the history of Russian literature, 1922-1927 Bakhtin Mikhail Mikhailovich

Gorky "The Artamonov Case"

Gorky "The Artamonov Case"

The novel depicts the history of the family. The duration of the action - the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries - has been brought almost to the present day. One hundred years is required according to the classical scheme for such a task (367) . History is introduced only in connection with actors; independent historical picture not in the novel.

The whole history of the family is accompanied by a janitor who is the same age as his father and outlives his grandchildren. He does not act, but only contemplates and remembers. The person who bears the function of memory is found in Greek tragedies. There, usually the eldest in the family is the personification of family memory. So, in Oedipus Rex, the shepherd and Tiresias know everything. The members of the clan themselves bear retribution, but they do not imagine a single picture. And only after the tragedy is accomplished, consciousness and memory begin to act. Gorky also gives people who are not aware of what is happening, but bear the sin, and people who bear the memory of sin. And since the novel is built, and quite consciously, according to the classical scheme, it, of course, cannot contain sociological moments. In order to carry out such a task, it is necessary to introduce epicness with a mythological admixture into the work. A sociological approach can give a picture of the life of only one generation, which will cover only 30-40 years. In "Foma Gordeev" the search is primitive, the picture is sociological, everyday; there is no history in it, and everything lies on the plane, and not in depth. In "Childhood" everything also lies in everyday life, but not all people are dissolved in it: grandfather and grandmother are almost mythological figures.

In The Artamonov Case, the bearer of sin is the old man himself. He is rooted in the family and in the business. The plant grows and distorts people. People want to break out of it, but the case sucks them in and finally destroys them. The janitor found freedom in abstract contemplation and abstract memory. Nikita went to the monastery, but realized that the monastery is a matter, the same negative force as the factory, and is dying outside the monastery. So at the heart of the novel is the organization and the struggle of people with it. In this sense, "The Artamonov Case" is consonant with "Boris Godunov". Here and there people and things; and all whom they draw in become impostors (368). There is only one way out: that is Pimen's way out. Pimen knows the sin of Godunov and the sin of Dmitry, but he stands outside the world. Outwardly, Tikhon is nothing like Pimen, but he also lives in the memory and consciousness that there is nowhere to escape from sin. So the way out is radical, in Russian: everything is infected with sin, everything that was created on earth was created badly. The only loophole is the image of Elijah. It depicts Lenin: sober, observant. Gorky heroized Lenin, but still skepticism remained, nevertheless - this is not it. In general, Gorky always said that nothing would come of October (369). The peasants are silent for the time being, but when they are convinced that no one will take away their land, they will unscrew the heads of the Bolsheviks. Which is good, Gorky doesn't know how to answer and doesn't want to. Only one thing is clearly stated in the novel: every organization destroys. This idea is made in depth and seriously: not only the bourgeoisie, which drank the blood of the workers, is denied, but Artamonov himself bled out, and nothing came of his family. Deeds make people slaves, freedom is only in vainness. Hence the dream of a naked man on bare earth.

The first third of the novel is very good and completely new in concept. The next thirds are the second edition of Foma Gordeev. Recreated in the first part folk epic; and Gorky managed to create something equivalent to him and without any stylization. best moment is a wedding. Gorky for the first time managed to approach the wedding as an everyday phenomenon. Before him, the wedding was given as a stylization of folk popular prints or from the point of view of the exotic, as in Melnikov-Pechersky. Gorky, on the other hand, has a full, serious image of the wedding.

In the first part, it is remarkably good, Alyosha directly asks for a song, but then he becomes smaller. From epic hero who let the red rooster go, he turns into a typical Gorky hero. Peter from the very beginning is depicted worse than Alyosha, but still he is a living person, and then - Foma Gordeev (370). The duality also affected the style of the novel. In the first part, conversations and reasoning characterize only the characters themselves. There is no agreement, disagreement, polemics with the author. And the face, and the deed, and the exploits of the heroes flow from their essence. Gorky only admires them, strives to manifest their lyrical and psychological depth. In the following parts, he already enriches the heroes with his thoughts, which in most cases are unsuccessful. Therefore, the style of the novel falls apart. With the departure of Nikita to the monastery, another world appears. Gorky, as it were, saw that he would not be able to endure the novel in the style of the first part, and in a different manner he would bring it to the desired end.