Despite the fact that the novel was written a long time ago and is a classic, it still enjoys great popularity among the younger generation. Thanks to the school curriculum, almost everyone knows this novel and the one who wrote it. "The Master and Margarita" is a novel created by the greatest author, Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov.
Indifference to the novel
In relation to this work, it practically does not exist. In fact, readers are divided into two camps: those who love the novel and admire it, and those who simply hate it and also do not recognize Bulgakov's genius. But there is a third, the smallest, category. It can be attributed, perhaps, only to small children. These are those who have not heard about the novel and do not know who the author is.
"The Master and Margarita" is one of the most extraordinary and mysterious. Many writers and literary critics have tried to unravel the mystery of his popularity and success with the reader. To the end, no one has yet succeeded.
Not many can be remembered and named such works that would give rise to so much controversy around themselves. They do not stop talking about Bulgakov's novel to this day. They talk about the biblical component of the plot, about the prototypes of the main characters, about the philosophical and aesthetic roots of the novel, about who the main character is, and even about the genre in which the work is written.
Three stages of writing a novel, according to B. V. Sokolov
The opinions of literary critics about the history of the writing of The Master and Margarita, as well as about the essence of this work, differ. For example, Sokolov, the author of the Bulgakov Encyclopedia, divides the editions of the novel into three stages. He says that work on the work began in 1928. Presumably, it was then that the author of the novel The Master and Margarita conceived it, and began writing individual chapters only in the winter of 1929. Already in the spring of the same year, the first complete edition was handed over. But then it was not yet directly said who the author of the book was, who wrote it. "The Master and Margarita" even then did not appear as the title of the work. The manuscript entitled "Furibunda" was given to the publishing house "Nedra" under the pseudonym K. Tugay. And on March 18, 1930, it was destroyed by the author himself. Thus ends the first stage of the editions of the work, singled out by Boris Vadimovich Sokolov.
The second stage began in the autumn of 1936. And at that time no one knew that the novel would be called the way we are now accustomed to. Bulgakov himself, the one who wrote it, thought differently. "The Master and Margarita" - a work that received different names from its author: "He appeared" and "He appeared", "The Coming", "The Great Chancellor", "Here I am", "Black Magician", "Hat with a Feather" , "Counselor's Hoof" and "Foreigner's Horseshoe", "Black Theologian", and even "Satan". Only one subtitle remained unchanged - "A Fantastic Romance".
And, finally, the third stage - from the second half of 1936 to the end of 1938. At first, the novel was called "The Prince of Darkness", but then it nevertheless acquired such a familiar name for us. And at the beginning of the summer, in 1938, it was completely reprinted for the first time.
Nine editions, according to Losev
V. I. Losev studied the biography and work of Mikhail Afanasyevich for more than twenty years. He divides the history of writing the novel into nine parts, just like the author himself.
- The first edition is "The Black Magician". These are drafts of the novel, the first notebook, written in 1928-1929. There is no Master and Margarita in it yet and there are only four chapters.
- The second is "The Hoof of the Engineer". This is the second draft notebook of the same years. It is like a continuation, the second part of the first edition of the work. There are only three chapters in it, but here the idea of one of the most important parts of the novel has already appeared - this is a section called "The Gospel According to Woland".
- The third is "Evening of a terrible Saturday." Drafts, sketches for the novel, written in 1929-1931. There are also three chapters. And only the case in Griboyedov reached the final version of them.
- The fourth is the "Great Chancellor". First complete manuscript edition. Margarita and her lover are already appearing here. That's just his name is not the Master yet, but the Poet.
- Fifth - "Fantastic novel". These are chapters rewritten and completed in 1934-1936. New details appear, but there are no significant modifications.
- The sixth is the "Golden Spear". This is an unfinished manuscript, torn off at the chapter "Magic Money".
- Seventh - "The Prince of Darkness". The first thirteen chapters of the novel. is not here, and in general everything ends on the appearance of the protagonist. And Berlioz is called Mirtsev here.
- The eighth part is "The Master and Margarita". Complete and mature handwritten revision 1928-1937. And it was this version that was printed by Elena Bulgakova's sister Olga Bokshanskaya.
- The ninth is also The Master and Margarita. The last and final edition, including all the latest additions and comments by Mikhail Afanasyevich. It was published after the death of the writer Elena Sergeevna, his wife, in 1966.
Version of the story of Belobrovtseva and Kuljus
In many ways, their version is similar to that of Losev, since they completely agree with the critic about the first edition. However, they call the chapters of the novel "The Hoof of an Engineer" given to the publishing house "Nedra" as the second edition. It is here that the Master appears for the first time, who is also called Fesey. He plays the role of Faust even without Marguerite. The third version, according to Belobrovtseva and Kuljus, is the Fantastic Novel written by Bulgakov in 1932, where the Master turns from Fesi into the Poet and Margarita already appears. They consider the fourth edition of 1936, the one that was completed for the first time with the word "end". Next comes the work of 1937 - the unfinished novel "The Prince of Darkness". And then the manuscript printed by O. S. Bokshanskaya. Already its editing by the authors is considered the seventh edition. And the eighth and last is the one that was ruled by Bulgakov's wife before his death and was published after his death.
The novel was published in the form in which we know it, for the first time in the Moscow magazine in 1966. The work immediately gained popularity, and Bulgakov's name did not leave the lips of his contemporaries. Then, for sure, no one had a question about who the author of the work was, who wrote it. The Master and Margarita is a novel that made a great impression. And he still holds the mark.
12 years of labor (1928-1940), 8 editions, 6 thick notebooks...
This novel came to the modern reader in the 60s. XX century. And he immediately attracted attention with the unusual plot, sharp satire and deep philosophical meaning. Yes, let's talk. Personally, I have read this novel three times. In the first reading, I was terribly anxious to know how things would turn out for the Master and Margarita, whether their love would withstand the trials that fell to their lot, and whether Margarita would return to her husband. That's right, I read the novel as a fascinating love story. The second reading was devoted to Woland's adventures with the company in Moscow, I read it like a fascinating adventure book. Only the third time I read thoughtfully, consistently, meaningfully. This is the only way that the caustic satire, the love story, and the biblical story came together in my mind.
The master lives in Moscow in the 30s. 20th century, writes a book about events that took place in biblical times, and at the same time freely communicates with Kant, Dostoevsky, Goethe. What is it - an artistic device that connects three worlds, real, biblical and historical, or an attempt to show the truth of being? The images of supernatural forces in the novel are fantastic. But there is another fantasy in the work - a satirical depiction of reality, in the spirit of the traditions of Gogol and Saltykov-Shchedrin.
The artistic composition of the novel represents three worlds - earthly, biblical and Eternity. A conflict between the Master and Berlioz unfolds in the earthly world. How dare he, the Master, describe the life, suffering and death of Christ as historical fact? After all, according to Berlioz, chairman of Mossolit, there is no God. He and his retinue ruthlessly deal with the Master, who dared to write not in the spirit of the dominant ideology. The biblical world is represented by the conflict of state power with the dissent of a wandering philosopher. And although Pontius Pilate has nothing personal against Yeshua Ha-Nozri, but being afraid of a mob rebellion, he does not dare to punish him. This is how the author of the novel shows two tragic deaths, and if Yeshua dies physically, then Pilate dies as a person. The third world, Eternity, is represented by the dispute between the Devil and God about man. In the novel, the author gives the Devil the name Woland and great powers, up to the trial of sinners, but God himself arranges the fate of the Master and Margarita. The love of the Master and Margarita is shown very sincerely. She, Margarita, goes to the Master from a respectable house to the basement, to poverty, because she perceives spiritual kinship and joint creativity as true happiness. They both went to eternity, because it is impossible for them to part. Bulgakov's pure natures are freed from violence, lack of freedom, but not from true love.
The similarity of conflicts in all three of Bulgakov's artistic worlds, their repetition allow us to see the main problem, the struggle between Good and Evil, Light and Darkness, spirituality and lack of spirituality.
The role of Woland in the novel is interesting. At first glance, he distinguishes between the true and the great (the love of the Master and Margarita, the feat of the Master, the repentance of Pilate), exposes the vices (the death of Berlioz, the case of a magic session in the theater, etc.), but does it ruthlessly, inhumanly.
The destiny of mankind is a continuous search for truth. In his novel, Bulgakov tells us that we need to live by comparing our earthly deeds, thoughts and deeds with the heavenly ideals of Goodness and Beauty. The scene of the Great Ball contains the main philosophical idea of the work: a person is free in his moral choice between God and the Devil, therefore neither the ruling ideology, nor the catastrophes experienced by mankind, should release him from responsibility for good on earth.
Perhaps, on this main idea, I will end my story. about Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita
Who pretends to be a specialist in dark magic, in fact, is Satan. The first to meet him at the Patriarch's Ponds is Berlioz, the editor of a major magazine and the poet Ivan Bezdomny. They argue about Christ.
Woland says that Christ actually existed and proves this by predicting death to Berlioz with beheading. And before the eyes of Ivan Bezdomny, Berlioz falls under a tram. The poet Ivan Bezdomny unsuccessfully tries to pursue Woland, then, being in Massolit (Moscow Literary Association), he talks about the events so unrelatedly that they try to send him to a suburban psychiatric hospital.
Woland, having appeared at the address of the late Berlioz, who lived with Stepan Likhodeev, the director of the Variety, finds Stepan in a state of severe hangover and presents him with a contract for Woland's performance in the theater, signed by him, Likhodeev, then escorts Likhodeev out of the apartment and he strangely turns out to be in Yalta.
Satan is accompanied by a strange retinue: the pretty witch Hella, the terrible Azazello, Koroviev (Bassoon), and Behemoth, who is presented in the form of a frightening black cat. Nikonor Ivanovich Bosoy, chairman of the housing association of house number 302 - an bis along Sadovaya Street ends up in apartment 50 and finds Koroviev there. He offers to rent Woland's apartment, since Berlioz died, and Likhodeev is in Yalta, and after much persuasion, Nikonor Ivanovich agrees. Having received four hundred rubles in excess of the fee, he hides them in the ventilation hole. On the same day, they come to him with an arrest for possession of currency, because these rubles turned out to be dollars.
The financial director of Variety - Rimsky and the administrator Varenukha unsuccessfully try to find Likhodeev, who, in turn, sends them telegram after telegram trying to confirm his identity and get at least some money to return from Yalta. Deciding that this is a stupid joke, Rimsky sends telegrams to Varenukha to take them to the right place, but Varenukha does not reach his destination, because Behemoth picks him up.
In the evening, the performance of the great magician and his retinue begins on the Variety stage. Putting a pistol in front of Fagot, Vland organizes a rain of money, people grab the gold coins falling from the sky, a shop for ladies opens on the stage, where every woman sitting in the hall can change her wardrobe. Some time after the end of the performance, all chervonets turn into simple pieces of paper, and women are forced to rush along the street in their underwear, because everything they were wearing has disappeared without a trace.
After the performance, Rimsky lingers in the office, Varenukha, turned by Gella into a vampire, comes to him. Seeing that Varenukha does not cast a shadow, Rimsky tries to run away, hears the cock cries and the vampires disappear. Rimsky, turning gray in an instant, rushes to the station to leave by courier train for Petersburg.
The poet Ivan Bezdomny meets the Master in the clinic, the Master tells about himself. He was a historian, worked in a museum, and having received a big win, he decided to rent an apartment in one of the Arbat lanes and began to write a novel about Pontius Pilate there. One day he saw Margarita on the street. They immediately fell in love with each other, and despite the fact that Margarita was the wife of one of the respected people, she came to the Master every day. The master wrote his novel, then he finished it and took it to the editor, but they refused to publish the novel. Although the passage was published, it was criticized and the Master fell ill.
In the morning, Margarita wakes up with the feeling that something must happen and goes for a walk in the park, where she meets Azezzelo. He, in turn, invites her to meet with a foreigner and Margarita agrees. Azazzelo gives her a jar of cream, with the help of which the margarita can fly. Woland asks Margarita to be the queen at his ball and promises to do whatever she wishes. Satan's ball begins at midnight. The men are in tailcoats and the women are naked. When the ball ends, Margarita asks to return the Master to her, and Woland fulfills the promise.
In the second storyline in the palace, the procurator Pontius Pilate, interrogating the arrested person, realizes that he is not a robber, but just a wandering philosopher, but still approves the guilty verdict. He hopes that Kaifa will be able to release one of the condemned, but Kaifa refuses. Levi Motvei brings Ha-Notsri's sermons, and Pontius Pilate reads "The most terrible vice is cowardice."
At this time in Moscow. At sunset Woland's retinue says goodbye to the city. At sunset, Levi Motvei appears and invites them to take the Master with them. Azazzelo comes to the master's house and brings wine as a gift from Volan, when they drink it The black horse takes away the Master, Woland's retinue and Margarita.
The Master and Margarita is a phantasmagoric novel by the Soviet writer Mikhail Bulgakov, which occupies an ambiguous position in Russian literature. "The Master and Margarita" is a book written in an original language, the fates of ordinary people, mystical powers, sharp satire and a genuine atmosphere of atheism are intertwined here.
It is precisely because of this "piling up" of various literary devices and a kaleidoscope of events that it is difficult for the reader to grasp the deep political and moral meaning that lies in this great work. Everyone finds their own meaning in this novel, and this is its versatility. Someone will say that the meaning of "The Master and Margarita" lies in the exaltation of love, which conquers even death, someone will object: no, this is a novel about the eternal confrontation between good and evil, about the promotion of Christian values. What is the truth?
There are two storylines in the novel, each of which takes place at a different time and in a different place. At first, events unfold in Moscow in the 1930s. On a quiet evening, as if from nowhere, a strange company appeared, headed by Woland, who turned out to be Satan himself. They do things that radically change the lives of some people (as an example, the fate of Margarita in the novel "The Master and Margarita"). The second line develops by analogy with the biblical plot: the action takes place in the Master's novel, the main characters are the prophet Yeshua (an analogy with Jesus) and the procurator of Judea. which the author originally invested in his work.
Yes, the meaning of The Master and Margarita can be interpreted in different ways: this novel is about great and pure love, and about devotion and self-sacrifice, and about striving for truth and fighting for it, and about human vices, which Woland examines at a glance from the stage. However, there is also a subtle political subtext in the novel, it simply could not be missing, especially if you take into account the time at which he did his own - cruel repressions, constant denunciations, total surveillance of the lives of citizens. "How can you live so calmly in such an atmosphere? How can you go to shows and find your life successful?" - as if the author asks. Pontius Pilate can be considered the personification of the merciless state machine.
Suffering from migraine and suspiciousness, not loving Jews and people in general, he, nevertheless, is imbued with interest, and then sympathy for Yeshua. But, despite this, he did not dare to go against the system and save the prophet, for which he was subsequently doomed to suffer doubts and repentance for all eternity, until the Master freed him. Thinking about the fate of the procurator, the reader begins to comprehend the moral meaning of The Master and Margarita: "What makes people compromise their principles? Cowardice? Indifference? Fear of responsibility for their actions?"
In the novel "The Master and Margarita" the author deliberately neglects the biblical canons and gives his own interpretation of the nature of good and evil, which often change places in the novel. Such a look helps to take a fresh look at familiar things and discover a lot of new things where, it would seem, there is nothing to look for - this is the meaning of The Master and Margarita.
The idea of the novel The Master and Margarita came to Bulgakov back in 1928. True, then it was conceived as a "novel about the devil" (original titles: "Black Magician", "Engineer's Hoof", "Consultant with a Hoof"). There were several editions and variants, some of which Bulgakov destroyed, some of which were published in the recently published book The Great Chancellor.
The beginning of work on the novel coincides with a very difficult period in the life of the writer. His plays are banned, and creativity as a whole is perceived as hostile to the new system. Bulgakov is characterized as a "neo-bourgeois writer". On March 28, 1930, Bulgakov addressed a letter to the Government of the USSR, in which he stated with all frankness his position, about the attitude of Rapp's criticism towards him, destroying him both as a person and as a writer. “... The fight against censorship,” writes Bulgakov, “whatever it may be and under whatever authority it may exist, is my duty as a writer, as well as calls for freedom of the press. I am an ardent admirer of this freedom and I believe that if any of the writers would think to prove that he does not need it, he would be like a fish publicly assuring that it does not need water.
Here is one of the features of my work ... But with the first feature in connection with all the others that appear in my satirical stories: black and mystical colors (I am a mystical writer), which depict the countless ugliness of our life, the poison with which my tongue is saturated, deep skepticism in relation to the revolutionary process taking place in my backward country, and opposing it to the beloved and Great Evolution, and most importantly, the depiction of the terrible features of my people, those features that, long before the revolution, caused the deepest suffering of my teacher M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.
Bulgakov shows all these features of everyday life, human characters in his novel, the genre of which he himself defines as “fantastic”, but even at the first acquaintance it becomes clear that this is a philosophical novel in which the writer tries to solve, like the outstanding realists of the 19th century, “ damned” questions about life and death, good and evil, about a person, his conscience and moral values, without which he cannot exist.
The novel The Master and Margarita consists, as it were, of two novels (a novel within a novel is a technique used by Bulgakov and in his other works). One is from ancient life (a novel-myth), which the Master writes, and the other is about modern life and the fate of the Master himself, written in the spirit of “fantastic realism”. These are two, at first glance, completely unrelated narratives: neither in content, nor even in execution. You might think that they were written by completely different people. Bright colors, fantastic images, whimsical style in modern paintings and a very precise, strict and even somewhat solemn tone in the novel about Pontius Pilate, which is maintained in all biblical chapters. But this formal-structural division of the novel does not close the obvious, that each of these novels could not exist separately, since they are connected by a common philosophical idea, understandable only when analyzing the entire novel reality. Set in the initial three chapters in a difficult philosophical dispute between the characters, whom the author presents first on the pages of the novel, this idea is then embodied in the most interesting collisions, interweaving of real and fantastic, biblical and modern events, which turn out to be quite balanced and causally conditioned. It is also logical that the first and third modern chapters are broken up by the second, which, in the same philosophical vein, deepens the global issues of life that the characters argue about, and formulates the problem of the entire novel. Already in the first chapters, we are presented with different descriptions of modernity: through a rationalistic representation of the world (Berlioz, Ivan Bezdomny) and a view of the world as a set of complex, including supernatural phenomena (Woland). In addition, pages about Jesus Christ (Yeshua) and Pontius Pilate are written by the hand of the Master (or maybe Woland?). All these descriptions, ideas, reflections are given in order to find out what kind of world we live in, and what is the position and role of man in this world.
The main character is the Master. He lives in this world and writes a book about the cruel procurator Pontius Pilate and Yeshua Ha-Nozri. His Yeshua is, of course, not the biblical, at least not the canonical Jesus Christ, which is constantly emphasized in the text of the novel. It seems that the very plot of the Gospel (the crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus) is not so important to the author, he creates his own gospel (the gospel according to Bulgakov), which differs from the biblical one. In Bulgakov's version, Jesus (Yeshua) is an ordinary person who is mortal and afraid of the power of the Roman procurator. There is no hint here that he is the son of God. Neither Matthew Levi nor Yeshua himself claims this. He is represented in the novel as a twenty-seven-year-old man who does not remember his parents, by blood, it seems, a Syrian, originally from the city of Gamala, he has only one student Levi Matvey. Further in the novel, the assumption is made that Levi Matthew incorrectly records the statements of Yeshua. “In general, I begin to fear that this confusion will continue for a very long time. And all because he incorrectly writes down after me ... I once looked into this parchment and was horrified. Absolutely nothing of what is written there, I did not say. And with this, Bulgakov, as it were, finally says goodbye to the Gospel and places his own accents. In the novel, the focus is not so much on Yeshua as on his entourage: Pontius Pilate, Levi Matthew, Judas, the head of the secret service Aphranius. Yeshua himself appears only in the second chapter and during the execution in the sixteenth, while Pilate is present in all biblical chapters. The most important for understanding Bulgakov's idea is the trial of Yeshua, which Pilate creates, and its consequences. Yeshua appears before Pilate to confirm the death sentence of the Sanhedrin, which consists of two charges. One of them - allegedly Yeshua appealed to the people with a call to destroy the temple. After the prisoner's explanation of what he was talking about ("the temple of the old faith will collapse and a new temple of truth will be created"), the procurator denies this accusation. But the second accusation is more serious, since it concerns the Roman emperor, and Yeshua violated the Lèse Majesté Law. The accused admits that under Judas of Kiriath he expressed his views on state power. The author highlights the scene in which Pilate gives Yeshua the opportunity to get out, save himself, avoid execution, if he only refutes his words about Caesar:
“Listen, Ga-Notsri,” the procurator began, looking at Yeshua in a strange way: the procurator’s face was menacing, but his eyes were anxious, “did you ever say anything about the great Caesar?” Answer! Spoke?.. Or... didn't... speak? - Pilate extended the word "not" a little more than it is supposed to be in court, and sent Yeshua in his gaze some thought that he seemed to want to inspire the prisoner.
But despite the evidence of the most terrible consequences, Yeshua did not take advantage of the opportunity given to him by Pilate. “It is easy and pleasant to speak the truth,” he says, and confirms his idea that “every power is violence against people and that the time will come when there will be no power of either Caesars or any other power. A person will pass into the realm of truth and justice, where no power will be needed at all.
Pilate is shocked and frightened: “In the world there was not, is not and will never be a greater and more beautiful power for people than the power of Emperor Tiberius!” These words are an allegory, the meaning of which becomes completely clear after the words of Pontius Pilate: “Do you think, unfortunate one, that the Roman procurator will release a man who said what you said? Oh gods, gods! Or do you think I'm ready to take your place?" At the same time, Pilate approves the death sentence, deciphering the allegory about the relationship between a person and the power that controls him, as well as about the right and opportunity to tell the truth to this power. Yeshua, knowing that he will accept death for this, does not renounce the truth, unlike Pilate, who cowardly agrees with the verdict of the Sanhedrin on the release of the criminal Bar-Rabban and the execution of Ha-Notzri, "the philosopher with his peaceful preaching." (Another allegory: the authorities are more dangerous than the person who owns the idea than the most terrible criminal.)
In connection with the actions of Pilate, the thought of such a trait of human character as cowardice seems worthy of attention. This excites Pilate, this is far from being indifferent to Bulgakov himself, and some generalizations of criticism build on this when analyzing the text of the novel. Let's dwell on this in more detail.
First of all, it should be noted that the author refers to arguments about cowardice several times, and this always concerns Pontius Pilate. After the execution of Yeshua, Pilate asks Aphranius about the last minutes of Ha-Nozri:
“He said,” the guest answered, closing his eyes again, “that he thanks and does not blame for the fact that his life was taken from him.
Whom? Pilate asked dully.
This he, hegemon, did not say.
(The question “Who?” is understandable if we recall the conversation between Pilate and Yeshua about who can cut the hair on which life hangs. And this question suggests that Pilate no longer feels as powerful as before.)
Did he try to preach anything in front of the soldiers?
— No, hegemon, he was not verbose this time. The only thing he said is that among human vices, he considers cowardice to be one of the most important.
Three times practically a day and a night after the execution, Pilate is haunted by the accusation of cowardice. At night, as soon as he falls asleep, he has a dream that he is walking along a luminous road straight to the moon, and next to him is his dog Banga and a wandering philosopher. “He even laughed in his sleep with happiness…”
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