Young hero of the first third of the 19th century - Onegin and Pechorin
Eugene Onegin and Grigory Pechorin - two heroes, two eras, two destinies. One is the result of disappointment in former ideals (the ideals of freedom, equality, fraternity), since its creator was formed as a person in the 10s-20s of the XIX century. The other is a typical representative of the youth of the 30s. This era is characterized by complete inaction, which came after the uprising on the Senate Square, the absence of ideals in general.
Both heroes open a numerous gallery of "superfluous people". Yes, they, according to the apt expression of Herzen A. I., can be considered brothers: "Onegin is Russian, he is possible only in Russia, he is needed in it and he is met at every step ... Lermontov's "Hero of Our Time" is his youngest Brother". Onegin and Pechorin have a lot in common: both of them are representatives of the capital's nobility, they are rich, well-educated, both know the science of "gentle passion", are smart, stand head and shoulders above those around them. Immense forces have accumulated in their souls, which do not find positive application. Life is boring to them, like a long read book. And they leaf through it indifferently, yawning into their fists. Even in the poem "The Prisoner of the Caucasus", Pushkin set himself the task of showing in the hero "the premature old age of the soul, which has become the main feature of the younger generation." This goal was achieved only in the novel "Eugene Onegin".
Onegin is a contemporary of Pushkin and the Decembrists. The Onegins were not satisfied with secular life, the career of an official and a landowner. Belinsky points out that Onegin could not engage in useful activities "due to some inevitable circumstances beyond our will," that is, due to socio-political conditions. Onegin, a "suffering egoist", "an egoist involuntarily, is nevertheless an outstanding personality. The poet notes such features of him as "unwitting devotion to dreams, inimitable strangeness and a sharp, chilled mind."
Pechorin is another example of a young man who has grown old before his time. Paradoxical as this comparison may seem, it nevertheless very clearly reflects the essence of Pechorin's character. Lines from Lermontov's "Duma" are involuntarily recalled: So, an early fruit, Ripened before time, Not pleasing our taste, not our eyes Hanging among the flowers - an orphaned stranger. And the hour of their beauty is its fall hour.
Pechorin is a hero of the 30s of the 19th century. This nature is more active than Onegin. Pechorin craves activity. He has an awareness of his strength and a desire to apply this strength in life. In his diary, he writes: "Why did I live? For what purpose was I born? It is true that it existed, and it is true that I had a high purpose, because I feel immense strength in my soul." There were very few opportunities for young people of that time to apply their rich forces. In the socio-political conditions of the 30s of the 19th century, the rich forces of Pechorin could not find any use for themselves. He is wasted on petty adventures. “But I didn’t guess my destination, I got carried away by the baits of passions ... ”Wherever Pechorin appears, he brings misfortune to people: smugglers leave their house (“Taman”), Grushnitsky is killed, a deep spiritual wound is inflicted on Princess Mary, Vera does not know happiness ("Princess Mary"), Bela ("Bela") dies, hacked to death by a drunken Cossack Vulich ("Fatalist"), Maxim Maksimych is disappointed in friendship. Moreover, Pechorin is well aware of his ungrateful role: “How many times have I played the role of an ax in the hands of fate! As an instrument of execution, I fell on the heads of doomed victims, often without malice, always without regret ... never sacrificed anything for those he loved."
According to Belinsky, "A Hero of Our Time" is "a sad thought about our time ...", and Pechorin is "This is Onegin of our time, a hero of our time. Their difference between them is much less than the distance between Onega and Pechora."
In the preface to the second edition of A Hero of Our Time, Lermontov did not directly express his attitude towards the hero. First of all, the author set himself the task of truthfully showing a typical hero of his time.
And yet Lermontov believes in his hero, believes that "his heart yearns for pure and unselfish love", that Pechorin is not a one hundred percent egoist, because "egoism does not suffer, does not blame himself, but is pleased with himself, is pleased with himself ..." Lermontov, according to Belinsky, believes in spiritual rebirth - his hero: "Pechorin's soul is not stony soil, but the earth dried up from the heat of fiery life: let suffering loosen it and irrigate the blessed rain, and it will grow out of itself magnificent, luxurious flowers of heavenly love." We admire the genius of Pushkin and Lermontov, who managed to reflect the spirit of the times in their heroes. We can rightly call their works documents of their era.
Despite this, Pushkin very often emphasizes Onegin's mind, which, although it had a very one-sided European orientation, was nevertheless "sharp and chilled." This is probably why Onegin got bored with light so soon. But there was, in my opinion, another reason. Onegin is a man who decided to build his real life according to the laws of the European novel. He wrote a script for himself, which he follows. The fact is that, having read Western books, the protagonist considered it the highest honor to serve the ideals of utility. And having outstanding intellectual abilities, will, he was able to “create” a life for himself and follow the laws of the genre.
It is known that he breaks out of a number of literary works into the world of reality. And the character himself does not obey the laws of literature. "Eugene Onegin" can rather be called a biography of a man who decided to build his real life according to the laws of literature, and even Western. But the most remarkable, in my opinion, is that the hero is typical of his time, he repeats the life path of many young people of the early 19th century.
We can find confirmation of this point of view in the text of the novel itself. The author constantly compares Onegin with various literary characters, trying to find the key to his behavior:
But our hero, whoever he is,
Certainly not Grandison.
Straight Onegin by Chald-Harold
I fell into thoughtful laziness ...
But a literary hero can live only on the pages of a novel, and when he gets into the real world, he naturally comes into conflict with it, becomes, as it were, an extra person. This conflict is the cause of the deepest spiritual drama of the Russian European.
Being himself a romantic to the marrow of his bones, Onegin converges with the poet Lensky. The main character ironically looks at the young man, touched by his enthusiastic attitude to the world, high feelings, thirst for life. But, paradoxically, Lensky naturally fits into real life. There is no place in his soul for this tragic discrepancy between ideal and reality. On the one hand, he writes sublime poems dedicated to his goddess, but on the other hand, he is by no means jarred by the fact that Olga is a real, living girl and, in so many ways, does not meet the poetic ideal.
Onegin sincerely loved Lensky, then why didn't he refuse to duel with him? I do not think that Onegin was not so afraid of the opinion of the world. Most likely, the refusal to duel would not correspond to the behavior of the hero whose role Onegin tried to play. What literary hero would refuse a duel? But Onegin did not take into account the only difference that in real life the gun, and blood, and death will be real. It was this duel that laid the foundation for the fact that Onegin began to be weary of his artificial, mind-created fate.
For the same reason, Onegin's relationship with Tatyana acquires such a dramatic coloring. Tatyana is a completely natural nature, she lives with feelings, and not with her mind. Reading French novels, the main character does not turn into a literary character. I think that for her this transformation is also impossible for the reason that she lives in the countryside, among ordinary people. The old nurse has a much greater influence on her than all the French writers put together. European culture, with its ideals of utility, did not penetrate her soul as deeply as it did with Onegin. But this influence cannot be completely ruled out. Despite everything, Tatyana fell in love with all the heroes of the novels she read:
She fell in love with deceptions
Both Richardson and Rousseau.
That is why, having met Onegin, who so completely got used to the image of a literary hero that he stopped noticing reality, Tatyana fell in love with him. But it is also clear that their union was impossible. Life remains life, and literature - literature, the line between them exists, and it cannot be destroyed.
Thus, we can say that the drama of Onegin lies in the fact that he replaced real human feelings, love, faith with rational ideals. But a person is not able to live a full life without experiencing the play of passions, without making mistakes, because the mind cannot replace or subdue the soul. In order for the human personality to develop harmoniously, spiritual ideals must still come first.
The protagonist of the novel "Eugene Onegin" opens a significant chapter in poetry and in all Russian culture. Onegin was followed by a whole string of heroes, later called "superfluous people": Lermontov's Pechorin, Turgenev's Rudin and many other, less significant characters, embodying a whole layer, an era in the socio-spiritual development of Russian society. Pushkin traced the origins of this phenomenon: in superficial education, in a disorderly and imitatively perceived European culture, in the absence of spiritual and social interests, in the way of life of the nobility filled with conventions and prejudices, in the habit of idleness and inability to systematic work. These are outstanding, rising above the average level of personality, critically perceiving reality, painfully looking for their own destiny in it, disappointed and spiritually devastated, people who do not find application for their remarkable abilities, inevitably experiencing personal drama.
Eugene Onegin received a home education and upbringing, typical for the aristocratic youth of his time, under the guidance of a French tutor, who “taught him everything jokingly, did not bother him with strict morals, scolded him a little for pranks and took him for a walk in the Summer Garden. “And yet, Onegin knew Latin well enough, “to parse epigraphs, talk about Juvenal,” ancient literature, modern political economy, history:
Onegin was in the opinion of many
(Judges decisive and strict)
A small scientist, but a pedant...
Despite the irony of the author's assessment of the hero's shallow level of education, as well as the world's ideas about this level: “What do you want more? The world decided that he was smart and very nice, ”Pushkin pays tribute to his rather high intellectual level, his range of interests. Onegin's lifestyle is typical for the young metropolitan aristocracy: balls, restaurants, theaters, walks along the Nevsky, love adventures - a complete set of pleasures that make up the philistine idea of a happy, carefree life.
Eugene was self-critical enough, demanding of himself, so as not to be aware of the artificiality, affectation of his behavior (“How early he could be a hypocrite, harbor hope, be jealous, dissuade, make believe, seem gloomy, languish ...”), a stupefying way of life (“ He wakes up at noon, and again until morning his life is ready, monotonous and motley).
No; early feelings in him cooled down;
He was tired of the light noise;
The beauties didn't last long
The subject of his habitual thoughts;
Treason managed to tire;
Friends and friendship are tired ...
Here is both a satiety of monotonous impressions, and a sincere, natural desire of a thinking person to break out of the circle of secular conventions, vulgarity, monotony into the expanse of a living, full-blooded life.
What prompted the hero to albeit passive, but a protest against a soulless, albeit comfortable existence, what doomed him to, alienation, cooling to life? The author emphasizes the virtues that distinguish Onegin from the philistine mass: “... Dreams of involuntary devotion, inimitable strangeness and a sharp, chilled mind”, “both pride and direct honor”, “direct nobility of the soul”. Onegin in his village estate, despite the beautiful views, “golden meadows and fields”, the castle filled with the air of history was bored, because it “yawned equally among the fashionable and ancient halls”, shunned the limited landlord neighbors, preferring to all this the loneliness of a confused, but proud spirit . He made an exception only for the young poet, a fan of romanticism, inspired by Vladimir Lensky. Both of them in the eyes of their neighbors, the landowners, looked like "white crows", both shunned the local society with endless conversations "about haymaking and wine, about the kennel, about their relatives", although they were so different. Lensky loved passionately, selflessly. Onegin, faced with the sincere, deep love of an extraordinary girl, did not find enough spiritual strength in himself to respond to this high feeling.
"Eugene Onegin the image of the author" - Themes and the role of lyrical digressions in the novel. The plan of the composition on the topic: "The image of Eugene Onegin." Lyrical digressions give the novel depth, inclusiveness, breadth. Author image. Tatyana and Olga Larina. Theme of lyrical digressions. Which of the characters is directly involved in the plot of the novel? Onegin is a type of young man of the early 19th century.
"Eugene Onegin novel" - In chapter 1, we analyzed the scene in the theater and saw that Onegin is a spiritual invalid. Belinsky about Eugene Onegin. Research plan: Research course: First of all, a person is complex, changing, contradicting himself. Following Onegin, Lermontov's Pechorin, Turgenev's Rudin, and Goncharov's Oblomov appeared.
"Lessons on Pushkin Eugene Onegin" - A.S. Pushkin. The heroic world of the novel. The novel "Eugene Onegin". Anna Akhmatova. Summing up the lesson. Lesson-prologue to the study of A.S. Pushkin's novel "Eugene Onegin". Introduction by the teacher. composition of the novel. Lesson plan.
"Eugene Onegin game" - Eugene Onegin. Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. My uncle of the most honest rules, When he seriously fell ill ... Pushkin is a friend of Onegin, whom he met and became friends in St. Petersburg. Biography of A. Pushkin. Players choose a topic, then a question. Arrange in the correct sequence the events described in the novel: Here Pushkin worked very fruitfully.
“Tatyana Larina” - We all learned little by little, Something and somehow, So we bring up, thank God, It’s not surprising for us to shine ... We learned that the upbringing of noble girls was first done by a nanny, and then governesses, often taken from a foreign environment. The girls were taught good manners, foreign languages, the art of dancing, playing music, needlework.
"Roman Onegin" - V. G. Belinsky. Literary controversy around the novel. Where did Lensky come from in the village? "Not a novel, but a novel in verse." Artistic method in art and literature. Pisarev. Onegin is a "suffering egoist" who is stifled by "the inactivity and vulgarity of life." Publication: Lesson objectives: Where did Monsieur take young Onegin for a walk?
In total there are 14 presentations in the topic
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"... Onegin is Russian, he is possible only in Russia, he is needed in it and he is met at every turn ... Lermontov's "Hero of Our Time" is his younger brother."
(A.I. Herzen)
Sundullness
In the nineteenth century, an autocratic-feudal system dominated in Russia. Under the conditions of this system, the condition of the people was unbearable; tragic was the fate of advanced thinking people. Richly gifted by nature people perished in its stuffy atmosphere or were doomed to inactivity. These people with progressive views appeared too early in the arena of public life, there were no favorable conditions for their appearance yet, they were “superfluous” in life, and therefore perished. This was reflected in the works of leading writers of the nineteenth century. "Eugene Onegin" and "A Hero of Our Time" are the best works of art of their era. In the center of events are people from high society who cannot find application for their abilities and skills.
“In his poem, he was able to touch on so many things, to hint about so many things, that he belongs exclusively to the world of Russian nature, to the world of Russian society. "Onegin" can be called an encyclopedia of Russian life and a folk work of the highest degree.
(V.G. Belinsky)
"Eugene Onegin"
Onegin is a typical representative of the noble youth of the 20s of the XIX century. The poet created such an image, which reflects "that premature old age of the soul, which has become the main feature of the younger generation." Onegin is a contemporary of both the author and the Decembrists. The main character is not interested in social life, the career of an official, everything is boring for him. According to V.G. Belinsky, Onegin “was not one of ordinary people,” while Pushkin says that Onegin’s boredom is due to the fact that he has no useful business. Onegin is a "suffering egoist", but still an outstanding personality. The Russian nobility of that time was an estate of landowners and landowners. Ownership of estates and serfs was a kind of measuring tape of wealth and prestige, as well as high social status. Eugene's father "gave three balls every year and finally squandered", and the protagonist himself, after receiving an inheritance from "all his relatives", became a rich landowner and ...
Factories, waters, forests, lands
The owner is complete...
But wealth is also associated with ruin and debt. By mortgaging already mortgaged estates, debts were not only the work of poor landowners, but also of many "powerful ones". One of these reasons in this situation was the idea that developed during the reign of Catherine II "truly noble behavior consists not only in big expenses, but also in spending beyond one's means." Thanks to the appearance of various educational literature from abroad, people, namely the younger generation, began to understand the perniciousness of serf farming, including Eugene. He "read Adam Smith and was a deep economy." Unfortunately, there were few such people, therefore, when Onegin, under the influence of the ideas of the Decembrists, “he replaced the corvée with an old dues with a light yoke”,
... In his corner pouted.
Seeing in this terrible harm,
His prudent neighbor.
In the case, the heir can accept the inheritance and take on debts with it or refuse it, leaving the creditors to settle accounts among themselves. Youth is a time of hope for inheritance. In the second half of life, one should be freed from debts, becoming the heir to "all his relatives" or marrying favorably.
Blessed…
Who at twenty was a dandy or a grip.
And at thirty profitably married;
Who got free at fifty
From private and other debts.
For the nobles of that time, military service was natural, and the absence of this feature had to have a special explanation. Onegin, as is clear from the novel, never served at all, which made Eugene a black sheep among his contemporaries. In this case, a new tradition is shown. Previously, refusal to serve was called selfishness, but now refusal began to take the form of a struggle for personal independence and upholding the right to live independently of state requirements. So Onegin leads a life free from official duties. Not everyone could afford such a life at that time. Let's take as an example the order, go to bed early and get up early, to obey which, not only the official, but also the emperor had to obey. This was a kind of sign of aristocracy, separating a non-serving nobleman from the common people and rural landowners. But the fashion to get up as late as possible ascended from the French aristocracy and was brought to Russia by emigrants. Favorite places for walking were Nevsky Prospekt and Angliskaya Embankment, it was there that Onegin walked “putting on a wide bolivar, Onegin goes to the boulevard.” An opportunity in the afternoon to fill the gap between the restaurant and the ball was the theater. The theater was not only a place of spectacle, but also a kind of club where secular conversations were held.
The theater is already full; lodges shine;
Parterre and chairs - everything is in full swing;
Everything is clapping. Onegin enters,
Walks between the chairs on the legs.
Double lorgnette slanting induces
To the lodges of unknown ladies.
Tired of city life, Onegin settles in the countryside. There begins the friendship of Onegin and Lensky, who, as Pushkin says, agreed "from nothing to do." This eventually led to a duel.
The novel "Eugene Onegin" is an inexhaustible source telling about the customs and life of that time. Onegin himself is a true hero of his time, and in order to understand him, we study the time in which he lived.
“There is a lot of falsehood in Pechorin’s ideas, there are distortions in his sensations; but all this is redeemed by his rich nature.
(V.G. Belinsky)
"Hero of our time"
Pechorin is a hero of a completely different transitional time, a representative of the noble youth, who entered life after the defeat of the Decembrists. G.A. Pechorin is one of the main artistic discoveries of M.Yu. Lermontov. In it, the fundamental features of the post-Decembrist era received their artistic expression. The image and type of Pechorin captures a striking discrepancy between the external and internal world. He repeatedly in his diary speaks of his inconsistency and duality. This duality was seen as the result of secular education and the impact on him of the noble sphere, the transitional nature of his era.
Explaining the purpose of creating the novel, M.Yu. Lermontov, even in the preface, makes it clear what the image of Pechorin is for him: “The hero of our time, my gracious sovereigns, is like a portrait, but not of one person: this is a portrait made up of the vices of our entire generation, in their full development.” The author set himself the task, wanting to display on the pages of the novel, the hero of his time. And here we have Pechorin - a tragic person, a young man suffering from his restlessness, in despair asking himself the question “Why did I live? For what purpose was I born? In the image of Lermontov, Pechorin is a man of a very specific time. This is a nobleman-intellectual of the Nikolaev era, its victim and hero in one person, whose soul is corrupted by light. The personality of Pechorin is presented in the novel as a unique individual manifestation in him of the universal species and generic. From his predecessor Onegin, Pechorin differs not only in temperament, depth of thought and feeling, willpower, but also in the degree of self-awareness, his attitude to the world. Pechorin, to a greater extent than Onegin, is a thinker, an ideologist. He is organically philosophical. In this respect, he is a characteristic representative of his time, according to Belinsky "the age of the philosophizing spirit." Pechorin embodies such qualities as a developed consciousness and self-awareness, the perception of himself as a representative of not only the current society, but also the entire history of mankind as a whole. But being the son of his time and society, he also bears their indelible mark. In the personality of Gregory, one can observe something especially characteristic of a socially unsettled general, etc.
