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Pechorin's attitude to nature. Composition "The role and significance of nature in Lermontov's novel" A Hero of Our Time

Pechorin's attitude to nature. Composition "The role and significance of nature in Lermontov's novel" A Hero of Our Time

03.11.2019

The theme of the article is the preparation and conduct of essays on the literary landscape. This work requires the activation of the creative and reproducing imagination of the shkolysh-kev, helps to understand the specifics of literature as an art form. To find out how deeply high school students understand landscape sketches, we did the following work.
In one of the Moscow schools, ninth grade students, after studying the works of A. S. Pushkin and M. Yu. Lermontov, were asked to prepare for expressive reading of the descriptions of nature they liked most in “Eugene Onegin” and “A Hero of Our Time” and to determine the role of the selected passage in work. The answers showed that when reading a literary text, schoolchildren do not always notice the beauty, figurativeness of descriptions of nature and the role of landscape as one of the methods of characterizing a hero. The students said that Pushkin “brightly”, “colorfully” describes the seasons, that Tatyana’s love for Russian nature helps to understand the integrity of her nature and closeness to the people, that Pechorin’s love for nature reveals his best spiritual qualities. For expressive reading in the classroom, ninth graders chose Pushkin's descriptions of Russian winter, autumn and spring, descriptions of the surroundings of Pyatigorsk (the beginning of the story "Princess Mary") and Lermontov's mornings before the duel. But at the same time, the students did not note the specifics of the landscape in Pushkin and Lermontov, for example, laconicism and dynamism in the first and deep psychologism in the second, the role of pictures of nature in the composition and development of the action, in revealing the idea of the work and the views of the author. All this suggests that it is necessary to intensify work on the formation of a multifaceted perception of pictures of nature in fiction and their role in the work in schoolchildren.
As V. V. Golubkov rightly notes, the landscape “can play a different role in a work: either it serves as one of the additional means for characterizing the hero, or it reflects the mood of the writer, or it is the background, the setting necessary for understanding the plot.” Understanding the role of pictures of nature in a work is connected with understanding its ideas and composition, the writer's attitude to life and heroes, with awareness of the originality of the artistic form and language.
Expressive and commentary reading in the process of studying a work of art, a conversation on the text, a conversation based on the personal impressions of students, an analysis of the language and style of the writer - all this prepares the basis for conducting general lessons on the study of the landscape and compositions about the landscape.
The literary landscape may be one of the themes, or the only theme, of written works that ends the study of a writer's work; the theme of a generalizing essay on the work of two writers (for example, “Pictures of nature in the works of A. S. Pushkin and M. Yu. Lermontov”); theme with passing repetition (“The role of the landscape in revealing the inner world of the heroes of M. Yu. Lermontov and L. N. Tolstoy”, etc.). The theme of the literary landscape should always be included in the general system of essays, in order to thereby contribute to the formation of skills for analyzing descriptions, increasing the independence of schoolchildren in analyzing a work, and developing their recreative and creative imagination. At the first stages of studying the historical and literary course, descriptions of nature are considered under the direct guidance of the teacher, since schoolchildren have not yet accumulated sufficient knowledge for independent work. Deep, thoughtful analysis will save students from superficial judgments and rash conclusions.
This article will discuss one of the initial stages in the formation of a comprehensive perception of nature by high school students. The main way to prepare an essay is to combine observations of the landscape in the lessons on reading the text, compiling characteristics, considering the topic, idea, composition, language, with conclusions in the general lesson that is necessary for preparing the essay.
Working with students on the landscape in the novel by L. S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin", we showed that in the pictures of nature Pushkin's personality, his Russian soul, lyricism, poetic perception of the world, love for rural nature are revealed, and that they affirm a realistic depiction of reality .
Analysis of the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time" is the next stage in the study of descriptions of nature. Work on the landscapes of this novel will be the focus of our attention in the future.
The special place occupied by pictures of nature in A Hero of Our Time makes it possible to carry out a number of interesting and varied works, including special essays on the landscape. There is no need to analyze in equal detail all the descriptions of nature in the novel; it is enough to take a few to show students their artistic originality.
At the first lessons devoted to the novel, the teacher himself comments on the landscapes of the story "Bela" - the author-traveler's descriptions of the views of Georgia. This is, first of all, a picture of the Koyshaur valley with "impregnable mountains" and "reddish rocks" on all sides, with a high fringe of snow and sparkling Aragva below. In another place, the same valley is described with a bluish mist escaping from the warm rays of the morning and enega burning with a ruddy sheen. “It would be nice to stay here forever!” exclaims the traveler.
Pictures of nature in Lermontov's novel create an emotional background for the story and introduce the reader to the nature of the Caucasus. Here is the road to the station past a deep gorge: “It was quiet all around, so quiet that you could follow its flight by the buzzing of a mosquito.” Among the "dead sleep" of nature, the uneven tinkling of a Russian bell is heard, and light flocks of clouds crawl along the sides of the Good Mountain, foreshadowing bad weather. And here is a picture of the night with blackening mysterious abysses, where the fogs are sliding, “swirling and wriggling like snakes”, “as if feeling and being afraid of the approach of the day.” In this landscape, there are still no reflections of the author about a person, his mood, feelings and thoughts.
But in "Bel" there are other pictures of nature, when the author-traveler, together with Maxim Maksimych, admires magical pictures and imperceptibly interweaves his thoughts about people, about their ability to perceive nature into the description. In order for the students to understand this, for example, a description of the road to Good Mountain is selected for analysis:

Everything was quiet in heaven and on earth, as in the heart of a person at the moment of morning prayer; only occasionally a cool wind from the east came up, lifting the horses' manes, covered with hoarfrost. We set off; with difficulty five, thin nags dragged our wagons along the winding road to Good Mountain; we walked behind, placing stones under the wheels when the horses were exhausted; it seemed that the road led to heaven, because, as far as eyes could see, it kept rising and finally disappeared in a cloud that had been resting on the top of the Gud Mountain since evening, like a kite waiting for prey; the snow crunched under our feet; the air became so thin that it hurt to breathe; blood constantly rushed to my head, but with all that, some kind of gratifying feeling spread through all my veins, and I was somehow merry that I was so high above the world - a childish feeling, I don’t argue, but, moving away from the conditions of society and approaching to nature, we involuntarily become children: everything acquired falls away from the soul and it becomes again such as it once was and will someday be true again. Anyone who, like me, has happened to wander through the desert mountains and peer at their bizarre images for a long, long time and greedily swallow the life-giving air spilled in their gorges, he, of course, will understand my desire to convey, tell, draw these magical pictures. Finally, we climbed the Gud Mountain, stopped and looked around: a gray cloud hung on it, and its hungry breath threatened a coming storm; but in the east everything was so clear and golden that we, that is, I and the staff captain, completely forgot about him ... Yes, and the staff captain: in the hearts of simple people, the feeling of beauty and grandeur of nature is stronger, more alive a hundred times, than in us, enthusiastic storytellers in words and on paper.

One of the students expressively reads the passage, then a conversation is held in the class on the following questions:
1. What do you like about the road description?
2. Talk about the thoughts and feelings of the author of the description.
3. What is the place of this landscape in the composition of the novel?
Schoolchildren usually like the brilliance, lyricism of the description. During the conversation, they note that the author-traveler, together with Maxim Maksimych, admires magical paintings and reveals his thoughts, feelings, and his attitude towards people. Being high above the world, he experiences a special, almost childish feeling of joy. The author of the description (a wandering officer) respects ordinary people, Maxim Maksimych.
Schoolchildren, under the guidance of a teacher, realize the role of the landscape in question in the work - it is the background against which the action develops, it is associated with the author's thoughts about the characters of people, and the words about the hearts of ordinary people prepare them for the story about "the heart is not simple and difficult." In the description of the road, two principles inherent in Lermontov's style are organically merged: an objective description of nature and the reflection of a person's feelings and thoughts in the landscape. Lermontov, as it were, prepares the reader for the perception of the psychological landscapes of the story "Princess Mary". The teacher tells the students what Lermontov meant when he spoke of "enthusiastic storytellers in words and on paper" (we are talking about bombastic descriptions of representatives of the romantic school of Marlinsky and his followers). In contrast to such storytellers, Lermontov, following Pushkin, affirms a realistic vision of the world in the pictures of nature.
Using the material of individual descriptions of the story "Bela", the teacher has the opportunity to pose a number of important questions to the students about the role of landscape in the work. In subsequent lessons, these questions will be revealed when getting acquainted with the text "Taman" and "Princess Mary".
There are almost no landscape sketches in the story “Maxim Maksimych”, the author deliberately, in his own words, “saves” readers from this, focusing all attention on the meeting of the good staff captain with Pechorin, on describing Pechorin’s appearance, before revealing it in the Journal Pechorin" his heart, soul, thoughts. As homework for the story "Taman", the class is invited to independently find descriptions of nature, determine their content and role in the composition of the work. In the class, passages are read and analyzed by one student with the additions of others:

A full moon shone on the reed roof and white stelae of my new dwelling; in the yard, surrounded by a fence of cobblestones, stood sideways another shack, smaller and older than the first. The shore fell like a cliff to the sea almost at its very walls, and below, with an incessant murmur, dark blue waves splashed. The moon quietly looked at the restless, but submissive element, and by its light, far from the coast, I could distinguish two ships, whose black gear, like a web, was motionlessly drawn on the pale line of the sky ...
... Meanwhile, the moon began to dress in clouds, and fog rose on the sea; the lantern on the stern of the nearest ship shone through it; the foam of boulders glittered near the shore, every minute threatening to sink it.

To deepen the perception of the text, students are asked questions:
1. What phrase links the first description you read to the story of events?
2. What mood do Taman's seascapes create?
3. Draw these pictures orally. How do you imagine the lighting in these descriptions?
The conversation expands the students' understanding of the role of the landscape. A laconic, restrained description of the dwelling and the seashore is followed by the phrase: “There are ships in the pier,” I thought, “tomorrow I will go to Gelendzhik,” which emphasizes the natural justification for including the landscape in the living fabric of the story. Both descriptions, especially the second, create an unsettling mood, a sort of foreboding, aided by the poetic images of the restless sea and the will that threaten to sink the ship.
Oral drawing enhances the emotional perception of landscapes, helps to understand their dynamism.
Here is one of the student's responses (after the class discussion):

This is how I imagine the lighting in this landscape. A miserable hut with a Reed roof is illuminated by a moon. White walls. Pechorin's face and hands turn white in the dark. He sees a courtyard bathed in moonlight, sharp shadows from a fence and another shack. The outlines of the steep coastline are clearly visible. The sea in the light of the moon can be seen far away, and in the distance, on the pale line of the sky, one can discern the black rigging of ships.
Second picture. Everything suddenly becomes invisible: the yard, the distant ships, and the expanse of the sea. The lantern on the stern of the nearest ship glows dimly, and the foam of the surf sparkles near the shore, as if threatening to sink the ship.

In conclusion, schoolchildren conclude that the landscape is one of the elements of the composition associated with the key events of the story; it also has a psychological function, revealing Pechorin's mood. In "Taman" descriptions of nature give the story a lyrical sincerity, introduce the reader into the structure of the hero's thoughts and searches. Pictures of the moonlit night create an idea of the time and place of the action, they are organically connected with the story.
The beginning of the story "Princess Mary" (entries dated May 11) is a description of the view from the window of Pechorin's room in Pyatigorsk:

Yesterday I arrived in Pyatigorsk, rented an apartment on the edge of the city, on the highest place, at the foot of Mashuk: during a thunderstorm, clouds will descend to my roof. This morning at 5 o'clock in the morning, when I opened the window, my room was filled with the smell of flowers growing in a modest front garden. Branches of blossoming cherries look out my windows, and the wind sometimes strews my desk with their white petals. The view from three sides is wonderful. To the west, the five-domed Beshtau turns blue, like "the last cloud of a scattered storm"; in the north, Mashuk rises like a shaggy Persian hat, and covers this entire part of the sky. It’s more fun to look to the east: down below, a clean, brand new town is full of colors in front of me, healing springs are rustling, a multilingual crowd is rustling, - and there, further, mountains are piled up like an amphitheater, all bluer and more foggy, and on the edge of the horizon stretches a silver chain, snow peaks, starting with Kazbek and ending with the two-headed Elbrus. It's fun to live in such a land! Some kind of gratifying feeling is poured into all my veins. The air is clean and fresh, like the kiss of a child, the sun is bright, the sky is blue - what could be more? - Why is there passion, desire, regret? ..

The teacher expressively reads the beginning of the story and invites students to determine what is most important in this description. Feelings, thoughts, the complex spiritual world of Pechorin are revealed in him. He greedily absorbs the beauty of nature. Only a person who subtly feels beauty can perceive and describe nature in this way. Speaking about nature, Pechorin reveals his innermost thoughts. The white petals of flowering cherries, the silver chain of snowy peaks - all this delights Pechorin: “It's fun to live in such a land. Some kind of gratifying feeling is poured into all my veins.
Following the major notes, the words sound: “... the sun is bright, the sky is blue - what would it seem more? - why are there passions, desires, regrets? .. ”These words seem to be the beginning of a story about the complex, contradictory nature of Pechorin, a story that he himself leads. And at the end of the trivial phrase: “However, it's time. I’ll go to the Elizabethan spring: they say that the whole water society gathers there in the morning.”
In such abrupt transitions, Pechorin's inconsistency is revealed. Already the first landscape of the story reflects his love for nature - this is perhaps the warmest, most living feeling that he has left.
In the June 10 entry, the emotional description of the garden reflects Pechorin's mood:

Local residents claim that the air of Kislovodsk is conducive to love, that there are denouements of all novels that have ever begun at the sole of Mashuk. And in fact, everything here breathes with rapture, everything here is mysterious - and the thick canopy of linden alleys, leaning over the stream, which, with noise and foam, falling from slab to slab, cuts its way between the green mountains, and gorges full of haze and silence , whose branches scatter from here in all directions, and the freshness of aromatic air, weighed down by the vapors of high southern grasses and white acacia, the constant, sweetly soporific noise of icy streams, which, meeting at the end of the valley, run in unison and finally rush into Podkumok; - with on this side the gorge is wider and turns into a green hollow; a dusty road winds along it. Every time I look at her, it always seems to me that a carriage is coming, and a pink face is looking out of the window of the carriage.

E. Sollertinsky rightly asserts that a fleeting remark about waiting for a carriage makes one look at everything “with some kind of poignant feeling of a person who has either lost something and cannot find it, or is waiting for some gift from fate, but who understands that waiting in vain."
The teacher helps the students to understand the originality of the description. First of all, this landscape reflects the state of Pechorin's soul, the vagueness, incompleteness of his feelings for the "dear princess". Pechorin's experience of nature is woven with lyrical meditation and symbolically conveys his longing for true love. The description begins with a phrase that may seem vulgar if you do not think about its hidden meaning and do not see the bitter irony of Pechorin, who stands head and shoulders above his contemporary society.
Students note that the description of the garden and the road documented the setting of the action. Lermontov surprisingly accurately conveys the sounds, colors, smells of southern nature. The lines about the stream falling with noise from stove to stove, about the sweetly soporific noise of icy streams evoke vivid auditory impressions in the reader. The metaphor used by the author (streams, “which, meeting at the end of the valley, run together in runs and finally rush to Podkumok”) enhances the impression of swiftness of movement.
Following the traditions of Pushkin's prose, Lermontov uses the principle of accuracy, brevity and develops it, introducing new means of depicting the hero's inner world, thereby paving the way for the development of the Russian psychological novel - novels by I. S. Turgenev, L. N. Tolstoy, short stories by A. P. Chekhov.
Schoolchildren are especially interested in the description of the morning before the duel. In moments of tension of mental strength, in anticipation of a duel, Pechorin, turning to nature, reveals the best sides of his nature. The class receives the task - to reveal the role of the landscape in describing the character of Pechorin and in the composition of the story, since this role is very significant.
“I remember this time,” we read, “more than ever before, I loved nature. How curiously I peered into every dewdrop fluttering on a wide grape leaf and reflecting millions of rainbow rays! How greedily my gaze tried to penetrate the smoky distance! This is what Pechorin hid not only from Werner, but also from himself - longing for a better life, anxiety for the future, which he had not yet lost. In the harmony of nature, he found something that was not in the life of the surrounding society. The last lines of this lyrical landscape emphasize its connection, fusion with the duel scene: "... the path kept getting narrower, the cliffs were bluer and more terrible, and finally they seemed to converge like an impenetrable wall."
The description of the morning helps to understand Pechorin's personality. It paints the whole subsequent scene in disturbing, sad tones. In order to deepen students' understanding of the compositional role of pictures of nature, the teacher invites them to find the lines that seem to end the description of the culminating event - the duel with Grushnitsky: I had a stone in my heart. The sun seemed dim to me, its rays did not warm me.
This is said by a man who quite recently admired the joyful ray of the morning that had not yet begun, the golden tops of the cliffs, the golden fog. After the duel, even the sun seems dim to him. The landscape is not only the beginning and end of the description of the event, it is connected with it thematically, as it reflects Lermontov's thoughts about the "hero of time". The subtle psychological analysis of Lermontov is visible in the subtext, and not in the objective presentation of the events and statements of Pechorin.
The beautiful picture of the morning, the completeness of Pechorin’s vision of the world cast doubt on his words about himself (“I brought out only a few ideas from the storm of life - and not a single feeling. I have long been living not with my heart, but with my head”). The inconsistency, duality of Pechorin - this dominant of his personality - is revealed not in the fact that he first saw the golden rays of the sun that had not yet risen, which after the murder of Grushnitsky seemed dim to him, but in the fact that he is able to perceive nature in such a different way and assert that lives not with the heart, but with the head. He can be called smart, decent, courageous, able to mercilessly condemn himself, infinitely loving nature and at the same time cold, not believing in friendship and love, skeptical of people, of death.
Descriptions of nature accompany the key events of the story and reveal Pechorin's inner world, perhaps more than his skeptical remarks and composure, which, in his words, can disappear "like smoke." The nature of Pechorin's description of nature depends on his state, mood. In the description of the pursuit of Vera, shadows and colors are thickened, and the sun is covered by a black cloud. The despair that seized Pechorin after the death of the horse reveals the hero from a completely new side, shows how much fresh unspent strength was in Pechorin - and all of them were left without use.
At the lesson in the class, we commented on the final lines of the story "Princess Mary":

And, like a sailor, born and raised on the deck of a robber brig; his soul has become accustomed to storms and battles, and, thrown ashore, he is bored and languishing, no matter how beckoning his shady grove, no matter how the peaceful sun shines on him; he walks all day long on the coastal sand, listens to the monotonous rumble of the oncoming waves and peers into the misty distance: will not there, on the pale line separating the blue abyss from the gray clouds, the desired sail, at first similar to the wing of a sea gull, but little by little separating from the foam of boulders and evenly approaching the deserted pier ...

This peculiar lyrical epilogue expresses the worldview of Lermontov himself. In terms of ideological significance, the epilogue is close to many of the poet's works, in which he condemns the inactivity of the youth of the 40s of the 19th century and admires those who are "looking for storms." Lines from Lermontov's "Sails" are heard in the class.
So, pictures of nature, as it were, frame the story. "Princess Mary" begins with an alarming overture; at the end of it, a rebellious, full of strength and impulse for battle melody sounds, which expands the students' understanding of Pechorin.
This could end the conversation about the role of descriptions in the novel, but in Pechorin's Journal there is another story - "The Fatalist", which is rather difficult for students to perceive in terms of content and compositional role in the novel. The landscapes of the Fatalist are associated with Pechorin's deep philosophical reflections. In this story, he assesses not only his fate, but also the fate of his generation, comparing it with the fate of worthy ancestors: “... and we, their pitiful descendants, wandering the earth without conviction and pride ... we are no longer capable of sacrifices not for the good of mankind, not even for our own happiness. These lines are important for understanding the idea of the novel - a bitter reproach for inaction to the generation of the 40s of the 19th century. It is very important that students understand that in this story, thoughts about the fate of contemporaries are connected with the landscape: an ominous, red, like the glow of a fire, a month that appeared because of the “jagged horizon of houses”, and stars calmly shining on the “dark blue vault” , in comparison with which "disputes for a piece of land or for some fictitious rights" are so insignificant. And it is not by chance, of course, that V. Vinogradov claims that without the Fatalist, the image of Pechorin would be incomplete, because in this story he “acquires the features of a typical symbol of the entire contemporary generation.” Students read the passage to themselves in class and answer the following questions:
1. What does Pechorin think about the fate of his generation?
2. What role does the description of the starry sky play in his thoughts?
At the end of the work on the text of the novel, to consolidate knowledge, the teacher offers the class tasks that can be very diverse. For example: read expressively the most liked description of nature, determine its role in the composition of the story, in revealing the character and mood of Pechorin; orally draw one of the pictures of nature; write a miniature essay about the beginning of the story (a description of the view from the window of Pechorin's room) and its final lines (in which Pechorin compares himself with a sailor thrown ashore); determine how the main idea of the work is revealed in these passages; find metaphors, epithets, comparisons in any landscape; explain how they help reveal the author's intent, etc.
As we have already noted, the landscape is considered in the process of studying the text, which helps to preserve the integrity of the perception of descriptions of nature, without tearing them away from the whole work. The work done makes it possible, in the lesson devoted to the analysis of the image of Pechorin, to invite the class to independently reveal the question of Pechorin's love for nature, since this topic was one of the main ones during the lessons described. An in-depth analysis of landscape sketches prepares the basis for a generalizing lesson, which is at the same time a lesson in preparing for an essay.
By the lesson, students receive the following tasks and questions, on which a conversation is built in the class:
1. Learn by heart any description of nature, determine its significance in revealing the idea and composition of the novel, characterize the language of description.
2. To reveal the personality of Pechorin through his attitude to nature.
3. Show with examples how the descriptions of nature by Pechorin, an infantry officer and Maxim Maksimych differ.
4. What is the place of the landscape in the composition of the novel?
In completing the first task, students use a variety of landscapes: a description of the view of Pyatigorsk and the Caucasus Mountains from the window of Pechorin's room, a picture of the morning before the duel, foggy landscapes of Taman, a picture of the starry sky in Fatalist. Schoolchildren point out that his idea is expressed in the landscapes of the novel - the clash of a thinking person with society and Lermontov's condemnation of the typical vices of the "hero of time". Describing the originality of the language of descriptions, students pay attention to the means of artistic representation used by Lermontov. The teacher helps them in this analysis so that it does not come down to a simple enumeration of epithets, comparisons, etc., but would be connected with understanding the subtext. So, in the description of the morning before the duel, the epithets joyful, blue, silver, iridescent convey the feeling of the fullness of life that gripped Pechorin and which so does not correspond to the upcoming duel and thoughts of death.
Speaking about Pechorin's love for nature, students indicate that in this feeling the best, unspent forces of his soul are revealed. Often a picture of nature is an occasion for reasoning about people, about yourself, about the purpose of your life. Giving a description of the "water society", Pechorin does not forget to ridicule his indifference to nature. Only in communion with nature, this unbalanced, deeply suffering person finds peace. Students quote: “Whatever grief lies on the heart, no matter what anxiety torments the thought, everything will dissipate in a minute; it will become easy on the soul, the fatigue of the body will overcome the anxiety of the mind, ”and they note that Pechorin’s love for nature helps to understand the inconsistency of his nature.
What is the originality of the descriptions of nature by an infantry officer, Maxim Maksimych and Pechorin? Students understand that the author-traveler paints nature, but sometimes these paintings are full of psychologism, which is the main thing in Pechorin's descriptions, revealing his inner world, an impulse to a rebellious life. For comparison, the students give an example of one of the landscapes of the head of "Bel" - a picture of the Koishauri Valley, this beautiful Caucasian view, figuratively and lovingly recreated by a wandering officer. In this description there is no person, his feelings and thoughts.
And here is a description of nature by Maxim Maksimych:

It was in September; and sure enough, the day was wonderful, bright and not hot; all the mountains were visible as if on a silver platter ...
Our fortress stood on a high place, and the view from the rampart was beautiful: on one side a wide clearing, pitted with several beams, ended in a forest that stretched to the very ridge of the mountains; in some places auls smoked on it, herds walked; - on the other, a small river ran, and a dense shrubbery adjoined it, covering the siliceous hills, which were connected to the main chain of the Caucasus.

Maxim Maksimych speaks simply and beautifully about nature, thereby proving that in the hearts of ordinary people the feeling of the greatness of nature is no less strongly developed than in enthusiastic romantics or cold skeptics. Maxim Maksimych is no stranger to figurative speech. In comparison with the landscapes of Bela, Pechorin's descriptions seem especially emotional, correlated with his fate and personality.
Before moving on to the question of the place of the landscape in the composition of the novel, the teacher notes that this topic cannot be considered in isolation from the analysis of the features of the composition of the entire work. "A Hero of Our Time" consists of five stories, arranged not in chronological order, but in accordance with the author's intention to show "the history of the human soul", "a portrait made up of the vices of the entire generation in their full development." Each story is unique in style and intent, and Pechorin, as the author of the notes and as the protagonist of Bela and Maxim Maksimych, is shown at different periods of his life. Accordingly, this landscape is given different attention in each of the stories. In the story "Maxim Maksimych" he is almost absent, since the author focuses all his attention on revealing the tragic finale of Pechorin's life - his spiritual death. This is not at all the Pechorin that appears before us on the pages of his diary. In "Bela" landscapes are given through the perception of a wandering officer. Most of the place is given to them in the story "Princess Mary", which reveals the inner world of Pechorin. Often a description of nature serves as the beginning or end of a lyrical reflection, a philosophical reflection of the hero.
After such a message, students easily reveal the connection between landscape sketches and the development of the action and the fate of the protagonist, as well as the independent significance of pictures of the nature of the Caucasus.
Speaking about the features of the Lermontov landscape, the teacher will point out that the author skillfully "hid" behind his characters, and it may seem as if he stands aloof from their destinies, especially if you remember how Pushkin in "Eugene Onegin" often and frankly speaks about his attitude to characters, to nature. In fact, all the landscapes of the novel are also shown through the perception of Lermontov. It is no coincidence that key episodes are associated with the description of nature. Lermontov's landscapes are connected with the events and characters of the work, they are inseparable from the ideological, philosophical sound of the novel, they reveal the author himself, deeply feeling the breath of nature and the pulse of his time, a master of word and composition, an expert on human souls, a successor to the traditions of Pushkin's realistic prose. Rejecting the conventions of the romantic style, Lermontov ridicules its pomposity and declarativeness. The writer especially gravitated towards psychologism in depicting pictures of nature. The theme started by Pushkin - nature and the inner world of man - was deeply and comprehensively developed by Lermontov.
Thus ended the work on the landscapes of Lermontov's novel, which we considered as preparing students for independent written work on the Lermontov landscape. In conclusion, students are announced topics for homework:
1. How Pechorin's personality is revealed in his attitude to nature.
2. The place of the landscape in the composition of the novel "A Hero of Our Time".
3. Nature in the description of the author-traveler, Pechorin and Maxim Maksimych.
4. How I perceive pictures of nature when reading works of art.
The compositions showed students' understanding of the role of descriptions of nature in the development of the action and in the composition of the work, in revealing the characters' characters.
Here are some essays and analyze them:

How Pechorin's personality is revealed in his attitude to nature

The landscape in the novel plays a dual role: firstly, Lermontov depicts specific pictures of nature, and secondly, human feelings and moods are expressed in images of nature. In Pechorin's diary, we often come across descriptions of nature associated with certain thoughts, feelings, moods, and this helps readers to penetrate into his soul, to understand many of his character traits.
At the beginning of the story "Princess Mary" we meet with a very truthful and colorful description of the view from the window of the hero's room. Much can be learned from this description, for example, that its author (Pechorin) is a poetic person, passionately loving nature, highly cultured and educated, able to figuratively convey everything he sees. Pechorin forgets at the sight of "curly mountains" about everything in the world. Often his thoughts about nature seem to be intertwined with his thoughts about people, about himself. Pechorin masterfully describes the nature of the night (May 16, diary) with its lights in the windows and gloomy "snowy mountains". Sometimes the picture of nature serves him as an occasion for thought, reasoning, comparison. An example of such a landscape is the description of the starry sky in the story "The Fatalist", the appearance of which leads him to reflect on the fate of the generation.
Exiled to the fortress, Pechorin is bored, and nature seems boring to him. This is how he describes the beautiful view from the fortress: “It's been a month and a half since I've been in the fortress; Maxim Maksimych went hunting. I am alone; I sit by the window; angry clouds covered the mountains to the soles; the sun looks like a yellow spot through the fog. Cold; the wind whistles and shakes the shutters ... boring.
An example of a landscape that helps to understand the state of mind of the hero can be the description of the agitated sea in the story "Taman", the view of the sun, the rays of which did not warm Pechorin after the duel - a picture that opens to the hero from the site where the duel was to take place: "... there below it seemed dark and cold, as in a coffin; hazy jagged rocks, thrown down by thunder and time, were waiting for their prey.
Thus, we see that the description of nature occupies a large place in the disclosure of Pechorin's personality.

The essay is small, it is dedicated to the disclosure of Pechorin's personality, his moods at different periods of his life. Particularly interesting to us is that part of it, which refers to the originality of the perception and description of nature by Pechorin, depending on his state of mind. The student realized the main feature of Lermontov's depiction of nature - psychologism, showing the inner world of a person and his thoughts. The composition also notes the independent role of the landscape. The student uses in his work examples from descriptions that were not considered in the class, which indicates interest in the topic, that the analysis of the landscape under the guidance of the teacher helped to form the skills of thoughtful reading of the text. The shortcoming of the essay is that the student does not explain what is the peculiarity of the hero’s state of mind, which is revealed in the description of the surging sea, or what kind of thoughts Pechorin’s picture of the starry sky in the Fatalist leads to.
Here are excerpts from an essay on the specifics of Lermontov's landscapes, their colorfulness and role in the novel:

The landscape in Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time" plays a very important role. It is an inseparable part of the novel and helps us to reveal the images of the characters more deeply, prepares the reader for the events in Pechorin's life.
Descriptions of nature in the novel are given on behalf of the author-traveler, Maxim Maksimych and Pechorin. Nature is described by each of them in their own way. Here is the landscape given by Maxim Maxima - than in the story "Bela". In a few simple, concise expressions, Maxim Maksimych paints a very accurate picture that opens from the ramparts: “Our fortress stood on a high place, and the view from the rampart was beautiful: on one side a wide clearing, pitted with several beams, ended in a forest that stretched all the way to mountain range; in some places auls smoked on it, herds walked; on the other, a small river ran, and a dense shrubbery adjoined it, covering the siliceous hills, which were connected to the main chain of the Caucasus. In this description, one can feel the admiration of a simple Russian man for the nature of the Caucasus, his simple, ingenuous soul is revealed.
Descriptions of nature by an infantry officer are full of colorful epithets, for example, Aragva and another river are compared with two silver threads. In the descriptions of the author-traveler one can hear a deep admiration for nature. The reader feels that these descriptions can only belong to an educated, intelligent person who admires nature.

The student, through the description of nature by the author and Maxim Maksimych, showed the features of their character, although the originality of the author's landscapes in comparison with Pechorin's did not illuminate, and therefore did not reveal Lermontov's ideological position. In her writings there are thoughts showing that she understands the compositional role of pictures of nature. The student then writes:

Descriptions of nature by Pechorin create a mood for the reader before important events in the life of the hero. For example, the description of the area before Pechorin's duel with Grushnitsky is fanned with a gloomy foreboding. The oppressive picture of the sea in "Taman" prepares us for the mysterious adventures of the hero in the boat. The beautiful landscape that opens from the window of Pechorin in Pyatigorsk is contrasted with the secular life of the "water society". Pechorin makes a distinction between people who truly love nature, like himself, and lovers of views that, according to Pechorin, "stick out" on the rock. Lermontov gives a very multifaceted landscape in his work. The descriptions of nature reveal the deep talent and skill of the author.

Essays on the topic “How I perceive pictures of nature when reading works of art” convince of the importance of connecting the study of the landscape with personal impressions and observations of students. It is no coincidence that many schoolchildren begin their work with statements about their personal perception of nature and their attitude towards it. Here are excerpts from essays on this topic:

I remember back in the 6th grade we had to read Bezhin Meadow. All the children found this story terribly boring. But last year I read The Day Before, and after this magnificent piece I decided to try to re-read The Hunter's Notes. I know that many of my friends still think that Turgenev's descriptions are very boring. Now I can't say that anymore.
I read "Notes of a Hunter" where they were written by Turgenev - in Spassky, and, probably, that is also why they made such an impression on me. Probably, I will never be able to convey that greenery, sun, light and cool shade, that is, the nature that surrounds me. And suddenly everything that I read was such a vivid and living truth that it is impossible to convey with accuracy in words. “A motley grid of dark circles on a dark earth”, “the smell of the wind, and all of it begins to mix, creating new patterns” (and all this was before my eyes). Unusually pleasant linden air in the depths of gray-green alleys. And the old pond, overgrown with horsetail, and birches reflected in it! All this was unusually close and very dear!
I love this old park and now, when it's cold outside in Moscow, rereading Turgenev, I often remember the gloomy alleys, glades with tall silvery poplars. I lived there almost every summer, and, probably, now this park will forever be associated with my memories of my childhood. Of course, not all descriptions of nature give me such an impression. I don't know why, but I don't like Tolstoy's descriptions of nature. I like the works of Paustovsky much more. I like his descriptions of snow, autumn wind, dry leaves. True, usually his works evoke some kind of sadness. But perhaps it has its own charm. And in the description of the trembling fire, and in the howling of the wind. And you perceive all this situation so much that you are always imbued with extraordinary sympathy for his heroes.

The writing is very sincere and emotional. The student feels nature, Turgenev's descriptions merged with her childhood memories.
And here is an excerpt from an essay on the same topic, but in it one can hear a reproach against many modern writers. The student writes:

When you read a literary work, you try not only to follow the development of the action, but also to pay attention to how the author shows this or that event. By the way, school literature lessons taught me this to a large extent (this is their undoubted benefit). Naturally, you always pay attention to the landscape in the first place, perhaps because it always catches your eye. I love nature very much and can admire its beauty for hours. But, really, you get no less pleasure from the wonderful landscapes of Levitan or the literary descriptions of Paustovsky. You read them, and involuntarily before your eyes there are pictures, masterfully drawn by a wonderful writer. And how painful it is sometimes when on the pages of an interesting book as a whole one comes across a dull and lifeless description of nature! And, unfortunately, there are still plenty of such descriptions. After all, it is not for nothing that many people, when reading a book, skip the places where the landscape is given. But if the writer understands and loves nature, if he finds words to describe its beauty, then even the most zealous opponents of the descriptions of nature cannot tear themselves away from the book. Let writers write more about our wonderful Russian nature.

Students' writings devoted to the landscapes of Lermontov's "Hero of Our Time" showed that the combination of the analysis of nature pictures in the process of reading the text with observations in the generalizing lesson on the landscape makes it possible to deeply, emotionally perceive the literary text. Work on the landscape serves the cause of aesthetic education of students, teaches them to love and understand nature, educates attentive readers who deeply feel nature and consciously perceive works of art in all their diversity. Schoolchildren are very interested in revealing the inner world of the hero, his personality and mood through the description of nature. Awareness of the compositional role of the landscape brings up a literary approach to the study of works of art. In the best essays of high school students - understanding of the ideological richness of the work and the creative method of the author.

Description of the nature of the Caucasus

It is extremely difficult to imagine a literary work in which there would be no image of nature, because the landscape helps to recreate the reality of the events described, shows the author's point of view, and reveals the reasons for the actions of the characters.
The landscape and nature in the novel "A Hero of Our Time" allow us, the readers, to fully comprehend the author's intention precisely because the nature of the description of nature, landscape sketches are diverse and accurate.

The description of the nature of the Caucasus in the novel "A Hero of Our Time" was created by an indifferent pen - any reader feels this, and this is true.
Since childhood, the Caucasus has become for Lermontov a "magic country", where nature is beautiful and interesting, original people. Several times he took him, just a boy, his grandmother to the Caucasian waters, to improve his health. Subtly feeling the charm and primordial nature, Lermontov was fascinated by it. Here, at a very young age, the first strong real feeling came to him. Perhaps, thanks to this, the landscapes of Caucasian nature are so deep and subtle in the poet.

Characterization of the place as a function of the landscape in the novel

The role of the landscape in A Hero of Our Time is diverse and multifaceted. Lermontov with its help designates, characterizes the place or time of the storyline. Thus, the landscape with which the narrative opens introduces us into the artistic world of the novel, we can easily imagine exactly where the events take place. The narrator, who found himself in the Koishauri Valley, describes in a voluminous and accurate way the rocks, “impregnable, reddish, hung with green ivy and topped with piles of plane trees”, “cliffs streaked with gullies, and there, high and high, a golden fringe of snow”, it seems to him that Aragva is “embracing” with another river, "noisily escaping from a black gorge full of mist, stretches like a silver thread and sparkles like a snake with its scales."

Description of pictures of nature as a prelude to events

The landscape in "A Hero of Our Time" often precedes events that we do not yet know about. For example, the reader has not yet seen the hero, nothing is happening yet, just “the sun was hiding behind the cold peaks, and a whitish fog began to disperse in the valleys,” and this landscape leaves a clear feeling of cold and indifference. And this feeling will not deceive us - from Pechorin, who met with Maxim Maksimych, who so dreamed of seeing an old friend, he will breathe that very cold.

After testing fate by Lieutenant Vulich, when the officers go to their apartments, Pechorin observes calm stars, but the month that has appeared from behind the horizons of the houses is “full and red, like the glow of a fire.”

It seems that there is nothing to expect - a misfire saved Vulich's life, the "strange imprint of inevitable fate" seen by Pechorin on the face of the fatalistic officer dissipated. But the landscape does not leave calm, and nature does not deceive - Vulich dies on the same night.

Sympathizing with Pechorin, galloping, “gasping with impatience” to catch up with Vera, we understand that this is impossible, because “the sun has already hidden in a black cloud resting on the crest of the western mountains; the valley became dark and damp. Podkumok, making his way over the stones, roared muffled and monotonous.
Disclosure of the inner world of the protagonist.

The landscape in A Hero of Our Time is perhaps the most important for revealing the inner world of the protagonist. Having only listened to the story of Maxim Maksimych, we would hardly have been able to find pleasant features in Pechorin, however, it is the images of nature created by the hero in his journal that reveal to us, readers, his complex, contradictory nature. Looking out of the window at Pyatigorsk through the eyes of Pechorin, even if for a moment, until he remembers the mask that must be put on before appearing in society, we find a sensitive, enthusiastic nature. “My room was filled with the smell of flowers ... Branches of flowering cherries look out the windows to me. The view from three sides is wonderful. ... Beshtu turns blue, like "the last cloud of a scattered storm"; Mashuk rises to the north, like a furry Persian hat, and covers this entire part of the sky ... Mountains are piled up like an amphitheater, all blue and foggy, and a silver chain of snow peaks stretches on the edge of the horizon ... It's fun to live in such a land! .. The air is clean and fresh, like a kiss of a child; the sun is bright, the sky is blue - what would seem more? – why are there passions, desires, regrets?” It turns out that there is something in Pechorin's life that makes it fun to live, and his inner world is much richer than others can assume.

We confirm our discovery by reading how Grigory Pechorin, after meeting with Vera, rides on a horse “through tall grass, against a desert wind”; as he recalls: “I greedily swallow the fragrant air and fix my eyes on the blue distance, trying to catch the vague outlines of objects that are becoming clearer and clearer every minute.” It turns out that this is what can cure him of any bitterness and anxiety, which is why it becomes easier on the soul.

Landscape as a way of displaying the state of mind of the hero

Lermontov uses the landscape in his novel as a means of depicting the hero's state of mind. A striking example of this is nature in the perception of Pechorin before and after the duel. “I don’t remember a bluer and fresher morning! The sun barely emerged from behind the green peaks, and the merging of the warmth of its rays with the dying coolness of the night inspired a kind of sweet languor on all the senses; the joyful ray of the young day had not yet penetrated the gorge; he gilded only the tops of the cliffs hanging on both sides above us; thick-leaved bushes growing in their deep cracks showered us with silver rain at the slightest breath of wind. I remember - this time, more than ever before, I loved nature. Pechorin does not pretend - he again reveals his bright inner world, he is natural, he enjoys life and appreciates it. “The sun seemed dim to me, its rays did not warm me,” we read and feel the joylessness of the hero’s state. And later: “I am sitting by the window; gray clouds covered the mountains to the soles; the sun looks like a yellow spot through the fog. Cold; the wind whistles and shakes the shutters ... Boring!

Man and nature in the novel

Man and nature in Lermontov's novel are ambiguous. Getting acquainted with the "water society", the history of Vulich, reading about Grushnitsky, we will not find images of nature, landscapes associated with them, we will not see nature through their eyes. In this case, nature seems to be opposed to the heroes, they are people far from natural life.

Pechorin, who is so subtly able to feel and perceive the natural charm of life, dreaming of merging with it, cannot become a part of it - such is his lot. For people who are not connected with the conventions of society, far from "civilization", nature is an inseparable part of life.

Nature in Lermontov's "A Hero of Our Time" is, for example, part of the life of smugglers - the conversation between an undine and a blind boy overheard by Pechorin makes it clear to us, and here the author does not present us with a detailed landscape, on the contrary, the characters speak about nature only from a practical point of view : “the storm is strong”, “the fog is thickening”.

The writer's skill in depicting nature

The skill of the poet-landscape painter is enormous. Sometimes he shows nature in the novel as an artist - and one gets the impression that you are considering watercolors or drawings by Lermontov, similar to his paintings "View of Pyatigorsk", "Caucasian view with camels" or "Scene from Caucasian life" - epithets and metaphors are so diverse and expressive : “the dying coolness of the night”, “Mashuk’s head”, smoking, “like an extinguished torch”, “like snakes, gray wisps of clouds”, “golden fog of the morning”, a snowstorm - an outcast crying about her expanse steppes. It enhances the expressiveness of the landscapes and the rhythm of the narration - either concise, impetuous, when, for example, it is about Pechorin, or slow-moving, when describing the morning Caucasus.

Thus, the landscape and nature in the novel "A Hero of Our Time" help us understand the characters' characters and their experiences, comprehend the idea of the work, awaken our own thoughts about nature and its place in our lives.

Artwork test

One of the main features of romanticism is duality, when the romantic hero strives for the ideal and languishes in reality; disappointed in people, he tries to find an ideal in nature. It was nature that became the highest value of the romantics, being, in their opinion, a symbol of freedom and personifying an unattainable ideal. Therefore, in romantic works, the landscape acquired great importance, turning from the background of action into a means of expressing the author's position, a means of psychological analysis. Great attention was paid to the image of nature and the romantic M. Yu. Lermontov. The landscape plays an important role not only in his poetry, but also in the novel "A Hero of Our Time", while nature is described by him not only romantically - the features of realism also appeared in her depiction.
For the first time, the landscape appears at the very beginning of the novel - the author opens the narrative with a description of the Koishauri valley. On the one hand, the landscape indicates the place of action, on the other hand, it reveals the character of the officer himself. The brightness, picturesqueness of the image (“golden fringe of snow”, “silver thread” of the river) indicate that he is a creative person, the delight that he experiences indicates that the author perceives nature as a romantic, sees beauty in it that does not exist among people. Later, he will say that, only "moving away from the conditions of society and approaching nature," people "involuntarily become children," for "everything acquired falls away from the soul."
Pechorin almost repeats these words, describing the view from the windows of his room in Pyatigorsk; he, too, feels disarmed before the harmony of nature. The landscape reveals the poetry of Pechorin's nature (his description is extremely emotional), his courage and willingness to take risks (it is no coincidence that he chooses an apartment on the highest place - "during a thunderstorm, the clouds will descend ... to the roof"). Pechorin's attitude to nature shows that he is a sensitive person. Unlike Onegin, on whom the “grove, hill and field” “induces sleep”, Pechorin never ceases to admire the landscape, it is “night dew and mountain wind” that save him from longing.
But despite the fact that nature is perhaps the only highest value in the eyes of Pechorin, it cannot replace light for him. "Why are there passions, desires, regrets? .. - he writes in his diary, but then he adds: - I'll go to the Elisabeth spring: there ... the whole water society gathers." The theme of the natural and secular world arises, an important role in the disclosure of which is played by the landscape.
Going to a duel, Pechorin confesses that he does not remember the morning "more blue and fresh" - the beauty of the surrounding world is given in contrast with the impending murder, against the backdrop of the serenity of the natural world, conceived by Grushnitsky and the dragoon captain - people of light - seems especially scary. The landscape here not only reveals the author's position, Lermontov's attitude to the duel, but also performs psychological functions. Pechorin's excitement betrays his gaze, fixed on the "smoky distance", to where the duel should take place, and close attention to every dewdrop suggests that he does not hope to see all this again. The landscape also reflects Grushnitsky’s inner state, in describing which Lermontov uses the technique of psychological parallelism: Grushnitsky’s cheeks were covered with “dull pallor”, and a little later it is said that the sun seemed “dim” to Pechorin. Indeed, nature is full of foreboding misfortune: a sunbeam illuminates everything except the duel site, in the gorge "it is dark and cold, like in a coffin."
As if predicting the further development of events, the landscape in the chapter “Bela”, where the story of the tragic fate of the girl is preceded by a description of misfortune in the mountains, and on the day when Pechorin first met Vera in Pyatigorsk, “the air was filled with electricity”. The landscape in the novel not only anticipates the plot, but also initiates it. So, waiting for a snowstorm, Maxim Maksimych tells the author about Bela, a thunderstorm detained Vera and Pechorin in the grotto; climbing the mountain, he gives his hand to Princess Mary, whom she "does not leave during the whole walk."
But the landscape is not always given in unison with the events taking place. So, in the chapter "Taman" nature is mysterious, the images of the moon and the sea, typical of romantics, become central; intentionally creates an atmosphere of ambiguity and expectation of adventure. In reality, nothing happens, and the girl, who appeared to Pechorin as an undine, the mysterious blind and brave Yanko, turn out to be ordinary smugglers. The romantic model in "Taman" collapses, and this manifests itself even at the level of the landscape. Along with images of the moon and the sea, a realistic description of the "dirty lanes", ancient shacks and "dilapidated fences" of Taman arises.
The same contrast is observed in "Princess Mary": Pechorin writes in detail and enthusiastically about the nature of Pyatigorsk, but only mentions the city itself. It is no coincidence that there are no urban landscapes in the novel - they remind Pechorin of people, and they only make him angry. Nature, on the contrary, makes him forget about the vain light, leads to philosophical reflections. So, looking at the stars (“The Fatalist”), Pechorin first recalls the naive faith of his ancestors and then proceeds to thoughts about a whole generation, will and fate. The landscape develops from the concrete into the universal, cosmic, individual images acquire a symbolic meaning. The stars become "lighted lamps", "with participation" looking at the earth, the road - a symbol of a person's spiritual quest, his path to the goal. Such a perception of nature in the novel is characteristic only of Pechorin. The author, although he admires landscapes, calls himself "an enthusiastic storyteller in words and on paper", Maxim Maksimych is used to "magnificent pictures" as to the whistle of bullets. Elements of the landscape are found not only in the detailed descriptions of Pechorin or the author, but also in individual remarks, even at the level of comparisons: Mary Pechorin calls the soul a barely blossoming flower. It is important to note that people are compared in the novel with nature, and the landscape with a person (“the air is clean and fresh, like a kiss of a child”); By this, Lermontov emphasizes the close connection between nature and man.
The landscape plays in the novel not only an ideological and artistic, but also a compositional role. Descriptions of nature open three of the five chapters of A Hero of Our Time, serve as logical links between the episodes of the novel, and make up the bulk of the work. Landscape matters both for the content of the novel and for its form. Playing an important compositional and plot-forming role, at the same time it helps to reveal the images of the author, Pechorin and Maxim Maksimych, is a means of psychological analysis, and introduces the philosophical layer of the work. Lermontov paid attention not only to romantic and symbolic descriptions, but also to concrete, realistic landscapes that create the background of the action or have independent value; it is no coincidence that images of nature are replete with epithets and comparisons. Lermontov was one of the first writers to assign a significant place to the landscape in the work, after him this tradition was continued by I. S. Turgenev, L. N. Tolstoy, M. A. Sholokhov and others.

The role and significance of nature in Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time"

Landscape plays a big role in the novel. We note a very important feature of it: it is closely connected with the experiences of the characters, expresses their feelings and moods. From here comes the passionate emotionality, the excitement of the descriptions of nature, which creates a sense of the musicality of the whole work.

The silvery thread of the rivers and the bluish fog gliding through the water, escaping into the gorges of the mountains from the warm rays, the glitter of snow on the crests of the mountains - the exact and fresh colors of Lermontov's prose.

In "Bela" we are fascinated by the truthfully painted pictures of the customs of the highlanders, their harsh way of life, their poverty. The author writes: “The saklya was stuck on one side to the rock, three wet steps led to its door. I groped my way in and ran into a cow, I didn’t know where to go: here sheep bleat, there a dog grumbles. The people of the Caucasus lived hard and sadly, oppressed by their princes, as well as by the tsarist government, which considered them "natives of Russia."

The majestic pictures of mountain nature are drawn very talentedly.

The artistic description of nature in the novel is very important in revealing the image of Pechorin. In Pechorin's diary, we often come across descriptions of the landscape associated with certain thoughts, feelings, moods of the hero, which helps us to penetrate into his soul, to understand many of his character traits. - a poetic person, passionately loving nature, able to figuratively convey what he sees.

Pechorin masterfully describes the night (his diary, May 16) with its lights in the windows and "gloomy, snowy mountains." No less beautiful is the starry sky in the story "The Fatalist", the appearance of which leads the hero to reflect on the fate of the generation.

Exiled to the fortress, Pechorin is bored, nature seems dreary to him. The landscape here also helps to better understand the state of mind of the hero.

The description of the agitated sea in "Taman" serves the same purpose. The picture that opens to Pechorin from the site where the duel was to take place, the sun, the rays of which do not warm him after the duel, all evokes melancholy, all nature is sad. Only alone with nature Pechorin experiences the deepest joy. "I don't remember a bluer and fresher morning!" he exclaims, struck by the beauty of the sunrise in the mountains. Pechorin's last hopes are also directed to the endless expanses of the sea, the sound of the waves. Comparing himself to a sailor born and raised on the deck of a robber brig, he says that he misses the coastal sand, listens to the roar of the oncoming waves and peers into the distance covered with fog. Lermontov was very fond of the sea, his poem "Sail" echoes the novel "A Hero of Our Time". Pechorin is looking for the desired "sail" in the sea. Neither Lermontov nor the hero of his novel realized this dream: the “desired sail” did not appear and rush them off to another life, to other shores. Pechorin calls himself and his generation "miserable descendants wandering the earth without conviction and pride, without pleasure and fear." The marvelous image of a sail is a longing for a failed life.

The story "" also opens with a wonderful landscape. Pechorin writes in his diary: "I have a wonderful view from three sides." The language of the novel is the fruit of the author's great work. (Pechorin's language is very poetic, the flexible structure of his speech testifies to a man of great culture, with a subtle and penetrating mind.) The richness of the language of the "Hero of Our Time" is based on Lermontov's reverent attitude to nature. He wrote a novel in the Caucasus, the southern landscape inspired him. In the novel, the author protests against the aimless and thoughtless life to which his generation is doomed, and the landscape helps us understand the inner world of the characters.

The same can be said about the landscape in Lermontov's poetry. Suffice it to recall his famous poem "When the yellowing field is agitated ...", a masterpiece of world art:

When the yellowing field worries,
And the fresh forest rustles at the sound of the breeze,
And the crimson plum hides in the garden
Under the shade of a sweet green leaf...

All the work of Lermontov had a significant impact on the development of Russian literature. The famous landscapes of Turgenev, no doubt, were written under the influence of Lermontov's prose, some images of Leo Tolstoy (the story "The Raid") resemble the realistically drawn images of Lermontov. The influence of Lermontov on Dostoevsky, Blok, and Yesenin is quite obvious. And I want to end mine with the words of Mayakovsky: "Lermontov comes to us, defying the times."

In the travel notes of the officer-narrator, the landscape is sustained in the traditional romantic spirit, saturated with bright colors: “On all sides the mountains are impregnable, reddish rocks hung with green ivy ...” It can be noted that the narrator strives to give a description of exotic nature, intended for the Russian reader, and wearing therefore somewhat exploratory in nature. In addition, one can make an assumption about his forced stay in the Caucasus (comparison of a snowstorm with an exile).

Most of the novel is made up of Pechorin's notes, and his personality is reflected, in particular, in his descriptions of nature. The individualism of the protagonist, his separation from the rest of the world does not give him the opportunity to reveal to people the most secret feelings, the purest spiritual impulses, and they often manifest themselves just in his attitude to nature: "The air is clean and fresh, like a child's kiss." Pechorin is able to feel the movement of air, the stirring of tall grass, to admire the "foggy outlines of objects", revealing spiritual subtlety and depth. He, a lonely man, nature in difficult times allows him to maintain peace of mind: “I greedily swallowed the fragrant air,” writes Pechorin after an emotionally intense meeting with Vera. The romantic nature of Pechorin is guessed, for example, in the landscapes of "Taman": "white walls", "black tackle", "pale line of the sky" - a typically romantic selection of colors.

In addition, nature is constantly opposed to the world of people, with their petty passions (“The sun is bright, the sky is blue - what would it seem more? Why are there passions, desires? ..”), and the desire to merge with the harmonious world of nature turns out to be futile. But unlike the frozen romantic paintings described by the narrator, the landscapes written by Pechorin are full of movement: a stream, “which, with noise and foam, falling from slab to slab, cuts its way”; branches "scattering from here in all directions"; air "burdened with the vapors of tall southern grasses"; streams that “run in unison and, finally, rush into Podkumok” - all these descriptions emphasize Pechorin’s internal energy, his constant tension, thirst for action, reflect the dynamics of his mental states.

Some landscapes provide additional evidence of the breadth and versatility of Pechorin's knowledge, his erudition: "The air was filled with electricity" - such phrases are quite naturally woven into Pechorin's stream of thoughts. Thus, following the tradition of making nature a criterion for the development of personality, Lermontov solves this problem with the help of innovative means.

The absence of references to nature, for example, in Grushnitsky testifies to his mental inability to feel deeply. The absence of them in Maxim Maksimych is fully justified realistically: a poorly educated person, living in harsh conditions, he is not used to pouring out his feelings verbally. However, comparing the magnificent pictures of nature with the whistle of bullets from which the heart also beats in terms of their effect on a person, Maxim Maksimych discovers an unexpected sensitivity of the soul, and this forces the narrator to make a confession: “In the hearts of simple people, the feeling of beauty and grandeur of nature is stronger, more alive a hundred times, than in us, enthusiastic storytellers in words and on paper. In this thought, one can see some social overtones.

Characterizing the landscapes of the novel, one can talk about their consonance or opposition to the mood of the hero, about symbolic landscapes that lead to philosophical reflections, one can consider the landscape in other aspects, but if we approach the topic from the point of view of the analysis of Lermontov's artistic method, we can note the following. The features of romanticism are inherent in descriptions of nature, which is associated with certain traditions in the minds of the heroes - Lermontov's contemporaries. At the same time, the realistic tendency is manifested, first of all, in the substantiation of the perception of nature by the socio-psychological, cultural, intellectual, and moral characteristics of the characters. Thus, the landscape reflects Lermontov's solution to his main task - the image of a contemporary person, who was formed under the influence of certain circumstances.