home
Ayurveda
The meaning of the poem “Who lives well in Rus'. The ideological meaning of stories about sinners (based on the poem N

The meaning of the poem “Who lives well in Rus'. The ideological meaning of stories about sinners (based on the poem N

23.06.2020

One of the main characters of Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Rus'" - Savely - the reader will recognize when he is already an old man who has lived a long and difficult life. The poet draws a colorful portrait of this amazing old man: With a huge gray ...

N.A. Nekrasov wrote a wonderful poem “Who should live well in Rus'”. Its writing began in 1863, two years after the abolition of serfdom in Russia. It is this event that stands at the center of the poem. The main question of the work can be understood from ...

Nekrasov conceived the poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” as a “folk book”. He began writing it in 1863 and ended up terminally ill in 1877. The poet dreamed that his book would be close to the peasantry. In the center of the poem is a collective image of the Russian...

The changes that take place with the seven peasants in the process of their search are extremely important for understanding the author's intention, the central idea of the entire work. Only wanderers are given in the course of gradual changes, in evolution (the rest of the characters are depicted ...

Nekrasov's poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" was, as it were, a departure from the general idea of many works of that time - the revolution. In addition, in almost all the works, the main characters were representatives of the upper classes - the nobility, merchants, philistinism ....

The Russian people are gathering strength And learning to be a citizen... N. A. Nekrasov One of the most famous works of N. A. Nekrasov is the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, glorifying the Russian people. It can rightfully be called the pinnacle of creativity ...

In 1866, the prologue of Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Rus'" appears in print. This work, published three years after the abolition of serfdom, immediately caused a wave of discussion. Leaving aside the political criticism of the poem, let us focus on the main question: what is the meaning of the poem “Who should live well in Rus'”?

Of course, the reform of 1863 served as part of the impetus for writing the poem to Nekrasov. Russia, which had lived for centuries at the expense of the labor of serfs, reluctantly got used to the new system. Everyone was confused: the landowners,

And the serfs themselves, which Nekrasov skillfully portrays in his poem. The first simply did not know what to do now: accustomed to living exclusively by other people's labor, they were not adapted to an independent life. They sing to the landowner: Work hard, but he “thought to live like this for a century” and is no longer ready to reorganize in a new way.

For some, such a reform is literally like death - the author shows this in the chapter “Last Child”. Prince Utyatin, her main character, has to be deceived until his death, claiming that serfdom in Rus' is still in effect.
Otherwise, the prince will have a blow - the shock will be too strong.

The peasants are also confused. Yes, some of them dreamed of freedom, but soon they are convinced that they received the rights only on paper:

“You are good, royal letter,
Yes, you are not written with us ... "

The village of Vahalaki has been suing for years for its lawful meadows on the Volga with the former owners of the land, the landowners, but it is clear that the peasants will not see this land during their lifetime.

There is another type of peasant - those who were taken by surprise by the abolition of serfdom. They are accustomed to pleasing their landowner and treat him as an inevitable and necessary evil for life, moreover, they cannot imagine their life without him. “You have fun! / And I am the Utyatin princes / Kholop - and that’s the whole story!” This is their point of view.

Such is the serf, proud of the fact that all his life he drank and ate after the master. Faithful serf Yakov, who gave his whole life to an absurd master, on the contrary, decides to rebel. But let's see how this rebellion is expressed - in depriving oneself of life in order to leave the landowner alone, helpless.

This, as it turned out, is an effective revenge, but it will no longer help Yakov ...

The meaning of “Who should live well in Rus'”, according to Nekrasov’s plan, was just the same in depicting the country immediately after the abolition of serfdom from various points of view. The poet wanted to show that the reform was carried out largely thoughtlessly and inconsistently, and brought with it not only the joy of liberation, but also all sorts of problems that needed to be addressed. Poverty and lack of rights, a huge lack of education for the common people (the only school in the village is “crammed tightly”), the need for honest and smart people who would hold responsible positions - all this is said in the poem in a simple, folk language.

Peasants in their wanderings will ask a variety of people, from a priest to a simple soldier, but none of their interlocutors can boast of happiness. And this is to some extent natural, because each of the heroes of the poem is looking for his own, personal happiness, without thinking about the universal, the people. Even the honest burgomaster Yermil cannot stand it and, in an attempt to benefit his family, forgets about the truth.

Happiness, according to Nekrasov, can only be found by those who forget about personal things and take care of the happiness of their homeland, as Grisha Dobrosklonov does.

“Nekrasov, in his last work, remained true to his idea: to arouse the sympathy of the upper classes of society for the common people, their needs and needs,” the Russian critic Belinsky spoke of Nekrasov’s work. Indeed, this is the main meaning of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - not only and so much to point out current problems, but to affirm the desire for universal happiness as the only possible way for the further development of the country.

(No Ratings Yet)

The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” was written shortly after the adoption of the reform “On the abolition of serfdom” in 1861. Everyone knows that Nikolai Alekseevich was an active fighter for the rights of the people. The main theme of his work was people's happiness and the struggle for justice in relation to him. The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” was written with great [...] ...
The very title of the poem sets one up for a truly all-Russian review of life, for the fact that this life will be studied truthfully and in detail, from top to bottom. It aims to find answers to the main questions of the time when the country was going through an era of great change: what is the source of people's troubles, what really changed in his life, and what remained the same, what needs to be done to […]...
The ideological and artistic originality of the poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” 1. The problematics of the work is based on the correlation of folklore images and specific historical realities. The problem of national happiness is the ideological center of the work. The images of seven wandering men are a symbolic image of Russia that has started off (the work is not finished). 2. The poem reflects the contradictions of Russian reality in the post-reform period: a) Class contradictions (ch. “Landlord”, […]...
The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” occupies a central place in the work of Nekrasov. It has become a kind of artistic result of more than thirty years of the author's work. All the motives of Nekrasov's lyrics are developed in the poem, all the problems that worried him are rethought, and his highest artistic achievements are used. Nekrasov not only created a special genre of socio-philosophical poem. He subordinated it to his most important task: to show the developing [...] ...
“My favorite brainchild,” Nekrasov wrote in his manuscript about the poem “Who should live well in Rus'.” Later, in one of his letters to the journalist P. Bezobrazov, the poet himself defined the genre of the poem “Who should live well in Rus'”: “This will be the epic of modern peasant life.” And here the modern reader will immediately have a lot of questions […]
The idea of the poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” arose in the early 1860s. Nekrasov continued to work on the poem until the end of his life, but did not have time to complete it. Therefore, when publishing the poem, serious difficulties arose - the sequence of chapters remained unclear, the author's intention could only be guessed approximately. Researchers of Nekrasov's work settled on three main options for the location [...] ...
The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” occupies a central place in the work of Nekrasov. It became a kind of artistic result of more than thirty years of the author's work. All the motifs of Nekrasov's lyrics are developed in the poem, all the problems that worried him are rethought, and his highest artistic achievements are used. Nekrasov not only created a special genre of socio-philosophical poem. He subjugated […]
“To whom it is good to live in Rus'” is the final work of Nekrasov, in which the poet wanted to state everything that he knew about the people, to combine the experience of all his previous poems and poems. As the author himself said, he collected his “main book” “word by word for 20 years”. Nekrasov began to create this work in 1863, shortly after the peasant [...] ...
The whole poem by Nekrasov is a flaring up, gradually gaining strength, worldly gathering. For Nekrasov, it is important that the peasantry not only thought about the meaning of life, but also set off on a difficult and long journey of truth-seeking. In the "Prologue" the action is tied up. Seven peasants are arguing, "who lives happily, freely in Rus'." The men still do not understand that the question is who is happier - a priest, a landowner, [...] ...
Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov worked on his work “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” for many years, giving him part of his soul. And throughout the entire period of the creation of this work, the poet did not leave high ideas about a perfect life and a perfect person. The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” is the result of the author’s many years of reflection on the fate of the country and people. So, […]...
Features of the composition of the poem by N.A. Nekrasov “Who should live well in Rus'” I. Introduction Composition - the composition, arrangement and interconnection of parts and elements of a work of art. (See Glossary for details.) II. Main part 1. The main plot core of the poem is the search for a "happy" family peasants. This storyline, as it were, passes through the fate of many people and ends with the image of Grisha Dobrosklonov, who [...] ...
Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Rus'" occupies a special place both in the history of Russian classical literature and in the creative heritage of the poet. It is a synthesis of Nekrasov's poetic activity, the completion of many years of creative work of the revolutionary poet. Everything that Nekrasov developed in separate works over the course of thirty years is collected here in a single plan, grandiose in content, scope [...] ...
1. What types of peasants did N. A. Nekrasov portray in the poem “Who should live well in Rus'”? N. A. Nekrasov creates several types of peasants. These are seven men looking for happy people in Rus'. The second type is fighters for the people: Savely the Holy Russian hero, Yermil Girin, the robber Kudeyar. The third type is workers who are still enduring, but their protest is already ripening: […]...
The people - the hero of the poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" At the center of the great work of N. A. Nekrasov is the collective image of the main character - the people. Before us are generalized pictures of people's life, the faces of people from the people. Some of them only flicker before us in a motley crowd; others talk in detail about themselves; the heroes of the poem talk about the third. Written […]...
What is happiness? Many philosophers of ancient and modern times have tried to answer this question. Later, psychology and art tried to explain happiness. So N. A. Nekrasov, in his poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” tried to reveal this mysterious term to us. In the poem, Nekrasov introduces seven men who go to look for a happy person in Rus'. And what is […]
The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” can be called an encyclopedia of folk life. Nekrasov himself said before his death that he “wanted to introduce into this poem ... all the experience given to him by the study of the people, all the information about him, accumulated by word of mouth for twenty years.” The poem reflected many aspects of Russian reality after the abolition of serfdom. Here, a number of […]
In February 1861, serfdom was abolished in Russia. This progressive event greatly stirred up the peasants and caused a wave of new problems. Nekrasov described the main one in the poem “Elegy”, where there is an aphoristic line: “The people are freed, but are the people happy?”. In 1863, Nikolai Alekseevich began to work on the poem “Who should live well in Rus'”, in [...] ...
The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” was created in the mid-70s, during the period of a new democratic upsurge, when Russia was on the verge of a revolution. The Narodniks, who preached revolutionary ideas, pinned all their hopes on the peasantry. But the peasant masses remained indifferent to the revolutionary preaching of the Narodniks. The poem “Who is living well in Rus'?” occupies a central place in the work of Nekrasov. She became kind of […]
As you know, the plot of Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is built around the search for a happy man in Rus' by seven men. After a long journey, after numerous meetings with people of different classes, ages and worldviews, the men never reached the goal of their search. Perhaps, by the end of the poem, they became more and more convinced that in Rus' there is no [...] ...
In general, speaking about the genre and style of “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, one must bear in mind that Nekrasov’s poem is in many respects closer to prose narrative genres than to poems, in particular to the lyrical-epic poem of the 1920s and 1930s. 19th century The authors of both works used a very capacious genre form - a form of travel, allowing in any sequence [...] ...
Time of work on the poem (60-70s. The decline of the liberation movement and a new rise). The sources of the poem are personal observations, stories of contemporaries, folklore. The idea of the poem is wandering around Russia in search of a happy person; gradually wanderers from the idea of finding a specific person come to the idea of finding happiness for everyone (this reflects the growth of national self-awareness not only of seven men, but […]...
The whole poem by Nekrasov “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” is a flaring up, gradually gaining strength, secular gathering. For Nekrasov, the process itself is important here, it is important that the peasantry not only thought about the meaning of life, but also set off on a difficult and long path of truth-seeking. In the "Prologue" the action is tied up. Seven peasants are arguing, "who lives happily, freely in Rus'." […]...
This lyrical text is an excerpt from the poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” by N. A. Nekrasov. In it, the narrator reveals the theme of a rainy and cloudy spring. This situation is a huge disaster for the peasant, because if there is no good weather, there will be no harvest. The earth is everything to him, she is both a nurse and a drinker. The narrator shows us various images, [...] ...
Nekrasov gave many years of his life to work on a poem, which he called his “beloved brainchild”. “I decided,” said Nekrasov, “to state in a coherent story everything that I know about the people, everything that I happened to hear from their lips, and I started “Who in Rus' should live well.” It will be the epic of modern peasant life.” Material for [...]
Plan History of creation Genre of the work, composition Theme and idea of the work, characters, problems Artistic means Conclusion Nekrasov's poems: "The people are freed, but are the people happy? ..". The singer [...]
N. A. Nekrasov all his life hatched the idea of a work that would become a folk book, a book “useful, understandable to the people and truthful”, reflecting the most important aspects of his life. For 20 years he accumulated material for this book “word by word”, and then worked on the text of the work for 14 years. The poet began work on the grandiose idea of the “people's book” in 1863 […]...
The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” is the result of the author’s thoughts about the fate of the country and people. To whom in Rus' to live well? The poem begins with this question. Its plot, like the plot of folk tales, is built as a journey of old peasants in search of a happy person. Wanderers are looking for him among all the estates of the then Rus', but their main goal is to find [...] ...
Nekrasov, as if freeing himself, breaks his entire “epic” verse, with which the poem “Who Lives Well in Russia” was written for many years, and arranges a rare truly choral polyphony, knits into one in the richest verse variety the different beginnings and ends of Russian life, starts a universal truly "Feast - for the whole world" ... In the "Introduction" a peasant feast is drawn - "Wake on the roofs" [...] ...
The meaning of the name. The very title of the poem sets one up for a truly all-Russian review of life, for the fact that this life will be studied truthfully and in detail, from top to bottom. It aims to find answers to the main questions of the time when the country was going through an era of great changes: what is the source of people's troubles, what really changed in his life, and what remained the same, what is needed [...] ...
Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov worked for quite a long time on his poetic work called “Who should live well in Rus'”. The writer, of course, gave this work a large part of his soul. It is worth noting that throughout the entire time of writing this poem, the author did not part with his ideas about a perfect living person and his perfect life. Therefore, with confidence [...]
The greatest monument of Russian folk life of the XIX century. - the poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” was created by Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov for fourteen years (1863-1876) and, unfortunately, remained unfinished. Death prevented the poet from finishing it. In his poem, Nekrasov recreates a true picture of the life of post-reform Russia. The main interest of the poet is the position of the Russian peasant. The poem “To whom [...]
The folklore basis of the poem by N.A. Nekrasov “Who should live well in Rus'” Poem by N.A. Nekrasov “Who should live well in Rus'” is a true encyclopedia of peasant life. It reflected the thoughts and aspirations of the people, their ideals, their ideas of happiness. The very plot of the work - the search for "an unworn province, an ungutted volost, an surplus village" - corresponds to the characteristic feature of a Russian person: his […]...
History of creation. The beginning of work on “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” is usually attributed to 1863. By this time, Nekrasov had created works that can be seen as steps towards the last poem. The poem “Peddlers” has already been published, which is based on a journey and is associated with the elements of a folk song, “Frost, Red Nose” has been written, where the type of Russian woman is deduced, deeply and […]...
The Search for Happiness in Nekrasov's Poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” In search of happiness, one way or another, every person is. But not every one of us imagines what happiness is? In addition, everyone answers this burning question in their own way, based on their personal characteristics of temperament, upbringing, and also desires. I tried to answer this question and […]
In the tale “about two great sinners,” there was a call to fight against the oppressors. The robber Kudeyar is forgiven all sins for killing Pan Glukhovsky. So, the fight against pans is a holy cause. What is the meaning of the chapter “A Feast for the Whole World” in N. A. Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Russia”? The chapter “A Feast for the Whole World” shows the state [...] ...
The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” is the pinnacle work of the work of N. A. Nekrasov. He nurtured the idea of this work for a long time, worked on the text of the poem for fourteen years (from 1863 to 1877). In criticism, it is customary to define the genre of a work as an epic poem. This work is not finished, however, despite the incompleteness of the plot, it embodies a deep social significance. The poem […]...
The peculiarity of Russian literature lies in the fact that it has always been closely connected with the actual problems of social life. The great writers of Russia were deeply concerned about the fate of the Motherland and the people. Patriotism, citizenship and humanity were the main features of the poetry of Pushkin, Lermontov and Nekrasov. All of them saw the meaning of their work in serving the people, in the struggle for its freedom and happiness. […]...
The time of work on the poem (6070s. The decline of the liberation movement and a new rise). The sources of the poem are personal observations, stories of contemporaries, folklore. The idea of the poem is wandering around Russia in search of a happy person; gradually wanderers from the idea of finding a specific person come to the idea of finding happiness for everyone (this reflects the growth of national self-awareness not only of seven men, but […]...
The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'”, on which N. A. Nekrasov worked for twenty years, became the crown of his work. The poet wanted to depict in it all social strata: from the peasant to the king. As conceived by the author, in the center of the poem is the image of post-reform Russia, when after the “liberation” of the peasants, those who did not have their own land fell into an even greater […]...
Answering the question posed in the title of the poem - “Who should live well in Rus'”, - Nekrasov creates the image of a raznochinets, “people's defender”, a democratic revolutionary. Such is Grisha Dobrosklonov. He is told about in the last part of the poem, called "A feast for the whole world." Grisha Dobrosklonov grew up in a remote village, in a poor family of a rural deacon; his mother was "an unrequited laborer." Joyless and hungry […]

In 1866, the prologue of Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Rus'" appears in print. This work, published three years after the abolition of serfdom, immediately caused a wave of discussion. Leaving aside the political criticism of the poem, let's focus on the main question: what is the meaning of the poem "Who should live well in Rus'"?

Of course, the reform of 1861 served as part of the impetus for writing the poem to Nekrasov. Russia, which had lived for centuries at the expense of the labor of serfs, was reluctant to get used to the new system. Everyone was at a loss: both the landlords and the serfs themselves, which Nekrasov masterfully portrays in his poem. The first simply did not know what to do now: accustomed to living exclusively by other people's labor, they were not adapted to an independent life. They sing to the landowner: Work hard, but he “thought to live like this for a century” and is no longer ready to reorganize in a new way. For some, such a reform is literally like death - the author shows this in the chapter "Last Child". Prince Utyatin, her main character, has to be deceived until his death, claiming that serfdom in Rus' is still in effect. Otherwise, the prince will have a blow - the shock will be too strong.

The peasants are also confused. Yes, some of them dreamed of freedom, but soon they are convinced that they received the rights only on paper:

“You are good, royal letter,
Yes, you are not written with us ... "

The meaning of "Who is living well in Rus'", according to Nekrasov's plan, was precisely the image of the country immediately after the abolition of serfdom from various points of view. The poet wanted to show that the reform was carried out largely thoughtlessly and inconsistently, and brought with it not only the joy of liberation, but also all sorts of problems that needed to be addressed. Poverty and lack of rights, a huge lack of education for the common people (the only school in the village is "crammed tightly"), the need for honest and smart people who would hold responsible positions - all this is said in the poem in a simple, folk language. Rus itself seems to speak with the reader in many voices, begging for help.

At the same time, it would be wrong to reduce the meaning of the work “Who Lives Well in Rus'” solely to the consideration of the current political problems of Russia. No, when creating the poem, Nekrasov put into it a different, philosophical meaning. It is already expressed in the very title of the poem: “Who in Rus' should live well”. Indeed, to whom? - this is the problem that the author, and with him the reader, has to solve. Peasants in their wanderings will ask a variety of people, from a priest to a simple soldier, but none of their interlocutors can boast of happiness. And this is to some extent natural, because each of the heroes of the poem is looking for his own, personal happiness, without thinking about the universal, the people. Even the honest burgomaster Yermil cannot stand it and, in an attempt to benefit his family, forgets about the truth. Happiness, according to Nekrasov, can only be found by those who forget about personal things and take care of the happiness of their homeland, as Grisha Dobrosklonov does.

“Nekrasov, in his last work, remained true to his idea: to arouse the sympathy of the upper classes of society for the common people, their needs and needs,” the Russian critic Belinsky spoke of Nekrasov’s work. And indeed, this is the main meaning of the poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” - not only and so much to point out current problems, but to affirm the desire for universal happiness as the only possible way for the further development of the country.

Artwork test

(403 words) N.A. Nekrasov put it in the very first line of his poem - in the title. The meaning of the title "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" conveys the idea of the whole work. What is this idea? The answer to this question will provide us with an understanding of the entire text.

The heroes of the poem begin their journey with a dispute about who is at ease in Rus': a landowner, a nobleman, a merchant, a priest, a sovereign official, or the tsar himself? However, meetings with people from this list did not give the peasants an answer, and they again and again looked for someone who was happy, and even in the final, the author hid the lucky one from them. To some extent, the question remained open and hung in the air. The poet offered his own version, but the people passed him by, which means that there is no final answer yet. The title itself asks the reader: who then feels good in Rus'? Maybe you know? The author deliberately left the original question unresolved and focused on it in the title to show the main thing: the reform is not completed, because it did not solve the problem, but created new ones. There are still no happy people in Rus', but there are martyrs who are joyful only because they realize the importance of sacrifice. But Grisha Dobrosklonov’s condition does not fit into the ordinary understanding of the word “good”. Ordinary people who just want to live and work understand happiness in a different way, not like poets. If Nekrasov made his choice, then his heroes are still in search, and the end of the poem remains open. Therefore, the name cannot be changed in any way: the unknown has not gone away, and the question about it is asked to each reader for several decades in a row. This is a kind of time test, because you can find out the era by the answer options. The versions of the seven wanderers accurately conveyed the realities of their historical period: according to the people, it is good for those who are above, but those who are above convincingly prove the misfortune of their position. This means that the existing state system does not benefit anyone, and it must be changed. Conclusions corresponding in depth can be drawn about each era in Russia if one asks a single question: “Who is living well in Rus'?”

Thus, the meaning of the name expresses the author's position on the reform of the emancipation of the peasants: it was carried out poorly and harmed all sectors of society, so the question of happiness remains unanswered. Everyone in Rus' is bad, except for those who sacrifice themselves to fix it. The chain hit “one end on the gentleman, the other on the peasant,” so ordinary people, uninspired martyrs, do not even know what happiness is. In addition, this question allowed Nekrasov to reveal the historical and social circumstances of his time, it serves as a starting point for his reasoning. He was probably the first person who decided to evaluate countries by their standard of living, as is now done everywhere.

To whom in Rus' to live well? This issue still worries many people, and this fact explains the increased attention to the legendary poem by Nekrasov. The author managed to raise a topic that has become eternal in Russia - the topic of asceticism, voluntary self-denial in the name of saving the fatherland. It is the service of a high goal that makes a Russian person happy, as the writer proved using the example of Grisha Dobrosklonov.

“Who is living well in Rus'” is one of the last works of Nekrasov. When he wrote it, he was already seriously ill: he was struck by cancer. That is why it is not finished. It was collected bit by bit by the poet's close friends and arranged the fragments in random order, barely capturing the confused logic of the creator, broken by a fatal illness and endless pains. He was dying in agony, and yet he was able to answer the question posed at the very beginning: Who lives well in Rus'? In a broad sense, he himself turned out to be lucky, because he faithfully and selflessly served the interests of the people. This ministry supported him in the fight against the fatal illness. Thus, the history of the poem began in the first half of the 60s of the 19th century, approximately in 1863 (serfdom was abolished in 1861), and the first part was completed in 1865.

The book was published in fragments. The prologue was already published in the January issue of Sovremennik in 1866. More chapters came out later. All this time, the work attracted the attention of censors and was mercilessly criticized. In the 70s, the author wrote the main parts of the poem: "Last Child", "Peasant Woman", "Feast for the Whole World". He planned to write much more, but due to the rapid development of the disease, he could not and stopped at "Feast ...", where he expressed his main idea regarding the future of Russia. He believed that such holy people as Dobrosklonov would be able to help his homeland, mired in poverty and injustice. Despite the fierce attacks of reviewers, he found the strength to stand up for a just cause to the end.

Genre, genre, direction

ON THE. Nekrasov called his creation “the epic of modern peasant life” and was precise in his wording: the genre of the work “Who should live well in Rus'?” - epic poem. That is, at the base of the book, not one kind of literature coexists, but two whole: lyrics and epic:

epic component. In the history of the development of Russian society in the 1860s, there was a turning point when people learned to live in new conditions after the abolition of serfdom and other fundamental changes in the usual way of life. This difficult historical period was described by the writer, reflecting the realities of that time without embellishment and falsity. In addition, the poem has a clear linear plot and many original characters, which indicates the scale of the work, comparable only to a novel (epic genre). The book also absorbed the folklore elements of heroic songs that tell about the military campaigns of heroes against enemy camps. All these are generic features of the epic.
lyric component. The work is written in verse - this is the main property of lyrics, as a kind. The book also has a place for author's digressions and typical poetic symbols, means of artistic expression, features of the characters' confession.

The direction within which the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” was written is realism. However, the author significantly expanded its boundaries by adding fantastic and folklore elements (prologue, beginnings, symbolism of numbers, fragments and heroes from folk legends). The poet chose the form of travel for his idea, as a metaphor for the search for truth and happiness, which each of us carries out. Many researchers of Nekrasov's work compare the plot structure with the structure of the folk epic.

Composition

The laws of the genre determined the composition and plot of the poem. Nekrasov was finishing the book in terrible agony, but still did not have time to finish it. This explains the chaotic composition and many branches from the plot, because the works were formed and restored from drafts by his friends. In the last months of his life, he himself was unable to clearly adhere to the original concept of creation. Thus, the composition “Who is living well in Rus'?”, comparable only to the folk epic, is unique. It was developed as a result of the creative assimilation of world literature, and not the direct borrowing of some well-known model.

Exposition (Prologue). The meeting of seven men - the heroes of the poem: "On the pillar path / Seven men came together."
The plot is the oath of the heroes not to return home until they find the answer to their question.
The main part consists of many autonomous parts: the reader gets to know a soldier, happy that he was not killed, a serf, proud of his privilege to eat out of the master's bowls, a grandmother, in whose garden, to her joy, a turnip mutilated ... While the search for happiness stands still, the slow but steady growth of national self-consciousness is depicted, which the author wanted to show even more than the declared happiness in Russia. From random episodes, a general picture of Rus' emerges: impoverished, drunk, but not hopeless, striving for a better life. In addition, the poem contains several large and independent interstitial episodes, some of which are even placed in autonomous chapters (“Last Child”, “Peasant Woman”).
Climax. The writer calls Grisha Dobrosklonov, a fighter for the people's happiness, a happy man in Rus'.
Interchange. A serious illness prevented the author from completing his great plan. Even those chapters that he managed to write were sorted and marked by his confidants after his death. It must be understood that the poem is not finished, it was written by a very sick person, therefore this work is the most complex and confusing of Nekrasov's entire literary heritage.
The final chapter is called "A Feast for the Whole World". All night the peasants sing about the old and new times. Kind and hopeful songs are sung by Grisha Dobrosklonov.

What is the poem about?

Seven peasants met on the road and argued about who should live well in Rus'? The essence of the poem is that they were looking for an answer to this question on the way, talking with representatives of different classes. The revelation of each of them is a separate story. So, the heroes went for a walk in order to resolve the dispute, but only quarreled, starting a fight. In the night forest, at the moment of a fight, a chick fell from the bird's nest, and one of the men picked it up. The interlocutors sat down by the fire and began to dream in order to also acquire wings and everything necessary for traveling in search of the truth. The warbler bird turns out to be magical and, as a ransom for her chick, tells people how to find a self-assembled tablecloth that will provide them with food and clothes. They find her and feast, and during the feast they vow to find the answer to their question together, but until then they will not see any of their relatives and not return home.

On the way they meet a priest, a peasant woman, a farcical Petrushka, a beggar, an overworked worker and a paralyzed former yard, honest man Yermila Girin, a landowner Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev, a survivor of the mind of the Last Duck and his family, a serf Yakov the faithful, God's wanderer Ion Lyapushkin but none of them were happy people. Each of them is associated with a story full of genuine tragedy of suffering and misfortune. The goal of the journey is reached only when the wanderers stumble upon the seminarian Grisha Dobrosklonov, who is happy with his selfless service to his homeland. With good songs, he instills hope in the people, and this is how the poem “Who lives well in Rus'” ends. Nekrasov wanted to continue the story, but did not have time, but he gave his heroes a chance to gain faith in the future of Russia.

Main characters and their characteristics

It is safe to say about the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” that they represent a complete system of images that streamlines and structures the text. For example, the work emphasizes the unity of the seven wanderers. They do not show individuality, character, they express the common features of national self-consciousness for all. These characters are a single whole, their dialogues, in fact, are a collective speech that originates from oral folk art. This feature makes Nekrasov's poem related to the Russian folklore tradition.

Seven Wanderers are former serfs "from adjacent villages - Zaplatova, Dyryavina, Razutov, Znobishina, Gorelova, Neyolova, Neurozhayka, too." All of them put forward their own versions of who lives well in Rus': a landowner, an official, a priest, a merchant, a noble boyar, a sovereign minister or a tsar. Perseverance is expressed in their character: they all demonstrate unwillingness to take sides. Strength, courage and the pursuit of truth - that's what unites them. They are ardent, easily succumb to anger, but the appeasement compensates for these shortcomings. Kindness and responsiveness make them pleasant interlocutors, even despite some meticulousness. Their temper is harsh and cool, but life did not spoil them with luxury: the former serfs always bent their backs, working for the master, and after the reform, no one bothered to attach them properly. So they wandered in Rus' in search of truth and justice. The search itself characterizes them as serious, thoughtful and thorough people. The symbolic number "7" means a hint of good luck that awaited them at the end of the journey.
Main character- Grisha Dobrosklonov, seminarian, son of a deacon. By nature, he is a dreamer, a romantic, loves to compose songs and make people happy. In them, he talks about the fate of Russia, about her misfortunes, and at the same time about her mighty strength, which will someday come out and crush injustice. Although he is an idealist, his character is firm, as are his convictions to devote his life to the service of the truth. The character feels a calling to be a people's leader and singer of Rus'. He is happy to sacrifice himself to a lofty idea and help his homeland. However, the author hints that a difficult fate awaits him: prisons, exile, hard labor. The authorities do not want to hear the voice of the people, they will try to shut them up, and then Grisha will be doomed to torment. But Nekrasov makes it clear with all his might that happiness is a state of spiritual euphoria, and it can only be known by being inspired by a lofty idea.
Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina- the main character, a peasant woman, whom the neighbors call lucky because she begged the wife of her husband's military leader (he, the only breadwinner of the family, was to be recruited for 25 years). However, the story of a woman's life reveals not luck or good fortune, but grief and humiliation. She knew the loss of her only child, the anger of her mother-in-law, everyday, exhausting work. Detailed and her fate is described in an essay on our website, be sure to look.
Savely Korchagin- the grandfather of Matryona's husband, a real Russian hero. At one time, he killed a German manager who mercilessly mocked the peasants entrusted to him. For this, a strong and proud man paid for decades of hard labor. Upon his return, he was no longer good for anything, years of imprisonment trampled on his body, but did not break his will, because, as before, he stood up for justice with a mountain. The hero always said about the Russian peasant: "And it bends, but does not break." However, without knowing it, the grandfather turns out to be the executioner of his own great-grandson. He did not notice the child, and the pigs ate it.
Ermil Girin- a man of exceptional honesty, a steward in the estate of Prince Yurlov. When he needed to buy the mill, he stood in the square and asked people to rush to help him. After the hero got to his feet, he returned all the borrowed money to the people. For this, he earned respect and honor. But he is unhappy, because he paid for his authority with freedom: after the peasant revolt, suspicion fell on him in his organization, and he was imprisoned.
Landlords in the poem“To whom in Rus' to live well” are presented in abundance. The author portrays them objectively and even gives some images a positive character. For example, the governor's wife Elena Alexandrovna, who helped Matryona, appears as a people's benefactor. Also, with a note of compassion, the writer portrays Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev, who also treated the peasants tolerably, even arranged holidays for them, and with the abolition of serfdom, he lost the ground under his feet: he was too accustomed to the old order. In contrast to these characters, the image of the Last Duck and his treacherous, prudent family was created. The relatives of the hard-hearted old serf-owner decided to deceive him and persuaded the former slaves to participate in the performance in exchange for profitable territories. However, when the old man died, the rich heirs brazenly deceived the common people and drove him away with nothing. The apogee of the nobility of the nobility is the landowner Polivanov, who beats his faithful servant and sends his son to the recruits for trying to marry his beloved girl. Thus, the writer is far from denigrating the nobility everywhere, he is trying to show both sides of the coin.
Kholop Yakov- an indicative figure of a serf, the antagonist of the hero Saveliy. Yakov absorbed the whole slavish essence of the oppressed class, downtrodden with lack of rights and ignorance. When the master beats him and even sends his son to certain death, the servant meekly and meekly endures the offense. His revenge was a match for this humility: he hanged himself in the forest right in front of the master, who was crippled and could not get home without his help.
Iona Lyapushkin- God's wanderer, who told the peasants several stories about the life of people in Rus'. It tells about the epiphany of ataman Kudeyara, who decided to atone for sins by killing for good, and about the cunning of Gleb the headman, who violated the will of the late master and did not release the serfs on his orders.
Pop- a representative of the clergy, who complains about the difficult life of a priest. The constant clash with grief and poverty saddens the heart, not to mention the popular witticisms against his dignity.

The characters in the poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" are diverse and allow us to paint a picture of the customs and life of that time.

Subject

The main theme of the piece is Liberty- rests on the problem that the Russian peasant did not know what to do with it, and how to adapt to new realities. The national character is also “problematic”: people-thinkers, people-seekers of truth still drink, live in oblivion and empty talk. They are not able to squeeze slaves out of themselves until their poverty acquires at least the modest dignity of poverty, until they stop living in drunken illusions, until they realize their strength and pride, trampled down by centuries of humiliating state of affairs that have been sold, lost and bought.
Happiness Theme. The poet believes that a person can get the highest satisfaction from life only by helping other people. The real value of being is to feel needed by society, to bring goodness, love and justice to the world. Selfless and selfless service to a good cause fills every moment with sublime meaning, with an idea, without which time loses color, becomes dull from inaction or selfishness. Grisha Dobrosklonov is happy not with wealth and position in the world, but with the fact that he leads Russia and his people to a brighter future.
Homeland Theme. Although Rus' appears in the eyes of readers as a poor and tortured, but still a beautiful country with a great future and a heroic past. Nekrasov pities his homeland, devoting himself entirely to its correction and improvement. The homeland for him is the people, the people are his muse. All these concepts are closely intertwined in the poem "To whom in Rus' it is good to live." The author's patriotism is especially pronounced at the end of the book, when wanderers find a lucky man who lives in the interests of society. In a strong and patient Russian woman, in the justice and honor of a hero-peasant, in the sincere good-heartedness of a folk singer, the creator sees the true image of his state, full of dignity and spirituality.
The theme of labor. Useful activity elevates the impoverished heroes of Nekrasov above the vanity and depravity of the nobility. It is idleness that destroys the Russian master, turning him into a self-satisfied and arrogant nonentity. But the common people have skills that are really important for society and genuine virtue, without them there will be no Russia, but the country will manage without noble tyrants, revelers and greedy seekers of wealth. So the writer comes to the conclusion that the value of each citizen is determined only by his contribution to the common cause - the prosperity of the motherland.
mystical motif. Fantastic elements appear already in the Prologue and immerse the reader in the fabulous atmosphere of the epic, where you have to follow the development of the idea, and not the realism of the circumstances. Seven owls on seven trees - the magic number 7, which promises good luck. The raven praying to the devil is another guise of the devil, because the raven symbolizes death, grave decay and infernal forces. He is opposed by a good force in the form of a warbler bird, which equips the men on the road. A self-assembled tablecloth is a poetic symbol of happiness and contentment. The “Wide Path” is a symbol of the open ending of the poem and the basis of the plot, because on both sides of the road, travelers open up a multifaceted and genuine panorama of Russian life. Symbolic is the image of an unknown fish in unknown seas, which has swallowed "the keys to female happiness." A weeping she-wolf with bloody nipples also clearly demonstrates the difficult fate of a Russian peasant woman. One of the most vivid images of the reform is the “great chain”, which, having broken, “spread one end along the gentleman, the other along the peasant!”. The seven wanderers are a symbol of the entire people of Russia, restless, waiting for change and seeking happiness.

Issues

In the epic poem, Nekrasov touched on a large number of acute and topical issues of that time. The main problem is “Who is it good to live in Rus'?” - the problem of happiness, both socially and philosophically. It is connected with the social theme of the abolition of serfdom, which greatly changed (and not for the better) the traditional way of life of all segments of the population. It would seem that here it is, freedom, what else do people need? Is this not happiness? However, in reality, it turned out that the people, who, due to long slavery, do not know how to live independently, turned out to be thrown to the mercy of fate. A priest, a landowner, a peasant woman, Grisha Dobrosklonov and seven peasants are real Russian characters and destinies. The author described them, relying on rich experience of communicating with people from the common people. The problems of the work are also taken from life: disorder and confusion after the reform to abolish serfdom really affected all classes. No one organized jobs for yesterday's serfs, or at least land allotments, no one provided the landowner with competent instructions and laws governing his new relationship with workers.
The problem of alcoholism. Wanderers come to an unpleasant conclusion: life in Rus' is so hard that without drunkenness a peasant will completely die. Forgetfulness and fog are necessary for him in order to somehow pull the strap of a hopeless existence and hard labor.
The problem of social inequality. The landlords have been torturing the peasants with impunity for years, and Savelyia has been deformed for the murder of such an oppressor all her life. For the deceit, there will be nothing for the relatives of the Last, and their servants will again be left with nothing.
The philosophical problem of the search for truth, which each of us encounters, is allegorically expressed in the campaign of seven wanderers who understand that without this discovery their life is depreciated.

The idea of the work

The road skirmish of the peasants is not an everyday quarrel, but an eternal, great dispute, in which all layers of Russian society of that time appear to one degree or another. All its main representatives (priest, landowner, merchant, official, tsar) are called to the peasant court. For the first time men can and have the right to judge. For all the years of slavery and poverty, they are not looking for retribution, but for an answer: how to live? This is the meaning of Nekrasov's poem "Who is living well in Rus'?" - the growth of national consciousness on the ruins of the old system. The author's point of view is expressed by Grisha Dobrosklonov in his songs: “And your burden was lightened by fate, companion of the days of the Slav! You are still a slave in the family, but the mother is already a free son! ..». Despite the negative consequences of the reform of 1861, the creator believes that behind it is a happy future for the fatherland. It is always difficult at the beginning of change, but this work will be rewarded a hundredfold.

The most important condition for further prosperity is to overcome internal slavery:

Enough! Finished with the last calculation,
Done with sir!
The Russian people gather with strength
And learning to be a citizen

Despite the fact that the poem is not finished, Nekrasov voiced the main idea. Already the first of the songs of “A Feast for the Whole World” gives an answer to the question posed in the title: “The share of the people, their happiness, light and freedom, first of all!”

End

In the finale, the author expresses his point of view on the changes that have taken place in Russia in connection with the abolition of serfdom and, finally, sums up the results of the search: Grisha Dobrosklonov is recognized as the lucky one. It is he who is the bearer of Nekrasov's opinion, and in his songs the true attitude of Nikolai Alekseevich to what he described is hidden. The poem “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” ends with a feast for the whole world in the truest sense of the word: this is the name of the last chapter, where the characters celebrate and rejoice at the happy end of the search.

Conclusion

In Rus', the hero of Nekrasov, Grisha Dobrosklonov, is well, as he serves people, and, therefore, lives with meaning. Grisha is a fighter for the truth, a prototype of a revolutionary. The conclusion that can be drawn on the basis of the work is simple: a lucky man has been found, Rus' is embarking on the path of reforms, the people, through thorns, are drawn to the title of citizen. This bright omen is the great meaning of the poem. For more than a century it has been teaching people altruism, the ability to serve high ideals, and not vulgar and passing cults. From the point of view of literary skill, the book is also of great importance: it is truly a folk epic, reflecting a controversial, complex, and at the same time the most important historical era.

Of course, the poem would not be so valuable if it only gave lessons in history and literature. She gives life lessons, and this is her most important property. The moral of the work “To whom it is good to live in Rus'” is that it is necessary to work for the good of one’s homeland, not to scold it, but to help it with deeds, because it’s easier to push around with a word, but not everyone can and wants to really change something. Here it is, happiness - to be in your place, to be needed not only for yourself, but also for the people. Only together can a significant result be achieved, only together can we overcome the problems and hardships of this overcoming. Grisha Dobrosklonov, with his songs, tried to unite, rally people so that they would meet changes shoulder to shoulder. This is his holy purpose, and everyone has it, it is important not to be too lazy to go out on the road and look for him, as the seven wanderers did.

Criticism

The reviewers were attentive to the work of Nekrasov, because he himself was an important person in literary circles and had great authority. Entire monographs were devoted to his phenomenal civil lyrics with a detailed analysis of the creative methodology and the ideological and thematic originality of his poetry. For example, here is how the writer S.A. spoke about his style. Andreevsky:

He retrieved the anapaest abandoned on Olympus from oblivion and for many years made this heavy, but flexible meter as walking as from the time of Pushkin to Nekrasov only airy and melodious iambic remained. This rhythm, chosen by the poet, reminiscent of the rotational movement of a hurdy-gurdy, made it possible to stay on the borders of poetry and prose, to joke with the crowd, to speak fluently and vulgarly, to insert a cheerful and cruel joke, to express bitter truths and imperceptibly, slowing down the beat, with more solemn words, to turn into ornate.

Korney Chukovsky spoke with inspiration about the thorough preparation of Nikolai Alekseevich for work, citing this example of writing as a standard:

Nekrasov himself constantly “visited Russian huts”, thanks to which both soldier and peasant speech became thoroughly known to him from childhood: not only from books, but also in practice, he studied the common language and from his youth became a great connoisseur of folk poetic images, folk forms thinking, folk aesthetics.

The death of the poet came as a surprise and a blow to many of his friends and colleagues. As you know, F.M. Dostoevsky with a heartfelt speech inspired by the impressions of a recently read poem. Specifically, among other things, he said:

He, indeed, was highly original and, indeed, came with a "new word."

The “new word”, first of all, was his poem “Who in Rus' should live well”. No one before him was so deeply aware of the peasant, simple, worldly grief. His colleague in his speech noted that Nekrasov was dear to him precisely because he bowed "to the people's truth with his whole being, which he testified to in his best creations." However, Fedor Mikhailovich did not support his radical views on the reorganization of Russia, however, like many thinkers of that time. Therefore, criticism reacted violently to the publication, and in some cases aggressively. In this situation, the honor of a friend was defended by a well-known reviewer, a master of the word Vissarion Belinsky:

N. Nekrasov in his last work remained true to his idea: to arouse the sympathy of the upper classes of society for the common people, their needs and requirements.

Quite sharply, recalling, apparently, professional disagreements, I. S. Turgenev spoke about the work:

Nekrasov's poems, collected in one trick, are burning.

The liberal writer was not a supporter of his former editor and openly expressed his doubts about his talent as an artist:

In white threads sewn together, seasoned with all sorts of absurdities, painfully hatched fabrications of the mournful muse of Mr. Nekrasov - she, poetry, is not even worth a penny ”