Extra person
"Extra Man", a socio-psychological type captured in Russian literature of the first half of the 19th century; its main features: estrangement from official Russia, from its native environment (usually the nobility), a sense of intellectual and moral superiority over it, and at the same time, mental fatigue, deep skepticism, discord in word and deed. Name "L. h." came into general use after the "Diary of a Superfluous Man" (1850) by I. S. Turgenev; the type itself developed earlier: the first completed incarnation was Onegin (“Eugene Onegin” by A. S. Pushkin), then Pechorin (“A Hero of Our Time” by M. Yu. Lermontov), Beltov (“Who is to blame?” A. I. Herzen ), Turgenev’s characters: Rudin (“Rudin”), Lavretsky (“Noble Nest”), and others. Features of the spiritual appearance of “L. h." (sometimes in a complicated and modified form) can be traced in the literature of the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. (in the works of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, L. N. Tolstoy, A. P. Chekhov, up to A. I. Kuprin, V. V. Veresaev, M. Gorky). Typology "L. h." affected in the lyrics (Lermontov, N. P. Ogarev). In Western European literature "L. h." to a certain extent, the hero brought to life by a “prolonged hangover” (see K. Marx, in the book: K. Marx and F. Engels, Works, 2nd edition, volume 8, p. 122) after the bourgeois revolution of the 18th century is close to a certain extent. , disappointment in social progress (“Adolf” B. Constant, “Confession of the son of the century” by A. de Musset). However, the contradictions of Russian reality, the contrast of “civilization and slavery” (see A. I. Herzen, Collected Works, vol. 7, 1956, p. 205), the underdevelopment of social life put forward “L. h." to a more prominent place, led to increased drama and intensity of his experiences. At the turn of the 50-60s. revolutionary democrats N. G. Chernyshevsky and N. A. Dobrolyubov sharply criticized “L. h.", his indecision and passivity, at the same time unlawfully reducing the content of the problem "L. h." to the subject of liberalism. With a reappraisal of "L. h." F. M. Dostoevsky also spoke, condemning his individualism and isolation from the popular soil. Literary image "L. h. ”, which arose as a rethinking of the romantic hero (J. Byron, Pushkin), developed under the sign of realistic portraiture, revealing the difference between the character and the author. Essential in the topic "L. h." there was a rejection of educational guidelines in the name of an impartial analysis of the "history of the human soul" (Lermontov), which created the basis for deep psychologism and the subsequent conquests of realism.
Lit .: Chernyshevsky N. G., Russian man on rendez-vous, Poln. coll. soch., v. 5, M., 1950; Goncharov I. A., "A million torments." Sobr. soch., vol. 8, M., 1952.
Yu. V. Mann.
Wikipedia
Extra person
Extra person- a literary hero, characteristic of the works of Russian writers of the 1840s and 1850s. Usually this is a person of considerable ability who cannot realize his talents in the official field of Nikolaev Russia.
Belonging to the upper classes of society, the superfluous person is alienated from the nobility, despises bureaucracy, but, having no other prospect of self-realization, mostly spends time in idle entertainment. This lifestyle fails to alleviate his boredom, leading to duels, gambling, and other self-destructive behaviors. Typical traits of the superfluous person include "mental weariness, deep skepticism, discord between word and deed, and, as a rule, social passivity."
The name "superfluous man" was attached to the type of disillusioned Russian nobleman after the publication in 1850 of Turgenev's story "The Diary of a Superfluous Man". The earliest and classic examples - Evgeny Onegin by A. S. Pushkin, Chatsky from Woe from Wit, Pechorin M. Lermontov - date back to the Byronic hero of the era of romanticism, to Rene Chateaubriand and Adolphe Constant. The further evolution of the type is represented by Herzen's Beltov ("Who is to blame?") and the heroes of Turgenev's early works (Rudin, Lavretsky, Chulkaturin).
Extra people often bring trouble not only to themselves, but also to female characters who have the misfortune to love them. The negative side of superfluous people, associated with their displacement outside the social and functional structure of society, comes to the fore in the works of literary officials A.F. Pisemsky and I.A. Goncharov. The latter opposes the “hovering in the skies” idlers of practical businessmen: Aduev Jr. - Aduev Sr., and Oblomov - Stolz. In "War and Peace" Pierre Bezukhov has been in the position of a superfluous person at the beginning of the century for a long time:
Pierre tested the unfortunate ability of many, especially Russian people, the ability to see and believe in the possibility of good and truth, and to see the evil and lies of life too clearly in order to be able to take a serious part in it. Every field of labor in his eyes was connected with evil and deceit. Whatever he tried to be, whatever he undertook, evil and falsehood repelled him and blocked all paths of activity for him. And meanwhile it was necessary to live, it was necessary to be busy. It was too terrible to be under the yoke of these insoluble questions of life, and he gave himself up to his first hobbies, only to forget them. He went to all sorts of societies, drank a lot, bought paintings and built, and most importantly read.
The image of a bored hero in the works of Russian
classics
XIXV.
With all the variety of literary
types in the Russian classics of the 19th century, the image of a bored hero stands out clearly.
It is often associated with the image of an "extra person"
"extra person", "extra people" -
where did this term come from in Russian literature? Who was the first to successfully apply
him, that he firmly and permanently established himself in the works of Pushkin, Lermontov,
Turgenev, Goncharov? Many literary critics believe that it was invented by A.I.
Herzen. According to another version, Pushkin himself in a draft version VIII chapters
"Eugene Onegin" called his hero superfluous: "Onegin is worth something superfluous."
Besides Onegin, many critics XIX century and
some literary scholars of the twentieth century refer Pechorin, heroes
novels by I.S. Turgenev Rudin and Lavretsky, as well as Oblomov I.A. Goncharov.
What are the main thematic
signs of these characters, "superfluous people"? First of all, it is a personality
potentially capable of any social action. It does not accept proposals
society "rules of the game", characterized by disbelief in the possibility of changing anything.
"Superfluous person" - a contradictory personality, often in conflict with society and
his way of life. It is also a hero, certainly a dysfunctional one in
relations with parents, and unhappy in love. His position in society
unstable, contains contradictions: it is always connected with at least some side
nobility, but - already in a period of decline, about fame and fortune - rather a memory. He
placed in an environment that is somehow alien to him: a higher or lower environment,
there is always a certain motive of alienation, not always immediately lying on
surfaces. The hero is moderately educated, but this education is rather incomplete,
unsystematic; in a word, this is not a deep thinker, not a scientist, but a person with
the "power of judgment" to make quick but immature conclusions. often
inner emptiness, hidden uncertainty. Often - the gift of eloquence,
writing skills, note-taking, or even writing poetry. Always some
the claim to be the judge of one's fellow men; a shade of hatred is required. In a word,
the hero is a victim of the canons of life.
The novel "Eugene Onegin"
- a work of amazing creative destiny. It was created over seven
years - from May 1823 to September 1830.
Pushkin, in the process of working on
novel, set himself the task of demonstrating in the image of Onegin "that
premature old age of the soul, which has become the main feature of the young
generations." And already in the first chapter, the writer notes social factors,
determined the character of the protagonist. This belongs to the upper layer
nobility, education, training, the first steps in the world, usual for this circle,
the experience of a "monotonous and motley" life for eight years. The life of the "free"
nobleman, not burdened with service - vain, carefree, full of entertainment
and love stories - fit into one tiring day ..
In a word, Onegin in his early youth is "a child of fun and luxury." By the way, on this
life segment Onegin - a man in his own way original, witty, "scientist
small", but still quite ordinary, dutifully following the secular "decency
crowd." The only thing in which Onegin "was a true genius" was that "he knew more firmly
of all sciences,” as the Author remarks, not without irony, was “the science of tender passion,” then
there is the ability to love without loving, to imitate feelings, remaining cold and
prudent.
The first chapter is a turning point in
the fate of the protagonist, who managed to abandon the stereotypes of secular
behavior, from the noisy, but internally empty "ritual of life." Thus Pushkin
showed how, from a faceless, but demanding unconditional obedience crowd, suddenly
a bright, outstanding personality appeared, capable of overthrowing the "burden" of secular
conventions, "get away from the hustle and bustle."
Onegin's retreat is his
an undeclared conflict with the world and with the society of rural landowners - only
at first glance, it seems like a "fad" caused by purely individual
reasons: boredom, "Russian melancholy". This is a new stage in the life of a hero. Pushkin
emphasizes that this conflict of Onegin, "Onegin's inimitable
strangeness "became a kind of spokesman for the protest of the protagonist against
social and spiritual dogmas that suppress personality in a person, depriving him of the right
To be youreself. And the emptiness of the hero's soul was the result of emptiness and
the futility of secular life. Onegin is looking for new spiritual values: in
Petersburg and in the countryside, he diligently reads, tries to write poetry. This search for him
new life truths stretched out for many years and remained unfinished.
The internal drama of this process is also obvious: Onegin painfully frees himself.
from the burden of old ideas about life and people, but the past does not let him go.
It seems that Onegin is the rightful master of his own life. But that's only
illusion. In St. Petersburg and in the countryside, he is equally bored - he still cannot
overcome mental laziness and dependence on “public opinion”.
The consequence of this was that the best inclinations of his nature were killed by secular
life. But the hero cannot be considered only a victim of society and circumstances. Having changed
way of life, he took responsibility for his own destiny. But giving up idleness
and the vanity of the world, alas, did not become a doer, but remained only a contemplator.
The feverish pursuit of pleasure has been replaced by solitary contemplation
Main character.
For writers who devote their
creative attention to the theme of "an extra person", it is characteristic to "test" one's own
hero friendship, love, duel, death. Pushkin was no exception. Two
trials that awaited Onegin in the village -
test of love and test of friendship - showed that external freedom automatically
does not entail liberation from false prejudices and opinions. In a relationship
with Tatyana Onegin proved himself to be a noble and mentally subtle person. AND
you can’t blame the hero for not responding to Tatyana’s love: the heart, like
known, do not tell. Another thing is that Onegin did not listen to his own voice.
hearts, but the voices of reason. In confirmation of this, I will say that even in the first chapter
Pushkin noted in the protagonist a "sharp, chilled mind" and an inability to
strong feelings. And it was this mental disproportion that caused the failed
love of Onegin and Tatyana. Onegin also did not pass the test of friendship. And in this
In this case, the cause of the tragedy was his inability to live a life of feeling. not without reason
the author, commenting on the state of the hero before the duel, remarks: “He could feel
discover, / And not bristle like a beast. And on Tatyana's name day, and before
duel with Lensky, Onegin showed himself to be a "ball of prejudice", "a hostage
secular canons", deaf to the voice of one's own heart, and to the feelings
Lensky. His behavior at the name day is the usual "social anger", and the duel -
a consequence of the indifference and fear of the evil speaking of the inveterate bully Zaretsky and
landlord neighbors. Onegin himself did not notice how he became a prisoner of his old
idol - "public opinion". After the murder of Lensky, Evgeny changed
just drastically. It is a pity that only tragedy could reveal to him before
inaccessible world of feelings.
In a depressed state of mind, Onegin
leaves the village and begins wandering around Russia. These travels give him
the opportunity to take a fuller look at life, to reevaluate oneself, to understand how
fruitlessly and he wasted a lot of time and energy in empty pleasures.
In the eighth chapter, Pushkin showed a new
stage in the spiritual development of Onegin. Having met Tatyana in Petersburg, Onegin
completely transformed, in him nothing remained of the former, cold and
rational man - he is an ardent lover, not noticing anything, except
the object of his love (and this is very reminiscent of Lensky). He first experienced
a real feeling, but it turned into a new love drama: now Tatyana
could not answer his belated love. And, as before, in the foreground in
characterization of the hero - the relationship between reason and feeling. Now the mind
was defeated - Onegin loves, "mind not listening to strict penalties." However, the text completely lacks the results of the spiritual
development of a hero who believes in love and happiness. So, Onegin again did not reach
desired goal, there is still no harmony between reason and feeling.
Thus, Eugene Onegin
becomes a "superfluous person". Belonging to the light, he despises it. Him like
Pisarev noted, all that remains is that “put aside the boredom of secular life,
as a necessary evil." Onegin does not find his true purpose and place in
life, he is burdened by his loneliness, lack of demand. Speaking in words
Herzen, "Onegin ... an extra person in the environment where he is, but, not possessing
the necessary strength of character, can not escape from it in any way. But, in the opinion of
writer, the image of Onegin is not finished. After all, a novel in verse is essentially
ends with the following question: “What will Onegin be like in the future?” Myself
Pushkin leaves the character of his hero open, thereby emphasizing the very
Onegin's ability to abruptly change value orientations and, I note,
a certain readiness for action, for an act. True, the opportunities for
Onegin has practically no realization of himself. But the novel doesn't answer
the above question, he asks the reader.
Following the Pushkin hero and Pechorin, the protagonist of the novel
M.Yu. Lermontov "Hero of our time", showed himself a type of "superfluous person".
The bored hero appears before the reader again, but he differs from Onegin.
Onegin has indifference, passivity,
inaction. Not that Pechorin. “This man is not indifferent, not apathetically
suffering: he is madly chasing after life, looking for it everywhere; he bitterly accuses
yourself in your delusions. Pechorin is characterized by bright individualism,
painful introspection, internal monologues, the ability to impartially assess
myself. "Moral cripple," he will say
About Me. Onegin is simply bored, skepticism and disappointment are inherent in him.
Belinsky once noted that “Pechorin is a suffering egoist”, and “Onegin is
bored". And to some extent it is.
Pechorin from boredom, from dissatisfaction in life
puts experiments on himself and on people. So, for example, in "Bela" Pechorin
for the sake of gaining a new spiritual experience, without hesitation, he sacrifices both the prince and
Azamat, and Kazbich, and Bela herself. In "Taman" he allowed himself out of curiosity
intervene in the life of "honest smugglers" and forced them to flee, leaving their house, and
along with the blind boy.
In "Princess Mary" Pechorin intervenes in the ensuing
the novel of Grushnitsky and Mary, bursts into the adjusted life of Vera like a whirlwind. To him
hard, he is empty, he is bored. He writes about his longing and attraction
“possession of the soul” of another person, but never once wonders where it came from
his right to this possession! Pechorin's reflections in "The Fatalist" about faith and
unbelief relate not only to the tragedy of the loneliness of modern man in
the world. Man, having lost God, has lost the main thing - moral guidelines, a firm and
certain system of moral values. And no experiments will give
Pechorin of the joy of being. Only faith can give confidence. A deep faith
ancestors lost in the age of Pechorin. Having lost faith in God, the hero also lost faith in
himself - this is his tragedy.
It is surprising that Pechorin, understanding all this, at the same time
time does not see the origins of its tragedy. He thinks as follows: "Evil
breeds evil; the first suffering gives the concept of the pleasure of torturing another…”
It turns out that the whole world surrounding Pechorin is built on the law of the spiritual
slavery: torturing in order to take pleasure in the suffering of another. AND
the unfortunate, suffering, dreams of one thing - to take revenge on the offender. Evil begets evil
not by itself, but in a world without God, in a society where moral
laws where only the threat of legal punishment somehow limits revelry
permissiveness.
Pechorin constantly feels his moral
inferiority: he speaks of the two halves of the soul, that the best part of the soul
dried up, evaporated, died. He "became a moral cripple" - here
the true tragedy and punishment of Pechorin.
Pechorin is a controversial personality,
Yes, he himself understands this: “... I have an innate passion to contradict; my whole
life was only a chain of sad and unfortunate contradictions of heart or mind.
The contradiction becomes the formula for the existence of the hero: he is aware of the
“high purpose” and “immense forces” - and exchanges life in “passions
empty and ungrateful." Yesterday he bought a carpet that the princess liked, and
today, having covered his horse with it, he slowly led it past Mary's windows ... The rest of the day
comprehended the "impression" that he made. And it takes days, months, life!
Pechorin, unfortunately, remained so
until the end of life "smart uselessness." People like Pechorin were created
socio-political conditions of the 30s XIX centuries, times of grim reaction and
police supervision. He is truly lively, gifted, brave, smart. His
tragedy is the tragedy of an active person who has nothing to do.
Pechorin craves activity. But the opportunities to apply these spiritual
he has no desire to put them into practice, to realize them. A debilitating feeling of emptiness
boredom, loneliness pushes him to all sorts of adventures ("Bela", "Taman",
"Fatalist"). And this is the tragedy not only of this hero, but of the entire generation of the 30s
years: “A crowd gloomy and soon forgotten, / We will pass over the world without noise and
trace, / Not throwing a fruitful thought to the centuries, / Not a genius of labor begun ... ".
"Gloomy" ... This is a crowd of disunited loners, not connected by a unity of goals,
ideals, hopes...
He did not ignore the topic of "superfluous
people "and I.A. Goncharov, creating one of the outstanding novels XIX centuries - "Oblomov". Its central character, Ilya
Ilyich Oblomov - a bored gentleman lying on a sofa, dreaming of transformations
and a happy life in the family circle, but doing nothing to make dreams come true in
reality. Undoubtedly, Oblomov is a product of his environment, a kind of
the result of the social and moral development of the nobility. For the nobility
the time of existence at the expense of serfs did not pass without a trace. All this
gave rise to laziness, apathy, an absolute inability to vigorous activity and
typical class vices. Stolz calls this "Oblomovism".
Critic Dobrolyubov as Oblomov
saw, first of all, a socially typical phenomenon, and the key to this image
considered the chapter "Oblomov's Dream". The "dream" of the hero is not quite like a dream. This
a rather harmonious, logical, with an abundance of details picture of Oblomovka's life.
Most likely, this is not actually a dream, with its characteristic illogicality, but
conditional dream. The task of "Sleep", as noted by V.I. Kuleshov, is to give "preliminary
story, an important message about the life of the hero, his childhood ... The reader receives important
information, thanks to which upbringing the hero of the novel became a couch potato ... receives
the opportunity to realize where and in what exactly this life “broke off”. What is
childhood Oblomov? This is a cloudless life in the estate, "fullness of satisfied
desires, contemplation of pleasure.
Is it much different from the one
which Oblomov leads in the house on Gorokhovaya Street? Although Ilya is ready to contribute to this
idyll some changes, its foundations will remain unchanged. Him completely
alien to the life that Stoltz leads: “No! What of the nobles to make artisans! He
has absolutely no doubt that the peasant must always work for
master.
And Oblomov's trouble is, first of all,
that the life he rejects does not itself accept him. Oblomov is alien
activity; his worldview does not allow him to adapt to life
landowner-entrepreneur, find his own path, as Stolz did.All this makes Oblomov "an extra person."
The term "extra person" is familiar, perhaps, to everyone. But where did he come from in Russian literature? And what is behind this definition, on what basis can one or another literary hero be classified as "superfluous" people?
It is believed that the concept of "extra person" was first used by I.S. Turgenev, who wrote The Diary of a Superfluous Man. However, A.S. Pushkin in the draft version of the VIII chapter of "Eugene Onegin" wrote about his hero: "Onegin is worth something superfluous." In my opinion, “an extra person” is an image that is typical of the work of many Russian writers and poets of the 19th century. Each of them rethought it in accordance with the spirit of their time. At the same time, the “extra person” was not the fruit of a creative fantasy - his presence in Russian literature testified to a spiritual crisis in certain sections of Russian society.
Any high school student, answering the question of which of the heroes of Russian literature fits the definition of "an extra person", will name Eugene Onegin and Grigory Pechorin without hesitation. Undoubtedly, both of these characters are the brightest representatives of the camp of "superfluous" people. Looking at them more closely, we can answer the question: who is he - an extra person?
So, Eugene Onegin. A.S. Pushkin already in the first chapter of his novel draws a complete image of a secular young man. He is no better and no worse than others: educated, savvy in matters of fashion and pleasant manners, he has a secular gloss. Idleness and petty fuss, empty conversations and balls - this is what fills his monotonous, brilliant outwardly, but devoid of inner content life.
Very soon he begins to understand that his life is empty, that nothing is worth behind the “external tinsel”, and slander and envy reign in the world. Onegin is trying to find an application for his abilities, but the lack of need for work leads to the fact that he does not find something to his liking. The hero moves away from the world, leaves for the village, but here the same melancholy overtakes him. The love of sincere, not spoiled by the light of Tatyana Larina does not cause any spiritual movements in him. Out of boredom, Onegin courts Olga, which causes the jealousy of his random friend Lensky. Everything, as you know, ends tragically.
V.G. Belinsky wrote about Eugene Onegin: "The forces of this rich nature were left without application: life without meaning, and the novel without end." These words can equally be attributed to the main figure of the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time" - Grigory Pechorin. It is no coincidence that critics call him "Onegin's younger brother."
Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin, like Onegin, belongs to the noble circle. He is rich, has success with women and, it would seem, should be happy. However, Pechorin constantly experiences an acute feeling of dissatisfaction with himself and those around him, every business very soon becomes boring for him, even love tires him. Being in the rank of ensign, he does not strive for more, which indicates his lack of ambition, as well as his attitude to the service.
Onegin and Pechorin are separated by only ten years, but what! .. Pushkin began writing his novel before the Decembrist uprising, and finished at a time when society had not yet fully comprehended the lessons of this event. Lermontov "sculpted" his Pechorin during the years of the most severe reaction. Perhaps it is for this reason that what is only outlined in Onegin's character develops completely in Pechorin. So, if Onegin does not even realize that he brings misfortune to the people around him, then Pechorin is well aware that there is no good for people from his actions. He is the culprit in the death of Grushnitsky, because of him the Circassian Bela dies. He provokes (albeit unwittingly) the death of Vulich, because of him Princess Mary Ligovskaya is disappointed in life and love.:..
Both Onegin and Pechorin are inherently selfish; they are devoured by a common disease - "Russian melancholy". Both of them are distinguished by "an embittered mind seething with empty action" and a soul corrupted by the light. Onegin and Pechorin despised the society in which they were forced to live, and therefore loneliness became their lot.
Thus, the “extra person” is a hero who is rejected by society or who himself rejected him. It seems to him that society restricts his freedom, and he cannot stand dependence, and therefore tries to come into conflict with him. The result is known: the "extra person" remains lonely. At the same time, he understands that the reasons for his lack of freedom lie in himself, in his soul, and this makes him even more unhappy.
The traits of a superfluous person can also be found in other heroes of Pushkin and Lermontov. Such, for example, is Dubrovsky: having suffered an insult, he ignites with a thirst for revenge, however, having avenged the offender, he does not feel happy. In my opinion, Lermontov's Demon also corresponds to the image of the "superfluous person", although in relation to the "spirit of exile" this may sound somewhat paradoxical.
The demon is bored with evil, but he cannot do good. And his love dies with Tamara:
And again he remained, arrogant,
Alone, as before in the universe.
The main features of the "superfluous person" were developed in the characters of the heroes of Turgenev, Herzen, Goncharov. I think that even today these images are interesting for us as characters that have not disappeared from reality to this day. For example, Zilov from Alexander Vampilov's play "Duck Hunt" seems to me to be an "extra person". In my opinion, sometimes it does not hurt to compare yourself with such people - this helps to straighten your own character (get rid of selfishness) and, in general, better understand life.
Superfluous people" in literature are images typical of Russian prose of the mid-nineteenth century. Examples of such characters in works of art are the topic of the article. Who coined this term? "Superfluous people" in literature are characters that appeared as early as the beginning of the nineteenth century. Who exactly introduced this term is unknown. Possibly Herzen. According to some sources - Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. After all, the great Russian poet once said that his Onegin is "an extra person." One way or another, this image is firmly established in the works of other writers. Every schoolboy who has not even read Goncharov's novel knows about such a literary hero as Oblomov. This character is a representative of the outdated landlord world, and therefore cannot adapt in any way to the new one. General signs of "Superfluous people" are found in the works of such classics as I. S. Turgenev, M. Yu. Lermontov.
Before considering each of the characters that can be attributed to this category, it is necessary to highlight common features.
"Superfluous people" in literature are contradictory characters who are in conflict with the society to which they belong. As a rule, they are deprived of both fame and wealth.
"Superfluous people" in literature are characters introduced by the author into an environment alien to them. They are moderately educated, but their knowledge is unsystematic.
The "superfluous person" cannot be a deep thinker or scientist, but he has the "ability of judgment", the gift of eloquence.
And the main sign of this literary character is a dismissive attitude towards others.
As an example, we can recall Pushkin's Onegin, who avoids communication with his neighbors. "Superfluous people" in Russian literature of the 19th century were heroes who were able to see the vices of modern society, but did not know how to resist them. They are aware of the problems of the world around them. But, alas, they are too passive to change anything.
Causes
The characters discussed in this article began to appear on the pages of the works of Russian writers in the Nikolaev era. In 1825 there was an uprising of the Decembrists. For the next decades, the government was in fear, but it was at this time that the spirit of freedom, the desire for change, appeared in society. The policy of Nicholas I was rather contradictory. The tsar introduced reforms designed to make life easier for the peasants, but at the same time did everything to strengthen the autocracy. Various circles began to appear, the members of which discussed and criticized the current government. The landlord way of life for many educated people caused contempt. But the trouble is that the participants in various political associations belonged to the society for which they suddenly inflamed with hatred. The reasons for the appearance of "superfluous people" in Russian literature lie in the emergence in society of a new type of person who was not accepted by society and did not accept him. Such a person stands out from the crowd, and therefore causes bewilderment and irritation. As already mentioned, the concept of "extra person" was first introduced into literature by Pushkin. However, this term is somewhat vague. Characters in conflict with the social environment have been encountered in literature before.
The protagonist of Griboyedov's comedy has features inherent in this type of character. Is it possible to say that Chatsky is an example of an "extra person"? In order to answer this question, a brief analysis of the comedy should be made. Chatsky Hero of Griboyedov rejects the inert foundations of the Famus society. He denounces servility and blind imitation of French fashion. This does not go unnoticed by representatives of the Famus society - Khlestov, Khryumin, Zagoretsky. As a result, Chatsky is considered strange, if not crazy. Griboyedov's hero is a representative of an advanced society, which includes people who do not want to put up with reactionary orders and remnants of the past. Thus, we can say that the topic of "an extra person" was first raised by the author of "Woe from Wit".
Eugene Onegin
But most literary critics believe that this particular hero is the first "extra person" in the prose and poetry of Russian authors. Onegin is a nobleman, "the heir to all his relatives." He received a very tolerable education, but does not possess any deep knowledge. To write and speak French, to behave at ease in society, to recite a few quotations from the writings of ancient authors - this is enough to create a favorable impression in the world. Onegin is a typical representative of an aristocratic society. He is not able to "work hard", but he knows how to shine in society. He leads an aimless, idle existence, but that is not his fault. Eugene became what his father was, who gave three balls annually. He lives the way most representatives of the Russian nobility exist. However, unlike them, at some point he begins to experience fatigue, disappointment. Loneliness Onegin - "an extra person." He languishes from idleness, tries to occupy himself with useful work. In the society to which he belongs, idleness is the main component of life. Hardly anyone from Onegin's entourage is familiar with his experiences. Eugene at first tries to compose. But the writer does not come out of it. Then he begins to read with enthusiasm. However, Onegin does not find moral satisfaction in books either. Then he retires to the house of his deceased uncle, who bequeathed his village to him. Here the young nobleman, it would seem, finds something to do. He makes life easier for the peasants: he replaces the yoke with a light quitrent. However, these good undertakings do not lead to anything. The type of "superfluous person" in Russian literature appeared in the first third of the nineteenth century. But by the middle of the century, this character acquired new features. Pushkin's Onegin is rather passive. He treats others with contempt, is in a blues and cannot get rid of conventions and prejudices, which he himself criticizes. Consider other examples of the "extra person" in the literature.
Lermontov's work "A Hero of Our Time" is devoted to the problems of a person rejected, spiritually not accepted by society. Pechorin, like Pushkin's character, belongs to the high society. But he is tired of the mores of aristocratic society. Pechorin does not enjoy attending balls, dinners, festive evenings. He is oppressed by boring and meaningless conversations that are customary to conduct at such events. Using the examples of Onegin and Pechorin, one can supplement the concept of "an extra person" in Russian literature. This is a character who, due to some alienation from society, acquires such features as isolation, selfishness, cynicism and even cruelty. “Notes of an extra person” And yet, most likely, the author of the concept of “extra people” is I. S. Turgenev. Many literary scholars believe that it was he who introduced this term. According to them, Onegin and Pechorin were subsequently ranked among the "superfluous people", although they have little in common with the image created by Turgenev. The writer has a story called "Notes of an Extra Man". The hero of this work feels like a stranger in society. This character himself calls himself such. Whether the hero of the novel "Fathers and Sons" is a "superfluous person" is a moot point.
Fathers and Sons depicts a mid-nineteenth-century society. The stormy political disputes by this time had reached their apogee. In these disputes, on one side stood the liberal democrats, and on the other, the revolutionary democrats-raznochintsy. Both understood that change was needed. The revolutionary-minded democrats, unlike their opponents, were determined to take rather radical measures. Political disputes have penetrated into all spheres of life. And, of course, they became the theme of artistic and journalistic works. But there was at that time another phenomenon that interested the writer Turgenev. Namely, nihilism. Adherents of this movement rejected everything that has to do with the spiritual. Bazarov, like Onegin, is a deeply lonely person. This feature is also characteristic of all characters, which literary critics refer to as "superfluous people". But, unlike Pushkin's hero, Bazarov does not spend time in idleness: he is engaged in natural sciences. The hero of the novel "Fathers and Sons" has successors. He is not considered insane. On the contrary, some heroes try to adopt Bazar's oddities and skepticism. Nevertheless, Bazarov is lonely, despite the fact that his parents love and idolize him. He dies, and only at the end of his life he realizes that his ideas were false. There are simple pleasures in life. There is love and romantic feelings. And all this has a right to exist.
Turgenev's works often contain "superfluous people". The action of the novel "Rudin" takes place in the forties. Daria Lasunskaya, one of the heroines of the novel, lives in Moscow, but in the summer she leaves the city, where she organizes musical evenings. Her guests are exceptionally educated people. One day, a certain Rudin appears in Lasunskaya's house. This man is prone to polemics, extremely ardent, and with his wit conquers listeners. The guests and the mistress of the house are enchanted by Rudin's amazing eloquence. Lasunskaya invites him to live in her house. In order to give a clear description of Rudin, Turgenev tells about the facts from his life. This man was born in a poor family, but never had the desire to earn money, to get out of poverty. At first he lived on the pennies that his mother sent him. Then he lived at the expense of rich friends. Rudin, even in his youth, was distinguished by extraordinary oratorical skills. He was a fairly educated person, because he spent all his leisure time reading books. But the trouble is that nothing followed his speeches. By the time he met Lasunskaya, he had already become a man, fairly battered by the hardships of life. In addition, he became painfully proud and even conceited. Rudin - "an extra person." Many years of immersion in the philosophical sphere has led to the fact that ordinary emotional experiences seem to have died out. This Turgenev hero is a born orator, and the only thing he strove for was to conquer people. But he was too weak, spineless, to become a political leader.
So, the "extra person" in Russian prose is a disillusioned nobleman. The hero of Goncharov's novel is sometimes referred to as this type of literary hero. But can Oblomov be called "an extra person"? After all, he misses, languishes for his father's house and all that made up the landowner's life. And he is by no means disappointed in the way of life and traditions characteristic of the representatives of his society. Who is Oblomov? This is a descendant of a landowner family, who is bored with working in an office, and therefore he does not get up from his sofa for days. This is a common opinion, but it is not entirely correct. Oblomov could not get used to Petersburg life, because the people around him were all prudent, heartless individuals. The protagonist of the novel, unlike them, is smart, educated and, most importantly, has high spiritual qualities. But why doesn't he want to work then? The fact is that Oblomov, like Onegin and Rudin, does not see the point in such work, such a life. These people cannot work only for the sake of material well-being. Each of them requires a high spiritual goal. But it does not exist, or it turned out to be insolvent. And Onegin, and Rudin, and Oblomov become "superfluous". Goncharov contrasted Stolz, a childhood friend, with the protagonist of his novel. This character first creates a positive impression on the reader. Stolz is a hardworking, purposeful person. The writer endowed this hero with German origin not by chance. Goncharov seems to be hinting that only a Russian person can suffer from Oblomovism. And in the last chapters it becomes clear that there is nothing behind Stolz's diligence. This person has neither dreams nor high ideas. It acquires sufficient means of subsistence and stops without continuing its development. The influence of the "extra person" on those around It is also worth saying a few words about the heroes who surround the "extra person".
The literary characters discussed in this article are lonely, unhappy. Some of them end their lives too soon. In addition, "superfluous people" bring grief to others. Especially women who had the imprudence to love them. Pierre Bezukhov is sometimes also referred to as "superfluous people". In the first part of the novel, he is in constant anguish, searching for something. He spends a lot of time at parties, buys paintings, reads a lot. Unlike the aforementioned heroes, Bezukhov finds himself, he does not die either physically or morally.
The image of a bored hero in the works of Russian
classics
XIXV.
With all the variety of literary
types in the Russian classics of the 19th century, the image of a bored hero stands out clearly.
It is often associated with the image of an "extra person"
"extra person", "extra people" -
where did this term come from in Russian literature? Who was the first to successfully apply
him, that he firmly and permanently established himself in the works of Pushkin, Lermontov,
Turgenev, Goncharov? Many literary critics believe that it was invented by A.I.
Herzen. According to another version, Pushkin himself in a draft version VIII chapters
"Eugene Onegin" called his hero superfluous: "Onegin is worth something superfluous."
Besides Onegin, many critics XIX century and
some literary scholars of the twentieth century refer Pechorin, heroes
novels by I.S. Turgenev Rudin and Lavretsky, as well as Oblomov I.A. Goncharov.
What are the main thematic
signs of these characters, "superfluous people"? First of all, it is a personality
potentially capable of any social action. It does not accept proposals
society "rules of the game", characterized by disbelief in the possibility of changing anything.
"Superfluous person" - a contradictory personality, often in conflict with society and
his way of life. It is also a hero, certainly a dysfunctional one in
relations with parents, and unhappy in love. His position in society
unstable, contains contradictions: it is always connected with at least some side
nobility, but - already in a period of decline, about fame and fortune - rather a memory. He
placed in an environment that is somehow alien to him: a higher or lower environment,
there is always a certain motive of alienation, not always immediately lying on
surfaces. The hero is moderately educated, but this education is rather incomplete,
unsystematic; in a word, this is not a deep thinker, not a scientist, but a person with
the "power of judgment" to make quick but immature conclusions. often
inner emptiness, hidden uncertainty. Often - the gift of eloquence,
writing skills, note-taking, or even writing poetry. Always some
the claim to be the judge of one's fellow men; a shade of hatred is required. In a word,
the hero is a victim of the canons of life.
The novel "Eugene Onegin"
- a work of amazing creative destiny. It was created over seven
years - from May 1823 to September 1830.
Pushkin, in the process of working on
novel, set himself the task of demonstrating in the image of Onegin "that
premature old age of the soul, which has become the main feature of the young
generations." And already in the first chapter, the writer notes social factors,
determined the character of the protagonist. This belongs to the upper layer
nobility, education, training, the first steps in the world, usual for this circle,
the experience of a "monotonous and motley" life for eight years. The life of the "free"
nobleman, not burdened with service - vain, carefree, full of entertainment
and love stories - fit into one tiring day ..
In a word, Onegin in his early youth is "a child of fun and luxury." By the way, on this
life segment Onegin - a man in his own way original, witty, "scientist
small", but still quite ordinary, dutifully following the secular "decency
crowd." The only thing in which Onegin "was a true genius" was that "he knew more firmly
of all sciences,” as the Author remarks, not without irony, was “the science of tender passion,” then
there is the ability to love without loving, to imitate feelings, remaining cold and
prudent.
The first chapter is a turning point in
the fate of the protagonist, who managed to abandon the stereotypes of secular
behavior, from the noisy, but internally empty "ritual of life." Thus Pushkin
showed how, from a faceless, but demanding unconditional obedience crowd, suddenly
a bright, outstanding personality appeared, capable of overthrowing the "burden" of secular
conventions, "get away from the hustle and bustle."
Onegin's retreat is his
an undeclared conflict with the world and with the society of rural landowners - only
at first glance, it seems like a "fad" caused by purely individual
reasons: boredom, "Russian melancholy". This is a new stage in the life of a hero. Pushkin
emphasizes that this conflict of Onegin, "Onegin's inimitable
strangeness "became a kind of spokesman for the protest of the protagonist against
social and spiritual dogmas that suppress personality in a person, depriving him of the right
To be youreself. And the emptiness of the hero's soul was the result of emptiness and
the futility of secular life. Onegin is looking for new spiritual values: in
Petersburg and in the countryside, he diligently reads, tries to write poetry. This search for him
new life truths stretched out for many years and remained unfinished.
The internal drama of this process is also obvious: Onegin painfully frees himself.
from the burden of old ideas about life and people, but the past does not let him go.
It seems that Onegin is the rightful master of his own life. But that's only
illusion. In St. Petersburg and in the countryside, he is equally bored - he still cannot
overcome mental laziness and dependence on “public opinion”.
The consequence of this was that the best inclinations of his nature were killed by secular
life. But the hero cannot be considered only a victim of society and circumstances. Having changed
way of life, he took responsibility for his own destiny. But giving up idleness
and the vanity of the world, alas, did not become a doer, but remained only a contemplator.
The feverish pursuit of pleasure has been replaced by solitary contemplation
Main character.
For writers who devote their
creative attention to the theme of "an extra person", it is characteristic to "test" one's own
hero friendship, love, duel, death. Pushkin was no exception. Two
trials that awaited Onegin in the village -
test of love and test of friendship - showed that external freedom automatically
does not entail liberation from false prejudices and opinions. In a relationship
with Tatyana Onegin proved himself to be a noble and mentally subtle person. AND
you can’t blame the hero for not responding to Tatyana’s love: the heart, like
known, do not tell. Another thing is that Onegin did not listen to his own voice.
hearts, but the voices of reason. In confirmation of this, I will say that even in the first chapter
Pushkin noted in the protagonist a "sharp, chilled mind" and an inability to
strong feelings. And it was this mental disproportion that caused the failed
love of Onegin and Tatyana. Onegin also did not pass the test of friendship. And in this
In this case, the cause of the tragedy was his inability to live a life of feeling. not without reason
the author, commenting on the state of the hero before the duel, remarks: “He could feel
discover, / And not bristle like a beast. And on Tatyana's name day, and before
duel with Lensky, Onegin showed himself to be a "ball of prejudice", "a hostage
secular canons", deaf to the voice of one's own heart, and to the feelings
Lensky. His behavior at the name day is the usual "social anger", and the duel -
a consequence of the indifference and fear of the evil speaking of the inveterate bully Zaretsky and
landlord neighbors. Onegin himself did not notice how he became a prisoner of his old
idol - "public opinion". After the murder of Lensky, Evgeny changed
just drastically. It is a pity that only tragedy could reveal to him before
inaccessible world of feelings.
In a depressed state of mind, Onegin
leaves the village and begins wandering around Russia. These travels give him
the opportunity to take a fuller look at life, to reevaluate oneself, to understand how
fruitlessly and he wasted a lot of time and energy in empty pleasures.
In the eighth chapter, Pushkin showed a new
stage in the spiritual development of Onegin. Having met Tatyana in Petersburg, Onegin
completely transformed, in him nothing remained of the former, cold and
rational man - he is an ardent lover, not noticing anything, except
the object of his love (and this is very reminiscent of Lensky). He first experienced
a real feeling, but it turned into a new love drama: now Tatyana
could not answer his belated love. And, as before, in the foreground in
characterization of the hero - the relationship between reason and feeling. Now the mind
was defeated - Onegin loves, "mind not listening to strict penalties." However, the text completely lacks the results of the spiritual
development of a hero who believes in love and happiness. So, Onegin again did not reach
desired goal, there is still no harmony between reason and feeling.
Thus, Eugene Onegin
becomes a "superfluous person". Belonging to the light, he despises it. Him like
Pisarev noted, all that remains is that “put aside the boredom of secular life,
as a necessary evil." Onegin does not find his true purpose and place in
life, he is burdened by his loneliness, lack of demand. Speaking in words
Herzen, "Onegin ... an extra person in the environment where he is, but, not possessing
the necessary strength of character, can not escape from it in any way. But, in the opinion of
writer, the image of Onegin is not finished. After all, a novel in verse is essentially
ends with the following question: “What will Onegin be like in the future?” Myself
Pushkin leaves the character of his hero open, thereby emphasizing the very
Onegin's ability to abruptly change value orientations and, I note,
a certain readiness for action, for an act. True, the opportunities for
Onegin has practically no realization of himself. But the novel doesn't answer
the above question, he asks the reader.
Following the Pushkin hero and Pechorin, the protagonist of the novel
M.Yu. Lermontov "Hero of our time", showed himself a type of "superfluous person".
The bored hero appears before the reader again, but he differs from Onegin.
Onegin has indifference, passivity,
inaction. Not that Pechorin. “This man is not indifferent, not apathetically
suffering: he is madly chasing after life, looking for it everywhere; he bitterly accuses
yourself in your delusions. Pechorin is characterized by bright individualism,
painful introspection, internal monologues, the ability to impartially assess
myself. "Moral cripple," he will say
About Me. Onegin is simply bored, skepticism and disappointment are inherent in him.
Belinsky once noted that “Pechorin is a suffering egoist”, and “Onegin is
bored". And to some extent it is.
Pechorin from boredom, from dissatisfaction in life
puts experiments on himself and on people. So, for example, in "Bela" Pechorin
for the sake of gaining a new spiritual experience, without hesitation, he sacrifices both the prince and
Azamat, and Kazbich, and Bela herself. In "Taman" he allowed himself out of curiosity
intervene in the life of "honest smugglers" and forced them to flee, leaving their house, and
along with the blind boy.
In "Princess Mary" Pechorin intervenes in the ensuing
the novel of Grushnitsky and Mary, bursts into the adjusted life of Vera like a whirlwind. To him
hard, he is empty, he is bored. He writes about his longing and attraction
“possession of the soul” of another person, but never once wonders where it came from
his right to this possession! Pechorin's reflections in "The Fatalist" about faith and
unbelief relate not only to the tragedy of the loneliness of modern man in
the world. Man, having lost God, has lost the main thing - moral guidelines, a firm and
certain system of moral values. And no experiments will give
Pechorin of the joy of being. Only faith can give confidence. A deep faith
ancestors lost in the age of Pechorin. Having lost faith in God, the hero also lost faith in
himself - this is his tragedy.
It is surprising that Pechorin, understanding all this, at the same time
time does not see the origins of its tragedy. He thinks as follows: "Evil
breeds evil; the first suffering gives the concept of the pleasure of torturing another…”
It turns out that the whole world surrounding Pechorin is built on the law of the spiritual
slavery: torturing in order to take pleasure in the suffering of another. AND
the unfortunate, suffering, dreams of one thing - to take revenge on the offender. Evil begets evil
not by itself, but in a world without God, in a society where moral
laws where only the threat of legal punishment somehow limits revelry
permissiveness.
Pechorin constantly feels his moral
inferiority: he speaks of the two halves of the soul, that the best part of the soul
dried up, evaporated, died. He "became a moral cripple" - here
the true tragedy and punishment of Pechorin.
Pechorin is a controversial personality,
Yes, he himself understands this: “... I have an innate passion to contradict; my whole
life was only a chain of sad and unfortunate contradictions of heart or mind.
The contradiction becomes the formula for the existence of the hero: he is aware of the
“high purpose” and “immense forces” - and exchanges life in “passions
empty and ungrateful." Yesterday he bought a carpet that the princess liked, and
today, having covered his horse with it, he slowly led it past Mary's windows ... The rest of the day
comprehended the "impression" that he made. And it takes days, months, life!
Pechorin, unfortunately, remained so
until the end of life "smart uselessness." People like Pechorin were created
socio-political conditions of the 30s XIX centuries, times of grim reaction and
police supervision. He is truly lively, gifted, brave, smart. His
tragedy is the tragedy of an active person who has nothing to do.
Pechorin craves activity. But the opportunities to apply these spiritual
he has no desire to put them into practice, to realize them. A debilitating feeling of emptiness
boredom, loneliness pushes him to all sorts of adventures ("Bela", "Taman",
"Fatalist"). And this is the tragedy not only of this hero, but of the entire generation of the 30s
years: “A crowd gloomy and soon forgotten, / We will pass over the world without noise and
trace, / Not throwing a fruitful thought to the centuries, / Not a genius of labor begun ... ".
"Gloomy" ... This is a crowd of disunited loners, not connected by a unity of goals,
ideals, hopes...
He did not ignore the topic of "superfluous
people "and I.A. Goncharov, creating one of the outstanding novels XIX centuries - "Oblomov". Its central character, Ilya
Ilyich Oblomov - a bored gentleman lying on a sofa, dreaming of transformations
and a happy life in the family circle, but doing nothing to make dreams come true in
reality. Undoubtedly, Oblomov is a product of his environment, a kind of
the result of the social and moral development of the nobility. For the nobility
the time of existence at the expense of serfs did not pass without a trace. All this
gave rise to laziness, apathy, an absolute inability to vigorous activity and
typical class vices. Stolz calls this "Oblomovism".
Critic Dobrolyubov as Oblomov
saw, first of all, a socially typical phenomenon, and the key to this image
considered the chapter "Oblomov's Dream". The "dream" of the hero is not quite like a dream. This
a rather harmonious, logical, with an abundance of details picture of Oblomovka's life.
Most likely, this is not actually a dream, with its characteristic illogicality, but
conditional dream. The task of "Sleep", as noted by V.I. Kuleshov, is to give "preliminary
story, an important message about the life of the hero, his childhood ... The reader receives important
information, thanks to which upbringing the hero of the novel became a couch potato ... receives
the opportunity to realize where and in what exactly this life “broke off”. What is
childhood Oblomov? This is a cloudless life in the estate, "fullness of satisfied
desires, contemplation of pleasure.
Is it much different from the one
which Oblomov leads in the house on Gorokhovaya Street? Although Ilya is ready to contribute to this
idyll some changes, its foundations will remain unchanged. Him completely
alien to the life that Stoltz leads: “No! What of the nobles to make artisans! He
has absolutely no doubt that the peasant must always work for
master.
And Oblomov's trouble is, first of all,
that the life he rejects does not itself accept him. Oblomov is alien
activity; his worldview does not allow him to adapt to life
landowner-entrepreneur, find his own path, as Stolz did.All this makes Oblomov "an extra person."
