Main thought
Poem “ Bronze Horseman” was written by A. S. Pushkin in 1833. It was not immediately allowed to be published due to the presence of the theme of the relationship between the individual and the authorities. However, in 1837, with some censorship changes, the poem was published in Sovremennik. This last piece Pushkin on the theme of the formidable Tsar Peter I and his transformations. In it, the monumental figure of the king is contrasted with harsh nature. Despite the fact that Peter I was able to conquer the elements and build a royal city on the banks of the Neva, nature remained adamant. It still rebelled from time to time, and with each new storm hundreds of civilians died.
A. S. Pushkin based his poem on the relationship between the individual and the authorities and the relationship between man and nature. A common person risks his life and well-being to carry out the will of the authorities. The same situation can be seen in the poem “The Bronze Horseman”. While a poor young official named Eugene is making plans for the future, a destructive storm breaks out in the city, built on the banks of an eccentric river at the behest of Peter I. In
During this disaster, the protagonist's girlfriend dies - his only hope for a peaceful existence. Only with her did he connect all his dreams and hopes for the future. I wanted to build a family with her, have children and continue to live.
However, fate is inexorable. She deprives Eugene of the meaning of life, and at the same time he loses his reason. At the time of the events, Peter I had already become part of history. He is depicted as a gigantic idol on a bronze horse. Despite this, he remains an object of worship and a symbol of autocracy. Ordinary people they bow as they pass by and are afraid to look up at him. Only the insane Evgeniy decided to go during the next storm and look the rider in the eyes angrily, which he later very much regretted. All night after that it seemed to him that the rider was chasing him on his bronze horse.
Thus, the poor St. Petersburg official became a victim “ historical necessity" On the one hand, he is a victim of the authorities, on whose orders a city was once built on the banks of an eccentric river. On the other hand, he is a victim elemental nature, against the background of which even the figure of the king fades and becomes desolate. It is noteworthy that throughout the entire poem the author carried the duality of characters and images. So, in it there are two Peters (a living and proud idol), two Eugenes (a poor official and a madman), two Nevas (the decoration of the city and its threat) and two Petersburgs (the majestic city of Peter’s creation and the killer city). This compositional bifurcation is the main philosophical idea of the poem - the thought of man and his value.
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Why is a work genre designated as a “story” written in verse and not prose? The word “story” in the language of Pushkin’s time meant “narration,” an unartificial story that pretended to be authentic. Meanwhile poetic form often forces us, readers, contrary to Pushkin, to call “The Bronze Horseman” a poem. Of course, it's all about the poetry. A simple reconstruction, translation of “The Bronze Horseman” into the language of prose leads to deconstruction, destruction of the concept of the work. The lyricism of the story disappears, it is not “translated” into prose “Introduction” - and as a result, the admiration for the greatness of Peter disappears, the admiration for the solemn beauty of St. Petersburg disappears... and what remains is the story of a poor official.
In addition, the prose of Pushkin’s time was not yet ready for the montage of time plans, for a sharp transition from past to present, from one picture to another - and in poetic form it was perceived quite naturally. In prose, the “Petersburg Tale” turns into a tale of madness that lends itself to an unambiguous interpretation. The ideological and emotional complex of “The Bronze Horseman” is much more complex, which gives rise to multiple interpretations.
During Pushkin’s lifetime, the story was never published, although the poet made attempts to remake it in accordance with the “highest remarks.” Let's remember: once before Pushkin was offered to redo what he had written, and it was with “Boris Godunov”. Then, with dignity, he refused such a “wish”; he still tried it with “The Bronze Horseman”, but it didn’t work out. And the analogies here are not accidental: both works touch on a key theme for Pushkin - the theme of power. In 1833, he will consider it using different material, and therefore in a different way. In “The Bronze Horseman” there is a direct polemic with Karamzin, who considered the founding of St. Petersburg “among the swells of the swamp” to be Peter’s mistake and wrote: “man will not overcome nature,” that is, the elements. In Pushkin’s case, he overcame and opened a “window to Europe.”
It is noteworthy that in “The Bronze Horseman” a theme appears that has become extremely stable in Pushkin’s work. This is Peter's theme. “The Bronze Horseman” begins with an ode to Peter (note in parentheses that “Poltava” ends with this), to his cause. But in new poem Pushkin, along with Peter, another person appears - Evgeniy.
If you read the text carefully, you will notice that when it comes to Eugene, the story goes in a different direction. in an emotional way. Thus, the heroes - Peter and Eugene - find themselves sharply opposed.
Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman", written in October 1833 in Boldin. This is an unusually capacious and complex poem, perfect in artistic mastery, which is still versatility Historical and philosophical issues give rise to controversy, giving rise to different interpretations and opinions among its researchers. The conflict underlying the work between the “mighty lord of fate” does not allow for an unambiguous reading. Peter the Great and "insignificant hero", petty official Evgeniy. Petersburg was founded by the will of the Tsar; The image of Peter is immortalized in the famous monument, which also became the ideological center of the new capital. But the happiness and life of the little man are destroyed due to the flood, which is inevitable in the city “under the sea”, which the “miraculous builder”, who, according to Eugene, is guilty of his misfortune, could not but know about. Whose side is Pushkin on here? After all, in its own way, from the point of view of state necessity, the desire to “open a window to Europe,” - he’s right great sovereign. But Evgeniy’s claims to personal happiness are also purely humanly natural.
The transforming king appears before us at the moment when he accepts the most important thing for all subsequent Russian history decision: “The city will be founded here...”. The author contrasts the monumental figure of the king with the image of a stern and wildlife. The picture, against the background of which the figure of the king appears before us, is desolate. Before Peter’s gaze, there is a wide-spread river rushing into the distance; there is a forest all around, but the ruler’s gaze is directed to the future. Russia must establish itself on the shores of the Baltic; this is necessary for the country’s prosperity:
However, the poet's attitude towards Peter was contradictory. At first, Pushkin sees in the activities of the tsar a model of public service to the Fatherland, then later, he points out the cruelty of this monarch and the autocratic nature of power during his reign. Peter the autocrat is presented not in any specific acts, but in the symbolic image of the Bronze Horseman as the personification of inhuman statehood. The image of a shining, lively, lush city is replaced in the first part of the poem by a picture of a terrible, destructive flood, expressive images of a raging element over which man has no control. The element sweeps away everything in its path, carrying away fragments of buildings and destroyed bridges in the streams of water. The image of indomitable natural forces appears here as a symbol of a “senseless and merciless” popular revolt. Among those whose lives were destroyed by the flood is Eugene, whose peaceful concerns the author speaks of at the beginning of the first part of the poem. Evgeny is an “ordinary man”: he has neither money nor rank, “serves somewhere” and dreams of setting up a “humble and simple shelter” for himself in order to marry the girl he loves and go through life’s journey with her: No last name is indicated in the poem the hero, nor his age, nothing is said about Eugene’s past, his appearance, character traits. Having deprived Evgeny of his individual characteristics, the author turns him into an ordinary, faceless person from the crowd. In a world of raging elements, an idyll is impossible. Parasha dies in a flood, and the hero finds himself faced with terrible questions: what is human life?
Evgeniy’s “confused mind” cannot withstand the “terrible shocks.” He goes crazy, leaves his home and wanders around the city in tattered and shabby clothes, indifferent to everything. Like an ancient prophet who has reached the unrighteousness of the world, Eugene is fenced off from people and despised by them. The similarity between Pushkin's hero and the prophet becomes especially clear when Eugene, in his madness, suddenly begins to see the light and unleashes his anger on the “proud idol.” Through the entire poem, through its entire figurative structure double faces occur, pictures and meanings: two Peters (Peter living, thinking, “powerful lord of fate” and his transformation Bronze Horseman, a frozen statue), two Eugenes (a petty official, downtrodden, humiliated by power, and a madman who raised his hand against the “miraculous builder”), two Neva (the decoration of the city, the “current of power” and the main threat to the lives of people and the city), two St. Petersburg (“Peter’s creation”, “ young city"and the city of corners and basements of the poor, a killer city). In this doubling figurative structure and is concluded not only main compositional, but also the main one philosophical thought Pushkin's Thought about Man. “M-y v-k” is both a heroic poem about the creative activity of Peter I, and a tragic story about a poor St. Petersburg official, a victim of “historical necessity”
The poem has two main characters, two heroes, defining two intertwined and colliding ideological and thematic lines: the first of the heroes is Peter the Great, the other is Eugene. These two, it would seem, are immeasurably far away standing friend from the hero's friend they find themselves connected by an event - the St. Petersburg flood on November 7, 1824, which destroyed not only happiness, but also Eugene's very life. The threat posed to the “idol” by a madman at the moment of sudden and “terrible” clarity of thoughts, and the instantaneous anger of the “formidable king” caused by it constitute the climax of the poem.
However, the image of Peter in The Bronze Horseman is given in dialectical contradiction . He is an “idol,” “the ruler of half the world,” but he is also an “idol,” who “raised Russia on its hind legs with an iron bridle.” This is how Eugene’s rebellion is justified, defending his right to existence, to human happiness. in the scene of the riot, Evgeny grows up, becoming on a par with Peter himself: The expressions with which Pushkin describes Eugene’s state at that moment are characteristic. The solemnity of the tone and the abundance of Slavicisms show that the “black power” with which Eugene is possessed makes us treat him differently than before. This is no longer “our hero” who “lives in Kolomna and serves somewhere”; this is the rival of the “formidable king,” who should be spoken of in the same language as Peter.”
"Bronze Horseman" - example of a philosophical poem , which poses the most important problems of correlation general and private in people's lives individuals and states . And even the fact that there are more questions here than answers awakens the reader’s thoughts, makes him turn to again and again problems of Pushkin's poem , argue about it. These disputes do not stop today.
Pushkin gave his understanding of the modern Russian state structure, the role of the state in human life in general. The poet's conclusion is disappointing: the state is opposed to the individual. The Bronze Horseman is indifferent turned away from the little one's worries, but alive person :
In “The Bronze Horseman” there is no single frame of reference and no single, reducible to a clear concept of the author’s system of views - just as there are no categorical, final decisions in it. There's more to it questions , rather than straight answers to questions. None of the forces opposing each other achieves a sole and absolute victory. The truth is on the side of Eugene - but the truth is also on the side of Peter and his great cause. The debates that are waged from time to time in science, on whose side Pushkin himself is essentially on, are devoid of artistic grounds. Pushkin does not teach about anything, he brings together equal parts in the poem, not allowing anything to triumph completely.
The high symbolism of the poem, the associated depth and ambiguity of artistic thought is another of important reasons ongoing controversy surrounding the Bronze Horseman. And not just disputes - the undying life of the poem in successive generations and centuries.
The epic part of the poem raises serious socio-philosophical problems. In it, the author talks about the “little man,” the petty official Evgeniy, describes his dreams, worries and his life’s tragedy. That is why this work is socially significant: the poet raises in it the important problem of society’s attitude towards the “little man”.
Social idea -The idea is that the “little man” is defenseless against people, the state against power, before nature; the state does not care about him and his problems. The “miraculous builder” did not think about the happiness of poor Eugene and Parasha, so all his deeds are worth little in the eyes of the “little man”, who threatens the Bronze Horseman with future punishments: “Too bad for you!..”.
Philosophical idea -The general relationship problem is solved and individual.
“The Bronze Horseman” presents the final evolution of the image of Peter the Great in Pushkin’s work: human traits in Peter are completely absent, the author calls him “an idol on a bronze horse” - neither the angry elements nor human troubles touch him. The Emperor appears as a symbol of the Russian state, alien to the interests of ordinary people.
SUBJECT:
Poem "The Bronze Horseman". Petersburg story.
Target:
Comprehension of the ideological and artistic originality of the poem.
Reveal the confrontation between the Bronze Horseman and Eugene in the poem;
Develop skills analytical work with artistic text,
the ability to analyze the thoughts and feelings not only of the author of the work, but also your own;
Show students the enduring value of the poem and A.S. Pushkin’s interest in the historical past of Russia
The poem "The Bronze Horseman" was written in October 1833 in Boldino, but could not be published immediately due to censorship reasons. It was published only a year after the death of the poet V.A. Zhukovsky with some edits. It was published in its entirety by P. V. Annenkov in 1857.
In this work, the genre of which Pushkin defined as Petersburg story , understanding continues personality of Peter I as a sovereign and a person, his role in the formation and development of Russia. It is no coincidence that Pushkin turns to the image of Peter, who in his interpretation becomes a kind of a symbol of willful, autocratic power. Despite everything, Peter builds Petersburg on the swamps so that “from here threaten the Swede”. This act appears in the poem the highest manifestation the autocratic will of the ruler, who “raised all of Russia on its hind legs.”
Addressing the theme of Peter I, the city he created, which became a “window to Europe,” took place against the backdrop of heated discussions about the ways of the country’s development. Opponents of the emperor’s activities and his reforms believed that by building new town, who played decisive role in accelerating the Europeanization of Russia, strengthening its political and military power, Peter did not take into account the natural conditions of the area on which Petersburg was built. To such natural conditions included swampiness, as well as the Neva’s tendency to flood. St. Petersburg was opposed to the mother throne of Moscow, which was created not by the will and design of one person, even if endowed with enormous power, but by Divine providence. The flood that occurred in St. Petersburg in the early 1820s and caused great loss of life was considered as revenge of natural forces for the violence committed. That was one point of view.
Composition of the poem . The poem rises whole line philosophical, social and moral problems. Their decision is subject to a clear composition. In two main parts the main conflict of the poem: natural elements, state power and interests of the individual. Pictures of the St. Petersburg disaster are conveyed dynamically and visibly.
Pushkin loves St. Petersburg, admires its beauty and the genius of its architects, but nevertheless the city has been under God's punishment for centuries for that original autocracy, which was expressed by Peter in the founding of the city on a place unsuitable for this. And floods are just a punishment, a kind of “curse” that weighs on the residents of the capital, a reminder to the inhabitants of Babylon of the crime that they once committed against God.
Plot The main part of the poem is built around the fate of an ordinary, ordinary person - Eugene and his bride Parasha, whose hopes for simple family happiness are destroyed as a result of a natural disaster.
Conflict The poem reaches its climax in the scene of the collision of the insane Eugene, who has lost the most precious thing in his life, with the monument to the creator of St. Petersburg - the Bronze Horseman. It is him, the “builder of the miraculous,” as he calls the “idol on a bronze horse” with malicious irony, that Eugene considers to be the culprit of his misfortune.
The image of Eugene is the image of that very “man of the crowd” who is not yet ready to accept freedom, who has not suffered for it in his heart, i.e. the image of an ordinary man in the street. The “Bronze Horseman” is a part of a person’s soul, his “second self,” which does not disappear by itself. In the words of Chekhov, a person must every day “squeeze the slave out of himself drop by drop”, carry out tirelessly spiritual work (compare with the idea developed by Gogol in “The Overcoat” that that man was created for a high purpose and cannot live by a dream about purchasing an overcoat, only in this case does he deserve high name Human). It is these ideas that will later be embodied in the work of Dostoevsky, who “from the inside” will describe the rebellion of the “little man” - the fruitless rebellion of the “poor in spirit.”
Idea : « Kings cannot cope with God's elements " Power suppresses personality individual person, his interests, but is unable to withstand the elements and protect himself from it. The rebellious elements returned part of the city - the “small island” - to its original state. Natural element- is terrible and capable of taking revenge for its defeat not only on the winner, but also on his descendants. The townspeople, especially the poor inhabitants of the islands, became victims of the rebellious Neva.
QUESTIONS for self-test .
Author's position in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” has caused various interpretations in criticism and literary criticism. Some, citing V. G. Belinsky, believed that A. S. Pushkin, in the image of Peter I, substantiates the tragic right of the state to dispose private life human (B. M. Engelhardt, G. A. Gukovsky, JI. P. Grossman). Others (V. Ya. Bryusov, A. V. Makedonov, M. P. Eremin and others), finding a humanistic concept in the poem, believe that the poet is completely on the side of poor Eugene. And finally, S. M. Bondi and E. A. Maimin see in “The Bronze Horseman” the “tragic intractability of the conflict,” according to which A. S. Pushkin presents history itself to make a choice between the “truths” of the Horseman and Eugene. Which of the above interpretations is closer to you and why? Determine your point of view on the author's position.
The Bronze Horseman is one of the famous poems Pushkin. It is written in an interesting style, since among the main characters there are only the man Eugene and the Bronze Horseman monument.
At the beginning of the work the monument is shown as Living being which is capable of feeling and thinking. The meaning of the horseman is that he symbolizes Peter 1, the ruler who built the city of Petersburg.
Actions take place in autumn. Evgeniy is a hardworking young man who believes that all his deeds will definitely lead to honor and independence. He has a beloved Parasha.
Once upon a time it began heavy rain, a real flood that threw the entire city into chaos. People fled in panic. Eugene himself was able to climb onto the lion statue. All the time he thought about his beloved, since her house was located near the bay.
The second part of the poem describes what happened after the flood. Evgeny hurries to his beloved to make sure of her safety. But he sees that everything has been demolished. There are not even the usual trees.
From shock main character begins to go crazy, he laughs wildly and cannot pull himself together. Soon the city began to live its own life again, only Evgeniy could not recover. He began to live on the street, eating what he found.
It existed for a long time In a similar way, until he returned to the Bronze Horseman again. His insanity made him think that the monument was chasing him. The end of the poem is the quick death of the main character.
The theme and idea of the work lie in the most pressing issues, which Pushkin often understood in his works. He wanted to understand what exactly the people needed in order to be free. Pushkin greatly lost faith in the Tsar’s rule and dreamed of freedom. He described his experiences in this poem.
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Updated: 2017-08-06
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