But Chernyshevsky saw something completely different in the story. For him, Mr. N is almost a villain, at least hopelessly bad person. The most surprising thing is that the critic considers these qualities not personal, but social. He argues that the narrator is a public portrait of the Russian intelligentsia, and they are disfigured by the lack of civil liberties. “...The scene made by our Romeo Ace... is only a symptom of a disease that in exactly the same vulgar way spoils all our affairs, and only we need to look closely at why our Romeo got into trouble, we will see what we all, like him, can expect from yourself and expect for yourself in all other matters... Without acquiring the habit of original participation in civil cases, without acquiring the feeling of a citizen, a male child, growing up, becomes a male being of middle and then old age, but he does not become a man... It is better for a person not to develop than to develop without the influence of thoughts about public affairs, without the influence of feelings awakened by participation in them "
The story of I. S. Turgenev “Asya” and criticism of N. G. Chernyshevsky
But it turned out that Chernyshevsky was not at all going to rest his soul and enjoy Turgenev’s style. The article was devoted to exposing the main character of the story - Mr. N. For me, he was, first of all, not very experienced in life, a dreamer young man, who, more than anything in the world, was afraid of committing an ignoble, unworthy act. In other words, I assessed him as a real intellectual. His happiness with Asya did not happen because he was afraid, could not afford to abuse her trust, to respond with evil to friendly attitude her brother.
In addition, both the girl and the narrator became victims of social prejudices of the last century. Asya's brother, Gagin, was sure that Mr. N would not marry her, because she was illegitimate. He wrote: “There are prejudices that I respect...” Main character I didn’t even immediately understand what the story was about. “What prejudices? - I screamed, as if he could hear me. - What nonsense! Turgenev wrote with bitterness that people do not understand each other, misinterpret other people's words and actions, and thereby destroy their own happiness.
And so I began to read N. G. Chernyshevsky’s article “Russian man at rendez-vous,” which appeared shortly after the publication of Turgenev’s story. At first it seemed to me that the critic perceived “Asya” in much the same way as I did. He writes: “The story has a purely poetic, ideal direction, not touching on any of the so-called black sides of life. Here, I thought, my soul will rest and be refreshed.”
I imagined Chernyshevsky himself much more clearly. In 1858, when Turgenev’s story was published and the article “Russian man on rendez-vous” appeared, revolutionary democrats. They searched everywhere practical meaning, benefit and were sure that writing about love, about nature, about beauty is a completely unnecessary activity. Chernyshevsky was important on the eve of the great social reforms convince readers that they need to be active citizens, fight for their rights and their happiness. This is, of course, a worthy goal for a publicist. But I still feel sorry for Turgenev’s story “Asya”. It has nothing to do with the fight for civil liberties. Her heroine is memorable because she sees the world in her own way. “You drove into the moon pillar, you broke it,” Asya shouted to me.” Such images do not become outdated, unlike Chernyshevsky’s political allusions. And, in my opinion, today, through one hundred and forty years, it is better to read this story as beautiful poetry.
When I turned over last page I. S. Turgenev’s story “Asya”, I had the feeling that I had just read a poem or heard a gentle melody. Everything was so beautiful: stone walls ancient city, silver night Rhine... Actually, there is no point in retelling Turgenev’s landscapes in your own words. For me, “Asya” is “the subtle smell of resin in the forests, the cry and knock of woodpeckers, the incessant chatter of light streams with colorful trout on the sandy bottom, not too bold outlines of mountains, gloomy rocks, clean villages with venerable old churches and trees, storks in meadows, cozy mills with nimbly turning wheels...” This is a feeling of a calm world in which a person can be happy, unless he himself destroys the harmony that has arisen.
It turns out that Mr. N rejected and offended Asya because he had no experience in public affairs? This sounds absurd to me. But I understood much better what the “method of real criticism” is. Using it, you can connect any book with social and political issues.
Article by D.I. Pisarev's "Bazarov" was written in 1862 - only three years after the events described in the novel. From the very first lines, the critic expresses admiration for Turgenev’s gift, noting his inherent impeccability of “artistic finishing,” the soft and visual depiction of paintings and characters, the proximity of the phenomena of modern reality, making him one of the best people of their generation. According to Pisarev, the novel moves the mind thanks to its amazing sincerity, sensitivity, and spontaneity of feelings.
The central figure of the novel - Bazarov - is the focus of the properties of today's young people. The hardships of life hardened him, making him a strong and integral person, a true empiricist who trusted only personal experience and sensations. Of course, he is calculating, but he is also sincere. Any deeds of such natures - bad and glorious - stem only from this sincerity. At the same time, the young doctor is satanically proud, which does not mean narcissism, but “fullness of oneself,” i.e. neglect of petty fuss, the opinions of others and other “regulators”. “Bazarovschina”, i.e. denial of everything and everyone, life your own desires and needs - this is the true cholera of time, which, however, must be overcome. Our hero is affected by this illness for a reason - mentally he is significantly ahead of others, which means that he influences them in one way or another. Someone admires Bazarov, someone hates him, but it is impossible not to notice him.
The cynicism inherent in Eugene is dual: it is both external swagger and internal rudeness, stemming both from environment, and from natural properties nature. Having grown up in a simple environment, having experienced hunger and poverty, he naturally threw off the husks of “nonsense” - daydreaming, sentimentality, tearfulness, pomp. Turgenev, according to Pisarev, does not favor Bazarov at all. A sophisticated and refined man, he is offended by any glimpses of cynicism... however, he makes a true cynic the main character of the work.
The need to compare Bazarov with his literary predecessors comes to mind: Onegin, Pechorin, Rudin and others. According to established tradition, such individuals were always dissatisfied with the existing order, stood out from total mass- and therefore so attractive (as dramatic). The critic notes that in Russia any thinking person is “a little Onegin, a little Pechorin.” The Rudins and Beltovs, unlike the heroes of Pushkin and Lermontov, long to be useful, but do not find use for their knowledge, strength, intelligence, and best aspirations. They all outlived their usefulness without ceasing to live. At that moment, Bazarov appeared - not yet a new, but no longer an old-regime nature. Thus, the critic concludes, “The Pechorins have will without knowledge, the Rudins have knowledge without will, the Bazarovs have both knowledge and will.”
The other characters of “Fathers and Sons” are depicted very clearly and accurately: Arkady is weak, dreamy, in need of care, superficially carried away; his father is soft and sensitive; uncle is a “socialite”, “mini-Pechorin”, and possibly “mini-Bazarov” (adjusted for his generation). He is smart and strong-willed, values his comfort and “principles,” and therefore Bazarov is especially antipathetic to him. The author himself does not feel sympathy for him - however, like all his other characters - he is not “satisfied with either fathers or children.” He only notes their funny traits and mistakes, without idealizing the heroes. This, according to Pisarev, is the depth of the writer’s experience. He himself was not a Bazarov, but he understood this type, felt him, did not deny him “charming power” and paid him tribute.
Bazarov's personality is closed in on itself. Having not met an equal person, he does not feel the need for it, even with his parents it is boring and difficult for him. What can we say about all kinds of “bastards” like Sitnikov and Kukshina!.. Nevertheless, Odintsova manages to impress young man impression: she is his equal, beautiful in appearance and mentally developed. Having become fascinated by the shell and enjoying the communication, he can no longer refuse it. The explanation scene put an end to the relationship that had not yet begun, but Bazarov, strange as it may be given his character, is bitter.
Arkady, meanwhile, falls into the love net and, despite the hasty nature of the marriage, is happy. Bazarov is destined to remain a wanderer - homeless and unkind. The reason for this is only in his character: he is not inclined to restrictions, does not want to obey, does not give guarantees, craves voluntary and exclusive favor. Meanwhile, he can only love smart woman, and she on similar relationships will not agree. Mutual feelings, therefore, are simply impossible for Evgeny Vasilich.
Next, Pisarev examines aspects of Bazarov’s relationship with other characters, primarily the people. The men’s heart “lies” with him, but the hero is still perceived as a stranger, a “clown” who does not know their true troubles and aspirations.
The novel ends with the death of Bazarov - as unexpected as it is natural. Alas, it would be possible to judge what kind of future awaited the hero only after his generation reached mature age, which Eugene is not destined to live to see. Nevertheless, such individuals grow into great figures (under certain conditions) - energetic, strong-willed, people of life and deeds. Alas, Turgenev does not have the opportunity to show how Bazarov lives. But it shows how he dies - and that’s enough.
The critic believes that dying like Bazarov is already a feat, and this is true. The description of the hero's death becomes the best episode of the novel and almost best moment the entire work of the brilliant author. Dying, Bazarov is not sad, but despises himself, powerless in the face of chance, remaining a nihilist until his last breath and - at the same time - maintaining a bright feeling for Odintsova.
(AnnaOdintsova)
In conclusion, D.I. Pisarev notes that Turgenev, when starting to create the image of Bazarov, wanted, driven by an unkind feeling, to “break him into dust,” but he himself gave him due respect, saying that “children” were following the wrong path, while at the same time pinning hopes on the new generation and believing in him. The author loves his heroes, is carried away by them and gives Bazarov the opportunity to experience a feeling of love - passionate and young, begins to sympathize with his creation, for whom neither happiness nor activity turns out to be impossible.
Bazarov has no reason to live - well, let's look at his death, which represents the whole essence, the whole meaning of the novel. What did Turgenev want to say with this untimely but expected death? Yes, the current generation is mistaken and carried away, but it has the strength and intelligence that will lead them to the right path. And only for this thought can the author be grateful as “a great artist and an honest citizen of Russia.”
Pisarev admits: the Bazarovs have a bad time in the world, there is no activity or love for them, and therefore life is boring and meaningless. What to do - whether to be content with such an existence or to die “beautifully” - is up to you to decide.
I. S. TURGENEV'S STORY "ASYA" AND N. G. CHERNYSHEVSKY'S ARTICLE "RUSSIAN MAN ON RENDEZ-VOUS" When I turned the last page of I. S. Turgenev's story "Asya", I had the feeling that I had just read a poem or heard a gentle melody. Everything was so beautiful: the stone walls of the ancient city, the silver Rhine at night... Actually, there is no point in retelling Turgenev’s landscapes in your own words. For me, “Asya” is “the subtle smell of resin in the forests, the cry and knock of woodpeckers, the incessant chatter of light streams with colorful trout on the sandy bottom, not too bold outlines of mountains, gloomy rocks, clean villages with venerable old churches and trees, storks in meadows, cozy mills with nimbly turning wheels...". This is a feeling of a calm world in which a person can be happy, unless he himself destroys the harmony that has arisen. And so I began to read N. G. Chernyshevsky’s article “Russian man at rendez-vous,” which appeared shortly after the publication of Turgenev’s story. At first it seemed to me that the critic perceived “Asya” in much the same way as I did. He writes: “The story has a purely poetic, ideal direction, not touching on any of the so-called dark sides of life. Here, I thought, the soul will rest and be refreshed.” But it turned out that Chernyshevsky was not at all going to rest his soul and enjoy Turgenev’s style. The article was devoted to exposing the main character of the story - Mr. N. For me, he was, first of all, not very experienced in life, a dreamy young man who, more than anything in the world, was afraid of committing an ignoble, unworthy act. In other words, I assessed him as a real intellectual. His happiness with Asya did not materialize because he was afraid, could not afford to abuse her trust, or respond with evil to her brother’s friendly attitude. In addition, both the girl and the narrator became victims of social prejudices of the last century. Asya's brother, Gagin, was sure that Mr. N would not marry her, because she was illegitimate. He wrote: “There are prejudices that I respect...” The main character of the story did not even immediately understand what was being discussed. “What prejudices?” I cried, as if he could hear me. “What nonsense!” Turgenev wrote with bitterness that people do not understand each other, misinterpret other people's words and actions, and thereby destroy their own happiness. But Chernyshevsky saw something completely different in the story. For him, Mr. N is almost a villain, at least a hopelessly bad person. The most surprising thing is that the critic considers these qualities not personal, but social. He argues that the narrator is a public portrait of the Russian intelligentsia, and they are disfigured by the lack of civil liberties. "...The scene made by our Romeo Ace... is only a symptom of a disease that in exactly the same vulgar way spoils all our affairs, and only we need to look closely at why our Romeo got into trouble, we will see what we all, like him, to expect from himself and to expect for himself in all other matters... Without acquiring the habit of original participation in civil affairs, without acquiring the feeling of a citizen, a male child, growing up, becomes a male being of middle age, and then of old age, but he is a man does not become... It is better for a person not to develop than to develop without the influence of thoughts about public affairs, without the influence of feelings awakened by participation in them.” It turns out that Mr. N rejected and offended Asya because he had no experience in public affairs? This sounds absurd to me. But I understood much better what the “method of real criticism” is. Using it, you can connect any book with social and political issues. I imagined Chernyshevsky himself much more clearly. In 1858, when Turgenev’s story was published and the article “Russian man on rendez-vous” appeared, revolutionary democrats were gaining strength. They looked for practical meaning and benefit in everything and were sure that writing about love, about nature, about beauty was a completely unnecessary activity. It was important for Chernyshevsky on the eve of great social reforms to convince readers that they must be active citizens, fight for their rights and their happiness. This is, of course, a worthy goal for a publicist. But I still feel sorry for Turgenev’s story “Asya”. It has nothing to do with the fight for civil liberties. Her heroine is memorable because she sees the world in her own way. “You drove into the moon pillar, you broke it,” Asya shouted to me. Such images do not become outdated, unlike Chernyshevsky’s political allusions. And, in my opinion, today, one hundred and forty years later, it is better to read this story as beautiful poetry.
These words of Gagin characterize both the one who pronounces them and the girl
which they are talking about. It may be objected to me that from these words it is not clear that
Gagin looked at life broadly. To this objection I will answer that Gagin
belongs to the number of soft people, unable to enter into an open fight with
existing prejudice or start a heated argument with someone who disagrees
interlocutor. Gentleness and good nature absorb all other qualities in him;
out of good nature, he will be ashamed to convict you of absurdity; he's even with a scoundrel
will try to disperse more gently so as not to offend him; he himself does not embarrass Asya
in nothing and does not even find anything bad in its originality, but he says
about her with a rather developed, but somewhat fashionable gentleman and therefore
involuntarily, out of softness, becomes level with those concepts that he
assumes in his interlocutor. He speaks about Asya’s upbringing
concepts that live in society; he himself does not sympathize with these concepts;
Finding in words that complete independence is not easy to endure, he himself never
will not dare to restrict someone’s independence; but he won’t dare to defend himself from
society's claims to its own or someone else's independence. Giving in to demands
public decency, he sent Asya to a boarding school; when will Asya leave
the boarding house came under his protection, he could not restrict her freedom either
in what, and she began to do as she pleased. Well, the reader will ask,
she probably did a lot of inappropriate things? Oh yes, I answer, terrible
a lot of. How really! She read several passionate romances, she is one
I went for a walk along the Rhine rocks and ruins; she held herself with
with strangers, sometimes very shyly, sometimes cheerfully and lively, depending on
what mood she was in, she... Well, what of it! Is this really not enough for you?
_You see that she knew and knows a lot that she shouldn’t know at her age.
Complete independence in everything! Is it really easy to bear it?_ Oh, these two phrases
are of great importance. Golden mean! I dedicate them to you! "Russian
Messenger", "Domestic Notes"! (21) take them into the epigraph.
Asya appears in Turgenev's story as an eighteen-year-old girl; in it
Young forces are boiling, and the blood is playing, and thoughts are running; she looks at everything with
curiosity, but does not peer into anything; looks and turns away, and again
will look at something new; she greedily catches impressions and makes
it is without any purpose and completely unconscious; there is a lot of strength, but these strengths
are wandering. What will they focus on and what will come of it is the question that
begins to occupy the reader immediately after the first acquaintance with this
a unique and charming figure.
She begins to flirt with a young man with whom Gagin accidentally
meets in a German town; Asya's coquetry is as peculiar as everyone else's
her personality; this coquetry is aimless and even unconscious; it is expressed in
that Asya, in the presence of a young stranger, becomes even more
more lively and playful; one expression after another runs across her moving features
others; She somehow lives an accelerated life in his presence; she's at
he will run in a way that she would not have run, perhaps, without him; she will become in
a graceful pose that she would not have taken, perhaps, if he had not been here,
but all this is not calculated, is not adjusted to a known goal; she becomes
faster and more graceful, because the presence of a young man is invisible to
she herself worries about her blood and irritates nervous system; it's not love, but
This - sexual desire, which should inevitably appear in a healthy girl
exactly the same as it appears in a healthy young man. This is sexual desire
a sign of health and strength, is systematically hammered into our young ladies
life, education, training, food, clothing; when it turns out
beaten, then the same teachers who killed him begin to teach
their pupils to such maneuvers that to a certain extent reproduce
its external symptoms. Natural grace is killed; substituted in her place
artificial; the girl is intimidated and beaten down by domestic discipline and discipline, and
She is told to be cheerful and cheeky in front of guests; manifestation of true feeling
brings a stream of moralizing on the girl, and meanwhile politeness is put in her
duty; in a word, we always and everywhere do this: first we break
natural, integral life, and then from miserable shards and strands we begin
glue something of our own and are terribly happy if it’s ours from a distance almost similar
to natural. Asya is all alive, all natural, and that’s why Gagin thinks
necessary to apologize for it to that golden mean, which is the best and
the most developed representative is Mr. H.H., who tells the whole
a story from my own perspective. We have moved so far away from nature that even its phenomena
we measure only by comparing them with our artificial copies; probably,
Many of our readers have happened to look at the sunset and see such
sharp colors that no painter would dare to use, think
to myself (and then, of course, smile at this thought): “What is this, how sharp!
It’s not even natural." If we happen to hurt our knees in this way
phenomena of inanimate nature that have their justification in the fact itself
of our existence, then one can imagine how we unconsciously,
unnoticed by ourselves, we break and rape human nature, discussing and
reinterpreting at random the phenomena that catch our eye. From that
that I have said so far about Asa, please do not draw the conclusion that
This is a completely spontaneous personality. Asya is so smart that she can
look at himself from the outside, knows how to discuss his own
actions and pronounce judgment on oneself. For example, it seemed to her that she
got too naughty, the next day she appears quiet, calm,
humble to such an extent that Gagin even says about her: “A-ha! Fasting and
I imposed repentance on myself."
The story “Asya”, one of the most lyrical works of I.S. Turgenev, was first published in the magazine “Sovremennik” (1858. - No. 1) with the subtitle “N.N.’s Story”. On the cover draft autograph Turgenev accurately dated his work: “Asya. Story. Started in Sinzig on the banks of the Rhine on Sunday June 30/July 12, 1857, finished in Rome on November 15/27 of the same year on Friday.”
In this work, Turgenev largely follows Pushkin’s canonical image of the Russian woman with her natural, open and bright feelings, which, as a rule, do not find a proper response in the male environment. This story marked Turgenev’s emergence from a deep spiritual crisis, and it was during this period that Turgenev gradually occupied one of the leading places in Russian literature.
The story “Asya” made an extraordinary impression on contemporaries and gave rise to a lot of responses, letters and articles, which served to create a special story around the story. political myth. Among the publications, the most famous was the article by N. G. Chernyshevsky “Russian man at rendez-vous” (“Athenaeus”, 1958.- No. 18), which was the most striking political speech revolutionary democracy against liberalism.
In most works, attention was focused on the personality of the main character, Mr. N.N., as a representative of “ extra people" The characterization of Asya occupies a significant place in the article by D.I. Pisareva " Female types in the novels and stories of Pisemsky, Turgenev and Goncharov" (" Russian word", 1861.- Book 12). The democrat sees Asya as a model of a “fresh, energetic girl.” “Asya is a sweet, fresh, free child of nature,” he writes, and, contrasting her with the girls spoiled by her secular upbringing, he criticizes the entire noble system of education. Pisarev believes that similar characters prove the need for the social emancipation of women, because they serve as confirmation of what immense creative and moral powers lie hidden in a woman. The critic especially appreciates the fact that Asa “knows how to discuss her own own actions and pronounce judgment on yourself.” Pisarev does not find this originality, independence of thought and behavior in the hero of the hangman, who seems to him to be a representative of the “golden mean”, a bearer noble society.
Subsequently, “Asya” remained one of the favorite works of democratic readers. Moreover, some of them, following Chernyshevsky, saw the main meaning of this story in the political condemnation of the liberal nobleman; others, on the contrary, considered it as a work in which the purely lyrical principle triumphs
Considering the criticism of that period, E.G. Etkind did not deny the validity of the comments of the revolutionary democrats, provided that Turgenev’s story had a “socio-political side.” In his opinion, critics, “who were looking everywhere for denunciations of Russian liberalism,” “imposed on Turgenev’s story a socio-political meaning that was important to them.” "In talented, but unfair article...Chernyshevsky attacked the hero of “Asia,” Mr. N.N., as a typical representative of the spineless liberalism of his time,” emphasizing the hero’s flabbiness of nature and inability to fight decisively.” “Pisarev... discovered in the character of Asya all the necessary justification for the feminist movement, and in N.N. - a representative of the “golden mean”, a bearer of the morality of the noble society, living by other people’s ideas, which he “cannot master and digest.” But “...a keen interest in the socio-political side of the story’s problems was quite natural during the years of the revolutionary situation.”
The action of the novel takes place abroad, in provincial Germany, where Russian tourists accidentally meet: young Mr. N.N. and the girl Asya with her brother.
The narrator is the participant in the events himself: 45-year-old Mr. N.N., who recalls a story that happened in his youth (“I was twenty-five years old then”). Thus, the event and the narrative about it belong to different time planes. This form of storytelling limits the possibilities of the author's psychological analysis, but provides an opportunity for direct introspection and self-disclosure: N.N. constantly comments on his experiences, looking at himself - after many years - from the outside. His vision is thus more objective, but at the same time more lyrical and elegiac.
Mr. N.N. travels through it in my own words, “without any goal, without a plan.” He is unfamiliar with painful thoughts about the meaning of existence. The only thing that guides the hero in life is his own desire. “I was healthy, young, cheerful, no money was transferred from me, no worries had time to arise - I lived without looking back, did what I wanted, prospered, in a word.” The inconspicuous landscape attracts him during the trip much more than the so-called “attractions”. While traveling, he is driven by the desire to see new faces, namely faces: “I was interested exclusively in people; I hated curious monuments, wonderful collections..."
The small German town of Z., where N.N. stayed, looking for solitude after a love failure with “a young widow,” attracted him with its simplicity, the fact that there was nothing “majestic” or “super-interesting” in it, and most of all - its peace that can be felt in everything. It is no coincidence that the author describes it at night, when the town “sensitively and peacefully” slumbers. Another city of L., which is located on opposite bank Reina. There is not a trace of the silence that is characteristic of Z. Flags are flying in the square, loud music is playing. Despite the fact that the hero of the story is more akin to calm, he is also attracted by a different rhythm of life: “all this, the joyful effervescence of young, fresh life, this impulse forward - wherever it may be, as long as forward - this good-natured expanse touched me and set it on fire." It is also important that it was here, at the “celebration of life”, that N.N. meets Gagin and his sister Asya.
What the heroes have in common - their nationality, awareness of themselves as the only Russians in a foreign land - makes the first moments of their acquaintance the most touching and warm. Although Turgenev’s heroes have a national, historical, social and everyday definition, these are people who have spiritually outgrown their class life and circle and are free from traditional norms and relationships (for Asya this is additionally motivated by her origin). The collapse of class-patriarchal ties at the turn of the 50-60s and the growth of personal consciousness and values were reflected in the homeless state of the heroes: Asya “didn’t want to come under general level", dreamed of "going somewhere far away, to prayer, to a difficult feat", "avoided Russians" abroad and N.N.
Turgenev refuses to use the dynamic method of character development in the exposition, replacing it with a direct one descriptive characteristic. The author introduces the characters without preliminary descriptions and immediately puts them in an acute situation. life situations, referring to the technique of anticipation or disclosure of personality, not common, but psychologically expressive.