The image of Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina ("Who should live well in Rus'"). The image of Matrena Timofeevna in the poem “Who should live well in Rus'? What is the meaning of the name of Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina

LESSON 74 “Wrestling prevented me from being a poet, songs prevented me from being a fighter.” Personality and fate of N. A. Nekrasov

In the words of Nekrasov, which can be taken as an epigraph to the poet's work, there is a reason for internal contradictions in his worldview and work. The poet, essentially a lyricist, subordinated his poetic work to political and social tasks all his life. He did not wait for his "songs" of divine sounds sent down from above, but sought to teach his muse what it should be. According to Nekrasov, the muse is obliged to "dictate" to the poet lines filled with compassion for the oppressed and disadvantaged people, to be the muse of "revenge and sorrow."

At the beginning of the lesson there is a small concert of Nekrasov's poems, as well as an emotional story about the most important pages of the poet's life and work. You can read poems in class that show deep feelings of compassion for the Russian people, poems about love, about the tasks of poetic creativity, for example: “My heart is breaking with flour”, “You are always good incomparably”, “Listening to the horrors of war”, “Celebration of life youth years”, “To the Poet” (“Love and Labor under piles of ruins”), “Russian Writer”.

Questions to the class to identify perception

What life problems worried the poet?

How do you see him in these verses?

The basis of the teacher's story about the pages of the writer's biography can be a chronological scheme:

Childhood in the village of Greshnev on the Volga, studying at the Yaroslavl gymnasium.
The first years of life in St. Petersburg, the conflict with his father, the beginning of poetic activity. Negative assessment in the criticism of the collection "Dreams and Sounds".
The turning point in the life of Nekrasov rapprochement with Belinsky. Nekrasov is an apologist for the "Gogol trend" in literature. "Physiology of Petersburg".
Works of the first half of the 1940s: “Motherland”, “Modern Ode”, “Lullaby”, “On the Road”, etc. Bitterness and compassion for the humiliated, irony towards the “masters of life”.

Questions and tasks for discussing the poem “Am I driving down a dark street at night”

What is the mood of this poem? How would you define its genre (memoir, reflection, elegy, requiem, genre scene)?
What are the origins of human tragedy? Prove that the fate of a woman was especially difficult and hopeless. What is the only way the heroine finds out of poverty and grief?
What does the lyrical subject of the poem reproach himself for? Why can't he forget the mother of his child?
How does a case from “private life” help to understand the drama of the world in which people live? What objective realities characterize the world where the characters live? Why is the world merciless to them?
Find key words in each part of the poem. How are they related to the late insight of the lyrical subject? How does he evaluate his "unsuccessful" love?

Individual assignments. Match the poems “Am I driving down a dark street at night” and “On the road”. Do they have grounds for comparison? Compare different points of view on the poem “Am I driving down a dark street at night”:

“Tell Nekrasov for me that his poem in the 9th book [of Sovremennik] drove me completely crazy; day and night I repeat this amazing work and I have already learned it by heart ”(from a letter from I. Turgenev to V. Belinsky dated November 26, 1847).

“Who is able to write poems: Philanthropist, Epilogue to an unwritten poem, I am driving down a dark street at night, Sasha, Living in accordance with strict morality, he can be sure that he knows and loves living Russia” (D. Pisarev, 1861).

“It is impossible to read this terrible story without shudder and disgust! There is so much immorality in it, so much horrendous poverty! .. And there is not a single gratifying thought! .. There is not even a shadow of that hope in the goodness of providence, which always, constantly strengthens the ill-fated beggar and keeps him from crime It is a pity that the muse of Mr. Nekrasov one of the darkest and that he sees everything in a black light As if there were no more bright side? (from the report of the censor E. Volkov, an official for special assignments under the Minister of Public Education, to inspector A. S. Norov dated November 14, 1856).

In 18471866. Nekrasov is the publisher and editor of Sovremennik.
The main themes and motifs of Nekrasov's lyrics in 18471866. Their genre diversity:

poems about the plight of the peasants, the urban poor, the female lot (“Orina, a soldier’s mother”, “Village suffering in full swing”, “About the weather”, “Crying children”, “Forgotten village”, etc.);

lyrical poems about love, about difficult relationships loving people(“You are always good incomparably”, “You and I are stupid people”, “I don’t like your irony”, “Forgive me”, etc.);

poems about poetry, about the complex contradiction between poetic vocation and social duty (“Celebration of life youth years ”, “I am unknown. I did not get with you ”, “Blessed is the gentle poet ”, “Poet and citizen”, etc.);

poems dedicated to comrades in the struggle, revolutionary moods (“Song to Eremushka”, “On the Death of Shevchenko”, “Turgenev”, “Belinsky”, “Reflections at the Front Door”, “In Memory of Dobrolyubov”, etc.);

poems about Russia, about the high social purpose of a Russian person (“Whatever the year the forces are decreasing”, “Sasha”, “Unfortunate”, “Return”, “The Beginning of the Poem”, etc.).
In 18671877. Nekrasov editor and publisher of the journal Domestic Notes. The peaks of Nekrasov's poetic work during this period:
poems about the Decembrists (“Grandfather”, “Russian Women”), satirical poems (“Recent Times”, “Contemporaries”), the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”;

elegiac works (“Stuffy without happiness and will”, “Three elegies”, “Despondency”, “Morning”, “Elegy”);

the lyrical cycle “Last Songs” (18761877) (“To the Sowers”, “Soon I will become prey to decay”, “Zina”, “O Muse! I am at the door of the coffin! ..”).
January 8, 1878 - death of Nekrasov. His poetic testament is the poem "Zina". Zina Nekrasov's wife. Her real name is Fekla Onisimovna Viktorova. When Nekrasov met her in 1871, he was 50 years old, she was 18. She was a woman without education. When he fell ill, she nursed him so selflessly that she grew old prematurely. Nekrasov married her already on his deathbed. After his death, she left Petersburg and died in Saratov in 1915.
Questions and tasks for the poem "Zina"

With what feeling does the poet go to death? What is the life outcome?

How and with what mood does he talk about his posthumous fame? Why does he think that his fame will "fade" after his death?

What is of great value in life for a poet: songs or struggle?

What character does the contradiction between poetic talent and the need to participate in social struggle take on?

Why does the poet reproach himself? What is it miraculous monument yourself? Compare his position with Pushkin's poetic convictions in the poem "Monument".

How are the humanistic views of Nekrasov manifested in this poem?

What, according to Nekrasov, should be the high destiny of man?

Conclusions. The complex, full of surprises and doubts, the life of Nekrasov was reflected in his work. He vividly responded to many topical events of his time; sympathized with the suffering and disadvantaged; taught his muse what it should be; contrasted service to art with the struggle for the happiness of the oppressed; admired his compatriots holding revolutionary positions; subtly felt intimate relationships between people, their complexity and drama. Shortly before his death, he comes to the conclusion that he is a bad poet, since he subordinated his poetic talent to political struggle, and a bad fighter, since the poet's heart, open to "songs", is not capable of a consistent and fierce struggle with enemies.

LESSON 75 "He goes through a thorny path with his punishing lyre." The theme of the meaning of life and the purpose of man in Nekrasov's poetry

In the center of the lesson is an analysis of Nekrasov's poems, in which his position in life and self-esteem are manifested.

Questions and tasks for the poem "Song of Eremushka"

What two life positions contrasted in the poem? (“Vulgar experience” “human aspirations.”)
What ideal of life does the poet preach through the nurse's mouth? (A free and idle life as a reward for constant humility, servile patience and humiliation before the "masters of life".)
What aspirations does a traveler consider human? (Brotherhood, Equality, Liberty are the slogans of the French Revolution.)
What words and expressions embody Nekrasov's call for revolution? (“Unbridled, wild enmity towards the oppressors.” Date of writing the poem 1858; Russia is on the crest of a revolutionary upsurge.) What character do the numerous verbs in the imperative mood give to the "Song of Eremushka"?
Find in the song of the traveler examples of sublime vocabulary. What meaning do they give to the poem?
What is the symbolic meaning in the dream of the child Eremushka and his awakening? Why does a child cry when waking up? What lullabies should be sung to the Russian people so that they, “full of strength”, wake up as a hero?
What meaning does the poet give to such concepts as "wild enmity" and "righteous hatred"? What is the formula for happiness for a poet?

In 1860, Nekrasov conceived a large autobiographical poem "Knight for an Hour" with the main character under the fictitious name of Valezhnikov. But only two excerpts appeared in print: the first part of the poem called "On the Volga (Valezhnikov's Childhood)" and the poem that is now known as "Knight for an Hour." According to the original plan, it was the 4th chapter and was called "Insomnia". It was written by N. Nekrasov in the album of L. P. Shelgunova, a friend of the poet, translator and publicist M. L. Mikhailov, who was arrested and exiled to hard labor for distributing the proclamation "To the Young Generation." Impressed by his arrest and exile, Nekrasov will write in the album after the final verses: “Those are rare to whom these words cannot be applied, whose impulses can turn into deeds Honor and glory to them honor and glory to you, brother! N. Nekrasov. May 24, 6 o'clock in the morning "(1862).

Questions and tasks for the poem "Knight for an hour"

Why does the poem have such a title?
What is the poetic meaning in the fact that at the beginning of the poem the hero indulges in the contemplation of nature?
What cruel thought excites the poet? Why, in difficult times, does he remember his mother's grave, looking for strength in happy moments of the past?
What "shameful stains" does the hero reproach himself with? How is the conflict of “fathers” and “children” planned in the work?
Can this work be considered a denunciatory characteristic of “superfluous people” who are destined for good impulses, but “nothing is given to accomplish”, or is it a confession-poem about the internal fluctuations of a person who believes that his life has not brought significant benefits to people?
Do you think the poet himself considers himself one of those who are destined only for “good impulses”, or is he in the camp of “perishing for the great cause of love”?

In the era of government terror that came after the shot of Karakozov (1866), Nekrasov, wanting to save Sovremennik from closing, took part in the honoring of Count M. N. Muravyov, a well-known statesman who received great powers in Russia. On the same day, he writes the poem "The Enemy Rejoices" in which he regrets this political step.

On March 4, 1866, he received an anonymous message "It can't be" signed "Unknown Friend". The author of the message reproached the poet for duplicity, hypocrisy, lies, exclaiming at the same time: “It cannot be!” The poem “I will die soon” an answer to an anonymous person.

Questions and tasks for the poem "I will die soon"

What is the mood of the poem? What feelings does it evoke in the reader?
How would you define the genre of the poem: repentance, justification, confession?
What does the poet credit the people with and what does he consider his mistake?
What is the poetic meaning of the composition of the poem with the repeated refrain?
What figurative and expressive means of language and how do they help us in understanding poetic images, intonations and the ideological meaning of a poem?

For censorship reasons, Nekrasov decided to pass off the poem "The Prophet", dedicated to Chernyshevsky, who was in the Vilyuisk prison, as a translation from a fictitious author (in early publications there are subtitles "From Byron", "From Larra", "From Barbier"). Having presented I. N. Kramskoy on April 3, 1877 with his copy of "Last Songs", Nekrasov crossed out the title and wrote "In memory of Chernyshevsky."

Questions and tasks for the poem "Prophet"

Whom does the author of the poem “The Prophet” address, whom does he convince of the correctness of the path of his hero?
Why is the poem called "The Prophet"? Does it have any grounds for comparing the poem with Pushkin's "Prophet" and Lermontov's "Prophet"?
What, according to the author, is the meaning of life and the high purpose of man?
What values does the author claim? Is it possible, according to Nekrasov, to serve the good without sacrifice?
Why does the biblical image of the crucified Christ appear at the end of a poem written by a democratic revolutionary?

Conclusions. The freedom-loving lyrics of Nekrasov are philosophical in nature. His calls for a peasant revolution are colored by motifs of the meaning of life and the high destiny of man. In the "Song of Eremushka" there is an open call to fight for the freedom of the oppressed people. In the poems “Knight for an Hour” and “I Will Die Soon”, the hero regrets that he “walked towards the goal with a hesitant step”, that he was destined to “good impulses”, but “nothing was given to accomplish”. The poet reproaches himself for political indecision in relation to the suffering people, but he does not agree with those who accuse him of "lyre trade". The poet considers N. G. Chernyshevsky to be the ideal of a person who justified his destiny, a model of decisiveness and consistency in protecting the oppressed and powerless, and deifies his image for the suffering he endured.

LESSON 76 "The Whipped Muse". Nekrasov on poetic work

In the center of the lesson is an analysis of Nekrasov's poems “Blessed is the Gentle Poet”, “The Poet and the Citizen”, “Elegy”, “Oh Muse! I'm at the door of the coffin!.."

At the beginning of the lesson, you can recall the previously studied poem “Yesterday, at six o'clock” and find out what kind of Nekrasov wants to see his muse, what kind of poetry he expects from her.

It is no coincidence that the poet shows his muse a peasant woman being flogged in the square. He calls his muse the sister of the destitute and oppressed, and in the poem "Muse" from the collection "Last Songs" he again returns to this image:

In The Last Songs, the image of the “uncompressed strip” as a symbol of unfinished work is also revived. The poem "Dream" (1877) echoes the poem "The Uncompressed Band" (1854). Thus, the theme of the poet and poetry permeates all of Nekrasov's work.

Questions and assignments for the poem "Blessed is the gentle poet"

This poem is one of the poet's first responses to the problems of writing. It is written on the death of Gogol, which happened on February 21, 1852, and is directed against the theory of "art for art's sake." Nekrasov interprets Gogol as an accusatory writer who "loved hated", and proclaims by this the "Gogolian trend" in the literature of the 50s. In 1855, N. Chernyshevsky in his article “Essays on the Gogol period” wrote: “A “non-malicious poet” can never have such passionate admirers as one who, like Gogol, “feeding his chest with hatred” for everything low, vulgar and pernicious, with a hostile word of denial against everything vile preaching love to goodness and truth.

Under the influence of this poem, Turgenev, as he himself admitted in a letter to Feoktistov dated February 26, 1852, wrote his famous obituary on Gogol's death, which caused his arrest and exile.

What two paths can be chosen by a poet in his creative field?
What are the features of the composition of the poem? What vocabulary and poetic intonations prevail when characterizing the “gentle poet” and his poetic opponent, who, “arming his mouth with satire”, preaches love with a “hostile word of denial”?
Why does the accuser writer, the satirist writer "have no mercy on fate"? What poetic images of the poem are consonant with his social position?
Compare Chernyshevsky's point of view on the poem with the point of view of A. Druzhinin: "For all our conscientious efforts, we have never tried to love while hating or to hate while loving."

Questions and tasks for the poem "Poet and Citizen"

Why do you think the poem "The Poet and the Citizen" was published more than large print and at the beginning of the first edition of Nekrasov's poems, published on October 19, 1856?
What two life and ideological-aesthetic positions collide in the poem? What appeals of Chernyshevsky about the service of art to the working people are heard in the words of the Citizen?
What are the ideological declarations of the Citizen? Write and comment on them. What character is given to the Citizen's speech by assertive intonations, an abundance of verbs in the imperative mood, sublime vocabulary? Support your answer with examples from the text.
Whom does the author call on through the mouth of the Citizen to go "into the fire for the honor of the fatherland"? Can this call of the author be considered addressed to himself?
What is the symbolic meaning of the image of a storm on the sea?
Does the Poet accept the point of view of the Citizen to the end, or does he remain with his own opinion? Why do the last words in the poem belong to the Poet and not to the Citizen?
What shade does the image of the muse take on at the end of the poem?
Read Nekrasov's poem "Shut Up, Muse of Revenge and Sorrow". (This poem was delivered last in the same collection of poems in 1856. This year Nekrasov went abroad for treatment and himself considered his poems as a boundary between two periods of his poetic activity.) Compare it with the poem "The Poet and the Citizen." Are there contradictions in them?
Which character traits Are the poets in tune with Nekrasov's self-critical assessment?
For what purpose does the author create associations in the poem that refer to Pushkin's work? Compare the poem "The Poet and the Citizen" with Pushkin's poem "The Poet and the Crowd".
Compare the opinions about the poem "Shut up, Muse of revenge and sorrow", expressed by V. P. Botkin and N. G. Chernyshevsky.

“I don't know how much you can hate, but how much you can love, I can feel it. I do not know another heart that can love as well as yours, only you love without phrases and so-called outpourings. Let not everyone see this, then God is with him, who does not know how to see it ”(from a letter from V.P. Botkin to N.A. Nekrasov dated December 7, 1855).

“Personally, these verses are very sympathetic to me I know that moments of despondency are necessary in life, but not everyone has reason to remain in despondency or in despair, if you want a louder word, as in a legitimate mood. And you have no right why did you get the idea that you have the right to be discouraged and despair? (from a letter from N. G. Chernyshevsky to N. A. Nekrasov dated November 4, 1856).

Questions and tasks for the poem "Elegy"

Why is the poem called "Elegy"? What are its similarities and differences with the elegies of Russian poets early XIX century?
Why does the poet call the suffering of the people an "old theme"? How is his attitude to the peasant reform expressed in the poem?
Why is the author sure that the people do not listen to his songs?
How and for what purpose do figurative pictures and poetic intonations change in the four parts of the poem?
Which lines of the poem are hidden quotes or refer the reader to Pushkin's work?
Compare the poem "Elegy" with one of Pushkin's poems: "Village", "To the Poet", "Elegy (of Crazy Years Faded Joy)", "From Pindemonti". How do they solve the problem of the relationship between the poet and the people?
Is there a difference in the concepts of "people" and "crowd" in the poems of Pushkin and Nekrasov?
How do Nekrasov and Pushkin solve the problem of the poet's destiny?

At the end of the lesson, the poem “O Muse! I am at the door of the coffin.” It once again sounds self-accusation that the poet did not serve the people enough, but he dies confident that his choice is right, that his lot is enviable, that he has always been in a blood union with honest hearts. He again, as in his early work, sees his muse "carved with a whip."

Conclusions. It was as if two people had lived in Nekrasov all their lives: one with a poetic talent, capable of singing the finest movements of the human soul, and the other, to whom duty and conscience did not allow "the beauty of the valleys, heavens and seas and sweet caress to sing." Therefore, his gloomy muse himself was doomed to become a muse of revenge and sadness, a muse that the poet forced with blows of the whip to depict pictures of the grief of the people and call for the struggle for their liberation. Rejecting "art for art's sake" with its glorification of the aesthetic feeling and being a conscious defender of the satirical "Gogol trend", Nekrasov considered those who serve the people to be true poets, true citizens of those who do not seek to write poetry, but by their way of life contribute to the struggle for the liberation of the oppressed. people. The poem "Fragment" ("Night. We managed to enjoy everything", 1858) sounds like a prayer for the Russian people, who are in slave labor and long-suffering. For that people, “whose rough hands work, leaving us respectfully to immerse ourselves in the arts, in the sciences, indulge in dreams and passions.” Nekrasov reproached himself all his life for insufficiently active service to the people, and therefore taught his muse to sing fiery songs of struggle. The purpose of the poet, according to Nekrasov, is to selflessly serve the people, even if the dark and downtrodden people themselves will never know and appreciate this.

LESSON 77 "The people are liberated, but are the people happy?" "To whom in Rus' it is good to live." The idea, the history of creation, the composition of the poem. Analysis of the "Prologue", chapters "Pop", "Country Fair"

The main points of the teacher's story

The idea of the poem. "The people are liberated, but are the people happy?" this line from the "Elegy" explains the position of N. A. Nekrasov in relation to the Peasant Reform of 1861, which only formally deprived the landlords of their former power, but in fact deceived, robbed peasant Rus'. The poem was begun shortly after the Peasant Reform. Nekrasov considered its goal to be the image of the destitute peasant masses, among whom, as in all of Russia, there is no happy one. The search for a happy among the tops of society was for Nekrasov only a compositional device. The happiness of the “strong” and “well-fed” was beyond doubt for him. The very word "lucky", according to Nekrasov, is a synonym for a representative of the privileged classes. (Compare “ but the happy are deaf to good” “Reflections at the front door.”) Depicting the ruling classes (priest, landowner), Nekrasov first of all focuses on the fact that the reform hit not so much “one end on the gentleman”, but “ others like a man."
The history of the creation of the poem and its composition. The poet worked on the poem from 1863 to 1877, that is, for about 14 years. During this time, his idea changed, but the poem was never completed by the author, so there is no consensus in criticism about its composition. The poet calls the wanderers "temporarily liable", which shows that the poem began no later than 1863, since later this term was very rarely applied to the peasants.
Under the chapter "Landlord" there is a date set by the author 1865, which indicates that before that the poet had worked on its first part.

Dates of writing other chapters: "Last Child", 1872; "Peasant Woman", 1873; "A feast for the whole world", 1877.

Nekrasov wrote "A Feast for the Whole World", already in a state of fatal illness, but he did not consider this part to be the last, intending to continue the poem with the image of wanderers in St. Petersburg.

Literary critic V.V. Gippius in the article “To the study of the poem “Who in Rus' is good to live”” wrote back in 1934: “The poem remained unfinished, the poet’s intention was not clarified; individual parts of the poem followed each other at different times and not always in sequential order. Two questions that are of prime importance in the study of the poem are still controversial: 1) about the relative position of the parts that have come down to us and 2) about the reconstruction of the parts that have not been written and, above all, the denouement. Both issues are obviously closely related, and they have to be solved jointly.

It was V. V. Gippius who found in the poem itself objective indications of the sequence of parts: “Time is calculated in it“ according to the calendar ”: the action of the“ Prologue ”begins in the spring, when the birds make their nests and the cuckoo calls. In the chapter “Pop”, the wanderers say: “And the time is not early, the month of May is coming.” In the chapter “Village Fair” there is a mention: “Only the weather stared at Nikola of spring”; apparently, on the day of Nikola (May 9, according to the old style), the fair itself takes place. "Last Child" also begins with the exact date: "Petrovka. The time is hot. Haymaking in full swing." In A Feast for the Whole World, haymaking is already over: the peasants are going to the market with hay. Finally, in "Peasant Woman" harvest. The events described in A Feast for the Whole World refer to early autumn(Grigory picks mushrooms), and the “Petersburg part” conceived but not implemented by Nekrasov was supposed to take place in winter time when wanderers come to St. Petersburg to seek access "to the noble boyar, the sovereign's minister." It can be assumed that the poem could have ended with the Petersburg episodes. Students may be asked to conduct research work with the text and find in it indications of the temporal sequence of parts. However, in modern publications, the chapters are arranged according to the time they were written.

Questions and tasks for the discussion of the "Prologue"

What is the essence of the dispute between men? What oath do they take at the end of the Prologue? (“Don’t toss and turn in the houses until they find out who lives happily, freely in Rus'?”)
What folk motifs appear in the Prologue? (Fantastic elements of Russian fairy tales; the number seven; folk signs associated with peasant labor and life; riddles; humanization of the natural world; stylistic manner of a leisurely folk narrative, etc.)
What substantive realities, names speak of the hard life of a peasant in the post-reform period?
What is the plot-compositional role of the "Prologue" in the poem? Is it possible to consider that the "Prologue" is the author's application for a new image of the "encyclopedia of Russian life", this time, first of all, the life of the people, the peasant?

Questions and tasks for discussion of the chapter "Pop"

Did the men find happiness in this chapter? Why does the pope consider himself unhappy? Is it so?
How is the position of the peasants depicted in the chapter? What troubles fall to their lot?
What words and expressions paint figurative pictures of the life of the priest and the peasants? What is the author's attitude towards them?
What folklore elements can be seen in the chapter?

Questions and tasks for discussion of the chapter "Village Fair"

What life circumstances, according to Nekrasov, prevented the peasants from being happy?
How do you see Pavlusha Veretennikov? What is his lifestyle?
What author's characteristics of this image did you manage to notice? What is his compositional role in the chapter?
What meaning does the author put into the image of a shop “with pictures and books” at the fair? What is his attitude to public education?
What mood does this chapter evoke? Why, despite the hardships, the Russian peasant did not consider himself unhappy? What qualities of a Russian peasant delight the author?
How did the folklore flavor of the poem reflect in the chapter?

Conclusions. Nekrasov, following Pushkin and Gogol, conceived the idea of depicting a wide canvas of the life of the Russian people and its bulk - the Russian peasant of the post-reform era, to show the predatory nature of the Peasant Reform and the deterioration of the people's lot. At the same time, the author's task also included a satirical depiction of the "tops", where the poet follows Gogol's traditions. But the main thing is to show the talent, will, stamina and optimism of the Russian peasant. By its style features and poetic intonations, the poem is close to the works of folklore. The composition of the poem is complicated primarily because the author's intention changed over time, the work remained unfinished, and a number of fragments were not published due to censorship bans.

LESSON 78 “Every peasant has a soul that is a black cloud angry, menacing and thunders should thunder from there” Variety of types of peasants and landlords in the poem “Who should live well in Rus'”

In the lesson, you can organize work with the text of the poem using a group form of learning. In the first half of the lesson, each group will analyze one of the peasant types, preparing for this work at home.

1st group. Yakim Nagoi (part I, ch. 3).

2nd group. Ermil Girin (part I, ch. 4).

3rd group. Saveliy, Holy Russian hero (part III, ch. 3).

45 -i groups. Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina (4th group part III, prologue, ch. 1, 2; 5th group part III, ch. 48) .

To compare the results of observations, students can be invited to use the message plan common to all images. Each statement should be supported by citations from the text.

Communication plan

What is the name of the hero? How old is he? What is its appearance?
What is its history? What troubles and hardships fell to his lot?
How does the hero talk about life, what does he accept and what does he deny in the peasant way of life?
What moral qualities does the author endow the hero with? How does he feel about him?
What is the hero's idea of happiness, of the paths that lead to it?
Why did the wanderers not recognize the hero as happy?
What is the meaning of the protagonist's speaking surname?
What is the semantic role of folklore elements in the chapters about the hero?

Conclusions. Each of the depicted peasants went through a chain of trials and tribulations in life, but they did not break the integrity of his character. The peasants of post-reform Russia understand that they live unhappily and who is to blame for their plight, but this does not prevent them from maintaining their inner dignity, honesty, sense of humor and their inner rightness. Particularly difficult in Rus' at all times was the share of a woman, so the chapter "Peasant Woman" is given a special place in the poem. All the heroes protest against the established way of life, they are capable of fighting, they have will, energy. In the image of Yakima Nagogo, a spontaneous protest is shown, while other characters are capable of a conscious struggle. In ties with the people's community, the strength of Yermil Girin, in inner freedom and unbrokenness, is the charm of the appearance of Saveliy, whom even hard labor did not make him reconcile. The image of Matrena Timofeevna is a symbol of wisdom, diligence, patience of a Russian woman. She believes that her fate is “happier” than others, despite all the trials, since her life is improved by the kind landowner Elena Alexandrovna. This position of Nekrasov was criticized for a long time, as it was believed that this was a departure from revolutionary democratic ideals. Perhaps this is a tribute to the memory of the author's mother, who was also called Elena. The author's attitude to the images of the peasants does not arouse pity in the reader, the poet admires his heroes and believes that they are able to participate in the peasant revolution.

In the second half of the lesson, an analysis of the techniques of the satirical depiction of landowners in the poem.

Questions for class discussion

Why does the author give satirical portraits of landlords? Compare the manner of their depiction with the description of the appearance of the peasants.
What do the speaking names of the landlords tell the reader?
With what feeling does the author portray the relationship between landowners and peasants before the abolition of serfdom? Why do the words "care", "love", "mercy" sound sarcastic in the poem?
What is the meaning of understanding the images of landlords reveal them speech characteristics?
How does the author use the subject detail, the techniques of hyperbole, grotesque, and inconsistency in the image of landowners?
In what ridiculous situations do the landlords find themselves? Why is this laugh so sad? What traditions of Russian literature does Nekrasov use here?
What popular assessments of the oppressors sound in the chapters? Can the images of landowners be considered unilinear, or do they have complexity, internal contradictions?
How are the peasants depicted in the chapters? What is the author's attitude towards people of the “servile rank”? How does the author feel about the peasants of Prince Utyatin? Why?

LESSON 79 " To live for the happiness of a wretched and dark native corner." Images of people's intercessors in the poem. Grisha Dobrosklonov the central image of the poem

The poem depicts several types of people capable of compassion and protection of the disadvantaged. But Nekrasov's ideal is a man capable of self-sacrifice for the sake of others.

Problematic question of the lesson: Why is only Grisha Dobrosklonov recognized by Nekrasov as a real people's protector and a happy person?

At the beginning of the lesson, you can listen to students' reports about the completion of individual homework.

Exercise 1. Describe the image of Pavlusha Veretennikov. What does he do and how does he help the peasants? Is his activity useful for the oppressed people (part I, ch. 2, 3)? (Pavlusha Veretennikov, while collecting folklore, is trying to preserve the richness of Russian speech, he helps to buy shoes for the granddaughter of Ermil Girin, but he is not able to radically change the hard peasant life.)

Task 2. Describe the slave of the exemplary Yakov Verny. How does he express his protest against the masters? What is the nature of his protest? What is the ideological and compositional role of his image in the poem? (The exemplary serf Yakov Verny is capable of open protest against the masters and of self-sacrifice, but his protest is spontaneous and is only an emotional response to the actions of the master. He is also not able to radically change the life of the peasants.)

Task 3. Describe the appearance of Kudeyar-ataman from the legend "About two great sinners". What is the allegorical meaning of the legend about Kudeyar? What path of struggle for the freedom of the people does Nekrasov show on the example of Kudeyar? How does this image relate to the images of “righteous” and “sinners” in the literature of the 19th century? (In the image of Kudeyar, the author shows a person who has decided to follow the path of righteousness, but this image is unexpectedly endowed with the features of a Protestant and an avenger. This decision shows Nekrasov's complex attitude to the images of the righteous, the author justifies Kudeyar's cruelty by his desire to punish the culprit of human misfortunes, which corresponds to the positions of revolutionary democrats and populists.)

But none of these heroes is capable of a consistent and conscious struggle for the freedom and happiness of the people, because for the success of this struggle it is necessary to give up all worldly joys and pleasures, to sacrifice even one's own life on the altar of revolutionary struggle. The author endows the image of Grisha Dobrosklonov with such ideal features. The focus of the lesson is a discussion of this image.

Questions and tasks for conversation

Make up a story about Grisha Dobrosklonov, paying attention to:
his past;
characteristics of his parents;
portrait;
his financial situation;
character traits, talents, abilities.
What images of Russian literature of the 19th century are consonant with the image of Grisha Dobrosklonov? What real prototypes could they not have? Why does Nekrasov make his hero a poet? What can be said about his poetic talent?
Read the songs of Grisha: “Salty”, “Among the world of the valley”, “In moments of despondency, oh motherland ”, “Rus”. What problems do they raise? How do they characterize Grisha? How is the author's faith in the strength of the Russian people expressed in the songs?
What are the life positions of Gregory? For what purpose does the author tell us about his youth? Which path does he choose? What does fate have in store for him? Do the features of the romantic or realistic style prevail in the image of Grisha Dobrosklonov? Support your opinions with text.
What image of Russia does the author draw in the chapter "A Feast for the Whole World"? How does Grisha characterize his homeland? How does he appear to us as the author of the song "Rus"?
What is the meaning of the position of the author, who considers Gregory to be the happy one that the peasants were looking for? What lofty understanding of happiness does Nekrasov proclaim?

Conclusions. In the poem, Nekrasov draws several images of people sympathetic to the oppressed people. In the image of Pavel Veretennikov, who collects folklore as the embodiment of folk wisdom, in the allegorical legend “About two great sinners”, in the story “About the exemplary serf Yakov Verny”, the author shows the spontaneous protest of the people against the oppressors. But only in the image of Grisha Dobrosklonov does he draw the image of a consistent and conscious fighter for freedom, preparing himself from childhood for the hardships and difficulties of such a path. Coming from a poor family, a seminarian, Grigory Dobrosklonov professes revolutionary democratic views. He is a hero of his time, who has the best features of the poet himself and his environment. He writes and sings songs about love for the Motherland and the people, from childhood he prepares himself for a feat for the benefit of the oppressed, leading an ascetic lifestyle. Being useful to people is the main ideological position of the hero. Therefore, the author considers him to be “happy”, “who lives well in Rus'”.

In the final part of the lesson, you can draw students' attention to the peculiarities of the language and style of the poem "Who Lives Well in Rus'".

Style is a harmonious system of text elements that are in unity with each other, obeying a single artistic law.

The theme of the poem "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" the image of various layers of the Russian people in the post-reform period.

The main idea of the poem is the absence of happy people in people's Russia, whose ideal is "peace, wealth, honor." According to the author, happy is the one who consciously gives his life to serve the people, who will become the inspirer of the peasant revolution.

To embody this theme and the main meaning of the poem, the author finds original, innovative ways and techniques:

The genre of the epic poem, which shows all layers of the working people and the images of their oppressors.
The complexity of the composition of the poem, which is based on the motive of wandering, the search for the happy.
Philosophical understanding of the concept of "happiness". Transferring it to the area of spiritual and moral, which the author does not share with the social struggle.
Folklore beginning in the poem. Genre of a folk tale, motifs of an epic epic, ideological and compositional meaning of proverbs, sayings, riddles, folk signs and beliefs.
The folk-poetic basis of the language of the poem: colloquial vocabulary, syntactic turns and poetic intonations of peasant speech, dialectisms, vernacular. Features and semantic role of the rhythm of the poem.

To prepare for home writing, it is necessary to confirm the put forward provisions with text using the following questions and tasks:

Prove that "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" is an epic poem.
Remember the idea and history of the creation of the poem. Explain its compositional complexity.
What are the best and worst features of the Russian national character depicted by Nekrasov in the poem? What can be said about the artistic method of depicting reality in the poem?
What is the folklore basis of the poem? Illustrate your opinions with text.
Analyze the vocabulary, syntactic turns, poetic intonations of folk speech embodied in the poem, its rhythmic features. What are the semantic functions of these artistic devices?

“To whom it is good to live in Rus'” is one of the most famous works of N.A. Nekrasov. In the poem, the writer managed to reflect all the hardships and torments that the Russian people endure. Characterization of heroes is especially significant in this context. “Who should live well in Rus'” is a work rich in bright, expressive and original characters, which we will consider in the article.

Prologue Meaning

A special role for understanding the work is played by the beginning of the poem "To whom in Rus' it is good to live." The prologue is reminiscent of a fairy-tale opening of the type "In a certain kingdom":

In what year - count

In what land - guess ...

Further, it is told about the peasants who came from different villages (Neelova, Zaplatova, etc.). All names and names are speaking, Nekrasov gives a clear description of places and heroes with them. In the prologue, the journey of men begins. This is where the fabulous elements in the text end, the reader is introduced to the real world.

List of heroes

All the heroes of the poem can be conditionally divided into four groups. The first group consists of the main characters who set off for happiness:

Demyan;
Novel;
Prov;
Groin;
Ivan and Mitrodor Gubin;
Luke.

Then come the landowners: Obolt-Obolduev; Glukhovskaya; Utyatin; Shalashnikov; Peremetiev.

Serfs and peasants met by travelers: Yakim Nagoi, Yegor Shutov, Yermil Girin, Sidor, Ipat, Vlas, Klim, Gleb, Yakov, Agap, Proshka, Savely, Matrena.

And heroes that do not belong to the main groups: Vogel, Altynnikov, Grisha.

Now consider the key characters of the poem.

Dobrosklonov Grisha

Grisha Dobrosklonov appears in the episode "A Feast for the Whole World", the entire epilogue of the work is devoted to this character. He himself is a seminarian, the son of a deacon from the village of Bolshie Vakhlaki. Grisha's family lives very poorly, only thanks to the generosity of the peasants it was possible to raise him and his brother Savva to their feet. Their mother, a laborer, died early from overwork. For Grisha, her image merged with the image of the homeland: "With love for the poor mother, love for all Vakhlachin."

Being still a fifteen-year-old child, Grisha Dobrosklonov decided to devote his life to helping the people. In the future, he wants to go to Moscow to study, but for now, together with his brother, he helps the peasants as best he can: he works with them, explains new laws, reads documents to them, writes letters for them. Grisha composes songs that reflect observations of the poverty and suffering of the people, discussions about the future of Russia. The appearance of this character enhances the lyricism of the poem. Nekrasov's attitude to his hero is unambiguously positive, the writer sees in him a revolutionary from the people who should become an example for the upper strata of society. Grisha voices the thoughts and position of Nekrasov himself, the solution of social and moral problems. N.A. is considered the prototype of this character. Dobrolyubova.

Ipat

Ipat - “sensitive slave”, as Nekrasov calls him, and in this description one can hear the irony of the poet. This character also causes laughter among wanderers when they learn about his life. Ipat is a grotesque character, he became the embodiment of a faithful lackey, a lord's serf who remained faithful to his master even after the abolition of serfdom. He is proud and considers it a great blessing for himself how the master bathed him in the hole, harnessed him to the cart, saved him from death, to which he himself doomed. Such a character cannot even evoke sympathy from Nekrasov, only laughter and contempt can be heard from the poet.

Korchagina Matrena Timofeevna

The peasant woman Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina is the heroine to whom Nekrasov devoted the entire third part of the poem. Here is how the poet describes her: “A portly woman, about thirty-eight, wide and dense. Beautiful ... big eyes ... stern and swarthy. She has a white shirt on, and a short sundress. Travelers are led to the woman by her words. Matrena agrees to tell about her life if the men help in the harvest. The title of this chapter (“Peasant Woman”) emphasizes the typical fate of Korchagina for Russian women. And the words of the author “it’s not a matter of looking for a happy woman among women” emphasize the futility of the search for wanderers.

Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina was born into a non-drinking, good family, and she lived happily there. But after marriage, she ended up "in hell": her father-in-law is a drunkard, her mother-in-law is superstitious, she had to work for her sister-in-law without straightening her back. Matryona was still lucky with her husband: he only beat her once, but all the time, except for winter, he was at work. Therefore, there was no one to intercede for the woman, the only one who tried to protect her was grandfather Savely. The woman endures the harassment of Sitnikov, who has no control, because he is the master's manager. Matryona's only consolation is her first child, Dema, but due to Savely's oversight, he dies: the boy is eaten by pigs.

Time passes, Matrena has new children, parents and grandfather Savely die of old age. The lean years become the most difficult, when the whole family has to starve. When her husband, the last intercessor, is taken to the soldiers out of turn, she goes to the city. He finds the general's house and throws himself at the feet of his wife, asking to intercede. Thanks to the help of the general's wife, Matryona and her husband return home. It was after this incident that everyone considers her lucky. But in the future, only troubles await the woman: her eldest son is already in the soldiers. Nekrasov, summing up, says that the key to female happiness long lost.

Agap Petrov

Agap is an intractable and stupid peasant, according to the peasants who know him. And all because Petrov did not want to put up with voluntary slavery, to which fate pushed the peasants. The only thing that could calm him down was wine.

When he was caught carrying a log from the master's forest and accused of theft, he could not stand it and told the owner everything he thought about the real state of affairs and life in Russia. Klim Lavin, not wanting to punish Agap, staged a brutal reprisal against him. And then, wanting to console him, he gives him water. But humiliation and excessive drinking lead the hero to the fact that in the morning he dies. Such is the payment of the peasants for the right to openly express their thoughts and desire to be free.

Veretennikov Pavlush

Veretennikov was met by peasants in the village of Kuzminsky, at a fair, he is a collector of folklore. Nekrasov gives a poor description of his appearance and does not talk about his origin: "What kind of title, the men did not know." However, for some reason, everyone calls him a master. necessary in order for the image of Pavlusha to be generalized. Against the background of people, Veretennikov stands out for his anxiety about the fate of the Russian people. He is not an indifferent observer, as are the participants in the many inactive committees that Yakim Nagoi denounces. Nekrasov emphasizes the hero's kindness and responsiveness by the fact that his first appearance is already marked by a disinterested act: Pavlusha helps out a peasant who buys shoes for his granddaughter. Genuine concern for the people also disposes travelers to the "master".

The prototype of the image was the ethnographers-folklorists Pavel Rybnikov and Pavel Yakushkin, who participated in the democratic movement of the 60s of the XIX century. The surname belongs to the journalist P.F. Veretennikov, who visited rural fairs and published reports in Moskovskie Vedomosti.

Jacob

Jacob is a faithful serf, a former courtyard, he is described in part of the poem called "A Feast for the Whole World." The hero was faithful to the owner, endured any punishment and performed meekly even the most difficult work. This continued until the master, who liked the bride of his nephew, sent him to the recruiting service. Yakov first started drinking, but nevertheless returned to the owner. However, the man wanted revenge. Once, when he was taking Polivanov (the gentleman) to his sister, Yakov turned off the road into the Devil's ravine, unharnessed his horse and hanged himself in front of the owner, wanting to leave him alone with his conscience all night. Similar cases of revenge were indeed common among the peasants. Nekrasov took the true story he heard from A.F. as the basis of his story. Horses.

Ermila Girin

The characterization of the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is impossible without a description of this character. It is Ermila that can be attributed to those lucky ones who were looking for travelers. A.D. became the prototype of the hero. Potanin, a peasant who manages the Orlov estate, famous for his unprecedented justice.

Jirin is revered among the peasants because of his honesty. For seven years he was burgomaster, but only once he allowed himself to abuse his power: he did not give his younger brother Mitriy to the recruits. But the unrighteous act tormented Yermila so much that he almost killed himself. The situation was saved by the intervention of the master, he restored justice, returned the peasant unfairly sent to recruits and sent Mitrius to serve, but he personally took care of him. Jirin then left the service and became a miller. When the mill that he rented was sold, Yermila won the auction, but he did not have money with him to pay the deposit. The peasant was rescued by the people: in half an hour, the peasants who remember the good collected a thousand rubles for him.

All of Girin's actions were driven by a desire for justice. Despite the fact that he lived in prosperity and had a considerable household, when a peasant revolt broke out, he did not stand aside, for which he ended up in prison.

Pop

Characterization continues. “Who in Rus' should live well” is a work rich in characters of different classes, characters and aspirations. Therefore, Nekrasov could not help but turn to the image of a clergyman. According to Luka, it is the priest who should "live cheerfully, freely in Rus'." And the first on their way, the seekers of happiness meet the village priest, who refutes the words of Luke. The priest has no happiness, wealth or peace. And getting an education is very difficult. The life of a clergyman is not at all sweet: he accompanies the dying on their last journey, blesses those who are born, and his soul aches for the suffering and tormented people.

But the people themselves do not particularly honor the priest. He and his family are constantly subject to superstition, anecdotes, obscene ridicule and songs. And all the wealth of the priests consisted of donations from parishioners, among whom were many landowners. But with the abolition, most of the rich flock dispersed around the world. In 1864, the clergy was also deprived of another source of income: schismatics, by decree of the emperor, were transferred under the care of the civil authorities. And with the pennies that the peasants bring, "it's hard to live."

Gavrila Afanasyevich Obolt-Obolduev

Our characterization of the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is coming to an end, of course, we could not give a description of all the characters in the poem, but included the most important ones in the review. The last of their significant heroes was Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev, a representative of the lordly class. He is round, pot-bellied, mustachioed, ruddy, stocky, he is sixty years old. One of the famous ancestors of Gavrila Afanasyevich is a Tatar who entertained the Empress with wild animals, stole from the treasury and plotted to set fire to Moscow. Obolt-Obolduev is proud of his ancestor. But he is sad because now he can no longer cash in on peasant labor, as before. The landowner covers up his sorrows with concern for the peasant and the fate of Russia.

This idle, ignorant and hypocritical person is convinced that the purpose of his estate is in one thing - "to live by the labor of others." Creating an image, Nekrasov does not skimp on shortcomings and endows his hero with cowardice. This feature is shown in a comic case when Obolt-Obolduev takes unarmed peasants for robbers and threatens them with a pistol. The peasants had to work hard to dissuade the former owner.

Conclusion

Thus, the poem by N. A. Nekrasov is saturated with a number of bright, original characters, designed from all sides to reflect the position of the people in Russia, the attitude of different classes and representatives of power towards them. It is thanks to so many descriptions of human destinies, often based on real stories, the work leaves no one indifferent.

The content of the article

Origin and meaning

The female name Matrena is of Latin origin. It was formed from the word "matrona" and translated into Russian means "matrona", "respectable married woman", "respectable lady". The name is considered obsolete, therefore it is not popular among newborn girls.

Character traits

The name Matryona belongs to a balanced, calm, kind-hearted and patient woman with a phlegmatic, but very good character. Although she does not like conflict situations, she is always ready to defend her personal opinion. She can show a strong will and firmness, which, probably, no one expects from her. After all, her secret name hides a quiet and modest personality, not prone to action and leadership.

Sometimes Matrena resembles a viewer in a movie - she enjoys watching the ups and downs in the lives of friends and relatives, but does not take part in them on her own. Of course, in the depths of her soul, she sometimes would like to commit some unexpected, even adventurous act, but she perfectly understands that things will not go beyond dreams.

The representative of this name has strong moral and spiritual principles. She lives exactly following them. Depending on the moral and ethical attitudes, Matrena selects a circle of acquaintances and close friends, becoming a sensitive, attentive and sociable interlocutor, able to listen and understand, as well as possessing phenomenal intuition and the ability to delve deep into things. She is loved by everyone around, because unlike many others, the girl does not envy her comrades, does not take offense for no reason, does not take revenge, but simply communicates with them, sincerely experiences their ups and downs and perceives life as it is.

In some situations, Matryona, driven to despair, is despotic, expecting that "the world will bend" under her. In such cases, it exhibits activity and reaction rate unusual for it. If the situation that unsettles her drags on, the woman may well become depressed.

Hobbies and profession

The name Matryona belongs to a person who does not strive to reach career heights and does not want to be a leader. She diligently and diligently performs the tasks assigned to her. Because of its absolute calmness, it can be realized in those professions that are considered "boring" and unpromising - to become a librarian, archivist, art historian, specialist in the field of religion. She is also suitable for research activities, which require perseverance, calmness, a philosophical attitude to failures, as well as the pedagogical sphere and work with very young children.

Love and family

Matryona's sexual life is not too active - moral and moral principles do not allow a woman with this name to reach her full potential. But an experienced, skillful partner can make such a girl liberate herself and become a good, true, driven and somewhat romantic lover.

She quickly becomes attached to men, but for the time being does not feel a special need for marriage and a well-established life. Matrena intuitively feels that she will have to constantly adapt to her husband and children. If he nevertheless decides to part with freedom, then he chooses a calm, but possessing an inner core of a person who is ready to take on life, material and financial issues and even caring for children, although she herself can be an amazing mother. Of course, the girl takes part in all this, but she needs the very fact that someone is ready to share domestic problems with her.

The Russian peasant woman became the heroine of many poems and poems by Nekrasov. In her image, Nekrasov showed a person of high moral qualities, he sings of her stamina in life's trials, pride, dignity, caring for her family and children. The female image was most fully revealed by Nekrasov in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - this is the image of Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina.

Part "Peasant" in the poem and the largest in volume, and it is written in the first person: Matrena Timofeevna herself tells about her fate. Matryona Timofeevna, according to her, was lucky as a girl:

I was lucky in the girls:

We had a good

Non-drinking family.

The family surrounded their beloved daughter with care and affection. In the seventh year, the peasant's daughter began to be taught to work: "she herself ... ran to the herd for a dumpling, brought breakfast to her father, grazed the ducklings." And this work was her joy. Matrena Timofeevna, having worked out in the field, will wash herself in the bathhouse and is ready to sing and dance:

And a good worker

And sing and dance the huntress

I was young.

But how few bright moments in her life! One of them is an engagement to his beloved Filippushka. Matryona did not sleep all night, thinking about the upcoming marriage: she was afraid of “bondage”. And yet love turned out to be stronger than fears of falling into slavery.

Then it was happiness

And hardly ever again!

And then, after marriage, she went “from a girl’s holi to hell.” Exhausting work, “mortal insults”, misfortunes with children, separation from her husband, who was illegally recruited, and many other hardships - such is the bitter life path of Matryona Timofeevna. With pain she says about what is in her:

No broken bone

There is no stretched vein.

Her story reflected all the everyday hardships of a Russian peasant woman: the despotism of family relations, separation from her husband, eternal humiliation, the suffering of a mother who lost her son, material need: fires, loss of livestock, crop failure. Here is how Nekrasov describes the grief of a mother who lost her child:

I rolled around with a ball

I twisted like a worm

Called, woke Demushka -

Yes, it was too late to call! ..

The mind is ready to be clouded by a terrible misfortune. But a huge spiritual strength helps Matryona Timofeevna to survive. She sends angry curses to her enemies, the camp and the doctor, who torment the “white body” of her son: “Villains! Executioners!” Matrena Timofeevna wants to find “their justice”, but Savely dissuades her: “God is high, the tsar is far ... We cannot find the truth.” “Yes, why, grandfather?” - asks the unfortunate. “You are a serf woman!” - and this sounds like a final verdict.

And yet, when misfortune happens to her second son, she becomes “impudent”: she decisively knocks down the elder Silantius, saving Fedotushka from punishment, taking his rods on herself.

Matryona Timofeevna is ready to endure any trials, inhuman torments in order to defend her children, her husband from everyday troubles. What tremendous willpower a woman must have to go alone on a frosty winter night dozens of miles away to a provincial town in search of the truth. Boundless is her love for her husband, which has withstood such a severe test. The governor, amazed by her selfless act, showed “great mercy”:

They sent a messenger to Klin,

The whole truth was brought -

Filipushka was rescued.

Self-esteem, which manifested itself in Matrena Timofeevna in her girlhood, helps her to go majestically through life. This feeling protects her from the impudent claims of Sitnikov, who seeks to make her his mistress. Anger against the enslavers thickens in a cloud in her soul, she herself speaks about her angry heart to the peasant truth-seekers.

However, these trials cannot break her spirit, she retained her human dignity. True, in the face of the force of circumstances created by the social structure of that time, when the “daughter-in-law in the house” was “the last, last slave”, “intimidated”, “cursed”, Matryona Timofeevna also had to put up with it. But she doesn't take for granted such family relationships who humiliate her, demand unquestioning obedience and humility:

Walked with anger in my heart
And didn't say too much
Word to nobody.

The image of Matrena Timofeevna is given in the poem in dynamics, in development. So, for example, in the story with Demushka, at first, in a fit of despair, she is ready to endure everything:

And then I surrendered
I bowed at my feet...

But then the inexorability of the “unrighteous judges”, their cruelty, gives rise to a feeling of protest in her soul:

They don't have a soul in their chest
They have no conscience in their eyes
On the neck - no cross!

The character of the heroine is tempered precisely in these difficult trials. This is a woman of great mind and heart, selfless, strong-willed, resolute.

The chapter "Peasant Woman" is almost entirely built on folk poetic images and motifs. In the characterization of Matrena Timofeevna, folklore genres are widely used: songs, lamentations, lamentations. With their help, the emotional impression is enhanced, they help to express pain and longing, to show more vividly how bitter the life of Matryona Timofeevna is.

In her speech, a number of folklore features are observed: repetitions (“creeping crawling”, “noise-running, “a tree burns and groans, chicks burn and groan”), constant epithets (“violent head”, “white light”, “fierce grief” ), synonymous expressions, words (“fertilized, dismissed”, “how she yawned, how she growled”). When constructing sentences, he often uses exclamatory forms, appeals (“Oh, mother, where are you?”, “Oh, poor young woman!”, “The daughter-in-law is the last in the house, the last slave!”). There are many sayings and proverbs in her speech: “Do not spit on red-hot iron - it will hiss”, “The working horse eats straw, and the idle dance - oats”; often uses diminutive words: "mother", "pale", "pebble".

These features make Matryona Timofeevna's speech uniquely individual, give it special liveliness, concreteness, and emotionality. At the same time, the saturation with sayings, songs, laments testifies to the creative warehouse of her soul, wealth and strength of feeling. This is the image of a peasant woman not only strong in spirit, but also gifted and talented.

Matryona Timofeevna's story about her life is also a story about the fate of any peasant woman, a long-suffering Russian woman. And the part itself is not named after Matryona Timofeevna, but simply “Peasant Woman”. This emphasizes that the fate of Matryona Timofeevna is not at all an exception to the rule, but the fate of millions of the same Russian peasant women. The parable about “the keys to the happiness of women” also speaks of this. And Matryona Timofeevna concludes her thoughts with a bitter conclusion, turning to the wanderers: “You started not a business - look for a happy woman among the women!”

"To whom in Rus' to live well" was written more than a century ago. The poem gives a vivid description of the troubles and trials that the Russian people had to go through, and draws what happiness looks like for ordinary men. The work is titled with the eternal question that has tormented each of us for centuries.

The narrative invites the reader to familiarize themselves with the original story. Its main characters were the peasants, who gathered to determine the class in which a happy person lives. Analyzing all the ranks, the men got acquainted with the stories of the characters, the happiest among whom was the seminarian. The meaning of the hero's surname in this case is important. Happiness for the student was not material well-being, but peace and quiet on the lands of the motherland and the well-being of the people.

History of creation

The poem was created in the period from 1863 to 1877, and in the course of work, the characters and the plot of the work repeatedly changed. The work was not completed, since the author died in 1877, but "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" is considered an integral literary opus.

Nekrasov is famous for his clear civic position and speeches against social injustice. He repeatedly raised in his work the problems that disturb the Russian peasantry. The writer condemned the treatment of landlords with serfs, the exploitation of women and the forced labor of children. After the abolition of serfdom in 1861, the long-awaited happiness for ordinary people did not come. The problem of unfreedom was replaced by other questions concerning the prospects for independent peasant life.

The images revealed in the poem help to penetrate into the depth of the question asked by the author. Nekrasov demonstrates the difference between happiness in the understanding of a landowner and a simple peasant. The rich are sure that the main thing in life is material well-being, and the poor consider the absence of unnecessary troubles as happiness. The spirituality of the people is described by means of Grisha Dobrosklonov, who dream of universal contentment.

Nekrasov in "To whom it is good to live in Rus'" defines the problems of estates, revealing the greed and cruelty of the rich, illiteracy and drunkenness among the peasants. He believes that, realizing what true happiness is, all the heroes of the work will make efforts to achieve it.

Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina - actor in the work. In her youth, she was truly happy, as this time of her life was truly carefree. Parents loved the girl, and she sought to help her family in everything. Like other peasant children, Matryona was early accustomed to work. Games were gradually supplanted by household worries and chores, but the rapidly maturing girl did not forget about leisure.

This peasant woman is hardworking and active. Her appearance pleased the eye with stateliness and real Russian beauty. Many guys had views of the girl, and one day the groom wooed her. On this young and happy life before marriage came to an end. The will was replaced by the way of life that reigns in a strange family, about which Matryona's parents grieve. The girl's mother, realizing that her husband will not always protect her daughter, mourns her future.

Life in the new house really did not work out right away. The sisters-in-law and the parents of the spouse forced Matryona to work hard and did not spoil her kind word. The only joys of the beauty were a silk scarf given by her husband and a sleigh ride.

Relations in marriage could not be called smooth, because at that time husbands often beat their wives, and girls had no one to turn to for help and protection. Matrona's everyday life was gray and monotonous, full of hard work and reproaches from relatives. Personifying the ideal of the majestic Slav, the girl meekly endured all the hardships of fate and showed mighty patience.

The born son revealed Matryona from a new side. A loving mother, she gives her child all the tenderness she is capable of. The girl's happiness was short-lived. She tried to spend as much time with the baby as possible, but the work took every minute, and the child was a burden. Grandfather Saveliy looked after the son of Matryona and once did not look after. The child died. His death was a tragedy for the young mother. In those days, such cases occurred often, but became an incredible test for women.

The police, the doctor and the camp officer who arrived at the house decided that Matryona, in collusion with her grandfather, a former convict, had deliberately killed the baby. It was decided to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of the boy's death. For a girl, this becomes a great grief, because now a child cannot be buried without scolding.

The image of Matrena is a portrait of a real Russian woman, persistent, strong-willed and patient. A woman who is not able to break life's vicissitudes. After a while, Matryona again has children. She loves and protects them, continuing to work for the good of her family.

The maternal instinct of Matrena Timofeevna is so strong that for the sake of children the heroine is ready for anything. This emphasizes the episode when the son of Fedotushka wanted to be punished by the landowner. A portly woman lay down under the rods, sacrificing herself instead of her own child. With the same zeal, she stands up for her husband, whom they want to recruit. The people's intercessor grants salvation to the Matryona family.

The life of a simple peasant woman is not easy and full of grief. She survived more than one hungry year, lost her son, constantly worried about people dear to her heart. The whole existence of Matryona Timofeevna is based on fighting the misfortunes that stand in her way. The difficulties that fell to her lot could break her spirit. Often, women like Matryona died early because of hardships and troubles. But those who remained alive aroused pride and respect. The image of a Russian woman in the face of Matryona is also sung by Nekrasov.

The writer sees how hardy and patient she is, how much strength and love her soul keeps, how caring and gentle a simple hard-working woman can be. He is not inclined to call the heroine happy, but he is proud that she does not lose heart, but emerges victorious in the struggle for life.

Quotes

IN tsarist Russia a woman's life was extremely difficult. By the age of 38, the strong and majestic Matrena Timofeevna was already calling herself an old woman. Many troubles fell to her lot, with which the woman coped on her own, so she condemns the men who started looking for lucky women among the women:

“And what you started

It's not a matter - between women

Happy looking!"

For stamina and fortitude, the heroine was called the "governor's wife", because not every woman dared to take such heroic actions that Matryona took. The woman rightfully deserved the new nickname, but this name did not bring happiness. The main joy for Korchagina is by no means in the glory of the people:

"They glorified the lucky one,

Nicknamed the governor

Matryona since then ...

What's next? I rule the house

Grove of children ... Is it for joy?

You need to know too!

The chapter in which the heroine opens the eyes of the peasants to a mistake is called "The Woman's Parable". Matrena Timofeevna admits that she is not able to recognize herself and other peasant women as happy. Too much oppression, trials, the wrath of the landowners, anger from their husbands and relatives, and the vicissitudes of fate fall to their lot. Matrena believes that there are no lucky women among women:

"The keys to female happiness,

From our free will

abandoned, lost