Nekrasov called “Who Lives Well in Rus'” a poem. However, in terms of genre, it was not similar to any of the famous Russian poems. “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is a folk heroic poem. Nekrasov combined the features of three genres: a “peasant” poem depicting the life of a peasant, a satirical review depicting the enemies of the people, and a heroic revolutionary poem revealing images of fighters for the people’s happiness. Nekrasov strives to merge these three lines of his artistic creativity in the poem.
The first line is most fully represented in the poem. The depiction of folk.life is encyclopedic. The most complete reflection of this trait is given precisely in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” The second and third lines, due to the incompleteness of the poem, are not superior to his other works.
In other works, Nekrasov managed to show himself more clearly both as a satirist and as a poet of the heroic epic. In the poem “Contemporaries,” he masterfully “brands and castigates the people’s enemy” - the capitalists and the pack of those who served the owners of money and those in power. The images of revolutionary fighters are more developed and more emotionally depicted in his poem “Russian Women”. The revolutionary solution to the pressing issues of our time in the conditions of censorship terror could not receive a more complete artistic expression even under the pen of Nekrasov.
Nekrasov’s ideological and, on this basis, emotional attitude to reality determined, within the framework of the new genre, the use of various techniques and means inherent not only in epic, but also in lyrical and dramatic genres. Here both a calm epic story and various songs (historical, social, everyday, propaganda, satirical, intimate lyrical) are organically merged; here, in a synthetic unity, legends, lamentations, fantasy fairy tales, beliefs, metaphorical ideas characteristic of a person of religious perception, and lively, realistic dialogue, proverbs, sayings inherent in a materialistic worldview appeared; here is caustic satire, disguised in allegory, in omissions, in allegorical form. The wide coverage of reality required the introduction into the framework of the main event of a large number of independently developed episodes, necessary as links in a single artistic chain.
In terms of genre, “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is in many ways closer to a prose narrative than to the lyric-epic poems characteristic of Russian literature of the first half of the 20th century.
N.A. Nekrasov wrote a wonderful poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” Its writing began in 1863, two years after the abolition of serfdom in Russia. It is this event that is at the center of the poem. The main question of the work can be understood from...
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The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” became one of the central ones in the work of N. A. Nekrasov. The time when he worked on the poem was a time of great change. The passions of representatives of revolutionary democratic movements were in full swing in society. The best part of the intelligentsia...
28. Epic poem Who Lives Well in Rus' - Features of the Issues and Genre
Nekrasov conceived the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” as a “people's book.” He began writing it in 1863 and ended up terminally ill in 1877. The poet dreamed that his book would be close to the peasantry.
At the center of the poem is a collective image of the Russian peasantry, the image of the guardian of their native land. The poem reflects a man's joys and sorrows, doubts and hopes, thirst for freedom and happiness. All the most important events in the life of a peasant were contained in this work. The plot of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is close to the folk tale about the search for happiness and truth. But the peasants who set out on the journey are not pilgrim pilgrims. They are a symbol of awakening Russia.
Among the peasants depicted by Nekrasov, we see many persistent seekers of truth. First of all, these are seven men. Their main goal is to find “peasant happiness.”
In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” Nekrasov also touches on the problem of women’s happiness. It is revealed through the image of Matryona Timofeevna. This is a typical peasant woman of the Central Russian strip, endowed with restrained beauty, filled with self-esteem. On her shoulders fell not only the entire burden of peasant labor, but also responsibility for the fate of the family, for raising children. The image of Matryona Timofeevna is collective. She experienced everything that can befall a Russian woman. The difficult fate of Matryona Timofeevna gives her the right to say to wanderers on behalf of all Russian women:
The keys to women's happiness,
From our free will,
Abandoned, lost
From God himself!
Nekrasov reveals the problem of people's happiness in the poem also with the help of the image of the people's intercessor Grisha Dobrosklonov. He is the son of a sexton who lived “poorer than the last shabby peasant” and “an unrequited farmhand.” A hard life gives rise to protest in this person. From childhood he decides that he will devote his life to the search for national happiness.
The problematic of the epic genre involves consideration of the life not of an individual hero, but of an entire people. Any significant events in the history of this people are selected to depict. Most often, such a moment is war. However, at the time Nekrasov created the poem, there is no war going on in Russia, and the poem itself does not mention military operations. And yet, in 1861, another event, no less significant for people’s life, took place in Russia: the abolition of serfdom. It causes a wave of controversy in high circles, as well as confusion and a complete restructuring of life among the peasants. It is to this turning point that Nekrasov devotes his epic poem.
The genre of the work “Who Lives Well in Rus'” required the author to comply with certain criteria, first of all, scale. The task of showing the life of an entire people is not at all easy, and it was this that influenced Nekrasov’s choice of a plot with travel as the main plot-forming element. Travel is a common motif in Russian literature. It was addressed by both Gogol in “Dead Souls” and Radishchev (“Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”), even in the Middle Ages there was a popular genre of “walking” - “Walking across Three Seas.” This technique allows the work to depict a full-fledged picture of folk life, with all its customs, joys and sorrows. In this case, the main plot fades into the background, and the narrative breaks up into many separate kaleidoscopic parts, from which at the same time a three-dimensional picture of life gradually emerges. The peasants' stories about their destinies give way to lingering lyrical songs, the reader gets acquainted with a rural fair, sees folk festivals, elections, learns about attitudes towards women, grieves with the beggar and has fun with the drunk.
It is characteristic that parts sometimes deviate so strongly from each other in the plot that they can be swapped without harm to the composition of the work. This at one time caused long disputes over the correct arrangement of the chapters of the poem (Nekrasov did not leave clear instructions on this). At the same time, such a “patchwork” of the work is compensated by the internal continuous development of the plot - one of the prerequisites for the epic genre. The people's soul, sometimes very contradictory, sometimes despairing under the weight of troubles and yet not completely broken, moreover, constantly dreaming of happiness - this is what the poet shows the reader.
Among the features of the genre “Who Lives Well in Rus'” can also be mentioned the huge layer of folklore elements included in the text of the poem, from directly introduced songs, proverbs, sayings to implicit references to one or another epic, the use of phrases like “Savely, the Russian hero.” Here Nekrasov’s love for the common people is clearly visible, his sincere interest in the topic - it’s not for nothing that it took so many years (more than 10) to collect material for the poem! Let us note that the inclusion of folklore elements in the text is also considered a sign of an epic - this makes it possible to more fully depict the features of the people’s character and way of life.
The genre peculiarity of the poem is also considered to be its bizarre combination of historical facts with fairy-tale motifs. In the beginning, written according to all the laws of fairy tales, seven (magic number) peasants set off on their journey. The beginning of their journey is accompanied by miracles - a warbler speaks to them, and they find a self-assembled tablecloth in the forest. But their further path will not follow a fairy tale.
The skillful combination of a fairy-tale, unburdensome plot with serious political problems of post-reform Rus' favorably distinguished Nekrasov’s work immediately after the publication of parts of the poem: it looked interesting against the backdrop of monotonous pamphlets and at the same time made one think. This also allowed the epic poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” not to lose its interest for the reader today.
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GENRE ORIGINALITY OF THE POEM
This task - to comprehensively explore the life and existence of the Russian people, to penetrate into the depths of their souls - largely determines the genre originality of the poem. We have to agree with L.A. Evstigneeva, who determines genre “Who lives well in Rus'”- How " epic review, montage of various kinds of events subordinated to the development of the central thought of the author" “The consistent implementation of the plot scheme outlined in the Prologue,” writes the researcher, “Nekrasov replaces with a sequence of analytical judgments about the people, their present situation, the fate of Russia and the future of the revolutionary movement. An innovative plot is born, later called centrifugal, which brings Nekrasov closer to the literary process of the late 19th - early 20th centuries.”
The exact definitions of the poem are "encyclopedia of folk life" or "The epic of people's life"- suggest not only the writer’s ability to draw a generalized portrait of all classes of Russian society, but also to give a kind of “philosophy of life” of the people, to recreate the national character in the poem. The author’s focus on polyphony is subordinated to this task, the topic chosen by the author. In the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” a significant place is occupied by dialogues of often unnamed, undescribed characters, polylogues, each of which can be developed into a separate narrative. But the extreme brevity of the dialogues and polylogues does not prevent one from imagining the character of the interlocutors or even their fate. The desire to recreate the life and existence of the people determines the multi-heroic nature of the narrative: each hero enters the narrative with his own destiny and with his own intimate story.
Folklore genres - riddles, proverbs, sayings and - most importantly - songs play a special role in the narration. It is known how Nekrasov perceives songs: “folk poetry for Nekrasov was not only the custodian of the poetic ideas of the peasantry, but also the result of the life of the masses as a whole, the focus of national artistic thinking, the best expressive of the Russian national character.”
The people in Nekrasov’s poem cry out their pain, complain and grieve, open their souls to the reader and themselves try to understand the secrets of their soul and their heart.
COMPOSITION OF THE POEM
This issue is also debatable. First of all, because researchers do not have a common opinion in deciding the question: what principle to adhere to when forming the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - whether to take as a basis the time of creation of the parts or the chronology of the peasants’ journey. Considering the time of writing the parts, they should go in the following sequence: Prologue; First part; "Last One"; "Peasant Woman"; "A feast for the whole world." But such a composition is contradicted by the author’s will: according to Nekrasov’s notes, “The Last One” and “A Feast for the Whole World” are plot-related: the poet classified both of these chapters as the second part, and “The Peasant Woman” as the third part. Thus, the composition should be different: Prologue, First Part, “Last One,” “Feast for the Whole World,” “Peasant Woman.”
There is another justification for just such a composition - the duration of action of the parts. The men's journey was supposed to cover several months, and time in chapters, as V.V. showed. Gippius, “calculated according to the calendar.” The Prologue takes place at the beginning of spring. “In the chapter “Pop,” the researcher noted, “the wanderers say: “and the time is not early, the month of May is approaching.” In the chapter “Rural Fair” there is a mention: “The weather only stared at St. Nicholas of the spring”; Apparently, the fair itself takes place on St. Nicholas Day (May 9). “The Last One” also begins with the exact date: “Petrovka. It's a hot time. Haymaking is in full swing." This means that the chapter is valid on June 29 (old style). In “A Feast for the Whole World” the haymaking is already over: the peasants are going to the market with hay. Finally, in “The Peasant Woman” there is a harvest and, as K.I. Chukovsky, in the draft versions there is even the name of the month - August.
However, not all researchers agree with this composition. The main objection: such an arrangement of parts distorts the pathos of the poem. As K.I. wrote in the comments to the poem. Chukovsky, “demanding that we finish the poem with “The Peasant Woman,” V.V. Gippius first of all ignores the fact that in “The Peasant Woman” (in its last chapter) “notes of liberal servility” were heard, contrary to the entire content of the poem.<...>. This chapter is called “The Governor’s Lady.” After all the curses on the hated system, which caused so much suffering to the enslaved peasant woman, in this chapter a noble aristocrat appears, the wife of the governor, who saves the peasant woman from all her torments.<...>The entire poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” will be completed with a hymn to the benevolent lady<...>. And then to Nekrasov’s question: “Where are you, the secret of the people’s contentment?” - there will be only one answer: in lordly affection, in lordly philanthropy.” K.I. Chukovsky proposed another version of the composition: Prologue and first part; "Peasant Woman"; “The Last One” and “A Feast for the Whole World.” This composition is adopted in most publications, although both the author's will and the time calendar that underlies the parts are violated.
Objecting to Chukovsky, researchers point out that “The Peasant Woman” ends not with a hymn to the “governor,” but with a bitter “Woman’s Parable” - a kind of conclusion in thinking about the inevitability of tragedy in the fate of a woman. In addition, ideological arguments, of course, should not determine the composition. Guided, first of all, by the time of creation of the parts, the author’s will and the logic of the development of the author’s thought, some researchers propose publishing the chapter “Peasant Woman” after “The Last One,” but ending the poem with “A Feast for the Whole World,” pointing out that “Feast” “directly is connected with the chapter “The Last One” and is its continuation.”
History of creation
Nekrasov devoted many years of his life to working on the poem, which he called his “favorite brainchild.” “I decided,” said Nekrasov, “to present in a coherent story everything that I know about the people, everything that I happened to hear from their lips, and I started “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” This will be an epic of modern peasant life.” The writer saved material for the poem, as he admitted, “word by word for twenty years.” Death interrupted this gigantic work. The poem remained unfinished. Shortly before his death, the poet said: “The one thing I deeply regret is that I did not finish my poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” N. A. Nekrasov began work on the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” in the first half of the 60s of the 19th century. The mention of the exiled Poles in the first part, in the chapter “The Landowner,” suggests that work on the poem began no earlier than 1863. But sketches of the work could have appeared earlier, since Nekrasov had been collecting material for a long time. The manuscript of the first part of the poem is marked 1865, however, it is possible that this is the date of completion of work on this part.
Soon after finishing work on the first part, the prologue of the poem was published in the January 1866 issue of Sovremennik magazine. Printing lasted for four years and was accompanied, like all of Nekrasov’s publishing activities, by censorship persecution.
The writer began to continue working on the poem only in the 1870s, writing three more parts of the work: “The Last One” (1872), “Peasant Woman” (1873), “A Feast for the Whole World” (1876). The poet did not intend to limit himself to the written chapters; three or four more parts were planned. However, a developing illness interfered with the author's plans. Nekrasov, feeling the approach of death, tried to give some “completeness” to the last part, “A feast for the whole world.”
In the last lifetime edition of “Poems” (-), the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” was printed in the following sequence: “Prologue. Part one", "Last One", "Peasant Woman".
Plot and structure of the poem
Nekrasov assumed that the poem would have seven or eight parts, but managed to write only four, which, perhaps, did not follow one another.
Part one
The only one has no name. It was written shortly after the abolition of serfdom ().
Prologue
“In what year - count,
In what land - guess
On the sidewalk
Seven men came together..."
They got into an argument:
Who has fun?
Free in Rus'?
They offered six possible answers to this question:
- Novel: to the landowner
- Demyan: to the official
- Gubin brothers - Ivan and Mitrodor: to the merchant;
- Pakhom (old man): to the minister
The peasants decide not to return home until they find the correct answer. They find a self-assembled tablecloth that will feed them and set off.
Peasant woman (from the third part)
The last one (from the second part)
Feast - for the whole world (from the second part)
The chapter “A Feast for the Whole World” is a continuation of “The Last One.” This depicts a fundamentally different state of the world. This is people's Rus' that has already woken up and spoken at once. New heroes are drawn into the festive feast of spiritual awakening. The whole people sings songs of liberation, judges the past, evaluates the present, and begins to think about the future. Sometimes these songs are contrasting to each other. For example, the story “About the exemplary slave - Yakov the Faithful” and the legend “About two great sinners”. Yakov takes revenge on the master for all the bullying in a servile manner, committing suicide in front of his eyes. The robber Kudeyar atones for his sins, murders and violence not with humility, but with the murder of the villain - Pan Glukhovsky. Thus, popular morality justifies righteous anger against the oppressors and even violence against them
List of heroes
Temporarily obliged peasants who went to look for who was living happily and at ease in Rus'(Main characters)
- Novel
- Demyan
- Ivan and Metrodor Gubin
- Old Man Pakhom
Peasants and serfs
- Ermil Girin
- Yakim Nagoy
- Sidor
- Egorka Shutov
- Klim Lavin
- Agap Petrov
- Ipat - sensitive serf
- Yakov - a faithful slave
- Proshka
- Matryona
- Savely
Landowners
- Utyatin
- Obolt-Obolduev
- Prince Peremetev
- Glukhovskaya
Other heroes
- Altynnikov
- Vogel
- Shalashnikov
see also
Links
- Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov: textbook. allowance / Yarosl. state University named after P. G. Demidova and others; [author art.] N.N. Paykov. - Yaroslavl: [b. i.], 2004. - 1 email. wholesale disk (CD-ROM)
Who can live well in Rus'? This question still worries many people, and this fact explains the increased attention to Nekrasov’s legendary poem. The author managed to raise a topic that has become eternal in Russia - the topic of asceticism, voluntary self-denial in the name of saving the fatherland. It is the service of a high goal that makes a Russian person happy, as the writer proved with the example of Grisha Dobrosklonov.
“Who Lives Well in Rus'” is one of Nekrasov’s last works. When he wrote it, he was already seriously ill: he was struck by cancer. That's why it's not finished. It was collected bit by bit by the poet’s close friends and arranged the fragments in random order, barely catching the confused logic of the creator, broken by a fatal illness and endless pain. He was dying in agony and yet was able to answer the question posed at the very beginning: Who lives well in Rus'? He himself turned out to be lucky in a broad sense, because he faithfully and selflessly served the interests of the people. This service supported him in the fight against his fatal illness. Thus, the history of the poem began in the first half of the 60s of the 19th century, around 1863 (serfdom was abolished in 1861), and the first part was ready in 1865.
The book was published in fragments. The prologue was published in the January issue of Sovremennik in 1866. Later other chapters were published. All this time, the work attracted the attention of censors and was mercilessly criticized. In the 70s, the author wrote the main parts of the poem: “The Last One,” “The Peasant Woman,” “A Feast for the Whole World.” He planned to write much more, but due to the rapid development of the disease he was unable to and settled on “The Feast...”, where he expressed his main idea regarding the future of Russia. He believed that such holy people as Dobrosklonov would be able to help his homeland, mired in poverty and injustice. Despite the fierce attacks of reviewers, he found the strength to stand up for a just cause to the end.
Genre, kind, direction
ON THE. Nekrasov called his creation “the epic of modern peasant life” and was precise in his formulation: the genre of the work is “Who can live well in Rus'?” - epic poem. That is, at the heart of the book there coexists not just one type of literature, but two: lyricism and epic:
- Epic component. There was a turning point in the history of the development of Russian society in the 1860s, when people learned to live in new conditions after the abolition of serfdom and other fundamental transformations of their usual way of life. This difficult historical period was described by the writer, reflecting the realities of that time without embellishment or falsehood. In addition, the poem has a clear linear plot and many original characters, which indicates the scale of the work, comparable only to a novel (epic genre). The book also incorporates folklore elements of heroic songs telling about the military campaigns of heroes against enemy camps. All these are generic signs of the epic.
- Lyrical component. The work is written in verse - this is the main property of lyrics as a genre. The book also contains space for the author's digressions and typically poetic symbols, means of artistic expression, and features of the characters' confessions.
The direction within which the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” was written is realism. However, the author significantly expanded its boundaries, adding fantastic and folklore elements (prologue, opening, symbolism of numbers, fragments and heroes from folk legends). The poet chose the form of travel for his plan, as a metaphor for the search for truth and happiness that each of us carries out. Many researchers of Nekrasov’s work compare the plot structure with the structure of a folk epic.
Composition
The laws of the genre determined the composition and plot of the poem. Nekrasov finished writing the book in terrible agony, but still did not have time to finish it. This explains the chaotic composition and many branches from the plot, because the works were shaped and restored from drafts by his friends. In the last months of his life, he himself was unable to strictly adhere to the original concept of creation. Thus, the composition “Who Lives Well in Rus'?”, comparable only to the folk epic, is unique. It was developed as a result of the creative development of world literature, and not the direct borrowing of some well-known example.
- Exposition (Prologue). The meeting of seven men - the heroes of the poem: “On a pillared path / Seven men came together.”
- The plot is the characters' oath not to return home until they find the answer to their question.
- The main part consists of many autonomous parts: the reader gets acquainted with a soldier, happy that he was not killed, a slave, proud of his privilege to eat from the master's bowls, a grandmother, whose garden yielded turnips to her delight... While the search for happiness stands still, depicts the slow but steady growth of national self-awareness, which the author wanted to show even more than the declared happiness in Rus'. From random episodes, a general picture of Rus' emerges: poor, drunk, but not hopeless, striving for a better life. In addition, the poem has several large and independent inserted episodes, some of which are even included in autonomous chapters (“The Last One,” “The Peasant Woman”).
- Climax. The writer calls Grisha Dobrosklonov, a fighter for people's happiness, a happy person in Rus'.
- Denouement. A serious illness prevented the author from completing his great plan. Even those chapters that he managed to write were sorted and designated by his proxies after his death. You must understand that the poem is not finished, it was written by a very sick person, therefore this work is the most complex and confusing of Nekrasov’s entire literary heritage.
- The final chapter is called “A Feast for the Whole World.” All night long the peasants sing about the old and new times. Grisha Dobrosklonov sings kind and hopeful songs.
- Seven wanderers represent former serfs “from adjacent villages - Zaplatova, Dyryavina, Razutov, Znobishina, Gorelova, Neelova, Neurozhaika and also.” They all put forward their versions of who should live well in Rus': a landowner, an official, a priest, a merchant, a noble boyar, a sovereign minister or a tsar. Their character is characterized by persistence: they all demonstrate a reluctance to take someone else's side. Strength, courage and the desire for truth are what unites them. They are passionate and easily angered, but their easygoing nature compensates for these shortcomings. Kindness and responsiveness make them pleasant interlocutors, even despite some meticulousness. Their disposition is harsh and harsh, but life did not spoil them with luxury: the former serfs always bent their backs working for the master, and after the reform no one bothered to provide them with a proper home. So they wandered around Rus' in search of truth and justice. The search itself characterizes them as serious, thoughtful and thorough people. The symbolic number “7” means a hint of luck that awaited them at the end of the journey.
- Main character– Grisha Dobrosklonov, seminarian, son of a sexton. By nature he is a dreamer, a romantic, loves to compose songs and make people happy. In them he talks about the fate of Russia, about its misfortunes, and at the same time about its mighty strength, which will one day come out and crush injustice. Although he is an idealist, his character is strong, as are his convictions to devote his life to the service of truth. The character feels a calling to be the people's leader and singer of Rus'. He is happy to sacrifice himself to a high idea and help his homeland. However, the author hints that a difficult fate awaits him: prison, exile, hard labor. The authorities do not want to hear the voice of the people, they will try to silence them, and then Grisha will be doomed to torment. But Nekrasov makes it clear with all his might that happiness is a state of spiritual euphoria, and you can only know it by being inspired by a lofty idea.
- Matrena Timofeevna Korchagina- the main character, a peasant woman, whom her neighbors call lucky because she begged her husband from the wife of the military leader (he, the only breadwinner of the family, was supposed to be recruited for 25 years). However, the woman's life story reveals not luck or fortune, but grief and humiliation. She experienced the loss of her only child, the anger of her mother-in-law, and everyday, exhausting work. Her fate is described in detail in an essay on our website, be sure to check it out.
- Savely Korchagin- grandfather of Matryona’s husband, a real Russian hero. At one time, he killed a German manager who mercilessly mocked the peasants entrusted to him. For this, a strong and proud man paid with decades of hard labor. Upon his return, he was no longer good for anything; the years of imprisonment trampled his body, but did not break his will, because, as before, he stood up for justice. The hero always said about the Russian peasant: “And it bends, but does not break.” However, without knowing it, the grandfather turns out to be the executioner of his own great-grandson. He did not look after the child, and the pigs ate him.
- Ermil Girin- a man of exceptional honesty, mayor in the estate of Prince Yurlov. When he needed to buy the mill, he stood in the square and asked people to chip in to help him. After the hero got back on his feet, he returned all the borrowed money to the people. For this he earned respect and honor. But he is unhappy, because he paid for his authority with freedom: after a peasant revolt, suspicion fell on him about his organization, and he was imprisoned.
- Landowners in the poem“Who lives well in Rus'” are presented in abundance. The author portrays them objectively and even gives some images a positive character. For example, governor Elena Alexandrovna, who helped Matryona, appears as a people's benefactor. Also, with a touch of compassion, the writer portrays Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev, who also treated the peasants tolerably, even organized holidays for them, and with the abolition of serfdom, he lost ground under his feet: he was too accustomed to the old order. In contrast to these characters, the image of the Last-Duckling and his treacherous, calculating family was created. The relatives of the old, cruel serf owner decided to deceive him and persuaded the former slaves to participate in the performance in exchange for profitable territories. However, when the old man died, the rich heirs brazenly deceived the common people and drove him away with nothing. The apogee of noble insignificance is the landowner Polivanov, who beats his faithful servant and gives his son as a recruit for trying to marry his beloved girl. Thus, the writer is far from denigrating the nobility everywhere; he is trying to show both sides of the coin.
- Serf Yakov- an indicative figure of a serf peasant, an antagonist of the hero Savely. Jacob absorbed the entire slavish essence of the oppressed class, overwhelmed by lawlessness and ignorance. When the master beats him and even sends his son to certain death, the servant humbly and resignedly endures the insult. His revenge was consistent with this humility: he hanged himself in the forest right in front of the master, who was crippled and could not get home without his help.
- Jonah Lyapushkin- God's wanderer who told the men several stories about the life of people in Rus'. It tells about the epiphany of Ataman Kudeyara, who decided to atone for his sins by killing for good, and about the cunning of Gleb the elder, who violated the will of the late master and did not release the serfs on his orders.
- Pop- a representative of the clergy who complains about the difficult life of a priest. The constant encounter with grief and poverty saddens the heart, not to mention the popular jokes addressed to his rank.
What is the poem about?
Seven men met on the road and argued about who would live well in Rus'? The essence of the poem is that they looked for the answer to this question on the way, talking with representatives of different classes. The revelation of each of them is a separate story. So, the heroes went for a walk in order to resolve the dispute, but only quarreled and started a fight. In the night forest, during a fight, a bird's chick fell from its nest, and one of the men picked it up. The interlocutors sat down by the fire and began to dream of also acquiring wings and everything necessary for their journey in search of the truth. The warbler turns out to be magical and, as a ransom for her chick, tells people how to find a self-assembled tablecloth that will provide them with food and clothing. They find her and feast, and during the feast they vow to find the answer to their question together, but until then not to see any of their relatives and not to return home.
On the road they meet a priest, a peasant woman, the showroom Petrushka, beggars, an overextended worker and a paralyzed former servant, an honest man Ermila Girin, the landowner Gavrila Obolt-Obolduev, the insane Last-Utyatin and his family, the servant Yakov the faithful, God's wanderer Jonah Lyapushkin , but none of them were happy people. Each of them is associated with a story of suffering and misadventures full of genuine tragedy. The goal of the journey is achieved only when the wanderers stumbled upon seminarian Grisha Dobrosklonov, who is happy with his selfless service to his homeland. With good songs, he instills hope in the people, and this is where the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” ends. Nekrasov wanted to continue the story, but did not have time, but he gave his heroes a chance to gain faith in the future of Russia.
The main characters and their characteristics
About the heroes of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” we can say with confidence that they represent a complete system of images that organizes and structures the text. For example, the work emphasizes the unity of the seven wanderers. They do not show individuality or character; they express common features of national self-awareness for all. These characters are a single whole; their dialogues, in fact, are collective speech, which originates from oral folk art. This feature makes Nekrasov’s poem similar to the Russian folklore tradition.
The characters in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” are diverse and allow us to paint a picture of the morals and life of that time.
Subject
- The main theme of the work is Liberty- rests on the problem that the Russian peasant did not know what to do with it, and how to adapt to new realities. The national character is also “problematic”: people-thinkers, people-seekers of truth still drink, live in oblivion and empty talk. They are not able to squeeze slaves out of themselves until their poverty acquires at least the modest dignity of poverty, until they stop living in drunken illusions, until they realize their strength and pride, trampled upon by centuries of humiliating state of affairs that were sold, lost and bought.
- Happiness theme. The poet believes that a person can get the highest satisfaction from life only by helping other people. The real value of being is to feel needed by society, to bring goodness, love and justice into the world. Selfless and selfless service to a good cause fills every moment with sublime meaning, an idea, without which time loses its color, becomes dull from inaction or selfishness. Grisha Dobrosklonov is happy not because of his wealth or his position in the world, but because he is leading Russia and his people to a bright future.
- Homeland theme. Although Rus' appears in the eyes of readers as a poor and tortured, but still a beautiful country with a great future and a heroic past. Nekrasov feels sorry for his homeland, devoting himself entirely to its correction and improvement. For him, the homeland is the people, the people are his muse. All these concepts are closely intertwined in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” The author's patriotism is especially clearly expressed at the end of the book, when the wanderers find a lucky man who lives in the interests of society. In the strong and patient Russian woman, in the justice and honor of the heroic peasant, in the sincere good-heartedness of the folk singer, the creator sees the true image of his state, full of dignity and spirituality.
- Theme of labor. Useful activity elevates Nekrasov's poor heroes above the vanity and depravity of the nobility. It is idleness that destroys the Russian master, turning him into a self-satisfied and arrogant nonentity. But the common people have skills and true virtue that are really important for society, without them there will be no Russia, but the country will manage without noble tyrants, revelers and greedy seekers of wealth. So the writer comes to the conclusion that the value of each citizen is determined only by his contribution to the common cause - the prosperity of the homeland.
- Mystical motive. Fantastic elements appear already in the Prologue and immerse the reader in the fabulous atmosphere of the epic, where one must follow the development of the idea, and not the realism of the circumstances. Seven eagle owls on seven trees - the magic number 7, which promises good luck. A raven praying to the devil is another mask of the devil, because the raven symbolizes death, grave decay and infernal forces. He is opposed by a good force in the form of a warbler bird, which equips the men for the journey. A self-assembled tablecloth is a poetic symbol of happiness and contentment. “The Wide Road” is a symbol of the open ending of the poem and the basis of the plot, because on both sides of the road travelers are presented with a multifaceted and authentic panorama of Russian life. The image of an unknown fish in unknown seas, which has absorbed “the keys to female happiness,” is symbolic. The crying she-wolf with bloody nipples also clearly demonstrates the difficult fate of the Russian peasant woman. One of the most striking images of the reform is the “great chain”, which, having broken, “split one end over the master, the other over the peasant!” The seven wanderers are a symbol of the entire people of Russia, restless, waiting for change and seeking happiness.
Issues
- In the epic poem, Nekrasov touched on a large number of pressing and topical issues of the time. The main problem in “Who can live well in Rus'?” - the problem of happiness, both socially and philosophically. It is connected with the social theme of the abolition of serfdom, which greatly changed (and not for the better) the traditional way of life of all segments of the population. It would seem that this is freedom, what else do people need? Isn't this happiness? However, in reality, it turned out that the people, who, due to long slavery, do not know how to live independently, found themselves thrown to the mercy of fate. A priest, a landowner, a peasant woman, Grisha Dobrosklonov and seven men are real Russian characters and destinies. The author described them based on his rich experience of communicating with people from the common people. The problems of the work are also taken from life: disorder and confusion after the reform to abolish serfdom really affected all classes. No one organized jobs or at least land plots for yesterday's slaves, no one provided the landowner with competent instructions and laws regulating his new relations with workers.
- The problem of alcoholism. The wanderers come to an unpleasant conclusion: life in Rus' is so difficult that without drunkenness the peasant will completely die. He needs oblivion and fog in order to somehow pull the burden of a hopeless existence and hard labor.
- The problem of social inequality. The landowners have been torturing the peasants with impunity for years, and Savelia has had her whole life ruined for killing such an oppressor. For deception, nothing will happen to the relatives of the Last One, and their servants will again be left with nothing.
- The philosophical problem of searching for truth, which each of us encounters, is allegorically expressed in the journey of seven wanderers who understand that without this discovery their lives become worthless.
Idea of the work
A road fight between men is not an everyday quarrel, but an eternal, great dispute, in which all layers of Russian society of that time figure to one degree or another. All its main representatives (priest, landowner, merchant, official, tsar) are summoned to the peasant court. For the first time, men can and have the right to judge. For all the years of slavery and poverty, they are not looking for retribution, but for an answer: how to live? This expresses the meaning of Nekrasov’s poem “Who can live well in Rus'?” - growth of national self-awareness on the ruins of the old system. The author’s point of view is expressed by Grisha Dobrosklonov in his songs: “And fate, the companion of the Slav’s days, lightened your burden! You are still a slave in the family, but the mother of a free son!..” Despite the negative consequences of the reform of 1861, the creator believes that behind it lies a happy future for the fatherland. At the beginning of change it is always difficult, but this work will be rewarded a hundredfold.
The most important condition for further prosperity is overcoming internal slavery:
Enough! Finished with past settlement,
The settlement with the master has been completed!
The Russian people are gathering strength
And learns to be a citizen
Despite the fact that the poem is not finished, Nekrasov voiced the main idea. Already the first of the songs in “A Feast for the Whole World” gives an answer to the question posed in the title: “The share of the people, their happiness, light and freedom, above all!”
End
In the finale, the author expresses his point of view on the changes that have occurred in Russia in connection with the abolition of serfdom and, finally, sums up the results of the search: Grisha Dobrosklonov is recognized as the lucky one. It is he who is the bearer of Nekrasov’s opinion, and in his songs Nikolai Alekseevich’s true attitude to what he described is hidden. The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” ends with a feast for the whole world in the literal sense of the word: this is the name of the last chapter, where the characters celebrate and rejoice at the happy completion of the search.
Conclusion
In Rus', it is good for Nekrasov’s hero Grisha Dobrosklonov, since he serves people, and, therefore, lives with meaning. Grisha is a fighter for truth, a prototype of a revolutionary. The conclusion that can be drawn based on the work is simple: the lucky one has been found, Rus' is embarking on the path of reform, the people are reaching through thorns to the title of citizen. The great meaning of the poem lies in this bright omen. It has been teaching people altruism and the ability to serve high ideals, rather than vulgar and passing cults, for centuries. From the point of view of literary excellence, the book is also of great importance: it is truly a folk epic, reflecting a controversial, complex, and at the same time the most important historical era.
Of course, the poem would not be so valuable if it only taught lessons in history and literature. She gives life lessons, and this is her most important property. The moral of the work “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is that it is necessary to work for the good of your homeland, not to scold it, but to help it with deeds, because it is easier to push around with a word, but not everyone can and really wants to change something. This is happiness - to be in your place, to be needed not only by yourself, but also by the people. Only together can we achieve significant results, only together can we overcome the problems and hardships of this overcoming. Grisha Dobrosklonov tried to unite and unite people with his songs so that they would face change shoulder to shoulder. This is its holy purpose, and everyone has it; it is important not to be lazy to go out on the road and look for it, as the seven wanderers did.
Criticism
The reviewers were attentive to Nekrasov’s work, because he himself was an important person in literary circles and had enormous authority. Entire monographs were devoted to his phenomenal civic lyricism with a detailed analysis of the creative methodology and ideological and thematic originality of his poetry. For example, here is how the writer S.A. spoke about his style. Andreevsky:
He brought the anapest, abandoned on Olympus, out of oblivion and for many years made this heavy but flexible meter as common as the airy and melodious iambic had remained from the time of Pushkin to Nekrasov. This rhythm, favored by the poet, reminiscent of the rotational movement of a barrel organ, allowed him to stay on the boundaries of poetry and prose, joke around with the crowd, speak smoothly and vulgarly, insert a funny and cruel joke, express bitter truths and imperceptibly, slowing down the beat, with more solemn words, move into floridity.
Korney Chukovsky spoke with inspiration about Nikolai Alekseevich’s thorough preparation for work, citing this example of writing as a standard:
Nekrasov himself constantly “visited Russian huts,” thanks to which both soldier and peasant speech became thoroughly known to him from childhood: not only from books, but also in practice, he studied the common language and from a young age became a great connoisseur of folk poetic images and folk forms thinking, folk aesthetics.
The poet's death came as a surprise and a blow to many of his friends and colleagues. As you know, F.M. spoke at his funeral. Dostoevsky with a heartfelt speech inspired by impressions from a poem he recently read. In particular, among other things, he said:
He, indeed, was highly original and, indeed, came with a “new word.”
First of all, his poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” became a “new word”. No one before him had understood so deeply the peasant, simple, everyday grief. His colleague in his speech noted that Nekrasov was dear to him precisely because he bowed “to the people’s truth with all his being, which he testified to in his best creations.” However, Fyodor Mikhailovich did not support his radical views on the reorganization of Russia, however, like many thinkers of that time. Therefore, criticism reacted to the publication violently, and in some cases aggressively. In this situation, the honor of his friend was defended by the famous reviewer, master of words Vissarion Belinsky:
N. Nekrasov in his last work remained true to his idea: to arouse the sympathy of the upper classes of society for the common people, their needs and wants.
Quite caustically, recalling, apparently, professional disagreements, I. S. Turgenev spoke about the work:
Nekrasov's poems, collected into one focus, are burned.
The liberal writer was not a supporter of his former editor and openly expressed his doubts about his talent as an artist:
In the white thread stitched, seasoned with all sorts of absurdities, painfully hatched fabrications of the mournful muse of Mr. Nekrasov - there is not even a penny of it, poetry.”
Interesting? Save it on your wall!He truly was a man of very high nobility of soul and a man of great intelligence. And as a poet he is, of course, superior to all poets.
