Moreover, contemporary criticism lagged behind him. If the first chapters of “Eugene Onegin” were received by her rather sympathetically, the latter met with almost unanimous condemnation.
In any case, it is important that Russian criticism recognized the vitality of the novel's heroes. Bulgarin stated that he met “Dozens” of “Onegins” in St. Petersburg. Polevoy recognized in the hero a “familiar” person, whose inner life he “felt”, but, without the help of Pushkin, “could not explain.” Many other critics say the same thing in different ways. Even the famous Russian historian V. O. Klyuchevsky wrote an interesting article “Eugene Onegin and his ancestors”, where the hero of Pushkin’s novel is analyzed as a historical type.
It is also important that the novel raised the question of what “nationality” is in literature. Some critics recognized the novel's significance as a “national” work, others saw in it an unsuccessful imitation of Byron. From the dispute it became clear that the first saw “nationality” in the wrong place where it should have been seen, while the second overlooked Pushkin’s originality. None of the critics rated this work as “realistic”, but many attacked its form, pointed out the shortcomings of the plan, the frivolity of the content...
One of the most serious reviews of the novel must be the article Field. He saw in the novel a “literary capriccio”, an example of a “playful poem”, in the spirit of Byron’s “Beppo”, and appreciated the simplicity and liveliness of Pushkin’s story. Polevoy was the first to call Pushkin’s novel “national”: “we see our own, hear our own folk sayings, look at our own quirks, which we were all not alien to once.” This article caused a lively debate. In the image of Tatyana, only one of the critics of that time saw the complete independence of Pushkin’s creativity. He placed Tatyana above the Circassian woman, Maria and Zarema.
Critics who argued that “Eugene Onegin” is an imitation of Byron’s heroes, all the time argued that Byron is higher than Pushkin, and that Onegin, “an empty, insignificant and ordinary creature,” is lower than his prototypes. In essence, in this review of Pushkin’s hero, there was more praise than blame. Pushkin painted a “living” image without idealizing it, which cannot be said about Byron.
Nadezhdin did not attach serious importance to the novel; in his opinion, Pushkin’s best work remained the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. He suggested looking at Pushkin’s novel as a “brilliant toy” that should neither be too extolled nor too condemned.
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;color:#ff0000" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">“A.S. Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin” in Russian criticism X;color:#ff0000" xml:lang="en-US" lang="en-US">I;color:#ff0000" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">X century"
D. Pisarev: “Only that which is rotten is afraid of the touch of criticism, that, like an Egyptian mummy, disintegrates into dust from the movement of air. A living idea, like a fresh flower from the rain, grows stronger and grows, withstanding the test of skepticism. Before the spell of sober analysis, only ghosts disappear, and existing objects subjected to this test prove the effectiveness of their existence."
Starting to analyze the novel “Eugene Onegin” in 1845, V. Belinsky admitted that he was starting this work"not without some timidity"and claimed that“to evaluate such a work means to evaluate the poet himself in all the abundance of his creative activity”
1. E.A.Baratynsky , a subtle connoisseur and connoisseur of poetry, not only managed to understand the poet’s creative intent and appreciate his innovation (the novel “reflected the century // and modern man is depicted quite correctly // ... with his embittered mind // seething in empty action”), but and revealed the origins of the intolerant perception of the novel by readers of Pushkin’s era: they were prevented from correctly assessing the novel by the superficiality of their outlook and the habit of looking for romanticism everywhere.
2. The reason for the sharp change in opinions about Onegin, in agreement with Baratynsky, was explained by V.G. Belinsky , who believed that Pushkin had outgrown his age, having achieved the highest skill in the realistic depiction of reality at a time when the public, as before, expected romantic stories from him in the spirit of “Ruslan and Lyudmila.”
Yu. Lotman: “Pushkin went so far ahead of his time that his contemporaries began to think that he was behind them.”
Comparison of literary critical articles.
This was the assessment of the novel “Eugene Onegin” at the time when A.S. Pushkin lived and worked. Many years have passed since that time, and each new era has read the novel in its own way. Interest in the poet’s most beloved creation and in Pushkin’s work in general was not always the same. Between peaks of interest there were periods of outflow of readership. There were moments when it seemed to many that the poet had exhausted his relevance. They tried to take him away“a modest place... in the history of our mental life” or even “they offered to throw us off the ship of modernity.”But every time interest in Pushkin’s work and personality was revived.
“the novel “Eugene Onegin” through the eyes of the poet’s contemporaries”
The novel was written over seven years and published in chapters as they were written." xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">PThe appearance of the first songs led the reading public into delight and surprise." xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">Вadmired the aesthetic perfection of the work and the novelty of its concept.
« Have you read Onegin? What do you think of Onegin? What can you say about Onegin? these are the questions repeated incessantly among writers and Russian readers,”wrote “Northern Bee” in 1825
At the same time, a review appeared about the first chapter of Onegin, authored by the editor of the Moscow Telegraph N. Polevoy. This review welcomed the genre of Pushkin’s work and noted with delight that it was not written according to the rules"ancient piitik, andaccording to the free demands of the creative imagination."The fact that the poet describes modern mores was also positively assessed:“We see our own, hear our own sayings, look at our quirks.”
At the same time, a flattering review was heard about the first chapters of Zhukovsky’s novel."You have no talent, and genius... I read Onegin... incomparably,”he wrote to Pushkin.
“What a delight, what a delight when I began to read the first chapter“Onegin! I carried it in my pocket for two months, memorized it,”this is how A. Herzen spoke in his memoirs about the novel.
But the Decembrists Bestuzhev and Ryleev did not like Onegin. Here is Ryleev’s assessment of the novel: “I don’t know what “Onegin” will be next, but now it is lower than “The Bakhchisarai Fountain” and “Prisoner of the Caucasus”
There is a well-known poetic response to Pushkin’s novel by Bestuzhev-Marlinsky:
What about the delights of the sacred hours?
Do you spend for songs of love and fun?
Throw off the shameful burden of sensual bliss!
Let others fight in magic nets
Jealous beauties, let others look for them
Rewards with poison in their cunning eyes!
Save direct delight for the heroes!
As new chapters were published, the initial unanimous enthusiasm soon gave way to a range of contradictory opinions, judgments, and assessments. The motive for rejection of the novel, an ironic and even sarcastic attitude towards it, begins to sound more and more clearly. "Onegin" turns out to be the target of parodies and epigrams.
In particular, the parody “Ivan Alekseevich, or the New Onegin” appears, where the composition and content of the novel are ridiculed. In it, for example, the reader finds an exaggeratedly mocking list of themes in Pushkin’s novel:
Everything is here: and about legends,
And to the cherished antiquity,
And about others, and about me!
Don't call it a vinaigrette
I'm warning you, friends,
That I follow fashionable poets.
The persecution of the poet is becoming more and more consistent. This is evidenced, for example, by F. Bulgarin’s articles on VII chapter of the novel, where the critic blames Pushkin for the sad coloring of the chapter, for the fact that Moscow society is described in accusatory tones and comes to the conclusion that;font-family:"Verdana";color:#000000" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">Pushkin “captivated and delighted his contemporaries, taught them to write smooth, pure poetry... but did not carry away his century with him, did not establish the laws of taste, did not form his own school.”
And the Moscow Telegraph, which spoke so enthusiastically about Onegin in 1825, stated that Pushkin was completely“not a spokesman for the thoughts and aspirations of his peers,” but just
“elegant” and “brilliant” poet.
Baratynsky’s words sounded like dissonance at this time: “I really love the extensive plan of your Onegin, but most people do not understand it... The high poetic simplicity of your creation seems to them the poverty of fiction, they do not notice that old and new Russia, life in all its changes pass before their eyes"
statements by F.M. Dostoevsky, V.G. Belinsky, D.I. Pisarev regarding Tatiana’s explanation with Onegin.
V.G. Belinsky
This explanation expressed everything that makes up the essence of a Russian woman with a deep nature, developed by society, everything: fiery passion, and the sincerity of a simple sincere feeling, and the purity and holiness of the naive movements of a noble nature, and reasoning, and offended pride, and vanity a virtue under which a slavish fear of public opinion is disguised...
The main idea of Tatyana's reproaches is the conviction that Onegin did not fall in love with her then because it did not have the charm of temptation for him; and now the thirst for scandalous fame brings him to her feet... The fear for her virtue breaks through in everything... Tatyana does not like the light and, for happiness, would consider leaving it for the village forever, but as long as she is in the light, his opinion will always be her idol. The last verses are amazing - truly the end crowns the matter! This is the true pride of female virtue! But I was given to another, - precisely _given, and not _given! Eternal fidelity - _to whom_ and in what? Loyalty to relationships that constitute a profanation of the feelings and purity of femininity, because some relationships that are not sanctified by love are extremely immoral...
D.I.Pisarev
;font-family:"Times New Roman"" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU"> Tatiana's famous monologue... clearly proves that Tatiana and Onegin are worthy of each other: both of them have distorted themselves to such an extent that they have completely lost the ability to think, feel and act humanly. Suspecting Onegin of petty vanity, Tatyana obviously denies him her respect, and at the same time, not respecting him, she loves him, and at the same time, loving him. , she pushes him away; pushing him away out of respect for the demands of the world, she despises “all this rags of a masquerade”; despising all this rags, she occupies herself with it from morning to evening. All these contradictions prove quite clearly that she loves nothing, nothing. respects, does not despise anything, does not think about anything, but simply lives from day to day, obeying the established order.
;font-family:"Times New Roman"" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">Onegin is a completely worthy knight of such a lady who... sheds burning tears; Onegin doesn’t even have another, more energetic feeling would have endured; such a feeling would have frightened and put our hero to flight; the woman who, out of love for Onegin, would have decided to violate the majestic order of the general’s house would have been insane and unhappy.
" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">
F.M. Dostoevsky.
No, it’s the same Tanya, the same old village Tanya! She is not spoiled, she, on the contrary, is depressed by this magnificent St. Petersburg life, broken and suffering... And so she firmly says to Onegin:
But I was given to someone else
And I will be faithful to him forever
She expressed this precisely as a Russian woman, this is her apotheosis... Is it because she refused to follow him because... she is not capable of taking a bold step, unable to break her bonds, unable to sacrifice the charm of honors, wealth, her secular significance, conditions virtues? No, the Russian woman is brave. A Russian woman will boldly follow what she believes in. But she “was given to someone else and will be faithful to him forever.” To whom and what is she loyal? What kind of duties are these?.. She may have married him out of despair, but now he is her husband, and her betrayal will cover him with shame, shame and kill him. Can a person base his happiness on the misfortune of another?
Happiness does not lie in the pleasures of love alone, but also in the highest harmony of the spirit. How can you calm the spirit if a dishonest, ruthless, inhumane act is behind you? Should she run away just because my happiness is here? But what kind of happiness can there be if it is based on someone else’s misfortune?
;color:#ff0000" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">Conclusions:
;text-decoration:underline" xml:lang="en-US" lang="en-US">I;text-decoration:underline" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">.;text-decoration:underline" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">V.G. Belinskybelieved that literature should reflect the life of the people, expose their oppressors, and instill a sense of dignity in the people. He fought against art, divorced from life, and passionately exposed the official preaching of humility. The critic paid special attention to the aesthetic merits of the work.
1. The critic saw the main advantages of the novel in the fact that it:
A) “there is a poetically true picture of Russian society in a certain era”(“encyclopedia of Russian life”); that the poet “took... life as it is, with all its coldness, with all its prose and vulgarity.”
b) Onegin’s mental illness is caused by the social environment that shaped him as a person, and is caused simultaneously by subordination to society and conflict with it(“reluctantly selfish”; “superfluous person”)
2. Tatyana before marriage is ideal for Belinsky, as she is an exception"among morally crippled phenomena."At the same time, the democratic revolutionary Belinsky condemns Pushkin’s heroine for sacrificing her freedom for the sake of loyalty to her unloved husband.
3. Belinsky highly appreciated the artistic merits of the novel:"Onegin" from the point of view of form is a highly artistic work."
D.I. Pisarev, arguing that Pushkin "frivolous singer of beauty", judges the heroes of the novel not from the point of view of their historical and artistic existence, but from the point of view of their real benefit and contribution to the social life of Russia in modern times. The critic is convinced that a hero like Onegin cannot be an inspirer of new generations, therefore, the novel is useless.
;font-family:"Verdana";color:#000000" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">The critical interpretation of the images of Onegin and Tatyana in the article “Pushkin and Belinsky” gives way to the creation of evil caricatures.
;text-decoration:underline" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">F.M. Dostoevskyadmired the ideological and thematic content and artistic merits of Pushkin’s novel, in which;font-family:"Verdana";color:#008080" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">“real Russian life is embodied with such creative power and such completeness that never happened before Pushkin.”
The critic empathizes with the tragedy of the individualist hero, “an unfortunate wanderer in his native land,” forced to live according to the inhuman laws of society, and calls for humility:“Humble yourself, idle man, and first of all, work in your native field... The truth is not outside of you, but in yourself: find yourself in yourself, subjugate yourself, master yourself, and you will see the truth.”
;font-family:"Verdana";color:#000000" xml:lang="ru-RU" lang="ru-RU">Tatyana for Dostoevsky is the embodiment of moral perfection, because a person is not
General remarks
"Eugene Onegin" is considered the first realistic novel in Russian literature. The novel traces the principle of historicism: a reflection of the era in its trends and patterns, and also depicts typical characters in typical circumstances (in the image of Onegin, features that bring him closer to his environment are emphasized; all the Larins are also typical characters). The novel has a number of original features, and first of all, an original genre self-definition - “a novel in verse.” “Eugene Onegin” was conceived as a satire on romantic works. The novel combines two components: the first is the tradition of Byron (Pushkin himself admitted that he was planning something “like Byron’s Don Juan”), this can be traced in the form of the work, for example, in composition. The second is innovation. The innovation lies in the fact that Pushkin wrote a national, original novel about Russia and for Russia. If the spirit of Byron's works is extremely subjective, then in Pushkin the emphasis shifts to an objective depiction of the surrounding reality. The novel has not one individualistic hero, but two main characters. The image of the author in Pushkin is independent and does not merge with the image of the main character. Although the author is close in spirit to Onegin, in many ways his view is that of an outside observer, wise from life experience.
Plot Features
The plot is built on the principle of a mirror composition: Tatyana meets Onegin, falls in love with him, writes a letter, Onegin meets her and “reads moral lectures”; then the same thing happens to Onegin: he meets Tatyana, falls in love with her, writes a letter, Tatyana refuses him.
Belinsky about Pushkin’s novel (articles 8 and 9)
About the novel in general
1. Historicism
“First of all, in Onegin we see a poetically reproduced picture of Russian society, taken at one of the most interesting moments of its development. From this point of view, “Eugene Onegin” is a historical poem in the full sense of the word, although among its heroes there is not a single historical person.”
2. Nationality
“Few will agree with you, and for many it will seem strange if you say that the first truly national Russian poem in verse was and is Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin” and that there is more nationality in it than in any other Russian folk composition. .. If not everyone recognizes it as national, this is because a strange opinion has long been rooted in us, as if a Russian in a tailcoat or a Russian in a corset are no longer Russian and that the Russian spirit makes itself felt only where there is a zipun, bast shoes, and fusel. and sauerkraut."
“The reason for this difficulty is that among us form is always mistaken for essence, and fashionable costume for Europeanism; in other words; is that the nationality is confused with the common people and they think that whoever does not belong to the common people, that is, who drinks champagne and not foam, and wears a tailcoat and not a dull caftan, should be portrayed either as a Frenchman or as a Spaniard , then as an Englishman."
“The secret of the nationality of every people lies not in its clothing and cuisine, but in its, so to speak, manner of understanding things.”
“Every people has two philosophies: one is learned, bookish, solemn and festive, the other is everyday, home, everyday... And it was the deep knowledge of this everyday philosophy that made Onegin and Woe from Wit original and purely Russian"
“True nationality (says Gogol) lies not in the description of the sundress, but in the very spirit of the people; a poet may even be national when he describes a completely foreign world, but he looks at it through the eyes of his national element, through the eyes of the entire people, when he feels and speaks in such a way that it seems to his compatriots that they themselves feel and speak it.”
“The departures made by the poet from the story, his appeals to himself, are filled with extraordinary grace, sincerity, feeling, intelligence, acuity; the personality of the poet in them is so loving, so humane. In his poem, he was able to touch on so much, hint at so many things that belong exclusively to the world of Russian nature, to the world of Russian society! “Onegin can be called an encyclopedia of Russian life and a highly folk work.”
3. Realism
“He (Pushkin) took this life as it is, without distracting from it only its poetic moments; took it with all its coldness, with all its prose and vulgarity.” “Onegin is a poetically true picture of Russian society in a certain era.”
“In the person of Onegin, Lensky and Tatyana, Pushkin depicted Russian society in one of the phases of its formation, its development, and with what truth, with what fidelity, how fully and artistically he depicted it!”
4. Implications for the subsequent literary process
“Together with Griboyedov’s contemporary brilliant creation, “Woe from Wit,” Pushkin’s poetic novel laid a solid foundation for new Russian poetry, new Russian literature. Before these two works... Russian poets did not yet know how to be poets, chanting objects alien to Russian reality, and almost did not know how to be poets when starting to depict the world of Russian life.”
“Together with Pushkin’s Onegin... Woe from Wit... laid the foundation for subsequent literature and was the school from which Lermontov and Gogol came. Without Onegin, A Hero of Our Time would have been impossible, just as without Onegin and Woe from Wit, Gogol would not have felt ready to portray Russian reality.”
Scientific research of the novel “Eugene Onegin”
Roman A.S. Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin” is one of the most inexhaustible and profound works of Russian literature, which is confirmed by a huge number of studies by modern literary scholars devoted to the form, genre of the novel in verse, the essence of the plan and its implementation, the ideological, aesthetic, moral and philosophical issues of the novel. These studies began with the critical works of the 19th and 20th centuries. “Author of the first philosophical review of our literature” I.V. Kireyevsky was one of the first to give a serious critical assessment of Pushkin’s work, despite the fact that, in his opinion, “it is difficult ... to find a general expression for the nature of his poetry, which took so many different forms.” However, the critic spoke quite unequivocally about the novel in verse “Eugene Onegin”: “Its distinctive features are: picturesqueness, some carelessness, some special thoughtfulness and, finally, something inexpressible, understandable only to the Russian heart.” The critic also spoke about the poet’s desire for originality, which, according to him, is revealed in the work. In conclusion, speaking about “the strong influence that the poet has on his compatriots,” Kireyevsky noted in this regard “another important quality in the character of his poetry - relevance to his time.”
The question of the national and global significance of Pushkin was first raised by V.G. Belinsky. “Pushkin was the perfect expression of his time... the contemporary world, but the Russian world, but Russian humanity.” In the article “Literary Dreams” the critic identified the main issue of literary life - the problem of nationality in literature. Nationality, which consists of freedom from alien influences and “fidelity to the depiction of pictures of Russian life,” acts, as Belinsky rightly points out, as a criterion for Pushkin’s national significance. In Belinsky's fundamental work - a cycle of 11 articles under the general title "Works of Alexander Pushkin" (1843-1846) - a well-known formula appears about "Eugene Onegin" as "an encyclopedia of Russian life and a highly popular work."
Critic A.V. Druzhinin in his article “A.S. Pushkin and the last edition of his works” (1855) approached Pushkin’s work “from the position of the “absolute” principles of art, its “eternal” principles, and it is natural that for him in many ways the super-historical meaning of Pushkin’s work is revealed, which goes far beyond of its time." “Onegin,” the critic wrote, “on the whole seems to be one of the most entertaining novels that has ever occurred to the most highly gifted writers.” Druzhinin noted such features of the novel as “harmoniousness”, “masterful combination of story with lyricism”, “unexpected denouement” and “influence on the reader’s curiosity”. A. Grigoriev, the author of the famous formula “Pushkin is our everything,” believed that “the best that was said about Pushkin” in contemporary criticism “was reflected in Druzhinin’s articles.” He himself rightly spoke of the poet as “the only complete sketch of our national personality,” a “nugget.” Pushkin, in his opinion, is “our original type, already measured against other European types, passing through in consciousness the phases of development that they went through, but fraternizing with them in consciousness.” The nature of the Russian genius, according to A. Grigoriev, responded to everything “to the best of the Russian soul.” This statement anticipated the words of F.M. Dostoevsky about Pushkin’s “worldwide responsiveness”: “he shares this... most important ability of our nationality with our people, and most importantly, he is a people’s poet.”
Criticism of Russian symbolism saw in Pushkin a prophet, a spiritual standard and a moral guideline for the artist. “Pushkin... with a sensitive ear foresaw the future trembling of our modern soul,” V. Bryusov wrote about the genius-prophet, and on the basis of this he put forward the main requirement for the modern poet: the offering of a “sacred sacrifice” “not only in poetry, but with every hour of his life, with every feeling..." "Creativity consists not only in the rattling of an absent-minded hand on the lyre, but also in the painful work of translating images into words,” critics of the early 20th century F. Sologub and Ivanov-Razumnik rightly wrote about the enormous work done by Pushkin during the period of creation novel in verse "Eugene Onegin".
The history of commenting on the novel “Eugene Onegin” is interesting. After all, as soon as Pushkin’s novel transcended its time and became the property of a new reading environment, much in it required additional explanation. In the 20th century, the first post-revolutionary editions of Pushkin’s works generally refused to comment on “Eugene Onegin.” Separate editions of “Eugene Onegin” appeared, equipped with brief comments by G.O. Vinokura and B.O. Tomashevsky and intended mainly for a wide range of readers. Let us note the significant importance of brief footnotes and explanatory articles to the school edition of “Eugene Onegin”, carried out by S.M. Bondi. These comments also influenced the scientific understanding of Eugene Onegin. In 1932, a new commentary was created by N.L. Brodsky. About the goals and objectives of his book “Eugene Onegin”. Roman A.S. Pushkin" Brodsky wrote in the preface to the third edition, stating that the task arose to outline the time that determined the fate and psychology of the main characters of the novel, to reveal the circle of ideas of the author himself in a constantly changing reality. Book by N.L. Brodsky was addressed, in particular, to a literature teacher, on whose level of knowledge about “Eugene Onegin” the presentation of it to students depends. In this sense, the significance of Brodsky's work is very great. However, recognizing Pushkin’s novel as the pinnacle monument of literature of the 19th century, Brodsky views it primarily as a work that has forever become a thing of the past and belongs to him.
In 1978, “Eugene Onegin” was published with comments by A.E. Tarkhova. The goal that the author has set for himself is to analyze the creative history of the novel in unity with the evolution of the hero. Despite the fact that the author pays attention primarily to general textual comments rather than to particulars, his work provides readers of Pushkin’s novel with detailed material for understanding Eugene Onegin, based on the previous scientific tradition.
One of the most significant events in the modern interpretation of “Eugene Onegin” was the publication in 1980 of a commentary by Yu.M. Lotman, addressed, like the work of N. L. Brodsky, to the teaching audience. In the book "Eugene Onegin". Commentary" includes "Essay on the life of the nobility of Onegin's time" - a valuable guide for studying not only "Eugene Onegin", but in general all Russian literature of Pushkin's time. The structure of the book is designed, as the researcher himself notes, for parallel reading with Pushkin’s text. The basis of the scientific commentary by Yu.M. Lotman has deep textual work. The commentary provides two types of explanations: textual, intertextual and conceptual (the author gives historical, literary, stylistic, and philosophical interpretations). The task set by the researcher - “to bring the reader closer to the semantic life of the text” - is solved in this book at the highest level.
Foreign authors have also turned to commentary on “Eugene Onegin” more than once. Among the most famous are the extensive commentary by V.V. Nabokov, characterized by detailed explanations of numerous details of the text of Pushkin’s novel. Here, an important place is occupied by lengthy excursions into the history of literature and culture, versification, as well as translator’s notes and comparisons with previous experiences of translating “Eugene Onegin” into English. The writer explains realities that are incomprehensible primarily to a foreign language reader. His work also has its costs: excessively detailed reasoning, sometimes too harsh polemics with his predecessors. Nevertheless, this commentary represents a significant achievement in Western Pushkin studies - primarily in terms of the thoroughness and scale of commentary on the text of the novel.
In 1999, the Moscow publishing house “Russian Way” published the “Onegin Encyclopedia” in 2 volumes, in the creation of which researchers such as N.I. took part. Mikhailova, V.A. Koshelev, N.M. Fedorova, V.A. Viktorovich and others. The encyclopedia differs from the previously created commentaries on Eugene Onegin in its special organizational principle: it combines articles of different genres (small studies, literary essays, brief explanations of the text of the novel). The encyclopedia is supplied with rich illustrative material. A big advantage of the publication is that it is addressed to both specialists and a wide range of readers. We can say that the compilers of the encyclopedia have come closer to a new understanding of the novel thanks to the wide coverage of the material.
A productive stage in the study of Pushkin’s creativity and in particular the novel “Eugene Onegin” was the fundamental research of S.G. Bocharov (“Pushkin’s Poetics”, “Plan Form”), who pays attention to the stylistic world of the novel, its language, talks about the poetic evolution of the author. N.N. Skatov (author of the large-scale work “Pushkin. Russian Genius”, numerous essays on the life and work of the poet) explores the poetics of Pushkin’s works, speaks out about the enduring significance of the poet’s work as the highest, ideal exponent of Russian national identity. I. Surat made her contribution to Pushkin studies by raising the large-scale problem of “art and religion” and expressing the idea that Pushkin embodied poetry itself in its ontological essence (“Pushkin as a religious problem”). Judgments about Pushkin as an ontological, ethical and aesthetic phenomenon are also expressed by such modern literary scholars as V.S. Nepomnyashchiy, Yu.N. Chumakov, S.S. Averintsev, V.K. Kantor and many others. They develop questions about the significance of the novel “Eugene Onegin” as a unique phenomenon of world art, about its influence on Russian literature of the 19th century and subsequent eras. The attention of researchers is focused on revealing the ontological phenomenology of Pushkin’s novel in the context of world literature.
Currently, the problem of the real place of genius in national history, its role in the spiritual self-awareness of the people, in the destinies of the nation, i.e. its exclusive mission, a special historical task. Following the religious and philosophical criticism of the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. (D.S. Merezhkovsky, N.A. Berdyaev, S.L. Frank), who affirmed the idea that “in the Holy Spirit... that combination of grace and freedom occurs that we see in Pushkin’s work,” Pushkin’s phenomenon as a philosophical and methodological The category is considered in his works by V.S. Nepomnyashchy. According to the literary critic, “in order for Pushkin’s genius to appear before us in all its brightness and fullness of life, it is necessary to consider it... in an ontological context as a phenomenon of being.”
So, each era “highlighted” the levels closest to it in the novel, which was reflected in the stages of scientific study. Modern researcher Yu.N. Chumakov rightly believes that now is the time to read the novel “against the backdrop of universality.” The universal content of “Eugene Onegin” reveals itself in the picture of the world, presented as a system of values, as a constantly developing, “ever moving” set of ideas about reality.
“Eugene Onegin” reflected the entire life of Russian society at the beginning of the 19th century. However, two centuries later, this work is interesting not only in historical and literary terms, but also in terms of the relevance of the questions that Pushkin posed to the reading public. Everyone, opening the novel, found something of their own in it, empathized with the characters, noted the lightness and mastery of the style. And quotes from this work have long become aphorisms, they are pronounced even by those who have not read the book itself.
A.S. Pushkin created this work for about 8 years (1823-1831). The history of the creation of “Eugene Onegin” began in Chisinau in 1823. It reflected the experience of “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, but the subject of the image was not historical and folklore characters, but modern heroes and the author himself. The poet also begins to work in line with realism, gradually abandoning romanticism. During the period of Mikhailovsky exile, he continued to work on the book, and completed it during his forced imprisonment in the village of Boldino (Pushkin was detained by cholera). Thus, the creative history of the work has absorbed the most “fertile” years of the creator, when his skill evolved at breakneck speed. So his novel reflected everything that he learned during this time, everything that he knew and felt. Perhaps the work owes its depth to this circumstance.
The author himself calls his novel “a collection of motley chapters,” each of the 8 chapters has relative independence, because the writing of “Eugene Onegin” took a long time, and each episode opened a certain stage in Pushkin’s life. The book was published in parts, each release becoming an event in the world of literature. The complete edition was published only in 1837.
A.S. Pushkin defined his work as a novel in verse, emphasizing that it is lyrical-epic: the plot line, expressed by the love story of the heroes (epic beginning), is adjacent to digressions and author’s reflections (lyrical beginning). This is why the genre of Eugene Onegin is called a “novel.”
"Eugene Onegin" consists of 8 chapters. In the first chapters, readers get acquainted with the central character Evgeny, move with him to the village and meet their future friend - Vladimir Lensky. Further, the drama of the story increases due to the appearance of the Larin family, especially Tatyana. The sixth chapter is the culmination of the relationship between Lensky and Onegin and the escape of the main character. And in the finale of the work there is a denouement of the storyline of Evgeniy and Tatiana.
Lyrical digressions are related to the narrative, but it is also a dialogue with the reader; they emphasize the “free” form, the closeness to an intimate conversation. The same factor can explain the incompleteness and openness of the ending of each chapter and the novel as a whole.
A young nobleman, already disillusioned with life, inherits an estate in the village and goes there, hoping to dispel his blues. It begins with the fact that he was forced to sit with his sick uncle, who left his family nest to his nephew. However, the hero soon becomes bored with rural life; his existence would become unbearable if not for his acquaintance with the poet Vladimir Lensky. Friends are “ice and fire,” but differences did not interfere with friendly relations. will help you figure this out.
Lensky introduces his friend to the Larin family: the old mother, sisters Olga and Tatyana. The poet has long been in love with Olga, a flighty coquette. The character of Tatyana, who herself falls in love with Evgeny, is much more serious and integral. Her imagination had been picturing a hero for a long time; all that remained was for someone to appear. The girl suffers, is tormented, writes a romantic letter. Onegin is flattered, but understands that he cannot respond to such a passionate feeling, so he gives a harsh rebuke to the heroine. This circumstance plunges her into depression, she anticipates trouble. And trouble really came. Onegin decides to take revenge on Lensky because of an accidental disagreement, but chooses a terrible means: he flirts with Olga. The poet is offended and challenges yesterday's friend to a duel. But the culprit kills the “slave of honor” and leaves forever. The essence of the novel “Eugene Onegin” is not even to show all this. The main thing worth paying attention to is the description of Russian life and the psychologism of the characters, which develops under the influence of the depicted atmosphere.
However, the relationship between Tatiana and Evgeniy is not over. They meet at a social evening, where the hero sees not a naive girl, but a mature woman in full splendor. And he falls in love. He is also tormented and writes a message. And he meets with the same rebuke. Yes, the beauty did not forget anything, but it’s too late, she was “given to someone else”: . The failed lover is left with nothing.
The images of the heroes of “Eugene Onegin” are not a random selection of characters. This is a miniature of Russian society of that time, where all the known types of noble people are scrupulously listed: the poor landowner Larin, his secular but degenerate wife in the village, the exalted and insolvent poet Lensky, his flighty and frivolous passion, etc. All of them represent Imperial Russia during its heyday. No less interesting and original. Below is a description of the main characters:
The problematics in the novel “Eugene Onegin” are very indicative. It reveals not only psychological and social, but also political shortcomings and even entire tragedies of the system. For example, the outdated, but no less creepy, drama of Tatyana’s mother is shocking. The woman was forced into marriage, and she broke under the pressure of circumstances, becoming an evil and despotic mistress of a hated estate. And here are the current problems raised
The main idea of the novel “Eugene Onegin” is a criticism of the existing order of life, which dooms more or less extraordinary natures to loneliness and death. After all, there is so much potential in Evgenia, but there is no business, only social intrigue. There is so much spiritual fire in Vladimir, and besides death, the only thing that can await him is vulgarization in a feudal, suffocating environment. There is so much spiritual beauty and intelligence in Tatyana, and she can only be the hostess of social evenings, dress up and carry on empty conversations.
People who do not think, do not reflect, do not suffer - these are the ones for whom the existing reality suits. This is a consumer society that lives at the expense of others, which shines while those “others” vegetate in poverty and filth. The thoughts that Pushkin thought about deserve attention to this day and remain important and pressing.
Another meaning of “Eugene Onegin”, which Pushkin laid down in his work, is to show how important it is to preserve individuality and virtue when temptations and fashions are rampant around, subjugating more than one generation of people. While Evgeny was chasing new trends and playing the cold and disappointed hero Byron, Tatyana listened to the voice of her heart and remained true to herself. Therefore, she finds happiness in love, albeit unrequited, and he finds only boredom in everything and everyone.
The novel “Eugene Onegin” is a fundamentally new phenomenon in the literature of the early 19th century. He has a special composition - it is a “novel in verse”, a lyric-epic work of large volume. In lyrical digressions, the image of the author, his thoughts, feelings and ideas that he wants to convey to readers emerges.
Pushkin amazes with the ease and melodiousness of his language. His literary style is devoid of heaviness and didacticism; the author knows how to talk about complex and important things simply and clearly. Of course, a lot needs to be read between the lines, since harsh censorship was merciless even towards geniuses, but the poet is also not a natural person, so he was able to tell in the elegance of verse about the socio-political problems of his state, which were successfully hushed up in the press. It is important to understand that before Alexander Sergeevich, Russian poetry was different; he made a kind of “revolution of the game.”
The peculiarity also lies in the system of images. Evgeny Onegin is the first in the gallery of “superfluous people”, who contain enormous potential that cannot be realized. Tatyana Larina “raised” female images from the place of “the main character needs to love someone” to an independent and complete portrait of a Russian woman. Tatyana is one of the first heroines who looks stronger and more significant than the main character, and does not hide in his shadow. This is how the direction of the novel “Eugene Onegin” manifests itself - realism, which will more than once open the theme of the superfluous person and touch upon the difficult fate of women. By the way, we also described this feature in the essay “”.
"Eugene Onegin" marks Pushkin's transition to realism. In this novel, the author first raises the topic of man and society. A personality is not perceived separately, it is part of a society that educates, leaves a certain imprint or completely shapes people.
The main characters are typical, but at the same time unique. Eugene is an authentic secular nobleman: disappointed, superficially educated, but at the same time not like those around him - noble, intelligent, observant. Tatyana is an ordinary provincial young lady: she was brought up on French novels, filled with the sweet dreams of these works, but at the same time she is “Russian in soul,” wise, virtuous, loving, harmonious in nature.
It is precisely in the fact that for two centuries readers see themselves and their acquaintances in the heroes, it is precisely in the inescapable relevance of the novel that its realistic orientation is expressed.
The novel “Eugene Onegin” evoked a great response from readers and critics. According to E.A. Baratynsky: “Everyone interprets them in their own way: some praise them, others scold them, and everyone reads them.” Contemporaries criticized Pushkin for the “labyrinth of digressions”, for the insufficiently defined character of the main character, and careless language. The reviewer Thaddeus Bulgarin, who supported the government and conservative literature, especially distinguished himself.
However, V.G. understood the novel best. Belinsky, who called it “an encyclopedia of Russian life,” is a historical work, despite the absence of historical characters. Indeed, a modern lover of belles lettres can study Eugene Onegin from this point of view to learn more about the noble society of the early 19th century.
And a century later, the comprehension of the novel in verse continued. Yu.M. Lotman saw complexity and paradox in the work. This is not just a collection of quotes familiar from childhood, it is an “organic world”. All this proves the relevance of the work and its significance for Russian national culture.
Pushkin showed the life of young people and how their fate could turn out. Of course, fate depends not only on the environment, but also on the heroes themselves, but the influence of society is undeniable. The poet showed the main enemy that affects young nobles: idleness, aimlessness of existence. Alexander Sergeevich’s conclusion is simple: the creator calls not to limit oneself to secular conventions and stupid rules, but to live life to the fullest, guided by moral and spiritual components.
These ideas remain relevant to this day; modern people are often faced with a choice: to live in harmony with themselves or to break themselves for the sake of some benefits or public recognition. By choosing the second path, chasing illusory dreams, you can lose yourself and discover with horror that your life is over and nothing has been done. This is what you need to fear most.
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