The writing
So, as a sign of peaceful greetings
I take off my hat, I beat my forehead,
Recognizing the philosopher-poet
Under a protective cap.
A. S. Pushkin
According to the genre, Heart of a Dog (1925) is a story, but, speaking about its genre originality, it should be recognized that this is a socio-philosophical satirical story with elements of fantasy.
The story describes NEP Moscow in the mid-20s of the XX century. The life of ordinary people, for the sake of whose happiness the revolution was made, is very difficult. Suffice it to recall the girl typist, citizen Vasnetsova. For her work, she receives a penny that is impossible to feed even in the canteen of the “Normal Nutrition of Employees of the Central Council of the National Economy”, so she is forced to become the mistress of her boss, a boorish and self-satisfied “come from the people” (I). This figure (“the chairman of something”) believes: “My time has come. Now I (...) no matter how much I steal - everything for the female body, for cancer necks, for Abrau-Dyurso. Because I was hungry enough in my youth, it will be with me, and the afterlife does not exist ”(I). A young typist will become Sharikov's bride, and, of course, she will agree to marry this miracle of nature not from a good life.
The author describes ordinary Soviet people sympathetically, but there are other characters in the story who are satirically ridiculed. This is the fat cook from the aforementioned "Normal Eating..." canteen: he steals quality food and feeds rotten food to the patrons, which makes those patrons ache in their stomachs. This is the new elite - Professor Preobrazhensky's patients, well-fed and contented, but preoccupied with various sexual problems. The professor himself, who looks like a medieval French knight, and his faithful apprentice-armourer Dr. Bormenthal, who wanted to correct the laws of nature, are ridiculed.
The social content of the story is expressed through a description of the everyday life of Moscow: in the capital, as before, criminals (Klim Chugunkin) are walking around, there is a problem of food supply, the drama of communal apartments, bitter drunkenness. In other words, Bulgakov shows the discrepancy between official Soviet propaganda and real life. The social idea of the story is to show the difficult, unsettled life of an ordinary person in the Soviet country, where, as in the old days, swindlers and scoundrels of various stripes rule the ball - from the canteen manager to high-ranking patients of Professor Preobrazhensky. These heroes are portrayed satirically, and the logic of the narrative leads the reader to the conclusion that the well-fed and comfortable life of such people is paid for by the suffering of the entire people during the years of the revolution and civil war.
In the story, the social content is closely intertwined with philosophical reflections on the new, post-revolutionary time and the “new” person generated by this time. At least two serious philosophical problems should be singled out in the work.
The first is about the scientist's responsibility for his discoveries. Professor Preobrazhensky decided to perform a unique operation - to transplant a human pituitary gland into the brain of an experimental dog. Since Filipp Filippovich is a talented surgeon, he managed to implant the pituitary gland of the bandit Klim Chugunkin into the brain of the mutt Sharik. The scientist conceived this operation in order to test his guesses regarding the artificial rejuvenation of the human body. Having received an extract of the sex hormone from the pituitary gland, the professor could not yet know that there were many different hormones in the pituitary gland. The result was unexpected: the miscalculation of the experimenter led to the birth of a disgusting informer, alcoholic, demagogue - Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov. With his experiment, Preobrazhensky challenged evolution, the natural state of things in nature.
But, according to Bulgakov, it is very dangerous to violate the laws of nature: a monster may appear that will destroy the experimenter himself, and along with him all of humanity. In fiction, this idea was developed both in the middle of the 19th century (M. Shelley's novel "Frankenstein, or the New Prometheus"), and many times in the 20th century (A.N. Tolstoy's novel "The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin", B. Brecht's play "Galileo ”, the story of the Strugatsky brothers “Monday begins on Saturday”, etc.). Preobrazhensky realized the danger of his scientific experience when Sharikov robbed him, tried to survive from the apartment, wrote a denunciation about the counter-revolutionary statements and actions of the professor. Philipp Philippovich, in a conversation with Bormental, recognized his experience as practically useless, although brilliant, from a scientific point of view: “Please explain to me why Spinoza should be artificially fabricated, if any woman can give birth to a genius at any time. (...) Mankind itself takes care of this and, in the evolutionary order, every year stubbornly, singling out all sorts of scum from the mass, creates dozens of outstanding geniuses that adorn the globe” (VIII).
The second philosophical problem of the story is about people's observance of the laws of social development. According to the author, it is impossible to cure social illnesses in a revolutionary way: the writer is deeply skeptical about the revolutionary process in his backward country and opposes it to the “beloved and Great Evolution” (M.A. Bulgakov’s letter to the Government of the USSR dated March 28, 1930). The story "The Heart of a Dog" reflected a sharp change in Bulgakov's public views compared to the previous convictions presented in the novel "The White Guard" (1921-1924). Now the writer understands that it is not a revolution with its unpredictable explosions and zigzags, but a great, unstoppable evolution that acts according to nature, natural and human. Only as a result of a revolution can such individuals as Shvonder and Sharikov come to power - uneducated, uncultured, but self-satisfied and resolute.
It seems to Shvonder and Sharikov that it is easier than ever to arrange a just society: everything must be taken away and divided. Therefore, Shvonder is outraged that Professor Preobrazhensky lives in a seven-room apartment and even has servants (the cook Darya Petrovna and the maid Zina). The fighter for "universal justice" and at the same time the chairman of the house of coma cannot understand that for normal work and successful experiments, a scientist needs a place and release from household worries. With his scientific discoveries, a scientist brings such enormous benefits to society that it is beneficial for society itself to create good living conditions for him. After all, an outstanding scientist, as Preobrazhensky is presented in the story, is a rarity and a great value for the nation. However, such reasoning is beyond Shvonder's understanding, and in his pursuit of formal social equality, as he understands it, he constantly turns Sharikov against Philip Philipovich. The professor, analyzing the situation, is sure that as soon as Sharikov finishes with his "creator", he will definitely "take care of" his "ideological leader" (VIII). Then Shvonder will not be in trouble, because Sharikov is a dark, evil and envious force that cannot create anything, but wants to share everything, and to capture more for itself. Sharikov's view of the world seems to Preobrazhensky (and Bulgakov himself) primitive, although nothing else could have been born in the undeveloped brains of Polygraph Poligrafovich. Being skeptical about the idea of “general sharing”, the writer, in essence, repeats the opinion of the Russian philosopher N.A. Berdyaev, who wrote that “equality is an empty idea and that social justice should be based on the dignity of each individual, and not on equality” .
There are elements of fantasy in the story, which make the plot entertaining and at the same time help to reveal the idea of the work. Of course, the operation to transplant the pituitary gland and the very transformation of a dog into a humanoid creature are fantastic, but the fantastic (even from the point of view of physiologists of the early 21st century) ideas of artificial rejuvenation of the human body seemed quite real to some domestic scientists in the mid-20s of the 20th century. This is evidenced by newspaper articles-reports enthusiastically describing the promising experiments of physicians (L.S. Aizerman "Fidelity to the idea and fidelity to ideas" / / Literature at school, 1991, No. 6).
So, in his story, Bulgakov, being a doctor, expressed a skeptical attitude towards the problem of rejuvenation, and being a writer, he satirically depicted the “success” of gerontologists and philosophically comprehended the consequences of the revolutionary intervention of man in the life of nature and society.
The story "The Heart of a Dog" can be considered the most interesting work of Bulgakov's early work, since the main artistic principles of the writer were fully manifested in it. In a small work, Bulgakov succeeded in a lot: to depict in sufficient detail and satirically the modern life of the country of the Soviets, to pose the most important moral problem about the responsibility of a scientist for his discovery, and even to state his own understanding of the ways of development of human society. New social conditions give rise to "new" people, and the story talks about the collapse of the idea that a "new" person can be created quickly, for example, by some wonderful pedagogical or surgical methods. The courage of Professor Preobrazhensky, who decided to improve nature itself, was severely punished.
The versatility of the content of "The Heart of a Dog" resembles Bulgakov's main work - the novel "The Master and Margarita", because in terms of genre features both the novel and the story coincide - a socio-philosophical satirical work with elements of fantasy.
To understand the meaning of the great work of M. Yu. Bulgakov "Heart of a Dog", you need to make an analysis of it. This will help not only to understand the design features of the text, but also the problems, it will help to write a successful school or graduation essay.
About what the story is, what was the name of Sharikova, what is the essence and theme of the story, how to draw up a description plan, we will tell further, giving a brief summary of the work and its history of creation.
Bulgakov's story was created in the middle of the century before last ( date of writing 1925 G.) in the capital as an example of the sharp look of satirical fiction of that era. In it, the author was able to express all his ideas, feelings and thoughts on the topic of personality intervention in the evolutionary process and the consequences of this phenomenon.
Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov (1891 - 1940) - Russian writer, playwright, theater director and actor. Author of novels, novellas and short stories, many feuilletons, plays, dramatizations, screenplays, opera librettos.
It also touches on other deep ideas. It is interesting that after the publication, the story became the object of attacks by literary critics, which were subjected to its critics. The reasons were extraordinary and at the same time interesting main characters, an unusual plot in which the interweaving of life is noticeable, with a fantastic direction.
The work was and remains popular, and in the 90s it was called prophetic. It clearly shows the tragedy of the people divided into reds and whites, as well as the negative essence of the concept of winners.
This book is the final one in the cycle of Bulgakov's satirical works of the middle of the last century. The author began to work on it for the Nedr magazine, but due to the fact that the story did not withstand censorship, it did not get into it.
Then Bulgakov gave the work to Nikitsky Subbotnik and read aloud at the circle, where his work was appreciated and began to be distributed to the masses. In the USSR, the work was published for the first time only in 1987 in the Znamya magazine.
The focus is on the experiment of a prominent surgeon and professor Philip Preobrazhensky, who, together with Dr. Bormental, transplants human organs into a stray dog Sharik.
The results of the experiment are wonderful - Sharik every day in character and appearance becomes like a man, a rude, a thief and a drunkard Klim, whose organs he received when they were transplanted to him.
The history of the experiment became known to the medical community and captivated the tabloid press. Everyone, except for the genius surgeon himself, is happy with the work done, since Sharik has turned into a rude, communist activist and thief of the master's things.
Professor Preobrazhensky's mistake led to the fact that Sharik became unbearable. After the results of Preobrazhensky's work are finally finished, he decides to turn Sharik back into a dog. After that, Sharik becomes a loving and devoted dog.
“Heart of a Dog” in structure and direction is a story, as the author wrote, but if we talk about its originality of the genre, then it is worth noting that it is a socio-philosophical satirical story with fantastic elements. It cannot be called a novel, but the features of this genre are also present in the description of the images of characters and their actions.
According to the composition, the story is circular, since history keeps a record from the beginning of the transformation of the dog's life and ends with it. The post-revolutionary mood with gloomy weather, thoughts about the meaning of existence and life of ordinary people become the compositional elements of the story about the mortal life of a four-legged animal.
The plot of the story is laid when the professor takes the poor Sharik to his home, and the dog does not feel so miserable, because he is being treated, fed and even dressed. It is no coincidence that Bulgakov here chooses the direction of the story from the point of view of the dog in order to show the reader his thoughts and feelings after the renewal and transformation of him into a man.
Transformation is the starting point of a new story, where the reader begins to understand the direction of the plot of the story. Now the main characters are the professor with Sharik. These are several completely different characters who are trying to get along together.
During the experiment, the note of the observer is written by Bormental, an accomplice in the operation on Sharik. This is a kind of compositional view of the element, since it is in it that the small details of the modification of behavior with the appearance of the dog are reflected.
The character of Sharikov changes with his acquaintance with a representative of the Communists. With him, he begins to catch stray animals, steal, and soon decides to kill his former master. But he does not succeed, and as a result, Sharikov becomes a dog again.
This concludes the ring composition. Sharik becomes an ordinary calm dog with a collar and an owner.
The meaning of the story is to determine the essence of the renewed Soviet citizens who have "dog" hearts. That is, people devoted to the Soviets and deprived of their own will and reason, shouting that they are free, but not ready to accept it because they are responsible for their own actions.
Because of this, they cannot live better, for this reason they bark like dogs and try to hurt the bourgeois in the form of professors.
Also, the semantic idea is expressed in the destruction of the concept of culture, in the chaos of the revolution, which is represented by beautiful speeches.
The main characters of the story and the actors are Professor Preobrazhensky (middle name - Philip Philippovich) with the dog Sharik, an updated dog and turned into a man by Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov. Also among the main characters is Dr. Bormental with the communist Shvonder.
Professor- an educated doctor of science and a surgeon free from the new ideology, who openly scolds the Soviets and has his own conviction against them, believing that only culture can help the state to get back on its feet after devastation, and not a violent form of coercion. Realizing that the experiment failed, and Sharikov becomes an uncultured person and a boor, Philip Philipovich still tries to make him a decent citizen.
Dog Sharik- a stray dog from which the story is told. He is picked up on the street by a doctor, and he begins to live with him. Being a dog, he is distinguished by gratitude, affection, but cunning, which he gained while being homeless. Above him, the professor conducts his experiment, transplanting human organs to him. As a result, the dog turns into Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov, a vile communist, a cunning thief and a murderer.
Polygraph Poligrafovich- a colorful and ordinary communist who repeatedly oversteps the law and moral standards for his own benefit. He dreams of becoming rich and famous, but does not want to receive the knowledge and skills necessary for this. Everything bad is absorbed by him like a sponge. The craving for killing animals is illustrated by the willingness to kill any citizen of the new state, if necessary.
Dr. Bormenthal- a novice assistant to Preobrazhensky by position, who is a decent and cultured person. He is devoted to the professor, because once he helped him gain faith in himself and gave him a job. In short, it was he who insisted on the reverse transformation of the Polygraph into a dog, showing fortitude with firmness of character.
Shvonder- a hero that meets Sharik when he becomes a man. He becomes his companion. Refers to the representatives of the new Soviet society, having the appropriate character, clothing and behavior. He is the chairman of the house committee.
Klim Grigoryevich Chugunkin - a recidivist thief, an alcoholic and a bully who died in a fight, whose organs were used by Philip Filippovich to transplant Sharik's dog.
The story touches on many issues. Thus, problems can be identified: human intervention in the laws of evolution, the relationship of the intelligentsia with the people in the USSR, lack of culture and stupid bureaucratic delays, illiteracy, ignorance and stupidity.
It is also possible to single out problems: responsibility for the discoveries of scientists and scientific knowledge, morality and morality, the fate of a person, attitudes towards animals and the homeland, sincerity in relationships, humility to defeat and correcting one's own mistakes.
In addition, there are problems of good and evil, "Sharikovism", the destructive effect of the revolution, the creation of a robot from a human.
The heart of a dog is a storehouse of various topics for analysis. Here you can trace the themes: culture with lack of culture, intelligentsia, "Sharikovshchina" and "Shvonderism", devastation in the heads and country, ideology, cattle with degradation, power, science, responsibility for discoveries, good with evil, science with morality, morality and fate human, animal relations.
You can also trace the following themes of the story: the creation of a new state with an ideology, a homeland with sincerity of relations, power with anarchy, pride, humanism.
The researchers of the text of the story, noting its metaphorical features, begin with the starting point of the story - the metaphorical expression of the title and subtitle of the text "dog's heart", which has a dual meaning.
Stylistically, the story refers to a political pamphlet, a sci-fi dystopia or a parody of the proletariat. Critics interpreted this story in different ways, expressing their opinion. All this is due to the ambiguous perception of the work and the variety of artistic means used.
The style of the language in the work is colloquial, less often scientific and artistic. The conversational style is manifested in the expressions characteristic of the characters according to their social status.
Thus, Shvonder used words that are characteristic of the new bureaucratic Soviet system:
The professor, being part of the domestic noble intelligentsia, expresses his love for the theater and morality in his speech:
Bormenthal is an educated, intelligent, and naive person who admires the professor's genius because their views on life are similar. His speech is colloquial. He also uses scientific terminology and vocabulary in an attempt to explain a scientific experiment. However, the terms he uses coexist with words from the colloquial style:
In general, the style of the story is distinguished by the use of almost the entire arsenal of visual means: an allegorical background with an ironic narration and a grotesque image. Lyrical metaphors are also actively used to effectively express the author's position.
“Heart of a Dog” is a great work of the twentieth century by Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, which is still relevant in its meaning today. It touches on topics and problems that exist in modern life. That is why the significance of this story is great for literature.
About the history of the creation and publication of the story "Heart of a Dog"
Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich - On the history of the creation and publication of the story "Heart of a Dog"
In January 1925, M. A. Bulgakov, commissioned by the Nedra magazine, where his works The Devil and Fatal Eggs had previously been published, began work on a new story. It was originally called
"Dog's heart"
Its plot echoes the novel by the famous English science fiction writer Herbert Wells "The Island of Dr. Moreau", which describes the experiments of one professor in turning people into animals surgically. The prototype of one of the main characters of M. A. Bulgakov’s story, Professor Preobrazhensky, was the writer’s uncle, a well-known doctor in Moscow, N. M. Pokrovsky.
In March 1925, the writer read his story for the first time at the literary meeting of Nikitinskie Subbotniks. One of the listeners immediately reported to the Main Political Directorate of the country: “Such things read in the most brilliant literary circle are much more dangerous than the useless harmless speeches of writers of the 101st grade at meetings of the All-Russian Union of Poets. The whole thing is written in hostile tones, breathing endless contempt for Sovstroy and denies all his achievements. There is a faithful, strict and vigilant guardian of the Soviet power, this is Glavlit, and if my opinion does not differ from his, then this book will not see the light.
And although M. A. Bulgakov had already signed an agreement with the Moscow Art Theater on staging the story on stage, it was terminated due to a censorship ban. And on May 7, 1926, they came to the writer himself with the sanction of the Central Committee of the Party with a search, as a result of which not only two copies of the typewritten version of The Heart of a Dog, but also his personal diaries were seized. The story came to its reader in the USSR only in 1987.
In January 1925, M. A. Bulgakov, commissioned by the Nedra magazine, where his works The Devil and Fatal Eggs had previously been published, began work on a new story. It was originally called
“Dog happiness. Monstrous story", but soon the writer changed the name to
"Dog's heart". The work was completed in March of the same year.
Its plot echoes the novel by the famous English science fiction writer Herbert Wells "The Island of Dr. Moreau", which describes the experiments of one professor in turning people into animals surgically. The prototype of one of the main characters of M. A. Bulgakov’s story, Professor Preobrazhensky, was the writer’s uncle, a well-known doctor in Moscow, N. M. Pokrovsky.
In March 1925, the writer read his story for the first time at the literary meeting of Nikitinskie Subbotniks. One of the listeners immediately reported to the Main Political Directorate of the country: “Such things read in the most brilliant literary circle are much more dangerous than the useless harmless speeches of writers of the 101st grade at meetings of the All-Russian Union of Poets. The whole thing is written in hostile tones, breathing endless contempt for Sovstroy and denies all his achievements. There is a faithful, strict and vigilant guardian of the Soviet power, this is Glavlit, and if my opinion does not differ from his, then this book will not see the light.
At that time, such statements of "competent" employees could not pass without a trace. At the request of N. S. Angarsky, editor-in-chief of the Nedra magazine, the Soviet party and statesman Lev Kamenev got acquainted with the manuscript of the story. It was he who delivered the final verdict on the manuscript: “This is a sharp pamphlet on the present, it should not be printed under any circumstances.”
And although M. A. Bulgakov had already signed an agreement with the Moscow Art Theater on staging the story on stage, it was terminated due to a censorship ban. And on May 7, 1926, they came to the writer himself with the sanction of the Central Committee of the Party with a search, as a result of which not only two copies of the typewritten version of The Heart of a Dog, but also his personal diaries were seized. The story came to its reader in the USSR only in 1987.
In January 1925 M.A. Bulgakov, commissioned by the Nedra magazine, where his works The Diaboliad and Fatal Eggs had previously been published, began work on a new story. It was originally called “Dog happiness. Monstrous story" , but soon the writer changed the name to "Dog's heart" . The work was completed in March of the same year.
Its plot echoes the novel by the famous English science fiction writer Herbert Wells "The Island of Dr. Moreau", which describes the experiments of one professor in turning people into animals surgically. The prototype of one of the main characters of the story M.A. Bulgakov Professor Preobrazhensky became the uncle of the writer, a well-known doctor in Moscow N.M. Pokrovsky.
In March 1925, the writer read his story for the first time at the literary meeting of Nikitinskie Subbotniks. One of the listeners immediately reported to the Main Political Directorate of the country: “Such things read in the most brilliant literary circle are much more dangerous than the useless harmless speeches of writers of the 101st grade at meetings of the All-Russian Union of Poets. The whole thing is written in hostile tones, breathing endless contempt for Sovstroy and denies all his achievements. There is a faithful, strict and vigilant guardian of the Soviet power, this is Glavlit, and if my opinion does not differ from his, then this book will not see the light.
At that time, such statements of "competent" employees could not pass without a trace. At the request of the editor-in-chief of the journal "Nedra" N.S. Angarsky, the Soviet party and statesman Lev Kamenev got acquainted with the manuscript of the story. It was he who delivered the final verdict on the manuscript: “This is a sharp pamphlet on the present, it should not be printed under any circumstances.” Material from the site http://iEssay.ru
The great Russian writer is widely known for his brilliant and, at the same time, humorous works. His books have long been dismantled into quotations, witty and well-aimed. And even if not everyone knows who wrote "The Heart of a Dog", then many have seen a great movie based on this story.
In contact with
How many chapters in Heart of a Dog - along with the epilogue 10. The action of the work takes place in Moscow at the beginning of the winter of 1924.
The dog woke up
A well-fed and rejuvenated dog, Preobrazhensky takes with him to an appointment. Here Sharik sees the patients: an old man with green hair, feeling like a young man again, an old woman in love with a cheat and asking to transplant monkey ovaries into her, and many, many others. Suddenly, four visitors from the administration of the house came, all in leather jackets, boots and dissatisfied with how many rooms there were in the professor's apartment. After a call and a conversation with an unknown person, they embarrassedly leave.
Further events:
The symbol of science in this story is the luminary of medicine - professor, the name of Preobrazhensky from the story "Heart of a Dog" Philip Filippovich. The scientist is looking for ways to rejuvenate the body, and finds - this is the transplantation of the seminal glands of animals. Old people become men, women hope to throw off a dozen years. The transplantation of the pituitary gland and testicles, and the heart that was transplanted to the dog in the “Heart of a Dog” from a murdered criminal is just another experiment of the famous scientist.
His assistant, Dr. Bormenthal, a young representative of miraculously preserved noble norms and decency, was the best student and remained a faithful follower.
Former dog - Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov - a victim of the experiment. Those who only watched the movie especially remembered what the hero from "Heart of a Dog" played. Obscene verses and jumps on a stool became the author's find of the scriptwriters. In the story, Sharikov simply strummed without interruption, which terribly annoyed Professor Preobrazhensky, who appreciated classical music.
So, for the sake of this image of a driven, stupid, rude and ungrateful peasant, the story was written. Sharikov wants only to live beautifully and eat deliciously, does not understand beauty, norms of relations between people, lives by instinct. But Professor Preobrazhensky believes that the former dog is not dangerous for him, Sharikov will bring much more harm to Shvonder and other communists who patronize and teach him. After all, this created person carries in himself all the lowest and worst that is inherent in man, does not have any moral guidelines.
The criminal and organ donor Klim Chugunkin seems to be only mentioned in Heart of a Dog, but it was his negative qualities that were transferred to a kind and intelligent dog.
Already in the last years of the existence of the USSR, they began to say that the prototype of Professor Preobrazhensky was Lenin, and Sharikov was Stalin. Their historical relationship is similar to the dog story.
Lenin brought the wild criminal Dzhugashvili closer, believing in his ideological stuffing. This man was a useful and desperate communist, he prayed for their ideals and spared no life and health.
True, in recent years, as some close associates believed, the leader of the proletariat realized the true essence of Joseph Dzhugashvili and even wanted to remove him from his entourage. But animal cunning and fury helped Stalin not only to hold on, but also to take a leadership position. And this is indirectly confirmed by the fact that, despite the year of writing "The Heart of a Dog" - 1925, the story was printed in the 80s.
Important! This idea is supported by some allusions. For example, Preobrazhensky loves the opera "Aida", and Lenin's mistress Inessa Armand. The typist Vasnetsov, who repeatedly flickers in close connection with the characters, also has a prototype - the typist Bokshanskaya, who is also associated with two historical figures. Bokshanskaya became a friend of Bulgakov.
Bulgakov, confirming the status of a great Russian writer, in a relatively short story was able to pose a number of extremely acute problems that are still relevant today.
The problem of the consequences of scientific experiments and the moral right of scientists to interfere with the natural course of development. Preobrazhensky first wants to slow down the passage of time by rejuvenating old people for money and dreaming of finding a way to restore youth to everyone.
The scientist is not afraid to use risky methods, transplanting the ovaries of animals. But when the result is a person, the professor first tries to educate him, and then generally returns him to the appearance of a dog. And from the moment Sharik realizes himself as a man, the very scientific dilemma begins: who is considered a man, and whether the action of a scientist will be considered murder.
The problem of relations, more precisely, the confrontation between the rebellious proletariat and the surviving nobility, had a painful and bloody character. The arrogance and aggressiveness of Shvonder and those who came with them is not an exaggeration, but rather a frightening reality of those years.
Sailors, soldiers, workers and people of the bottom filled the cities and estates quickly and cruelly. The country was flooded with blood, the former rich people were starving, they gave their last for a loaf of bread and hastily went abroad. A few were able not only to survive, but also to maintain their standard of living. They still hated them, although they were afraid.
The problem of general ruin and the fallacy of the chosen path has already arisen more than once in Bulgakov's works. The writer lamented the old order, culture and the smartest people dying under the onslaught of the crowd.
And yet, what the author wanted to say in Heart of a Dog. Many readers and admirers of his work feel such a prophetic motive. Bulgakov seemed to be showing the communists what kind of person of the future, the homunculus, they are growing in their red test tubes.
Born as a result of an experiment by a scientist working for the needs of the people and protected by a higher projection, Sharikov threatens not only the aging Preobrazhensky, this creature hates absolutely everyone.
The expected discovery, a breakthrough in science, a new word in the social structure turns into just a stupid, cruel criminal, strumming on a balika, strangling the unfortunate animals, those from among which he himself came out. Sharikov's goal is to take away the room and steal money from "dad".
"Heart of a Dog" M. A. Bulgakov - Summary
Dog's heart. Michael Bulgakov
The only way out for Professor Preobrazhensky from the "Heart of a Dog" is to pull himself together and admit the failure of the experiment. The scientist finds the strength to admit his own mistake and correct it. Can others do it...
Bulgakov's legendary work "Heart of a Dog" is studied at literature lessons in grade 9. Its fantastic content reflects very real historical events. In The Heart of a Dog, analysis according to plan involves a detailed analysis of all the artistic aspects of the work. It is this information that is presented in our article, including the analysis of the work, criticism, problems, compositional structure and history of creation.
Year of writing The story was written in 1925.
History of creation- the work is created quickly - in three months, diverges in samizdat, however, it was published at home only in 1986 during the period of perestroika.
Topic- rejection of violent intervention in history, political changes in society, the theme of human nature, its nature.
Composition- a ring composition based on the image of the main character.
Genre- socio-philosophical satirical story.
Direction- satire, fantasy (as a way of presenting a literary text).
Bulgakov's work was written in 1925. In just three months, a brilliant work was born, which later gained a legendary future and nationwide fame.
It was being prepared for publication in the Nedra magazine. After reading the text, the editor-in-chief, of course, refused to publish such a book openly hostile to the existing political system. In 1926, the author's apartment was searched and the manuscript of The Heart of a Dog was confiscated. The original title of the book was “Dog's Happiness. A monstrous story, ”later it received a modern name, which is associated with lines from the book of A. V. Laifert.
The very idea of the plot, according to researchers of Mikhail Bulgakov's work, was borrowed by the author from the science fiction writer G. Wells. Bulgakov's plot becomes an almost veiled parody of government circles and their policies. The writer twice read his story, for the first time - at the literary meeting "Nikitinsky Subbotniks".
After the next performance, the audience was delighted, with the exception of a few communist writers. During the life of the author, his work was not published, largely due to the disgraced content, but there was another reason. “Heart of a Dog” was first published abroad, which automatically “sentenced” the text to persecution at home. Therefore, only in 1986, 60 years later, it appeared on the pages of the Zvezda magazine. Despite the disgrace, Bulgakov hoped to publish the text during his lifetime, it was rewritten, copied, passed on by the writer's friends and acquaintances, admiring the boldness and originality of the images.
The writer raises problem the ideology and politics of Bolshevism, the lack of education of those who got to power, the impossibility of forcibly changing the order in history. The results of the revolution are deplorable, it, like the operation of Professor Preobrazhensky, led to completely unexpected consequences, revealed the most terrible diseases of society.
Topic human nature, nature, characters are also affected by the author. It gives a semi-transparent hint that the person feels too powerful, but unable to control the fruits of their actions.
Briefly about issues works: a violent change in the social system and way of life will inevitably lead to disastrous results, the “experiment” will be unsuccessful.
Idea Bulgakov's story is quite transparent: any artificial intervention in nature, society, history, politics, and other areas will not lead to positive changes. The author adheres to a healthy conservatism.
The basic idea The story says the following: an uneducated, immature “people” like the “Sharikovs” cannot be given power, they are morally immature, such an experiment will turn into a disaster for society and history. The conclusion about the artistic goals of the author from the standpoint of the political system and politics of the 20-30s will be too narrow, so both ideas have the right to life.
The meaning of the name works is that not all people have normal, spiritually “healthy” hearts from birth. There are people on earth who live the life of Sharikov, they have dog (bad, evil) hearts from birth.
The story has a circular composition, which can be traced by following the content of the work.
The story begins with a description of a dog that soon becomes a man; ends where it began: Sharikov is operated on and again takes on the appearance of a contented animal.
A feature of the composition is Bormenthal's diary entries about the results of the experiment, about the patient's rebirth, about his achievements and degradation. Thus, the history of Sharikov's "life" was documented by the professor's assistant. A striking key moment of the composition is Sharikov's acquaintance with Shvonder, who has a decisive influence on the formation of the personality of a newly-made citizen.
There are two main characters in the center of the story: Professor Preobrazhensky and Polygraph Sharikov, they play a plot-forming role. In the plot of the work, the author’s technique is interesting, when life is shown through the eyes of the dog Sharik, his “dog-like” thoughts about the weather, about people and his own life are a reflection of the little that is needed for a calm existence. The culmination of the story is the rebirth of the Polygraph, his moral and spiritual decay, the highest manifestation of which was the plan to kill the professor. In the denouement, Bormetal and Philip Philipovich return the experimental subject to its original form, thereby correcting their mistake. This moment is very symbolic, as it determines what the story teaches: some things can be corrected if you admit your mistake.
The genre “Heart of a Dog” is usually referred to as a story. In fact, it is a social or political satire. The interweaving of sharp satire with philosophical reflections on the future after the revolution gives the right to call the work a socio-philosophical satirical story with elements of fantasy.
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