Romantic heroes in the story of the bitter old woman Izergil. Composition: Romanticism in the story "Old Woman Izergil" (M. Gorky). Description of the main characters

Romanticism as a trend in literature arose in the late 18th - early 19th century, it became most widespread in Europe in the period from 1790 to 1830. The main idea of romanticism was the assertion of a creative personality, and a feature was a violent depiction of emotions. The main representatives of romanticism in Russia were Lermontov, Pushkin and Gorky.

Gorky's romantic mood was prompted by the growing discontent in society and the expectation of change. It was thanks to the protest against “stagnation” that images of heroes began to appear in the writer’s head, capable of saving the people, leading them out of the darkness, showing them the right path. But this path seemed to Gorky to be completely different, different from the usual existence, the author despised everyday life and saw salvation only in freedom from social shackles and conventions, which was reflected in his early stories.

Historically, this period of Gorky's work coincided with the flourishing of revolutionary movements in Russia, the views of which the author clearly sympathized with. He sang the image of a disinterested and honest rebel, embraced not by greedy calculations, but by romantic aspirations to change the world for the better and destroy an unjust system. Also in his works of that time, a craving for freedom and unrealizable ideals was revealed, because the writer had not yet seen the change, but only foresaw them. When the dreams of a new social order took on a real shape, his work was transformed into socialist realism.

Main features

The main feature of romanticism in Gorky's work is a clear division of characters into good and bad, that is, there are no complex personalities, a person has either only good qualities or just bad ones. Such a technique helps the author to show his sympathy more clearly, to single out those people who need to be imitated.

In addition, love for nature can be traced in all of Gorky's romantic works. Nature is always one of the main acting characters, and all romantic moods are transmitted through it. The writer liked to use descriptions of mountains, forests, seas, endowing every particle of the surrounding world with its own character and behavior.

What is revolutionary romanticism?

The early romantic works of Zhukovsky and Batyushkov were based on the ideas of classicism and, in fact, were a direct continuation of it, which did not correspond to progressive and radical moods. thinking people of that period. There were few of them, so romanticism took on classical forms: a conflict between the individual and society, an extra person, yearning for an ideal, etc. However, time passed, and the number of revolutionary-minded citizens increased.

The divergence of literature and popular interests led to a change in romanticism, to the emergence of new ideas and techniques. The main representatives of the new revolutionary romanticism were Pushkin, Gorky and the Decembrist poets, who, first of all, promoted progressive views on the development prospects of Russia. The main theme was folk identity - the possibility of independent existence of peasants, hence the term nationality later appeared. New images began to appear, and the main ones among them were the genius-poet and the hero, capable of saving society from an impending threat at any moment.

Old Isergil

IN this story there is a contrast between two heroes, two types of behavior. The first is Danko - an example of that very hero, the ideal that should save the people. He feels free and happy only when his tribe is free and happy. The young man is filled with love for his people, sacrificial love, which personifies the spirit of the Decembrists, who are ready to die for the welfare of society.

Danko saves his people, but at the same time he dies. The tragedy of this legend is that the tribe forgets its heroes, it is ungrateful, but this is not important for the leader, because the main reward for the feat is the happiness of the people for whom it was performed.

The antagonist is the son of an eagle, Larra, he despised people, despised their life and law, he recognized only freedom, turning into permissiveness. He did not know how to love and limit his desires, as a result, he was expelled from the tribe for violating social principles. Only then did the proud young man realize that he was nobody without the people. When he is alone, no one can admire him, no one needs him. Having shown these two antipodes, Gorky brought everything to one conclusion: the values and interests of the people should always be higher than your values and interests. Freedom lies in freeing people from the oppression of the tyranny of the spirit, ignorance, that darkness that hid behind the forest, unsuitable for the life of the Danko tribe.

It is obvious that the author observes the canon of romanticism: here is the confrontation between the individual and society, here is the longing for the ideal, here is the proud freedom of solitude and extra people. However, the dilemma about freedom was not resolved in favor of the proud and narcissistic loneliness of Larra, this type, sung by Byron (one of the founders of romanticism) and Lermontov, the writer despises. His ideal romantic hero is the one who, being above society, does not renounce it, but helps it even when it persecutes the savior. In this feature, Gorky is very close to the Christian understanding of freedom.

Makar Chudra

In the story "Makar Chudra" freedom is also the main value for the characters. The old gypsy Makar Chudra calls it the main treasure of a person, in it he sees an opportunity to preserve his “I”. Revolutionary romanticism is colorfully manifested precisely in this understanding of freedom: the old man claims that under conditions of tyranny a moral and gifted individual will not develop. So, for the sake of independence, it is worth taking risks, because without it the country will never get better.

Loiko and Radda have the same message. They love each other, but see in marriage only chains and fetters, and not a chance to find peace. As a result, love for freedom, which so far appears in the form of ambition, since the characters cannot properly dispose of it, leads to the death of both characters. Gorky puts individualism above the bonds of marriage, which only lull the creative and mental abilities of a person with everyday worries and petty interests. He understands that it is easier for a loner to sacrifice his life for the sake of freedom, it is easier to find complete harmony with his inner world. After all, the married Danko cannot really tear out the heart.

Chelkash

The main characters of the story are the old drunkard and thief Chelkash and the young village boy Gavrila. One of them was going to go to the “case”, but his partner broke his leg, and this could complicate the whole operation, then an experienced rogue met Gavrila. During their conversation, Gorky paid great attention to the personality of Chelkash, noticed all the little things, described his slightest movement, all the feelings and thoughts that arose in his head. The refined psychologism of the image is a clear adherence to the romantic canon.

Nature also occupies a special place in this work, since Chelkash had a spiritual connection with the sea, and his state of mind often dependent on the sea. The expression of feelings and moods through the states of the surrounding world is again a romantic trait.

We also see how the character of Gavrila changes in the course of the story, and if at the beginning we felt pity and compassion for him, then at the end they turn into disgust. The main idea of the story is that it does not matter how you look and what you do, but what matters is what is in your heart, the most important thing is to always remain a decent person in any business. This idea in itself carries a revolutionary message: how does it matter what the hero does? Does this mean that the killer of a high-ranking person can be a decent person? Does this mean that a terrorist can blow up His Excellency's carriage and at the same time maintain moral purity? Yes, this is precisely the liberty the author deliberately allows: not everything is a vice that society condemns. The revolutionary kills, but his motive is sacred. The writer could not say this directly, so he chose abstract examples and images.

Features of Gorky's romanticism

The main feature of Gorky's romanticism is the image of a hero, a kind of ideal designed to save the people. He does not renounce the people, but rather wants to lead them to the right way. The main values that the writer exalted in his romantic stories are love, freedom, courage and self-sacrifice. Their understanding depends on the revolutionary mood of the author, who writes not only for the thinking intelligentsia, but also for a simple Russian peasant, so the images and plots are not ornate and simple. They have the character of a religious parable and even resemble it in style. For example, the author very clearly shows his attitude to each character, and it is always clear who the author likes and who does not.

Gorky also had nature actor and influenced the characters in the stories. In addition, its individual parts are symbols that must be perceived allegorically.

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In the lesson, students, using the example of Maxim Gorky's story "The Old Woman Izergil", will analyze the basic techniques for creating a romantic work; analyze the legends about Larra and Danko; give a description of the main character; determine the main idea of the story; form an idea of the moral and citizenship author.

Topic: From the literature of the XX century

Lesson: M. Gorky "Old Woman Izergil"

In the period from 1892 to 1902, the then unknown 24-year-old Alexei Peshkov wandered the steppes of Bessarabia, who will very soon enter Russian literature under the pseudonym Maxim Gorky (Fig. 1).

Heavy and at the same time wonderful were those 5 years for the writer. Heavy, because it was hard: in order not to die of hunger, Gorky did not disdain any, even the hardest work. At the same time, the future writer accumulated impressions, observed, gained experience, met interesting people. All this later formed the basis of his work.

Rice. 1. M. Gorky ()

The first works of young Gorky are devoted to the period of southern wanderings. These are stories "Makar Chudra", "Chelkash", "Old Woman Izergil".

The titles contain the names of the main characters. They are unusual, unusual for us. How unusual are the events that the narrator narrates. Synonyms for the word "unusual" - mysterious, mysterious, beautiful, fantastic, romantic.

All these definitions accurately reflect the impression of the early romantic stories Gorky.

The role of landscape in Gorky's romantic stories

Landscape (fr. Paysage from pays, area, country) - 1) view of the area; 2) in art - artistic depiction of nature. More precisely, it is one of the artistic description or genre visual arts, the main subject of the image in which - nature, city or architectural complex.

The main purposes of using the landscape:

Reveal the state of the hero;
Contrast the world human beliefs;
Establish compositional links between parts of the work;
Reflect the mystery of nature, its beauty and uniqueness.

From the first lines of the story “Old Woman Izergil”, the reader is immersed in the atmosphere of the southern night, feels the caress of the warm sea wind, hears the sounds of the night steppe, sees singing people returning from work: “The air was saturated with the sharp smell of the sea and the greasy fumes of the earth, shortly before the evening soaked in rain. Even now fragments of clouds roamed the sky, lush, of strange shapes and colors, here - soft as puffs of smoke, gray and ash-blue, there - sharp, like fragments of rocks, dull black or brown. Between them, dark blue patches of sky glittered affectionately, adorned with golden flecks of stars. All this - sounds and smells, clouds and people - it was strangely beautiful and sad, it seemed like the beginning of a wonderful fairy tale.

Facilities artistic expressiveness , which help to give the landscape unusual, mysterious, romantic:

EPITHETS: "the pungent smell of the sea", "lush, strange outlines and colors", "glowed tenderly", "stars decorated with golden dots", "it was strange, beautiful and sad", "wonderful fairy tale".

METAPHORS: “scraps of clouds”, “wisps of the sky”, “specks of stars”.

COMPARISONS: clouds, “like clouds of smoke”, “like fragments of rocks”.

Features of the composition of Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil":

Legend of Larra
The life of the old woman Izergil.

Each part is framed by a romantic landscape in which nature seems to come to life and becomes a participant in the story, enhancing the romantic content of the legends.

Legend, like myth and fairy tale, is a genre of oral folk art. Events in the legend are embellished or exaggerated. Main character legends - an unusual, exceptional, romantic personality.

Romantic heroes of Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil"

"The Legend of Larra"

Idea"Legends of Larra": “For everything that a person takes, he pays with himself: with his mind and strength, sometimes with his life” .

Origin	"one of those people"
Appearance	"a handsome young man", "a lot of strength and living fire shone in his eyes."
Attitude towards others	Altruism: “He loved people and thought that maybe without him they would die. And now his heart flared with the fire of desire to save them, to lead them to an easy path.
deeds	Self-sacrifice: “He tore his chest with his hands and tore out his heart from it and raised it high above his head. It burned as brightly as the sun, and brighter than the sun, and the whole forest became silent, illuminated by this torch of great love for people.
The reaction of others	1. “All together went after him - believed in him." 2. “And they began to reproach him for his inability manage them" 3. "Joyful and full of hope, they did not notice his death."
The final	“He cast a glance ahead of himself on the expanse of the proud steppe on the free land and laughed proudly. And then he fell and died.

Idea. The legend of Danko, a handsome, brave and strong hero, carries the idea of heroism, self-sacrifice, altruism (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Legend of Danko ()

Danko helps people not for fame and recognition, but for their happiness. And let people not immediately appreciate his feat. But nature itself did not let them forget about the feat of Danko: “it became terribly quiet in the steppe, as if she was struck by the strength of the daredevil Danko, who burned his heart for people and died without asking them for anything as a reward for himself” .

Comparison of Larra and Danko

The heroes are united by only one point of comparison: both are young, beautiful, and proud. Otherwise, they are opposite. Larra is the embodiment of selfishness, cruelty, cynical indifference to people, pride. Danko is an altruist who performs the feat of self-sacrifice in the name of people. Thus, the story is built on antithesis, and the characters are antipodes.

Antipode (ancient Greek ἀντίπους - "opposite" or "opposing") - in general sense something opposite to something else.

In a figurative sense, it can be applied to any opposite objects, for example, to people with opposite views.

The image of the old woman Izergil

In the story "The Old Woman Izergil" the author includes the story of the old woman about her life. These memories are compositionally placed between the two legends. Heroes of legends real people, and symbols. Larra is a symbol of egoism, Danko is altruism. As for the image of the old woman Izergil, her life and fate are quite realistic.

Izergil is very old: “Time bent her in half, her once black eyes were dull and watery. Her dry voice sounded strange, it crunched like an old woman spoke with her bones.

The old woman talks about her life, about the men whom she first loved, and then betrayed, and only for the sake of one was she ready to give her life. All her lovers outwardly could be ugly. But this was not the main thing for Izergil. She chose those who are capable of action: “He loved exploits. And when a person loves feats, he always knows how to do them and finds where it is possible. In life, you know, there is always a place for exploits. And those who do not find them for themselves, - they are simply lazy or cowardly or do not understand life, because if people understood life, everyone would want to leave behind their shadow in it. And then life would not devour people without a trace ... "

In her life, Izergil often acted selfishly. For example, let us recall her escape from the harem with the son of the Sultan, who soon died. She says: “I cried over him. Who will say? Maybe I killed him." But Izergil was also capable of a feat of self-sacrifice. For example, she risks herself to save a loved one from captivity.

The old woman Izergil measures people with such concepts as honesty, directness, courage, and activity. For her, they are beautiful people. Izergil condemns boring, cowardly and vile people. She is proud that she has seen a lot in her lifetime and believes that her life experience should be passed on to the young. That's why she tells the legends about Larra and Danko.

Bibliography

Korovina V.Ya. Didactic materials on literature. 7th grade. — 2008.
Tishchenko O.A. Homework in literature for grade 7 (to the textbook by V.Ya. Korovina). — 2012.
Kuteynikova N.E. Literature lessons in grade 7. — 2009.
Korovina V.Ya. Literature textbook. 7th grade. Part 1. - 2012.
Korovina V.Ya. Literature textbook. 7th grade. Part 2. - 2009.
Ladygin M.B., Zaitseva O.N. Textbook-reader on literature. 7th grade. — 2012.
Kurdyumova T.F. Textbook-reader on literature. 7th grade. Part 1. - 2011.
Phonochrestomathy in literature for the 7th grade to the textbook by Korovina.

FEB: Dictionary of literary terms ().
Dictionaries. Literary terms and concepts ().
Dictionary Russian language ().
M. Gorky Old woman Izergil ().
Maksim Gorky. Biography. Products().
Bitter. Biography ().

Homework

Find and read the description of the steppe before and after the Danko legend. What role does the romantic landscape play in the story?
Is it possible to name Danko and Larra romantic heroes? Justify the answer.

Topic: From the literature of the XX century

Lesson: M. Gorky "Old Woman Izergil"

In the period from 1892 to 1902, the then unknown 24-year-old Alexei Peshkov wandered the steppes of Bessarabia, who will very soon enter Russian literature under the pseudonym Maxim Gorky (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. M. Gorky ()

The first works of young Gorky are devoted to the period of southern wanderings. These are stories "Makar Chudra", "Chelkash", "Old Woman Izergil".

All these definitions accurately reflect the impression of Gorky's early romantic stories.

The role of landscape in Gorky's romantic stories

Landscape (fr. Paysage from pays, area, country) - 1) view of the area; 2) in art - artistic depiction of nature. More precisely, this is one of the types of artistic description or a genre of fine art, the main subject of the image in which - nature, city or architectural complex.

The main purposes of using the landscape:

Reveal the state of the hero;
Contrast the surrounding world with human beliefs;
Establish compositional links between parts of the work;
Reflect the mystery of nature, its beauty and uniqueness.

Means of artistic expression, which help to give the landscape unusual, mysterious, romantic:

EPITHETS: "the pungent smell of the sea", "lush, strange outlines and colors", "glowed tenderly", "stars decorated with golden dots", "it was strange, beautiful and sad", "wonderful fairy tale".

METAPHORS: “scraps of clouds”, “wisps of the sky”, “specks of stars”.

COMPARISONS: clouds, “like clouds of smoke”, “like fragments of rocks”.

Features of the composition of Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil":

Legend of Larra
The life of the old woman Izergil.

Each part is framed by a romantic landscape in which nature seems to come to life and becomes a participant in the story, enhancing the romantic content of the legends.

A legend, like a myth and a fairy tale, is a genre of oral folk art. Events in the legend are embellished or exaggerated. The protagonist of the legend is an unusual, exceptional, romantic personality.

Romantic heroes of Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil"

"The Legend of Larra"

Idea"Legends of Larra": “For everything that a person takes, he pays with himself: with his mind and strength, sometimes with his life” .

Origin	"one of those people"
Appearance	"a handsome young man", "a lot of strength and living fire shone in his eyes."
Attitude towards others	Altruism: “He loved people and thought that maybe without him they would die. And now his heart flared with the fire of desire to save them, to lead them to an easy path.
deeds	Self-sacrifice: “He tore his chest with his hands and tore out his heart from it and raised it high above his head. It burned as brightly as the sun, and brighter than the sun, and the whole forest became silent, illuminated by this torch of great love for people.
The reaction of others	1. “All together went after him - believed in him." 2. “And they began to reproach him for his inability manage them" 3. "Joyful and full of hope, they did not notice his death."
The final	“He cast a glance ahead of himself on the expanse of the proud steppe on the free land and laughed proudly. And then he fell and died.

Idea. The legend of Danko, a handsome, brave and strong hero, carries the idea of heroism, self-sacrifice, altruism (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Legend of Danko ()

Comparison of Larra and Danko

Antipode (ancient Greek ἀντίπους - “opposite” or “opposing”) - in the general sense, something located opposite to something else.

In a figurative sense, it can be applied to any opposite objects, for example, to people with opposite views.

The image of the old woman Izergil

In the story "The Old Woman Izergil" the author includes the story of the old woman about her life. These memories are compositionally placed between the two legends. The heroes of legends are not real people, but symbols. Larra is a symbol of egoism, Danko is altruism. As for the image of the old woman Izergil, her life and fate are quite realistic.

Izergil is very old: “Time bent her in half, her once black eyes were dull and watery. Her dry voice sounded strange, it crunched like an old woman spoke with her bones.

Bibliography

Korovina V.Ya. Didactic materials on literature. 7th grade. — 2008.
Tishchenko O.A. Homework in literature for grade 7 (to the textbook by V.Ya. Korovina). — 2012.
Kuteynikova N.E. Literature lessons in grade 7. — 2009.
Korovina V.Ya. Literature textbook. 7th grade. Part 1. - 2012.
Korovina V.Ya. Literature textbook. 7th grade. Part 2. - 2009.
Ladygin M.B., Zaitseva O.N. Textbook-reader on literature. 7th grade. — 2012.
Kurdyumova T.F. Textbook-reader on literature. 7th grade. Part 1. - 2011.
Phonochrestomathy in literature for the 7th grade to the textbook by Korovina.

FEB: Dictionary of literary terms ().
Dictionaries. Literary terms and concepts ().
Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language ().
M. Gorky Old woman Izergil ().
Maksim Gorky. Biography. Products().
Bitter. Biography ().

Homework

Find and read the description of the steppe before and after the Danko legend. What role does the romantic landscape play in the story?
Can Danko and Larra be called romantic heroes? Justify the answer.

The work of M. Gorky “The Old Woman Izergil consists of three parts”: a fairy tale about Larra, a story about Danko, a story about the life of Izergil herself. The story is told on behalf of the author, who allegedly heard this story in Bessarabia. ...Moldovans have finished collecting...

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In the early romantic work "Old Woman Izergil" Maxim Gorky reflects poetically on humanity and freedom. The spirit of romanticism simply overwhelms this story. The author himself considered it one of his best works, built at the highest level. An analysis of Gorky's "Old Woman Izergil" will prove that the author, like many other writers, turned to the most topical topic - the meaning of life.

Story Features

M. Gorky's book "Old Woman Izergil" was published in 1894. The story clearly shows the features of romanticism:

the main character is opposed to the main characters;
the hero is credited with qualities presented in superlatives;
image of unusual landscapes (description of the sea, steppe).

It is known that Maxim Gorky traveled a lot around the country, collecting various legends and stories that lived in the memory of people. It was these legends that he told in the work "Old Woman Izergil". This story deserves the fullest analysis. The reader sees the original book as a story within a story. Its composition is distinguished by some features:

contains three independent parts: the legend of Larra, life quest the old woman Izergil herself, The Legend of Danko;
all parts are united by the inner idea and tone of the story;
the content of the first and third parts of the story are opposite to each other;
the central part of the book is a story about the life of Izergil;
The story is told from the perspective of an old woman.

An analysis of "Old Woman Izergil" shows that the main concept of the work is the ability to live without people for oneself (like Larra), to live next to people, but for one's own benefit (like the old woman Izergil), to give one's life for others (like Danko).

Proud and lonely Larra

In the first part, the old woman told about a young handsome guy Larr, whose father was a mountain eagle, who had once kidnapped the young man's mother. The reader sees a proud, impudent, selfish guy. With such a proud character, it was difficult for him to get along among other tribesmen. It was for these qualities that Larra paid dearly. Once he committed a terrible act - he killed the daughter of the leader, who rejected him. The community came up with a punishment for the young man - eternal exile and loneliness. At first, it did not upset Larra, but then it became simply unbearable. After some time, the hero realized what the meaning of life was, but it was too late: from suffering, he turned into a shadow, reminding people of his existence.

The search for the meaning of life of the old woman Izergil

Where does the analysis of the "Old Woman Izergil" lead, namely the second part of it? The reader is immersed in the life story of the narrator herself. Izergil enjoyed success among men, did not deprive them of her love. She is a traveler and has traveled to many parts of the world. She enjoyed playing with other people's feelings. To achieve her goal, she even went to the murder once. If the heroine left someone, she never returned. She gave all of herself to love. In the end, Izergil realizes that there is no need to look for love at the end of the world, it is enough to lead a measured life with a loved one and children.

Danko's self-sacrifice

Gorky endowed his hero Danko with romantic features. Analysis of "Old Woman Izergil" is impossible without this character. Handsome, strong and courageous Danko was a real leader, he knew how to lead people. He was free-spirited and unselfish. This helped him become the leader of his people and lead them out of the dark forest. It was not easy to go, angry people lost faith in their leader. Then Danko tore out his heart from his chest, which burned with love for people, and lit the way for them. In this way, he gave the people his warmth and kindness, coming from a burning heart.

What did he get in return? As soon as people got out of the forest, everyone immediately forgot about the dying Danko. Someone even stepped on the fading heart of the leader. Only night sparks in the steppe expanse reminded people of Danko's disinterested act. In the image of this young man, readers see a real hero who saw the meaning of life in serving others.

What are the similarities and differences between the fates of the characters?

Ancient legends carry instructive conclusions, the old woman Izergil told them young generation. The action in the legends takes place in ancient times. The fate of the narrator herself is somewhat similar to the fate of Larra and Danko. Both had a stormy rebellious life, both aspired to become independent. The ideal of the old woman Izergil and Danko is love for others and self-sacrifice. They dedicate themselves to others.

Like Larra, Izergil forgets about people who become of little interest to her. She knows how to take, but she can also give. Larra only eagerly took, giving nothing away. Where did the heroes end up? Larra's behavior led him to a loneliness that was unbearable. The old woman Izergil stuck to random people and lives with them last years. The reader has something to think about, to try to find the true path in life. Perhaps between Larra's individualism and Danko's altruism there is an ideal point in the coordinate system.