Why is “Old Woman Izergil” a romantic work? M. Gorky "The Old Woman Izergil": description, characters, analysis of the work Early romantic works of the bitter old woman Izergil

"refers to the early stage of A.M.’s work. Gorky. Written in accordance with romantic traditions.

According to romantic canons, the main character must not only be unusual, but must also represent an exceptional personality: proud, lonely, freedom-loving. Larra and Danko were precisely such individuals.

“Everyone looked in surprise at the eagle’s son and saw that he was no better than them, only his eyes were cold and proud, like those of the king of birds. And they talked to him, and he answered if he wanted, or remained silent, and when the elders of the tribe came, he spoke to them as to his equals. This offended them, and they, calling him an unfeathered arrow with an unsharpened tip, told him that they were honored and obeyed by thousands like him, and thousands twice his age. And he, boldly looking at them, answered that there were no more people like him; and if everyone honors them, he does not want to do this...

...We talked with him for a long time and finally saw that he considers himself the first on earth and sees nothing but himself. Everyone even became scared when they realized the loneliness he was dooming himself to. He had no tribe, no mother, no cattle, no wife, and he didn’t want any of this.”

Larra asserts the right to dominance of the stronger individual. Proud son of a free eagle father and woman breaks all the rules human life. By this he opposes himself to people and punishes himself with eternal loneliness. And after the murder he committed, he is sentenced to the most terrible punishment - loneliness for the rest of his days, but there will be no end to them: he is immortal.

“And this young man, who now received the name Larra, which means: rejected, thrown out, - the young man laughed loudly after the people who abandoned him, laughed, remaining alone, free, like his father. But his father was not a man... And this one was a man.”

Danko is the complete opposite of Larra. Freedom is important to him, but he wants to achieve it for the whole people.

“What will I do for people?!” - Danko shouted louder than thunder.”

“Danko is one of those people, a handsome young man. Beautiful people are always brave.
But they were ashamed to admit their powerlessness, and so they fell in anger and anger at Danko, the man who walked ahead of them. And they began to reproach him for his inability to manage them - that’s how it is!”

Both heroes become immortal.

“...Picking up a knife lost by someone in a fight with him, he hit himself in the chest with it. But the knife broke - it was as if they had hit a stone with it. And again he fell to the ground and banged his head against it for a long time. But the ground moved away from him, deepening from the blows of his head.

He has no life, and death does not smile on him. And there is no place for him among people... That’s how the man was struck for his pride!”

But Larra is physically immortal, and Danko remains to live, illuminating nature, thoughts, and hearts of people with blue sparks before a thunderstorm.

“These sparks are from Danko’s warm heart. There was a heart in the world that one day burst into flames... And these sparks came from it.”

But why do sparks only appear before a thunderstorm? Maybe that’s why this natural phenomenon itself is a struggle between heaven and earth, clouds and sun. Larra and Danko are exceptional characters, so the events of the work take place near Akkerman, in Bessarabia, on the seashore, where there is an unusual, exotic nature.

“The air was saturated with the pungent smell of the sea and the greasy vapors of the earth, which had been heavily moistened by rain shortly before evening. Even now, fragments of clouds wandered across the sky, lush, of strange shapes and colors, here soft, like puffs of smoke, gray and ash-blue, there sharp, like fragments of rocks, matte black or brown. Between them, dark blue patches of sky, decorated with golden specks of stars, sparkled tenderly. All this - sounds and smells, clouds and people - was strangely beautiful and sad, it seemed like the beginning of a wonderful fairy tale.”

The transformation of nature, its refraction reflects the characteristics of the characters’ characters and their actions. Larra is the son of a mountain eagle, therefore he, like his father, who lives in the mountains, personifies the desire for limitless freedom, power, invincibility and strength. A manifestation of Danko’s character can be called a forest, which can be correlated with a cell. It is from this cage, the prison, that he wants to take people out, seeking freedom for them. Larra did not want, could not give people even a part of his “I”, but Danko gives all of himself.

Danko. Death:

“There were swamps and darkness, because the forest was old, and its branches were so densely intertwined that the sky could not be seen through them, and the rays of the sun could hardly make their way to the swamps through the thick foliage...

...And suddenly he tore his chest with his hands and tore his heart out of it and raised it high above his head.

It burned as brightly as the sun, and brighter than the sun, and the whole forest fell silent, illuminated by this torch. great love to people, and the darkness scattered from its light and there, deep in the forest, trembling, it fell into the rotten mouth of the swamp.”

Danko’s death in the name of freedom and other people also indicates that the story belongs to the era of romanticism: the passionate desire for freedom, a set goal, is one of characteristic features romantic hero, which often leads to his tragic death.

Another proof that the work belongs to romantic genre you can call it what the old woman Izergil tells about events of bygone days, legends. In addition, the unity of place and time is preserved - after all, the narrator tells about all the legends within one day.

Maxim Gorky is known for being at the origins of socialist realism - the new art of the new country of the victorious proletariat. However, this does not mean that he, like many Soviet propagandists, used literature for political purposes. His work is imbued with touching romanticism: beautiful landscape sketches, strong and proud characters, rebellious and lonely heroes, sweet admiration for the ideal. One of the most interesting works The author is the story “Old Woman Izergil”.

The idea for the story came to the author during a trip to southern Bessarabia in the early spring of 1891. The work was included in Gorky’s “romantic” cycle of works, dedicated to the analysis of the original and contradictory human nature, where the low and the high alternately fight each other, and it is impossible to say for sure which will win. Perhaps the complexity of the issue forced the writer to think about it for a long time, because it is known that this idea occupied the writer for 4 years. “The Old Woman Izergil” was completed in 1895 and published in the Samara Newspaper.

Gorky himself was very interested in the work process and was happy with the result. The work expressed his views on the purpose of man and his place in the system of social relations: “Apparently, I will not write anything as harmonious and beautiful as the Old Woman Izergil,” he wrote in a letter to Chekhov. There he also spoke about the literary need to embellish life, to make it brighter and more beautiful on the pages of books, so that people would live in a new way and strive for a high, heroic, sublime calling. Apparently, this goal was pursued by the writer when he wrote his story about a selfless young man who saved his tribe.

Genre, gender and direction

Gorky began his literary career with short stories, so early work“Old Woman Izergil” belongs precisely to this genre, which is characterized by brevity of form and a small number of characters. Applicable to this book genre features parables - a short instructive story with a strong moral. Likewise, in the writer’s literary debuts, the reader will easily detect an edifying tone and a highly moral conclusion.

Of course, if we are talking about prose works, as in our case, the writer worked in line epic kind in literature. Of course, the fairy-tale style of narration (in Gorky’s stories the narration is told on behalf of the heroes who openly narrate their personal history) adds lyricism and poetic beauty to the plot outline of the book, but “Old Woman Izergil” cannot be called a lyrical creation, it belongs to the epic.

The direction within which the writer worked is called “romanticism.” Gorky wanted to build on classical realism and give the reader a sublime, embellished, exceptional world that reality could emulate. In his opinion, admiration from the virtuous and wonderful heroes pushes people to become better, braver, kinder. This opposition of reality and ideal lies the essence of romanticism.

Composition

In Gorky's book, the role of composition is extremely important. This is a story within a story: an elderly woman told the traveler three stories: the Legend of Larra, the revelation about the life of Izergil, and the Legend of Danko. The first and third parts are opposed to each other. They reveal the contradiction between two different views of the world: altruistic (selfless good deeds for the benefit of society) and egoistic (actions for the benefit of oneself without taking into account social needs and dogmas of behavior). Like any parable, the legends present extremes and grotesqueries so that the moral is clear to everyone.

If these two fragments are fantastic in nature and do not pretend to be authentic, then the link that is located between them has all the features of realism. This strange structure is where the peculiarities of the composition “The Old Woman Izergil” lie. The second fragment is the heroine’s story about her frivolous, barren life, which passed as quickly as her beauty and youth left her. This fragment immerses the reader in a harsh reality, where there is no time to make the mistakes that Larra made and the narrator herself made. She spent her life on sensual pleasures, but never found true love, the proud son of the eagle also thoughtlessly disposed of himself. Only Danko, having died in his prime, achieved his goal, comprehended the meaning of existence and was truly happy. Thus, the unusual composition itself pushes the reader to draw the right conclusion.

What is the story about?

Maxim Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil” tells how an old southern woman tells three stories to a traveler, and he carefully watches her, supplementing her words with his impressions. The essence of the work is that it contrasts two concepts of life, two heroes: Larra and Danko. The narrator recalls the legends of the places where she comes from.

The first myth is about the cruel and arrogant son of an eagle and a kidnapped beauty - Larra. He returns to the people, but despises their laws, killing the elder's daughter for refusing his love. He is doomed to eternal exile, and God punishes him with the inability to die.
In the interval between the two stories, the heroine talks about her failed life, full of love affairs. This fragment is a listing of the adventures of Izergil, who was once a fatal beauty. She was merciless towards fans, but when she fell in love herself, she was also rejected, although she painted with her life to save her beloved from captivity.
In the third tale, the old woman describes Danko, a brave and selfless leader who led people out of the forest at the cost of own life, tearing out the heart and lighting the way for them. Although the tribe did not support his aspirations, he was able to save him, but no one appreciated his feat, and the sparks of his burning heart were trampled on “just in case.”

The main characters and their characteristics

Danko's image – romantic hero, since he was much higher than society, was not understood, but was proud of the knowledge that he had managed to rise above the routine bustle of life. For many, he is associated with the image of Christ - the same martyrdom for the sake of people. He also felt responsible and was not angry at curses and misunderstandings. He understood that people could not cope without him and would die. His love for them made him strong and omnipotent. Enduring inhuman torment, the mission led its flock to light, happiness and new life. This is a role model for any of us. Everyone can do much more by setting themselves a good goal to help, and not to profit or deceive. Virtue, active love and participation in the fate of the world - this is the true meaning of life for a morally pure person, as Gorky believes.
Larra's image serves as a warning to us: we cannot ignore the interests of others and come to someone else’s monastery with our own rules. We must respect the traditions and morals accepted in society. This respect is the key to peace around and peace in the soul. Larra was selfish and paid for his pride and cruelty with eternal loneliness and eternal exile. No matter how strong and handsome he was, neither one nor the other quality helped him. He begged for death, but people only laughed at him. No one wanted to lighten his burden, just as he did not want this when he came into society. It is no coincidence that the author emphasizes that Larra is not a person, he is, rather, an animal, a savage who is alien to civilization and a reasonable, humane world order.
Old woman Izergil- a passionate and temperamental woman, she is used to giving herself over to feelings whenever they come, without burdening herself with worries and moral principles. She spent her whole life on love affairs, treated people with indifference and selfishly pushed them around, but a real strong feeling passed her by. To save her lover, she committed murder and certain death, but he answered her with a promise of love in gratitude for her liberation. Then, out of pride, she drove him away, because she did not want to oblige anyone. Such a biography characterizes the heroine as a strong, courageous and independent person. However, her fate was aimless and empty; in her old age she lacked her family nest, so she ironically called herself “cuckoo.”

Subject

The theme of the story “Old Woman Izergil” is extraordinary and interesting, which is distinguished by a wide range of issues raised by the author.

The theme of freedom. All three heroes are independent from society in their own way. Danko drives the tribe forward, not paying attention to their discontent. He knows that his behavior will bring freedom to all these people who now, due to their limitations, do not understand his plan. Izergil allowed herself licentiousness and disregard for others, and in this crazy carnival of passions the very essence of freedom drowned, acquiring a vulgar, vulgar form instead of a pure and bright impulse. In Larra’s case, the reader sees permissiveness, which violates the freedom of other people, and therefore loses value even for its owner. Gorky, of course, is on the side of Danko and the independence that allows an individual to go beyond stereotypical thinking and lead the crowd.
Theme of love. Danko had a big and loving heart, but he felt affection not for a specific person, but for the whole world. For the sake of love for him, he sacrificed himself. Larra was full of selfishness, so he could not really experience strong feelings for people. He put his pride above the life of the woman he liked. Izergil was full of passion, but her objects were constantly changing. In her unprincipled pursuit of pleasure true feeling was lost, and in the end it turned out to be unnecessary for the person for whom it was intended. That is, the writer gives preference to holy and selfless love for humanity, rather than its petty and selfish counterparts.
The main themes of the story concern the role of man in society. Gorky reflects on the rights and responsibilities of the individual in society, what people should do for each other for common prosperity, etc. The author denies Larra’s individualism, which does not value the environment at all and only wants to consume good, and not give it in return. In his opinion, a truly “strong and beautiful” person should use his talents for the benefit of other, less prominent members of society. Only then will its strength and beauty be true. If these qualities are wasted, as in the case of Izergil, they will quickly fade, including in human memory, never finding worthy use.
Path theme. Gorky allegorically depicted the historical path of human development in the Legend of Danko. From the darkness of ignorance and savagery, the human race has moved towards the light thanks to gifted and fearless individuals who serve progress without sparing themselves. Without them, society is doomed to stagnation, but these outstanding fighters are never understood during their lifetime and become victims of cruel and short-sighted brothers.
Theme of time. Time is fleeting, and it must be spent with purpose, otherwise its run will not be slowed down by the belated awareness of the futility of existence. Izergil lived without thinking about the meaning of days and years, devoted herself to entertainment, but in the end she came to the conclusion that her fate was unenviable and unhappy.

Idea

The main idea in this work is the search for the meaning of human life, and the writer found it - it consists of selfless and selfless service to society. This point of view can be clarified in concrete terms. historical example. In an allegorical form, Gorky extolled the heroes of the resistance (underground revolutionaries who even then aroused sympathy in the author), those who sacrificed themselves, leading the people from the wilderness towards a new, happy time of equality and brotherhood. This idea is the meaning of the story “Old Woman Izergil”. In the image of Larra, he condemned all those who thought only about themselves and their profit. Thus, many nobles tyrannized the people, not recognizing the laws and not sparing their inferior fellow citizens - workers and peasants. If Larra recognizes only dominance strong personality over the masses and a strict dictatorship, then Danko is a real people’s leader, he gives all of himself to save people, without even demanding recognition in return. Such a silent feat was performed by many freedom fighters who protested against the tsarist regime, against social inequality and oppression of defenseless people.

Peasants and workers, like the Danko tribe, doubted the ideas of the socialists and wanted to continue slavery (that is, not change anything in Russia, but serve the powers that be). The main idea in the story “Old Woman Izergil”, the writer’s bitter prophecy is that the crowd, although it bursts into the light, accepting the sacrifice, but tramples the hearts of its heroes, is afraid of their fire. Likewise, many revolutionary figures were later illegally accused and “eliminated”, because the new government was afraid of their influence and power. The Tsar and his minions, like Larra, were rejected by society, getting rid of them. Many were killed, but still more people those who did not accept the great October Revolution were expelled from the country. They were forced to wander without a fatherland and without citizenship, since at one time they proudly and imperiously violated moral, religious and even state laws, oppressing their own people and taking slavery for granted.

Of course, Gorky’s main idea today is perceived much more widely and is suitable not only for revolutionary figures of the past, but also for all people of the present century. The search for the meaning of life is renewed in every new generation, and each person finds it for himself.

Problems

The problems of the story “Old Woman Izergil” are no less rich in content. Here are presented both moral, ethical and philosophical issues that deserve the attention of every thinking person.

The problem of the meaning of life. Danko saw him in saving the tribe, Larra - in satisfying pride, Izergil - in love affairs. Each of them had the right to choose their own path, but which of them felt satisfaction from their decision? Only Danko, because he chose correctly. The rest were severely punished for selfishness and cowardice in determining the goal. But how to take a step so as not to regret it later? Gorky is trying to answer this question, helping us to trace for ourselves what meaning of life turned out to be true?
The problem of selfishness and pride. Larra was a narcissistic and proud person, so he could not live normally in society. His “paralysis of the soul,” as Chekhov would say, haunted him from the very beginning, and the tragedy was a foregone conclusion. No society will tolerate violation of its laws and principles from an insignificant selfish person who imagines himself to be the navel of the earth. The example of the eagle's son allegorically shows that the one who despises his environment and elevates himself above it is not a man at all, but already half a beast.
Active problem life position is that many are trying to counteract it. It comes into conflict with eternal human passivity, reluctance to do or change anything. So Danko came across a misunderstanding in his environment, trying to help and get things moving. However, people were in no hurry to meet him halfway and even after the successful ending of the journey they were afraid of the revival of this activity, trampling on the last sparks of the hero’s heart.
The problem with self-sacrifice is that, as a rule, no one appreciates it. People crucified Christ, destroyed scientists, artists and preachers, and none of them thought that they respond to good with evil, and to a feat with betrayal. Using Danko’s example, the reader sees how people treat those who helped them. Black ingratitude settles in the souls of those who accept the sacrifice. The hero saved his tribe at the cost of his life, and did not even receive the respect he deserved.
The problem of old age. The heroine lived to see advanced years, but now she can only remember her youth, since nothing can happen again. Old woman Izergil has lost her beauty, strength and all the attention of men of which she was once so proud. Only when she was weak and ugly did she realize that she had wasted herself in vain, and it was necessary even then to think about the family nest. And now the cuckoo, having ceased to be a proud eagle, is of no use to anyone and cannot change anything.
The problem of freedom in the story is manifested in the fact that it loses its essence and turns into permissiveness.

Conclusion

Old woman Izergil is one of the most interesting stories from school course studying literature, if only because it contains three independent stories that are relevant for all times. The types that Gorky described are not often encountered in life, but the names of his heroes have become household names. Most memorable actor is Danko, the image of self-sacrifice. It is precisely conscientious, selfless, heroic service to people that the work teaches through his example. People remember him most of all, which means that a person by nature is drawn to something good, bright and great.

The moral in the story “Old Woman Izergil” is that selfishness and indulgence in one’s own vices will not lead a person to goodness. In this case, society turns away from them, and without it people lose their humanity and remain in painful isolation, where achieving happiness becomes impossible. The work makes us think about how dependent we are on each other, how important it is for us to be together, even if our characters, capabilities and inclinations are different.

Criticism

“If Gorky had been born into a rich and enlightened family, he would not have written to such short time four volumes... and we wouldn’t have seen many undeniably bad things,” wrote the critic Menshikov about the writer’s romantic stories. Indeed, at that time Alexey Peshkov was an unknown, novice author, so reviewers did not spare his early works. In addition, many did not like that literature and art of the elites in Russian Empire, a person from the poorest strata of the population, who, due to his origin, was underestimated by many, rose up. The snobbery of the critics was explained by the fact that their shrine was increasingly encroached upon by those whom the respectable gentlemen did not want to see as equals. This is how Menshikov explained his negative reviews:

Our author here and there falls into pretentiousness, into loud, cold gesticulation of words. Such are his imitative works, clearly prompted by poor reading - “Makar Chudra”, “Old Woman Izergil”... ...Gorky cannot stand the economy of feelings

His colleague Yu. Ankhenvald agreed with this critic. He was indignant that the author had spoiled the legends with his elaborate and artificial style:

Gorky's invention is more offensive than anyone else's; his artificiality is worse than anywhere else. It’s even annoying to see how, in his distrust of the natural eloquence of life itself, he sins against it and against himself; he ruins his work with artificiality and does not know how to truthfully draw to the end, to the final effect of the truth.

A.V. Amfitheatrov categorically disagreed with those who did not accept the new talent in literature. He wrote an article where he exalted Gorky's works and explained why his mission in art is so responsible and incomprehensible to many critics.

Maxim Gorky is a specialist in the heroic epic. Author of "Petrel", "Song of the Falcon", "Izergil" and countless epics about former people different names, he... achieved that he awakened a sense of human dignity and a proud consciousness of sleeping strength in the most hopeless and lost class of Russian society

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Homework for the lesson

1. Copy from the dictionary literary terms definition of the term romanticism.
2. Read Maxim Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil”
3. Answer the questions:
1) How many legends did Old Woman Izergil tell?
2) What happened to the girl from the “land of the big river”?
3) What did the elders name the eagle's son?
4) Why, when Larra came close to people, did not defend himself?
5) What feeling gripped the people lost in the forest, why?
6) What did Danko do for people?
7) Compare the characters of Danko and Larra.
8) Was Danko’s sacrifice justified?

Purpose of the lesson

Introduce students to Maxim Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil” as a romantic work; improve the skills and abilities of analyzing prose text; give an idea of the romantic aesthetics of early Gorky.

Teacher's word

M. Gorky's story "The Old Woman Izergil" was written in 1894 and first published in 1895 in the Samara Gazeta. This work, like the story “Makar Chudra,” belongs to the early period of the writer’s work. From that moment on, Gorky declared himself as an exponent of a special way of understanding the world and the bearer of a very specific aesthetics - romantic. Since by the time the story was written, romanticism in art had already experienced its heyday, early work In literary criticism, Gorky is usually called neo-romantic.

At home, you should have written out the definition of romanticism from the dictionary of literary terms.

Romanticism- “in the broad sense of the word artistic method, in which the dominant significance is the writer’s subjective position in relation to the depicted phenomena of life, his inclination not so much to reproduce, but to re-create reality, which leads to the development of particularly conventional forms of creativity (fantasy, grotesque, symbolism, etc.), to the promotion to the foreground of exceptional characters and plots, to the strengthening of subjective-evaluative elements in the author’s speech, to the arbitrariness of compositional connections, etc.”

Teacher's word

Traditionally, a romantic work is characterized by the cult of an extraordinary personality. Moral qualities heroes do not have a defining meaning. At the center of the story are villains, robbers, generals, kings, beautiful ladies, noble knights, murderers - anyone, as long as their life is exciting, special and full of adventure. A romantic hero is always recognizable. He despises the miserable life of ordinary people, challenges the world, often foreseeing that he will not be a winner in this battle. A romantic work is characterized by romantic dual worlds, a clear division of the world into real and ideal. In some works, the ideal world is realized as otherworldly, in others - as a world untouched by civilization. Throughout the entire work, plot development which is concentrated on the most striking milestones in the hero’s life, the character of the exceptional personality remains unchanged. The narrative style is bright and emotional.

Writing in a notebook

Features of the romantic work:
1. The cult of the extraordinary personality.
2. Romantic portrait.
3. Romantic dual world.
4. Static romantic character.
5. Romantic plot.
6. Romantic landscape.
7. Romantic style.

Question

Which of the works you have read previously can you call romantic? Why?

Answer

Romantic works of Pushkin, Lermontov.

Teacher's word

Distinctive Features romantic images Gorky - proud defiance of fate and daring love of freedom, integrity of nature and heroic character. The romantic hero strives for unfettered freedom, without which there is no true happiness for him and which is often dearer to him than life itself. The romantic stories embody the writer's observations of the contradictions of the human soul and the dream of beauty. Makar Chudra says: “They are funny, those people of yours. They’re huddled together and crushing each other, and there’s so much space on earth...” Old woman Izergil almost echoes him: “And I see that people are not living, but everyone is trying on”.

Analytical conversation

Question

What is the composition of the story “Old Woman Izergil”?

Answer

The story consists of 3 parts:
1) the legend of Larra;
2) a story about Izergil’s life;
3) the legend of Danko.

Question

What technique underlies the construction of the story?

Answer

The story is based on the contrast between two characters who are bearers of opposite life values. Danko’s selfless love for people and Larra’s unbridled egoism are manifestations of the same feeling - love.

Question

Prove (according to the plan in your notebook) that the story is romantic. Compare the portraits of Larra and Danko.

Answer

Larra - young man “handsome and strong”, “his eyes were cold and proud, like those of the king of birds”. There is no detailed portrait of Larra in the story; the author draws attention only to the eyes and proud, arrogant speech of the “son of an eagle.”

Danko is also very difficult to visualize. Izergil says that he was a “young handsome man,” one of those who were always brave because he was handsome. Once again, the reader’s special attention is drawn to the hero’s eyes, which are called eyes: “...a lot of strength and living fire shone in his eyes”.

Question

Are they extraordinary individuals?

Answer

Undoubtedly, Danko and Larra are exceptional individuals. Larra does not obey the family and does not honor the elders, he goes wherever he wants, does what he wants, not recognizing the right of choice for others. Talking about Larra, Izergil uses epithets that are more suitable to describe the animal: dexterous, strong, predatory, cruel.

Question

Answer

In the story “Old Woman Izergil” the ideal world is realized as the distant past of the earth, a time that has now become a myth, and a memory of which remains only in legends about the youth of mankind. Only a young earth could, according to the author, give birth to heroic characters of people possessed by strong passions. Izergil emphasizes several times that modern “ pathetic" Such power of feeling and greed for life are inaccessible to people.

Question

Do the characters of Larra, Danko and Izergil develop throughout the story or are they initially set and unchanged?

Answer

The characters of Larra, Danko and Izergil do not change throughout the story and are interpreted unambiguously: the main and only character trait of Larra is selfishness, the denial of any law other than will. Danko is a manifestation of love for people, but Izergil subordinated her entire existence to her own thirst for pleasure.

Question

Which of the events described by the old woman can be considered extraordinary?

Answer

Both stories told by Izergil contain descriptions of extraordinary events. The genre of the legend determined their original fantastic plot basis (the birth of a child from an eagle, the inevitability of an accomplished curse, the light of sparks from Danko’s burning heart, etc.).

Working with text

Compare the heroes (Danko and Larra) according to the following parameters:
1) portrait;
2) the impression made on others;
3) understanding of pride;
4) attitude towards people;
5) behavior at the time of trial;
6) the fate of the heroes.

Options/Heroes	Danko	Larra
Portrait	Young handsome man. Beautiful people are always brave; a lot of strength and living fire shone in his eyes	A young man, handsome and strong; his eyes were cold and proud, like those of the king of birds
The impression made on others	They looked at him and saw that he was the best of all	Everyone looked in surprise at the eagle's son; This offended them; Then they got really angry
Understanding Pride	I have the courage to lead, that's why I led you!	He answered that there were no others like him; He stood alone against everyone; We talked with him for a long time and finally saw that he considers himself the first on earth and, apart from himself, sees nothing
Attitude towards people	Danko looked at those for whom he had labored and saw that they were like animals; Then indignation boiled in his heart, but out of pity for the people it went out; He loved people and thought that maybe they would die without him	She pushed him away and walked away, and he hit her and, when she fell, stood with his foot on her chest; He had no tribe, no mother, no cattle, no wife, and he did not want any of this; I killed her because, it seems to me, she pushed me away... And I needed her; And he answered that he wanted to keep himself whole
Behavior at the time of trial	What did you do to help yourself? You just walked and didn’t know how to save your strength for a longer journey! You just walked and walked like a flock of sheep!	- Untie me! I won't say tied!
The fate of heroes	He rushed forward to his place, holding his burning heart high and illuminating the way for people; But Danko was still ahead, and his heart was still burning, burning!	He can't die! - the people said with joy; “He was left alone, free, awaiting death; He has no life and death does not smile on him

Analytical conversation

Question

What is the source of Larra's tragedy?

Answer

Larra could not and did not want to compromise between his desires and the laws of society. He understands selfishness as a manifestation of personal freedom, and his right is the right of the strong from birth.

Question

How was Larra punished?

Answer

As punishment, the elders doomed Larra to immortality and the inability to decide for himself whether to live or die, they limited his freedom. People deprived Larra of what, in his opinion, was the only thing worth living for - the right to live according to their own law.

Question

What feeling is the main one in Larra’s attitude towards people? Support your answer with an example from the text.

Answer

Larra does not experience any feelings towards people. He wants "keep yourself whole", that is, to get a lot from life without giving anything in return.

Question

What feeling does Danko experience as he looks into the crowd of people judging him? Support your answer with an example from the text.

Answer

Looking at those for whom he, risking his life, went into the swamps, Danko feels indignant, “But out of pity for people it went out. Danko’s heart flared with the desire to save people and lead them “to the easy path”.

Question

What is the function of the "cautious man" episode?

Answer

The mention of a “cautious man” is introduced into the legend of Danko in order to emphasize the exclusivity of the hero. The “cautious person” is perceived as one of many, thus the author defines the essence ordinary people, “not heroes” who are not capable of sacrificial impulses and are always afraid of something.

Question

What do the characters of Larra and Danko have in common and what is the difference between them?

Answer

This question may lead to ambiguous answers. Students may perceive Larra and Danko as opposite characters (selfish and altruistic), or interpret them as romantic characters who oppose themselves to people (for various reasons).

Question

What place does society occupy in the inner thoughts of both characters? Can we say that heroes exist in isolation from society?

Answer

The heroes imagine themselves outside of society: Larra - without people, Danko - at the head of people. Larra “he came to the tribe and kidnapped cattle, girls - whatever he wanted”, He "hovered around people". Danko was walking “ahead of them and was cheerful and clear”.

Question

What moral law determines the actions of both heroes?

Answer

The actions of the heroes are determined by their own value system. Larra and Danko are a law unto themselves; they make decisions without asking the elders for advice. Proud, triumphant laughter - this is their answer to the world of ordinary people.

Question

What is the function of the image of the old woman Izergil in the story? How do the images of Larra and Danko relate to each other using the image of the old woman Izergil?

Answer

Despite the brightness, completeness and artistic integrity of both legends, they are only illustrations necessary for the author to understand the image of the old woman Izergil. It “cements” the composition of the story both at the content and at the formal level. In the general narrative system, Izergil acts as a narrator; it is from her lips that the I-character learns the story about the “son of an eagle” and about Danko’s burning heart. At the level of content, in the portrait of the old woman one can detect features of both Larra and Danko; the way she loved insatiably reflected Danko’s character, and the way she thoughtlessly abandoned her loved ones was the stamp of Larra’s image. The figure of Izergil connects both legends together and makes the reader think about the problem of human freedom and his right to dispose of his life force at his own discretion.

Question

Do you agree with the statement that “there is always room for achievement in life”? How do you understand it?

Question

Is a feat possible in every life? Does every person enjoy this right of achievement in life?

Question

Did the old woman Izergil accomplish the feat she talks about?

These questions do not require a clear answer and are designed for independent answers.

Conclusions written in notebooks independently.

Some of Nietzsche's philosophical and aesthetic ideas were reflected in Gorky's early romantic works. The central image of early Gorky is a proud and strong personality, embodying the idea of freedom. "Strength is virtue", Nietzsche argued, and for Gorky, the beauty of a person lies in strength and achievement, even aimless ones: « strong man has the right to be “beyond good and evil”, be out ethical principles, and a feat, from this point of view, is resistance to the general flow of life.

Literature

D.N. Murin, E.D. Kononova, E.V. Minenko. Russian literature of the twentieth century. 11th grade program. Thematic lesson planning. St. Petersburg: SMIO Press, 2001

E.S. Rogover. Russian literature of the 20th century / St. Petersburg: Parity, 2002

N.V. Egorova. Lesson developments on Russian literature of the twentieth century. 11th grade. I half of the year. M.: VAKO, 2005

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

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

Rice. 1. M. Gorky

The first works of the young Gorky are dedicated 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” are enigmatic, mysterious, beautiful, fantastic, romantic.

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

The role of landscape in Gorky's romantic stories

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

The main purposes of using the landscape:

Reveal the hero's condition;

Contrast the world around us with human beliefs;

Establish compositional connections 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 pungent smell of the sea and the fatty fumes of the earth, shortly before evening there was plenty of wet with rain. Even now, fragments of clouds wandered across the sky, lush, of strange shapes and colors, here - soft, like puffs of smoke, gray and ash-blue, there - sharp, like fragments of rocks, matte black or brown. Between them, dark blue patches of sky, decorated with golden specks of stars, sparkled tenderly. All this – sounds and smells, clouds and people – was strangely beautiful and sad, it seemed like the beginning of a wonderful fairy tale.”

Means of artistic expression, which help to give the landscape unusualness, mystery, and romance:

EPITHETS: “the pungent smell of the sea”, “lush, strange shapes and colors”, “glittered tenderly”, “decorated with golden speckles of stars”, “it was strange, beautiful and sad”, “wonderful fairy tale”.

METAPHORS: “pieces of clouds”, “pieces of sky”, “speckles of stars”.

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

PERSONIFICATION: “scraps of clouds wandered across the sky.”

Features of the composition of Gorky’s story “Old Woman Izergil”:

The 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 narrative, 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. The main character of the legend is an unusual, exceptional, romantic person.

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

"The Legend of Larra"

Origin
Appearance	A 20-year-old young man, handsome and strong. The eyes are “cold and proud, like those of the king of birds.”
Attitude towards others	Arrogance, contempt: “he answered if he wanted, or was silent, and when the elders of the tribe came, he spoke to them as to his equals.”
Actions	Murder
Reaction of others	The name Larra means “outcast, thrown out.”
Finale of the legend	“He has no life, and death does not smile on him. And there is no place for him among people... That’s how the man was struck for his pride!”

Idea"Legends of Larra": “For everything 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 they would die without him. And so his heart flared up with the fire of desire to save them, to lead them to an easy path.”
Actions	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 fell silent, illuminated by this torch of great love for people.”
Reaction of others	1. “Everyone followed him together - they 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.”
Final	“He looked ahead of him at the expanse of the steppe, proud at 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, and altruism (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. The Legend of Danko

Danko helps people not for the sake of fame and recognition, but for the sake of their happiness. And let people not immediately appreciate his feat. But nature itself did not let them forget about Danko’s feat: “the steppe became terribly quiet, as if she too was amazed 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, proud. Otherwise they are opposite. Larra is the embodiment of selfishness, cruelty, cynical indifference to people, and 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 heroes are antipodes.

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 opposing objects, for example, to people with opposing views.

The image of the old woman Izergil

In the story “Old Woman Izergil” the author includes the old woman’s story about her life. These memories are compositionally placed between two legends. The heroes of legends are not real people, but symbols. Larra is a symbol of selfishness, Danko is a symbol of 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, as if the old woman was speaking with bones.”

The old woman talks about her life, about the men whom she first loved and then betrayed, and for only one she was ready to give her life. All her lovers could be ugly in appearance. But this was not the main thing for Izergil. She chose those who were capable of action: “He loved exploits. And when a person loves feats, he always knows how to do them and will find where it is possible. In life, you know, there is always room for exploits. And those who do not find them for themselves are simply lazy or cowards 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 remember her escape from the harem with the son of the Sultan, who soon died. She says: “I cried over him. Who's to say? Maybe it was I who killed him.” But Izergil was also capable of the feat of self-sacrifice. For example, she risks herself to save her loved one from captivity.

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

Questions for notes

Find and read the description of the steppe before and after the legend of Danko. What role does the romantic landscape play in the story?

Can Danko and Larra be called romantic heroes? Justify your answer.

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

Gorky's romantic mood was prompted by growing discontent in society and the expectation of change. It was thanks to the protest against “stagnation” that images of heroes who were capable of saving the people, leading them out of darkness, and showing them the right path began to appear in the writer’s head. But this path seemed completely different to Gorky, different from his 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, whose views the author clearly sympathized with. He sang the image of a selfless and honest rebel, consumed 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 unrealistic ideals was revealed, because the writer had not yet seen the changes, but only had a presentiment of them. When dreams of a new social system took on real shape, his work transformed into socialist realism.

Main features

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

In addition, all of Gorky’s romantic works show a love of nature. Nature is always one of the main acting characters, and all romantic moods are transmitted through her. The writer loved 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 the sentiments of progressive and radically thinking people of that period. There were few of them, so romanticism acquired classical forms: conflict between the individual and society, an extra person, longing for an ideal, etc. However, time passed, and there were more and more revolutionary-minded citizens.

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 prospects for the development of Russia. The main theme was folk identity - the possibility of independent existence of peasants, hence the term nationality. New images began to appear, and the main ones among them were the genius poet and hero, capable at any moment of saving society from an impending threat.

Old woman Izergil

In this story there is a contrast between two characters and two types of behavior. The first is Danko - an example of that very hero, the ideal who must 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 were ready to die for the well-being of society.

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

The antagonist is the son of the eagle, Larra, he despised people, despised their way of 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 foundations. Only then did the proud young man realize that without the people he was nothing. 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 is to free people from the tyranny of the spirit, ignorance, that darkness that hid behind the forest, unsuitable for life for the Danko tribe.

It is obvious that the author follows 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 loneliness and extra people. However, the dilemma about freedom was not resolved in favor of Larra’s proud and narcissistic loneliness; the writer despises this type, glorified by Byron (one of the founders of romanticism) and Lermontov. His ideal romantic hero is 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 heroes. The old gypsy Makar Chudra calls her the main treasure of a person; in her 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. This means that it is worth taking risks for the sake of independence, because without it the country will never become better.

Loiko and Radda have the same message. They love each other, but see marriage only as chains and shackles, and not as a chance to find peace. As a result, the love of freedom, which so far appears in the form of ambition, since the heroes cannot use it correctly, leads to the death of both characters. Gorky puts individualism above marriage ties, which only lull a person’s creative and mental abilities 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, married Danko cannot really rip 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 on a “deal,” but his partner broke his leg, and this could complicate the whole operation, and that’s when the experienced rogue met Gavrila. During their conversation, Gorky paid great attention to Chelkash’s personality, noticed all the little things, described his slightest movements, 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 depended 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 Gavrila’s character changes over the course of the story, and if at first we felt pity and compassion for him, then in the end they turn into disgust. The main idea of the story is that it doesn’t matter what you look like or what you do, but what’s important is what’s in your soul, the most important thing is to always remain a decent person in any matter. This thought itself carries a revolutionary message: how does it matter what the hero does? Does this mean that the murderer of a dignitary can also be a decent person? So, a terrorist can blow up His Excellency’s carriage and at the same time maintain moral purity? Yes, this is exactly the kind of freedom the author deliberately allows: not everything is a vice that society condemns. A 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 certain ideal designed to save the people. He does not renounce the people, but on the contrary wants to lead them to the right path. The main values that the writer exalted in his romantic stories are love, freedom, courage and self-sacrifice. Their understanding depends on the revolutionary sentiments of the author, who writes not only for the thinking intelligentsia, but also for the ordinary Russian peasant, therefore the images and plots are not ornate and simple. They have the character of a religious parable and are even similar in style. For example, the author very clearly shows his attitude towards each character, and it is always clear who the author likes and who he doesn’t.

Nature in Gorky was also an active character and influenced the heroes of the stories. In addition, its individual parts are symbols that must be perceived allegorically.

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