The originality of romanticism in the lyrics of K.N. Batyushkova
For Batyushkov, the main evaluation criterion is work of art- this is the concept of “taste”. Batyushkov’s “taste” is manifested in the unity of form and content that is almost always present in his poetry. Batyushkov demands accuracy and clarity from the poet. Batyushkov himself is attracted not just by bright colors. In his dynamic paintings we almost physically feel specific details: “the happy Ile de France, abundant, abundant in water”, “the huge god of the seas”, “the thick shadow under this elm tree”...
Batyushkov does not invent new words (which we will see in Yazykov’s work) and very rarely new combinations (“ruins of luxurious attire”). The poet boldly uses archaisms in his poems (“agreement is straight”, “zane”), Slavicisms (“right hand”, “vesi”, “stogny”); philosophical “vocabulary” (“proportionality”, “phenomena”, “equilibrium”); colloquial expressions.
In his elegy "Tavrida" (1815) we find the same features of style; everyday words (“rural garden”, “simple hut”) peacefully combine with “sublime phraseology” (“under the sweet sky of the midday country”, “under the shelter of a quiet night”).
The author boldly inserts proverbs into the poetic text (“And happiness lives only there, // Where we, the crazy ones, are not,” “The day is long, painful for the lazy fool, // But short, on the contrary, useful to the sage”; “Here there will be a meeting not according to dresses").
Contemporaries especially appreciated harmony, musicality, and “sweetness” in Batyushkov’s poems. “No one possesses the charm of euphony as much as he,” wrote V.A. Zhukovsky. - Gifted with a brilliant imagination and an exquisite sense of expression and subject, he gave genuine examples of style. His poetic language is inimitable... in the harmony of expressions.” “Italian sounds, what a miracle worker this Batyushkov is,” “charm and perfection - what harmony,” Pushkin wrote admiringly, making his remarks on Batyushkov’s “Experiments.”
The smoothness and musicality of the rhythm are what especially captivates Batyushkov’s poetry. Thus, in Batyushkov’s poem “The Song of Harald the Bold” (1816), the picture of sailing on a stormy sea receives a sound coloring due to the constant alliteration “l” - “r” - the increased intensity of these sounds is characteristic of the entire poem. Let's quote just one verse:
There were only three of us on the Light Boat;
And the sea rose, I remember, like mountains;
The black night loomed at noon with thunder,
And GeLaLa gaped in the salty wave.
But the waves lashed in vain, raging,
I scooped them up with a helmet, worked with a weight:
With GARALD, oh friends, you knew no fear
And they flew into the peaceful marina with a boat!
In this poem, there are also interesting sound repetitions (Wall, Bed, pier, whipped), which give the verse greater expressiveness. Phonetic harmony is the background against which Batyushkov’s poetic originality manifests itself with amazing force.
The rhythmic effect is achieved in various ways. The poet loves anaphora:
To him alone, - all the warriors spoke, -
He alone will lead us to glory.
(“excerpt from Canto I” of “Jerusalem Liberated”) (1808).
He also resorts to inversion (“I left the shore of foggy Albion” - the arrangement of words depends on the rhythm of the verse); alternates various iambs (often six-, penta- and tetrameters); loves truncated adjectives:
You sang a storm of abuse, and the Eumenides turned pale
Gloomy views revealed all the horrors of war...
Scattered... tender beauties...
Those young roses are dedicated to Cyprus...
And what do my enchanted eyes see there?
"To Tass", 1808
Batyushkov boldly combines different vocabulary and different styles. In the late Batyushkov, this diversity of use “performs the most important task of destroying the harmonious image of the world,” writes N. Friedman, “Batiushkov needs the reader to experience the depth of loss with the greatest vividness of memories, so that he recognizes the beautiful before losing it.”
Summarizing all that has been said, we can determine the historical and literary significance of K.N. Batyushkov in the words of V.G. Belinsky: “Batyushkov contributed a lot to the fact that Pushkin appeared as he really appeared.
This merit alone on Batyushkov’s part is enough for his name to be pronounced in the history of Russian literature with love and respect.”
Questions about the work of K.N. Batyushkova
- What genres does Batyushkov try his hand at?
- What is the main idea of his “Anacreontic” lyrics?
- What type of satire does Batyushkov use?
- In what genre does his talent flourish with particular force?
- What new did Batyushkov bring to Russian poetry?
- Is it possible to say that Batyushkov managed to recreate the “anthological” verse?
- Can we agree that with his poetry Batyushkov created the beauty of an “ideal” form?
- What distinguishes Batyushkov’s poetic language?
- Do you agree with Belinsky’s words that in Batyushkov’s lyrics “the old and the new lived amicably next to each other, without interfering with one another”?
- Did Batyushkov manage to create his own “school”?
- What is the main difference between Batyushkov’s poetry and Zhukovsky’s poetry?
- How can we determine the role of Batyushkov and his significance in the history of Russian poetry?
In Soviet historical and literary science, it is more common to call Batyushkov a “pre-romanticist,” although there are other concepts. This point of view was introduced into scientific circulation with appropriate argumentation by B.V. Tomashevsky: “This word (i.e., “pre-romanticism” - K.G.) is usually used to call those phenomena in the literature of classicism in which there are some signs of a new direction, received full expression in romanticism. Thus, pre-romanticism is a transitional phenomenon.”
What are these “some signs”? - “This is, first of all, a clear expression of a personal (subjective) attitude towards what is being described, the presence of “sensitivity” (among pre-romanticists - predominantly dreamy-melancholic, sometimes tearful); a sense of nature, often with a desire to depict unusual nature; The landscape depicted by the pre-romanticists was always in harmony with the poet’s mood.”
Further substantiation of the point of view of B.V. Tomashevsky is found in a detailed monograph by N.V. Friedman - with the difference that its author, calling Batyushkov a “pre-romanticist”, like Pushkin of the early period, denies any connections of “ideological foundations” Batyushkov's poetry with classicism.
Conflicting judgments about Batyushkov’s literary position are caused by the very nature of his work, which reflects one of the significant transitional stages in the development of Russian poetry.
The end of the 18th - the first years of the 19th century. were the heyday of Russian sentimentalism, the initial stage of the formation of the romantic movement. This era is characterized by transitional phenomena, reflecting both new trends and the influence of the still existing aesthetic norms of classicism. Batyushkov was a typical figure of this time, called “strange” by Belinsky, when “the new appeared without replacing the old, and the old and the new lived amicably next to each other, without interfering with one another” (7, 241). None of the Russian poets early XIX V. I did not feel as keenly as Batyushkov the need to update outdated norms and forms. At the same time, his connections with classicism, despite the predominance of the romantic element in his poetry, were quite strong, which Belinsky also noted. Having seen “renewed classicism” in a number of Pushkin’s early “plays,” Belinsky called their author “an improved, improved Batyushkov” (7, 367).
A literary movement is not formed in an empty space. Initial stage it is not necessarily marked by a manifesto, a declaration, a program. It always has its own prehistory from the moment of emergence in the depths of the previous direction, the gradual accumulation in it certain signs and further movement towards qualitative changes, from lower forms to higher ones, in which the aesthetic principles of the new direction are most fully expressed. In the emerging, in the new, to one degree or another, there are some features of the old, transformed, updated in accordance with the requirements of the time. This is the pattern of continuity and continuity of the literary process.
When studying the literary activity of such a typical figure of the transitional era as Batyushkov, it is important first of all to understand the relationship, the peculiar combination in his poetry of the new and the old, that which is the main thing that determines the poet’s worldview.
Batyushkov walked next to Zhukovsky. Their creativity constitutes a natural link in the process of updating poetry, enriching its internal content and forms. They both relied on the achievements of the Karamzin period and were representatives of the new generation. But although the general trend in the development of their creativity was the same, they followed different paths. Zhukovsky's lyrics grew directly in the depths of sentimentalism. Batyushkov also had organic connections with sentimentalism, although in his lyrics some features of classicism were preserved in a transformed form. On the one hand, he continued (this is the main, main road of his creative development) the elegiac line of sentimentalism; on the other hand, in his desire for clarity and rigor of form, he relied on the achievements of classicism, which gave modern critics a reason to call him a “neoclassicist.”
Batyushkov lived troubled life. He was born in Vologda on May 29 (according to modern times) 1787 into an old noble family. He was brought up in St. Petersburg private boarding schools. Then service in the Ministry public education(clerk). At the same time (1803) his friendship with N.I. Gnedich began, acquaintances with I.P. Pnin, N.A. Radishchev, I.M. Born began. In April 1805, Batyushkov joined the “Free Society of Literature, Sciences and Arts.” In the same year, Batyushkov’s first printed work, “Message to My Poems,” appeared in the magazine “News of Russian Literature.” During the second war with Napoleonic France (1807), he takes part in the campaigns of the Russian army in Prussia; in 1808–1809 - in the war with Sweden. In the battle of Heilsberg, Batyushkov was seriously wounded in the leg. In 1813, he took part in the battles near Leipzig as an adjutant of General N.N. Raevsky.
Batyushkov’s personal drama dates back to 1815 - his infatuation with Anna Fedorovna Furman.
At the end of 1815, when the Karamzinists, as a counterweight to the conservative “Conversation of Lovers of the Russian Word,” created their own literary association “Arzamas,” Batyushkov became a member of it and defended N. M. Karamzin’s language reform program.
In 1817, a two-volume collection of Batyushkov’s works, “Experiments in Poetry and Prose,” was published, the only lifetime edition of the poet’s works. In 1818–1821 He is in Italy in the diplomatic service, where he becomes close to N.I. Turgenev (later one of the prominent figures in the “Union of Welfare”).
Batyushkov hated clerical work, although he was forced to serve. He dreamed of free creativity and put the vocation of a poet above all else.
Batyushkov’s literary fate was tragic. At thirty-four years of age, he leaves the field of “literature” forever. Then silence, long-term (inherited from the mother) mental illness and death from typhus on July 7 (19), 1855.
The poet's madness is the result not only of heredity, but also of increased vulnerability and poor security. In a letter to N.I. Gnedich in May 1809, Batyushkov wrote: “I am so tired of people, and everything is so boring, and my heart is empty, there is so little hope that I would like to be destroyed, diminished, become an atom.” In November of the same year, in a letter to him, “If I live another ten years, I will go crazy... I’m not bored, not sad, but I feel something extraordinary, some kind of spiritual emptiness.” So, long before the onset of the crisis, Batyushkov foresaw the sad outcome of the internal drama he was experiencing.
The process of formation of Batyushkov’s aesthetic views was beneficially influenced by his close acquaintance and friendship with many prominent literary figures of that time.
From Batyushkov’s inner circle, special mention should be made of Mikhail Nikitich Muravyov (1757–1807), the poet’s cousin, under whose strong influence he was, from whom he studied and whose advice he valued. Muravyov guided and encouraged his first steps in the field of literature.
Sensitivity, dreaminess, thoughtfulness, which determine the emotional tonality of Batyushkov’s lyrics, are present in their original expressions in Muravyov’s poems as their component as their characteristic feature.
Muravyov rejected rational “floridism”, cold rationalism in poetic creativity, called for naturalness and simplicity, and the search for “treasures” in one’s own heart. Muravyov is the first Russian poet to substantiate the dignity of “light poetry” as poetry of small lyrical forms and informal, intimate themes. He wrote an entire treatise in verse, outlining the stylistic principles of “light poetry.”
In “An Essay on Poetry” he wrote:
Love common sense: be captivated by simplicity(("Essay on Poetry", 1774–1780))
……………….
Flee false art and mind
…………….
Remember your goal, be able to do it without regret
Ambitious discard decorations
…………….
The syllable should be like a transparent river:
Swift, but clean and full without spilling.
These “rules”, set out in the language of poetry, which have not lost their meaning even today, would not have such an attractive and effective force if they were not supported by the examples of simple and euphonious Russian poetic speech created by Muravyov:
Your evening is full of coolness -
The shore is moving in crowds,
Like a magical serenade
The voice comes in wavesShow favor to the goddess(("To the Goddess of the Neva", 1794))
He sees an enthusiastic drink.
Who spends the night sleepless,
Leaning on granite.
Not only in themes, in the development of lyrical genres, but also in work on language and poetry, Batyushkov relied on the experience and achievements of his talented predecessor and teacher. What is outlined as a program in Muravyov’s poetry finds development in Batyushkov’s lyrics, which was facilitated by a common aesthetic platform, a commonality of views on poetry.
In his first poetic declaration (“Message to my poems,” 1804 or 1805), Batyushkov tries to determine his position, his attitude to the modern state of Russian poetry. On the one hand, he is repelled by description (who “messes up poetry”, “composes odes”), on the other hand, by the excesses of sentimentalism (tearfulness, games of sensitivity). Here he condemns “poets - boring liars” who “do not fly up, not to the sky,” but “to the ground.” In this fundamental question about the relationship between the ideal (“sky”) and the real (“earth”), Batyushkov shared the romantic point of view: “What is in loud songs for me? I am happy with my dreams..."; “...by dreaming we are closer to happiness”; “...we all love fairy tales, we are children, but big ones.” “Dream” is opposed to rationality and rationalism:
What is empty in truth? She just dries out the mind(("Message to N. I. Gnedich", 1805))
A dream gilds everything in the world,
And angry from sadness
Dream is our shield.
Oh, should the heart be forbidden to forget itself,
Exchange poets for boring sages!
Nothing characterizes the personality of Batyushkov the poet more than dreaminess. It runs like a running leitmotif through all of his lyrics, starting from his first poetic experiments:
And sorrow is sweet:(("Dream", 1802–1803; pp. 55–56))
He dreams in sorrow.
………..
A hundred times we are happy with fleeting dreams!
Many years later, the poet returns to his early poem, devoting enthusiastic lines to a poetic dream:
Friend of tender muses, messenger of heaven,
A source of sweet thoughts and heart-loving tears,
Where are you hiding, Dream, my goddess?
Where is that happy land, that peaceful desert,
Which mysterious flight are you aiming for?
Nothing - neither wealth, “neither light, nor empty glory” - replaces dreams. It contains the highest happiness:
So the poet considers his hut a palace(("Dream", 1817; pp. 223–224, 229))
And happy - he dreams.
In the formation of the aesthetics of Russian romanticism, romantic ideas about poetry and the poet, Batyushkov’s role was exceptional, as great as Zhukovsky’s. Batyushkov was the first in the history of Russian poetry to give a heartfelt definition of inspiration as “an impulse of winged thoughts”, a state of internal clairvoyance when “excitement of passions” is silent and a “bright mind”, freed from “earthly bonds”, soars “in the heavens” (“My Penates” , 1811–1812). In the “Message to I.M. Muravyov-Apostol” (1814–1815), the same theme is developed, acquiring an increasingly romantic character:
I see in my mind how an inspired youth((p. 186))
Stands in silence above the furious abyss
Among dreams and first sweet thoughts,
Listening to the monotonous noise of the waves...
His face burns, his chest sighs painfully,
And a sweet tear wets the cheek...
Poetry is born of the sun. She is the “heavenly flame”, her language is the “language of the gods” (“Message to N.I. Gnedich”, 1805). The poet is a “child of heaven,” he is bored on earth, he strives for “heaven.” Thus, Batyushkov’s romantic concept of “poetry” and “poet” gradually takes shape, not without the influence of traditional ideas.
Batyushkov’s personality was dominated by what Belinsky called “noble subjectivity” (5, 49). The predominant element of his work is lyricism. Not only the original works, but also Batyushkov’s translations are marked with the stamp of his unique personality. Batyushkov's translations are not translations in the strict sense, but rather alterations, free imitations, into which he introduces his own moods, themes and motives. In the Russified translation of “Boalo’s 1st satire” (1804–1805) there is a lyrical image of the inhabitant of Moscow himself, a poet, “unhappy,” “unsociable,” who runs from “fame and noise,” from the vices of “the world,” a poet who “I have never flattered people,” “I have not lied,” in whose songs there is “holy truth.” No less important for Batyushkov was the idea of independence and integrity of the singer. Let him be “poor,” “endure the cold, the heat,” “forgotten by people and the world,” but he cannot put up with evil, does not want to “crawl” before those in power, does not want to write odes, madrigals, or sing the praises of “rich scoundrels”:
Rather, I am like a simple peasant,((pp. 62–63))
Who then sprinkles his daily bread,
Than this fool, big gentleman,
He crushes people on the pavement with contempt!
The translation of Boileau’s satire reflects Batyushkov’s life position, his contempt for “rich scoundrels” who are “disgusted by the world of truth”, for whom “there is nothing sacred in the whole world.” “Sacred” for the poet is “friendship”, “virtue”, “pure innocence”, “love, beauty of hearts and conscience”. Here is an assessment of reality:
Vice reigns here, vice is the ruler here,((p. 64))
He is wearing ribbons, wearing orders, and is clearly visible everywhere...
Batyushkov twice refers to the “sacred shadow” of Torquato Tasso, tries to translate (excerpts have been preserved) his poem “Liberated Jerusalem”. The poem “To Tassu” (1808) selects those facts and situations from the Italian poet’s biography that allowed Batyushkov to express “many of his secret thoughts” about his own life path, about the personal tragedy he was experiencing. What reward awaits the poet “for harmonious songs”? - “Zoil’s sharp poison, feigned praise and caresses of the courtiers, poison for the soul and the poets themselves” (p. 84). In the elegy “The Dying Tass” (1817), Batyushkov creates the image of a “sufferer,” “exile,” “wanderer,” who has “no refuge on earth.” “Earthly”, “instant”, “perishable” in Batyushkov’s lyrics are opposed to the sublime, “heavenly”. Eternity, immortality - “in the works of the majestic” “arts and muses.”
The epicurean motifs of Batyushkov’s lyrics are permeated with contempt for wealth, nobility, and rank. More dear to the poet is freedom, the ideal of personal independence, “freedom and tranquility”, “carelessness and love” that he glorifies:
“Happy! happy who flowers(("To Petin", 1810; pp. 121–122))
Decorated the days of love,
Sang with carefree friends
And I dreamed about happiness!
He is happy, and three times as happy,
All nobles and kings!
So come on, in an unknown place,
Alien to slavery and chains,
Somehow we drag out our lives,
Often with grief in half,
Pour the cup fuller
And laugh at fools!”
This conclusion is a conclusion to reflections on life. Before this “song” with a call for “carelessness” there are significant lines:
I'll come to my senses... yes joy((p. 122))
Will he get along with his mind?
“Mind” here in the sense of rationality, opposed to feeling, destroying joy. Hence the cult of feeling, the desire to live “with the heart.”
In the poem “To Friends” (1815), Batyushkov calls himself a “carefree poet,” which gives rise to incorrect interpretations of the pathos of his work. His Epicureanism flowed from his life position, from his " philosophical life" “Life is a moment! It won't take long to have fun." Merciless time takes away everything. And therefore
Oh, while youth is priceless(("Elysius", 1810; p. 116))
Didn't rush away like an arrow,
Drink from the cup full of joy…
All the best, significant things in Batyushkov’s work, which constitute the enduring aesthetic value of his lyrics, are to a certain extent connected with the concept of “light poetry,” the founder of which on Russian soil was M. N. Muravyov.
The term "light poetry" can be interpreted in different ways. It is important how Batyushkov himself understood him. First of all, this is not an easy genre of salon, cutesy lyricism, but one of the most difficult types of poetry, requiring “possible perfection, purity of expression, harmony in style, flexibility, smoothness; he demands truth in feelings and the preservation of the strictest decency in all respects... poetry, even in small forms, is a difficult art and requires all life and all spiritual efforts.”
In the field of “light poetry” Batyushkov included not only poems in the spirit of Anacreon, but also generally small forms of lyricism, intimate and personal themes, “graceful” subtle sensations and feelings. Batyushkov passionately defended the dignity of small lyrical forms, which was of fundamental importance to him. He sought support in the past achievements of Russian poetry, highlighting trends, the line of its development, in which he found reflection of Anacreon’s Muse. The same considerations dictated Batyushkov’s increased interest in French “light poetry,” in particular Parni.
This was the time when sensitivity - the banner of sentimentalism - became the defining feature of the new style. For Batyushkov, poetry is a “heavenly flame,” combining “in the human soul” “imagination, sensitivity, dreaminess.” He also perceived the poetry of ancient times in this aspect. In addition to personal passion, Batyushkov was also influenced by the trends and literary hobbies of his time, “a craving for the restoration of ancient forms... The most sensitive works were taken from antiquity, translated into lyric poetry and served as an object of imitation for elegiacs: Tibullus, Catullus, Propertius...”.
Batyushkov had a rare gift for comprehending the uniqueness of Hellenistic and Roman culture, the ability to convey through the means of Russian poetic speech all the beauty and charm of the lyrics of antiquity. “Batyushkov,” wrote Belinsky, “introduced into Russian poetry a completely new element for it: ancient artistry” (6, 293).
The desire to “forget sadness”, “drown grief in a full cup” led to the search for “joy and happiness” in “carelessness and love”. But what is “joy” and “happiness” in a “fleeting life”? Batyushkov’s Epicureanism, called “ideal” by Belinsky (6, 293), - special properties, it is brightly colored with quiet dreaminess and innate ability look everywhere and find beauty. When the poet calls for “golden carelessness”, and advises “to mix wisdom with jokes”, “to seek fun and amusement”, then one should not think that we are talking about rough passions here. Earthly pleasures in themselves are worthless in the eyes of the poet if they are not warmed by a dream. The dream gives them grace and charm, sublimity and beauty:
...let's forget the sadness(("Advice to Friends", 1806; p. 75))
Let's dream in sweet bliss:
Dream is a direct mother of happiness!
The content of Batyushkov’s poetry is far from limited to poems in the anthological genre. She in many ways anticipated and predetermined the themes and main motives of Russian romantic poetry: the glorification of personal freedom, the independence of the artist, hostility to “cold rationality,” the cult of feeling, the subtlest “feelings,” the movements of the “life of the heart,” admiration for “wonderful nature,” the feeling of “ the mysterious" connection of the human soul with nature, faith in poetic dream and inspiration.
Batyushkov contributed many significant new things to the development of lyrical genres. His role in the development of Russian elegy is especially important. In his lyrics, the process of further psychologizing the elegy continues. Traditional elegiac complaints about fate, the pangs of love, separation, infidelity of a loved one - all that is found in abundance in the elegies of the late 18th century, in the poetry of sentimentalists - are enriched in Batyushkov’s elegies by the expression of complex individual experiences, the “life” of feelings in their movement and transitions. For the first time in Russian lyrics, complex psychological states are expressed with such spontaneity and sincerity of tragically colored feelings and in such an elegant form:
There is an end to wanderings - never to sorrows!(("Elegy", 1815; p. 200))
In your presence there is suffering and torment
I learned new things with my heart.
They are worse than separation
The most terrible thing! I saw, I read
In your silence, in your intermittent conversation,
In your sad gaze,
In this secret sorrow of downcast eyes,
In your smile and in your very gaiety
Traces of heartache...
For the fate of Russian lyric poetry, the psychologization of the landscape, its strengthening, was no less important. emotional coloring. At the same time, in Batyushkov’s elegies, the passion for the night (lunar) landscape, characteristic of romantic poetry, is striking. Night is the time for dreams. “Dream is the daughter of the silent night” (“Dream”, 1802 or 1803):
...like a ray of sunshine goes out in the middle of the heavens,(("Evening. Imitation of Petrarch", 1810; p. 115))
Alone in exile, alone with my longing,
I talk in the night with the pensive moon!
Where Batyushkov turns to a contemplative and dreamy depiction of a night landscape in attempts to convey the “picturesque beauty” of nature, to “paint” its pictures using poetic speech, his closeness to Zhukovsky is reflected, his kinship with him not only in common literary origins, but also in character perception, figurative system, even vocabulary:
... In the valley where the spring gurgles and sparkles,(("God", 1801 or 1805; p. 69))
In the night, when the moon quietly sheds its ray on us,
And the clear stars shine from behind the clouds...
I'll touch the magic strings
I will touch... and the nymphs of the mountains in the monthly radiance,
Like light shadows, in a transparent robe
They will come down with the sylvans to hear my voice.
Timid naiads, floating above the water,They will clasp their white hands,(("Message to Count Vielgorsky", 1809; p. 104))
And the May breeze, waking up on the flowers,
In cool groves and gardens,
Will blow quiet wings...
The Patriotic War of 1812 became an important milestone in Batyushkov’s spiritual development and caused certain changes in his public sentiments. The war brought a civil theme that had hitherto faintly sounded in the poet’s lyrics. During these years, Batyushkov wrote a number of patriotic poems, including the message “To Dashkov” (1813), in which the poet, in the days of national disaster, “among the ruins and graves”, when the “dear homeland” is in danger, refuses to “sing love and joy , carelessness, happiness and peace":
No no! my talent perish((p. 154))
And the lyre is precious to friendship,
When you are forgotten by me,
Moscow, the golden land of the fatherland!
It is no coincidence that it was precisely in these years, after the Patriotic War, in the atmosphere of a general rise in national self-awareness that Batyushkov developed a persistent desire to expand the field of elegy. Her framework for the implementation of his new plans, the poetic development of historical, heroic themes seemed narrow to him. The search for the poet did not go in one direction. He experiments, turns to Russian ballads, even fables. Batyushkov gravitates toward multi-subject themes, complex plot structures, and a combination of intimate elegy motifs with historical meditation. An example of such a combination is the famous poem, noted by Belinsky as one of Batyushkov’s highest achievements, “On the ruins of a castle in Sweden” (1814). The introduction, a gloomy night landscape, written in the Ossian style, is fully consistent with the character of dreamy reflection and gives a romantic sound to the entire work:
I am here, on these rocks hanging above the water,((p. 172))
In the sacred twilight of the oak forest
I wander thoughtfully and see before me
Traces of past years and glory:
Debris, a formidable rampart, a moat overgrown with grass,
Pillars and a dilapidated bridge with cast iron chains,
Mossy strongholds with granite teeth
And a long row of coffins.
Everything is quiet: a dead sleep in the monastery.
But here the memory lives:
And the traveler, leaning on the grave stone,
Tastes sweet dreams.
Batyushkov possessed a rare gift: with the power of dreamy imagination, he could “revive” the past, the signs of which were inspired in his poems by a single feeling. Contemplation of the ruins in the silence of the night imperceptibly turns into a dreamy thought about people, brave warriors and freedom-loving skalds, and the frailty of everything earthly:
But everything is covered here in the gloomy darkness of the night,((p. 174))
All time has turned to dust!
Where before the skald thundered on a golden harp,
There the wind whistles only sadly!
………………
Where are you, brave crowds of heroes,
You, wild sons of both war and freedom,
Arose in the snow, among the horrors of nature,
Among the spears, among the swords?
The strong died!..……
Such a perception of the distant historical past is not a tribute to fashion, as is often the case; it is internally inherent in Batyushkov the poet, which is confirmed by another similar description, where for the first time in Russian lyrics a poetic “formula” of the “secret” language of nature is given:
Nature's horrors, hostile elements battle,(("Message to I.M. Muravyov-Apostol", 1814–1815; p. 186))
Waterfalls roaring from gloomy rocks,
Snowy deserts, eternal masses of ice
Or the noisy sea, the vast view -
Everything, everything lifts the mind, everything speaks to the heart
With eloquent but secret words,
And the fire of poetry feeds between us.
The poem “On the ruins of a castle in Sweden,” despite the presence in it of elements of other genres (ballads, odes), is still an elegy, the kind of it that can be called a historical meditative elegy.
Contemplation, dreaminess, thoughtfulness, despondency, sadness, disappointment, doubt are too general concepts, especially when it comes to lyric poetry; they are filled with different psychological content, which receives different colors depending on the individuality of the poet. Dreaminess, for example, among sentimentalists (or rather, among the epigones of this trend), was often feigned, a tribute to fashion, excessively tearful. In the lyrics of Zhukovsky and Batyushkov, dreaminess appears in a new quality, combined with elegiac sadness, imbued with philosophical reflection - a poetic state that is inherent in both of them. “In the works of these writers (Zhukovsky and Batyushkov - K.G.), - wrote Belinsky, - ... it is not only official delights that speak the language of poetry. but also such passions, feelings and aspirations, the source of which was not abstract ideals, but the human heart, human soul"(10, 290–291).
Both Zhukovsky and Batyushkov owed a lot to Karamzin and sentimentalism, as well as to Arzamas. There were many similarities in their daydreaming, but there were also differences. For the first, it is predominantly contemplative in nature with a mystical overtones. For the second, daydreaming is not “replaced,” as Belinsky assumed (6, 293), but is combined with thoughtfulness, in the words of Batyushkov himself, “quiet and deep thoughtfulness.”
Batyushkov also wrote in prose. Batyushkov’s prose experiments reflect the general process of searching for new paths, the author’s desire for genre diversity (see Chapter 3).
Batyushkov viewed his prose experiments as “material for poetry.” He turned to prose mainly in order to “write well in poetry.”
Belinsky did not highly value Batyushkov’s prose works, although he noted them “ good language and syllable" and saw in them "an expression of the opinions and concepts of the people of his time" (1, 167). In this regard, Batyushkov’s prose “experiments” had an impact on the formation of the style of Pushkin’s prose.
Batyushkov’s merits are great in enriching the Russian poetic language and the culture of Russian verse. In the dispute about the “old” and “new syllable”, in this central issue of the socio-literary struggle of the era, which has a broader significance than the problem of the language of literature, Batyushkov took the position of the Karamzinists. The poet considered the main advantages of the “poetic style” to be “movement, strength, clarity.” In his poetic work, he adhered to these aesthetic norms, especially the last one - “clarity”. According to Belinsky’s definition, he introduced into Russian poetry “correct and pure language”, “sonorous and light verse”, “plasticism of forms” (1, 165; 5, 551).
Belinsky recognized the “importance” of Batyushkov for the history of Russian literature, called Batyushkov “one of the smartest and most educated people of his time,” spoke of him as a “true poet,” gifted by nature with great talent. Nevertheless, in general judgments about the nature and content of Batyushkov’s poetry, the critic was too harsh. Batyushkov’s poetry seemed to Belinsky “narrow”, overly personal, poor in content from the point of view of its social sound, expression of the national spirit in it: “Batiushkov’s muse, forever wandering under foreign skies, did not pick a single flower on Russian soil” (7, 432 ). Belinsky could not forgive Batyushkov for his passion for the “light poetry” of Parni (5, 551; 7, 128). The critic's judgments may have been influenced by the fact that he wrote about Batyushkov as Pushkin's predecessor, in connection with Pushkin - and in assessing Batyushkov's lyrics, the vast world of Pushkin's poetry could serve as a criterion.
The range of Batyushkov’s elegiac thoughts was determined early. He deeply believed in the power of the initial “first impressions”, “first fresh feelings” (“Message to I.M. Muravyov-Apostol”), which the poet did not betray throughout his entire creative life. Batyushkov’s poetry is closed primarily in the circle of personal experiences, and this is the source of its strength and weakness. Throughout his creative career, the poet remained faithful to “pure” lyrics, limiting its content to a personal theme. Only the Patriotic War of 1812 gave an explosion of patriotic sentiment, and then not for long. This time dates back to Batyushkov’s desire to get out of his closed world of favorite motifs, expand the boundaries of elegy, and enrich it thematically with the experience of other genres. The search went to different directions, but Batyushkov reached tangible results where he did not betray his natural gift as an elegiac poet. He created new varieties of the genre, which were destined for a great future in Russian poetry. These are his message elegies and meditative, philosophical and historical elegies.
Thought, along with daydreaming, has always been characteristic of Batyushkov’s inner world. Over the years, in his lyrics, meditation “under the burden of sadness” increasingly acquires a gloomy shade, “heartfelt melancholy”, “spiritual sorrow” are heard, tragic notes sound more and more clearly, and as if a kind of result of the poet’s thoughts about life, one of his last poems sounds:
You know what you said((1824; p. 240))
Saying goodbye to life, gray-haired Melchizedek?
A man will be born a slave,
He will go to his grave as a slave,
And death will hardly tell him
Why did he walk through the valley of wonderful tears,
He suffered, cried, endured, disappeared.
When reviewing Batyushkov’s literary heritage, one gets the impression of incompleteness. His poetry is deep in content and significance, but it, according to Belinsky’s definition, “is always indecisive, always wants to say something and seems to find no words” (5, 551).
Batyushkov did not manage to express much of what was inherent in his richly gifted nature. What prevented the poetry living in his soul from sounding in full voice? In Batyushkov’s poems one often encounters the bitterness of resentment that he is “unknown” and “forgotten.” But no less clearly sounds in them the bitter confession that inspiration is leaving him: “I feel that my gift in poetry has gone out...” (“Memories”, 1815). Batyushkov was experiencing a deep internal drama that accelerated the onset of the crisis, and he fell silent... But what he managed to accomplish gave him every right identify the image he created true poet with yourself:
Let the fierce rock play at their will,(("Message to I.M. Muravyov-Apostol", p. 187))
Even if unknown, without gold and honor,
With his head drooping, he wanders among people;
………………
But he will never betray the muses or himself.
In the very silence he will drink everything.
V. V. Tomashevsky wrote about the “odic nature” of the elegy “On the ruins of a castle in Sweden” and immediately added: “These poems turn into elegiac reflections, in which the breadth of the theme remains from the ode” (Tomashevsky B. K. N. Batyushkov, p. XXXVIII).
“Evening at Kantemir’s”, 1816 (see: Batyushkov K.N. Soch. M., 1955, p. 367).
See: Fridman N.V. Prose Batyushkova. M., 1965.
“Speech on the influence of light poetry on the language,” 1816 (Batyushkov K.N. Experiments in poetry and prose, p. 11).
Melchizedek is a person mentioned in the Bible (Genesis, chapter 14, v. 18–19). Symbol of highest wisdom.
8. Features of romanticism K.N. Batyushkova. His creative path.
Traditionally, the name of Batyushkov stands next to the name of Zhukovsky as an expression of the originality of Russian romanticism. Many of his principles became the catechism of Russian romanticism. Zhukovsky and Batyushkov were connected by friendship, they were brothers in
"Arzamasu". But their poetic worlds were different. Batyushkov was an exponent of the idea of neoclassicism. His relationship with antiquity was more intense. He brought the world of antiquity into Russian culture. Batyushkov’s unique identity is a synthesis of neoclassicism and romanticism. Batyushkov is plastic, sculptural, corporeal. Batyushkov’s images are visual, they are visible, tangible. Batyushkov’s poetry is permeated with the material world, its worldview is directed towards Acmeism. Batyushkov stood at the origins of Pushkin’s poetry to the same extent as Zhukovsky.
Batyushkov’s biography is the source of the tragedy of Russian poets. In 1821, a symbolic division of the poet’s life into two stages took place - this year Batyushkov went crazy. K.N. Batyushkov was born in Vologda. This was a man who was not in good health. His nickname in “Arzamas” had a punning character (Achilles - ah, heel!). Not suited to military affairs, he went to the front early. The military theme becomes important for his poetry. Joining the army is a kind of break with official Russia. He experienced the Decembrist movement. His relationship with the Decembrist Nikita Muravyov left a deep imprint on his life and work.
Batyushkov experienced a tragic duality, a split consciousness in his work. With him, the image of the “black man” enters literature. He determined the development of Batyushkov’s soul. Due to his upbringing, he became interested in French encyclopedists and ancient philosophy. He was an Epicurean in his philosophy. The most enduring thing in his poetry is the image of happiness. Batyushkov in his early poetry is an optimist. His early poems are filled with a feeling of youth (“Merry Hour”, “Happy Man”, “Dream”, “Message to Gnedich”). The image of a golden dream will accompany Batyushkov for half his life. This also creates the image of an epicurean. He becomes the ideologist of “light poetry” - a special movement that arose in Italy and France. Batyushkov was in love with Italy. He introduces into literature the concept of a lyrical hero, who does not coincide with the image of the poet, but is an expression of his ideals. In the poem “Lucky” he creates a split consciousness. Batyushkov's life is inseparable from his work. The poet, brought up for happiness, experiences the tragedy of a collision with Russian life, grief from his mind. Batyushkov’s fate became the prototype of the comedy “Woe from Wit.” The Batyushkov family was genetically associated with mental disorders, but to a greater extent it was influenced by the atmosphere of Russian life. His creative testament is “The Saying of Melchizedek.” In the history of Russian romanticism, Batyushkov remained as a complex poet.
Batyushkov is a poet in crisis. In 1809, a crisis of rethinking began, in 1812 - a crisis of ideology. This year became a turning point for Batyushkov. Batyushkov’s poetry before 1812 is a period of self-determination. He refers to different traditions. His favorite ancient poets are Sappho and Tibullus. He was called the “Russian Tibullus.” He was interested in the work of Italian poets, in particular Torquato Tasso. His fate worried Batyushkov all his life. Batyushkov creates the image of an epicurean, a representative of light poetry. He argues with the archaics and in 1807 writes “Vision on the Banks of Lethe,” which Arzamas really liked. This poem conveys the aesthetics of Batyushkov’s poetry. According to Vyazemsky’s definition, the main feature of Batyushkov’s poetry is “humanity.” The message “My Penates”, addressed to Zhukovsky and Vyazemsky and having an improvisational character, becomes a kind of manifesto of new poetry. This is an attempt to express a life position. In this poem, Batyushkov forms his own little philosophy of independence. Penates is the world of the poet. He introduces the image of a poetic table into the lyrics. It conveys philosophical independence and affirms a life position. Penates are a hearth, home, homeland. He doesn't care about luxury. Everyone can find shelter in his house. Among his everyday gods is his beloved woman. Batyushkov introduces an atmosphere of light eroticism into poetry. The world of native land is opposed to everything official. “My Penates” is a tangible picture of the world. The size of the message is trochaic trimeter. Batyushkov gives a flying verse. The poem was written on the eve of the war and is a kind of result of the first period of creativity.
Until 1812, Batyushkov was a representative of light poetry, an epicurean who conveyed the atmosphere of a dream. Life and poetry diverged for Batyushkov. Main tragedy 1812 – Moscow fire. Due to illness, Batyushkov did not take part in the campaign of 1812. Being only an eyewitness to the events, he created a turning point verse - “Message to Dashkov.” The atmosphere of the poem is notes from eyewitnesses, conveying feelings. Deserted Moscow beats in the poet's heart. The final part of the poem is the poet’s oath, the renunciation of illusions and Epicurean philosophy. The poet becomes the bearer of national values. In the poem "The Bacchae" there is a clash of Epicurean and new philosophy, a frantic escape from a past life. In poems of 1813 - 1815 Batyushkov becomes a poet of the battle theme. He recreates the war in its real manifestations, reveals its underside. For Batyushkov it is fundamentally important to show the dynamics of events. After 1812, Batyushkov’s poetry was epitomized. The battle theme is an important theme in the poet’s work.
In the elegy “On the Ruins of Sweden,” the poet shows longing for his homeland, especially expressed in the poem “Prisoner.” Its plot expresses the reflection of a prisoner on the banks of the Rhone about the sunset. The prisoner’s monologue reflects the national feeling first expressed in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.”
The return after the hike becomes tragic for Batyushkov. There is a rethinking of existence. In "The Wandering Odyssey" the idea of tragedy is conveyed - the homeland has been found, but it is different. The main mood of the subsequent lyrics is the irrepressibility of the soul.
The last stage of creativity begins with the poem “The Wanderer and the Homebody.” Batyushkov’s hero is an irrepressible wanderer. Batyushkov himself was a wanderer. The image of wandering became an expression of his position. Batyushkov’s dying book is “Experiments in Poems and Prose.” The first part is prosaic, his reflections on life. The second part contains the best 60 poems of the poet. This part included imitations of the ancients, in which Batyushkov returned to his youth, reflections on heroism, glory, civilization, and time. But this is tragic antiquity combined with modernity. His prose is an anticipation of Pushkin's laconic prose. In the last 34 years of his life, Batyushkov was engaged in drawing.
TICKET No. 9
Konstantin Nikolaevich Batyushkov (1787-1855) His nickname was "Akhil", which was pronounced "Ah, khil", because he was sickly. But despite this, he participated in many battles. Batyushkov created light poetry.
His work is very contradictory and complex. Until now, his artistic method is assessed differently: some believe that he is a classicist, others, including Veselovsky, consider him a sentimentalist, and others consider him a pre-romanticist. Belinsky wrote: “ The direction of Batyushkov’s poetry is opposite to the direction of Zhukovsky’s poetry“, however, he himself considered him a romantic. Batyushkov has always been compared to Zhukovsky. He was always put second, but he should be considered simply different. He was formed as a poet with own style and artistic method.
First period 1804-1811
Creativity is communication with loved ones. That's why it's more popular message genre.Often poems are dedicated to women, but with conventional names (to Lisa, to Masha, etc.). In these verses the poet spoke with close people.
Batyushkov wrote and fables. In the genre of messages, he trained a dialogical style to recreate the feeling of a conversation.
Wrote inscriptions, epigrams, humorous messages. Then they appeared elegies, which will become a leading genre. Batyushkov saw his merit in creating light poetry.
He was recognized epicurean at that time. Epicurean motifs are the most important in his early lyrics. The Epicurean philosophy of life is connected with his ideas; he equates youth and joy, writes: “ I’ll die and everything will die with me", which contradicts mystical romanticism. He can even create a landscape in the spirit of Zhukovsky, but he will never seek peace, he will say that joy lies elsewhere, not in peace. He encourages you to discard illusory dreams of fame and enjoy.
It is difficult to find a poet more modest in description of female beauty than Batyushkov. He will create in the lyrics not some individualized portrait, female image, he will create a generalized image of the ideal of female beauty: “ golden curls and blue eyes" And this ideal maiden in his lyrics always appears as a faithful friend, he always talks about female beauty words of admiration, and even passion with women is filled with very high admiration, as if before a goddess. For example, in one of his messages he will talk about a woman like this: “ heavenly soul in a beautiful image».
Many messages are dedicated to friends, He values friendship as highly as love. Friendship is always support, joy for other people's victories. Love and friendship are the eternal values of existence.
Happiness in love, friendship, peaceful (inseparable from conscience) life is all you need. You don’t need any special wealth, illusory fame, you need true friends and a faithful friend.
1811 – “My penates.”
He glorifies his mother’s house in Antonovo, where he lived. Batyushkov convinces his friends that they won’t find a road to his deep hut “ court friends", wealth and vanity. But a true friend, an elder, a former warrior or a person in need will always find shelter there. The poet and his beloved are happy in the house; his poetic inspiration comes here more willingly. He wants to hide his quiet happiness from envy and stinginess, and he invites only close friends to visit him.
Batyushkov creates an idyll of village life: paradise with friends and in a hut.
His hero is outside of social storms, he is happy in the bosom of nature, the ideal is a happy, independent, virtuous life. Idea ideal relationship a person with peace - that’s what light poetry is. Batyushkov, as a romantic, does not accept the world of vanity and wealth, and in “My Penates” he fervently wishes that persons corrupted by their wealthy position would not find their way to his hut. But B. chooses to escape reality rather than fight it.
The events of the poet’s personal life were not so cloudless and rosy. In 1807, Batyushkov enlisted in the militia to participate in the war against Napoleon, took part in a campaign in East Prussia, and since then his life has been full of wanderings. “I don’t have a single truly quiet day.” He would fight in many wars and leave service only in 1810. During the campaign, one of the people closest to him, his mentor Muravyov, dies; during the campaign to Finland, his sister Anna dies. His love interests do not end happily. The father's second marriage causes discord in the family; he and his sisters are forced to move to Antonovo. There he will create the best works of his career, but at the same time, through correspondence, he keeps track of what is happening in the capitals. In Antonov he creates his best satire, "Vision on the Shores of Lethe"" This is a battle pamphlet in which he sets out his dream: Apollo, angry, orders the poet to immerse himself and his creations in the waters of Lethe. Other poets also come here, most of all the members of Shishkov’s “Conversation”; for the first time he uses the word “Slavophile” when describing them. Almost all the poets died on the banks of Lethe; only Krylov’s works surfaced. The fabulist, having forgotten everyday grief, goes to dinner. This satire made a name for Batyushkov, but also helped make enemies - the Shishkovists. This satire testified to the aesthetic positions of Batyushkov himself. He learns about his wide fame only a year later, upon his arrival in the capital.
The second stage of creativity: 1812-1814
The war with Napoleon begins. Batyushkov quits his service. He achieves his enrollment in the army and, together with the army, makes a foreign campaign, participated in the battle of Leipzig, where his friend dies, he visited England, Sweden, and entered Paris as part of the victorious army. And with every battle he writes something. There is a turning point in his work , he refuses light poetry and epicurean motifs.
1813 - “Message to Dashkov.” Begins with the words " My friend, I have seen a sea of evil" This is a sample civic poetry , he says that he cannot write about easy things when there is such trouble around.
He writes war poems, glorifies the military might of the homeland. Maintains active correspondence with friends. He gives advice to Gnedich on translating the Iliad while on the battlefield.
His romanticism takes on a civil overtone. The elegy “Message to Dashkov” is followed by historical elegies. He breaks the tradition of a solemn ode, which would seem to be needed in such messages. In these poems, he writes about warriors, glorifies soldiers, and does not glorify a specific unusual hero, or creates battle paintings.
The poet's style and worldview change.
Third period: 1815-1821
In 1814, Batyushkov returned from a trip abroad. The poet's artistic world continues to change, filled with romantic influences. A new understanding of man and the values of life appears, and interest in history intensifies. Appear philosophical reflections in elegies, they take center stage. These are a person’s thoughts about the meaning of life, historical existence , life is an endless series of events. In his elegies, motifs of memories begin to predominate, and this is reminiscent of Zhukovsky. He writes about love as a lofty, but incoming, tragic feeling. This is inspired by events in his personal life: after returning from a trip abroad, he meets with Anna Furman, they break up. Returning home, he calls himself " sad wanderer“, but does not find happiness at home. " There is an end to wanderings, never to sorrows" His love is sad, full of suffering. His poems express a feeling of rejection; the hero is a man whose lot is not simple.
The image of a deceased friend often appears, for example, in an elegy "Shadow of a Friend" (1814 ). Batyushkov has a motive for the inevitable loss of a dear person, and increasingly he pins his hopes on a better life in another world. In the poem " Hope " the words sound: " I will quench the desire of love, throw the earthly robe into the dust and renew existence" During this period, Batyushkov’s work came closer to that of Zhukovsky: the same motives, interest in Ancient Greece. Batyushkov’s worldview is becoming more and more pessimistic. During this period, he worked a lot and fruitfully, forming his two-volume work in 1817 “Experiments in verse and prose”, which includes a significant part of his callings. He plans a book about Dante and history, but all these plans are not destined to come true.
In 1805-1806 A number of his poems were published in Severny Vestnik and other magazines, in which one could feel the author’s critical attitude towards previous literary trends and hear the motives of new romantic poetry (Elegy). And to notice the new ideological and artistic trend that will develop in his work.
B.'s creativity was sometimes considered as a separate direction in Russian literature. beginning of the 19th century – neoclassicism. The basis for this was seen in the deep interest of the writers of this group in ancient literature and culture, in the elements of the “classical” style characteristic of them, in the desire for perfection of form, harmony of parts, plasticity, which is especially noticeable in the poetics of B. Based on these signs, Belinsky is ready to call him a classic, because unlike Zhukovsky, his romanticism is not characterized by vagueness and uncertainty. But at the same time, Belinsky notes that B., as a poet of that time, “could not help but pay tribute to romanticism. ...And how good is the romanticism of B! There is so much certainty and clarity in it!”
All literary activities and art. B.'s system was directed against classicism.
B. perceived and reflected Antiquity, as well as the Renaissance, romantically, trying to understand the spirit and style of the eras. Therefore, researchers who attribute B. to romanticism are more right, although the originality of his work is obvious.
Batyushkov draws closer to Zhukovsky in his rejection of modern reality, which does not satisfy the ethical and aesthetic ideals of the poet, the affirmation of the individual and his inner world as the highest value.
The romanticism of J. and B. corresponded to the ideological sentiments of that group of nobility, which, under the influence of the revival of socio-political life in the first decades of the 19th century. She became hostile to the reactionary camp and turned out to be susceptible to the liberal trends of the era.
The central ideas of romanticism were the idea of personal freedom, the idea of a person and his dignity beyond class rank. But not a word about political freedom, which inspires romantic revolutionaries.
Batyushkov’s main desire: “ Keep souls sublime in freedom" - freedom from glitter, tinsel, wealth, vanity. The poet himself felt the lack of freedom, and in one of his notebooks he wrote: “ man in the desert is free, man in society is a slave».
“Hero of Our Time” by M. Yu. Lermontov as a socio-psychological and philosophical novel.
Hero of our time
Lermontov conceived the novel in 1837. The main work was carried out in 1838 and was completed in 1839. The novel was published in separate parts, like Onegin. Published in “domestic notes”, it was fully published in 1940. Criticism greeted the novel ambiguously, and heated controversy ensued. Belinsky admired: “a work that represents absolutely new world art”, noted “richness of content, originality”. There were critics who did not accept the novel, and primarily this was due to the image of the main character. To many critics, Pechorin seemed like a slanderous caricature. Nicholas I did not like the novel: at first he decided that Maxim Maksimych was the main character, and was upset by his mistake, calling Pechorin “disgusting.” This forced the author to supplement the novel with a preface and an introduction to Pechorin's diary. Both of these prefaces play an important role and explain the author's concept.
All images of the novel are subordinated to the disclosure of the central image. This is a socio-psychological and philosophical novel. Social issues are related to the water society, Pechorin is being investigated How social type, psychological problems are associated with the disclosure of personality(there is a psychological portrait, introspection, internal monologue), philosophical problems - rock and fate, good and evil, faith and unbelief.
In parts:
1. Preface to the entire novel.
2. Bela (story)
3. Maxim Maksimych (story, travel notes)
4. Preface to Pechorin’s magazine.
5. Taman (romantic story)
6. Princess Mary - diary entry, (psychological story).
7. Fatalist (philosophical story)
Lermontov deliberately violates the life-chronological sequence:
1. Taman.
2. Princess Mary.
3. Bela.
4. Fatalist.
5. Maxim Maksimych.
In the novel they appear in a seemingly chaotic alternation. All this is needed to gradually reveal the image of the main character. The parts have different genres, but the novel does not fall apart, because all the parts are united by one hero, who is consistently defined by each chapter.
Lermontov applied for a work similar in genre to Eugene Onegin (Pushkin: “a collection of motley chapters”).
In the preface to the novel. Which was added later, the author will say: “ the hero of our time is definitely a portrait, but not of one person, but of the vices of an entire generation" Lermontov does not try to evaluate the hero and suggest a way to correct this, he only gives a portrait, “ indicates illness».
IN first part
according to Lermontov's plan, we see Pechorin through the eyes of Maxim Maksimych. They are people different generations, Maxim Maksimych is an honest servant who rose from the bottom. For him, Pechorin is absolutely incomprehensible. We see Pechorin through the eyes of a man who does not understand him. Maxim Maksimych is a kind man, has a good understanding of the highlanders, knows their traditions and customs, and he has not known anything other than this life for many years. When Pechorin appears, Maxim Maksimych is initially disposed towards him as a colleague. " He was so thin and white", and he initially invites Pechorin to be friends.
The whole characterization of Maxim Maksimych is contradictory, he treats Pechorin well, but does not understand him, he says that this is “ a very strange person" For him, Pechorin is a person who is written in his family that various extraordinary things should happen to him.
At the beginning of the novel, a mysterious, strange, contradictory hero appears before us - a romantic one. We don’t know what the hero is thinking about, why he does his actions, because this is unclear to Maxim Maksimych, and therefore to the reader.
Both Kazbich and Bela are all romantic images, and they correspond to a romantic hero. Maxim Maksimych tries to reason with Pechorin that he stole Bela in vain, but they cannot have a conversation. For Pechorin, a sufficient justification for the theft is that he likes Bela. Maxim Maksimych feels he is right, but cannot argue with Pechorin, he is forced to agree with him. Maxim Maksimych is older than Pechorin, but nevertheless is forced to agree with him and obey him.
Pechorin's story about his youth is reminiscent of Onegin's story about his youth. He led a social life, there were many novels in his life, and this disgusted him. " The love of the savage is not for many better than love noble lady“- he characterizes his relationship with Bella.
Maxim Maksimych retells Pechorin's story. Whether Pechorin is sincere or not when giving himself this characteristic cannot be answered with certainty. Lermontov’s position also does not give us the opportunity to draw an unambiguous conclusion.
In the first part, Pechorin is a mystery to us; the image of a mysterious and incomprehensible hero is created. The traveling officer who listens to Maxim Maksimych belongs to the same society as Pechorin, so he understood him better than the staff captain. In the novel, for the first time, a whole layer of contemporary society appears, and the traveling officer gives it, noting that there are many people who say the same thing, and this boredom, melancholy is a feature of representatives of high society. But this did not make Pechorin any more understandable.
All the heroes of the first part are presented in a romantic way. When Bella was dying, it seems that Maxim Maksimych showed much more compassion than Pechorin, although he again risked his life: “ I’ll even give my life for her, but I’m bored with her" In this part, the kindness of a man who knew nothing but service, and the coldness of Pechorin, are shown in clear contrast. When Bella died, Maxim Maksimych wanted to console Pechorin, but he raised his head and laughed.
The first part ends, and all we can say about Pechorin is that he has strong character and will, knows how to achieve his own, selfish, a representative of high society, capable of subordinating other people to his will, he is well versed in the “science of tender passion” and it is completely unclear what guides his actions.
In the first part we see only actions, without understanding why Pechorin commits them.
Second part (“Maksim Maksimych”)
- travel notes.
Maxim Maksimych and the traveler meet again, and the heroes learn that Pechorin arrived there too. Maxim Maksimych was convinced that Pechorin would come running to meet him, and he waited for him all night, and Pechorin did not come. The traveling officer was the first to see Pechorin and gave him an important psychological portrait, just as contradictory. " Broad shoulders indicated a strong build, capable of enduring all the difficulties of life, a dusty velvet frock coat, dazzlingly clean linen,” “the gait is careless and lazy.”, he did not wave his arms - a sure sign of a secret character.” At first glance the narrator would not have given him even twenty years, but at second glance he would have given him all thirty. The traveling officer drew attention to Pechorin’s eyes: “ they didn't laugh when he laughed", which is a sign of either an evil disposition or deep, constant sadness, " they shone with a phosphorescent brilliance, like the brilliance of smooth steel.”. This psychological portrait adds only a little to the revelation of Pechorin’s character. He noted Pechorin’s cold, rational eyes, his attentive and intent gaze - and this is the main thing.
The meeting between Pechorin and the staff captain makes a sad impression. Maxim Maksimych, perhaps for the first time, left the work of his service to meet with Pechorin, ran to meet him, and he only coldly extended his hand to him. Pechorin does not want to linger, but when Maxim Maksimych remembered Bell, he “turned a little pale and turned away.”
Once again Pechorin appears cold, callous, and unfriendly. One gets the impression that, perhaps, Pechorin is an exclusively selfish person, because it doesn’t matter to him how they treat him. He continues to remain the same mystery in this part.
The next part begins Pechorin's magazine.
In this magazine he begins to talk about himself. This psychological portrait of a contemporary.
In the preface to the magazine, the officer who received Pechorin’s notes, “ the history of the human soul is almost more curious and useful than the history of an entire people" Pechorin's journal is the story of his soul; first of all, the inner world of man is explored.
The author's attitude towards Pechorin is expressed only in the title of the novel; he does not give assessments, leaving this right to readers.
After Lermontov deliberately created the image of a romantic hero, then Taman
both the beginning and the end are anti-romantic. It seems that Taman was created according to all the rules of a romantic novel: a blind man, smugglers, an undine, a description of the sea, persecution, etc. But Pechorin himself is as anti-romantic as possible: “ Taman is the worst little town, I almost died of hunger there, and on top of that they wanted to drown me" Pechorin's prose notes intentionally appear among the romantic descriptions of the heroes. It becomes clear that Pechorin is not at all a person who is written in his family that extraordinary things should happen to him, he himself is looking for these things. Nobody asked Pechorin to keep an eye on the smugglers, this is his own desire - and again he risks his life. Thus, the characterization of Maxim Maksimych is not entirely correct.
In the first part, Pechorin tragically changed the fate of Bella’s family; here he again changes someone else’s well-established life. But it is not clear why he needs this, what motivates him, why he risks his life. Describing his adventures, Pechorin never tries to characterize his actions, he simply says where he went, what he saw there, and at the same time he can write completely mercilessly that he does not know how to swim.
Thus, the first impression that was formed during the first chapters is completely wrong. Yes, he is brave, yes, he has a will, but for the sake of what he does actions and seeks events is unclear. He doesn't care what happens to people, he doesn't care about the risk. He himself doesn’t know why he’s doing this: “ Why did fate throw me into the peaceful circle of honest smugglers?" The theme of fate appears for the first time. For now, this phrase of Pechorin is the only one, but then there will be discussions about fate, and it will become clear why they are there.
The end is also anti-romantic: Pechorin declares that he doesn’t care what happened to the other heroes. After the first part, it became clear that he was brave and was looking for adventure himself.
"Princess Mary"
- the purest diary.
He comes to Pyatigorsk, but there are no descriptions of the city, no interest in the situation at the fronts. Everything that is written in the diary is about people, it is a merciless description of others, including yourself.
The first characteristic is that of Grushnitsky. They are friends, they served together, but Grushnitsky is a cadet. " He throws his head back when he speaks, speaks quickly and pretentiously”, “producing an effect is a pleasure», « there is often a lot in his soul kind words, but not a penny of poetry”, “his goal is to become the hero of a novel», « he tried so often to convince others that he was a being not created for this world, doomed to some kind of secret suffering, that he became convinced of it himself" Quite an accurate and ruthless characterization.
Grushnitsky is young, he has only served for a year, and due to his youth and fashion, Grushnitsky plays the role of a romantic hero. In fact, Grushnitsky plays the role of Pechorin. Pechorin, who is well versed in people, sees and understands this perfectly. Grushnitsky treats Pechorin as an older friend; he confides his secrets to him.
It turns out that for Pechorin it is important that there is poetry in his soul. He deftly and accurately characterizes Grushnitsky, although he did nothing to Pechorin, who only dislikes the fact that the cadet is portraying him. Pechorin deliberately angers Grushnitsky, realizing that he likes Princess Mary, he begins to compliment her. Understanding what feelings Grushnitsky is experiencing, Pechorin does everything to piss him off, to force him to show his essence, and not the image that he plays in front of Princess Mary. It’s as if he’s playing with Grushnitsky.
The other characterization he will give is completely different in tone and phrasing. To Dr. Werner: " skeptic, materialist, and at the same time a poet"(note: poet!). Once Pechorin saw him cry over a dying soldier; he notes the high soul of his friend. This characteristic speaks of Pechorin’s respectful attitude. Maxim Maksimych and Grushnitsky understand little about life; you can talk to Werner as equals, but he does not build friendly relations with anyone. He doesn’t need friendship, due to the fact that friendship implies responsibility, and he doesn’t need that. He wants to be free. He compares friendship to slavery.
Having learned from Grushnitsky’s lips that he is in love with Princess Mary, Pechorin will cheerfully say: “ there is a plot, but we’ll worry about the denouement of this comedy, obviously fate is making sure that I don’t get bored" - another note about fate. Pechorin again interferes in the lives of other people. Grushnitsky is completely sincerely in love with the princess, but why should he fight with Pechorin. Pechorin knows how to look after ladies and knows how to amaze them and how to make them fall in love with him. Another self-characterization during a conversation with Princess Mary: “ Everyone read on my face signs of bad qualities that were not there, but they appeared,” “I was ready to love the whole world, but no one understood me, and I learned to hate,” “I became a moral cripple.” He tells this to a girl who has no life experience, she sincerely pitied him, and Pechorin notes that this is the weakness of all women.
Pechorin easily achieves the love of a girl.
There is a woman who loves Pechorin as he is - Princess Vera. She says that she is his slave. She is ready to change her life for him. She loves Pechorin, but he only wants to be loved.
“I often ask myself why I strive so hard for the love of a young girl” - “but there is immense pleasure in possessing a young, barely blossoming soul.” It turns out that that line about the beginning of the comedy is the beginning, he continues the game, he plays with people and predicts how people will act, thinks through the situation, how they will behave in any situation. Sometimes, when it seems that he has developed some feelings for the princess, he immediately interrupts himself, saying that it is from nerves. More than one girl was conquered by Pechorin, was in love with him, but he is again conducting an experiment. He himself comes up with different situations in which he puts himself. " My first pleasure is to subjugate everything that surrounds me to my will.” He likes to be the cause of people's suffering and joy, because this is the food of pride, and happiness is rich in pride. He understands that he has no right to interfere in people's lives, but he does it anyway. He knows that he is capable of subjugating people, but he does it anyway.
The comedy he plays out becomes a tragedy. " Evil begets evil, the first suffering gives the concept of pleasure in tormenting another.”- he writes in his diary. He seems to behave this way in response to someone else's evil, but are his victims to blame? The evil that Pechorin commits is many times greater than the evil that is caused. He simply does not take into account moral guidelines, carries evil with ease, while thinking it through, himself openly admitting that it is evil. As a result, we understand that neither friendship nor love are important for Pechorin, that there is a desire to have power over people.
Finishing this comedy, Pechorin plays out a whole intrigue. He does everything to put Grushnitsky in a truly romantic situation. He correctly assumes that when this happens, Grushnitsky will be confused, because he is not a romantic hero, but a simple young cadet. Pechorin is confident that in this situation Grushnitsky will only have to apologize, show himself as he is, without thinking at all that Grushnitsky may have some things that are as significant as Pechorin’s own. Grushnitsky was really confused, as Pechorin predicted, because he knows that there is only one bullet, and in any case he will lose honor, and it turns out that honor is very important for Grushnitsky, and he does not act as Pechorin expected, he does not run to apologize, but calls on Pechorin fire. And he shoots. Grushnitsky dies, in general, without ever beginning to live.
And Pechorin again risked his life. He gives himself one more self-characteristic: “well, to die, then to die, the loss for the world is small, and I’m pretty bored myself, I’m like a person who doesn’t go home to sleep just because his carriage isn’t there yet.” This characteristic is very different from what he said to Princess Mary or Maxim Maksimych.
“I feel immense strength in my soul, but I did not guess my purpose.” “How many times have I already played the role of an ax in the hands of fate.” In this recording, he is no closer to solving why he brings evil to people. Pechorin does not realize that feelings that he does not need (friendship, love, etc.) can be the meaning of life for other people. When constructing his experiment, he does not take into account the fact that people experience real, rather than toy feelings. He does not understand that Grushnitsky could not have acted differently, that Princess Mary really fell in love with him and is ready to marry him. Pechorin seemed to have rejected from himself what makes people happy, and does not understand why he is unhappy. He is ready to give his life and honor, but he is not ready to give up freedom. At the same time, he himself does not understand why he needs this freedom. In fact, he is arguing, arguing with fate, he wants to prove that he can control other people's destinies, but at the same time cannot control his own. He himself suffers from this, but cannot stop.
The Fatalist is a philosophical story.
In “The Princess” it becomes clear that Pechorin is a deep person, capable of deep feelings, but who consciously rejected responsibility in order to feel his complete independence from the world around him. He looks over their heads and realizes that he is taller than them. He needs to be convinced of his own ability to master fate, so he constantly mentions fate.
In the last part, the same question arises at the very beginning. He argues with Vulich that there is no predestination, but Vulich wins. In the last part, Lermontov begins to generalize his time. When Pechorin returns home, he sees the sky, “and I felt funny when I remembered that there were once wise people who thought that the heavenly bodies take part in our disputes,” he finds it funny that people believe in the highest justice, that they have strong moral guidelines. He characterizes his own generation as “pathetic,” noting that it is not capable of making sacrifices even for its own happiness.
Lermontov does not give assessments, he gives a portrait of a generation. It is not for nothing that Pechorin says that he does not show his best noble qualities as people. He despises people because he despises himself. What is sad is the lack of fulfillment of this person, his life is just a chain of experiments on others. As a result, in this life there is no loved one, no home, no beloved woman, because he himself deliberately abandoned this. He abandoned this for the sake of a dispute that cannot be resolved, because no one knows whether there is a destiny or not.
Lermontov created a deep image of a man who suffers himself and brings suffering to others, a man of the 30s of the 19th century.
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The question of the ownership of the work of K.N. Batyushkov to one of the literary movements of the early 19th century. has long been controversial. This, in particular, is indicated by N.V. Friedman: “Batiushkov’s work has not been studied enough. In fact, even the question of which literary movement this remarkable poet should belong to has not been resolved.” N.V. Friedman cites six definitions of Batyushkov’s creative position, proposed only in the last three decades: neoclassicist, pre-romanticist, romanticist, realist, representative of light poetry, Karamzinist. The most stable opinion was about Batyushkov as a romantic.
G.A. was the first to express this idea. Gukovsky in the monograph “Pushkin and the Russian Romantics” (1st edition - 1946; 2nd - 1965). In his opinion, Batyushkov’s worldview is deeply tragic. As a weak consolation, the poet erects “the light edifice of the dream of normality, healthy person" A.N. Sokolov supported the idea of G.A. Gukovsky about the romantic dual worlds of Batyushkov’s poetry, but these worlds look somewhat different in his view: what is interconnected here is not the tragic worldview and the epicurean dream, but the reactionary social reality and the poet’s romantic ideal opposing it.
The authors of numerous works about Batyushkov strive to give an unambiguous definition of the writer’s work, classifying it as romanticism or realism, classicism or sentimentalism. Meanwhile, the living literary process turns out to be immeasurably more complex, since the development of literature occurs not only from one direction to another, but also in the work of each individual writer. Sometimes the same method is deepened and improved, in other cases the writer moves from one creative method to another, as, for example, Pushkin, Gogol and other writers. There are also cases when one work bears the stamp of two artistic methods, merged in an indissoluble unity.
In Russian literature of the first decades of the 19th century. there were also intermediate phenomena caused by the peculiarities historical development Russian society. Unlike the series European countries(England, France), having already experienced bourgeois revolutions, Russia was just on the eve of democratic transformations. Because of this, educational ideas and educational art with their anti-feudal, anti-absolutist pathos did not lose their significance here and successfully developed side by side, and sometimes in close unity with new literary phenomena - with romanticism and even critical realism. “Russian romanticism,” writes A.B. Botnikov, - was a short-term phenomenon and quite rarely appeared in a “pure” form... The picture of the literary development of Russia appears in immeasurably more complex form than in the West."
Light poetry cannot be considered one of the movements of romanticism, if only because it arose much earlier than this movement. It first appeared in France in the first half of the 18th century. and was represented here by the works of Cholier, Lafar, Hamilton, Jean-Baptiste Rousseau. The next stage of its development dates back to the middle of the 18th century. - lyrics by Dora, Colardo, Bernard, Leonard, Bernie, Bertin, Boufle. During this period, it reflects the thoughtlessly erotic, frivolous attitude of the French aristocracy on the eve of the French Revolution.
Subsequently, light poetry became one of the phenomena of educational literature. Enlightenment writers turned in their work to a wide variety of genres of previous literature. They used adventure, family and frivolous novels, fairy tales, classical tragedy, odes, heroic and burlesque poems for their purposes, but introduced new militant, anti-feudal content into all these genres.
“No matter how contradictory it may be at first glance,” wrote S.S. Mokulsky, “the unification of the great enlightener Voltaire with the aristocratic poetry of the Rococo, however, historically such a unification took place... But in his mind... this hedonism lost its thoughtless, decadent character and became a symbol of independence, an instrument of ideological self-determination.” At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries. The most prominent representative of light poetry in France was Évariste Parni, in whose work anti-clerical and atheistic motives became especially strong.
In Russia, light poetry appeared in the second third of the 18th century. in the lyrics of classic poets: Kantemir, Trediakovsky, Lomonosov and Sumarokov. It was represented at that time by translations of the poems of Anacreon and his Greek imitators. IN last decades XVIII century in Russia there is a spread of educational ideas. Light poetry with its cult of sensual pleasures turned out to be consonant with the hedonistic ethics of the enlighteners and at the same time (a fertile form for expressing their oppositional sentiments towards representatives of secular power and the clergy. Batyushkov’s predecessors in light poetry were M.N. Muravyov and G.R. Derzhavin.
Light poetry at the educational stage of its development has a number of stable, typological features. These include, first of all, two-planeness, two-worldness, which should be distinguished from romantic two-worldness, since it is created in light poetry on the basis of purely educational ideas.
The heroes of light poetry are clearly divided into two camps sharply opposed to each other. Belonging to each of them is determined by the degree of intelligence and “enlightenment” of its representatives. Some of them “correctly” understand the nature of man, the purpose and meaning of his existence. Therefore, in light poetry they are called either “philosophers” (“lazy philosophers” - by Batyushkov), or “sages” (“The Sage of Tebs” - by Pushkin). They love pleasure and reject asceticism. In the hierarchy of pleasures, sensual love comes first for them, followed by friendship, village solitude, wine, poetry and idleness (“laziness” in the language of the poets of this circle).
The opposite camp is represented by heroes who mistakenly, incorrectly judge the meaning and purpose of human existence. This includes kings, courtiers, rich people, all kinds of service workers and careerists, churchmen, primarily monks. Their lives are in blatant contradiction with the laws of nature: they live in stuffy and cramped cities, they are burdened with tedious and boring official duties, their thoughts are subordinated to the struggle for power and wealth. They have no friends, they are unfamiliar with the selfless mutual love. They are possessed by envy and vanity. As for the clergy, they are condemned primarily for preaching asceticism, which is contrary to human nature itself.
Educational easy character poetry of the late XVIII - early XIX centuries. also manifests itself in the preaching of “moderation.” We will not find this concept in romantic literature, whose heroes do not tolerate any control over themselves, no limitation of their desires. The enlighteners had a completely different view. Recognizing and justifying man's desire for pleasure, they at the same time pointed to the need for reasonable limitation of their desires. “Pleasure,” wrote Paul Holbach, “is a good only insofar as it serves to preserve health and maintain a person’s good condition, but pleasure becomes evil... when the consequences of pleasure are harmful to the happiness and well-being of the enjoyer.”
Associated with the preaching of “moderation” in light poetry is the glorification of a modest, unpretentious life, which gives true and at the same time harmless pleasures. The chambers and palaces are contrasted here with a modest “hut”; luxury is contrasted with the ingenuous gifts of nature.
The passion of love, glorified in light poetry, differs significantly from love feeling in the depiction of romantics. Romantic love is always ideal, sublime. It is either heroic, or tragic, or even mystical in nature, but only chosen ones endowed with exceptional, outstanding characters can be worthy of it. In light poetry, love is understood as a healthy, natural, sensual attraction.
Despite its seemingly harmless and not at all militant character, light poetry, like other phenomena of educational literature, did its destructive work. She debunked the idols of the feudal-absolutist world and thereby deprived it of the halo with which it had been surrounded for many centuries.
Study of light poetry of the late 18th - early 19th centuries. allows us to reconsider the originality of Batyushkov’s creativity. His light poetry does not belong to one of the movements of early Russian romanticism, as G.A. claimed. Gukovsky and his many followers belong entirely to the educational stage of Russian literature. Of course, Batyushkov is immeasurably more talented than his predecessors in light poetry, but their perception of reality and creative method are the same.
D.D. wrote about Batyushkov’s connection with the Enlightenment. Blagoy, B.S. Meilakh and a number of other researchers. But this fact was cited as one of the features of the writer’s worldview, as evidence of his belonging to the advanced part of society and was not connected with the peculiarities of the creative method. Meanwhile, the first period of Batyushkov’s literary activity is connected with enlightenment precisely thanks to light poetry, which he and young Pushkin brought to its highest flourishing and perfection.
Batyushkov’s works at this time are distinguished by the dual worlds discussed above and which characterizes light poetry at the educational stage of its development
The poet is equally indifferent to military glory (“Answer to Gnedich”):
Let those who are sick with ambition
Throws fire and thunder with Mars,
But I'm happy with obscurity
In my Sabinsky house.
In the message “To Petin” there is again the same contrast: the world of “nobles and kings”, in which “slavery and chains” await everyone, is contrasted with the poet’s “unknown lot”, decorated with love and wine.
An important place in Batyushkov’s lyrics is occupied by the glorification of “moderation.” This is expressed primarily in the description of the modest furnishings of the poet’s home, in the constant emphasis on the simplicity and unpretentiousness of tastes. The poet calls his house (“My Penates”) either a “wretched hut,” sometimes a “humble hut,” or a “simple” “hut.” The furnishings of the “hut” are modest: “the table is shabby and tripoded,” “the hard bed” - “all the utensils are simple, // Everything is a crumbling meager!” This description does not characterize the tastes of a Stoic, nor the habits of an ascetic. It reflects the views on life of an Epicurean philosopher who knows how to separate true values from false values. Against the background of the poet’s wretched home, far from “palaces”, “fortune” and official “happiness”, the true joys of life look more prominent: love, friendship and poetry.
The love sung by Batyushkov is distinguished by sensuality and eroticism, which is inherent in light poetry (the poems “False Fear”, “Merry Hour”, “Ghost”, “My Penates”, “Bacchante”). She knows neither fidelity nor jealousy and is quite content with the momentary pleasures received on the bed of “voluptuousness.” The earthly, educational nature of this love was severely condemned by Zhukovsky in his letter “To Batyushkov” and strongly supported by young Pushkin.
The poet’s friends can only be his like-minded people, just like him, “lazy philosophers, enemies of court bonds,” who calmly exchanged the vicissitudes of public service for the idleness of home life.
The materialistic worldview, coming from the ideas of the Enlightenment, was expressed in Batyushkov’s light poetry and in the denial of the afterlife. This thought is persistently repeated in the first period of his literary activity: “I will die, and everything will die with me!” (“Merry Hour”), “I will die, friends, and that’s all with me” (“Advice to Friends”), “The Most Blessed Hour! But ah!//The dead do not rise” (“Ghost”). The thought of death not only does not darken the joy of life in Batyushkov’s light poetry, but, on the contrary, makes it doubly valuable. Therefore, it is difficult to agree with the opinion of G.A. Gukovsky, who argued that “the individual soul, mortal, fleeting, tragically doomed, is empty and meaningless for Batyushkov.” This problem is revealed in Batyushkov’s poetry much more optimistically. Enlightenment materialists believed that disbelief in the afterlife does not reduce, but, on the contrary, increases the value and significance of earthly existence. Interesting in this regard is the interpretation of P.I. Shalikov, in the spirit of the educational ideas of the late 18th century, the philosophy of Epicurus. “Epicure,” he wrote, “especially tried to dispel the horror of death... If you are happy, if you have lived in all contentment, then... what do you expect? Leave life as one leaves a feast.” This idea was repeated almost verbatim by Batyushkov in the poem “Answer to Gnedich”:
Like a guest, satiated with fun,
The luxurious one leaves the feast,
So I, intoxicated with love,
I will leave the world indifferently.
Batyushkov’s attitude to the problem of death is as courageous and optimistic as that of the enlighteners. The theme of death and the theme of pleasures often appear side by side in his works (“Response to Gnedich”, “Ghost”, “My Penates”). The winner of a duel is always pleasure, as a result of which life does not depreciate, but acquires even greater significance (“My Penates”):
While he's running after us
The god of time is gray
And the meadow with flowers is destroyed
With a merciless scythe,
My friend! hurry up for happiness
Let's fly on the journey of life;
Let's get drunk with voluptuousness
And we will get ahead of death...
“The very course of the historical process clearly demonstrated to the poet the inconsistency of his attempt to escape from... the painful contradictions of reality,” writes N.V. Friedman. This fundamentally correct idea requires some clarification. The fact is that the rejection of light poetry meant at the same time Batyushkov’s departure not only from Epicureanism, but also from Enlightenment.
The destroyers of Moscow and hedonistic philosophers turned out to be compatriots. This was enough for Batyushkov to declare war on both.
Of course, there was a historical causal relationship between the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the reign of Napoleon and his campaign against Russia, otherwise history would have turned into a kaleidoscope of accidents. But the causal dependence between phenomena does not mean their identity. Therefore, Napoleon’s seizure of imperial power and the wars that followed, although they were conditioned by the entire course of previous events, were at the same time a clear betrayal of the basic principles of Enlightenment philosophy.
Then in the excitement of the people's storms
Anticipating your wonderful destiny,
In his noble hopes
You despised humanity, -
wrote Pushkin in 1821, summing up the short-term and stormy activities of Napoleon. Batyushkov did not comprehend the complex dialectics of history, superbly revealed by Pushkin in the ode “Napoleon”. He lined up enlightenment, revolution, Napoleon’s wars, the fire of Moscow and saw in them phenomena that were completely homogeneous in their internal nature and in their results: “The terrible actions of the vandals or the French in Moscow and in its environs... completely upset my little philosophy and they quarreled me with humanity... Barbarians, vandals! And this people of monsters dared to talk about freedom, about philosophy, about philanthropy! And we were so blinded that we imitated them like monkeys! Okay, so they paid us! All their books are worthy of a fire, ... their heads are worthy of a guillotine.”
Capturing in his mind's eye the ideological and political phenomena of the late 18th - early 19th centuries, Batyushkov establishes a too straightforward causal connection between them: “My heart does not belong to this country,” he writes to Gnedich, “the revolution, the world war, the fire of Moscow and the devastation of Russia.” I was forever at odds with the fatherland of Henry IV, the great Racine and Montagne.”
Batyushkov is now inclined to see the source, the beginning of all disasters in the preaching of hedonism, which lay at the basis of both educational philosophy and light poetry. He set out his new views especially fully in the article “Something about Morality Based on Philosophy and Religion,” written in 1815. In clear contradiction with his recent beliefs and cheerful light poetry, Batyushkov now furiously attacks hedonism. “...A crowd of epicurean philosophers from Montagne to the most turbulent days of the revolution repeated to man: “Enjoy! All nature is yours, it offers you all its sweets... everything except hope for the future, everything is yours, momentary, but true! But this kind of preaching, Batyushkov claims, does not achieve the goal and does not give a person lasting happiness. Pleasure ends, according to the poet, every time with satiety and leaves behind boredom and dissatisfaction. “This is how,” writes Batyushkov, “the human heart was created: ... in the highest bliss, ... it acquires bitterness.” The consequence of dissatisfaction, on the one hand, and godlessness, on the other, were, in the poet’s opinion, the tragic events that took place on the verge of two centuries: “...We looked with horror at the fruits of wicked freethinking, at freedom that had hoisted its banner among the bloody corpses , ... to the successes of the wicked legions, to Moscow, smoking in its ruins.” The recent atheist and epicurean now defends the afterlife, the immortal soul, and ethics based on Christian dogmas. “Unbelief destroys itself,” he declares. “Faith alone creates unshakable morality.”
Batyushkov’s “little philosophy” really could not withstand the collision with major historical events. The reason for this is that the poet perceived enlightenment itself too narrowly, limiting it exclusively to a hedonistic worldview. The political ideas of the Enlightenment - hatred of absolutism, serfdom, denial of class inequality, etc. - were not reflected in the poet’s worldview. As a result, the collapse of the hedonistic worldview led Batyushkov in 1812 to reject the entire Enlightenment ideology as a whole.
Let us remember that Pushkin and the future Decembrists also witnessed the invasion of Napoleonic army into Russia, and later the fire of Moscow. However, these dramatic events were perceived by them not as a consequence of the ideas of enlightenment, but as a gross and unceremonious violation of them. Pushkin, glorifying in the ode “Liberty” one of the cherished ideas of the philosophers of the 18th century. - equality of all before the law - at the same time stigmatizes not only Louis XVI and Paul I, but also Napoleon. Moreover, in the lyrics of 1818-1819. Pushkin managed to combine both the hedonistic and political principles of the Enlightenment (messages to “V. Engelhardt,” “Vsevolozhsky,” “Mansurov”), but Batyushkov was unable to achieve such a broad approach to Enlightenment ideology. The consequence of this was an ideological crisis, which ended with concessions to religious sentiments, which brought his poetry closer to the protective camp.
If used to be easy Batyushkov’s poetry opposed the romanticism of Zhukovsky, now their creative positions are becoming extremely close, since the worldview of both poets is based on the same idea about the fragility of earthly values and the eternity of afterlife bliss.
These new moods were especially clearly reflected in the poems “Hope”, “To a Friend” (both written in 1815) and in the extensive elegy “Dying Tass”.
In the first of these works there is even a verbal coincidence with Zhukovsky’s poems:
Zhukovsky. "Singer in the camp of Russian warriors" ...
Power of attorney to the Creator!
Whatever it is - Invisible
Leads us to better end
An incomprehensible path.
Batyushkov. "Hope"
My spirit! power of attorney to the creator!
Take heart; Be a patient stone.
Isn't he for a better end?
He led me through the flames of war (195).
In Batyushkov’s poetic dictionary the same symbolic words “here” and “there” appear as in Zhukovsky, denoting earthly and afterlife existence in both authors: “So everything here is vanity in the monastery of vanities!” (“To a friend”), “There, there... oh happiness! ...among immaculate wives,//Among angels...” (“Dying Tass”).
The new moods were especially fully and vividly expressed in the elegy “Dying Tass”. The tragic fate of the great Italian poet - poverty, unjust persecution, imprisonment, madhouse- becomes in Batyushkov’s work a kind of symbol of the imperfection of the earthly vale, and the death of Tass on the day of his belated triumph is an even more striking example of the “treachery” of envious fortune (see the author’s notes to the poem “The Dying Tass.”)
Everything earthly perishes... both glory and crown...
The creations of the arts and muses are majestic,
But everything there is eternal, just as the creator himself is eternal,
Give us the crown of eternal glory!
An analysis of Batyushkov’s work convinces us that the question of whether writers belong to one or another literary movement does not always imply an unambiguous solution. In some cases, a writer may move from one direction to another. A striking example of such evolution can be the creative path of Batyushkov. He started with light poetry, which was one of the phenomena of educational literature at that time, and only after a complex ideological crisis moved to romanticism
However, this sequence is characteristic not only of Batyushkov. Many poets of the first quarter of the 19th century paid tribute to light poetry: Vyazemsky, Delvig, Yazykov, Baratynsky, Ryleev and Pushkin. Their interest in light poetry testified to their belonging to the camp of freethinkers, but of an educational kind. The next stages of their work were romanticism.
L-ra: Philological sciences. – 1983. - No. 6. – P. 10-16.Key words: Konstantin Batyushkov, criticism of Batyushkov’s work, Batyushkov’s work, download criticism, download for free, Batyushkov and antiquity, Russian literature of the 19th century, download abstract, Batyushkov’s poetry
