Philosophical motives of Pushkin's lyrics essay on creativity


Philosophical lyrics in a narrow and broad sense

The concept of “philosophical lyrics” combines two categories of poems.

Firstly, this includes any poetry that touches on metaphysical topics: life, death, the meaning of existence, relationships with God, the essence of the universe, the highest goal of humanity. At the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries, this understanding of philosophical lyricism was predominant.

The philosophical component was present in the works of many iconic poets of the era. In this sense, G. R. Derzhavin, V. A. Zhukovsky, M. Yu. Lermontov, A. S. Pushkin can be considered poet-philosophers.

Philosophical lyrics by A.S. Pushkin at the end of the 1820s–1830s

(see also “Pushkin’s poems that are easy to learn”)

Secondly, we are talking about philosophical lyrics themselves. In a broad sense, philosophical lyrics are a set of works in which any thought is complete and self-sufficient, and the system of views built by the author is subordinated to a specific concept.

Philosophical lyrics are not limited only to content. It expresses the poet’s special way of thinking, in accordance with which the artistic search is conducted.

Essay Philosophical lyrics by A. S. Pushkin

A. S. Pushkin is the greatest Russian poet and prose writer of the last century. He is the founder of new Russian literature, one of the first realists in our literature. It was after him that the talents of other writers and poets were revealed: Lermontov, Gogol, Tolstoy, Nekrasov and Dostoevsky. The poet's lyrics are multi-obsessed. But no matter how diverse the questions raised by the poet are, they are all imbued with philosophical content. Pushkin, being an educated man of his time, spent his entire life thinking about eternal philosophical questions: about the meaning of human life, about good and evil, about the purpose of a poet and poetry, death and immortality, faith and unbelief. This could not but affect his lyrics, so philosophical motives permeate all of his work. The originality of Pushkin's philosophical lyrics lies in the fact that they were personal, deeply intimate in nature. The poet passed everything through himself; it was a philosophy tested in his own life, which emerged as a result of his own thoughts and experiences, which distinguishes Pushkin’s philosophical lyrics from the lyrics of Tyutchev and Blok. The poet thought about eternal philosophical questions while still studying at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Under the influence of Batyushkov, he viewed the meaning of life from the perspective of a cheerful epicureanism. In his opinion, the purpose of human existence was pleasure, friendly feasts, wasting life in cheerful companies of friends: Mortal, your age is a ghost: Catch happiness quickly; Enjoy, enjoy; Fill the cup often; Be weary of ardent passion and rest over a cup! This is what the sixteen-year-old poet writes in his poem “The Tomb of Anacreon” (1815). Similar thoughts can be seen in other youthful poems of the poet: Drink every drop of pleasure, Live carefree, indifferent! Be obedient to the moment of your life, Be young in your youth! (“Stanzas to Tolstoy”, 1819) Addressing his friend, he preaches the ideals of entertainment and pleasure, fun and friendly meetings. The turning point for Pushkin was the 20s. At this time, he began to sum up the first results of his life and work. In southern exile, the poet was in the grip of romanticism, like all young people of that time. His idols were Napoleon and Byron. The poet's philosophy also changed. Pushkin the romantic saw the purpose of life not in endless feasts, but in accomplishing a feat. The desire to act, heroism, and majestic impulses of the soul characteristic of romanticism were also reflected in the poet’s lyrics: Seeker of new impressions, I fled you, fatherly land; I ran away from you, pets of pleasure, minutes of youth, momentary friends, - this is how Pushkin wrote in the elegy “The Daylight Has Extinguished” (1820). Both in this and in the poem “To the Sea” (1824) a bright romantic symbol appears - the ocean. The poet thinks, dreams on its shore, it brings him inspiration. Pushkin compares human life with the life of the ocean. Carried away by new dreams and aspirations, he abandons his former ideals, the hobbies of his youth: I don’t feel sorry for you, unfaithful friends, Wreaths of feasts and circular bowls - I don’t feel sorry for you, young traitors, I am thoughtful and averse to fun, the poet writes in the poem “I don’t feel sorry for you, year of spring” (1820). By the mid-twenties, A.S. Pushkin was experiencing an ideological crisis. Life begins to scare him, less and less romanticism remains, and it is replaced by the harsh truth of life - realism. He now really looks at life, at its problems, but does not see any meaning or high purpose in it. In the poem “The Cart of Life” (1823), he compares life to a cart that travels from morning to night, from a bright beginning to a dark end. The cart is still rolling; In the evening we got used to it, And dozing off we go until the night, And time drives the horses. An even more difficult time was the period after the defeat of the Decembrist uprising. Many of those executed and exiled were close friends of the poet. He, having failed to take part in the performance, felt guilty before them. The most severe Nikolaev reaction and loneliness in my personal life only worsened the situation. At this time, the poet has a motive of despair. He looks at life especially tragically, not seeing a high goal in it: There is no goal in front of me: The heart is empty, the mind is idle, And the monotonous noise of life torments me with melancholy. It is hard to believe that the poem “A Vain Gift, an Accidental Gift” (1828) was written by Pushkin on his twenty-ninth birthday. Then the author begins to think about the philosophical problems of death and immortality, the change of generations, about good and evil. So, in the poem “Do I wander along the noisy streets...” (1829) he says that sooner or later, far from home or “in the next valley” he will die, but he wants his life, dreams, deeds to move on to a new one generation, so that the new generation continues to live, love, dream. I caress my dear baby, I’m already thinking: forgive me! I give up my place to you: It’s time for me to smolder, for you to bloom. Pushkin also considers the problem of good and evil in the poem “Anchar” (1828), in which he talks about the “tree of poison” - the anchar, which is a philosophical image-symbol, the embodiment of evil, which people dispose of at will, sending death “to neighbors in alien lands.” limits." But it would be wrong to say that during this period Pushkin completely renounces the desire to live, wants to die, because he does not see a goal in life. In the poem “Elegy,” written in 1830, he states exactly the opposite: My path is sad. The troubled sea promises me the work and grief of the coming one. But, O friends, I don’t want to die: I want to live so that I can think and suffer. The poet, despite all the difficulties and sorrows, wants to continue to live, to create, and then, in his opinion, by the end of his life he will perhaps find harmony, happiness, and love. Reflecting on reason and madness, Pushkin understands that there is nothing more terrible than madness, which is why he exclaims with such force: God forbid I go crazy. No, the staff and bag are easier; No, easier work and smoother. (“God forbid I go crazy,” 1833) Pushkin believes that the goal of his life as a poet is “to burn the hearts of people with a verb.” He is obliged to serve people with his skill, his poetic word, to guide them on the true path. Reflecting on the philosophical problem of generational change, about old and new, the poet finds the answer in the harmony of nature. He understands that time moves inexorably forward, it is impossible to slow it down, sooner or later others will come to take his place. Hello, Young, unfamiliar tribe! It’s not I who will see your mighty late age,” he writes in the poem “Again I visited...” (1835). Summing up a peculiar result of his life, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, six months before his death, wrote the poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands...” (1836). In it, he sums up his thoughts about the poet’s place in life, evaluates his contribution to literature, and reflects on what kind of memory he will leave behind for posterity: No, all of me will not die - the soul in the treasured lyre My ashes will survive and will escape decay - And I will be glorious as long as at least one drinker lives in the sublunary world. The author understands immortality not as physical existence, but as a trace in the memory of descendants. Considering Pushkin’s philosophical lyrics, many more examples can be given. Philosophical thoughts permeate both love and civil lyrics, and poems about friendship and nature, about the purpose of the poet and poetry in society. Pushkin, as a thinking, developing person, at different periods of his life understood and comprehended eternal philosophical problems in different ways, reflected in the evolution of his worldview and creative method.

Key features of philosophical lyrics

Based on the above, we can highlight the following features of philosophical lyrics:

  • the presence of a philosophical plan, a well-thought-out concept;
  • reflections on the relationship between the ideal and the material, the spiritual and the sensual, the eternal and the mortal, the divine and the earthly;
  • some dogmatism and categorical thought;
  • monumentality;
  • unambiguity of thought, often instructiveness;
  • the primacy of thought over feeling;
  • the blurriness of the lyrical hero, his merging with humanity as a whole;
  • generalized psychologism;
  • expansion of the time frame to eternity, and the boundaries of space to the universe;
  • a given range of topics and genre (for example, ode, message).

On the contrary, meditative and thoughtful poetry, which is not strictly philosophical, is characterized by greater spontaneity, liveliness, and freedom of expression of feelings. The lyrical hero in it is an independent personality, and space and time are reduced to “here” and “now”. The lyrics of this direction address a wider range of topics and use freedom of form and poetic construction.

Themes of philosophical lyrics

Philosophical lyrics are based on an already established system of views. Therefore, the ideas she develops often border on dogma in their clarity of formulation, linearity and consistency.

Belonging to philosophical poetry can be seen from the titles of some poems (“Wisdom”, “Infinity”, “Thought”). There is no place for the individuality of the lyrical hero: his image is blurred and generalized.

The following themes dominated the work of poets and philosophers of the 19th century:

  • the collision of space and time, their “joints”, transitions, kinks; duality of existence;
  • the relationship between man and nature;
  • denial of modern society;
  • premonition of future tragedies, revolutions, catastrophes;
  • anti-individualism;
  • the existence of an individual person and the whole world.

The artistic form of the works corresponds to the content with its detailed judgments. The composition of a philosophical poem is usually subject to the laws of logic.

Philosophical lyrics of Pushkin

Philosophical lyrics of A. S. Pushkin

Russian poetry knows many poet-philosophers with their own developed philosophical concepts. However, Pushkin never belonged to them. He was primarily a poet, not a philosopher; he does not have a developed philosophical concept. Pushkin's philosophy is his worldview, his worldview, embodied in poetry. However, we can highlight a number of poems that reflect general philosophical themes of good and evil, life and death, moment and eternity, time, memory and the theme of man.

In his early lyceum period, Pushkin looked at life optimistically. Life seemed to him a joyful holiday and a merry feast to which he and his friends were called. Therefore, Anacreontic and Epicurean motifs appear in the poems of this period. Enjoying love, creativity, friendship and wine - this is what the young poet encourages his friends to do. The poem “The Tomb of Anacreon” says that “life, alas, is not an eternal gift,” so it should be enjoyed, seized every moment, strive to steal at least a few minutes from stingy time. In a message to “Prince A. M. Gorchakov,” the young poet wishes his lyceum friend on his birthday not long years, wealth, loud fame or honors. He wishes him to spend his life “between Bacchus and Cupid” as “the tender pet of Epicurus,” and when life comes to an end, to enter the gloomy boat of Charon from the arms of his beloved. Such was the attitude of young Pushkin to life and death.

But having experienced a deep crisis during the transition from youth to maturity, Pushkin changed his attitude towards life. In the poems of this period, questions appear about the meaning of human life and the purpose of man. In the 1928 poem “A Vain Gift, an Accidental Gift...” the poet asks a question to which it is not easy to find an answer: “Life, why were you given to me?” In this poem, the poet realizes that life is filled with suffering and doubt and has no purpose.

In “Poems Composed at Night During Insomnia,” human life with its bustle is likened to the scurrying of mice; it lacks any meaning. The wise goddesses of fate, the parks, on whom human life depends, are presented here as meaninglessly muttering ordinary village grandmothers. Life during this period seems to the poet an insoluble mystery. It is not possible to obtain unambiguous answers to questions about the meaning of human existence.

Unlike the poems of the Lyceum period, in adulthood death does not seem something easy to Pushkin. Having realized the tragic inevitability of death, the poet, however, does not despair, because in his consciousness he finds the strength to accept this inevitability and resign himself to it as before the law of fate. In the poem “Do I wander along the noisy streets...” he reflects on the approach of the last hour and the fact that sooner or later everyone living on this earth will descend under the eternal arches. Pushkin understands that he will have to give way to another (“it’s time for me to smolder, for you to bloom”) and that the moment will come when he will not be on earth, but life will continue and nature will also shine with its eternal beauty.

A wise acceptance of life with all its contradictions was characteristic of the worldview of the mature Pushkin. In the poem of 1835 “...I visited again...” the poet expresses submission, humility before the inexorable law of existence: “and I myself, obedient to the general law, have changed.” In this poem, human memory comes first. It is in memory that he can resurrect pictures of the past and connect together the past and the present. Here the poet recognizes himself as a link in a single chain of generations. At the end of the poem, the poet expresses confidence that his grandson, returning along the same road from a friendly conversation, will remember him.

Throughout his life and work, Pushkin was characterized by a joyful, life-affirming, optimistic attitude towards life. This is evidenced by his attitude towards work and the blows of fate. In the poem “If life deceives you...” the poet wisely advises not to be sad or angry on a day of despondency, but to firmly believe that “everything is instant, everything will pass...”, that a day of fun and happiness will certainly come. In the poem “The more often the Lyceum celebrates...” Pushkin understands that the everyday trials that befell him and his friends contributed to their maturity and spiritual growth. He consoles his friends and gives them hope of meeting again and hugging each other.

Pushkin's perception of life is characterized by the desire for harmony with the surrounding world and nature. He does not feel isolated from what is happening around him. In the passage “Autumn,” written in 1833, he reflects on how the alternation of seasons affects a person’s spiritual, mental and even physical state. He notes that his favorite time of year to see it bloom again is fall. It is in the fall that he feels a love for the habits of life and experiences a creative surge.

One of the philosophical questions - man’s perception of time - is embodied in the poem “The Cart of Life”. Here human life is likened to riding in a cart, and time is like a coachman driving horses. Morning, noon and evening are likened to youth, maturity and old age of human life. In his youth, a person is impatient and it naively seems to him that he is driving horses, that is, controlling events. In adulthood, he “doesn’t have that courage” and confidence, and in old age he simply obediently rides in a cart to wherever he is being taken, without pretending to hold the reins of power in his hands.

The 1836 poem “It was time: our holiday is young...” reflects the perception of life in its different periods. In his youth, the poet and his friends were careless ignoramuses; they lived “both easier and bolder.” However, over the years they changed, and their attitude to life became more serious and strict - “this is the law of fate.” In this poem, Pushkin also reflects on the relationship between personality and history. History here appears as a spontaneous force opposing the will and desires of people, but for Pushkin a person is not a sliver in the whirlpool of historical events. He is given freedom of choice and the opportunity to fight for the right to be himself.

Pushkin the man resigned himself to the inevitability of death, but Pushkin the poet hopes for immortality and posthumous glory. In the poem “I erected a monument to myself not made by hands...” he says that he will not die in the memory of the Russian people, that his soul, embodied in poetry, will avoid decay and that the glory of him will not disappear in this world as long as at least one poet lives .

Subject of philosophical lyrics

The desire of philosophical poetry for universality and universality also qualitatively changes the subject of consciousness in the poem. A number of transformations occur with the figure of the lyrical hero:

  • The author's consciousness is expressed primarily through generalized and impersonal forms.
  • The image of the lyrical hero fades into the background or disappears altogether, since it is little suitable for expressing abstract ideas.
  • Instead of the lyrical hero, the subjects become “you”, “we”, “you” in the meaning of “everyone”, “everyone”, “anyone”. That is, the subject of consciousness expresses a universal feeling:

Two feelings are wonderfully close to us

,

The heart finds food in them:

Love for the native ashes,

Love for fathers' coffins.

(A.S. Pushkin)

How little is needed in this life

Us

, children - both you and me.

(A. A. Blok)

  • Often the carrier of consciousness in the work is not named at all, and all attention is focused on the object. In this case, they speak of the “poetic world of the author.”

Essay on the topic: Philosophical motives of the lyrics of A.S. Pushkin

Composition. Philosophical motives of A.S.’s lyrics Pushkin

Floating. Where should we sail? A. S. Pushkin An amazing feeling covers the soul when you pick up a volume of poems by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. This wizard can do everything. There is no theme, form or genre in which the artist does not create. But most of all I am attracted by the poet’s lyrics. He speaks about serious philosophical things with such charming ease; this word should not be confused with frivolity. Pushkin is such a genius that he feels moderation in everything. His poems fascinate with the beauty of their form and sound without losing the depth of their content. Let us turn to the poet's later lyrics, when he, having experienced a lot, having lost close friends, rethinks the path he has traveled, but for some reason does not dream of the future. What is this? A brilliant premonition of an imminent death or an understanding that all the most beautiful and bright things have already happened in his life. The poem “Commander,” dedicated to Barclay de Tolly, is very indicative of this period. But in this harsh crowd, One attracts me the most. With a new thought I will always stop before him - and I will not take my eyes off him. The longer I look. All the more, I am tormented by heavy sadness. O unfortunate leader! Your lot was harsh: You sacrificed everything to a foreign land. The poet reflects on the vicissitudes of this warrior’s fate. It so happened that the people try to explain the troubles and misfortunes of Napoleon's invasion by the inept command of a stranger - Bar#'lay. The author understands the fallacy of the judgments of ordinary people and that justice has been restored and tribute has been paid to the memory of T,ATTTIV, who served Russia honestly. *°3 * people! A pitiful race, worthy of tears and laughter.' priests of the moment, fans of success! How often does a person pass by you, Over whom the blind and violent age scolds, “The tsets high face in the coming generation of the Poet will lead to delight and tenderness! Isn’t the author talking about himself here, and military men did not always understand him. Not everyone can appreciate the scale of the personality of the living genius next to him. Although Pushkin was called “the sun of Russian poetry” during his lifetime, at the end of his journey Alexander Sergeevich had many envious people, spiteful critics, ready to criticize the poet’s works, poison his life, and make the already not very happy and prosperous artist suffer. And Pushkin, he was wise, like any genius, but also childishly defenseless, with a heart and soul open to people, and suffered because of the callousness, injustice and slander of those around him. Very often the poet was carried away by memories of the past years of his youth, when he was happy with his youth, surrounded by friends, and these are primarily the lyceum years. In the poem “Autumn” the same motive sounds - a memory of the “golden time”, of the wonderful time of autumn, when the poet worked easily and joyfully, and inspiration was revived. Every autumn I bloom again; The Russian cold is good for my health; I again feel love for the habits of being; One by one sleep flies away, one by one hunger comes; The blood plays easily and joyfully in the heart, Desires are boiling - I am happy again, young, I am full of life again... Yes, the poetry of A.S. Pushkin is forever young, talent is not allowed to grow old, the years have no power over it. The poem “Premonition” is full of hints, halftones and unexpressed feelings, but the “limit” has approached and we must leave. Is this why the angel asks to forgive him for coming so early for the SOUL of the lyrical hero: a meek, serene angel, say to me: forgive me, be sad: raise your tender gaze or lower it; “Your memory will replace the strength, pride, hope and courage of my young days in my soul. Pushkin's philosophical lyrics are characterized by reflections on the frailty of life, the untimeliness of a person's departure into the world, and about the many injustices that await him on his already short and not always serene path. In general, the theme d0p01>) appears very often in the poet’s lyrics. In the poem “The Great Road,” one can hear the motifs of a mournful coachman's song set in the endless expanses of Russia, evoking melancholy: Along the winter, boring road, Three greyhounds are running, A monotonous bell is rattling tiresomely. No fire, no black hut, Wilderness and snow... Towards me Only striped miles Come across one... The poem “Demons” interprets this same topic more broadly and deeply, The road bewitches and leads into unknown distances. This is the path not only of the lyrical hero, but of Russia as a whole. Endless, ugly, In the muddy game of the month Various demons swirled, Like leaves in November... How many of them! where are they being driven? Why are they singing so pitifully? Do they bury the brownie, or marry off the witch? The transience of life is another motif of the poet’s philosophical lyrics. He foresees his early death and resists as best he can, but fate is inevitable. The poem "Elegy" is full of conflicting feelings and experiences. Pain and melancholy are overcome by an indomitable thirst for life. The faded joy of crazy years is heavy on me, like a vague hangover. But, like wine, the sadness of days gone by In my soul, the older it is, the stronger it is. My path is sad. The troubled sea promises me the work and grief of the coming one. But I don’t want, O friends, to die; I want to live so that I can think and suffer. In many poems, A. S. Pushkin addresses the reader in the first person, so you perceive the work as written only for the reader, directly for him and at a given time. Unfading, beautiful, joyful and sad lyrics awaken the most sublime feelings in a person, make him better, kinder, which in the end is the main reason and goal of the work of almost every artist. A. S. Push himself also took credit for the fact that “he awakened good feelings with his lyre.”

novstudent.ru | 10/22/2012

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