Artistic mastery of I. A. Goncharov in the novel “Oblomov”
The novel by I. A. Goncharov is built on the principle of depicting two opposing life destinies: Oblomov and Stolz. These heroes are united by the image of Olga Ilyinskaya, whom they both loved. The genre of this work is close to artistic biography. Its content is aimed at understanding the life of an individual, searching for the origins of socially significant activities in individual biographical experience.
The composition of the novel: sleep - awakening - sleep. The author's style of narration in these parts depends on which of the characters is being discussed. Where the author writes about Oblomov, there is humor combined with a lyrical element, often irony; where about Stolz there is a strict narrative tone. In the first part of the novel there is very little action; Oblomov is still lying on the sofa, receiving visitors. The hero is engaged exclusively in “mental” activities. For several years now he has been thinking about a plan for reforms in 06-lomovka (“As soon as he gets up from sweating in the morning, after tea, he will immediately lie down on the sofa, prop his head on his hand and think, sparing no effort, until, finally, his head gets tired of hard work and conscience will say: enough has been done today for the common good... No one knew or saw this inner life of Ilya Ilyich: everyone thought that Oblomov was so-so, just lying there and eating for his health, and that there was nothing more to expect from him; that he hardly has any thoughts in his head...")
Of great importance in the composition of the novel is the chapter “Oblomov’s Dream”, in which the author, using the technique of appealing to the memory of the hero, shows the childhood of Ilya Ilyich. The origins of “Oblomovism” are in Oblomov’s childhood. The conditions of landowner life and noble upbringing ruined his lively mind, the desire for any activity and gave rise to apathy and lack of will.
The second part of the novel shows Stolz's strong and harmonious personality and describes his Russian-German upbringing. All of Stolz’s attempts to return Oblomov to active life are broken by immobility, fear of change and indifference to Ilya Ilyich’s own fate.
The fourth part describes the “Vyborg Oblomovism”. Here Oblomov, after breaking up with Olga, marries Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna, again goes into hibernation, and then dies. This part is the post-position of the novel.
The composition of the work fully corresponds to the idea: to show the conditions that gave rise to laziness, to trace how a person turns into a dead
soul. All the author's attention is focused on the finest finishing of the characters' characters.
The first part of the novel and the first two chapters of the second part represent an exposition in which I. A. Goncharov shows the conditions in which the protagonist’s personality was formed, and also traces his evolution (or rather, degradation).
The plot of the action is Oblomov’s acquaintance with Olga Ilyinskaya, nascent love (III and V chapters of the second part). Chapter XII of the third part, where Ilya Ilyich declares his love to Olga, is the climax. But the inability to sacrifice one’s peace for the sake of love leads to a breakup. Chapters XI-XII of the third part are devoted to this.
"Oblomov" refers to the psychological direction in literature. The main character's character has dominant traits (laziness, apathy); The chapter “Oblomov’s Dream” traces the influence of the social environment on the hero. In the image of Oblomov, I. A. Goncharov combined social generalization with the image of an individualized personality. The name Oblomov became a household name. The writer condemns, exposes his hero, pronounces a verdict on Oblomovism, but at the same time treats the hero with sympathy. Oblomov does not look like the landowners previously depicted by N.V. Gogol and I.S. Turgenev. There is no despotism or cruelty in him; on the contrary, he is meek, kind, and grateful.
In the epilogue of the novel, the reader learns about the death of Ilya Ilyich and traces the further fate of Zakhar, Stolz, and Olga.
There is no single point of view regarding the plot of the novel. Some literary scholars argue that there are two storylines in the novel: Oblomov - Olga and Stolz - Olga. And Professor A.G. Tsetlin believes that in the novel there is one storyline and all events are subordinated to one goal - to show the gradual transformation into a “dead soul”; those chapters that depict the relationship between Olga and Stolz are intended to highlight the fate of Oblomov.
The language of the novel is distinguished by ease and purity. The author does not use decorative epithets or metaphors; the vocabulary is devoid of archaisms and dialectisms; on the contrary, it is enriched with scientific and journalistic words of the 40-50s. The language of each of the characters is unique. Although each of the main characters - Olga, Oblomov, Stolz - speaks the correct literary language, for each the language is associated with the features of the internal appearance.
There are very few descriptions of the landscape in the work, but where the author depicts summer Oblomovka, the park where Olga and Ilya Ilyich meet, the language is unusually clear and expressive.
I. A. Goncharov shows the life of the heroes in moments of ups and downs, reveals Oblomov’s struggle with himself - and all this is given in vivid pictures of life, the author’s reasoning is reduced to a minimum.
I. A. Goncharov uses several “through” artistic details that serve as a means of additional characterization of the hero, revealing the state of his inner world. Lilacs in the novel symbolize the possibility of change for the better. A branch of lilac, thrown by Olga and picked up by 06-lomov, helps both of them understand each other’s feelings. But just as the lilac fades in the spring, the love of young people fades into the past. Everything in life is transitory, and Oblomov knows this: “The lilacs have gone away..., yesterday has gone away, and the night with ghosts, with suffocation has also gone away... Yes! And this moment will fade away like lilacs!.. What is this?.. And - love too... love? And I thought that, like a sultry afternoon, it would hang over those who love and nothing would move or breathe in its atmosphere: there is no peace in love, and it everything changes, everything moves somewhere forward...” Lilacs and on Oblomov’s grave: “ Lilac branches, planted by a friendly hand, doze over the grave. May wormwood smell serenely.”
The novel has its own “music”. This is the opera Casta diva, performed by Olga and which Oblomov cannot forget, even after falling asleep for the second time. The feeling of love in the novel develops according to the laws of a musical work. In the history of the relationship between Olga and Ilya Ilyich there are “unisons”, “dissonances”, and “counterpoints”. The plot of this opera predicts the tragic end of love.
A portrait description of the hero in a novel is an important element in creating his image. For example, Oblomov and Stolz are people of the same age, but strikingly different in interests and lifestyle. And such different attitudes to life also influenced the appearance of the heroes. Oblomov’s “dominant and main expression” of his face was softness, which “neither fatigue nor boredom could drive away for a minute,” “Ilya Ilyich’s complexion was neither ruddy, nor dark, nor positively pale, but indifferent...” and he himself was “somehow flabby beyond his years.” His body, “judging by the matte, overly white color of his neck, small plump arms, soft shoulders, seemed too pampered for a man”; “His movements, even when he was alarmed, were also restrained by gentleness and laziness, not without a kind of grace.”
Stolz is the complete opposite. “He is all made up of bones, muscles and nerves, like a blooded English horse. He is thin; he has almost no cheeks at all, that is, there is bone and muscle, but no sign of fatty roundness; complexion is even, darkish and no blush; The eyes, although a little greenish, are expressive.
He had no unnecessary movements. If he was sitting, he sat quietly, but if he acted, he used as many facial expressions as necessary.”
The portraits of both heroes reflect their characters. Oblomov is a gentle, generous, kind person, but at the same time apathetic, lazy, indifferent to himself and his health. He has no purpose in life and no interest, values only his peace of mind, is completely unprepared and unadapted to life.
Stolz does not see the meaning of life without work, he is enterprising and unusually efficient: “He is constantly on the move: if society needs to send an agent to Belgium or England, they send him; you need to write some project or adapt a new idea to business - they choose it. Meanwhile, he goes out into the world and reads...” Even in his face there is strength, energy and calm. But Andrei has no dreams, no poetry, he is a bourgeois businessman striving only for personal independence.
When describing the life of the heroes, I. A. Goncharov also uses small details. In the image of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, the “talking detail” is his robe. He becomes an integral part of his owner’s life, as he has a multitude of “invaluable virtues: he is soft, flexible; you don’t feel it on yourself; he is like an obedient slave, submitting to the slightest movement of the body.” The robe either disappears or appears again - depending on Oblomov’s life circumstances. After meeting Olga Ilyinskaya and, as a result, awakening to life, the robe disappeared: “Tarantiev took it with him to his godfather with other things.” There are no long, soft and wide shoes that you immediately step into. Now Oblomov is “sitting... in his home coat; a light scarf is worn around the neck; The collars of the shirt are extended onto the tie and shine like snow. He comes out in a perfectly tailored frock coat, in a smart hat...” And Oblomov himself no longer lies on the sofa all day long, but is “cheerful, humming...”. But after breaking up with Olga and moving to the Vyborg side, the robe reappears thanks to the care of Agafya Matveevna. During the financial crisis in Oblomov’s life, one of the signs of need is also a robe. It “is worn out, and no matter how carefully they sew up the holes on it, it is crawling everywhere and not at the seams: a new one would have been needed long ago.”
The descriptions of the interiors are very detailed; the author pays special attention to everyday details. For example, Oblomov’s office “struck by the neglect and negligence that dominated it.” “The room... at first glance seemed beautifully decorated. There was a mahogany bureau, two sofas upholstered in silk, beautiful screens with embroidered birds and fruits unprecedented in nature. There were silk curtains, carpets, several paintings, bronze, porcelain and many beautiful little things.
But the experienced eye of a person with pure taste, with one quick glance at everything that was here, would only read the desire to somehow observe the decorum of inevitable decency, just to get rid of them... Refined taste would not be satisfied with these heavy, ungraceful mahogany chairs, rickety bookcases . The back of the sofa sank down, the glued wood came loose in places...
On the walls, near the paintings, cobwebs, saturated with dust, were molded in the form of festoons; mirrors, instead of reflecting objects, could rather serve as tablets for writing down on them, in the dust, some notes for memory. The carpets were stained. There was a forgotten towel on the sofa; On rare mornings there was not a plate with a salt shaker and a gnawed bone on the table that had not been cleared away from yesterday’s dinner, and there were no bread crumbs lying around.
If it weren’t for the plate, and the freshly smoked pipe leaning against the bed, or the owner himself lying on it, then one would have thought that no one lived here - everything was so dusty, faded and generally devoid of living traces of human presence . On the shelves, however, there were two or three open books, a newspaper, and an inkwell with feathers on the bureau; but the pages on which the books were unfolded were covered with dust and turned yellow; it is clear that they were abandoned a long time ago; The issue of the newspaper was last year, and from the inkwell, if a pen was dipped into it, a frightened fly would only escape with a buzz.” All this is reminiscent of Gogol’s Plyushkin, who has turned into “a hole in humanity.” Probably, Oblomov would have become the same “hole” if it were not for Stolz’s participation in his fate and his love for Olga, which awakened (at least temporarily!) Ilya Ilyich to life.
The motif of food is one of the main ones in the novel. In Oblomovka, “the main concern was the kitchen and lunch. The whole house discussed dinner... Everyone offered their dish: some soup with giblets, some noodles or stomach, some tripe, some red, some white gravy for the sauce... Taking care of food was the first and main concern in life in Oblomovka. What calves grew fat there for the annual holidays! What a bird was raised!.. What stocks of jams, pickles, and cookies were there! What honeys, what kvass were brewed, what pies were baked in Oblomovka!” The main task of mothers in Oblomovka was to “give a healthy child, protect him from colds, eyes and other hostile circumstances...”, and also “so that the child is always cheerful and eats a lot.” Food in Oblomovka brings not only physical, but also, to some extent, spiritual saturation. Cooking dinner is a whole ritual, a favorite pastime of the whole family and courtyards. During the dinner chores in Oblomovka, “everything was fussing and caring, everything lived such a full, ant-like, such a noticeable life.”
The foundations of life, laid in the consciousness of Ilya Ilyich from childhood, influenced his entire future life. He strives for a quiet, calm family life without hassle and shock. In Oblomov’s dreams, along with beautiful weather, swimming in the river, arranging a bouquet for his wife, a delicious breakfast: “Tea is ready... What a kiss! What tea! What a relaxing chair! I sit down near the table; it has crackers, cream, fresh butter..."
When comparing life in Oblomovka and in the supposed future of Ilya Ilyich, a clear similarity is visible. In Oblomovka “on Sundays and holidays... the knocking of knives in the kitchen was heard more often and louder; the woman made the journey from the barn to the kitchen several times with double the amount of flour and eggs; there was more groaning and bloodshed in the poultry yard. They baked a gigantic pie...”
And Oblomov finds his ideal of life - in the house of Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna. Thanks to her care, Ilya Ilyich has “just as good coffee in the morning, thick cream, rich, crumbly rolls.” In addition, the hostess constantly treats him with homemade vodka in alcohol, or pie with onions and carrots (again, “no worse than our Oblomov ones,” as Zakhar notes).
The novel by I. A. Goncharov was highly appreciated by his contemporaries, causing numerous critical responses. One cannot but agree with the assessment of I. S. Turgenev, who remarked after reading it: “As long as there is at least one Russian left, Oblomov will be remembered.” Using artistic means, Goncharov skillfully conveyed the characters and lifestyle of the heroes of the novel. And the character and fate of the main character force readers to think about the most complex issues of life, about their purpose in it.
Goncharov's artistic mastery in the novel
Lesson 45
Goncharov's artistic mastery in the novel.
Lesson - research "Goncharov's artistic mastery in the novel" takes place in the form of discussion and collective creative work in groups, followed by defense of their topic. A group of experts works together with the teacher.
Group 1 “Landscape and its functions in the novel.” Task: choose an epigraph for the answer
Think about how the author describes nature. Please provide quotes. With the help of what artistic means does the author manage to convey the state of nature? Do these paintings achieve imagery? Do descriptions of nature reveal the state of mind of the heroes, their characters, and lifestyles? Do we encounter landscapes throughout the novel? So, what conclusion have you come to? (see topic). End your answer with the most powerful quote.
Group 2 “Portrait as a means of creating the image of a literary hero.” Assignment: remember what a portrait is? Think about whether a portrait description of a hero is an element of creating his image? Find portraits of the main characters in the text, see if they reflect their characters? Support your answers with quotes. Assign each participant to work on a portrait of one character. Come to a general conclusion on this issue (see topic). Choose an epigraph with which to begin your answer.
Group 3 “Regret about the old robe.” Assignment: Think about how the author describes the life of the heroes? Does it use small parts? Are the interior descriptions detailed? What role do these artistic details play? (for example, Ilya Ilyich’s robe). Support your reasoning with quotes (let other group members read them as you answer). What artistic techniques does the author use when describing the life of the characters? So, what is the story of life? Finish the answer with a conclusion: what attention does the author pay to everyday details?
Group 4 “Features of speech of heroes.” “Speech characterization is a characteristic of the hero of a literary work through his speech, in which words or phrases appear that indicate his type of activity. Social affiliation, characteristics of upbringing, cultural level, degree of education.” (School Dictionary of Literary Terms).
Based on this definition, follow the speech of Oblomov and Stolz, Olga and Agafya Matveevna, Zakhar. Does their speech indicate what the definition says? Distribute your work on the speech of different characters (for example, Oblomov - 1 student, etc.). Be sure to support your answers with quotes from the text. What is your general conclusion? (see topic).
Group 5 “The food motif and its functions in the novel.”
How I love the French panel,
Where are the vegetables, and fish, and wine,
And rich game for flat dishes -
It has an amber-yellow gloss.
Georgy Ivanov
Using this epigraph in your answer, think about what was the main concern in life in Oblomovka and why? Does this show the author's humor? Is it only physical satiation that comes from food? Did Oblomov preserve this tradition in St. Petersburg, before and after his marriage? Does food have a place in his dreams? Compare the attitude towards her of Stolz, Olga, Agafya Matveevna. Support your answer with quotes (other students read). What conclusion did you come to? (see topic).
6 group. Creative works. Assignment: write a letter to Zakhar (Stolz, Olga, Agafya Matveevna, Oblomov) on your behalf, talking with the addressee about the issues that interest you.
— Summing up the work of the groups by experts (connect with the epigraph of the lesson). In preparation, experts can get acquainted in advance with how some issues are considered in the “Seminary” (newspaper “Literature” No. 2, 2000). Creative tasks for groups were prepared by teacher I.N. Medvedeva. (cf. school No. 15, Glazov).
Homework:
As a final work on the work of I.A. Goncharov, you can offer homework on the topics: “This poisonous word “Oblomovism”, “Is there satire in the novel “Oblomov”?, “What is the tragedy of Oblomov’s life?”, “Oblomov - universal human type”, “Oblomov and Manilov”, “Olga Ilyinskaya and Tatyana Larina”, “Old and “new” in Russian life”, “Features of the genre and composition of the novel “Oblomov” (based on the book by Yu.V. Lebedev, M.B. .Kuznetsova "Literature. Grade 10. "Methodological advice." A manual for teachers).
