Humanism and historicism in the story by A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter"
While working on the romantic robber from the novel “Dubrovsky,” Pushkin conceived the idea of a novel about the Pugachev uprising. Alexander Sergeevich is immersed in the study of documents, working in the royal archives.In the autumn of 1833, Pushkin visited Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Simbirsk, Orenburg, the places where the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev took place. Works in local archives, talks with eyewitnesses. The result of the research was the scientific work “The History of Pugachev,” which Nicholas the First ordered to be called “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion.”
And in 1836, Alexander Sergeevich published the novel “The Captain’s Daughter” in his magazine “Sovremennik” three months before his death. This is no longer a historical work, but a work of art, which recreates a vivid picture of the past, showing the influence of a historical era on the formation of a person’s personality.
The real event in the story is a riot. It began on September 17, 1773, the Yaitsky troops rebelled, then the Orenburg region, the Urals, the Kama region, Bashkiria, part of Western Siberia, and the Volga region. The reason was the announcement of the living Peter III, who was killed in 1762 by the conspirators of his wife Catherine. His name was Emelyan Pugachev, born in a Cossack village in the Don region. It is noteworthy that Stepan Razin was born here earlier, who also raised the people to revolt against the injustice of the authorities.
Emelyan Pugachev took part in the Seven Years' War of 1756 - 1763.
In 1771, being sick and unable to withstand the hard service, Pugachev escaped from the army. He was arrested and sent to hard labor, but he escaped again. Having learned about the popular unrest, Pugachev proclaims himself Peter III. Of course, he was an illiterate person, and Pushkin writes:
“Pugachev accepted the paper and looked at it for a long time with a significant look. “Why are you writing so cleverly? - he said finally. “Our bright eyes can’t make out anything here.” Where is my chief secretary?
This is the skill of Pushkin the artist: without deviating from history, to present a historical figure as a person close and understandable to the reader, to teach him humanism and kindness.
The novel intertwines the history of the state and the history of humanity. Petr Grinev presents Emelyan Pugachev - a historical figure - from his point of view. But the author spoke about the rebel in the words of Emelyan Pugachev himself - remember his Kalmyk fairy tale about the eagle and the raven. Yes, he will feed on blood, kill people for the sake of freedom, which, he understands, will never be achieved under the state system.
For Pushkin, the people are the rebel Pugachev, and the Mironov family, distinguished by loyalty and devotion, and the devoted servant Savelich, and Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, who throughout his life understood what honor and nobility lie in.
They are all different: some strive for a quiet family life, while others achieve their goal with bloody weapons in their hands. But each of them dreams of humanity.
Emelyan Pugachev saves the main character several times: during a snowstorm, before execution, he frees Masha. He values sincere feelings of honor, kindness and love. Pyotr Andreevich gives Emelyan Pugachev a hare's sheepskin coat for saving him during a snowstorm, Grinev honestly admits that he will fight against him, tells him about his love for Masha. And the escaped convict, a hater of the nobles, evaluates this as a humane person. That's why Grinev fell in love with him:
“Pugachev left. I looked for a long time at the white steppe along which his troika was rushing."
.
There are few words, but we feel the young man’s deep emotion. According to Pushkin, history is a certain force that acts independently of people, sometimes hostile to them. She destroyed the peaceful life of the Mironov family, but for the main characters, Pyotr Grinev and Maria Mironova, it was a good shock and tested the strength of their love.
The author of the story showed the close interweaving of individual life with the general historical process.
Only historical trials reveal the true humanism of a person. Honesty and mercy will always be rewarded, without them there can be no history of the Fatherland - the great poet and humanist Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was convinced of this.
Historicism in The Captain's Daughter of Alexander Pushkin (essay)
The novel “The Captain's Daughter” is the “farewell” work of A.S. Pushkin, it grew out of his works on the history of Russia. While working on a historical novel, the writer relied on the experience of the English novelist Walter Scott and the first Russian historical novelists (M.N. Zagoskina, I.I. Lazhechnikov). But the breadth of issues raised in “The Captain’s Daughter” does not allow this work to be called purely historical. The Pugachev rebellion is just material for writing. There is a family chronicle of the Grinevs, a biography of Pyotr Grinev himself, and a moral novel (moral in the epigraph: “Take care of your honor from a young age”). And critic N.N. Strakhov put forward the original version that “The Captain’s Daughter” is a story about how Pyotr Grinev married the daughter of Captain Mironov.”"The Captain's Daughter" has a noticeable deviation from the principles of the historical novel genre. Historical prose in general represents the works of historians (or simply people who are interested in history), who set as their task not only the establishment and comprehension of the facts of the past, but also a bright, living depiction of them. This genre involves a story about an era or a particular episode; here the life of one historical figure can be highlighted or an event and the people who influenced it or took part in it can be described. And if we turn to antiquity, we will see that there was a division of historical works into large forms of historical narration, i.e. the history of all events over a relatively large period of time, and small forms - monographs dedicated to any event or person. It is clear that, according to this ancient classification, the novel “The Captain's Daughter” should be classified in the last category. One way or another, it contains only real-life characters. In “The Captain's Daughter” we see a real event - the Pugachev rebellion - through the eyes of a fictional hero - Pyotr Grinev.
The novel covers a much longer period than Pugachev's uprising. This becomes clear from the conversations of the characters, in which we find many references to events of other times: from the Time of Troubles (Grishka Otrepiev) to the “meek reign” of Alexander I.
In the novel, the history of the state and the history of a person’s life are equally important and closely intertwined. Pyotr Grinev's story about his life seems to confirm the authenticity and objectivity of his testimony about a historical event. And his point of view dominates the novel, all events are given through his eyes. However, upon careful reading, we discover other opinions, although not so clearly expressed. For example, the central historical figure is Emelyan Pugachev. Its characterization is given by two different groups: the rebels (i.e. the people) and the nobles. In the novel we see a clash of these two camps, a clash of their opinions, lifestyles, and worldviews. And the spokesman for the views of the rebels for the most part is Pugachev; from his lips we hear this famous fairy tale about the eagle and the raven, which perfectly expresses the lifestyle of both Pugachev himself and his henchmen. By the way, this fairy tale, in our opinion, is, in addition to the compositional component, also a kind of stylization of Pushkin as classical historical prose. Thus, it is known that such literature of the Middle Ages was characterized by inconsistency with folklore, i.e. it contained many legends, legends, fairy tales.
Thus, returning to the topic, it becomes obvious that Pushkin raised a question, to some extent philosophical, about what principle the state should be based on. So we can talk about a contrast not between nobles and peasants, but more broadly between the authorities and the people. Isn’t this the central theme of works on historical themes from the origins of this genre in the ancient period to modern works?
For Pushkin, the people are Pugachev with his associates, the “gentlemen generals,” and the disfigured Bashkir, and Captain Mironov, and Masha, and Savelich, and many others. They are all different: some strive for a peaceful family life, while others, with bloody weapons in their hands, strive with all their might to achieve their not very clear goal. They also differ in their attitude to power, the symbols of which in the novel are Catherine I and Pugachev. Those who followed Pugachev saw him as a “people's king”, embodying their dream of a strong, wise and fair government; others saw the robber and murderer, remaining faithful to Catherine. But both of them strove for the same thing - merciful and humane power. One could consider the law as a basis, but it cannot fully satisfy both sides (both nobles and peasants); someone will definitely be dissatisfied. If we find a kind of arithmetic mean in the application of the law to the warring parties, then both will remain dissatisfied.
According to Pushkin, history is a certain force that acts independently of people, beyond their control and even sometimes hostile to them. For the inhabitants of the Belogorsk fortress and Grinev, it turned out to be hostile, it destroyed their peaceful life, subjected them to severe tests, which for some turned into death (Captain Mironov, Vasilisa Egorovna). History, this element, tested the strength of will, courage, loyalty to duty and honor. However, for two lovers who no longer believed in the possibility of happiness together - Masha Mironova and Pyotr Grinev - she became the force that brought them together again. Thus, Pushkin showed the close interweaving of individual, private life with the general historical process, which, as we understand, is an integral part of our real existence.
That is, Pushkin saw two sides of history - dark and light, humane and inhumanly cruel. It is historical trials that reveal hidden qualities: heroism and fortitude (Grinev) or meanness (Shvabrin). Heroes are sifted through history, like through a sieve, and the one who is honest and merciful survives and is rewarded with happiness, while the one who is low in soul is overtaken by punishment.
It is worth noting, however, that Pushkin left an important role in history to chance. Just remember Grinev’s chance meeting in a snowstorm with a bearded man who, quite unexpectedly, would have a direct influence on the young man’s fate in the future.
This is how Pushkin understood history - as a clash, a struggle of warring parties, without them history does not exist. Without false pathos, we can confidently say that the writer was fully able to portray this in his novel. According to researchers of Pushkin’s work, during the period of writing the work, he was captivated by the utopian dream of a society built on the principles of humanity. This idea was then, as they say, “in fashion” and, therefore, took possession of the minds of many, thus Pushkin managed to convey the mood, the “spirit” of both Pugachev’s time and his own.
Essay: Historicism in The Captain's Daughter of Alexander Pushkin
The novel “The Captain's Daughter” is the “farewell” work of A.S. Pushkin, it grew out of his works on the history of Russia. While working on a historical novel, the writer relied on the experience of the English novelist Walter Scott and the first Russian historical novelists (M.N. Zagoskina, I.I. Lazhechnikov). But the breadth of issues raised in “The Captain’s Daughter” does not allow this work to be called purely historical. The Pugachev rebellion is just material for writing. There is a family chronicle of the Grinevs, a biography of Pyotr Grinev himself, and a moral novel (moral in the epigraph: “Take care of your honor from a young age”). And critic N.N. Strakhov put forward the original version that “The Captain’s Daughter” is a story about how Pyotr Grinev married the daughter of Captain Mironov.”"The Captain's Daughter" has a noticeable deviation from the principles of the historical novel genre. Historical prose in general represents the works of historians (or simply people who are interested in history), who set as their task not only the establishment and comprehension of the facts of the past, but also a bright, living depiction of them. This genre involves a story about an era or a particular episode; here the life of one historical figure can be highlighted or an event and the people who influenced it or took part in it can be described. And if we turn to antiquity, we will see that there was a division of historical works into large forms of historical narration, i.e. the history of all events over a relatively large period of time, and small forms - monographs dedicated to any event or person. It is clear that, according to this ancient classification, the novel “The Captain's Daughter” should be classified in the last category. One way or another, it contains only real-life characters. In “The Captain's Daughter” we see a real event - the Pugachev rebellion - through the eyes of a fictional hero - Pyotr Grinev.
The novel covers a much longer period than Pugachev's uprising. This becomes clear from the conversations of the characters, in which we find many references to events of other times: from the Time of Troubles (Grishka Otrepiev) to the “meek reign” of Alexander I.
In the novel, the history of the state and the history of a person’s life are equally important and closely intertwined. Pyotr Grinev's story about his life seems to confirm the authenticity and objectivity of his testimony about a historical event. And his point of view dominates the novel, all events are given through his eyes. However, upon careful reading, we discover other opinions, although not so clearly expressed. For example, the central historical figure is Emelyan Pugachev. Its characterization is given by two different groups: the rebels (i.e. the people) and the nobles. In the novel we see a clash of these two camps, a clash of their opinions, lifestyles, and worldviews. And the spokesman for the views of the rebels for the most part is Pugachev; from his lips we hear this famous fairy tale about the eagle and the raven, which perfectly expresses the lifestyle of both Pugachev himself and his henchmen. By the way, this fairy tale, in our opinion, is, in addition to the compositional component, also a kind of stylization of Pushkin as classical historical prose. Thus, it is known that such literature of the Middle Ages was characterized by inconsistency with folklore, i.e. it contained many legends, legends, fairy tales.
Thus, returning to the topic, it becomes obvious that Pushkin raised a question, to some extent philosophical, about what principle the state should be based on. So we can talk about a contrast not between nobles and peasants, but more broadly between the authorities and the people. Isn’t this the central theme of works on historical themes from the origins of this genre in the ancient period to modern works?
For Pushkin, the people are Pugachev with his associates, the “gentlemen generals,” and the disfigured Bashkir, and Captain Mironov, and Masha, and Savelich, and many others. They are all different: some strive for a peaceful family life, while others, with bloody weapons in their hands, strive with all their might to achieve their not very clear goal. They also differ in their attitude to power, the symbols of which in the novel are Catherine I and Pugachev. Those who followed Pugachev saw him as a “people's king”, embodying their dream of a strong, wise and fair government; others saw the robber and murderer, remaining faithful to Catherine. But both of them strove for the same thing - merciful and humane power. One could consider the law as a basis, but it cannot fully satisfy both sides (both nobles and peasants); someone will definitely be dissatisfied. If we find a kind of arithmetic mean in the application of the law to the warring parties, then both will remain dissatisfied.
According to Pushkin, history is a certain force that acts independently of people, beyond their control and even sometimes hostile to them. For the inhabitants of the Belogorsk fortress and Grinev, it turned out to be hostile, it destroyed their peaceful life, subjected them to severe tests, which for some turned into death (Captain Mironov, Vasilisa Egorovna). History, this element, tested the strength of will, courage, loyalty to duty and honor. However, for two lovers who no longer believed in the possibility of happiness together - Masha Mironova and Pyotr Grinev - she became the force that brought them together again. Thus, Pushkin showed the close interweaving of individual, private life with the general historical process, which, as we understand, is an integral part of our real existence.
That is, Pushkin saw two sides of history - dark and light, humane and inhumanly cruel. It is historical trials that reveal hidden qualities: heroism and fortitude (Grinev) or meanness (Shvabrin). Heroes are sifted through history, like through a sieve, and the one who is honest and merciful survives and is rewarded with happiness, while the one who is low in soul is overtaken by punishment.
It is worth noting, however, that Pushkin left an important role in history to chance. Just remember Grinev’s chance meeting in a snowstorm with a bearded man who, quite unexpectedly, would have a direct influence on the young man’s fate in the future.
This is how Pushkin understood history - as a clash, a struggle of warring parties, without them history does not exist. Without false pathos, we can confidently say that the writer was fully able to portray this in his novel. According to researchers of Pushkin’s work, during the period of writing the work, he was captivated by the utopian dream of a society built on the principles of humanity. This idea was then, as they say, “in fashion” and, therefore, took possession of the minds of many, thus Pushkin managed to convey the mood, the “spirit” of both Pugachev’s time and his own.
