History of creation
The reason for creating the novel “Fathers and Sons” was the acquaintance of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev with a young doctor. In this man, Turgenev saw the embodiment of that very nascent movement, which would later be called “nihilism.” In the novel, he tried to express the principles of the nihilists and describe them.
The novel is dedicated to the “frantic denier” - literary critic Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky.
Issues:
- relationships between generations (senior and junior Kirsanovs; senior and junior Bazarovs);
- nihilism (Evgeny Bazarov);
- attitude to art (Pavel Kirsanov and Evgeny Bazarov);
- attitude towards nature (Nikolai Kirsanov - Evgeny Bazarov);
- old and new (Pavel Kirsanov - Evgeny Bazarov);
- the problem of origin and upbringing (Kirsanovs - Bazarovs).
The meaning of the title: The title of the novel reflects the confrontation between the old and the new - the world of the liberal-minded nobility and the world of nihilistic, pragmatic youth. At the same time, Turgenev points out the eternal relevance of this topic: there have always been and will be fathers and sons; some ideas are replaced by others, and the older and younger generations always oppose each other.
Literary direction: realism.
Literary genre: novel.
Genre features: socio-psychological novel.
Time and place of action: The action takes place in 1859-1860. in the estates of Maryino (Kirsanov’s estate) and Nikolskoye (Odintsova’s estate), as well as in the village where Bazarov’s parents live.
Dialogues as a way to reveal characters' personalities
When reading the book, you will notice that the dialogues contain passionate discussions on topics of philosophy and politics. It is with their help that Turgenev reveals the meaning of the title of the novel. “Fathers and Sons” is a work in which the main character is Bazarov, presented as a fairly intelligent person. He most often remains the winner in disputes, citing deep and abstruse phrases as arguments. The author makes Evgeniy often use proverbs and sayings. It should also be noted that in discussions he never goes into lengthy philosophical arguments. Bazarov defeats all opponents with the help of lapidary skills. All these factors make it possible for the reader to understand that this character belongs to the Democrats.
Characters
Evgeny Vasilyevich Bazarov is a medical student, by conviction he is a nihilist (that is, he denies generally accepted norms, morality, ethics and, in general, any established ideas).
Arkady Nikolaevich Kirsanov is a friend of Evgeny Bazarov. At first he shares Evgeniy’s nihilistic beliefs, then abandons them.
Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov - Arkady's father, landowner. By conviction he is a liberal. Interested in art and progressive innovation. He lives in a civil marriage with a peasant woman, Fenechka, about which he is very shy at first.
Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov is the uncle of Arkady Kirsanov, the elder brother of Nikolai Pavlovich. By conviction, he is an ardent liberal. Aristocrat. Fierce opponent of Evgeny Bazarov. Not married.
Vasily Ivanovich Bazarov is the father of Evgeny Bazarov. A former surgeon, during the action of the novel he is a manager on his wife’s estate. By conviction, he is a conservative and does not follow modern innovations. Religious.
Arina Vlasevna Bazarova is the mother of Evgeny Bazarov. Very superstitious and religious.
Anna Sergeevna Odintsova is a young woman, a widow. He shares the ideas of nihilists, but puts his own peace above all else.
Ekaterina Sergeevna Lokteva is Anna Odintsova’s sister, a quiet young girl.
Viktor Sitnikov is a friend of Evgeny Bazarov and Arkady Kirsanov. By conviction he is a nihilist, but his nihilism is more of a fashion statement. Bazarov is extremely contemptuous of Sitnikov.
Evdokia Kukshina is Sitnikov’s friend, also a zealous nihilist due to fashion.
Fenechka (Fedosya Nikolaevna) is the daughter of Nikolai Kirsanov’s housekeeper, his common-law (and later legal) wife.
Relevance
Criticism of “Fathers and Sons” contained a large number of disagreements that reached the most polar judgments. And this is not surprising, because in the central characters of this work the reader can feel the breath of an entire era. The preparation of the peasant reform, the deepest social contradictions of the time, the struggle of social forces - all this was reflected in the images of the work and formed its historical background.
The controversy among critics surrounding the novel “Fathers and Sons” lasted for many years, and at the same time the fuse did not become weaker. It became obvious that the novel retained its problematics and topicality. The work reveals one of the most important characteristic features of Turgenev himself - his ability to see the trends that are emerging in society. The great Russian writer managed to capture in his work the struggle of two camps - “fathers” and “children”. In fact, it was a confrontation between liberals and democrats.
Summary
Spring 1859 Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov, a landowner, is waiting at the inn for the arrival of his son Arkady, a student. The son arrives with a friend - Evgeny Bazarov.
Arkady goes home with his father in a carriage, and Bazarov goes separately, in a tarantass. Nikolai Petrovich is very happy with his son, he hugs him all the time. Arkady is somewhat embarrassed and keeps looking back at Bazarov.
Nikolai Petrovich tells his son about the life of the estate, carefully informing him that the girl Fenya lives with him, but if Arkady is against it, then she will leave. Kirsanov Jr. does not protest against Feni and reflects to himself about the need for reforms in the Russian village. Nikolai Petrovich tries to recite Pushkin, but he is interrupted by Bazarov (he asks Arkady for a cigarette). Kirsanov Sr. falls silent and says nothing more on the way.
At the estate, guests are greeted by Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, a handsome and very well-groomed man (a sharp contrast with Bazarov - unkempt and indifferent to his own appearance). After getting acquainted, the students go to get themselves in order from the road. Pavel Petrovich asks his younger brother about Bazarov (it is clear that he did not like Evgeny).
Little was said at dinner. Then everyone immediately went to their rooms. Bazarov quite sharply expressed to Arkady his impressions of the Kirsanov family. The elder Kirsanovs did not sleep for a long time: Pavel Petrovich was thinking about life, looking into the fire, and Nikolai Petrovich was thinking about Arkady.
The next day, Bazarov woke up before everyone else. He went for a walk, and then with a group of boys went to catch frogs. Arkady visits the sick Fenechka and finds out that he has a little brother. He joyfully receives this news and reproaches his father for hiding it from him. Nikolai Petrovich and Pavel Petrovich ask Arkady about Bazarov. The younger Kirsanov says that Evgeny is a nihilist and does not accept anything in life without checking it with his own experience. Then Bazarov returns. He carries frogs caught for experiments.
After morning tea, the bickering between Pavel Kirsanov and Evgeny Bazarov becomes very serious. Nikolai Petrovich wants to somehow relieve the tension and asks Evgeniy to help him collect fertilizer (Nikolai Kirsanov is passionate about innovations in agriculture).
Arkady tries to eliminate Bazarov's hostility towards Pavel Petrovich and tells his friend the story of his life. Pavel Kirsanov showed great promise: handsome, military, young - women lusted after him, and men envied him. But Pavel Petrovich fell in love with the married princess. The princess was of an easy disposition: she easily got along with Kirsanov, and easily left him. But Pavel Petrovich suffered and for four years followed her all over the world. Then he returned to his homeland. He tried to live as before, but he was overtaken by the news of the death of his beloved. Then he left everything and went to the village to live with his widowed brother.
Nikolai Petrovich visits Fenechka and their child, little Mitya. The story of their relationship is told: Fenya and her mother lived very poorly, and Nikolai Petrovich took them to his estate. He fell in love with Fenechka, and after the death of her mother they began to live as husband and wife.
Bazarov also met Fenya and the child, saying that he was a doctor, and if his services were needed, he was always ready to help. Evgeniy accidentally hears Nikolai Petrovich playing the cello. Bazarov laughs (which makes Arkady angry and irritated).
The serfs love Bazarov, Pavel Petrovich has a deep dislike for him, and Nikolai Petrovich is worried about how Evgeny will influence Arkady. Hearing that Bazarov calls him a “retired man,” Nikolai Kirsanov is offended and even discusses this with his brother. Pavel Kirsanov wants to wipe the nose of the young impudent man.
During the evening tea party, a scandal occurs: Bazarov talks about the “meaninglessness” of the aristocracy, and Pavel Petrovich claims that nihilism only worsens the already unstable situation in the country. As a result, Evgeny leaves, calling this conversation pointless. Nikolai Petrovich recalls how in his youth he quarreled with his mother, claiming that she did not understand him. Now the same misunderstanding is between him and his son.
Before going to bed, Nikolai Petrovich remembers his late wife, Pavel Petrovich reflects on his own, and Evgeny Bazarov invites Arkady to go to the city and visit an old acquaintance.
Young people go to the city, visit Bazarov’s friend Ilyin, and meet Sitnikov, another acquaintance of Bazarov. Viktor Sitnikov invites them to visit Kukshina.
Kukshina’s friends definitely didn’t like it: the unkempt hostess and stupid conversations about nothing. In conversations, Anna Odintsova is mentioned among other things.
At the ball, Bazarov and Kirsanov meet Anna Sergeevna Odintsova, a very sweet and pleasant woman. She invites friends to visit. Bazarov is impressed by how different Odintsova is from other women.
The story of Odintsova is told: her father lost and left only debts to his daughters. Anna began to solve problems herself. She got married, lived with her husband for six years and became a widow. Since then he has lived in seclusion.
When visiting Anna Sergeevna, Bazarov behaves unexpectedly: he talks a lot, willingly talks about medicine. Anna Odintsova shows knowledge of the subject and keen interest. She and Bazarov spend a lot of time together, walking in the garden. Anna Sergeevna's sister, Katya, is somewhat shy: she only allows herself to play the piano.
Meanwhile, Bazarov realizes that he has fallen in love. This irritates him, since he always considered love to be nonsense, a deception. Evgeniy meets the manager from their family estate, and he says that the parents are waiting for their son and are worried. That evening, Bazarov decides to explain himself. He confesses his love to Odintsova, but she replies: “You didn’t understand me.” Anna Sergeevna does not want to disturb her peace of mind. Exhausted, Bazarov leaves for his parents, Arkady accompanies his friend.
The parents are very happy about Evgeniy’s arrival, they try to please him in everything, not to demonstrate their feelings, so as not to irritate him.
Bazarov stayed with his parents for only a short time: Evgeniy said that because of their excessive attention he could not work. They almost quarreled with Arkady: the younger Kirsanov tried to prove to his friend that he shouldn’t treat his family like that. The parents were terribly upset that Evgeniy was leaving, but they tried to hide their feelings.
Along the way, friends decide to visit Anna Sergeevna. Odintsova greets them coldly and makes it clear that she is not happy about the visit. Evgeny and Arkady return to the Kirsanovs.
Time passes. Arkady is still drawn to the Odintsovs. He finds a reason and goes to them again. Bazarov deals only with experiments, and is never friendly with anyone - only with Fenechka. One day, to test his guesses, he kisses Fenechka on the lips. Pavel Petrovich sees this. The elder Kirsanov leaves without saying a word, and Bazarov is ashamed.
After this, Pavel Petrovich challenges Bazarov to a duel. Both are silent about Fenechka: for everyone, the reason for their duel is political differences. Evgeny wounds Pavel Petrovich in the leg.
After this, of course, it is impossible to stay with the Kirsanovs, and Bazarov goes to his parents, but on the way he stops by Odintsova’s. He talks with Anna Sergeevna, admits he was wrong and asks to remain a friend.
Over the past time, Arkady and Katya managed to fall in love with each other, and the younger Kirsanov proposed to the girl. Bazarov is dissatisfied: he says that Arkady is not suitable for real business. Kirsanov returns home.
Bazarov doesn’t know what to do with his parents. He begins to treat sick peasants, but while opening the corpse of a typhoid patient, he wounds his hand and becomes infected with typhus.
Before his death, he wants to see Odintsova. Anna Sergeevna arrives. Exhausted by illness, Evgeniy talks about his feelings for her, and then dies.
Six months later, two weddings took place: Arkady married Katya, and Nikolai Petrovich married Fenechka. Anna Sergeevna also got married, but not out of love, but out of commonality of thoughts. Pavel Petrovich went abroad. And only the old Bazarovs invariably go to the cemetery to visit their son’s grave.
Essay: To whom did Turgenev dedicated the novel “Fathers and Sons”?
For those who have read the novel “Fathers and Sons” by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev, it is obvious that the main conflict of the work lies in the well-known difference in the views of generations. Over time, people always appear who deny the established state orders and moral values of previous generations, introducing their fresh views on familiar things. I wonder if there was such a person among Turgenev’s relatives or acquaintances? To whom did he devote his novel and why? The dedication indicates that the work is addressed to the famous literary critic of that time, V.G. Belinsky. But there are other versions that are worth considering.
The history of the creation of the novel began in 1860. According to various sources (diaries and letters from friends and acquaintances), Turgenev was thinking about creating a new work that would describe the surrounding reality and reflect the different views of that time. He started working while he was in England. Having conceived a story in which a young doctor should become the hero, he met a young doctor. In it the author saw the beginnings of nihilism, which was just emerging at that time. This amazed and fascinated the author. This acquaintance served as a source of inspiration for writing the novel.
However, there is an opinion that Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev “collected” the image of Bazarov from several real people who were close in spirit to himself. This point of view seems to me the most plausible, because the author describes the hero in sufficient detail and it seems that this is the image of a person he has known for a long time. The novel “Fathers and Sons” is dedicated to the memory of Vissarion Belinsky, who was a representative of the democratic movement in the 1840s. Turgenev met him back in February 1843, and from that time they began a strong friendship. The face of the new class and commoner, who was a rare guest for Russian literature of that time, became one of the prototypes of Bazarov.
“Fathers and Sons” was first published on the pages of the popular literary publication “Russian Messenger” in 1862. The ambiguous image of Bazarov had the expected effect on well-known literary circles. The discussion of this hero gave rise to a lot of controversy in print media. Many famous critics devoted their articles to analyzing the idea of the novel, its content and the characteristics of the main character. The appearance of a new image, denying everything familiar and beautiful, became a kind of sign for the young nihilistic movement.
It turned out that Ivan Sergeevich wanted to end his writing career after the publication of the novel “Fathers and Sons,” but this novel created a huge resonance and brought success to Turgenev, which he himself did not expect.
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Criticism of Antonovich
Some critics spoke quite negatively about the novel “Fathers and Sons”. One of the most critical points of view was put forward by M.A. Antonovich. In his magazine, he published an article entitled “Asmodeus of our time,” which was dedicated to Turgenev’s work. In it, Antonovich completely denied the work “Fathers and Sons” any artistic merit. He was completely dissatisfied with the work of the great Russian writer. The critic accused Turgenev of slandering the new generation. He believed that the novel was written as a reproach and instruction to young people. And Antonovich was also glad that Turgenev finally revealed his true face, showing himself as an opponent of all progress.
