Lesson summary L. Tolstoy. Life and creative path. The main stages of the creative biography of L.N. Tolstoy

Lesson progress:

In the work of Leo Tolstoy, it is customary to distinguish 3 main stages of creativity:

1. Creativity of the 50s. (“young Tolstoy”);

2. 60-70 years. the classical period of creativity (“War and Peace”, “Anna Karenina”);

3. 1880-1910 - the works of this period bear the imprint of the spiritual upheaval that took place in Tolstoy (see table)

The main regularity of the development of L.N. Tolstoy m. b. expressed in the words of his aunt: "a man who tests himself." Tolstoy constantly tested himself and life by the laws of morality, tried to find those laws that move life. This search was reflected in many of the writer's works. The means of expressing this idea were the little things and details of the inner life of the characters.

Tolstoy began writing in the second half of the 1940s. His first story was "Childhood" (2 years later - "Boyhood", "Youth"). In 1852, Tolstoy sent this work to Nekrasov, who was then the editor of Sovremennik.

The protagonist of the story is autobiographical. The author conveys many features of his inner world, based on observations of himself, recorded in his diary. All this allowed N.G. Chernyshevsky to name L.N. Tolstoy as a writer who reveals “dialectics human soul those. subtle manifestations of inner life. The dialectic of the soul is a formula for Tolstoy's creativity.

V early period the writer's work is characterized by the idea that man is an inseparable part of both the human world and the natural world. Another important motive is the feeling of social guilt. A very important place in creativity is occupied by the search for God.

Con. 50s early. 60s were marked by the first spiritual crisis of L.N. Tolstoy. The result of the exit from it was the novel "War and Peace".

In this work, life is depicted in its entirety. The author presents the world as a globe, which consists of droplets - people, and in the center - God, to whom each drop, reflecting it, aspires.

Example:

Pierre, in the crossing scene, utters these words to Prince Andrei: “Do I not feel in my soul that I am part of this huge, harmonious whole? I feel that not only can I not disappear, but that I will always be and always have been”

The idea of ​​universal interconnection and interdependence is one of the most important for the novel "War and Peace".

Example:

“Each general and soldier felt their insignificance, recognizing themselves as a grain of sand in this sea of ​​people, and together they felt their power, recognizing themselves as part of this huge whole” (T.1, part 3, ch. 8)

This idea was carried by L.N. Tolstoy throughout his life. Even as a child, the writer's elder brother, Nikolenka, announced to the others that he had a secret, through which, when it was revealed, all people would become happy. ant brothers(i.e. Moravian, the so-called organization of Czech peasants and artisans who advocated the general unity of people).

At the end of the 70-80s. Tolstoy is experiencing a new crisis (philosophical treatise "Confession"). V later years comes to the need for auto-translation

Library
materials

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

1828-1910

Plan:

Tolstoy.

The scale of the personality and the world significance of the writer's work.

"Family Thought" in the epic novel.

Stages of the spiritual development of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov.

Natasha Rostova and female images in the novel.

The problem of personality in history: Napoleon and Kutuzov. Condemnation of the cruelty of war in the novel.

"People's Thought" in the novel. The problem of the people and the individual.

Platon Karataev: Russian picture of the world.

The test of the era of "defeats and shame." The theme of true pseudo-patriotism.

Moral and philosophical results of the novel.

1 Life and creative path, philosophy Tolstoy

Count, Russian writer, corresponding member (1873), honorary academician (1900) of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Starting with the autobiographical trilogy "Childhood" (1852), "Boyhood" (1852 - 54), "Youth" (1855 - 57), the study of the "fluidity" of the inner world, the moral foundations of the individual became the main theme of Tolstoy's works. The painful search for the meaning of life, the moral ideal, the hidden general patterns life, spiritual and social criticism, revealing the "untruth" of class relations, run through all of his work.

Born on August 28 (September 9, n.s.) in the estate of Yasnaya Polyana, Tula province. By origin, he belonged to the most ancient aristocratic families of Russia. Received home education and upbringing.

After the death of parents (mother died in 1830, father in 1837) future writer with three brothers and a sister he moved to Kazan, to the guardian P. Yushkova. At the age of sixteen, he entered Kazan University, first at the Faculty of Philosophy in the category of Arabic-Turkish literature, then studied at the Faculty of Law (1844 - 47). In 1847, without completing the course, he left the university and settled in Yasnaya Polyana, which he received as his father's inheritance.

The future writer spent the next four years searching: he tried to reorganize the life of the peasants of Yasnaya Polyana (1847), lived a secular life in Moscow (1848), at St. deputy meeting (autumn 1849).

In 1851 he left Yasnaya Polyana for the Caucasus, the place of service of his older brother Nikolai, and volunteered to take part in hostilities against the Chechens. Episodes of the Caucasian War are described by him in the stories "Raid" (1853), "Cutting down the forest" (1855), in the story "Cossacks" (1852 - 63). He passed the cadet exam, preparing to become an officer. In 1854, being an artillery officer, he transferred to the Danube army, which acted against the Turks.

In the Caucasus, Tolstoy began to seriously study literary creativity, writes the story "Childhood", which was approved by Nekrasov and published in the journal "Contemporary". Later, the story "Boyhood" (1852 - 54) was printed there.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Crimean War, Tolstoy, at his personal request, was transferred to Sevastopol, where he participated in the defense of the besieged city, showing rare fearlessness. Awarded the Order of St. Anna with the inscription "For Courage" and medals "For the Defense of Sevastopol". In "Sevastopol Tales" he created a mercilessly reliable picture of the war, which made a huge impression on Russian society. In the same years he wrote the last part of the trilogy - "Youth" (1855 - 56), in which he declared himself not just a "poet of childhood", but a researcher human nature. This interest in man and the desire to understand the laws of mental and spiritual life will continue in his future work.

In 1855, having arrived in St. Petersburg, Tolstoy became close to the staff of the Sovremennik magazine, met Turgenev, Goncharov, Ostrovsky, Chernyshevsky.

In the autumn of 1856 he retired Military career- not mine ... "- he writes in his diary) and in 1857 went on a six-month trip abroad to France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany.

In 1859 he opened a school for peasant children in Yasnaya Polyana, where he taught classes himself. He helped open more than 20 schools in the surrounding villages. In order to study the organization of school affairs abroad in 1860 - 1861 Tolstoy made a second trip to Europe, visited schools in France, Italy, Germany, and England. In London, he met Herzen, attended a lecture by Dickens.

In May 1861 (the year of the abolition of serfdom) he returned to Yasnaya Polyana, assumed the position of mediator and actively defended the interests of the peasants, resolving their disputes with the landowners about the land, for which the Tula nobility, dissatisfied with his actions, demanded his removal from office. In 1862 the Senate issued a decree dismissing Tolstoy. A secret surveillance of him by the III Section began. In the summer, the gendarmes carried out a search in his absence, confident that they would find a secret printing house, which the writer allegedlyacquired after meetings and long communication with Herzen in London.

In 1862, Tolstoy's life, his way of life were ordered for many years: he married the daughter of a Moscow doctor, Sofya Andreevna Bers, and a patriarchal life began on his estate as the head of an ever-increasing family.The Tolstoys raised nine children.

The 1860s - 1870s were marked by the appearance of two works by Tolstoy, which immortalized his name: "War and Peace" (1863 - 69), "Anna Karenina" (1873 - 77).

In the early 1880s, the Tolstoy family moved to Moscow to educate their growing children. From that time on, Tolstoy spent his winters in Moscow. Here, in 1882, he participated in the census of the Moscow population, became closely acquainted with the life of the inhabitants of the city's slums, which he described in the treatise "So what should we do?" (1882 - 86), and concluded: "... You can't live like that, you can't live like that, you can't!"

Tolstoy expressed a new worldview in his work "Confession" (1879㭎 ), where he spoke about the coup in his views, the meaning of which he saw in the break with the ideology of the noble class and the transition to the side of the "simple working people". This turning point led Tolstoy to deny the state, the official church and property. The consciousness of the meaninglessness of life in the face of inevitable death led him to believe in God. He bases his teaching on the moral precepts of the New Testament: the demand for love for people and the preaching of non-resistance to evil by violence constitute the meaning of the so-called "Tolstoyism", which is becoming popular not only in Russia, but also abroad.

During this period, he came to a complete denial of his previous literary activity, engaged in physical labor, plowed, sewed boots, switched to vegetarian food. In 1891 he publicly renounced copyright on all his writings written after 1880.

Under the influence of friends and true admirers of his talent, as well as a personal need for literary activity, Tolstoy changed his negative attitude towards art in the 1890s. During these years he created the drama "The Power of Darkness" (1886), the play "The Fruits of Enlightenment" (1886 - 90), the novel "Resurrection" (1889 - 99).

In 1891, 1893, 1898 he participated in helping the peasants of the starving provinces, organized free canteens.

In the last decade, as always, he has been engaged in intense creative work. The story "Hadji Murad" (1896 - 1904), the drama "The Living Corpse" (1900), the story "After the Ball" (1903) were written.

At the beginning of 1900 he wrote a series of articles exposing the whole system government controlled. The government of Nicholas II passed a resolution according to which the Holy Synod (the highest church institution in Russia) excommunicated Tolstoy from the church, which caused a wave of indignation in society.

In 1901 Tolstoy lived in the Crimea, was treated after a serious illness, often met with Chekhov and M. Gorky.

In the last years of his life, when Tolstoy drew up his will, he found himself at the center of intrigue and strife between the "Tolstoyites", on the one hand, and his wife, who defended the well-being of her family and children, on the other. Trying to bring his way of life in line with his beliefs and burdened by the lordly way of life in the estate. On November 10, 1910, Tolstoy secretly left Yasnaya Polyana. The health of the 82-year-old writer could not stand the trip. He caught a cold and, falling ill, died on November 20 on the way at the Astapovo station of the Ryazan-Ural railway.

Buried at Yasnaya Polyana.

2 The scale of the personality and the world significance of the writer's work

The great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy is one of the most remarkable artistic geniuses that mankind has ever known. For three quarters of a century, his name has been covered with a strong, unfading worldwide fame. His works are read and studied in all parts of the world.

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy is an extraordinary and amazing writer, whose work is inextricably linked with Russia. In his works, each person can find something of his own, see his soul, his problems, his pain. That is why his books are read and respected not only in our country, but are also widely distributed abroad. He wrote about really important things that remain relevant to this day. I believe that it is necessary to make a titanic effort in order for creations to be recognized and loved after so many years after death around the world.
Undoubtedly, the work of Leo Tolstoy is of great importance. of great global importance. His books are unique and sparkle with genius.

Fate gave this amazing man a long, difficult and wonderful life. Born three years after the Decembrist uprising and more than thirty years before the fall of serfdom, he witnessed the first people's revolution in Russia. Time has no power over his immortal creations, which capture the unique personality of a brilliant artist and great thinker. Tolstoy is one of the most widely read and revered classics not only in his homeland, but all over the world. In our time, Tolstoy's works have been translated into 98 languages ​​of the peoples of our country and foreign countries.

3 The history of the conception and creation of the novel "War and Peace".

One of the most fundamental and highly artistic prose works in the history of Russian literature is the epic novel "War and Peace". The high ideological and compositional perfection of the work is the fruit of many years of work. The history of the creation of Tolstoy's War and Peace reflects the hard work on the novel from 1863 to 1870.

The work is based on the Patriotic War of 1812, its reflection on the fate of people, the awakening of moral and patriotic feelings, the spiritual unity of the Russian people. However, before starting to create a story about the Patriotic War, the author changed his plans many times. For many years he was worried about the topic of the Decembrists, their role in the development of the state and the outcome of the uprising.

Tolstoy decided to write a work reflecting the story of the Decembrist, who returned in 1856 after a 30-year exile. The beginning of the story, according to Tolstoy's plan, was to begin in 1856. Later, the author decides to start his story from 1825 in order to show what reasons led the hero to exile. But having plunged into the abyss of historical events, the author felt the need to depict not only the fate of one hero, but the very Decembrist uprising, its origins.
The work was conceived as a story, and later the novel "The Decembrists", on which he worked in 1860-1861. Over time, the author is not satisfied only with the events of 1825 and comes to the understanding that it is necessary to reveal earlier historical events, which formed a wave patriotic movement and the awakening of civic consciousness in Russia. But the author did not stop there either, realizing the inseparable connection between the events of 1812 and their origins, which date back to 1805. Thus, the idea of ​​creative recreation of artistic and historical reality is planned by the author into a half-century large-scale picture, reflecting the events from 1805 to the 1850s.

The author called this idea of ​​recreating historical reality "Three pores". The first of them was supposed to reflect the historical realities of the 19th century, which personified the conditions for the formation of young Decembrists. The next time is the 1820s - the moment of the formation of civic activity and the moral position of the Decembrists. The culmination of this historical period, according to Tolstoy, was a direct description of the Decembrist uprising, its defeat and consequences. The third period was conceived by the author as a recreation of the reality of the 50s, marked by the return of the Decembrists from exile under an amnesty in connection with the death of Nicholas I. The third part was to become the personification of the time of the long-awaited changes in the political atmosphere of Russia.

Such a global intention of the author, which consists in depicting a very wide time period filled with numerous and significant historical events, required great effort and artistic strength from the writer. The work, in the final of which it was planned to return Pierre Bezukhov and Natasha Rostova from exile, did not fit into the framework of not only a traditional historical story, but even a novel. Understanding this and realizing the importance of a detailed reconstruction of the pictures of the war of 1812 and its starting points, Lev Nikolayevich decides to narrow the historical scope of the planned work.

In the final idea of ​​the author, the extreme time point turns out to be the 20s of the 19th century, which the reader learns about only in the prologue, while the main events of the work coincide with historical reality from 1805 to 1812. Despite the fact that the author decided to convey the essence historical era more briefly, the book has never been able to fit into any of the traditional historical genres. The work, combining detailed descriptions of all aspects of wartime and peacetime, resulted in a four-volume epic novel.

Despite the fact that the author established himself with the final version of the artistic concept, the work on the work was not easy. During the seven-year period of its creation, the author repeatedly abandoned work on the novel and returned to it again. Numerous manuscripts of the work, kept in the writer's archive, numbering more than five thousand pages, testify to the features of the work. According to them, the history of the creation of the novel "War and Peace" can be traced.

There were 15 draft versions of the novel in the archive, which testifies to the author's ultimate responsibility for working on the work, a high degree of introspection and criticism. Realizing the importance of the topic, Tolstoy wanted to be as close as possible to the true historical facts, philosophical and moral views society, civil sentiments of the first quarter of the 19th century. To write the novel "War and Peace", the writer had to study a lot of memoirs of eyewitnesses of the war, historical documents and scientific works, personal letters. “When I write history, I like to be true to reality to the smallest detail,” Tolstoy said. As a result, it turned out that the writer unwittingly collected a whole collection of books dedicated to the events of 1812.

In addition to working on historical sources, for a reliable depiction of the events of the war, the author visited the places of military battles. It was these trips that formed the basis of the unique landscape sketches that turn the novel from historical chronicle into a highly artistic work of literature.

The title of the work chosen by the author represents main idea. Peace, which lies in spiritual harmony and in the absence of hostilities in one's native land, can make a person truly happy. L.N. Tolstoy, who at the time of creating the work wrote: “The goal of the artist is not to undeniably resolve the issue, but to make you love life in countless, never exhausted all its manifestations,” undoubtedly managed to realize his ideological plan.

4 "Family Thought" in the epic novel

The novel "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy is considered a historical novel. It describes the real events of the military campaigns of 1805-1807 and the Patriotic War of 1812. It would seem that, apart from battle scenes and discussions about the war, nothing should worry the writer. But Tolstoy prescribes the family as the basis of the entire Russian society, the basis of morality and morality, the basis of human behavior in the course of history, as the central storyline. Therefore, the “family thought” in the novel “War and Peace” by Tolstoy is one of the main ones.

L.N. Tolstoy presents us with three secular families, which he shows for almost fifteen years, reveals family traditions and culture of several generations: fathers, children, grandchildren. These are the Rostov, Bolkonsky and Kuragin families. Three families are so different from each other, but the destinies of their pupils are so closely intertwined.

One of the most exemplary families of society, represented by Tolstoy in the novel, is the Rostov family. The origins of the family are love, mutual understanding, sensual support, harmony of human relations. Count and Countess of Rostov, sons Nikolai and Peter, daughters Natalia, Vera and niece Sonya. All members of this family form a circle of living participation in each other's destinies. The older sister Vera can be considered an exception, she kept herself somewhat colder. “... the beautiful Vera smiled contemptuously ...”, Tolstoy describes her manner of behaving in society, she herself said that she was brought up differently and was proud that she had nothing to do with “all sorts of tenderness”.

Natasha has been an eccentric girl since childhood. Children's love for Boris Drubetskoy, adoration for Pierre Bezukhov, passion for Anatole Kuragin, love for Andrei Bolkonsky - truly sincere feelings, absolutely devoid of self-interest.

The manifestation of true patriotism of the Rostov family confirms and reveals the importance of "family thought" in "War and Peace". Nikolai Rostov saw himself only as a military man and signed up for the hussars to go to defend the Russian army. Natasha gave carts for the wounded, abandoning all her belongings. The Countess and Count provided their house to shelter the wounded from the French. Petya Rostov goes to war as a boy and dies for his country.

In the Bolkonsky family, everything is somewhat different than in the Rostovs. Tolstoy does not say that there was no love here. She was, but her manifestation did not bear such a tender feeling. Old Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky believed: "There are only two sources of human vices: idleness and superstition, and that there are only two virtues: activity and intelligence." Everything in their family was subject to strict order - "the order in his way of life was brought to the last degree of accuracy." He himself taught his daughter, studied mathematics and other sciences with her.

Young Bolkonsky loved his father and respected his opinion, he treated him worthy of a princely son. Leaving for the war, he asked his father to leave his future son to raise, as he knew that his father would do everything in honor and justice.

Princess Mary, Andrei Bolkonsky's sister, obeyed the old prince in everything. She lovingly accepted all the strictness of her father and took care of him with diligence. To Andrey’s question: “Is it difficult for you with him?” Marya answered: “Is it possible to judge a father? .. I am so pleased and happy with him!”

All relations in the Bolkonsky family were smooth and calm, everyone went about his business and knew his place. True patriotism was shown by Prince Andrei, who gave his own life for the victory of the Russian army. The old prince, until the last day, kept notes for the sovereign, followed the course of the war and believed in the strength of Russia. Princess Mary did not renounce her faith, she prayed for her brother and helped people with her whole existence.

This family is represented by Tolstoy as opposed to the two previous ones. Prince Vasily Kuragin lived only for profit. He knew with whom to be friends, whom to invite to visit, whom to marry children in order to get a profitable life. To Anna Pavlovna’s remark about his family, Scherer says: “What to do! Lavater would say I don't have the bump of parental love." The secular beauty Helen is bad at heart, " prodigal son Anatole leads an idle life, in revelry and amusements, the elder, Ippolit, is called by his father a “fool”. This family is not able to love, empathize, even take care of each other. Prince Vasily admits: "My children are a burden on my existence." The ideal of their life is vulgarity, debauchery, opportunism, deception of people who love them. Helen destroys the lives of Pierre Bezukhov, Anatole interferes in the relationship between Natasha and Andrey.

There is no mention of patriotism here. Prince Vasily himself constantly gossips in the world either about Kutuzov, or about Bagration, or about Emperor Alexander, or about Napoleon, not having a constant opinion and adjusting to the circumstances.At the end of the novel "War and Peace" L.N. Tolstoy adds up the situation of mixing the families of Bolkonsky, Rostov and Bezukhov. New strong, loving families connect Natasha Rostov and Pierre, Nikolai Rostov and Marya Bolkonskaya. “Like in every real family, several completely different worlds lived together in the Bald Mountain house, which, each holding its own peculiarity and making concessions to one another, merged into one harmonious whole,” the author says. The wedding of Natasha and Pierre took place in the year of the death of Count Rostov - the old family collapsed, a new one was formed. And for Nikolai, marrying Marya was the salvation of both the entire Rostov family and himself. Marya, with all her faith and love, kept the family peace of mind and ensured harmony.

5 Stages of spiritual development of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov

The description of the spiritual quest of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov in the novel "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy is given a lot of space. The multifaceted content of the work made it possible to define its genre as an epic novel. It reflects important historical events, the fate of people of different classes throughout the whole era. As well as global issues, the writer pays great attention to the experiences, victories and defeats of his favorite heroes. Watching their fate, the reader learns to analyze their actions, achieve their goals, and choose the right path.

The life path of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov is difficult and thorny. Their fates help convey to the reader one of the main ideas of the story. L. N. Tolstoy believes that in order to be truly honest, one must “torn, get confused, fight, make mistakes, start and quit and start again, and always fight and lose.” That's what friends do. The painful searches of Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov are aimed at finding the meaning of their existence.

Andrei Bolkonsky is rich, handsome, married to a charming woman. What makes him quit successful career and a quiet secure life? Bolkonsky is trying to find his destiny.

At the beginning of the book, this is a man who dreams of fame, popular love and exploits. “I love nothing but glory, human love. Death, injury, loss of family, nothing scares me,” he says. His ideal is the great Napoleon. In order to resemble his idol, the proud and ambitious prince becomes a military man, performs feats. Insight comes suddenly. The wounded Andrei Bolkonsky, seeing the high sky of Austerlitz, realizes that his goals were empty and worthless.

Leaving the service and returning, Prince Andrei seeks to correct his mistakes. Evil fate decides otherwise. After the death of his wife, a period of depression and despondency begins in Bolkonsky's life. A conversation with Pierre makes him look at life differently.

Bolkonsky again strives to be useful not only to his family, but also to the Fatherland. Engaging in public affairs briefly captivates the hero. The meeting with Natasha Rostova opens one's eyes to the false nature of Speransky. The meaning of life is love for Natasha. Again dreams, again plans and again disappointment. Family pride did not allow Prince Andrei to forgive the fatal mistake of his future wife. The wedding was upset, hopes for happiness were dispelled.

Again, Bolkonsky settled in Bogucharovo, deciding to take up the upbringing of his son and the arrangement of his estate. The Patriotic War of 1812 awakened the best qualities in the hero. Love for the Motherland and hatred for the invaders make them return to the service and devote their lives to the Fatherland. Finding true meaning its existence, the protagonist becomes a different person. In his soul there is no more room for conceited thoughts and selfishness. The path of searching for Bolkonsky and Bezukhov is described throughout the novel. The author does not immediately lead the characters to the cherished goal. Finding happiness was not easy for Pierre either. The young Count Bezukhov, unlike his friend, is guided by the dictates of his heart in his actions.

In the first chapters of the work we have before us a naive, kind, frivolous young man. Weakness and gullibility make Pierre vulnerable, make him commit rash acts.

Pierre Bezukhov, like Andrei Bolkonsky, dreams of the future, admires Napoleon, tries to find his life path. Through trial and error, the hero achieves the desired goal.

One of the main misconceptions of the inexperienced Pierre was his marriage to the seductive Helen Kuragina. The deceived Pierre feels pain, resentment, annoyance as a result of this marriage. Having lost his family, having lost hope for personal happiness, Pierre tries to find himself in Freemasonry. He sincerely believes that his active work will be useful to society. The ideas of brotherhood, equality, justice inspire the young man. He is trying to bring them to life: he alleviates the fate of the peasants, orders the construction of free schools and hospitals. “And only now, when I ... try to live for others, only now I understand all the happiness of life,” he says to a friend. But his orders remain unfulfilled, the Masons brothers turn out to be deceitful and greedy. In the novel War and Peace, Bolkonsky and Pierre constantly have to start all over again.

The turning point for Pierre Bezukhov comes with the outbreak of World War II. He, like Prince Bolkonsky, is inspired by patriotic ideas. With his own money he forms a regiment, is at the forefront during the Battle of Borodino. Having decided to kill Napoleon, Pierre Bezukhov commits a series of frivolous acts and is captured by the French. Months spent in captivity completely change the count's outlook. Under the influence of a simple peasant Platon Karataev, he understands that the meaning of human life is to satisfy simple needs. “A person should be happy,” says Pierre, who has returned from captivity. Having understood himself, Pierre Bezukhov began to better understand those around him. He unmistakably chooses the right path, finds true love and family.

"Calmness is a meanness of the soul." Heroes dear to the writer do not know peace, are in search of the right life path. The desire to honestly and dignifiedly fulfill a duty and benefit society unites Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov, makes them so different in character.

6 Natasha Rostova and female images in the novel

Many female images in Tolstov's novel "War and Peace" have prototypes in real life author. This, for example, is Maria Bolkonskaya (Rostova), Tolstoy wrote her image from her mother, Volkonskaya Maria Nikolaevna. Rostova Natalya Sr. is very similar to the grandmother of Lev Nikolaevich - Pelageya Nikolaevna Tolstaya. Natasha Rostova (Bezukhova) even has two prototypes, these are the writer's wife, Sofya Andreevna Tolstaya, and her sister, Tatyana Andreevna Kuzminskaya. Apparently, this is why Tolstoy creates these characters with such warmth and tenderness.

It is amazing how accurately he conveys the feelings and thoughts of people in the novel. The author subtly feels the psychology of a thirteen-year-old girl - Natasha Rostova, with her broken doll, and understands the grief of an adult woman - Countess Natalya Rostova, who lost her youngest son. Tolstoy seems to show their life and thoughts in such a way that the reader seems to see the world through the eyes of the heroes of the novel.

Despite the fact that the writer talks about the war, the female theme in the novel "War and Peace" fills the work with life and a variety of human relationships. The novel is full of contrasts, the author constantly opposes good and evil, cynicism and generosity.

Moreover, if negative characters remain constant in their pretense and inhumanity, then positive characters make mistakes, are tormented by pangs of conscience, rejoice and suffer, growing and developing spiritually and morally.

Natasha Rostova is one of the main figures of the novel, it is felt that Tolstoy treats her with special tenderness and love. Throughout the work, Natasha is constantly changing. We see her at first as a little lively girl, then as a funny and romantic girl, and in the end she is already an adult mature woman, the wise, beloved and loving wife of Pierre Bezukhov. She makes mistakes, sometimes she is mistaken, but at the same time, her inner instinct and nobility help her to understand people, to feel them. state of mind. Natasha is full of life and charm, therefore, even with a very modest appearance, as Tolstoy describes, she attracts with her joyful and pure inner world.

The eldest Natalia Rostova, mother of a large family, a kind and wise woman, seems very strict at first glance. But, when Natasha pokes her skirts, the mother "falsely angry" lashes out at the girl and everyone understands how much she loves her children. Knowing that her friend is in a difficult financial situation, the Countess, embarrassed, gives her money. “Annette, for God’s sake, don’t refuse me,” the countess suddenly said, blushing, which was so strange with her middle-aged, thin and important face, taking out money from under her scarf.

With all the external freedom that she provides to children, Countess Rostova is ready to go to great lengths for the sake of their well-being in the future. She pushes Boris away youngest daughter, interferes with the marriage of her son Nikolai with the dowry Sonya, but at the same time it is completely clear that she does all this only out of love for her children. A mother's love- the most selfless and bright of all feelings.

Natasha's older sister, Vera, is a little apart, beautiful and cold. Tolstoy writes: “A smile did not adorn Vera's face, as is usually the case; on the contrary, her face became unnatural and therefore unpleasant. She gets annoyed younger brothers and sister, they interfere with her, the main concern for her is herself. Selfish and self-absorbed, Vera is not like her relatives, she does not know how to love sincerely and disinterestedly, as they do.

Fortunately for her, Colonel Berg, whom she married, was very suitable for her character, and they made an excellent couple. Locked up in a village with an old and despotic father, Marya Bolkonskaya appears before the reader as an ugly, sad girl who is afraid of her father. She is smart, but not self-confident, especially since the old prince constantly emphasizes her ugliness.

At the same time, Tolstoy says about her: “the eyes of the princess, large, deep and radiant (as if rays of warm light sometimes came out of them in sheaves), were so good that very often, despite the ugliness of her whole face, these eyes became more attractive than beauty. . But the princess never saw the good expression in her eyes, the expression they assumed in those moments when she was not thinking about herself. Like all people, her face took on a strained, unnatural, evil expression, as soon as she looked in the mirror. And after this description, I want to look at Marya, watch her, understand what is going on in the soul of this timid girl. In fact, Princess Marya is a strong personality with her own established outlook on life. This is clearly seen when she, along with her father, does not want to accept Natasha, but after the death of her brother, she nevertheless forgives and understands her. Marya, like many girls, dreams of love and family happiness, she is ready to marry Anatole Kuragin and refuses marriage only for the sake of sympathy for Mademoiselle Bourienne. The nobility of the soul saves her from the vile and vile handsome man. Fortunately, Marya meets Nikolai Rostov and falls in love with him. It is difficult to immediately say for whom this marriage becomes a great salvation. After all, he saves Mary from loneliness, and the Rostov family from ruin.

Although this is not so important, the main thing is that Marya and Nikolai love each other and are happy together.

In the novel "War and Peace" female images are drawn not only in beautiful and iridescent colors. Tolstoy also portrays very unpleasant characters. He always indirectly defines his attitude to the heroes of the story, but he never speaks about it directly.

So, finding herself at the beginning of the novel in the living room of Anna Pavlovna Sherer, the reader understands how fake she is with her smiles and ostentatious hospitality. Scherer "... is full of revival and impulses", because "to be an enthusiast has become her social position ...".

The coquettish and stupid Princess Bolkonskaya does not understand Prince Andrei and is even afraid of him: “Suddenly, the angry squirrel expression of the princess’s beautiful face was replaced by an attractive and compassionate expression of fear; she looked frowningly at her husband with her beautiful eyes, and on her face appeared that timid and confessing expression that a dog has, quickly, but feebly waving its lowered tail. She does not want to change, develop, and does not see how bored the prince is with her frivolous tone, her unwillingness to think about what she says and what she does. Helen Kuragina, a cynical narcissistic beauty, deceitful and inhuman. Without hesitation, for the sake of entertainment, she helps her brother seduce Natasha Rostov, destroying not only the life of Natasha, but also Prince Bolkonsky. For all her external beauty, Helen is ugly and soulless internally. Repentance, pangs of conscience - all this is not about her. She will always find an excuse for herself, and the more immoral she appears before us.

Reading the novel "War and Peace", we plunge into the world of joys and sorrows together with the characters, we are proud of their successes, we empathize with their grief. Tolstoy managed to convey all those subtle psychological nuances of human relationships that make up our lives.

7 The problem of personality in history: Napoleon and Kutuzov. Condemnation of the cruelty of war in the novel

Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" is practically the only historical epic novel. He describes in detail the military campaigns of 1805, 1809 and the war of 1812. Some readers believe that the novel can be used to study individual battles in the course of history. But for Tolstoy it was not the main thing to tell about the war as a historical event. He had a different idea - "the thought of the people." Show people, their characters, revealing the meaning of life. Not only ordinary people, but also great historical figures, such as Kutuzov, Napoleon, Alexander, Bagration. L.N. Tolstoy gives a specific description of Kutuzov and Napoleon in War and Peace. This open comparison of the two commanders runs through the entire plot of the work.

The principle of contrast, taken as a basis by Tolstoy, reveals in "War and Peace" the images of Kutuzov and Napoleon as military strategists, shows the attitude towards their country, towards their army, towards their people. The author made a true portrait of his heroes, without inventing heroism and false shortcomings. They are real, alive - from the description of appearance to character traits.

At first glance, it seems that Napoleon has a greater place in the novel than Kutuzov. We see him from the first lines to the last. Everyone talks about him: in the salon of Anna Pavlovna Sherer, and in the house of Prince Bolkonsky, and in the soldiers' ranks. Many believe that "... Bonaparte is invincible and that all of Europe can do nothing against him ..." But Kutuzov does not appear in entire parts of the novel. He is scolded, laughed at, forgotten about. Vasily Kuragin mockingly speaks of Kutuzov when we are talking about who will be the commander-in-chief in the hostilities of 1812: “Is it possible to appoint a commander-in-chief of a person who cannot sit on horseback, falls asleep at the council, a person of the worst morals! ... a decrepit and blind person? .. He does not see anything. Play blind man's blind man..." But here Prince Vasily recognizes him as a commander: "I'm not talking about his qualities as a general!" But Kutuzov is present invisibly, they hope for him, but do not talk about it out loud.
The great French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in the novel is presented to us through the eyes of his soldiers, Russian secular society, Russian and Austrian generals, the Russian army and Leo Tolstoy himself. His vision of Napoleon's small character traits helps us understand this complex image.

We see Napoleon in a moment of anger when he realizes that his general Murat made a mistake in his calculations and thus gave the Russian army the opportunity to win. "Go, destroy the Russian army!" he exclaims in a letter to his general.

We see him at the moment of glory, when Napoleon, with his head held high and a contemptuous grin, looks around the field of Austerlitz after the battle. The wounded are lined up for him to inspect, for him this is another trophy. He either respectfully or mockingly thanks the Russian General Repnin for a fair fight.

We see it in a minute complete calm and the certainty of victory as he stands on top of the hill on the morning before the Battle of Austerlitz. Unshakable, arrogant, he raises the "white glove" and with one movement of his hand begins the battle.

We see him in a conversation with Alexander, when he came to a meeting in Tilsit. A tough decision, undeniable by anyone, an imperious look and confidence in actions gives the French emperor what he wants. The peace of Tilsit was incomprehensible to many, but Alexander was blinded by the "honesty" of Bonaparte, he did not see the cold calculation and obvious deceit of this truce.

Tolstoy shows his attitude towards the French soldiers without hiding. For Napoleon, this is just a tool that must always be ready for battle. He doesn't care about people at all. His cynicism, cruelty, complete indifference to human life, cold calculating mind, cunning - these are the qualities that Tolstoy speaks of. He has only one goal - to conquer Europe, to capture, precisely to capture, Russia and conquer the whole world. But Napoleon did not calculate his strength, he did not understand that the Russian army was strong not only with howitzers and cannons, but above all with faith. Faith in God, faith in the Russian people, faith in the united people, faith in the victory of Russia for the Russian Tsar. The outcome of the Battle of Borodino was a shameful defeat for Napoleon, the defeat of all his great plans.

In comparison with Napoleon, the acting, thinking young, but experienced emperor, Kutuzov looks like a passive commander. We often see him talking to soldiers, sleeping at military councils, not categorically deciding the course of battles and not imposing his opinion on other generals. He acts in his own way. The Russian army believes in him. All the soldiers call him "Father Kutuzov" behind his back. He, unlike Napoleon, does not boast of his rank, but simply goes to the field not after the battle, but during it, fighting hand in hand next to his comrades. For him there are no privates and generals, everyone is united in the struggle for the Russian land.

When inspecting the troops near Braunau, Kutuzov looks at the soldiers “with a kind smile” and takes on the problem of the lack of boots. He also recognizes Timokhin, to whom he gives a separate nod. This suggests that for Kutuzov it is not the rank, not the title that is important, but simply a person with his soul. Tolstoy in "War and Peace" shows Kutuzov and Napoleon in bright contrast precisely in this aspect - the attitude towards his army. For Kutuzov, every soldier is a person, a person with his own inclinations and shortcomings. Everything is important to him. He often rubs his eyes full of tears, because he tends to worry about people, about the outcome of the case. He is excited about Andrei Bolkonsky, because he loves his father. Bitterly accepts the news of the death of the old Bolkonsky. He understands the losses and realizes the failure at Austerlitz. Accepts the right decision at the Battle of Shengraben. Thoroughly prepares for the Battle of Borodino and believes in the victory of the Russian army.

Kutuzov and Napoleon are two great commanders who played an important role in history. Each had its own goal - to defeat the enemy, they only went to it in different ways. L.N. Tolstoy used different means to describe Kutuzov and Napoleon. It gives us both the external characteristics and the character of the soul, the action of thought. All this helps to put together a complete image of the characters and understand whose priorities are more important for us.

Comparison of Kutuzov and Napoleon in Tolstoy's novel is not random selection author. He does not put two emperors on the same level - Alexander and Bonaparte, he builds a comparison of just two generals - Kutuzov and Napoleon. Apparently, Alexander, still a very young ruler, did not have the qualities of a real commander to be able to resist "Napoleon himself." Only Kutuzov could claim this.

L.N. Tolstoy in the epilogue tells us about “this man”, “without convictions, without habits, without traditions, without a name, not even a Frenchman ...”, who is Napoleon Bonaparte, who wanted to conquer the whole world. The main enemy on his way was Russia - huge, strong. By various deceitful ways, cruel battles, seizures of territories, Napoleon moved slowly from his goal. Neither the Peace of Tilsit, nor Russia's allies, nor Kutuzov could stop him. Although Tolstoy says that “the more we try to reasonably explain these phenomena in nature, the more unreasonable, incomprehensible they become for us,” nevertheless, in the novel War and Peace, the cause of the war is Napoleon. Standing in power in France, subjugating part of Europe, he lacked the great Russia. But Napoleon was mistaken, he did not calculate the strength and lost this war.

In the novel, L.N. Tolstoy expresses thoughts about the reasons for Russia’s victory in the Patriotic War: “No one will argue that the reason for the death of Napoleon’s French troops was, on the one hand, their entry at a later time without preparing for a winter campaign deep into Russia, and on the other hand, on the other hand, the character that the war assumed from the burning of Russian cities and the incitement of hatred for the enemy in the Russian people. For the Russian people, the victory in the Patriotic War was the victory of the Russian spirit, Russian strength, Russian faith in any circumstances. The consequences of the war of 1812 for the French side, namely for Napoleon, were heavy. It was the collapse of his empire, the collapse of his hopes, the collapse of his greatness. Napoleon not only did not take possession of the whole world, he could not stay in Moscow, but fled ahead of his army, retreating in disgrace and the failure of the entire military campaign.
8 Lessons from Borodin. Analysis of battle scenes.

Having studied Leo Tolstoy's epic novel "War and Peace", many historians argue that Tolstoy allowed himself to distort some facts of the Patriotic War of 1812. This applies to the battle of Austerlitz and the battle of Borodino. Really, battle of Borodino in the novel "War and Peace" by Tolstoy is described in sufficient detail, which allows you to study historical events through the pages of the novel. However, the opinion of historians agrees that the main battle of the entire Patriotic War of 1812 was precisely Borodino. It was this that was the reason for the victory of the Russians over the French army. That was what was decisive.
Let's open the novel by L.N. Tolstoy, volume three, part two, chapter nineteen, where we read: “Why was the Battle of Borodino given? Neither for the French nor for the Russians it made the slightest sense. The immediate result was and should be - for the Russians that we approached the destruction of Moscow, .. and for the French that they approached the destruction of the entire army ... This result was then completely obvious, but meanwhile Napoleon gave, and Kutuzov accepted this is a fight."
As Tolstoy describes, on August 24, 1812, Napoleon did not see the troops of the Russian army from Utitsa to Borodino, but accidentally "stumbled" on the Shevardinsky redoubt, where he had to start the battle. The positions of the left flank were weakened by the enemy, and the Russians lost the Shevardinsky redoubt, and Napoleon transferred his troops across the Kolocha River. On August 25, no action followed from either side. And on August 26, the Battle of Borodino took place. In the novel, the writer even shows readers a map - the location of the French and Russian sides - for a clearer idea of ​​\u200b\u200bit what is happening. Tolstoy does not hide his lack of understanding of the senselessness of the actions of the Russian army and gives his assessment of the Battle of Borodino in "War and Peace": "The Battle of Borodino did not take place on a chosen and fortified position with the then somewhat weaker Russian forces, and the Battle of Borodino, due to the loss of the Shevardinsky redoubt, It was adopted by the Russians in an open, almost unfortified area with twice the weakest forces against the French, that is, in such conditions in which it was not only unthinkable to fight for ten hours and make the battle indecisive, but it was unthinkable to keep the army from complete defeat for three hours and escape." The description of the Battle of Borodino is given in chapters 19-39 of the second part of the third volume. At the same time, not only a description of military operations is given. Tolstoy pays great attention to the reflections of our heroes. He shows Andrei Bolkonsky on the eve of the battle. His thoughts are agitated, and he himself is somewhat irritated, experiencing a strange excitement before the battle. He thinks about love, remembering all the important moments of his life. He confidently says to Pierre Bezukhov: “Tomorrow, no matter what, we will win the battle!”

Captain Timokhin tells Bolkonsky: “Why feel sorry for yourself now! The soldiers in my battalion, believe me, did not drink vodka: not such a day, they say. Pierre Bezukhov came to the mound, where they were preparing for battle, and was horrified, discovering the war "firsthand." He sees the militia men and looks at them in bewilderment, to which Boris Drubetskoy explains to him: “The militia - they just put on clean, white shirts to prepare for death. What heroism, count!

Napoleon's behavior is also thought provoking. He is nervous and the last day before the battle "is out of sorts." Perhaps Napoleon understands that this battle will be decisive for him. He seems to be insecure about his army and something makes him doubt. In the very course of the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon sits on a mound near Shevardino and drinks punch. Why did the writer show it at this particular moment? What did you want to show? Pettiness and indifference to his soldiers, or the special tactics of a great strategist and self-confidence? At least for us - the readers - everything becomes clear: Kutuzov would never have allowed himself such behavior in a general battle. Napoleon showed his isolation from the people, where he is - and where is his army. He showed all his superiority to both the Russians and the French. He did not condescend to take up his sword and fight. He watched everything from the sidelines. I watched how people kill each other, how the Russians smash the French and vice versa, but I thought only about one thing - power.

About the words of Kutuzov (the order for battle), Tolstoy says this: "... what Kutuzov said stemmed ... from a feeling that lay in the soul of the commander-in-chief, as well as in the soul of every Russian person." For him, the significance of the Battle of Borodino was truly the outcome of the entire war. A man who felt everything that was happening to his soldiers probably could not think differently. Borodino was lost for him, but he knew somehow inner feeling that the war is not over yet. Can this be called Kutuzov's calculation when, having allowed Napoleon to enter Moscow, he signs the death sentence to the Emperor of France. He dooms the French army to complete devastation. He exhausts them with hunger, cold and leads them to flee from Moscow. Nature helps Kutuzov in this, and the Russian spirit and in victory, and faith in forces, albeit weakened, but still alive, and a large partisan movement that the people have launched.

Kutuzov recognized the Russian people great power which led Russia to victory. This calculation or pure chance does not matter, but the battle of Borodino was the outcome of the entire war of 1812. Briefly enough, I wrote some important, in my opinion, quotes that confirm this idea.

9 "People's Thought" in the novel

“The subject of history is the life of peoples and mankind,” - this is how L.N. Tolstoy begins the second part of the epilogue of the epic novel “War and Peace”. Then he asks the question: “What is the power that moves the nations?” Arguing over these “theories”, Tolstoy comes to the conclusion that: “The life of peoples does not fit into the lives of several people, because the connection between these several people and peoples has not been found ...” In other words, Tolstoy says that the role of the people in history is undeniable, and the eternal truth that history is made by the people is proved by him in his novel. "The thought of the people" in Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" is indeed one of the main themes of the epic novel.

Many readers understand the word "people" not quite the way Tolstoy understands it. Lev Nikolaevich means by "people" not only soldiers, peasants, peasants, not only that "huge mass" driven by some force. For Tolstoy, "the people" are officers, generals, and the nobility. This is Kutuzov, and Bolkonsky, and the Rostovs, and Bezukhov - this is all of humanity, embraced by one thought, one deed, one destiny. All the main characters of Tolstoy's novel are directly connected with their people and are inseparable from them.
The fates of the favorite characters of Tolstoy's novel are connected with the life of the people. The "thought of the people" in "War and Peace" runs like a red thread through the life of Pierre Bezukhov. Being in captivity, Pierre learned his truth of life. Platon Karataev, a peasant peasant, opened it to Bezukhov: “In captivity, in a booth, Pierre learned not with his mind, but with his whole being, with his life, that man was created for happiness, that happiness is in himself, in satisfying natural human needs, that all misfortune occurs not from lack, but from excess. The French offered Pierre to transfer from a soldier's booth to an officer's, but he refused, remaining faithful to those with whom he suffered his fate. And after a long time he recalled with rapture this month of captivity, as “about the complete peace of mind, about perfect inner freedom, which he experienced only at that time.

Andrei Bolkonsky in the battle of Austerlitz also felt his people. Grabbing the staff of the banner and rushing forward, he did not think that the soldiers would follow him. And they, seeing Bolkonsky with a banner and hearing: “Guys, go ahead!” rushed to the enemy after their leader. The unity of officers and ordinary soldiers confirms that the people are not divided into ranks and ranks, the people are one, and Andrei Bolkonsky understood this.

Natasha Rostova, leaving Moscow, dumps family property on the ground and gives her carts to the wounded. This decision comes to her immediately, without deliberation, which indicates that the heroine does not separate herself from the people. Another episode that speaks of the true Russian spirit of Rostova, in which L. Tolstoy himself admires his beloved heroine: spirit, where did she get these techniques… But these spirit and techniques were the same, inimitable, unlearned, Russian.”

And Captain Tushin, who sacrificed his own life for the sake of victory, for the sake of Russia. Captain Timokhin, who rushed at the Frenchman with "one skewer." Denisov, Nikolai Rostov, Petya Rostov and many other Russian people who stood with the people and knew true patriotism.

Tolstoy created a collective image of the people - a single, invincible people, when not only soldiers, troops, but also militias are fighting. Civilians help not with weapons, but with their own methods: the peasants burn hay so as not to be taken to Moscow, people leave the city only because they do not want to obey Napoleon. This is the “folk idea” and the ways of its disclosure in the novel. Tolstoy makes it clear that in a single thought - not to surrender to the enemy - the Russian people are strong. For all Russian people, a sense of patriotism is important.

The only commander in chief of the army who never separated himself from the people was Kutuzov. “He knew not with his mind or science, but with his whole Russian being he knew and felt what every Russian soldier felt ...” The disunity of the Russian army in an alliance with Austria, the deception of the Austrian army, when the allies abandoned the Russians in battles, for Kutuzov were unbearable pain. Kutuzov replied to Napoleon’s letter about peace: “I would be damned if they looked at me as the first instigator of any deal: such is the will of our people” (italics by L.N. Tolstoy). Kutuzov did not write from himself, he expressed the opinion of the whole people, all Russian people.

The image of Kutuzov is opposed to the image of Napoleon, who was very far from his people. He was only interested in personal interest in the struggle for power. The empire of world subordination to Bonaparte - and the abyss in the interests of the people. As a result, the war of 1812 was lost, the French fled, and Napoleon was the first to leave Moscow. He abandoned his army, abandoned his people.

In his novel War and Peace, Tolstoy shows that the power of the people is invincible. And in every Russian person there is "simplicity, goodness and truth." True patriotism does not measure everyone by rank, does not build a career, does not seek glory. At the beginning of the third volume, Tolstoy writes: “There are two aspects of life in every person: personal life, which is all the more free, the more abstract its interests, and spontaneous, swarming life, where a person inevitably fulfills the laws prescribed for him.” Laws of honor, conscience, common culture, general history.

10 Platon Karataev: Russian picture of the world

Among the representatives of the nobility, the image of Platon Karataev in Tolstoy's "War and Peace" stands out especially brightly and convexly. Creating his work, the writer sought to most fully reflect the picture of his contemporary era. Numerous faces, diverse characters pass before us in the novel. We get acquainted with the emperors, the field marshal, the generals. We study the life of secular society, the life of the local nobility. An equally important role for understanding the ideological content of the work is played by characters from common people. Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, who knew well the living conditions of people of the lower class, skillfully displays it in his novel. The memorable images of Platon Karataev, Tikhon Shcherbaty, Anisya, the hunter Danila were created by the writer with a particularly warm feeling. Thanks to this, we have a realistic and objective picture of the life of people in the first half of the nineteenth century.

The most significant character from the common people, of course, is Platon Karataev. It is in his mouth that the author's concept of common life and the meaning of human existence on earth is put. The reader sees Plato through the eyes of Pierre Bezukhov, who was captured by the French. It is there that they meet. Under the influence of this common man educated Pierre changes his worldview and finds the right path in life. With the help of a description of appearance and speech characteristics, the author manages to create a unique image. The round and soft appearance of the hero, unhurried but dexterous movements, affectionate and friendly facial expressions radiate wisdom and kindness. Plato treats his comrades in misfortune, his enemies and a stray dog ​​with the same participation and love. He is the personification of the best qualities of the Russian people: peace, kindness, sincerity. The speech of the hero, saturated with sayings, sayings, aphorisms, flows measuredly and smoothly. He slowly tells about his simple fate, tells fairy tales, sings songs. Wise expressions easily, like birds, fly from his tongue: “To endure an hour, but to live a century”, “Where the court is, there is untruth”, “Not by our mind, but by God's judgment”. Constantly busy with useful work, Plato does not get bored, does not talk about life, does not make plans. He lives today, relying in everything on the will of God. Having met this man, Pierre understood a simple and wise truth: “His life, as he himself looked at it, did not make sense as a separate life. It made sense as a particle of the whole, which he constantly felt.
The worldview and lifestyle of Platon Karataev are the closest and dearest to the writer, but in order to be objective and honest in depicting reality, he uses a comparison of Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbaty in the novel.

We meet Tikhon Shcherbaty in the partisan detachment of Vasily Denisov. This man from the people is opposed in his qualities to Platon Karataev. Unlike the peace-loving and all-forgiving Plato, the hero is full of hatred for the enemy. A man does not rely on God and fate, but prefers to act. An active, savvy partisan is a general favorite in the detachment. When necessary, he is cruel and merciless and rarely leaves the enemy alive. The idea of ​​"non-resistance to evil by violence" is alien and incomprehensible to Shcherbaty. He is "the most useful and brave man in the squad".

Characterizing Platon Karataev and Tikhon Shcherbaty, Tolstoy compares them external features, qualities of character and life position. Tikhon is hardworking and cheerful in a peasant way. He never loses heart. His rough speech is filled with jokes and jokes. Strength, dexterity, self-confidence distinguishes him from the soft and unhurried Plato. Both characters are well remembered, thanks to a detailed description. Platon Karataev is fresh and neat, without gray hair. Tikhon Shcherbaty highlights the lack of a tooth, which is why his nickname went.

Tikhon Shcherbaty is a character in which the image of the Russian people is personified - a hero who defended his Fatherland. The fearlessness, strength and cruelty of such partisans struck terror into the hearts of the enemy. Thanks to such heroes, the Russian people managed to win. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy understands the need for such behavior of his hero and partially justifies it in our eyes.

Platon Karataev is a representative of the other half of the Russian people who believe in God, who knows how to endure, love and forgive. They, like halves of one whole, are necessary for a complete picture of the character of the Russian peasant.

The sympathies of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, of course, are on the side of Platon Karataev. The humanist writer all his conscious life opposes war, the most inhuman and cruel, in his opinion, event in the life of society. With his work, he preaches the ideas of morality, peace, love, mercy, and war brings death and misfortune to people. scary pictures The battle of Borodino, the death of young Petya, the painful death of Andrei Bolkonsky make the reader shudder with horror and pain that any war entails. Therefore, the importance of the image of Plato in the novel "War and Peace" can hardly be overestimated. This person is the embodiment of the author's main idea of ​​a harmonious life in harmony with oneself. The writer sympathizes with people like Platon Karataev. The author, for example, approves of Petit's deed, pitying the French captive boy, understands the feelings of Vasily Denisov, who does not want to shoot the captured French. Tolstoy does not accept the heartlessness of Dolokhov and the excessive cruelty of Tikhon Shcherbaty, believing that evil begets evil. Realizing that war is impossible without blood and violence, the writer believes in the victory of reason and humanity.

11 The test of the era of "defeats and shame." The theme of true pseudo-patriotism

The colossal prose canvas "War and Peace", which reflected with incredible sincerity and truthfulness the real pictures of the life of the people in the abyss of complex events of the first decades of the 19th century, became one of the most important works in domestic literature. The novel deserved its high value due to the seriousness of the problem. True and false patriotism in the novel "War and Peace" is one of the central ideas, the relevance of which does not pass after more than 200 years.

Despite the extensive system of characters in the work, its main character is the Russian people. As you know, people show their true qualities when they find themselves in difficult life situations. There is nothing more terrible and responsible both for an individual and for the nation as a whole than war. She, like a magic mirror, is able to reflect the true face of everyone, tearing off the masks of pretense and pseudo-patriotism of some, emphasizing heroism, readiness for self-sacrifice for the sake of civic duty of others. War becomes a kind of test for the individual. In the novel, the Russian people are depicted in the process of overcoming this test in the form of the Patriotic War of 1812.

In the course of depicting the war, the author resorts to the technique comparative comparison sentiments and behavior of both the military and secular society, comparing the years 1805-1807, when fighting took place outside Russian Empire, since 1812 - the period of the French invasion of the territory of the state, forcing the people to rise to defend the Fatherland.

chief artistic technique, which the author masterfully operates in the work, is the antithesis. The author uses the opposition method both in the table of contents of the epic novel and in parallel storylines and in character creation. The heroes of the work are opposed to each other not only by their moral qualities and actions, but also by their attitude to civic duty, a manifestation of true and false patriotism.

The war affected various segments of the population. And many are trying to contribute to the common victory. Peasants and merchants burn or give away their property only so that it does not go to the invaders, Muscovites and residents of Smolensk leave their homes, not wanting to be under the yoke of the enemy.

With special penetration and pride, Lev Nikolaevich creates images of Russian soldiers. They demonstrated heroism and courage in episodes of military operations near Austerlitz, Shengraben, Smolensk and, of course, at the Battle of Borodino. It was there that the incomparable courage of ordinary soldiers, their love for the Motherland and fortitude, their readiness to sacrifice their own lives for the sake of freedom and the Fatherland, manifested itself. They do not try to look like heroes, emphasize their prowess against the background of others, but only try to prove their love and devotion to the Fatherland. Involuntarily, the work reads the idea that true patriotism cannot be ostentatious and poser.

One of the most bright characters personifying true patriotism in the novel "War and Peace" is Mikhail Kutuzov. Appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army against the tsar's will, he managed to justify the trust placed in him. The logic of his appointment is best explained by the words of Andrei Bolkonsky: "While Russia was healthy, Barclay de Tolly was good ... When Russia is sick, she needs her man."

One of the most difficult decisions, which Kutuzov happened to take during the war, is an order to retreat. Only a far-sighted, experienced and deeply patriotic commander could take responsibility for such a decision. On one side of the scale was Moscow, and on the other - all of Russia. As a true patriot, Kutuzov makes a decision in favor of the entire state. The great commander demonstrated his patriotism and love for the people even after the expulsion of the invaders. He refuses to fight outside the country, believing that the Russian people have fulfilled their duty to the Fatherland, and there is no point in shedding his blood anymore.

A special role in the work is assigned to the partisans, whom the author compares with a club, "rising with all its formidable and majestic strength and, without asking anyone's tastes and rules, nailed the French until the entire invasion died."

The spirit of sincere love for the native land and the state is characteristic not only of the military, but also of the civilian population. Merchants gave away their goods for free so that the invaders would not get anything. The Rostov family, despite the impending ruin, helps the wounded. Pierre Bezukhov invests in the formation of the regiment and even makes an attempt to kill Napoleon, regardless of the consequences. Patriotic feelings are also characteristic of many representatives of the nobility.

However, not all the heroes of the work are familiar with sincere feelings of love for the Motherland and the sharing of people's grief. Tolstoy contrasts real fighters with the invaders with false patriots who continued their luxurious life in salons, attended balls and spoke the language of the invader. The author refers to false patriots not only secular society, but also the majority of the officers of the Russian army. Many of them are happy with the war as a way to receive orders and career development. The author denounces most of the officers who huddle in headquarters and do not participate in battles, hiding behind ordinary soldiers. The reception of antithesis in the image of feigned and real patriotism is one of the ideological lines of the epic novel "War and Peace". According to the author, the true feelings of love for the native land were demonstrated by representatives of the common people, as well as those nobles who are imbued with its spirit. Those who have no rest in minutes common grief, and reflect sincere love for the Motherland. This idea is one of the main ones in the work, as well as in the essay on the topic “True and False Patriotism in the novel “War and Peace”. The author portrays this conviction through the thoughts of Pierre Bezukhov, who realizes that real happiness is in unity with his people.

12 Moral and philosophical results of the novel

“There are two aspects of life in every person: personal life, which is all the more free, the more abstract its interests, and spontaneous, swarm life, where a person inevitably uses the laws prescribed for him” (L. N. Tolstoy). "War and Peace" is the result of the moral and philosophical searches of L. N. Tolstoy, his aspirations to find the truth and the meaning of life. Each work L. N. Tolstoy is himself; each contains a particle of his immortal soul: "I am all in my writings."

The novel "War and Peace" can be called "an encyclopedia of man and life." The writer showed on the pages of the book everything that a person faces: good and evil, love and hate, wisdom and stupidity, life and death, war and peace; endowed his "favorite" heroes with a beautiful soul and was able to show it very convincingly.

Whole "War and Peace" is a hymn to human unity. Every time after describing the destructive principles lurking in secular society, l. Tolstoy refers to characters striving for unity. The writer shows how insignificant is what separates people, and how majestic is what unites them. Self-interest, ambition and jealousy separate people, but love, self-sacrifice, the death of loved ones unite.

life, purpose real life lies in the search for truth, and truth lies in the unity of people. To the realization of this beloved heroes l. N. Tolstoy was brought closer by the war of 1812. It turned all their ideas about life upside down, it was a great test for the whole nation. The name of the epic is ambiguous: war and peace are two states public life- are closely related. V Peaceful time a person is formed, partially revealed; and in wartime, the time of the great test, its essence is finally determined. The participation of Prince Andrei and Pierre in the Patriotic War, their understanding of the nature of this war, the conclusions that they made for themselves - all this was prepared by their spiritual development in the pre-war years.

The true hero of the writer is harmonious, the author of "War and Peace" believed that the moral improvement of a person is the only way to justice and truth. As a thinker, he makes his best heroes not only deeply feeling, but also thinking people.

Find material for any lesson,

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy- an outstanding Russian prose writer, playwright and public figure. Born on August 28 (September 9), 1828 in the estate of Yasnaya Polyana Tula region. On his mother's side, the writer belonged to the eminent family of the princes Volkonsky, and on his father's side, to the ancient family of Counts Tolstoy. Great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather and father of Leo Tolstoy were military men. Even under Ivan the Terrible, representatives of the ancient Tolstoy family served as governors in many cities of Russia.

The writer's grandfather on his mother's side, "a descendant of Rurik", Prince Nikolai Sergeevich Volkonsky, was enrolled in military service from the age of seven. He was a member Russian-Turkish war and retired with the rank of general-in-chief. The writer's paternal grandfather - Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy - served in the Navy, and then in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment. The writer's father, Count Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy, voluntarily entered military service at the age of seventeen. He participated in the Patriotic War of 1812, was captured by the French and was released by Russian troops who entered Paris after the defeat of Napoleon's army. On the maternal side, Tolstoy was related to the Pushkins. Their common ancestor was the boyar I.M. Golovin, an associate of Peter I, who studied shipbuilding with him. One of his daughters is the great-grandmother of the poet, the other is the great-grandmother of Tolstoy's mother. Thus, Pushkin was Tolstoy's fourth cousin.

Writer's childhood took place in Yasnaya Polyana - an old family estate. Tolstoy's interest in history and literature arose in his childhood: living in the countryside, he saw how the life of the working people went, from him he heard a lot folk tales, epics, songs, legends. The life of the people, their work, interests and views, oral creativity- everything living and wise - was revealed to Tolstoy by Yasnaya Polyana.

Maria Nikolaevna Tolstaya, the writer's mother, was kind and sympathetic person, an intelligent and educated woman: she knew French, German, English and Italian She played the piano and took up painting. Tolstoy was not even two years old when his mother died. The writer did not remember her, but he heard so much about her from those around him that he clearly and vividly imagined her appearance and character.

Nikolai Ilyich Tolstoy, their father, the children loved and appreciated for humane attitude to the fortresses. In addition to doing housework and children, he read a lot. During his life, Nikolai Ilyich collected a rich library, consisting of books of French classics, rare for those times, historical and natural history works. It was he who first noticed the propensity of his youngest son to a vivid perception of the artistic word.

When Tolstoy was in his ninth year, his father took him to Moscow for the first time. The first impressions of the Moscow life of Lev Nikolaevich served as the basis for many paintings, scenes and episodes of the hero’s life in Moscow Tolstoy's trilogy "Childhood", "Adolescence" and "Youth". Young Tolstoy saw not only the open side of big city life, but also some hidden, shady sides. With his first stay in Moscow, the writer connected the end of the earliest period of his life, childhood, and the transition to adolescence. The first period of Tolstoy's life in Moscow did not last long. In the summer of 1837, having gone on business to Tula, his father died suddenly. Soon after the death of his father, Tolstoy, his sister and brothers had to endure a new misfortune: the grandmother died, whom all relatives considered the head of the family. The sudden death of her son was a terrible blow for her and in less than a year took her to the grave. A few years later, the first guardian of the orphaned Tolstoy children, the father's sister, Alexandra Ilyinichna Osten-Saken, died. Ten-year-old Leo, his three brothers and sister were taken to Kazan, where their new guardian, aunt Pelageya Ilyinichna Yushkova, lived.

Tolstoy wrote about his second guardian as a woman "kind and very pious", but at the same time very "frivolous and vain". According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Pelageya Ilyinichna did not enjoy authority among Tolstoy and his brothers, therefore moving to Kazan is considered to be a new stage in the life of the writer: education ended, a period of independent life began.

Tolstoy lived in Kazan for more than six years. It was the time of formation of his character and choice of life path. Living with his brothers and sister at Pelageya Ilyinichna, young Tolstoy spent two years preparing to enter Kazan University. Deciding to enter the eastern department of the university, he paid special attention to preparing for exams in foreign languages. At the exams in mathematics and Russian literature, Tolstoy received fours, and in foreign languages ​​- fives. At the exams in history and geography, Lev Nikolaevich failed - he received unsatisfactory marks.

Failure on entrance exams served as a serious lesson for Tolstoy. He devoted the whole summer to a thorough study of history and geography, passed additional exams on them, and in September 1844 he was enrolled in the first year of the eastern department of the philosophical faculty of Kazan University in the category of Arabic-Turkish literature. However, the study of languages ​​did not captivate Tolstoy, and after summer holidays in Yasnaya Polyana, he transferred from the Oriental Faculty to the Faculty of Law.

But even in the future, university studies did not arouse Lev Nikolayevich's interest in the sciences being studied. Most of the time he studied philosophy on his own, compiled the "Rules of Life" and carefully made entries in his diary. By the end of the third year of studies, Tolstoy was finally convinced that the then university order only interfered with independent creative work and he made the decision to leave the university. However, he needed a university degree to qualify for employment. And in order to get a diploma, Tolstoy passed the university exams as an external student, having spent two years of his life in the countryside preparing for them. Having received university documents at the end of April 1847, the former student Tolstoy left Kazan.

After leaving the university, Tolstoy again went to Yasnaya Polyana, and then to Moscow. Here, at the end of 1850, he took up literary work. At this time, he decided to write two stories, but he did not finish either of them. In the spring of 1851, Lev Nikolaevich, together with his older brother, Nikolai Nikolaevich, who served in the army as an artillery officer, arrived in the Caucasus. Here Tolstoy lived for almost three years, being mainly in the village of Starogladkovskaya, located on the left bank of the Terek. From here he traveled to Kizlyar, Tiflis, Vladikavkaz, visited many villages and villages.

started in the Caucasus military service Tolstoy. He took part in the combat operations of the Russian troops. Tolstoy's impressions and observations are reflected in his stories "Raid", "Cutting the Forest", "Degraded", in the story "Cossacks". Later, turning to the memories of this period of life, Tolstoy created the story "Hadji Murad". In March 1854, Tolstoy arrived in Bucharest, where the office of the chief of artillery troops was located. From here, as a staff officer, he made trips to Moldavia, Wallachia and Bessarabia.

In the spring and summer of 1854, the writer took part in the siege of the Turkish fortress of Silistria. However, the main place of hostilities at that time was the Crimean peninsula. Here, Russian troops led by V.A. Kornilov and P.S. Nakhimov heroically defended Sevastopol for eleven months, besieged by Turkish and Anglo-French troops. Participation in the Crimean War is an important stage in Tolstoy's life. Here he closely recognized ordinary Russian soldiers, sailors, residents of Sevastopol, sought to understand the source of the heroism of the defenders of the city, to understand the special character traits inherent in the defender of the Fatherland. Tolstoy himself showed bravery and courage in the defense of Sevastopol.

In November 1855 Tolstoy left Sevastopol for St. Petersburg. By this time, he had already earned recognition in advanced literary circles. During this period, the attention of public life in Russia was focused around the issue of serfdom. Tolstoy's stories of this time ("The Morning of the Landowner", "Polikushka", etc.) are also devoted to this problem.

In 1857 the writer made overseas travel. He traveled to France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany. Traveling to different cities, the writer got acquainted with the culture and social system of Western European countries with great interest. Much of what he saw later reflected in his work. In 1860 Tolstoy made another trip abroad. The year before, he opened a school for children in Yasnaya Polyana. Traveling through the cities of Germany, France, Switzerland, England and Belgium, the writer visited schools and studied the features of public education. In most of the schools that Tolstoy visited, caning discipline was in effect and corporal punishment was used. Returning to Russia and visiting a number of schools, Tolstoy discovered that many teaching methods that were in force in Western European countries, in particular in Germany, also penetrated into Russian schools. At this time, Lev Nikolaevich wrote a number of articles in which he criticized the system of public education both in Russia and in Western European countries.

Arriving at home after a trip abroad, Tolstoy devoted himself to work at school and the publication of the pedagogical journal Yasnaya Polyana. The school, founded by the writer, was located not far from his house - in an outbuilding that has survived to our time. In the early 1970s, Tolstoy compiled and published a number of textbooks for elementary school: "ABC", "Arithmetic", four "Books for reading". More than one generation of children have learned from these books. Stories from them are read with enthusiasm by children in our time.

In 1862, when Tolstoy was away, landowners arrived in Yasnaya Polyana and searched the writer's house. In 1861, the tsar's manifesto announced the abolition of serfdom. During the reform, disputes broke out between the landowners and peasants, the settlement of which was entrusted to the so-called peace mediators. Tolstoy was appointed mediator in the Krapivensky district of the Tula province. Dealing with controversial cases between nobles and peasants, the writer most often took a position in favor of the peasantry, which caused discontent among the nobles. This was the reason for the search. Because of this, Tolstoy had to stop the activities of the mediator, close the school in Yasnaya Polyana and refuse to publish a pedagogical journal.

In 1862 Tolstoy married Sofya Andreevna Bers, daughter of a Moscow doctor. Arriving with her husband in Yasnaya Polyana, Sofya Andreevna tried with all her might to create such an environment on the estate in which nothing would distract the writer from hard work. In the 60s, Tolstoy led a solitary life, devoting himself entirely to work on War and Peace.

At the end of the epic War and Peace, Tolstoy decided to write a new work - a novel about the era of Peter I. However, social events in Russia, caused by the abolition of serfdom, captured the writer so much that he left work on a historical novel and began to create a new work, in which reflected the post-reform life of Russia. This is how the novel "Anna Karenina" appeared, which Tolstoy devoted four years to work on.

In the early 1980s, Tolstoy moved with his family to Moscow to educate his growing children. Here the writer, well acquainted with rural poverty, became a witness to urban poverty. In the early 90s of the XIX century, almost half of the central provinces of the country were gripped by famine, and Tolstoy joined the fight against the people's disaster. Thanks to his call, the collection of donations, the purchase and delivery of food to the villages was launched. At this time, under the leadership of Tolstoy, about two hundred free canteens for the starving population were opened in the villages of the Tula and Ryazan provinces. A number of articles written by Tolstoy on the famine belong to the same period, in which the writer truthfully depicted the plight of the people and condemned the policy of the ruling classes.

In the mid-1980s Tolstoy wrote Drama "Power of Darkness", which depicts the death of the old foundations of patriarchal-peasant Russia, and the story "The Death of Ivan Ilyich", dedicated to the fate of a man who only before his death realized the emptiness and meaninglessness of his life. In 1890, Tolstoy wrote the comedy The Fruits of Enlightenment, which shows the true state of the peasantry after the abolition of serfdom. Created in the early 1990s novel "Sunday", on which the writer worked intermittently for ten years. In all the works relating to this period of creativity, Tolstoy openly shows whom he sympathizes with and whom he condemns; depicts the hypocrisy and insignificance of the "masters of life."

The novel "Sunday" more than other works of Tolstoy was subjected to censorship. Most of the novel's chapters have been released or cut. The ruling circles launched an active policy against the writer. Fearing popular indignation, the authorities did not dare to use open repressions against Tolstoy. With the consent of the king and at the insistence of the chief prosecutor Holy Synod Pobedonostsev's synod adopted a resolution on excommunication of Tolstoy from the church. The writer was put under police surveillance. The world community was outraged by the persecution of Lev Nikolaevich. The peasantry, the progressive intelligentsia and the common people were on the side of the writer, they sought to express their respect and support to him. The love and sympathy of the people served as a reliable support for the writer in the years when the reaction sought to silence him.

However, despite all the efforts of reactionary circles, every year Tolstoy more and more sharply and boldly denounced the noble-bourgeois society, openly opposed the autocracy. Works from this period "After the Ball", "For what?", "Hadji Murad", "The Living Corpse") are imbued with a deep hatred for royal power, a limited and ambitious ruler. In publicistic articles relating to this time, the writer sharply condemned the instigators of wars, called for a peaceful resolution of all disputes and conflicts.

In 1901-1902 Tolstoy suffered a serious illness. At the insistence of doctors, the writer had to go to the Crimea, where he spent more than six months.

In the Crimea, he met with writers, artists, artists: Chekhov, Korolenko, Gorky, Chaliapin, and others. When Tolstoy returned home, he was warmly greeted at the stations by hundreds ordinary people. In the autumn of 1909 the writer last time traveled to Moscow.

In the diaries and letters of Tolstoy recent decades his life was reflected in the difficult experiences that were caused by the discord between the writer and his family. Tolstoy wanted to transfer the land that belonged to him to the peasants and wanted his works to be freely and free of charge published by anyone who wanted to. The writer's family opposed this, not wanting to give up either the rights to the land or the rights to works. The old landlord way of life, preserved in Yasnaya Polyana, weighed heavily on Tolstoy.

In the summer of 1881, Tolstoy made his first attempt to leave Yasnaya Polyana, but a feeling of pity for his wife and children forced him to return. Several more attempts by the writer to leave his native estate ended with the same result. On October 28, 1910, secretly from his family, he left Yasnaya Polyana forever, deciding to go south and spend the rest of his life in peasant hut among the common Russian people. However, on the way, Tolstoy fell seriously ill and was forced to leave the train at the small Astapovo station. The last seven days of my life great writer spent in the house of the head of the station. The news of the death of one of eminent thinkers, a remarkable writer, a great humanist, deeply struck the hearts of all the progressive people of this time. creative legacy Tolstoy is of great importance for world literature. Over the years, interest in the writer's work does not weaken, but, on the contrary, grows. As A. Frans rightly noted: “With his life he proclaims sincerity, directness, determination, firmness, calm and constant heroism, he teaches that one must be truthful and one must be strong ... Precisely because he was full of strength, he always was true!

The Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy was born on September 9, 1828 in Yasnaya Polyana, Tula province, the fourth child in a wealthy aristocratic family. Tolstoy lost his parents early, she was engaged in his further education distant relative T. A. Ergolskaya. In 1844 Tolstoy entered Kazan University in the Department of Oriental Languages ​​of the Faculty of Philosophy, but since. classes did not arouse any interest in him, in 1847. submitted a letter of resignation from the university. At the age of 23, Tolstoy, together with his older brother Nikolai, left for the Caucasus, where he took part in the hostilities. These years of the writer's life were reflected in the autobiographical story "The Cossacks" (1852-63), in the stories "Raid" (1853), "Cutting the Forest" (1855), as well as in the late story "Hadji Murad" (1896-1904, published in 1912). In the Caucasus, Tolstoy began to write the trilogy "Childhood", "Boyhood", "Youth".

During the Crimean War, he went to Sevastopol, where he continued to fight. After the end of the war, he left for St. Petersburg and immediately joined the Sovremennik circle (N. A. Nekrasov, I. S. Turgenev, A. N. Ostrovsky, I. A. Goncharov, etc.), where he was greeted as " great hope of Russian literature" (Nekrasov), published "Sevastopol Tales", which clearly reflected his outstanding talent as a writer. In 1857, Tolstoy went on a trip to Europe, which he was later disappointed with..

In the autumn of 1856, having retired, Tolstoy decided to interrupt his literary activity and become a landowner, went to Yasnaya Polyana, where he was engaged in educational work, opened a school, and created his own system of pedagogy. Tolstoy was so fascinated by this occupation that in 1860 he even went abroad in order to get acquainted with the schools of Europe.

In September 1862, Tolstoy married the eighteen-year-old daughter of a doctor, Sofya Andreevna Bers, and immediately after the wedding, he took his wife from Moscow to Yasnaya Polyana, where he completely devoted himself to family life and household chores, but by the autumn of 1863 he was captured by a new literary plan, as a result of which he was born the fundamental work "War and Peace" appeared. In 1873-1877 wrote the novel Anna Karenina. In the same years, the writer's worldview, known as "Tolstoyism", was fully formed, the essence of which can be seen in the works: "Confession", "What is my faith?", "The Kreutzer Sonata".

From all over Russia and the world, admirers of the writer's work came to Yasnaya Polyana, whom they treated as a spiritual mentor. In 1899, the novel "Resurrection" was published.

Latest works The writer became the stories "Father Sergius", "After the Ball", "The Posthumous Notes of the Elder Fyodor Kuzmich" and the drama "The Living Corpse".

In the late autumn of 1910, at night, secretly from his family, 82-year-old Tolstoy, accompanied only by his personal doctor D.P. Makovitsky, left Yasnaya Polyana, fell ill on the way and was forced to leave the train at the small Astapovo railway station of the Ryazan-Ural railway. Here, in the house of the head of the station, he spent the last seven days of his life. November 7 (20) Leo Tolstoy died.

Plan

I. Introduction. Rationale for the choice of topic.

II. Main part. The creative path of L. N. Tolstoy.

1. The emergence of the writer in the literary world.

2. “Childhood”, “Boyhood”, “Youth”.

3. Sevastopol stories.

4. Artistic originality of the story "Cossacks".

5. The epic novel “War and Peace”.

a) the creation of a work;

b) the statement in the novel of “folk thought”;

c) the path of ideological and moral quest goodie Tolstoy;

d) depiction of the truth of war in the novel.

e) “War and Peace” is a book about the great renewal of life caused by formidable historical events.

6. "ABC" Tolstoy.

7. "Anna Karenina" - a novel about modernity.

a) reflection of family life and the life of the world in the book;

b) connection in the development of the fates of Anna and Levin;

c) "Signs of the Times" in the content and artistic form of "Anna Karenina".

8. The method of Tolstoy's knowledge and embodiment of the world through psychological analysis in "The Death of Ivan Ilyich".

9. Review novel “Resurrection”.

10. The theme of the fight against autocratic despotism in the story "Hadji Murad".

III. Conclusion. The value of the artistic heritage of the writer.

“The goal of the artist is not to undeniably resolve the issue, but to make you love life in countless, never exhausted all its manifestations. If I were told that I could write a novel by which I would undeniably establish a view that seems to me true on all social questions, I would not devote two hours of labor to such a novel, but if I were told that what I write will be read today's children in 20 years and will cry and laugh over him and love life, I would devote my life and all my strength to him ... "

L.N. Tolstoy.

Introduction

I chose the topic of L.N. Tolstoy, since his personality, deeply epoch-making, life-affirming, historical and philosophical literature, his attitude to life, to the search for his place in it, are closest to me. The study of his life and work is an ideal way of self-education. In a painful search for answers to the innumerable questions that every sane person asks himself at a certain stage of his life, Leo Tolstoy wrote: who calmly and, without mistakes, without remorse, without confusion, live quietly for himself and do everything without haste, carefully, only good. Ridiculous!... To live honestly, you have to tear, get confused, fight, make mistakes, start and quit, and always fight and lose. And peace is spiritual meanness.”

At the beginning of the 20th century, Leo Tolstoy was called "a teacher in life and art." In the following decades, up to the present day, the legacy of the brilliant artist continues to amaze with both life and creative discoveries. Readers of all ages will find answers to their questions here. And he will not just clarify the incomprehensible to himself, but will “submit” to Tolstoy's rare living heroes, perceive them as real people. Here he is a phenomenon writer. The wisdom of his comprehension of a person, an era, a country of all things comes to us in experiences close to everyone.

The desire for moral perfection, the preaching of love for one's neighbor, kindness, the search for the meaning of life are the leading ideological motives of the writer's work. They represent the true path, the road to the reasonable, good, eternal. All these are universal values.

Reading other famous, wonderful, Russian writers, such as A. S. Griboedov, N. V. Gogol, N. A. Nekrasov, A. N. Ostrovsky, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, F. M. Dostoevsky ... you feel some desperation. It seems that there is no way out of the network of endless problems both at the state and at the everyday human level.

Lev Nikolaevich not only angrily protests, denounces or stigmatizes the injustice, vices and imperfections of this world in general and the reality in Russian society in particular, but tries to understand the Russian people. This is a philosopher. A writer who loves people and knows how to see the bright side of life.

Tolstoy paints a picture of an entire era in the life of Russia. The writer's works are a reflection of the smallest details of the real life of that time. And he gives us the right to evaluate events.

L. N. Tolstoy was 24 years old when the story “Childhood” appeared in the best, leading magazine of those years, Sovremennik. At the end of the printed text, readers saw only the initials that did not tell them anything then: L.N.

Sending his first creation to the editor of the journal, N.A. Nekrasov, Tolstoy invested money in case the manuscript was returned. The editor's response, more than positive, delighted the young author "to the point of stupidity." Tolstoy's first book - "Childhood" - along with the subsequent two stories, "Boyhood" and "Youth", became his first masterpiece. Novels and short stories, created at the time of creative flourishing, did not obscure this peak.

“This is a new talent and, it seems, reliable,” N.A. Nekrasov wrote about the young Tolstoy. “Here, finally, is Gogol's successor, not at all like him, as it should be ...”, - I.S. Turgenev echoed Nekrasov. When "Boyhood" appeared, Turgenev wrote that the first place among writers belongs to Tolstoy by right and is waiting for him, that soon "Tolstoy alone will be known in Russia."

The outwardly uncomplicated narration about childhood, adolescence and the moral character of the hero, Nikolenka Irtenyev, opened up new horizons for all Russian literature. The leading critic of those years, .G. Chernyshevsky, reviewing the first collections of Tolstoy (“Childhood and Adolescence”, “Military Stories”), defined the essence artistic discoveries young writer two terms: “dialectics of the soul” and “purity of moral feeling”.

Psychological analysis existed in realistic art before Tolstoy. In Russian prose - in Lermontov, Turgenev, the young Dostoevsky. Tolstoy's discovery consisted in the fact that for him the tool for the study of mental life - the microscope of psychological analysis - became the main among other artistic means. N.G. Chernyshevsky wrote in this regard: “Psychological analysis can take different directions: one poet is occupied most of all by the outlines of characters; the other is influence public relations and clashes on the characters; third - the connection of feelings with actions; fourth, the analysis of passions; Count Tolstoy most of all - the mental process itself, its forms, its laws, the dialectics of the soul, to put it in a definitive term.

An unprecedented keen interest in spiritual life is of fundamental importance for Tolstoy the artist. In this way, the writer opens up in his characters the possibility of change, development, internal renewal, confrontation with the environment.

According to the researcher’s fair opinion, “the ideas of the revival of a person, a people, humanity ... constitute the pathos of Tolstoy’s creativity ... Starting from their early stories, the writer deeply and comprehensively explored the possibilities of the human personality, its ability for spiritual growth, the possibility of its familiarization with the lofty goals of human existence” .

“Details of feelings,” spiritual life in its inner course come to the fore, pushing aside the “interest of events.” The plot is deprived of any external eventfulness and entertainment and is simplified to such an extent that in retelling it can be put into several lines. It is not the events in themselves that are interesting, the contrasts and contradictions of feelings are interesting, which, in fact, are the subject, the theme of the story.

“People are like rivers” is a famous aphorism from the novel “Resurrection”. While working on his last novel, Tolstoy wrote in his diary: “One of the greatest misconceptions in judging a person is what we call, we define a person as smart, stupid, kind, evil, strong, weak, and a person is everything: all possibilities, there are fluid substance." This judgment almost literally repeats the entry made in July 1851, i.e., just at the time of “Childhood”: “To speak about a person: he is an original, kind, intelligent, stupid, consistent person, etc. ... words that do not give any concept of a person, but have a claim to describe a person, while often only confusing.

To catch and embody the “fluid substance” of mental life, the very formation of a person - this is the main artistic task of Tolstoy. The idea of ​​his first book is determined by the characteristic title: “Four epochs of development”. It was assumed that the internal development of Nikolenka Irtenyev, and in essence of any person in general, would be traced from childhood to youth. And it cannot be said that the last, fourth part remained unwritten. She was embodied in other stories of the young Tolstoy - "Morning of the landowner", "Cossacks".

One of Tolstoy's most beloved and sincere thoughts is connected with the image of Irtenyev - the idea of ​​the enormous possibilities of a person born for movement, for moral and spiritual growth. What is new in the hero and in the world that opens up to him day after day especially occupies Tolstoy. Beloved Ability Tolstoy's hero to overcome the usual framework of being, to constantly change and renew itself, “to flow” is fraught with a premonition and a pledge of change, gives it a moral support for confronting negative and inert elements in its environment. In "Youth" Tolstoy directly connects this "power of development" with the belief "in the omnipotence of the human mind."

The poetry of childhood - “a happy, happy, irrevocable time” is replaced by the “desert of adolescence”, when the assertion of one’s “I” occurs in continuous conflict with the people around, so that in the new time - youth - the world is divided into two parts: one, illuminated by friendship and spiritual closeness; another - morally hostile, even if it sometimes attracts to itself. At the same time, the fidelity of the final assessments is ensured by the “purity of the moral feeling” of the author.