Literature lesson

The story of the life and courage of the noble and Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky" (2 hours)

Educational:

· Give an idea of ​​Alexander Nevsky as a historical figure and hero work of art;

· Form literary concepts: hagiography, hagiography, personality, faithful.

Educational:

· Improve your ability to analyze artistic text and draw conclusions based on the analysis;

· Improve the ability of expressive reading and coherent statements;

· Practice skills comparative analysis historical material and works of art;

· Develop skills in working with various sources information for the purpose of searching and selecting the necessary material;

· Form independent thinking.

Educational:

· To cultivate the following moral qualities during the learning process: honesty, kindness, justice, sense of duty, mercy;

· Instill a love for literature and the history of your homeland.

Equipment: video from the Alexander Nevsky Institute)

Lesson type: repetition-summarizing.

May the descendants of the Orthodox of their native land know the past fate. They honor their great kings for their labors, for glory, for good... A.S. Pushkin

During the classes

I. Organizational moment.

II. Checking homework.

III. Studying a new topic.

1. “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Noble and Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky” (Al-r Nevsky ca. 1220-1263).

Life - a description of the life of a saint. In ancient Russian literature, the image of Christ was put forward as a model of human behavior. The hero of the life follows this pattern in his life. The Life, as a rule, describes how a saint becomes such by going through a series of trials.

As a rule, in the life it is reported

· about the main events of the saint’s life,

· his Christian exploits (pious life, martyrdom, if there was one),

· as well as special evidence of divine grace with which this person was marked (these include lifelong and posthumous miracles)

The lives of saints are written according to special rules(to canons):

o Thus, it is believed that the birth of a child marked by grace most often occurs in the family of pious parents (although there were cases when parents, guided, as it seemed to them, by good intentions, interfered with the feat of their children, condemned them)

o Most often the saint with early years leads a strict, righteous life (although sometimes repentant sinners also achieved holiness, for example, St. Mary of Egypt)

o In the course of his life, the saint gains wisdom, goes through a series of temptations and defeats them.

o The saint could predict his death because he felt it.

o After death his body remained incorruptible.

V. Reading the introductory article to “The Tale of the Life...” on pp. 18 - 19.

In 1237-1240 The Mongol-Tatar invasion fell on the Russian principalities, weakened by external and internal wars. The development of Russian literature was delayed and weakened. In the chronicles about this invasion, religious motives intensified: the events were understood as “the wrath of God” for “sins.”

At the very beginning of the Mongol-Tatar conquest, German and Swedish aggression, a desire arose in Russian literature to awaken the patriotic feelings of readers. In North-Eastern Rus', “The Tale of the Destruction of the Russian Land” and “The Life of Alexander Nevsky” are dedicated to this topic, which we will discuss in today’s lesson.

1) When was “The Tale of the Life of ... Al-ra Nevsky” written? (in the 80s of the 3rd century) The very title of the work defines its specificity: “Tales of the life and courage of the blessed and Grand Duke Alexander” - a story about life, the main content of which was the feats of “bravery”. - What is the purpose of this life? (To glorify the courage and bravery of Alexander, to give the image of an ideal Christian warrior, defender of the Russian land). 2) Who was it written by? (Scribe of the Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin in Vladimir)

3) Where was the body of Prince A. Nevsky buried? (here)

6) What feats of A. Nevsky did he talk about? (about 3 labors:

Battle of the Neva with the Swedes (1240),

ABOUT Battle on the Ice(with the Germans on Lake Peipsi(1242),

About a trip to Horda.

7) How do the first 2 labors differ from the 3rd? (1-3 - abusive. 3rd self-sacrifice)

8) Why did A. Nevsky go to the khan? (to pray that the Tatars do not force Russian people to carry out military service)

9) What is the significance of “The Tale...” in the development of Russian literature?

They imitated her, followed her like a lit. sample

Her influence is reflected in many other princely lives and military stories.

What is the meaning of the word “faithful”?

Good - what is this? (Good, prosperity)

Blagoy - what is it? (Same as good. Good intention. Good impulses).

So, what kind of faithful is this? (Loyal to the good, faithful to something good. Defense of the Motherland, for example.)

Why is Alexander named Nevsky?

(He won the battle with the Swedes on the Neva River in 1240).

II. Analysis of the text “The Tale of the Life of ... Aleksandr Nevsky” Expressive reading based on the roles of fragments of “The Tale of the Life ... of Alexander Nevsky.”

Work on r/r: Checking dictionaries: reading words and expressions (in a chain) characteristic of of this text words that can be used today and that are “a thing of the past” and their explanations.

(Acts - (high) - actions, deed.

Battle (old) - battle.

Discord (obsolete) - quarrels, discord.)

1) Reading the introduction

§ What does the narrator call himself and what does he want to emphasize by this? How does he talk about being a contemporary of Alexander?

"Life" glorifies Alexander as a commander and warrior, ruler and diplomat. It opens with the “glory” of the hero, which is likened to the glory of all the world-famous heroes of antiquity.

§ Read the description of the prince’s appearance and his characteristics. What is the significance of this description? (the author not only shows the physical perfection of Prince Alexander, but also compares him with biblical heroes. But if each of them was distinguished mainly by one trait (strength, beauty, wisdom, courage), then in the personality of Prince Alexander all these qualities were found reflection.

§ Question 2 (p. 26) What heroes does the narrator liken the prince to? The Novgorod hero was the same name as Alexander the Great, similar to the “king” Achilles, as well as biblical heroes Joseph, Samson, Solomon, Roman Emperor Vespasian. Everything is reflected in the prince best qualities human: strength, beauty, wisdom, courage).

§ Before the appearance of “The Life of Alexander Nevsky”, “The Tale of the Destruction of the Russian Land” was written. This is a kind of preface to the story about Alexander Nevsky. I want to read you a fragment:

“O bright and skillfully decorated Russian land! It is endowed with many wondrous beauties: many lakes, wondrous rivers, local springs, steep mountains, high hills, frequent oak groves, wonderful fields, various animals, countless birds, great mountains, wondrous villages, monastery vineyards, church churches and formidable princes, honest boyars, many nobles. You are filled with everything, Russian land, O Orthodox Christian faith...”

How does the author describe the Russian Land? The description of the Russian Land (nature, villages) is very beautiful. It is precisely such a beautiful, rich land that should have such a prince as Alexander Nevsky. And now he appears to save and liberate the Russian Land. In the personality of the prince, despite his high position, we observe amazing qualities of character.

2) It is known that a person’s character traits are especially clearly manifested in trials. What did Prince Alexander have to go through in his life? Question 3 (p. 26) What exploits does he talk about?

3) Page 26 “Be careful about the word”, question 1 (part 1)

4) Find in the text episodes that demonstrate Prince Alexander, on the one hand, as a glorious commander, on the other, as a righteous (living in truth, fulfilling Christian commandments) ruler.

IN terrible years Prince Alexander lived. He had to defend Russian borders from foreigners. Despite his youth, as it is written in “Life...”, Prince Alexander “won everywhere, was invincible.” This speaks of him as a skillful, brave commander.

5) The king of the Midnight country heard these words, but, blinded by envy, maddened by pride, he took with him a large army and went against Alexander: “I’m already here, I want to capture your land - if you can, defend yourself.”

And the prince at that time had a small squad, and there was nowhere to expect help. But there is a strong faith in God’s help. Alexander went to the Church of St. Sophia, “fell on his knee before the altar and began to pray to God with tears.” “He remembered the psalm song and said: “Judge, Lord, and judge my quarrel with those who offend me, overcome those who fight with me.” Having finished the prayer and received the blessing of Archbishop Spiridon, the prince, strengthened in spirit, went out to his squad. Encouraging her, instilling courage in her and infecting her by example, Alexander said to the Russians: “God is not in power, but in truth.” With a small squad (Courage; warrior-commander), Prince Alexander met the enemy, fought fearlessly, knowing that he was fighting for a just cause, defending his native land.

6) Next episode: Someone Pelgusy, an elder of the Izhora land, told the prince a wondrous vision. (Slide: Saints Boris and Gleb). Alexander asked not to tell anyone about this (a wise ruler) “And he decided to attack the enemies at six o’clock in the afternoon. And there was a strong battle with the Romans; He beat countless enemies and wounded the king himself in the face with his sharp spear.” In this episode, the prince is an experienced commander. He is decisive, quick-witted, dexterous. Such a prince and warriors are miracle heroes. Mutual understanding and unity lead the Russians to victory.

7) the valor of the prince is emphasized, who “put a seal on the face of the king himself [Swedish prince Lespa] with his sharp spear” - p. 22.

8) “Life” highlights the main points of Alexander’s biography, connecting them with victorious battles and biblical reminiscences (memories) are combined here with Russian historical legend, literary traditions- with real observations of the battle: “the sun is rising, and the wallpaper is stepping down. And there was a slash of evil and a coward from the breaking spears and a sound from the slash of a sword, as if the frozen lake were to move; and you won’t see the ice, covered with blood” - “When the sun rose, both sides came together. And there was an evil slash, and a crackling sound from the breaking of spears, and a sound from the cutting of swords, as if a frozen lake had moved. And the ice was not visible, for it was covered in blood” - page 23, below.

9) Page 26 “Let’s reflect on what we read,” question 3: What pictures do you see behind the narrator’s words: “It’s like a frozen lake has moved”?

10) Page 26 “Be attentive to the word,” question 1 (part 2) Who does Alexander call the “arrogant” people and who boasted: “Let us disgrace the Slavic people,” “Let us take Alexander with our hands” (German cities) - p. 23)?

11) Page 26 “Be careful about the word”, question 1 (part 2). Page 22. The exploits of six men, “brave and strong” (Gavrila Aleksich, Zbyslov Yakunovich, etc.) constitute interconnected episodes that have the nature of a retelling of an epic song that developed in the princely militia shortly after the battle and, obviously, on the initiative of the prince himself (“ I heard all this from my master, Grand Duke Alexander, and from others who were then in that battle” - page 22, penultimate paragraph).

12) what was Alexander's last feat? Why did he go to the king? How is this talked about in the story? “To pray people away from that misfortune” so that the Tatars do not force Russian people to perform military service.

13) In what words and on whose behalf does the author describe the grief from the loss suffered by the land of Suzdal with the death of Alexander? (p. 25, from the words “Oh, woe to you, poor man!” and to the words “Realize, the sun has set on the land of Suzdal.”) Say the words out loud and explain their meaning.

14) The work combines the features of a life and a military story. Besides, final part“The Lives...” includes the genre of lamentation. “Life” adopted the best “military” examples of original and translated monuments Kievan Rus, also continuing the stylistic traditions of Galician literature. It later influenced the “Sermon on the Life and Death of Prince Dmitry Donskoy” chronicle story"About the Massacre of Mamayev."

15) Reading the textbook material (p. 25-26).

16) Examination of P. Korin’s illustration “Alexander Nevsky”.

(Triptych - (gr. triptychos folded in three) - 1) a folding icon with three doors; 2) a work of art consisting of three paintings, reliefs, drawings, etc., united by one idea, theme, plot.)

Pay attention to the central part of the triptych. We compare the life and the iconographic image.

Is this how you imagined Alexander Nevsky when you read the story about him? Find quotes from "The Tale..." that depict Alexander. (“His height was greater than other people,” “his face was like Joseph’s face.”) The hero is depicted monumentally, in full height, with a sword).

What is the prince wearing? Before us is a prince-warrior and a prince-ruler. This is quite consistent with how Prince Alexander is depicted in “The Life of...”. We see the prince dressed in military armor, over which is thrown mantle.

Is it possible to see in the artist’s work that he depicted a wise ruler? The icon depicts Alexander Nevsky as a wise ruler: his face is concentrated, a deep wrinkle.

What signs tell us that this is an experienced warrior? This is a fearless and experienced warrior - bridge of the nose cross the folds of the will, the hair is whitened gray hair.

How are Alexander's eyes depicted? The eyes of Prince Alexander reflect peace, humility, and kindness. These are the eyes of a righteous man.

Bottom line. The painter knows “The Life of Alexander Nevsky”, and the iconographic image testifies to how much he was imbued with soul and thoughts in the content literary monument and how dear the image of Prince Alexander is to him.

17) Examination of the paintings by G. Semiradsky “Alexander Nevsky Receives the Papal Legates”, p. 27.

o What role do details play in the picture? The most important detail is the banner with the image of Christ, which is located in the center of the upper part of the picture. It carries an ideological load: Alexander is firm in his faith.

18) V. Serov “The Entry of Alexander Nevsky into Pskov after the Battle of the Ice”, p. 28. The figure of Alexander in center, but does not separate from the figures of other people who rushed towards him in a fit of delight and gratitude. All faces are turned to the winner, the people's liberator. Alexander Nevsky is a hero from the people and with the people.

I. Summing up the lesson.

Characteristics of A. Nevsky

§ How did you introduce Prince Alexander?

§ Describe his personality.

§ What surprised you about A. Nevsky’s personality? When characterizing, you can use reproductions of paintings dedicated to A. Nevsky.

§ Let's make notes in notebooks: A. Nevsky is a fearless, brave, fair ruler, great commander, living according to Christian commandments, a quiet, friendly, wise righteous man, a man of high spirituality, a true defender of the Russian land. The personality of Prince Alexander surprisingly combines the features of a glorious commander, a wise ruler and a faithful Christian. No wonder the name Alexander means “protector” in Greek.

What works of Ancient Rus' do you think were especially close and dear to their contemporaries? Why did they give preference to hagiographies?

Is it worth re-reading ancient works? Are they alive?

So, what is the artistic world of the literature of Ancient Rus', its intonations, images, colors?

A comparison of A. Maykov’s poem “The Death of Alexander Nevsky” and the final part of “The Life of...”.

Guys, so that you can perceive the personality of Alexander Nevsky in its entirety, I suggest you listen to A. Maykov’s poem “The Death of Alexander Nevsky.” Listen to it carefully and answer the question:

What mood permeates this poem and the final part of “The Life of...”?

Death of Alexander Nevsky. (slide No. (icon (fresco)

It's night outside and frosty. The month has two rainbow-colored light crowns around it... It’s as if a celebration is going across the sky. In the abbot’s cell there is a spectacle of sorrow and tears... Quietly the lamp before the image of the Savior burns... Quietly the abbot stands before him in prayer. The boyars stand quietly in the corners. Quiet and motionless, Prince Alexander lies with his head to the images, covered with a black schema... Quietly the lamp before the image of the Savior burns... The prince motionless into the darkness, looking into infinity... There, that curtain, suddenly parted in front of him... He sees: bathed as if in a golden ray, the Bank of the Neva where he struck down the enemy... Suddenly a city appears there... the shores are swarming with people, ships are waving colored flags all around... The coffin is lifted from the ship, carried to the temple, the ringing is heard, sacred hymns are sung... The lid is opened... The king says something there... Here in front of the coffin they bow to the ground, then all the people go to venerate the relics. In the coffin - the prince sees - himself. The lamp quietly burns before the image of the Savior. The prince lies motionless... His wonderful face lit up with beauty. Quietly the abbot approached him and with a trembling hand felt his Heart and forehead - And, bursting into tears, he exclaimed: “Our sun has set!”

These works convey the grief that gripped all Russians. In A. Maykov’s poem the word “quiet” is repeated so often. Of course, you can grieve in silence. But this grief again expresses the people’s love for Prince Alexander and the irreparable grief from his loss, which is felt even more acutely in silence. In “Life...” the death of the prince is described in the final part and reminds us of lamentation (the quote is read by children): “Oh, woe to you, poor man! You cannot describe the death of your master! How can your eyes not fall out together with tears! How can your heart not break from bitter sadness! A man can forget his father, but he cannot forget a good sovereign; he would be ready to go to the grave with him alive!”

Metropolitan Kirill told people: “My children, understand that the sun has already set on the land of Suzdal...”. “We’re already dying!”

It is impossible to better express one’s attitude towards Prince Alexander and once again emphasize his merits than was heard in the lament of the third part of “The Life of...”

5) The relevance of the personality of Alexander Nevsky in the 20-21 centuries.

Centuries have passed... 13th century - 20th century... more than 700 years! In 1938, the feature film “Alexander Nevsky” directed by Sergei Eisenstein was released on the country’s screens, where Nikolai Cherkasov played the main role. (video from the Alexander Nevsky theater)

Teacher: Guys, why do you think such a film is being released at this time? What did the director want to say?

On the eve of what event was it created? On the eve of the 2nd World War. This is a film that inspires Soviet soldiers to win, this is a film that warns enemy that “the enemy will be defeated, victory will be ours”

The words of the hero came true: “Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword.” And in 1941, the Order of Alexander Nevsky was established for the officers of the Red Army. The award was given for leading a successful operation during which the enemy suffered heavy losses. During the Great Patriotic War, more than 40 thousand people were awarded the Order. (slide Order of Alexander Nevsky)

The hero’s words are still relevant today... 21st century... 2011...

On TV screens there was a project “The Name of Russia”, in which the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky was represented His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. He was able to show the scale of the feat and achievements of Alexander Nevsky, for which he was awarded the highest Russian public award - the star of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky “For Labor and the Fatherland.” At the beginning of the 21st century, when the country embarks on the path of deep modernization, it becomes very symbolic that the name of Russia has become a Holy Man. Saint Alexander Nevsky is the name that will really help our contemporaries change their lives for the better.

Individual task: prepare expressive reading"Tales of the Shemyakin Court."

Work (independent) according to options.

1st option.

1. Name the genres of ancient Russian literature. Define a military story.

2. What were the names of the six brave men who “fought mightily with him [Alexander]”? What does the author compare the hearts of the “Alexandrov husbands” to?

2nd option.

1. Name the genres of ancient Russian literature. Define hagiography.

2. With what words does Alexander strengthen “the spirit of his squad”? How do you understand them? By what means is the image of a hero created?

How Russian history is reflected in the paintings.

“Find sufficiently precise definition words art world literature of Ancient Rus' and write them down, correlating them with the studied works (including “The Tale of the Life of ... Alexander Nevsky”).”

During the era of the beginning of the Mongol-Tatar invasion of Rus', such an ancient literary genre like life. The changes that were observed in him at this time were associated primarily with new phenomena of reality. The heroes of hagiographic works were not only equal to the apostles, martyrs, and saints, but also people who defended Rus' and the Christian faith from infidel enemies. Recognition of the significance of both spiritual and material feats in the name of the Motherland worthy of depiction led to the works of the hagiographic genre using techniques and means characteristic of folk art and a military story.

An example that reveals the presence of new phenomena in the hagiographic genre is “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky.”

This monument has come down to us in a large number of copies, divided by modern researchers into 9 editions of the 13th-16th centuries; Later editions have also been identified. Many questions about the history of the text remain unclear. Most scholars accept that the original edition of the work was written in the 80s. XIII century in the Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vladimir on the initiative of Metropolitan Kirill and the son of the hero of the life - Dmitry Alexandrovich, possibly a Galician author. This edition was included in the Laurentian and Pskov II Chronicles as an independent work.

Genre features of “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky”

In its artistic appearance, “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” differs from previous works of the genre by its pronounced combination of features of a military story and a life. This was reflected primarily in the composition of the monument. The author retained the traditional introduction and began the main part with a mention of Alexander’s pious parents, as was customary. But instead of a story about the childhood of a hero, whose actions already in this period should have revealed his inherent virtues, a peculiar “portrait” of Alexander Nevsky appears, built on the basis of a comparison of his qualities with the traits of biblical heroes: the strength of Samson, the wisdom of Solomon, the beauty of Joseph, the courage of the Roman King Vespasian. This characteristic serves as an exposition for the development of further action in the life, consisting, as the canon defined, of episodes reflecting the most significant exploits of the protagonist.

The first and most important fragment is the story of Alexander’s battle with the Swedes on the Neva. The motivation for the events is legendary in nature and is associated with the characterization of the hero mentioned above. The author talks about a certain Andreyash, a foreigner, who, having seen Alexander Yaroslavich, praised him in his country. Then the king of this country decided to measure his strength with him and went to war against him. Subsequently, the structure of the story about the Battle of the Neva repeats the structure of a military story: first of all, three main parts characteristic of this genre are clearly distinguished. The first - the preparation of the battle - contains Alexander’s prayer in the Church of Hagia Sophia, the story of the gathering of the army and the speech of the commander, encouraging the soldiers with the famous words: “God is not able, but in truth.” In the story about the performance of the army, the formula “in a small squad” is used, then The exact date of the arrival of the troops at the battle site is indicated according to the church calendar. At the same time, in this part there is an element characteristic of that era, to a greater extent, not of a military story, but of life - the vision of Boris and Gleb to the warrior Alexander Pelguy, which foreshadows victory in a future battle.

The second part of the episode details the battle. First, the exact time of its beginning is indicated - “at 6 o’clock in the afternoon,” and then the author dwells on the exploits of Alexander’s six Novgorod warriors, calling each by name and talking about his deeds. The author emphasizes the courage of the Russian commander, who “put a seal on the queen’s face with his sharp spear.” Along with a specific description of events characteristic of a military story, an element characteristic of hagiographies also appears in this part - a story about a miracle beyond the Izhora River, where the Swedes stood, where Russian soldiers could not pass and where after the battle they found many enemies, “beaten by an angel The Lord's."

The third part of the episode briefly describes the results of the battle.

Thus, this fragment of “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” as a whole represents a military story of an event-narrative type, interspersed with two “small genres” that were widely used in lives: vision and miracle.

The subsequent episodes of the central narrative in the life are connected chronologically and represent the most important, from the point of view of the creator of the work, actions of Alexander: the liberation of Koporye and Pskov from the Germans; The Battle of the Ice, the story of which is presented in the form of a military story of an informative type, and the description of the battle is given in military formulas; the prince’s trip to Batu at his request, information about which is legendary; revival of the land after the invasion of Nevruy; refusal to receive Roman ambassadors who wanted to teach the prince their faith. The last part of the narrative consists of a story about Alexander’s death during his return from his second trip to the Horde, a message about the Suzdal people’s farewell to him, the words of Metropolitan Kirill, who called the prince “the sun of the Suzdal land,” and a miracle with a “spiritual letter” that occurred at the time of burial.

Image system

Undoubtedly, the combination of the traditions of the two genres affected both the system of images and the characteristics of the main character. The central character, as in any life, is one. But along with him, a number of characters appear who perform official functions in relation to him: Andreyash and Batu, who recognize the hero’s superiority over other rulers; the Swedish king testing his military skill and strength; German enemies seizing Russian lands, whom Alexander defeats; ambassadors from Rome, tempting him to accept a different faith and finding themselves put to shame by the hero’s wisdom; Metropolitan Kirill and the people of Suzdal, mourning the death of the prince as a personal grief. A special place is occupied by six Novgorod warriors who distinguished themselves in the Battle of the Neva. Their exploits serve as confirmation of the idea of ​​the prince’s gift of leadership and the power of the Russian army, defeating the enemy with small forces. Many of the mentioned characters are more appropriate in a military story than in a life, since they emphasize the worldly, rather than religious virtues of Alexander: courage, determination, leadership, strength and bravery in battle, caring for his people - and only then hope for help higher powers, loyalty to Orthodoxy. In other words, main character Life acquires features characteristic of the image of a positive hero-prince in military stories, at the same time, the main way of depicting him remains the idealization characteristic of Life.

Author's image

The image of the narrator occupies a special place in the work. As in many hagiographies, the narrator begins the work with self-deprecation and assurance of his sincerity, for “wisdom will not enter into an evil soul,” he reports on the sources of the narrative, which were the stories of “his father” and his own memories, since the author “is a self-witness age" of Alexander, i.e. knew him as an adult. In the work, one can constantly feel the narrator’s admiration for the personality and deeds of the hero, manifested through evaluative epithets, comparisons with biblical characters, emotional digressions (for example, an appeal to the Pskovites with a call to remember the exploits of Alexander and the lamentation of the author, who regrets the death of the prince). Thus, the narrator in the work is similar to the hagiographic image of the narrator.

Stylistics of the work

The style of the monument is unique, closely related to the traditions that formed its basis. Undoubtedly, the leading principle is the hagiographic principle, manifested in the widespread use of Church Slavonicisms, quotations from the Bible, and retrospective historical analogies. At the same time, there is no doubt that the influence of military style is evident in the military formulas used in the battle paintings. The greatest similarity was discovered by D.S. Likhachev with a description of military actions in the Galician Chronicle, which gave rise to talk about the Western Russian origin of the author of "The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky", who was a very educated scribe and knew well, in addition to the military and hagiographic traditions, translated works ("Devgenie's Act", "Alexandria ", "History of the Jewish War" by I. Flavius, etc.).

Creating a biography of his contemporary long before his canonization, the author of “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” used as a model the tradition of hagiographies - the only ancient Russian genre that gave a biography of the hero. But the real life that he described required the use of literary forms and means characteristic of the common and well-known famous author genre - military story. Connection of two genre traditions while retaining the leading role of the signs of life, it led to the creation of a new hagiographic variety - the life of the warrior prince, later embodied in the “Tale of the Life and Repose of Dmitry Ivanovich, Tsar of Russia” and “The Life of Dovmont of Pskov”.

Introduction

The relevance of this study is determined by the fact that until the 16th century, “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” was a kind of standard for depicting Russian princes when describing their military exploits. This work is remarkable in that it was written by a contemporary of the events, and therefore is of great importance for understanding how the personality of Alexander Nevsky was assessed in those distant times, and what was the significance of the events in which he was a participant.

The purpose of the course research is to reveal the artistic intent and significance of “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky”, its influence on subsequent Russian literature in Russia. To do this, the following research tasks should be set:

Study the historical circumstances of writing “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky”;

Determine the specifics and features of the genre “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky”;

The Life of Alexander is not a biography, but a description of the most significant events that recreate the heroic image of a warrior prince, a valiant commander and a wise politician. At the same time, the Life contains a lot of canonical, traditional for this genre, since the idea of ​​​​the sacredness of princely power is conveyed. the main idea Lives: “God is not in power, but in truth.”

The prince and his warriors are similar in every way: the author of the Life includes in the description of the Battle of the Neva the story of the brave men who fought “without fear in their hearts.” Scientists believe that this reflected the oral tradition of the Battle of the Neva in order to convey the greatness of spirit and the beauty of courage. Alexander's warriors are compared in their courage and stamina with the warriors of King David, their hearts are like the hearts of lions, they are filled with the spirit of war and are ready to lay down their heads for the prince.

The subject of the research is the patterns of artistic-historical narration about the events of the 12th-13th centuries.

The object of research is the meaning and significance of such literary source as "The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky."

In our research, we proceeded from the fact that, according to the testimony of famous historians, Alexander’s patriotism determined the principles of the structure of Rus' for several centuries. The traditions laid down by the prince, based on national and religious tolerance, have attracted peoples living in neighboring territories to Russia until our time.

To this day, the name of Alexander Nevsky is a symbol of unity, part of a common national idea.

The artistic concept and history of the creation of “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky”

Historical period of the reign of Alexander Nevsky

In order to imagine in detail historical place reign of Alexander Nevsky, attention should be paid to how the military-political, historical and religious situation developed at the beginning of his reign.

XII - XIII centuries - a period of feudal fragmentation. Rus' was overwhelmed by civil strife. Each principality tried to exist in its own way. This is based on the following reasons. On the one hand, the formation of a subsistence economy, which ensured independent economic existence. On the other hand, political isolation, based on the creation of its own apparatus of violence - the squad. These are objective reasons for fragmentation.

Simultaneously with the isolation of cities, the number of the princely class continuously grew. The pace of development and formation of cities could not keep up with the “sort of” “demographic explosion” in the camp of the governors. The rulers lacked the vast expanse of the Russian land, whose borders could not be expanded, since the entire course of events indicated that only their narrowing could be expected. And under these conditions, the “law” will certainly come into force natural selection" Brother went against brother. Everything was used: murder, entering into family ties with authoritative foreign families, incest, intrigue, flirting and simultaneous cruelty with the townspeople. The historical conditions of the period in which the princes were placed pushed them to take certain actions. The situation was complicated by the specifics of the geographical structure of Rus': its truly vast expanses and sparsely located cities. This fact to some extent justifies the lack of coordination of actions and the difficulty of centralizing military control. In a situation of imminent real military danger, the city was in turmoil and could not react quickly. First, it was necessary to gather an army and ask for help, which, as a rule, took a lot of time. Residents of the city had the right to accept or not accept the prince. The opinion of townspeople influenced certain political decisions. Naturally, the assessment of the significance of these decisions for the state was not always adequate. Their view came from the problems of current, everyday life, as if from their “everyday bell tower”. There was also the danger of a riot. Conflicts between boyars and ordinary people were frequent. Particular aggravation of contradictions was observed in economically unstable and politically alarming moments. The reason could be a bad harvest or the danger of military intervention from foreigners. Thus, despite the outward appearance of a prosperous existence, each of the Russian cities lived its own life, sometimes filled with internal contradictions. In such conditions, it was difficult without an autocratic ruler capable of taking into account the interests of all social strata of the city's population, weighing all the circumstances, making a decision - saying a firm word.

Let us briefly look at the place of the church in the events of the early 13th century. Unlike Western Catholicism, Orthodoxy in Rus' did not have such a great influence determining state policy, although the ideas of protecting the church were key in some military and political actions. In turn, the church advised the defenders of its interests, provided them with support, and elevated their actions to the rank of spiritual.

At the same time, the significance of the adoption of Christianity in Rus' is not clear. There is also such a point of view on this matter: the adoption of Christianity is connected not so much with positive aspects for the nation, “... as with the departure of Rus' from European civilization, the formation of a closed religious space. With the fall of Byzantium, Russian Orthodox Church And Russian state found themselves essentially isolated from the rest of the Christian world. Hence the refusal of Western Europe to come to the aid of Rus' in its confrontation with the infidels (Tatar-Mongols, Turks and other conquerors). “Isn’t that an interesting opinion? With this view of things, the role of many moments, in particular Alexander Nevsky, fades into the background, becomes insignificant, and, perhaps, negative.

The personal attitudes of the inhabitant cannot be ignored. medieval Rus'. “Medieval people were dominated by faith and superstition, and often entrusted decisions to God and fate that they themselves had to make. Decisiveness was a rare quality at that time. Even in court, when analyzing complicated cases, suspects were tested with water (will they float or sink?) and a hot iron (what is the degree of burn?). Signs and omens that promised joy and sorrow, victories and defeats were remembered and recorded in chronicles.”

From ancient sources that have survived to this day, it is known that the birthplace of Alexander Nevsky was the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky. The exact date of his birth cannot yet be established. Scientists suggest that it most likely falls in 1219 - 1220. And the historian of the 18th century V.N. Tatishchev, who used chronicles that have not survived to this day, reports that the future hero saw the light of day on Saturday, May 30, 1220.

The baby was named, according to the custom of that time, in honor of the saint, whose exploits the church remembered close to his birthday (June 9). The holy martyr Alexander became his heavenly patron.

The name Alexander was rare for the 13th century among princes and was reminiscent of the name of the hero of pagan antiquity, Alexander the Great.

“Alexander’s father was the active and powerful Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. At the time of the birth of his second son, he was 30 years old.” In considering the pedigree, we will stick to this traditional point vision. The reason for this is that in the literature we have reviewed, the alternative version is not disclosed in detail, and there is no reference to the primary sources. So, the mother of Alexander, the other seven sons and two daughters of Yaroslav was probably the daughter of the Moscow prince Mstislav the Udal Rostislav. This was Yaroslav's second marriage after his marital union with the daughter of the Polovtsian Khan Yuri Konchakovich. According to N.S. Borisov, the marriage was childless, and therefore dissolved.

In this case, Alexander’s grandfather was Mstislav the Udaloy, who glorified Rus' with his numerous exploits. “The image of this brave and noble man served as an example for young Alexander to follow.

N.I. Kostomarov in his work “Russian history in the biographies of its main figures” says that the personality of Mstislav can rightly be called a model of the character of that time. Despite the fact that he “did not give a new turn to the course of events, did not create a new prototype social order”, but on the contrary, he was “a defender of antiquity, a guardian of the existing, a fighter for the truth, but for the truth, the image of which had already been formed before.”

Alexander underwent training in internal and external diplomacy in Novgorod under his father, comprehending the art of subjugating the boyars and dominating the crowd, changeable and formidable. He learned this by being present at the meeting, sometimes at the council, listening to his father’s conversations.

“Men’s work” took up much more time. It obliged to keep order - both in the house, and in the church, and on the hunt - “and in the stables, and in the falcons, and in the hawks” to be knowledgeable. He liked the job and found it easy. Alexander studied together with the same young squad assigned to him by his father.

But a special place in the training and education of the prince was given to military affairs. While he was taught “on horseback, in borneh, behind shields, with a spear, how to fight” - years passed. To own a horse, defensive and offensive weapons, to be a tournament knight and to know the formation of foot and horse, the tactics of field battle and siege of a fortress - this is the whole world, a kind of art. As in any art: some have a gift for it, others lack it.” The young prince was preparing for military service. “Events were preparing that would draw Alexander into their cycle. They made him look at the city in a new way. Not the fortress, not the shrines, but the concerns and thoughts of the Novgorodians were revealed to him. These were difficult thoughts.” Increasingly, the young prince traveled with his father’s squad to distant and nearby cities, to hunt, took part in collecting princely tribute, and most importantly, in military battles. “He walked the usual path for a Russian knight, and the chime of battle swords, crossed either in the fight against an external enemy or in internal strife, reached his ears early.” “With the upbringing of that time, strong characters developed in the princely environment very early. Sharply contrasting impressions caused by participation from childhood in trips to different, sometimes very dissimilar way of life the lands of Rus' and its neighbors, the spectacle of bloody battles, conflagrations, the grief of frequent separations and early losses - all these experiences developed the need to learn, developed observation, and strengthened the ability to generalize. In a word, they accelerated the formation of the personality of a broad-minded, all-Russian guardian, alien to the miserable isolation of small princes.” Political situation early Middle Ages, as already noted, implied frequent military operations and violent internal intrigues. This, in turn, was a good “visual aid” for the emerging regiment

Life of Alexander Nevsky

The story of the life and courage of the blessed and Grand Duke Alexander

“The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” is a monument of ancient Russian literature of the 13th century. In manuscripts it does not have a stable name and is called “life”, “word” or “story of life”. This work is a princely biography, combining the features of a military story and life.
The composition of “The Life of Alexander Nevsky” dates back to the 80s.
XIII century and are associated with the names of Dmitry Alexandrovich, the son of Alexander Nevsky, Metropolitan Kirill of Kyiv and Vladimir, with Vladimir, with the Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, where the prince’s body was buried. Here in the 13th century. The veneration of the prince as a saint begins and the first edition of his life appears.
The author of the Life, a scribe from the entourage of Metropolitan Kirill, who calls himself a contemporary of the prince, a witness of his life, based on his memoirs and the stories of Alexander Nevsky's comrades, creates a biography of the prince, glorifying his military valor and political successes.
In historical science, there are a number of versions regarding the authorship of this monument, but none of them can be considered proven.
Over the course of several centuries, the Vladimir edition of “The Life of Alexander Nevsky” was rewritten and revised (there are more than fifteen editions of it).
The text of the first edition of “The Life of Alexander Nevsky” (“The Tale of the Life and Courage of Alexander Nevsky”) is published one at a time (13 in total) from ancient lists, which dates back to the end of the 15th century. The episode about the six brave men and the story about the miracle beyond Izhora, missing from this list, are included according to the text of the life in the Laurentian Chronicle. Using the same text, obvious errors in the list taken as the main one are corrected.
Arranged into modern Russian and part of the notes by N. Okhotnikova.

The story of the life of Alexander Nevsky.
Battle on the Ice.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God.

I, pitiful and sinful, narrow-minded, dare to describe the life of the holy Prince Alexander, son of Yaroslav, grandson of Vsevolodov. Because I heard from my fathers and was a witness myself mature age him, then I was glad to tell about his holy, honest, and glorious life. But as the Tributary 1 said: “Wisdom will not enter an evil soul: for it dwells in elevated places, stands in the middle of the roads, and stops at the gates of noble people.” Although I am simple in mind, I will still begin by praying to the Holy Mother of God and trusting in the help of Holy Prince Alexander.

This prince Alexander was born from a merciful, philanthropic, and most of all meek father, the Great Prince Yaroslav, and from his mother Theodosia 2. As Isaiah the prophet said: “Thus says the Lord: “I appoint princes; they are sacred, and I lead them.” And truly, his reign was not without God’s command.

And he was handsome like no other, and his voice was like a trumpet among the people, his face was like the face of Joseph, whom the Egyptian king made the second king in Egypt, and his strength was part of the strength of Samson, and God gave him the wisdom of Solomon, His courage is like that of the Roman king Vespasian, who conquered the entire land of Judea. One day he prepared to besiege the city of Joatapata, and the townspeople came out and defeated his army. And only Vespasian remained, and turned those who opposed him to the city, to the city gates, and laughed at his squad, and reproached them, saying: “They left me alone” 3. Likewise, Prince Alexander won, but was invincible.

Once one of the eminent men of the Western Country 4, from those who call themselves servants of God 5, came, wanting to see the maturity of his strength, just as in ancient times the Queen of Sheba 6 came to Solomon, wanting to listen to his wise speeches. So this one, named Andreas 7, having seen Prince Alexander, returned to his people and said: “I went through countries and peoples and did not see such a king among kings, nor a prince among princes.”

Hearing about such valor of Prince Alexander, the king of the Roman country from the northern land 8 thought to himself: “I will go and conquer the land of Alexander.” And he gathered a great force, and filled many ships with his regiments, and moved with a huge army, blazing with the military spirit. And he came to the Neva, intoxicated with madness, and sent his ambassadors, proud, to Novgorod to Prince Alexander, saying: “If you can, defend yourself, for I am already here and ruining your land.”

Alexander, having heard such words, burned in his heart and entered the church of St. Sophia, and, falling on his knees before the altar, began to pray with tears: “Glorious God, righteous, great, strong God, eternal God, who created heaven and earth and set the boundaries You commanded the peoples to live without transgressing other people’s borders.” And, remembering the words of the prophet, he said: “Judge, Lord, those who have offended me and protect them from those who fight me, take a weapon and a shield and stand up to help me.”

And, having finished the prayer, he stood up and bowed to the archbishop. The archbishop was then Spyridon 9, he blessed him and released him. The prince, leaving the church, dried his tears and began to encourage his squad, saying: “God is not in power, but in truth. Let us remember the Songmaker, who said: “Some with weapons, and others on horses, we will call on the name of the Lord our God; They, defeated, fell, but we resisted and stand upright”” 10. Having said this, he went against the enemies with a small squad, not waiting for his large army, but trusting in the Holy Trinity.

It was sad to hear that his father, the great prince Yaroslav, did not know about the invasion of his son, dear Alexander, and he had no time to send news to his father, for the enemies were already approaching. Therefore, many Novgorodians did not have time to join, as the prince hurried to speak. And he came out against them on Sunday, July fifteenth, having great faith in the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb.

And there was one man, the elder of the land of Izhora 11, named Pelugiy, he was entrusted with the night watch at sea. He was baptized and lived among his family, the pagans, and his name was given in holy baptism Philip, and he lived godly, observing fasting on Wednesday and Friday, which is why God deigned him to see a wonderful vision on that day. Let's tell you briefly.

Having learned about the strength of the enemy, he went out to meet Prince Alexander to tell him about the enemy’s camps. He stood on the seashore, watching both routes, and spent the whole night without sleep. When the sun began to rise, he heard a strong noise on the sea and saw one nasad 12 floating on the sea, and standing in the middle of the nasad were the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb in red robes, holding their hands on each other’s shoulders. The rowers sat as if covered in darkness. Boris said:

“Brother Gleb, tell us to row, so we can help our relative Prince Alexander.” Seeing such a vision and hearing these words of the martyrs, Pelugius stood trembling until the attack disappeared from his eyes.

Soon after this, Alexander came, and Pelugius, joyfully meeting Prince Alexander, told him alone about the vision. The prince told him: “Don’t tell this to anyone.”

After that, Alexander hastened to attack the enemies at six o'clock in the afternoon, and there was a great slaughter with the Romans, and the prince killed countless numbers of them, and on the face of the king himself he left the mark of his sharp spear.

Six brave men, like him, from Alexander’s regiment showed themselves here.

The first one is named Gavrilo Oleksich. He attacked the auger 13 and, seeing the prince being dragged by the arms, rode all the way to the ship along the gangplank along which they were running with the prince, pursued by him. Then they grabbed Gavrila Oleksich and threw him off the gangplank along with his horse. But by God's mercy he emerged from the water unharmed, and again attacked them, and fought with the commander himself in the midst of their army.

The second, named Sbyslav Yakunovich, is from Novgorod. This one attacked their army many times and fought with one ax, having no fear in his soul; and many fell by his hand, and they marveled at his strength and courage.

The third - Yakov, a native of Polotsk, was a hunter for the prince. This one attacked the regiment with a sword, and the prince praised him.

The fourth is a Novgorodian named Mesha. This man on foot and his retinue attacked the ships and sank three ships.

The fifth is from the younger squad, named Sava. This one burst into the large royal golden-domed tent and cut down the tent pole. The Alexandrov regiments, seeing the fall of the tent, rejoiced.

The sixth is one of Alexander's servants, named Ratmir. This one fought on foot, and many enemies surrounded him. He fell from many wounds and died that way.

I heard all this from my master, Grand Duke Alexander, and from others who participated in this battle at that time.

Pelgusy says
Alexander Yaroslavich about his vision.
Miniature from the front vault of the 16th century.

There was a wondrous miracle at that time, as in the days of old under Hezekiah the king. When Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came to Jerusalem, wanting to conquer the holy city of Jerusalem, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrian army, and when they got up in the morning, they found only dead corpses 14 . This was the case after Alexandrov’s victory: when he defeated the king, on the opposite side of the Izhora River, where Alexandrov’s regiments could not pass, a countless number of those killed by the angel of the Lord were found here. Those who remained fled, and the corpses of their dead soldiers were thrown into ships and sank them into the sea. Prince Alexander returned in victory, praising and glorifying the name of his creator.

In the second year after Prince Alexander returned with victory, they again came from the Western Country and built a city on the land of Alexandrova 15. Prince Alexander soon went and destroyed their city to the ground, and hanged them, some, took others with him, and, having pardoned others, released them, for he was immeasurably merciful.

After Alexandrova's victory, when he defeated the king, in the third year, in winter, he went with great power to the land of Pskov, for the city of Pskov had already been taken by the Germans. And the Germans came to Lake Peipus, and Alexander met them, and prepared for battle, and they went against each other, and Lake Peipus was covered with many of these and other warriors. Alexander's father, Yaroslav, sent his younger brother Andrei with a large squad to help him. And Prince Alexander had many brave warriors, like King David in ancient times, strong and steadfast. So Alexander’s men were filled with the spirit of war, because their hearts were like the hearts of lions, and they exclaimed: “O our glorious prince! Now the time has come for us to lay down our heads for you.” Prince Alexander raised his hands to the sky and said: “Judge me, God, judge my quarrel with the unrighteous people and help me, Lord, as in ancient times he helped Moses overcome Amalek 16, and our great-grandfather Yaroslav the accursed Svyatopolk” 17.

It was then Saturday, and when the sun rose, the opponents met. And there was a cruel slaughter, and there was a crash from breaking spears and a ringing from the blows of swords, and it seemed that a frozen lake was moving, and no ice was visible, for it was covered with blood.

And I heard this from an eyewitness who told me that he saw the army of God in the air, coming to the aid of Alexander. And so he defeated the enemies with the help of God, and they fled, but Alexander cut them down, driving them as if through the air, and they had nowhere to hide. Here God glorified Alexander before all the regiments, like Joshua at Jericho 18. And the one who said: “Let us capture Alexander,” God gave into the hands of Alexander. And there has never been an opponent worthy of him in battle. And Prince Alexander returned with a glorious victory, and there were many captives in his army, and they led barefoot next to the horses of those who call themselves “God’s knights.”

And when the prince approached the city of Pskov, the abbots and priests and all the people met him in front of the city with crosses, giving praise to God and glorifying the lord Prince Alexander, singing a song to him: “You, Lord, helped the meek David to defeat the foreigners and our faithful prince with the weapon of faith to liberate the city of Pskov from foreigners by the hand of Alexandrova.”

And Alexander said: “O ignorant Pskovites! If you forget this before the great-grandchildren of Alexander, then you will become like the Jews, whom the Lord fed in the desert with manna from heaven and baked quails, but they forgot all this and their God, who delivered them from captivity in Egypt.”

And his name became famous in all countries, from the Khonuzh Sea and to the Ararat Mountains, and on the other side of the Varangian Sea 19 and to the great Rome.

At the same time, the Lithuanian people gained strength and began to plunder the Alexandrov possessions. He went out and beat them. One day he happened to go out against the enemies, and he defeated seven regiments in one ride and killed many of their princes, and took others prisoner; His servants, mocking, tied them to the tails of their horses. And from that time on they began to fear his name.

Stamps of Alexander Nevsky

At the same time, there was a strong king in the eastern country, 20 to whom God subjugated many nations from the east to the west. That king, having heard about such glory and courage of Alexander, sent ambassadors to him and said: “Alexander, do you know that God has conquered many nations to me. So, are you the only one who doesn’t want to submit to me? But if you want to save your land, then come to me quickly and you will see the glory of my kingdom.”

After the death of his father, Prince Alexander came to Vladimir in great strength. And his arrival was menacing, and news of him rushed to the mouth of the Volga. And the women of Moab 21 began to frighten their children, saying: “Here comes Alexander!”

Prince Alexander decided to go to the Tsar in the Horde, and Bishop Kirill blessed him. And King Batu saw him and was amazed, and said to his nobles: “They told me the truth, that there is no prince like him.” Having honored him with dignity, he released Alexander.

After this, King Batu became angry with little brother his Andrei and sent his governor Nevryuy to destroy the land of Suzdal 22. After the devastation of the Suzdal land by Nevruy, the great Prince Alexander erected churches, rebuilt cities, and gathered dispersed people into their homes. Isaiah the prophet said about such people: “A good prince in countries is quiet, friendly, meek, humble - and in this way he is like God.” Without being seduced by wealth, without forgetting the blood of the righteous, he judges orphans and widows with justice, is merciful, kind to his household and hospitable to those who come from foreign countries. God helps such people, for God does not love angels, but people, in his generosity he generously bestows and shows his mercy in the world.

God filled Alexander's land with wealth and glory, and God extended his days.

One day, ambassadors from the Pope came to him from great Rome 23 with the following words: “Our Pope says this: “We heard that you are a worthy and glorious prince and your land is great. That’s why they sent to you the two smartest of the twelve cardinals - Agaldad and Gemont, so that you could listen to their speeches about the law of God.”

Prince Alexander, having thought with his sages, wrote him the following answer: “From Adam to the flood, from the flood to the division of nations, from the confusion of nations to the beginning of Abraham, from Abraham to the passage of the Israelites through the sea, from the exodus of the children of Israel to the death of King David , from the beginning of the reign of Solomon until Augustus and until the birth of Christ, from the birth of Christ until his crucifixion and resurrection, from his resurrection and ascension into heaven until the reign of Constantine, from the beginning of the reign of Constantine until the first council and the seventh 24 - all this is good we know, but we will not accept teaching from you.” They returned home.

And the days of his life multiplied in great glory, for he loved priests, and monks, and beggars, and he revered and listened to metropolitans and bishops as to Christ himself.

In those days there was great violence from non-believers; they persecuted Christians, forcing them to fight on their side. The great prince Alexander went to the king to pray for his people from this misfortune.

And he sent his son Dmitry to the Western countries, and sent all his regiments with him, and his close household members, saying to them:

“Serve my son as you serve me with all your life.” And Prince Dmitry went in great strength, and conquered the German land, and took the city of Yuryev, and returned to Novgorod with many prisoners and with great booty 25.

His father, Grand Duke Alexander, returned from the Horde from the Tsar and reached Nizhny Novgorod, and fell ill there, and, arriving in Gorodets, fell ill. Oh woe to you, poor man! How can you describe the death of your master! How will your eyes not fall out along with your tears! How not to break out your heart with the roots! For a man can leave his father, but he cannot leave a good master; If it were possible, I would go to the grave with him.

Having worked hard for God, he left the earthly kingdom and became a monk, for he had an immeasurable desire to take on the angelic image. God vouchsafed him to accept a greater rank - schema. And so in peace he gave up his spirit to God in the month of November on the fourteenth day, in memory of the holy Apostle Philip.

Metropolitan Kirill said: “My children, know that the sun of the land of Suzdal has already set.” Priests and deacons, monks, poor and rich and all the people exclaimed: “We are already perishing!”

The holy body of Alexander was carried to the city of Vladimir. The Metropolitan, the princes and boyars, and all the people, small and large, met him in Bogolyubovo with candles and censers. People crowded, trying to touch his holy body on his honest bed. There was a cry, a groan, and a cry like never before, even the earth shook. His body was laid in the Church of the Nativity of the Holy Theotokos, in the Great Archimandrite on the 26th month of November on the 24th day, in memory of Holy Father Amphilochius.

Alexander Nevsky and Earl Birger.
Miniature from the front vault of the 16th century.

There was a miracle then, wonderful and worthy of memory. When his holy body was laid in the tomb, then Sebastian the Economist and Cyril the Metropolitan wanted to unclench his hand in order to insert a spiritual letter 27. He, as if alive, stretched out his hand and accepted the letter from the hand of the metropolitan. And confusion seized them, and they barely retreated from his tomb. Metropolitan and Housekeeper Sevastian announced this to everyone. Who wouldn’t be surprised by that miracle, because his body was dead, and it was brought from distant lands in winter.

And so God glorified his saint.

Notes

1 Tributary - from the word “parable” - the biblical king Solomon, known for the allegorical form of his stories.
2 Theodosia, the mother of Alexander Nevsky, was for a long time considered the daughter of the famous prince Mstislav the Udal. In fact, the daughter of Udaly was the second wife of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, and Feodosia was the third.
3 Titus Flavius ​​Vespasian (9-79) - Roman emperor. As a commander under Nero, he conquered almost all of Judea in two years. The following tells about Vespasian's siege of the fortress of Joatapata during the Jewish War (66-73). The episode was well known in the Russian book community from numerous adaptations of Josephus’s book “The Jewish War.”
4 Western country - Livonia.
5 Servants of God are knights of the order.
6 Po biblical legend, the queen of the South Arabian state of Sheba, having heard a lot about Solomon’s extraordinary wisdom, decided to personally verify the authenticity of the rumors and made a trip to Solomon’s capital, Jerusalem.
7 Andrei von Felten - Master of the Livonian Order.
8 The king of the country of the Roman (Catholic faith) from the northern land is the Swedish king Erik Erikson (Bursty). In the campaign of 1240, the Swedish army was led, according to Russian chronicles, not by him, but by his son-in-law, Earl Birger.
9 Novgorod Archbishop Spiridon (1229-1249).
10 The Songmaker - this refers to the biblical king David, who is credited with the authorship of one of the books of the Bible - the Psalter, consisting of one hundred and fifty psalms (songs).
11 The Izhora land was located in the Neva region and was subordinate to Novgorod; part of its population converted to Christianity. The name of the “elder” in handwritten texts is conveyed in different but recognizable versions.
12 Nasad - a type of river vessel.
13 Auger - type of vessel.
14 Hezekiah - according to the Bible, the thirteenth king of Judah, the son of Ahab. During his reign, the Assyrian king Sennacherib captured all of Judea, leaving only Jerusalem unconquered. According to biblical legend, during the siege of Jerusalem the miracle mentioned in the text happened.
15 The Koporye fortress, not far from the Gulf of Finland, was built by the Livonians in 1241 on land belonging to Novgorod.
16 Moses - biblical prophet, who, according to legend, led the Israelites out of Egypt. On their way to Palestine, Amalek, the leader of the Amalekites who occupied the lands between Egypt and Palestine, resisted the Israelites. It was only thanks to the miraculous effect of Moses' prayer that Amalek was not able to achieve victory.
17 Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise took revenge on Svyatopolk the Accursed for the murder of the brothers Boris and Gleb. In 1019, on the Alta River, where Boris was killed, Yaroslav defeated the army of Svyatopolk.
18 According to biblical legend, the fortress walls of Jericho, one of the oldest cities in Palestine, collapsed from the screams and sound of trumpets of the Israeli army besieging them, led by Joshua.
19 Khonuzhskoe and Varyazhskoe - Caspian and Baltic seas.
20 This refers to Batu Khan. Alexander went to see him much later, in 1246-1247.
21 The Moabites were a tribe hostile to the Israelites, living in Palestine, descendants of Lot. Here: Tatars.
22 Nevryu’s invasion of the Vladimir-Suzdal land took place in 1252. The Khan of the Golden Horde at that time was no longer Batu, but Sartak.
23 Apparently, we are talking about one of the attempts of Pope Innocent IV to subjugate Rus' to the Catholic Vatican: for the transition to Catholicism, Innocent IV promised to help Rus' in the fight against the Horde.
24 The first ecumenical council was in 325, the seventh in 787 in Nicaea.
25 Nothing is known about the results of Alexander’s trip to the Horde, although perhaps he managed to avoid sending military contingents to the Tatars, since the regiments were near Yuryev.
26 Alexander Nevsky was buried in the Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vladimir. Until the middle of the 16th century. The Nativity Monastery was considered the first monastery of Rus', the “great archimandrite.”
27 During the burial ceremony, a prayer of permission is read for the forgiveness of sins. After reading, the text was placed in a coffin.0

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Introduction.

Every nation has its own national heroes who are loved, honored and remembered. Legends, songs, tales are written about them. Their names remain for centuries, and their moral character is not only not erased in the memory of their descendants, but, on the contrary, becomes brighter and lighter over time. Those of them, whose life was illuminated with an aura of holiness, and whose deeds and service to the people were pleasing to God, are even more revered on Earth. People turn to them for help in difficult years of trials. The Holy Blessed One was and remains such a national hero, people's intercessor, sacred personality in the history of our country, in the people's memory. Grand Duke Alexander Nevskiy. He courageously and victoriously fought against Western enemies, prudently and intelligently protected his people from the predatory Tatars. Among the difficult princely affairs, the pious prince did not forget his Christian duties: he helped widows and orphans, to the common people, he donated a lot of silver and gold to the Horde, and redeemed many unfortunates from the grave Tatar captivity.

This year, in literature lessons, we became acquainted with “The Tale of the Life and Courage of Alexander Nevsky.” Previously, I knew about this man only as a brave warrior who won the battle on the Neva and Lake Peipus. And he was completely unaware that the Russian Church had canonized him. I wanted to know more about this person, but my literature teacher did not help me with this. For me, this topic is relevant, because... I know that the personality of Alexander Nevsky to this day is a model of courage and fearlessness for many generations of Russians.

This is how our project was born, target which is to see through the text of “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” the image of Alexander as his contemporaries knew and perceived him.

Tasks:

Study the text of “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Noble and Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky.”

To identify how the features of a military story and the hagiographic genre are combined in “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky.”

Analyze funds speech expressiveness in “The Tale...” and identify those with the help of which the 13th century author recreates the personality of Alexander Nevsky.

Object of study - “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky”

The subject of the study is the speech characteristics of the main character of “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky”, the text of the work.

2. Main part

2.1 Features of a military story and the hagiographic genre in “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Blessed and Grand Duke Alexander”

First of all, we need to understand what genres are.

“Literary genre (from the French genre - genus, type) is the form in which the main types of literature are realized: epic, lyricism and drama, characterized by certain general plot and stylistic features. There are different genres of literary fiction: in epic - novel, story, short story, essay, fairy tale, epic, etc.; in lyric poetry - poem, ode, elegy, etc.; in drama - tragedy, comedy, drama, etc. Each literary genre. l. characterized by a certain “genre content” (theme, issues, scope of the depicted world)”

“In ancient Russian literature, a system of genres was determined, within the framework of which the development of original Russian literature began. Genres in ancient Russian literature were distinguished according to slightly different characteristics than in the literature of modern times. The main thing in their definition was the “use” of the genre, the “practical purpose” for which this or that work was intended.

Chronographs told the history of the world; about the history of the fatherland - chronicles, monuments of historical writing and literature of Ancient Rus', the narration in which was carried out by year. They narrated the events of Russian and world history. There was an extensive literature of moralizing biographies—the lives of saints, or hagiography.”

As we see, ancient Russian literature developed its own specific genres: prayer, parable, life, teaching, story, military tale, word, circulation, chronicle, which includes small genre forms - tales, instructions and legends.

As the title suggests, “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Blessed and Grand Duke Alexander” is a synthesis of two genres - the life and the military story. Let's consider genre features each of them. Life - a description of the life of a saint. In ancient Russian literature, the image of Christ was put forward as a model of human behavior. The hero of the life follows this pattern in his life. The Life, as a rule, describes how a saint becomes such by going through a series of trials.

As a rule, the life reports on the main events of the life of the saint, his Christian deeds (pious life, martyrdom, if any), as well as special evidence of the divine grace with which this person was noted (these include lifelong and posthumous miracles)

The lives of saints are written according to special rules (canons):

it is believed that the birth of a child marked by grace most often occurs in the family of pious parents; most often, a saint from an early age leads a strict, righteous life; in the process of his life, the saint gains wisdom, goes through a series of temptations and defeats them; the saint could predict his death because he felt it; after death his body remained incorruptible.

The military tale is a genre of ancient Russian literature, widespread in the 11th–17th centuries. The basis of the military story is the image historical event associated with the heroic struggle of the people against external enemies. The patriotic pathos of the narrative is combined with a journalistic assessment of what is happening, epicness with excited lyricism. The central character of a military story is usually real historical figure, presented as the ideal Christian warrior. How did it happen that the features of two genres were combined in one work? I learned that the genre of hagiography began to develop during the era of the beginning of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. The heroes of the works were not only saints, apostles, martyrs, but also people who defended Rus' and the faith from infidel enemies. “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Blessed and Grand Duke Alexander” appeared around 1283, its author is unknown, but it is known that it was written in the Nativity Monastery. This work was created even before the canonization of Alexander Nevsky and was originally a secular biography. Perhaps because of this ambiguity, the life combined two genres - life and military tale.

Compositionally, the work has a hagiographic macrostructure - it consists of 3 parts. The first part is an introduction (self-deprecation is used, the author says that he knew Nevsky as an adult, that he writes with a pure soul). The second part is the central part. The episodes of the central narrative in the life are connected chronologically and represent the most important, from the point of view of the creator of the work, actions of Alexander: the liberation of Koporye and Pskov from the Germans; The Battle of the Ice, the story of which is presented in the form of a military story of an informative type, and the description of the battle is given in military formulas; the prince’s trip to Batu at his request, information about which is legendary; revival of the land after the invasion of Nevruy; refusal to receive Roman ambassadors who wanted to teach the prince their faith. The third part is the conclusion. The last part of the narrative consists of a story about Alexander’s death during his return from his second trip to the Horde, a message about the Suzdal people’s farewell to him, the words of Metropolitan Kirill, who called the prince “the sun of the Suzdal land,” and a miracle with a “spiritual letter” that occurred at the time of burial.

As we can see, in its artistic appearance, “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” differs from previous works of the genre in its pronounced combination of features of a military story and life.

2.2. The image of Alexander Nevsky in “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Noble and Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky”

“The Tale...” was written in the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir, where the prince was buried. According to the assumption of D. S. Likhachev, the author of this work was a Galician scribe, and the time of the appearance of the “Tale” should be attributed to the period between 1263 - 1280.

Compiling a complete biography of Prince Alexander was not part of the author’s tasks. The content of the life is a brief summary of the main, from the author’s point of view, episodes of his life, which allow us to recreate the heroic image of the prince, preserved in the memory of his contemporaries: the prince - a warrior, a valiant commander and an intelligent politician.

“I, pitiful and sinful, narrow-minded, dare to describe the life of the holy Prince Alexander, son of Yaroslav, grandson of Vsevolodov. Since I heard from my fathers and myself witnessed his mature age, I was glad to tell about his holy, honest, and glorious life,” this is how the author of “The Tale” begins his leisurely narrative. The author maintains the traditional introduction and begins the main part with a mention of Alexander’s pious parents, as was customary.

The Novgorod hero was of the same name as Alexander the Great, similar to the “king” Achilles, as well as the biblical heroes Joseph, Samson, Solomon, and the Roman emperor Vespasian: “His face is like the face of Joseph, whom the Egyptian king made the second king in Egypt, and his strength was part of the strength of Samson, and God gave him the wisdom of Solomon, and his courage was like that of the Roman king Vespasian, who conquered the entire land of Judea.”

But if each of them was distinguished mainly by one trait (strength, beauty, wisdom, courage), then the personality of Prince Alexander was reflected all the best qualities of a person: strength, beauty, wisdom, courage. It is very rare for a person in power to possess these qualities. Before us is the prince - Prince to all princes

The author, emphasizing the wisdom of Alexander Nevsky, gives another argument: “One of the eminent men of the Western country, one of those who call themselves servants of God, came, wanting to see the maturity of his strength... So this one, named Andreas, having seen Prince Alexander, returned to his own people and said: “I went through countries and peoples and did not see such a king among kings, nor a prince among princes.”

In the personality of the prince, despite his high position, we observe amazing qualities of character. It is known that a person’s character is formed through trials. And then the actions in “The Tale...” unfold, as the canon defines, from episodes reflecting the most significant exploits of the main character.

The first and most important fragment is the story of Alexander’s battle with the Swedes on the Neva. The motivation for the events is legendary in nature and is associated with the characterization of the hero mentioned above. The author talks about a certain Andreyash, a foreigner, who, having seen Alexander Yaroslavich, praised him in his country. Then the king of this country decided to measure his strength with him and went to war against him. The enemy is full of confidence in his abilities: “he has gathered great strength,” “burning with the military spirit,” “intoxicated with madness,” he sends ambassadors to Alexander with the words: “If you can, defend yourself, for I am already here and am destroying your land.”

And the prince at that time had a small squad, and there was nowhere to expect help. But there is a strong faith in God’s help. Alexander went to the Church of St. Sophia, “fell on his knee before the altar and began to pray to God with tears.” “He remembered the psalm song and said: “Judge, Lord, and judge my quarrel with those who offend me, overcome those who fight with me.” Having finished the prayer and received the blessing of Archbishop Spiridon, the prince, strengthened in spirit, went out to his squad. Encouraging her, instilling courage in her and infecting her with his own example, Alexander said to the Russians:“God is not in power, but in righteousness.” With a small squad, Prince Alexander met the enemy, fought fearlessly, knowing that he was fighting for a just cause, defending his native land. We see the courage of Alexander, who has only just turned 20 years old. Already in this episode he appears before us as a warrior-commander.

At the same time, in this part there is an element characteristic of that era, to a greater extent, not of a military story, but of a life - the vision of Boris and Gleb to the warrior Alexander Peluga, which foreshadows victory in a future battle: “He stood on the seashore, watching both paths , and spent the whole night without sleep. When the sun began to rise, he heard a strong noise on the sea and saw one boat floating on the sea, and standing in the middle of the boat were the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb in red robes, holding their hands on each other’s shoulders. The rowers sat as if covered in darkness. Boris said: “Brother Gleb, tell us to row, and let us help our relative Prince Alexander.” Seeing such a vision and hearing these words of the martyrs, Pelugui stood trembling until the attack disappeared from his eyes.”

Alexander asked not to tell anyone about this; we see that the prince appears in this fragment as a wise ruler. “And he decided to attack the enemies at six o’clock in the afternoon. And there was a strong battle with the Romans; He beat countless enemies and wounded the king himself in the face with his sharp spear.” In this episode the prince- experienced commander. He is decisive, quick-witted, dexterous . Then the author dwells on the exploits of six Novgorod warriors of Alexander, calling each by name and talking about his deeds. Such a prince and warriors are miracle heroes. Mutual understanding and unity lead the Russians to victory.

Along with the specific description of events characteristic of a military story, an element characteristic of hagiographies also appears in this part - a story about a miracle beyond the Izhora River, where the Swedes stood, where Russian soldiers could not pass and where after the battle they found many enemies “killed by the angel of the Lord "

Thus, this fragment of “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” as a whole represents a military story of an event-narrative type, interspersed with two “small genres” that were widely used in lives: vision and miracle.

The battle on Lake Peipsi with the German knights on April 5, 1242 is depicted in the traditional manner of military stories: “And there was a cruel slaughter, and there was a crackling sound from breaking spears and a ringing sound from the blows of swords, and it seemed that a frozen lake had moved, and no ice was visible, for it was covered with blood."

In fact, Alexander showed extraordinary military leadership talent in this battle, unraveling the tactical plan of his enemies.

From Pskov to the north lies Pskov Lake, and further north lies Lake Peipus. They are connected by a wide channel. The Crusaders are located to the west of the lakes. Alexander decided to move back and build his regiments between the lakes. Here, on the snow-covered ice, the crusaders must accept Alexander's challenge. The entire army is built in the form of a wedge: its tip is knights dressed in armor, knights are on the sides of the wedge, and inside this movable armor is infantry. Alexander's army was mostly on foot. And Alexander decided: the middle regiment would consist of militia - townspeople and villagers, armed with spears, axes, knives; experienced warriors, well-armed, will stand on the flanks, and horse squads will also be stationed there. The wedge will easily crush the middle regiment. The knights will consider that the main job has already been done, but at this time they are attacked from the flanks by powerful warriors. Behind the middle regiment, Alexander ordered to place a sleigh on which weapons, armor and food were carried. Behind the sleigh, behind this artificial barrier, a shore began, strewn with large boulders - a natural barrier. Between stones and sleighs, you can’t even ride a horse. But a militiaman, dressed in light armor, will act deftly among obstacles. This is how Alexander Nevsky prepared victory for his army.

In this battle, more useful than personal example was the timely order of the commander. Alexander gave the sign to the regiments of his right and left hands to enter the battle. Mounted warriors attacked the enemy from the rear. Russian soldiers pulled the knights huddled together from their horses. The spring ice broke under the weight of those fighting, the knights drowned in holes and gaps. To the opposite bank of the channel, the ice was strewn with the bodies of enemies. Thus ended the battle. Already in the summer, ambassadors from the order arrived in Novgorod and asked Alexander eternal peace. Peace was concluded. They say that it was then that Alexander uttered words that became prophetic on Russian soil: “Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword!”

This battle brought him glory: “And his name became famous in all countries, from the Khonuzh Sea and to the Ararat Mountains, and on the other side of the Varangian Sea and to the great Rome.” The fame of Alexander Nevsky began to spread throughout all countries. All his battles and victories were only in the name of saving the Russian people.

The prince appears before us not only as a warrior - a prince. From the “Tale...” we learn that “the great Alexander erected churches, rebuilt cities, gathered people who had been dispersed into their homes. Isaiah the prophet said about such people: “A good prince in countries is quiet, friendly, meek, humble - and in this way he is like God.” Without being seduced by wealth, without forgetting the blood of the righteous, he judges orphans and widows with justice, is merciful, kind to his household and hospitable to those who come from foreign countries. God helps such people, for God does not love angels, but in his generosity he generously gifts people and shows his mercy in the world.” A wise ruler stands before us - friendly, caring, merciful. The glorification of Alexander, the defender of Orthodoxy, is dedicated in the life of the story about the arrival of papal ambassadors to Rus'. Alexander rejects their offer to accept Catholicism, and in this the author of the life sees the triumph of the national policy of the Russian prince.

After the fact feat of arms in the battle with the West, he had to accomplish the feat of humility before the power of the East. “Alexander Nevsky could, showing special organizational and diplomatic abilities, concede more strong enemy to save your people from needless sacrifices."

The author of “The Tale...” laconically reports about the decision taken Alexander Nevsky to go to the Horde and ask the khan to free Russian soldiers from participating in the campaigns of the Tatar troops: “In those days there was great violence from non-believers, they persecuted Christians, forcing them to fight on their side. The great prince Alexander went to the king to pray for his people from this misfortune.”

Batu releases Alexander: “And King Batu saw him, and was amazed, and said to his nobles: “They told me the truth, that there is no prince like him.” Having honored him with dignity, he released Alexander.” The author tells us that on the way from the Horde the prince fell ill. But before writing about his death, he pours out his feelings in a sorrowful exclamation: “Oh woe to you, poor man! How can you describe the death of your master!” . The story ends with a “wonderful” and “memorable” miracle that happened during the prince’s burial. When the Metropolitan wanted to place a spiritual letter in the prince’s hand, Alexander, as if alive, extended his hand and took it himself.

The final part of the “Tale...” includes the genre of lamentation. The story, having reported the death of the prince, ends with the traditional lament of the people, the author.

Having carefully read the “Tale...” we found in the text episodes demonstrating Prince Alexander, on the one hand, as a glorious commander, on the other, as a righteous (living in truth, fulfilling Christian commandments) ruler. In our opinion, the goal of this work- to glorify the courage and bravery of Alexander, to give the image of an ideal Christian warrior, defender of the Russian land.

Many of the mentioned character traits of Alexander Nevsky are more appropriate in a military story than in a life, since they emphasize the worldly, rather than religious virtues of Alexander: courage, determination, leadership, strength and bravery in battle, care for his people - and only then hope to the aid of higher powers, loyalty to Orthodoxy. In other words, the main character of the hagiography acquires features characteristic of the image of a positive hero-prince in military stories, while at the same time the main way of depicting him remains the idealization characteristic of the hagiography.

According to I.P. Eremin, Alexander “appears before us in the image of either a king-military leader of biblical antiquity, or a brave knight of a book epic, or an iconographic “righteous man.” This somewhat motley stylistic outfit, in which the author of the life sometimes dresses his hero, is another enthusiastic tribute on his part to the blessed memory of the late prince.”

2.3 Language features"Tales of the Life of Alexander Nevsky"

The personality of Alexander Nevsky made a charming impression on everyone who saw him. The secret of his charm lay not only in his wisdom, courage, external beauty, but also in something higher that irresistibly attracted people to him.

The very first characteristic of Alexander Nevsky is given in the title of the work. “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Blessed and Grand Duke Alexander” already contains two epithets. What is the meaning of the word "blessed"? This word, as we see, consists of two bases - “good” and “faith”. Good is goodness, well-being, therefore, “believer” is faithful to good, faithful to something good.

At the very beginning of the “Tale...”, characterizing the hero, the author resorts not to description, but to the comparative method: his image is created using numerous comparisons. Alexander Nevsky is compared with various biblical heroes of the Old Testament - rulers who were the embodiment of the best human qualities - beauty, wisdom, strength, courage.

The language of the “Tale...” is very interesting; metaphors can be found in it: “the lake covered itself and moved.” This trope allows you to more clearly understand how many warriors there were during the battle on Lake Peipus. The image of the prince, whose heart was “inflamed” by the invasion of the enemy, “intoxicated by madness,” allows us to more clearly characterize Alexander Nevsky. Epithets serve the same purpose: “about his holy, honest, and glorious life”, “wonderful miracle”, the piety of the protagonist is also emphasized with the help of this trope. Alexander had “great faith in the holy martyrs.” The paraphrase also gives a complete description of Alexander Nevsky: “Metropolitan Kirill said: “My children, know that the sun has already set on the land of Suzdal!”

Creating a biography of his contemporary long before his canonization, the author of “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” used as a model the tradition of hagiographies - the only ancient Russian genre that gave a biography of the hero. But the real life that he described required the use of literary forms and means characteristic of the widespread and well-known genre of the author - the military story. That is why there are so many descriptions of battles, battles, and in them, naturally, Alexander Nevsky is also described. These, again, are epithets. Alexander gathered a strong army, where “there were many brave warriors,” they were filled with “the spirit of war.” And the comparison undoubtedly shows their courage: “for their hearts were like the hearts of lions.”

Undoubtedly, there is also the influence of military style, revealed in military formulas used in battle paintings: “The battle was cruel, and there was a crackling sound from breaking spears and a ringing sound from the blows of swords, and it seemed that a frozen lake had moved, and no ice was visible, for it was covered blood." Among the tropes we can highlight the hyperbole: “it was covered in blood.” The commander himself does not lag behind his soldiers, but seems to surpass them: “Alexander cut them down, driving them as if through the air, and they had nowhere to hide.” Thus, with the help of comparison, the author emphasizes the chosenness of the warrior-prince by God. And now we have before us a vivid image of a prince - a protector, a commander, a warrior, a saint.

The multi-union gives the narration a leisurely, lengthy battle over time: “Prince Alexander prepared for battle, and they went against each other, and Lake Peipus was covered with a multitude of these and other warriors.” “And there was a cruel slaughter, and there was a crash from breaking spears and a ringing from the blows of swords, and it seemed that a frozen lake was moving, and no ice was visible, for it was covered with blood.”

The rhetorical question is also found in the “Tale...”: “That king, having heard about such glory and courage of Alexander, sent envoys to him and said: “Alexander, do you know that God has conquered many nations to me. Well, you don’t want me alone.” submit?

Emotional tension reaches its highest point at the end of life with the help of a rhetorical exclamation: “Oh, woe to you, poor man! You cannot describe the death of your master! How can your eyes not fall out together with tears! How can your heart not break from bitter sadness! A man can forget his father, but he cannot forget a good sovereign; he would be ready to go to the grave with him alive!”

As we found out, the description of the valor of Prince Alexander and his squad does not leave readers indifferent. The depth of perception is facilitated by the artistic techniques used by the author (epithets, comparisons, metaphors, hyperboles, polyunion, opposition, rhetorical exclamations and rhetorical exclamations).

At the same time, the narrative is replete with biblical analogies, quotes, and literary parallels. The author constantly reminds the prince of heavenly protection, trying to show that “God looks upon such people.” The idea of ​​the sacredness of princely power determines the features of the artistic structure of the biography of Alexander Nevsky.

Military formulas, Church Slavonicisms and living language are used by the author together, which is undeniable genre originality works.

3. Conclusion

“The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” dates back to the 80s of the 13th century. The very title of the work defines its specificity: “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Blessed and Grand Duke Alexander” is a story about life, the main content of which was the exploits of “bravery.” This work is a princely biography, combining the features of a life and a military story.

It opens with “glory” to the hero and ends with a cry for Alexander Nevsky. An eyewitness to those events is a kind of “portrait” of Alexander Nevsky.

Biblical comparisons and analogies have become one of the main elements artistic system“Tales...”, the actions of the prince are interpreted in comparison with biblical history, and this gives the biography a special majesty and monumentality. Constant comparisons and references to David, Hezekiah, Solomon, Joshua and Alexander himself elevate him to a biblical hero. Indications of help from above (the appearance of Boris and Gleb Pelgugiu before the Battle of the Neva, the miraculous deliverance from the Swedes by angels across the Izhora River, the help of God's regiment in the battle on Lake Peipus) convince Alexander of the special patronage of divine powers.

The very structure of “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” is a work of a complex nature: independent military stories are introduced as two episodes into the central hagiographic part, and they include genres characteristic of hagiographies - visions and miracles.

In the style of “The Tale...” there is also a place for the unusual - military formulas and living language are used by the author together, which is also a genre uniqueness of the work. And Biblical memories are combined with Russian historical tradition, literary traditions - with real observations of the battle. All this gives “The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky” as a literary work a unique, unique character.

Lifetime achievements are not all that the image of the Grand Duke is famous for. Prince Alexander was destined to find a second, posthumous life. His name became a symbol of military valor. The aura of holiness that surrounded the prince made it possible to expect heavenly intercession from Nevsky. In 1547, he was included in the number of saints whose memory was celebrated in all churches of the Russian Church without exception. In 1724, by order of Peter I, the holy relics were installed in the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where they now rest.

Conclusions:

1. We studied the text of “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Noble and Great Alexander Nevsky.” The author of the “Tale...” similarly spoke about three exploits: the battle on the Neva with the Swedes (1240), the Battle of the Ice with the Germans on Lake Peipsi (1242), and the trip to the Horde.

We see that the first exploits of Alexander Nevsky are abusive, and the third is associated with self-sacrifice. Alexander Nevsky went to Khan Batu to pray that the Tatars would not force Russian people to carry out military service.

2. We found out that the “Tale...” combines elements of two genres - hagiography and military tale. Elements of life: the author’s self-abasement, pious parents, the image of a Christian is drawn (he refused Catholicism, pious addition), elements of the miraculous, lamentation at the death of the hero, an abundance of quotations and correlations from the Bible.

Elements of a military story: a story not of the prince’s entire life, but only of military victories, stable formulas are used to describe military actions, exaggeration of the hero’s physical qualities, glorification of his strength.

3. We found the answer to the question: what is remarkable about the image of Alexander Nevsky? In this we were helped by the “Tale...”, written by a person who personally knew this hero, who himself witnessed his mature age and is happy to tell “about his holy, honest, and glorious life.” The Tale glorifies Alexander as a commander and warrior, ruler and diplomat.

4. We analyzed the means of verbal expression in “The Tale...” and identified those with the help of which the 13th century author recreated the personality of Alexander Nevsky. The depth of perception is facilitated by the artistic techniques used by the author (epithets, comparisons, metaphors, hyperboles, polyunion, opposition, rhetorical exclamations and rhetorical exclamations).

4. References:

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Eremin I.P. Life of Alexander Nevsky. In the book: Fiction Kievskaya Rus' XI-XIII centuries / Comp. lane and note. I. P. Eremina and D. S. Likhachev. M., 1957, p. 354-356;

Genres of Old Russian literature. - http://licey.net/free/

Genre originality of “The Life of Alexander Nevsky”. No. 24.- [Electronic resource].- Access mode.- https://studopedia.ru/nevskogo

The life and exploits of Alexander Nevsky. 3 exploits of Alexander Nevsky - [Electronic resource]. - Access mode. - http://fb.ru/article/

Kargalov V.V. Generals of the X - XVI centuries. -M.: DOSAAF, 1989.

Lurie Ya. S. Generalization of the chronicle of the XIV-XV centuries / Rep. ed. D. S. Likhachev. - Science, 1976

Dictionary literary terms S.P. Belokurova 2005- [Electronic resource]. -Access mode. - http://enc-dic.com/litved/Zhanr-literaturn-383

Application

Temple-chapel in the name of the blessed prince Alexander Nevskyin Voronezh