The wise minnow features. An exposure of the philistine life position in Saltykov-Shchedrin’s fairy tale “The Wise Minnow.” Work test

Intended for adults, the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”, upon careful analysis, demonstrates the typical features of the work of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. The writer was a master of subtle irony. Within the chosen style, the author draws very characteristic images, helping himself by using grotesque techniques and exaggerating the figures of the main characters.

Literary criticism of the Soviet school sought to look for features of class confrontation and social struggle in the Russian classics of the imperial period. The same fate befell the tale of the wise minnow - in the main character they diligently looked for the features of a despicable petty official, trembling with fear, instead of devoting his life to the class struggle.

However, most Russian writers were still concerned not so much with revolutionary ideas as with the moral problems of society.

Genre and meaning of the fairy tale title

The fairy tale genre has long been attractive to fiction writers. It is interesting because, within the framework of allegory, one can allow oneself to draw any parallels with objective reality and real figures of contemporaries, without skimping on epithets, but at the same time without annoying anyone.

A typical fairy tale genre involves the participation of animals in the plot, endowed with intelligence, agility, and human manner of communication and behavior. In this case, the work, with its phantasmagorical nature, fits well into the plot of the fairy tale.

The work begins characteristically - once upon a time. But at the same time, it is called a fairy tale for adults, because the author, in allegorical language, invites the reader to think about a problem that is not at all childish - about how to live one’s life so that before death one does not regret its meaninglessness.

The title fully corresponds to the genre in which the work is written. The gudgeon is called not smart, not wise, not intellectual, but rather “wise,” in the best traditions of the fairy-tale genre (just remember Vasilisa the Wise).

But already in this title itself one can discern the sad irony of the author. It immediately sets the reader up to think about whether it is fair to call the main character wise.

Main characters

In the fairy tale, the most striking portrait is the image of the wisest minnow. The author not only characterizes his general level of development - the “mind chamber” tells the background to the formation of his character traits.

He describes in detail the motives of the main character’s actions, his thoughts, mental turmoil and doubts shortly before his death.

The gudgeon son is not stupid, he is thoughtful, and even prone to liberal ideas. Moreover, he is such a cowardly individual that he is ready to fight even with his instincts in order to save his life. He agrees to live always hungry, without creating his own family, without communicating with his relatives, and practically without seeing sunlight.

Therefore, the son heeded his father’s main teaching and, having lost his parents, decided to take all available measures to never risk his life. Everything he subsequently did was aimed at realizing his plans.

As a result, it was not life itself in its entirety, but the preservation of life that acquired the greatest importance and became an end in itself. And for the sake of this idea, the gudgeon sacrificed absolutely everything, for which, in fact, he was born.

The gudgeon father is the second hero of the fairy tale. He, deserving the positive characterization of the author, lived an ordinary life, had a family and children, took moderate risks, but had the imprudence to scare his son for the rest of his life with the story of how he almost got hit in the ear.

The reader's main picture of his personality is formed mainly through the account of this dramatic incident, told in the first person.

Brief summary of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”

Gudgeon, the son of good and caring parents, left alone after their death, rethought his life. The future scared him.

He saw that he was weak and defenseless, and that the water world around him was full of dangers. To save its life, the gudgeon began to dig a hole for itself to hide from the main threats.

During the day he did not get out of it, he only walked at night, which is why over time he almost went blind. If there was danger outside, he preferred to stay hungry so as not to take risks. Because of his fear, the gudgeon abandoned a full life, communication and procreation.

So he lived in his hole for more than a hundred years, trembling with fear and considering himself wise, because he turned out to be so prudent. At the same time, the other inhabitants of the reservoir did not share his opinion of themselves, considering him a fool and a dunce who lived as a hermit in order to preserve his worthless life.

Sometimes he had a dream in which he won two hundred thousand rubles, stopped trembling and became so big and respected that he himself began to swallow pike. However, in reality he does not strive to become rich and influential, these are just secret dreams embodied in dreams.

However, before his death, the gudgeon comes to mind about a wasted life. Analyzing the years he has lived, thinking that he has never consoled, pleased, or warmed anyone, he realizes that if other gudgeons led the same useless life as he did, the gudgeon race would quickly be extinguished.

He dies the same way he lived - unnoticed by others. According to the author, he disappeared and died as a result of natural death or was eaten - no one cares, not even the author.

What does the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” teach?

The author uses allegorical language to force the reader to rethink the most important philosophical topic - the meaning of life.

It is precisely what a person spends his life on that will ultimately become the main criterion of his wisdom.

With the help of the grotesque image of a minnow, Saltykov-Shchedrin tries to convey this idea to the reader, to warn the younger generation against the wrong choice of their path, and invites the older generation to think about a worthy ending to their life’s journey.

The story is not new. The Gospel parable about the man who buried his talent in the ground is precisely about this. It gives the very first and main moral lesson on this topic. Subsequently, the problem of the little man—the “trembling creature”—and his place in society was repeatedly raised in literature.

But with all this, a fair part of the generation of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s contemporaries—familiar with the literary heritage of their ancestors, educated, and moderately liberal—did not draw the necessary conclusions, therefore, in their multitude, they were just such minnows, having neither a civic position nor social responsibility, no desire for a positive transformation of society, entrenched in their own little world and trembling with fear of those in power.

It is curious that society itself also considers such individuals to be ballast - uninteresting, stupid and meaningless. The inhabitants of the reservoir spoke extremely unflatteringly about the gudgeon, despite the fact that he lived without disturbing anyone, without offending anyone and without making enemies.

The end of the main character's life is very significant - he did not die, he was not eaten. He disappeared. The author chose this ending to once again emphasize the ephemeral nature of the minnow’s existence.

The main moral of the fairy tale is this: if during life a person did not strive to do good and be needed, then no one will notice his death, because his existence had no meaning.

In any case, before his death, the main character regrets precisely this, asking himself questions - to whom did he do a good deed, who can remember him with warmth? And he doesn’t find a consoling answer.

Best quotes from the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”

In the most difficult years of reaction and strict censorship, which created simply unbearable conditions for the continuation of his literary activity, Saltykov-Shchedrin found a brilliant way out of the current situation. It was at that time that he began to write his works in the form of fairy tales, which allowed him to continue castigating the vices of Russian society despite the fury of censorship.

Fairy tales became a kind of economical form for the satirist, which allowed him to continue the themes of his past. Hiding the true meaning of what was written from the censor, the writer used Aesopian language, grotesque, hyperbole and antithesis. In fairy tales for “a fair age,” Saltykov-Shchedrin, as before, spoke about the plight of the people and ridiculed their oppressors. Bureaucrats, pompadour mayors and other unpleasant characters appear in fairy tales in the images of animals - an eagle, a wolf, a bear, etc.

“He lived and trembled, and he died - he trembled”

According to the spelling norms of the 19th century, the word “minnow” was written with an “and” - “minnow”.

One of these works is the textbook tale “The Wise Minnow,” written by Saltykov-Shchedrin in 1883. The plot of the fairy tale, which tells about the life of the most ordinary minnow, is known to any educated person. Having a cowardly character, the gudgeon leads a secluded life, tries not to stick out of its hole, flinches from every rustle and flickering shadow. This is how he lives until his death, and only at the end of his life does he realize the worthlessness of his so miserable existence. Before his death, questions arise in his mind regarding his entire life: “Whom did he regret, who did he help, what did he do that was good and useful?” The answers to these questions lead the gudgeon to rather sad conclusions: that no one knows him, no one needs him, and it’s unlikely that anyone will remember him at all.

In this story, the satirist clearly reflects the morals of modern petty-bourgeois Russia in caricature form. The image of a minnow has absorbed all the unpleasant qualities of a cowardly, self-contained man in the street, constantly shaking for his own skin. “He lived and trembled, and he died - he trembled” - this is the moral of this satirical tale.

The expression “wise minnow” was used as a common noun, in particular, by V.I. Lenin in the fight against liberals, former “left Octobrists” who switched to supporting the right-liberal model of constitutional democracy.

Reading Saltykov-Shchedrin’s fairy tales is quite difficult; some people still cannot understand the deep meaning that the writer puts into his works. The thoughts expressed in the tales of this talented satirist are still relevant today in Russia, mired in a series of social problems.

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin was born in January 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province. According to his father, he belonged to an old and rich noble family, and according to his mother, he belonged to the merchant class. After successfully graduating from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, Saltykov becomes an official in the military department, but he is of little interest in the service.
In 1847 His first literary works appeared in print - “Contradictions” and “Confused Affairs”. But they started talking seriously about Saltykov as a writer only in 1856, when he began publishing “Provincial Sketches.”
He directed his extraordinary talent to open their eyes, to show those who still see the lawlessness going on in the country, the flourishing ignorance and stupidity, and the triumph of bureaucracy.
But today I would like to dwell on the writer’s fairy-tale cycle, begun in 1869. Fairy tales were a kind of result, a synthesis of the ideological and creative quest of the satirist. At that time, due to the existence of strict censorship, the author of ʜᴇ could completely expose the vices of society, show the entire inconsistency of the Russian administrative apparatus. And yet, with the help of fairy tales “for children of a fair age,” Shchedrin was able to convey to people a sharp criticism of the existing order.
To write fairy tales, the author used grotesque, hyperbole and antithesis. Aesopian language was also important for the author. Trying to hide the true meaning of what was written from censorship, it was necessary to use this technique.
In 1883, the famous “The Wise Minnow” appeared, which over the past hundred-plus years has become Shchedrin’s textbook fairy tale. The plot of this fairy tale is known to everyone: once upon a time there was a gudgeon, who at first was no different from his own kind. But, a coward by nature, he decided to live his whole life leaning out in his hole, flinching from every rustle, from every shadow that flashed next to his hole. So life passed me by - no family, no children. And so he disappeared - either himself, or the pike that swallowed it. Only before death does the minnow think about his life: “Who did he help? Who did you regret, what good did he do in life? “He lived and trembled and died - he trembled.” Only before death does the average person realize that no one needs him, no one knows him and no one will remember him.
But ϶ᴛο is the plot, the external side of the fairy tale, what is on the surface. And the subtext of Shchedrin’s caricature in this fairy tale of the morals of modern bourgeois Russia was well explained by the artist A. Kanevsky, who made illustrations for the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”: “...everyone understands that Shchedrin is talking about fish. The gudgeon is a cowardly man in the street, trembling for his own skin. He is a man, but also a minnow, the writer put him in this form, and I, the artist, must preserve it. My task is to combine the image of a frightened man in the street and a minnow, to combine fish and human properties. It is very difficult to “comprehend” a fish, to give it a pose, a movement, a gesture. How to display forever frozen fear on a fish’s “face”? The figurine of the minnow-official gave me a lot of trouble....”
The writer shows the terrible philistine alienation and self-isolation in “The Wise Minnow.” M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is bitter and painful for the Russian people. Reading Saltykov-Shchedrin is quite difficult. Therefore, perhaps many did not understand the meaning of his fairy tales. But the majority of “children of a fair age” appreciated the work of the great satirist as it deserved.
In conclusion, I would like to add that the thoughts expressed by the writer in fairy tales are still contemporary today. Shchedrin's satire is time-tested and it sounds especially poignant in times of social unrest, such as those that Russia is experiencing today.

Lecture, abstract. Analysis of the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. - concept and types. Classification, essence and features. 2018-2019.

Composition

A special place in the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin is occupied by fairy tales with their allegorical images, in which the author was able to say more about Russian society in the sixties, eighties, and tens of the nineteenth century than the historians of those years. Chernyshevsky argued: “None of the writers preceding Shchedrin painted pictures of our life in darker colors. No one punished our own ulcers with greater mercilessness.”

Saltykov-Shchedrin writes “fairy tales” “for children of a fair age,” that is, for an adult reader who needs to open his eyes to life. The fairy tale, due to the simplicity of its form, is accessible to anyone, even an inexperienced reader, and therefore is especially dangerous for the “tops.” No wonder the censor Lebedev reported: “Mr. S.’s intention to publish some of his fairy tales in separate brochures is more than strange. What Mr. S. calls fairy tales does not at all correspond to its name; his fairy tales are the same satire, and the satire is caustic, tendentious , more or less directed against our social and political structure."

The main problem of fairy tales is the relationship between exploiters and exploited. The fairy tales provide satire on Tsarist Russia: on bureaucrats, on bureaucrats, on landowners. The reader is presented with images of the rulers of Russia (“Bear in the Voivodeship”, “Eagle Patron”), exploiters and exploited (“Wild Landowner”, “How One Man Fed Two Generals”), ordinary people (“The Wise Minnow”, “Dried Roach” and others).

The fairy tale "The Wild Landowner" is directed against the entire social system, based on exploitation, and anti-people in its essence. Preserving the spirit and style of a folk tale, the satirist talks about real events in contemporary life. Although the action takes place in “a certain kingdom, a certain state,” the pages of the fairy tale depict a very specific image of a Russian landowner. The whole meaning of his existence comes down to “pampering his white, loose, crumbly body.” He lives off

his men, but hates them, is afraid, cannot stand their “servile spirit.” He considers himself a true representative of the Russian state, its support, and is proud that he is a hereditary Russian nobleman, Prince Urus-Kuchum-Kildibaev. He rejoices when some chaff whirlwind carried away all the men to God knows where, and the air in his domain became pure and pure. But the men disappeared, and there was such a famine that in the city “... you can’t buy a piece of meat or a pound of bread at the market.” And the landowner himself went completely wild: “He was all overgrown with hair, from head to toe... and his legs became like iron. He stopped blowing his nose a long time ago, and walked more and more on all fours. He even lost the ability to utter articulate sounds...” ". In order not to die of hunger, when the last gingerbread was eaten, the Russian nobleman began to hunt: if he spots a hare, “like an arrow will jump from a tree, grab onto its prey, tear it apart with its nails, and eat it with all the insides, even the skin.”

The landowner's savagery indicates that he cannot live without the help of the "man." After all, it was not for nothing that as soon as the “swarm of men” was caught and put in place, “the smell of chaff and sheepskin began to smell in that district; flour and meat and all kinds of livestock appeared at the market, and so many taxes arrived in one day that the treasurer, seeing such a pile of money , just clasped his hands in surprise..."

If we compare the well-known folk tales about the master and the peasant with the tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin, for example, with “The Wild Landowner,” we will see that the image of the landowner in Shchedrin’s tales is very close to folk tales. But Shchedrin’s men are different from those in fairy tales. In folk tales, a quick-witted, dexterous, resourceful man defeats a stupid master. And in “The Wild Landowner” a collective image of workers, breadwinners of the country and at the same time martyrs-sufferers appears, their “tearful orphan’s prayer” sounds: “Lord, it is easier for us to perish even with small children than to suffer like this all our lives!” Thus, modifying a folk tale, the writer condemns the long-suffering of the people, and his fairy tales sound like a call to rise up to fight, to renounce the slave worldview.

Many of Saltykov-Shchedrin's tales are dedicated to exposing philistineism. One of the most poignant is “The Wise Minnow.” Gudgeon was "moderate and liberal." Dad taught him the “wisdom of life”: not to interfere in anything, take care of yourself. Now he sits all his life in his hole and trembles, lest he get hit in the ear or end up in the mouth of a pike. He lived like this for more than a hundred years and trembled all the time, and when the time came to die, he trembled even as he died. And it turned out that he had not done anything good in his life, and no one remembers or knows him.

The political orientation of Saltykov-Shchedrin's satire required new artistic forms. To get around censorship obstacles, the satirist had to turn to allegories, allusions, and “Aesopian language.” Thus, in the fairy tale “The Wild Landowner,” telling about events “in a certain kingdom, in a certain state,” the author calls the newspaper “Vest,” mentions the actor Sadovsky, and the reader immediately recognizes Russia in the mid-19th century. And in “The Wise Minnow” the image of a small, pathetic fish, helpless and cowardly, is depicted. It perfectly characterizes the trembling man in the street. Shchedrin attributes human properties to fish and at the same time shows that humans can also have “fish” traits. The meaning of this allegory is revealed in the words of the author: “Those who think that only those minnows can be considered worthy citizens who, mad with fear, sit in a hole and tremble, believe incorrectly. No, these are not citizens, but at least useless minnows.” .

Until the end of his life, Saltykov-Shchedrin remained faithful to the ideas of his spiritual friends: Chernyshevsky, Dobrolyubov, Nekrasov. The significance of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin’s work is all the greater because during the years of severe reaction he almost alone continued the progressive ideological traditions of the sixties.

Sections: Literature

Lesson objectives:

1.Educational:

a) Knowledge:

• Repetition and systematization of previously acquired knowledge about the writer’s work; composition of the work; using various artistic media.
• Deepening knowledge about sarcasm as a type of irony;
• Introduction to the concept of grotesque.

b) Skills:

• Finding the trail being studied.
• Consolidating the ability to analyze a work of art in the unity of form and content.

2. Developmental:

A). Development of memory (setting to reproduce the material at the end of the lesson);

b). Development of thinking (logical, figurative when working with text);

V). Development of students’ oral speech (monologue, dialogic speech).

3. Educators:

A). Nurturing an active life position.

b) Cultivating interest in literature.

c) Fostering a respectful attitude towards culture and art.

During the classes

I. The teacher's word. Biographical information (slide No. 1 in Appendix 1)

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin was born in January 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province. According to his father, he belonged to an old and rich noble family, and according to his mother, he belonged to the merchant class. After successfully graduating from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, Saltykov becomes an official in the military department, but he is of little interest in the service.

In 1847 His first literary works, “Contradictions” and “Confused Matters,” appeared in print. But they started talking seriously about Saltykov as a writer only in 1856, when he began publishing “Provincial Sketches.”

He directed his literary talent to open their eyes, to show those who do not yet see the lawlessness going on in the country, the flourishing ignorance and stupidity, and the triumph of bureaucracy. M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is a great Russian satirist, democratic revolutionary, ally of Chernyshevsky and Nekrasov. He chose satire as his weapon against social evil and social injustice, continuing and developing the traditions of Fonvizin and Gogol in new historical conditions. Chernyshevsky argued: “None of the writers preceding Shchedrin painted pictures of our life in darker colors. No one punished our own ulcers with greater mercilessness.” (slide No. 2 in Appendix 1)

II. Teacher's word. Historical reference

But today I would like to dwell on the writer’s fairy-tale cycle, begun in 1869. Fairy tales were a kind of result, a synthesis of the ideological and creative quest of the satirist. At that time, due to the existence of strict censorship, the author could not fully expose the vices of society, show all the inconsistency of the Russian administrative apparatus. And yet, with the help of fairy tales “for children of a fair age,” Shchedrin was able to convey to people a sharp criticism of the existing order.

To write fairy tales, the author used grotesque, hyperbole and antithesis. Aesopian language was also important for the author. Trying to hide the true meaning of what was written from censorship, one had to use this technique. The fairy tale, due to the simplicity of its form, is accessible to anyone, even an inexperienced reader, and therefore is especially dangerous for the “tops.” No wonder the censor Lebedev reported: “Mr. S.’s intention to publish some of his fairy tales in separate brochures is more than strange. What Mr. S. calls fairy tales does not at all correspond to its name; his fairy tales are the same satire, and the satire is caustic, tendentious , more or less directed against our social and political structure."

The thoughts expressed by the writer in fairy tales are still contemporary today. Shchedrin's satire is time-tested and it sounds especially poignant in times of social unrest, such as those that Russia is experiencing today. That is why the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin have been republished many times in our time. (Slide No. 3 in Appendix 1)

III. Working on literary terms

Before we begin to analyze the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow,” we will consider the necessary terms: sarcasm, irony, grotesque, hyperbole. (Slide No. 4 in Appendix 1)

SARCASM is a caustic, caustic mockery with a frankly accusatory, satirical meaning. Sarcasm is a type of irony.

IRONY is a negative assessment of an object or phenomenon through ridicule. The comic effect is achieved by the fact that the true meaning of the event is disguised.

GROTESQUE - a depiction of reality in an exaggerated, ugly-comic form, an interweaving of the real and the fantastic.

HYPERBOLE – deliberate exaggeration.

IV. Working on the text of a fairy tale.

The fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” (1883) has become a textbook.

1). Working on the image of the main character (slide No. 5 in Appendix 1)

How did the minnow's parents live? What did his father bequeath to him before his death?

How did the wise minnow decide to live?

What was the minnow’s position in life? What do you call a person with such a position in life? (slide No. 8 in Appendix 1)

So, we see that at first the gudgeon was no different from its own kind. But, a coward by nature, he decided to live his whole life without sticking out, in his hole, flinching from every rustle, from every shadow that flashed next to his hole. So life passed me by - no family, no children. And so he disappeared - either on his own or some pike swallowed him. Only before his death does the minnow think about his life: “Who did he help? Who did you regret, what good did he do in life? “He lived - he trembled and he died - he trembled.” Only before death does the average person realize that no one needs him, no one knows him and no one will remember him.

But this is the plot, the external side of the fairy tale, what is on the surface. And the subtext of Shchedrin’s caricature in this fairy tale of the morals of modern bourgeois Russia was well explained by the artist A. Kanevsky, who made illustrations for the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”: “...everyone understands that Shchedrin is not talking about fish. The gudgeon is a cowardly man in the street, trembling for his own skin. He is a man, but also a minnow, the writer put him in this form, and I, the artist, must preserve it. My task is to combine the image of a frightened man in the street and a minnow, to combine fish and human properties...”

The writer shows the terrible philistine alienation and self-isolation in “The Wise Minnow.” M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is bitter and painful for the Russian people.

2) Work on the composition of the work, artistic means.

What is the composition of the work? (The composition is consistent and strict. In a small work, the author traces the life of the main character from birth to inglorious death. The circle of characters is extremely narrow: the gudgeon himself and his father, whose orders he carries out.)

What traditional fairy tale motifs does the author use? (The traditional fairy tale beginning “once upon a time there was a minnow” is used, common expressions “cannot be said in a fairy tale, not described with a pen”, “began to live and live”, popular expressions “mind chamber”, “out of nowhere”, colloquialism “a disgusting life” , “to destroy.”)

What allows us to talk about the mixture of fantasy and reality in a work? (Along with folklore, the fairy tale contains expressions used by the author and his contemporaries: “do exercise”, “recommend yourself”.)

Find examples in the text of the use of grotesque and hyperbole.

The political orientation of Saltykov-Shchedrin's satire required new artistic forms. To get around censorship obstacles, the satirist had to turn to allegories, allusions, and “Aesopian language.” The combination of fantasy and reality, the use of the grotesque and hyperbole, allowed the writer to create a new original genre of political fairy tale. This form of storytelling helps push the boundaries of artistic representation. The satire on the small man in the street takes on a huge scale, and a symbol of a cowardly person is created. His entire biography boils down to the formula: “He lived - he trembled, and he died - he trembled.”

In "The Wise Minnow" the image of a small, pathetic fish, helpless and cowardly, is depicted. Shchedrin attributes human properties to fish and at the same time shows that humans can also have “fish” traits. The meaning of this allegory is revealed in the words of the author: “Those who think that only those minnows can be considered worthy citizens who, mad with fear, sit in a hole and tremble, believe incorrectly. No, these are not citizens, but at least useless minnows.” .

3) Work on the title and idea of ​​the work (slide No. 10 in Appendix 1)

How do you understand the title of the work? What technique does the author use in the title? (The gudgeon considered himself wise. And the author calls the fairy tale that way. But behind this title there is hidden irony, revealing the worthlessness and uselessness of the average man, trembling for his life.)

What rhetorical questions does the minnow ask itself before dying? Why are they included in the text of the work? (“What joys did he have? Who did he console? Who did he give good advice to? Who did he say a kind word to? Whom did he shelter, warm, protect?” To all these questions there is one answer - no one, no one, none. The questions are introduced into the fairy tale for the reader , so that he asks himself them and thinks about the meaning of his life.)

What is the idea of ​​the work? (You cannot live only for the sake of preserving your life. You must set high goals for yourself and go towards them. You must remember human dignity, courage and honor.)

V. Final word from the teacher.

We saw that in the fairy tale the author exposes the cowardice, mental limitations, and failure in life of the average person. The writer poses important philosophical problems: what is the meaning of life and the purpose of man. These problems will always face individuals and society as a whole. The writer does not seek to entertain the reader, he teaches him a moral lesson. Invariably, Saltykov-Shchedrin’s tales will be relevant, and the characters will be recognizable.

VI. Grading.

VII. Homework.

Miniature essay “What is better - to live a hundred years without causing any harm or benefit, or to live making mistakes and learning from them?”

Note

The presentation uses footage from the animated film “The Wise Minnow”, directed by Valentin Karataev.