I tried, following the times, to reflect new social types and new prevailing interests, tasks and goals of life. Himself a man of the 1840s, with strong sympathies towards the idealism with which his peers were imbued, Turgenev tried to portray new people who were alien to him in spirit, but interested him as an artist and aroused his sympathy. To replace the images characteristic of the recent past " extra people“Now our Russian practitioner and businessman has finally arrived, eagerly rushing to work and fiercely fighting obstacles to work. New socio-political trends and the proximity of reforms shook up society. Broad plans were outlined and enormous tasks were set. The moods of past years and the associated dreaminess, pessimism, contemplation, division, love of poetry and abstract philosophy - now, at the turn of the 1850-60s, they were ready to curse as a means of distraction from pressing tasks. They rushed from one extreme to the other. This was a natural reaction to the exclusivity of the book and literary interests of the previous era.

Fathers and Sons. Feature Film based on the novel by I. S. Turgenev. 1958

Features of the era. Now they preached the need only for immediate life matters, tasks whose resolution immediately brings external benefits. They fervently professed utilitarianism - the doctrine of the primacy of the principle of benefit among life's motives. From the abstract heights of poetry and philosophy they hurried to descend to earth, to its immediate tasks and ordinary needs. It was then fashionable to show contempt for poetry and music, as objects of sentimental amusement. This attitude was justified by the fact that in front of the young Russian cultural society such important, enormous and urgent tasks were revealed, such pictures of ignorance, suffering, tyranny, bribery, helplessness of the dark masses of the people, that it was recognized as an unaffordable luxury to deal with issues of poetry and philosophy in view of such terrible needs of people's life. Nekrasov expressed this mood in his famous poems:

It’s even more shameful in a time of grief
The beauty of the skies, valleys and sea
And sing of sweet caresses.

Negation. In order to cope with such a mass of pressing matters, it was necessary to simplify, narrow down your task, and limit it to the most important. This is what the people of the 1860s tried to do, introducing the principle of asceticism into life, preaching the renunciation of many things necessary for a person’s personal life, in the name of fulfilling a severe duty. Poetry and speculative philosophy were persecuted. In connection with the general sober rationalistic spirit of the era, interest in natural sciences and to materialist philosophy and positive. All the views and sympathies of the old cultured Russian man of the 1830s and 1840s - his aestheticism, dreaminess, idealism - all this was revalued and denied.

Turgenev's attitude. An esthete and artist at heart, who worshiped beauty, considering it one of the main forces in the matter of arranging better forms of life, Turgenev could not sympathize with the new direction entirely and had to meet with some horror this “destruction of aesthetics,” “overthrow of Pushkin,” etc. But as an artist, Turgenev studied a new type that had entered Russian life, treated him impartially and, reproducing him in his novel, demonstrated respect and sympathy for certain aspects of the personality of his stern hero. He portrayed this type in the person of Bazarov.

But, apparently, precisely the fact that this type was not a phenomenon of the past, but current days The fact that here the writer touched on the sincere ideals and traits of a contemporary who had not yet experienced all this content of life was the reason for such a passionate attitude towards the novel. An attempt to portray objectively what was the ideal of its time for younger generation, was considered blasphemous. And although Bazarov’s appearance was drawn seriously and artistically, criticism saw in him a caricature of the younger generation and attacked Turgenev with indignation. The attacks were so numerous and so furious that they made a great impression on the novelist, who was already planning to give up his pen. However, later Pisarev saw in Bazarov the true embodiment of ideal type of its time.

Bazarov. Bazarov is a type of denier of previous moral and mental foundations. He wants to serve society, science and takes into account the tasks and interests of his simple and rough life, denying the entire way of life of the nobility. He preaches a “sober” attitude to life, denying poetry, religion, love, reducing everything to physiology. His principle of equality of all people is based precisely on the simplification of life, on reducing everything in it to physiology. And his requirements in relation to a person are one thing: do useful, real work, contribute to the resolution of the immediate problems of material life.

Reverently treating Bazarov as a teacher, Arkady Kirsanov brings into the confession of his ideas that passion and that youthful idealism that Bazarov denies. But he himself cannot withstand the predetermined program and falls into contradiction with himself. He becomes entangled in the networks of that very “romance” - love - that he treated so contemptuously. Having fallen in love with Odintsova, Bazarov, against his will, experiences everything that he rejected as a whim of the nobility, as “nonsense” and “rotten.” Denying love for his parents in theory, he does his best to suppress in himself the reciprocal feeling of the selfless devotion and love of the old people for him.

Here Turgenev clearly reveals the lies of Bazarov's theorist. In general, despite the integrity and strength of his nature, Bazarov often seems to lose ground under himself, for he vaguely feels that with the youthful extremity of his views, with his paradoxes, he contradicts the simple and eternal logic of life itself. Taking up arms against idealism in human life, on beauty, poetry, on higher speculation, on love, he tries to fight the eternal laws of reality, which forces him to obey them.

Ideological and artistic originality of the novel “Fathers and Sons”.

Interpretations of both the main characters of the novel and the plan of Turgenev himself were different. That is why one should be critical of these interpretations, and in particular, Pisarev’s interpretation.
It is generally accepted that the main balance of power in the novel is reflected in the confrontation between Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, since it is they who conduct polemics on various topics - about nihilism, aristocracy, practical benefits, etc. However, Pavel Petrovich turns out to be an untenable opponent for. All the words of Pavel Petrovich are just “words”, since they are not supported by any action. He is essentially the same doctrinaire as Bazarov. His entire previous life was a straight path of continuous success, given to him by birthright, but the very first difficulty - unrequited love - made Pavel Petrovich incapable of anything. As Pisarev rightly notes, Pavel Petrovich has no convictions; as convictions, he tries to “smuggle in” principles, and principles understood in his own way. All of Pavel Petrovich’s “principles” boil down to maintaining external decorum and making efforts to be considered a gentleman. Form without content - this is the essence of Pavel Petrovich (this can be clearly seen in the description of his office, and then in the fact that, as a symbol of Russia, Pavel Petrovich holds an ashtray in the shape of a “peasant’s bast shoe” on the table). Thus, Pavel Petrovich turns out to be a completely untenable opponent. The real opponent of the leader of the nihilists is Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov, although he does not enter into verbal battles with. His entire worldview, behavior devoid of outward pretentiousness, but at the same time his spiritual breadth, opposes the nihilists’ denial of everything. Pavel Petrovich is only interested in the external side of things in everything - he talks about Schiller, about Goethe, although he hardly bothered to read them, his judgments are arrogant and superficial. But the same can be said about! The same predilection for “external effects” (sideburns, robe, cheeky manners, etc.) and the same “inorganicity” with the world around him. The connection between Pavel Petrovich is not only external, but also genetic: Bazarov denies everything that is ugly and incompetent that is in Pavel Petrovich, but in this denial he goes to extremes, and extremes, as we know, come closer together, and that is why there is such a thing between Pavel Petrovich and Pavel Petrovich. much in common. Thus, Bazarov is the product of the vices of the older generation, philosophy is the denial of the life attitudes of the “fathers”, which they managed to fairly discredit, Bazarov is the same Pavel Petrovich, only exactly the opposite. Turgenev shows that absolutely nothing can be built on negation, including philosophy - life itself will inevitably refute it, because the essence of life is affirmation, not negation. Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov could argue with, but he understands perfectly well that his arguments will not be convincing either for or for his brother. The latter's weapons in dispute are logic, sophistry, scholasticism. The knowledge that Nikolai Petrovich possesses cannot be expressed in words; a person must feel it himself, suffer through it. What he could say about harmonious existence, about unity with nature, about poetry is an empty phrase for Pavel Petrovich, because to understand all these things you need to have a developed soul, which neither the “district aristocrat” nor the There is no “leader of the nihilists.” Nikolai Petrovich’s son, Arkady, is able to understand this, and ultimately comes to the conclusion that the ideas are untenable. To a large extent, Bazarov himself contributes to this: Arkady understands that Bazarov not only does not respect authorities, but also those around him, that he does not love anyone. Katya's sober, worldly mind is more to his heart than cold scholasticism. The entire further path described in the novel is a refutation of his nihilistic doctrine. Bazarov denies art and poetry, because he does not see any use in them. But after he falls in love with Odintsova, he realizes that this is not so. On his advice, Arkady takes away a volume of Pushkin from his father and slips him a German materialist book. It is Bazarov who ridicules Nikolai Petrovich’s cello playing and Arkady’s admiration for the beauty of nature. A one-sidedly developed personality is not able to understand all this. However, all is not lost for him, and this is manifested in his love for Odintsova. Bazarov turns out to be a man, and not a soulless machine that is only capable of conducting experiments and cutting frogs. Beliefs come into tragic conflict with his human essence. He cannot renounce his convictions, but he cannot strangle the awakened person within himself. There is no way out of this situation, and that is why he dies. Death is the death of his doctrine. In the face of inevitable death, Bazarov sweeps away everything superficial and unimportant in order to leave what is most important. And this main thing turns out to be the human thing that is in him - love for Madame Odintsova. Turgenev refutes at every step. Bazarov declares that nature is not a temple, but a workshop, and a magnificent landscape immediately follows. The pictures of nature that fill the novel latently convince the reader of the completely opposite, namely, that nature is a temple, not a workshop, and that only life in harmony with the world around us, and not violence against it, can bring happiness to a person. It turns out that Pushkin and playing the cello in absolute terms are much more important than all “useful” activities. In addition, Turgenev was able to show in the image very dangerous tendencies - extreme egocentrism, painful pride, unshakable confidence in one’s own rightness, a claim to possess absolute truth and readiness to carry out violence to please his idea (Pavel Petrovich’s conversation with, when the latter declares that he is ready to go against his people, that there are not so few of them, nihilists, that if they are crushed, then “that’s where we go,” but only “ Grandma also said in two,” etc.). Turgenev saw in his hero that “demonicism” about which Dostoevsky would later write (“Demons”), but still led him to a universal principle, and the ideas of nihilism to the debunking. It is no coincidence that after his death he has no followers. On the barren soil of nihilism, only such parodies of people as Kukshina and Sitnikov grow. IN last scene– a description of a rural cemetery and parents coming to their son’s grave, – eternal nature, the tranquility of which Bazarov encroached, gives the “nihilist” his last peace. Everything secondary that the restless and ungrateful son of nature, man, came up with remains aside. Only nature, which Bazarov wanted to turn into a workshop, and his parents, who gave him life, which he treated so unreasonably, surround him.
D. I. Pisarev FATHERS AND CHILDREN
Bazarov
About the novel in general:
“...The novel has neither a beginning, nor a denouement, nor a strictly thought-out plan; there are types and characters; there are scenes and paintings, and, most importantly, through the fabric of the story the author’s personal, deeply felt attitude towards the identified phenomena of life shines through... Reading Turgenev’s novel, we see in it the types of the present moment and at the same time we are aware of those changes, who experienced the phenomena of reality passing through the artist’s consciousness.”
ABOUT :
“In his personality, those properties are grouped that are scattered in small fractions among the masses.”
“As an empiricist, Bazarov recognizes only what can be felt with his hands, seen with his eyes, put on his tongue, in a word, only what can be witnessed by one of the five senses. Other human feelings it brings to activity nervous system; As a result of this enjoyment of the beauties of nature, music, painting, poetry, love, women do not seem to him at all higher and purer than the enjoyment of a hearty dinner or a bottle of good wine... You can be indignant at people like this as much as you like, but recognizing their sincerity is absolutely necessary ... He does not aim at being a provincial ace: if his imagination sometimes depicts a future for him, then this future is somehow indefinitely broad; he works without a goal, to obtain his daily bread or out of love for the process of work, and yet he vaguely feels by the amount of his own strength that his work will not remain without a trace and will lead to something. Bazarov is extremely proud, but his pride is invisible precisely because of his enormity. He is not interested in the little things that make up everyday human relationships; he cannot be offended by obvious neglect, he cannot be pleased with signs of respect; he is so full of himself and stands so unshakably high in his own eyes that he becomes completely indifferent to the opinions of other people.”
“Everywhere and in everything, Bazarov acts only as he wants or as it seems profitable and convenient to him. It is controlled only by personal whim or personal calculations. Neither above himself nor within himself does he recognize any moral law, any principle. There is no lofty goal ahead; there is no lofty thought in the mind, and with all this, enormous strength!”
“If bazaarism is a disease, then it is a disease of our time, and you have to suffer through it... Treat bazaarism however you like - it’s your business; but to stop - do not stop; it’s the same cholera.”
“Bazarov is lying - this, unfortunately, is fair. He bluntly denies things he does not know or does not understand; poetry, in his opinion, is nonsense; read Pushkin - Lost time; making music is funny; enjoying nature is absurd... To cut other people into the same standard as yourself means to fall into narrow mental despotism... Infatuation is very natural; it is explained, firstly, by the one-sidedness of development, and secondly, general character era in which we had to live. Bazarov has a thorough knowledge of natural and medical sciences; with their assistance, he knocked all prejudices out of his head; then he remained an extremely uneducated man; he heard something about poetry, something about art, did not bother to think and passed judgment on subjects unfamiliar to him.”
“Personality closes in on itself, because outside of it and around it there are almost no elements related to it.”
"He is incapable of maintaining a relationship with a woman. obligatory relationship; his sincere and integral nature does not give in to compromises and does not make concessions; he does not buy a woman’s favor with certain obligations; he takes it when it is given to him completely voluntarily and unconditionally. But smart women We are usually cautious and prudent... In a word, there are no women who are capable of arousing a serious feeling in him and, for their part, warmly responding to this feeling.”
“To die the way Bazarov died is the same as having accomplished a great feat... Rationality in him was a forgivable and understandable extreme; this extreme, which forced him to be wise about himself and break himself, would have disappeared under the influence of time and life; she disappeared in the same way during the approach of death. He became a man, instead of being the embodiment of the theory of nihilism, and, like a man, he expressed the desire to see the woman he loved."

About the continuity of the image:
“... colder than Pechorin, and therefore fools much more than Onegin, rushes to the Caucasus for impressions, seeks them in Bela’s love, in a duel with Grushnitsky, in fights with the Circassians, while sluggishly and lazily carries his beautiful disappointment with him around the world . Everyone has been and is still a little bit of Onegin, a little bit of Pechorin clever man, who owns a wealthy fortune, grew up in an atmosphere of nobility and did not receive a serious education. Next to these bored drones there were and still are crowds of sad people, yearning from an unsatisfied desire to be useful... Society is deaf and inexorable; the ardent desire of the Rudins and Beltovs to get involved in practical activities and see the fruits of their labors and donations remains fruitless... It seemed that Rudinism was coming to an end, and even Mr. Goncharov himself buried his Oblomov and announced that there were many Stolts hiding under Russian names. But the mirage dissipated - the Rudins did not become practical figures: because of the Rudins, a new generation arose, which treated their predecessors with reproach and ridicule... They are aware of their dissimilarity with the masses and boldly separate themselves from it by their actions, habits, and entire way of life. Whether society follows them is of no concern to them. They are full of themselves, their inner life and do not constrain it for the sake of accepted customs and ceremonies. Here the individual achieves complete self-liberation, complete individuality and independence. In a word, the Pechorins have will without knowledge, the Rudins have knowledge without will; The Bazarovs have both knowledge and will, thought and deed merge into one solid whole.”

Turgenev's attitude towards:
“Turgenev obviously does not favor his hero. His soft, loving nature, striving for faith and sympathy, is jarred by corrosive realism; his subtle aesthetic sense, not without a significant dose of aristocracy, is offended by even the slightest glimmers of cynicism...”
“Unable to show us how Bazarov lives and acts, Turgenev showed us how he dies. This is enough for the first time to form an idea about forces, about those forces whose full development could only be indicated by life...” /
“The meaning of the novel came out as follows: today’s young people get carried away and go to extremes, but in their very hobbies fresh strength and an incorruptible mind are reflected; this strength and this mind, without any extraneous aids or influences, will lead young people onto a straight path and support them in life.”
Arkady:
“Bazarov treats him patronizingly and almost always mockingly... Arkady does not love his friend, but somehow involuntarily submits to the irresistible influence of a strong personality.”
“Arkady... puts on ideas that absolutely cannot merge with him.”
Pavel Petrovich:
“Arkady’s uncle, Pavel Petrovich, can be called a Pechorin of small proportions... To tell the truth, he has no convictions, but he does have habits that he values ​​very much... Deep down, Pavel Petrovich is the same skeptic and empiricist, like Bazarov himself."
Sitnikov and Kukshina:
“The young man Sitnikov and the young lady Kukshin represent a superbly executed caricature of a brainless progressive and a Russian-style emancipated woman... The Sitnikovs and Kukshins will always remain funny personalities: not a single prudent person will be happy that he stands with them under the same banner...”
1. The meaning of the title of the novel “Fathers and Sons.”
2. The nature of the conflict in the novel.
3. Bazarov - “a tragic face.”
4. Artistic excellence Turgenev.

The title of Turgenev's novel has nothing to do with the opposition of the heroes in terms of family and age. The novel artistically comprehends the ideological struggle of the era: the antagonism of the positions of the liberal nobles (“fathers”) and common democrats (“children”).
Back in 1859, Dobrolyubov, reflecting on the social situation in Russia, ironically characterized the generation of the forties as “a wise party of older people... with high, but somewhat abstract aspirations.” “When we say “elderly,” noted a democratic critic, “we everywhere mean people who have lived out their youthful energies and no longer know how to understand modern movement and the needs of new times; Such people can also be found among twenty-five-year-olds.” There, Dobrolyubov also reflects on representatives of the “new” generation. They refuse to worship sublime but abstract principles. “Their final goal is not perfect slavish fidelity to abstract higher ideas, but bringing “the greatest possible benefit to humanity,” writes the critic. The polarity of ideological attitudes is obvious; the confrontation between “fathers” and “sons” has matured in life itself. Turgenev the artist, sensitive to modern times, could not help but respond to him. The clash between Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, as a typical representative of the generation of the 40s, and Evgeniy, the bearer of new ideas, is inevitable. Their basic life and ideological positions are revealed in dialogues and disputes.
Dialogues occupy a place in the novel great place: their compositional dominance emphasizes the ideological, worldview nature of the main conflict. Turgenev, as already noted, was a liberal by his convictions, which did not stop him from showing in the novel the failure of the heroes - liberal nobles in all spheres of life. The writer definitely and quite harshly assessed the generation of “fathers”. In a letter to Sluchevsky, he noted: “My whole story is directed against the nobility as an advanced class. Look at the faces of Nikolai Petrovich, Pavel Petrovich, Arkady. Weakness and lethargy or limitation. An aesthetic feeling forced me to take specifically good representatives of the nobility in order to prove my theme all the more accurately: if cream is bad, what about milk? They are the best of the nobles - and that is why I have chosen them to prove their inconsistency.” The father of the Kirsanov brothers is a military general in 1812, a simple, even rude man, “he pulled his weight all his life.” The life of his sons is different. Nikolai Petrovich, who left the university in 1835, began serving under the patronage of his father in the “Ministry of Appanages.” However, soon after his marriage he left her. Laconically, but succinctly, the author talks about his family life: “The couple lived very well and quietly, they almost never separated. Ten years passed like a dream... And Arkady grew and grew – also well and quietly.” The narration is colored by the author's soft irony. Nikolai Petrovich has no public interests. The hero's university youth took place during the era of the Nikolaev reaction, and the only sphere of application of his strength was love and family. Pavel Petrovich, a brilliant officer, left his career and the world because of romantic love to the mysterious Princess R. Lack of social activity, social tasks, lack of housekeeping skills leads the heroes to ruin. Nikolai Petrovich, not knowing where to get money, sells the forest. Being a gentle man by nature, with liberal convictions, he is trying to reform the economy and alleviate the situation of the peasants. But his “farm” does not provide the expected income. The author notes in this regard: “Their household creaked like an unoiled wheel, crackled like homemade furniture made of raw wood.” The description of the wretched villages past which the heroes pass at the beginning of the novel is expressive and meaningful. Nature matches them: “Like beggars in rags, roadside willows stood with stripped bark and broken branches...”. A sad picture of Russian life emerged, from which “the heart sank.” All this is a consequence of the dysfunction of the social structure, the failure of the landowner class, including the subjectively very sympathetic Kirsanov brothers. Relying on the strength of the aristocracy and the high principles so dear to Pavel Petrovich will not help change the socio-economic situation in Russia. The disease has progressed far. We need strong means, revolutionary transformations, believes “a democrat to the end of his nails” Bazarov.
Bazarov – central character in the novel, it is he who is the hero of time. He is a man of action, a materialist-naturalist, a democrat-educator. The personality in all respects is antagonistically opposed to the Kirsanov brothers. He is from the generation of “children”. However, the image was largely affected by the contradictions of Turgenev’s worldview and creativity.
Political views contain some features inherent in the leaders of revolutionary democracy in the 60s. He denies social principles; hates the “damned barchuks”; strives to “clear the place” for the future correctly arranged life. But still decisive in his political views there was nihilism, which Turgenev identified with revolutionism. In a letter to Sluchevsky, he wrote: “... and if he is called a nihilist, then we must consider him a revolutionary.” Nihilism was an extreme trend in the revolutionary democratic movement and did not define it. But absolute nihilism in relation to art, love, nature, and emotional experiences was the author’s exaggeration. This degree of denial was not present in the worldview of the sixties.
Bazarov attracts with his desire for practical activity, he dreams of “breaking up a lot of things,” although we don’t know which ones. His ideal is a man of action. On the Kirsanov estate, he is constantly engaged in natural science experiments, and when he comes to his parents, he begins to treat the surrounding peasants. The essence of life is important to him, which is why he is so dismissive of its external side - his clothes, appearance, demeanor.
The cult of business and the idea of ​​benefit sometimes turn into naked utilitarianism. In terms of his worldview, he is closer to Pisarev than to Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov.
Conflicting relationship with common people. Undoubtedly, he is closer to him than the perfumed, prim Pavel Petrovich, but the men do not understand either his behavior or his goals.
Bazarov is shown by Turgenev in an environment alien to himself; in fact, he has no like-minded people. Arkady is a temporary travel companion who fell under the influence of a strong friend, his beliefs are superficial. Kukshina and Sitnikov are epigones, a parody of the “new man” and his ideals. Bazarov is lonely, which makes his figure tragic. But there is also internal dissonance in his personality. Bazarov proclaims integrity, but in his nature it is precisely not there. The basis of his worldview is not only the denial of recognized authorities, but also confidence in the absolute freedom of his own feelings and moods, beliefs. It is this freedom that he demonstrates in an argument with Pavel Petrovich after evening tea, in the tenth chapter of the novel. But his meeting with Madame Odintsova and his love for her unexpectedly show him that he does not have this freedom. He turns out to be powerless to cope with that feeling, the very existence of which he so easily and boldly denied. Being an ideological maximalist, Bazarov is not able to renounce his beliefs, but he is also unable to conquer his heart. This duality causes him great suffering. His own feelings, the life of his heart dealt a terrible blow to his harmonious worldview system. Before us is no longer a self-confident man, ready to destroy the world, but, as Dostoevsky said, “a restless, yearning Bazarov.” His death was accidental, but it revealed a vital pattern. Courage in death confirms the originality of his nature and even the heroic beginning in him. “To die the way Bazarov died is the same as having accomplished a feat,” wrote Pisarev.

Turgenev's novel about the hero of the time, the “new man,” was written with impeccable skill. First of all, it manifested itself in the creation of character images. The analytical portrait of the hero gives his capacious socio-psychological characteristics. So, " beautiful hand with long pink nails, a hand that seemed even more beautiful from the delicate whiteness of the mitten, fastened with a single large opal...” emphasizes the aristocracy of Pavel Petrovich, along with other details of the portrait indicates romantic character this character. “The long robe with tassels” and the “naked red hand” that Bazarov does not immediately offer to Nikolai Petrovich - these portrait details speak eloquently about democracy and its independence.
With great skill, the author conveys the originality of the characters' speech. Nikolai Petrovich’s smooth and amiable speech speaks of his gentleness and delicacy of nature. Pavel Petrovich's speech is arrogant, deliberately archaic, and when he talks about something alien and even hostile to him, it is contemptuous and rude. The speech is rich and varied. So, in a conversation with Pavel Petrovich, “this doctor’s son not only was not timid, but even answered abruptly and reluctantly, and there was something rude, almost impudent in the sound of his voice.” In a different way, very carefully and intelligently, he talks to Odintsova. There are a lot of natural science terms in his speech; he is used to calling things by their proper names.
A special role in the novel is played by the landscape, which, as always in Turgenev, is unusually expressive. Realistic pictures of nature in the novel are associated with the action, either making up its background or creating the mood. The landscape of the cemetery in the epilogue of the novel conveys a certain mood and calls philosophical reflections. He is psychological and philosophical.
In his manner of narration, Turgenev strove for brevity, but the compressed form of the narration did not prevent the author from revealing deep and large-scale problems of its time. The novel “Fathers and Sons” is one of best works I.S. Turgeneva.

The sixties of the 19th century went down in Russian history for a long time. Walking among the people, "People's Will", revolutionary democrats - all these are signs of global changes taking place in society. Among the leading social forces The most prominent were liberals advocating the transformation of the autocratic-serf system, and democrats advocating fundamental changes in society.

These opposing forces were identified in the novel by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev "Fathers and Sons", written in 1862. The publication of the novel occurred during a period of severe aggravation social struggle. There were student unrest and fires in St. Petersburg, which led to mass arrests and increased reaction from the government. The appearance of Turgenev's work caused fierce controversy.

The novel, written a year after the abolition of serfdom, takes readers to a time of crisis of the serfdom system in Russia and the intensification of the struggle between the “fathers” (liberals) and the “children” (democratic revolutionaries). It is no coincidence that Turgenev uses exact dates: the events in the novel begin on May 20, 1859, and the action ends in the winter of 1860. During this period there appears new type a public figure - a commoner democrat, striving to fight for a change in the political system of Russia not in words, but in deeds.

The central character of the novel, Evgeny Vasilyevich Bazarov, is just like that. Of the 28 chapters of the novel, he does not appear in only two. He is initially opposed to all the heroes of the novel, because a man of a different environment is the son of a district doctor. Bazarov will later say with pride: “My grandfather plowed the land.” The hero's democratic origins will later appear in his views, words, relationships with his parents, even in his attitude towards the woman he loves.

The very first appearance of the hero emphasizes the sharp difference between Yevgeny Vasilyevich and the noble landowners around him. The author contrasts the heroes with the help of details. Bazarov’s red naked hand and the well-groomed nails of Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov: “Nails, nails, at least send them to the exhibition.” The hand of a man of action and one who is used to flaunting English attire and being proud of “principles”, but sitting with folded hands. Arkady's father, Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov, is much more delicate than his older brother: he is shocked by the deliberate vulgarity of Bazarov's words and manners, but he pretends not to notice the guest's demonstratively plebeian behavior.

When a dispute arises between Bazarov and Kirsanov Sr., which turns into open confrontation, Nikolai internally agrees with the young opponent, although he has long dubbed him “ retired man” and categorically declared that his song was over. What then caused such hatred in Pavel Petrovich? The fact that Bazarov, in fact, erased the entire life of the elder Kirsanov. Laying at the feet of the fatal beauty Princess R. brilliant career and his future, he lost all this, having achieved nothing in life. The younger brother, who, against the will of his parents, married a girl, did not noble origin, was happily married for ten years and raised a son.

The elder brother did absolutely nothing that a man should do: he did not build a house, he did not plant a tree, and he did not raise a son. Now he is akin to living in Nikolai Petrovich’s house. Pavel Petrovich believed that he led a noble life and deserved respect in society for his loyalty to his principles. From Bazarov's point of view, this man is an “archaic phenomenon” because his existence is licentiousness and emptiness, and his principles are just an excuse for himself for someone who sits with folded hands.

The hero himself is infinitely lonely. Instead of students, there are pathetic imitators: Viktor Sitnikov and Eudoxie Kukshin are more reminiscent of a parody of the sixties. They valued in nihilism only the negation of previous moral standards and enthusiastically pay tribute to the new “fashion”. It would seem that Arkady is a true student, but he also easily goes over to the “fathers” camp. He “has decided to get married,” and therefore is not created for the “bitter, tart, bourgeois life.” Katerina Sergeevna immediately noted this obvious difference. She said that Bazarov is predatory, and he and Arkady are tame. This hurt to some extent young man, because he also wanted to be strong and energetic. However, life decreed otherwise: soon marrying Katya, he repeats the fate of his father, finding happiness in marriage.

Bazarov is lonely not only in friendship, but also in love. His unrequited feeling for Anna Sergeevna Odintsova reveals the passionate and deep nature of a nihilist. Rejecting love as romantic nonsense, nonsense, he falls in love for real. Before meeting this rich widow, Bazarov accepted love in its physiological sense, almost at the level of the instinct for procreation. His first words about this woman were rude, also at the physiological level: “She’s not like other women.”

Afterwards he was going to find out “to what category of mammals this person belongs.” But this rudeness is caused, rather, by an aversion to “beautiful” words. The feeling instilled in Bazarov by Anna Sergeevna is worthy of respect. She not only became his companion and interlocutor (even in matters of chemistry!), she was able to make him feel in his heart and soul what he so stubbornly rejected with his mind. Bazarov “recognized with indignation the romanticism in himself.” But the ardent materialist was reborn, maintaining this romanticism until his death. It is not without reason that before his death he asks his beloved woman: “Blow on the dying lamp and let it go out.”

A conversation about Evgeniy Vasilyevich’s parents deserves a separate topic. Simple, narrow-minded and naive, they idolize their son with sacred awe. He is quite rude when talking to his father, because he is afraid once again“to crumble,” but he allows his mother not only to hug his “Enyusha,” but he is also affectionate with her. Thus, compositionally, the author takes his hero twice through the same circle: Maryino, Nikolskoye, native home. And twice the hero experiences disappointment in friendship, love, and his beliefs.

But he finishes his life path hero in parental home. The death of the hero from accidental infection with typhus seems absurd and far-fetched: languishing from unrequited love to Odintsova, Bazarov throws himself into his work and, while helping his father treat the peasants, injures himself with a scalpel in the process of autopsying a dead peasant. The death of the hero caused bewilderment among many. Turgenev understood that the time for such people had not yet come. The best way out for him was death, accepted with dignity. This is where the hero really showed his character. However, the novel ends with the thought of reconciliation with eternal nature.

Analysis of the novel by I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"

In February 1862, I.S. Turgenev published the novel “Fathers and Sons.” The author tried to show Russian society tragic character growing conflicts. The reader is exposed to economic troubles, the impoverishment of the people, the disintegration of traditional life, the destruction of the centuries-old ties of the peasant with the land. The stupidity and helplessness of all classes threatens to develop into confusion and chaos. Against this background, a dispute unfolds about the ways to save Russia, which is waged by heroes representing the two main parts of the Russian intelligentsia.

Russian literature has always tested the stability and strength of society, family and family relationships. Starting a Novel with an Image family conflict between father and son Kirsanov, Turgenev goes further, to a clash of a social and political nature. Main characters' relationships conflict situations are revealed primarily from an ideological angle. This is reflected in the peculiarities of the construction of the novel, in which the arguments of the heroes, their painful reflections, passionate speeches and outpourings play such a large role. But the author did not turn his heroes into spokesmen own ideas. Turgenev's artistic achievement is his ability to organically connect the movement of even the most abstract ideas of his heroes and their life positions.

For the writer, one of the decisive criteria in determining a person was how this person relates to modernity, to the life around her, to current events of the day. If you take a closer look at the “fathers” - Pavel Petrovich and Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov, the first thing that catches your eye is that they, essentially not very old people, do not understand and do not accept what is happening around them.

It seems to Pavel Petrovich that the principles that he learned in his youth distinguish him favorably from people who listen to modern times. But Turgenev, at every step, without much pressure, completely unambiguously shows that in this stubborn desire to show his contempt for modernity, Pavel Petrovich is simply comical. He plays a certain role, which from the outside is simply funny.

Nikolai Petrovich is not as consistent as his older brother. He even says that he likes young people. But in fact, it turns out that he understands in modernity only that which threatens his peace. He sold the timber for felling only because in a few months it was supposed to go to the peasants.

Turgenev believed that big personality always stands to its time in natural relationships. This is Bazarov. Small, dependent people live in an eternal subconscious feeling of discord with time. Pavel Petrovich accepts this discord as the wrongness of time, that is, he denies the passage of time, freezes in his conservatism, and people of a different kind are trying to catch up with time. And since they cannot understand it, they usually take fashion as an expression of time.

Turgenev brought out several people in his novel who strive to rush with time. These are Kukshina and Sitnikov. In them this desire is expressed very clearly and unambiguously. Bazarov usually speaks to them in a dismissive tone. It’s more difficult for him with Arkady. He is not as stupid and petty as Sitnikov. In a conversation with his father and uncle, he explained this to them quite accurately complex concept like a nihilist. He is good because he does not consider Bazarov “his brother.” This brought Bazarov closer to Arkady, forced him to treat him softer, more condescendingly than to Kukshina or Sitnikov. But Arkady still has a desire to grab something in this new phenomenon, to somehow get closer to it, and he grabs only external signs.

Arkady is inclined to say “beautiful.” The point is not that Bazarov does not like to speak beautifully, but that “beautiful” words mean such complex phenomena, about which it is simply impossible to talk often and casually. In a conversation with Bazarov about Odintsova, Arkady again spoke “beautiful” but alien words. Bazarov understood this perfectly, and, of course, he could not support such conversations. All he had to say was that Odintsova had such shoulders as he “hadn’t seen for a long time.”

And here we are faced with one of the most important qualities of Turgenev’s style. From the first steps of his literary activity, he widely used irony. In the novel “Fathers and Sons,” he awarded this quality to one of his heroes, Bazarov, who uses it in a very varied way: for Bazarov, irony is a means of separating himself from a person whom he does not respect, or “correcting” a person whom he does not yet respect. waved his hand. Such are his ironic antics with Arkady. Bazarov also masters another type of irony - irony directed at himself. He is ironic about both his actions and his behavior. Suffice it to recall the scene of Bazarov’s duel with Pavel Petrovich. He is ironic here at Pavel Petrovich, but no less bitterly and evilly at himself. At such moments, Bazarov appears in all the power of his charm. No complacency, no narcissism.

Turgenev leads Bazarov in circles life trials, they reveal with real completeness and objectivity the measure of the hero’s rightness and wrongness. “Total and merciless denial” turns out to be justified as the only serious attempt to change the world, putting an end to contradictions. However, for the author it is also indisputable that the internal logic of nihilism inevitably leads to freedom without obligations, to action without love, to searches without faith. The writer does not find creative in nihilism creative power: the changes that the nihilist envisages for really existing people are, in fact, tantamount to the destruction of these people. And Turgenev reveals the contradictions in the very nature of his hero.

Bazarov, having experienced love and suffering, can no longer be an integral and consistent destroyer, ruthless, unshakably self-confident, breaking others simply by the right of the strong. But Bazarov also cannot reconcile himself, subordinating his life to the idea of ​​self-denial, or seek solace in art, in the feeling of fulfilled duty, in selfless love for a woman - for this he is too angry, too proud, too unbridled, wildly free. The only possible resolution to this contradiction is death.

Turgenev created a character so complete and internally independent that the artist had only to avoid sinning against the internal logic of character development. There is not a single significant scene in the novel in which Bazarov would not participate. Of the twenty-eight chapters, he is not present in only two, while some characters (Kukshina, Sitnikov, dignitary Kolyagin, governor, etc.) appear only occasionally, and others (the Odintsov sisters, Bazarov’s parents, Fenechka, etc.) for quite a long time time disappear from the reader's field of vision. Bazarov passes away and the novel ends. In one of his letters, Turgenev admitted that when he “wrote Bazarov, he ultimately felt not hostility, but admiration for him. And when he wrote the scene of Bazarov’s death, he sobbed bitterly. These were not tears of pity, these were the tears of an artist who saw the tragedy of a huge man, in whom part of his own ideal was embodied.

“Fathers and Sons” caused fierce controversy throughout the history of Russian literature of the 19th century. And the author himself stopped with bewilderment and bitterness before the chaos of contradictory judgments: greetings from enemies and slaps in the face from friends. In a letter to Dostoevsky, he wrote with disappointment: “No one seems to suspect that I tried to imagine in him tragic face- and everyone is saying, - why is he so bad? or - why is he so good?

Turgenev believed that his novel would serve to unite the social forces of Russia, that Russian society will heed his warnings. But the dream of a united and friendly all-Russian cultural layer of society did not come true.

In February 1862, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev published his novel entitled “Fathers and Sons.” In it, he tried to show the reader of that time the tragic nature of the growing social conflicts.

In this article we will conduct “Fathers and Sons”, find out what problems are addressed in this novel, what is the author’s idea.

We are faced with economic troubles, the disintegration of traditional life, the impoverishment of the people, and the destruction of the peasant's ties with the land. The helplessness and stupidity of all classes threatens every now and then to develop into chaos and confusion. Against this background, a dispute unfolds about how to save Russia, waged by heroes representing the two main groups of the Russian intelligentsia.

Family conflict

Domestic literature has always tested the strength and stability of society through family relationships, which should be noted when analyzing the work “Fathers and Sons.” The novel begins with a depiction of the conflict in the Kirsanov family between son and father. Turgenev goes even further, to a clash of a political and social nature.

The main relationships of the characters are revealed mainly in terms of ideas. This is reflected in the way the novel is constructed, in which the arguments of the main characters, their painful thoughts, and passionate speeches play a large role. Ivan Sergeevich did not turn the characters of the work into exponents of the author’s ideas. The achievement of this writer is the ability to organically connect the movement of even the most abstract ideas of the characters with their life positions.

Attitude to modernity of the main characters

The analysis of the work “Fathers and Sons” should also include the attitude of its various characters to modernity. One of the main criteria in determining human personality for the writer was how she relates to surrounding life, current events. The first thing that strikes us if we pay attention to the “fathers” - Nikolai Petrovich and Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, is that, in essence, they are not such old people, but at the same time they do not accept and do not understand what is happening around. Analysis of the novel by I.S. Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons" confirms this idea.

Pavel Petrovich believes that the principles he learned in his youth distinguish him favorably from those who listen to modern times. But Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev shows that in such a stubborn desire to express contempt for modernity, this hero is simply comical. He plays a certain role that looks funny from the outside.

Nikolai Petrovich, unlike his older brother, is not so consistent. He even notes that he likes young people. But, as it turns out, he understands in modernity only that which interferes with his peace. For example, he decided to sell the forest for felling only because it was supposed to go to the peasants in a few months.

The position of a major personality in relation to modernity

Ivan Sergeevich believed that any major personality is always in a natural relationship with his time. This is how Bazarov is. Dependent, petty people live in an eternal feeling of discord with their time. Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov accepts this disharmony as the wrongness of modernity, that is, he denies the very passage of time, thereby freezing in his conservatism, and people of a different type (we will write about them separately below) are trying to catch up with him.

Sitnikov and Kukshina

In his novel, Turgenev brought out several such images that tend to rush with the rapidly changing passage of time, which must certainly be noted when analyzing the work “Fathers and Sons.” These are Sitnikov and Kukshina. In them this trait is expressed unambiguously and very clearly. Bazarov usually speaks to them dismissively. It’s more difficult for him with Arkady.

He is not as petty and stupid as Sitnikov. Talking with his uncle and father, Arkady explained to them quite precisely such a complex concept, how the character is interesting simply because he does not recognize Bazarov as “his brother.” This attitude brought the latter closer to him, forced him to treat him more gently, more condescendingly than towards Sitnikov and Kukshina. Arkady, however, still has a desire to catch something in nihilism, to somehow get closer to it, and he clings only to external signs.

Irony in the work

It should be noted the most important quality of Ivan Sergeevich’s style, which is also present in the novel “Fathers and Sons”. Analysis of the work shows that in it, as from the very beginning of its literary activity, this writer widely used the technique of irony.

In the novel “Fathers and Sons,” he awarded this quality to Bazarov, who uses it in a very diverse way: irony for this hero is a means of separating himself from another whom he does not respect, or serves to “correct” a person who does not yet respect him. indifferent. These are his ironic techniques when communicating with Arkady.

Evgeniy also masters another type of irony - self-irony. He is ironic about both his behavior and his actions. Let us recall, for example, the scene of the duel between Pavel Petrovich and Bazarov. In it, he sneers at his opponent, but no less evilly and bitterly at himself. Analysis of the duel scene in "Fathers and Sons" allows us to better understand Bazarov's character. In moments like these, the charm of this character is fully revealed. No narcissism, no complacency.

Bazarov's Nihilism

Turgenev leads this young man through the circles of difficult life trials, which with real objectivity and completeness reveal the degree of rightness and wrongness of this hero of the novel “Fathers and Sons.” An analysis of the work shows that denial, “complete and merciless,” can be justified as the only possible attempt to change the world, while putting an end to contradictions. But for the creator of the novel, it is also indisputable that the logic present in nihilism inevitably leads to freedom without any obligations, to searches without faith, to action without love. The writer cannot find a creative, creative force in this movement: the changes that the nihilist envisages for really existing people are essentially tantamount to their destruction, as the analysis carried out by the writer shows. "Fathers and Sons" reveals these contradictions by the very nature of the hero representing this movement.

Having experienced love and suffering, Bazarov cannot again be a consistent and integral destroyer, unshakably self-confident, ruthless, simply breaking other people by right of the strong. But this hero is also unable to subordinate his life to self-denial, to humble himself, to seek solace in a sense of duty, in art, in love for a woman - he is too proud, angry, and unbridledly free for this. Death turns out to be the only way out.

Conclusion

Concluding our analysis of "Fathers and Sons", we note that this novel caused fierce controversy in XIX literature century. Turgenev believed that his creation would contribute to the unity of various social forces, that society would heed the writer’s warnings. But the dream of a friendly and united Russian society never came true.

This concludes our analysis of the work “Fathers and Sons.” It can be continued by noting other points. We will give the reader the opportunity to reflect on this novel for themselves.