Characteristics of the hero and the image of Eugene Onegin. The image of Eugene Onegin in the novel “Eugene Onegin” by Pushkin: description of the hero in quotes The image of Onegin brief summary

Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin” (see its full text and a summary of the chapters) is of great importance not only in the history of the Russian novel, but also as a work of autobiographical significance. The image of the hero took shape in the author’s imagination when he already had a completely negative attitude towards Byronism. But Pushkin still had fresh memories of his recent passion for the English poet. And so, according to his confession, he writes a “satirical work” in which he aims to ridicule “Muscovites in Harold’s cloaks,” that is, the young men of his time who pretended to be disappointed Byronic heroes. Pushkin himself sinned with this not long ago, and did not hide this weakness in his novel.

Scolded Homer, Theocritus;
But I read Adam Smith
And there was a deep economy,
That is, he knew how to judge
How does the state get rich?
And how does he live, and why?
He doesn't need gold
When a simple product has.

It was “fashionable”, it was a sign of “good form”...

But this was not what filled his social life. Catching women's hearts, that's what Evgeniy did especially diligently. And here success awaited him. Pushkin helps us understand where Onegin got his knowledge from:

It is not nature that teaches us love...
We are hungry to know life in advance
And we recognize her in the novel...
Onegin experienced this.

And Pushkin points out which romantic hero was the model of Onegin: this Richardsonian Lovelace, "winner of women's hearts." The goal of his life is “to conquer women’s hearts.” For this, Onegin developed a special tactic, studied the psychology of the female heart: easy victories are not interesting to him; he loved the "hard fight"; This is a kind of “sport” for him...

How early could he be a hypocrite?
To harbor hope, to be jealous,
To dissuade, to make believe,
Seem gloomy, languish,
Be proud and obedient
Attentive or indifferent!
How languidly silent he was,
How fieryly eloquent
How careless in heartfelt letters!

Handra Onegina

Onegin's life rolled on, cloudless and calm, an environment of all kinds of pleasures: theaters, balls, dinners in a fashionable restaurant, worries about appearance and costume filled his empty and vulgar existence. Fate endowed Onegin with “mind” and “heart”, without giving him any education or upbringing, without indicating the outcome of his spiritual powers. From such a discrepancy between the wealth of his strength and the poverty of his soul, discord arose in him, and it is no wonder that he soon became tired and bored:

His feelings cooled down early,
He was tired of the noise of the world,
The beauties didn't last long
The subject of his usual thoughts.
We've had time to tire of the betrayals,
Friends and friendship are boring
And, although he was an ardent rake,
But he finally fell out of love
And scolding, and saber, and lead.

And so, the “English spleen”, or Russian melancholy, took possession of him, and besides, fashion in high society changed, and “Lovelace’s fame became dilapidated.” Then he replaced the imitation of Lovelace with the imitation of Childe Harold, and began to “act like an eccentric.”

He will shoot himself, thank God,
I didn't want to try
But he completely lost interest in life.
Like Child-Harold, gloomy, languid
He appeared in living rooms;
Neither the gossip of the world, nor Boston,
Not a sweet look, not an immodest sigh,
Nothing touched him
He didn't notice anything.

The heart was empty, the mind was idle. Onegin tried to take up literature, but he was sick of the persistent work, and he gave up his pen. Onegin took up the book, but he was not accustomed to “reading” either, and besides, when he had lost faith in life, he could not believe the book.

He lined the shelf with a group of books,
I read and read, but to no avail:
There is boredom, there is deception or delirium;
There is no conscience in that, there is no meaning in that;
Everyone is wearing different chains;
And the old thing is outdated,
And the old are delirious of the newness.
Like women, he left books,
And a shelf with their dusty family,
Covered it with mourning taffeta.

Onegin considered his “blues” and “apathy”, the result of fatigue and spiritual emptiness, as “disappointment” and willingly covered himself with the then fashionable Childe Harold cloak. It is not for nothing that out of all the books he read only the works of Byron:

Yes, there are two or three more novels with him,
In which the century is reflected,
And modern man
Depicted quite accurately
With his immoral soul,
Selfish and dry,
Immensely devoted to a dream;
With his embittered mind
Seething in empty action.

Onegin was a prominent representative of that “half-education” that was so characteristic of Russian society of that time. The mind did not allow Onegin to merge with this society for the rest of his life, but he did not know how to look for the goals of existence outside of this society. And, as a result, in his person the first example of a “superfluous person” appeared in Russian literature.

The book was discarded, and Eugene remained helpless in life, “without a rudder” and “without sails,” with a “sharp, chilled mind,” a strange dreamer without a goal in life, gloomy with complaints about the malice of blind fortune, with contempt for people, with sarcastic speeches.

He who lived and thought cannot
Do not despise people in your heart;
Whoever felt it is worried
Ghost of irrevocable days:
There's no charm for that
That serpent of memories
He is gnawing at remorse.

He almost went to travel, but the news of the fatal illness of a village uncle called him to the village.

Suddenly he really got
Report from the manager
That uncle is dying in bed
And I would be glad to say goodbye to him.
After reading the sad message,
Evgeniy on a date right away
Swiftly galloped through the mail
And I already yawned...

In the village, Onegin was at first interested in the newness of life, the unusual beauties of quiet nature for him. He became interested in the plight of his serfs, and made their existence easier, replacing the “yoke of ancient corvée” with “light quitrent,” but soon he got bored here too and led a solitary life, alienating his neighbors with misanthropy. The naive villagers in their assessment of the hero were not as lenient as the St. Petersburg “society”; they recognized Onegin as both a freethinker (“farmazon,” i.e., a Frank Freemason) and an “ignoramus.”

ABOUT future fate Read Onegin in articles

One of the most famous works A. S. Pushkin both in Russia and abroad is his novel in verse “Eugene Onegin”, written in the period from 1823 to 1830 of the 19th century. In many ways, the novel's enduring popularity is due to its status as an integral part of the compulsory school curriculum. To write a high-quality essay on a work, we advise you to read the novel, perhaps not at first in one gulp, in excerpts, but to use quotes from “Eugene Onegin” to show that you really know the material.

Evgeny Onegin. Explanation with Tatyana in the village

The narration is told on behalf of the friend of the main character of the novel, who is Evgeny Onegin, a native of St. Petersburg, 26 years old:

“...Onegin, my good friend, was born on the banks of the Neva...”

“... having lived without a goal, without work, until the age of twenty-six...”

Onegin was born into a noble family, which gradually went bankrupt due to the fault of the head of the family, who sought to live beyond his means, but provided his son with a decent upbringing, by the standards of that time:

“...His father lived in debt, gave three balls every year, and finally squandered it.”

“... at first Madame followed him, then Monsieur replaced her”

"...fun and luxury child..."

The result of Eugene’s upbringing and training was his knowledge of languages ​​(French, Latin, Greek), history, the foundations of philosophy and economics, rules of good manners, and the ability to dance:

“He could express himself and write in French perfectly, danced the mazurka easily and bowed at ease.”

“...a philosopher at eighteen years old...”

“He knew enough Latin to parse epigraphs, talk about Juvenal, put vale at the end of a letter, and he remembered, although not without sin, two verses from the Aeneid.”

“...he kept in his memory the anecdotes of days gone by from Romulus to the present day”

“...read Adam Smith and was a deep economist...”

Eugene does not like or understand poetry; on occasion, he can easily compose an epigram on the topic of the day:

“...He could not distinguish iambic from trochee, no matter how hard we fought. Scolded Homer, Theocritus..."

“...He had the lucky talent...to excite the smiles of ladies with the fire of unexpected epigrams.”

Onegin is distinguished by restlessness; in principle, he cannot do anything for a long time:

“... he was sick of persistent work...”

“...He has his hair cut in the latest fashion, like a London dandy is dressed...”

“...In his clothes there was a pedant, and what we called a dandy. He spent at least three hours in front of mirrors..."

All these qualities of a character become the key to a favorable attitude towards him in the light of:

“Onegin was, in the opinion of many... a learned fellow, but a pedant...”

“The world decided that he was smart and very nice”

A life full of entertainment quickly gets boring for the main character; for a while, Eugene’s only passion remains love adventures, but they gradually bore him:

“But what was his true genius, what he knew more firmly than all the sciences, what was for him from childhood and labor, and torment, and joy, what occupied his melancholy laziness all day - was the science of tender passion...”

“...Beauties were not the subject of his habitual thoughts for long, they managed to tire of betrayals...”

“...He no longer fell in love with beauties, but was somehow attracted ...”

“Similar to the English spleen, in short: the Russian melancholy took possession of him little by little...”

Despite the fact that society as a whole is boring to the main character, he takes into account its rules, which ultimately costs Lensky his life, because even realizing the meaninglessness and uselessness of the duel, Onegin cannot refuse it:

“...but wildly secular enmity is afraid of false shame...”

“...but the whispers, the laughter of fools... And here is public opinion! Spring of honor, our idol!

At the time of the story, the young man is last heir clan, the representatives of which include himself and his uncle:

“...Heir to all his relatives...”

Despite the fact that his father squandered his fortune, the material assets remaining in the family are apparently enough to provide the main character with a comfortable existence without the need to serve or lead a secular lifestyle:

“languishing in idle leisure, without service, without a wife, without business, I did not know how to do anything...”

“...three houses are calling for the evening...”

"...honorary citizen of the scenes..."

Onegin is quite calculating. Having learned about his uncle’s imminent death, Onegin does not feel sympathy for him, but is quite ready to pretend to be so in order to receive an inheritance:

“Having read the sad message, Evgeny immediately galloped headlong to the post office date and was already yawning in advance, preparing himself for the sake of money, for sighs, boredom and deception.”

His behavior in society becomes more and more distant and discourteous:

“...when he wanted to destroy his rivals, how he sarcastically slandered...”

“...to his caustic argument, and to his joke, with bile in half, and the anger of gloomy epigrams...”

“... he pouted and, indignant, vowed to enrage Lensky and take revenge in order...”

Gradually, society’s opinion about Onegin is transformed:

“...a cold and lazy soul...”

“...this gloomy eccentric...”

“...a sad and dangerous eccentric...”

“Our neighbor is ignorant; crazy; he's a pharmacist..."

“He doesn’t suit ladies’ arms...”

He perceives himself as gloomy and indifferent person, even trying to exaggerate when talking about himself:

“...always frowning, silent, angry and coldly jealous! That's how I am"

“...You will start crying: your tears will not touch my heart, but will only enrage it...”

“... No matter how much I love you, once I get used to it, I will immediately stop loving you...”

However, in this image there is a lot of ostentation and panache. Onegin knows how to understand people and appreciate them:

“...even though he knew people, of course, and generally despised them, but (there are no rules without exceptions) he distinguished others very much and respected the feelings of others...”

“... my Eugene, not respecting the heart in him, loved both the spirit of his judgments and his common sense about this and that”

“I would choose another if I were like you, a poet...”

Even his “rebuke” to young Tatyana is caused by his reluctance to cause her even greater suffering than the pain of rejection:

“...but he did not want to deceive the gullibility of an innocent soul...”

He tries to be delicate with her and tries to warn the girl against careless impulses in the future, although a share of panache and narcissism is still present in his words:

“Learn to control yourself; Not everyone will understand you like I do; inexperience leads to disaster..."

In fact, he is quite capable of experiencing compassion and tenderness:

“...her embarrassment and fatigue gave birth to pity in his soul”

“...the gaze of his eyes was wonderfully tender...”

In his relationship with Lensky, realizing that they are too different for true friendship, Onegin for the time being spares the poet’s feelings and does not try to ridicule his enthusiastic ideas about life:

“...He tried to keep the cooling word in his mouth...”

There is nobility and self-esteem in his character, and those around him recognize this:

“...I know: in your heart there is both pride and direct honor”

“How can your heart and mind be a petty slave to feelings?”

“...in that terrible hour you acted nobly...”

“...not for the first time here he showed the soul direct nobility...”

As the work progresses, it becomes obvious that Eugene knows how to love and suffer:

“...Eugene is in love with Tatiana like a child...”

“...Onegin is drying up - and almost suffering from consumption”

“... He drives up every day; he chases after her like a shadow..."

“...but he is stubborn, doesn’t want to fall behind, still hopes, works hard...”

Onegin can be truly strict with himself:

“...alone with my soul I was dissatisfied with myself...”

“...in a strict analysis, calling himself to a secret trial, he accused himself of many things...”

“In the anguish of heartfelt remorse...”

Able to admit his mistakes:

“...how I made a mistake, how I was punished”

Tatyana Larina

A girl from a noble family living in the province:

“...in the wilderness of a forgotten village...”

Poor family:

“...we don’t shine with anything...”

“...a simple, Russian family...”

“...oh, my father, I don’t have enough income...”

“Neither her sister’s beauty, nor the freshness of her ruddy complexion would have attracted the eye.”

As a child, she was very different from her peers in behavior:

“Wild, sad, silent, like a timid forest deer, she seemed like a stranger in her own family.”

“She didn’t know how to caress...”

“The child herself, she didn’t want to play and jump in a crowd of children...”

“But even in these years Tatyana did not pick up dolls...”

“And children’s pranks were alien to her...”

In her youth she is dreamy and thoughtful:

“Thoughtfulness, her friend... adorned her with dreams in her rural leisure time”

“...terrible stories in the winter in the dark of night captivated her heart more...”

“She liked novels early on...”

“She loved to warn the sunrise on the balcony...”

She acutely feels her difference:

“Imagine: I’m here alone, no one understands me...”

The girl is quite smart, although capricious:

“...Alive in mind and will...”

“...And a wayward head...”

Tatyana has very developed intuition, to the point that she has prophetic dreams:

“...suddenly Evgeniy grabs a long knife, and Lensky is instantly defeated...”

Romantic and enthusiastic, she fell in love with Onegin at first sight only because:

“It’s time, she fell in love”

“The soul was waiting for... someone”

Her letter to Eugene is written in French, in a very exalted tone, with pompous “bookish” turns:

“I know you were sent to me by God, you are my keeper until the grave...”

“It’s destined in the highest council... Then it’s the will of heaven: I’m yours...”

“Your wonderful gaze tormented me...”

“Who are you, my guardian angel, or an insidious tempter...”

In fact, she writes not to a living person, but to an invented image, and deep down in her soul she understands this:

“Perhaps this is all empty, a deception of an inexperienced soul!”

“But your honor guarantees me...”

However, one should pay tribute to her courage. She writes, despite the fact that she is endlessly scared:

“I’m frozen with shame and fear...”

Over time, it turns out that the love that Tatyana feels for Evgeniy is not an easy, quickly passing love:

“...Tatiana loves seriously...”

She not only cherishes unhappy love in her soul, but tries to understand Onegin’s character, comes to his abandoned village house, reads his books:

“Is it possible to see the manor’s house?”

“Then I started reading books”

“...their choice seemed strange to her”

“And little by little my Tatyana begins to understand... the one for whom she was condemned to sigh by the imperious fate”

They woo her, but all the suitors are refused:

“Buyanov wooed: refusal. Ivan Petushkov too. Hussar Pykhtin visited us..."

At the family council, it was decided to go to Moscow, to the “bride fair,” but Tatyana remains indifferent to social life there:

“...Tanya, just like in a dream, hears their speeches without sympathy...”

“...Tatyana looks and doesn’t see, she hates the excitement of the light; she feels stuffy here...

Not everyone thinks she herself is an attractive bride:

“...they find her somewhat strange, provincial and cutesy, and somehow pale and thin, but, by the way, very pretty...”

“A crowd of young men look at Tanya primly and speak unfavorably about her among themselves.”

The girl doesn’t strive for everyone’s attention at all, but she gets noticed:

“Some sad jester finds her ideal...”

“... somehow Vyazemsky sat down with her...”

“...the old man inquires about her, straightening his wig.”

“Meanwhile, some important general keeps his eyes on her.”

She gets married at the insistence of her family, without love, to a man she doesn’t like very much:

"Who? Is this general fat?”

Since her marriage, the social manners of the already reserved Tatyana acquire a shade of even friendliness towards everyone, which is impossible to look behind:

“...She was leisurely, not cold, not talkative...”

“... sweet with carefree charm...”

Not participating in any intrigues, not competing with anyone, Tatyana commands the respect of society, her husband is very proud of her:

“The ladies moved closer to her; the old women smiled at her; the men bowed lower..."

“...and the general who entered with her raised everyone’s nose and shoulders higher...”

In the time that has passed since her first meeting with Onegin, Tatyana has learned, on his advice, to control herself:

“And no matter what troubled her soul, no matter how much she was surprised, amazed, nothing changed her: the same tone was preserved in her, her bow was just as quiet.”

“...she sits calm and free”

Her true feelings will appear only in final scene when she, suffering, expresses her pain to Onegin, reproaching him for the past and pointing out to him the real motives of his current feelings for her:

“The princess is in front of him, alone, sitting, not dressed, pale, reading some letter and quietly shedding tears like a river.”

“Why do you have me in mind? Is it not because I must now appear in high society; that I am rich and noble?... Is it because my shame would now be noticed by everyone, and could bring you a tempting honor in society?”

Now she is showing nobility of character. Admitting that she continues to love Onegin, Tatiana reminds both him and herself that she must remain faithful to her husband:

“I love you (why lie?), but I am given to someone else; I will be faithful to him forever"

Vladimir Lensky

A young nobleman, 18 years old, attractive in appearance, rich:

“...Almost eighteen years old...”

“...Handsome, in full bloom...”

“...And shoulder-length black curls...”

“...rich, good-looking...”

Parents died:

“...and there, with the inscription of a sad father and mother, in tears, he honored the patriarchal ashes...”

Philosopher and poet:

“...an admirer of Kant and a poet...”

The nature is enthusiastic, even exalted, not fully formed:

“...and a mind still unsteady in judgment, and an eternally inspired gaze...”

“...freedom-loving dreams, an ardent and rather strange spirit, always an enthusiastic speech...”

He came from Germany straight to the village, because he does not accept the rules by which high society exists:

“...he brought the fruits of learning from foggy Germany...”

“...I hate your fashionable world, I prefer the home circle...”

Trusting and simple-minded:

“...he innocently exposed his trusting conscience...”

Believes in friendship and loyalty:

“...he believed that his friends were ready to accept his chains for honor...”

“...there are sacred friends chosen by the destinies of people...”

Rural society perceives him as an eligible bachelor:

“...Lensky was accepted everywhere as a groom...”

However, Vladimir was engaged to youngest daughter neighbors of the Larins, Olga, and at the time of the story he was in love with her and was going to marry her:

“And the children were destined for crowns by their friends and neighbors, their fathers...”

“...the admirer Olga has arrived...”

“Oh, he loved, as in our years people don’t love anymore...”

“...he believed that his dear soul should unite with him, that, languishing joylessly, she was waiting for him every day...”

“...in two weeks the happy date was appointed”

His love is platonic in nature:

“...he was a dear ignoramus at heart...”

“... in the confusion of tender shame, he only sometimes dares, encouraged by Olga’s smile, to play with his developed curl or kiss the hem of his clothes...”

“... and meanwhile, two, three pages... he skips, blushing...”

After the challenge to a duel, seeing Olga and realizing that she doesn’t even understand what happened, Lensky forgives her and no longer takes revenge on Onegin, but only wants to protect the bride from the corrupting influence:

“...I will be her savior. I will not tolerate the corrupter tempting a young heart with fire and sighs and praises...”

Olga Larina

Tatyana's younger sister:

“Are you really in love with the smaller one?”

Charming chubby, ruddy blonde with doll-like appearance:

"...full of innocent charm..."

“...flax curls...”

“...Eyes as blue as the sky...”

“She’s round and red in the face...”

“Oh, darling, how prettier Olga’s shoulders are, what a chest!”

According to Onegin, she is beautiful, but absolutely uninteresting:

“Olga has no life in her features. Exactly like Vandice's Madonna"

The younger Larina’s mind is not particularly developed; she is simple-minded, to the point of stupidity:

“...how the life of a poet is simple-minded...”

“Before this clarity of vision, before this tender simplicity, before this playful soul!”

Because of this, the girl cannot appreciate Lensky’s nature and his attitude towards her:

“Vladimir would have written odes, but Olga would not have read them”

Olga is the fiancée of Vladimir Lensky, willingly spends time with him and encourages his advances, but is unlikely to be capable of strong feelings, which she says quite directly

“In her chamber they sit in the dark, the two of them...”

“They are in the garden, hand in hand, walking in the morning…”

“...Encouraged by Olga’s smile...”

“He was loved... or so he thought...”

Vetrena, does not know how to behave in society, compromises both herself and her fiancé by flirting with another:

“...and the blush in her proud face glowed brighter”

“Coquette, flighty child!”

“She knows cunning, she’s already learned to change!”

Sincerely does not understand the problematic situation:

“Olenka jumped from the porch to meet the poor singer, like a windy hope, playful, carefree, cheerful, well, exactly the same as she was.”

“Why did you disappear so early tonight?” There was Olenka’s first question.”

In the farewell scene before the duel, Olga, looking into the face of Lensky, whose heart is breaking with melancholy, simply asks, “What’s the matter with you?” and having received the answer “Yes,” he releases him without further questions.

After the death of the groom in a duel, the girl quickly falls in love with another and marries him:

“She didn’t cry for long...”

Evgeny Onegin - a young nobleman and aristocrat, main character greatest novel in the verses of A.S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”, which was created by the Russian genius over the course of eight years. In this work, called outstanding literary critic XIX century V.G. Belinsky's "encyclopedia of Russian life", Pushkin reflected all his thoughts, feelings, concepts and ideals, his life, soul and love.

In the image of the main character, the author embodied the type of modern man of his era, who throughout the novel, like Pushkin, grows up, gets smarter, gains experience, loses and gains friends, makes mistakes, suffers and is mistaken, makes decisions that radically change his life. The very title of the novel shows the central place of the hero in the work and Pushkin’s special attitude towards him, and although he has no prototypes in real life, he is familiar with the author, has mutual friends with him and is really connected with real life of that time.

Characteristics of the main character

(Evgeniy and Tatiana, meeting in the garden)

The personality of Evgeny Onegin can be called quite complex, ambiguous and contradictory. His egoism, vanity and high demands both for the surrounding reality and for himself - on the one hand, a subtle and vulnerable mental organization, a rebellious spirit striving for freedom - on the other. The explosive mixture of these qualities makes him an extraordinary person and immediately attracts the attention of readers to his person. We meet the main character at the age of 26, he is described to us as a representative of the golden youth of St. Petersburg, indifferent and filled with anger and bilious irony, seeing no meaning in anything, tired of luxury, idleness and other earthly entertainments. To show the origins of his disappointment in life, Pushkin tells us about his origin, childhood and adolescence.

Onegin was born into an aristocratic, rich, but later bankrupt family, and received a rather superficial education, divorced from the realities of Russian life, but quite typical for that time, which allowed him to easily master French, dance the mazurka, bow naturally and have pleasant manners for going out.

Plunging into a carefree social life with its entertainment (visiting theaters, balls, restaurants), romance novels, with a complete lack of responsibilities and the need to earn a living, Onegin quickly becomes fed up and feels a real disgust for the empty and idle metropolitan tinsel. He falls into depression (or, as it was called then, “Russian blues”) and tries to distract himself by finding something to do. First, this is a literary attempt at writing, which ended in complete failure, then binge reading books, which quickly bored him, and finally escape and voluntary seclusion in the wilderness of the village. His pampered lordly upbringing, which did not instill in him a love of work and a lack of willpower, led to the fact that he could not bring a single task to its logical conclusion; he spent too much time in idleness and laziness, and such a life completely ruined him.

Arriving in the village, Onegin avoids the company of neighbors, lives alone and apart. At first, he even tries to make life easier for the peasants in some way, replacing corvee with “light quitrent,” but old habits take their toll and after carrying out one single reform, he becomes bored and despondent and gives up everything.

(Painting by I. E. Repin "Duel of Onegin with Lensky" 1899)

The real gifts of fate (which Onegin selfishly did not appreciate and carelessly discarded) were sincere friendship with Lensky, whom Evgeni killed in a duel, and the sublime, bright love of the beautiful girl Tatyana Larina (also rejected). Having become a hostage of public opinion, which he really despised so much, Onegin agrees to a duel with Lensky, who has become a truly congenial person to him, and mortally wounds him in a duel.

Selfishness, indifference, indifference to life and spiritual callousness did not allow him to appreciate the great gift of love offered by fate, and for the rest of his life he remains a lonely and restless seeker of the meaning of life. Having matured and wiser, he meets Tatiana again in St. Petersburg and falls madly in love with the luxurious and brilliant society lady she has become. But it’s too late to change anything, his love is rejected out of a sense of duty and Onegin is left with nothing.

The image of the hero in the work

(Painting by Yu. M. Ignatiev based on the novel "Eugene Onegin")

The image of Onegin in Russian literature opens up a whole galaxy of heroes, the so-called “ extra people"(Pechorin, Oblomov, Rudin, Laevsky), who are tormented by the reality around them, are in search of new moral and spiritual values. But are too weak-willed, lazy or selfish to take any real action that can change their lives in better side. The ending of the work is ambiguous, Onegin remains at a crossroads and can still find himself and commit actions and deeds that will benefit society.

It is difficult to find a writer in the world who would give so many of the greatest examples of creativity in various types living literary style, like A.S. Pushkin.

Among his main works is the novel Eugene Onegin. What is the value of this novel?

"Eugene Onegin" is one of the most complex and important works poet. It is made in an innovative genre - in the style of “novel in verse”.

The main character of the novel is Eugene Onegin. What is Onegin? A young man, a nobleman, whose birth coincided with the change of centuries: the eighteenth and nineteenth. Regular secular society, “deep economist”, philosopher, expert in the “science of tender passion”. He succeeded in everything in society. Educated, elegantly dressed, with proper haircut, an expert in Latin and dance, an admirer of Adam Smith. He knew how to bow casually and be on time everywhere - to the theatre, to the ballet, to receptions.

“What do you want more? The light has decided
That he is smart and very nice."

But very quickly Onegin became tired of the tinsel and glitter, the noise and bustle of the world. “The feelings in him have cooled down,” the betrayals are tired, “friends and friendship are tired.” And a disease familiar to many called “Russian blues” began to take hold of him.

The soul of Evgeny Onegin is not crippled by nature. She is spoiled by superficial things: the temptations of society, passions, inaction. Onegin is capable of good deeds: in his village he replaces corvée with “light quitrent.”

Onegin feels: the relationships that have developed in society are false. There is no spark of truth in them, they are thoroughly saturated with hypocrisy. Onegin is sad; and this eternal longing for something worthwhile, true.

By the will of fate, Onegin finds himself in the village, where he meets Tatyana Larina, a pensive, dreamy district young lady. She writes him a love letter - and here the selfishness and coldness of Onegin’s soul are fully manifested. He teaches her life, reads her an insensitive rebuke, rejects her love.

Chance brings Onegin together with his young neighbor Lensky. Lensky is a romantic, he is far from reality, his feelings are genuine and spontaneous. They are completely different from Onegin. A quarrel arises between them, followed by a duel and Onegin kills Lensky in this duel. And then, with even greater melancholy from repentance for this involuntary, unnecessary crime, he leaves to wander around Russia.

Onegin returns to St. Petersburg and meets Tatyana again. But what is it? What a dramatic change. At the sight of Onegin, her eyebrow did not even move. An indifferent princess, an unapproachable goddess.

What's happening to Onegin? “The concern of youth is love?..”

A tender feeling began to warm in his soul, previously cold and calculating. But now he is rejected. By sacrificing her love and Onegin's love, Tatiana may have shown the main character the path to moral and spiritual rebirth.

Eugene Onegin is a product of secular society, he observes the rules of decency, but at the same time, the light is alien to him. The secret here lies not in society, but in himself. In his inability to do business, to live with firm ideals and goals. He has no problems to solve, he does not find true meaning in anything.

Why does Pushkin put his hero, as the bearer of a lofty idea - the human personality, its freedom and rights, in such a strange position, why in the mind is this person a failed and insolvent hero? The explanation here can be twofold. According to the first version, Pushkin created his hero under the influence of Byron, and thus Onegin is an echo of those heroes, “anxious types”, imbued with skepticism and disappointment, which Western culture put forward at that time, and as such, being transplanted onto foreign soil , they turn out to be unsuccessful and insolvent here.

Another explanation may be that such “anxious types” could arise independently on Russian soil, thanks in part to the same Western culture on the one hand, and on the other hand, thanks to Russian life, which provided sufficient material for skepticism and disappointment.

Their inconsistency and unsuitability for Russian life was first recognized by Pushkin, and this consciousness penetrated into our social consciousness, as evidenced by all of our subsequent Russian literature. These “alarming types” continued to exist for a long time in our literature in the works of Lermontov, Griboyedov, Turgenev and other authors, with the same character of inconsistency and unsuitability for Russian life.

Conclusion

Pushkin brought into our public consciousness the high idea of ​​the human personality, its freedom and its rights, but at the same time he brought into our consciousness the fact that this high idea is in the hands of our progressive people, who have education and upbringing, and often for the most part, it breaks down due to their personal egoism, as a result of which it does not bring the expected results. Whereas among the mass of the Russian people the idea glimmers like a spark under a mass of ashes, and at any opportunity it is ready to ignite, moving the mass and each individual person to great feats.

The poem “Eugene Onegin” is a real encyclopedia of the life of a Russian person in the 19th century. The novel in verse was created during the years 1823-1831. It clearly shows the stylistic features of realism. The different segments of the Russian population of that time period are depicted very laconically and accurately. The initial chapters were written by a young poet, and in the final chapters one feels that the author is a man with great life experience. This novel traces the maturation of A. S. Pushkin as a creator.

History of creation

Over your brainchild great poet worked for more than seven years. The author considered the novel “Eugene Onegin” a magnificent creation. Along with “Boris Godunov” he called it a feat. This fascinating work reveals the dramatic fate of the noble intelligentsia. All this happens against the backdrop of pictures of Russian life.

Work on the essay began in May 1823 in Chisinau. At this time the poet was in exile. Pushkin decided to write a realistic novel in verse, abandoning romanticism as the leading creative principle.

But still, the first pages still have romantic traits. The original idea called for nine chapters. However, due to political issues, one chapter had to be removed - “Onegin’s Travels”. Some of its fragments are included in the appendix. Researchers of Alexander Sergeevich’s work point out that this chapter describes how Evgeny Onegin becomes an observer near the Odessa pier. This was followed by rather harsh judgments and remarks. Fearing possible persecution by the authorities, Pushkin destroyed this fragment.

Time period of the novel

The poem "Eugene Onegin" covers numerous events (from 1819 to 1825). Firstly, this was the time of the reign of Alexander the First. Secondly, these were the years of development of Russian society. Thirdly, the period from before the Decembrist uprising.

The time of action and creation of the novel practically coincides. Indeed, in general, it reflected the important events of the first quarter of the 19th century.

Similar to Lord Byron’s poem called “Don Juan,” A. S. Pushkin created his novel. “Eugene Onegin,” whose poems seem to be collected in motley chapters, is rightfully considered the best literary creation of the 19th century.

It is not for nothing that the novel is called the encyclopedia of its time. From the text you can learn about tastes and their preferences in clothing, fashion, and values. “Eugene Onegin” literally describes the entire Russian life.

Editions

The poem was published gradually, in separate editions, each of which included one chapter. The most striking excerpts were published in almanacs and magazines. Each chapter was awaited with great impatience; it was perceived as a great event in Russian literature. The very first chapter was published in 1825. Readers could purchase the complete edition in one volume since 1833. Shortly before Pushkin’s death (in January 1837), I. Glazunov’s printing house published the novel in mini-format.

It was planned to sell 5,000 copies within a year (five rubles per book). However, after the death of the poet, the entire circulation was sold out within a week.

In 1988, a circulation of 15,000 copies was published (Kniga publishing house).

Plot

The poem opens with the lamentations of a young nobleman about the illness of his uncle. Already here the character of Eugene Onegin is revealed. He has to come to St. Petersburg to say goodbye to the patient. The first chapter tells about the origin, family and life of the main character before receiving the sad news.

Social entertainment and love affairs filled the life of a young man in St. Petersburg. But he gets tired of all this. When Evgeniy visits his uncle in the village, he finds out that his relative has already died. The young man becomes his only heir.

Evgeny Onegin falls into deep depression (analysis of his image is in a separate section). He begins to make friends with his neighbor Lensky, who is the complete opposite of Onegin. Vladimir is an ardent and passionate romantic poet who is in love with Olga Larina. Evgeniy is quite surprised by his friend’s choice, hinting that he would choose Tatiana. The latter falls in love with Onegin and writes him a frank letter with declarations of love. However, the cold nobleman rejects her.

Onegin finds himself at dinner with the Larins. Out of boredom, he begins to court Olga, making his friend jealous. Lensky challenges him to a duel. The duel ends with the death of Vladimir, and Evgeniy leaves the village.

The next meeting with Tatyana, who fell in love with him, happens three years later. Now she is an important socialite, the wife of a general. Onegin falls in love with her, but attempts to woo the girl end in failure. Now she refuses him, although she does not hide the fact that she still loves him. But loyalty and family are more important to her than feelings.

At this point the story is interrupted. The description of the novel “Eugene Onegin” continues with a description of the main characters.

Characters

• Onegin.
• Tatyana Larina.
• Vladimir Lensky.
• Olga Larina.
• Tatiana's nanny.
• Zaretsky (second).
• Husband of Tatyana Larina, whose name is not indicated.
• Author (Pushkin himself).

Dmitry and Praskovya Larins (father and mother), uncle Evgenia, Moscow cousin of the Larins, etc. are mentioned.

"Eugene Onegin". Analysis of Tatiana's letter

A young provincial girl, in a letter to Onegin, confesses the feelings that have flared up in her. In the 19th century, it was not customary for young ladies to be the first to declare their love. However, Tatyana consciously oversteps moral prohibitions. Her pride suffers from this, she torments herself with doubts, and is overcome by conflicting feelings. Despite all this, the girl acts decisively. The letter reveals her subtle and romantic nature. It is not at all surprising that Tatyana experiences such passionate feelings. The girl loved since childhood French novels. She always dreamed of finding her hero so that she could throw out her emotions. The choice of Onegin did not fall by chance. He seemed special to her, completely different from the other residents of the village. He was mysterious and enigmatic to her. This is exactly the hero Tatyana dreamed about. She believed that Evgeny would certainly understand and love her. She is very worried about the lines written and is ashamed of them. The nanny who suddenly enters notices the blush on the girl’s face, but considers this a sign of health. Tatyana gives the letter and awaits the result in fear.

Characteristics of the main character

The image of Evgeny Onegin is very complex and contradictory. This is a young landowner who did not receive due attention and proper upbringing as a child. He grew up without a mother, deprived of the necessary affection and warmth. The father had nothing to do with his son. He entrusted it to the tutors. Therefore, Onegin became a selfish person. He cared only about his own desires, and the suffering of other people was absolutely uninteresting. The image of Eugene Onegin amazes with its composure. It can touch almost anyone's nerves. Evgeny is capable of greatly offending, without noticing that he has committed a bad act. Unfortunately, everything good and beautiful that was hidden deep in his soul remained undeveloped. Evgeny's whole life is sheer laziness and boredom. Saturated with monotonous pleasures, he sees nothing joyful in life.

Fictional hero

The image of Evgeny Onegin was not invented. This is a typical young man of that time. Such youths are different from the representatives of the ruling class. They are nobler, more conscientious and smarter. Such as themselves, the social structure and personal environment. Onegin has high views and demands on life. Having met Lensky, who graduated from the best university in Germany, he can argue with him on any topic. He values ​​his friendship with Vladimir very much. In his attitude towards Tatyana and Lensky, such a trait of his as goodwill is revealed.

By the end of the novel, the image of Eugene Onegin is transformed. We already see a sincere person in love. He's different. But his love was late. Although Tatyana has feelings, she is not ready to betray her husband. Now Evgeniy understands how stupid he was before. He regrets that he missed such a girl and possible happiness. But awareness comes too late, nothing can be changed.

The poem by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is one of the best creations of the 19th century. The poet worked on his brainchild for seven years. The work can be called a socio-psychological novel in poetic form. It is written in simple and easy language. The author pays a lot of attention to depicting the characters and emotional experiences of his characters: Onegin, Lensky, Tatyana, Olga, the girls’ mother, nanny and others.