Eternal themes in Kuprin’s work. Main themes and ideas of prose A
Composition
The theme of love is an eternal theme not only in literature, but also in art in general. Each artist brings something of his own to it: his own understanding of this feeling, his attitude towards it. Writers Silver Age interpreted in their own way love relationship. We can say that they have developed their own philosophy of love.
Bunin and Kuprin are among the most outstanding writers of that time, who went far beyond the Silver Age. Most of their work is devoted to the theme of love. Each of these artists created their own original works. It is impossible to confuse them. But the general meaning of the works of both Bunin and Kuprin can be conveyed by a rhetorical question: “Can love be private?”
Indeed, in Bunin’s “Dark Alleys” there is probably not a single story dedicated to happy love. One way or another, this feeling is short-lived and ends dramatically, if not tragically. But the writer claims that, in spite of everything, love is beautiful. It, albeit for a short moment, illuminates a person’s life and gives him meaning for his further existence. For example, in the story " Cold autumn“The heroine, having lived a long and very difficult life, sums it up: “But, remembering everything that I have experienced since then, I always ask myself: yes, what happened in my life? And I answer myself: only that cold autumn evening.” Only that cold autumn evening when the heroine said goodbye to her fiancé, who was leaving for war. It was so bright and, at the same time, sad and heavy in her soul.
Only at the end of the evening did the heroes talk about the worst thing: what if their beloved does not return from the war? What if they kill him? The heroine doesn’t want and can’t even think about it: “I thought: “What if they really kill me? and will I really forget him at some point - after all, everything is forgotten in the end? And she quickly answered, frightened by her thought: “Don’t say that! I will not survive your death!
The heroine's fiance was actually killed. And the girl survived his death. She even got married and gave birth to a child. After the revolution of 1917, she had to wander around Russia and other countries. But, at the end of her years, thinking about her life, the heroine comes to the conclusion that there was only one love in her life. Moreover, in her life there was only one autumn night, which illuminated the woman’s entire life. This is her meaning in life, her support and support.
The heroes of the stories “Caucasus” and “Clean Monday” do not talk about their lives, do not comprehend it. But in their lives, love-flash, love-rock played a huge role. You can say, it seems to me that she turned the existence of the heroes upside down, changed their way of life and thoughts.
In "Clean Monday" the hero loves his mysterious beloved with passionate love. He wants to receive the same from her in return. But it’s as if his lady love just can’t be happy. Something is gnawing at her and won’t let go. Some kind of sadness does not allow the heroine to be happy. “Happiness, happiness... “Our happiness, my friend, is like water in delirium: if you pull it, it’s inflated, but if you pull it out, there’s nothing,” she says.
Only on the last night before clean monday the heroine completely surrenders to the hero: both physically and spiritually. But after that she announces that she is returning to her home, in Tver. And, probably, he will go to a monastery.
The hero's heart was torn to pieces with grief. He loved this girl with all his soul. But, despite all the suffering, his love for her is a bright spot in life, albeit with an admixture of something bitter, incomprehensible, mysterious.
Love in the story “Caucasus” generally ends tragically. Because of her, a man, the husband of the narrator’s beloved, dies. The feeling of love, according to Bunin, brings a lot of bitterness. It cannot be durable. Love is a flash that quickly passes and carries with it not only creative, but also destructive force. Love, according to the writer, is always associated with fate, mystery, mystery. But, nevertheless, this is the highest happiness that can only exist in a person’s life.
A. I. Kuprin fully supports this idea in his work. In the story " Garnet bracelet“He depicts a sacrificial and unrequited feeling that has completely taken possession of the hero. This seemingly unremarkable man, a minor official, had a huge gift. Zheltkov knew how to love. Moreover, he subordinated his entire life, his entire being, to this feeling. Therefore, when he was asked to no longer pay attention to his beloved Vera Nikolaevna, the hero simply passes away. He has no reason to live without the princess. In his last letter, he wrote: “It is not my fault, Vera Nikolaevna, that God was pleased to send me, as great happiness, love for you. It so happened that I am not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people - for me, my whole life lies only in you.”
Zheltkov realizes this and thanks God for the feeling he experiences. The hero does not need anything in return, just write letters to his beloved and give her the most precious thing - a piece of his huge soul.
This hero, it seems to me, could exclaim: “Can love be unhappy?” Reading the works of Bunin and Kuprin, we begin to think about this. And we also begin, it seems to me, to appreciate this feeling more, regardless of its reciprocity.
Every person has experienced love at least once in his life - be it love for his mother or father, a man or a woman, his child or a friend. Thanks to this all-consuming feeling, people become kinder and more soulful. The theme of love is touched upon in the works of many great writers and poets; it is this theme that inspired them to create their immortal works.
The great Russian writer A.I. Kuprin wrote a number of works in which he sang pure, ideal, sublime love. Under the pen of A.I. Kuprin
Such wonderful works were born as the stories The Pomegranate Bracelet, Shulamith, Olesya, The Duel and many others, which are dedicated to this bright feeling. In these works, the writer showed love of different characters and different people, but its essence is unchanged - it is limitless.
The story “Olesya”, written by A.I. Kuprin in 1898, shows the all-consuming love of Olesya, a girl from a remote Polesie village, for the master Ivan Timofeevich. While hunting, Ivan Timofeevich meets Olesya, the granddaughter of the witch Manuilikha. The girl fascinates him with her beauty, delights him with pride and self-confidence. And Ivan Timofeevich attracts Olesya with his kindness and intelligence. The main characters fall in love with each other, completely surrendering to their feelings.
Olesya in love shows her best qualities - sensitivity, delicacy, observation, innate intelligence and subconscious knowledge of life's secrets. For the sake of her love, she is ready to do anything. But this feeling made Olesya defenseless, leading her to death. In comparison with Olesya’s love, Ivan Timofeevich’s feeling for her is more like a fleeting attraction.
Offering a girl his hand and heart, main character implies that Olesya, who cannot live away from nature, will move to the city with him. Vanya doesn't even think about giving up civilization for Olesya's sake. He turned out to be weak, resigned himself to the current circumstances and did not take any action to be with his beloved.
In the story “The Garnet Bracelet,” love is presented as an unrequited, disinterested, romantic feeling experienced by the main character Zheltkov, a minor employee, for Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina.
The meaning of Zheltkov’s life became his letters to his beloved woman, full of pure, selfless love. The princess's husband, fair and a kind person, treats Zheltkov with sympathy and, discarding all prejudices, shows respect for his feelings. However, Zheltkov, realizing the impossibility of his dream and having lost all hope of reciprocity, commits suicide.
Moreover, even in the last minutes of his life, he thinks only about his beloved. And only after the death of the main character does Vera Nikolaevna come to the realization that “the love that every woman dreams of has passed her by.” This work is deeply tragic and speaks of how important it is to understand the love of another person in time and reciprocate.
In his works, A.I. Kuprin demonstrated love as a sincere, devoted and selfless feeling. This feeling is the dream of every person, for which one can sacrifice everything. This is eternal, all-conquering love that will make people happy and kind, and the world around us beautiful.
The theme of love in the works of Bunin and Kuprin, two Russian writers dating back to the first half of the 20th century, is common in their works. The heroes of their stories and stories are characterized by extraordinary sincerity and strength of feeling. It subjugates all human thoughts. However, the theme of love in the works of Bunin and Kuprin is almost always revealed tragically. The main characters are invariably doomed to suffer. In order to preserve their feeling, they should part forever. We see such an ending in all the stories of Ivan Alekseevich. Subject tragic love c is disclosed in great detail.
Love in the works of Bunin
The heroes of his works live in anticipation of love. They strive to find it and often die, burned by it. This feeling in his works is selfless, selfless. It requires no reward. About such love you can say: “Strong as death.” It will be a joy, not a misfortune, for her to go to the torment.
For Bunin, love does not last long - in marriage, in family, in everyday life. This is a dazzling short flash that illuminates to the very depths of the hearts and souls of lovers. A tragic ending, death, oblivion, suicide is inevitable.
Ivan Alekseevich created a whole series of stories dedicated to describing the various shades of this feeling. You probably won’t find a single work in it with a happy ending. The feeling described by the author, one way or another, is short-lived and ends, if not tragically, then at least dramatically. One of the most famous stories in this series is " Sunstroke".
In it, the heroine goes to a monastery, and the hero suffers from longing for her. He loved this girl with all his soul. However, in spite of everything, his feeling for her remains a bright spot in his life, albeit with an admixture of something mysterious, incomprehensible, bitter.
The love of the heroes of the works "Olesya" and "Garnet Bracelet"
The theme of love is the main theme in Kuprin's work. Alexander Ivanovich created many works dedicated to this feeling. In the story “Olesya” by Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin, the heroine fell in love with a “kind, but only weak” person. The theme of tragic love in Kuprin’s work is also revealed in his other work, “The Garnet Bracelet.”
The author tells the story of a certain poor employee Zheltkov, describing his feelings for the wealthy married princess Vera Nikolaevna. For him, the only way out is suicide. Before committing it, he says, like a prayer, the words: “Hallowed be thy name.” In Kuprin's works, the heroes may seem unhappy. However, this is only partly true. They are happy simply because they once had love in their lives, and this is the most wonderful feeling. Thus, the theme of tragic love in Kuprin’s work has a life-affirming connotation. Olesya from the story of the same name regrets only that she does not have a child left from her beloved. Zheltkov dies while pronouncing a blessing on his beloved woman. These are romantic and beautiful stories love that is so rare in real life...
The heroes of Kuprin's works are dreamy individuals endowed with a passionate imagination. However, they are also laconic and impractical. These traits are fully revealed after they pass the test of love.
So, for example, Zheltkov did not talk about love for Vera, thereby dooming himself to torment and suffering. However, he could not hide his feeling, so he wrote letters to her. Zheltkov from the story “The Garnet Bracelet” experienced an unrequited, sacrificial feeling that completely took possession of him. It would seem that this is a minor official, an unremarkable person. However, he had a truly enormous gift - he knew how to love. He subordinated his entire being, his entire soul to this feeling. When her husband asked him not to bother her with his letters anymore, Zheltkov decided to die. He simply could not imagine existing without the princess.
Description of nature, contrast between love and life
For Kuprin, the description of nature plays a very important role. It is the background against which events take place. In particular, the love that broke out between Ivan Timofeevich and Olesya is presented against the backdrop of a spring forest. The theme of love in the works of Bunin and Kuprin is characterized by the fact that in the works of these authors, high feelings are powerless before ambition, calculation and the cruelty of life. After a collision with everyday life, it disappears. Instead, all that remains is a feeling of satiety.
Love passes by
In the works of these authors, everyday life and love, everyday life and this high feeling cannot be combined. However, it also happens that people, without noticing their happiness, pass by it. And from this side the theme is revealed. For example, the heroine of “The Pomegranate Bracelet,” Princess Vera, late notices Zheltkov’s feelings for her, but at the end of the work she learns what all-consuming, selfless love means. For a brief moment it illuminated her life.
Human imperfection and life-affirming moments
There is probably something in man himself that prevents us all from noticing goodness and beauty. This is selfishness, which is often expressed in the desire to be happy at any cost, even if the other person suffers from it. In the works of Kuprin and Bunin we find all these reflections. However, despite the drama present in them, one can also see something life-affirming in the stories and stories. A high feeling helps the characters of Kuprin and Bunin to go beyond the circle of vulgarity and everyday life that surrounds them. And it doesn’t matter that it’s only for a moment, that the price of this moment is often a whole life.
Finally
So, we have answered the question of how the topic is revealed. In conclusion, we note that the stories and stories of these authors teach us the ability to discern a real feeling, to be able not to miss it and not to hide it, because one day it may be too late. Both Bunin and Kuprin believe that love is given to a person in order to illuminate his life, to open his eyes.
It can be noted that both authors, in works dedicated to this feeling, most often resort to the technique of contrast. In their stories and stories they contrast two lovers. These are different people both morally and spiritually. In addition, they often have a big difference in social status.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF THE MOSCOW REGION
State educational institution of higher education vocational education
MOSCOW STATE REGIONAL UNIVERSITY
(MGOU)
Historical and Philological Institute
Faculty of Russian Philology
Department of Russian LiteratureXX century
The theme of love in the works of A.I. Kuprina
Completed by the student:
42 groups of 4 courses
facultyRussian philology
"Domestic Philology"
full-time education
Aprilskaya Maria Sergeevna.
Scientific adviser:
Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor
Moscow
2015
Content
Introduction…………………………………………………………….……..………3
1. Features of the expression of love feelings in the story by A.I. Kuprin “Olesya”…………………………………………………………………………………...………..5
2. Manifestation of the greatest human feeling in the work of A. I. Kuprin “Shulamith”……………………………………………………………..8
3. The concept of love in the story by A.I. Kuprin “Garnet Bracelet”……….12
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….…18
List of references………………………………………………………..….20
Introduction
The theme of love is called eternal theme. Over the centuries, many writers and poets have dedicated their works to this great feeling of love, and each of them found something unique and individual in this topic.
The 20th century gave us A.I. Kuprin, a writer in whose work the theme of love occupied one of the most important places. Most of Kuprin's stories are a hymn to pure, sublime love and its transformative power.
Kuprin - idealist, dreamer, romantic, singer sublime feeling. He found special, exceptional conditions that allowed him to create romanticized images of women and their ideal love in his works.
The writer keenly felt the need for “heroic plots”, for selfless, self-critical heroes. Kuprin writes about the love that illuminates human life in the stories “Olesya” (1898), “Shulamith” (1908), “Garnet Bracelet” (1911), etc.
In his surroundings, Kuprin saw a sad waste of beauty and strength, a crushing of feelings, and delusion of thought. The writer's ideal went back to the victory of the strength of the spirit over the strength of the body and "love faithful to death." For A.I. Kuprin, love is the most consistent form of affirmation and identification of the personal principle in a person.
Many works have been devoted to the study of the work of A. I. Kuprin. At one time they wrote about Kuprin: L.V. Krutikova “A.I. Kuprin", V.I. Kuleshova " Creative path A.I. Kuprina", L.A. Smirnova “Kuprin” and others.
Kuprin writes about the love that illuminates human life in the stories “Olesya” (1898), “Shulamith” (1908), “Garnet Bracelet” (1911).
Kuprin's books do not leave anyone indifferent; on the contrary, they always attract. Young people can learn a lot from this writer: humanism, kindness, spiritual wisdom, the ability to love, to appreciate love.
Kuprin's stories were an inspired hymn to the glory of true love, which is stronger than death, which makes people beautiful, no matter who these people are.
Relevance The topic is determined by the desire to study the concept of love in the works of A.I. Kuprina.
Theoretical basis in the presented work there were works by Nikulin L. “Kuprin ( literary portrait)", Krutikova L.V. “A.I. Kuprin", Kuleshova V.I. “The creative path of A.I. Kuprin."
An object course work: creativity of A. Kuprin
Subject was a study of the concept of love in the works “Garnet Bracelet”, “Olesya”, “Shulamith”.
Target of this work - to study the concept of love in the works of A.I. Kuprina
Tasks of this study:
1. Clarify the concept of love in A. I. Kuprin’s story “The Garnet Bracelet”
2. Explore the manifestation of the greatest human feeling in the work of A. I. Kuprin “Shulamith”
3. Determine the peculiarity of the expression of love feelings in the story by A.I. Kuprin "Olesya"
Practical significance the work lies in the possibility of its use in literature lessons dedicated to the work of Kuprin, in electives, extracurricular activities, when preparing reports and abstracts.
1. Features of the expression of love feelings in the story by A.I. Kuprin "Olesya"
“Olesya” is one of the author’s first major works and, in his own words, one of his most beloved. “Olesya” and the later story “River of Life” (1906) Kuprin considered his the best works. “Here is life, freshness,” the writer said, “the struggle with the old, outdated, impulses for the new, the better.”
“Olesya” is one of Kuprin’s most inspired stories about love, man and life. Here the world of intimate feelings and the beauty of nature are combined with everyday pictures of the rural outback, the romance of true love - with cruel morals Perebrod peasants.
The writer introduces us to the atmosphere of harsh village life with poverty, ignorance, bribes, savagery, and drunkenness. The artist contrasts this world of evil and ignorance with another world - one of true harmony and beauty, depicted just as realistically and fully. Moreover, it is the bright atmosphere of great true love that inspires the story, infecting with impulses “toward a new, better.” “Love is the brightest and most understandable reproduction of my Self. It is not in strength, not in dexterity, not in intelligence, not in talent... individuality is not expressed in creativity. But in love,” - so, clearly exaggerating, Kuprin wrote to his friend F. Batyushkov.
The writer was right about one thing: in love the whole person, his character, worldview, and structure of feelings are revealed. In the books of great Russian writers, love is inseparable from the rhythm of the era, from the breath of time. Starting with Pushkin, artists tested the character of their contemporary not only through social and political actions, but also through the sphere of his personal feelings. A true hero became not only a person - a fighter, activist, thinker, but also a person of great feelings, capable of deeply experiencing, loving with inspiration. Kuprin in “Oles” continues the humanistic line of Russian literature. He tests the modern man - the intellectual of the end of the century - from the inside, with the utmost measure.
The story is built on a comparison of two heroes, two natures, two world relations. On the one hand, Ivan Timofeevich is an educated intellectual, a representative of urban culture, and quite humane; on the other hand, Olesya is a “child of nature,” a person who has not been influenced by urban civilization. The balance of natures speaks for itself. Compared to Ivan Timofeevich, a man of a kind but weak, “lazy” heart, Olesya rises with nobility, integrity, and proud confidence in her strength.
If in his relationships with Yarmola and the village people Ivan Timofeevich looks brave, humane and noble, then in his interactions with Olesya the negative sides of his personality also appear. His feelings turn out to be timid, the movements of his soul are constrained and inconsistent. “Tearful expectation”, “subtle apprehension”, the hero’s indecision highlight the wealth of soul, courage and freedom of Olesya.
Freely, without any special tricks, Kuprin draws the appearance of the Polesie beauty, forcing us to follow the richness of her shades spiritual world, always original, sincere and deep. There are few books in Russian and world literature where such an earthly and poetic image of a girl living in harmony with nature and her feelings would appear. Olesya is Kuprin’s artistic discovery.
A true artistic instinct helped the writer reveal the beauty of the human personality, generously endowed by nature. Naivety and authority, femininity and proud independence, “flexible, agile mind”, “primitive and vivid imagination”, touching courage, delicacy and innate tact, involvement in the innermost secrets of nature and spiritual generosity - these qualities are highlighted by the writer, drawing the charming appearance of Olesya, an integral, original, free nature, which flashed as a rare gem in the surrounding darkness and ignorance.
In the story, for the first time, Kuprin’s cherished thought is so fully expressed: a person can be beautiful if he develops, and not destroys, the physical, spiritual and intellectual abilities given to him by nature.
Subsequently, Kuprin will say that only with the triumph of freedom will a person in love be happy. In “Oles” the writer revealed this possible happiness of free, unfettered and unclouded love. In fact, the flowering of love and human personality constitutes the poetic core of the story.
With an amazing sense of tact, Kuprin makes us relive the anxious period of the birth of love, “full of vague, painfully sad sensations,” and its happiest seconds of “pure, complete, all-consuming delight,” and long joyful meetings of lovers in a dense pine forest. The world of spring, jubilant nature - mysterious and beautiful - merges in the story with an equally beautiful outpouring of human feelings.
The bright, fairy-tale atmosphere of the story does not fade even after the tragic ending. Over everything insignificant, petty and evil, true, great earthly love triumphs, which is remembered without bitterness - “easily and joyfully.” The final touch of the story is typical: a string of red beads on the corner of the window frame among the dirty disorder of a hastily abandoned “hut on chicken legs.” This detail gives compositional and semantic completeness to the work. A string of red beads is the last tribute to Olesya’s generous heart, the memory of “her tender, generous love.”
The story is told from the perspective of the hero. He did not forget Olesya, love illuminated life, made it rich, bright, sensual. With her loss comes wisdom.
2. Manifestation of the greatest human feeling in the work of A. I. Kuprin “Shulamith”
The theme of mutual and happy love is touched upon by A.I. Kuprin in the story “Shulamith”. The love of King Solomon and the poor girl Shulamith from the vineyard is strong as death, and those who love themselves are higher than kings and queens.
It is impossible to understand the romantic concept of love in the writer’s work without reading the legend “Shulamith”. Appeal to this work makes it possible to show the originality of the historical and literary process at the turn of the century.
In the fall of 1906, Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin wrote one of his most beautiful stories, “Shulamith,” inspired by the immortal biblical “Song of Songs.”
The source of Kuprin's legend was the Bible. The plot of the legend - the love story of Solomon and Shulamith - is based on the Old Testament Song of Solomon.
The biblical “Song of Songs” seems to have no plot. These are exclamations of love, these are enthusiastic descriptions of nature and praise of the groom, the bride, or the choir that echoes them. From these scattered hymns, “Songs,” Kuprin builds a story about the great love of King Solomon and a girl named Shulamith. She burns with love for the young and beautiful King Solomon, but jealousy destroys her, intrigue destroys her, and in the end she dies; It is precisely this death that the lines of the biblical poem “Song of Songs” speak of: “Strong as death is love.” These are powerful, timeless words.
The legend alternates chapters in which the actions of King Solomon, his thoughts and preaching, and the love relationship of Shulamith and Solomon are recreated and described.
The theme of love in this work connects temporal specificity and eternity. On the one hand, these are the seven days and nights of love between Solomon and Shulamith, which contained all the stages of the development of feelings and the tragic ending of love. On the other hand, “tender and fiery, devoted and beautiful love, which alone is dearer than wealth, glory and wisdom, which is dearer than life itself, because it does not even value life and is not afraid of death” is what gives life to humanity, then , what is not subject to time, what connects an individual person with eternal life humanity.
The organization of artistic time in Kuprin’s legend helps the reader to perceive the love that once happened between two people as an extraordinary event, imprinted in the memory of generations.
The symbolism and emblem of color (paints) and flowers are consistent with the general content of the legend, its pathos, with the model of the world created in it, with the emotional structure of the images of the heroes, with the author’s orientation towards the Old Testament and ancient Eastern traditions.
Descriptions of the love of Solomon and Shulamith are also accompanied by a certain color scheme. Red is a permanent color - the color of love. The color silver in this context is important because it means purity, innocence, purity, joy. A symbol of warmth, life, light, activity and energy is the image of fire, which appears in portrait sketches of Shulamith with her “fiery curls” and “red hair.” Not by chance, of course green color in landscapes and in the statements of heroes: green color symbolizes freedom, joy, jubilation, hope, health. And, of course, white, blue and pink colors evoke very specific associations in the reader and are filled with metaphorical meanings: the love of the heroes is tender and beautiful, pure and sublime.
The flowers mentioned in the legendary narrative also have symbolism that helps the author reveal the meaning of the legend. Lily is a symbol of purity and innocence (note that the metaphor of the lily was cultivated in the art of romanticism). Narcissus is a symbol of youthful death, in addition, Narcissus is an ancient plant deity of dying and resurrecting nature: in the myth of the abduction of Persephone, the narcissus flower is mentioned. Grapes are a symbol of fertility, abundance, vitality and cheerfulness.
The key words that help reveal this meaning of the legend are the words cheerfulness and joy: “heartfelt joy”, “cheerfulness of the heart”, “light and joyful”, “joy”, “happiness”, “joyful fear”, “moan of happiness” ,
“he exclaimed joyfully,” “joy of the heart,” “great joy illuminated his face like a golden sunshine,” “joyful children’s laughter,” “his eyes shine with happiness,” “joy,” “my heart grows with joy,” “ delight”, “There has never been and never will be a woman happier than me.”
The strength of the heroes’ love, the brightness and spontaneity of its manifestations described in the legend, the glorification of feelings and the idealization of heroes determined the writer’s choice of artistically expressive, emotionally charged figurative and stylistic images. At the same time, they are universal, since they are correlated with the eternal theme of love and have mythological origins or are part of the circle of traditional literary images. It should be noted that the Kuprin legend is practically indecomposable into “planes” of the narrative: real and allegorical, for example. Every detail, every word, every image is symbolic, allegorical, conventional. Together they form an image - a symbol of love, indicated by the name of the legend - "Shulamith".
Before her death, Shulamith says to her lover: “I thank you, my king, for everything: for your wisdom, to which you allowed me to cling to with my lips... like a sweet source... There has never been and will never be a woman happier than me.” The main idea of this work: love is as strong as death, and it alone, eternal, protects humanity from the moral degeneration that threatens it modern society. In the story “Shulamith” the writer showed a pure and tender feeling: “The love of a poor girl from a vineyard and a great king will never pass or be forgotten, because love is strong as death, because every woman who loves is a queen, because love is beautiful!"
Art world, created by the writer in legend, seeming so ancient and conventional, is in fact very modern and deeply individual.
According to the content of “Shulamith”: high happiness and tragedy true love. By types of heroes: a sage-lover of life and a pure girl. According to the most important source: the most “romantic” part of the Bible is the “Song of Songs”. In terms of composition and plot: “epic distance” and approaching modernity... According to the author’s pathos: admiration of the world and man, perception of a true miracle - a person in his best and sublime feelings.
"Sulamith" by Kuprin continues the literary and aesthetic tradition associated with the names of Turgenev ("Song of Triumphant Love"), Mamin-Sibiryak ("Tears of the Queen", "Maya"), M. Gorky ("The Girl and Death", "Khan and His son", "Wallachian Tale"), that is, the names of writers who, in the genre of literary legend, expressed - within the limits of realism - a romantic worldview.
At the same time, Kuprin's "Shulamith" is the writer's aesthetic and emotional response to his era, marked by a feeling of transition, renewal, movement towards something new, a search for positive principles in life, a dream of realizing the ideal in reality. It is no coincidence that D. Merezhkovsky saw a revival of romanticism in the art and literature of this time. "Sulamith" by A.I. Kuprin is a bright romantic legend.
3. The concept of love in the story by A.I. Kuprin “Garnet Bracelet”
The story “The Garnet Bracelet,” written in 1907, tells us about genuine, strong, but unrequited love. It is worth noting that this work is based on real events from the family chronicles of the princes Tugan-Baranovsky. This story has become one of the most famous and profound works about love in Russian literature.
According to many researchers, “everything in this story is masterfully written, starting with its title. The title itself is surprisingly poetic and sonorous.
It sounds like a line of a poem written in iambic trimeter."
One of the most painful stories about love, the saddest is “The Garnet Bracelet”. The most surprising thing in this work can be considered the epigraph: “L. von Bethovn. Son (op. 2 no. 2). Largo Appassionato.” Here the sadness and delight of love are combined with the music of Beethoven. And how successfully the refrain was found: “Hallowed be thy name!”
Critics have repeatedly pointed out that “the “motifs” characteristic of the “Garnet Bracelet” gradually sprouted in previous work.
We find a prototype not so much of Zheltkov’s character as of his fate in the story “The First Person You Come Along” (1897), that love to the point of self-abasement and even self-destruction, the willingness to die in the name of the woman you love - this theme was touched by an uncertain hand in the story “A Strange Case” (1895 ), blossoms into the exciting, masterfully rendered “Garnet Bracelet”.
Kuprin worked on the “Garnet Bracelet” with great passion and genuine creative enthusiasm.
According to Afanasyev V.N., “It was not by chance that Kuprin ended his story with a tragic ending; he needed such an ending in order to further highlight the power of Zheltkov’s love for a woman almost unknown to him - a love that happens “once every few hundred years.”
Before us are typical representatives of the aristocracy of the early 20th century, the Shein family. Vera Nikolaevna Sheina is a beautiful society lady, moderately happy in her marriage, lives a calm, dignified life. Her husband, Prince Shein, is a worthy man, Vera respects him.
The first pages of the story are devoted to a description of nature. As Shtilman S. accurately remarked, “Kuprin’s landscape is full of sounds, colors and, especially, smells... Kuprin’s landscape is highly emotional and unlike anyone else’s.”
It’s as if all events take place against their miraculous light background, a wonderful fairy tale of love comes true. Coldish autumn landscape fading nature is similar in essence to the mood of Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. Nothing attracts her in this life, perhaps that is why the brightness of her being is enslaved by everyday life and dullness. Even during a conversation with her sister Anna, in which the latter admires the beauty of the sea, she replies that at first this beauty also excites her, and then “begins to crush her with its flat emptiness...”. Vera could not be imbued with a sense of beauty in the world around her. She was not a natural romantic. And, having seen something out of the ordinary, some peculiarity, I tried (even if involuntarily) to bring it down to earth, to compare it with the world around me. Her life flowed slowly, measuredly, quietly, and, it would seem, satisfied life principles, without going beyond their scope. Vera married a prince, yes, but the same exemplary, quiet person as she herself was.
The poor official Zheltkov, having once met Princess Vera Nikolaevna, fell in love with her with all his heart. This love leaves no room for other interests of the lover.
Afanasyev V.N. believes that “it is in the sphere of love that Kuprin primarily shows in his work” small man their big feelings" It is difficult to agree with his opinion, since the heroes of Kuprin’s work can hardly be called “little people”; they are capable of holy, great feelings.
And so Vera Nikolaevna receives from Zheltkov a bracelet, the shine of the garnets plunges her into horror, her brain is immediately pierced by the thought “like blood,” and now a clear feeling about the impending misfortune weighs on her, and this time it is not at all empty. From that moment on, her peace of mind was destroyed. Vera considered Zheltkov “unfortunate”; she could not understand the tragedy of this love. The expression “happy unhappy person” turned out to be somewhat contradictory. After all, in his feeling for Vera, Zheltkov experienced happiness.
Leaving forever, he thought that Vera’s path would become free, her life would improve and go on as before. But there is no turning back. Saying goodbye to Zheltkov’s body was the culminating moment of her life. At this moment, the power of love reached its maximum value and became equal to death.
Eight years of happy, selfless love that demands nothing in return, eight years of devotion to a sweet ideal, dedication to one’s own principles.
In one short moment of happiness, sacrificing everything accumulated over such a long period of time is not something everyone can do. But Zheltkov’s love for Vera did not obey any models, she was above them. And even if her end turned out to be tragic, Zheltkov’s forgiveness was rewarded.
Zheltkov leaves this life so as not to interfere with the princess’s life, and, dying, thanks her for the fact that she was for him “the only joy in life, the only consolation, the only thought.” This is a story not so much about love as a prayer to it. In his dying letter, the loving official blesses his beloved princess: “As I leave, I say in delight: “Hallowed be your name". The crystal palace in which Vera lived shattered, letting in a lot of light, warmth, and sincerity into life. Merging in the finale with Beethoven's music, it merges with Zheltkov's love and eternal memory about him.
Paying honor to Zheltkov’s feeling, Afanasyev V.N. however notes, “And if Kuprin himself, conveying his impressions of Bizet’s opera Carmen, wrote that “love is always a tragedy, always struggle and achievement, always joy and fear, resurrection and death “, then Zheltkov’s feeling is a quiet, submissive adoration, without ups and downs, without fighting for a loved one, without hopes for reciprocity. Such adoration dries up the soul, makes it timid and powerless. Is this why Zheltkov, crushed by his love, so willingly agrees to die?”
According to the critic, “The Garnet Bracelet” is one of Kuprin’s most sincere and beloved works by readers, and yet the stamp of some defectiveness lies on the image of her central character“Zheltkov, and in his very feeling for Vera Sheina, who has fenced himself off with his love from life with all its worries and anxieties, withdrawn in his feeling as if in a shell, Zheltkov does not know the true joy of love.”
What was Zheltkov’s feeling - was it true love, inspiring, unique, strong, or insanity, madness that makes a person weak and flawed? What was the death of the hero - weakness, cowardice, saturated with fear or strength, the desire not to annoy and leave his beloved? This, in our opinion, is the true conflict of the story.
Analyzing Kuprin’s “Garnet Bracelet”, Yu. V. Babicheva writes:
“This is a kind of akathist of love...” A. Chalova comes to the conclusion that when creating the “Garnet Bracelet,” Kuprin used the akathist model.
“Akathist” is translated from Greek as “a hymn during which one cannot sit.” It consists of 12 pairs of kontakia and ikos and the last kontakion, which has no pair and is repeated three times, after which 1 ikos and 1 kontakion are read. The akathist is usually followed by a prayer. Thus, A. Chalova believes, the akathist can be divided into 13 parts. There are the same number of chapters in “The Garnet Bracelet.” Very often the akathist is built on a consistent description of miracles and deeds in the name of God. In “The Pomegranate Bracelet” this corresponds to love stories, of which there are at least ten.
Undoubtedly, Kontakion 13 is very important. In The Garnet Bracelet, chapter 13 is clearly the climax. The motives for death and forgiveness are clearly outlined in it. And in this same chapter, Kuprin includes prayer.
In this story, A. I. Kuprin especially highlighted the figure of the old general
Anosov, who is sure that high love exists, but it “... must be a tragedy, the greatest secret in the world,” without compromise.
According to S. Volkov, “it is General Anosov who will formulate the main idea of the story: There must be love...”. Volkov deliberately breaks off the phrase, emphasizing that “ real love, existing once upon a time, could not disappear, it will definitely return, it’s just that it might not have been noticed yet, not recognized, and unrecognized, it already lives somewhere nearby. Her return will be a real miracle." It is difficult to agree with Volkov’s opinion; General Anosov could not formulate the main idea of the story, since he himself had not experienced such love.
“For Princess Vera herself, “the former passionate love for her husband has long since turned into a feeling of lasting, faithful, true friendship; however, this love did not bring her the desired happiness - she is childless and passionately dreams of children.”
According to S. Volkov, “the heroes of the story do not attach real meaning to love, they cannot understand and accept all its seriousness and tragedy.”
Ardent love either quickly burns out and comes to sobering up, as in the unsuccessful marriage of General Anosov, or passes “into a feeling of lasting, faithful, true friendship” for her husband, as with Princess Vera.
And therefore the old general doubted whether this was the kind of love: “selfless, selfless love, not expecting a reward? The one about which it is said is “strong as death.” This is exactly what a small, poor official with a dissonant surname likes. Eight years is a long time to test feelings, and, however, during all these years he did not forget her for a second, “every moment of the day was filled with you, with the thought of you...”. And, nevertheless, Zheltkov always remained on the sidelines, without humiliating or humiliating her.
Princess Vera, a woman, for all her aristocratic restraint, very impressionable, capable of understanding and appreciating beauty, felt that her life had come into contact with this great love sung by the best poets of the world. And being at the tomb of Zheltkov, who was in love with her, “she realized that the love that every woman dreams of had passed her by.”
“During the years of reaction,” writes Afanasyev V.N., “when decadents and naturalists of all stripes ridiculed and trampled human love into the dirt, Kuprin in the story “The Garnet Bracelet” once again showed the beauty and greatness of this feeling, but, making his hero capable only selfless and all-consuming love, and at the same time denying him all other interests, he unwittingly impoverished and limited the image of this hero.”
Selfless love, not expecting a reward - this is exactly the kind of selfless and all-forgiving love that Kuprin writes in his story “The Garnet Bracelet.” Love transforms everyone it touches.
Conclusion
Love in Russian literature is portrayed as one of the main human values. According to Kuprin, “individuality is not expressed in strength, not in dexterity, not in intelligence, not in creativity. But in love!
Extraordinary strength and sincerity of feeling are characteristic of the heroes of Kuprin's stories. Love seems to say: “Where I stand, it cannot be dirty.” The natural fusion of the frankly sensual and the ideal creates an artistic impression: the spirit penetrates the flesh and ennobles it. This, in my opinion, is the philosophy of love in the true sense.
Kuprin's creativity attracts with its love of life, humanism, love and compassion for people. Convexity of the image, simple and clear language, precise and subtle drawing, lack of edification, psychologism of the characters - all this brings them closer to the best classical tradition in Russian literature.
Love in Kuprin’s perception is often tragic. But, perhaps, only this feeling can give meaning to human existence. We can say that the writer tests his heroes with love. Strong people (such as Zheltkov, Olesya) thanks to this feeling begin to glow from within, they are able to carry love in their hearts, no matter what.
As V. G. Afanasyev wrote, “Love has always been the main, organizing theme of all Kuprin’s great works. Both in “Shulamith” and in “Pomegranate Bracelet” there is a great passionate feeling that inspires the heroes, determines the movement of the plot, helps to identify best qualities heroes. And although the love of Kuprin’s heroes is rarely happy and even less often finds an equal response in the heart of the one to whom it is addressed (“Shulamith” in this regard is perhaps the only exception), its disclosure in all its breadth and versatility gives romantic excitement and elation to the works , elevating above the gray, dreary life, affirming in the minds of readers the idea of the power and beauty of a genuine and great human feeling.”
True love is great happiness, even if it ends in separation, death, and tragedy. Many of Kuprin’s heroes, who have lost, overlooked, or destroyed their love themselves, come to this conclusion, albeit late. In this late repentance, late spiritual resurrection, enlightenment of the heroes lies that all-purifying melody that speaks of the imperfection of people who have not yet learned to live. Recognize and value real feelings, and about the imperfections of life itself, social conditions, environment, circumstances that often interfere with truly human relationships, and most importantly - about those high emotions that leave an unfading trace of spiritual beauty, generosity, devotion and purity. Love is a mysterious element that transforms a person’s life, giving his destiny uniqueness against the background of ordinary everyday stories, filling his earthly existence with special meaning.
In his stories A.I. Kuprin showed us sincere, devoted, selfless love. The love that every person dreams of. Love, for the sake of which you can sacrifice anything, even your life. Love that will survive millennia, overcome evil, make the world beautiful, and people kind and happy.
List of used literature
1. Afanasyev V.N. Kuprin A.I. Critical biographical essay -
M.: Fiction, 1960.
2. Berkov P. N. Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin. Critical and bibliographical essay, ed. USSR Academy of Sciences, M., 1956
3. Berkova P. N. “A. I. Kuprin" M., 1956
4. Volkov A.A. Creativity of A.I. Kuprin. M., 1962. P. 29.
5. Vorovsky V.V. Literary-critical articles. Politizdat, M., 1956, p. 275.
6. Kachaeva L.A. Kuprin's manner of writing // Russian speech. 1980. No. 2. S.
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7. Koretskaya I. Notes // Kuprin A.I. Collection Op. In 6 volumes. M., 1958. T.
4. P. 759.
8. Krutikova L.V. A.I. Kuprin. M., 1971
9. Kuleshov V.I. The creative path of A.I. Kuprin, 1883-1907. M., 1983
10. Kuprin A.I. Shulamith: Tales and Stories - Yaroslavl: Verkh.
–Volzh.book publishing house, 1993. – 416 p.
11. Kuprin A.I. Collected works in 9 volumes. Ed. N. N. Akonova and others. An article by F. I. Kuleshova will be introduced. T.1. Works 1889-1896. M.,
"Fiction", 1970
12. Mikhailov O. Kuprin. ZhZL issue. 14 (619). "Young Guard", 1981 -
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13. Pavvovskaya K. Kuprin’s creativity. Abstract. Saratov, 1955, p. 18
14. Plotkin L. Literary essays and articles, “ Soviet writer", L, 1958, p. 427
15. Chuprinin S. Rereading Kuprin. M., 1991
16. Bakhnenko E. N. “...Every person can be kind, compassionate, interesting and beautiful in soul” To the 125th anniversary of the birth of A. I. Kuprin
//Literature at school. – 1995 - No. 1, p.34-40
17. Volkov S. “Love must be a tragedy” From observations of the ideological artistic originality Kuprin's story "Garnet Bracelet" //
Literature. 2002, No. 8, p. 18
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Kuprina // Library. – 1999, No. 5 – p. 73-75
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2000, No. 36, p. 2-3
20. Chalova S. “Garnet Bracelet” by Kuprin (Some remarks on the problem of form and content) // Literature 2000 - No. 36, p.4
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23. "Sulamith" A.I. Kuprina: a romantic legend of love by N.N. Starygina http://lib.userline.ru/samizdat/10215
The theme of love occupies a special place in the works of Bunin and Kuprin. Of course, writers described this feeling in different ways and discovered new aspects of its manifestation. There are also similar features: they talk about both an all-consuming passion and a tragic feeling that does not stand the test of life situations. The theme of love in the works of Bunin and Kuprin shows it in all its diversity, allowing us to see new facets of this feeling.
A game of contrasts
The theme of love in the works of Bunin and Kuprin is often shown by contrasting the characters of the main characters. If we analyze their works, we can note that in most of them one of the lovers has a stronger character and is ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of their feelings. The other side turns out to be weaker in character, for which public opinion or personal ambitions are more important than feelings.
This can be seen in the example of the heroes of Bunin's story " Dark alleys". Both heroes met by chance and remembered the time when they were in love. The heroine, Nadezhda, carried love throughout her life - she never met someone who could outshine the image of Nikolai Alekseevich. He got married, however, without experiencing strong feelings for his wife, but he did not regret it much. To think that the owner of the inn could become his wife, the mistress of the house - for him it was unthinkable. And if Nadezhda was ready to do anything to be with her beloved. continued to love him, then Nikolai Alekseevich is shown as a person for whom it is more important social status and public opinion.
The same contrast can be seen in Kuprin’s work “Olesya”. The Polesie witch is shown as a girl with a warm heart, capable of great feeling, ready to sacrifice not only her well-being, but also the peace of her loved ones for the sake of her lover. Ivan Timofeevich is a man of a gentle character, his heart is lazy, incapable of experiencing love of the strength that Olesya had. He did not follow the call of his heart, its movement, so he only had the girl’s beads as a souvenir of this love.
Love in the works of Kuprin
Despite the fact that both writers considered a bright feeling to be a manifestation of goodness, nevertheless, they describe it slightly differently. The theme of love in the works of Bunin and Kuprin has various manifestations; if you read their works, you can understand that most often the relationships they describe have differences.
Thus, A.I. Kuprin most often talks about tragic love, sacrificial love; for a writer, true love certainly had to be accompanied by life’s trials. Because a strong and all-consuming feeling could not bring happiness to the beloved. Such love could not be simple. This can be seen in his works, such as “Olesya”, “Garnet Bracelet”, “Shulamith”, etc. But for the heroes, even such love is happiness, and they are grateful that they had such a strong feeling.
Love in Bunin's stories
For writers, a bright feeling is the most beautiful thing that could happen to a person. Therefore, the theme of love in the works of Bunin and Kuprin occupied a special place, which is why their works worried readers so much. But they each understood it in their own way. In the works of I. A. Bunin, love is a flash of emotions, a happy moment that suddenly appears in life, and then ends just as abruptly. Therefore, in his stories, the characters evoke conflicting feelings among readers.
Thus, the story “Sunstroke” shows a flash of love, a moment of love that illuminated the lives of two people for a brief moment. And after they broke up, the main character felt many years older. Because this fleeting love took away all the best that was in him. Or in the story "Dark Alleys" main character continued to love, but was never able to forgive her lover’s weaknesses. And he, although he understood that she had given him her best years, continued to believe that he had done the right thing. And if in Kuprin’s work love was certainly tragic, then in Bunin it is shown as a more complex feeling.
The unusual side of a bright feeling
Although love in the works of Bunin and Kuprin is a sincere, real relationship between two people, sometimes love can be completely different. This is precisely the side shown in the story “The Mister from San Francisco.” Although this work is not about love, in one episode it is said that one happy couple walked around the ship and everyone, looking at her, saw two lovers. And only the captain knew that they were hired specifically to play a strong feeling.
It would seem, what could this have to do with the theme of love in the works of Bunin and Kuprin? This also happens - this also applies to actors who play lovers on stage, and to such couples who were hired on purpose. But it also happens that a real feeling can arise between such artists. On the other hand, someone, looking at them, gains hope that he will also have love in his life.
The role of details in the description
The description of the feeling of love in both A.I. Kuprin and I.A. Bunin occurs against the background of a detailed description of the everyday life of the heroes. This allows us to show how strong feelings flow in simple life. How can the characters’ attitude towards familiar things and phenomena change? And some details of the characters’ everyday life allow us to better understand the characters’ personalities. The writers managed to organically combine everyday life and bright feeling.
Can everyone feel
In the essay “The Theme of Love in the Works of Bunin and Kuprin” it is also worth noting that only strong people. After all, why can’t the heroes of their works be together? Because strong personality falls in love with someone who cannot experience feelings of equal strength. But thanks to this contrast, the love of such heroes looks even stronger and sincere. A. I. Kuprin and I. A. Bunin wrote about bright feeling in its various manifestations, so that readers understand that whatever love there is, it is happiness that it happened in life, and a person should be grateful for the fact that he has the ability to love.
