Two years after the introduction of new reforms, Nikolai Nekrasov began work on a work that became the pinnacle of his creativity. Long years he worked on the text, and as a result, a poem was created in which the author was not only able to depict the people’s grief, but, together with his characters, sought to answer the following questions: “What is the happiness of the people?”, “How to achieve it?”, “Can Is it possible for an individual to be happy in the midst of universal grief?” The analysis of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is necessary in order to find out which images helped Nekrasov answer these difficult questions.

Concept

When starting the work, the author himself hardly knew the answer to these troubling questions. These were difficult times in the history of the Russian people. The abolition of serfdom did not make life easier for the peasantry. Nekrasov’s original idea was that wandering men would return home after a vain search. In progress story line changed somewhat. The events in the poem were influenced by important social processes. Like his characters, he strives to answer the question: “Is it good to live in Rus'?” And if at the first stage of work on the poem the author does not find grounds for a positive answer, then later representatives of young people appear in society who really find their happiness in going “to the people.”

A striking example was a certain teacher who reported in a letter to Nekrasov that she was experiencing real surges of happiness in her work among the people. The poet planned to use the image of this girl in the development of the storyline. But I didn’t have time. He died without completing his work. Nekrasov wrote the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” before last days his life, but it remained unfinished.

Art style

The analysis of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” reveals the main artistic feature works. Since Nekrasov’s book is about the people, and first of all for them, in it he used folk speech in all its diversity. This poem is an epic, one of the purposes of which was to depict life as it is. Fairytale motifs play a significant role in the narrative.

Folklore basis

Nekrasov borrowed a lot from folk art. The analysis of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” allowed critics to identify epics, legends and proverbs that the author actively used in the text. Already in the prologue there are bright folklore motifs. A warbler, a self-assembled tablecloth, and many animalistic images of Russian folk tales appear here. And the wandering men themselves resemble heroes of epics and fairy tales. The prologue also contains numbers that have sacred meaning: seven and three.

Plot

The men argued about who would live well in Rus'. Nekrasov, using this technique, reveals the main theme of the poem. The heroes offer several options for the “lucky” ones. Among them are five representatives of various strata of social society and the king himself. In order to answer such an alarming question, the wanderers set off on a long journey. But only the priest and the landowner have time to ask about happiness. Along the course of the poem general issues change to more specific ones. Men are already more interested in the happiness of the working people. And the plot of the story would have been difficult to implement if ordinary men had dared to visit the king himself with their philosophical problems.

Peasant images

The poem contains many peasant images. The author pays close attention to some, but talks about others only in passing. The most typical is the portrait of Yakim Nagogo. Appearance This character symbolizes the hard labor existence that is typical of peasant life in Rus'. But despite the backbreaking work, Yakim did not harden his soul. The analysis of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” gives a clear idea of how Nekrasov saw or wanted to see representatives of the working people. Yakim, despite the inhuman conditions in which he is forced to exist, has not become bitter. He has been collecting pictures for his son all his life, admiring them and hanging them on the walls. And during a fire, he rushes into the fire to save, first of all, his favorite images. But Yakima's portrayal differs from more authentic characters. The meaning of his life is not limited to work and drinking. Great importance for him there is also the contemplation of beauty.

Artistic techniques

In the poem, Nekrasov uses symbolism from the very first pages. The names of the villages speak for themselves. Zaplatovo, Razutovo, Dyryavino are symbols of the lifestyle of their inhabitants. Truth-seekers meet different people during their journey, but the question of who can live well in Rus' remains open. The misfortunes of ordinary Russian people are revealed to the reader. In order to give liveliness and persuasiveness to the narrative, the author introduces direct speech. The priest, the landowner, the bricklayer Trofim, Matryona Timofeevna - all these characters talk about their lives, and from their stories a general bleak picture of Russian life emerges. folk life.

Since the life of a peasant is inextricably linked with nature, its description is harmoniously woven into the poem. A typical everyday picture is created from many details.

The image of landowners

The landowner is undoubtedly the main enemy of the peasant. The first representative of this social stratum that the wanderers met gave a completely detailed answer to their question. Talking about the rich life of the landowners in the past, he claims that he himself always treated the peasants kindly. And everyone was happy, and no one experienced grief. Now everything has changed. The fields are desolate, the man is completely out of control. The 1861 reform is to blame. But the next living example of the “noble class” that appears on the path of the peasants has the image of an oppressor, tormentor and money-grubber. He leads a free life, he does not have to work. The dependent peasants do everything for him. Even the abolition of serfdom did not affect his idle life.

Grisha Dobrosklonov

The question posed by Nekrasov remains open. Life was hard for the peasant, and he dreamed of changes for the better. Not one of those who meet on the way of wanderers is a happy person. Serfdom was abolished, but still not completely resolved. The reforms were a strong blow to both the landowner class and the working people. However, without suspecting it, the men found what they were looking for in the image of Grisha Dobrosklonov.

Why only a scoundrel and money-grubber can live well in Rus' becomes clear when this character appears in the poem. His fate is not easy, like the fate of other representatives of the working class. But, unlike other characters in Nekrasov’s work, Grisha is not characterized by submission to the prevailing circumstances.

Represents the revolutionary sentiments that began to appear in society in the second half of the 19th century. At the end of the poem, albeit unfinished, Nekrasov does not give an answer to the question in search of which the truth-seekers wandered for so long, but makes it clear that people’s happiness is still possible. And not the least role in it will be played by the ideas of Grisha Dobrosklonov.

Poetry has always played an important role in Russian literature. Russian authors have made a significant contribution to the world cultural heritage. Nikolai Nekrasov, perhaps one of the most significant Russian poets, whose work resonates deeply in the soul of every person, also contributed. His never completed poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” became highest point creative life of the writer. He invested all his creative strength and experience into it, and today most people know about Nekrasov precisely thanks to his latest creation. The much-wise Litrekon advises you to delve into a detailed analysis of this work in order to see all the riches of form and content that the poet put into his book.

Nekrasov began working on this poem in the sixties of the nineteenth century, when the Russian Empire stood at a historical crossroads, and inspiration reigned in the country and a thirst for change appeared.

The author came up with a truly epic idea: to create a poem of 6-8 parts that would cover all spheres of life in Russian society. He began work in the early 60s, and already in 1865 the first part of the book was ready. The history of writing the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” presents some rather interesting facts:

The poet published “Prologue” in his magazine “Sovremennik”, and immediately faced censorship persecution. Reactionary and pro-government publications attacked the published fragment, and the censorship authorities began editing the work with renewed enthusiasm. Nekrasov, being an editor, was forced to generously pay officials in order to publish his creation. He organized dinners, hunts and other events at his own expense, as long as the inspectors were loyal and turned a blind eye to his brainchild. These corruption tricks helped him “smuggle through” more than one dubious work.
Despite such tricks, the publication of fragments from the poem lasted for 4 years. The writer felt worse and worse. Large-scale plans began to seem unrealistic. In the 70s, he completed several more parts, but realized that this was the limit. N.A. Nekrasov was sick with cancer, and knew that his days were numbered. To give his work semantic completeness, he wrote an Epilogue in the chapter “A Feast for the Whole World.” There, the author described in detail the image of the only lucky person in Rus', seminarian Grisha Dobrosklonov. However, the seven wanderers never found who they were looking for. The ending conceived by the poet is very symbolic: the poem is not finished, the travelers did not notice their lucky man, because the people had just begun to adapt to new realities and had not yet realized where his happiness was.

The creative history and publication of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” once again proves that the problems that N.A. spoke about. Nekrasov, really existed.

Direction, genre, size

The genre of the work is an epic poem. It is distinguished by such features as linear composition, a plot covering an entire era, an abundance of heroes and storylines, and an impressive volume.
The direction within which the poet developed his talent is called “realism,” however, folklore motifs are obvious in this work. Thus, in the first part of the poem, fairy-tale and epic symbols are concentrated: magic numbers 7, 14, 3, talking animals endowed with magical qualities, characteristic coincidences of place and time ( dark night in a remote thicket). However, then the heroes encounter only phenomena from the real world, and everything that reminds of forest magic fits on a self-assembled tablecloth. The descriptions of village life are depicted in such detail and honestly that elegant poetry hardly smoothes out the overall impression: men, drunk to the point of delirium, are lying in a pit, followed by some women, singing raunchy songs. In another chapter, a boy is eaten by pigs. In a word, the author does not skimp on realism, there is as much of it as you like. Thus, the direction characteristic of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is more accurately defined as “mystical realism.” This concept combines all the above-mentioned features: fantastic folk motifs, and a detailed depiction of reality; it contains both fantasy and realism.
The type of poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is lyric and epic. From the poem it contains poetic form, poetic symbols and author’s digressions. But at the same time, there is a clear storyline and many characters, and the actions of the heroes are presented as something influential and large-scale, which makes Nekrasov’s creation similar to epic literature. This is the genre originality of the work “Who Lives Well in Rus'”: it is not just a long poem, but a lyric-epic poem.
The poem is written in iambic; the author tried to give it folk features with the help of a special rhythm and language, replete with folk expressions.

Composition

The problem of the composition of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is due to its incompleteness. Initially, the work was supposed to be twice the size of the final result. Because of near death Nekrasov was forced to reduce the volume of the poem.

As a result, the main part turned out to be much shorter than planned, and takes up only two parts, the climax comes in the third, and the finale in the fourth.

The structure of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is not a consequence of the writer’s work, but the choice of his friends. He passed away so suddenly that he did not even have time to put a certain order into the manuscript. But his close people remembered how important this creation was for the poet, and collected the chapters into a single work after the author’s death. This explains the illogicality and fragmentation of some episodes. There is no complete and thorough connection between them.

The order of the chapters is depicted in detail in the chapter by chapter from the Many-Wise Litrecon.

The essence

Seven peasants, who met by chance on the road, are trying to find the answer to the question: “Who lives happily and freely in Rus'?” Each man expresses his guess. The list included almost all classes, from the clergy to the Russian emperor. Unable to find a consensus, the heroes decide to go on a journey and ask the answer personally from a representative of each class.

During their journey, they meet both a priest and a landowner - but are surprised to learn that both the mighty of the world they live just as badly as the rest, and there is no happiness in their lives. However, the main emphasis is on the difficult life and suffering of the peasants, vegetating in poverty and ignorance.

At the climax of the poem, the peasants encounter Grigory Dobrosklonov, a seminarian, singer and people's intercessor. This young man is a symbol of the emerging national consciousness, an ideological fighter who is ready to give his life for the happiness of his people. It is him who Nekrasov considers the happiest man in Rus', because it is Gregory who is destined to change it. Litrekon spoke in more detail about the content of the poem in the reader's diary.

The main characters and their characteristics

The system of images in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is divided into several types of heroes:

Serfs are peasants for whom slavery has become the meaning of life. They can’t imagine themselves without the master.
Truth-seekers are seven men looking for an answer to their question.
People's defenders are ordinary people who dared to rebel against the system and defend their own kind. Here they are, there is a complete list.
Sinners are heroes who have gone through the temptation of sin and temptation. A separate chapter is devoted to them. These stories become instructive parables for ordinary people.
The oppressors are the upper classes who profit from the people's grief. These are landowners and the highest nobility.
Female characters are, as a rule, martyrs from the peasantry who sacrifice themselves for the sake of their family and children.
The remaining characters are included in the “people” category.

In addition, N.A. Nekrasov depicted the image of Russia in the poem. This is a poor, but at the same time spiritually rich country that needs renewal. She is generous towards her people, but is bound by the chains of autocracy.

The distribution of heroes by type is clearly presented in the table from the Many-Wise Litrecon:

hero	hero type	characteristic
Matryona Timofeevna Korchagina	female images	poor peasant woman. She spends her entire life in exhausting work, suffering humiliation from her husband’s relatives, whom she miraculously saved from recruit service. a strong-willed woman, ready to do great things for her family. loves children more than anything in the world. She is devoted to her husband, although she suffers insults from his family. brave, persistent, honest, but at the same time humble and patient heroine.
seven men	truth seekers	a group of wandering peasants. Roman, Demyan, Luka, Ivan, Metropolitan, Pakhom and Prov. express the idea of truth-seeking inherent in the Russian people. meticulous and purposeful. rude, naive and ignorant, but at the same time sympathetic, kind and fair.
Ermil Girin	people's defender	peasant. decent, honest and efficient. once owned a mill, but due to intrigue and bribery of a merchant he almost lost it. By turning to his fellow villagers, he was able to save his life’s work. in gratitude for the help, he repaid the debt to the last ruble. As a result, Girin ended up in prison because he supported the peasant uprising against the arbitrariness of the authorities. symbolizes everything good that is in the Russian peasant.
Grigory Dobrosklonov	people's defender	son of a clerk. seminarian. After the early death of his mother, he began to associate all of Russia with her. thinks about the misfortunes of his people and wants to help them. According to Nekrasov, Gregory is the happiest person in Rus', the embodiment of its bright future. he is glad that he can sacrifice himself to his country and lead it to bright future.
kudeyar	sinner	character from the legend of the wanderer Ionushka. He was once a ruthless bandit, but after a pilgrimage to Jerusalem he repented and took the path of reform. In a dream, a saint appears to Kudeyar and says that he will atone for his sins if he cuts down a century-old oak tree with a knife. After spending years, Kudeyar was never able to do this. but one day a certain gentleman Glukhovsky began to brag to the old man about his atrocities and calm conscience. In anger, Kudeyar kills the master, the oak tree falls, and the former robber is freed from guilt.
Saveliy	people's defender	peasant. relative of Korchagina. he is a very old man, he is already one hundred and seven years old. literate devout. hardy spent his entire life working hard, enduring injustice, deprivation and humiliation. symbolizes the passing of feudal Russia with all its injustices and suffering of the common people.
godwits	people's defender	traveler and collector of folklore. sociable. compassionate. through folk art he wants to understand the Russian people in order to find a way to make their life easier. symbolizes the intelligentsia, which, according to Nekrasov, should become closer to the peasantry and its troubles.
Gavriil obolt-obolduev	oppressor	sixty-year-old landowner. proud of his noble origins. not accustomed to work. doesn't understand management. he yearns for the abolition of serfdom, because previously he could afford a luxurious life, but now he must make efforts not to go bankrupt. was strict with his peasants. represents an exaggerated collective image of the reactionary landowner aristocracy.
Yakov	serf	a faithful slave of his master, who worked honestly and even loved his cruel master. however, the limit of his grievances came when the master recruited his nephew in order to take his bride. After this, Yakov drooped, became gloomy and sad, but took revenge on the master: he took him into the forest and hanged himself in front of him. The master himself could not get there, as he was confined to a wheelchair. but he still survived, unlike the servant.

There are many more heroes in the poem, and the Many-Wise Litrekon will gladly tell you about them if you write about this need in the comments.

Themes

The theme in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is an interesting reason for thought for a modern person:

Happiness– The search and achievement of happiness is put in first place by Nekrasov and his characters. Despite all the horrors and injustices of life, the writer believed that sooner or later the Russian people would be able to build a new happy world.
Patriotism– Nekrasov’s love for his homeland is expressed in selfless service to ordinary people. Only those who are ready to sacrifice themselves for the happiness of their people are a true patriot of their country.
Motherland– Serving one’s fatherland and people is the highest virtue, according to Nekrasov. Rus' needs its heroes, and it is worthy of their help. It is rich and abundant, generous and flexible, beautiful and majestic. You can and should live well on this earth.
The theme of the people– The Russian people in the poem are presented as poor, tired, oppressed and downtrodden, but at the same time, the people retained their responsiveness, desire for justice and mutual assistance. Nekrasov believed that the Russian people were at the beginning of a new and better era, where there would be no oppression and injustice.
Road theme– The journey of seven men along the roads of Russia symbolizes the long journey that the Russian people still have to go through in order to realize their potential.
Scenery– In the poem, Nekrasov gravitates towards the landscapes of provincial peasant Russia. Endless fields, dark forests and dull villages immerse us in the life of ordinary Russian workers of that time. Nature in the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” becomes a faithful friend of the peasants. So, it was alone with the forest and field that Matryona found peace of mind and the strength to continue her hard life.
Generosity– The Russian peasant is shown as a sincere, generous person who is ready to come to the aid of someone in trouble and even sacrifice his own well-being to help his neighbor. Such, for example, is the episode when Pavel Veretennikov gives money to Vavila for a gift for his granddaughter.
Theme of exile is also reflected in the text. Thus, it is precisely by exile to hard labor that the people’s intercessors, Saveliy and (in the future) Gregory, are punished. This indicates that the greatest grief for a Russian person is separation from his native land.

The moral lessons of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” are a call for justice and humanity, addressed to all classes, but most of all to the nobles who are close to the sovereign and can influence the fate of the people.

Main problems

The social and moral issues of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” demonstrates the eternal questions to which Russian people are still looking for answers. Many problems still have no solution.

In his poem, Nekrasov reflected the withering away of the old world. And the birth of something new. Russia, located on the border of two eras, is taking the path of change.

On the one hand, we see noble remnants and traces of serfdom, which disfigure the Russian people, turning them into an amorphous mass of ignorant slaves. On the other hand, we see how gradually the beginnings of self-awareness appear in men, how real patriots of their Motherland emerge, like Girin and Dobrosklonov. This is the main idea of the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - to show global changes in Russia and inspire readers to improve the country.

The main idea and author’s position of Nekrasov is that Russia will enter a new era renewed and free, and its people will live in peace and prosperity. But for this, people need to unite and realize their new status: they are not subjects or slaves, but citizens with their own rights and responsibilities.

Folklore and language

Wanting to immerse the reader in the atmosphere of an ordinary Russian province, the poet resorted to a bold combination of literary, colloquial speech and folklore elements. Nekrasov often uses diminutive suffixes and changes the endings of words to dialect ones, which allows him to convey the melodiousness and softness characteristic of folk speech. Numerous inversions are also used:

I have my head down
I carry an angry heart!..

A huge amount of folk humor is woven into the story. For example, Nekrasov describes how one wanderer, in his memory, taught girls to sing, but only later it turned out that he simply “spoilt” them. And his heroes talk about the death of a person like this:

“One hundred days withered and withered”

A variety of songs, riddles, proverbs, legends and epics are often wedged into the plot. For example, the song “Salty”, which Grisha Dobrosklonov’s mother composed due to lack of salt.

Criticism

“Who Lives Well in Rus'” was warmly received by readers and critics.

The literary critic Burenin, noticing some vulgarity and anecdotalism inherent in Nekrasov’s poem, noted its expressiveness and significance. He especially liked the depiction of dying serfdom.

Critics have expressed the main idea of the poet’s work more than once:

Even a few lines written by us are enough for the reader to see how Nekrasov in his last work remained faithful to his ever-present idea: to arouse the sympathy of the upper classes for the common people, their needs and requirements...” (M. Velinsky, “To Whom It’s good to live in Rus'” Nekrasov”, “Kiev Telegraph”, 1869, May 19, No. 57)

Another critic, Avseenko, accused the writer of being outdated. The publicist saw only vaudeville and an anecdote in the work. He argued that the problems described by Nekrasov in the poem have long been irrelevant.

Reviewers also condemned the excessive length of the work:

“This poem is somewhat drawn out, in it you encounter many scenes that are completely unnecessary, interfering with the overall impression, needlessly tiring the reader and thereby greatly harming the integrity of the impression. But for all that, Nekrasov’s poem has inherent merits; there is so much feeling in her, so much deep understanding of life that somehow involuntarily all minor shortcomings are forgotten and erased. Many scenes of this poem are felt and expressed so vividly and strongly that you involuntarily run through them several times and the more you read into them, the more beautiful they seem..." (New Time, April 22, 1870, No. 109)

And yet, critics recognized that Nekrasov’s book is a truly folk work, in which every Russian person recognizes himself

Not a single folk book, written with the special purpose of instructing the people, will be as understandable to them as “Peddlers” and “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” And all because every peasant will find in them an echo of his concepts and aspirations; all because he senses in them his simple, unartificial, human feeling, conveyed in his characteristic and native language; all because the poet taught our people and knows them like no one else.” (critic under the pseudonym A. S., “New Time”, 1873, No. 61)

The significance of the poem was also emphasized by modern critic Dmitry Bykov:

“Who Lives Well in Rus'” is not a satirical poem at all, it is a normal folk epic. An epic of travel, a Russian “Odyssey”, divided into seven, because it is impossible to travel alone in Russia. Not only will you not survive, but you will have no one to drink with, no one to talk to.

“Who Lives Well in Rus'” is considered one of the most famous and significant works of Russian literature, a landmark in the work of the great poet Nekrasov.

One of the most famous works of Nikolai Nekrasov is the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” which is distinguished not only by its deep philosophical meaning and social acuity, but also bright, original characters - these are seven simple Russian men who got together and argued about who “lives freely and cheerfully in Rus'.” The poem was first published in 1866 in the Sovremennik magazine. The publication of the poem was resumed three years later, but the tsarist censorship, seeing the content as an attack on the autocratic regime, did not allow it to be published. The poem was published in full only after the revolution in 1917.

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” became central work in the work of the great Russian poet, this is his ideological and artistic pinnacle, the result of his thoughts and reflections on the fate of the Russian people and on the roads leading to their happiness and well-being. These questions worried the poet throughout his life and ran like a red thread through his entire literary activity. Work on the poem lasted 14 years (1863-1877) and in order to create this “folk epic”, as the author himself called it, useful and understandable for the common people, Nekrasov made a lot of efforts, although in the end it was never finished (8 chapters were planned, 4 were written). A serious illness and then the death of Nekrasov disrupted his plans. Plot incompleteness does not prevent the work from having an acute social character.

Main storyline

The poem was begun by Nekrasov in 1863 after the abolition of serfdom, so its content touches on many problems that arose after the Peasant Reform of 1861. The poem has four chapters, they are united by a common plot about how seven ordinary men argued about who lives well in Rus' and who is truly happy. The plot of the poem, touching on serious philosophical and social problems, is structured in the form of a journey through Russian villages, their “speaking” names perfectly describe the Russian reality of that time: Dyryavina, Razutov, Gorelov, Zaplatov, Neurozhaikin, etc. In the first chapter, called “Prologue,” the men meet on a highway and start their own dispute; in order to resolve it, they go on a trip to Russia. On the way, the disputing men meet a variety of people, these are peasants, merchants, landowners, priests, beggars, and drunkards, they see a wide variety of pictures from people’s lives: funerals, weddings, fairs, elections, etc. .

Meeting different people, the men ask them the same question: how happy they are, but both the priest and the landowner complain about the deterioration of life after the abolition of serfdom, only a few of all the people they meet at the fair recognize themselves as truly happy.

In the second chapter, entitled “The Last One,” wanderers come to the village of Bolshie Vakhlaki, whose inhabitants, after the abolition of serfdom, in order not to upset the old count, continue to pose as serfs. Nekrasov shows readers how they were then cruelly deceived and robbed by the count's sons.

The third chapter, entitled “Peasant Woman,” describes the search for happiness among the women of that time, the wanderers meet with Matryona Korchagina in the village of Klin, she tells them about her long-suffering fate and advises them not to look for happy people among Russian women.

In the fourth chapter, entitled “A Feast for the Whole World,” wandering seekers of truth find themselves at a feast in the village of Valakhchin, where they understand that the questions they ask people about happiness concern all Russian people, without exception. The ideological finale of the work is the song “Rus”, which originated in the head of a participant in the feast, the son of the parish sexton Grigory Dobrosklonov:

« You're miserable too

you are abundant

you and the omnipotent

Mother Rus'!»

Main characters

The question of who is the main character of the poem remains open, formally these are the men who argued about happiness and decided to go on a trip to Russia to decide who is right, however, the poem clearly states that the main character of the poem is the entire Russian people , perceived as a single whole. The images of the wandering men (Roman, Demyan, Luka, the brothers Ivan and Mitrodor Gubin, the old man Pakhom and Prov) are practically not revealed, their characters are not drawn, they act and express themselves as a single organism, while the images of the people they meet, on the contrary, are painted very carefully, With big amount details and nuances.

One of the brightest representatives of a man from the people can be called the son of the parish clerk Grigory Dobrosklonov, who was presented by Nekrasov as a people's intercessor, educator and savior. He is one of the key characters and the entire final chapter is devoted to the description of his image. Grisha, like no one else, is close to the people, understands their dreams and aspirations, wants to help them and composes wonderful “good songs” for people that bring joy and hope to those around them. Through his lips, the author proclaims his views and beliefs, gives answers to the pressing social and moral questions raised in the poem. Characters such as seminarian Grisha and honest mayor Yermil Girin do not seek happiness for themselves, they dream of making all people happy at once and devote their entire lives to this. The main idea of the poem follows from Dobrosklonov’s understanding of the very concept of happiness; this feeling can be fully felt only by those who, without reasoning, give their lives for a just cause in the fight for people’s happiness.

The main female character of the poem is Matryona Korchagina, her description tragic fate, typical of all Russian women, is the subject of the entire third chapter. Drawing her portrait, Nekrasov admires her straight, proud posture, simple attire and the amazing beauty of a simple Russian woman (large, stern eyes, rich eyelashes, stern and dark). Her whole life is spent in hard peasant work, she has to endure beatings from her husband and brazen attacks from the manager, she was destined to survive the tragic death of her first-born, hunger and deprivation. She lives only for the sake of her children, and without hesitation accepts punishment with rods for her guilty son. The author admires the strength of her maternal love, endurance and strong character, sincerely pities her and sympathizes with all Russian women, for the fate of Matryona is the fate of all peasant women of that time, suffering from lawlessness, poverty, religious fanaticism and superstition, and lack of qualified medical care.

The poem also describes the images of landowners, their wives and sons (princes, nobles), depicts the landowners' servants (lackeys, servants, courtyard servants), priests and other clergy, kind governors and cruel German managers, artists, soldiers, wanderers, a huge number secondary characters who give the folk lyric-epic poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” that unique polyphony and epic breadth that make this work a real masterpiece and the pinnacle of Nekrasov’s entire literary work.

Analysis of the poem

The problems raised in the work are diverse and complex, they affect the lives of various strata of society, including a difficult transition to a new way of life, problems of drunkenness, poverty, obscurantism, greed, cruelty, oppression, the desire to change something, etc.

However, the key problem of this work is the search for simple human happiness, which each of the characters understands in their own way. For example, rich people, such as priests or landowners, think only about their own well-being, this is happiness for them, poorer people, such as ordinary peasants, are happy and happy simple things: staying alive after a bear attack, surviving a beating at work, etc.

The main idea of the poem is that the Russian people deserve to be happy, they deserve it with their suffering, blood and sweat. Nekrasov was convinced that one must fight for one’s happiness and it is not enough to make one person happy, because this will not solve the entire global problem as a whole; the poem calls for thinking and striving for happiness for everyone without exception.

Structural and compositional features

The compositional form of the work is distinctive; it is built in accordance with the laws of classical epic, i.e. each chapter can exist independently, and all together they represent a single whole work with a large number of characters and storylines.

The poem, according to the author himself, belongs to the genre of folk epic, it is written in unrhymed iambic trimeter, at the end of each line after stressed syllables there are two unstressed syllables (the use of dactylic casula), in some places there is iambic tetrameter to emphasize the folklore style of the work.

To make the poem understandable to the common man it uses many common words and expressions: village, breveshko, yarmonka, pustpoplyas, etc. The poem contains a large number of different examples of folk poetry, these are fairy tales, epics, various proverbs and sayings, folk songs of various genres. The language of the work is stylized by the author in the form of a folk song to improve ease of perception; at that time the use of folklore was considered the best way communication between the intelligentsia and the common people.

In the poem, the author used such means of artistic expression as epithets (“the sun is red”, “black shadows”, a free heart”, “poor people”), comparisons (“jumped out as if disheveled”, “the men fell asleep like the dead”), metaphors ( “the earth lies”, “the warbler is crying”, “the village is seething”). There is also a place for irony and sarcasm, various stylistic figures are used, such as addresses: “Hey, uncle!”, “Oh people, Russian people!”, various exclamations “Chu!”, “Eh, Eh!” etc.

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is the highest example of a work executed in the folk style of Nekrasov’s entire literary heritage. The elements and images of Russian folklore used by the poet give the work a bright originality, colorfulness and rich national flavor. What Nekrasov did in search of happiness main theme the poem is not at all accidental, because the entire Russian people have been searching for it for many thousands of years, this is reflected in its fairy tales, epics, legends, songs and in other various folklore sources as the search for treasure, happy land, priceless treasure. The theme of this work expressed the most cherished desire of the Russian people throughout its existence - to live happily in a society where justice and equality rule.

The great poet A.N. Nekrasov and one of his most popular works - the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” appeared before the readers and critics, of course, also hastened to express their opinion about this work.

Velinsky wrote his review in the Kiev Telegraph magazine in 1869. He believed that except for Nekrasov, none of his contemporaries had the right to be called a poet. After all, these words contain only the truth of life. And the lines of the work can make the reader feel sympathy for the fate of a simple peasant, for whom drunkenness seems the only way out. Velinsky believes that Nekrasov’s idea is to arouse sympathy for high society ordinary people, their problems are expressed in this poem.

In “New Time” in 1870, the opinion of a critic under the pseudonym L.L. was published. In his opinion, Nekrasov’s work is too drawn out and there are absolutely unnecessary scenes that only tire the reader and interfere with the impression of the work. But all these shortcomings are covered by an understanding of life and its meaning. Many scenes of the poem want to be read many times, and the more you reread them, the more you like them.

IN AND. Burenin in No. 68 of St. Petersburg Gazette writes mainly about the chapter “The Last One.” He notes that in the work the truth of life is closely intertwined with the author’s thoughts. And despite the fact that the poem is written in an anecdotal style, its deep philosophical subtext is no less noticeable. The impression of the work is not impaired by the style in which the poem is written.

In comparison with other chapters of the work, Burenin considers “The Last One” to be the best. He notes that other chapters are weak and also smack of vulgarity. And even though the chapter is written in chopped verse, it is easy and expressive to read. But the critic notes that in this, the best, in his opinion, chapter, there are lines of “dubious quality.”

Avseenko, in “Russian World,” on the contrary, believes that Burenin’s favorite chapter in the work will not arouse any interest among contemporaries, either in its meaning or in content. And even the author’s well-intentioned idea - to laugh at the tyranny of the landowners and show the absurdity of the old order with a contemporary - does not make any sense. And the plot, according to the critic, is generally “incongruous.”

Avseenko believes that life has long moved forward, and Nekrasov still lives in the times of his glory (the forties and fifties of the nineteenth century), as if he does not see that in those times when there are no serfs anymore, vaudeville propaganda of ideas against serfdom is absurd and gives away backdating.

In “Russian Messenger” Avseenko says that the folk bouquet in the poem comes out stronger than “a mixture of vodka, stables and dust” and only Mr. Reshetnikov was engaged in similar realism before Mr. Nekrasov. And Avseenko finds the colors with which the author paints rural womanizers and beauties not bad. However, the critic calls this new nationality fake and far from reality.

A.M. Zhemchuzhnikov, in a letter to Nekrasov, speaks especially enthusiastically about the last two chapters of the work, specifically mentioning the chapter “The Landowner”. He writes that this poem is a major thing and among all the works of the author it stands in the forefront. Zhemchuzhnikov advises the writer not to rush to finish the poem, not to narrow it.

Critic under the pseudonym A.S. in “New Time” he says that Nekrasov’s muse is developing and moving forward. He writes that in the poem the peasant will find an echo of his aspirations. Because he will find his simple human feeling in the lines.

Cetaceans - report message (3, 7th grade Biology)
Cetaceans are considered a special species of mammals that live in the water element; they are very common in the oceans and seas. This group of animals completely lacks hind limbs

Analysis of the poem by N.A. Nekrasov "Who Lives Well in Rus'"

In January 1866, the next issue of the Sovremennik magazine was published in St. Petersburg. It opened with lines that are now familiar to everyone:

In what year - calculate

In what land - guess...

These words seemed to promise to introduce the reader into an entertaining fairy-tale world, where a warbler bird speaking in human language and a magic tablecloth would appear... So N.A. began with a sly smile and ease. Nekrasov his story about the adventures of seven men who argued about “who lives happily and freely in Russia.”

He devoted many years to working on the poem, which the poet called his “favorite brainchild.” He set himself the goal of writing a “people's book”, useful, understandable to the people and truthful. “I decided,” said Nekrasov, “to present in a coherent story everything that I know about the people, everything that I happened to hear from their lips, and I started “Who Lives Well in Russia.” This will be an epic of peasant life.” But death interrupted this gigantic work; the work remained unfinished. However, uh These words seemed to promise to introduce the reader into an entertaining fairy-tale world, where a warbler bird speaking human language and a magic tablecloth would appear... So, with a sly smile and ease, N. A. Nekrasov began his story about the adventures of seven men, who argued about “who lives happily and freely in Russia.”

Already in the “Prologue” a picture of peasant Rus' was visible, the figure of the main character of the work stood up - the Russian peasant, as he really was: in bast shoes, onuchakh, an army coat, unfed, having suffered grief.

Three years later, publication of the poem resumed, but each part was met with severe persecution by the tsarist censors, who believed that the poem was “notable for its extreme ugliness of content.” The last of the written chapters, “A Feast for the Whole World,” came under especially sharp attack. Unfortunately, Nekrasov was not destined to see either the publication of “The Feast” or a separate edition of the poem. Without abbreviations or distortions, the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” was published only after the October Revolution.

The poem occupies a central place in Nekrasov’s poetry, is its ideological and artistic pinnacle, the result of the writer’s thoughts about the fate of the people, about their happiness and the paths that lead to it. These thoughts worried the poet throughout his life and ran like a red thread through all his poetic work.

By the 1860s, the Russian peasant became the main character of Nekrasov's poetry. “Peddlers”, “Orina, the soldier’s mother”, “Railway”, “Frost, Red Nose” are the most important works of the poet on the way to the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”.

Nekrasov revived the genre of folk epic in poetry. “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is a truly folk work: both in its ideological sound, and in the scale of the epic depiction of modern folk life, in posing the fundamental questions of the time, and in heroic pathos, and in the widespread use of poetic traditions of oral folk art, the closeness of the poetic language to living speech forms of everyday life and song lyricism.

At the same time, Nekrasov’s poem has features characteristic specifically of critical realism. Instead of one central character, the poem primarily depicts the folk environment as a whole, the living conditions of different social circles. The people's point of view on reality is expressed in the poem already in the very development of the theme, in the fact that all of Russia, all events are shown through the perception of wandering peasants, presented to the reader as if in their vision.

The events of the poem unfold in the first years after the reform of 1861 and the liberation of the peasants. The people, the peasantry, are the true positive heroes of the poem. Nekrasov pinned his hopes for the future on him, although he was aware of the weakness of the forces of peasant protest and the immaturity of the masses for revolutionary action.

In the poem, the author created the image of the peasant Savely, the “hero of the Holy Russian”, “the hero of the homespun”, who personifies the gigantic strength and fortitude of the people. Savely is endowed with features legendary heroes folk epic. This image is associated by Nekrasov with the central theme of the poem - the search for ways to people's happiness. It is no coincidence that Matryona Timofeevna says about Savely to wanderers: “He was also a lucky man.” Savely’s happiness lies in his love of freedom, in his understanding of the need for active struggle of the people, who can only achieve a “free” life in this way.

The poem contains many memorable images of peasants. Here is the smart old mayor Vlas, who has seen a lot in his time, and Yakim Nagoy, a typical representative of the working agricultural peasantry. However, Yakim Naga portrays the poet as not at all like the downtrodden, dark peasant of the patriarchal village. With a deep consciousness of his dignity, he ardently defends the people's honor and makes a fiery speech in defense of the people.

An important role in the poem is occupied by the image of Yermil Girin - a pure and incorruptible “protector of the people”, who takes the side of the rebel peasants and ends up in prison.

In the beautiful female image of Matryona Timofeevna, the poet draws the typical features of a Russian peasant woman. Nekrasov wrote many moving poems about the harsh “female share,” but he had never written about a peasant woman so fully, with such warmth and love as is depicted in the poem Matryonushka.

Along with the peasant characters of the poem, who evoke love and sympathy, Nekrasov also depicts other types of peasants, mainly courtyards - lordly hangers-on, sycophants, obedient slaves and outright traitors. These images are drawn by the poet in the tones of satirical denunciation. The more clearly he saw the protest of the peasantry, the more he believed in the possibility of their liberation, the more irreconcilably he condemned slavish humiliation, servility and servility. Such are the “exemplary slave” Yakov in the poem, who ultimately realizes the humiliation of his position and resorts to pitiful and helpless, but in his slavish consciousness, terrible revenge - suicide in front of his tormentor; the “sensitive lackey” Ipat, who talks about his humiliations with disgusting relish; informer, “one of our own spy” Yegor Shutov; Elder Gleb, seduced by the promises of the heir and agreed to destroy the will of the deceased landowner about the liberation of eight thousand peasants (“Peasant Sin”).

Showing the ignorance, rudeness, superstition, and backwardness of the Russian village of that time, Nekrasov emphasizes the temporary, historically transient nature of the dark sides of peasant life.

The world poetically recreated in the poem is a world of sharp social contrasts, clashes, and acute contradictions in life.

In the “round”, “ruddy-faced”, “pot-bellied”, “mustachioed” landowner Obolte-Obolduev, whom the wanderers met, the poet reveals the emptiness and frivolity of a person who is not used to thinking seriously about life. Behind the guise of a good-natured man, behind the courteous courtesy and ostentatious cordiality of Obolt-Obolduev, the reader sees the arrogance and anger of the landowner, barely restrained disgust and hatred for the “muzhich”, for the peasants.

The image of the landowner-tyrant Prince Utyatin, nicknamed by the peasants the Last One, is marked with satire and grotesquery. A predatory look, “a nose with a beak like a hawk,” alcoholism and voluptuousness complement the disgusting appearance of a typical representative of the landowner environment, an inveterate serf owner and despot.

At first glance, the development of the plot of the poem should consist in resolving the dispute between the men: which of the persons they named lives happier - the landowner, the official, the priest, the merchant, the minister or the tsar. However, developing the action of the poem, Nekrasov goes beyond the plot framework set by the plot of the work. Seven peasants are no longer looking for happiness only among representatives of the ruling classes. Going to the fair, in the midst of the people, they ask themselves the question: “Isn’t he hiding there, who lives happily?” In "The Last One" they directly say that the purpose of their journey is to search for people's happiness, the best peasant share:

We are looking, Uncle Vlas,

Unflogged province,

Ungutted parish,

Izbytkova village!..

Having begun the narrative in a semi-fairy-tale humorous tone, the poet gradually deepens the meaning of the question of happiness and gives it an increasingly acute social resonance. The author's intentions are most clearly manifested in the censored part of the poem - “A feast for the whole world.” The story about Grisha Dobrosklonov that began here was to take a central place in the development of the theme of happiness and struggle. Here the poet speaks directly about that path, about that “path” that leads to the embodiment of national happiness. Grisha’s happiness lies in the conscious struggle for a happy future for the people, so that “every peasant can live freely and cheerfully throughout all holy Rus'.”

The image of Grisha is the final one in the series of “people's intercessors” depicted in Nekrasov’s poetry. The author emphasizes in Grisha his close proximity to the people, lively communication with the peasants, in whom he finds complete understanding and support; Grisha is depicted as an inspired dreamer-poet, composing his “good songs” for the people.

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is the highest example of the folk style of Nekrasov poetry. The folk-song and fairy-tale element of the poem gives it a bright national flavor and is directly related to Nekrasov’s faith in the great future of the people. The main theme of the poem - the search for happiness - goes back to folk tales, songs and other folklore sources that talked about the search for a happy land, truth, wealth, treasure, etc. This theme expressed the most cherished thought of the masses, their desire for happiness, the age-old dream of the people about a just social system.

Nekrasov used in his poem almost the entire genre diversity of Russian folk poetry: fairy tales, epics, legends, riddles, proverbs, sayings, family songs, love songs, wedding songs, historical songs. Folk poetry provided the poet with rich material for judging peasant life, life, and the customs of the village.

The style of the poem is characterized by a wealth of emotional sounds, a variety of poetic intonation: the sly smile and leisurely narration in the “Prologue” is replaced in subsequent scenes by the ringing polyphony of a seething fair crowd, in “The Last One” - by satirical ridicule, in “The Peasant Woman” - by deep drama and lyrical emotion, and in “A Feast for the Whole World” - with heroic tension and revolutionary pathos.

The poet subtly feels and loves the beauty of the native Russian nature of the northern strip. The poet also uses the landscape to create an emotional tone, to more fully and vividly characterize the character’s state of mind.

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” has a prominent place in Russian poetry. In it, the fearless truth of pictures of folk life appears in an aura of poetic fabulousness and the beauty of folk art, and the cry of protest and satire merged with the heroism of the revolutionary struggle. All this was expressed with great artistic force in the immortal work of N.A. Nekrasova.

// Analysis of Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”

For the first time, the publication of a poem by N.A. Nekrasova was published in 1866 in one of the installments of the Sovremennik magazine. The beginning of the poem, its first lines could reveal to the reader the theme of this work, and also interest everyone in its intricate idea.

This creative work was the author's greatest achievement; it glorified Nekrasov.

What is the poem about? About the fate of the ordinary Russian people, about their difficult and happy moments.

Nikolai Alekseevich spent many years writing such a grandiose work. After all, he wanted not just to compose another artistic creation, but to create a folk book that would describe and tell about the life of a simple person - a peasant.

What genre can the poem be classified into? I think that it is a folk epic, because the stories that the author tells are based on real events from the life of the people. The work contains elements of oral folk art, established traditions, and there are living verbal expressions and phrases that were constantly in use by a simple peasant.

The reform of 1861 frees the peasants and gives them the right to their own lives. Nekrasov portrayed the people in the role of a positive hero. Main character the peasant Savely was powerful and unusually strong. He understands that the common people need to fight, they need to move forward with all their might in order to achieve real freedom.

The poet’s images of other peasants also stand out clearly. This is Yakim Nagoy, who did not at all look like a downtrodden resident of an ordinary peasant village. He was an ardent defender of the people, he could always proclaim an emotional speech that would glorify the common man.

In the text of the poem, the reader also gets acquainted with the character who chooses the path of resistance and goes over to defend the peasants.

A person becomes a magnificent image of a peasant woman. Nikolai Alekseevich described the heroine with all his poetic talent and love.

There are other characters in the poet who were in servant slavery. They, realizing their insignificant position, dared to take serious actions, even such as suicide.

In parallel with the human images that are found in the poem, Nekrasov tried to show a complete picture of the Russian village, where in most cases rudeness, backwardness and ignorance reigned. In the text of the poem, the reader becomes acquainted with the clashes, contradictions and social contrasts that triumphed in those years on Russian lands.

The image of the landowner Obolt-Obolduev reveals the true emptiness, frivolity and even narrow-mindedness of the representative of the ruling rank. In addition, the reader also observes the malice, the sincere hatred with which he treats the peasant peasants.

The persona of another disgusting hero, the real despot Utyatin, reveals to us other character traits of the landowners of that time.

Reading the text of the poem, the reader understands that Nikolai Nekrasov goes beyond the established limits. He begins to develop the actions of his work, relying not only on the dispute between men about who lives happiest in Rus' - the tsar, the minister or the merchant. The search for such a lucky person also occurs in the ranks of ordinary peasants.

The beginning of the poem is remembered by a certain presence of the author’s humorous, kind tone. However, as the plot develops, the reader observes an increasingly sharpening of reality.

There is a part in the poem that was completely prohibited by censorship. They call it “Feast for the whole world.” The hero has a frank conversation about the fact that only with the help of an ardent and active struggle for happiness, the peasant will be able to obtain the cherished freedom. Grisha is one of the last heroes who were among Nekrasov’s people’s intercessors. He treats the peasants with understanding and supports them in everything.

A special feature of the poem is the presence of a fairy-tale element, which creates such a contrast, such a coloring in relation to the events that unfold in the text of the work.

Nikolai Nekrasov really saw strength in a simple peasant and believed that he would find real happiness, that he had hope for a bright future.

On the pages of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” you can find a variety of genre trends - epics, proverbs, riddles, and sayings. Thanks to so many techniques from folk poetry, which comes from the lips of an ordinary person, Nikolai Alekseevich was able to expand and fill the meaning of his poem.

Nekrasov also does not forget about the magnificent landscapes of Russian nature, which quite often flash in the imaginations of readers while reading a fascinating text.

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” occupies a worthy place not only in the works of Nikolai Nekrasov, but also in all Russian literature. It reveals the true truth of life that triumphed during the abolition of serfdom. The poet sincerely believes that through struggle and protest, the peasants will be able to achieve the desired liberties and freedoms.

On February 19, 1861, a long-awaited reform took place in Russia - the abolition of serfdom, which immediately shook up the entire society and caused a wave of new problems, the main of which can be expressed in a line from Nekrasov’s poem: “The people are liberated, but are the people happy?..”. The singer of folk life, Nekrasov did not stand aside this time either - in 1863, his poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” began to be created, telling about life in post-reform Rus'. The work is considered the pinnacle of the writer’s work and to this day enjoys the well-deserved love of readers. At the same time, despite its seemingly simple and stylized fairy-tale plot, it is very difficult to understand. Therefore, we will analyze the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” in order to better understand its meaning and problems.

History of creation

Nekrasov created the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” from 1863 to 1877, and individual ideas, according to contemporaries, arose from the poet back in the 1850s. Nekrasov wanted to present in one work everything that, as he said, “I know about the people, everything that I happened to hear from their lips,” accumulated “by word” over 20 years of his life. Unfortunately, due to the death of the author, the poem remained unfinished; only four parts of the poem and a prologue were published.

After the death of the author, the publishers of the poem were faced with challenging task– determine in what sequence to publish the disparate parts of the work, because Nekrasov did not have time to combine them into one whole. The problem was solved by K. Chukovsky, who, relying on the writer’s archives, decided to print the parts in the order in which they are known to the modern reader: “The Last One,” “The Peasant Woman,” “A Feast for the Whole World.”

Genre of the work, composition

There are many different genre definitions of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - they talk about it as a “travel poem”, “Russian Odyssey”, even such a confusing definition is known as “the protocol of a kind of all-Russian peasant congress, an unrivaled transcript of debates on a pressing political issue " However, there is also the author’s definition of the genre, which most critics agree with: epic poem. An epic involves depicting the life of an entire people at some decisive moment in history, be it a war or other social upheaval. The author describes what is happening through the eyes of the people and often turns to folklore as a means of showing the people's vision of the problem. An epic, as a rule, does not have one hero - there are many heroes, and they play more of a connecting role than a plot-forming role. The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” fits all these criteria and can safely be called an epic.

Theme and idea of the work, characters, issues

The plot of the poem is simple: “on a high street” seven men meet and argue about who has the best life in Rus'. To find out, they go on a journey. In this regard, the theme of the work can be defined as a large-scale narrative about the life of peasants in Russia. Nekrasov covered almost all spheres of life - during his wanderings, the men would meet different people: a priest, a landowner, beggars, drunkards, merchants; the cycle of human destinies would pass before their eyes - from a wounded soldier to a once all-powerful prince. The fair, the prison, hard work for the master, death and birth, holidays, weddings, auctions and elections of the burgomaster - nothing escaped the gaze of the writer.

The question of who should be considered the main character of the poem is ambiguous. On the one hand, formally it has seven main characters - men wandering in search of a happy man. The image of Grisha Dobrosklonov also stands out, in whose person the author portrays the future people's savior and educator. But besides this, the image of the people as the image of the main character of the work is clearly visible in the poem. The people appear as a single whole in scenes of the fair, mass celebrations (“Drunken Night”, “Feast for the Whole World”), and haymaking. The whole world makes various decisions - from the help of Yermil to the election of the burgomaster, even a sigh of relief after the death of the landowner escapes from everyone at the same time. The seven men are not individualized either - they are described as briefly as possible, do not have their own individual traits and characters, pursue the same goal and even speak, as a rule, all together. The secondary characters (the serf Yakov, the village headman, Savely) are described by the author in much more detail, which allows us to talk about the special creation of a conventionally allegorical image of the people with the help of seven wanderers.

The lives of the people are, in one way or another, affected by all the problems raised by Nekrasov in the poem. This is the problem of happiness, the problem of drunkenness and moral degradation, sin, the relationship between the old and new way of life, freedom and lack of freedom, rebellion and patience, as well as the problem of the Russian woman, characteristic of many of the poet’s works. The problem of happiness in the poem is fundamental, and is understood differently by different characters. For the priest, the landowner and other characters endowed with power, happiness is represented in the form of personal well-being, “honor and wealth.” A man's happiness consists of various misfortunes - a bear tried to kill him, but could not, they beat him in the service, but did not kill him to death... But there are also characters for whom there is no personal happiness separate from the happiness of the people. This is Yermil Girin, the honest burgomaster, and this is the seminarian Grisha Dobrosklonov who appears in the last chapter. In his soul, love for his poor mother outgrew and merged with love for his equally poor homeland, for the happiness and enlightenment of which Grisha plans to live.

From Grisha’s understanding of happiness arises the main idea of the work: true happiness is possible only for those who do not think about themselves, and are ready to spend their whole life for the happiness of everyone. The call to love your people as they are and to fight for their happiness, without remaining indifferent to their problems, sounds clearly throughout the poem, and finds its final embodiment in the image of Grisha.

Artistic media

An analysis of “Who Lives Well in Rus'” by Nekrasov cannot be considered complete without considering the means of artistic expression used in the poem. Basically, this is the use of oral folk art - both as an object of depiction, to create a more reliable picture of peasant life, and as an object of study (for the future people's intercessor, Grisha Dobrosklonov).

Folklore is introduced into the text either directly, as stylization: stylization of the prologue as a fairy-tale beginning (the mythological number seven, a self-assembled tablecloth and other details eloquently speak about this), or indirectly - quotes from folk songs, references to various folklore subjects (most often to epics).

The speech of the poem itself is stylized as a folk song. Let's pay attention to big number dialectisms, diminutive suffixes, numerous repetitions and the use of stable constructions in descriptions. Thanks to this, “Who Lives Well in Rus'” can be perceived as folk art, and this is not accidental. In the 1860s, an increased interest in folk art arose. The study of folklore was perceived not only as scientific activity, but also as an open dialogue between the intelligentsia and the people, which, of course, was close to Nekrasov in ideological terms.

Conclusion

So, having examined Nekrasov’s work “Who Lives Well in Rus',” we can confidently conclude that, despite the fact that it remained unfinished, it is still of enormous literary value. The poem remains relevant to this day and can arouse interest not only among researchers, but also among ordinary readers interested in the history of problems of Russian life. “Who Lives Well in Rus'” has been repeatedly interpreted in other forms of art - in the form of a stage production, various illustrations (Sokolov, Gerasimov, Shcherbakova), as well as a popular print on this subject.

Work test

When studying writers of the nineteenth century, one cannot ignore Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov. He dedicated most of his works to the common people; he strove to understand and reveal the Russian soul, and often touched on the topic of liberating peasants from serfdom. The epic poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” - the poet’s most ambitious work - was no exception.

The plot of the poem begins when seven men, seven temporary peasants from different villages, begin to argue about “who lives a fun, free life in Rus'?” So, not agreeing on opinions, the main characters go in search of the “lucky ones”, abandoning all their affairs.

Our experts can check your essay using Unified State Exam criteria

Experts from the site Kritika24.ru
Teachers of leading schools and current experts of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation.

How to become an expert?

It is noteworthy that Nekrasov uses folklore and many fairy-tale elements in his work. I think this allowed the author not only to build a logical composition of the poem, but also to show the eternal desire of the people for truth, the belief that good always triumphs over evil.

The first person on the way for wanderers is a priest. He sees happiness in “peace, wealth, honor,” and recalls with longing the serfdom past. At that time, the church was maintained by wealthy landowners, but with the advent of the new reform they went bankrupt, which could not but affect the financial condition of the clergy. The heavy burden of maintaining the clergy fell on the shoulders of the peasant, who “he himself is in need, and would be glad to give, but there is nothing.”

The landowners Obolt-Obolduev and Utyatin, who appear in the poem, have similar concepts about happiness. They mourn the abolition of serfdom, the loss of their former idleness and luxury of life. Now, everything that was so dear to them was taken away from the landowners: obedient slaves and land, but most of all they regret the loss of their power:

I will have mercy on whomever I want,

Whoever I want, I’ll execute.

The law is my desire!

The fist is my police!

And among the common people, seven men are trying to find happiness. Thus, those who want to drink a free glass talk about their happiness: the old woman is happy that “up to a thousand turnips were born on a small ridge,” the soldier is happy that “in twenty battles ... he was killed, and not killed,” the yard man is happy because he has “an illness honorable,” the mason is proud of his extraordinary strength. But none of the narrators truly convinces our wanderers that he is happy. Their joy is more likely to be based on material possessions, amazing happenstance, or simply the absence of misfortune. No wonder the chapter “happy” ends with the following lines:

Hey, man's happiness!

Leaky with patches,

Humpbacked with calluses,

Go home.

At the fair, the main characters are told a story about Yermil Girin. “He had everything he needed for happiness: peace of mind, money, and honor.” That honor was earned by intelligence, honest work and kindness; Yermil enjoyed great respect among the people. It would seem that the men found a happy one, but even this character cannot be considered as such, because he ended up in prison for supporting a peasant uprising.

In his poem, Nekrasov pays special attention to the female image, the difficult fate of Matryona Timofeevna. But you can call her happy only before marriage (“I was lucky in the girls: we had a good, non-drinking family”). Matryona had to endure many difficult trials, which she endured with enviable fortitude and bravely withstood: she lay down under the rods instead of her son, saved her husband from conscription, and survived hunger. One cannot help but admire the image of a Russian woman who is a double slave: a slave of her husband and the peasantry, but who has retained her honor and dignity. The people consider her happy, but Matryona Timofeevna herself does not agree with this: “It’s not a matter of looking for a happy woman among women.”

I think it is no coincidence that at the end of the poem Nekrasov introduces the image of the “people's defender” Grisha Dobrosklonov. And although fate was preparing “consumption and Siberia” for the hero, from childhood he decided to devote his entire life to ensuring that “every peasant would live freely and cheerfully throughout all of holy Rus'.” In my opinion, it was in the image of Grisha Dobrosklonov that Nekrasov reflected the main idea of the work: true happiness is to make all the people around happy, and this can only be achieved when thoughts about revolutionary transformation enter the people's consciousness.

One of the most famous works of Nikolai Nekrasov is the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, which is distinguished not only by its deep philosophical meaning and social acuity, but also by its bright, original characters - these are seven simple Russian men who got together and argued about who “ life is free and joyful in Rus'.” The poem was first published in 1866 in the Sovremennik magazine. The publication of the poem was resumed three years later, but the tsarist censorship, seeing the content as an attack on the autocratic regime, did not allow it to be published. The poem was published in full only after the revolution in 1917.

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” became the central work in the work of the great Russian poet; it is his ideological and artistic pinnacle, the result of his thoughts and reflections on the fate of the Russian people and on the roads leading to their happiness and well-being. These questions worried the poet throughout his life and ran like a red thread through his entire literary activity. Work on the poem lasted 14 years (1863-1877) and in order to create this “folk epic”, as the author himself called it, useful and understandable for the common people, Nekrasov made a lot of efforts, although in the end it was never finished (8 chapters were planned, 4 were written). A serious illness and then the death of Nekrasov disrupted his plans. Plot incompleteness does not prevent the work from having an acute social character.

Main storyline

« You're miserable too

you are abundant

you and the omnipotent

Mother Rus'!»

Main characters

The main female character of the poem is Matryona Korchagina; the entire third chapter is devoted to a description of her tragic fate, typical of all Russian women. Drawing her portrait, Nekrasov admires her straight, proud posture, simple attire and the amazing beauty of a simple Russian woman (large, stern eyes, rich eyelashes, stern and dark). Her whole life is spent in hard peasant work, she has to endure beatings from her husband and brazen attacks from the manager, she was destined to survive the tragic death of her first-born, hunger and deprivation. She lives only for the sake of her children, and without hesitation accepts punishment with rods for her guilty son. The author admires the strength of her maternal love, endurance and strong character, sincerely pities her and sympathizes with all Russian women, for the fate of Matryona is the fate of all peasant women of that time, suffering from lawlessness, poverty, religious fanaticism and superstition, and lack of qualified medical care.

Analysis of the poem

However, the key problem of this work is the search for simple human happiness, which each of the characters understands in their own way. For example, rich people, such as priests or landowners, think only about their own well-being, this is happiness for them, poorer people, such as ordinary peasants, are happy with the simplest things: staying alive after a bear attack, surviving a beating at work, etc. .

Structural and compositional features

In order for the poem to be understandable to the common man, many common words and expressions are used in it: village, breveshko, fair, empty popple, etc. The poem contains a large number of different examples of folk poetry, these are fairy tales, epics, various proverbs and sayings, folk songs of various genres. The language of the work is stylized by the author in the form of a folk song to improve ease of perception; at that time, the use of folklore was considered the best way of communication between the intelligentsia and the common people.

The poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is the highest example of a work executed in the folk style of Nekrasov’s entire literary heritage. The elements and images of Russian folklore used by the poet give the work a bright originality, colorfulness and rich national flavor. The fact that Nekrasov made the search for happiness the main theme of the poem is not at all accidental, because the entire Russian people have been searching for it for many thousands of years, this is reflected in his fairy tales, epics, legends, songs and in other various folklore sources as the search for treasure, a happy land, priceless treasure. The theme of this work expressed the most cherished desire of the Russian people throughout its existence - to live happily in a society where justice and equality rule.

Concept

Art style

Folklore basis

Plot

Peasant images

Artistic techniques

The image of landowners

Grisha Dobrosklonov

Direction, genre, size

Composition

The essence

The main characters and their characteristics

Themes

Main problems

Folklore and language

Criticism

Main storyline

Main characters

Analysis of the poem

Structural and compositional features

Analysis of the poem by N.A. Nekrasov "Who Lives Well in Rus'"

History of creation

Genre of the work, composition

Theme and idea of ​​the work, characters, issues

Artistic media

Conclusion

Main storyline

Main characters

Analysis of the poem

Structural and compositional features

Theme and idea of the work, characters, issues