The history of the creation and features of the development of the novel by Oblolov. Quotes

The novel "Oblomov" was published in 1858 and made a tremendous impression on the then society. It fell like a bomb on the intelligentsia just at the time of the most intense public excitement, three years before the liberation of the peasants, when a crusade against sleep, inertia and stagnation was preached in all literature. Society was invited to move forward cheerfully and energetically along the path of progress, and the novel echoed this call in all its images.

On the other hand, due to the fact that generalization reached the highest degree in the novel, no one could treat Oblomov's type objectively; everyone compared himself with Oblomov and found in himself some Oblomov traits. The well-known critic Dobrolyubav rightly equated all the heroes of the past with Oblomov, from Onegin to Rudin.

Twelve years after the publication of Ordinary History, Goncharov's second novel, Oblomov, was published. It was the result of a huge and intense creative work of the writer. The idea of ​​the novel, apparently, matured long ago and was partially implemented much earlier ("Oblomov's Dream" was published as a separate chapter in 1849). but only at the end of the 50s, Goncharov was able to complete his work, when the images of the departing local Rus' and the new one, awakening, became quite clear to the writer. This decade revealed with even greater clarity the vital bankruptcy of the inhabitants of the estates, showed the need to transform Russian life.

The Russian public, in the person of its best representatives of the 50s, saw in the novel a "waste" of landlord serf life; the grandiosity and power of artistic generalizations, the deep truthfulness of the novel captured the attention of the masses of readers. The famous critic Dobrolyubov devoted one of his best articles to the analysis of the novel (“What is Oblomovism?”).

The novel has spread widely in reader circles. In a short time it became almost a mass book. About this all-Russian fame of "Oblomov" was told by the magazine "Library for Reading". “Despite all the obstacles, Oblomov triumphantly captured all the passions, all the attention, all the thoughts of readers ... All literate people read Oblomov. Crowds of people, as if waiting for something, rushed to the Oblomov. Without any exaggeration, it can be said that at the present moment throughout Russia there is not a single most provincial city where Oblomov is not read, where Oblomov is not arguing.

It was not for nothing that Oblomov and Oblomovism spread all over Russia and became words forever rooted in our speech. Goncharov called the impression made by the novel on readers huge and unanimous. Many years later, he recalled Turgenev's assessment of the novel: "As long as at least one Russian remains, Oblomov will be remembered until then."
"Oblomov" is close in theme and arrangement of characters to the novel "An Ordinary Story". Both here and there they talk about passivity and work, about peace and work. But unlike the previous work in Obpomov, the conflict is depicted more sharply and revealed more deeply, the fate of the hero is shown in the closest dependence on the conditions of patriarchal life.

Any person with a claim to literacy is familiar with the names of Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and can certainly cite the names of some of the most famous works of these authors as an example. But who wrote "Oblomov"? Who was this writer? And why did his hero acquire such symbolic popularity?

Childhood and youthful years of the future writer

Ivan Alekseevich Goncharov (the one who wrote "Oblomov") was born in Simbirsk, now known as Ulyanovsk, in 1812. He was the son of a wealthy merchant. But Ivan Alekseevich's dad died seven years after the boy was born, young Ivan was brought up by his godfather, Nikolai Tregubov, a liberal-minded aristocrat. He opened up wider cultural horizons and a sophisticated lifestyle for Goncharov.

Ivan Goncharov initially studied at a commercial school in 1822, and continued his studies for eight years. As he later recalled, these were the most miserable years of his life. Ivan could not stand the low quality of education and the methods of harsh discipline. His only consolation at that time was self-education.

Higher education and debut editions

And then at Moscow University, in an atmosphere of intellectual freedom and lively discussions, Goncharov's spirit flourished. Ivan Alekseevich, during his studies, gets acquainted with some of the leading minds of his era, but does not join any of the student circles that were full of faith in the ideals of the philosophy of German romanticism.

Goncharov remained indifferent to the ideas of political and social change that were gaining popularity at that time. His main occupation is reading and translation. In 1832, two chapters from the work of Eugene Sue were published, which were translated by Ivan Alekseevich. This became his debut edition.

Graduation and beginning of adulthood

After graduating in 1834, Goncharov served for almost thirty years as a government official. He first returned home to enter the office of the Simbirsk governor, and a year later he moved to St. Petersburg and began working as a translator in the Ministry of Finance.

Unlike literary rivals such as Turgenev or Goncharov, he was forced to earn his living, and not just rely on writing. Ivan Alekseevich, of course, became a member of the literary circle founded in the Maikovs' house, and even wrote poetry. But soon he stopped indulging in poetry altogether. Many of Goncharov's poems were included in the novel Ordinary History as Aduev's writings. A sure sign that the author stopped taking them seriously.

The writing career of the one who wrote Oblomov. Photo of the author of the work

Goncharov's first prose began to appear in The Snowdrop. This is a satirical story "Dashing Pain", in which he ridiculed romantic sentimentalism. Then came secular drama with a touch of comedy, and the most significant work of that time was an essay called "Ivan Savvich Podzhabrin". Thus began the literary career of the one who wrote Oblomov.

Despite the fact that Ivan Alekseevich began to write a long time ago, his first serious work is "Ordinary History". She tells about the clash between the decaying Russian nobility and the new merchant classes. The most influential critic of the time described the novel as an attack on antiquated romanticism.

The most popular work, or the second novel of Ivan Alekseevich

And in what year was "Oblomov" written? Ivan Alekseevich Goncharov began his second novel in the late 1840s, but the process was slow for many reasons. In 1855 he accepted the position of censor, traveled to England, Africa and Japan as Admiral Putyatin's secretary.

And the novel "Oblomov" itself first appeared in the journal "Domestic Notes" in 1859. It is dedicated to the midlife crisis of the protagonist. A distinctive feature of Ilya Ilyich is a lazy attitude to life. The author portrayed his character with sympathy, although he was the personification of the nobility.

The main questions in the work of Ivan Alekseevich

What is the reader's primary interest? This is, first of all, what the work is about, and not just who wrote it. "Oblomov" is a novel that describes the fate of the landowner Ilya Ilyich, and on the basis of this plot, the author in his work considers many important issues that Russian society faces in the nineteenth century. This is the uselessness of many landowners and nobles in society, the complex relationship between members of various classes of society, such as Oblomov and his servant Zakhar.

The main character is a young and generous nobleman, but he does not seem to be in a position to make important decisions or initiate any significant actions at all. Throughout the piece, he rarely leaves his room or bed. Moreover, over the course of the first fifty or so pages, Ilya Ilyich very famously manages not to leave her at all.

The meaning of a famous work

Ivan Alekseevich Goncharov (the one who wrote the novel "Oblomov") certainly did not expect that his work would become so popular that it would leave a significant imprint on Russian culture. Moreover, Goncharov's work will add new words to the Russian vocabulary. The protagonist's name would become often used to describe someone who exhibits traits of a lazy and apathetic personality similar to the character in the novel.

The work caused unanimous recognition not only among readers, but also among critics. There were those who wrote: Oblomov is the last person in a series of "superfluous people" after Onegin, Pechorin and Rudin in a decaying feudal Russia. Nikolay Dobrolyubov noted that in the novel very important problems of that era were brought to the fore and subjected to a thorough analysis. A special kind of laziness, leading to self-destruction of the individual.

The last years of the life of a famous writer and critic

These are the global problems that the one who wrote "Oblomov" could touch on in his work. Nevertheless, Ivan Alekseevich was not a prolific writer. He published only three of his novels. Ten years after the publication of the novel "Oblomov", another work called "Cliff" is published, which also has significant success with readers.

Goncharov is also planning a fourth novel, but his dreams did not materialize. Instead, he becomes a critic and makes numerous theater and literary reviews. Towards the end of his life, Ivan Alekseevich wrote an unusual memoir in which he accused his literary rivals of plagiarizing his works. He died in St. Petersburg on September 24, 1891 from pneumonia.

Thus passed the life of the remarkable writer and critic Ivan Alekseevich Goncharov, the one who wrote the novel Oblomov. His photo is now known to every schoolchild. And the works are not only popular, but also loved by a wide range of readers.

Often referred to as a mystery writer, Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov, extravagant and inaccessible to many contemporaries, went to his zenith for almost twelve years. "Oblomov" was printed in parts, crumpled, added and changed "slowly and heavily," as the author wrote, whose creative hand, however, approached the creation of the novel responsibly and scrupulously. The novel was published in 1859 in the St. Petersburg journal Otechestvennye Zapiski and was met with obvious interest from both literary and philistine circles.

The history of writing the novel prancing in parallel with the tarantass of the events of that time, namely with the Gloomy Seven Years of 1848-1855, when not only Russian literature, but the entire Russian society was silent. It was an era of increased censorship, which was the reaction of the authorities to the activity of the liberal-minded intelligentsia. A wave of democratic upheavals took place across Europe, so politicians in Russia decided to secure the regime with repressive measures against the press. There was no news, and writers were faced with the caustic and helpless problem of having nothing to write about. What, perhaps, they wanted, the censors ruthlessly pulled out. It is this situation that is the result of that hypnosis and that lethargy that wraps the whole work, like Oblomov's favorite dressing gown. The best people of the country in such a suffocating atmosphere felt unnecessary, and the values ​​​​encouraged from above felt petty and unworthy of a nobleman.

“I wrote my life and what grew to it,” Goncharov briefly commented on the history of the novel after finishing touches on his creation. These words are an honest recognition and confirmation of the autobiographical nature of the greatest collection of eternal questions and answers to them.

Composition

The composition of the novel is circular. Four parts, four seasons, four states of Oblomov, four stages in the life of each of us. The action in the book is a cycle: sleep turns into awakening, awakening into sleep.

• Exposure. In the first part of the novel, there is almost no action, except perhaps only in Oblomov's head. Ilya Ilyich lies, he receives visitors, he shouts at Zakhar, and Zakhar shouts at him. Characters of different colors appear here, but basically they are all the same ... Like Volkov, for example, to whom the hero sympathizes and rejoices for himself that he does not fragment and does not crumble into ten places in one day, does not loom around, but retains his human dignity in his chambers . The next “out of the cold”, Sudbinsky, Ilya Ilyich also sincerely regrets and concludes that his unfortunate friend is bogged down in the service, and that now much will not move in him for a century ... There was a journalist Penkin, and colorless Alekseev, and heavy-browed Tarantiev, and all he was equally sorry, sympathized with everyone, retorted with everyone, recited ideas and thought ... An important part is the chapter "Oblomov's Dream", in which the root of "Oblomovism" is exposed. The composition is equal to the idea: Goncharov describes and shows the reasons for the formation of laziness, apathy, infantilism, and in the end, a dead soul. It is the first part that is the exposition of the novel, since here the reader is presented with all the conditions in which the personality of the hero was formed.
• Tie. The first part is also the starting point for the subsequent degradation of the personality of Ilya Ilyich, because even the leaps of passion for Olga and devoted love for Stolz in the second part of the novel do not make the hero a better person, but only gradually squeeze Oblomov out of Oblomov. Here the hero meets Ilyinskaya, which in the third part develops into a climax.
• Climax. The third part, first of all, is fateful and significant for the protagonist himself, since here all his dreams suddenly become real: he performs feats, he makes a marriage proposal to Olga, he decides to love without fear, he decides to take risks, to duel with himself... Only people like Oblomov don't wear holsters, don't swordsman, don't sweat during battle, they doze off and only imagine how heroically beautiful it is. Oblomov can’t do everything - he cannot fulfill Olga’s request and go to his village, since this village is a fiction. The hero breaks up with the woman of his dreams, choosing to preserve his own way of life, rather than striving for the best and eternal struggle with himself. At the same time, his financial affairs are hopelessly deteriorating, and he is forced to leave a comfortable apartment and prefer a budget option.
• Interchange. The fourth and final part, "Vyborg Oblomovism", consists of marriage to Agafya Pshenitsyna and the subsequent death of the protagonist. It is also possible that it was marriage that contributed to Oblomov’s stupefaction and imminent death, because, as he himself put it: “There are such donkeys that get married!”.

It can be summarized that the plot itself is extremely simple, despite the fact that it is stretched over six hundred pages. A lazy, kind middle-aged man (Oblomov) is deceived by his vulture friends (by the way, they are vultures each in their own area), but a kind loving friend (Stolz) comes to the rescue, who saves him, but takes away the object of his love (Olga), and therefore and the main nourishment of his rich spiritual life.

Features of the composition lie in parallel storylines at different levels of perception.

• There is only one main storyline here and it is love, romantic ... The relationship between Olga Ilyinskaya and her main beau is shown in a new, bold, passionate, psychologically detailed way. That is why the novel claims to be a love story, being a kind of model and manual for building relationships between a man and a woman.
• The secondary storyline is based on the principle of opposing two destinies: Oblomov and Stolz, and the intersection of these very destinies at the point of love for one passion. But in this case, Olga is not a turning point, no, the look falls only on strong male friendship, on a pat on the back, on wide smiles and on mutual envy (I want to live the way the other lives).

What is the novel about?

This novel is, first of all, about a vice of social significance. Often the reader can notice the similarity of Oblomov not only with his creator, but also with the majority of people who live and have ever lived. Which of the readers, as they got closer to Oblomov, did not recognize themselves lying on the sofa and reflecting on the meaning of life, on the futility of being, on the power of love, on happiness? Which reader has not crushed his heart with the question: “To be or not to be?”?

Ultimately, the writer's property is such that, trying to expose another human flaw, he falls in love with it in the process and gives the reader a flaw with such an appetizing aroma that the reader eagerly wants to feast on it. After all, Oblomov is lazy, untidy, infantile, but the public loves him only because the hero has a soul and is not ashamed to reveal this soul to us. “Do you think that a thought does not need a heart? No, it is fertilized by love" - ​​this is one of the most important postulates of the work, laying the essence of the novel "Oblomov".

The sofa itself and Oblomov, lying on it, keep the world in balance. His philosophy, promiscuity, confusion, throwing run the lever of movement and the axis of the globe. In the novel, in this case, not only the justification of inaction takes place, but also the desecration of action. The vanity of the vanities of Tarantiev or Sudbinsky does not bring any sense, Stolz is successfully making a career, but what one is unknown ... Goncharov dares to slightly ridicule work, that is, work in the service, to which he hated, which, therefore, was not surprising to notice in the character of the protagonist . “But how upset he was when he saw that there must be at least an earthquake in order not to come to the service of a healthy official, and earthquakes, as a sin, do not happen in St. Petersburg; a flood, of course, could also serve as a barrier, but even that rarely happens. - the writer conveys all the senselessness of state activity, which Oblomov thought about and waved his hand in the end, referring to Hypertrophia cordis cum dilatatione ejus ventriculi sinistri. So what is Oblomov talking about? This is a novel about the fact that if you are lying on the couch, you are probably more right than those who walk somewhere or sit somewhere every day. Oblomovism is a diagnosis of humanity, where any activity can lead either to the loss of one's own soul, or to the stupid crumbling of time.

Main characters and their characteristics

It should be noted that the surnames of the speakers are typical for the novel. For example, they are worn by all minor characters. Tarantiev comes from the word "tarantula", journalist Penkin - from the word "foam", which hints at the surface and cheapness of his occupation. With their help, the author completes the description of the characters: the name of Stolz is translated from German as “proud”, Olga is Ilyinskaya because it belongs to Ilya, and Pshenitsyna is a hint at the vileness of her petty-bourgeois lifestyle. However, all this, in fact, does not fully characterize the heroes, this is done by Goncharov himself, describing the actions and thoughts of each of them, revealing their potential or lack thereof.

1. Oblomov- the main character, which is not surprising, but the hero is not the only one. It is through the prism of the life of Ilya Ilyich that a different life is visible, only here, what is interesting, Oblomovskaya seems to readers more entertaining and original, despite the fact that he does not have the characteristics of a leader and is even unsympathetic. Oblomov, a lazy and overweight middle-aged man, can confidently become the face of melancholy, depression and melancholy propaganda, but this man is so unhypocritical and pure in soul that his gloomy and stale flair is almost invisible. He is kind, subtle in love matters, sincere with people. He asks himself: “When will we live?” - and does not live, but only dreams and waits for the right moment for the utopian life that comes into his dreams and slumbers. He also asks the great Hamlet question: “To be or not to be,” when he decides to get up from the sofa or confess his feelings to Olga. He, just like Cervantes' Don Quixote, wants to accomplish a feat, but does not, and therefore blames his Sancho Panza - Zakhar for this. Oblomov is naive, like a child, and so sweet to the reader that an overwhelming feeling arises to protect Ilya Ilyich and quickly send him to an ideal village, where he can, holding his wife by the waist, walk with her and look at the cook in the process of cooking. We have discussed this in detail in our essay.
2. The opposite of Oblomov is Stolz. The person from whom the narration and the story of "Oblomovism" is conducted. He is German by father and Russian by mother, therefore a man who has inherited the virtues of both cultures. Andrei Ivanovich from childhood read both Herder and Krylov, he was well versed in "hard-working money-making, vulgar order and boring correctness of life." For Stolz, the philosophic nature of Oblomov is equal to antiquity and the past fashion for thought. He travels, works, builds, reads avidly and envies the free soul of a friend, because he himself does not dare to claim a free soul, or maybe he is simply afraid. We have discussed this in detail in our essay.
3. The turning point in Oblomov's life can be called in one name - Olga Ilyinskaya. She is interesting, she is special, she is smart, she is educated, she sings amazingly and she falls in love with Oblomov. Unfortunately, her love is like a list of certain tasks, and the beloved for her is nothing more than a project. Having learned from Stolz the peculiarities of the thinking of her future betrothed, the girl is eager to make a “man” out of Oblomov and considers his boundless and quivering love for her to be her leash. In part, Olga is cruel, proud and dependent on public opinion, but to say that her love is not real means to spit on all the ups and downs in gender relations, no, rather, her love is special, but genuine. also became a topic for our essay.
4. Agafya Pshenitsyna is a 30-year-old woman, the mistress of the house where Oblomov moved. The heroine is an economic, simple and kind person who found in Ilya Ilyich the love of her life, but did not seek to change him. It is characterized by silence, calmness, a certain limited outlook. Agafya does not think about something high, beyond the scope of everyday life, but she is caring, hardworking and capable of self-sacrifice for the sake of her beloved. More detailed in the essay.

Subject

Dmitry Bykov says:

Heroes of Goncharov do not shoot duels, like Onegin, Pechorin or Bazarov, do not participate, like Prince Bolkonsky, in historical battles and writing Russian laws, do not commit crimes and transgression over the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" as in Dostoevsky's novels. Everything they do fits into the framework of everyday life, but this is only one facet

Indeed, one facet of Russian life cannot encompass the whole novel: the novel is divided into social relations, friendships, and love relationships ... It is the latter theme that is the main one and is highly appreciated by critics.

1. Love Theme embodied in Oblomov's relationship with two women: Olga and Agafya. So Goncharov depicts several varieties of the same feeling. Ilyinskaya's emotions are saturated with narcissism: in them she sees herself, and only then her chosen one, although she loves him with all her heart. However, she values ​​her brainchild, her project, that is, the non-existent Oblomov. Ilya's relationship with Agafya is different: the woman fully supported his desire for peace and laziness, idolized him and lived by taking care of him and their son Andryusha. The tenant gave her a new life, a family, a long-awaited happiness. Her love is adoration to the point of blindness, because indulging her husband's whims led him to an early death. The main theme of the work is described in more detail in the essay "".
2. Friendship Theme. Stolz and Oblomov, although they survived falling in love with the same woman, did not unleash a conflict and did not betray friendship. They always complemented each other, talked about the most important and intimate in the lives of both. This relationship has been ingrained in their hearts since childhood. The boys were different, but got along well with each other. Andrei found peace and good-heartedness visiting a friend, and Ilya gladly accepted his help in everyday affairs. You can read more about this in the essay "Friendship of Oblomov and Stolz".
3. Finding the meaning of life. All heroes are looking for their own way, looking for the answer to the eternal question about the destiny of man. Ilya found it in reflection and finding spiritual harmony, in dreams and the very process of existence. Stolz found himself in the eternal movement forward. Detailed in the essay.

Problems

The main problem of Oblomov is the lack of motivation to move. The whole society of that time really wants, but cannot wake up and get out of that terrible depressing state. Many people have become and are still becoming Oblomov victims. A living hell is to live life as a dead man and not see any purpose. It was this human pain that Goncharov wanted to show, resorting to the concept of conflict for help: here there is a conflict between a person and society, and between a man and a woman, and between friendship and love, and between loneliness and an idle life in society, and between labor and hedonism and between walking and lying down and so on and so forth.

• The problem of love. This feeling can change a person for the better, this transformation is not an end in itself. For Goncharov's heroine, this was not obvious, and she put all the strength of her love into the re-education of Ilya Ilyich, not seeing how painful it was for him. Remaking her lover, Olga did not notice that she was squeezing out of him not only bad character traits, but also good ones. In fear of losing himself, Oblomov could not save his beloved girl. He faced the problem of a moral choice: either remain himself, but alone, or play another person all his life, but for the good of his wife. He chose his individuality, and in this decision you can see selfishness or honesty - to each his own.
• Friendship issue. Stolz and Oblomov passed the test of one love for two, but could not snatch a single minute from family life to maintain camaraderie. Time (and not a quarrel) separated them, the routine of days tore the former strong friendly ties. From separation, they both lost: Ilya Ilyich finally launched himself, and his friend was mired in petty worries and troubles.
• The problem of education. Ilya Ilyich became a victim of a sleepy atmosphere in Oblomovka, where servants did everything for him. The boy's vivacity was dulled by endless feasts and slumbers, the dull stupor of the wilderness left its mark on his addictions. becomes clearer in the episode "Oblomov's Dream", which we analyzed in a separate article.

Idea

Goncharov's task is to show and tell what "Oblomovism" is, opening its wings and pointing out both its positive and negative sides and enabling the reader to choose and decide what is paramount for him - Oblomovism or real life with with all its injustice, materiality and activity. The main idea in the novel "Oblomov" is a description of the global phenomenon of modern life, which has become part of the Russian mentality. Now the name of Ilya Ilyich has become a household name and denotes not so much a quality as a whole portrait of the person in question.

Since no one forced the nobles to work, and the serfs did everything for them, phenomenal laziness flourished in Rus', engulfing the upper class. The backbone of the country was rotten from idleness, in no way contributing to its development. This phenomenon could not but arouse concern among the creative intelligentsia, therefore, in the image of Ilya Ilyich, we see not only a rich inner world, but also inaction that is disastrous for Russia. However, the meaning of the kingdom of laziness in the novel "Oblomov" has a political connotation. No wonder we mentioned that the book was written during a period of stricter censorship. It has a hidden, but, nevertheless, the main idea that the authoritarian regime of government is to blame for this general idleness. In it, a person does not find any use for himself, stumbling only on restrictions and fear of punishment. The absurdity of subservience reigns around, people do not serve, but are served, therefore a self-respecting hero ignores the vicious system and, as a sign of silent protest, does not play an official who still does not decide anything and cannot change. The country under the gendarmerie's boot is doomed to regress, both at the level of the state machine, and at the level of spirituality and morality.

How did the novel end?

The life of the hero was cut short by obesity of the heart. He lost Olga, he lost himself, he even lost his talent - the ability to think. Living with Pshenitsyna did not do him any good: he was mired in a kulebyak, in a tripe pie, which swallowed and sucked poor Ilya Ilyich. Fat ate his soul. His soul was eaten by Pshenitsyna's repaired dressing gown, the sofa, from which he swiftly slid down into the abyss of innards, into the abyss of offal. This is the finale of the novel Oblomov - a gloomy, uncompromising verdict on Oblomovism.

What does it teach?

The novel is cheeky. Oblomov holds the reader's attention and places this very attention on the whole part of the novel in a dusty room where the main character does not get out of bed and shouts: "Zakhar, Zakhar!". Well, isn't that nonsense?! And the reader doesn’t leave… and can even lie down next to him, and even wrap himself in an “oriental robe, without the slightest hint of Europe”, and not even decide anything about the “two misfortunes”, but think about them all… Goncharov’s psychedelic novel loves to lull reader and pushes him to fend off the fine line between reality and dream.

Oblomov is not just a character, it is a lifestyle, it is a culture, it is any contemporary, it is every third inhabitant of Russia, every third inhabitant of the whole world.

Goncharov wrote a novel about the universal worldly laziness to live in order to overcome it himself and help people cope with this disease, but it turned out that he justified this laziness only because he lovingly described every step, every weighty idea of ​​the bearer of this laziness. It is not surprising, because Oblomov's "crystal soul" still lives in the memories of his friend Stolz, his beloved Olga, his wife Pshenitsyna, and, finally, in the tearful eyes of Zakhar, who continues to go to the grave of his master. Thus, Goncharov's conclusion- to find the golden mean between the "crystal world" and the real world, finding a calling in creativity, love, development.

Criticism

Readers of the 21st century rarely read a novel, and if they do, they do not read it to the end. It is easy for some fans of Russian classics to agree that the novel is somewhat boring, but boring on purpose, forcing. However, this does not frighten reviewers, and many critics were happy to disassemble and still analyze the novel by psychological bones.

One popular example is the work of Nikolai Aleksandrovich Dobrolyubov. In his article “What is Oblomovism?” the critic gave an excellent description of each of the characters. The reviewer sees the reasons for laziness and inability to arrange Oblomov's life in education and in the initial conditions where the personality was formed, or rather was not.

He writes that Oblomov is “not a stupid, apathetic nature, without aspirations and feelings, but a person who is also looking for something in his life, thinking about something. But the vile habit of getting the satisfaction of his desires not from his own efforts, but from others, developed in him an apathetic immobility and plunged him into a miserable state of moral slavery.

Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky saw the origins of apathy in the influence of the whole society, since he believed that a person was originally a blank canvas created by nature, therefore, some development or degradation of a particular person is on the scales that belong directly to society.

Dmitry Ivanovich Pisarev, for example, looked at the word "Oblomovism" as an eternal and necessary organ for the body of literature. "Oblomovism" according to him is a vice of Russian life.

The sleepy, routine atmosphere of a rural, provincial life added to what the labors of parents and nannies did not have time to do. The greenhouse plant, which in childhood had not become acquainted not only with the excitement of real life, but even with childish sorrows and joys, smelled of a stream of fresh, lively air. Ilya Ilyich began to study and developed so much that he understood what life is, what the duties of a person are. He understood this intellectually, but could not sympathize with the accepted ideas about duty, about work and activity. The fatal question: why live and work? - the question that usually arises after numerous disappointments and deceived hopes, directly, by itself, without any preparation, presented itself in all its clarity to the mind of Ilya Ilyich, - the critic wrote in his well-known article.

Alexander Vasilievich Druzhinin looked at Oblomovism and its main representative in more detail. The critic singled out 2 main aspects of the novel - external and internal. One lies in the life and practice of the daily routine, while the other occupies the area of ​​​​the heart and head of any person, which does not cease to collect crowds of destructive thoughts and feelings about the rationality of the existing reality. If you believe the critics, then Oblomov became dead because he preferred to die, and not live in eternal incomprehensible fuss, betrayal, self-interest, monetary imprisonment and absolute indifference to beauty. However, Druzhinin did not consider "Oblomovism" an indicator of attenuation or decay, he saw sincerity and conscience in it, and believed that Goncharov himself was responsible for this positive assessment of "Oblomovism".

Goncharov's novel "Oblomov" is one of the iconic works of Russian literature of the 19th century. It is part of a trilogy with two other books by the writer - "An Ordinary Story" and "Cliff". The history of the creation of the novel Oblomov by Goncharov began long before the concept of the work appeared - the author had the idea of ​​Oblomovism as an all-encompassing social phenomenon even before the appearance of the first novel of the trilogy - Ordinary History.

Chronology of the creation of the novel

Researchers consider the story “Dashing Pain” written in 1838 to be the prototype of “Oblomovism” in Goncharov’s early work. The work described a strange epidemic, the main symptom of which was "spleen", patients began to build castles in the air and amuse themselves with empty dreams. Manifestations of a similar "disease" are also observed in the main character of the novel Oblomov.

However, the very history of the novel "Oblomov" begins in 1849, when Goncharov published in the "Literary Collection with Illustrations" one of the central chapters of the work - "Oblomov's Dream" with the subtitle "Episode from an unfinished novel".

During the writing of the chapter, the writer stayed at home, in Simbirsk, where, in the patriarchal life that retained the imprint of antiquity, Goncharov drew many examples of the “Oblomov dream”, which he depicted first in a printed passage, and then in the novel. At the same time, the writer had already prepared a briefly outlined plan for the future work and a draft version of the entire first part.

In 1850, Goncharov created a final version of the first part and worked on a continuation of the work. The writer writes little, but thinks a lot about the novel. In October 1852, the history of Oblomov was interrupted for five whole years - Goncharov, in the position of secretary under Admiral E.V. Putyatin, set off on the frigate Pallada on a round-the-world trip. Work on the work is resumed only in June 1857, when, while in Marienbard, the writer finishes almost the entire novel in seven weeks. As Goncharov later said, during the trip, the novel had already fully developed in his imagination, and it just needed to be transferred to paper.

In the autumn of 1858, Goncharov completely finished work on the manuscript of Oblomov, adding many scenes and completely reworking some chapters. In 1859, the novel was published in four issues of the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski.

Prototypes of the heroes of the novel "Oblomov"

Oblomov

The creative history of the novel "Oblomov" originates in the life of the author himself - Ivan Goncharov. For the writer, according to him, it was important to portray the true reality, without leaving the "thinker's soil".

That is why Goncharov wrote off the central character - Ilya Ilyich Oblomov from himself. According to the memoirs of the writer's contemporaries, there is a lot in common between the author and the character of the novel - they both come from the Russian outback with a patriarchal outdated life, both are slow and at first glance lazy, while they have a lively mind, artistic imagination and a certain daydreaming, which cannot be said at first impression.

Olga

The prototype of the main female image - Olga Ilyinskaya, Goncharov also drew from his own life. According to researchers, the prototypes of the girl are the writer's acquaintances - Elizaveta Vasilievna Tolstaya and Ekaterina Pavlovna Maykova. Goncharov was in love with E. Tolstaya - both Olga for Oblomov, and Elizaveta Vasilievna was for him the ideal of a woman, cordiality, female intelligence and beauty. The correspondence between Goncharov and E. Tolstoy is a parallel with the events of the novel - even the theory of love of the creator and the hero of the book is the same. The author endowed Olga with all those beautiful features that he saw in Elizabeth Vasilyevna, transferring his own feelings and experiences to paper. As Olga in the novel was not destined to marry Oblomov, so E. Tolstoy was expected to marry his cousin A. I. Musin-Pushkin.

Maikova, the wife of V. N. Maikov, becomes the prototype of the married heroine - Olga Stolz. Ekaterina Pavlovna and Goncharov were connected by a strong and lasting friendship, which began at one of the evenings of the literary salon of the Makovs. In the image of Maykova, the writer drew a completely different type of woman - constantly searching, striving forward, not satisfied with anything, for whom family life gradually became painful and cramped. However, as some researchers point out, after the last edition of the novel Oblomov, the image of Ilyinskaya looked more and more not like E. Tolstaya, but like Maykova.

Agafya

The second important female image of the novel - the image of Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna, was written off by Goncharov from the memories of the writer's mother - Avdotya Matveevna. According to researchers, the tragedy of the marriage between Agafya and Oblomov was a reflection of the life drama of Goncharov's godfather, N. Tregubov.

Stolz

The image of Stolz is not only a prefabricated character of the German type, a bearer of a different mentality and a different worldview. The description of the hero was based on the family history of Karl-Friedrich Rudolf, father of Elizaveta Goncharova, the wife of the writer's elder brother. This connection is also indicated by the fact that in draft editions the hero has two names - Andrei and Karl, and in lifetime editions in the scene of the character's first appearance, his name appears as Andrei Karlovich. However, there is a version that Stolz is also one of the personifications in the novel of one of the sides of the writer himself - his youthful aspirations and practicality.

conclusions

The history of the creation of "Oblomov" allows you to better understand the ideological meaning of the novel, its inner deep and special importance for the author. "Carrying" the idea of ​​the work for more than ten years, Goncharov created a brilliant work, which even today makes us think about the true meaning of life, love and the search for happiness.

Artwork test

History of creation

“Having carefully read what was written, I saw that all this had gone to the extreme, that I had taken up the subject in a wrong way, that one thing had to be changed, another should be released<…>I have a thing developed in my head slowly and heavily.

The novel "Oblomov" was first published in full only in 1859 in the first four issues of the journal "Domestic Notes". The beginning of work on the novel belongs to an earlier period. In 1849, one of the central chapters of Oblomov, Oblomov's Dream, was published, which the author himself called "the overture of the entire novel." The author asks the question: what is "Oblomovism" - the "golden age" or death, stagnation? In “Dream…” motifs of static and immobility, stagnation prevail, but at the same time one can feel the author’s sympathy, good-natured humor, and not just satirical denial. As Goncharov later claimed, in 1849 the plan for the novel Oblomov was ready and the draft version of its first part was completed. "Soon," Goncharov wrote, "after the publication in 1847 in Sovremennik of Ordinary History, Oblomov's plan was already ready in my mind." In the summer of 1849, when Oblomov's Dream was ready, Goncharov made a trip to his homeland, to Simbirsk, whose life retained the imprint of patriarchal antiquity. In this small town, the writer saw many examples of the “dream” that the inhabitants of the fictional Oblomovka became. Work on the novel was interrupted due to Goncharov's round-the-world voyage on the frigate Pallada. Only in the summer of 1857, after the travel essays "Pallada Frigate" were published, Goncharov continued to work on Oblomov. In the summer of 1857 he left for the resort of Marienbad, where he completed three parts of the novel within a few weeks. In August of the same year, Goncharov began to work on the last, fourth, part of the novel, the final chapters of which were written in 1858. However, while preparing the novel for publication, in 1858 Goncharov rewrote Oblomov, supplementing it with new scenes, and made some cuts. Having completed work on the novel, Goncharov said: "I wrote my life and what I grow into it."

Goncharov admitted that the influence of Belinsky's ideas affected the design of Oblomov. The most important circumstance that influenced the idea of ​​​​the work is Belinsky's speech on Goncharov's first novel - "An Ordinary Story". There are also autobiographical features in the image of Oblomov. By his own admission, Goncharov, he himself was a sybarite, he loved serene peace, giving birth to creativity.

Published in 1859, the novel was hailed as a major social event. The Pravda newspaper, in an article dedicated to the 125th anniversary of Goncharov's birth, wrote: "Oblomov appeared in an era of public excitement, a few years before the peasant reform, and was perceived as a call to fight against inertia and stagnation." Immediately after its publication, the novel became the subject of discussion in criticism and among writers.

Plot

The novel tells about the life of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov. Ilya Ilyich, together with his servant Zakhar, lives in St. Petersburg, on Gorokhovaya Street, practically without leaving his house and without even getting up from the sofa. He does not engage in any activity, does not go out, only indulges in thoughts about how to live, and dreams of a comfortable, serene life in his native Oblomovka. No problems - the decline of the economy, the threat of eviction from the apartment - can budge him.

His childhood friend Stolz, the complete opposite of the sluggish dreamy Ilya, makes the hero wake up for a while, plunge into life. Oblomov falls in love with Olga Ilyinskaya and subsequently, after much thought and retreat, proposes marriage to her.

However, succumbing to Tarantiev's intrigues, Oblomov moves into the apartment he hired on the Vyborg side, getting into the house of Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna. Gradually, the entire economy of Ilya Ilyich passes into the hands of Pshenitsyna, and he himself finally fades away in the "Oblomovism". There are rumors in St. Petersburg about the imminent wedding of Oblomov and Ilyinskaya, having learned about this, Ilya Ilyich is horrified: nothing else, in his opinion, has been decided. Ilyinskaya comes to his house and makes sure that nothing will awaken Oblomov from a slow immersion in the final sleep, and their relationship ends. At the same time, Oblomov's affairs are taken over by Pshenitsyna's brother Ivan Mukhoyarov, who confuses Ilya Ilyich in his machinations. At the same moment, Agafya Matveevna is repairing Oblomov's dressing gown, which, it would seem, no one can repair. From all this, Ilya Ilyich falls ill with a fever.

Actors and some quotes

• Oblomov, Ilya Ilyich- landowner, nobleman living in St. Petersburg. Leads a lazy lifestyle, doing nothing but reasoning.

". lazy, clean, "good-natured", smart, honest, romantic, sensitive, "pigeon" gentle, open, sensitive, potentially capable of much, indecisive, quickly "lights up" and quickly "extinguishes", timid, aloof, weak-willed, gullible, sometimes naive, not versed in business, physically and spiritually weak.

• Zakhar- Oblomov's servant, faithful to him since childhood.
• Stolz, Andrei Ivanovich- a childhood friend of Oblomov, half German, practical and active.

• Tarantiev, Mikhey Andreevich- an acquaintance of Oblomov, roguish and cunning.
• Ilinskaya, Olga Sergeevna- a noblewoman, Oblomov's beloved, then Stolz's wife.
• Anisya- Zakhar's wife.
• Pshenitsyna, Agafya Matveevna- the mistress of the apartment in which Oblomov lived, then his wife.
• Mukhoyarov, Philip Matveevich- Brother Pshenitsyna, official.

Second plan

• Volkov- a guest in Oblomov's apartment.
• Sudbinsky- guest. Official, head of department.
• Alekseev, Ivan Alekseevich- guest. "an impersonal allusion to the human mass!".
• Penkin- guest. Writer and publicist.

Criticism

• Nechaenko D. A. The myth of the dreaminess of Russian life in the artistic interpretation of I. A. Goncharov and I. S. Turgenev (“Oblomov” and “Nov”). // Nechaenko D. A. History of literary dreams of the XIX-XX centuries: Folklore, mythological and biblical archetypes in literary dreams of the XIX-beginning of the XX centuries. M.: Universitetskaya kniga, 2011. S.454-522. ISBN 978-5-91304-151-7

see also

Notes

Links

• Goncharov I. A. Oblomov. A novel in four parts // Complete collection of works and letters: In 20 volumes. St. Petersburg: Nauka, 1998. Vol. 4
• Otradin M. V. Prof., Ph.D. "Oblomov" in a series of novels by I. A. Goncharov.

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See what "Oblomov" is in other dictionaries:

bummers- Cm … Synonym dictionary

OBLOMOV- the hero of the novel by I.A. Goncharov "Oblomov" (1848 1859). Literary sources of the image of O. Gogol Podkolesin and old-world landowners, Tentetnikov, Manilov. Literary predecessors of O. in the works of Goncharov: Tyazhalenko (“Dashing Pain”), Yegor ... literary heroes

OBLOMOV- The hero of the novel I.A. Goncharov "Oblomov". The novel was written between 1848 and 1859. Ilya Ilyich Oblomov was a landowner, a hereditary nobleman*, an educated man of 32–33 years old. In his youth he was an official, but, having served only 2 years and was burdened by the service, ... ... Linguistic Dictionary