Dostoevsky's white nights main idea. Analysis of “White Nights” by Dostoevsky

The story “White Nights” was written by Fyodor Dostoevsky in the fall of 1848 and was soon published in the journal “Otechestvennye zapiski”.

In addition to the title, the writer gave his work two subtitles. The phrase “white nights” indicates the location of the action - St. Petersburg, and also symbolizes a certain fantasy, unreality of the events taking place. First subtitle “ Sentimental novel” defines how traditional genre work and its plot. The second subtitle, “From the Memoirs of a Dreamer,” informs readers that the events will be narrated in the first person. But can the dreamer be completely trusted in this matter?

Or was he created in order to be at least for a moment. In the neighborhood of your heart.

There is one inaccuracy here: the original contains a statement, not a question. Did Dostoevsky make a mistake on purpose? Without a doubt. In the new interpretation, the epigraph echoes the ending of the story and sets the tone storyline, making the reader think about the fate of the main character. Such diversity is characteristic of all of Dostoevsky’s work.

By choosing a first-person narrative, the writer gave the work the features of a confession and reflections of an autobiographical nature. It is not for nothing that some literary scholars recognize the young Dostoevsky in the image of the main character. Others believe that the prototype of the dreamer is the poet A. N. Pleshcheev, with whom Fyodor Mikhailovich had a strong friendship.

It is characteristic that the main character of the story has no name. This technique strengthens his association with the author or a close friend of the writer. The image of a dreamer worried Dostoevsky all his life. Fyodor Mikhailovich even planned to write a novel with that title.

Main character– educated and full of energy a young man, but calls himself a timid and lonely dreamer. He is immersed in romantic dreams, which he constantly replaces reality with. The dreamer is not interested in everyday affairs and worries, he performs them out of necessity, and, by the way, feels like a stranger in the world around him.

The work does not contain detailed references to the hero: where he serves, what type of activity he is engaged in. This further depersonalizes the main character. Lives without friends, has never dated girls. Such nuances make the hero an object of ridicule and hostility from others. The dreamer himself compares himself to a rumpled, dirty kitten who looks at everything around him with resentment and hostility.

Dostoevsky believes that ghostly life is sinful, it takes away from the world of reality: “a person becomes not a person, but some kind of strange creature neuter". At the same time, dreams have a creative value: “he himself is the artist of his life and creates it for himself every hour according to his will.”

A dreamer is a peculiar type “ extra person" But his criticism is directed exclusively inward; he does not despise society like Onegin and Pechorin. The hero feels sincere sympathy for strangers and even houses. An altruistic dreamer is ready to help and serve another person.

A tendency to dream about something bright and unusual was characteristic of many of the young Dostoevsky’s contemporaries. There was still clearly despair and disappointment in society caused by the defeat of the Decembrists, and the rise liberation movement The 60s have not yet matured. Dostoevsky himself was able to abandon empty dreams in favor of the ideals of democracy. But the hero of “White Nights” never escaped from the sweet captivity of dreams, although he realized the destructiveness of his worldview.

The hero-dreamer is contrasted with the active girl Nastenka. The author created the image of a sophisticated and romantic beauty, a “soul mate” of the hero, but at the same time childish and a little naive. Respect is evoked by the sincerity of Nastenka’s feelings and desire to fight for her happiness. She is capable of running away with her lover and using a casual acquaintance for her own purposes. At the same time, the girl herself constantly needs support.

The compositional structure of the story “White Nights” is quite traditional. The text consists of five chapters, four of which are called “nights.” and the last one is “Morning”. White romantic nights greatly changed the protagonist's worldview. The meeting with Nastenka and his love for her saved him from fruitless dreams and filled his life with real feelings. A dreamer's love for a girl is pure and selfless. He is ready to sacrifice everything for Nastenka and help arrange her happiness, without even thinking that in the process he himself is losing his beloved.

The last chapter “Morning” is a kind of epilogue, full of drama and hope. The best moments in the hero's life end with the onset of a rainy, gray morning. The magic of the beautiful white nights disappears, the hero is lonely again. But there is no resentment or disappointment in his heart. The Dreamer forgives Nastenka and even blesses her.

Separately, the image of St. Petersburg should be noted. The city occupies so much space in the work that it can rightfully be considered actor. At the same time, the author does not describe specific streets and alleys, but masterfully recreates the amazing aura of Northern Palmyra.

“White Nights” is a beautiful utopia, a dream of what people can be if they are honest and selfless in their feelings. This work of Dostoevsky is one of the most poetic in his creative heritage. The fantastic nature of the white nights creates a magical romantic atmosphere of the story.

Literary critics consider Dostoevsky’s “White Nights” one of best works“sentimental naturalism”. The touching story of the dreamer and Nastenka has not lost its significance to this day. She lives on the theatrical stage and in numerous film adaptations, including by foreign directors. The latest television version, where the action is transferred to our time, was created in 2009.

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Year of writing — 1848

Genre- novel

Main characters: The Dreamer and Nastenka

Theme of the work “White Nights” it is a theme of loneliness, happiness, the meaning of life and love. At the same time, the theme of “dreamers”, lonely young people main topic story "White Nights". The author shows that a rich inner world does not save you from loneliness. And that no matter what the dreams are, a person will always want real events.

In the story “White Nights” F.M. Dostoevsky raises problem little man and him inner world, in which its main character, the Dreamer, lives.

the main idea- this is the loneliness of people, their isolation from real world and the inability to live among people, to enjoy the joys of life, instead of a world of illusory dreams and unfulfilled dreams.

Meaning of the namestory "White Nights": Vperiod of white nights, the Dreamer, the main character of this work, and Nastenka meet in St. Petersburg. In this city, in the words of N.V. Gogol: “Everything is a deception, everything is a dream, everything is not what it seems...”.And the subtitle " Sentimental story" indicates that we are talking here primarily about feelings.

Composition "White Nights" consists of 5 chapters. Four chapters with titles: "Night 1", "Night 2", "Night 3" and "Night 4". The fifth chapter is called “Morning”. The second night contains the story of Nastenka. The story ends with an epilogue. Thus, the titles reflect the development of the plot - sleep and awakening.

Narration is conducted from the 1st person, from the point of view of the hero, who calls himself a Dreamer. Before usstory-confession.

The plot of "White Nights"

During one of his walks, the Dreamer meets a girl and gets to know her. Already during the second date, Nastenka tells her love story. The dreamer sympathizes with Nastenka, tries with all his heart to help, wishes her happiness, but soon realizes that he himself is in love with her. The confession took place, although at the very beginning of their acquaintance Nastenka warned that it was impossible to fall in love with her.

Tale "White Nights" written by Fyodor Dostoevsky in the fall of 1848 and was soon published in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski.

In addition to the title, the writer gave his work two subtitles. The phrase "white nights" indicates scene– Petersburg, and also symbolizes a certain fantasticness, unreality of the events taking place. The first subtitle, “Sentimental Novel,” defines both the traditional genre of the work and its plot. The second subtitle, “From the Memoirs of a Dreamer,” informs readers that the events will be narrated in the first person. But can the dreamer be completely trusted in this matter?

...Or was he created for this purpose?
To be there for just a moment.
In the neighborhood of your heart?..

There is one inaccuracy here: the original contains a statement, not a question. Did Dostoevsky make a mistake on purpose? Without a doubt. In the new interpretation, the epigraph echoes the ending of the story and sets the tone of the storyline, making the reader think about the fate of the main character. Such diversity is characteristic of all of Dostoevsky’s work.

By choosing a first-person narrative, the writer gave the work the features of a confession and reflections of an autobiographical nature. It is not for nothing that some literary scholars in image of the main character recognize young Dostoevsky. Others believe that the prototype of the dreamer is the poet A. N. Pleshcheev, with whom Fyodor Mikhailovich had a strong friendship.

The main character is an educated and full of energy young man, but calls himself a timid and lonely dreamer. He is immersed in romantic dreams, which he constantly replaces reality with. The dreamer is not interested in everyday affairs and worries, he performs them out of necessity, and, by the way, feels like a stranger in the world around him.

Dostoevsky believes that ghostly life is sinful, it takes you away from the world of reality: “a person becomes not a person, but some strange creature of the neuter kind”. At the same time, dreams have creative value: “he is the artist of his own life and creates it for himself every hour according to his own will”.

The dreamer is a peculiar type "extra person". But his criticism is directed exclusively inward; he does not despise society like Onegin and Pechorin. The hero feels sincere sympathy for strangers and even houses. An altruistic dreamer is ready to help and serve another person.

A tendency to dream about something bright and unusual was characteristic of many of the young Dostoevsky’s contemporaries. There was still clearly despair and disappointment in society caused by the defeat of the Decembrists, and the rise of the liberation movement of the 60s had not yet matured. Dostoevsky himself was able to abandon empty dreams in favor of ideals democracy. But the hero of “White Nights” never escaped the sweet captivity of dreams, although he realized the destructiveness of his worldview.

The hero-dreamer is contrasted with the active girl Nastenka. The author created the image of a sophisticated and romantic beauty, "soul mate" heroic, but at the same time childish and a little naive. Respect is evoked by the sincerity of Nastenka’s feelings and desire to fight for her happiness. She is capable of running away with her lover and using a casual acquaintance for her own purposes. At the same time, the girl herself constantly needs support.

Compositional The construction of the story “White Nights” is quite traditional. The text consists of five chapters, four of which are titled "nights", and the last one – "Morning". White romantic nights greatly changed the protagonist's worldview. The meeting with Nastenka and his love for her saved him from fruitless dreams and filled his life with real feelings. A dreamer's love for a girl is pure and selfless. He is ready to sacrifice everything for Nastenka and help arrange her happiness, without even thinking that in the process he himself is losing his beloved.

The last chapter, “Morning,” is a kind of epilogue, full of drama and hope. The best moments in the hero's life end with the onset of a rainy, gray morning. The magic of the beautiful white nights disappears, the hero is lonely again. But there is no resentment or disappointment in his heart. The Dreamer forgives Nastenka and even blesses her.

Separately, it should be noted image of St. Petersburg. The city occupies so much space in the work that it can rightfully be considered a character. At the same time, the author does not describe specific streets and alleys, but masterfully recreates the amazing aura of Northern Palmyra.

Literary critics consider Dostoevsky's "White Nights" one of the best works "sentimental naturalism". The touching story of the dreamer and Nastenka has not lost its significance to this day. She lives on the theatrical stage and in numerous film adaptations, including by foreign directors. The latest television version, where the action is transferred to our time, was created in 2009.

“White Nights”, a summary of the chapters of Dostoevsky’s story

with one more wonderful work We were lucky enough to meet Dostoevsky's White Nights today in literature class. Here the author touched upon the dreamer’s favorite theme, and the title itself takes us to the beautiful city of St. Petersburg, because it is there that one can observe this wonderful a natural phenomenon- White Nights. So, while working on our homework, we will analyze Dostoevsky’s story White Nights by briefly studying his work.

White nights analysis

If we turn to the plot, then here we're talking about about two heroes Dreamer and Nastenka. They met by chance, and as it turned out, they were kindred spirits. During the meetings, the heroes opened up to each other and then we learn that Nastya is in love with a guest who left but promised to return. The Dreamer himself understands that he has fallen in love with Nastya, but the love is unrequited, so in the end, when her lover finally came to Nastya, she chose him, because you cannot order your heart.

The story is told in the first person, which is why there is a feeling of autobiographical work; such a retelling is similar to a kind of confession. The work itself consists of five chapters, where four of them are nights, and the last one is called Morning. The hero has no name. This is just a dreamer who lives in his own world, without friends and a loved one. And it was just the White Nights that turned everything upside down, or rather the meeting with Nastya, which took place on one of the famous nights in St. Petersburg. Meeting a girl and loving her brought the hero back from the world of dreams and allowed him to experience a real feeling, which filled his life with colors. Even if for a short period, he was happy. His love is selfless and pure, so without even thinking about it, he helped Nastya meet her beloved. But for the Dreamer this meeting meant the loss of his beloved. But he has no grudge against the girl, and although he is left alone, there is no disappointment in his heart. Moreover, the Dreamer is happy for the girl and blesses her.

Plan

1. Meeting the hero and meeting him at night.
2. The second meeting of Nastya and the Dreamer, the story of a girl.
3. The feeling of love that arose in the Dreamer for the girl.
4. Return of a beloved tenant.
5. Nastya's choice.
6. Nastya leaves with her beloved. The dreamer is lonely, but there is no disappointment in his heart.

Fyodor Dostoevsky's sentimental novel “White Nights” is not included in school curriculum for its “atypicality” for the work of this author. Summary Dostoevsky’s story “White Nights”, unfortunately, is unlikely to convey the very poetics of the white nights, the hymn of which this work is. There are corners in St. Petersburg, the author says, where the sun is not what shines on other people. The sentimental novel “White Nights” - this is exactly how the author positioned it - is a classic triangle. The main character of Dostoevsky's story “White Nights” loves the heroine, the heroine loves another. And although Pushkin’s “fatal passions are everywhere” is not applicable here, there is still “no protection from fate.”

The main character, a twenty-six-year-old dreamer, an asocial type, as they would say today, remains in St. Petersburg when the whole society goes to their dachas. And although he does not particularly need company, he is overcome by anxiety that, behold, the people whom he is accustomed to seeing on a walk will not appear here until next season, and he will be left all alone. And he goes to wander around the city, admiring the white nights, dreaming and fantasizing. In such an excited state, he meets a crying girl on the bridge. The beauty in the yellow hat looks with despair at the water of the canal, which rightly worries our hero and makes him concerned about her fate.

At first, the girl avoids the stranger and even tries to get away from him as quickly as possible, but a drunk passer-by she meets on the street with his incorrect behavior forces her to agree to the proposal. young man walk her home with an exalted soul. The hero is delicate. He consoles her without ever mentioning the tears he saw, but does it as if there were no tears, no despair in his eyes.

They get to know each other, talk about trifles, about St. Petersburg, about Nastenka’s grandmother, who won’t let her go anywhere and from whom she secretly ran away - and they have fun. They agree to meet the next night. Nastenka offers the dreamer only friendship, even takes an oath from him that he will not fall in love with her, and he swears. But is a young man who only dreams of the ideal - a poetic, romantic, dreamy man - able to keep such an oath? Of course, by the next meeting he is already head over heels in love.

Is it possible to be friends without it turning into... romantic relationship? Self-deception in this area causes many problems in relationships. And in this story, this also created problems for the “participants” of such friendship. Second White Night was noted for the fact that Nastenka honestly told her new acquaintance how she had “been naughty” two years ago, when she was only fifteen years old. She talks about her first love, and her subject was the tenant who rented a room from him and his grandmother.

He let Nastenka read Pushkin and Walter Scott, and once even invited her to the opera for “ Barber of Seville" The lodger knew that grandma was pinning Nastenka to her skirt, and that is why Nastenka thought that he was being so attentive to her only out of pity. This hurt and bothered her very much, but gradually this annoyance grew into such a boundless feeling that exactly a year ago a young inexperienced girl proposed to the object of her love, was ready to run away with him, even collected a bundle.

The tenant turns out to be a noble man, but poor. He did not accept her sacrifice, but promised to come for her when his affairs got better, when he got a good position, etc. He asks for this year. And if she doesn’t return in a year, then she has the right to consider herself free and choose someone else. Now this year has passed, there is still no dear one, and Nastenka wanders around St. Petersburg at night in much greater excitement than our dreamer.

With a heavy heart, he agrees to fulfill her request - to deliver a letter full of impatience for the one she loves and is waiting for. The following meetings become painful for our hero. He sees his ideal in the heroine, he is ready to pray for her, but she only thinks about why there is no answer to her letter, she is in despair, crying and lamenting. But at the same time, the dreamer is also surprised by the strength of this girl when she finally pulls herself together and decides to live, leaving behind her previous dreams. They even allow themselves to make plans together: to go, for example, to see “The Barber of Seville”...

Of course, the dreamer remains with his dreams, Nastenka is reunited with her long-awaited knight, and in some way this is a happy ending, usually unusual for Dostoevsky’s novels. Perhaps it is precisely for this atypicality that he is not included in mandatory lists, but this is precisely an advantage, not a disadvantage.

Book Analysis

It is quite difficult to analyze the story White Nights by Dostoevsky. The difficulty is that this book is atypical for the author. In the book, the author makes practically no value judgments, so it is difficult to understand whose side he is on. But still, the brilliant writer could not help but leave us valuable food for thought.