Tales of M. Saltykov-Shchedrin M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is one of the greatest Russian satirists who castigated autocracy and serfdom. At the same time, Saltykov-Shchedrin also ridicules the man who married... What Saltykov-Shchedrin ridiculed in his fairy tales
Folk tale traditions. It should be noted that we are talking, first of all, not about a magical fairy tale, but about a social, everyday, satirical fairy tale: the characters in such a fairy tale are stupid generals, landowners who don’t know and can’t do anything.
However, it is significant that the characteristics of the peasant are not the same as in the folk tale. There he is always smarter, braver, stronger, always fooling the powers that be, leaving the oppressors in the cold. Saltykov-Shchedrin emphasizes the paradoxical mixture of valuable, vital qualities of a peasant and humility, long-suffering, bordering almost on dementia. A typical antithesis for the writer: a sharp contrast between physical strength, ingenuity (and exaggeration of these qualities) and patience, humility, he allows himself to be oppressed.
The general style is also in many ways fairy-tale (“in a certain kingdom”), but there are no plots directly borrowed from fairy tales. The plots are essentially as allegorical as in the latest, more original fairy tales, and therefore unique. Only externally these tales are associated with folk tales (heroes, style).
One of the main techniques of Saltykov-Shchedrin is grotesque (the generals are wearing nightgowns with orders; the man himself wove a rope “from wild hemp” so that the generals would tie him up).
Fairy tales of the 1880s were written during the years of political reaction, so it is advisable to compare them not only with the works of Gogol, Krylov, but also Chekhov, who had just begun his writing career. The difference is that in Saltykov-Shchedrin’s fairy tales the emphasis is on social issues (the relationship between the people and the authorities, the phenomenon of Russian liberalism and enlightenment, the socio-psychological type of “liberal”, etc.), while in Chekhov it is on the “universal” , ethical and existential (vulgarity, philistinism, routine of life, etc.).
In accordance with this, the basic pictorial principles also differ: Saltykov-Shchedrin has allegorical generalizations on a national scale, Chekhov has everyday trifles. They are united by their adherence to the only form of free thought allowed in that era - laughter, which both writers combine with allegory. At the same time, Saltykov-Shchedrin’s laughter is distinguished not only by fun, but also by anger; it is satirical in nature. His later tales are gloomy and devoid of optimism. In them, he relies on the traditions of not so much folk tales as fables, where the allegorical nature is set initially, constituting the structure-forming genre type.
The heroes of fairy tales of the 1880s resemble the heroes of fables. Animals often perform in a typical fable function, rather than in a fairy tale. In addition, as happens in a fable, animals sometimes suddenly turn from characters into “themselves”: for example, a fish - a character - can be fried at the end of a fairy tale.
Saltykov-Shchedrin uses “ready-made” roles assigned to some animals; traditional symbolism is found in his fairy tales. For example, the eagle is a symbol of autocracy; therefore, a fairy tale where the main character is an eagle is immediately understood by the reader accordingly (thinking about eagles and their essence is undoubtedly perceived in an allegorical sense).
Saltykov-Shchedrin demonstrates his commitment to the fable tradition; in particular, he includes a moral in some fairy tales, a typical fable device (“let this serve as a lesson to us”).
The grotesque, as Saltykov-Shchedrin’s favorite means of satire, is expressed in the very fact that animals act as people in specific situations (most often associated with ideological disputes, socio-political issues relevant to Russia in the 1880s). In the depiction of these incredible, fantastic events, the originality of Shchedrin's realism is revealed, noting the essence of social conflicts and relationships, the characteristic features of which are exaggerated.
Parody also belongs to Shchedrin’s typical techniques; the object of parody can be, for example, Russian historiography, as in “The History of a City,” or the history of education in Russia.
At whom, at what and how does M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin laugh in “Fairy Tales for Children of a Fair Age”?
The tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin are a textbook work. Often these fairy tales are not only taught at school, but also read to young children. However, it is unlikely that a child will be able to comprehend the meaning that the author put into his works. Therefore, Saltykov-Shchedrin himself called this direction of his work “fairy tales for children of a fair age.” In order to understand this definition, it is important to know the answer to three questions: at whom, at what and how does the writer laugh at in his books.
Who is the satirist laughing at? Literally above everyone: it affected all representatives of society: the nobility, the bourgeoisie, the bureaucracy, the intelligentsia, the common people. Moreover, the author writes not only about them, but also for them, trying to get a reader response.
Saltykov-Shchedrin also makes fun of human shortcomings: laziness, hypocrisy, hypocrisy, arrogance, arrogance, rudeness, cowardice, stupidity. While ridiculing individual flaws in human character, the writer touches on a much wider range of problems: social, political, ideological, moral. In a word, like a true satirist, Shchedrin, speaking about individual shortcomings, shows the entire panorama of social life as a whole.
But the most interesting question is how exactly Saltykov-Shchedrin laughs at social flaws. We should start with the fact that the genre he chose—fairy tales—is unusual. However, this choice is completely justified, since under the mask of a fairy-tale hero you can hide any face you want without fear of strict censorship. That is why the author so widely used images of animals (“Bear in the Voivodeship”, “Eagle-Patron”, “Sane Hare”, “Crucian-Idealist”, “Wise Minnow”, “Horse”). There are very few fairy tales where the direct characters are people. The advantage of the animal image is that the author, at will, forces one animal to play a social type. So, Orel plays the reigning person, personifying the entire monarchy, Bear represents the military, and Konyaga is a simple Russian peasant who does not straighten his back through life. Thanks to this, every fairy tale becomes an accusation, a reproach to some social evil. For example, in the fairy tale “The Bear in the Voivodeship” the administrative principles of autocracy are exposed. In “Karas the Idealist,” the writer laughs at naive, narrow-minded truth-seekers with their utopian hopes of appeasing predators, that is, those in power.
As we can see, the fairy tale genre helps the writer in accomplishing his task. How did Saltykov-Shchedrin manage to put quite serious ideas and slogans into an interesting, exciting shell? Last but not least, this can be explained by the style of writing. The satirist uses traditionally fairy-tale phrases: “once upon a time,” “in a certain kingdom,” “drank honey and beer,” and many others. This initially immerses the reader in a fairy-tale atmosphere. It is also worth noting the Aesopian language, so beloved by Saltykov. This is not only a style of language, but also a whole system of images and concepts.
So, the system used by Saltykov is quite simple: traditional fairy-tale sound, a fairy-tale hero, Aesopian language, the technique of the grotesque. And now we have a whole picture in front of us: we laugh, knowing full well that the subject of laughter is more worthy of tears and pity. The fairy tale “The Wild Landowner” is very indicative in this regard. It begins in the traditional spirit: “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state...” Then we talk about a landowner who dreamed of getting rid of the peasants. His wish is granted, but it turns out that he is practically left without hands and runs wild. It seems funny to look at a wild, bestial landowner, but at the same time it is very sad to realize that man, the king of nature, can come to such a fall. I immediately remember “The Tale of How One Man Fed Two Generals.” The generals in this tale also do not notice that they exist solely due to the labor of others. Their ideas about life remain at the level that buns grow on trees. Exaggeration? Undoubtedly! But this does not mean that people with this type of consciousness do not exist in the world. They just exist. It was for this reason that Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote his fairy tales. His blows always hit the target, since the vices that he exposed have always been the scourge of our society.
“Fairy Tales for Children of a Fair Age” is the result of the author’s many years of work; they synthesize his ideological and artistic principles. They reveal the richness of the writer’s spiritual world. They denounce vice and ignorance. Even in our time, being creations of the distant past, these works have not lost their vitality and topicality, still remaining a fascinating and interesting book for “children of a fair age.”
Saltykov-Shchedrin is a world-recognized master of satire. His talent showed itself in difficult times for Russia. The contradictions that were corroding the country from within and the discord in society became apparent. The appearance of satirical works was inevitable. But only a few were able to fully reveal their talent. Ruthless censorship did not leave the slightest opportunity to express one’s opinion on the situation in Russia if it contradicted the government’s. For Saltykov-Shchedrin, the problem of censorship was very acute, and conflicts with it became more frequent. After the publication of some early stories, the writer was sent into exile in Vyatka. A seven-year stay in the province brought its benefits: Saltykov-Shchedrin got to know the peasants better, their way of life, and the life of small towns. But from now on he was forced to resort to allegory and use comparisons in order for his works to be published and read.
An example of a vivid political satire is, first of all, the story “The History of a City.” It describes the history of the fictional city of Foolov, the relationship between “the inhabitants and the bosses.” Saltykov-Shchedrin set himself the task of showing the typicality of Foolov and his problems, the common details inherent in almost all Russian cities of that time. But all the features are deliberately exaggerated, hyperbolized. The writer exposes the vices of officials with his characteristic skill. Bribery, cruelty, and self-interest flourish in Foolov. The complete inability to manage the city entrusted to them sometimes leads to the most tragic consequences for the residents. Already in the first chapter, the core of the future narrative is clearly outlined: “Raz-dawn! I won’t tolerate it!” Saltykov-Shchedrin shows the brainlessness of the mayors in the most literal sense. Brudasty had “a certain special device” in his head, capable of reproducing two phrases, which turned out to be enough to appoint him to this post. The pimple actually had a stuffed head. In general, the writer resorts to such an artistic means as the grotesque quite often. Foolov's pastures are adjacent to Byzantine ones, Benevolensky begins an intrigue with Napoleon. But the grotesque appeared especially later, in fairy tales; it is no coincidence that Saltykov-Shchedrin inserts into the story
“Inventory of mayors.” It shows that it is not people with any state merits who are appointed to positions, but whoever is necessary, which is confirmed by their administrative activities. One became famous for introducing the bay leaf into use, another “placed the streets paved with his predecessors and... built monuments,” etc. But Saltykov-Shchedrin ridicules not only officials - With all his love for the people, the writer shows them incapable of decisive actions, voiceless, accustomed to forever endure and wait for better times, to obey the most. wild orders. In a mayor, he values, first of all, the ability to speak beautifully, and any active activity only causes fear, fear of being responsible for it. It is the helplessness of ordinary people and their faith in their superiors that support despotism in the city. An example of this is Wartkin’s attempt to introduce mustard. The townsfolk responded by “stubbornly standing on their knees”; it seemed to them that this was the only correct decision that could pacify both sides.
As if to sum it up, at the end of the story the image of Gloomy-Burcheev appears - a kind of parody of Arakcheev (although not entirely obvious). The idiot, who destroys the city in the name of realizing his crazy idea, has thought through the entire structure of the future Nepriklonsk down to the smallest detail. On paper, this plan, which strictly regulated people’s lives, seems quite real (somewhat reminiscent of Arakcheev’s “military settlements”). But discontent is growing, the revolt of the Russian people swept the tyrant off the face of the earth. And what? Political immaturity leads to a period of reaction (“abolition of the sciences”).
“Tales” are rightfully considered the final work of Saltykov-Shchedrin. The scope of the problems covered has become much wider. It is not by chance that satire takes on the appearance of a fairy tale. Satirical stories are based on folk ideas about the character of animals. The fox is always cunning, the wolf is cruel, the hare is cowardly. Playing on these qualities, Saltykov-Shchedrin also uses folk speech. This contributed to greater accessibility and understanding among peasants of the problems raised by the writer.
Conventionally, fairy tales can be divided into several groups: satire on officials and the government, on representatives of the intelligentsia, on city residents and on ordinary people. The image of a bear as a stupid, smug, limited official, quick to kill, appears more than once, personifying merciless tyranny. A classic example of the grotesque is the fairy tale “How one man fed two generals.” The generals are not able to provide for themselves, they are helpless. The action often takes on an absurd character. At the same time, Saltykov-Shchedrin also makes fun of the man who made a rope to be tied to a tree. The common minnow “lived and trembled and died and trembled,” without trying to do anything or change anything. The idealistic crucian carp, who knows nothing about nets or fish ears, is doomed to death. The fairy tale “The Bogatyr” is very significant. Autocracy has outlived its usefulness, only the appearance, the outer shell, remains. The writer does not call for an inevitable struggle. He simply depicts the existing situation, frightening in its accuracy and authenticity. In his works, Saltykov-Shchedrin, with the help of hyperboles, metaphors, sometimes even fantastic elements, and carefully selected epithets, showed age-old contradictions that have not outlived their usefulness even in the writer’s contemporary days. But, denouncing the people's shortcomings, he only wanted to help eliminate them. And everything he wrote was dictated by only one thing - love for his Motherland.
>Essays based on the work The Wild Landowner
What is the author laughing at?
Instructive tales occupy a significant place in the work of the satirist M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. Some of them are part of the school curriculum, and some parents even read to their young children. Still, not every child will fully understand what meaning the author actually put into his “funny” works. Speaking out against social injustice and social evil, Saltykov-Shchedrin ridiculed the vices of the “masters of life” who oppress the common people.
In the fairy tale "The Wild Landowner" he shows the life of a landowner left without the help of peasants. At first, he himself begs the Lord to remove the “man” from his life, and with their disappearance he finds himself in a difficult situation. In fact, the author notices and brings to the surface a huge number of human vices. This is laziness, hypocrisy, hypocrisy, and cowardice. All this is included in the list of topics that he touches on in his fairy tales. While ridiculing individual flaws in people, he illuminates a wide range of socio-political, ideological and moral problems.
It should be noted here that Saltykov-Shchedrin condemns the very idea of serfdom. It cannot be said that he only takes the side of the peasants and laughs at the “wild landowner.” Peasants who lack their own goals and desires also seem absurd to him. They are strongly dependent on the landowners, since they absorbed the desire to obey with their mother’s milk. The satirical genre of the fairy tale helped the writer to most vividly and colorfully express his views on society.
The question arises, how did he manage to put such serious ideas into such a fascinating package? The style of writing played an important role in this. Indeed, in his fairy tales, Saltykov-Shchedrin often playfully uses traditional fairy-tale expressions, such as “in a certain kingdom,” “once upon a time,” “he drank honey and drank beer,” etc. This manner simultaneously immerses the reader in the atmosphere of a fairy tale and the grotesque. It's funny to watch how an ordinary landowner, because of his ridiculous claims, gradually turns into a wild beast.
Left without disgusted peasants, he begins to dream of how he will take care of his own farm. However, not having the proper skills, he soon neglected the garden and himself to such an extent that he became like a wild beast. As the author writes, he began to run on all fours, hunt hares and became friends with a bear. Thus, the author shows that the people are the backbone of the state. It is ordinary people who create the moral and material values that the nobility enjoys. Therefore, having expelled the “peasant”, the landowner became powerless and quickly degraded.
after the reform of 1861 - remnants of serfdom, ingrained in the psychology of people.
Shchedrin's work is connected with the traditions of his brilliant predecessors: Pushkin ("The History of the Village of Goryukhin") and Gogol ("Dead Souls"). But Shchedrin's satire is sharper and more merciless. Shchedrin's talent was revealed in all its brilliance - accuser in his tales. Fairy tales were a kind of hom, a synthesis of the ideological and creative quest of the satirist. With foil they are connected by clore not only by the presence of certain lips but poetic details and images, they express the people's worldview. In fairy tales, Shchedrin reveals the theme of exploitation atations, gives devastating criticism of nobles, officials - all those who live by people's labor.
The generals are not capable of anything, they do not know how to do anything,believe that “rolls will be born in the same form as... their in the morning they serve coffee." They almost eat each other, although There is a lot of fruit, fish, and game all around. They would have died of hunger if there had not been a man nearby. I have no doubt Confident in their right to exploit other people's labor, the generals They force a man to work for them. And now the generals are fed up again, their former self-confidence and complacency are returning to them. “That’s how good it is to be generals - you won’t get lost anywhere!” - they think. In St. Petersburg the generals of "money" raked in," and the peasant was sent "a glass of vodka and a nickel of silver: have fun, man!"
Sympathizing with the oppressed people, Shchedrin opposesautocracy and its servants. Tsar, ministers and governors youThe fairy tale "The Bear in the Voivodeship" makes me laugh. It shows threeToptygins, who successively replaced each other in battle leadership, where they were sent by the lion to “pacify the internal early adversaries." The first two Toptygins were engaged once different kinds of "atrocities": one - petty, "shameful" ("chiate Zhika"), the other - large, "shiny" (picked up from the cr-
The old man had a horse, a cow, a pig and a couple of sheep, but the men came running and killed him). The third Toptygin did not crave “bloodshed.” Taught by the experience of history, he acted cautiously and pursued a liberal policy. For many years he received piglets, chickens, and honey from the workers, but in the end the patience of the men ran out and they dealt with the “voivode.” This is already a spontaneous explosion of discontent of the peasants against the oppressors. Shchedrin shows that the cause of the people's disasters is the abuse of power, the very nature of the autocratic system. This means that the salvation of the people lies in the overthrow of tsarism. This is the main idea of the fairy tale.
In the fairy tale "The Eagle Patron" Shchedrin exposes the activities of the autocracy in the field of education. The eagle - the king of birds - decided to "introduce" science and art into the court. However, the eagle soon got tired of playing the role of a philanthropist: he destroyed the nightingale-poet, put shackles on the learned woodpecker and imprisoned him in a hollow, and ruined the crows. “Searchs, investigations, trials” began, and “the darkness of ignorance” set in. In this tale, the writer showed the incompatibility of tsarism with science, education and art, and concluded that “eagles are harmful to education.”
Shchedrin also makes fun of ordinary people. The tale of the wise minnow is devoted to this topic. All his life the gudgeon thought about how the pike would not eat him, so he sat in his hole for a hundred years, away from danger. The gudgeon "lived - trembled and died - trembled." And dying, I thought: why did he tremble and hide all his life? What joys did he have? Who did he console? Who will remember its existence? “Those who think that only those minnows can be considered worthy citizens who, mad with fear, sit in holes and tremble, believe incorrectly. No, these are not citizens, but at least useless minnows. No one is warm or cold from them ... live, taking up space for nothing,” the author addresses the reader.
In his fairy tales, Saltykov-Shchedrin shows that the people are talented. The man from the fairy tale about two generals is smart, he has golden hands: he made a snare “from his own hair” and built a “miracle ship”. The people were subjected to oppression, their life was endless hard work, and the writer was bitter that he was twisting the rope with his own hands, which
They threw it around his neck. Shchedrin calls on the people to think about their fate and unite in the struggle to restructure the unjust world.
Saltykov-Shchedrin called his creative style Aesopian, each fairy tale has a subtext, it contains comic characters and symbolic images.
The uniqueness of Shchedrin's fairy tales also lies in the fact that in them the real is intertwined with the fantastic, thereby creating a comic effect. On the fabulous island, the generals find the famous reactionary newspaper Moskovskie Vedomosti. From the extraordinary island not far from St. Petersburg, to Bolshaya Podyacheskaya. The writer introduces details from the lives of people into the lives of fabulous fish and animals: the gudgeon “does not receive a salary and does not keep a servant,” dreams of winning two hundred thousand.
The author's favorite techniques are hyperbole and grotesque. Both the peasant's dexterity and the generals' ignorance are extremely exaggerated. A skilled man cooks a handful of soup. Stupid generals don’t know that buns are made from flour. A hungry general swallows his friend's order.
In Shchedrin's fairy tales there are no random details or unnecessary words, and the characters are revealed in actions and words. The writer draws attention to the funny sides of the person depicted. Suffice it to remember that the generals were in nightgowns, and each had an order hanging around their necks. In Shchedrin's fairy tales, a connection is visible with folk art (“once upon a time there was a minnow,” “he drank honey and beer, it flowed down his mustache, but it didn’t get into his mouth,” “neither to say in a fairy tale, nor to describe with a pen”). However, along with fairy-tale expressions, we encounter book words that are completely uncharacteristic of folk tales: “sacrifice one’s life,” “the gudgeon completes the life process.” One can feel the allegorical meaning of the works.
Shchedrin's tales reflected his hatred of those who live at the expense of the working people, and his belief in the triumph of reason and justice.
These tales are a magnificent artistic monument of a bygone era. Many images have become household names, denoting social phenomena of Russian and world reality.
