Love is one of the main themes in Kuprin's work. The heroes of his works, “illuminated” by this bright feeling, are more fully revealed. In the stories of this wonderful author, love is, as a rule, unselfish and selfless. After reading large number in his works one can understand that with him it is always tragic, and it is obviously doomed to suffering.
The poetic and tragic story of a young girl in the story “Olesya” sounds in this vein. Olesya's world is a world of spiritual harmony, a world of nature. He is alien to Ivan Timofeevich, a representative of a cruel, big city. Olesya attracts him with her “unusuality”, “there was nothing like the local girls in her”, the naturalness, simplicity and some kind of elusive inner freedom characteristic of her image attracted him to her like a magnet.
Olesya grew up in the forest. She could not read or write, but she had great spiritual wealth and a strong character. Ivan Timofeevich is educated, but not decisive, and his kindness is more like cowardice. These two are absolutely different people they fell in love with each other, but this love does not bring happiness to the heroes, its outcome is tragic.
Ivan Timofeevich feels that he has fallen in love with Olesya, he would even like to marry her, but he is stopped by doubt: “I didn’t even dare to imagine what Olesya would be like, dressed in a fashionable dress, talking in the living room with the wives of my colleagues, torn from the charming the framework of an old forest full of legends and mysterious powers." He realizes that Olesya will not be able to change, become different, and he himself does not want her to change. After all, to become different means to become like everyone else, and this is impossible.
Poetizing life not limited by modern social and cultural frameworks, Kuprin sought to show the clear advantages of a “natural” person, in whom he saw spiritual qualities lost in civilized society. The meaning of the story is to affirm the high standard of man. Kuprin is looking for people in real, everyday life who are obsessed high feeling love that can rise, at least in dreams, above the prose of life. As always, he turns his gaze to the “little” man. This is how the story begins " Garnet bracelet”, which talks about sophisticated, all-encompassing love. This story is about hopeless and touching love. Kuprin himself understands love as a miracle, as a wonderful gift. The death of the official brought back to life a woman who did not believe in love, which means that love still conquers death.
In general, the story is dedicated to the inner awakening of Vera, her gradual awareness of the true role of love. To the sound of music, the heroine's soul is reborn. From cold contemplation to a hot, reverent feeling of oneself, a person in general, the world - such is the path of the heroine, who once came into contact with a rare guest of the earth - love.
For Kuprin, love is a hopeless platonic feeling, and also a tragic one. Moreover, there is something hysterical in the chastity of Kuprin’s heroes, and in their attitude towards their loved one, what is striking is that the man and woman seem to have swapped their roles. This is characteristic of the energetic, strong-willed “Polesie sorceress” Olesya in her relationship with the “kind, but only weak Ivan Timofeevich,” and the smart, calculating Shurochka with the “pure and kind Romashov” (“Duel”). Underestimation of oneself, disbelief in one’s right to own a woman, a convulsive desire to withdraw - these traits complete the picture of Kuprin’s hero with a fragile soul caught in a cruel world.
Closed in itself, such love has creative creative power. “It so happened that I am not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people,” Zheltkov writes before his death to the subject of his generation, “...for me, all life consists only in you". Zheltkov passes away without complaints, without reproaches, saying like a prayer: “Hallowed be the Your name».
Kuprin's works, despite the complexity of situations and often dramatic endings, are filled with optimism and love of life. You close the book, and a feeling of something bright remains in your soul for a long time.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Russian literature experienced a period of special prosperity. In poetry it was called " silver age" But prose has also been enriched with many masterpieces. In my opinion, A.I. Kuprin also contributed a lot to this. His work strangely combines the harshest life realism and amazing airiness and transparency. He is the author of some of the most heartfelt works about love in Russian literature.
I would like to focus on two of them: “Duel” and “Garnet Bracelet”. They are very different, but upon closer examination, even in the plot you can find a similarity. In both stories, the basis of the plot is a story of unhappy love, and both main characters die tragically, and the reason for this is the attitude of the woman they love towards them.
Georgy Romashov, “Romochka”, from “The Duel” - a young officer. His character does not at all correspond to his chosen field. He is shy, blushes like a young lady, and is ready to respect the dignity of any person, but the results are disastrous. His soldiers are the worst marchers. He himself constantly makes mistakes. His idealistic ideas constantly come into conflict with reality, and his life is painful. His only joy is his love for Shurochka. For him, she personifies beauty, grace, education, and culture in general in the atmosphere of a provincial garrison. In her house he feels like a human being. Shurochka also appreciates Romashov’s difference, his difference from others. She is proud and ambitious, her dream is to escape from here. To do this, she forces her husband to prepare for the academy. She herself teaches military disciplines, so as not to get bogged down in idleness, not to become dull in the surrounding lack of spirituality. Romashov and Shurochka found each other, opposites met. But if for Romashov love consumed his entire soul and became the meaning and justification of life, then it bothers Shurochka. Achieving the intended goal is impossible for her with the weak-willed, gentle “Romachka”. Therefore, she only allows herself this weakness for a moment, and then chooses to stay with her unloved, untalented, but persistent and stubborn husband. Once upon a time, Shurochka already refused Nazansky’s love (and now he is a drunken, desperate man).
In Shurochka’s understanding, a lover must make sacrifices. After all, she herself, without thinking twice, sacrifices both her own and someone else’s love for the sake of well-being and social status. Nazansky was unable to adapt to her demands - and he was removed. Shura will demand even more from Romashov - for the sake of her reputation, for the sake of gossips and talkers, he must sacrifice his life. For George himself, this may even be salvation. After all, if he had not died, at best, he would have suffered the fate of Nazansky. The environment would have swallowed him up and destroyed him.
In "Garnet Bracelet" the situation is similar, but not quite. The heroine is also married, but she loves her husband, and, on the contrary, she does not feel any feelings for Mr. Zheltkov except annoyance. And Zheltkov himself seems to us at first to be just a vulgar suitor. This is how both Vera and her family perceive him. But in the story about a calm and happy life, disturbing notes flash: this is the fatal love of Vera’s husband’s brother; the love and adoration that her husband has for Vera’s sister; the failed love of Vera’s grandfather, it is this general who says that true love should be a tragedy, but in life it is vulgarized, everyday life and various kinds of conventions interfere. He tells two stories (one of them even somewhat resembles the plot of “The Duel”), where true love turns into a farce. Vera, listening to this story, has already received a garnet bracelet with a bloody stone, which should protect her from misfortune, and could save her former owner from violent death. It is with this gift that the reader’s attitude towards Zheltkov changes. He sacrifices everything for his love: career, money, peace of mind. And doesn't require anything in return.
But again, empty secular conventions destroy even this illusory happiness. Nikolai, Vera’s brother-in-law, who once gave up his love to these prejudices, now demands the same from Zheltkov, he threatens him with prison, the court of society, and his connections.
Page: [ 1 ]
One of the primary themes in Kuprin’s work is love. The characters of his creations, “illuminated” by the present strong feeling, open deeper. In the works of this wonderful writer, love, like a pattern, is selfless and selfless. Having analyzed a considerable number of his works, one can understand that in his work it is invariably tragic and condemned in advance to torment.
One of the highest values in human life, according to A.I. Kuprin, has always been love. Love, which collects into a single bouquet all the best, all that is healthy and bright, with which life rewards a person, which justifies any hardships and hardships that may come along his way. So in “Oles”. So in “Garnet Bracelet”. So in “Shulamith”. So in “Duel”. Until the end of his life, the writer retained the romantic mood of his youth in his soul, and this is what makes his works strong.
Many events take place before us on the pages of the story “The Duel.” But the emotional culmination of the work was not the tragic fate of Romashov, but the night of love he spent with the insidious and therefore even more captivating Shurochka; and the happiness experienced by Romashov on this pre-duel night is so great that it is this alone that is conveyed to the reader.
The poetic and tragic story of a young girl in the story “Olesya” sounds in this vein. Olesya’s world is a world of spiritual harmony, a world of nature. He is alien to Ivan Timofeevich, a representative of a cruel, big city. Olesya attracts him with her “unusuality”, “there was nothing like local girls in her”, the naturalness, simplicity and some kind of elusive inner freedom characteristic of her image attracted him to her like a magnet.
Olesya grew up among the forest. She could not read or write, but she had great spiritual wealth and a strong character. Ivan Timofeevich is educated, but indecisive, and his kindness is more like cowardice. These two completely different people fell in love with each other, but this love does not bring happiness to the heroes, its outcome is tragic.
Ivan Timofeevich feels that he has fallen in love with Olesya, he would even like to marry her, but he is stopped by doubt: “I didn’t even dare to imagine what Olesya would be like, dressed in a fashionable dress, talking in the living room with the wives of my colleagues, torn from the charming the framework of an old forest full of legends and mysterious powers.” He realizes that Olesya will not be able to change, become different, and he himself does not want her to change. After all, to become different means to become like everyone else, and this is impossible.
The story “Olesya” develops the theme of Kuprin’s creativity - love as a saving force that protects the “pure gold” of human nature from “degradation”, from the destructive influence of bourgeois civilization. It is no coincidence that Kuprin’s favorite hero was a man of strong-willed, courageous character and a noble, kind heart, capable of rejoicing in all the diversity of the world. The work is built on a comparison of two heroes, two natures, two worldviews. On the one hand, an educated intellectual, a representative of urban culture, the rather humane Ivan Timofeevich, on the other, Olesya, a “child of nature” who has not been influenced by urban civilization. Compared to Ivan Timofeevich, a man of a kind but weak, “lazy” heart, Olesya rises with nobility, integrity, and proud confidence in her strength. Freely, without any special tricks, Kuprin draws the appearance of the Polesie beauty, forcing us to follow the richness of shades of her spiritual world, always original, sincere and deep. “Olesya” is Kuprin’s artistic discovery. The writer showed us true beauty an innocent, almost childlike soul of a girl who grew up far from the noisy world of people, among animals, birds and forests. But along with this, Kuprin also highlights human malice, senseless superstition, fear of the unknown, the unknown. However, true love triumphed over all this. A string of red beads is the last tribute to Olesya’s generous heart, the memory of “her tender, generous love.”
Poetizing life not limited by modern social and cultural frameworks, Kuprin sought to show the clear advantages of a “natural” person, in whom he saw spiritual qualities lost in civilized society. The meaning of the story is to affirm the high standard of man. Kuprin is looking for people in real, everyday life who are obsessed with a high feeling of love, who are able to rise, at least in their dreams, above the prose of life. As always, he turns his gaze to the “little” man. This is how the story “The Garnet Bracelet” arises, which tells about a refined, all-encompassing love. This story is about hopeless and touching love. Kuprin himself understands love as a miracle, as a wonderful gift. The death of the official brought back to life a woman who did not believe in love, which means that love still conquers death.
In general, the story is dedicated to the inner awakening of Vera, her gradual awareness of the true role of love. To the sound of music, the heroine's soul is reborn. From cold contemplation to a hot, reverent feeling of oneself, a person in general, the world - such is the path of the heroine, who once came into contact with a rare guest of the earth - love.
For Kuprin, love is a hopeless platonic feeling, and also a tragic one. Moreover, there is something hysterical in the chastity of Kuprin’s heroes, and in their attitude towards their loved one, what is striking is that the man and woman seem to have swapped their roles. This is characteristic of the energetic, strong-willed “Polesie sorceress” Olesya in her relationship with the “kind, but only weak Ivan Timofeevich” and the smart, calculating Shurochka with the “pure and kind Romashov” (“The Duel”). Underestimation of oneself, disbelief in one’s right to own a woman, a convulsive desire to withdraw – these traits complete the picture of Kuprin’s hero with a fragile soul caught in a cruel world.
Increased craving for anything human personality and skill psychological analysis- the specificity of A.I. Kuprin’s artistic talent, which allowed him to fully study the realistic heritage. The importance of his work lies in the artistically convincing discovery of the soul of his contemporary. The author analyzes love as a perfect moral and psychological feeling. The works of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin awaken the original questions of humanity - questions of love.
The stories created by Kuprin, despite the complexity of the circumstances and often tragic endings, are filled with love of life and optimism. You close the book you read with his stories, and for a long time the feeling of touching something light and clear remains in your soul for a long time.
Key words: brotherhood of love, sacrificial essence of love, basic principles of the theory of Russian philosophers, theory of love
love human existence kuprin
According to N. Berdyaev, love is always love for the individual, love is inexhaustible energy. But its true meaning and purpose is not to help one’s neighbor, not to good deeds, but in the union of souls, in the community and brotherhood of love.
N. Berdyaev’s attitude towards women was formed under the influence of V. Solovyov’s teachings about Eternal Femininity. A woman, according to N. Berdyaev, is much closer to love, because her nature and the nature of love are the same. He explains the essence of female love in this way: “A woman’s love is holistic, it captures her entire being. She can become deadly dangerous, since, according to the philosopher, she has magic and despotism, but at the same time she can rise to extraordinary heights and save with her loyalty.”
N. Berdyaev says that love is tragic in this world and does not obey any norms. Love promises those who love death in this world, and not the order of life. And the greatest thing in love, what preserves its mysterious holiness, is the renunciation of any life perspective, the sacrifice of life. The essence of love, according to Berdyaev, is sacrificial death, which puts the sadness of eternity on love; love is more closely, truly, more deeply connected with death than with birth, and this connection is the guarantee of eternity.
The author writes: “Love is a creative, constructive act; in love, the one and only personality is affirmed. Everything that is subject to the individual, social order is hostile to love and its unique mystery. Love does not know the law, does not know obedience to anyone's will. The sacrifice of love, its renunciation of worldly amenities, make it free.” Berdyaev argues that love is needed for divine purposes, therefore love should not be afraid of the suffering it generates. V. Solovyov in his book “The Meaning of Love” also speaks about another love, about parental love. Mother's love, according to Solovyov, reaches a high degree of self-sacrifice and does not require parents to overcome selfishness, in parental love There cannot be complete reciprocity and vital communication simply because the lover and the beloved belong to different generations.
The main provisions of the theory of love of philosophers N.A. Berdyaev and V.S. Solovyov were close to the work of A.I. Kuprina. It is possible to highlight general points characteristic of the theoretical works of philosophers, which were implemented in the works of A.I. Kuprina. Berdyaev, Solovyov, Kuprin were contemporaries, so the general view of the world and the way of life are so similar among these great people. The sacrificial essence of love in Berdyaev’s understanding is presented in Kuprin’s works “Garnet Bracelet”. The works of philosophers largely influenced the writer’s work.
The theme of love in the works of A.I. Kuprina is one of the leading ones. The idea that this feeling belongs to another world is revealed by the writer as a Divine gift realized in earthly life. Not all people are endowed with such a gift, only a few, but even they are capable of transforming the world with the help of this power. All the writer’s works about love end tragically, the main characters are not destined to be together, they are separated forever, usually one of the loved ones dies without ever knowing the beauty of this magical feeling. The true strength of man, capable of resisting false civilization, for A.I. Kuprina has always been selfless and pure love. The author was constantly looking for a psychological environment where this feeling could arise. The writer, one of the few, was able to show a sublime feeling, all-consuming, sacrificial, knightly love, “the one that every woman dreams of and which men are no longer capable of.” Kuprin A.I. I was looking for such a manifestation of feeling in real life, but I couldn’t find whether people have forgotten how or are not capable of loving like that.
According to the artist, there are subtle experiences in the world; lovers are able to remain faithful, but love that stronger than death, does not exist. The process of creative self-determination of a writer, his search for his own path in literature is always unique and original, but every writer goes through the stage of teaching. This period of search, trial and error is usually called early in the writer’s creative biography. The time frame of this period for A.I. Kuprin from 1889 -1896. It was during this period that the young writer encountered real Russian reality, in its various manifestations, and gradually accumulated life experience, comprehends diversity human characters and fate. A.I. Kuprin is still using literary stamps, his works are filled with sentimentality and extravagance. In early works, very often the stereotyped image of a secular woman - a seductress, cruel, cold, empty - passes from story to story. Because of such women, talented, intelligent men die and go crazy. The writer sometimes saw in female love a demonic principle, sweetness and at the same time cruel, poisonous, which is sometimes the cause of the lover’s madness. The woman in such stories is endowed with an incomprehensible power of power over the mind and will of a man.
The artist, the hero of the short story “Madness,” has gone mad. The same visions began to visit him, a mystical woman appeared before him, in whose arms he comprehended the “devilish bliss” of love, the greatest bliss and torment at the same time, and the return to reality was scary for him.
In the works of A.I. Kuprin “Allez”, “Olesya”, “Natalya Davydovna”, we see that not only men are capable of love and suffering, women are no less selfless in love, ready to do anything to preserve it, even to death. Charming girls give their tenderness to unworthy, rude, primitive men, in whose hands they become a toy, an unnecessary thing. Nora in the story “Allez” died because of love, never achieving the long-awaited happiness. In many of the writer’s works, heroes gifted with the ability to deeply understand the world, very refined natures, spiritually rich, still do not find happiness, either do not find a response in the heart of the chosen one, or do not know how to preserve love.
In the story "Olesya" main character- an integral, original, free nature, not bound by any social conventions and prohibitions, which, unfortunately, enslave Ivan Timofeevich, her lover. Ivan Timofeevich is connected with a certain social environment, constrained by its laws. Olesya correctly notes that the gentleman is “a kind man, but only a weak one. His kindness is not good, not heartfelt.” The hero is an egoist by nature, he hurts other people, brings emptiness and disappointment into their lives. Olesya, nurtured by Mother Nature, who grew up far from false social foundations, is capable of real, sincere feelings, but the gentleman cannot understand the girl’s love, for him the opinion of society is more valuable. But still, the appearance of Olesya in the life of Ivan Timofeevich transforms his existence, Olesya, as it were, returns the naturalness of his experiences that he briefly lost. The earth and sky decorate the meetings of lovers: the radiance of the month “mysteriously colors the forest”, the birch trees are dressed in “silver, transparent covers.” The story ends with Ivan Timofeevich finding a string of red beads. This is not so much a memory of the girl’s tender, generous love as a symbol of her pure, undying feeling. Each bead is like a spark of this love.
Despite the fact that many researchers characterize the work of the writer of this period as immature, full of stereotypes, for us it is important because it allows us to outline the evolution of the theme of love in the work of A.I. Kuprina. The next period, which is important for us in studying this topic, falls on late XIX beginning of the 20th century (1896-1911). It was a terrible time for Russia, a time of pessimistic sentiments after the defeat of the revolution. It caused a moral crisis among unstable, weak, and sick people.
But passionate love for life, greedy and inquisitive attention to everything healthy, strong and beautiful, faith in the creative power of the people give Kuprin’s work a bright, optimistic coloring. This period is the heyday of the artist’s creativity, who created perhaps his most significant works at the turn of two centuries. A.I. Kuprin does not stop writing about love, he is in search of a harmonious feeling among people.
In the story “Sulamith” (1908) A.I. Kuprin shows how strong and true love elevates a person and reveals his best qualities. The feeling of Solomon and Shulamith is bright and joyful. Their love reveals the rich potential of these people and inspires them to do good deeds. Each of the heroes is ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the other. Love gives the wise Solomon, who knew everything, joy and new knowledge of the world, a new understanding of life. And for Sulamith the time has come for the first true comprehension of everything around her.
The love of Solomon and Shulamith is selfless and selfless. A.I. Kuprin believed that such love exists in the real world and for many years the writer searched for the ideal of love; among ordinary people he saw refined experiences, the ability to maintain grateful loyalty to the chosen one. However, he did not see “true love”, one that is stronger than death. A.I. Kuprin refuses the option of happy love and writes about the love of one person, which revived another.
Thus, in 1911, the story “The Garnet Bracelet” was written, in which the gift of high and unrequited love became “enormous happiness,” the only content of the life of the “little man.” The official Zheltkov fell in love with the rich aristocrat Vera Sheina. Of course, there could be no talk of any sympathy on her part, but young man this was not necessary. It was enough for him to be nearby, to watch her, without interfering in her life in any way, without disturbing her peace and well-being.
Love perishes because people are placed in difficult situations. life circumstances, which exclude the achievement of happiness. But for Zheltkov, unrequited love is still love, only giving bitter happiness. Such love is possible only for people who surrender to this feeling selflessly. Zheltkov utters words that make Vera think about true love in people’s lives: “I am endlessly grateful to you just for the fact that you exist. I tested myself - this is not a disease - this is love that God wanted to reward me for something.” Zheltkov dies because of his love for the princess. Who would have thought that this nondescript, gray man is capable of such great love, which happens once every hundred years. General Anosov believes that “love should be a tragedy, the greatest secret in the world.”
God rewarded the little man with love funny last name Zheltkov, and he does not allow people to penetrate into his secret, who do not even admit the thought of the existence of a genuine feeling. Kuprin is a master for whom every detail, every word is important. And this skill was most clearly demonstrated in the “Garnet Bracelet”. The decoration itself - the bracelet symbolizes love, which does not obey any laws and rules, which goes against all the foundations of society.
Zheltkov is only a poor official, and Vera is a princess. But this circumstance does not bother him, he still loves her, realizing that no one and nothing, not even death, will make him calm down. great feeling. Vera understood the power of love after hearing Beethoven’s sonatas; music helped convey Zheltkov’s voice. And Vera accepts into her heart everything that he suffered, accepts it anew in tears of repentance and enlightenment, experiences a life that humbly and joyfully doomed itself to torment, suffering and death. Now this life will always remain with her and for her. Vera could not understand the Divine gift with which the little man was awarded and with which he died, taking the secret of love with him to the grave.
The writer’s work in the second half of the 90s is important for us in understanding the theme of love and its evolution. Love in the works of this period is presented as a Divine gift with which the Almighty rewards a person and which fills his entire life with meaning. Kuprin wrote about Russia from his memoirs, but his weakening memory did not give him the opportunity to depict Russian life as the writer wanted. For A.I. For Kuprin the writer, this was a great tragedy.
Works about love in the works of emigration by A.I. Kuprin was not enough. For our research, the story “The Wheel of Time” is of interest. Here the writer turns to the familiar plot of unrequited love between a man and a woman, but people’s feelings are presented in a different aspect than in the works written before emigration.
During the period of emigration, the theme of love changed very much, new aspects of the author’s understanding of this feeling appeared. Loneliness and homesickness influenced the writer’s work; emigration was a turning point in his life. It is important that A.I. Kuprin nevertheless wrote works about love in exile, filling them with a new sound and giving this topic a new understanding.
The writer's early work is full of cliches and templates; researchers consider this period to be still immature. It is important for us to see the uniqueness of the theme of love in the works early artist. In such literary texts, like "Al-Issa", "Madness" the love of a man and a woman is destructive. These stories were written under the influence of the decadent movement, there is a lot of unnecessary extravagance and exoticism in them.
In the stories “Olesya” and “Аllez” love is conceptualized as a deep feeling, usually unrequited. In “Oles”, love is presented as a Divine gift that changed the girl’s life, but was not understood by the main character, who did not want to change his habits and challenge society. In the future, this type of hero will reveal itself in other works of a later period.
In the second half of the 90s, the author is in search of a real harmonious feeling. Works about love of this period are filled with spirituality, passion, and tender feeling. Love brings joy and fills the lives of heroes with light. Love - a divine gift is realized in the works “Pomegranate Bracelet”, “Shulamith”; The life of the main characters ends tragically, because according to N. Berdyaev, love should be sacrificial, the greatest tragedy on Earth. Love is entangled in social conventions that prevent people from truly realizing their feelings.
A.I. Kuprin makes it clear that love should be unselfish, selfless, not seeking reward, it should not be worried about base prospects and improvements, only then will love become free and eternal. The writer was never able to find such love among people; there is loyalty, devotion, but there is no mutual self-denial, self-sacrifice, or sublimity of feeling.
Thus, starting from the early work of A.I. Kuprin, the theme of love, Sublime, given to us from God, becomes one of the main and leading ones. Vivid works in which this theme is presented are “Pomegranate Bracelet” and “Shulamith”. But if in “Oles” the work early period, love turned out to be impossible, but none of the heroes die, then in the works of the 90s. failed love turns into tragedy. Love should be a tragedy, both in the opinion of Russian philosophers of the twentieth century, and in the opinion of the writer himself. It is realized in earthly life by a Divine gift, illuminating a person, tearing him out of everyday existence, taking him into his magical fairy-tale world.
A valuable aspect of the Russian artist’s work during the period of reaction was his inexhaustible faith in life, his love for its simple, incomparable joys. Love of life is the subtext of all the best works of the writer of these years. God created everything for the joy of man. Such an expression of gratitude to life in the era of reaction, when decadents glorified death in every possible way, had great progressive significance. At the same time, the writer continues to hear central theme his work is the theme of the “little man”.
Can't love be a tragedy in a life where vulgarity and spiritual slavery reign? Unrequited love is also love, although it gives a little happiness. Such love is possible only for people who surrender to this feeling selflessly and even accept death as the highest gift of love, although suicide is considered a huge act directed against God. V. Yankelevich in his work “Death” writes: “Suicide is not only violence against life, but there is also violence against death. In suicide there is no free acceptance of death at an hour sent from above. A suicide considers himself the only master of his life and his death; he does not want to know the One who created life and on whom death depends. Life, it is first life, belonging to God, who alone has absolute ownership of it,” but death does not frighten the main character and even such a terrible act as suicide does not stop him. Only through his death does his love find life in the princess’s heart. Only in this way was he able to convey to her what she could not hear during her lifetime. It was very important for the writer to show that a little man is capable of sacrificing himself for the sake of his love and to show that love is stronger than death and it wins no matter what.
Creativity of A.I. Kuprin during this period focused on the heroic and tragic sides of modernity. His attention was attracted by the phenomena of current socio-political life. Life gave almost ready-made plots, story compositions, acute conflicts. Kuprin in his works shows the death of heroes, fighters for justice, notes their fearlessness, courage, they are not afraid to die for the future of Russia. In “The Pomegranate Bracelet” the writer makes it clear that love must be a tragedy, a sacrifice. The hero commits the most terrible sin on Earth - suicide, only partly in order to resurrect the life of another person.
The isolation in the circle of the anti-national emigrant intelligentsia had a detrimental effect on the well-being and work of A.I. Kuprina. By his own admission, he had to taste beyond measure all the abominations, gossip, dirt, pretense, petty revenge, and most importantly, impenetrable stupidity and boredom.
The heyday of the writer’s creativity coincided with revolutionary events. The theme of death during this period is also associated with social problems, but it is already acquiring a tinge of fatality (“Swamp”). During the same period, in the works of A.I. Kuprin, fighters for justice appear who are not afraid of death and are ready to give their lives for the future of people. During the revolution, the artist writes on the “topic of the day.” In the works, death is a consequence of the struggle for the future.
The theme of death receives new coverage in the work “Gambrinus”; here spiritual, light art conquers death. After the revolution, the theme of death takes on a new aspect. We can see this change in "Garnet Bracelet". Here love is resolved by the terrible tragedy of a little man. The most important thing is that in this work love conquers death, and it has a life-affirming character. During the emigration period, we observe spiritual death, which is presented in the work “Zhaneta”. A person’s life far from his homeland has no meaning, everything around him is foreign and the hero is a stranger to everyone. Professor Simonov bears a miserable existence that can never be embodied in “ real life", fill with light and love.
A.I. himself felt the same way. Kuprin in exile. The writer’s creative spring in a foreign land began to noticeably dry up. But no one would have thought that this could happen to a writer. His faith in man and in the revival of Russia seemed to be unshakable forever, but life showed something completely different, and the illusions of A.I. Kuprin are scattered. What happened to the writer was the worst thing that could happen; the inability to realize himself undermined him from the inside. Maybe that's why A.I. Kuprin died in Russia without living even a year.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF THE MOSCOW REGION
State educational institution higher vocational education
MOSCOW STATE REGIONAL UNIVERSITY
(MGOU)
Historical and Philological Institute
Faculty of Russian Philology
Department of Russian LiteratureXX century
Coursework
The theme of love in the works of A.I. Kuprina
Completed by the student:
42 groups of 4 courses
facultyRussian philology
"Domestic Philology"
full-time education
Aprilskaya Maria Sergeevna.
Scientific supervisor:
Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor
Moscow
2015
Content
Introduction…………………………………………………………….……..………3
1. Features of the expression of love feelings in the story by A.I. Kuprin “Olesya”…………………………………………………………………………………...………..5
2. Manifestation of the greatest human feeling in the work of A. I. Kuprin “Shulamith”……………………………………………………………..8
3. The concept of love in the story by A.I. Kuprin “Garnet Bracelet”……….12
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….…18
List of references………………………………………………………..….20
Introduction
The theme of love is called the eternal theme. Over the centuries, many writers and poets have dedicated their works to this great feeling of love, and each of them found something unique and individual in this topic.
The 20th century gave us A.I. Kuprin, a writer in whose work the theme of love occupied one of the most important places. Most of Kuprin's stories are a hymn to pure, sublime love and its transformative power.
Kuprin is an idealist, a dreamer, a romantic, a singer of sublime feelings. He found special, exceptional conditions that allowed him to create romanticized images of women and their ideal love in his works.
The writer keenly felt the need for “heroic plots”, for selfless, self-critical heroes. Kuprin writes about the love that illuminates human life in the stories “Olesya” (1898), “Shulamith” (1908), “Garnet Bracelet” (1911), etc.
In his surroundings, Kuprin saw a sad waste of beauty and strength, a crushing of feelings, and delusion of thought. The writer's ideal went back to the victory of the strength of the spirit over the strength of the body and "love faithful to death." For A.I. Kuprin, love is the most consistent form of affirmation and identification of the personal principle in a person.
Many works have been devoted to the study of the work of A. I. Kuprin. At one time they wrote about Kuprin: L.V. Krutikova “A.I. Kuprin", V.I. Kuleshova " Creative path A.I. Kuprin", L.A. Smirnova “Kuprin” and others.
Kuprin writes about the love that illuminates human life in the stories “Olesya” (1898), “Shulamith” (1908), “Garnet Bracelet” (1911).
Kuprin's books do not leave anyone indifferent; on the contrary, they always attract. Young people can learn a lot from this writer: humanism, kindness, spiritual wisdom, the ability to love, to appreciate love.
Kuprin's stories were an inspired hymn to the glory of true love, which is stronger than death, which makes people beautiful, no matter who these people are.
Relevance The topic is determined by the desire to study the concept of love in the works of A.I. Kuprina.
Theoretical basis in the presented work there were works by Nikulin L. “Kuprin ( literary portrait)", Krutikova L.V. “A.I. Kuprin", Kuleshova V.I. “The creative path of A.I. Kuprin."
Object course work: creativity of A. Kuprin
Subject was a study of the concept of love in the works “Garnet Bracelet”, “Olesya”, “Shulamith”.
Target of this work - to study the concept of love in the works of A.I. Kuprina
Tasks of this study:
1. Clarify the concept of love in A. I. Kuprin’s story “The Garnet Bracelet”
2. Explore the manifestation of the greatest human feeling in the work of A. I. Kuprin “Shulamith”
3. Determine the peculiarity of the expression of love feelings in the story by A.I. Kuprin "Olesya"
Practical significance work lies in the possibility of its use in literature lessons, dedicated to creativity Kuprin, on electives, extracurricular activities, when preparing reports and abstracts.
1. Features of the expression of love feelings in the story by A.I. Kuprin "Olesya"
"Olesya" is one of the first major works author and, in his own words, one of his favorites. “Olesya” and the later story “River of Life” (1906) Kuprin considered his the best works. “Here is life, freshness,” the writer said, “the struggle with the old, outdated, impulses for the new, the better.”
“Olesya” is one of Kuprin’s most inspired stories about love, man and life. Here the world of intimate feelings and the beauty of nature are combined with everyday pictures of the rural outback, the romance of true love is combined with the cruel morals of the Perebrod peasants.
The writer introduces us to the atmosphere of harsh village life with poverty, ignorance, bribes, savagery, and drunkenness. The artist contrasts this world of evil and ignorance with another world of true harmony and beauty, painted just as realistically and fully. Moreover, it is the bright atmosphere of great true love that inspires the story, infecting with impulses “toward a new, better.” “Love is the brightest and most understandable reproduction of my Self. It is not in strength, not in dexterity, not in intelligence, not in talent... individuality is not expressed in creativity. But in love,” - so, clearly exaggerating, Kuprin wrote to his friend F. Batyushkov.
The writer was right about one thing: in love the whole person, his character, worldview, and structure of feelings are revealed. In the books of great Russian writers, love is inseparable from the rhythm of the era, from the breath of time. Starting with Pushkin, artists tested the character of their contemporary not only through social and political actions, but also through the sphere of his personal feelings. A true hero became not only a person - a fighter, activist, thinker, but also a person of great feelings, capable of deeply experiencing, loving with inspiration. Kuprin in “Oles” continues the humanistic line of Russian literature. He checks modern man- an intellectual of the end of the century - from the inside, to the highest degree.
The story is built on a comparison of two heroes, two natures, two world relationships. On the one hand, Ivan Timofeevich is an educated intellectual, a representative of urban culture, and quite humane; on the other hand, Olesya is a “child of nature,” a person who has not been influenced by urban civilization. The balance of natures speaks for itself. Compared to Ivan Timofeevich, a man of a kind but weak, “lazy” heart, Olesya rises with nobility, integrity, and proud confidence in her strength.
If in his relationships with Yarmola and the village people Ivan Timofeevich looks brave, humane and noble, then in his interactions with Olesya the negative sides of his personality also appear. His feelings turn out to be timid, the movements of his soul are constrained and inconsistent. “Tearful expectation”, “petty apprehension”, and the hero’s indecision highlight the wealth of soul, courage and freedom of Olesya.
Freely, without any special tricks, Kuprin draws the appearance of the Polesie beauty, forcing us to follow the richness of shades of her spiritual world, always original, sincere and deep. There are few books in Russian and world literature where such earthly and poetic image a girl living in harmony with nature and her feelings. Olesya is Kuprin’s artistic discovery.
A true artistic instinct helped the writer reveal the beauty of the human personality, generously endowed by nature. Naivety and authority, femininity and proud independence, “flexible, agile mind”, “primitive and vivid imagination”, touching courage, delicacy and innate tact, involvement in the innermost secrets of nature and spiritual generosity - these qualities are highlighted by the writer, drawing the charming appearance of Olesya, an integral, original, free nature, which flashed as a rare gem in the surrounding darkness and ignorance.
In the story, for the first time, Kuprin’s cherished thought is so fully expressed: a person can be beautiful if he develops, and not destroys, the physical, spiritual and intellectual abilities given to him by nature.
Subsequently, Kuprin will say that only with the triumph of freedom will a person in love be happy. In “Oles” the writer revealed this possible happiness of free, unfettered and unclouded love. In fact, the flowering of love and human personality constitutes the poetic core of the story.
With an amazing sense of tact, Kuprin makes us relive the anxious period of the birth of love, “full of vague, painfully sad sensations,” and its happiest seconds of “pure, complete, all-consuming delight,” and long joyful meetings of lovers in a dense pine forest. The world of spring, jubilant nature - mysterious and beautiful - merges in the story with an equally beautiful outpouring of human feelings.
The bright, fairy-tale atmosphere of the story does not fade even after the tragic ending. Over everything insignificant, petty and evil, a real, big victory wins earthly love, which is remembered without bitterness - “easily and joyfully.” The final touch of the story is typical: a string of red beads on the corner of the window frame among the dirty disorder of a hastily abandoned “hut on chicken legs.” This detail gives compositional and semantic completeness to the work. A string of red beads is the last tribute to Olesya’s generous heart, the memory of “her tender, generous love.”
The story is told from the perspective of the hero. He did not forget Olesya, love illuminated life, made it rich, bright, sensual. With her loss comes wisdom.
2. Manifestation of the greatest human feeling in the work of A. I. Kuprin “Shulamith”
The theme of mutual and happy love is touched upon by A.I. Kuprin in the story “Shulamith”. The love of King Solomon and the poor girl Shulamith from the vineyard is strong as death, and those who love themselves are higher than kings and queens.
It is impossible to understand the romantic concept of love in the writer’s work without reading the legend “Shulamith”. Appeal to this work makes it possible to show the originality of the historical and literary process at the turn of the century.
In the fall of 1906, Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin wrote one of his most beautiful stories, “Shulamith,” inspired by the immortal biblical “Song of Songs.”
The source of Kuprin's legend was the Bible. The plot of the legend - the love story of Solomon and Shulamith - is based on the Old Testament Song of Solomon.
The biblical “Song of Songs” seems to have no plot. These are exclamations of love, these are enthusiastic descriptions of nature and praise of the groom, the bride, or the choir that echoes them. From these scattered hymns, “Songs,” Kuprin builds a story about the great love of King Solomon and a girl named Shulamith. She burns with love for the young and beautiful King Solomon, but jealousy destroys her, intrigue destroys her, and in the end she dies; It is precisely this death that the lines of the biblical poem “Song of Songs” speak of: “Strong as death is love.” These are powerful, timeless words.
The legend alternates chapters in which the actions of King Solomon, his thoughts and preaching are recreated and described. love relationship Shulamith and Solomon.
The theme of love in this work connects temporal specificity and eternity. On the one hand, these are the seven days and nights of love between Solomon and Shulamith, which contained all the stages of the development of feelings and the tragic ending of love. On the other hand, “tender and fiery, devoted and beautiful love, which alone is dearer than wealth, glory and wisdom, which is dearer than life itself, because it does not even value life and is not afraid of death” is what gives life to humanity, then , what is not subject to time, what connects individual With eternal life humanity.
The organization of artistic time in Kuprin’s legend helps the reader to perceive the love that once happened between two people as an extraordinary event, imprinted in the memory of generations.
The symbolism and emblem of color (paints) and flowers are consistent with the general content of the legend, its pathos, with the model of the world created in it, with the emotional structure of the images of the heroes, with the author’s orientation towards the Old Testament and ancient Eastern traditions.
Descriptions of the love of Solomon and Shulamith are also accompanied by a certain color scheme. Red is a permanent color - the color of love. The color silver in this context is important because it means purity, innocence, purity, joy. A symbol of warmth, life, light, activity and energy is the image of fire, which appears in portrait sketches of Shulamith with her “fiery curls” and “red hair.” Not by chance, of course green in landscapes and in the statements of heroes: green color symbolizes freedom, joy, jubilation, hope, health. And, of course, white, blue and pink colors evoke very specific associations in the reader and are filled with metaphorical meanings: the love of the heroes is tender and beautiful, pure and sublime.
The flowers mentioned in the legendary narrative also have symbolism that helps the author reveal the meaning of the legend. Lily is a symbol of purity and innocence (note that the metaphor of the lily was cultivated in the art of romanticism). Narcissus is a symbol of youthful death, in addition, Narcissus is an ancient plant deity of dying and resurrecting nature: in the myth of the abduction of Persephone, the narcissus flower is mentioned. Grapes are a symbol of fertility, abundance, vitality and cheerfulness.
Key words, helping to reveal this meaning of the legend, the words gaiety and joy became in it: “cordial joy”, “cheerfulness of the heart”, “light and joyful”, “joy”, “happiness”, “joyful fear”, “moan of happiness”,
“he exclaimed joyfully,” “joy of the heart,” “great joy illuminated his face like a golden sunshine,” “joyful children’s laughter,” “his eyes shine with happiness,” “joy,” “my heart grows with joy,” “ delight”, “There has never been and never will be a woman happier than me.”
The strength of the heroes’ love, the brightness and spontaneity of its manifestations described in the legend, the glorification of feelings and the idealization of heroes determined the writer’s choice of artistically expressive, emotionally charged figurative and stylistic images. At the same time, they are universal, since they are correlated with the eternal theme of love and have a mythological origin or are part of the circle of traditional literary images. It should be noted that the Kuprin legend is practically indecomposable into “planes” of the narrative: real and allegorical, for example. Every detail, every word, every image is symbolic, allegorical, conventional. Together they form an image - a symbol of love, indicated by the name of the legend - "Shulamith".
Before her death, Shulamith says to her lover: “I thank you, my king, for everything: for your wisdom, to which you allowed me to cling to with my lips... like a sweet source... There has never been and will never be a woman happier than me.” The main idea of this work: love is as strong as death, and it alone, eternal, protects humanity from the moral degeneration that threatens it modern society. In the story “Shulamith” the writer showed a pure and tender feeling: “The love of a poor girl from a vineyard and a great king will never pass or be forgotten, because love is strong as death, because every woman who loves is a queen, because love is beautiful!"
Art world, created by the writer in legend, seeming so ancient and conventional, is in fact very modern and deeply individual.
According to the content of “Shulamith”: high happiness and tragedy true love. By types of heroes: a sage-lover of life and a pure girl. By the most important source: The most “romantic” part of the Bible is the Song of Songs. According to composition and plot: “epic distance” and approaching modernity... According to the author’s pathos: admiration of the world and man, perception of a true miracle - man in his best and sublime feelings.
"Sulamith" by Kuprin continues the literary and aesthetic tradition associated with the names of Turgenev ("Song of Triumphant Love"), Mamin-Sibiryak ("Tears of the Queen", "Maya"), M. Gorky ("The Girl and Death", "Khan and His son", "Wallachian Tale"), that is, the names of writers who, in the genre of literary legend, expressed - within the limits of realism - a romantic worldview.
At the same time, Kuprin’s “Shulamith” is the writer’s aesthetic and emotional response to his era, marked by a feeling of transition, renewal, movement towards something new, a search for positive principles in life, a dream of realizing the ideal in reality. It is no coincidence that D. Merezhkovsky saw a revival of romanticism in the art and literature of this time. "Sulamith" by A.I. Kuprin is a bright romantic legend.
3. The concept of love in the story by A.I. Kuprin “Garnet Bracelet”
The story “The Garnet Bracelet,” written in 1907, tells us about genuine, strong, but unrequited love. It is worth noting that this work is based on real events from the family chronicles of the Tugan-Baranovsky princes. This story became one of the most famous and profound works about love in Russian literature.
According to many researchers, “everything in this story is masterfully written, starting with its title. The title itself is surprisingly poetic and sonorous.
It sounds like a line of a poem written in iambic trimeter."
One of the most painful stories about love, the saddest is “The Garnet Bracelet”. The most surprising thing in this work can be considered the epigraph: “L. von Bethovn. Son (op. 2 no. 2). Largo Appassionato.” Here the sadness and delight of love are combined with the music of Beethoven. And how successfully the refrain was found: “Hallowed be thy name!”
Critics have repeatedly pointed out that “the “motifs” characteristic of the “Garnet Bracelet” gradually sprouted in previous work.
We find a prototype not so much of Zheltkov’s character as of his fate in the story “The First Person You Come Along” (1897), that love to the point of self-abasement and even self-destruction, the willingness to die in the name of the woman you love - this theme was touched by an uncertain hand in the story “A Strange Case” (1895 ), blossoms into the exciting, masterfully rendered “Garnet Bracelet”.
Kuprin worked on the “Garnet Bracelet” with great passion and genuine creative enthusiasm.
According to Afanasyev V.N., “It was not by chance that Kuprin ended his story with a tragic ending; he needed such an ending in order to further highlight the power of Zheltkov’s love for a woman almost unknown to him - love that happens “once every few hundred years.”
Before us are typical representatives of the aristocracy of the early 20th century, the Shein family. Vera Nikolaevna Sheina is a beautiful society lady, moderately happy in her marriage, lives a calm life, decent life. Her husband, Prince Shein, is a worthy man, Vera respects him.
The first pages of the story are devoted to a description of nature. As Shtilman S. accurately remarked, “Kuprin’s landscape is full of sounds, colors and, especially, smells...Kuprin’s landscape is highly emotional and unlike anyone else’s.”
It’s as if all events happen against their miraculous light background, it comes true wonderful fairy tale love. Coldish autumn landscape fading nature is similar in essence to the mood of Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. Nothing attracts her in this life, perhaps that is why the brightness of her being is enslaved by everyday life and dullness. Even during a conversation with her sister Anna, in which the latter admires the beauty of the sea, she replies that at first this beauty also excites her, and then “begins to crush her with its flat emptiness...”. Vera could not be imbued with a sense of beauty in the world around her. She was not a natural romantic. And, seeing something out of the ordinary, some peculiarity, I tried (even if involuntarily) to bring it down to earth, to compare it with the world around me. Her life flowed slowly, measuredly, quietly, and, it would seem, satisfied life principles, without going beyond their scope. Vera married a prince, yes, but the same exemplary, quiet person as she herself was.
The poor official Zheltkov, having once met Princess Vera Nikolaevna, fell in love with her with all his heart. This love leaves no room for other interests of the lover.
Afanasyev V.N. believes that “it is in the sphere of love that the “little man” primarily shows his big feelings" It is difficult to agree with his opinion, since the heroes of Kuprin’s work can hardly be called “little people”; they are capable of holy, great feelings.
And so Vera Nikolaevna receives from Zheltkov a bracelet, the shine of the garnets plunges her into horror, her brain is immediately pierced by the thought “like blood,” and now a clear feeling about the impending misfortune weighs on her, and this time it is not at all empty. From that moment on, her peace of mind was destroyed. Vera considered Zheltkov “unfortunate”; she could not understand the tragedy of this love. The expression “happy unhappy person” turned out to be somewhat contradictory. After all, in his feeling for Vera, Zheltkov experienced happiness.
Leaving forever, he thought that Vera’s path would become free, her life would improve and go on as before. But there is no turning back. Saying goodbye to Zheltkov’s body was the culminating moment of her life. At this moment, the power of love reached its maximum value and became equal to death.
Eight years of happy, selfless love, demanding nothing in return, eight years of devotion to a sweet ideal, dedication to one’s own principles.
In one short moment of happiness, sacrifice everything accumulated for such long term– not everyone can do this. But Zheltkov’s love for Vera did not obey any models, she was above them. And even if her end turned out to be tragic, Zheltkov’s forgiveness was rewarded.
Zheltkov leaves this life so as not to interfere with the princess’s life, and, dying, thanks her for the fact that she was for him “the only joy in life, the only consolation, the only thought.” This is a story not so much about love as a prayer to it. In his dying letter, the loving official blesses his beloved princess: “As I leave, I say in delight: “Hallowed be Thy name.” The crystal palace in which Vera lived shattered, letting in a lot of light, warmth, and sincerity into life. Merging in the finale with Beethoven's music, it merges with Zheltkov's love and with eternal memory about him.
Paying honor to Zheltkov’s feeling, Afanasyev V.N. however notes, “And if Kuprin himself, conveying his impressions of Bizet’s opera Carmen, wrote that “love is always a tragedy, always struggle and achievement, always joy and fear, resurrection and death “, then Zheltkov’s feeling is a quiet, submissive adoration, without ups and downs, without fighting for a loved one, without hopes for reciprocity. Such adoration dries up the soul, makes it timid and powerless. Is this why Zheltkov, crushed by his love, so willingly agrees to die?”
According to the critic, “The Garnet Bracelet” is one of Kuprin’s most sincere and beloved works by readers, and yet the stamp of some defectiveness lies on the image of her central character“Zheltkov, and in his very feeling for Vera Sheina, who has fenced himself off with his love from life with all its worries and anxieties, withdrawn in his feeling as if in a shell, Zheltkov does not know the true joy of love.”
What was Zheltkov’s feeling - was it true love, inspiring, unique, strong, or insanity, madness that makes a person weak and flawed? What was the death of the hero - weakness, cowardice, imbued with fear or strength, the desire not to annoy and leave his beloved? This, in our opinion, is the true conflict of the story.
Analyzing Kuprin’s “Garnet Bracelet”, Yu. V. Babicheva writes:
“This is a kind of akathist of love...” A. Chalova comes to the conclusion that when creating the “Garnet Bracelet,” Kuprin used the akathist model.
“Akathist” is translated from Greek as “a hymn during which one cannot sit.” It consists of 12 pairs of kontakia and ikos and the last kontakion, which has no pair and is repeated three times, after which 1 ikos and 1 kontakion are read. The akathist is usually followed by a prayer. Thus, A. Chalova believes, the akathist can be divided into 13 parts. There are the same number of chapters in “The Garnet Bracelet.” Very often the akathist is built on a consistent description of miracles and deeds in the name of God. In “The Pomegranate Bracelet” this corresponds to love stories, of which there are at least ten.
Undoubtedly, Kontakion 13 is very important. In The Garnet Bracelet, chapter 13 is clearly the climax. The motives for death and forgiveness are clearly outlined in it. And in this same chapter, Kuprin includes prayer.
In this story, A. I. Kuprin especially highlighted the figure of the old general
Anosov, who is sure that high love exists, but it “... must be a tragedy, the greatest secret in the world,” without compromise.
According to S. Volkov, “it is General Anosov who will formulate the main idea of the story: There must be love...”. Volkov deliberately breaks off the phrase, emphasizing that “true love, which existed once upon a time, could not disappear, it will definitely return, it’s just that it might not have been noticed yet, not recognized, and unrecognized, it already lives somewhere nearby. Her return will be a real miracle.” It is difficult to agree with Volkov’s opinion; General Anosov could not formulate the main idea of the story, since he himself had not experienced such love.
“For Princess Vera herself, “the former passionate love for her husband has long since turned into a feeling of lasting, faithful, true friendship; however, this love did not bring her the desired happiness - she is childless and passionately dreams of children.”
According to S. Volkov, “the heroes of the story do not attach real meaning to love, they cannot understand and accept all its seriousness and tragedy.”
Ardent love either quickly burns out and comes to sobering up, as in the unsuccessful marriage of General Anosov, or passes “into a feeling of lasting, faithful, true friendship” for her husband, as with Princess Vera.
And therefore the old general doubted whether this was the kind of love: “selfless, selfless love, not expecting a reward? The one about which it is said is “strong as death.” This is exactly what a small, poor official with a dissonant surname likes. Eight years is a long time to test feelings, and, however, during all these years he did not forget her for a second, “every moment of the day was filled with you, with the thought of you...”. And, nevertheless, Zheltkov always remained on the sidelines, without humiliating or humiliating her.
Princess Vera, a woman, for all her aristocratic restraint, very impressionable, capable of understanding and appreciating beauty, felt that her life had come into contact with this great love sung by the best poets of the world. And being at the tomb of Zheltkov, who was in love with her, “she realized that the love that every woman dreams of had passed her by.”
“During the years of reaction,” writes Afanasyev V.N., “when decadents and naturalists of all stripes ridiculed and trampled human love into the dirt, Kuprin in the story “The Garnet Bracelet” once again showed the beauty and greatness of this feeling, but, making his hero capable only selfless and all-consuming love, and at the same time denying him all other interests, unwittingly impoverished and limited the image of this hero.”
Selfless love, not expecting a reward - this is exactly the kind of selfless and all-forgiving love that Kuprin writes in his story “The Garnet Bracelet.” Love transforms everyone it touches.
Conclusion
Love in Russian literature is portrayed as one of the main human values. According to Kuprin, “individuality is not expressed in strength, not in dexterity, not in intelligence, not in creativity. But in love!
Extraordinary strength and sincerity of feeling are characteristic of the heroes of Kuprin's stories. Love seems to say: “Where I stand, it cannot be dirty.” The natural fusion of the frankly sensual and the ideal creates an artistic impression: the spirit penetrates the flesh and ennobles it. This, in my opinion, is the philosophy of love in the true sense.
Kuprin's creativity attracts with its love of life, humanism, love and compassion for people. Convexity of the image, simple and clear language, precise and subtle drawing, lack of edification, psychologism of characters - all this brings them closer to the best classical tradition in Russian literature.
Love in Kuprin’s perception is often tragic. But, perhaps, only this feeling can give meaning to human existence. We can say that the writer tests his heroes with love. Strong people (such as Zheltkov, Olesya) thanks to this feeling begin to glow from within, they are able to carry love in their hearts, no matter what.
As V. G. Afanasyev wrote, “Love has always been the main, organizing theme of all Kuprin’s great works. Both in “Shulamith” and in “Pomegranate Bracelet” there is a great passionate feeling that inspires the heroes, determines the movement of the plot, helps to identify best qualities heroes. And although the love of Kuprin’s heroes is rarely happy and even less often finds an equal response in the heart of the one to whom it is addressed (“Shulamith” in this regard is perhaps the only exception), its disclosure in all its breadth and versatility gives romantic excitement and elation to the works , elevating above the gray, joyless life, affirming in the minds of readers the idea of the power and beauty of a genuine and great human feeling.”
True love is great happiness, even if it ends in separation, death, and tragedy. Many of Kuprin’s heroes, who have lost, overlooked, or destroyed their love themselves, come to this conclusion, albeit late. In this late repentance, late spiritual resurrection, enlightenment of the heroes lies that all-purifying melody that speaks of the imperfection of people who have not yet learned to live. Recognize and appreciate real feelings, and the imperfections of life itself, social conditions, environment, circumstances that often interfere with truly human relationships, and most importantly - about those high emotions that leave an unfading trace of spiritual beauty, generosity, devotion and purity. Love is a mysterious element that transforms a person’s life, giving his destiny uniqueness against the background of ordinary everyday stories, filling his earthly existence with special meaning.
In his stories A.I. Kuprin showed us sincere, devoted, selfless love. The love that every person dreams of. Love, for the sake of which you can sacrifice anything, even your life. Love that will survive millennia, overcome evil, make the world beautiful, and people kind and happy.
List of used literature
1. Afanasyev V.N. Kuprin A.I. Critical biographical essay -
M.: Fiction, 1960.
2. Berkov P. N. Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin. Critical and bibliographical essay, ed. USSR Academy of Sciences, M., 1956
3. Berkova P. N. “A. I. Kuprin" M., 1956
4. Volkov A.A. Creativity of A.I. Kuprin. M., 1962. P. 29.
5. Vorovsky V.V. Literary-critical articles. Politizdat, M., 1956, p. 275.
6. Kachaeva L.A. Kuprin's manner of writing // Russian speech. 1980. No. 2. S.
23.
7. Koretskaya I. Notes // Kuprin A.I. Collection Op. In 6 volumes. M., 1958. T.
4. P. 759.
8. Krutikova L.V. A.I. Kuprin. M., 1971
9. Kuleshov V.I. The creative path of A.I. Kuprin, 1883-1907. M., 1983
10. Kuprin A.I. Shulamith: Tales and Stories - Yaroslavl: Verkh.
–Volzh.book publishing house, 1993. – 416 p.
11. Kuprin A.I. Collected works in 9 volumes. Ed. N. N. Akonova and others. An article by F. I. Kuleshova will be introduced. T.1. Works 1889-1896. M.,
"Fiction", 1970
12. Mikhailov O. Kuprin. ZhZL issue. 14 (619). "Young Guard", 1981 -
270s.
13. Pavvovskaya K. Kuprin’s creativity. Abstract. Saratov, 1955, p. 18
14. Plotkin L. Literary essays and articles, “Soviet Writer”, Leningrad, 1958, p. 427
15. Chuprinin S. Rereading Kuprin. M., 1991
16. Bakhnenko E. N. “...Every person can be kind, compassionate, interesting and beautiful in soul” To the 125th anniversary of the birth of A. I. Kuprin
//Literature at school. – 1995 - No. 1, p.34-40
17. Volkov S. “Love must be a tragedy” From observations of ideological and artistic the originality of Kuprin’s story “The Garnet Bracelet” //
Literature. 2002, No. 8, p. 18
18. Nikolaeva E. Man is born for joy: on the 125th anniversary of the birth of A.
Kuprina // Library. – 1999, No. 5 – p. 73-75
19. Khablovsky V. In the image and likeness (Kuprin’s characters) // Literature
2000, No. 36, p. 2-3
20. Chalova S. “Garnet Bracelet” by Kuprin (Some remarks on the problem of form and content) // Literature 2000 - No. 36, p.4
21. Shklovsky E. At the turn of eras. A. Kuprin and L. Andreev // Literature 2001 -
№ 11, p. 1-3
22. Shtilman S. On the skill of a writer. A. Kuprin’s story “Garnet Bracelet” // Literature – 2002 - No. 8, p. 13-17
23. "Sulamith" A.I. Kuprina: a romantic legend of love by N.N. Starygina http://lib.userline.ru/samizdat/10215
Love is one of the main themes in Kuprin's work. The heroes of his works, “illuminated” by this bright feeling, are more fully revealed. In the stories of this wonderful author, love is, as a rule, unselfish and selfless. Having read a large number of his works, one can understand that his life is always tragic, and it is obviously doomed to suffering.
The poetic and tragic story of a young girl in the story “Olesya” sounds in this vein. Olesya’s world is a world of spiritual harmony, a world of nature. He is alien to Ivan Timofeevich, a representative of a cruel, big city. Olesya attracts him with her “unusuality”, “there was nothing like local girls in her”, the naturalness, simplicity and some kind of elusive inner freedom characteristic of her image attracted him to her like a magnet.
Olesya grew up in the forest. She could not read or write, but she had great spiritual wealth and a strong character. Ivan Timofeevich is educated, but not decisive, and his kindness is more like cowardice. These two completely different people fell in love with each other, but this love does not bring happiness to the heroes, its outcome is tragic.
Ivan Timofeevich feels that he has fallen in love with Olesya, he would even like to marry her, but he is stopped by doubt: “I didn’t even dare to imagine what Olesya would be like, dressed in a fashionable dress, talking in the living room with the wives of my colleagues, torn from the charming the framework of an old forest full of legends and mysterious powers." He realizes that Olesya will not be able to change, become different, and he himself does not want her to change. After all, to become different means to become like everyone else, and this is impossible.
Poetizing life not limited by modern social and cultural frameworks, Kuprin sought to show the clear advantages of a “natural” person, in whom he saw spiritual qualities lost in civilized society. The meaning of the story is to affirm the high standard of man. Kuprin is looking for people in real, everyday life who are obsessed with a high feeling of love, who are able to rise, at least in their dreams, above the prose of life. As always, he turns his gaze to the “little” man. This is how the story “The Garnet Bracelet” arises, which tells about a refined all-encompassing love. This story is about hopeless and touching love. Kuprin himself understands love as a miracle, as a wonderful gift. The death of the official brought back to life a woman who did not believe in love, which means that love still conquers death.
In general, the story is dedicated to the inner awakening of Vera, her gradual awareness of the true role of love. To the sound of music, the heroine's soul is reborn. From cold contemplation to a hot, reverent feeling of oneself, a person in general, the world - such is the path of the heroine, who once came into contact with a rare guest of the earth - love.
For Kuprin, love is a hopeless platonic feeling, and also a tragic one. Moreover, there is something hysterical in the chastity of Kuprin’s heroes, and in their attitude towards a loved one, what is striking is that the man and woman seem to have swapped their roles. This is characteristic of the energetic, strong-willed “Polesie sorceress” Olesya in her relationship with the “kind, but only weak Ivan Timofeevich,” and the smart, calculating Shurochka with the “pure and kind Romashov” (“Duel”). Underestimation of oneself, disbelief in one’s right to own a woman, a convulsive desire to withdraw – these traits complete the picture of Kuprin’s hero with a fragile soul caught in a cruel world.
Closed in itself, such love has creative creative power. “It so happened that I am not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people,” Zheltkov writes before his death to the subject of his generation, “...for me, all life lies only in you.” . Zheltkov leaves this life without complaints, without reproaches, saying like a prayer: “Hallowed be Thy name.”
Kuprin's works, despite the complexity of situations and often dramatic endings, are filled with optimism and love of life. You close the book, and a feeling of something bright remains in your soul for a long time.
