A problem is a QUESTION.
The problem poses a question to resolve the essence of the subject that has become the subject of research in a literary work. And the subject for research is suggested by the theme of the work. The question grows from the topic like a sprout from the soil. This links the problem to the topic.
If the theme is LIFE reflected in a literary work, then the problem is a QUESTION posed on the basis of this life reflected in a literary work.
The same topic can become the basis for raising different problems.
The problem is difficult question posed in a work, which is solved or remains unsolved, but the ways of searching for its solution are shown.
The question of the identity of the topic and the problem is controversial.
Issues: One literary work cannot have only one problem; it has many problems, main and secondary, auxiliary ones.
Typology of problems in literature:
Socio-political
Moral and ethical
National historical
Universal
Philosophical
Social
Psychological
Eternal problems:
Good and Evil
Body and soul
Time and eternity
Love and hate
Life and death
Death and immortality
The meaning of life
Person and society
Person and history, etc.
Question 4. The idea of a literary work as a search for an answer to a problem. The ideological content of a literary work. Typology of literary ideas
An idea is an answer to a question posed by a problem based on the part of life posed by the topic, reflected in a literary work.
An idea is an assessment of what is reflected in the theme of a work.
The idea is the main fundamental content of the work. Generalized thought. Which lies at the heart of the work and is expressed in its figurative form.
An idea is the author’s subjective assessment, but in addition to this, an objective idea also appears in the work, which can be broader than the author’s intention and opens up in a new way every time. new era, with each new generation of critics and readers.
The idea of a work and its design are two different things.
The plan may not include those ideas. Which contemporaries or descendants will find, see, and discover in a literary work.
General idea of the work = the main idea of the work, always answers or seeks an answer to main problem society. time, era, person, as the author understands them.
The idea may not be expressed directly and unambiguously in the work, as an answer to a question; it may be a search for an answer, intended ways of answering, answer options, directions for thinking about the answer...
The idea is not limited to the direct positive statements of the author.
Each character, event, picture in a literary work has its own ideological, meaningful function.
Each image of the poetics of a work (NB! see Classification of images - remember and write in your notebook for lectures in this place) has its own ideological = conceptual load.
The entire figurative system of the work is the bearer of the author’s concept – the author’s main idea of life.
The ideological meaning of the novel is determined not only by the author’s direct word and the author’s assessments, but, above all, by the ideological function of each element of the artistic form, the conceptuality of the style.
Understanding the general idea of the work comes from analyzing everything ideological meaning all elements of the content and form of a literary work.
Goethe: “It would be a good joke if I tried to string such a varied life of Faust onto a thin string of a single idea for the entire work” - !!!
Typology of ideas in literature.
Subjectivity of an artistic idea: it depends on the subjective opinion of the author.
The imagery of an artistic idea: it is expressed only in figurative form.
Eternal ideas: coincide with the formulations of eternal themes and problems, but each author tries to find his own way to resolve them...
Give an example of a timeless idea from any of your favorite books - NB.
Main character brilliant novel F.M. Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment” Rodion Raskolnikov asks the question: is it permissible to commit a small evil for the sake of a great good, does a noble goal justify a criminal means? The author portrays him as a magnanimous dreamer, a humanist, eager to make all humanity happy, who comes to the realization of his own powerlessness in the face of world evil and in despair decides to “transgress” the moral law - to kill out of love for humanity, to commit evil for the sake of good. However, a normal person, which the hero of the novel undoubtedly is, is alien to bloodshed and murder. To understand this, Raskolnikov had to go through all the circles of moral hell and visit hard labor. Only at the end of the novel do we see that the hero realizes the absurdity of his crazy idea and finds peace of mind.
In contrast to the doubting and rushing Raskolnikov, Dostoevsky paints in his novel the image of Svidrigailov, a man who does not think about the means of achieving his goals. Sinking into the abyss of depravity, losing faith, Svidrigailov commits suicide, thereby showing the dead end of Raskolnikov's theory.
Based on real story novel American writer T. Dreiser's "American Tragedy" tells the story of the fate of an ambitious young manClyde Griffiths, who dreams of breaking out of the confines of his environment, quickly and persistently walking up the steps of his career, upward to the world of money and luxury. Having seduced an honest girl and being confident in his love for her, the hero soon realizes that this connection is the main obstacle on the way to high society. A classic is formed love triangle, the third “corner” of which is the girl from high society, opening up all kinds of exits for Clyde material benefits. Unable to resist such a temptation, the young man carefully considers the possibility of getting rid of his first love, which interferes not only with his ambitious plans, but also simply interferes with living for his own pleasure. This is how a crime is committed - thoughtful, seriously prepared and cowardly. After the girl's death, the police trace Clyde and accuse him of premeditated murder. The jury sentences him to death and Clyde spends the rest of his life in prison." In the end, he confesses and admits his guilt. He is executed in the electric chair.
Good, kind, talented person Ilya Oblomov was unable to overcome himself, his laziness and promiscuity, and did not reveal his best traits. The absence of a high goal in life leads to moral death. Even love could not save Oblomov.
In his late novel The Razor's Edge, W.S. Maughamdraws life path young American Larry, who spent half his life reading books, and the other half in travel, work, search and self-improvement. His image stands out clearly against the background of young people of his circle, wasting their lives and extraordinary abilities on fulfilling fleeting whims, on entertainment, on a carefree existence in luxury and idleness. Larry chose his own path and, not paying attention to the misunderstanding and reproach of loved ones, sought the meaning of life in hardships, wanderings and wanderings around the world. He devoted himself entirely to the spiritual principle in order to achieve enlightenment of the mind, purification of the spirit, and discover the meaning of the universe.
The main character of the novel of the same name by the American writer Jack London, Martin Eden, is a working guy, a sailor, coming from the lower classes, about 21 years old, and meets Ruth Morse, a girl from a wealthy bourgeois family. Ruth begins to teach the semi-literate Martin the correct pronunciation of English words and awakens his interest in literature. Martin learns that magazines pay decent fees to the authors who publish in them, and firmly decides to make a career as a writer, earn money and become worthy of his new acquaintance, with whom he has fallen in love. Martin is putting together a self-improvement program, working on his language and pronunciation, and reading a lot of books. Iron health and unbending will move him towards his goal. In the end, after going through a long and thorny path, after numerous refusals and disappointments, he becomes famous writer. (Then he becomes disillusioned with literature, his beloved, people in general and life, loses interest in everything and commits suicide. This is just in case. An argument in favor of the fact that fulfilling a dream does not always bring happiness)
If a shark stops moving its fins, it will sink to the bottom like a stone; a bird, if it stops flapping its wings, will fall to the ground. Likewise, a person, if his aspirations, desires, goals fade away, will collapse to the bottom of life, he will be sucked into the thick quagmire of gray everyday life. A river that stops flowing turns into a stinking swamp. Likewise, a person who stops searching, thinking, striving, loses the “beautiful impulses of his soul”, gradually degrades, his life becomes aimless, miserable vegetation.
I. Bunin in the story “Mr. from San Francisco” showed the fate of a man who served false values. Wealth was his god, and this god he worshiped. But when the American millionaire died, it turned out that true happiness passed the man by: he died without ever knowing what life was.
Romance of the famous English writer W. S. Maugham's “The Burden of Human Passions” touches on one of the most important and pressing questions for every person - is there meaning in life, and if so, what is it? The main character of the work, Philip Carey, painfully searches for the answer to this question: in books, in art, in love, in the judgments of friends. One of them, the cynic and materialist Cronshaw, advises him to look at Persian carpets and refuses further explanation. Only years later, having lost almost all his illusions and hopes for the future, Philip understands what he meant and admits that “life has no meaning, and human existence is purposeless. Knowing that nothing makes sense and nothing matters, a person can still find satisfaction in choosing the various threads that he weaves into the endless fabric of life. There is one pattern - the simplest and most beautiful: a person is born, matures, gets married, gives birth to children, works for a piece of bread and dies; but there are other, more intricate and amazing patterns, where there is no place for happiness or the desire for success - perhaps some kind of alarming beauty is hidden in them.”
The text by Ivan Aleksandrovich Ilyin raises the problem of a person’s attitude to a bad mood.
The author based his story on reflections on the influence of a bad mood on others and himself. He says that Bad mood appears from a person’s discord and that a person should hide it from others so as not to infect them with it.
Let's give an example from A.S. Pushkin's novel "Eugene Onegin".
Lensky, who persuaded Onegin to go to Tatyana’s name day, becomes a victim of Evgeny’s bad mood, who, having found himself in a hated environment of guest neighbors, takes revenge on his friend by courting Olga, which leads to a duel and Lensky’s death.
You can also give an example from M. Yulermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time.” In it, Pechorin and Grushnitsky did not forgive each other’s insults; they both tried to respond to anger with anger, which led to a duel. If they had shown at least a little understanding, the tragic consequences could have been avoided.
Summarizing what has been said, we can conclude that if each of us fights hatred, at least within himself, then the world will become a little kinder.
Updated: 2017-05-30
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The novel “The Scaffold” by the Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov” (published for the first time in 1986 in the magazine “ New world»):
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Chingiz Torekulovich Aitmatov (1928-200 8) - Kyrgyz writer. People's Writer of Kyrgyzstan. Winner of numerous not only state but also international awards.
Works:
Jamila (195 8)
My poplar in a red scarf (1961)
First Teacher (1961)
Goodbye Gyulsary (1966)
White Steamer (1970)
Early Cranes (1975)
Piebald Dog Running by the Edge of the Sea (1977)
Stormy stop (And the day lasts longer than a century); (1980)
Scaffold (1986)
etc.
A private topic is BETRAYAL. Intersects with the theme of choice
A private topic is BETRAYAL. Intersects with the theme of choice
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Often in life a person has to do moral choice before your own conscience: either submit to circumstances, or show the strength of your character. In the story "Sotnikov", written in 1970, Belarusian writer Vasil Bykov analyzes the behavior of fighters during the Great Patriotic War, reveals the depth of the experiences of two partisans who go to the village to get food for the detachment and are captured. Sotnikov remains faithful to his duty as a man and citizen until his last breath. When he is led to be hanged, he still tries to protect innocent people. The fisherman betrays his friend, becomes his executioner and joins the ranks of the police. |
More information
Vasil Vladimirovich Bykov (1924-2003) - Belarusian writer and public figure, participant in the Great Patriotic War. Most of his works are stories about the Great Patriotic War, which show a person’s moral choice in the most dramatic moments of life.
Works:
Crane Cry (1959)
Third rocket (1959(
Alpine Ballad (1963)
The Dead Don't Hurt (1965)
Kruglyansky Bridge (196 8)
Sotnikov (1970)
Obelisk (1971)
Until Dawn (1972)
Wolfpack (1974)
Go and never come back (197 8)
Sign of Trouble (1982)
Novels
Quarry (1986)
Roundup (1986)
Long road home (2002) – book of memories
Problem (gr. problema - task, something thrown forward) is an aspect of the content of the work on which the author focuses his attention. The range of problems covered by the author's interest, the questions posed in the work, constitute its problematics.
Resolution delivered in the work artistic task- Part creative process writer, which finds its embodiment in the problems of his work.
In a letter to A.S. Suvorin, A.P. Chekhov wrote: “The artist observes, chooses, guesses, composes - these actions alone presuppose a question at the beginning; If you haven’t asked yourself a question from the very beginning, then there’s nothing to guess about and nothing to choose.”
So, great writer emphasizes that the choice of questions and problems determines the overall content of the work and the perspective of their consideration - the writer’s interest in certain phenomena of reality.
Issues work of art directly related to the author's intention. It can be reflected “directly” when the problems of interest to the artist are revealed in the text, regardless of figurative system works.
This is the problem of confronting totalitarianism in J. Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984”, where the author directly postulates his attitude to the problem in diary entries main character.
Open problematic nature most often manifests itself in the genres of satire, science fiction, dystopia, in civil lyrics. Journalism is also directly problematic. Usually, the artist does not seek to express his idea directly, but does it indirectly, through a figurative depiction of characters, objects and phenomena that attracted his attention.
For example, in the drama “Masquerade” the problem of correspondence appearance And inner world a person is staged by M. Yu. Lermontov by referring to the image of a masquerade ball typical of secular life, where instead of human faces there are masks, “decorously pulled masks.” Behind this “apparent” correctness is a soulless essence.
Masks play their roles, become familiar even outside the masquerade action, and replace a person. If in this world, covered with a mask of “secular decency”, a person appears who does not play by the “rules”, then in his actions one sees a “mask”, and not a living person. This is what happens to the main character, Arbenin.
One of the final scenes drama, in which one of the characters friendly addresses Arbenin, who is mourning Nina who was poisoned by him: “Come on, brother, take off your disguise, // Don’t lower your gaze so important. // After all, it’s good with people, // For the public, - and you and I are actors.” This is just one of the problematic layers of the play, developed with the help of an emphasis on the key image.
The problem may occur on different levels works. Most often it is expressed in the depiction of characters, in artistic conflict. Yes, two different life positions, two special characters are contrasted in A. S. Pushkin’s tragedy “Mozart and Salieri”. What is true genius?
The question that contains the problem of the work finds resolution in the conflict of the tragedy. The author, with the help of figurative depictions of characters, solves the problem posed. Comparing the life positions of the characters - Mozart, for whom art is cheerful creativity, the free flight of inspiration, and Salieri, “who trusted harmony with algebra,” the poet examines the problem from different angles and expresses his position in the dispute.
Along with this, the problematic may organically flow from the theme of the work. This happens in historical and artistic-historical prose, where the historical events reflected in the themes can also determine the problems depicted in the work.
For example, works of different genres written about the activities of Peter I are in one way or another connected with the depiction of the problems of Peter the Great’s time - the conflict of “new and traditional”, even if these contradictions play a subordinate role in the plot, as in the unfinished “Arap of Peter the Great” by A. S. Pushkin .
The problems of a literary work depend on many factors: historical events, social problems modernity, “ideas of the time,” even “literary fashion.”
But first of all, the choice of questions that interest the artist is determined by his worldview, his point of view on certain phenomena of reality. It is reflected in those author’s accents that constitute the problematic of a work of art.
This is precisely the reason for the fact that the same topics are covered differently by different writers and, accordingly, works on the same topic have different problems.
For example, one of the social topics that worried society mid-19th century - nihilism - found its embodiment in the characters of the “new people” in the novel by N. G. Chernyshevsky “What is to be done?” and in the image of Bazarov in the work of I. S. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons”.
And if Chernyshevsky’s “new people” certainly represent the positive ideal of the author, their life is the answer to the question posed in the title of the novel, then Bazarov is a contradictory figure. Responding to K. Sluchevsky, Turgenev characterized his hero as follows: “I wanted to make him a tragic face...
He is honest, truthful and a democrat to the core... and if he is called a nihilist, then it should read: revolutionary... I dreamed of a gloomy, wild, large figure, half grown out of the soil, strong, angry, honest - and that’s all -doomed to death, because it still stands on the threshold of the future.”
Bazarov's nihilistic views conflict with life circumstances. A stern, cold man with an ironic turn of mind, who scoffed at everything romantic, calling love “garbage”, “unforgivable foolishness”, could not overcome the feeling of love within himself. “So know that I love you stupidly, madly,” he says to Anna Sergeevna. With these words, Bazarov admits that he is powerless to fight against natural human feelings, the suppression of which he considered necessary for the triumph of his convictions.
In vain did the hero fight the “romantic enemy”; the “beauties” he denied—nature, love, art—continued to exist. “Blow on the dying lamp and let it go out” - with this metaphor Turgenev puts an end to the life of a man who always hated a beautiful phrase. The author brings to the fore the problem of true and false in nihilism, tests the strength of the ideas that worried the public consciousness.
Thus, for Chernyshevsky, the question of “what to do” has been resolved unambiguously—it is “new people” that Russia needs. Their activities will bring closer the “bright future” from Vera Pavlovna’s dream. Turgenev’s accent is different: “Father will tell you that this is what kind of person Russia is losing... this is nonsense... Russia needs me... no, apparently, I don’t. And who is needed? - says Bazarov in his dying minutes.
Thus, the similar themes of the two works are represented by different problems, which are primarily due to the difference in the author’s worldviews. However, this was not always the case in literature.
Problematicism as a quality of works of art historically appeared quite late, since it is directly related to the fact that any issue, object, phenomenon can be interpreted in different ways.
Thus, there were no problems in the literary archaic, ancient epic, where all issues were initially resolved by the collective creative consciousness. The picture of the world captured in heroic epic, harmonious and motionless.
Literary archaism developed within the framework of a legend in which everything is known and predetermined in advance, since mythological consciousness does not allow “discrepancies.” The same in folklore genres, for example in fairy tale, the behavior of the characters is determined by the plot, the roles of the characters are defined and static.
IN medieval art and literature of the 17th-18th centuries, individual authorial creativity was limited by various rules.
Such literary works, written according to certain canons, genre, stylistic and plot, already contain some limited problems, since within the framework of the canon it has become possible to offer a new, author’s interpretation of already known material - this kind of formulation of problems can be observed, for example, in the literature of classicism . Such problems cannot be called independent, since the range of problems was limited and their interpretation did not allow deviations from the canons.
For example, the center of many classic tragedies was the problem of choosing between personal feelings and public duty. The conflict is built on this confrontation. Let us turn to the tragedy of A.P. Sumarokov “Horev” (1747). Osnelda, the daughter of the deposed and deprived of power of the Kyiv prince Zavlokh, is captured by the winner, the new prince Kiy.
Osnelda loves Kiy's brother, Khorev, and is loved by him. Osnelda’s father, Zavlokh, stands under the walls of Kyiv with an army and demands the release of his daughter, without claiming the throne and power taken from him. However, Kiy suspects Zavlokh of an attempt on his power and forces Khorev, his commander, to march against Zavlokh with an army.
Thus, Horev finds himself in a hopeless situation: he must not disobey his brother and ruler, and he cannot harm the father of his beloved: a sense of duty and love come into conflict.
Osnelda asks her father for permission to marry Khorev, hoping to resolve the conflict. However, Zavlokh forbids his daughter to love Khorev, and she also finds herself in a hopeless situation: she must obey her father, but cannot give up her love. It seems that heroes may prefer their love to duty - obedience to their father and ruler.
But the choice is imaginary - the canon of tragedy prescribes preference for reasonable public duty. And ethically impeccable lovers consider unconditional devotion to their public duty a matter of honor:
OSNELD: If you love me, then you love my honor...
Break up with me, since the fate of love interferes.
KHOREV: You now order me to destroy my name
Or can you then love a traitor?
Thus, the choice is predetermined, the position of the characters remains unchanged throughout the entire action. And the problems of high tragedy are limited by the genre canon, although they may vary somewhat depending on the choice of plot basis and theme of the work.
The independent value of literary issues became obvious with the strengthening of the individual authorial principle in literature, its liberation from the canonical preconditions. This is especially true realistic literature XIX-XX centuries.
Here it became possible to freely express one’s attitude towards the subject of the image, different interpretations of the same thing. M. M. Bakhtin believed that with the development of the novel genre and the spread of its influence to others literary genres The strengthening of problematic nature as one of the categories of content is connected: “the novel introduces into them (genres. - E.V.) problematic nature, specific semantic incompleteness and living contact with unfinished, becoming modernity (unfinished present).”
Thus, the issue becomes one of the leading facets artistic content in works where the author is free to choose those issues that are the subject of artistic comprehension.
Due to this, some modern genres, gravitating toward the clichéd™ and canonicity, especially in mass literature, rarely contain deep and significant problems. The more versatile the characters, situations, and conflicts depicted in a work, the more multifaceted and deeper author's position, the more interesting and important the problem.
For example, in an adventure novel, where the plot scheme and “character types” are given, the formulation of any problems is not the primary task of the writer - the plot itself is important, and the ideological and aesthetic content is less important. The reader of the detective story is captivated by the development of the action, which is based on the solution of a mysterious crime.
The question of who the criminal is, of course, does not have the problematic quality discussed above. It is also determined by the detective genre. Here is both the plot and functions characters determined by the canon, even the author's position can be subordinated to the genre scheme.
Introduction to literary criticism (N.L. Vershinina, E.V. Volkova, A.A. Ilyushin, etc.) / Ed. L.M. Krupchanov. - M, 2005
