Gorky's Early Romantic Stories.

Danko and Larra are two heroes of Gorky's famous story "Old Woman Izergil". The old woman, telling about her life, weaves into this story two beautiful old legends about the son of an eagle Larr and about the son of people Danko.

First, the old woman talks about Larra. It's beautiful, proud and the strong man. Usually physical beauty in Gorky already symbolizes a person with high moral ideals. But, as it turns out, this is not always true. Izergil says: "beautiful ones are always bold." This statement is true, judging by Gorky's early stories. Larra is bold and determined. But everything in him is excessive: both pride and strength. He is too selfish. How much benefit Larra could bring to people if he used the treasures of his soul for their benefit! But he does not want to give. He only wants to take, and take the best.

Larra, being the son of an eagle, does not appreciate human society. He prefers solitude and freedom. In striving for this, he often shows hardness of heart. It has no love, no pity, no compassion. He dreams only of loneliness, because he does not see anything attractive in life among people. Sometimes the worst punishment for us is that our wishes come true. So it was in the case of Larry. He received eternal solitude and eternal freedom to wander the earth. But how can the soul of a man endure this, even if he is the son of an eagle? No. Therefore, the soul of Larry suffers. Only in his eternal wanderings on earth does he understand how unbearable it is to be alone. Each person by his nature needs a society of his own kind.

What is happiness? Gorky in the story "Old Woman Izergil" answers this question in this way: happiness is possible only in love, and the highest happiness is in self-sacrifice. The old woman Izergil tells about this in the legend of Danko.

Danko is somewhat similar to Larra. He is just as handsome, brave, freedom-loving. But this is a completely different person. He directs the strength of his soul, the burning of his heart to serve people.

Let's remember that part of the legend when people begin to be disappointed in Danko. They are overcome by unbelief. In the end, they even decide to kill Danko. But does that stop him, does it weaken his desire to lead his people into the light? No. Larra lived among people who did not plot against him anything bad. It would seem that Danko had much more reasons to become embittered and even hate people. But in him lives a readiness for self-sacrifice and a thirst for achievement. He never hesitates for a moment when he needs to rip his heart out of his chest! I think Danko understood that his feat would not be appreciated, that those people to whom he lit the way with his heart would immediately forget about him. And so it happened. People, rushing to their goal, trampled Danko's ardent heart that had fallen to the ground. But he did not think of himself, tearing out his heart. A person who performs a feat never thinks about himself and how people will react to this. He acts for a higher purpose. So Danko acted only in the name of saving people.

In the image of Danko, Gorky embodied his ideal of a revolutionary. In Gorky's view, this is a man with a burning heart, leading people to the light at the cost of his own death. Danko is ready to die for the sake of his cause, he illuminates the dark consciousness of people with light. So are the revolutionaries: they fight despite the danger of death. They know for sure that, having died themselves, they will leave their ideas that will light the way for people.

Gorky argues that the existence of Daiko makes sense, because it was aimed at benefiting people. Larra, on the other hand, sought only for his own benefit. Gorky, having told us the fate of Larra, affirms the idea that an existence like this cannot give anything but emptiness and loneliness. Even the fate of the old woman Izergil, outwardly so unsuccessful, actually makes sense. And this meaning lies in the fact that she did not spare the strength of her soul. She loved people, and they, in turn, answered her the same. Against the backdrop of even this life, the existence of Larra seems miserable.

Comparing the fates of Larra and Danko, Gorky draws one important conclusion: a short but bright life dedicated to serving people is better than an eternal selfish existence for its own sake. You can't shut yourself up in your selfishness. If you want to get as much as possible for yourself, you are likely to lose much more than you want to gain. And vice versa, you get the more, the more mental strength spend for the good of the people. Danko, who has torn out his heart, is much more alive than Larra, who has received eternal existence. A lofty goal justifies any life, so every person, as far as possible, should strive, if not for a feat, but to help people, to live for them.

Plan
Introduction
In the story, M. Gorky describes the lifestyle of two heroes: Danko and Larra.
Main part
Danko is a strong man who died for the people.
Danko believes in own forces.
Danko is ready to sacrifice himself.
The main character traits of Larra are individualism, selfishness, pride.
Larra seeks to rise above people.
Conclusion
The opposition of Danko and Larra helps the author to reveal the image of the narrator - the Old Woman Izergil.
In M. Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil", the author, using two legends told by Izergil, describes the lifestyle of two heroes: Danko and Larra.
Danko is a strong man who died for the people. A distinctive feature of his character is pride. Danko had a strong character: he was ready at the price own life lead people through the impenetrable forest. The strength of the spirit, inner perfection in biblical legends was embodied in outwardly beautiful people. In ancient times, it was believed that a person is beautiful on the outside, good on the inside: “Danko is one of those people, a young handsome man. The beautiful are always bold. Danko believes in his own strength, and does not spend "strength on thought and longing." The hero is ready to help people get out of the darkness, to find true freedom. Possessing a strong character, Danko takes on the role of a leader, and people "all together followed him - they believed in him." The hero is not afraid, he is not afraid of difficulties along the way. At first, people willingly follow him, but they do not have the strength of mind to endure all the hardships of the path. They begin to grumble: "You are insignificant and harmful man for us! You led us and tired us, and for this you will perish! Danko is ready to sacrifice himself to the end: "he tore his chest with his hands and tore out his heart from it and raised it high above his head." Lighting the dark path with his heart, Danko led people out of the impenetrable thicket of the forest, to where "the sun shone, the steppe sighed, the grass shone in the diamonds of the rain and the river sparkled with gold." At the end of the story, Danko dies. The question arises before the reader: did people understand what Danko did for them. One cautious man stepped "on a proud heart with his foot." Danko had such character traits that did not allow him to do otherwise. He tore his heart out of his chest and lit the way for them, as he considered this the only right decision for himself.
In the story "Old Woman Izergil" Danko is opposed to Larr. Larra also has a strong character. The main features of his personality are individualism, selfishness, pride. Above all else, Larra puts his emotions, feelings, experiences, desires, not caring about what the people around him want. He seeks to rise above people. The author dooms Larra to eternal loneliness. Pride is a mortal sin, it was she who destroyed the human in Larra's heart.
The opposition of Danko and Larra helps the author to reveal the image of the narrator - the Old Woman Izergil, who, talking about her ideal and anti-ideal, is sure that her life is dedicated to love. Izergil thinks that she is closer to Danko's self-sacrifice and boundless love, but in fact, Larra's individualism and selfishness are inherent in her. So the author reveals his own position, his attitude to life.

Homework for the lesson

1. Write out from the dictionary literary terms definition of the term romanticism.
2. Read the story of Maxim Gorky "Old Woman Izergil"
3. Answer the questions:
1) How many legends did the Old Woman Izergil tell?
2) What happened to the girl from the “big river country”?
3) What was the name of the son of the eagle by the elders?
4) Why, having come close to people, did Larra not defend himself?
5) What feeling gripped people lost in the forest, why?
6) What did Danko do for people?
7) Compare the characters of Danko and Larra.
8) Was Danko's sacrifice justified?

The purpose of the lesson

To acquaint students with Maxim Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil" as a romantic work; improve the skills and abilities of prose text analysis; give an idea of ​​the romantic aesthetics of early Gorky.

teacher's word

M. Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil" was written in 1894 and first published in 1895 in Samara Newspaper. This work, like the story "Makar Chudra", belongs to the early period of the writer's work. From that moment on, Gorky declared himself as the spokesman for a special way of understanding the world and the bearer of a very specific aesthetics - romantic. Since by the time the story was written, romanticism in art had already experienced its heyday, early work Gorky in literary criticism is usually called neo-romantic.

At home, you had to write out the definition of romanticism from the dictionary of literary terms.

Romanticism- “in the broadest sense of the word, an artistic method in which the subjective position of the writer in relation to the depicted phenomena of life is dominant, his inclination is not so much to reproduce, but to re-create reality, which leads to the development of especially conditional forms of creativity (fantasy, grotesque, symbolism, etc.), to the promotion of exceptional characters and plots, to the strengthening of subjective-evaluative elements in the author's speech, to the arbitrariness of compositional connections, etc.

teacher's word

Traditionally, a romantic work is characterized by the cult of an extraordinary personality. The moral qualities of the hero are not of decisive importance. Villains, robbers, commanders, kings, beautiful ladies, noble knights, murderers - anyone, as long as their life is exciting, special and full of adventures, are at the center of the story. romantic hero always recognizable. He despises the miserable life of the townsfolk, challenges the world, often foreseeing that he will not be the winner in this battle. A romantic work is characterized by a romantic dual world, a clear division of the world into real and ideal. In some works, the ideal world is realized as the other world, in others - as a world untouched by civilization. Throughout the work, the plot development of which is concentrated on the brightest milestones in the life of the hero, the character of an exceptional personality remains unchanged. The storytelling style is bright and emotional.

Writing in a notebook

Features of a romantic piece:
1. The cult of an extraordinary personality.
2. Romantic portrait.
3. Romantic duality.
4. Static romantic nature.
5. Romantic plot.
6. Romantic landscape.
7. Romantic style.

Question

Which of the books you have read before can you call romantic? Why?

Answer

Romantic works of Pushkin, Lermontov.

teacher's word

Distinctive features of Gorky's romantic images are proud disobedience to fate and impudent love of freedom, integrity of nature and heroism of character. The romantic hero strives for unrestricted freedom, without which there is no true happiness for him and which is often dearer to him than life itself. Romantic stories embody the writer's observations of the contradictions of the human soul and the dream of beauty. Makar Chudra says: “They are funny, those your people. They huddled together and crush each other, and there are so many places on earth ... " The old woman Izergil almost echoes him: “And I see that people do not live, but everyone tries on”.

Analytical conversation

Question

What is the composition of the story "Old Woman Izergil"?

Answer

The story is in 3 parts:
1) the legend of Larra;
2) a story about the life of Izergil;
3) the legend of Danko.

Question

What is the basis for the construction of the story?

Answer

The story is based on the opposition of two characters who are carriers of opposite life values. Danko's selfless love for people and Larra's unrestrained egoism are manifestations of the same feeling - love.

Question

Prove (according to the plan in your notebook) that the story is romantic. Compare the portraits of Larra and Danko.

Answer

Larra is a young man “handsome and strong”, “his eyes were cold and proud, like those of the king of birds”. The story does not contain a detailed portrait of Larra, the author pays attention only to the eyes and the proud, arrogant speech of the “son of the eagle”.

Danko is also very difficult to visualize. Izergil says that he was a "handsome young man", one of those who always dared because he was handsome. Again Special attention the reader is drawn to the eyes of the hero, which are called eyes: "... a lot of strength and living fire shone in his eyes".

Question

Are they extraordinary personalities?

Answer

Undoubtedly, Danko and Larra are exceptional personalities. Larra does not obey the clan and does not honor the elders, goes where he pleases, does what he wants, not recognizing the right of choice for others. Talking about Larr, Izergil uses epithets that are more suitable for describing the animal: dexterous, strong, predatory, cruel.

Question

Answer

In the story "Old Woman Izergil" the ideal world is realized as the distant past of the earth, the time that has now become a myth, and the memory of which has remained only in the legends of the youth of mankind. Only a young earth could, according to the author, give birth to the heroic characters of people possessed by strong passions. Izergil emphasizes several times that modern " miserable" such a power of feeling and greed for life are not available to people.

Question

Do the characters of Larra, Danko and Izergil develop over the course of the story, or are they initially set and unchanged?

Answer

The characters of Larra, Danko and Izergil do not change throughout the story and are interpreted unambiguously: the main and only character trait of Larra is selfishness, the denial of any other law than will. Danko is a manifestation of love for people, while Izergil subordinated her entire existence to her own thirst for pleasure.

Question

Which of the events described by the old woman can be considered unusual?

Answer

Both stories told by Izergil contain a description of extraordinary events. The genre of the legend determined their original fantastic plot basis (the birth of a child from an eagle, the inevitability of a completed curse, the light of sparks from Danko's burning heart, etc.).

Work with text

Match the heroes (Danko and Larra) according to the following parameters:
1) portrait;
2) the impression made on others;
3) understanding of pride;
4) attitude towards people;
5) conduct at the time of the trial;
6) the fate of the heroes.

Analytical conversation

Question

What is the source of Larra's tragedy?

Answer

Larra could not and did not want to compromise between his desires and the laws of society. Egoism is understood by him as a manifestation of personal freedom, and his right is the right of the strong from birth.

Question

How was Larra punished?

Answer

As punishment, the elders doomed Larra to immortality and the inability to decide for himself whether he should live or die, they limited his freedom. People deprived Larra of what, in his opinion, it was worth living for - the right to live by his own law.

Question

What is the main feeling in Larra's attitude towards people? Support your answer with an example from the text.

Answer

In relation to people, Larra does not have any feelings. He wants "keep yourself whole" that is, to get a lot out of life without giving anything in return.

Question

What feeling is experienced by Danko, looking into the crowd of people judging him? Support your answer with an example from the text.

Answer

Looking at those for whom he, risking his life, went to the swamps, Danko is indignant, “But out of pity for the people, it went out. Danko's heart flared with the desire to save people and lead them "to the easy path".

Question

What is the function of the "cautious man" episode?

Answer

The mention of the "cautious man" is introduced into the legend of Danko in order to emphasize the exclusivity of the hero. A “cautious person” is perceived as one of many, thus, the author will define the essence of ordinary people, “not heroes”, who are not capable of sacrificial impulses and are always afraid of something.

Question

What is common in the characters of Larra and Danko and what is the difference between them?

Answer

This question can lead to ambiguous answers. Students can perceive Larra and Danko as opposite characters (egoist and altruist), or interpret them as romantic characters who oppose themselves to people (for various reasons).

Question

What place does society occupy in the inner reflections of both characters? Is it possible to say that heroes exist in isolation from society?

Answer

Heroes think of themselves outside of society: Larra - without people, Danko - at the head of people. Larra “He came to the tribe, he stole cattle, girls - everything he wanted”, is he "hovering around people". Danko was walking "ahead of them and was cheerful and clear".

Question

What moral law determines the actions of both characters?

Answer

The actions of the characters are determined by their own value system. Larra and Danko are their own law, they make decisions without asking the elders for advice. Proud, triumphant laughter is their answer to the world of ordinary people.

Question

What is the function of the image of the old woman Izergil in the story? How do the images of Larra and Danko relate to each other with the help of the image of the old woman Izergil?

Answer

Despite the brightness, completeness and artistic integrity of both legends, they are only illustrations necessary for the author to understand the image of the old woman Izergil. It "cements" the composition of the story both at the substantive and at the formal level. In the general narrative system, Izergil acts as a narrator, it is from her mouth that the I-character learns the story of the "son of the eagle" and the burning heart of Danko. At the level of content in the portrait of the old woman, one can find features of both Larra and Danko; in how insatiably she loved, Danko's character was reflected, and in how thoughtlessly she threw her loved ones - the seal of the image of Larra. The figure of Izergil links both legends together and makes the reader think about the problem of human freedom and his right to dispose of his life force at his own discretion.

Question

Do you agree with the saying that “in life there is always a place for a feat”? How do you understand it?

Question

Is achievement possible in every life? Does every person use this right of achievement in life?

Question

Did the old woman Izergil accomplish the feat she is talking about?

These questions do not require an unequivocal answer and are designed for independent answers.

findings write them down in their own notebooks.

Some of Nietzsche's philosophical and aesthetic ideas were reflected in Gorky's early romantic works. The central image of the early Gorky is a proud and strong personality, embodying the idea of ​​freedom. "Strength is virtue", Nietzsche argued, and for Gorky, the beauty of a person lies in strength and achievement, even aimless: “A strong person has the right to be “on the other side of good and evil”, to be outside of ethical principles, and a feat, from this point of view, is resistance to the general flow of life.

Literature

D.N. Murin, E.D. Kononova, E.V. Minenko. Russian literature of the twentieth century. Grade 11 program. Thematic lesson planning. St. Petersburg: SMIO Press, 2001

E.S. Rogover. Russian literature of the XX century / St. Petersburg: Paritet, 2002

N.V. Egorova. Lesson developments in Russian literature of the twentieth century. Grade 11. I semester. M.: VAKO, 2005

Danko (Fig. 2) became a symbol of heroism, a hero ready for self-sacrifice. Thus, the story is built on the antithesis, and the heroes of the work are antipodes.

Antipode(from other Greek “opposite” or “opposing”) - in general sense something opposite to something else. In a figurative sense, it can be applied to people with opposing views.

The term "antipode" was introduced by Plato in his Timaeus to combine the relativity of the concepts "up" and "down".

In the story "Old Woman Izergil", in addition to ancient legends, the author included a story about the life of the old woman Izergil herself. Consider the composition of the story. Memories of the old woman Izergil are compositionally placed between two legends. The heroes of the legends are not real people, but symbols: Larra is a symbol of selfishness, Danko is a symbol of altruism. As for the image of the old woman Izergil (Fig. 3), her life and fate are quite realistic. Let's talk about this in more detail.

Rice. 3. Old woman Izergil ()

Izergil is very old: “Time bent her in half, her once black eyes were dull and watery. Her dry voice sounded strange, it crunched like an old woman spoke with her bones. The old woman Izergil talks about herself, about her life, about the men whom she first loved and then abandoned, and only for the sake of one of them was she ready to give her life. Her lovers didn't have to be beautiful. She loved those who were capable of a real act.

“... He loved exploits. And when a person loves feats, he always knows how to do them and finds where it is possible. In life, you know, there is always a place for exploits. And those who do not find them for themselves are simply lazy, or cowards, or do not understand life, because if people understood life, everyone would want to leave behind their shadow in it. And then life would not devour people without a trace ... "

In her life, Izergil often acted selfishly. Suffice it to recall the case when she fled from the Sultan's harem with his son. The son of the Sultan soon died, which the old woman recalls as follows: “I cried over him, maybe it was I who killed him? ..”. But other moments of her life, when she truly loved, she was ready for a feat. For example, for the sake of saving a loved one from captivity, she risked her life.

The old woman Izergil measures people with such concepts as honesty, directness, courage, and the ability to act. These are the people she considers beautiful. Izergil despises boring, weak, cowardly people. She is proud that she has lived a bright and interesting life, and believes that she should pass on her life experience to the young.

That is why she tells us two legends, as if giving us the right to choose which path to follow: the path of pride, like Larra, or the path of pride, like Danko. Because there is only one step difference between pride and pride. This may be a carelessly spoken word or an act dictated by our egoism. We must remember that we live among people and take their feelings, moods, and opinions into account. We must remember that for each of our words, each of our deeds, we are responsible to others as well as to our own conscience. This is exactly what Gorky wanted to make the reader think about (Fig. 4) in the story "Old Woman Izergil".

Rice. 4. M. Gorky ()

Pathos(from the Greek “suffering, inspiration, passion”) - the emotional content of a work of art, the feelings and emotions that the author puts into the text, expecting the reader's empathy.

In the history of literature, the term "pathos" has been used in different meanings. So, for example, in the era of Antiquity, pathos was the state of the human soul, the passions experienced by the hero. In Russian literature, the critic V.G. Belinsky (Fig. 5) suggested using the term "pathos" to characterize the work and the work of the writer as a whole.

Rice. 5. V.G. Belinsky ()

Bibliography

1. Korovina V.Ya. Literature textbook. 7th grade. Part 1. - 2012.
2. Korovina V.Ya. Literature textbook. 7th grade. Part 2. - 2009.
3. Ladygin M.B., Zaitseva O.N. Textbook-reader on literature. 7th grade. - 2012.

1. Nado5.ru ().
2. Litra.ru ().
3. Goldlit.ru ().

Homework

1. Tell us what the antipode and pathos are.
2. Give a detailed description of the image of the old woman Izergil and think about what features of Larra and Danko the image of the old woman embodies.
3. Write an essay on the topic: "Larra and Danko in our time."