Poor Lisa as a sentimental piece. Sentimentalism of "Poor Lisa": the eternal and universal in the story

In the story of N.M. Karamzin "Poor Liza" tells the story of a peasant girl who knows how to love deeply and selflessly. Why exactly such a heroine was portrayed by the writer in his work? This is due to Karamzin's belonging to sentimentalism, a literary movement that was then popular in Europe. In the literature of sentimentalists, it was argued that not nobility and wealth, but spiritual qualities, the ability to deep feeling are the main human virtues. Therefore, first of all, sentimentalist writers paid attention to the inner world of a person, his innermost experiences.

The hero of sentimentalism does not strive for exploits. He believes that all people living in the world are connected by an invisible thread and there are no barriers for a loving heart. Such is Erast, a young man of the nobility, who became Liza's heartfelt choice. It seemed to Erast that he had found in Liza what his heart had been looking for for a long time. He was not embarrassed that Liza was a simple peasant girl. He assured her that for him "the most important thing is the soul, the innocent soul." Erast sincerely believed that over time he would make Liza happy, “he would take her to him and live inseparably with her, in the village and in the dense forests, like in paradise”.

However, reality brutally destroys the illusions of lovers. Obstacles do exist. Burdened with debts, Erast is forced to marry an elderly rich widow. Upon learning of Lisa's suicide, "he could not be comforted and considered himself a murderer."

Karamzin created a touching work about offended innocence and trampled upon justice, about how in a world where human relations are based on self-interest, the natural rights of the individual are violated. After all, the right to love and be loved was given to a person from the very beginning.

In the character of Lisa, attention is drawn to resignation and defenselessness. In my opinion, her passing away can be regarded as a quiet protest against the inhumanity of our world. At the same time, "Poor Liza" by Karamzin is a surprisingly light tale of love, imbued with soft, gentle, meek sadness, turning into emotion: "When we are there, in a new life, see you, I will recognize you, tender Liza!"

"And peasant women know how to love!" - with this statement, Karamzin made society think about the moral foundations of life, called for sensitivity and condescension in relation to people who remain defenseless before fate.

The influence of "Poor Lisa" on the reader was so great that the name of the heroine Karamzin became a household name, acquired the meaning of a symbol. The ingenuous story of a girl, involuntarily seduced and deceived against her will, is the motive underlying many plots of 19th century literature. The major Russian realist writers subsequently turned to the theme started by Karamzin. The problems of the "little man" were reflected in the poem "The Bronze Horseman" and the story "The Station Keeper" by A.S. Pushkin, in the story "The Overcoat" by N.V. Gogol, in many works of F.M. Dostoevsky.

Two centuries after writing the story of N.M. Karamzin's "Poor Liza" remains a work that first of all touches us not with a sentimental plot, but with its humanistic orientation.

At the end of the 18th century, sentimentalism was the leading literary trend in Russia, like classicism, which came to us from Europe. The head and propagandist of the sentimental trend in Russian literature can rightfully be considered N.M. Karamzin. His "Letters from a Russian Traveler" and his story are an example of sentimentalism. So, the story "Poor Liza" (1792) is built in accordance with the basic laws of this direction. Nevertheless, the writer departed from some of the canons of European sentimentalism.
In the works of classicism, images of tsars, nobles, generals, that is, people performing an important state mission, were worthy. Sentimentalism preached the value of an individual, even if it was insignificant on a national scale. Therefore, the main heroine of the story Karamzin made a poor peasant woman Liza, who was left without a father-breadwinner early and lives with her mother in a hut. According to sentimentalists, both people of the upper class and of low birth have the ability to feel deeply, to perceive the world around them benevolently, "for peasant women know how to love."
The sentimental writer did not have the goal of accurately portraying reality. Lizin's earnings from the sale of flowers and knitting, on which peasant women live, could not provide them. But Karamzin portrays life without trying to convey everything realistically. Its purpose is to awaken compassion in the reader. For the first time in Russian literature, this story made the reader feel the tragedy of life in his heart.
Already contemporaries noted the novelty of the hero of "Poor Liza" - Erast. In the 1790s, the principle of a strict division of heroes into positive and negative was observed. Erast, who killed Liza, contrary to this principle, was not perceived as a villain. A frivolous but dreamy young man does not deceive a girl. At first, he has sincere affection for the naive villager. Without thinking about the future, he believes that he will not harm Lisa, will always be with her, like a brother and sister, and they will be happy together.
The language in the works of sentimentalism has also changed. The speech of the heroes "freed" from a large number of Old Slavicisms, became more simple, close to colloquial. At the same time, it became saturated with beautiful epithets, rhetorical turns, exclamations. The speech of Liza and her mother is florid, philosophical (“Ah, Liza!” She said. about a pleasant moment in which we will see each other again. "-" I will, I will think about her! Oh, if only she came sooner! Dear, dear Erast! Remember, remember your poor Liza, who loves you more than herself! " ).
The purpose of such a language is to influence the soul of the reader, to awaken humane feelings in it. So, in the speech of the narrator of Poor Lisa, we hear an abundance of interjections, diminutive forms, exclamations, rhetorical addresses: “Ah! I love those objects that touch my heart and make me shed tears of tender sorrow! ”; “Lovely poor Liza with her old woman”; “But what did she feel when Erast, embracing her for the last time, pressing her to his heart for the last time, said:“ Forgive me, Liza! ” What a touching picture! "
Sentimentalists paid much attention to the depiction of nature. Events often unfolded against the backdrop of picturesque landscapes: in the forest, on the river bank, in the field. Sensitive natures, heroes of sentimental works, acutely perceived the beauty of nature. In European sentimentalism, it was assumed that close to nature, "natural" man has only pure feelings; that nature is capable of elevating the human soul. But Karamzin tried to challenge the point of view of Western thinkers.
Poor Liza begins with a description of the Simonov Monastery and its surroundings. This is how the author connected the present and past of Moscow with the history of an ordinary person. Events unfold in Moscow and in nature. "Nature", that is, nature, following the narrator, closely "observes" the love story of Liza and Erast. But she remains deaf and blind to the feelings of the heroine.
Nature does not stop the passions of a young man and a girl at a fateful moment: "not a single star shone in the sky - no ray could illuminate delusions." On the contrary, "the darkness of the evening fed desires." An incomprehensible thing happens to Liza's soul: "It seemed to me that I was dying, that my soul ... No, I can't say that!" Liza's closeness to nature does not help her in saving her soul: she seems to give her soul to Erast. The thunder breaks out only after - "it seemed that the whole nature was complaining about Liza's lost innocence." Liza is frightened by the thunder, "like a criminal." She perceives thunder as punishment, but nature did not tell her anything earlier.
At the moment of Liza's farewell to Erast, nature is still beautiful, majestic, but indifferent to the heroes: “The morning dawn, like a scarlet sea, spilled over the eastern sky. Erast stood under the branches of a tall oak ... all nature was silent. " The "silence" of nature in the tragic moment of parting for Liza is emphasized in the story. Here, too, nature doesn’t tell the girl anything, it doesn’t save her from disappointment.
Russian sentimentalism flourished in the 1790s. The recognized propagandist of this trend, Karamzin, developed the main idea in his works: one must enlighten the soul, make it heartfelt, responsive to someone else's pain, someone else's suffering and other people's concerns.

SENTIMENTALISM OF THE STORY BY N. M. KARAMZIN "POOR LIZA"

1. Introduction.

Poor Liza is a work of sentimentalism.

2. The main part.

2.1 Lisa is the main character of the story.

2.2 Class inequality of heroes is the main cause of the tragedy.

2.3 "And peasant women know how to love!"

3. Conclusion.

Little man theme.

Under him [Karamzin] and as a result of his influences, heavy pedantry and scholasticism were replaced by sentimentality and secular ease.

V. Belinsky

The story of Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin "Poor Liza" is the first work of Russian literature, most vividly embodying the main features of such a literary trend as sentimentalism.

The plot of the story is very simple: it is the love story of a poor peasant woman, Liza, for a young nobleman, who leaves her for a marriage of convenience. As a result, the girl rushes into the pond, seeing no reason to live without her beloved.

The innovation introduced by Karamzin is the appearance in the story of a narrator who, in numerous lyrical digressions, expresses his sadness and makes us empathize. Karamzin is not ashamed of his tears and encourages readers to do the same. But not only the heartache and tears of the author make us imbued with this simple story.

Even the smallest details in the description of nature evoke a response in the hearts of readers. After all, it is known that in the vicinity of the old monastery above the Moskva River, Karamzin himself was very fond of walking, and after the publication of the work, behind the monastery pond with its old willows, the name "Lizin Pond" was fixed.

There are no strictly positive or negative characters in the works of sentimentalism. Likewise, the heroes of Karamzin are living people with their own virtues and vices. Without denying

Liza does not at all look like a typical "Pushkin" or "Turgenev" girl. She does not embody the author's feminine ideal. For Karamzin, she is a symbol of the soulfulness of a person, his naturalness and sincerity.

The writer emphasizes that the girl did not read about love even in novels, which is why the feeling seized her heart so much, that is why the betrayal of her beloved led her to such despair. The love of Liza, a poor, uneducated girl, for a noble youth "with a fair mind" is a struggle between real feelings and social prejudices.

From the very beginning, this story was doomed to a tragic ending, because the class inequality of the main characters was too significant. But the author, describing the fate of young people, places accents in such a way that his personal attitude to what is happening becomes clear.

Karamzin not only values ​​spiritual aspirations, experiences and the ability to love higher than material wealth and position in society. It is in the inability to love, to experience truly deep

feeling he sees the cause of this tragedy. “And peasant women know how to love!” - with this phrase Karamzin drew the readers' attention to the joys and problems of the common man. No amount of social superiority can justify the hero and relieve him of responsibility for his actions.

Considering it impossible for some people to control the lives of others, the writer denied serfdom and considered his primary task to be the ability to draw attention to people who were weak and dumb.

Humanism, empathy, indifference to social problems - these are the feelings that the author is trying to awaken in his readers. Literature of the late 18th century is gradually moving away from civic themes and focuses its attention on the theme of personality, the fate of an individual person with his inner world, passionate desires and simple joys.

The story of N. M. Karamzin "Poor Liza" was one of the first sentimental works of Russian literature of the 18th century.

Sentimentalism proclaimed the predominant attention to the private life of people, to their feelings, equally characteristic of people from all classes .. Karamzin tells us the story of the unhappy love of a simple peasant girl Liza and the nobleman Erast, in order to prove that "peasant women can love."

Lisa is the ideal of nature. She is not only “beautiful in soul and body,” but is also capable of sincerely falling in love with a person who is not quite worthy of her love. Erast, although undoubtedly surpasses his beloved in education, nobility and material condition, turns out to be spiritually smaller than her. He also has a mind and a kind heart, but is a weak and windy person. He is unable to rise above class prejudices and marry Lisa. Having lost at cards, he is forced to marry a rich widow and leave Lisa, because of which she committed suicide. However, sincere human feelings did not die in Erast and, as the author assures us, “Erast was unhappy until the end of his life. Having learned about the fate of Lizina, he could not be comforted and considered himself a murderer. "

For Karamzin, the village becomes a hotbed of natural moral purity, and the city is a source of temptations that can destroy this purity. The heroes of the writer, in full accordance with the commandments of sentimentalism, suffer almost all the time, constantly expressing their feelings with abundantly shed tears. Karamzin is not ashamed of tears and encourages readers to do the same. He describes in detail the experiences of Liza, abandoned by Erast, who left for the army, we can trace how she suffers: “From now on, her days were days of longing and sorrow, which had to be hidden from her tender mother: how much more did her heart suffer! Then it was only relieved when Liza, retiring into the denseness of the forest, could freely shed tears and lament about the separation from her sweetheart. Often the sad turtledove combined her plaintive voice with her groaning. "

The writer is characterized by lyrical digressions, at each dramatic plot twist we hear the author's voice: "my heart is bleeding ...", "a tear is rolling down my face." For the sentimentalist writer, it was essential to address social issues. He does not blame Erast for Liza's death: the young nobleman is just as unhappy as the peasant woman. What is important is that Karamzin is almost the first in Russian literature who discovered a "living soul" in the representatives of the lower class. This is where the Russian tradition begins: to show sympathy for ordinary people. It can also be noted that the name of the work itself carries special symbolism, where, on the one hand, it indicates the financial situation of Lisa, and on the other hand, the well-being of her soul, which leads to philosophical reflections.

The writer also turned to an equally interesting tradition of Russian literature - to the poetics of the speaking name. He was able to emphasize the discrepancy between external and internal in the images of the heroes of the story. Liza - meek, quiet surpasses Erast in her ability to love and live by love. She does things. requiring decisiveness and willpower, going in contradiction with the laws of morality, religious and moral norms of behavior.

The philosophy assimilated by Karamzin made Nature one of the main characters of the story. Not all heroes in the story have the right to intimate communication with the world of Nature, but only Liza and the Narrator.

In Poor Liza, N. M. Karamzin gave one of the first examples of a sentimental style in Russian literature, which was oriented towards the colloquial speech of the educated part of the nobility. He assumed the elegance and simplicity of the syllable, a specific selection of "euphonious" and "tasteless" words and expressions, the rhythmic organization of prose, bringing it closer to poetic speech. In the story "Poor Liza" Karamzin showed himself to be a great psychologist. He was able to masterfully reveal the inner world of his heroes, first of all, their love experiences.

Not only the author himself got along with Erast and Lisa, but also thousands of his contemporaries - readers of the story. This was facilitated by the good recognition not only of the circumstances, but also of the place of action. Karamzin quite accurately depicted in Poor Liza the surroundings of the Moscow Simonov Monastery, and the name Lizin's Pond was firmly entrenched behind the pond there. ". Moreover, some unfortunate young ladies even drowned themselves here following the example of the main character of the story. Liza became the model whom they tried to imitate in love, however, not peasant women, but girls from the nobility and other wealthy estates. The rare name Erast became very popular in noble families. Poor Liza and sentimentalism were in keeping with the spirit of the times.

Having affirmed sentimentalism in Russian literature with his story, Karamzin made a significant step in terms of its democratization, abandoning the strict but far from real life schemes of classicism.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin became the most prominent representative in Russian literature of a new literary movement - sentimentalism, which was popular in Western Europe at the end of the 18th century. In the story "Poor Liza", created in 1792, the main features of this trend were manifested. Sentimentalism proclaimed a predominant attention to the private life of people, to their feelings, equally characteristic of people from all classes. Karamzin tells us the story of the unhappy love of a simple peasant girl Liza and a nobleman Erast, in order to prove that "peasant women know how to love." Lisa is the ideal of the "natural person" that the sentimentalists championed. She is not only “beautiful in soul and body,” but is also capable of sincerely falling in love with a person who is not quite worthy of her love. Erast, although he surpasses his beloved in education, nobility and wealth, turns out to be spiritually smaller than her. He is unable to rise above class prejudices and marry Lisa. Erast has a "fair mind" and "good heart", but at the same time "weak and windy." Having lost at cards, he is forced to marry a rich widow and leave Lisa, because of which she committed suicide. However, sincere human feelings did not die in Erast and, as the author assures us, “Erast was unhappy until the end of his life. Having learned about the fate of Lizina, he could not be comforted and considered himself a murderer. "

For Karamzin, the village becomes a hotbed of natural moral purity, and the city is a source of debauchery, a source of temptations that can destroy this purity. The heroes of the writer, in full accordance with the commandments of sentimentalism, suffer almost all the time, constantly expressing their feelings with abundantly shed tears. As the author himself admitted: "I love those objects that make me shed tears of tender sorrow." Karamzin is not ashamed of tears and encourages readers to do the same. As he describes in detail the experiences of Liza, left by Erast, who had gone into the army: “From now on, her days were days

longing and sorrow, which had to be hidden from a tender mother: how much more did her heart suffer! Then it was only relieved when Liza, retiring into the denseness of the forest, could freely shed tears and lament about the separation from her sweetheart. Often the sad turtledove combined her plaintive voice with her groaning. " Karamzin makes Liza hide her suffering from her old mother, but at the same time he is deeply convinced that it is very important to give a person the opportunity to openly show his grief, to his heart's content, in order to relieve his soul. The author considers the essentially social conflict of the story through a philosophical and ethical prism. Erast sincerely would like to overcome the class barriers on the way of his idyllic love with Lisa. However, the heroine looks at the state of affairs much more soberly, realizing that Erast "cannot be her husband." The narrator is already quite sincerely worried about his heroes, worried in the sense that he seems to be living with them. It is no coincidence that at the moment when Erast leaves Lisa, the author's heartfelt confession follows: “My heart is bleeding at this very minute. I forget the man in Erast - I am ready to curse him - but my tongue does not move - I look at the sky, and a tear rolls down my face. " Not only the author himself got along with Erast and Lisa, but also thousands of his contemporaries - readers of the story. This was facilitated by the good recognition not only of the circumstances, but also of the place of action. Karamzin quite accurately depicted in Poor Liza the surroundings of the Moscow Simonov Monastery, and the name Lizin Pond was firmly entrenched behind the pond there. Moreover, some unfortunate young ladies even drowned themselves here following the example of the main character of the story. Liza herself became a model that they tried to imitate in love, however, not peasant women who did not read the Karamzin story, but girls from the noble and other wealthy classes. The name Erast, rare until then, has become very popular in noble families. Poor Liza and sentimentalism were very much in line with the spirit of the times.

It is characteristic that Karamzin's Liza and her mother, although declared peasant women, speak the same language as the nobleman Erast and the author himself. The writer, like the Western European sentimentalists, did not yet know the speech distinction between heroes representing classes of society that are opposite in terms of the conditions of existence. All the heroes of the story speak Russian literary language, close to the real spoken language of that circle of educated noble youth to which Karamzin belonged. Likewise, the peasant life in the story is far from the true folk way of life. Rather, it is inspired by the notions of “natural man” characteristic of sentimental literature, symbolized by shepherds and shepherdesses. Therefore, for example, the writer introduces an episode of Liza's meeting with a young shepherd who "drove the flock along the river bank, playing the flute." This meeting makes the heroine dream that her beloved Erast would be “a simple peasant, a shepherd,” which would make it possible for their happy union. The writer, nevertheless, was mainly concerned with the truthfulness in the depiction of feelings, and not the details of the folk life unfamiliar to him.

Having affirmed sentimentalism in Russian literature with his story, Karamzin made a significant step in terms of its democratization, abandoning the strict but far from real life schemes of classicism. The author of Poor Liza not only tried to write “as they say”, freeing the literary language from Church Slavonic archaisms and boldly introducing new words borrowed from European languages ​​into it. For the first time, he abandoned the division of heroes into purely positive and purely negative, showing a complex combination of good and bad traits in the character of Erast. Thus, Karamzin took a step in the direction in which realism moved the development of literature in the middle of the 19th century, which replaced sentimentalism and romanticism.