The concept of the novel... Disputes about him. Turgenev's fourth novel, Fathers and Sons, summed up a long period in the writer's creative activity and opened, together, new perspectives for artistic comprehension of the critical stage of Russian life. The appearance of the novel in print caused fierce controversy unprecedented in the history of Russian literature. The reason for this is both the tensest historical epoch itself, reflected in the novel, and the writer's remarkable ability to discover in Russian life the emergence of new socio-psychological types, which became a true discovery for readers.

The concept of the novel was prompted by an ideological split that had recently occurred in Sovremennik. I could not help remembering the words of Dobrolyubov about his previous novel - "On the Eve": "... now everyone is waiting, everyone hopes, And the children are now growing up, saturated with hopes and dreams of a better future, and not being forcibly attached to the corpse of an obsolete past." And the basis of Turgenev's new novel was the conflict between the old world and democratic youth, representing a new world, which was just taking shape in the process of denying all of the previous life.

Controversy about the novel were concentrated primarily around. The critic of Sovremennik MA Antonovich perceived the hero of the novel as slander against the younger generation, as a “caricature”. D.I., on the contrary, enthusiastically received Bazarov as a representative of a diverse intelligentsia. The solution to the complex problem associated with the interpretation of the novel "Fathers and Sons" depends to a large extent on the solution of two questions: how truthfully Turgenev portrayed the new type of Russian life, embodied by him in Bazarov, and what is the author's attitude to this hero.

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What was the idea behind Fathers and Sons? How was the socio-political struggle reflected in it in the 60s of the XIX century? In this case, did the writer's intentions and the objective meaning of his work coincide?

"My whole story is directed against the nobility as an advanced class," asserted I. S. Turgenev. In Bazarov, he drew an extraordinary, titanic figure, who grew out of the people's soil, but lonely and therefore doomed to perish. The author conceived the main conflict of the novel as a conflict of ideologies: the moderately liberal position of the "fathers" and the extreme left views of nihilists (read, revolutionaries, the author notes). The writer wanted to show the triumph of democracy over the aristocracy, but he was sure of the defeat of the revolutionaries. Therefore, he categorically objected to the revolutionary conclusions made by Dobrolyubov after reading Fathers and Children, and because of this he broke with his dear Sovremennik. The writer, who served "the revolution with the heartfelt meaning of his works" (from the proclamation of the Narodnaya Volya), turned out to be wrong: the objective significance of his novel outgrew the concept, turned out to be broader and more convincing than Turgenev had assumed.

What is the main conflict in Fathers and Children? Shown in the novel the struggle of two generations or two ideologies? Which of the characters in the novel immediately attracts attention, arouses sympathy? Who can be called the hero of his time? Why do you think so? What does the generation of "fathers" (the Kirsanov brothers, Vasily Ivanovich Bazarov) look like in Turgenev's image? What do you think about their attitude towards the younger generation? Does the author sympathize with them or despises them? What is the essence of ideological disputes between "fathers" and "children"? Whose side is Turgenev on? Why do you think Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov became the main opponent of Bazarov? What does a duel scene give to characterize each of them? What are Bazarov's views? How does it attract (or repel) you? Why does Turgenev show him alone not only in the camp of "fathers", but also among "children"? Prove that Bazarov is a fighter and thinker. What is the essence of Bazarov's nihilism? Does he have the moral right to call himself self-styled?

Bazarov has the character of a fighter. He never backs down in disputes with ideological opponents, does not change his convictions, which are most often developed empirically. His aphorisms, often controversial, are the result of great mental work. Bazarov's nihilism is not denial for the sake of denial, but a firm conviction that “science” does not exist at all, ”that one must look at everything critically, check the results of his research in the laboratory, etc. Bazarov is sure that“ everyone a person must educate himself, "and cites himself as an example. He has the right to call himself "self-styled" because he never yields to his weaknesses, fearlessly defends what he considers to be true.

How does Bazarov relate to his parents? Why can't there be spiritual closeness between them? It is known that the test of love is a difficult test for Turgenev's heroes. How is Bazarov revealed in love? How does Turgenev show the sincerity and strength of his hero's feelings? Is Anna Sergeevna Odintsova worthy of his love? "To die as Bazarov died is the same as to accomplish a great feat." Do you agree with this opinion of DI Pisarev? Why do you think the novel ends with a picture of Bazarov's death? How does D. I. Pisarev answer this question? Why did Turgenev call Bazarov "a tragic person"? What is the role of the landscape in Fathers and Children? Why does Arkady belong to the camp of the "fathers"?

Arkady, in the epilogue, "became a zealous owner", his "farm brings significant income." This suggests that the influence

How are the ideological views of the heroes revealed in the novel "Fathers and Sons" by I. S. Turgenev?

Bazarov quickly disappeared - after all, Arkady, despite his search for a social ideal outside the noble ideology, remained a "liberal master". He is the keeper of the traditions of the "fathers" not only in relation to culture. Ideological views of the heroes of I.S.Turgenev are most fully revealed in the disputes between the Kirsanovs and Bazarov.

Describe the portrait of Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov.

Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov is an aristocrat, which is emphasized by his beautiful white hands "with long pink nails", "English suite, fashionable low ties", "amazing collars". He speaks with emphasized exquisite courtesy, slightly tilting his head.

What principles of Bazarov do not stand up to the dispute with life?

Bazarov's nihilistic attitude to love is shattered by his own feelings for Madame Odintsova. For the first time, he realizes that he is powerless to give up love for the sake of reason, that he becomes dependent on a woman whose words, eyes, and manners cause a storm of irresistible passions in him. After defeat in a love duel, Bazarov loses his optimism, comes to gloomy arguments about the insignificance of man in the face of eternity.

How do you understand the meaning of the word "nihilist"?

I. S. Turgenev introduced the concept of "nihilism" into the Russian language as a designation for the system of views of "new people" who entered Russian public life since the late 1850s. Nihilism is a simplified, crudely materialistic understanding of life, in which rational, experiential knowledge through the natural sciences is brought to the fore, religion, art, beauty, morality are denied as useless in society. "We act by virtue of what we recognize as useful. In this time, denial is most useful - we deny."

What is the weakness of Bazarov's position?

The weakness of Bazarov's position in the total denial of everything that goes beyond the framework of empirical knowledge: art, the beauty of nature, love, religion. Life itself shatters his rejection of love. His materialism is superficial and crude, identifying physiology and morality ("each of us has the same brain, spleen, heart, lungs," which means that all "moral qualities" are the same). Bazarov has no loyal supporters, he is lonely, therefore, doomed.

Why does I. S. Turgenev end Bazarov's line with the death of a hero?

I. S. Turgenev believed that the "Russian Insarovs" had come, but their time had not come. Bazarov is a premature person who does not have a close social perspective, and therefore he had to die.

What is the meaning of the title of the novel "Fathers and Sons" by I. S. Turgenev?

The name has a double meaning: the confrontation between two social forces - liberal nobles ("fathers") and democrats-raznochintsy ("children"); eternal contradiction of generations.

What details of the portrait emphasize Bazarov's democracy?

IS Turgenev outwardly emphasized Bazarov's democracy. His face "long and thin, with a wide forehead, a flat upward, pointed nose, large greenish eyes and hanging sand-colored sideburns, was enlivened by a calm smile and expressed self-confidence and intelligence." He dresses simply and emphatically casually - in a "long robe with tassels," and his hands are "red and naked," never wearing gloves.

The most important feature of the amazing talent of I.S. Turgenev - a keen sense of his time, which is the best test for an artist. The images he created continue to live, but already in a different world, whose name is the grateful memory of the descendants who learned from the writer love, dreams and wisdom.

The clash of two political forces, liberal nobles and commoner revolutionaries, has found artistic expression in a new work, which is being created in a difficult period of social confrontation.

The idea of ​​Fathers and Children is the result of communication with the staff of the Sovremennik magazine, where the writer worked for a long time. The writer was very upset about leaving the magazine, because the memory of Belinsky was associated with him. Dobrolyubov's articles, with whom Ivan Sergeevich constantly argued and sometimes disagreed, served as a real basis for depicting ideological differences. The radically minded young man was not on the side of gradual reforms, like the author of Fathers and Sons, but firmly believed in the path of the revolutionary transformation of Russia. The editor of the magazine, Nikolai Nekrasov, supported this point of view, so the classics of fiction, Tolstoy and Turgenev, left the editorial office.

The first sketches for the future novel were made at the end of July 1860 on the English Isle of Wight. The image of Bazarov was defined by the author as the character of a self-confident, hard-working, nihilist person who does not accept compromises and authorities. While working on the novel, Turgenev involuntarily imbued with sympathy for his character. In this he is helped by the diary of the protagonist, which is kept by the writer himself.

In May 1861, the writer returned from Paris to his estate Spasskoye and made the last entry in the manuscripts. In February 1862, the novel was published in the Russian Bulletin.

Main problems

After reading the novel, you understand its true value, created by the “genius of measure” (D. Merezhkovsky). What did Turgenev love? What did you doubt about? What did you dream about?

1. Central to the book is the moral problem of intergenerational relationships. "Fathers" or "Children"? The fate of everyone is connected with the search for an answer to the question: what is the meaning of life? For new people, it lies in work, but the old guard sees it in reasoning and contemplation, because crowds of peasants work for them. In this principled position there is a place for irreconcilable conflict: fathers and children live in different ways. In this discrepancy, we see the problem of misunderstanding of opposites. The antagonists cannot and do not want to accept each other, especially this dead end can be traced in the relationship between Pavel Kirsanov and Yevgeny Bazarov.
2. Equally acute is the problem of moral choice: on whose side is the truth? Turgenev believed that the past cannot be denied, because only thanks to it the future is being built. In the image of Bazarov, he expressed the need to preserve the continuity of generations. The hero is unhappy because he is alone and understood, because he himself did not strive for anyone and did not want to understand. However, changes, whether people of the past like it or not, will come anyway, and one must be ready for them. This is evidenced by the ironic image of Pavel Kirsanov, who lost his sense of reality, putting on ceremonial dress coats in the village. The writer calls for a sensitive response to changes and trying to understand them, and not indiscriminately moan like Uncle Arkady. Thus, the solution to the problem is in the tolerant attitude of different people to each other and in an attempt to learn the opposite concept of life. In this sense, the position of Nikolai Kirsanov won, who was tolerant of new trends and never rushed to judge them. His son also found a compromise solution.
3. However, the author made it clear that there is a high destiny behind Bazarov's tragedy. It is these desperate and self-confident pioneers who pave the way for the world, therefore the problem of recognizing this mission in society also occupies an important place. Eugene repents on his deathbed that he feels unnecessary, this realization destroys him, and yet he could become a great scientist or a skilled doctor. But the cruel morals of the conservative world crowd out it, because they feel it is a threat.
4. The problems of the “new” people, the diverse intelligentsia, uneasy relationships in society, with parents, in the family are also obvious. Commoners do not have profitable estates and position in society, therefore they are forced to work and become bitter, seeing social injustice: they work hard for a piece of bread, and the nobles, stupid and talentless, do nothing and occupy all the upper floors of the social hierarchy, where the elevator simply does not reach ... Hence the revolutionary sentiments and the moral crisis of an entire generation.
5. Problems of eternal human values: love, friendship, art, relationship to nature. Turgenev knew how to reveal the depths of human character in love, to test the true essence of a person with love. But not everyone passes this test, an example of which is Bazarov, who breaks down under the onslaught of feelings.

All the interests and ideas of the writer were wholly focused on the most important tasks of the time, going towards the most burning problems of everyday life.

Characteristics of the heroes of the novel

Evgeny Vasilievich Bazarov- a native of the people. The son of a regimental doctor. The grandfather from the father's side "plowed the land." Eugene makes his own way in life, gets a good education. Therefore, the hero is careless in dress and manners, no one raised him. Bazarov is a representative of a new revolutionary-democratic generation, whose task is to destroy the old way of life, to fight against those who hinder social development. The person is complex, doubting, but proud and unyielding. How to fix society, Evgeny Vasilyevich is very vague. Denies the old world, accepts only what is confirmed by practice.

• The writer depicted in Bazarov the type of a young man who believes exclusively in scientific activity and denies religion. The hero has a deep interest in natural sciences. From childhood, his parents instilled in him a love of work.
• He condemns the people for illiteracy and ignorance, but is proud of his origin. Bazarov's views and convictions do not find like-minded people. Sitnikov, the talker and phrase-monger, and the "emancipated" Kukshina are worthless "followers".
• A soul unknown to him rushes about in Evgeny Vasilievich. What should a physiologist and anatomist do with it? She's not visible under a microscope. But the soul hurts, although its - a scientific fact - no!
• Turgenev most of the novel explores the "temptations" of his hero. He torments him with the love of old people - parents - what about them? And love for Madame Odintsova? The principles are in no way combined with life, with the living movements of people. What remains for Bazarov? Just die. Death is his final test. He accepts her heroically, does not console himself with the spells of a materialist, but calls his beloved.
• The spirit overcomes the enraged mind, overcomes the delusions of the schemes and postulates of the new teaching.

Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov - bearer of noble culture. Pavel Petrovich's "starched collars" and "long nails" dislike Bazarov. But the hero's aristocratic manners are an inner weakness, a secret consciousness of his inferiority.

• Kirsanov believes that respecting yourself means taking care of your appearance and never losing your dignity, even in the countryside. He draws up his daily routine in the English manner.
• Pavel Petrovich retired, indulging in love experiences. This decision was his "resignation" from life. Love does not bring joy to a person if he lives only by her interests and whims.
• The hero is guided by the principles taken "on trust" that correspond to his position as a serf-owner. Honors the Russian people for patriarchy and obedience.
• In relation to a woman, the strength and passion of feelings are manifested, but he does not understand them.
• Pavel Petrovich is indifferent to nature. Denial of her beauty speaks of his spiritual limitations.
• This man is deeply unhappy.

Nikolay Petrovich Kirsanov- father of Arkady and brother of Pavel Petrovich. It was not possible to make a military career, but he did not despair and entered the university. After the death of his wife, he devoted himself to his son and the improvement of the estate.

• Characteristic features of the character are gentleness, humility. The hero's intelligence evokes sympathy and respect. Nikolai Petrovich is a romantic at heart, loves music, recites poetry.
• He is an opponent of nihilism, he tries to smooth over any emerging disagreements. Lives in harmony with his heart and conscience.

Arkady Nikolaevich Kirsanov- a dependent person, deprived of his life principles. He is completely subordinate to a friend. He joined Bazarov only out of youthful enthusiasm, since he did not have his own views, so in the final there was a gap between them.

• Subsequently, he became a zealous owner and started a family.
• "Nice guy", but "a little, liberal barich" - says Bazarov about him.
• All Kirsanovs are "more children of events than fathers of their own actions."

Odintsova Anna Sergeevna- “element” of Bazarov’s personality. On what basis can such a conclusion be drawn? The firmness of outlook on life, “proud loneliness, mind - make it“ close ”to the main character of the novel. She, like Eugene, sacrificed personal happiness, so her heart is cold and fearful of feelings. She herself trampled them by marrying of convenience.

Conflict between "fathers" and "children"

Conflict - "collision", "serious disagreement", "dispute". To say that these concepts have only a "negative connotation" means to completely fail to understand the processes of development of society. “Truth is born in a dispute” - this axiom can be considered a “key” that lifts the veil over the problems posed by Turgenev in the novel.

Disputes are the main compositional technique that allows the reader to define his point of view and take a certain position in his views on a particular social phenomenon, area of ​​development, nature, art, moral concepts. Using the "method of disputes" between "youth" and "old age", the author asserts the idea that life does not stand still, it is multifaceted and multifaceted.

The conflict between "fathers" and "children" will never be resolved, it can be designated as a "constant". However, it is the conflict of generations that is the engine of the development of everything earthly. On the pages of the novel, there is a burning polemic caused by the struggle of the revolutionary democratic forces with the liberal nobility.

Main Topics

Turgenev was able to saturate the novel with progressive thought: protest against violence, hatred of legalized slavery, pain for the suffering of the people, the desire to establish its happiness.

Main themes in the novel "Fathers and Sons":

1. Ideological contradictions of the intelligentsia during the preparation of the reform on the abolition of serfdom;
2. "Fathers" and "children": intergenerational relationships and the theme of the family;
3. "New" type of man at the turn of two eras;
4. Immeasurable love for the homeland, parents, woman;
5. Human and nature. The world around us: a workshop or a temple?

What is the meaning of the book?

Turgenev's work sounds like an alarming alarm over the whole of Russia, calling on fellow citizens to unite, sanity, and fruitful activity for the good of the Motherland.

The book explains to us not only the past, but also the present day, reminds us of eternal values. The title of the novel does not mean the older and younger generations, not family relationships, but people of new and old views. "Fathers and Sons" are valuable not so much as an illustration to history, the work touches on many moral problems.

The basis for the existence of the human race is the family, where everyone has their own responsibilities: the elders (“fathers”) take care of the younger ones (“children”), pass on to them the experience and traditions accumulated by their ancestors, and foster moral feelings in them; the younger ones honor adults, adopt from them everything that is important and the best that is necessary for the formation of a person of a new formation. However, their task is also to create fundamental innovations, which is impossible without some denial of past delusions. The harmony of the world order lies in the fact that these "ties" are not broken, but not that everything remains in the old fashioned way.

The book is of great educational value. Reading it at the time of forming your character means thinking about important life problems. “Fathers and Sons” teaches a serious attitude to the world, an active position, and patriotism. They teach from a young age to develop firm principles, engaging in self-education, but at the same time honor the memory of ancestors, even if it does not always turn out to be right.

Criticism about the novel

• After the publication of Fathers and Sons, a fierce controversy erupted. MA Antonovich in the Sovremennik magazine interpreted the novel as “merciless” and “destructive criticism of the younger generation”.
• D. Pisarev in "Russian Word" highly appreciated the work and the image of a nihilist created by the master. The critic emphasized the tragedy of character and noted the firmness of a person who does not retreat before trials. He agrees with other critics that the "new" people can cause resentment, but it is impossible to deny them "sincerity". The appearance of Bazarov in Russian literature is a new step in the coverage of the country's social and public life.

Can you agree with the critic in everything? Probably no. He calls Pavel Petrovich "Small Pechorin". But the dispute between the two characters gives rise to doubt. Pisarev claims that Turgenev does not sympathize with any of his heroes. The writer considers Bazarov to be his “favorite child”.

What is Nihilism?

For the first time, the word "nihilist" sounds in a novel from the lips of Arkady and immediately attracts attention. However, the concept of "nihilist" is in no way connected with Kirsanov junior.

The word "nihilist" was taken by Turgenev from N. Dobrolyubov's review of the book of the Kazan philosopher, conservative-minded professor V. Bervi. However, Dobrolyubov interpreted it in a positive sense and assigned it to the younger generation. The word was introduced into widespread use by Ivan Sergeevich, which has become synonymous with the word "revolutionary".

The "nihilist" in the novel is Bazarov, who does not recognize authorities and denies everything. The writer did not accept the extremes of nihilism, caricatures Kukshin and Sitnikov, but sympathized with the main character.

Evgeny Vasilyevich Bazarov still teaches us about his fate. Any person has a unique spiritual image, whether he is a nihilist or a simple layman. Respect and reverence for another person consists of reverence for the fact that in him there is the same secret flickering of a living soul that is in you.

I.S. Turgenev made a huge contribution to the development of Russian literature. Many of his works are well known to readers of different ages. But the most popular was and remains the novel by Turgenev "Fathers and Sons", which became the answer to many questions of the modern day of the writer. The history of the creation of the novel "Fathers and Sons" began in 1860, with an idea that Ivan Sergeevich visited.

First stage

Thoughts about creating a new work describing the surrounding reality arose in Turgenev when he was in England on the Isle of Wight. Then he conceives a major story, the hero of which should be a young doctor. The prototype of Bazarov was a young doctor accidentally met by Turgenev while traveling by rail. In it, he saw the beginnings of nihilism, which was just emerging at that time. This amazed Ivan Sergeevich. He was simply fascinated by the views of this young man.

Beginning of work

Turgenev began work directly in 1860. He leaves with his daughter to Paris, settles there and plans to finish work with a new work in a short time. During the first year of work on Fathers and Sons, the writer completes the first half of the novel. He feels great satisfaction in his job. He is madly attracted by the image of Yevgeny Bazarov. But over time, he feels that he can no longer work in Paris. The writer returns to his homeland.

Completion of the novel

Returning to Russia gives Turgenev the opportunity to plunge into the atmosphere of modern social movements. This helps him complete the novel. Shortly before the end of work on Fathers and Sons, a significant event took place in Russia - the abolition of serfdom. The last chapters of the work are completed by Ivan Sergeevich in his native village of Spassk.

First publications and controversies

For the first time "Fathers and Sons" appeared to the world on the pages of the popular literary publication "Russian Bulletin". As Turgenev feared, Bazarov's ambiguous image provoked a violent reaction in literary circles. His discussion generated a lot of controversy in the press. Many excellent critics devoted their articles to the analysis of the ideological content of the novel and the characteristics of the protagonist. The emergence of a new image that denies everything that is familiar and beautiful has become a kind of hymn to the young nihilistic trend.

Latest revision of the novel

After the appearance of the novel in the Russian Bulletin, Turgenev is engaged in a small processing of the text of the work. It smoothes out some particularly harsh character traits of the protagonist, and makes the image of Bazarov more attractive than in the original version. In the fall of 1862, an edited version of the novel was published. On the title page there is a dedication to Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky. Turgenev and Belinsky were very close friends, and thanks to the influence of Vissarion Grigorievich, some of Ivan Sergeevich's public views were formed.

Roman I.S. Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons" became a unique work that reflected the eternal confrontation between two generations, not only within a single family, but also at the level of the social and political life of an entire country.

The history of the creation of the novel "Fathers and Sons"

The idea of ​​the novel arises from I.S.Turgenev in 1860 in the small seaside town of Ventnor, in England. “... It was in the month of August 1860, when the first thought of Fathers and Sons occurred to me ...” It was a difficult time for the writer. His break with the Sovremennik magazine has just happened. The reason was the article by N. A. Dobrolyubov about the novel "On the Eve". I. S. Turgenev did not accept the revolutionary conclusions contained in it. The reason for the gap was deeper: rejection of revolutionary ideas, "peasant democracy of Dobrolyubov and Chernyshevsky" and their intentions "to call Russia to the ax." The novel "Fathers and Sons" became an attempt to comprehend the nature and direction of the "new people", the type of which had just begun to emerge in Russian society. “... At the base of the main figure, Bazarov, lay one personality that struck me as a young provincial doctor. (He died shortly before 1860.) In this remarkable man embodied - in my eyes - that barely born, still fermenting principle, which later became known as nihilism. The impression made on me by this person was very strong and at the same time not entirely clear; At first, I myself could not properly understand it, and I intensely listened and looked at everything that surrounded me, as if wishing to check the veracity of my own feelings. I was embarrassed by the following fact: in not a single work of our literature I did not meet even a hint of something that seemed to me everywhere; Inevitably, a doubt arose: am I not chasing a ghost? " - wrote IS Turgenev in an article about "Fathers and Children".

Work on the novel continued in Paris. In September 1860, Turgenev wrote to P.V. Annenkov: “I intend to work with all my might. The plan for my new story is ready to the smallest detail - and I am eager to start on it. Something will come out - I don't know, but Botkin, who is here ... very much approves of the idea that is put in the foundation. I would like to finish this piece by the spring, by April, and bring it to Russia myself. "

During the winter, the first chapters are written, but work is progressing more slowly than anticipated. In letters of this time, requests are constantly heard to report on the news of social life in Russia, seething on the eve of the greatest event in its history - the abolition of serfdom. To get the opportunity to get directly acquainted with the problems of contemporary Russian reality, I. S. Turgenev comes to Russia. The novel, begun before the reform of 1861, was completed by the writer after it in his beloved Spassky. In a letter to the same PV Annenkov, he informs about the end of the novel: “My work is finished at last. On July 20, I wrote the blessed last word. "

In the fall, upon his return to Paris, I.S.Turgenev reads his novel to V.P. Botkin and K.K.Sluchevsky, whose opinion he greatly valued. Agreeing and arguing with their judgments, the writer, in his own words, "plows" the text, makes numerous changes and amendments to it. “He corrected something, supplemented it, and in March 1862 Fathers and Sons appeared in the Russian Bulletin (IS Turgenev.“ Concerning Fathers and Sons ”).

So, a year and a half after the idea arose on the pages of the February issue of the magazine "Russian Bulletin", the novel "Fathers and Children" was published. I. S. Turgenev dedicated it to V. G. Belinsky.

I. S. Turgenev possessed a remarkable gift to see and feel what was happening in Russian public life. The writer expressed his understanding of the imminent social conflict between liberal aristocrats and revolutionary democrats in the novel Fathers and Sons. The carriers of this conflict were the nihilist Bazarov and the nobleman Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov.

A detailed description of the characters' appearance shows how opposite they are to each other. The entire "graceful and thoroughbred" appearance of Pavel Petrovich, his chiseled, classic facial features, snow-white starched collars, "a beautiful hand with long pink nails" denounce him as a wealthy, pampered nobleman-aristocrat. In the portrait of Bazarov, the author insistently emphasizes such details as "a broad forehead", "large bulges of a spacious skull", which indicate that we are dealing with a man of mental labor, a representative of a diverse, working intelligentsia. The appearance of the characters, their clothes and demeanor immediately cause strong mutual hostility, which determines their future relationship. This means that at the first acquaintance with them, their opposite is striking, especially since the author insistently opposes the "plebeian manners" of Bazarov to the exquisite aristocracy of Pavel Petrovich.

But one cannot fail to notice the similarities between them. Both Bazarov and Kirsanov are two smart, strong and strong-willed personalities who do not succumb to other people's influence, but, on the contrary, know how to subjugate others. Pavel Petrovich clearly suppresses his meek, good-natured brother. And Arkady is in strong dependence on his friend, perceiving all his statements as an immutable truth. Pavel Petrovich is proud and proud, calling similar traits of his opponent "satanic pride." What, after all, separates these heroes? Of course, their completely different views, different attitudes towards the people around them, the people, the nobility, science, art, love, family, the entire state structure of modern Russian life. These disagreements are clearly manifested in their disputes, which touch on many social, economic, philosophical, cultural issues that worried Russian society in the early 60s of the XIX century. But attention is drawn to the special nature of the disputes between Kirsanov and Bazarov, their predilection for abstract, general subjects, such as, for example, authorities and principles. If Pavel Petrovich asserts the inviolability of authorities, then Bazarov does not recognize this, believing that any truth should be tested by doubt. Pavel Petrovich's views show his conservatism, reverence for old authorities. The aristocracy of the aristocracy does not allow him to perceive new social phenomena, to treat them with understanding. He accepts everything new with hostility, firmly defending the well-established principles of life. If Kirsanov had a fatherly wise attitude towards the younger generation, forgiving him maximalism and arrogance, then perhaps he could understand and appreciate Bazarov. But the commoner hero is by no means a filial attitude to the older generation, rejecting with proud contempt all the cultural and moral values ​​of the past. He laughs when he sees Nikolai Petrovich playing the cello, gets annoyed when Arkady, in his opinion, "speaks beautifully." He does not understand the delicate politeness of Nikolai Petrovich and the lordly arrogance of his brother. In the quiet "noble nest" of the Kirsanovs, there is a cult of admiration for beauty, art, love, and nature. Beautiful, sophisticated phrases are devoid of concrete meaningful deeds. And the nihilist Bazarov longs for a real gigantic activity that would destroy the entire way of life he hates.