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I. S. Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons” reflects the era of the sixties of the nineteenth century. The book was a response to the most burning political and moral problems this time. The main conflict in the novel was the contradictions between representatives of different political parties. The conflict involves heroes whose ideological disputes divide them not only into liberals and democrats, but also into “fathers” and “sons,” since the opponents belong to different age groups.

I.S. Turgenev sought to reflect in the novel the tragic nature of the problems that were brewing in society. Confusion, misunderstanding or inaction in the current situation of an impending social crisis could lead to chaos and disaster. People who are not indifferent to the fate of the country and people expressed own opinions on topical issues of our time. Similar disputes are depicted on the pages of the novel “Fathers and Sons.”

Representatives of the “fathers” are Pavel Petrovich and Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov (later it will become clear that Arkady will join them). Pavel Petrovich advocates the liberal program, based on traditionally high and noble ideals, but cannot explain why good ideas do not lead to the desired results. And Bazarov, the representative of the “children,” accuses Russian liberal aristocrats of idle talk and unwillingness to fulfill their duties. The Kirsanov nobles recognize the need for reforms; Nikolai Petrovich even tries to make changes in the lives of the peasants, but does so ineptly, sluggishly, not understanding the meaning of the upcoming changes. His brother makes pathetic speeches about the role of aristocrats in history, but he himself does nothing to benefit the Fatherland. He talks about the agricultural community and the importance of lawmaking, about the fight against the ignorance of men, but he himself tries to stay away from the peasants, winces at the smells and carries cologne with him. This aristocrat generally loves comfort in everything and protects himself from the disorder of village life.

Bazarov points out to Pavel Petrovich his false concern for the situation of the peasantry and says that the people would rather recognize him as a compatriot than the nobleman Kirsanov, that you can scold the people, but “mess with them” if you really want good. And indeed, later the democrats, whose position is close to what Bazarov is talking about, will work with the people (“going to the people”).

Liberal nobles in the 50-60s of the 19th century discovered their inconsistency in matters of politics and economics, therefore in “Fathers and Sons” by I.S. Turgenev they are weak side in the conflict of heroes, unable to withstand the onslaught of youth, in in this case nihilist Bazarov. The author himself wrote about this confrontation as follows: “My whole story is directed against the nobility, as an advanced class. Take a closer look at the faces of N.P., P.P. and Arcadia. Weakness and lethargy or limitation. An aesthetic feeling forced me to take specifically good representatives of the nobility in order to prove my theme all the more accurately: if cream is bad, what about milk? This statement explains the author’s irony in the depiction of the “fathers,” the Kirsanov brothers, as well as other nobles and Bazarov’s temporary travel companion, Arkady. He was not ready for the real work of reforming the socio-political system of Russia, although for some time he joined the fashionable nihilistic trend.

An important role in the novel is given to the ideological disputes of the heroes, that is, the main conflict. In disputes, a winner emerges, and the nobility loses here, although the author’s sympathies in some issues are on the side of the nobles, whose culture and traditions the nihilist Bazarov would like to destroy. He calls poetry and music nonsense: “A decent chemist is twenty times more useful than any poet.” He rejects a lot in order to “clear the place” and then build something new, but “others will build.”

The leading man of the time in Turgenev's novel is a doctor by profession (although he has not yet completed his studies). It would seem that this symbolic device of the author contained the hopes of the advanced intelligentsia for the “healing” of society. If liberal heroes are not viable, then he could advanced man Bazarov served society and the country, although he expressed his revolutionary aspirations in a very categorical, extreme form. But the author at the end of the novel shows the physical death of the main character, who before his death suggests that he, apparently, “is not needed by Russia.”

Thus, Turgenev with his novel did not provide an answer to the controversial issues of our time, but many people, including critics, highly appreciated this work. DI. Pisarev saw in “Fathers and Sons” a real reflection of reality: “The meaning of the novel came out as follows: today’s young people get carried away and go to extremes, but in their very hobbies fresh strength and an incorruptible mind are reflected...” And the novel turned out to be significant not only for its time, it became “everlasting,” as the critic N.N. Strakhov put it. Readers of different times have found and are finding in the novel the answer to main question: why “fathers” and “children” conflict and in what case they could find compromises.

Reviews

Zoya, very well prepared and written material.
I like Pisarev’s article, sometimes I advise glamorous girls to read it, how much wise advice it contains, remember, Pisarev describes how Odintsova makes Bazarov fall in love with her: “Physical beauty catches the eye at first sight; intelligence is revealed in the very first conversation; and when, thus, the whole figure of a woman and every word produces a slender and a pleasant impression, then what do you need more? And the blood is agitated, and the brain is irritated, and all this is so charming - well, love is ready "... but Anna Sergeevna is also cold, this excites Bazarov’s imagination even more.

Thank you, Zoya, you stirred up so many feelings in me!!!

The novel “Fathers and Sons” describes the conflict of two generations. This disagreement occurs not only because some of the heroes belong to the generation of “fathers”, while others belong to the generation of “children”, but also because they represent different strata of society - the nobility and democrats-commoners and are exponents of opposing ideas, different opinions.

Evgeny Bazarov and Arkady Kirsanov can be attributed to the generation of “children”, and Nikolai Petrovich and Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov - to the generation of “fathers”. Children received a lot from their parents, but went much further in their development.

What is the meaning of the novel's title? "Fathers and Sons" is a symbol of ever-renewing life. The novel "Fathers and Sons" is about life, as it appeared before Turgenev, and as he understood it. The novel "Fathers and Sons" has a very rich range of issues. But main problem, in my opinion, is nihilism.

What is the essence of nihilism, in particular Bazarov’s nihilism?

He considers the entire political system of Russia to be rotten, so he denies “everything”: autocracy, serfdom, religion - and what is generated by the “ugly state of society”: popular poverty, lawlessness, darkness, ignorance, patriarchal antiquity, family. However, Bazarov does not put forward a positive program. When P.P. Kirsanov tells him: “...You are destroying everything... But you also need to build,” Bazarov replies: “This is no longer our business... First we need to clear the place.”

The novel is directed against the nobility, and in this work by Turgenev it is the entire class of landowners, and not individual nobles, who is exposed, and their inability to lead Russia further along the path of development is shown. The old, outdated morality is becoming obsolete, giving way to a new, progressive movement, a new morality. One of the bearers of this morality is Evgeny Bazarov. Bazarov is a commoner who, seeing the decline of the state, does not yet take the path of building new foundations, but the path of nihilism that precedes this future construction.

According to him, he denies absolutely everything - art, poetry, authorities, religion, autocracy, even love. A distinctive feature of Bazarov's nihilism is that he does not fight against what he denies. He doesn’t care whether they follow him and his beliefs; he does not preach nihilism, he just does not hide his convictions and is not afraid to express them openly. He is a materialist, and this is not his best trait - he calls spirituality “romanticism” and “nonsense”, and despises the people who carry it. “A decent chemist is twenty times more useful than a great poet” - the words of Bazarov, from which we can conclude that the material world is much more important to him than the spiritual.

Although it must be said that he does not have such a respectful attitude towards the entire material world - he does not care about his own material condition and what other people think about him. He is unpretentious, cares little about the fashionability of his clothes, the beauty of his face and body, he does not strive to get as much as possible more money- What he has is enough for him. And this trait is a sign of strong and smart people.

Turgenev did not see a future for the generation of “fathers”; it had outlived its time, but the author also did not see a future for the “children” who came into the world to “destroy” it, “clear the place”, without creating anything new. That is why Turgenev “kills” his hero, not seeing a future for him, the role that he could play in Russia’s movement forward. But the merit of the author is that he created the image of a modern man, a representative of the mixed youth of the 60s.

Turgenev's novel shook up all layers of Russian society. The controversy about nihilism, about the image of the natural scientist, the democrat Bazarov, continued for a whole decade on the pages of almost all magazines of that time.

20th century critics V.V. Borovsky and A.V. Lunacharsky considered the novel “Fathers and Sons” a significant phenomenon not only in literature, but also in all social life, major fact ideological struggle of the 60s.

The novel “Fathers and Sons” was written by I. S. Turgenev at a time when Russia was torn apart by severe social contradictions between representatives different generations, between political camps. All these conflicts are reflected in the novel, the title of which is revealed in its content. It's about about an acute, irreconcilable conflict not so much between representatives of different generations, but between aristocrats and democrats, between liberals and commoner revolutionaries. The meaning of the title must be considered in two aspects: firstly, as the socio-historical beginning of a new generation, and secondly, as universal human relations between people of two generations.

The writer brings out the main problem of the work in the title, using the example of “fathers and sons” to test the stability and strength of the social foundations of society by family and family relationships. Starting a Novel with an Image family conflict between father and son Kirsanov, Turgenev goes further, to clashes of a public, social nature. But family theme in the novel it gives social conflict special humanistic overtones. After all, no social, political, or state forms of human relations absorb the moral content family life. The attitude of sons to their fathers is not limited only to family feelings, but extends further to the filial attitude towards the past and present of their fatherland, to those historical and moral values which children inherit. Paternity in in a broad sense The words also presuppose the love of the older generation for those replacing the younger ones, tolerance and wisdom, reasonable advice and condescension.

The conflict of the novel “Fathers and Sons” in family spheres, of course, is not confined to family spheres, but its tragic depth is verified by the violation of “family life”, in connections between generations. The contradictions went so deep that they touched the natural foundations of existence.

In the work, not only two generations collide, but also two ideologies: the conservative Kirsanovs and the radical common democrats represented by Bazarov. The collision between Bazarov and the elder Kirsanov turned out to be inevitable. Pavel Petrovich was only waiting for an excuse to “pounce on the enemy.” Bazarov considered it useless to waste gunpowder on verbal battles, but still could not avoid the fight. Thus, in the tenth chapter, the author confronts the worldviews of two generations.

However, the conflict between representatives of different generations is not only ideological, but also cultural in nature: in the person of Bazarov and the Kirsanovs, two cultures collide, aristocratic and democratic, and the first has a much richer past. The difference between the two cultures is also evident in external description heroes. Compare at least impeccable appearance Pavel Petrovich, his coffee and cocoa at the appointed hour, mannerisms inherent in secular people, and Bazarov, who is careless in his clothes, does not take too much care of himself, behaves simply and naturally at the table.

Bazarov denies the previous culture, believing that poetry and music were created “out of nothing to do” by “damned aristocrats.” He calls art nonsense, romantic nonsense. The culture of commoners is characterized by a passion for natural sciences: in the sixties, all young people were interested in them. Therefore, Turgenev gives Bazarov his due in knowledge, the logic of his mind, hard work and perseverance. Bazarov is a materialist who values ​​only materialistic philosophy and does not recognize Hegel’s idealistic philosophy. He is a supporter of crude materialism, which directly derived spirit from matter: “the buildings are the same and the people are the same.” Such a philosophy denied the existence of an ideal beginning in life, which neither Turgenev himself nor the “old men” Kirsanovs could disagree with. Bazarov is an atheist who denies God and religion, and neither the author nor the majority of readers can support this extreme manifestation of nihilism.

It is also observed different attitude two generations and cultures towards love and women. In the life of the nobles, love occupied almost the main place, as evidenced by the fate of Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov. Bazarov ridicules the “old romantics” for their exaggerated attention to love issues. But Turgenev proves Bazarov wrong by making him fall in love with him.

The conflict between two generations can also be seen in the example of Bazarov’s relationship with his parents. Using the example of the Bazarov family, Turgenev showed the conflict of generations at the change of eras, the conflict between kind and honest parents and denier sons who follow their own path not because they have personal indignation against their parents, but because they are more sensitive to the demands of life . Bazarov does not want to live like his parents, but they cannot understand his vague soul. Hence the tragedy between “fathers and sons.” Bazarov loves his parents and suffers because there is no mutual understanding between them. This is a conflict that can and should be smoothed out, but cannot be removed. In his house, Bazarov is constantly silent, not knowing how to announce his departure from home. He mercilessly crushes filial love within himself. His indifference to his parents speaks of spiritual devastation; as a result, Bazarov runs away from parental love. At the same time, the author emphasizes the unnaturalness of such an act in relation to relatives. The tragedy of the parents who lost their spiritual connection with their son and their inconsolable grief after his death are depicted with stunning force

Thus, we have before us a novel in which new spiritual possibilities are tested through the collision of two generations. noble intelligentsia and new people. The conflict of the novel lies in the confrontation between lordly and democratic Russia, the passing and emerging eras, the generation of “fathers” and the “young, unfamiliar tribe.”

Tasks and tests on the topic “The meaning of the title and problems of the novel by I.S. Turgenev. (Based on the novel “Fathers and Sons” or “The Noble Nest.”)"

That’s why it’s called that, because the value of each work included in its fund has been tested by time. The tragedies of Shakespeare, the paintings of da Vinci, the music of Schnittke, the sculptures of Rodin - one can list for a long time, because the list of achievements of mankind created during its existence and development is truly long and rich. And representatives of Russian culture can be proud that their great compatriot, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev, occupies one of the first places of honor among recognized authors of the world and

Creator of the Russian novel

Yes exactly. Of course, even before Turgenev Russian literature there were many talented novelists. “Encyclopedia of Russian Life” in verse, written by Pushkin, of an entire generation, created by Lermontov in his “Hero...”, and many others wonderful works gave food to the mind and heart of the Russian people, educated, developed, explained, contributed to the formation of spiritually mature individuals, patriots of their homeland. But it was Turgenev who brought the Russian novel to the expanses of world literature and introduced foreign readers to the uniqueness of our culture, way of life, and history. Brevity, extraordinary expressiveness of the language, intensity of the plot, reflection of the most important socio-political moments in the life of society, the ideological struggle characteristic of Russian reality, the deepest psychologism and amazing skill of a true artist - these are distinctive features Turgenev the novelist and his best works. Thanks to Ivan Sergeevich, the foreign public and criticism learned about this amazing phenomenon - “Russian literature”, “Russian novel”. The author’s most important and beloved creation was “Fathers and Sons.” The meaning of the work reflected not only the complexity of family, social, civil and generally human relations, but also Turgenev’s points of view on these issues.

Why fathers and sons

The author's position in the novel is not directly indicated. But it is quite easy to determine if you look closely at the composition of the work, analyze the language of the characters, the system of images, and identify the role of individual elements, such as landscape, in the novel. This, by the way, is what makes “Fathers and Sons” very interesting. The meaning of the work is already contained in the title, and the main artistic technique oppositions, or antitheses, can be traced throughout the novel.

So why fathers and why children? Because the family is a small cross-section of the entire society, and in it, as in a mirror, those most complex, sometimes dramatic collisions are reflected that shake and fever. By the time the idea was born and the novel itself was written, life, in the words of the critic Belinsky, “scattered into depth and width" in the huge variety of its elements. This variety of forms allows us to see and understand “Fathers and Sons.” The meaning of the work is revealed in the conflict between generations, in views on politics, religion, science, art, social order and world order. No less glaring is the class conflict, which has intensified against the backdrop of harsh confrontation between social forces and problems. An attentive reader, moving from chapter to chapter, understands more and more clearly the metaphorical nature of the title “Fathers and Sons.” The meaning of the work is not only to show the continuity and divisions of generations (a universal human aspect), but also to reveal the confrontation between established views and opinions and new ones that replace the old ones.

Family thought

Let's first analyze the “family thought” in the novel. It is worth noting that the theme of family is generally characteristic of Turgenev. All my independent life the writer lived “on the edge of someone else’s nest,” and he and his mother had enough difficult relationships. That is probably why Ivan Sergeevich valued so much the warmth of the hearth and the harmony of relationships between the older and younger generations. The work “Fathers and Sons” affirms those Eternal values, without which, in fact, progress cannot move forward. This is shown by the example of the Kirsanov family. Arkady, a representative of the young and advanced generation, although under the influence of Bazarov, is still closely connected with his family. Even upon arriving in his father’s land, he exclaims that here the air is sweeter and more expensive and closer than in the capital. Making an excursion into the past of his heroes, Turgenev says that Kirsanov the father constantly tried to get closer to his son, share his interests, live what Arkady lives, met his friends, tried to understand the new generation coming to replace his peers. The work “Fathers and Sons,” as already mentioned, is an antithesis novel. But, although Bazarov is an ardent opponent of the entire past, including “fathers,” although he is outwardly rude to his father and mother and openly ridicules and despises the “old Kirsanovs,” the feeling of kinship is not alien to him. Thus, bonds are sacred for Turgenev. Welcoming the new time, the writer believes that one cannot completely erase the achievements of past eras, including

New and old

The meaning of the novel “Fathers and Sons” is broader and deeper than the question outlined above. Yes, indeed, the younger generation, with its inherent maximalism, often considers itself smarter, more progressive, more talented, more capable of significant actions and useful for the country than those whose age is approaching sunset. Alas, but by and large this is true. Both Nikolai Petrovich and Pyotr Petrovich Kirsanov, educated and modern-minded people, still in many ways lagged behind the age that was uncontrollably flying forward. New scientific thoughts, technical advances, political ideas are difficult for them to understand and difficult to accept into their everyday life. But does this mean that the past should be completely destroyed, forgotten, abandoned, “cleared,” as Bazarov puts it? What then to build in a new place, on an empty one? The nihilist Eugene cannot paint a detailed picture - apparently, he himself does not know, does not imagine it. And the author himself rightly saw the meaning of the novel “Fathers and Sons” not only to criticize the ugliness of Russian reality, the rotten system of social and often human relations, but also to prove that one cannot completely abandon the past. Human civilizations replaced one another, and each was based on the achievements of the previous one.

Ideological and aesthetic concept of the novel

What else is the novel “Fathers and Sons” about? written in 3 stages. The first dates back to 1860-1861, when the main text was created, the plot was formed and figurative system. The second dates back to the autumn of 1861 - early winter of 1862. At this time, the writer is actively reworking the text, making plot and compositional amendments, expanding the range of issues covered in accordance with political changes in the country. And finally, in the period from February to September 1862, the final edits and the first edition of the work “Fathers and Sons” in the “Russian Bulletin” were made. The problem of the novel is bright picture the rise of the movement of commoners, revolutionary democrats; showing a new, just emerging type of nihilist public figure, questioning all foundations Russian state. On 238 sheets of Turgenev’s neat handwriting there is space for the life story of the rebel Bazarov, criticism of the immorality of nihilism, the conflict between conservative liberals and revolutionary progressives, the disclosure of philosophical, spiritual, religious, ethical and aesthetic, moral conflicts.

What did the author want to say and what affected him?

It is impossible to understand the meaning of the novel “Fathers and Sons” without revealing the image of the main character - the nihilist Evgeny Bazarov. The author himself noted that he saw a strong, evil, wild and indomitable figure, honest, coming from the people, but doomed to death, because the time of the bazaars had not yet come. He admitted that he did not know whether he loved or hated the image he created. After all, the writer sought first of all to criticize the nobility as a once advanced, but now moribund, conservative class, slowing down the economic and political development countries. But Bazarov came to the fore, and it was about this hero that controversy developed in domestic criticism. Some thought main character an evil caricature, a pamphlet on the younger generation. Others, picking up Turgenev’s word “nihilist”, began to call it all sorts of outrages, political unrest, produced by the students. And the name Bazarov became synonymous with one of the names of the devil - Asmodeus. The third, picking up revolutionary ideas, elevated Evgeniy Vasilyevich to the rank of their spiritual leader. Turgenev did not share the ideas of either one, or the second, or the third. This was one of the reasons for the ideological split between the writer and the Sovremennik staff.

The victory of life over ideology

Yes, Ivan Sergeevich, with all his sincere sympathy for the nobility and compassion for Bazarov, condemned both one and the other. In the novel, he proved that life is more complex and diverse than all ideologies and political disputes, and it cannot be put into just one. Nature, love, sincere affection, the reviving and ennobling power of art, patriotism will triumph over any “passionate, sinful, rebellious heart.” And to this day, the fates of the heroes of the work interest and excite us, give rise to disputes, encourage us to try to understand as deeply as possible and teach everyone to be Human. And this is the main feature of great classical works.