Talented heroes in literature. What and how did the heroes of Russian classics read? Review of works and their heroes
Recently the BBC showed a series based on Tolstoy's War and Peace. In the West, everything is the same as here - there, too, the release of film (television) adaptations sharply increases interest in the literary source. And then Lev Nikolayevich’s masterpiece suddenly became one of the bestsellers, and with it, readers became interested in all of Russian literature. On this wave, the popular literary website Literary Hub published an article “The 10 Russian Literary Heroines You Should Know.” It seemed to me that this was an interesting look from the outside at our classics and I translated the article for my blog. I'm posting it here too. Illustrations taken from the original article.
Attention! The text contains spoilers.
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We know that all happy heroines are equally happy, and each unhappy heroine is unhappy in her own way. But the fact is that in Russian literature there is little happy characters. Russian heroines tend to complicate their lives. This is how it should be, because their beauty is like literary characters largely stems from their ability to suffer, from their tragic destinies, from their “Russianness.”
The most important thing to understand about Russians female characters: their destinies are not stories of overcoming obstacles to achieve “and they lived happily ever after.” Guardians of primordial Russian values, they know that there is more to life than happiness.
1. Tatyana Larina (A.S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”)
In the beginning there was Tatiana. This is a kind of Eve of Russian literature. And not only because it is chronologically the first, but also because Pushkin occupies a special place in Russian hearts. Almost any Russian is able to recite the poems of the father of Russian literature by heart (and after a few shots of vodka, many will do this). Pushkin's masterpiece, the poem "Eugene Onegin", is the story not only of Onegin, but also of Tatyana, a young innocent girl from the provinces who falls in love with the main character. Unlike Onegin, who is shown as a cynical bon vivant corrupted by fashionable European values, Tatyana embodies the essence and purity of the mysterious Russian soul. This includes a penchant for self-sacrifice and a disregard for happiness, as shown by her famous abandonment of the person she loves.
2. Anna Karenina (L.N. Tolstoy “Anna Karenina”)
Unlike Pushkin's Tatyana, who resists the temptation to get along with Onegin, Tolstoy's Anna leaves both her husband and son to run away with Vronsky. Like a true dramatic heroine, Anna voluntarily does not right choice, a choice for which she will have to pay. Anna’s sin and the source of her tragic fate is not that she left the child, but that, selfishly indulging her sexual and romantic desires, she forgot the lesson of Tatiana’s selflessness. If you see light at the end of the tunnel, don't be fooled, it could be a train.
3. Sonya Marmeladova (F.M. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment”)
In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Sonya appears as the antipode of Raskolnikov. A whore and a saint at the same time, Sonya accepts her existence as a path of martyrdom. Having learned about Raskolnikov's crime, she does not push him away, on the contrary, she attracts him to her in order to save his soul. Characteristic here is the famous scene when they read the biblical story of the resurrection of Lazarus. Sonya is able to forgive Raskolnikov, because she believes that everyone is equal before God, and God forgives. For a repentant killer, this is a real find.
4. Natalia Rostova (L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”)
Natalya is everyone's dream: smart, funny, sincere. But if Pushkin's Tatiana is too good to be true, Natalya seems alive, real. Partly because Tolstoy complemented her image with other qualities: she is capricious, naive, flirtatious and, for the morals of the early 19th century, a little impudent. In War and Peace, Natalya starts out as a charming teenager, exuding joy and vitality. Over the course of the novel, she grows older, learns life lessons, tames her fickle heart, becomes wiser, and her character gains integrity. And this woman, which is generally uncharacteristic of Russian heroines, is still smiling after more than a thousand pages.
5. Irina Prozorova (A.P. Chekhov “Three Sisters”)
At the beginning of Chekhov's play Three Sisters, Irina is the youngest and full of hope. Her older brother and sisters are whiny and capricious, they are tired of life in the provinces, and Irina’s naive soul is filled with optimism. She dreams of returning to Moscow, where, in her opinion, she will find her true love and be happy. But as the chance to move to Moscow evaporates, she becomes increasingly aware that she is stuck in the village and losing her spark. Through Irina and her sisters, Chekhov shows us that life is just a series of sad moments, only occasionally punctuated by short bursts of joy. Like Irina, we waste our time on trifles, dreaming of a better future, but gradually we understand the insignificance of our existence.
6. Lisa Kalitina (I.S. Turgenev “The Noble Nest”)
In the novel “The Noble Nest” Turgenev created a model of a Russian heroine. Lisa is young, naive, pure in heart. She is torn between two suitors: a young, handsome, cheerful officer and an old, sad, married man. Guess who she chose? Lisa's choice says a lot about the mysterious Russian soul. She is clearly heading towards suffering. Lisa's choice shows that the desire for sadness and melancholy is no worse than any other option. At the end of the story, Lisa becomes disillusioned with love and goes to a monastery, choosing the path of sacrifice and deprivation. “Happiness is not for me,” she explains her action. “Even when I hoped for happiness, my heart was always heavy.”
7. Margarita (M. Bulgakov “The Master and Margarita”)
Chronologically last on the list, Bulgakov's Margarita is an extremely strange heroine. At the beginning of the novel, she is an unhappily married woman, then she becomes the Master’s mistress and muse, and then turns into a witch flying on a broomstick. For Master Margarita, this is not only a source of inspiration. She becomes, like Sonya for Raskolnikov, his healer, lover, savior. When the Master finds himself in trouble, Margarita turns to none other than Satan himself for help. Having concluded, like Faust, a contract with the Devil, she is still reunited with her lover, albeit not entirely in this world.
8. Olga Semyonova (A.P. Chekhov “Darling”)
In "Darling" Chekhov tells the story of Olga Semyonova, loving and tender soul, common man who is said to live by love. Olga becomes a widow early. Twice. When there is no one nearby to love, she withdraws into the company of a cat. In his review of “Darling,” Tolstoy wrote that, intending to make fun of a narrow-minded woman, Chekhov accidentally created a very likable character. Tolstoy went even further; he condemned Chekhov for his overly harsh attitude towards Olga, calling for her soul to be judged, not her intellect. According to Tolstoy, Olga embodies the ability of Russian women to love unconditionally, a virtue unknown to men.
9. Anna Sergeevna Odintsova (I.S. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons”)
In the novel “Fathers and Sons” (often incorrectly translated “Fathers and Sons”), Mrs. Odintsova is a lonely woman mature age, the sound of her last name in Russian also hints at loneliness. Odintsova is an atypical heroine who has become a kind of pioneer among female literary characters. Unlike other women in the novel, who follow the obligations imposed on them by society, Mrs. Odintsova is childless, she has no mother and no husband (she is a widow). She stubbornly defends her independence, like Pushkin's Tatiana, refusing the only chance to find true love.
10. Nastasya Filippovna (F.M. Dostoevsky “The Idiot”)
The heroine of “The Idiot” Nastasya Filippovna gives an idea of how complex Dostoevsky is. Beauty makes her a victim. Orphaned as a child, Nastasya becomes a kept woman and the mistress of the elderly man who took her in. But every time she tries to break out of the grip of her situation and build her own destiny, she continues to feel humiliated. Guilt casts a fatal shadow on all her decisions. According to tradition, like many other Russian heroines, Nastasya has several fate options, associated mainly with men. And in full accordance with tradition, she is not able to make the right choice. By submitting to fate instead of fighting, the heroine drifts towards her tragic end.
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The author of this text is writer and diplomat Guillermo Herades. He worked in Russia for some time, knows Russian literature well, is a fan of Chekhov and the author of the book Back to Moscow. So this look is not entirely outsider. On the other hand, how to write about Russian literary heroines without knowing Russian classics?
Guillermo does not explain his choice of characters in any way. In my opinion, the absence of Princess Mary or “poor Liza” (who, by the way, was written earlier than Pushkin’s Tatiana) and Katerina Kabanova (from Ostrosky’s “The Thunderstorm”) is surprising. It seems to me that these Russian literary heroines are better known among us than Liza Kalitina or Olga Semyonova. However, this is my subjective opinion. Who would you add to this list?
At Helen’s suggestion, I’m starting a separate article - it’s very interesting to collect information on dolls, HOW THE HEROINES OF THE LADIES OF THE ERA LOOK IN THE BOOKS. It is also interesting to collect information what the same heroines look like in film adaptations. And then see what kind of doll DeAgostini released. After all, we have already seen many times that the hairstyle, hair and eye color do not correspond at all to the author’s book description.
The information will be useful for modifications.
It seems to me that dolls from Russian literature are similar to book heroines: Karenina, Sonechka, especially Margarita (eyes!). Pepita is not at all similar, it’s easier to rename her (someone on the site already suggested that she be considered Diana from Dog in the Manger). Apparently, the Polish Marynia looks like Pepita (I don’t have her, so I can only guess from the photos on the site). I haven’t read Sienkiewicz, what if his heroine is a brunette? Matilda made me very upset. Maybe Ellen should dress her in it? And in Ellen - some brunette! And Estella is the wrong color!!! Paint it, or what? It seems to me that Anastasia Vertinskaya turned out to be a successful Margarita in Y. Kara’s film.I like Anna Karenina performed by Samoilova, not Drubich.
March 9, 2012
helen
List of Ladies of the Epoch and descriptions of their appearance and costume
1 Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre considered herself ugly. It was written about Jane Eyre that she dressed like a Quaker - she had only black dresses, and only one gray, elegant one. There were no decorations. But nevertheless, she tried to dress neatly and take care of herself. Jane Eyre had only one piece of jewelry - a pearl brooch given to Miss Temple. One of her best dresses was black silk. She also had light summer dress, and also a brown cape. The book mentions the girl's brown hair and green eyes. |
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2 Emma Bovary. Emma Bovary: She had truly beautiful ones eyes; brown, they seemed black because of the eyelashes and looked at you point-blank with some kind of straightforward courage. Emma Bovary had dark, almost black hair, curly, knee-length. Some of her dresses are also described, for example, the white turn-down collar revealed her neck low. Her black hair was parted thinly, going down to the back of her head, into two bandeaus, combed so smoothly that they seemed to be a single piece; barely covering the ears, they were gathered at the back into a lush chignon and shaded the temples with a wavy line; The village doctor saw such a line for the first time in his life. |
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3 Margarita Bulgakova. Margarita (Bulgakov): She carried disgusting, alarming yellow flowers... And these flowers stood out very clearly... she... looked not only anxiously, but even as if painfully. And I was struck not so much by her beauty as by the extraordinary, unprecedented loneliness in her eyes! The novel also mentions eyebrows plucked at the edges into a thread with tweezers. Margarita is 30 years old. Margarita / one eye was crossed. |
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| 4 Cecil, or Cecily. Cecily: ... your dress is so simple and your hair is almost the same as nature created it ... Cecily is eighteen years old. |
| 5 Sonya Marmeladova - Sonechka. Sonya was short, about eighteen years old, thin, but quite pretty blonde, with wonderful blue eyes . |
| 6 Elizabeth Bennett. There is a little about Elizabeth Bennet. Darcy admired her eyes: ... how much charm there is in beautiful eyes on the face of a pretty woman; Their expression...will not be so easy to convey. But their shape, color, unusually long eyelashes good artist will be able to portray. Caroline Bingley, who dreams of marrying Darcy and considers Elizabeth her rival, says about her: Her face is too narrow, her skin is dark, and her features are the most plain. So what's her nose like? No sculpting, no expressiveness. The lips are tolerable, but so ordinary. And in her eyes - did someone even once call them charming? - I never found anything special. Their caustic, piercing gaze disgusts me. in her entire appearance there is so much folk complacency that it is impossible to reconcile with! It is clear that Caroline is not objective. Tries to attribute shortcomings that do not exist. :-) Elizabeth Bennet: Mr. Darcy at first hardly admitted that she was pretty. He looked at her completely indifferently at the ball. And the next time they met, he saw only flaws in her. But only |
| 7 Constance Chatterley Constance Chatterley: His wife Constance had soft brown hair, ruddy, simple-minded, like a village girl, face, strong body. The movements are deceptively smooth and unhurried - you can’t guess the remarkable inner strength. Large, seemingly always questioning eyes, a quiet, soft voice - it’s like she just showed up from a neighboring village. But appearances are deceiving. |
| 8 Catherine Sloper Catherine Sloper: ...there was nothing remarkable about her whole appearance. At the same time, she was strong, correctly built and, fortunately, was distinguished by enviable health... Healthy appearance formed the basis of her attractiveness; it was truly a pleasure to see her fresh face, in which whiteness and blush were harmoniously combined. Katherine's eyes were small and calm, her facial features were rather large, and her she wore her smooth brown hair in braids... her his taste in clothing was far from impeccable; he limped and stumbled... Katherine tried to dress expressively - the brightness of the outfit makes up for the lack of eloquence. She spoke the language of her toilets; and if those around her did not find her very witty, then, really, one should not blame them for this... at the age of twenty she decided to get herself a Evening Dress- crimson, satin, with gold trim... this dress made her look ten years older... |
9 Lady Windermere. Lady Margaret Windermere: Your wife is charming. Just a picture. Margaret is twenty-one years old. |
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| 10 Fortunata I read Fortunata and Jacinta (helen) in an adapted version, there it is only written about Fortunata that she is beautiful, but at the beginning of the novel it is clear from her manners that she is from the lower class. On black and white drawing in the Spanish book, Fortunata's appearance is a typical Spanish woman in our minds: eyes, eyebrows, dark hair(very similar to the completed face that I saw on the site, I don’t remember the author - they also dyed their hair with eyebrow dye). The hair in the picture is very dark, parted and pulled back into a simple hairstyle. Dressed like a doll: a wide skirt and a shawl, under the shawl there is something with a deep neckline, but long sleeves at the cuffs. There is a horizontal stripe at the bottom of the skirt. Fortunata had black hair. He saw a beautiful young woman who impressed him. The young girl had a light blue scarf on her head and a shawl on her shoulders... The girl took her hand in a flesh-colored mitten from under the shawl and brought it to her mouth. |
11 Anna Karenina by Tolstoy Anna was...in black, low-cut velvet dress, which revealed her full shoulders and chest, chiseled like old ivory, and rounded arms with a thin, tiny hand. The entire dress was trimmed with Venetian guipure. On her head in black hair, without any admixture, there was a small garland of pansies and the same on a black ribbon belt between white lace. Her hairstyle was invisible. Only noticeable, decorating her, were these willful short rings of curly hair that always stood out on the back of the head and temples. There was a string of pearls on the chiseled, strong neck. ...her charm consisted precisely in this. And the black dress with lush lace was not visible on her; it was only a frame, and only she was visible, simple, natural, graceful and at the same time cheerful and lively. She stood there as always... Vronsky followed the conductor into the carriage and stopped at the entrance to the department to give way to the lady getting out. With the usual tact of a socialite, from one glance at the appearance of this lady, Vronsky identified her |
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| 12 Betty. Honore de Balzac Cousin Betta. Elizabeth Fisher / Cousin Betta / Honore de Balzac. Lisbeth Fischer...was...not pretty... Vongese peasant woman, in in every sense this word thin, dark, with black shiny hair, with black arches of thick fused eyebrows, with long and strong hands, thick legs, with warts on her long monkey face - this is the portrait of this maiden. Description of Elizabeth Fisher's dress from the novel: The old maid was dressed in a woolen dress the color of currants, reminiscent in cut and decoration of the fashion of the Restoration; an embroidered scarf cost at most three francs, and such a straw hat with blue satin bows trimmed with straw could only be seen at a Parisian market stall. The clumsy sawhorse shoes, the work of a seedy shoemaker, also did not suit a relative of a respectable family, and probably everyone would have considered her a home seamstress. |
| 13th doll - Margarita Gautier. Based on the book - black hair. Marguerite Gautier: She was tall and very thin... Imagine on a wonderful oval face black eyes and above them there is such a clear curve of the eyebrows, as if drawn, border the eyes long eyelashes that cast a shadow on the rosy cheeks, draw a thin, straight nose with sensual nostrils, sketch out a regular mouth, the lovely lips of which cover milky white teeth, cover the skin with velvety fluff - and you will get a complete portrait of this charming head. Her hair, jet black, was styled in such a way that the tips of her ears were exposed., in which two diamonds sparkled, each worth four to five thousand francs. Marguerite Gaultier: She was elegantly dressed: a muslin dress, all frilled, a checkered cashmere shawl with a border embroidered in gold and silk, an Italian straw hat, and on her arm a bracelet in the form of a thick gold chain that had just come into fashion. |
| 14 Verena Tarrant (another spelling of the name is Verena Tarrant, work - The Bostonians, Henry James). |
| 15 Fanny Price. Mansfield Park / Jane Austen. Fanny Price: Fanny was exactly ten years old at that time, and although at first meeting her appearance did not attract anything special, it did not repel her in any way. She was small for her age, her face without blush, without other conspicuous signs of beauty; extremely shy and timid, she avoided attracting attention to herself; but in her manners, although awkward, there was no sense of any vulgarity, her voice was gentle and... when she talked, you could see how sweet she was. |
| 16 Pepita Jimenez. According to the book, Pepita is the green-eyed Goldilocks. Pepita's outfit differed only in color and high quality fabric from the girls' clothes; the skirt was not too short, but it did not drag on the ground either. A modest scarf of black silk covered, according to local fashion, her chest and shoulders, and there were no other decorations on her head, except her own golden hair, - no intricate hairstyle, no flower, no jewelry. But...contrary to village customs, she wore gloves. |
17 Margarete Schlegel - Lady of the Age 17. |
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| 18 Matilda de la Mole - 18 Lady of the Age. According to Stendhal - Red and black. Mathilde de La Mole is a very light blonde with a complex hairstyle, I think, with blue eyes (or am I lying?). Mathilde de La Mole: ...he noticed a young lady, very light blonde, unusually slender... He didn’t like her at all; however, looking more closely, he thought that he had never seen such beautiful eyes; but only they exposed an unusually cold soul. Then Julien caught in them an expression of boredom, which looks inquisitively, but constantly remembers that it should be majestic... By the end of dinner, Julien found a word that well defined the special beauty of Mlle de La Mole's eyes. She has them sparkling, he said to himself. |
| 19 Anna Osores - 19 Lady of the Epoch. Spanish literature. |
| 20 Eugenia Grande - 20 Dame of the Epoch according to Balzac (released for the New Year 2012). Eugenia Grande: First she combed her Brown hair, with the greatest care she rolled them into thick strands on her head, trying not to let a single strand get out of the braid, and brought the curls into symmetry, setting off the timid and innocent expression of her face, matching the simplicity of her hairstyle with the purity of its lines. Evgeniya belonged to the type strong built girls, which are found among the petty bourgeoisie, and her beauty might seem ordinary to others, but if she resembled the Venus de Milo in form, then her whole appearance was ennobled by the meekness of Christian feeling, enlightening a woman and giving her a subtle spiritual charm unknown to the sculptors of antiquity. She had big head, a man's forehead, outlined, however, gracefully, like Fidiev's Jupiter, and gray radiant eyes, which reflected her whole life. The features of her rounded face, once fresh and ruddy, were hardened by smallpox, which was merciful enough not to leave rowan marks, but destroyed the velvety of her skin, still so tender and thin that her mother’s kiss left a fleeting pink trace on it. The nose was a little large, but it matched her mouth; scarlet lips, dotted with many dashes, were filled with love and kindness. The neck was distinguished by the perfection of its shape. Full breasts, carefully hidden, attracted the eye and awakened the imagination; Of course, Eugenia lacked the grace that a skilful toilet gives a woman, but to a connoisseur the lack of flexibility of this tall figure should have seemed charming. No, Evgenia, large and dense, did not have that cuteness that everyone likes, but she was beautiful with that majestic beauty that the captivated gaze of an artist will immediately see...This calm face, full of colors, illuminated by the sun, like a newly blooming flower, breathed relaxation into the soul, reflected the inner charm of a calm conscience and attracted the eye. |
| 21 Isabella Archer. Isabella Archer: ...tall girl in a black dress, very attractive at first glance. She was without a hat... . His cousin could replace many works of art. She was undoubtedly thin, undeniably airy and, of course, tall. It is not for nothing that friends, when comparing the youngest Miss Archer with her sisters, always added the word reed. Her dark, almost black hair caused the envy of many women, A light gray eyes who sometimes, in a moment of concentration, expressed, perhaps, excessive firmness, captivated with all shades of softness. In his black velvet dress she was... beautiful and proud, but at the same time how spiritually tender!... If time touched her, it was only to decorate her; the flower of her youth did not fade, but only rose more calmly on the stem. She had lost some of her impatient ardor... her appearance suggested that she was capable of waiting... she seemed to Rosier the embodiment of a sophisticated society lady. |
| Nana, according to the book, has long blond, reddish hair; the hairdresser spent hours doing her hair. Nana, very tall, very portly for her eighteen years... with long blond hair flowing over the shoulders without any tricks... Nana suddenly became so emotional that even tears came to her beautiful blue eyes . Nana created a stunning outfit for herself... a short bodice and a tunic of blue silk, gathered at the back in a huge bustle, tightly fitted the body, emphasizing the line of the hips, which, given the then fashion for wide skirts, was in itself quite bold; a white satin dress with white, also satin sleeves, was grabbed by a white satin scarf crossed on the chest, and the whole thing was trimmed with silver guipure, shining brightly in the sun. To look more like a jockey, Nana, without thinking twice, put on a blue current with a white feather and spread her golden hair down her back, reminiscent of a fluffy red tail. |
| 23. Anna Eliot. Only a few years ago Anne Elliot was very pretty, but her beauty faded early; and if even at her zenith the father found little attractive in his daughter (her sweet features and gentle dark eyes were so dissimilar from his own), now that she had become thin and pale, he did not regard her at all. She looked unusually good; from the fresh wind, a gentle blush played on her cheeks, her eyes sparkled, and this gave the former charm to her regular, sweet features. |
| 24. Miss Erlin. Lady Windermere's Fan mentions a photograph of Mrs Erlynne as a young woman in which she has dark hair. However, Mrs. Earlene may wear makeup or wear a wig.) |
| 25. Kate Croy (Crowe). Description of Kate Crowe's appearance in the novel: "She pulled her black hat, decorated with feathers, straighter, straightened a heavy wave of dark hair underneath; took a look slanted eyes, no less beautiful than if they were of the correct shape. She was dressed all in black, which contrasted her fair face and made her hair darker. Outside, on the balcony, her the eyes became blue; inside, in the mirror, they seemed almost black". |
| 26. Maggie Verver. |
| 27. Estella. Estella: Miss Havisham beckoned Estella to her and, taking some shiny jewelry from the table, lovingly placed it first on her round neck, then to dark curly hair . She was proud and willful as before, but these qualities merged so much with her beauty that it would be impossible, even sinful, to separate them from her beauty... |
| 28. Lucy Honeychurch. "...Miss Honeychurch turned out to be an ordinary young lady with thick black hair and a pale, pretty face with not yet fully defined features.” |
| 29 Mabel Chiltern Mabel Chiltern / An Ideal Husband / Oscar Wilde. Mabel Chiltern - perfect sample of English female beauty , white and pink, like the color of an apple tree. It has the fragrance and freshness of a flower. Hair shines gold, as if the sun's rays were entangled in them, the small mouth was half open, like that of a child who is waiting for something pleasant. She is characterized by the captivating despotism of youth and the stunning directness of innocence. To sensible people it does not resemble any works of art, but if you look at it, it looks like a tanager figurine, although such a compliment would hardly be to her taste. Mabel's relatives only allow her to wear pearls, but she hates them. She has an amazing dress. Mrs. Cheveley, out of spite, says about Mabel's dress that it is “charming, simple... and decent.” |
| 30 Countess Ellen Olenska Quote from the book The Age of Innocence about Ellen Olenskaya in full: She was a slender young woman... with thick chestnut curls, grabbed at the temples with a narrow diamond ribbon. Thanks to her hairstyle and style, somewhat theatrically tied above the waist with a belt with a large old-fashioned buckle, there was, in the expression of those times, something a la Josephine about her. The lady in such an unusual dress seemed not to notice the curiosity it aroused at all... According to the plot, Ellen, who lived in Europe for several years, often amazes American women with her outfits: But Mrs. Olenskaya, disregarding tradition, had shiny black fur that covered her neck right up to her chin and went down her front... Fur in the hotly heated living room and the closed neck with bare arms suggested something vicious and seductive, but the overall impression was undoubtedly pleasant. About her appearance: ...the sparkle of her youth has faded. The rosy cheeks turned pale. However, everything about her was breathing, and although there was nothing theatrical in the confident position of her head and in her gaze, she struck Archer with the careful thought out of her entire appearance and the proud consciousness of her strength. She was very pale, and because of this her dark hair seemed even darker and thicker, than usual. And one more thing: She was dressed like she was going to a ball. Everything about her shone and shimmered, as if woven from the rays of a flickering candle, and she held her head high, like a pretty woman challenging a room full of rivals. |
| 31 Emma Woodhouse. The former governess about Emma Woodhouse: What eyes! Pure brown color- and what a shine they have! Correct features, open expression, and blush! What a flowering of impeccable health! Which good growth, what proportionality of build, what a strong, straight figure! Not only Emma’s complexion reveals her health, but also her posture, her gaze, the set of her head... in my opinion, she is bursting with youthful health. What a beauty! |
| 32 Nora Helmer (Helmer, Elmer) |
| 33 Millie Teal |
| 34 Jacinta (Hyacinth) It is written about Jacinta that she was gentle, beautiful in face and kind. The picture shows a suit with a wide skirt and puffy sleeves at the top, narrow at the wrists. There is no hat, but it is depicted in the apartment. Description of Jacinta from the novel: Jacinta was a girl who had excellent talents, and was also very beautiful and affectionate. Her beautiful eyes revealed the maturity of her soul, her readiness to accept love and fall in love herself... Jacinta was of average height, full of grace and charm, that is, as the common people say, she was pretty and sweet. Her fine features her face and eyes radiated joy and left an extremely pleasant impression. Her attractiveness intensified when she was silent.. She had a slender figure, that fragile beauty that so easily loses its attractiveness as soon as the first sorrow of life or motherhood touches them... |
| 35 Elinor Dashwood (Eleanor Dashwood). In Sense and Sensibility there is a description of Elinor Dashwood's dress. Muslin with polka dots. |
| 36 Daisy Miller. Daisy Miller: She was wearing it. She walked without a hat, but held in her hand a large one, thickly embroidered along the edge... her gaze was direct, open. And not the slightest immodesty was felt in him, but how could the bold gaze of such clear, extremely beautiful eyes be immodest! Winterbourne had not seen more charming facial features for a long time than those of this compatriot of his - teeth, ears, nose, delicate skin... No one would call this face insignificant, but it lacked expressiveness. It pleased the eye with its grace and subtlety of features, but Winterbourne noted in it, generously forgiving this flaw, a certain incompleteness. |
| 37 Teresa Raquin Thérèse Raquin: Beneath the low, smooth forehead a long, straight, thin nose emerged; the lips were two narrow pale pink stripes, and the chin, short and energetic, connected to the neck with a flexible, soft line... the profile was matte pale, with a black, wide-open eye, as if crushed thick dark hair . Teresa's mother was African. Teresa wore wide, starched skirts. |
| 38 Tristana Tristana: This woman was young, slender, unusually pretty and had snow-white - whiter than alabaster - skin. Her look was complemented by cheeks without blush, black eyes, small, but incredibly attractive because of their liveliness and mischief, unusually regular, as if drawn with the tip of the finest brush, arches of eyebrows and a small scarlet mouth with plump, cupid-like lips, which excited bold fantasies in the minds of the most respectable men, when, opening , exposed porcelain even teeth. Her Shiny as silk, brown hair was not very thick, but looked charming, collected on top. But the most remarkable thing about this amazing creature was its stunning resemblance to a snow-white ermine, which made the girl the embodiment of neatness: even the dirtiest housework she had to do could not get her dirty. And these perfectly shaped hands - what kind of hands! - as if destined for a gentle embrace, like her whole body, seemed to have a magical ability to say to the world around her: Your insignificance does not concern me. On her entire being lay the stamp of some kind of primordial, innate purity, not subject to contact with dirty and unkempt things. When she, in simple home clothes, with a broom in her hands, put things in order in the house, dust and dirt spared her, and when, preening, put on her purple robe with white frills, combed her hair up and pinned it up with hairpins, then she was a living image of a noble Japanese lady. This is not surprising, because it all seemed to be made of paper - soft, thin, alive - on which inspired artists of the East depicted the divine and human, funny with a dose of seriousness and serious, capable of making you laugh. Her white matte face was made of the purest paper, her clothes were made of paper, her incredibly elegant chiseled hands were made of paper. |
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| Barbara Nekhtsits at the age of 18 “...dressed strictly, in all black, and since she also had her hair cut short and looked a little like a boy, they called her a seminarian.” Barbara at 25: “The young lady, with whom he did not take his eyes off, had a black skirt, with raised sides, although not as fluffy as the others; her blouse was all embroidered with bugles. She looked like the most more years 18, her dark hair was cut short... The girl's face was open and slightly mischievous, with somewhat small but clear features. There was a feeling of freedom and restraint in her entire appearance, she moved naturally, and when she flashed around the hall in her small sparkling shell made of glass beads, the light shimmered on it with thousands of golden zigzags and lightning bolts.” Barbara had gray eyes Article rating: ...you really look very cute. What are you wearing? Sonya Marmeladova: A girl pushed her way out of the crowd, silently and timidly, and her sudden appearance in this room, among poverty, rags, death and despair, was strange. She was also in rags; Her outfit was a penny one, but decorated in a street style, according to the tastes and rules that had developed in her own special world, with a brightly and shamefully prominent purpose. Sonya stopped in the entryway at the very threshold, but did not cross the threshold and looked as if lost, not seeming to realize anything, forgetting about her silk dress, bought fourth-hand, indecent here, with a long and funny tail, and an enormous crinoline , blocking the entire door, and about light-colored shoes, and about an ombre, unnecessary at night, but which she took with her, and about a funny round straw hat with a bright, fiery-colored feather. From under this boyishly askew hat peeked out a thin, pale and frightened face with open mouth and with eyes motionless in horror. Sonya was short, about eighteen years old, thin, but quite pretty blonde, with wonderful blue eyes. Elizabeth Bennet: Mr. Darcy at first hardly admitted that |
Russian literature has given us a cavalcade of both positive and negative characters. Let's remember the second group.
Be careful, spoilers!)
1. Alexey Molchalin (Alexander Griboyedov, “Woe from Wit”)
Molchalin is the hero “about nothing”, Famusov’s secretary. He is faithful to his father’s behest: “to please all people without exception - the owner, the boss, his servant, the janitor’s dog.” In a conversation with Chatsky, he sets out his life principles, consisting in the fact that “at my age I should not dare to have my own judgment.” Molchalin is sure that you need to think and act as is customary in the “Famus” society, otherwise they will gossip about you, and, as you know, “evil tongues scarier than pistols" He despises Sophia, but in order to please Famusov, he is ready to sit with her all night long, playing the role of a lover.
2. Grushnitsky (Mikhail Lermontov, “Hero of Our Time”)
Grushnitsky has no name in Lermontov's story. He is the “double” of the main character - Pechorin. According to Lermontov’s description, Grushnitsky is “... one of those people who have ready-made pompous phrases for all occasions, who are not touched by simply beautiful things and who are importantly draped in extraordinary feelings, sublime passions and exceptional suffering. Producing an effect is their pleasure...” Grushnitsky loves pathos very much. There is not an ounce of sincerity in him. Grushnitsky is in love with Princess Mary, and at first she responds to him with special attention, but then falls in love with Pechorin. The matter ends in a duel. Grushnitsky is so low that he conspires with his friends and they do not load Pechorin’s pistol. The hero cannot forgive such outright meanness. He reloads the pistol and kills Grushnitsky.
3. Afanasy Totsky (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “The Idiot”)
Afanasy Totsky, having taken Nastya Barashkova, the daughter of a deceased neighbor, as his upbringing and dependent, eventually “became close to her,” developing a suicidal complex in the girl and indirectly becoming one of the culprits of her death. Extremely averse to the female sex, at the age of 55 Totsky decided to connect his life with the daughter of General Epanchin Alexandra, deciding to marry Nastasya to Ganya Ivolgin. However, neither one nor the other case burned out. As a result, Totsky “was captivated by a visiting Frenchwoman, a marquise and a legitimist.”
4. Alena Ivanovna (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”)
The old pawnbroker is a character who has become a household name. Even those who have not read Dostoevsky’s novel have heard about it. Alena Ivanovna, by today’s standards, is not that old, she is “about 60 years old,” but the author describes her like this: “... a dry old woman with sharp and angry eyes with a small pointed nose... Her blond, slightly gray hair was greasy with oil. Some kind of flannel rag was wrapped around her thin and long neck, similar to a chicken leg...” The old woman pawnbroker is engaged in usury and makes money from people's misfortune. She takes valuable things at huge interest rates, abuses her younger sister Lizaveta, beats her.
5. Arkady Svidrigailov (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”)
Svidrigailov is one of Raskolnikov’s doubles in Dostoevsky’s novel, a widower, at one time he was bought out of prison by his wife, he lived in the village for 7 years. A cynical and depraved person. On his conscience is the suicide of a servant, a 14-year-old girl, and possibly the poisoning of his wife. Due to Svidrigailov's harassment, Raskolnikov's sister lost her job. Having learned that Raskolnikov is a murderer, Luzhin blackmails Dunya. The girl shoots at Svidrigailov and misses. Svidrigailov is an ideological scoundrel, he does not experience moral torment and experiences “world boredom,” eternity seems to him like a “bathhouse with spiders.” As a result, he commits suicide with a revolver shot.
6. Kabanikha (Alexander Ostrovsky, “The Thunderstorm”)
In the image of Kabanikha, one of the central characters of the play “The Thunderstorm,” Ostrovsky reflected the outgoing patriarchal, strict archaism. Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna, “a rich merchant’s wife, widow,” mother-in-law of Katerina, mother of Tikhon and Varvara. Kabanikha is very domineering and strong, she is religious, but more outwardly, since she does not believe in forgiveness or mercy. She is as practical as possible and lives by earthly interests. Kabanikha is sure that the family way of life can be maintained only through fear and orders: “After all, out of love your parents are strict with you, out of love they scold you, everyone thinks to teach you good.” She perceives the departure of the old order as a personal tragedy: “This is how the old times come to be... What will happen, how the elders will die... I don’t know.”
7. Lady (Ivan Turgenev, “Mumu”)
We all know sad story about the fact that Gerasim drowned Mumu, but not everyone remembers why he did it, but he did it because the despotic lady ordered him to do so. The same landowner had previously given the washerwoman Tatyana, with whom Gerasim was in love, to the drunken shoemaker Capiton, which ruined both of them. The lady, at her own discretion, decides the fate of her serfs, without regard at all to their wishes, and sometimes even to common sense.
8. Footman Yasha (Anton Chekhov, “ The Cherry Orchard»)
The footman Yasha in Anton Chekhov's play “The Cherry Orchard” is an unpleasant character. He openly worships everything foreign, but at the same time he is extremely ignorant, rude and even boorish. When his mother comes to him from the village and waits for him in the people’s room all day, Yasha dismissively declares: “It’s really necessary, she could come tomorrow.” Yasha tries to behave decently in public, tries to seem educated and well-mannered, but at the same time alone with Firs he says to the old man: “I'm tired of you, grandfather. I wish you would die soon.” Yasha is very proud that he lived abroad. With his foreign polish, he wins the heart of the maid Dunyasha, but uses her location for his own benefit. After the sale of the estate, the footman persuades Ranevskaya to take him with her to Paris again. It is impossible for him to stay in Russia: “the country is uneducated, the people are immoral, and, moreover, boredom...”.
9. Pavel Smerdyakov (Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov)
Smerdyakov is a character with a telling surname, according to rumors, the illegitimate son of Fyodor Karrmazov from the city holy fool Lizaveta Stinking. The surname Smerdyakov was given to him by Fyodor Pavlovich in honor of his mother. Smerdyakov serves as a cook in Karamazov’s house, and he cooks, apparently, quite well. However, this is a “foulbrood man.” This is evidenced at least by Smerdyakov’s reasoning about history: “In the twelfth year there was a great invasion of Russia by Emperor Napoleon of France the First, and it would be good if these same French had conquered us then, a smart nation would have conquered a very stupid one and annexed it to itself. There would even be completely different orders.” Smerdyakov is the killer of Karamazov's father.
10. Pyotr Luzhin (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”)
Luzhin is another of Rodion Raskolnikov’s doubles, business man 45 years old, “with a cautious and grumpy face.” Having made it “from rags to riches,” Luzhin is proud of his pseudo-education and behaves arrogantly and primly. Having proposed to Dunya, he anticipates that she will be grateful to him all her life for the fact that he “brought her into the public eye.” He also wooes Duna out of convenience, believing that she will be useful to him for his career. Luzhin hates Raskolnikov because he opposes his alliance with Dunya. Luzhin puts one hundred rubles in Sonya Marmeladova's pocket at her father's funeral, accusing her of theft.
11. Kirila Troekurov (Alexander Pushkin, “Dubrovsky”)
Troekurov is an example of a Russian master spoiled by his power and environment. He spends his time in idleness, drunkenness, and voluptuousness. Troekurov sincerely believes in his impunity and limitless possibilities(“This is the power to take away property without any right”). The master loves his daughter Masha, but marries her to an old man she doesn’t love. Troekurov's serfs are similar to their master - Troekurov's hound is insolent to Dubrovsky Sr. - and thereby quarrels old friends.
12. Sergei Talberg (Mikhail Bulgakov, “The White Guard”)
Sergei Talberg is the husband of Elena Turbina, a traitor and an opportunist. He easily changes his principles, beliefs, without special effort and remorse. Talberg is always where it is easier to live, so he runs abroad. He leaves his family and friends. Even Talberg’s eyes (which, as we know, are the “mirror of the soul”) are “two-story”; he is the complete opposite of Turbin. Thalberg was the first to wear the red bandage at the military school in March 1917 and, as a member of the military committee, arrested the famous General Petrov.
13. Alexey Shvabrin (Alexander Pushkin, “The Captain's Daughter”)
Shvabrin is the antipode of the main character of Pushkin’s story “The Captain’s Daughter” by Pyotr Grinev. IN Belogorsk fortress he was exiled for murder in a duel. Shvabrin is undoubtedly smart, but at the same time he is cunning, impudent, cynical, and mocking. Having received Masha Mironova’s refusal, he spreads dirty rumors about her, wounds him in the back in a duel with Grinev, goes over to Pugachev’s side, and, having been captured by government troops, spreads rumors that Grinev is a traitor. In general, he is a rubbish person.
14. Vasilisa Kostyleva (Maxim Gorky, “At the Depths”)
In Gorky's play "At the Bottom" everything is sad and sad. This atmosphere is diligently maintained by the owners of the shelter where the action takes place - the Kostylevs. The husband is a nasty, cowardly and greedy old man, Vasilisa’s wife is a calculating, resourceful opportunist who forces her lover Vaska Pepel to steal for her sake. When she finds out that he himself is in love with her sister, he promises to give her up in exchange for killing her husband.
15. Mazepa (Alexander Pushkin, “Poltava”)
Mazepa is a historical character, but if in history Mazepa’s role is ambiguous, then in Pushkin’s poem Mazepa is unambiguous negative character. Mazepa appears in the poem as an absolutely immoral, dishonest, vindictive, evil person, as a treacherous hypocrite for whom nothing is sacred (he “does not know the sacred,” “does not remember charity”), a person accustomed to achieving his goal at any cost. The seducer of his young goddaughter Maria, he puts her father Kochubey to public execution and - already sentenced to death - subjects brutal torture to find out where he hid his treasures. Without equivocation, Pushkin also denounces Mazepa’s political activity, which is determined only by the lust for power and the thirst for revenge on Peter.
16. Foma Opiskin (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “The Village of Stepanchikovo and its Inhabitants”)
Foma Opiskin is an extremely negative character. A hanger-on, a hypocrite, a liar. He diligently pretends to be pious and educated, tells everyone about his supposedly ascetic experience and sparkles with quotes from books... When he gets power into his hands, he shows his true essence. “A low soul, having come out from under oppression, oppresses itself. Thomas was oppressed - and he immediately felt the need to oppress himself; They broke down over him - and he himself began to break down over others. He was a jester and immediately felt the need to have his own jesters. He boasted to the point of absurdity, broke down to the point of impossibility, demanded bird's milk, tyrannized beyond measure, and it got to the point where good people, not having yet witnessed all these tricks, but listening only to tales, they considered it all a miracle, an obsession, crossed themselves and spat on it...”
17. Viktor Komarovsky (Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago)
Lawyer Komarovsky is a negative character in Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago. In the destinies of the main characters - Zhivago and Lara, Komarovsky is " evil genius" and "gray eminence". He is guilty of the ruin of the Zhivago family and the death of the protagonist's father; he cohabits with Lara's mother and Lara herself. Finally, Komarovsky tricks Zhivago into separating him from his wife. Komarovsky is smart, calculating, greedy, cynical. Overall, a bad person. He understands this himself, but this suits him quite well.
18. Judushka Golovlev (Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, “The Golovlev Lords”)
Porfiry Vladimirovich Golovlev, nicknamed Judas and Blood Drinker, is “the last representative of an escapist family.” He is hypocritical, greedy, cowardly, calculating. He spends his life in endless slander and litigation, drives his son to suicide, and at the same time imitates extreme religiosity, reading prayers “without the participation of the heart.” At the end of my life dark life Golovlev gets drunk and runs wild, goes into the March snowstorm. In the morning, his frozen corpse is found.
19. Andriy (Nikolai Gogol, “Taras Bulba”)
Andriy is the youngest son of Taras Bulba, the hero of the story of the same name by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. Andriy, as Gogol writes, from early youth began to feel the “need for love.” This need fails him. He falls in love with the lady, betrays his homeland, his friends, and his father. Andriy admits: “Who said that my homeland is Ukraine? Who gave it to me in my homeland? The Fatherland is what our soul is looking for, what is dearer to it than anything else. My fatherland is you!... and I will sell, give away, and destroy everything that I have for such a fatherland!” Andriy is a traitor. He is killed by his own father.
20. Fyodor Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “The Brothers Karamazov”)
In first place in our ranking is Karamazov the Father. Fyodor Pavlovich does not live long in Dostoevsky’s novel, but the description of his “exploits” elevates this character to the anti-pedestal of heroism. He is voluptuous, greedy, envious, stupid. By maturity, he became flabby, began to drink a lot, opened several taverns, made many fellow countrymen his debtors... He began to compete with his eldest son Dmitry for the heart of Grushenka Svetlova, which paved the way for the crime - Karamazov was killed by his illegitimate son Pyotr Smerdyakov.
Listened to Uzhankov’s lecture about “ The captain's daughter” and comparing the story with “Eugene Onegin”, and the appearance of a positive hero arose, at first vaguely, as Russian writers deduced him.
It is known that Pushkin Grinev is the only truly positive and morally impeccable hero, and at the same time developed in detail. But who is he? – Of average abilities, a rather limited person, “simple”, close to the people, although a nobleman. Next to him is his uncle Savelich, just as simple, honest, loving, selfless.
Who else does Pushkin have? In Onegin - first of all... Nature! On it, like on four pillars, the entire cosmism of the novel rests. But Nature is essentially God. Yes, He is flawless (!) Who else? Yes, only Tatiana's nanny. Partly Tatyana herself. Partly! But she is by no means mediocre.
In Belkin's stories, the positive hero is exclusively Belkin himself. Again, insignificant, narrow-minded, quiet, simple and fair man, but it was developed lightly by the author. Stationmaster Samson Vyrin? Yes, a superbly depicted type of person, simple and moral to the point of stupidity, unable to evaluate the real thoughts and actions of people in the real world, and not in the illusory world of morality drilled into him, caretaker Samson Vyrin. By the way, (oh Pushkin’s hidden irony!) when this Samson is deprived of his strength - support in unshakable moral rules, he immediately dies. Because Samson himself is nothing without his moral crutches. Because Samson Vyrin’s support is not in the Living God, but in stupidly accepted rules, albeit with a kind heart.
Lermontov. Of the real heroes, there is only one Maxim Maksimovich, a kind of kind and highly moral mediocrity with an eternal cast-iron teapot.
Gogol. Ostap from Taras Bulba, characterized by his immobile narrow-mindedness and highly moral oakness. Akaki Akakievich from “The Overcoat”? Of course, but only it is completely simple and limited to the point of tragicomism. Well, also the old-world landowners - Afanasy Ivanovich Tovstogub and his wife Pulcheria Ivanovna, amoebically positive and touching to the point of ridiculousness, which takes them beyond the brink of positivity itself into the realm of Russian denseness. And again - Nature! All-encompassing, all-knowing, all-loving, all-forgiving, that is, God.
Turgenev. Lemme from " Noble nest”, a sentimental German, a mediocre musician, kind, loving and even keen-sighted in love, who took root in Russia like a cat takes root in a house. Arkady from Fathers and Sons,” a completely ordinary person in his natural kindness. Nature comes first for Turgenev. She is God literally and in figuratively. Insarov from “On the Eve”? Noble? - Yes. An extraordinary personality? - Yes. But this revolutionary still has plenty to do. The author kills him so as not to think about his future bloody revolutionary exploits (which are well known to us Russians from our further experience!) Elena, although she is secondary, her personality is induced by her love for Insarov.
Dostoevsky. His stubborn, almost obsessive desire to write truly positive person gave us Prince Myshkin - an idiot. Here, comments are unnecessary, and Myshkin’s often-pedaled allusion to Christ is only possible with a reference to the Gospel texts, where those around him consider Jesus a madman. In other words: Jesus was known as a madman, and Myshkin was one. The heroes of “Poor People” (Makar Alekseevich Devushkin, Varvara Alekseevna Dobroselova) are loving, but limited, low-flying. Of course, Alyosha from The Brothers Karamazov, designed carefully and again with a reference to Christ. And again Katerina Ivanovna angrily calls him a “little holy fool”! Is he wise? No, not on his own, but through Elder Zosima and, ultimately, through Christ. Razumikhin from Crime and Punishment, a desperately limited noble man, the reader cannot even sympathize with him much. Although he may sympathize with the villain (?) Svidrigailov.
Tolstoy. Karl Ivanovich from "Childhood". Captain Tushin and Platon Karataev from War and Peace. Still the same gray, invisible, almost unconscious (“ right hand doesn’t know what the left one is doing!” kindness. Nikolai Rostov from “War and Peace” is a fundamental mediocrity, who even rose to the point of realizing himself as such, but still remained so. Maria Bolkonskaya, the wife of Nikolai Rostov, is perhaps the only deep positive heroine! Old Prince Bolkonsky is depicted brightly, but schematically. Levin from Anna Karenina. Ivan Ilyich's servant Gerasim from the story "The Death of Ivan Ilyich." And Nature, Nature, Nature, in which God acts, acts directly, free from the resistance of the evil, sin-corrupted will of people.
In the future, truly goodies our literature did not know. In Chekhov - perhaps the author himself (not the real Anton Pavlovich!) and Nature. Maybe the wife of Misha Platonov? She delivers a brilliant Christian monologue, but alas, her narrow-mindedness and even stupidity are obvious. So, it is not she who pronounces this monologue, but Christ through her lips... Gorky in general and fundamentally has no positive heroes. This is especially clearly manifested in the great books of Klim Samgin.
Let's sum it up summary our research.
Pushkin: Grinev, Savelich, Tatyana’s nanny, Tatiana, Belkin, Samson Vyrin.
Lermontov: Maxim Maksimovich.
Gogol: Ostap, Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, Afanasy Ivanovich Tovstogub and his wife Pulcheria Ivanovna.
Turgenev: Lemm, Arkady, Insarov, Elena.
Dostoevsky: Makar Devushkin and Varya Dobroselova, Prince Myshkin, Alyosha Karamazov, Razumikhin.
Tolstoy: Karl Ivanovich, Captain Tushin, Platon Karataev, Nikolai Rostov, Maria Bolkonskaya, Levin, servant of Ivan Ilyich - Gerasim.
For everyone: Nature – Christ – God.
Well?
Outstanding individuals are highlighted in bold. There are only three of them. Of these, Insarov is a potential God-fighter. Everyone else is mediocre, but the Lord speaks through them. This is an unintentional, but natural, sincere, most likely unconscious position of Russian literature: “Where it’s simple, there are a hundred angels!” Is it good or bad? Neither one nor the other. This is us.
And cross-posted him all over social media: “Which female characters from world literature and cinema seem most powerful and attractive to you?” She herself abstained until the evening in order to compile the most full list those heroines who made an impression on me.
Of course, the most popular strong girl will always be recognized Scarlett O'Hara from " Gone with the wind" Margarett Mitchell. And I, too, fell under her spell from the first minute of the film of the same name. “I’ll think about it tomorrow” - it seems that everyone’s motto strong women planets. The book is a breeze to read, and in the film is my favorite Vivien Leigh (yes, I read her biography a couple of times and watched ALL the films I could get my hands on). One caveat: I like the movie Scarlett much more than the book Scarlett, but the latter is too harsh and cold towards children.
Probably the second most popular favorite girl image - Holly Gallightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote. The book Holly is more like a real girl, but as portrayed by Audrey Hepburn, she is completely unearthly - she sings Moon River on the windowsill and needs only the Cat of all living creatures on this earth.
Well, moving to NY, two of my favorite TV series immediately come to mind. "Sex and the City" with the heroine closest to me in terms of mentality - Carrie Bradshaw. Her “And then I thought” is simply a true story of ma life. It is so deep and at the same time touching that it is impossible to tear yourself away until you binge-watch all the seasons, also binge-watching the first film. You don’t need to watch the second one, otherwise it’ll be like lowering the temperature. My absolute ideal in terms of "realness".
Second New York heroine - Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. An arrogant intriguer who has amazing English, disarming sensuality, an unsurpassed sense of style and such an important quality: the ability to prioritize and distinguish her people from strangers. A striking example how behind the perfect mask hides a very vulnerable and tender girl who dreams with that same Hepburn and writes a diary, and has kept it under her bed since the fifth grade.
A film from the 90s - "When Gary Met Sally" - about friendship, telephone conversations and kindred spirits - and the wonderful Meg Ryan in the light and humorous role Sally.
The film itself is a miracle, it contains one of my favorite quotes:
“I love that you get cold when it"s 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you"re looking at me like I"m nuts . I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it"s not because I"m lonely, and it"s not because it"s New Year"s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
And what a scene with a simulated orgasm! I won’t even say anything, just watch the video:
One of the most powerful heroines of Soviet cinema - Zosia from "School Waltz". Not a very famous film, but the girl is Katya Tikhomirova from school. The film is about the inability to forgive, even if you really want to. But what amazes me most is how silent she is. She is silent the entire film and looks at everyone with serious brown eyes.
And here Vika Lyuberetskaya from “Tomorrow there was war” by Boris Vasiliev - the ideal of a Woman. She may never have grown up, but she understands so precisely and clearly what art, love, and happiness are.
I still love it very much Katya Tatarinova from “Two Captains” by Veniamin Kaverin - a very holistic, harmonious and feminine image of a girl who at the same time madly loves her one and only Sanya Grigoriev, and at the same time exists as an independent and full-fledged person.
Her monologue from besieged Leningrad I’ve known it by heart since the seventh grade and consider it the personification of faith in a man and love for him. "May my love save you."
http://youtu.be/mr9GpVv8qcM
"This heart beat and prayed winter night, in a hungry city, in a cold house, in a small kitchen, barely lit by the yellow light of a smokehouse, which flared faintly, fighting the shadows protruding from the corners. May my love save you! May my hope touch you! He will stand next to you, look into your eyes, and breathe life into your dead lips! He presses his face to the bloody bandages on his legs. She will say: it’s me, your Katya. I came to you, wherever you were. I am with you, no matter what happens to you. Let someone else help you, support you, give you something to drink and feed - it’s me, your Katya. And if death bends over your head and you no longer have the strength to fight it, and only the smallest, last strength remains in your heart - it will be me, and I will save you."
Well, speaking about love and the fight for it, one cannot fail to mention Bulgakvskaya Margarita. But I won’t even say anything here, everyone knows the story about how she walked around with flowers of an alarming yellow color, and then shouted “Invisible and free” and stood at Satan’s ball. And all for what? For the Master's sake, of course!
[It’s so interesting that I can say about myself - I’m never Margarita, with all my eccentricity. With Masters you must always be in the shadows. If one of the pair flies, then the second must stand firmly on its feet. So, I am the one who flies].
A separate category of interesting and strong from the point of view of artistry, but not strength of spirit - original and unearthly girls-artists-creative personalities.
This and Ellie from "Laptop" (the one with the seagull) with red hair, a narrow back and a boisterous laugh.
AND Paige from "The Oath". The film is worth watching just for that last line at the end.
AND Candy from the film of the same name with Heath Ledger. A kind of Requiem for a Dream, but much more aesthetic.
With a wall on which a fairy tale is written: " Once upon a time there lived Dan and Candy. And everything was fine with them at that time day . And time went. He did everything for her. He stars I could get it from heaven. He did everything to win her. And the birds fluttered above her head... everything was perfect... everything was golden. One night her bed began to burn with fire. He was handsome, but he was a criminal. We lived among the sun, light, and everything sweet. It was Start absurd pleasure. Reckless Denny. Then Candy disappeared. The last rays of the sun ran wildly across the ground. This time I want to try it like I did You . You burst into mine very quickly life and I liked it. We rejoiced in this dirty pleasure. And it was very hard to give up. Then the ground suddenly tilted. This business . This is what we live for. When you're near I see meaningof death. Maybe we won't sleep again together . My monster is in the pool. The dog is used to barking without causes . I have always tried to look far ahead. Sometimes I hate you. Friday. I did not want to offend. My
