Why is the fairy tale called the wise gudgeon? The wise minnow

In the most difficult years of reaction and strict censorship, which created simply unbearable conditions for its continuation literary activity, Saltykov-Shchedrin found a brilliant way out of this situation. It was at that time that he began to write his works in the form of fairy tales, which allowed him to continue the flagellation of vices Russian society despite the fury of censorship.

Fairy tales became a kind of economical form for the satirist, which allowed him to continue the themes of his past. Hiding true meaning written under censorship, the writer used Aesopian language, grotesque, hyperbole and antithesis. In fairy tales for " of considerable age“Saltykov-Shchedrin, as before, spoke about the plight of the people and ridiculed their oppressors. Bureaucrats, pompadour mayors and other unpleasant characters appear in fairy tales in the images of animals - an eagle, a wolf, a bear, etc.

“He lived and trembled, and he died - he trembled”

According to the spelling norms of the 19th century, the word “minnow” was written with an “and” - “minnow”.

In this story, the satirist clearly reflects the morals of modern petty-bourgeois Russia in caricature form. The image of a minnow has absorbed all the unpleasant qualities of a cowardly, self-contained man in the street, constantly shaking for his own skin. “He lived and trembled, and he died - he trembled” - this is the moral of this satirical tale.

The expression “wise minnow” was used as a common noun, in particular, by V.I. Lenin in the fight against liberals, former “left Octobrists” who switched to supporting the right-liberal model of constitutional democracy.

Reading the tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin is quite difficult; some people still cannot understand deep meaning, invested by the writer in his works. The thoughts expressed in the tales of this talented satirist are still relevant today in Russia, mired in a series of social problems.

Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin - writer, journalist, critic. Literary work combined with public service: V different time Vice-Governor of Ryazan and Tver, headed the State Chambers in the cities of Penza, Tula and Ryazan.

Mikhail Evgrafovich perfectly mastered a formidable weapon - the word. Life observations formed the basis of his creations; from the pen of the genius of journalism, many texts appeared on the topic of the day. Today we will get acquainted with the work that Saltykov created, " The wise minnow". A summary will be presented in this article.

Preface

The work "The Wise Minnow" (in modern interpretation- “The Wise Minnow”), which is part of the series “Fairy Tales for Children of a Fair Age,” was first published in 1883. It ridicules cowardice and touches on the eternal philosophical question about what the meaning of life is.

Here is summary"The wise minnow." It is worth noting that reading the original will not take much time and will bring a lot of aesthetic pleasure, since it was written by a real master of the word, so do not limit yourself to getting to know the “reworked” work.

Once upon a time there was a gudgeon, he was lucky with his parents, they were smart and gave the right life guidelines. They lived for many years (“arid centuries”), avoiding numerous dangers that may lie in wait for small representatives of the underwater world. The father, dying, instructed his son - in order to live a long life, you need to keep your eyes open and not yawn.

The gudgeon himself was not stupid, or rather, he was “smart.” I decided that the surest recipe for longevity is not to provoke trouble, to live without anyone noticing. For a year, he dug a hole with his nose, just large enough for himself to fit in, exercised at night, and at midday, when everyone was full and hiding from the heat, he ran out in search of food. He didn’t get enough sleep at night, the wise minnow wasn’t eating enough, he was afraid... Every day he shook with fear that he would gape and not be able to save his precious life, as his father punished. What did Shchedrin want to say with this work?

"The Wise Minnow": summary - main idea

Having lived “more than a hundred years,” the gudgeon at his deathbed asked himself the question of what would happen if everyone, like him, led a smart life? And he made a disappointing conclusion - the gudgeon race would have been interrupted. No family, no friends... Only impartial epithets: dunce, fool and disgrace - that's all he deserved for his hermit life. He lived and trembled - that’s all, not a citizen, a useless unit who only takes up space for nothing... This is how the author spoke about his hero in the text.

The wise gudgeon died, disappeared, and how this happened - whether naturally or who helped, no one noticed, and no one was interested in it.

This is the summary of “The Wise Minnow” - a fairy tale that the author wrote, ridiculing the mores of society of bygone times. But it has not lost its relevance in our time.

Afterword

A representative of the fishing community, the main character, having refused the benefits, left behind him the glory of a trembling creature. The gudgeon, whom the author satirically called wise, chose a meaningless life, filled only with fear and deprivation, and as a result, for a criminally ineffective life lived, punishment followed - death in the insight of his worthlessness and uselessness.

We hope that the summary of “The Wise Minnow” in this presentation will be useful to you.

Once upon a time there lived a minnow. Both his father and mother were smart; little by little, and little by little, arid eyelids ( long years. - Ed.) lived in the river and didn’t hit the fish soup or the pike. They ordered the same for my son. “Look, son,” said the old gudgeon, dying, “if you want to chew your life, then keep your eyes open!”

And the young minnow had a mind. He began to use this mind and saw: no matter where he turned, he was cursed. All around, in the water, everything big fish they swim, and he is the least of them all; Any fish can swallow him, but he cannot swallow anyone. And he doesn’t understand: why swallow? A cancer can cut it in half with its claws, a water flea can bite into its spine and torture it to death. Even his brother the gudgeon - and when he sees that he has caught a mosquito, the whole herd will rush to take it away. They’ll take it away and start fighting with each other, only they’ll crush a mosquito for nothing.

And the man? - what kind of malicious creature is this! no matter what tricks he came up with in order to destroy him, the minnow, in vain! And the seine, and the nets, and the tops, and the net, and, finally... the fishing rod! It seems that what could be more stupid than oud? - A thread, a hook on a thread, a worm or a fly on a hook... And how are they put on? . in a most, one might say, unnatural position! Meanwhile, it is on the fishing rod that most gudgeons are caught!

His old father warned him more than once about uda. “Most of all, beware of the oud! - he said, - because even though this is the stupidest projectile, but with us minnows, what is stupid is more accurate. They will throw a fly at us, as if they want to take advantage of us; If you grab it, it’s death in a fly!”

The old man also told how he once almost hit his ear. At that time they were caught by a whole artel, the net was stretched across the entire width of the river, and they were dragged along the bottom for about two miles. Passion, how many fish were caught then! And pikes, and perches, and chubs, and roaches, and loaches - even couch potato bream were lifted from the mud from the bottom! And we lost count of the minnows. And what fears he, the old gudgeon, suffered while he was being dragged along the river - this cannot be told in a fairy tale, nor can I describe it with a pen. He feels that he is being taken, but does not know where. He sees that he has a pike on one side and a perch on the other; thinks: just about now, either one or the other will eat him, but they don’t touch him... “There was no time for food at that time, brother!” Everyone has one thing on their mind: death has come! but how and why she came - no one understands. . Finally they began to close the wings of the seine, dragged it to the shore and began to throw fish from the reel into the grass. It was then that he learned what ukha was. Something red flutters on the sand; gray clouds run upward from him; and it was so hot that he immediately became limp. It’s already sickening without water, and then they give in... He hears “a fire,” they say. And on the “bonfire” something black is placed on this one, and in it the water, like in a lake, shakes during a storm. This is a “cauldron”, they say. And in the end they began to say: put fish in the “cauldron” - there will be “fish soup”! And they started throwing our brother there. When a fisherman slams a fish, it will first plunge, then jump out like crazy, then plunge again and become quiet. “Uhi” means she tasted it. They kicked and kicked at first indiscriminately, and then one old man looked at him and said: “What good is he, a kid, for fish soup! let it grow in the river!” He took him by the gills and let him into free water. And he, don’t be stupid, goes home with all his might! He came running, and his gudgeon was looking out of the hole, neither alive nor dead...

And what! No matter how much the old man explained at that time what fish soup was and what it consisted of, however, even when brought into the river, rarely did anyone have a sound understanding of fish soup!

But he, the gudgeon-son, perfectly remembered the teachings of the gudgeon-father, and even reeled it into his mustache. He was an enlightened minnow, moderately liberal, and very firmly understood that living life is not like licking a whorl. “You have to live so that no one notices,” he said to himself, “or else you’ll just disappear!” - and began to get settled. First of all, I came up with a hole for myself so that he could climb into it, but no one else could get in! He dug this hole with his nose whole year, and how much fear he took in at that time, spending the night either in the mud, or under the water burdock, or in the sedge. Finally, however, he dug it out to perfection. Clean, neat - just enough for one person to fit in. The second thing, about his life, he decided this way: at night, when people, animals, birds and fish are sleeping, he will exercise, and during the day he will sit in a hole and tremble. But since he still needs to drink and eat, and he doesn’t receive a salary and doesn’t keep servants, he will run out of the hole around noon, when all the fish are already full, and, God willing, maybe he’ll provide a booger or two. And if he doesn’t provide, the hungry one will lie down in a hole and tremble again. For it is better not to eat or drink than to lose life with a full stomach.

That's what he did. At night I did exercise, in moonlight He swam, and during the day he climbed into a hole and trembled. Only at noon will he run out to grab something - but what can you do at noon! At this time, a mosquito hides under a leaf from the heat, and a bug buries itself under the bark. Absorbs water - and the Sabbath!

He lies in the hole day and day, doesn’t get enough sleep at night, doesn’t finish eating, and still thinks: “Does it seem like I’m alive? oh, will there be something tomorrow?

He falls asleep, sinfully, and in his sleep he dreams that he has winning ticket and he won two hundred thousand with it. Not remembering himself with delight, he will turn over on the other side - lo and behold, he has half a snout sticking out of the hole... What if at that time the little puppy was nearby! After all, he would have pulled him out of the hole!

One day he woke up and saw: a crayfish was standing right opposite his hole. He stands motionless, as if bewitched, his bony eyes staring at him. Only the whiskers move as the water flows. That's when he got scared! And for half a day, until it got completely dark, this cancer was waiting for him, and meanwhile he kept trembling, still trembling.

Another time, he had just managed to return to the hole before dawn, he had just yawned sweetly, in anticipation of sleep - he looked, out of nowhere, a pike was standing right next to the hole, clapping its teeth. And she also guarded him all day, as if she had had enough of him alone. And he fooled the pike: he didn’t come out of the hole, and it was a sabbath.

And this happened to him more than once, not twice, but almost every day. And every day he, trembling, won victories and victories, every day he exclaimed: “Glory to you, Lord! alive!

But this is not enough: he did not marry and had no children, although his father had big family. He reasoned like this:

“Father could have lived by joking! At that time, the pike were kinder, and the perches did not covet us small fry. And although once he was about to get caught in the ear, there was an old man who rescued him! And now, as the fish in the rivers have increased, the minnows are in honor. So there’s no time for family here, but how to just live on your own!”

And the wise gudgeon lived in this way for more than a hundred years. Everything was trembling, everything was trembling. He has no friends, no relatives; neither he is to anyone, nor anyone is to him. He doesn’t play cards, doesn’t drink wine, doesn’t smoke tobacco, doesn’t chase hot girls - he just trembles and thinks only one thing: “Thank God! seems to be alive!

Even the pikes, in the end, began to praise him: “If only everyone lived like this, the river would be quiet!” But they said it on purpose; they thought that he would recommend himself for praise - so, they say, I’ll slap him here! But he did not succumb to this trick either, and once again, with his wisdom, he defeated the machinations of his enemies.

How many years have passed since the hundred years is unknown, only the wise gudgeon began to die. He lies in a hole and thinks: “Thank God, I’m dying by my own death, just like my mother and father died.” And then he remembered the pike’s words: “If only everyone lived like this wise minnow lives...” Well, really, what would happen then?

He began to think about the mind he had, and suddenly it was as if someone whispered to him: “After all, this way, perhaps, the entire gudgeon race would have died out long ago!”

Because to continue the gudgeon family, first of all, you need a family, and he doesn’t have one. But this is not enough: in order for the gudgeon family to strengthen and prosper, so that its members are healthy and vigorous, it is necessary that they are raised in their native element, and not in a hole where he is almost blind from the eternal twilight. It is necessary that the minnows receive sufficient nutrition, so that they do not alienate the public, share bread and salt with each other and borrow virtues and other excellent qualities from each other. For only such a life can improve the gudgeon breed and will not allow it to be crushed and degenerate into smelt.

Those who think that only those minnows can be considered worthy citizens are those who, mad with fear, sit in holes and tremble, believe incorrectly. No, these are not citizens, but at least useless minnows. They give no warmth or cold to anyone, no honor, no dishonor, no glory, no infamy... they live, take up space for nothing and eat food.

All this seemed so clearly and clearly that suddenly a passionate hunt came to him: “I’ll crawl out of the hole and swim like a goldeneye across the entire river!” But as soon as he thought about it, he became frightened again. And he began to die, trembling. He lived and trembled, and he died - he trembled.

His whole life flashed before him instantly. What joys did he have? Who did he console? to whom good advice submitted? to whom kind word said? whom did you shelter, warm, protect? who has heard of him? who will remember its existence?

And he had to answer all these questions: “No one, no one.”

He lived and trembled - that's all. Even now: death is on his nose, and he is still trembling, he doesn’t know why. His hole is dark, cramped, and there is nowhere to turn; neither Sunbeam He won’t look in there, he won’t smell any warmth. And he lies in this damp darkness, blind, exhausted, useless to anyone, lying and waiting: when will starvation finally free him from a useless existence?

He can hear other fish darting past his hole - perhaps, like him, minnows - and not one of them takes an interest in him. Not a single thought will come to mind: let me ask the wise minnow, how did he manage to live for more than a hundred years, and not be swallowed by a pike, not crushed by a crayfish with his claws, not caught by a fisherman with a hook? They swim past, and maybe they don’t even know that in this hole the wise gudgeon completes its life process!

And what’s most offensive: I haven’t even heard anyone call him wise. They simply say: “Have you heard about the dunce who doesn’t eat, doesn’t drink, doesn’t see anyone, doesn’t share bread and salt with anyone, and only saves his hateful life?” And many even simply call him a fool and a disgrace and wonder how the water tolerates such idols.

He thus scattered his mind and dozed off. That is, it wasn’t just that he was dozing, but that he had already begun to forget. Death whispers rang in his ears, and languor spread throughout his body. And here he had the same seductive dream. It’s as if he won two hundred thousand, grew by as much as half an arshin and swallows the pike himself.

And while he was dreaming about this, his snout, little by little, came out of the hole entirely and stuck out.

And suddenly he disappeared. What happened here - whether a pike swallowed him, or crushed the crayfish with a claw, or he himself died of his own death and floated to the surface - there were no witnesses to this case. Most likely, he himself died, because what sweetness is it for a pike to swallow a sick, dying gudgeon, and a wise one at that?

The fairy tales of M. Saltykov-Shchedrin are addressed primarily to adults, because under the guise of his characters the author skillfully hid the vices of society. Nevertheless, the works of Mikhail Evgrafovich are also interesting for children of average age. school age. They teach teenagers to analyze their behavior, suggest “ the right way" Schoolchildren study the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” in the 7th grade. When getting to know her, you need to consider historical and cultural context its creation. We offer brief analysis fairy tales, which will facilitate the search for what is hidden between the lines, and will also become an assistant in preparing for the Unified State Exam.

Brief Analysis

History of creation- Socio-political events prompted M. Saltykov-Shchedrin to create a fairy tale. Liberal-minded intellectuals tried to “hide” from the reaction of the authorities so as not to risk their lives. The analyzed work is a critique of this position.

Subject- You can perceive a fairy tale both directly and in figuratively, therefore, several themes can be distinguished in it: the life of a wise minnow; inaction caused by fear of danger.

Composition- Both the semantic and formal organization of the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” is simple. The author begins it with the traditional “Once upon a time,” introduces the fish family and gradually moves on to a story about the main events. The work ends rhetorical question, which pushes the reader to think about what has been said.

Genre- Fairy tale.

Direction- Satire.

History of creation

The history of the creation of the work is closely connected with the socio-political situation of the second half of the 19th century century. In 1881, members of the Narodnaya Volya organization attempted to assassinate Alexander II. The death of the emperor intensified the persecution of intellectuals. Liberal intellectuals decided to take a passive position so as not to risk their freedom and lives. Mikhail Evgrafovich did not share this opinion, but he could not openly criticize the liberals. This is how Saltykov-Shchedrin’s fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” appeared. Years of writing: December 1882 - January 1883.

Russian censorship for a long time did not allow Saltykov-Shchedrin’s fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” to be published, so it was first published in 1883 in the emigrant newspaper “Common Cause” in Geneva. “The wise minnow was placed in the section “Fairy tales for children of a fair age,” as if hinting that it does not reveal childish motives at all. In Russia, the Geneva newspaper with the analyzed work was distributed by members of Narodnaya Volya. In 1884, the fairy tale was published by the magazine Otechestvennye zapiski.

Subject

For better understanding the meaning of the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”, its analysis should begin with a description of the motives.

There are many works in literature that covertly develop topics prohibited by the authorities. M. Saltykov-Shchedrin is one of the most famous Russian writers who worked with allegorical images. His fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” can be read both superficially, without thinking about the figurative meaning, and taking into account the allegorical meaning, therefore it develops two main themes: the life of a minnow and inaction, the reason for which is fear.

In the context of these topics, a problems. The work raises the following issues: parental education and its influence on the fate of children, fear, the meaning of life, man and society, etc.

To create allegories, the author immerses the reader in undersea world, That's why the main characters of the fairy tale- fish. However, there is also a place for images of people. The work begins with a story about a family of minnows. The head of the family taught the children to be extremely careful, since danger awaits small fish at every step. Main character, having listened to these instructions, decided to hide from the world in order to live to old age and die a natural death.

The gudgeon dug a hole for itself where it hid during the day. He even swam out at night to eat. So, in solitude and constant trembling from fear, he lived for more than a hundred years. And, indeed, he died a natural death. The hero never understood that the essence of life is in the struggle for one’s happiness, in the joy that one feels in the circle of friends and loved ones, in simple fun.

Only after reading the fairy tale to the end can you understand "the meaning of the name". By calling the gudgeon wise, Mikhail Evgrafovich, in fact, hints at the stupidity of the hero. The prefix pre- in this case is a synonym for the word “too much”, because the gudgeon was too afraid for its life and therefore thought too much about how to protect itself.

To hint to the reader that there are such minnows among people, the author introduces human realities into the story about fish: “He doesn’t play cards, doesn’t drink wine, doesn’t smoke tobacco, doesn’t chase red girls”; “It’s as if he won two hundred thousand, grew by a whole half a larshin and swallows the pike himself.”

Composition

The compositional features of the work are the same as those folklore tales. Its organization is extremely simple; the text begins with a traditional introduction. All plot elements are arranged in a logical sequence.

On display the reader gets acquainted with the main character of the fairy tale and his family, learns about the dangers that lie in wait for small fish. After reading this part, the first impression of the gudgeon is formed. The beginning- stories and instructions from the gudgeon father. The development of events is a story about the life of a gudgeon-son after the death of his parents, the fish’s reflections on how his life would have turned out if he had lived differently.

Pronounced climax not in the fairy tale, but the climactic points can be considered the episodes where the crayfish and the pike lie in wait for the gudgeon. Denouement works - the death of a minnow.

It is noteworthy that the tale ends with a rhetorical question that suggests what the writer is teaching.

Genre

Genre of “The Wise Minnow” by Saltykov-Shchedrin - satirical tale . The work contains real and fantastic events, and human qualities and the author hides the characters under the images of fish. At the same time, the writer used satirical devices to expose liberals. He makes fun of the minnow by describing his character and behavior, artistic means, for example, the constant repetition of the epithet “wise.”

History of creation and publication

Written in December 1882 - the first half of January 1883. First published in September 1883 in No. 55 of the emigrant newspaper “Common Cause” (Geneva), pp. 2-4, as the first issue along with fairy tales “ Selfless hare" and "Poor Wolf", under the editorial heading "Fairy tales for children of a fair age", without a signature. In Russia for the first time - in the journal “Domestic Notes” No. 1, 1884, p. 275-280 (January 16). As a book publication - the third issue in the publication of the free hectograph “Public Benefit”, under the general title “Fairy Tales” and signed by N. Shchedrin. The Geneva edition was published eight times during 1883 (before the publication of fairy tales in Otechestvennye zapiski) in different formats (six times with an indication of the release date and two times without an indication). The publication was distributed by members of Narodnaya Volya, as evidenced by the seal on a number of surviving copies (“Book Agents of Narodnaya Volya”). One of the editions of the collection with the date of release, unlike all the others, contains only one fairy tale - “The Wise Minnow”.

Criticism

According to commentators and critics, the tale is dedicated to a satirical criticism of the cowardice and cowardice that took over the public mood of part of the intelligentsia after the defeat of the Narodnaya Volya.

Writer and critic K. K. Arsenyev noted that the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” echoes “The Fourth Evening” from “Poshekhonsky Stories”, which appeared in No. 10 “ Domestic notes"for 1883, where the publicist Kramolnikov denounces liberals who are hiding from harsh reality in “holes,” declaring that they will not be able to escape in this way.

Subsequently, on the basis of this similarity and considering its appearance in Russia in January 1884 as the first publication of the fairy tale, the writer Ivanov-Razumnik concluded that the idea of ​​“Gudgeon” was originally expressed in the third Poshekhon “evening”. In fact, Kramolnikov’s speech in “Poshekhonsky Stories” does not foreshadow, but repeats the idea of ​​the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” that had already been written and published in the foreign “Common Cause.”

Plot

Oh, wise minnows of the notorious progressive “intelligentsia”! The defense of the peaceful renovationists by the intellectual radicals, the turn of the central organ of the Cadets party. to peaceful renewal immediately after the instructions about the forms, these are all typical examples of liberal tactics. The government takes one step to the right, and we take two steps to the right! Look - we are again legal and peaceful, tactful and loyal, we will adapt even without forms, we will always adapt in relation to meanness! This seems like realpolitik to the liberal bourgeoisie.

V.I. Lenin, The Government’s Forgery of the Duma and the Tasks of Social Democracy, PSS V.I.Lenin, vol. 14, p. 199. Archived from the original on November 21, 2012.

According to " Encyclopedic Dictionary winged words and expressions,” Shchedrin, under the guise of a minnow, portrayed the Russian liberal intelligentsia, concerned only with survival; in an ironic and allegorical sense, the expression is used to mean: a conformist person, socially or politically passive cowardly man, who elevates his conformism to the rank of philosophy.

Film adaptations

In 1979, director V. Karavaev released a cartoon of the same name based on the fairy tale (Soyuzmultfilm studio, duration 9 minutes 23 seconds).

Illustrations

The tale has been illustrated many times, incl. such artists as Kukryniksy (1939), Yu. Severin (1978), M. Skobelev and A. Eliseev (1973)

Notes