How the romantic style of Gorky was formed. Gorky's early romantic works
Composition
“Dreaming does not mean living. We need heroic deeds, heroic deeds!”
M. Gorky
Revolutionary romanticism in the early work of Maxim Gorky was caused by life and creative searches young writer. During the period of increase revolutionary movement it was necessary to say a new, heroic word, so it was necessary new hero in literature. The heroes of Maxim Gorky's revolutionary romantic works - "Makar Chudra", "Old Woman Izergil", "Song of the Falcon", "Song of the Petrel" - were born of his revolutionary dream. Maxim Gorky believed that it was no longer enough to just criticize the existing order. He, who is waiting and bringing a bright future closer, wants to suggest ways to it. That is why at the center of the works of this period are proud, freedom-loving heroes: Danko, Falcon, Petrel - those who are ready to sacrifice themselves in order to change life for the better. They call for active intervention in life, to commit heroic deeds in the name of herself high goal- freedom. and the happiness of the people. "I free man and I will live the way I want,” declares Loiko, the hero of the story “Makar Chudra.”
Romantic story“The Old Woman Izergil” contains two legends told by the old woman - “The Legend of Larra” and “The Legend of Danko”. In the legends, the author deliberately exaggerates the sublime and base souls - the “fiery heart” of the true hero Danko and the “stone heart” of the cruel Larr. Larra considers himself the first on earth and sees nothing but himself. “Everyone even became scared when they realized the loneliness he was dooming himself to.” The people reject him and condemn him to eternal loneliness. “He has no life, and death does not smile on him.” Larra tried to despise the sacred laws human love. And he failed, he turned into a shadow, but suffering, he still wanders around the world. The greatest blessing on earth - life - becomes incredible torment if a person is cut off from his people.
Another romantic hero of Danko’s story gives his strength to pitiful, cowardly creatures, dreaming of awakening bright impulses in their souls. Danko's fellow tribesmen found themselves in a hopeless situation: cut off from the sun, thrown back into the swamp by their enemies. And then “fear was born among them, shackled their strong hands,” “and cowardly words began to be heard in the forest, at first timid and quiet, and then louder and louder.” The fairy-tale landscape is full of “talking” colors and symbols. The images of gray twilight, darkness, shadows, “gathered at once from all the nights,” constantly vary. Evil forces are holding back the enlightenment of souls. People deprived of light are afraid of difficulties, scary forest, experience the depressing uncertainty of the future and, in vengeful malice and anger, fall upon the inspirer of the struggle. “You said: “Lead!” - and I drove!” - the brave young man objected to them, but they roared: “You will die!” And then, passionately loving his people, ready to die for them, Danko “suddenly tore his chest with his hands and tore out his heart from it and raised it high above his head” to illuminate the path for people. His death became a feat that led to the liberation of the tribe. But people are cruel. They do not notice Danko's death. They rejoice that the danger has passed and the difficulties are behind them. But everyone forgot to whom they owe salvation. And he lies lifeless, and some “cautious” person steps on his noble heart. Because of such “cautious people,” great people and great deeds are forgotten. And yet the darkness was overcome: “here the sun shone, the steppe sighed, the grass glittered in the diamonds of the rain and the river sparkled with gold.” And the sparks of Danko’s proud heart, which glow like lights in the steppe, remind people that “in life there is always a place for exploits.” In “The Song of the Falcon” there are many motifs and techniques already familiar from the story “Old Woman Izergil”. Again before us is an endless sea, merging with the blue southern sky. The Crimean shepherd Rahim is close in free spirit to the daughter of the Moldavian steppes Izergil. Falcon, like Danko, amazes inner strength in the battle with darkness, drops of his blood “like sparks will flare up in the darkness of the night.”
In "Song of the Falcon" there is a clash between two life philosophies. “Song...” is built on opposition. The ideas about the truth of life of the proud Falcon and the insignificant Snake are incompatible. For Falcon, it is the opportunity to “see the sky,” fight the enemy, and “fight bravely.” I see the gorge dearly: it’s “warm and damp” there, and in the clouds he sees “ empty place“, there “there is no food and no support for a living body.” Powerful nature is close to the Falcon and alien to the Snake. The sea sings a hymn to the brave Falcon. The madness of the brave is the wisdom of life! Rahim, who sings the song, and the author listen to the “lion’s roar” of the waves; they also believe that many “brave hearts will be ignited with an insane thirst for fight and light” by the drops of blood shed by the Falcon. Already, who was unable to take off, considered the calls of the Falcon to be deception.
The birds from “The Song of the Petrel”, frightened for their lives, have no time for reasoning. They are terrified of the storm, trying to escape death. Seagulls “hide their terror”, loons “thunder strikes frighten”, the penguin “timidly hides” its body. Gorky, describing the state of the birds, emphasizes the extreme degree of cowardice and philistine self-preservation. And the “brave Petrel” “soars proudly”, “soars boldly and freely”, “laughs over the clouds”. In the song of the Petrel one can hear the chanting of the storm that has begun. “In the bold cry of a bird” there is “the power of anger, the flame of passion and the confidence of victory.” The thunderstorm itself is given as an element that washes away old life: “The clouds won’t hide the sun, - no, they won’t!” The petrel is the “prophet of victory”, “laughs at the clouds, weeps with joy.” The storm can only give itself true heroes. The formidable element is incompatible with the worthless, pathetic people. It is no coincidence that “Song of the Petrel” was perceived by Gorky’s contemporaries as a call to revolution and therefore was distributed as a leaflet.
Gorky’s romanticism is active, he, according to the author, “seeks to strengthen a person’s will to live, to arouse in him a rebellion against reality, against any oppression in it.” The legendary daredevil Danko finds happiness in selfless deeds! The bleeding Falcon rushes into the sky! The proud Petrel heralds the revolutionary storm!
Gorky's early work is striking, first of all, as unusual for a young writer artistic diversity, the bold confidence with which he creates works of different colors and poetic intonation. The enormous talent of the artist of the rising class - the proletariat, drawing powerful strength from the “movement of the masses themselves”, was revealed already at the very beginning literary work Maxim Gorky.
By acting as a herald of the coming storm, Gorky fell in line with the public mood. In 1920, he wrote: “I began my work as a stirrer of revolutionary sentiment with glory to the madness of the brave.” Exam questions and answers. Literature. 9 and 11 graduating classes. Tutorial. - M.: AST-PRESS, 2000. - P.214. This applies, first of all, to Gorky’s early romantic works. In the 1890s. he wrote the stories “Makar Chudra”, “Old Woman Izergil”, “Khan and His Son”, “Mute”, “Return of the Normans from England”, “Blindness of Love”, fairy tales “The Girl and Death”, “About the Little Fairy and the Young Shepherd” ”, “Song of the Falcon”, “Song of the Petrel”, “Legend of Marco”, etc. All of them are distinguished by one feature, which can be defined in the words of L. Andreev: “the taste of freedom, something free, broad, bold.” Gorky M. Prose. Dramaturgy. Journalism. - M.: Olimp; LLC "AST Publishing House", 1999. - P.614. In all of them there is a motif of rejection of reality, confrontation with fate, and a daring challenge to the elements. In the center of these works is the figure of a strong, proud, brave man, not submitting to anyone, unbending. And all these works, like living gems, shimmer with unprecedented colors, spreading a romantic glow around.
The story “Makar Chudra” is a statement of the ideal of personal freedom
In the center early works Maxim Gorky - exceptional characters, strong-willed And proud people, who, according to the author, “have the sun in their blood.” This metaphor gives rise to a number of images close to it, associated with the motif of fire, sparks, flame, and torch. These heroes have burning hearts. This feature is characteristic not only of Danko, but also of the characters in Gorky’s first story, “Makar Chudra.” Rogover E.S. Russian literature of the twentieth century. To help school graduates and applicants: Study guide. - St. Petersburg: “Paritet”, 2002. - P.131.
The old gypsy Makar Chudra begins his story to the brooding melody of the splashing of the oncoming waves. From the very first lines, the reader is overwhelmed by a feeling of the unusual: the boundless steppe on the left and the endless sea on the right, the old gypsy lying in a beautiful strong pose, the rustling of coastal bushes - all this sets the mood for a conversation about something intimate, the most important. Makar Chudra slowly talks about man’s calling and his role on earth. “A person is a slave as soon as he is born, a slave all his life and that’s it,” argues Makar. Gorky M. Prose. Dramaturgy. Journalism. - M.: Olimp; LLC "AST Publishing House", 1999. - P.18. And he contrasts this with his own: “A man will be born to know what freedom is, the expanse of the steppe, to hear the voice of the sea wave”; “If you live, then you become kings over the whole earth.”
This idea is illustrated by the legend of the love of Loiko Zobar and Rada, who did not become slaves to their feelings. Their images are exceptional and romanticized. Loiko Zobar has “eyes like clear stars, and a smile like the whole sun.” Ibid., p.21. When he sits on a horse, it seems as if he was forged from one piece of iron along with the horse. Zobar's strength and beauty are not inferior to his kindness. “You need his heart, he himself would tear it out of his chest and give it to you, if only it would make you feel good.” Ibid., p.20. The beautiful Rada matches. Makar Chudra calls her an eagle. “You can’t say anything about her in words. Perhaps its beauty could be played on a violin, and even those who know this violin like their soul.”
The proud Rada rejected the feelings of Loiko Zobar for a long time, because it was her will more expensive than love. When she decided to become his wife, she set a condition that Loiko could not fulfill without humiliating himself. An insoluble conflict leads to tragic ending: heroes die, but remain free, love and even life are sacrificed to the will. In this story we appear for the first time romantic image loving human heart: Loiko Zobar, who could tear the heart out of the chest for the happiness of his neighbor, checks whether his beloved has a strong heart and plunges a knife into it. And the same knife, but in the hands of soldier Danila, strikes Zobar’s heart. Love and the thirst for freedom turn out to be evil demons that destroy people's happiness. Together with Makar Chudra, the narrator admires the strength of character of the heroes. And together with him, he cannot answer the question that runs like a leitmotif through the entire story: how to make people happy and what happiness is.
The story “Makar Chudra” formulates two different understandings of happiness. The first is in the words of the “strict man”: “Submit to God, and he will give you everything you ask.” Ibid., p.18. This thesis is immediately debunked: it turns out that God did not even give the “strict man” clothes to cover naked body. The second thesis is proven by the fate of Loiko Zobar and the Rada: will more valuable than life, happiness is in freedom. The romantic worldview of the young Gorky goes back to the famous Pushkin words: “There is no happiness in the world, but there is peace and will...”
The story “Old Woman Izergil” - awareness of a person’s personality
On the seashore near Akkerman in Bessarabia, the author of the old woman’s legend, Izergil, listens. Everything here is full of atmospheric love: the men are “bronze, with lush black mustaches and thick shoulder-length curls,” the women are “cheerful, flexible, with dark blue eyes, also bronze.” The author's imagination and the night make them irresistibly beautiful. Nature harmonizes with the author’s romantic mood: the foliage sighs and whispers, the wind plays with the silky hair of women.
The old woman Izergil is depicted in contrast: time has bent her in half, a bony body, dull eyes, a creaky voice. Ruthless time takes away beauty and with it love. The old woman Izergil talks about her life, about her lovers: “Her voice crunched, as if the old woman was speaking with bones.” Gorky leads the reader to the idea that love is not eternal, just as man is not eternal. What remains in life for centuries? Gorky put two legends into the mouth of the old woman Izergil: about the eagle’s son Lara, who considered himself the first on earth and wanted happiness only for himself, and about Danko, who gave his heart to people.
The images of Lara and Danko are sharply contrasting, although both of them are brave, strong and proud people. Lara lives according to the laws of the strong, to whom “everything is permitted.” He kills the girl because she did not submit to his will, and steps on her chest with his foot. Lara's cruelty is based on a sense of superiority strong personality above the crowd. Gorky debunks popular late XIX V. ideas German philosopher Nietzsche. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche argued that people are divided into strong (eagles) and weak (lambs) who are destined to be slaves. Nietzsche's apology for inequality, the idea of the aristocratic superiority of the chosen over all others were subsequently used in the ideology and practice of fascism. Spiridonova L.A. “I came into the world to disagree.”
In the legend of Lara, Gorky shows that a Nietzschean who professes the morality “everything is permitted to the strong” will face loneliness, which worse than death. “His punishment is in himself,” says the wisest of people after Lara commits a crime. And Lara, doomed to eternal life and eternal wandering turns into a black shadow, dried up by the sun and winds. Condemning an egoist who only takes from people without giving anything in return, the old woman Izergil says: “For everything that a person takes, he pays with himself, with his mind and strength, sometimes with his life.”
Danko pays with his life, performing a feat in the name of people's happiness. The blue sparks that flare up at night in the steppe are the sparks of his burning heart, which illuminated the path to freedom. An impenetrable forest, where giant trees stood like a stone wall, the greedy mouth of a swamp, strong and evil enemies gave birth to fear in people. Then Danko appeared: “What will I do for people,” Danko shouted louder than thunder. And suddenly he tore his chest with his hands and tore his heart out of it and raised it high above his head. It burned as bright as the sun and brighter than the sun, and the whole forest fell silent, illuminated by this torch great love to people, and the darkness was scattered from its light...”
As we have seen, the poetic metaphor of “giving your heart to your loved one” arose both in the story “Makar Chudra” and in the fairy tale about the little fairy. But here it turns into an expanded poetic image, interpreted literally. Gorky puts a new, high meaning into the erased banal phrase that has accompanied declarations of love for centuries: “to give your hand and heart.” Live human heart Danko became a torch illuminating the path to a new life for humanity. And although the “cautious man” nevertheless stepped on him, the blue sparks in the steppe always remind people of Danko’s feat.
The meaning of the story “Old Woman Izergil” is determined by the phrase “In life there is always a place for exploits.” The daredevil Danko, who “burned his heart for people and died without asking them for anything as a reward for himself,” expresses Gorky’s innermost thought: the happiness and will of one person are unthinkable without the happiness and liberation of the people.
“Song of the Falcon” - a hymn to action in the name of freedom and light
“The madness of the brave is the wisdom of life,” Gorky states in “Song of the Falcon.” The main technique by which this thesis is affirmed is a dialogue between two different “truths”, two worldviews, two contrasting images - the Falcon and the Snake. The writer used the same technique in other stories. The free shepherd is the antipode of the blind Mole, the egoist Lara is opposed to the altruist Danko. In “The Song of the Falcon,” a hero and a tradesman appear before the reader. Smug Already convinced of the inviolability of the old order. He feels great in the dark gorge: “warm and damp.” The sky for him is an empty place, and the Falcon, dreaming of flying into the sky, is a real madman. With poisonous irony, Already claims that the beauty of flying is in the fall.
In the soul of the Falcon lives an insane thirst for freedom and light. By his death, he confirms the rightness of the feat in the name of freedom.
The death of the Falcon is at the same time a complete debunking of the “wise” Snake. In “Song of the Falcon” there is a direct echo with the legend of Danko: blue sparks of a burning heart flash in the darkness of the night, forever reminding people of Danko. The death of the Falcon also brings him immortality: “And drops of your hot blood, like sparks, will flare up in the darkness of life and will ignite many brave hearts with an insane thirst for freedom and light!”
From work to work in Gorky’s early work, the theme of heroism grows and crystallizes. Loiko Zobar, Rada, the little fairy commit crazy things in the name of love. Their actions are extraordinary, but this is not yet a feat. The girl, who comes into conflict with the king, boldly defeats Fear, Fate and Death (“The Girl and Death”). Her courage is also the madness of the brave, although it is aimed at protecting personal happiness. Lara's courage and audacity lead to a crime, for he, like Pushkin's Aleko, “only wants freedom for himself.” And only Danko and Sokol, by their death, affirm the immortality of the feat. So the problem of will and happiness individual person fades into the background, replaced by the problem of happiness for all humanity. “The Madness of the Brave” brings moral satisfaction to the daredevils themselves: “I go to burn as brightly as possible and to illuminate the darkness of life more deeply. And death for me is my reward! - declares Gorky's Man. Spiridonova L.A. “I came into the world to disagree.” Early romantic works Gorky was awakened by the consciousness of the inferiority of life, unfair and ugly, and gave birth to the dream of heroes rebelling against the order established over centuries.
The revolutionary romantic idea determined artistic originality Gorky's works: pathetic sublime style, romantic plot, fairy tale genre, legends, songs, allegories, conventionally symbolic background of action. In Gorky's stories it is easy to detect the exceptional character, setting, and language characteristic of romanticism. But at the same time, they contain features characteristic only of Gorky: a contrasting comparison of the hero and the tradesman, the Man and the slave. The action of the work, as a rule, is organized around a dialogue of ideas; the romantic frame of the story creates a background against which the author’s thought appears prominently. Sometimes such a frame is a landscape - a romantic description of the sea, steppe, thunderstorm. Sometimes - a harmonious harmony of the sounds of a song. The importance of sound images in Gorky’s romantic works is difficult to overestimate: the melody of the violin sounds in the story of the love of Loiko Zobar and Rada, the whistle of the free wind and the breath of a thunderstorm - in the tale of the little fairy, “wonderful music of revelation” - in the “Song of the Falcon”, a menacing roar storms - in “Song of the Petrel”. The harmony of sounds complements the harmony of allegorical images. The image of an eagle as a symbol of a strong personality arises when characterizing heroes who have Nietzschean traits: the eagle Rada, free as an eagle, the shepherd, the son of the eagle Lara. The image of the Falcon is associated with the idea of an altruistic hero. Makar Chudra calls a falcon a storyteller who dreams of making all people happy. Finally, the Petrel symbolizes the movement of the masses themselves, the image of future retribution.
Gorky generously uses folklore motifs and images, retells Moldavian, Wallachian, Hutsul legends that he overheard while wandering around Rus'. The language of Gorky's romantic works is flowery and patterned, melodiously sonorous.
Conclusion
The early work of Maxim Gorky is remarkable different styles, noted by L. Tolstoy, A.P. Chekhov and V.G. Korolenko. The work of young Gorky was influenced by many writers: A.S. Pushkin, Pomyalovsky, G. Uspensky, N.S. Leskova, M.Yu. Lermontov, Byron, Schiller.
The writer turned to both the realistic and romantic movements of art, which in some cases existed independently, but were often whimsically mixed. However, at first, Gorky’s works were dominated by the romantic style, standing out sharply for their brightness.
Indeed, in early stories Gorky is dominated by the features of romanticism. First of all, because they depict a romantic situation of confrontation strong man(Danko, Lara, Sokol) with the world around him, as well as the problem of man as an individual in general. The action of the stories and legends is transferred to fantastic conditions (“He stood between the boundless steppe and the endless sea”). The world of the works is sharply divided into light and darkness, and these differences are important when assessing the characters: after Lara there remains a shadow, after Danko - sparks.
The gap between the heroic past and the pitiful, colorless life in the present, between the “should” and the “existent”, between the great “dream” and the “gray era” was the soil on which the romanticism of early Gorky was born.
All heroes early creativity Gorky are morally emotional and experience mental trauma, choosing between love and freedom, but they still choose the latter, bypassing love and preferring only freedom.
People of this type, as the writer foresaw, may turn out to be great in extreme situations, in days of disasters, wars, revolutions, but they are most often unviable in the normal course human life. Today, the problems posed by the writer M. Gorky in his early work are perceived as relevant and pressing for solving the issues of our time.
Gorky, who openly declared at the end of the 19th century about his faith in man, in his mind, in his creative, transformative capabilities, to today continues to arouse readers' interest.
At the end of the 90s of the 19th century, the reader was amazed by the appearance of three volumes of “Essays and Stories” by a new writer - M. Gorky. “Great and original talent,” was the general judgment about the new writer and his books.
Growing discontent in society and the expectation of decisive changes caused an increase in romantic tendencies in literature. These trends were reflected especially clearly in the work of young Gorky, in such stories as “Chelkash”, “Old Woman Izergil”, “Makar Chudra”, and in revolutionary songs. The heroes of these stories are people “with the sun in their blood”, strong, proud, beautiful. These heroes are Gorky's dream. Such a hero was supposed to “strengthen a person’s will to live, arouse in him a rebellion against reality, against all its oppression.”
Centrally Gorky's romantic works early period is the image heroic man, ready for a selfless feat for the good of the people. The story “Old Woman Izergil,” written in 1895, is of great importance in revealing this image. Gorky put into the image of Danko humanistic idea about a man who devotes all his strength to serving the people. Danko is a “handsome young man”, brave and decisive. To lead his people to light and happiness, Danko sacrifices himself. He loves people. And so his young and ardent heart flared up with the fire of desire to save them, to bring them out of the darkness. "What will I do for people!?" - Danko shouted louder than thunder. And suddenly he tore his chest with his hands and tore his heart out of it and raised it high above his head." Lighting the way for people bright light his burning heart, Danko boldly led them forward. And the darkness was defeated. “The proud daredevil Danko cast his gaze forward at the expanse of the steppe,” he cast a joyful glance at the free land and laughed proudly. And then he fell and died.” Danko dies, his brave heart goes out, but his image young hero alive as the image of a hero-liberator. “There is always a place for exploits in life,” says the old woman Izergil. Gorky put the idea of heroism, sublime and ennobling, into his famous “Song of the Falcon,” written in 1895. The falcon is the personification of the fighter for the people's happiness: "Oh, if only I could rise into the sky!.. I would press the enemy... to the wounds of my chest and... he would choke on my blood! Oh the happiness of battle!.." The falcon is inherent contempt for death, courage, hatred of the enemy. In the image of the Falcon, Gorky glorifies the “madness of the brave.” “Madness, courage - this is the wisdom of life! Oh, brave Falcon. In battle with your enemies, you bled to death. But there will be time - and drops of your hot blood, like sparks, will flare up in the darkness of life and many brave hearts will be ignited with an insane thirst for freedom and light! "
In 1901, Gorky wrote “The Song of the Petrel,” in which he expressed with extraordinary force his anticipation of the growing revolution. Gorky sang of the imminent, undoubted revolutionary storm: “Storm! The storm will break out soon! This is the brave Petrel proudly soaring between the lightning over the angry roaring sea, then the prophet of victory shouts: “Let the storm blow stronger!”
The petrel is the embodiment of heroism. He is contrasted with the stupid penguin, and loons, and seagulls, who moan and rush before the storm: “Only the proud Petrel soars boldly and freely over the angry roaring sea.” The magazine "Life", in which this song was published, was closed.
A contemporary of Gorky, A. Bogdanovich, wrote: “Most of Gorky’s essays breathe this free breath of the steppe and the sea, one feels a cheerful mood, something independent and proud, which makes them sharply different from the essays of other authors relating to the same world of poverty and exclusion.” .
Born on March 28, 1868 in Nizhny Novgorod. At the age of 11 he became an orphan and until 1888 he lived with relatives in Kazan. He tried many professions: he was a cook on a ship, worked in an icon-painting workshop, and was a foreman. In 1888 he left Kazan for the village of Krasnovidovo, where he was engaged in propaganda. revolutionary ideas. Maxim Gorky's first story, "Makar Chudra", was published in 1892 in the newspaper "Caucasus". In 1898, the collection “Essays and Stories” was published, and a year later his first novel “Foma Gordeev” was published. In 1901, Gorky was expelled from Nizhny Novgorod in Arzamas Durnov A.N. Gorky, whom we do not know. // Literary newspaper, 1993, March 10 (No. 10). .
A little later, the writer’s collaboration with the Moscow Art Theater began. The plays “At the Lower Depths” (1902), “The Bourgeois” (1901) and others were staged at the theater. The poem “Man” (1903), the plays “Summer Residents” (1904), “Children of the Sun” (1905), “Two Barbarians” (1905) belong to the same period. Gorky becomes an active member of the “Moscow Literary Environment” and takes part in the creation of collections of the “Knowledge” society. In 1905, Gorky was arrested and immediately after his release he went abroad. From 1906 to 1913, Gorky lived in Capri. In 1907, the novel “Mother” by R.M. Mironov was published in America. Maksim Gorky. His personality and works. - M., 2003..
The plays “The Last” (1908), “Vassa Zheleznova” (1910), the stories “Summer” (1909) and “The Town of Okurov” (1909), and the novel “The Life of Matvey Kozhemyakin” (1911) were created in Capri. In 1913, Gorky returned to Russia, and in 1915 he began publishing the journal Letopis. After the revolution, he worked at the World Literature publishing house.
In 1921, Gorky again went abroad. In the early 20s, he finished the trilogy “Childhood”, “In People” and “My Universities”, wrote the novel “The Artamonov Case”, and began work on the novel “The Life of Klim Samgin”. In 1931, Gorky returned to the USSR. He died on June 18, 1936 in the village of Gorki.
Romanticism of M. Gorky
At the end of the 90s, the reader was amazed by the appearance of three volumes of “Essays and Stories” by a new writer - M. Gorky. “Great and original talent,” was the general judgment about the new writer and his books G.D. Veselov. Very good writer[M. Gorky in modern literary criticism. Review of publications of 1996] // Book Review, 1996, No. 36. pp. 16-17. .
Growing discontent in society and the expectation of decisive changes caused an increase in romantic tendencies in literature. These trends were reflected especially clearly in the work of young Gorky, in such stories as “Chelkash”, “Old Woman Izergil”, “Makar Chudra”, and in revolutionary songs. The heroes of these stories are people “with the sun in their blood”, strong, proud, beautiful. These heroes are Gorky's dream. Such a hero was supposed to “strengthen a person’s will to live, arouse in him a rebellion against reality, against all its oppression.”
The central image of Gorky's early romantic works is the image of a hero, ready to perform a feat for the good of the people. The story “Old Woman Izergil,” written in 1895, is of great importance in revealing this image. In the image of Danko, Gorky put a humanistic idea of a man who devotes all his strength to serving the people.
Danko is a “handsome young man”, brave and decisive. To lead his people to light and happiness, Danko sacrifices himself. He loves people. And so his young and ardent heart flared up with the fire of desire to save them, to bring them out of the darkness.
“What will I do for people!?” - Danko shouted louder than thunder. And suddenly he tore his chest with his hands, and tore his heart out of it, and raised it high above his head.” Illuminating the path for people with the bright light of his burning heart, Danko boldly led them forward. And the darkness was defeated. “The proud daredevil Danko cast his gaze ahead of him at the expanse of the steppe; he cast a joyful glance at the free land and laughed proudly. And then he fell and died.” Danko dies, his brave heart goes out, but the image of the young hero lives on as the image of a hero-liberator. “There is always a place for heroic deeds in life,” says old woman Izergil.
Gorky put the idea of heroism, sublime and ennobling, into his famous “Song of the Falcon,” written in 1895. The falcon is the personification of a fighter for the people's happiness: “Oh, if only I could rise to the sky just once!” I would press the enemy... to the wounds of my chest and... he would choke on my blood! Oh the happiness of battle!."
The Falcon is characterized by contempt for death, courage, and hatred of the enemy. In the image of the Falcon, Gorky glorifies the “madness of the brave.” “Madness, courage - this is the wisdom of life! Oh, brave Falcon, you bled to death in battle with your enemies. But there will be time - and drops of your hot blood, like sparks, will flare up in the darkness of life and many brave hearts will be ignited with an insane thirst for freedom and light!
In 1901, Gorky wrote “The Song of the Petrel,” in which he expressed with extraordinary force his anticipation of the growing revolution. Gorky sang of the imminent, undoubted revolutionary storm: “Storm! A storm is coming soon! This is the brave Petrel proudly soaring between the lightning over the roaring angry sea, then the prophet of victory shouts: “Let the storm blow stronger!” The petrel is the embodiment of heroism. He is contrasted with the stupid penguin, and loons, and seagulls, who moan and rush before the storm: “Only the proud Petrel soars boldly and freely over the angry roaring sea.” The magazine “Life”, in which this song was published, was closed.
Gorky’s contemporary A. Bogdanovich wrote: “Most of M. Gorky’s essays breathe this free breath of the steppe and the sea, one feels a cheerful mood, something independent and proud, which makes them sharply different from the essays of other authors relating to the same world of poverty and exclusion.” Vaksberg A.I. Death of the Petrel. M. Gorky: The last twenty years. - M.: Terra-sport, 1999. - 396 p..
Other stories of the same kind: Malva (1897), where Malva is the female form of Chelkash, and My Companion (1896) is the best of this series in terms of the character created. The primitive and immoral Georgian prince Shakro, with whom the narrator walks from Odessa to Tiflis, is truly a remarkable creation, worthy of standing next to the best Gorky character sketches. There is not a drop of idealization of Shakro in the story, although it is obvious that the author’s “artistic sympathy” is entirely on his side. The early Gorky won many admirers for his manner of “describing nature.”
A typical example of this manner is Malva's opening with the famous two-word first paragraph: "The sea laughed." But we must admit that today these descriptions have lost their freshness and are no longer amazing. Around 1897, realism began to outweigh: in Former people(1897) realism dominates, and heroic deeds Captain Sledgehammer cannot dispel the dull atmosphere of the scene.
Gorky entered literature in the late 1890s as a singer bright personalities And strong characters. It was something new and unusual for the literature of that time. Romanticism was reflected in the work of young Gorky, especially in such stories as “Chelkash”, “Old Woman Izergil”, “Makar Chudra”, and in revolutionary songs. The heroes of these works are people “with the sun in their blood”, strong, proud, beautiful. They represent Gorky's ideal.
The central image of Gorky’s early romantic works is the image courageous man, ready for a selfless feat in the name of the people. The story “Old Woman Izergil,” written in 1895, is of great importance in revealing the ideal of a young writer. In the image of Danko, Gorky showed a man who devotes himself entirely to serving the people. Danko is a “handsome young man”, brave and decisive. To lead his people out of darkness, Danko sacrifices himself. He sacrifices himself because he loves people. He really wanted to save them, to bring them out of the darkness. “What will I do for people?!” - Danko shouted louder than thunder. And suddenly he tore open his chest with his hands and tore his heart out of it and raised it high above his head.”
Danko illuminated the way for people with his heart, he walked and was not afraid of anything. And the darkness was defeated. “The proud daredevil Danko cast his gaze forward at the expanse of the steppe,” he cast a joyful glance at the free land and laughed proudly. And then he fell and died.” Danko dies, but his image remains in legend as the image of a hero-liberator. “There is always a place for exploits in life,” concludes Gorky.
The writer developed the idea of a sublime feat in his work “Song of the Falcon,” written in 1895. The falcon is a symbol of a fighter for whom fighting is the meaning of life: “Oh, if only I could rise into the sky just once!.. I would press the enemy... to the wounds of my chest and... he would choke on my blood! Oh the happiness of battle!..” The falcon is characterized by such qualities as contempt for death, courage, and hatred of the enemy. In the image of a proud bird, Gorky glorifies the “madness of the brave.” “Madness, courage - this is the wisdom of life! O brave Falcon! You bled to death in battle with your enemies. But there will be time - and drops of your hot blood, like sparks, will flare up in the darkness of life, and many brave hearts will be ignited with an insane thirst for freedom and light!
In 1901, Gorky continued his favorite idea of heroic struggle and wrote “The Song of the Petrel.” In it, he with great force expressed his premonition of an approaching storm - revolution. The Petrel is the embodiment of heroism and rebellion. Opposite to him stupid penguin, loons and seagulls who moan and are afraid of the storm: “Only the proud Petrel soars boldly and freely over the angry roaring sea.”
However, the ideal of early Gorky is divorced from reality. An active call to action, to fight, was important for the writer. Romantic heroes Gorky are not viable and could not exist under normal conditions. Both Falcon and Petrel are looking for an enemy; without an enemy, their lives have no meaning. One can say about the heroes of Gorky’s early works in the words of Lermontov: “And he, rebellious, asks for storms / As if there is peace in storms.”
