The reasons for the tragic ending, poor Lisa. N.M.

Which phrase do you think defines the idea of the story? Poor Lisa"? Justify your answer.

The phrase is “even peasant women know how to love.” Sentimentalists, unlike classicists, preferred the cult of feeling over the cult of reason. At the same time, they affirmed the extra-class value of a person, his high moral qualities. This key phrase Karamzin has yes A New Look on the problem of social inequality. Differences in social and property status do not yet indicate the superiority of one class over another. Lisa’s father and mother had high moral values, and she herself worked hard. The author describes in detail the development of her love feeling from inception to despair. For Lisa, the loss of love is tantamount to the loss of life. The idea of the story is concentrated in the phrase we cited, which has become the formula of sentimental literature.

The manner of expressing feelings that is characteristic of the main character of the story is also important for understanding the author’s position: in its vocabulary, concepts and ideas, it is no different from the expression of the feelings of an educated young lady. V.I. Korovin explains this by saying that “ art assignment Karamzin’s goal was partly to bring the feelings of a peasant woman closer to the feelings of an educated young lady and thereby erase the differences in the content and forms of mental experiences.”

Describe the main character of the story. Which artistic media chosen by the author to create her external and internal appearance? How is the writer’s attitude towards her expressed?

The image of Lisa is described in detail by the author. The heroine inherited high moral qualities and beliefs from her parents: hard work, honesty, sincerity, kindness. She is pure, naive, selfless and therefore poorly protected from the vices that dominate around her. She is open to natural manifestations of feelings and therefore prone to delusions, after which a tragic insight occurs. The author treats his heroine with tender feeling, admires her, deeply experiences her joys and tragedies, and is constantly worried about her fate. Memories of Lisa’s deplorable fate make him “shed tears of tender sorrow.” And the very title of the story expresses Karamzin’s sympathetic and sentimental attitude towards Liza.

The characteristics of Lisa’s external and internal appearance are made up of the author’s descriptions and comments of her actions, as well as through the indirect transmission of her mother’s comments or the loving outpourings of Erast himself. Karamzin notes that Liza worked without sparing “her rare beauty, without sparing her tender youth.” Her beauty is also evidenced by the impression she “made on his heart.” The kind old mother called Lisa, by Divine mercy, her nurse, the joy of her old age, and prayed that the Lord would reward her for what she was doing for her mother. From this we learn that Lisa is virtuous, that she not only reveres her mother, but also frees her from all worries that are beyond her weak health.

What verbal details convey the movement of Lisa’s feelings for Erast - from timid affection to ardent passion?

The essential detail with which Liza and Erast’s acquaintance began was the flowers that Liza traded. The request he made to pick flowers just for him sparked the first feeling in the girl’s soul. She turned out to be more significant for her than for Erast, and therefore the next day, when he did not come, she did not sell the lilies of the valley to anyone and threw them into the Moscow River. Another detail is the timid glances she cast at young man. Karamzin notes the expression of Liza’s feelings in her appearance - “her cheeks glowed like the dawn on a clear summer evening” - as they grew. Erast's kiss and his first declaration of love echoed in her soul with delightful music. As we see, color and sound details are important in conveying the movement of feelings from timid affection to ardent passion. The achievement of the apogee of love, which, according to the writer, led to the destruction of the heroine’s purity, is also accompanied by a number of important verbal details. A new word appears and rushes (into his arms). Before this, they had hugged on dates, their hugs were pure and immaculate. Now changes are happening around them both in nature and in the color and sound range: kisses became fiery, the darkness of the evening (in contrast to the quiet moon, the bright month) nourished desires; “Not a single star shone in the sky - no ray could illuminate the errors.” After the fact, “lightning flashed and thunder struck. Lisa began to tremble.” “The storm roared menacingly, rain poured from black clouds - it seemed that nature was lamenting about Liza’s lost innocence.” After so much turning point In the relationship between Lisa and Erast, Karamzin began to convey in more detail the inner state of the young man, who was becoming more and more indifferent to his beloved. From this time on, natural symbols practically disappear from the narrative. Ancient oaks are mentioned only twice, former witnesses their love. The gloomy epithet now belongs to the oak tree over the grave of poor Lisa.

Pay attention to the role of gesture in revealing internal state heroes. Analyze this technique of the author.

Gesture in literature is one of the important techniques in conveying the internal state of a character. Karamzin also uses it widely. Let's analyze the scene of the meeting between Lisa and Erast in the city, when she saw him in a carriage approaching the house. Her feeling of joy from the meeting was expressed in gestures: she rushed, he felt herself in his arms. Although it is said that he felt himself being embraced, the author thereby emphasizes the swiftness of her joyful action. The swiftness of her movements is the swiftness in the expression of feelings. Then his gestures become swift - he wants to quickly free himself from Lisa so that no one sees him in the embrace of a simple peasant woman the day before profitable marriage: He took her by the hand, led her into the office, locked the door, put the money in her pocket, took her out of the office and ordered the servant to escort the girl from the yard. And all this was so fast that Liza couldn’t come to her senses.

Can Erast be considered a villain or an insidious seducer? How does Karamzin describe him, how does he reveal his attitude towards him? Compare the manner of depicting Erast with the manner of depicting heroes in the works of Russian classicism using the example of works known to you.

The meaning of the fate of poor Lisa outlined in the story is precisely that Erast is not a villain and a seducer, but a completely kind and sincere person, but weak and flighty. He sought pleasure, led an absent-minded lifestyle, “read novels, idylls, had a fairly vivid imagination and often wandered in thoughts to those times (former or not), in which, according to the poets, all people walked carelessly through the meadows, swam in clean sources, kissed like mountain-faces, rested under roses and myrtles and spent all their days in happy idleness.” He was attracted to Lisa not only by her external, but mainly by her spiritual beauty, her pure, immaculate expression of love. It seemed to him that he had found in her what his heart had been looking for for a long time. Erast quite sincerely dreamed that he would live with her like brother and sister and with contemptuous disgust he recalled the voluptuous pleasures he had already experienced. To which the writer wisely commented: “Reckless young man! Do you know your heart? Can you always be responsible for your movements? Is reason always the king of your feelings? His vices are rooted not in his own soul, but in the morals of society. When the relationship between Lisa and Erast reached a sensual level, Lisa retained and even lived out her love for him, and above all spiritual love, and Erast’s feelings began to decline, for such relationships were not new to him. Erast turns out to be a slave to “circumstances” that force him to marry a rich bride and part with Lisa as unceremoniously as he did. However, Karamzin also has compassion for him, because he still sees in him a “good fellow.” Having learned about Liza’s suicide, Erast deeply and sincerely suffers and “considers himself a murderer.” “So the “insensitivity” of society, enshrined in social and property inequality, separates and destroys people who are good by nature and becomes an insurmountable obstacle to their happiness. But since the sad love story of two good souls, then their reconciliation is possible where there are no social conventions and prejudices, where humanity reigns in its true and pure form. Therefore, Karamzin’s story ends with a pacifying chord” (V.I. Korovin).

In the works of classicism positive and negative heroes sharply opposed to each other. And the hero in this kind situations, of course, he was portrayed as a calculating and ruthless seducer.

How do you see the image of the narrator?

The narrator is a contemporary of the heroes of the story “Poor Liza.” He knows Erast, who tells him this sad story. This is a kind-hearted, sensitive, sentimental person who deeply feels the grief of people. The narrator is an educated person with life experience, observant, able to give to people correct characteristics. The narrator loves Moscow, its surroundings, and nature native land, often walks to admire the beauty of the landscape. Material from the site

What is the purpose of lyrical digressions in the story?

There are not many lyrical digressions in the story. The author has more detailed judgments accompanying the depiction of the love of the heroes, which, however, can also be classified as digressions, for example: “Oh Liza, Liza! What happened to you? But there are also direct lyrical digressions, for example, at the beginning of “Poor Lisa”. The narrator often comes to the Danilov Monastery “in the dark days of autumn to grieve with nature.” This retreat creates a lyrical and philosophical mood, the ground for sad reflections about life and death, about the bitter pages of the history of the fatherland.

What is the role of landscape in the story? How is it connected with the mood and feelings of lovers?

The landscape creates emotional background for the perception of the plot of the story and the fate of its heroes, is in harmony with the feelings of the lovers. At the beginning of the story, for example, there is a sharp contrast between the majestic amphitheater of Moscow with golden domes and the green flowering meadows located at its foot and the wretched, ruined hut in which Liza lived with her mother thirty years ago. From the panorama of Moscow, the narrator glances at the Simonov Monastery, remembers in connection with it the story of poor Liza, indicates the nature of her mood, and then directs her gaze to her former home. This is how the landscape compositionally builds approaches to the beginning of the sad story of Lisa and her love for Erast. The author’s mood (“tender sorrow”) is gradually conveyed to the reader through reading the landscape and the narrator’s thoughts about the pictures he saw.

Against the backdrop of beautiful landscape sketches, the characters’ love feeling arises and develops. They are found “on the river bank or in a birch grove, but most often under the shade of hundred-year-old oak trees<…>- oak trees overshadowing a deep, clear pond, fossilized in ancient times.” The quiet moon harmonizes with Lisa’s hair, “silvering it.” The fusion of love and nature is interestingly described: silver-plated moonlight Lisa's hair plays with marshmallows and the hand of a dear friend, which creates an airy, chaste image love feeling. We hear about such a merging of feeling with the perception of nature in the words of Lisa, containing a declaration of love for Erast: “without your eyes the bright month is dark; without your voice the nightingale singing is boring; without your breath the breeze is unpleasant to me.” Observed by us literary devices characteristic of sentimentalism.

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On August 19-21, one of the most discussed topics in the media and blogosphere was the news that the Russian athlete Rasul Mirzaev hit a 19-year-old student, as a result of which the latter died. Fights with fatal outcomes are not uncommon among visitors to Moscow nightclubs. But in this case there are some peculiarities.

Firstly, a 19-year-old police college student died Ivan Agafonov. Secondly, his killer turned out to be 25-year-old Dagestani Rasul Mirzaev. Thirdly, Mirzaev also turned out to be a professional athlete, a world champion in martial arts nicknamed “Black Tiger”.

Experts commented to the correspondent on this tragic incident.

IA REX: What, in your opinion, are the main reasons for this tragic event and why did it cause public outcry? Should a professional athlete be able to control his emotions, since he has serious weapons, and ordinary people Just not ready to take a blow from a professional? What is the role of the national and cultural component in inflating the information noise?

Vice-President of the Kyiv City Federation of Sports and Combat Sambo, Honored Trainer of Ukraine, international extra-class judge (Kyiv) Vladimir Vinogradov:

I didn’t really understand what and who said to whom at the disco, but I have been telling my students from the very beginning early childhood I teach you to distinguish between words and actions. In any case, a professional athlete has no right to attack in response to words. He must have enough arguments and psychological preparation, in order to force the talker to apologize without inappropriate use of force. Even if the entire campaign of tipsy young people attacked with their fists the international master of sports in combat sambo Rasul Mirzaev, he was able to block their attack without causing injury. As far as I can judge from information from television news, the victim did not show any aggression towards the athlete and did not deserve such an attack.

Political scientist Grigory Trofimchuk:

It is characteristic that during the funeral of another “Russian-Caucasian” victim in the conflict, the police again took total security measures. This funeral regime is becoming a trend in the Russian Federation, which will only worsen in the future.

I would not like to imagine hypothetical school textbooks that could be used in history lessons in 100-150 years and where something like this would be said: “One of the signs of the collapse of the federation in beginning of XXI century, the facts of street confrontation between Russians themselves and other Russians became more frequent. Even in those in rare cases“When these clashes were not of a nationalistic, but clearly everyday nature, when the person killed was not associated with extremist organizations, the authorities could not adequately respond to the event in order to present it to the population in the necessary informational manner and thereby prevent socio-political destabilization at the initial stage.” .

To prevent such textbooks from appearing in reality, it is necessary to stop negative development a topic that, after just one tragedy with E. Sviridov, will no longer be possible to drive inside. Prime Minister Putin will not be physically able to lay wreaths at the grave of every victim.

Apparently, it was not for nothing that under the Bolsheviks, almost all types of martial arts - starting with karate and not to mention the so-called “fighting without rules”, kickboxing - were banned. It is now absolutely clear that this made sense.

Hence, the first conclusion: all types of such martial arts should return to where they perform the necessary function - to the gyms of special services. As for sports, it would be much more important for Russia to aim at a global campaign to make national look wrestling, sambo, the status of an Olympic discipline. All other new, ambiguous, aggressive species into which the Russian Federation has gotten involved, having produced “Black Tigers”, “Steel Sledgehammers” and other caricatures in the Western spirit, will have to be taken outside the scope of the law. “Struggle without rules” means “struggle outside the law.”

The problem is that not quite adequate people automatically flock into these niches, who find themselves not in engineering, not in kayaking, not in nuclear physics, but in stupidly splitting their opponent’s skull with their feet. Conducting political studies with this contingent is a pointless exercise. Although, until such a law has been adopted, we still need to talk with these fighters and expand our intellectual horizons. But such master classes should, of course, not be conducted by trainers or school teachers.

The case of the murder of Ivan Agafonov received a wide public response because it was not Ivanov or Kuznetsov who killed him, but Mirzaev. Even if the police provided an exemplary funeral in terms of socio-political stability, they could not stop the conversations on this issue, which intensified in hundreds of thousands of Russian families and which were obviously not in favor of the current Russian government.

This is the main danger for the country and the problem for the Kremlin: the Kremlin does not know how to stop the trends that, at the level of the very consciousness of Russians, are increasingly alienating and separating the Caucasus and Caucasians from the body of Russia. I believe that it is necessary to create a completely new expert structure under the President of the Russian Federation, which would give specific advice (and not scientific and unnecessary calculations in the “increase-deepen” style) in this most complex practical area.

I also believe that the energy of this kind of aggressive fighters must be directed not inside Russia (so that it will ultimately destroy the federation), but exclusively outside its perimeter. Let mobile units assembled from such “Mirzayevs” storm the future “Amin’s palaces”, “Tskhinvali”, “Moncada barracks”, etc. Why force those Russians into these structures who are not born for this, when nature itself has created and cast universal fighters who practically do not need to be trained? They will tear apart all opponents of Russia with gusto, especially since the result of such a battle will no longer be prison, but a high government award and eternal recognition of the people.

Scientific director of the Center for the Study of Modernity (France) Pavel Krupkin:

This case, especially its discussion in blogs and the press, is very indicative of the presentation of achieved tolerance Russian society to violence. Many of our people fully justify the opportunity to “punch” someone just like that, in fact, without any particular reason. This especially looks good for these people when the probability of “getting change” is small, as in the case under consideration. And this is very sad, since it does not at all contribute to the education of valor in people - that for the sake of which ordinary societies endure fights.

A wide public outcry arose mainly because of the season - fortunately, God has so far saved Russia from the usual August catastrophes this August. Accordingly, this information occasion was used by the media and other media environments to fill the existing void. In addition, the incident, unfortunately, continued the sad series of events associated with immigrants from North Caucasus- at least in terms of the law-abiding nature of the culprit after the incident, he pleasantly stands out in better side. Nevertheless, the question of the inappropriate behavior of mountain youth on the Russian plain continues to arise and excite the residents of this very plain. And the inability of the authorities to cope with this problem is one of the most serious challenges facing the Russian Federation.

Security and crisis expert Fedor Yakovlev:

The main reasons for attracting public attention to a generally rather ordinary fist fight, of which there are many in Russia, as in any other country, every day, are quite naturally the personality of the world champion in mixed martial arts Rasul Mirzaev and its tragic outcome. Of course, a hand-to-hand fighter, and even of such a level as Mirzaev, must control his emotions and, even more so, the use of his “strike force”. Of course, the difference in nationalities in in this case will be played out, but the personal and everyday nature of the quarrel between young people is too obvious, so there won’t be a second “Manezhka” for sure.

Journalist and blogger Alexander Khokhulin:

The reason for the tragic event is known and banal - the girl was “not divided.” The second question can be considered rhetorical: all people should be able to control their emotions, which is basically how they differ from animals. And the role of the national and cultural component in inflating the information noise is, of course, disgusting.

Culturologist, candidate philosophical sciences(Germany) Larisa Beltser-Lisyutkina:

This episode is about a domestic murder. The basis of the conflict, judging by the available information, was archaic machismo stereotypes, an orientation toward violence, and equally outdated ideas about insulted male “honor,” inherent in both sides. It is not possible to assess the cultural and national component based on the information received (I read press reports): one of the protagonists of the conflict, the killer Rasul Mirzaev, is labeled as a Dagestani Islamist, and the victim, Ivan Agafonov, is a student at the police college. What forms of behavior and what ideas about their own power are instilled in “cops” in Russia is also generally known. True, against the background of the Caucasian origin of the killer, in mass consciousness the victim can be reinterpreted from a symbolic “Evsyukov” into a disciplined defender of law and order. The dubiousness of this approach is obvious when referring to the statistics of violence and murders due to domestic conflicts in Russia. The victims of beatings and murders are primarily women and children, but conflicts between men also lead to injuries and murders on a massive scale.

Political scientist, expert on media and PR technologies (Azerbaijan) Ali Hajizadeh:

This kind of event usually arouses keen interest in the media and the blogosphere, especially if it occurs during the low information season. Not just a professional athlete, but any adult should be able to control their emotions. The fact that the athlete is Caucasian is enough for the media to make a fuss out of this incident. However, there is another side to the matter: why did Mirzaev hit the student? Judging by information from the media and blogs, the clash occurred over Mirzaev’s girlfriend. I think the media should be extremely careful in this matter not to exploit the tragedy of the Agafonov family.

Journalist Igor Bogatyrev:

When they're in Once again someone is beaten, beaten to death, cut and raped - which for most of them is obviously included in “ national traditions" But I have not yet completely lost my sense of objectivity in order to treat this case exactly the same as the ones mentioned. And therefore I treat it taking into account the real circumstances of the case. And there are at least three of them, which some citizens do not want to notice:

1. The victim behaved, let’s say, not quite adequately. Personally, I can hardly imagine a blockhead playing with a radio-controlled car at the age of 19, especially not in the yard own home, and somewhere “near the nightclub”. This behavior usually indicates a “what I want, I do” character. So it is quite possible to assume that he could have molested the girl, and that he called her a prostitute, as the “killer” states.

2. The “killer” weighed up to 65 kg, had a height of 165, despite the fact that the victim himself was involved in bodybuilding, as some sources note. So one can assume an attempt to molest on the part of the victim, and explain the “unsoftened” force of the blow from “ the killers".

3. There was only one blow. One! Already - non-standard for “this kind of cases”. There was no beating, no stomping on the head, no “fair mountain fight” ten on one. Judging by the video, approach, strike, retreat. The patient went limp. And by the way, he didn’t fly anywhere - not a meter, not a centimeter. So it is quite possible to assume both the validity of such an answer and the complete civility of the answerer, that is, the “killer”.

Yes, it is quite possible to believe that the victim hit his head, and it was this, precisely this time, after this particular blow, that led to his death. You can believe it. But this also needs to be checked.

Yes, if all this is true, then the “murderer” must answer according to the law. But not more. And, if my memory serves me correctly, there is quite an obvious “murder by negligence” here.

But, I repeat, all this needs to be checked!

And check, among other things, because the very promotion of this case, its level, scale, arouses very serious suspicions in me. Is this the first or only case when a “guest from the south” killed a Russian? Yes if only! Such cases happen every day, and they are obviously deliberate, and much more worthy increased attention. Put yourself in the tapes of the DPNI or similar structures - black and black! But for some reason there is silence about them. Moreover, the cases known on the Internet that they tried to promote did not have such support in the media. - So why this one?

There are three assumptions.

First. This is not just Vanya, but someone’s “son”.

Second. This campaign is distracting us from something more serious in the same area. Sagra?

Third. This case was deliberately taken “for promotion” in order to carry out the investigation exceptionally clearly, and then tell all of us: “Well, did you go broke? See - fatal accident. And you attacked” (And this will be confirmed one hundred percent, when necessary - they know how to do it.) Well, and after, with everyone it’s real in a terrible case, stick this story in all of us’s noses, “Do you remember when?..” In general, working out the scenario “The Boy and the Wolves.” That’s what I think. Besides, I encourage others too. I mean, to think.

Coordinator of the international expert group IA REX Sergey Sibiryakov:

On this tragic event I look through the eyes of the father of the champion of Ukraine in combat sambo, master of sports, student of the honored coach of Ukraine Vladimir Vinogradov. I am sure that my 17-year-old son would never deal such a blow to a tipsy and relaxed guy. I often attended various judo and sambo competitions in which my son participated. I can note that in these competitions the number of Caucasians is disproportionate to their number in Ukraine. At the same time, at competitions, guys from the Caucasus fight very hard and sometimes do not hesitate to break the rules, injuring their opponents. Caucasian families are seriously preparing their children for life in a different national environment, and at the same time they are not going to give up their traditions. What should good-natured Slavs do in such a situation? The Slavic majority cannot abandon their Slavic mentality and suddenly become aggressive, like the children of the mountains? Maybe, statesmen it is necessary to carry out explanatory work with influential people from diasporas and encourage migrants to comply with the laws and traditions of the majority of the population. Maybe even in schools in the North Caucasus it is necessary to introduce a subject on the study of the traditions and mentality of the Russian people. Aggressiveness must be used to benefit the Fatherland in military affairs. IN Russian Empire it worked out well! Let us recall the participation of the Wild Division in various wars.

Well, we, parents, need to prepare our children for the changed national environment. At first, my son was unable to defeat aggressive rivals in the Caucasus in competitions and he had a complex about this, but over time he learned to use their hot temperament for his victories, now they respect and are afraid of him.

We remind you that the fight happened on August 13th. Agafonov was taken to the hospital, but doctors were unable to save his life - the student fell into a coma and died on the night of Thursday, August 18. World champion in martial arts Rasul Mirzaev admitted to beating 19-year-old student Ivan Agafonov, media reported citing official representative of the Russian Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin. “Mirzaev admitted causing bodily harm to a 19-year-old student,” Markin said.

According to the preliminary findings of forensic experts, the 19-year-old student died not from a blow from champion Rasul Mirzaev, but from an injury received when his head hit the asphalt.

The poetics of sentimentalism differed from the poetics of classicism, a style that preceded sentimentalism.

In the works of classicism, the heroes are assigned a certain role: they are either positive or negative. In “Poor Liza” the heroes are endowed with both traits. Lisa is kind, loves her mother and takes care of her, sincerely loves Erast, but does not follow Christian tradition, cannot maintain his chastity and falls into sin (from the point of view of the church). Erast is sensitive, kind, but flighty and fickle. However, he is not indifferent to Lisa’s fate and regrets it until the end of his life. Works of classicism had two types of endings: for tragedy - unhappy (“everyone died”), for comedy - happy. The ending of “Poor Lisa,” on the one hand, is tragic - Lisa drowned herself, her mother died; on the other hand, Erast remained alive (according to the law of tragedy, he also should have died) and until the end of his life he was unhappy, “he could not be consoled and considered himself a murderer.” The peasant girl appeared before readers in the image of a tragic heroine (the heroes of tragedies were usually great, outstanding people) - such an interpretation was completely unusual for that time. Readers did not see the expected wedding, but were faced with the bitter truth of life.

Karamzin's contemporaries perceived the ending of the story as innovative.

Lisa (poor Lisa) - main character a story that made a complete revolution in public consciousness XVIII century For the first time in the history of Russian prose, Karamzin turned to a heroine endowed with emphatically ordinary features. His words “to love peasant women too...

The name Karamzin itself has a certain affectation about it. It was not for nothing that Dostoevsky distorted this surname in order to ridicule Turgenev in “The Possessed.” It's so similar it's not even funny. More recently, before the boom created by the revival of his “History” began in Russia...

New!
The story begins with a description of the cemetery where the girl Lisa is buried. Based on this picture, the author tells sad story a young peasant woman who paid with her life for her love. One day, while selling lilies of the valley collected in the forest on the street...

“Travel to Little Russia” (1803) and “Another Journey to Little Russia” (1804) were written by P. I. Shalikov, who took the sentimental style of presentation to the limit. He warns readers: “There are no statistics or geographical descriptions:...

New!
Continuing to look at the site, I often wonder who is actually here goodies, and who are negative? And I can’t clearly answer this question. It would seem that the most negative heroes subsequently commit very good deeds, and the heroes...

Zubarev Evgeniy Nikolaevich,

missionary of St. Seraphim Cathedral.

In our youth, everything seemed clear to us in matters of life. But years, decades have passed. History, literature, and our own experience give us knowledge about both the near and distant past. And religion makes it possible to feel with this past live connection, because in God we are all alive. Acquired knowledge, life experience do not allow one to treat the phenomena of life so unambiguously, for example, love.

When you carefully, thoughtfully read works, you begin to notice things that you previously did not pay any attention to. Here is the song “Men's Conversation” performed by Mark Bernes, words by N. Dorizo, music by N. Bogoslovsky, which we have known for a long time. It contains the following words: “The girls loved us too, but when we fell in love, we did not love.” And only now, years, decades later..., this phrase suddenly surprised and struck me. How is it like this: you fell in love, but didn’t love? So, love and falling in love are not the same thing?

And here are the words of Prince Vasily from “The Garnet Bracelet” by Kuprin: “Really, think, Kolya (and with him we, the readers), is he to blame for love and is it really possible to control such a feeling as love - a feeling that... I haven’t found an interpreter yet.”

I think..., I think for a long time... First of all, what concept are we talking about - “love” or “being in love”? Although the word “love” was used. Then questions arise. Is it possible to blame yourself and others for love? What about falling in love? Is it possible to control love? What about falling in love? Are love and infatuation feelings? If the feelings are different, then they must be different? Or is love not a feeling, but something else? There are so many important questions, the answers to which determine a lot in understanding the works, and most importantly - in own life, in relationships with people.

It turns out that not everything is so hopeless; on the contrary, it has long been interpreted... in Christianity. “The word “love” is used in everyday life so often and in so many different contexts that modern man no longer able to clearly understand its meaning. Like many shrines, by the power of the devil this word is often desecrated and devalued in human life. But this does not make the concept of love any less significant. As the Apostle John the Theologian tells us, “ God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16), and this is an exhaustive definition of love... The Lord sends His only begotten Son to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of people... It is through the Lord Jesus Christ we learn that love is sacrifice... God reveals Himself to us as One in essence, but Trinity in Persons. We believe in the Holy Trinity, internal law life Which is love, uniting three Persons with a single nature. This is an absolute, unclouded and undivided unity, and therefore we can say that love is unity. The unity of the Persons of the Holy Trinity is achieved through internal communication, and therefore we can also say that love is unity that is achieved through communication of people. So, love is sacrifice, it is communication and it is unity"(Patriarch Kirill).

Holy Bible in the words of the Apostle Paul, he reveals to us the properties of love: “Love is long-suffering, kind, ... does not envy, ... is not conceited, is not proud, does not act rudely, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; covers everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything. Love never fails...” (1 Cor. 13:4-8).

St. Ephraim the Syrian encourages us to ask God: “... grant me the spirit... of love, Thy servant.” Means, love is nothing more than God's gift which a person receives under the condition of a correct spiritual life: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...” (Gal. 5:22).

But aren’t the lives and deeds of saints an interpretation of love?

“As you can understand, before marriage all these conditions true love impossible to perform. You cannot love someone who is sacrificial, who believes everything, who forgives everything, eternal love, if you have not yet gotten to know a person, have not learned to forgive, sacrifice something, have not learned to fight for love. And this, in turn, is only possible with the passage of time. In this sense, love before marriage is impossible. Falling in love, mutual affection, sympathy are possible. Only in marriage can the feeling of loving people be tested for strength. Love is a beautiful tree that grows from a seed and bears fruit. But it is not a tree, and therefore that initial feeling that the bride and groom have cannot yet be called true love"(priest Pavel Gumerov "Three pillars of family happiness").

Much more can be added to what has been said, but what has been said is enough to understand what love is and use it as a criterion for characterization. literary heroes about their ability to love and the strength of their love.

Now the answer to Prince Vasily’s question from “The Garnet Bracelet” becomes obvious: “... is he guilty of love”? Can a person be guilty of being kind, merciful, honest, etc.? Unless, of course, we are really talking about love here. Love is a gift from God in response to a person's efforts in right spiritual life. The answer to the question is also obvious: “Is it possible to control such a feeling as love”? Love is not a feeling, but a state of mind, like God. To achieve such a state is the goal of the Christian life leading to salvation. “Love... does not think evil,” so they say: love and do what you want, but you only want good.

Now let’s think about the state of mind in which Zheltkov is (“ Garnet bracelet") and Liza ("Poor Liza" by Karamzin). Can we call it a blessed state of love? (Grace is the presence of God in man.) Both Mr. Zheltkov and Lisa are overwhelmed by the feeling of falling in love. It is a feeling, not love.

“Correct love for one’s neighbor lies in fulfilling his Gospel commandments,” says Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov and adds, “and not at all in fulfilling the whims of one’s neighbor.” What gospel commandment does Mr. Zheltkov fulfill in relation to Vera Nikolaevna? The Gospel says: “Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Zheltkov does not observe, but violates the commandment, and even openly persecutes Vera Nikolaevna. Is suicide really fulfilling the commandments?

Falling in love is a natural feeling of a person, coming from nature, arising as a result of puberty from the need to create a family and procreate. It’s like a feeling of hunger, also coming from nature, that is, from the flesh, the body’s needs. How a person satisfies hunger, what food, depends on taste, and taste depends on many factors. Falling in love is neither good nor bad, just like feeling hungry. The question is how a person treats him, how he satisfies him. “Drink abstinently, eat little, and you will be healthy” (St. Mitrophan of Voronezh). Doctors advise the same. There must be a measure, otherwise there will be trouble. How is the measure of love determined? Falling in love should not go beyond the boundaries of morality (conscience and God's commandments). Falling in love without morality is fornication, that is, sin. And sin is a wound that a person inflicts on his soul. Repeated repetition of sin forms a habit, and the habit turns into sinful passion. Passion is a chronic disease of the soul, from which a person is not able to heal on his own; a doctor is needed - the Savior Jesus Christ. Healing occurs through Repentance.

So, falling in love without morality can turn into passion, which, unfortunately, is often called love. It is clear that it has not the slightest relation to true love, although love can only be true. But the point is not in terms, but in essence, although clear and precise terms would help us think correctly and would not mislead us. As Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov says, “from those accepted right thoughts everything good is born, everything evil is born from accepted false thoughts.”

Falling in love, as we said, is natural, but love is supernatural, because it is given from God, and therefore, as Professor M. M. Dunaev points out, “any love unity outside of Christ is untrue, unsteady and therefore doomed.” Growing in love, we draw closer to God, arousing the feeling of falling in love, we fall into a passionate state, often leading to sin, and, naturally, we move away from God.

Let's look at the example of the story “Poor Liza” by N. M. Karamzin.

Can falling in love be a reliable condition for happiness? That's the question.

Did Lisa have any experience of love before meeting Erast? Yes, we read: “...left after her father for fifteen years, only Lisa, not sparing her tender youth, not sparing her rare beauty, worked day and night...”. “God gave me hands to work with,” said Lisa, “you fed me with your breasts and followed me when I was a child; now it’s my turn to follow you.” She selflessly loved her parents, not out of fear, but out of conscience, fulfilling the 5th commandment of God. Remembering my father, " gentle Lisa“I couldn’t hold back my own tears..., but to calm my mother down, I tried to hide the sadness of my heart and seemed calm and cheerful.” Lisa is respectful of people (“...gave flowers, took five kopecks, bowed...” - “love is not exalted”), easy to communicate (when asked where her house is, she immediately answered), selfless (refuses to take a ruble - “she doesn’t look for love hers”), frank (“when she came home, she told her mother” - “love does not rejoice in untruth, but rejoices in the truth”) and so on. Where do these sprouts of virtues come from in her soul? The old mother, “seeing her daughter’s tirelessness..., called it Divine mercy,” and Lisa herself says that God gave her hands to work with. Based on her way of thinking, we can continue: God gave her a heart to sympathize with her neighbor, and gave her the will to take care of others upon herself. And, despite the hard work, “waking up with the birds, you had fun with them in the morning, and a pure, joyful soul shone in your eyes.” The seeds of Lisa's virtues were sown by her parental example of life and upbringing. As we see, happiness does not depend on the external circumstances of life: both mother and daughter were happy. Love and joy, love and peace of mind, harmony of feelings are inseparable. But to be completely happy, you need to find a kind person, whom Lisa could marry.

Did Lisa have any experience of falling in love before meeting Erast? Not yet.

The resulting love becomes for Lisa, as for any young man, a serious test and a challenge for the emerging personality. Will a soul, not strengthened by trials, with young sprouts of virtues, not hardened in the fight against passions, be able to maintain moral boundaries without succumbing to temptation? No, I couldn't.

How and why did this happen?

Firstly, she did not try to fight the dreams of Erast, although she was clearly aware of the impossibility of their marriage, thereby strengthening the feeling that arose in her soul and continued meeting with him, now secret. The world is narrowing for her: “...now you are thoughtful, and the general joy of nature is alien to your heart.” Secondly, she agrees to deceive her mother, and this is already immoral, a direct violation of the 5th commandment, it is lawless and criminal. “And because iniquity abounds, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12) - this spiritual law. Thirdly, and this is the most important thing, in response to her mother’s words: “We would forget our soul if tears never fell from our eyes,” Lisa thought (where is her former frankness?): “Ah! I would sooner forget my soul than my dear friend!” What is the meaning of this “dialogue”? The mother directly speaks about the need to take care of the main thing in life - about the immortal soul, about the need to live according to God's laws, because “The King of Heaven loved a person very much when He removed the here light so well for him.” All good comes from God. Liza, overwhelmed by passion, is ready to forget about her soul. There was a reassessment of values in her. The idol in the person of Erast overshadowed God and the main goal - eternal life. The connection with the source of love is interrupted, there is no recharging.

Everything that happened next was a natural consequence of an internal revolution in her soul. Having moved away from God, having lost His gracious help, Lisa found herself unprotected from the machinations of the devil, who leads her to the mortal sin of fornication. And physical death against the background of spiritual death means little.

Poor Lisa!

Poor not only social sign, this is not the main thing here. Poor not only because she was deceived. Poor because she has lost God - the main wealth of man. “This is what happens to those who store up treasures for themselves, and are not rich in God” (Luke 12:21). But her name, Elisabeth - “who worships God” - is apparently no coincidence.

If Lisa had kept her feeling of falling in love within moral boundaries... but that would have been a different story, and, undoubtedly, with a happy ending.

You can, of course, blame Erast for everything, there is such a temptation. And the author himself had difficulty restraining himself from this: “I forget the man in Erast - I’m ready to curse him - but my tongue does not move...” A Christian’s tongue should not move to curse according to the commandment: “Judge not, lest ye be judged” ( Matthew 7:1). Let us leave judgment to the mercy of God. Each person himself will bear responsibility for his life, for his soul. Last Judgment, and there the only mitigating circumstance is not justification, but Repentance.

Erast has his own story.

Before meeting Lisa, did Erast have any experience of love, that is, experience of sacrificial service and caring for others? Hard to say. Probably not: “He led an absent-minded life, thought only about his own pleasure, looked for it in secular amusements, but often did not find it: he was bored and complained about his fate.” Curious, isn't it? Lisa “worked day and night,” and “a joyful soul shone in her eyes.” He was just having fun and... “was bored and complained about fate.” Here the author discovers for us one of the most important spiritual laws implanted in man by God. Saint Isaac the Syrian formulated it this way: “Behind all pleasure ( illegal) disgust and bitterness follow.” Why? Because man is not called to pleasure, but to love. And love is a sacrifice, and to sacrifice means to tear off a piece of yourself and give to another, and the more you tear off and give, the greater the love: “There is no greater love than if someone lays down his soul ( i.e. life) yours for your friends.”