Artistic features. Artistic features Artistic media in Oblomov
In the novel “Oblomov” the skill of Goncharov as a prose writer was fully demonstrated. Gorky, who called Goncharov “one of the giants of Russian literature,” noted his special, flexible language. Goncharov’s poetic language, his talent for figuratively reproducing life, the art of creating typical characters, compositional completeness and the enormous artistic power of the picture of Oblomovism and the image of Ilya Ilyich presented in the novel - all this contributed to the fact that the novel “Oblomov” took its rightful place among the masterpieces of the world classics.
The portrait characteristics of the characters play a huge role in the work, with the help of which the reader gets to know the characters and gets an idea about them and their character traits. The main character of the novel, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, is a man of thirty-two to thirty-three years old, of average height, pleasant appearance, with dark gray eyes in which there is no idea, with a pale complexion, plump hands and a pampered body. Already from this portrait characteristic we can get an idea of the hero’s lifestyle and spiritual qualities: the details of his portrait speak of a lazy, immobile lifestyle, of his habit of aimlessly spending time. However, Goncharov emphasizes that Ilya Ilyich is a pleasant person, gentle, kind and sincere. The portrait description, as it were, prepares the reader for the collapse in life that inevitably awaited Oblomov.
In the portrait of Oblomov's antipode, Andrei Stolts, the author used different colors. Stolz is the same age as Oblomov, he is already over thirty. He is in motion, all made up of bones and muscles. Getting acquainted with the portrait characteristics of this hero, we understand that Stolz is a strong, energetic, purposeful person who is alien to daydreaming. But this almost ideal personality resembles a mechanism, not a living person, and this repels the reader.
In the portrait of Olga Ilyinskaya, other features predominate. She “was not a beauty in the strict sense of the word: she had neither whiteness nor bright color of her cheeks and lips, and her eyes did not glow with rays of inner fire, there were no pearls in her mouth and corals on her lips, there were no miniature hands with fingers in the form of grapes." The somewhat tall stature was strictly consistent with the size of the head and the oval and size of the face; all this, in turn, was in harmony with the shoulders, the shoulders with the figure... The nose formed a slightly noticeable graceful line. Lips that are thin and compressed are a sign of a searching thought directed at something. This portrait indicates that before us is a proud, intelligent, slightly vain woman.
In the portrait of Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna, such traits as gentleness, kindness and lack of will appear. She is about thirty years old. She had almost no eyebrows, her eyes were “grayish-obedient,” like her entire facial expression. The hands are white, but hard, with knots of blue veins protruding outward. Oblomov accepts her for who she is and gives her an apt assessment: “How... simple she is.” It was this woman who was next to Ilya Ilyich until his last minute, his last breath, and gave birth to his son.
The description of the interior is equally important for characterizing the character. In this, Goncharov is a talented continuer of Gogol’s traditions. Thanks to the abundance of everyday details in the first part of the novel, the reader can get an idea of the hero’s characteristics: “How Oblomov’s home suit suited his deceased facial features... He was wearing a robe made of Persian fabric, a real oriental robe... He had shoes on long, soft and wide, when, without looking, he lowered his legs from the bed to the floor, he certainly fell into them right away...” Describing in detail the objects surrounding Oblomov in everyday life, Goncharov draws attention to the hero’s indifference to these things. But Oblomov, indifferent to everyday life, remains his captive throughout the novel.
The image of a robe is deeply symbolic, repeatedly appearing in the novel and indicating a certain state of Oblomov. At the beginning of the story, a comfortable robe is an integral part of the hero's personality. During the period of Ilya Ilyich’s love, he disappears and returns to the owner’s shoulders on the evening when the hero’s breakup with Olga occurred.
The lilac branch picked by Olga during her walk with Oblomov is also symbolic. For Olga and Oblomov, this branch was a symbol of the beginning of their relationship and at the same time foreshadowed the end. Another important detail is the raising of bridges on the Neva. The bridges were opened at a time when in the soul of Oblomov, who lived on the Vyborg side, there was a turning point towards the widow Pshenitsyna, when he fully realized the consequences of life with Olga, was afraid of this life and again began to plunge into apathy. The thread connecting Olga and Oblomov broke, and it cannot be forced to grow together, therefore, when the bridges were built, the connection between Olga and Oblomov was not restored. The snow falling in flakes is also symbolic, which marks the end of the hero’s love and at the same time the decline of his life.
It is no coincidence that the author describes in such detail the house in Crimea in which Olga and Stolz settled. The decoration of the house “bears the stamp of thought and personal taste of the owners,” there were many engravings, statues, and books, which speaks of the education and high culture of Olga and Andrey.
An integral part of the artistic images created by Goncharov and the ideological content of the work as a whole are the proper names of the characters. The surnames of the characters in the novel “Oblomov” carry a great meaning. The main character of the novel, according to the primordial Russian tradition, received his surname from the Oblomovka family estate, the name of which goes back to the word “fragment”: a fragment of the old way of life, patriarchal Rus'. Reflecting on Russian life and its typical representatives of his time, Goncharov was one of the first to notice a failure of internal national traits, fraught with a cliff, or a bummer. Ivan Aleksandrovich foresaw the terrible state into which Russian society began to fall in the 19th century and which by the 20th century had become a mass phenomenon. Laziness, the lack of a specific goal in life, passion and desire to work has become a distinctive national feature. There is another explanation for the origin of the main character’s surname: in folk tales the concept of “dream-oblomon” is often found, which enchants a person, as if crushing him with a gravestone, dooming him to slow, gradual extinction.
Analyzing his contemporary life, Goncharov looked for the antipode of Oblomov among the Alekseevs, Petrovs, Mikhailovs and other people. As a result of these searches, a hero with a German surname emerged Stolz(translated from German - “proud, full of self-esteem, aware of his superiority”).
Ilya Ilyich spent his entire adult life striving for an existence “that would be both full of content and flow quietly, day after day, drop by drop, in silent contemplation of nature and the quiet, barely creeping phenomena of a peaceful, busy family life.” He found such an existence in Pshenitsyna’s house. “She was very white and full in the face, so that the color did not seem to be able to break through her cheeks (like a “wheat bun”). The name of this heroine is Agafya- translated from Greek means “kind, good.” Agafya Matveevna is a type of modest and meek housewife, an example of female kindness and tenderness, whose life interests were limited only to family concerns. Oblomov's maid Anisya(translated from Greek - “fulfillment, benefit, completion”) is close in spirit to Agafya Matveevna, and that is why they quickly became friends and became inseparable.
But if Agafya Matveevna loved Oblomov thoughtlessly and selflessly, then Olga Ilyinskaya literally “fought” for him. For the sake of his awakening, she was ready to sacrifice her life. Olga loved Ilya for his own sake (hence the surname Ilyinskaya).
Last name of “friend” Oblomov, Tarantieva, carries a hint of the word ram. In Mikhei Andreevich’s relationships with people, such qualities as rudeness, arrogance, persistence and unprincipledness are revealed. Isai Fomich Worn out, to whom Oblomov gave power of attorney to manage the estate, turned out to be a fraudster, grated roll. In collusion with Tarantyev and brother Pshenitsyna, he skillfully robbed Oblomov and erased your tracks.
Speaking about the artistic features of the novel, one cannot ignore the landscape sketches: for Olga, walking in the garden, a lilac branch, flowering fields - all this is associated with love and feelings. Oblomov also realizes that he is connected with nature, although he does not understand why Olga constantly drags him out for walks, enjoying the surrounding nature, spring, and happiness. The landscape creates the psychological background of the entire narrative.
To reveal the feelings and thoughts of the characters, the author uses a technique such as an internal monologue. This technique is most clearly revealed in the description of Oblomov’s feelings for Olga Ilyinskaya. The author constantly shows the thoughts, remarks, and internal reasoning of the characters.
Throughout the entire novel, Goncharov subtly jokes and sneers at his characters. This irony is especially noticeable in the dialogues between Oblomov and Zakhar. This is how the scene of placing the robe on the owner’s shoulders is described. “Ilya Ilyich almost did not notice how Zakhar undressed him, pulled off his boots and threw a robe over him.
What is this? - he asked only, looking at the robe.
The hostess brought it in today: they washed and repaired the robe,” said Zakhar.
Oblomov sat down and remained in the chair.”
The main compositional device of the novel is antithesis. The author contrasts images (Oblomov - Stolz, Olga Ilyinskaya - Agafya Pshenitsyna), feelings (Olga’s love, selfish, proud, and Agafya Matveevna’s love, selfless, forgiving), lifestyle, portrait characteristics, character traits, events and concepts, details (branch lilac, symbolizing hope for a bright future, and a robe as a quagmire of laziness and apathy). Antithesis makes it possible to more clearly identify the individual character traits of the heroes, to see and understand two incomparable poles (for example, Oblomov’s two colliding states - stormy temporary activity and laziness, apathy), and also helps to penetrate into the hero’s inner world, to show the contrast that is present not only in the external , but also in the spiritual world.
The beginning of the work is built on the collision of the bustling world of St. Petersburg and the isolated inner world of Oblomov. All visitors (Volkov, Sudbinsky, Alekseev, Penkin, Tarantiev) who visit Oblomov are prominent representatives of a society living according to the laws of falsehood. The main character seeks to isolate himself from them, from the dirt that his friends bring in the form of invitations and news: “Don’t come, don’t come! You're coming out of the cold!
The whole system of images in the novel is built on the device of antithesis: Oblomov - Stolz, Olga - Agafya Matveevna. The portrait characteristics of the heroes are also given in contrast. So, Oblomov is plump, plump, “with the absence of any definite idea, any concentration in his facial features”; Stolz consists entirely of bones and muscles, “he is constantly in motion.” Two completely different types of character, and it’s hard to believe that there could be anything in common between them. And yet it is so. Andrey, despite his categorical rejection of Ilya’s lifestyle, was able to discern in him traits that are difficult to maintain in the turbulent flow of life: naivety, gullibility and openness. Olga Ilyinskaya fell in love with him for his kind heart, “dovelike tenderness and inner purity.” Oblomov is not only inactive, lazy and apathetic, he is open to the world, but some invisible film prevents him from merging with it, walking the same path with Stolz, living an active, full life.
Two key female characters of the novel - Olga Ilyinskaya and Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna - are also presented in opposition. These two women symbolize two life paths that are given to Oblomov as a choice. Olga is a strong, proud and purposeful person, while Agafya Matveevna is kind, simple and thrifty. Ilya would only have to take one step towards Olga, and he would be able to immerse himself in the dream that was depicted in “The Dream...”. But communication with Ilyinskaya became the last test for Oblomov’s personality. His nature is not able to merge with the cruel outside world. He abandons the eternal search for happiness and chooses the second path - he plunges into apathy and finds peace in the cozy house of Agafya Matveevna.
Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov used a variety of artistic techniques and means to reveal the characters of his characters and creatively express his ideas. However, the main features of the writer’s creative style are:
“I wrote only what I experienced, what I thought and felt, what I loved, what I saw and knew closely - in a word, I wrote both my life and what grew into it” (I.A. Goncharov)
Artistic means of revealing the characters in a novel
Goncharov uses the following expressive artistic means in his own unique way, revealing the characters of the characters in Oblomov:
- Portrait - highlighting the main feature
“He was a man about thirty-two or three years old, ... of pleasant appearance, with eyes that wandered carelessly along the walls, along the ceiling, with that vague thoughtfulness that shows that nothing occupies him, nothing worries him. Sometimes his gaze darkened with an expression as if of fatigue or boredom. But neither fatigue nor boredom could for a moment drive away the softness from the face, which was the dominant and fundamental expression, not only of the face, but of the whole soul.”
- Direct characterization of a hero by another character
Olga about the main character:
“This is a crystal, transparent soul; there are few such people; they are rare; these are pearls in the crowd!
- Double images and antagonists (see section:);
- Attitude towards other people (Love story for Olga Ilyinskaya).
- Character Speech
“Don’t come, don’t come: you’re coming from the cold!”, “What are you doing? God be with you! It’s so cold..."
- Author's commentary on the hero's actions, including inner speech
“Is it easy? I had to think about the means to take any measures”, “What am I really? You need to know with your conscience: it’s time to get down to business!...", "... but, after thinking a little, with a caring face and a sigh, he slowly lay down in his place again.”
- Details - symbols:
The robe as a symbol of Oblomovism
“The robe had in Oblomov’s eyes a darkness of invaluable merits: it is soft, flexible; you don’t feel it on your shoulders; he, like an obedient slave, submits to the slightest movement of the body,”
The lilac branch is a symbol of nascent love, the motto “Now or never” as an incentive to awaken the character.
Introduction
Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” is a socio-psychological work of Russian literature of the mid-19th century, in which the author touches on a number of “eternal” topics that are also relevant for the modern reader. One of the leading literary techniques used by Goncharov is the portrait characterization of heroes. Through a detailed description of the appearance of the characters, not only their character is revealed, but also the individual characteristics, similarities and differences of the characters are emphasized. A special place in the narrative is occupied by the portrait of Oblomov in the novel “Oblomov”. It is with a description of Ilya Ilyich’s appearance that the author begins the work, paying special attention to the small details and nuances of the character’s appearance.
Portrait of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov
Ilya Ilyich is depicted as a thirty-two-year-old man, of average height with dark gray eyes. He is quite attractive in appearance, but “flattened beyond his years.” The main feature of the hero’s appearance was softness - in facial expression, in movements and body lines. Oblomov did not give the impression of a man living with great goals or constantly thinking about something - in the features of his face one could read the absence of any definite idea and concentration, “thought walked like a free bird across his face, fluttered in his eyes, sat on his half-open lips, hid in the folds of his forehead, then she completely disappeared, and then an even light of carelessness glowed throughout her face. From the face, carelessness passed into the poses of the whole body, even into the folds of the dressing gown.”
Sometimes an expression of boredom or fatigue flashed through his gaze, but they could not drive away from Ilya Ilyich’s face the softness that was present even in his eyes and smile. His too fair skin, small plump hands, soft shoulders and a body too pampered for a man betrayed him as a man not accustomed to work, accustomed to spending all his days in idleness, counting on the help of servants. Any strong emotions were not reflected in Oblomov’s appearance: “when he was even alarmed,” his movements “were also restrained by gentleness and laziness, not without a kind of grace. If a cloud of care came over your face from your soul, your gaze became cloudy, wrinkles appeared on your forehead, and a game of doubt, sadness, and fear began; but rarely did this anxiety congeal in the form of a definite idea, and even more rarely did it turn into an intention. All anxiety was resolved with a sigh and died away in apathy or dormancy.”
The portrait of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov allows us to capture the main character traits of the hero: inner softness, complaisance, laziness, complete calmness and even a certain indifference of the character in relation to the world around him, forming a complex and multifaceted personality. Goncharov himself points out the depth of Oblomov’s character at the beginning of the work: “a superficially observant, cold person, looking casually at Oblomov, would say: “He must be a good man, simplicity!”
“A deeper and prettier man, having peered into his face for a long time, would have walked away in pleasant thought, with a smile.”
The symbolism of clothing in the image of Oblomov
Spending all his days in idleness and all kinds of dreams, making unrealistic plans and drawing in his imagination many pictures of the desired future, Oblomov did not pay attention to his appearance, preferring to wear his favorite home clothes, which seemed to complement his calm facial features and pampered body. He was wearing an old oriental robe with large wide sleeves, made of Persian fabric, in which Ilya Ilyich could wrap himself twice. The robe was devoid of any decorative elements - tassels, velvet, belt - this simplicity, perhaps, was what Oblomov liked most about this element of his wardrobe. It was clear from the robe that the hero had been wearing it for a long time - it “lost its original freshness and in places replaced its primitive, natural gloss with another, acquired one,” although it “still retained the brightness of oriental paint and the strength of the fabric.” Ilya Ilyich liked that the robe was soft, flexible and comfortable - “the body does not feel it on itself.” The second obligatory element of the hero’s home toilet was soft, wide and long shoes “when he, without looking, lowered his feet from the bed to the floor, he certainly fell into them immediately.” Ilya Ilyich did not wear a vest or tie at home, as he loved freedom and space.
The description of Oblomov’s appearance in his home decoration paints before the readers the image of a provincial gentleman who does not need to rush anywhere, because the servants will do everything for him and who spends all his days lounging on his bed. And the things themselves are more like Ilya Ilyich’s faithful servants: the robe, “like an obedient slave,” obeys his every movement, and there was no need to look for shoes or put them on for a long time - they were always at his service.
Oblomov seems to recreate the quiet, measured, “homely” atmosphere of his native Oblomovka, where everything was just for him, and his every whim was fulfilled. The robe and shoes in the novel are symbols of “Oblomovism”, indicating the internal state of the hero, his apathy, detachment from the world, retreat into illusion. Boots become a symbol of real, “uncomfortable” life for Ilya Ilyich: “for whole days,” Oblomov grumbled, putting on a robe, “you don’t take off your boots: your feet itch!” I don’t like this life of yours in St. Petersburg.” However, boots are also a symbol of leaving the power of “Oblomovism”: having fallen in love with Olga, the hero himself throws away his favorite robe and shoes, replacing them with a secular suit and boots that he so dislikes. After parting with Ilyinskaya, Ilya Ilyich becomes completely disillusioned with the real world, so he again takes out an old robe and finally plunges into the swamp of “Oblomovism.”
Appearance of Oblomov and Stolz in Goncharov’s novel
According to the plot of the work, Andrei Ivanovich Stolts is Oblomov’s best friend and his complete antipode both in character and appearance. Stolz was “all made up of bones, muscles and nerves, like a blooded English horse,” “that is, there is bone and muscle, but not a sign of fatty roundness.” Unlike Ilya Ilyich, Andrei Ivanovich is thin, with a darkish, even complexion, greenish, expressive eyes and stingy facial expressions, which he used exactly as much as necessary. Stolz did not have that external softness that was the main feature of his friend; he was characterized by firmness and calmness, without unnecessary fussiness and haste. Everything in his movements was harmonious and controlled: “It seems that he controlled both sorrows and joys, like the movement of his hands, like the steps of his feet, or how he dealt with bad and good weather.”
It would seem that both heroes, Oblomov and Stolz, were distinguished by external calm, but the nature of this calm was different among men. The entire inner storm of Ilya Ilyich’s experiences was lost in his excessive softness, carelessness and infantility. For Stolz, strong experiences were alien: he controlled not only the whole world around him and his movements, but also his feelings, not even allowing them to arise in his soul as something irrational and beyond his control.
conclusions
In “Oblomov”, Goncharov, as a skilled artist, was able to show through the portrait of the characters the full depth of their inner world, “drawing” the characteristics of the characters of the characters, depicting, on the one hand, two social characters typical of that time, and on the other, outlining two complex and tragic images, interesting for their versatility to the modern reader.
Work test
Detail as a means of psychological characterization of characters in I. A. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov”
“A person must absorb the colors of life, but never remember the details. The details are always banal."
This statement by Oscar Wilde can be used as an epigraph to literature lessons in which we study Goncharov’s work. For using the example of his works, and specifically the example of the novel “Oblomov,” you can see how exactly with the help of banal details the image of the heroes of the novel is created.
Literary scholars agree on the definition of detail as the smallest, indecomposable structural element of a work. In a broad sense, this includes, in addition to external, material details related to the artistic world of the work, and internal details that express the emotional movements of a person. In the narrow one - only the first ones, related to the metaverbal, objective world of the work.
Both in linguistics and in literary criticism there has been no general classification of details.
In lessons, we present a detail as the smallest image of a work, part of larger images and ultimately associated with the image of a person. We consider artistic detail to be “primarily substantive details in a broad sense: details of everyday life, landscape, portrait, interior, as well as gesture, subjective reaction, action and speech (the so-called speech characteristic).” .
We identify and consider two groups of details in the work: “descriptive” and “psychological”. With the help of “descriptive” details in the work, the external appearance of the character is created and the world around him is depicted, that is, everything that is more or less static in the work exists as an objective given. They give “flesh and blood” to the heroes of the work and tangibility to the external environment. “Psychological” details are aimed at displaying the character’s inner world, his thoughts, feelings and character as a whole. In this case, the display occurs indirectly, through the external forms of the hero’s psychological appearance, the interpretation of which by the reader or another character in the absence of the author’s explanations can be subjective. We subdivide “descriptive” details into “portrait”, “landscape” and “real” details. Among the “psychological” details, we highlight “behavioral” and “speech”.
A detail is only an element of a portrait, landscape, thing, a set of forms of behavior, speech. But, since it almost always acts within the framework of a larger image (portrait, landscape, thing) and bears the imprint of the artistic whole, we will consider it within the framework of this holistic image. Therefore, in our work we are not talking about individual portrait, landscape, etc. details, but we are looking at groups of portraits and landscapes in the writer’s works, which we highlight depending on the role of the detail in their creation and the general ideological orientation and emotional tonality of the details included in them .
The detail can be called the core of the composition. In this regard, it acts as a part of the whole, and in this part one can find the most significant signs of the writer’s artistic world. Using the part, various types of associative links are created.
The essence of the novel “Oblomov” lies in the fact that there are, in fact, no details in the novel, that everything described in it is depicted with the same care and attention. In the “Oblomov” style there is no small and large, everything is equal and significant. Externally, the different-scale objects of Oblomov’s world are internally of the same scale, all of the same size.
The peculiarity of “Oblomov” is equalization, close connection, unity of man and the world around him. This is due to a special feeling of the inseparability of nature and man, macro- and microcosmos, animate and inanimate. In this case, a person turns out to be inextricably linked with the natural world, with the world of surrounding things, and becomes part of this world.
Everything in the Universe lives a single, coordinated life, as parts of one whole. That is why furnishings, individual details of appearance, animals are just as important to the writer as the experiences, thoughts and feelings of the characters. Goncharov looks at life with an “undifferentiated” look, capturing both the main and the secondary, equating them. It is not a person who descends to the level of a dumb creature, furniture or household item (as was the case with Gogol), but on the contrary, the little things of everyday life rise to the level of a person. A person is merged with the surrounding reality, reflected in it, and she in him.”
Predilection I.A. Goncharov's attention to detail and the associated well-known expansiveness of description of the appearance of the characters, their environment and setting, and the finest depiction of the psychological states of the characters were noted by both the writer's contemporaries and later researchers of his work. When introducing students to critics' reviews of this novel, we pay attention to the following statements.
1. V.G. Belinsky identified artistic objectivity and an amazing ability to draw as the most prominent features of Goncharov’s talent: “Mr. Goncharov paints his figures, characters, scenes primarily in order to satisfy his needs and enjoy his ability to draw; he must leave it to his readers to speak and judge and draw moral consequences from them.<.>The main strength of Mr. Goncharov's talent is always in the elegance and subtlety of the brush, the fidelity of the drawing. - »
2. N.A. Dobrolyubov also saw the strongest side of Goncharov’s talent in “the ability to capture the complete image of an object, mint it, sculpt it,” emphasized “distinction in the outline of even small details and even"th share of attention to all the details of the story." “When you start reading it, you find that many things do not seem to be justified by strict necessity, as if they are not taken into account with the eternal requirements of art. But soon you begin to get used to the world that he depicts, you involuntarily recognize the legality and naturalness of all the phenomena he deduces, you yourself become in the position of the characters and somehow feel that in their place and in their position it is impossible to do otherwise, and as if should not work. You are completely transported into the world into which the author leads you: you find something familiar in it, not only the external form opens before you, but also the very inside, the soul of every face, every object.”
The critic also drew attention to the fact that the scrupulous description of details in Goncharov’s works is in unity with the desire for typological generalizations: “He wanted to ensure that the random image that flashed before him was elevated to a type, giving it a generic and permanent meaning. Therefore, in everything that concerned Oblomov, there were no empty or insignificant things for him.”
3. In 1859, in a review of the novel “Oblomov” by A.V. Druzhinin developed the idea of the similarity of the writer’s talent with the talents of “first-class painters of the Flemish school”: “Like them, he firmly holds on to the reality around him, firmly believing that there is no object in the world that could not be elevated into a poetic representation by the power of labor and talent .<.>.like them, does not reveal all the depth to the superficial observer. But, like them, he appears deeper and deeper with every attentive glance, like them, he puts before our eyes the whole life of a given sphere, a given era and a given society - in order to, like them, forever remain in the history of art and illuminate with bright light the moments of reality captured by him.” A comparison with the Flemish painters highlights such aspects of Goncharov’s style of painting as the thoroughness of the description, the refinement of details, the richness of verbal colors, the accuracy of the drawing, which correctly captures “nature” and subtly conveys its inner essence.
The similarity is revealed in the attention to the prosaic details of life, love for its everyday side, in the ability to “transform the prose of reality into poetry and beauty with one touch.”
The concept of “detail” is repeatedly found in the critical works, letters and works of art of the writer himself, in his reflections on the artistry and truthfulness of creativity.
Following V.G. Belinsky I.A. Goncharov considered himself to be one of the writers-artists par excellence, in whom imagination and heart prevail over the mind, and unconsciousness over the consciousness of creativity: “When drawing, I rarely know at that moment what my image, portrait, character means: I only see it alive in front of myself - and see if I’m drawing correctly.”
, “What seems most strange and inexplicable in this process is that sometimes small, accessory phenomena and details appear in the long-term perspective of the general plan fragmentarily and separately, in faces, scenes that apparently do not fit in with each other, then as if by themselves group around the main event and merge into the general order of life!” The main criterion for genuine art by I.A. Goncharov considered imagery and put it at the forefront.
According to the writer, in order for an image to be artistically truthful (“artistic truth and the truth of reality are not the same thing”), truth is needed in the painting of details, “small strokes captured from nature, giving life, almost movement to the picture.” But not the truth “which the newest fiction writers present as the real truth and which is limited to a bare copy of reality, without the rays of poetry, fidelity to line and automatic, external movement of figures, because they do not know how to give flesh, blood, colors and life to their creatures! » , but the truth, reflected by the artist’s fantasy and illuminated by its rays.
Depending on the nature of the character portrayed, I.A. Goncharov chooses either a detailed, minute, scrupulous drawing of the situation surrounding the hero, a leisurely listing of everyday details, or gives an idea of it with two or three expressive details.
The first method depicts characters rooted in everyday life, closely, organically connected with their environment and largely explained by it (Oblomov, Agafya Matveevna, Tatyana Markovna, Marfenka, etc.). The second are original, extraordinary heroes, extraordinary in their qualities (Olga, Vera), representatives of a phenomenon that is just emerging in Russia, the roots and contours of which are not yet clear enough (Petr Aduev, Stolz, Tushin), characters whose character type has no rational explanation (Paradise).
From all that has been said, it is obvious that artistic detail is one of Goncharov’s main means of creating an image and its study is important for understanding the uniqueness of the style of any writer, since it is in detail that the “creative individuality of the writer and national-historical” individuality are first imprinted "epoch" turns out to be especially relevant in connection with the work of I.A. Goncharova.
Opening the first pages of the novel, the reader learns that Ilya Ilyich Oblomov lives in a large house on Gorokhovaya Street.
Gorokhovaya Street is one of the main streets of St. Petersburg, where representatives of the highest aristocracy lived. Having learned later about the environment in which Oblomov lives, the reader may think that the author wanted to mislead him by emphasizing the name of the street where Oblomov lived. But that's not true. The author did not want to confuse the reader, but, on the contrary, to show that Oblomov could still be something other than he is in the first pages of the novel; that he has the makings of a person who could make his way in life. That’s why he lives not just anywhere, but on Gorokhovaya Street.
From the very first pages of I. A. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” we find ourselves in the atmosphere of a lazy person, an idle pastime and a certain loneliness. So, Oblomov had “three rooms... In those rooms the furniture was covered with covers, the curtains were drawn.” In Oblomov’s room itself there was a sofa, the back of which sank down and “the glued wood came loose in places.”
All around there was a cobweb filled with dust, “mirrors, instead of reflecting objects, could serve rather as tablets for writing on them, in the dust, some notes for memory,” - here Goncharov is ironic. “The carpets were stained. There was a forgotten towel on the sofa; On the rare morning there was not a plate with a salt shaker and a gnawed bone standing on the table, not cleared away from yesterday's dinner, and there were no bread crumbs lying around... If not for this plate, and not for the just smoked pipe leaning against the bed, or not for the owner himself lying on it, then one would think that no one lives here - everything was so dusty, faded and generally devoid of traces of human presence.” Next are listed dusty books unfolded, last year's newspaper and an abandoned inkwell - a very interesting detail.
“Oblomov wouldn’t trade a large sofa, a comfortable robe, or soft shoes for anything. Since childhood, I have been confident that life is an eternal holiday. Oblomov has no idea about work. He literally doesn’t know how to do anything and he says it himself6 “Who am I? What am I? Go and ask Zakhar, and he will answer you: “master!” Yes, I’m a gentleman and I don’t know how to do anything.”
“In Oblomov, Goncharov reached the pinnacle of artistic mastery, creating plastically tangible canvases of life. The artist fills the smallest details and particulars with a certain meaning. Goncharov's writing style is characterized by constant transitions from the particular to the general. And the whole contains a huge generalization.”
Details of the setting appear more than once on the pages of the novel. The dusty mirror symbolizes the lack of reflection of Oblomov’s activities. This is how it is: the hero does not see himself from the outside until Stolz arrives. All his activities: lying on the sofa and shouting at Zakhar.
The details of the furnishings in Oblomov’s house on Gorokhovaya Street are similar to what was in his parents’ house. The same desolation, the same clumsiness and lack of visibility of human presence: “a large living room in the parents’ house, with antique ash armchairs, always covered with covers, with a huge, awkward and hard sofa, upholstered in faded blue barracks in spots, and one leather chair... In There is only one tallow candle burning dimly in the room, and this was only allowed on winter and autumn evenings.”
The lack of housekeeping, the habit of inconvenience of the Oblomovites - just not to spend money - explains the fact that the porch is wobbly, that the gate is crooked, that “Ilya Ivanovich’s leather chair is only called leather, but in fact it is either a washcloth or a rope: leather “Only one piece of the back remains, and the rest has already fallen into pieces and peeled off for five years now...”
Goncharov masterfully ironizes the appearance of his hero, who suits the situation so well! “How well Oblomov’s home suit suited his calm features and pampered body! He was wearing a robe made of Persian material, a real oriental robe, without the slightest hint of Europe, without tassels, without velvet, very roomy, so that Oblomov could wrap himself in it twice. The sleeves, in constant Asian fashion, went wider and wider from the fingers to the shoulder. Although this robe had lost its original freshness and in places replaced its primitive, natural gloss with another, acquired one, it still retained the brightness of the oriental paint and the strength of the fabric...
Oblomov always walked around the house without a tie and without a vest, because he loved space and freedom. His shoes were long, soft and wide; when he, without looking, lowered his feet from the bed to the floor, he certainly fell into them immediately.”
The situation in Oblomov’s house, everything that surrounds him, bears Oblomov’s imprint. But the hero dreams of elegant furniture, books, sheet music, a piano - alas, he only dreams.
There is not even paper on his dusty desk, and there is no ink in the inkwell either. And they won't appear. Oblomov failed “to sweep away the cobwebs from the walls along with the dust and cobwebs from his eyes and to see clearly.” Here it is, the motif of a dusty mirror that gives no reflection.
When the hero met Olga, when he fell in love with her, the dust and cobwebs became unbearable for him. “He ordered several crappy paintings to be taken out, which some patron of poor artists had forced upon him; He himself straightened the curtain, which had not been raised for a long time, called Anisya and ordered him to wipe the windows, brushed away the cobwebs ... "
“With things, everyday details, the author of Oblomov characterizes not only the appearance of the hero, but also the contradictory struggle of passions, the history of growth and fall, and his subtlest experiences. Illuminating feelings, thoughts, psychology in their confusion with material things, with phenomena of the external world, which are like an image - the equivalent of the hero’s internal state, Goncharov acts as an inimitable, original artist.
In chapter six of part two, details of the natural setting appear: lilies of the valley, fields, groves - “and the lilacs are still growing near the houses, the branches are climbing into the windows, the smell is cloying. Look, the dew on the lilies of the valley has not yet dried.”
Nature testifies to the short awakening of the hero, which will pass just as the lilac branch withers.
The lilac branch is a detail that characterizes the peak of the hero’s awakening, as is the robe, which he threw off for a while, but which he will inevitably put on at the end of the novel, repaired by Pshenitsyna, which will symbolize a return to his former, Oblomov’s life. This robe is a symbol of Oblomovism, like cobwebs with dust, like dusty tables and mattresses and dishes piled up in disarray.
Interest in details brings Goncharov closer to Gogol. Things in Oblomov's house are described in Gogol's style.
Both Gogol and Goncharov do not have everyday surroundings “for background”. All objects in their artistic world are significant and animated.
Goncharova's Oblomov, like Gogol's heroes, creates a special microworld around himself that gives him away. Everyday life is filled with the presence of Oblomov Ilya Ilyich, Oblomovism.
The novel by I. A. Goncharov is read with great interest, thanks not only to the plot and love affair, but also due to the truth in the depiction of the details of the situation, their high artistry. The feeling when you read this novel is as if you are looking at a huge, bright, unforgettable canvas painted in oil paints, with the delicate taste of a master depicting everyday details. All the dirt and awkwardness of Oblomov’s life is striking.
This life is almost static. At the moment of the hero's love, he is transformed, only to return to his former self at the end of the novel.
“The writer uses two main methods of depicting an image: firstly, the method of detailed sketching of the appearance and surroundings; secondly, the method of psychological analysis... Even the first researcher of Goncharov’s work, N. Dobrolyubov, saw the artistic originality of this writer in the uniform attention “to all the small details of the types he reproduced and the entire way of life”... Goncharov organically combined plastically tangible paintings, distinguished by amazing external detail, with a subtle analysis of the heroes’ psychology.”
The motif of dust appears again on the pages of the novel in chapter seven of part three. This is a dusty page of a book. Olga understands from it that Oblomov did not read. He didn't do anything at all. And again the motif of desolation: “the windows are small, the wallpaper is old... She looked at the crumpled, embroidered pillows, at the disorder, at the dusty windows, at the desk, sorted through several dust-covered papers, moved the pen in the dry inkwell...”
Throughout the novel, the ink never appeared in the inkwell. Oblomov does not write anything, which indicates the degradation of the hero. He doesn't live - he exists. He is indifferent to the inconvenience and lack of life in his home. It was as if he had died and wrapped himself in a shroud when in the fourth part, in the first chapter, after breaking up with Olga, he watches the snow fall and cause “large snowdrifts in the yard and on the street, like covering firewood, chicken coops, a kennel, a garden, and vegetable garden beds.” how pyramids were formed from fence posts, how everything died and was wrapped in a shroud.” Spiritually, Oblomov died, which resonates with the situation.
On the contrary, the details of the furnishings in the Stolts house prove the love of life of its inhabitants. Everything there breathes life in its various manifestations. “Their house was modest and small. Its internal structure had the same style as the external architecture, and all the decoration bore the stamp of thought and personal taste of the owners.”
Here, various little things speak of life: yellowed books, and paintings, and old porcelain, and stones, and coins, and statues “with broken arms and legs,” and an oilcloth raincoat, and suede gloves, and stuffed birds, and shells...
“A lover of comfort, perhaps, would shrug his shoulders, looking at all the assorted furniture, dilapidated paintings, statues with broken arms and legs, sometimes bad, but dear in memory engravings, little things. Would a connoisseur's eyes light up more than once with the fire of greed when looking at this or that painting, at some book yellowed with time, at old porcelain or stones and coins?
But among this multi-century furniture, paintings, among those that had no meaning for anyone, but were marked for both of them by a happy hour, a memorable moment of little things, in the ocean of books and sheet music, there was a breath of warm life, something irritating the mind and aesthetic sense; Everywhere there was either a vigilant thought or the beauty of human affairs shone, just as the eternal beauty of nature shone all around.
Here there was also a place for a high desk, like Andrei’s father had, and suede gloves; An oilcloth cloak hung in the corner near a cabinet with minerals, shells, stuffed birds, samples of various clays, goods and other things. Among everything, the wing of Erar shone in a place of honor in gold and inlay.
A network of grapes, ivy and myrtles covered the cottage from top to bottom. From the gallery one could see the sea, and on the other side the road to the city.” (Whereas snowdrifts and a chicken coop were visible from Oblomov’s window).
Wasn’t this the kind of decoration Oblomov dreamed of when he told Stolz about elegant furniture, a piano, sheet music and books? But the hero did not achieve this, “did not keep up with life” and instead listened to “the crackling of a coffee mill, the jumping on a chain and the barking of a dog, Zakhar polishing his boots and the measured knock of a pendulum.” In Oblomov’s famous dream, “it would seem that Goncharov simply masterfully described a noble estate, one of thousands of similar ones in pre-reform Russia. Detailed essays reproduce the nature of this “corner”, the morals and concepts of the inhabitants, the cycle of their ordinary day and their whole life. All and every manifestation of Oblomov’s life and being (everyday custom, upbringing and education, beliefs and “ideals”) are immediately integrated by the writer into “one image” through the “main motive” that penetrates the entire picture» silence and stillness or sleep , under whose “charming power” reside in Oblomovka and the bar, and the serfs, and the servants, and finally, the local nature itself. “How quiet everything is... sleepy in the villages that make up this area,” Goncharov notes at the beginning of the chapter, then repeating: “The same deep silence and peace lie in the fields...”; “...Silence and undisturbed calm reign in the morals of the people in that region.” This motif reaches its culmination in the afternoon scene of “an all-consuming, invincible sleep, a true likeness of death.”
Imbued with one thought, the different facets of the depicted “wonderful land” are thanks to this not only united, but also generalized, acquiring the super-everyday meaning of one of the stable - national and global– types of life . It is the patriarchal-idyllic life, the distinctive properties of which are a focus on physiological needs (food, sleep, procreation) in the absence of spiritual ones, the cyclical nature of the circle of life in its main biological moments “homelands, weddings, funerals”, people’s attachment to one place, fear of moving , isolation and indifference to the rest of the world. Goncharov’s idyllic Oblomovites are at the same time characterized by gentleness and warmth and, in this sense, humanity.” It is precisely this regularity and slowness that marks Oblomov’s life. This is the psychology of Oblomovism.
Oblomov has no business that would be a vital necessity for him; he will live anyway. He has Zakhar, he has Anisya, he has Agafya Matveevna. In his house there is everything that the master needs for his measured life.
There are a lot of dishes in Oblomov’s house: round and oval dishes, gravy boats, teapots, cups, plates, pots. “Entire rows of huge, pot-bellied and miniature teapots and several rows of porcelain cups, simple, with paintings, with gilding, with mottos, with flaming hearts, with Chinese. Large glass jars with coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, crystal teapots, bowls with oil, with vinegar.
Then whole shelves were cluttered with packs, bottles, boxes of home medicines, herbs, lotions, plasters, alcohols, camphor, powders, and incense; there was soap, potions for cleaning mugs, removing stains, etc., etc. - everything that you would find in any house in any province, from any housewife.”
More details of Oblomov’s abundance: “hams were hung from the ceiling so that mice would not spoil them, cheeses, heads of sugar, hanging fish, bags of dried mushrooms, nuts bought from a Chukhonka... On the floor there were tubs of butter, large covered pots with sour cream, baskets with eggs - and something didn’t happen! We need the pen of another Homer to count with completeness and detail everything that was accumulated in the corners, on all the shelves of this little ark of home life”...
But, despite all this abundance, there was no main thing in Oblomov’s house - there was no life itself, there was no thought, everything went on by itself, without the participation of the owner.
Even with the appearance of Pshenitsyna, the dust did not completely disappear from Oblomov’s house - it remained in the room of Zakhar, who at the end of the novel became a beggar.
Oblomov’s apartment on Gorokhovaya Street and Pshenitsyna’s house - everything is drawn lushly, colorfully, with rare meticulousness...
Another very significant detail is the raising of bridges on the Neva. Just when in the soul of Oblomov, who lived with Pshenitsyna, a turning point began in the direction of Agafya Matveevna, her care, her corner of paradise; when he realized with all clarity what his life with Olga would be like; when he became frightened of this life and began to fall into “sleep,” that’s when the bridges were opened. Communication between Oblomov and Olga was interrupted, the thread that connected them was broken, and, as you know, a thread can be tied “forcibly,” but it cannot be forced to grow together, therefore, when bridges were built, the connection between Olga and Oblomov was not restored. Olga married Stolz, they settled in Crimea, in a modest house. But this house, its decoration “bears the stamp of thought and personal taste of the owners,” which is already important. The furniture in their house was not comfortable, but there were many engravings, statues, books, yellowed with time, which speaks of the education, high culture of the owners, for whom old books, coins, engravings are valuable, who constantly find something new in them for myself.
“In Oblomov, Goncharov’s ability to paint Russian life with almost picturesque plasticity and tangibility was clearly demonstrated. Oblomovka, the Vyborg side, the St. Petersburg day of Ilya Ilyich are reminiscent of the paintings of the “Little Flemings” or the everyday sketches of the Russian artist P. A. Fedotov. While not deflecting praise for his “painting,” Goncharov was at the same time deeply upset when readers did not feel in his novel that special “music” that ultimately permeated the pictorial facets of the work
“In Oblomov, the most important of the “poetic” and poeticizing principles of the work is “graceful love” itself, the “poem” and “drama” of which, in Goncharov’s eyes, coincided with the main moments in people’s lives. And even with the boundaries of nature, the main states of which in Oblomov are parallel to the origin, development, culmination, and finally, the extinction of the feelings of Ilya Ilyich and Olga Ilyinskaya. The hero's love arose in the atmosphere of spring with a sunny park, lilies of the valley and the famous lilac branch, blossomed on a sultry summer afternoon, full of dreams and bliss, then died out with the autumn rains, smoking city chimneys, empty dachas and a park with crows on bare trees, and finally ended along with the raised bridges over the Neva and everything being covered with snow.”
Describing life, I. A. Goncharov characterizes the inhabitant of the house, Oblomov, - his mental laziness and inaction. The setting characterizes the hero and his experiences.
In the novel "Oblomov" a material detail plays a huge role in creating the image of the main character. “We barely looked at the hero, did not hear a single word from his lips, but we are already familiar with him from the smallest details of the situation,” noted D.S. Merezhkovsky. In. Annensky wrote in an article about Oblomov: “We do not know a person in Russian literature so fully, so vividly depicted.” According to the observation of N.I. Prutskov, “with things, everyday details, the author of Oblomov characterizes not only the appearance of the hero, but also the contradictory struggle of passions, the history of growth and fall, and his subtlest experiences.” Oblomov’s struggle with himself and the struggle for Oblomov is presented as an attempt to free himself from the dressing gown, which is by no means easy, because he became, as it were, a direct continuation of the hero himself: “From the face, carelessness passed into the poses of the whole body, even into the folds of the dressing gown. A wardrobe detail acquires the status of a symbol - a symbol of Oblomovism as a way of life, morality, philosophy.
Oblomov thinks and feels in images of the objective world around him. Let us at least remember the elaboration of the smallest details of the future structure of the estate, the vividly drawn picture of moving to a new apartment, the artistic consideration of the escape of serfs, the representation of a wedding ceremony in images, the comparison of Agafya Pshenitsyna’s breasts with a sofa cushion, etc.
Details of the setting in I. A. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” are the main witnesses to the character of the owners. Thus, in Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” there are many details, to interpret which means to understand the novel more deeply.
I.Introduction
When reading a book, we usually pay little attention to details; we are captivated by the plot, the very idea of the book. Often we skip some boring, at first glance, description of nature or interior, which, as it seems to us, is not at all important. And if you look closely, read this or that description, pay attention to a small detail, a trifle, then it turns out that it is not as insignificant as it seems. A simple description of nature can convey the mood of the hero, the interior can reveal the character, a fleeting gesture can guess the impulses of the soul, and a thing or object can become a symbol inseparable from the character.
So, without losing sight of every detail, you can more fully reveal the hero and the whole meaning of the book, see the hidden, interpret the obvious. This is the most important role of the detail.
II."Through" parts
In Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” there are several details that run through the entire novel, so I will call them “cross-cutting”. This is a robe that suited “the calm features of his face and his pampered body” and had “in Oblomov’s eyes a darkness of invaluable merits”; it became not just home clothes, but literally a symbol of the hero himself, his way of life, his soul. He is as broad, free, soft, and light as the character of Ilya Ilyich. It contains Oblomov’s whole life, so spacious, homely, lazy, cozy.
Before Stolz appeared, the main character could not imagine himself in any other clothes, just as he did not want to change his lifestyle for anything. But then the spark of life, the desire to live and act, ignites in him: “What should he do now? Go forward or stay? This Oblomov question was deeper for him than Hamlet’s. Going forward means suddenly throwing off the wide robe not only from your shoulders, but also from your soul, from your mind...” The robe disappeared along with mental apathy and laziness when Olga and love appeared in his life: “The robe was not to be seen on him: Tarantyev took it with him to his godfather with other things.”
Although in love for Olga Oblomov began to feel, burn, live, she was afraid that he would return to his peaceful, lazy life, again throw on himself the robe of drowsiness, apathy and indifference: “What if,” she began with a heated question, “you you will get tired of this love, just as you are tired of books, of service, of light; if over time, without a rival, without another love, you suddenly fall asleep next to me, as if on your own sofa, and my voice does not wake you up; if the tumor near the heart goes away, even if not another woman, but your robe will be more valuable to you?..."
Later, Pshenitsyna found a robe and offered to wash and repair it, but Ilya Ilyich refused, saying: “In vain! I don’t wear it anymore, I’m behind, I don’t need it.” It was like a warning of upcoming events. After all, after breaking up with his beloved, immediately that evening the recently forgotten robe found itself again on his shoulders: “Ilya Ilyich almost did not notice how Zakhar undressed him, pulled off his boots and threw a robe on him!”
So Oblomov remained to live in laziness, idleness, apathy, wrapped in them like a robe, until his death. The robe was worn out, just like its owner.
Another, no less important subject in the novel “Oblomov” is lilac. The smell of lilac first appears in Ilya Ilyich’s dream. Olga picked a lilac branch during a meeting with Oblomov and dropped it out of surprise and disappointment. The branch deliberately thrown by Olga becomes a symbol of her annoyance. As a hint of reciprocity and hope for possible happiness, Ilya Ilyich picked her up and came with her on the next date. As a symbol of revitalization, a blossoming feeling, Olga embroiders lilacs on canvas, pretending that she chose the pattern completely by accident. But for both, the lilac branch became a symbol of their love and happiness. “While there was love between us in the form of a light, smiling vision, while it sounded in Casta diva, it was carried in the smell of a lilac branch...” Oblomov wrote in his letter. It seemed to them that love was fading like a lilac:
Well, if you don’t want to tell me, give me a sign… a lilac branch…
The lilacs... moved away, disappeared! - she answered. - Look, see what remains: faded!
The author also mentions lilac branches as a symbol of loneliness and lost happiness in the final lines: “Lilac branches, planted by a friendly hand, doze over the grave, and wormwood smells serenely...”
Shoes are another important detail. At first they appear as an item of clothing for Oblomov, confirming his contentment with his life, comfort, confidence: “The shoes he was wearing were long, soft and wide; when he, without looking, lowered his feet from the bed to the floor, he certainly fell into them immediately.”
Looking at whether Ilya Ilyich gets his feet into his shoes, we can guess his thoughts, uncertainty, doubts, indecision: “Now never again!” "To be or not to be!" Oblomov started to get up from his chair, but didn’t immediately hit his shoe and sat down again.” 1 Another time we will read boredom from inaction: “Ilya Ilyich lay carelessly on the sofa, playing with a shoe, dropped it on the floor, lifted it into the air, twirled it there, it would fall, he would pick it up from the floor with his foot...” 2
In general, shoes are a very telling subject. The boots seem to determine Oblomov’s social status. This is clearly visible in the scene where Stolz asked Zakhar who Ilya Ilyich was. “Master,” the servant answered, and although Oblomov corrected him, saying that he was a “gentleman,” his friend had a different opinion:
No, no, you are a master! - Stolz continued with a laugh.
What's the difference? - said Oblomov. – A gentleman is the same gentleman.
A gentleman is such a gentleman, Stolz defined, who puts on his stockings himself and takes off his boots himself. 3
In other words, the inability to take off and put on boots on one’s own speaks of the hero’s extreme laziness and spoilage. Zakhar, who learned that the master was going to go abroad, shared the same opinion: “Who’s going to take off your boots there? – Zakhar remarked ironically. - Girls, or what? You’ll be lost there without me!” 4
The same idea is confirmed by another detail found throughout the book - stockings. It all started with the fact that even in childhood, the nanny pulled on Ilya’s stockings, and his mother did not allow him to do anything on his own, because if Andrei were not next to him, who knows if he would ever get up from the sofa. “...But there is no need, I still don’t know how, and my eyes can’t see, and my hands are weak! You lost your skill as a child, in Oblomovka, among aunts, nannies and uncles. It started with the inability to put on stockings and ended with the inability to live,” 6 Stolz concluded and he was right. Oblomov’s life was worn out, frayed, leaky, like a stocking. No wonder Pshenitsyna, having sorted out his stockings, counted “fifty-five pairs, and almost all of them were thin...” 7
III.Hint details. Oblomov's dream.
Oblomov’s dream is replete with various details, and many of them not only reproduce details of the situation, appearance, landscape, but acquire symbolic meaning. The inhabitants of Oblomovka themselves attached great importance to their dreams: “If the dream was terrible, everyone thought about it, they were afraid in earnest; if prophetic, everyone was unfeignedly happy or sad, depending on whether the dream was sad or comforting. If the dream required the observance of any sign, active measures were immediately taken for this.” 1
I think that Ilya Ilyich’s dream also has a special, hidden subtext that requires decoding. Although at first glance it seems that this is simply a description of the life of the inhabitants of Oblomovka, it is still a dream in which almost every item mentioned has a secret meaning.
Throughout the dream, a ravine is mentioned, which so attracted and at the same time frightened little Ilyusha. A ravine or cliff is considered a symbol of collapse, failure of plans, collapse of hopes. All this happened to our hero soon. Let us also remember the hut hanging half over the ravine: “Just as one hut fell on the cliff of a ravine, it has been hanging there since time immemorial, standing with one half in the air and supported by three poles.” 2 It seems to me that this seems to show the hero’s state of mind, suggests that with one foot he is already in the abyss, with the other he is still standing on solid ground and has a chance to avoid falling.
Let us now remember the Oblomovs’ house itself, with its crooked gates, dilapidated gallery, shaky porch, “with a wooden roof sagging in the middle, on which delicate green moss grew.” 1 All this foreshadows decline and failure in the future life. A destroyed porch in a dream, through the steps of which “not only cats and pigs crawl into the basement,” 2 means that “soon you will have to part with your old life and need, failures, deprivations, worries and troubles await you ahead.” 3 Moss in a dream is “a sign of unfulfilled hopes and sad memories.” 4 The steep staircase that Ilyusha climbed symbolizes the danger from too hasty and risky actions. This is a warning that could save Oblomov from cruel doubts, writing a letter to Olga and their serious quarrel and misunderstanding.
If we pay attention to small objects in a dream, we will see that they, too, often predict the sad future of the hero. A dimly burning candle “means a meager existence, dissatisfaction with oneself and the state of affairs”, 5 “a clock in a dream is a symbol of life, change (good or bad), movement, success or defeat.” 6 Twice in a dream, along with the knocking of a clock and the sound of the father’s steps, the sound of a bitten thread is heard: “Quiet; Only the footsteps of Ilya Ivanovich’s heavy homework boots are heard, the wall clock in its case is still dully tapping with a pendulum, and a thread is torn from time to time by hand or teeth<…>breaks the deep silence." 7 I think this is clearly not without reason, because “rough shoes in a dream predict difficulties, discontent, obstacles in business,” 8 and “torn threads are a sign that trouble awaits you due to the treachery of your friends” 9 and a symbol of torn, broken the life that Oblomov lived, although the fact that Ilya Ilyich heard only sound softens the difficult prediction.
However, there are also details here that promise a pleasant future. The fact that Ilyusha’s mother combs and admires his beautiful, soft hair suggests that love joys and happiness await him. The fact that the boy watches sleeping people (during the general afternoon nap) means that “by seeking someone’s favor, he will sweep away all obstacles in his path.” 10 But Oblomov did not even try to understand the meaning of his dream. Perhaps, having seen at least a couple of symbols, he would have heeded the warnings and predictions and tried to change something. However, unlike his relatives, he did not attach any significance to the dream and apathy, ruin, disappointment, and difficulties entered his life.
IV.Symbolism of details. Flowers.
I found it very unusual how the flowers themselves were described in the novel. We don’t know whether Goncharov put some kind of secret meaning into them, but if you look into the dictionary of flower symbolism, it turns out that each flower seems to have been specially selected in order to more fully reveal the hero’s mental state, to convey his hidden thoughts and feelings in that or another episode of the novel.
Flowers are first mentioned at the very beginning of the story, when Volkov comes to Oblomov. A young man in love dreams of getting camellias for his beloved. Camellias are a rare flower for the Russian tradition, like Volkov himself, all refined, like a “cambric scarf” with “aromas of the East.” In the sacred Druid calendar, camellia means pleasant appearance, sophistication, artistry and, oddly enough, childishness. Therefore, probably, the mood after reading the scene with Volkov’s arrival remains somehow light, unreal, a little feigned, theatrical.
Oblomov, in a conversation with Olga, openly declares that he does not like flowers, especially those with a strong smell; his preferences are given to wild and forest flowers. Lily of the valley has long been considered a symbol of hidden love. Slavic tradition calls this flower “maiden tears.”
Oblomov gives Olga lilies of the valley, as if suggesting that his love will make her cry in the future: “You made it so that there were tears, but it is not in your power to stop them... You are not so strong! Let me in! - she said, waving a handkerchief in her face.” 2
During one of their dates, Olga lists flowers that Ilya might like, and he rejects lilac, as if sensing that this flower is very symbolic. Unlike the symbolism of dreams, in the Druid calendar lilacs meant loneliness. It was generally considered an ominous shrub that should not even be used to decorate your home. Oblov picks up the branch abandoned by Olga and brings it home, as if accepting loneliness.
Ilya Ilyich did not like both mignonette and roses. The rose is the queen of flowers, the favorite flower of the Muses and Queen Aphrodite, symbolizing innocence, love, health, coquetry and love play.
In Oblomov’s denial of love for roses, I see a huge contradiction inherent in the author’s character of Ilya Ilyich. He craves full-fledged feelings and is afraid of them, loves and remains a cold observer, sees Olga’s love play and dreams and chastely rejects them.
If we describe the love story of Oblomov and Olga in the language of objects, then we, of course, will put flowers in first place, namely lilacs, and only then music, letters, books.
In the scene where Oblomov meets Pshenitsyna there are surprisingly many colors. Starting from the road to the Vyborg side: “Oblomov drove again, admiring the nettles near the fences and the mountain ash peeking out from behind the fences.” 1 Nettle symbolizes sadness and betrayal, and rowan, which is a symbol of submission, appears here as confirmation of the servility and weak-willedness of Ilya Ilyich, who voluntarily submits to circumstances without trying to fight. In Agafya Matvevna's house, the windows were lined with marigolds, symbolizing the remembrance of the dead (as we remember, she was a widow), aloe - a symbol of sadness, marigolds - harbingers of deep mental suffering, and mignonette. Mignonette means secrecy, maybe that’s why Oblomov, who himself was a very open and sincere person, didn’t like its smell so much. Over the grave of Ilya Ilyich “the serene smell of wormwood” 2 is the flower of separation.
Such an unusual detail as flowers, with their hidden meaning, complements even better and more fully reveals the subtleties of the relationships, characters and moods of the characters.
2) Interior details.
Interior details, as well as clothing details, are widely used by Goncharov to visually present and characterize the characters and their habitat.
From the very first pages we see a description of the interior - Oblomov's room.
“The room where Ilya Ilyich was lying seemed at first glance to be beautifully decorated. There was a mahogany bureau, two sofas upholstered in silk, beautiful screens embroidered with flowers and fruits unprecedented in nature. There were silk curtains, carpets, several paintings, bronze, porcelain and many other beautiful little things.” 1 All this, it would seem, speaks of the excellent taste of the owner, but the author immediately explains to us that this is only an appearance, an illusion of “inevitable decency.”
“On the walls, near the paintings, cobwebs, saturated with dust, were molded in the form of festoons; mirrors, instead of reflecting objects, could rather serve as tablets for writing down on them, in the dust, some notes for memory. The carpets were stained. There was a forgotten towel on the sofa; On rare mornings there was not a plate with a salt shaker and a gnawed bone on the table that had not been cleared away from yesterday’s dinner, and there were no bread crumbs lying around.” 2
These two almost contradictory descriptions of one room also show us the contradictory nature of its occupant. We can say that Ilya Ilyich is not devoid of taste, although it cannot be called subtle and refined. There are such expensive luxury items as porcelain, bronze, mirrors. But all the dirt, dust, cobwebs indicate negligence, carelessness, laziness of the owner and his servant, who understands the word “cleanliness” in his own way. Oblomov neglected, one might say, disfigured everything beautiful and expensive that he had; such expensive things as mirrors became tablets on which one could write in the dust, knowing that no one would erase it. Noticing such an abundance of small details in the description of Oblomov’s room, you involuntarily draw a parallel with the description of Gogol’s Plyushkin’s house from Dead Souls:
“On one table there was even a broken chair, and next to it a clock with a stopped pendulum, to which the spider had already attached a web. There was also a cabinet leaning sideways against the wall with antique silver, decanters and Chinese porcelain.” 3
And here is “Oblomov”:
“If it weren’t for the plate, and the freshly smoked pipe leaning against the bed, or the owner himself lying on it, then one would have thought that no one lived here - everything was so dusty, faded and generally devoid of living traces of humanity presence" 2 - writes Goncharov.
“It would have been impossible to say that there was a living creature living in this room if his presence had not been announced by the old, worn cap lying on the table,” 3 writes Gogol.
The influence of Gogol is also clearly visible here, since the idea in both passages is common: both rooms are so uncomfortable and uninhabited that they almost do not betray human presence. This feeling is created in one case due to dirt, dust and neglect, in another - due to a pile of furniture and various unnecessary rubbish.
Oblomov’s books are a detail that I would like to pay special attention to.
“On the shelves, however, there were two or three open books,<…>but the pages on which the books were unfolded were covered with dust and turned yellow; it was clear that they had been abandoned a long time ago.” 4
In the same condition we find books from another Gogol hero, Manilov: “In his office there was always some kind of book, bookmarked on page fourteen, which he had been constantly reading for two years.” 5
From this detail we can determine the common feature of Manilov and Oblomov - lack of forward movement, lack of interest in life, tendency towards apathy and idleness. However, if we talk about Manilov as a negative character, then I have a feeling of sympathy and participation for Oblomov. Books as one of the things that indicate to us the revival of the hero’s soul, the manifestation of interest in life while communicating with Olga: he reads newspapers, takes it upon himself to recommend books to her, having previously familiarized himself with them, “his inkwell is full of ink, on the table there are letters lying around."
But then Olga disappeared from his life, interest in life, cheerfulness, and activity disappeared, and the books again gathered dust, no one needed, and the filled inkwell was bored and idle.
Another very important and eloquent interior detail is the sofa. In the novel, descriptions of sofas appear many times (sofas in Oblomov’s room, a sofa in his parents’ house, Tarantiev’s sofa), and this detail has become iconic. This piece of furniture implies rest, sleep, doing nothing.
By the way, for Oblomov the sofa is a very important thing in the interior. He had two whole sofas, “upholstered in silk,” but he finds the ideal of comfort in Tarantiev’s house: “You know, it’s somehow right, cozy in his house. The rooms are small, the sofas are so deep: you’ll get lost and you won’t see a person.<…>The windows are completely covered with ivy and cacti.” 1 Such an environment is conducive to laziness and bliss. Light twilight and soft deep sofas, which are so good to hide in, create an intimate, cozy atmosphere that Ilya Ilyich loves so much. After all, a house for him is like a shell in which he hides, like a snail, from the outside world. It seems to me that the reasons for his fears and self-doubt are rooted in childhood.
If you remember the description of the living room in Oblomovka, you can understand why Ilya Ilyich’s room was so dark, uncomfortable, dusty and neglected: “Ilya Ilyich also dreams of a large dark living room in his parents’ house, with antique ash armchairs, always covered with covers, with a huge, awkward and a hard sofa, upholstered in faded blue barkan with stains, and one large leather chair.” 2 Oblomov was used to this from childhood, and his house was just as dark, he lived in only one room, and in the other two “the furniture was covered with covers” and was also not used. It seems as if what he has is enough for him, so he is too lazy to move into other rooms, even if they are cleaner, more beautiful and more comfortable. Let’s remember a sofa with a broken back, stained carpets in Ilya Ilyich’s room, Ilya Ivanovich’s leather chair with a remaining scrap of leather on the back, for which they always either spared money or had no desire to put them in order: “Oblomov’s people agreed to better tolerate all kinds of inconveniences, we even got used to not considering them as inconveniences rather than spending money.” 3
Having analyzed the interior of the house of Stolz and Olga, you notice that the objects that filled their house perfectly reflect the psychology of the owners: “All the decoration bore the stamp of the thoughts and personal taste of the owners.” 4 The main thing for owners when choosing the decoration of their home is that the thing is memorable, loved, and significant for them. One gets the feeling that they were not guided by fashion and secular taste: “A lover of comfort, perhaps, would shrug his shoulders, looking at all the external assortment of furniture, dilapidated paintings, statues with broken arms and legs, sometimes bad, but dear in memory, engravings, little things " 5 The individualism and self-sufficiency of the owners of the house is immediately felt.
In all the interior items, “either a vigilant thought was present or the beauty of human affairs shone, just as the eternal beauty of nature shone all around.” 1
As confirmation of this, among the “ocean of books and notes” there was found a place “a high desk, like Andrei’s father had, suede gloves; an oilskin raincoat hung in the corner.” 2 “...And the oilskin raincoat that his father gave him, and the green suede gloves - all the rough attributes of working life.” 3 Stolz’s mother hated these things so much, and in Andrei’s house they took pride of place. I would like to note that if Oblomov copied the life of his father, then Stolz took with him only the objects of hard work and moved away from the “track drawn by his father.” 4
