Why Oblomov leads such a lifestyle. What is the meaning of Oblomov's life? Oblomov: a life story

The novel by Ivan Goncharov "Oblomov" is very instructive.

Oblomov's lifestyle is a continuous routine, and the main character does not even try to break out of it on his own. With the help of this character, the author will prove that laziness and indifference ruin people's lives.

First meeting

Ivan Goncharov introduces the reader to Ilya Ilyich Oblomov from the very first pages of the novel. A man lies in his own bed with a distant look. He tries to force himself to get up, but the attempts end in vain. Promises to get up an hour later lead to the fact that the day smoothly passes into the evening, and leaving the bed is no longer necessary.

Life in a horizontal position

Ilya thinks about the misfortunes that have befallen him. So the man calls the chores associated with the affairs of the estate, inherited from his parents, and the search for a new apartment.

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He gives orders to the old footman Zakhar in bed. Guests who often visited him, the master receives lying down, in an old darned dressing gown.

Oblomov's former colleagues also come. And he does not at all strive to appear from the best side, meeting them cheerful and in excellent health. He always complains about his health to young, handsome men.

Mess in the apartment and in the shower

Rarely leaves the house. He rejects invitations from acquaintances to attend social events. He justifies the refusal by feeling unwell, barley, drafts and dampness, which is contraindicated for him.

“When I was at home, I almost always lay down, and everything was in the same room.”

His best friend Andrei Ivanovich Stolz compares Oblomov to an animal that constantly resides in a dark lair.

“Have you really prepared yourself for such a life in order to sleep like a mole in a hole?”

Zakhar reports to Andrei that he has long polished the owner's shoes, and the boots are intact.

He wakes up late. Eating and drinking tea in bed. The footman helps him put on his socks. Home shoes are placed near the bed, so that when lowering your legs it is easy to get into them. Oblomov is very lazy. Never pick up after himself. In his room there are mountains of dirty dishes, which are difficult for a man to carry to the kitchen. From childhood in his family it was customary to sleep during the day. Ilya still adheres to a similar routine.

“After dinner, nothing could disturb Oblomov’s sleep. He usually lay on the sofa on his back.

positive change

After meeting Olga Ilinskaya, Oblomov changes for the better. He is inspired by new feelings. Love gives him strength, inspires.

“He read several books, wrote letters to the village, changed the headman in his own estate. He didn't have supper, and for two weeks now he doesn't know what it means to lie down during the day. Gets up at seven o'clock. On the face of no sleep, no fatigue, no boredom. He is cheerful, sings.

This state of affairs did not last long. Ilya again begins to captivate the past life. He understands that he will not be able to give Olga the confidence and strength that the girl expects from him.

Life with the widow Pshenitsyna

Soon he marries the widow Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna, from whom he rents a room in a house on Vyborgskaya Street. This type of woman suits him much more than Ilyinskaya. Agafya is ready to fulfill all his whims, demanding nothing in return.

“Oblomov, noticing the participation of the hostess in his affairs, suggested, in the form of a joke, to take care of his food and save him from the hassle.”

Ilya Ilyich dies at the age of forty. He often compared himself to an old caftan, no longer fit to serve for good. His sedentary lifestyle led to the fact that his health deteriorated so early. A man was given a chance to change his own destiny, but laziness turned out to be stronger.

The life and death of Oblomov. Epilogue of the novel. For the third and last time, Stolz visits his friend. Under the caring eye of Pshenitsyna, Oblomov almost realized his ideal: “He dreams that he has reached that promised land, where rivers of honey and milk flow, where they eat unearned bread, walk in gold and silver ...”, and Agafya Matveevna turns into a fabulous Miliktrisa Kirbityevna .. The house on the Vyborgskaya side resembles a rural open space.

However, the hero never reached his native village. Subject "Oblomov and the men" runs throughout the novel. Even in the first chapters, we learned that in the absence of the master, the peasants live hard. The headman reports that the peasants are "running away", "asking for quitrent". It is unlikely that they became better under the rule of the Worn One. While Oblomov was drowning in his problems, he missed the opportunity to build a road, build a bridge, as his neighbor, a village landowner, did. It cannot be said that Ilya Ilyich does not think about his peasants at all. But his plans are to ensure that everything remains as it is. And to the advice to open a school for a peasant, Oblomov replies with horror that “he, perhaps, will not plow ...” But time cannot be stopped. In the finale, we learn that "Oblomovka is not in the middle of nowhere anymore<…>the rays of the sun fell on her! The peasants, no matter how difficult it was, did without the master: “... In four years it will be a station on the road<…>, the men will go to work on the embankment, and then roll along the cast iron<…>bread to the pier ... And there ... schools, letters ... "But did Ilya Ilyich manage without Oblomovka? Goncharov proves his favorite thoughts with the logic of narration. And the fact that on the conscience of every landowner lies the concern for the fate of hundreds of people ("Happy Mistake"). And the fact that village life is the most natural and therefore the most harmonious for a Russian person; she herself will direct, teach and tell you what to do better than any “plans” (“Pallada Frigate”).

In the house on Vyborgskaya Oblomov sank down. What was a free dream became a hallucination - "the present and the past merged and mixed." On the first visit, Stolz managed to lift Oblomov off the couch. In the second, he helped a friend in solving practical cases. And now, with horror, he realizes that he is powerless to change anything:<«Вон из этой ямы, из болота, на свет, на простор, где есть здоровая, нормальная жизнь!» - настаивал Штольц…

“Do not remember, do not disturb the past: you will not turn back! Oblomov said. - I have grown to this pit with a sore spot: try to tear it off - there will be death ... I feel everything, I understand everything: I have long been ashamed to live in the world! But I can't go your way with you, even if I wanted to. Maybe the last time was still possible. Now... now it's too late... Even Olga is unable to resurrect him: "Olga! - suddenly escaped from the frightened Oblomov ... - For God's sake, don't let her come here, leave!

As in the first visit, Stolz sums up the sad result:

What's there? Olga asked...

Nothing!..

Is he alive, well?

Why are you back so soon? Why didn't he call me there and bring him? Let me in!

What is going on there? ... Has the “abyss been opened”? Will you tell me? .. What is going on there?

Oblomovism!

And if Ilya Ilyich found people who are willing to endure this life around them, then nature itself, it seems, opposed, measuring out a short period of such an existence. That is why the attempts of the same Agafya Matveevna to restrict her husband produce a tragicomic impression. "How many times have you gone? - she asked Vanyusha ... - Don't lie, look at me ... Remember Sunday, I won't let you visit<…>". And Oblomov, willy-nilly, counted eight more times, then he already came into the room ... "; “It would be nice to have a pie!” - “I forgot, right I forgot! And I wanted it since the evening, but my memory seemed to be knocked off!” - Agafya Matveevna cheated. It doesn't make sense. For she cannot offer him any other goal in life than food and sleep.

Goncharov devotes relatively little space to the description of the illness and death of his hero. I. Annensky summarizes the reader's impressions, saying that “we read 600 pages about him, we do not know a person in Russian literature so fully, so vividly depicted. Meanwhile, his death affects us less than the death of a tree in Tolstoy's…” Why? Critics of the "Silver Age" are unanimous, because the worst thing has already happened to Oblomov. Spiritual death overtakes physical death. “He died because he ended ...” (I. Annensky). "Vulgarity" finally "triumphed over purity of heart, love, ideals." (D. Merezhkovsky).

Goncharov says goodbye to his hero with an excited lyrical requiem: “What happened to Oblomov? Where is he? Where? - In the nearest cemetery, under a modest urn, his body rests<…>. Lilac branches, planted by a friendly hand, doze over the grave, and the wormwood smells serenely. It seems that the angel of silence itself guards his sleep.

It would seem that there is an undeniable contradiction here. A lofty eulogy for a fallen hero! But life cannot be considered useless when someone remembers you. Bright sadness filled the life of Agafya Matveevna with the highest meaning: “She realized that<…>God put a soul into her life and took it out again; that the sun shone in it and faded forever ... Forever, really; but on the other hand, her life was forever comprehended: now she knew why she lived and that she did not live in vain.

In the finale, we meet Zakhar in the guise of a beggar on the church porch. The orphaned valet prefers to ask for Christ's sake than to serve the "obnoxious" mistress. The following dialogue takes place between Stolz and his familiar writer about the late Oblomov:

And he was no more stupid than others, the soul is pure and clear, like glass; noble, gentle, and - gone!

From what? What reason?

Reason... what a reason! Oblomovism! Stolz said.

Oblomovism! - the writer repeated with bewilderment. - What it is?

Now I'll tell you ... And you write it down: maybe it will be useful to someone. "And he told him what is written here."

Thus, the composition of the novel is strictly circular, it is impossible to isolate the beginning and end in it. Everything that we read from the first pages, it turns out, can be interpreted as a story about Oblomov, his friend. At the same time, Stoltz could tell the story of a recently ended life. Thus, the circle of human life has been passed twice: in reality and in the memories of friends.

Goncharov, the harmony singer, could not complete his book with one minor note. In the epilogue, a new little hero appears, who, perhaps, will be able to harmoniously combine the best features of a father and an educator. “Don't forget my Andrey! - were the last words of Oblomov, spoken in a faded voice ... "" No, I will not forget your Andrey<…>, - promises Stolz. - But I will take your Andrey where you could not go<…>and with him we will carry out our youthful dreams.”

Let's do a little experiment. Open the last page of the Oblomov edition - any one that you hold in your hands. Turning it over, you will almost certainly find an article by Nikolai Alexandrovich Dobrolyubov “What is Oblomovism?” This work must be known, if only because it is one of the examples of Russian critical thought of the nineteenth century. However, the first sign of a free person and a free country is the possibility of choice. Dobrolyubov's article is more interesting to consider next to the article with which it appeared almost simultaneously and with which it is in many respects polemical. This is a review by Alexander Vasilyevich Druzhinin “Oblomov”. Roman I.A. Goncharova.

Critics are unanimous in admiring the image of Olga. But if Dobrolyubov sees in her a new heroine, the main fighter against Oblomovism, Druzhinin sees in her the embodiment of eternal femininity: “It is impossible not to be carried away by this bright, pure creature, who has so intelligently developed in herself all the best, true principles of a woman ...”

Disagreements between them begin with Oblomov's assessment. Dobrolyubov argues with the author of the novel himself, proving that Oblomov is a lazy, spoiled, worthless creature: “He (Oblomov) will not bow to the idol of evil! Why is that? Because he is too lazy to get up on the couch. But drag him, put him on his knees before this idol: he will not be able to get up. Dirt will not stick to him! Yes, as long as there is one. So still nothing; and how Tarantiev, the Worn out, will come. Ivan Matveich - brr! what disgusting nastiness begins near Oblomov.

The critic shrewdly guesses the origins of Oblomov's character in his childhood. In Oblomovism, he sees, first of all, social roots: “... He ( Oblomov) from an early age sees in his house that all household chores are performed by lackeys and maids, and papa and mama only order and scold for bad performance. Gives as an example a symbolic episode with pulling on stockings. He considers Oblomov as social type. This is a gentleman, the owner of “three hundred Zakharov”, who “drawing the ideal of his bliss ... did not think to approve its legitimacy and truth, did not ask himself the question: where will these greenhouses and greenhouses come from ... and why on earth will he use them?”

And yet, the psychological analysis of the character and the meaning of the whole novel is not so interesting to critics. He is constantly interrupted by "more general considerations" about Oblomovism. In Goncharov's hero, the critic is primarily an established literary type; the critic traces his genealogy from Onegin, Pechorin, Rudin. In literary science, it is customary to call it a type of superfluous person. Unlike Goncharov, Dobrolyubov focuses on his negative features: “The common thing for all these people is that they have no business in life that would be a vital necessity for them, a sacred thing in the heart…”

Dobrolyubov presciently guesses that the reason for Oblomov's deep sleep was the absence of a lofty, truly noble goal. I chose the words of Gogol as an epigraph: “Where is the one who, in the native language of the Russian soul, would be able to tell us this almighty word “forward? ..””

Let's now look at Druzhinin's article. Let's be honest: it's a lot harder to read. As soon as we unroll the pages, the names of philosophers and poets, Carlyle and Longfellow, Hamlet and the artists of the Flemish school, will dazzle before our eyes. An intellectual of the highest outlook, a connoisseur of English literature, Druzhinin does not descend to the average level in his critical works, but is looking for an equal reader. By the way, this is how you can check the degree of your own culture - ask yourself which of the mentioned names, paintings, books are familiar to me?

Following Dobrolyubov, he pays a lot of attention to "Snu ..." and sees in it "a step towards understanding Oblomov with his Oblomovism." But, unlike him, focuses on the lyrical content of the chapter. Druzhinin saw poetry even in the "sleepy clerk", and put it in Goncharov's highest merit that he "poeticized the life of his native land." Thus the critic touched lightly national content Oblomovism. Defending his beloved hero, the critic urges: “Take a close look at the novel, and you will see how many people in it are devoted to Ilya Ilyich and even adore him ...” After all, this is no accident!

“Oblomov is a child, not a rotten lecher, he is a sleepyhead, not an immoral egoist or an epicurean...” To emphasize the moral value of the hero, Druzhinin asks: who is ultimately more useful for humanity? A naive child or a zealous official, "signing paper after paper"? And he answers: "A child by nature and by the conditions of his development, Ilya Ilyich ... left behind the purity and simplicity of a child - qualities that are precious in an adult." People "not of this world" are also necessary, because "in the midst of the greatest practical confusion, they often reveal to us the realm of truth and at times put an inexperienced, dreamy eccentric and above ... a whole crowd of businessmen who surround him." The critic is sure that Oblomov - type universal, and exclaims: “It’s not good for that land where there are no good and incapable of evil eccentrics like Oblomov!”

Unlike Dobrolyubov, he does not forget about Agafya Matveevna either. Druzhinin made a subtle observation about the place of Pshenitsyna in the fate of Oblomov: she was involuntarily the "evil genius" of Ilya Ilyich, "but this woman will be forgiven everything because she loved a lot." The critic is captivated by the subtle lyricism of the scenes depicting the woeful experiences of the widow. In contrast to her, the critic shows the selfishness of the Stoltsev couple in relation to Oblomov in scenes where "neither worldly order, nor worldly truth ... were violated."

At the same time, a number of controversial judgments can be found in his review. The critic avoids talking about why Ilya Ilyich is dying. Stolz's despair at the sight of a fallen friend is caused, in his opinion, only by the fact that Oblomov married a commoner.

Like Dobrolyubov, Druzhinin goes beyond the scope of the novel. He discusses the peculiarities of Goncharov's talent, compares it with the Dutch painters. Like the Dutch landscape painters and creators of genre scenes, the details of life under his pen acquire an existential scale and “his creative spirit was reflected in every detail ... like the sun is reflected in a small drop of water ...”

We saw that two critics in their judgments about Oblomov and the novel as a whole argue and deny each other. So which one to trust? I. Annensky answered this question, noting that it was a mistake “to dwell on the question of what type of Oblomov. Negative or positive? This question generally belongs to the school-market ones ... ”And it suggests that“ the most natural way in each type analysis is to start with an analysis of your impressions, deepening them as much as possible. For this "deepening" and need criticism. To convey the reaction of contemporaries, to supplement independent conclusions, and not to replace their own impressions. In fact, Goncharov believed in his reader, and to remarks that his hero was incomprehensible, he retorted: “What is the reader for? Is he some kind of oaf that his imagination will not be able to complete the rest according to the idea given by the author? Are the Pechorins, Onegins ... told to the smallest detail? The task of the author is the dominant element of character, and the rest is up to the reader.

Goncharov's novel "Oblomov" is a landmark work of literature of the 19th century, affecting both acute social and many philosophical problems, while remaining relevant and interesting to the modern reader. The ideological meaning of the novel "Oblomov" is based on the opposition of an active, new social and personal principle with an outdated, passive and degrading one. In the work, the author reveals these beginnings at several existential levels, therefore, in order to fully understand the meaning of the work, a detailed consideration of each of them is required.

The public meaning of the novel

In the novel "Oblomov" Goncharov first introduced the concept of "Oblomovism" as a generalized name for outdated patriarchal-landlord foundations, personal degradation, and life stagnation of a whole social layer of Russian philistinism, unwilling to accept new social trends and norms. The author considered this phenomenon on the example of the protagonist of the novel, Oblomov, whose childhood was spent in the distant Oblomovka, where everyone lived quietly, lazily, interested in little and caring almost nothing. The hero's native village becomes the embodiment of the ideals of the Russian old bourgeois society - a kind of hedonistic idyll, a "preserved paradise" where one does not need to study, work or develop.

Depicting Oblomov as a "superfluous person", Goncharov, in contrast to Griboedov and Pushkin, in which characters of this type were ahead of society, introduces into the narrative a hero who lags behind society, living in the distant past. An active, active, educated environment oppresses Oblomov - the ideals of Stolz with his work for the sake of work are alien to him, even his beloved Olga is ahead of Ilya Ilyich, approaching everything from a practical side. Stolz, Olga, Tarantiev, Mukhoyarov, and other acquaintances of Oblomov are representatives of a new, "urban" type of personality. They are more practitioners than theoreticians, they do not dream, but do, create something new - someone works honestly, someone deceives.

Goncharov condemns "Oblomovism" with its attraction to the past, laziness, apathy and the complete spiritual withering away of the individual, when a person essentially becomes a "plant" lying on the couch around the clock. However, Goncharov also portrays the images of modern, new people as ambiguous - they do not have the peace of mind and inner poetry that Oblomov had (remember that Stolz only found this peace while relaxing with a friend, and already married Olga is sad for something distant and is afraid to dream justifying himself to her husband).

At the end of the work, Goncharov does not make a definite conclusion who is right - the practitioner Stolz or the dreamer Oblomov. However, the reader understands that it was precisely because of the “Oblomovism”, as a phenomenon of a sharply negative and long-obsolete itself, that Ilya Ilyich “disappeared”. That is why the social meaning of Goncharov's novel "Oblomov" is the need for constant development and movement - both in continuous construction and creation of the surrounding world, and work on the development of one's own personality.

The meaning of the title of the work

The meaning of the title of the novel "Oblomov" is closely related to the main theme of the work - it was named after the name of the protagonist Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, and is also associated with the social phenomenon described in the novel "Oblomovism". The etymology of the name is interpreted by researchers in different ways. Thus, the most common version is that the word “oblomov” comes from the words “fragment”, “break off”, “break”, denoting the state of mental and social breakdown of the landlord nobility, when it turned out to be in a borderline state between the desire to preserve old traditions and foundations and the need to change according to the requirements of the era, from a person-creator to become a person-practitioner.

In addition, there is a version about the connection of the title with the Old Slavonic root "oblo" - "round", which corresponds to the description of the hero - his "round" appearance and his quiet, calm character "without sharp corners". However, regardless of the interpretation of the title of the work, it points to the central storyline of the novel - the life of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov.

The meaning of Oblomovka in the novel

From the plot of the novel Oblomov, the reader from the very beginning will learn many facts about Oblomovka, about what a wonderful place it is, how easy and good it was for the hero there, and how important it is for Oblomov to return there. However, throughout the story, the events do not take us to the village, which makes it truly a mythical, fabulous place. Picturesque nature, gently sloping hills, a calm river, a hut on the edge of a ravine, which the visitor needs to ask to stand "back to the forest, and front to it" in order to enter inside - even in the newspapers there was never a mention of Oblomovka. No passions excited the inhabitants of Oblomovka - they were completely cut off from the world, they spent their life, arranged on constant rituals, in boredom and calm.

Oblomov's childhood passed in love, his parents constantly spoiled Ilya, indulging all his desires. However, the stories of the nanny who read to him about mythical heroes and fairy-tale heroes made a special impression on Oblomov, closely linking his native village with folklore in the memory of the hero. For Ilya Ilyich, Oblomovka is a distant dream, an ideal comparable, perhaps, to the beautiful ladies of medieval knights who sang of wives, whom they sometimes never saw. In addition, the village is also a way to escape from reality, a kind of semi-invented place where the hero can forget about reality and be himself - lazy, apathetic, completely calm and renounced from the outside world.

The meaning of Oblomov's life in the novel

Oblomov's whole life is connected only with that distant, quiet and harmonious Oblomovka, however, the mythical estate exists only in the hero's memories and dreams - pictures from the past never come to him in a cheerful state, his native village appears before him as a kind of distant vision, unattainable in its own way like any mythical city. Ilya Ilyich opposes in every possible way the real perception of his native Oblomovka - he still does not plan the future estate, he takes a long time to answer the elder’s letter, and in a dream he does not seem to notice the inconvenience of the house - a crooked gate, a sagging roof, a staggering porch, a neglected garden. Yes, and he really doesn’t want to go there - Oblomov is afraid that when he sees a dilapidated, devastated Oblomovka that has nothing to do with his dreams and memories, he will lose his last illusions, which he grasps with all his might and for which he lives.

The only thing that Oblomov causes complete happiness is dreams and illusions. He is afraid of real life, afraid of marriage, which he dreamed of many times, afraid of breaking himself and becoming different. Wrapped up in an old dressing gown and continuing to lie on the bed, he “preserves” himself in a state of “Oblomovism” – in general, the dressing gown in the work is, as it were, part of that mythical world that returns the hero to a state of laziness at extinction.

The meaning of the hero's life in Oblomov's novel comes down to gradual dying - both moral and mental, and physical, for the sake of holding on to his own illusions. The hero does not want to say goodbye to the past so much that he is ready to sacrifice a full life, the opportunity to feel every moment and know every feeling for the sake of mythical ideals and dreams.

Conclusion

In the novel "Oblomov" Goncharov depicted the tragic story of the extinction of a person for whom the illusory past has become more important than the multifaceted and beautiful present - friendship, love, social well-being. The meaning of the work indicates that it is important not to stop in place, indulging yourself with illusions, but to always strive forward, expanding the boundaries of your own “comfort zone”.

Artwork test

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Characteristics of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov very ambiguous. Goncharov created it complex and mysterious. Oblomov separates himself from the outside world, fences himself off from it. Even his dwelling bears little resemblance to habitation.

From early childhood, he saw a similar example among his relatives, who also fenced themselves off from the outside world and protected it. It was not customary to work in his native home. When he was still a child, he played snowballs with peasant children, then he was then warmed up for several days. In Oblomovka, they were wary of everything new - even a letter that came from a neighbor in which he asked for a beer recipe was afraid to open for three days.

But Ilya Ilyich happily recalls his childhood. He idolizes the nature of Oblomovka, although this is an ordinary village, nothing particularly remarkable. He was brought up by rural nature. This nature instilled in him poetry and a love of beauty.

Ilya Ilyich does nothing, only complains about something all the time and engages in verbiage. He is lazy, does nothing himself and does not expect anything from others. He accepts life as it is and does not try to change anything in it.

When people come to him and talk about their lives, he feels that in the hustle and bustle of life they forget that they are wasting their lives in vain ... And he does not need to fuss, act, do not need to prove anything to anyone. Ilya Ilyich simply lives and enjoys life.

It's hard to imagine him in motion, he looks funny. At rest, lying on the couch, he is natural. It looks at ease - this is his element, his nature.

Let's summarize what we've read:

1. The appearance of Ilya Oblomov. Ilya Ilyich is a young man, 33 years old, of good appearance, of medium height, overweight. The softness of his expression betrayed in him a weak and lazy person.
2. Family status. At the beginning of the novel, Oblomov is unmarried, lives with his servant Zakhar. At the end of the novel, he marries and is happily married.
3. Description of the dwelling. Ilya lives in St. Petersburg in an apartment on Gorokhovaya Street. The apartment is neglected, the servant Zakhar rarely sneaks into it, who is as lazy as the owner. The sofa occupies a special place in the apartment, on which Oblomov lies around the clock.
4. Behavior, actions of the hero. Ilya Ilyich can hardly be called an active person. Only his friend Stolz manages to bring Oblomov out of his slumber. The protagonist lies on the couch and only dreams that he will soon get up and go about his business. He cannot solve even the most pressing problems. His estate has fallen into disrepair and does not bring money, so Oblomov even has nothing to pay for the apartment.
5. The attitude of the author to the hero. Goncharov sympathizes with Oblomov, he considers him a kind, sincere person. At the same time, he sympathizes with him: it is a pity that a young, capable, not stupid person has lost all interest in life.
6. My attitude to Ilya Oblomov. In my opinion, he is too lazy and weak-willed, so he cannot command respect. Sometimes he just infuriates me, I want to come up and shake him. I don't like people who live their lives like that. Perhaps I react so strongly to this character because I feel the same shortcomings in myself.

Goncharov's first novel from the trilogy "Ordinary History", "Oblomov", "Cliff" was a great success, brought fame to the author and created a reputation as a master in literary circles and throughout reading Russia. Shortly after the publication of Ordinary History, Goncharov begins his second novel, the realization of the idea of ​​the novel Oblomov. The writer creates the chapter "Oblomov's Dream", in which he describes the hero's childhood in the provincial village of Oblomovka, the family estate where he was born, outlines a familiar conflict: the clash of a young local nobleman with the living conditions of a modern big city - St. Petersburg. This part of the work became the main one in the future novel. Goncharov publishes "Oblomov's Dream" in a collection under the journal "Contemporary" in 1849 and stops work on it for a long time. This was probably due to the fact that the author wanted to avoid repeating the old conflict in the future novel, and he had to comprehend in a new light the drama of a man who is unable to find a full life in a changing Russia. A trip around the world on the frigate Pallada, which took 3 years (1852-1855), also contributed to distraction from the novel. At the end of the trip, Goncharov wrote a book of essays, The Pallas Frigate, reflecting his impressions and thoughts in it, and only after that he returned to continue working on Oblomov.

By 1857, Goncharov had finished the novel in rough outline, the whole next year the writer was finalizing the essay, and in 1859, reading Russia got acquainted with one of the most significant prose works in Russian literature of the 19th century, the novel Oblomov. In this novel, the author created the image of a national hero of his time in the context of a change in the age-old way of life of Russian society, the collapse of the social structure, changes in the economic and cultural situation in the country, and the general spiritual atmosphere. The novel "Oblomov" was completed, along with two other top works of the pre-reform period - the drama-tragedy "Thunderstorm" by A.N. Ostrovsky and the novel "Fathers and Sons" by I.S. Turgenev. The decree of Tsar Alexander II of February 19, 1861 on the liberation of peasants from serfdom was a revolutionary event that divided Russian historical life into old and new times.

The choice of the noble landowner Ilya Ilyich Oblomov as the hero is primarily due to historical factors, since the abolition of serfdom had the most impact on the local nobility, mainly on welfare and prospects. However, Goncharov is not limited to the social side of the depiction of events, involving in the novel the problems of the eternal nature, such issues as love, the meaning of life, the human soul and his choice. The well-known critic of that time N.A. Dobrolyubov in the textbook article “What is Oblomovism?” noticed that the hero of Goncharov is the "radical, folk" character of the Russian people. Thus, when reading the novel, one must see in his hero and his life a voluminous phenomenon and a large-scale meaning: individual psychological, social, the girl Olga Ilyinskaya and the widow-official Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsina, comparison with a friend of half-German origin Andrei Stolz, Oblomov’s antipode in character and life, in comic skirmishes with the serf servant Zakhar and other characters significant in different plot situations. ??????

G 1. Why is the Decree of Tsar Alexander II of February 19, 1861, called a revolutionary event in the read text? Expand your position. For the work of which other writers known to you, this event was important? In what literary works known to you this event was reflected (directly or indirectly)?

AND 2. It is known that "Oblomov" Goncharov, inspired by the novel with Elizaveta Vasilievna Tolstaya, quickly completed in a few weeks: "The main task of the novel, its soul is a woman." Read excerpts from Goncharov's 32 letters to a young beauty who preferred a brave captain to a middle-aged famous writer. What new did you learn from them about the personality of Goncharov, about his life and moral values?

“... I often bless fate that I met her: I have become better, it seems, at least since I have known her, I have not convicted myself of a single mistake against conscience, not even a single impure feeling: everything seems to me, that her meek brown eyes follow me everywhere, I feel constant invisible control over my conscience and will.

“A look shining with intelligence and kindness ... the softness of the lines, so harmoniously merging in the magical colors of blush, whiteness of the face and sparkle of the eyes.”

“I am sick of her. It became somehow cramped for me to live in the world: it seems that I am standing in terrible darkness, on the edge of an abyss, fog is all around, then suddenly the light and brilliance of her eyes and face will illuminate me - and I seem to rise to the clouds.

“I feel, however, that apathy and heaviness are gradually returning to me, and you, with your mind and old friendship, stirred up talkativeness in me”

"Under you, I had some wings that have fallen off now."

“Oh, how many pages I would write if I thought of counting your shortcomings, I would say, but I will tell you the merits ...”

“Farewell ... not now, however, but when you get married, or before my death or yours ... And now ... until the next letter, my wonderful friend, my dear, smart, kind, charming ... Lisa!!! suddenly slipped off the tongue. I look around in horror to see if there is anyone around, respectfully add: goodbye, Elizaveta Vasilievna: God bless you with the happiness you deserve. I am in tenderness, I thank you hearts for your friendship ... "

If you are interested in this dramatic story, do your own research: “Is E.V. Tolstaya as the prototype of Olga Ilyinskaya?

B Check yourself: have you carefully read the text of the novel "Oblomov".

How many questions did you manage to answer? Go back to the text again, find answers to those questions that you did not cope with.

1. Who tells the story of Oblomov's life?

2. What is the main character's full name? How old is he? What is his education? What is the occupation?

3. Who is Zakhar? How was his fate?

4. Who is Stolz? How does he know Oblomov?

5. Who is Olga? What is the content of Oblomov's letter to Olga? How does her story end in the novel?

6. What move is Oblomov afraid of? Why and where does Oblomov move?

7. Who is Agafya Pshenitsyna? What role did she play in the fate of Oblomov?

8. What role does Tarantiev play in the plot of the novel? Why and when did Oblomov slap him?

9. Which of the characters in the novel has a backstory?

What difficulties did you experience when reading the text of the novel? Have they overcome them? How? What seemed interesting? Not interesting? What do you remember the most?