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What is typical for a Turgenev girl. The image of the "Turgenev girl". Who is the lover of the “Turgenev girl”

29/04/2017 - 20:00

"The word is ours..."

Participant

Kadyrova Alina, Bykova Anastasia

MBOU Secondary School No. 2, Tuymazy, Republic of Bashkortostan

Russian Federation

Supervisor:

Fedorova Evgenia Sergeevna, Leshchenko Olga Aleksandrovna

User

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Material overview

Every time has its own heroes, bearers of ideal qualities. The chroniclers of Ancient Rus' left us the memory of courageous princes and their faithful wives. The first Russian writers: M.V. Lomonosov, G.R. Derzhavin - sang the strength, grace, and becoming of royalty. Our great classics - A.S. Pushkin, I.S. Turgenev, L.N. Tolstoy - presented deep psychological images, distinguished by high morality. At the same time, a special place in literature is occupied by female images, personifying the ideal qualities of the keeper of folk traditions and foundations, the family hearth and the moral health of humanity. And in this regard, our close attention was attracted by the work of I.S. Turgenev, or rather the image of the “Turgenev girl” created by him, to which we turned in our research work. The topic of studying female characters created by Turgenev has received a lot of attention in various works, both by critics of the past and modern literary scholars. In Appendix 1 we presented poems and famous expressions dedicated to Turgenev's girls.Woman...Girl...Who is this? Dream, vision, person? For Ivan Sergeevich this was always a mystery, alluring and incomprehensible. The women who surrounded him in life were different, but invariably they all left an imprint on the writer’s soul. They taught Ivan Sergeevich to see beauty, to appreciate life, preserving in him faith in goodness, kindness and the desire to love. Ivan Sergeevich transferred their images, which influenced the worldview and sensitive soul of the writer, to paper. Analyzing the images of Turgenev's heroines, it is possible to identify a number of characteristic qualities, on the basis of which a type of female character with a certain set of traits, called the “Turgenev girl,” was formed. Many critics and literary scholars note the inconsistency of this image: along with a strong character, tenacity to follow her idea to the end and the desire to deeply, devotedly love, the “Turgenev girl” has childish naivety and dreaminess. Thus, Yu.V. Lebedev notes that “the main feature of every Turgenev heroine is delightful femininity. His heroines combine seemingly incompatible traits, such as timidity and strength of character, dreaminess and determination, manifested in everything. A Turgenev woman has self-esteem and is able to patiently and smoothly build relationships with people. And all these are the qualities of character that from time immemorial have constituted the ideal of beauty of a Russian woman in a variety of class societies.” Literary historian I. I. Ivanov noted that in Turgenev’s works, the heart of a Russian woman is the touchstone of the hero’s behavior, his determination, and his emotions. The controversy surrounding the image created by Turgenev has not subsided to this day. New times and mores make adjustments to the images of modern heroines. Is there really no place left in the 21st century for the ideals of female images glorified by the creator? We decided to look into this issue by deeply studying and analyzing the typical character traits of “Turgenev girls”, and to identify their relevance in our time. This topic is relevant because... Over time, the characters of girls change, adapt to changing living conditions, but the features of the “ideal” female image can also be found in our contemporaries. This once again proves that classics find their relevance regardless of time.

Object of researchania: creativity of I.S. Turgenev.

Subject of researchania: the image of the “Turgenev girl” in the stories of I.S. Turgenev and in modern life.

Purpose of researchatelskaya rabots – identify the main features of Turgenev’s heroines and trace them in the appearance of a modern girl.

The goal determines the statement hadah:

    study reference, critical, and fiction literature on this topic, incl. researchers of I.S. Turgenev’s creativity;

    identify the significance of women in the writer’s life and determine the prototypes of his heroines;

    to trace the creation of the image of the “Turgenev girl” in the work of I.S. Turgenev through the analysis of individual works taken from the cycle of stories about first love: “Asya”, “Spring Waters” and “First Love”;

    on the basis of the collected materials, identify the qualities of the “Turgenev girls” and draw up a psychological portrait of the literary type “Turgenev girl”;

    to identify the relevance and manifestation of the character traits of the “Turgenev” girl in modern society through a comparative analysis of the opinions of different age groups of the population.

Hypothesesa: despite the dramatically changed social conditions of life, many qualities of the “Turgenev girl” are relevant and in demand in our time.

Theoretical basis of the research: information from Russian, Soviet and Russian literary studies and Turgenev scholars, such as Ginzburg, Pisarev, Byaly, Pustovoit, Lebedev.

TheoreticallyaI knowapurity: systematization of material on this topic.

PracticaI knowapurity: The work can serve as a preliminary stage to a larger-scale study - about the role of female characters in Russian literature of the 19th century. Also, the work can significantly facilitate preparation for literature lessons on the works of I. S. Turgenev.

Research methodsania: literature study, data comparison , comparative analysis, testing, survey.

Research base: 1) stories by I. S. Turgenev “Asya”, “Spring Waters” and “First Love”;

2) 9th grade students of MBOU Secondary School No. 2 in Tuymazy

Chapter I. Female images in the life and work of I.S. Turgenev 1.1 Researchers of creativity I.S. Turgenev

The study of creativity by I.S. Turgenev has always received a lot of attention. The significance of the writer’s female images was noted by his contemporaries. Each of his works that appeared in print immediately became the focus of criticism. At one time, N.A. Dobrolyubov, analyzing the novel “On the Eve,” emphasized that the main person in it is Elena, and in relation to her we must consider other persons. A.I. Maikov wrote in a letter to Ya.P. Polonsky that Turgenev’s women “were not seen by nature,” but such rare women exist. According to L.N. Tolstoy, Turgenev “did a great job by painting amazing portraits of women. Perhaps there were none, as he wrote, but when he wrote them, they appeared.” P. A. Kropotkin wrote: “Turgenev<…>showed us what a Russian woman is, what treasures are hidden in her heart and mind, and what she can be as an inspiration to a man. He taught us how the best people treat women and how they love...” Turgenev's work was highly appreciated by both his contemporaries, critics and literary scholars, as well as leaders, leaders of the Soviet state, and foreign writers. In the 21st century in Russia, much attention is also paid to the study of Turgenev's work. Every five years, the State Literature Museum of I. S. Turgenev in Orel, together with Oryol State University and the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, holds international scientific conferences. Turgenev anniversaries are celebrated not only in Russia, but also abroad. Thus, the Ivan Turgenev Museum in Bougival annually hosts music salons where music by composers from the times of Ivan Turgenev and Pauline Viardot is heard. In recent decades, a lot has been done in the study of Turgenev’s novels, which was facilitated by the publication of the complete works of the writer in 28 volumes (1960-1968) and followed by a 30-volume collected works. The study of female characters in Turgenev’s works has more than once attracted the attention of scientists: in the monograph by I.A. Belyaeva “The Work of I.S. Turgenev” (2002), the writer’s works are studied, starting with early lyric poems and ending with “Poems in Prose”. In our work, we systematized researchers of the creativity of I.S. Turgenev and for ease of use compiled the data into tabular form (Appendix 2).

1.2 Women in the life of a writer

I.S. Turgenev has an outstanding place in the development of Russian literature of the 19th century and a special place in the creation of female characters. The women who surrounded him in life were different, but they all left an imprint on the writer’s soul. The despotic, strict mother, Varvara Petrovna, the sweet and cheerful princess Ekaterina Shakhovskaya (his first love), the smart and courageous Tatyana Bakunina (a friend from his student years), the timid, thoughtful Avdotya (a serf who gave birth to a daughter from Turgenev), the passionate, addicted Polina Viardot ( the love of his life), the young beauty Olga (a distant relative), the romantic Maria (Leo Tolstoy’s sister), the talented, sensual artist Maria Savina - they taught Ivan Sergeevich to see beauty, to appreciate life, preserving in him faith in kindness, kindness and the desire to love . V.N. Toporov notes that “Turgenev was an unhappy man in his own eyes: he lacked female love and affection, which he had been looking for from an early age. The tragedy of his life was rooted in his obsession with the feminine principle, in the acute and bitter awareness of its deficiency and its irreplaceability.” Turgenev’s personal life somehow did not work out from the very beginning, his first love was unrequited and left a bitter aftertaste: the daughter of Princess Shakhovskaya, who lived next door, Katenka, captivated the 18-year-old Turgenev with her girlish freshness, naivety and spontaneity. But, as it turned out later, she had long had a permanent lover - a well-known Don Juan in the area and... Turgenev’s father. In 1841, the student became interested in the seamstress Dunyasha, who in 1842 gave birth to his daughter Pelageya (Polina), who was raised by Turgenev’s mother. In 1843, he met Pauline Viardot, a French singer who was touring in St. Petersburg at that time, fell in love and followed the object of his passion everywhere. It was not an easy relationship, so he tried to arrange his personal life without Polina: with his cousin’s 18-year-old daughter, with Maria Savina, Maria Tolstoy, but nothing worked out, his heart was occupied. Without an official marriage, Turgenev lives in the Viardot family, where he takes his illegitimate daughter. From then on, Turgenev was convinced that his beloved was a holy woman, and he would spend the rest of his life with her. In Turgenev's works, a large number of female images are taken directly from life. The writer was personally acquainted with such women or observed them (Appendix 3, 4). So, Turgenev’s life is an eternal search for truth, a desire to comprehend the “mysterious Russian folk soul,” and the theme of love is one of the main ones in his work.

1.3 Female images in the works of I.S. Turgenev

Analyzing the texts of selected works by I.S. Turgenev “Asya”, “Spring Waters” and “First Love” (Appendix 5), we found out that the prototypes of the heroines were real girls who occupied an important place in the writer’s biography, influencing at one time the formation of his personalities, and also reflected in themselves those wonderful traits that he admired all his life. The story “Asya” was written in Germany in the 50s of the 19th century, which the writer considered a turning point for himself personally. He dealt with issues of a person’s “personal happiness” in conflict with his moral and social duty. The story of the main character's childhood is reminiscent of the fate of Turgenev's illegitimate daughter, Polina (from a serf peasant), who was brought up in the house of his mother, as well as the half-sister (paternal) of the writer himself, Varya. Asya is a proud, open, passionate girl, striking at first glance with her nobility, spontaneity and unusual appearance. She is the daughter of a landowner and a serf peasant woman, which is the reason for her unusual behavior in society. After her mother dies, the girl is left to her own devices; she early begins to think about everything that surrounds her and the contradictions of life. What Asya has in common with other female images is sincerity, moral purity, a dream of heroism, and the ability for strong passions. She is accustomed to making high spiritual demands on herself and the people who surround her, which proves one thing: the heroine is a strong personality, demanding truth and frankness in everything, possessing enormous spiritual potential and great moral strength.Turgenev’s story “First Love” (1858), written on the family estate of Spasskoye-Lutovinovo, is the writer’s favorite work. “This is the only thing that still gives me pleasure, because it is life itself, it is not composed,” he admitted. The writer did not hide her autobiographical nature: the prototype of young Volodya was Turgenev himself, the main character was the poetess Ekaterina Shakhovskaya (a neighbor at the dacha), the prototypes of Volodya’s parents were the parents of I.S. Turgenev. A.V. Polovtsev also writes about the autobiographical nature of “First Love”: “I reread only one story with pleasure. This is "First Love". It is, perhaps, my favorite work... in “First Love”... a real incident is described without the slightest embellishment... the characters appear as if alive before me” (Tsar Bell, illustrated universal calendar for 1887). In the story, the writer very poetically describes the feeling of unrequited love, which brings him both joy and sorrow, but always makes him purer and more sublime. The plot of the story is very simple. The heroine of the story, Zinaida, at first glance, is an infantile person, but the main character saw in her a light that speaks of inner purity, despite all the contradictory behavior of the princess. She wants the love of a strong man: “who would break me himself.” She is tired of stupid flirting with fans, she is waiting for a big, strong feeling. This image is permeated with lightness, light and love of life, which makes it feminine and memorable.No less lyrical image of Gemma from the story “Spring Waters”. While in Frankfurt, Turgenev fell in love with a beautiful Italian woman, who served as the prototype for Gemma. The story appeared in the "Bulletin of Europe" in 1872 and was close in content to the stories "Asya" and "First Love", written earlier. Turgenev admitted that in his youth he “experienced and felt the content of the story personally.” But unlike their tragic endings, “Spring Waters” ends in a less dramatic plot. Gemma is a sensitive, kind, graceful and talented girl with extraordinary beauty. A reverent attitude towards loved ones and attention to others characterize Gemma as a sincere, caring, affectionate, sweet girl, capable of self-sacrifice. Having fallen in love, a girl reveals herself in her full beauty. We see that she is a brave, noble, sensitive person “with that Italian grace in which the presence of strength is always felt.”So, Turgenev’s life is an eternal search for truth, the desire to comprehend the “mysterious Russian folk soul.” The theme of love is one of the main ones in his works. With love, he tests the value of his heroes, their compliance with the high rank of a person. Ivan Sergeevich makes the most stringent demands on the personal life of his characters. We presented a comparative description of the images of Asya, Gemma and Zinaida from I.S. Turgenev’s stories “Asya”, “Spring Waters” and “First Love” in Appendix 5.

Chapter II. Characteristics of the images of the "Turgenev girl"

2.1 Psychological portrait of the literary type

"Turgenev's Girl"

One of the researchers of Turgenev’s creativity A.G. Tseitlin noted Pushkin’s primacy in the field of creating female characters, who “already emphasized in women the moral advantages of strength, integrity and purity of character, but Turgenev’s innovation was undeniable. Turgenev put into the images of his heroines all the qualities that an ideal woman can possess. Most of all, he valued soul and character in a woman; and the way she manifests herself in a relationship with her loved one was for the writer the main criterion for assessing her. This was confirmed by Pustovoit, who believed that “the charm of many Turgenev heroines, despite the difference in their psychological types, lies in the fact that their characters are revealed at the moment of intense poetic feeling, which Turgenev learned from Pushkin.” Researchers classify Turgenev's female characters as follows: the first group - they live by their own interests, are focused on themselves, the second group is precisely the “Turgenev girls”, whose thoughts are always turned to life and the suffering of others. The work of I. S. Turgenev gave Russian literature a vivid image of a girl, which over time transformed into a stable stereotype; the concept of “Turgenev girl” became a household word. It is based on a whole string of images of heroines created by the writer during the 1850-1890s. All of them are united by common characteristics: a harmonious and integral inner world, innate modesty, simplicity, strong will and unyielding character. Despite some detachment from everyday life, this girl organically feels alone with nature, often she has to come into conflict with the existing family structure or the conventions of the world, but in her desire to achieve her goal, she goes to the end. Femininity is the main feature of every Turgenev heroine. To depict female images, Turgenev uses various artistic methods: portraiture, dialogue, the author's narration about the childhood and youth of the heroines, music and others. Compiling a psychological portrait of the “Turgenev girl”, we noted the main components: external data, “ideal” character traits, a rich inner world, attitude towards people and love. However, the image of Turgenev's girl was not static: from story to story it became more and more profound and modern, absorbing the features of the new Russian reality. Turgenev's girls are similar in the main thing - in relation to the ideal of life: they are filled with rainbow, “winged hopes”, they live with dreams. But in our opinion, such dreaminess cannot be considered a positive property, because you need to live in reality. Turgenev’s girl “demands a lot from life, she reads, dreams,” and is waiting for a hero in whom all her dreams will be embodied.Thus, we traced how the image of the “Turgenev girl” took shape and saw what feminine qualities Turgenev glorifies, embodying them in his heroines. “Turgenev’s girl” is a capacious and broad concept, it is an ideal collective image of femininity and purity (Appendix 6.7). The female images are original and recognizable; the methods of their creation have much in common: dialogue and portraiture. They attracted attention and aroused admiration for their ability to love deeply and selflessly, revealing themselves as individuals with a deep inner world. The topic of studying female images of Turgenev is one of the most popular in the study of the writer’s work in various works of past critics and modern literary scholars. This once again shows that classical literature is relevant regardless of time.

2.2 Turgenev girl in the modern world

Over the course of a century and a half, the interpretation of the image of the “Turgenev young lady” has become distorted: this expression has become commonplace, its meaning has changed significantly. A modern young man already looks, thinks and speaks completely differently. But the modern girl’s life priorities have changed: getting an education, self-realization, and so on. And this is all in addition to eternal values: love, family. Today, many responsibilities lie on the fragile shoulders of the modern woman/girl. How can “ideal” character traits not change? Many people think that the concept of “Turgenev girl” is inappropriate in our time; there are no such girls anymore. Nowadays this is what they call romantic, overly sensitive young ladies, about whom one can say: “not of this world.” But this is a misconception for many. Yes, this girl is distinguished by her purity, lack of bad habits, desire to find her one and only, readiness to love and be loved. But in previous chapters we found out that Turgenev’s heroines are, of course, romantic to some extent, but far from naive. Their ability to feel deeply is combined with the ability to follow the intended path, overcoming obstacles. “Turgenev girls” is a more capacious and broader concept - it is a collective ideal of femininity and purity. In modern society, you shouldn’t look for girls who fully meet the ideals of the 19th century. But girls who have many typical “Turgenev” differences in their character and behavior are found now and, it seems to us, quite often. Having made a comparative analysis of the main characteristics of the life of girls of the 19th and 21st centuries, we highlighted the same or similar characteristics in red (Appendix 8).Analyzing the data obtained, we can conclude that, despite the changed social conditions of life, there will be a place for such girls at any time. Intellectuality, modesty, intelligence, and good manners will never lose their weight in society. If modern Asya manages to find her Prince, then he will be happy with her, just as she is with him. They will be rewarded in the form of a happy life in a family, with the fulfillment of their dreams of a quiet, cozy home, raising children and an active life and work to improve the world. This will be a modern Turgenev girl, but descended from the world of dreams and daydreams into real earthly life.

Chapter III. Practical part

3.1 Psychotype of the “Turgenev Girl”

In previous chapters, we found out that the “Turgenev girl” is a collective ideal image, identified the main character traits of such an image and came to the conclusion that in modern society there is still a place for qualities that will never lose their importance. Further, in our work we also want to identify the character traits of the “Turgenev girl” that are “relevant” for our time. To do this, we will use modern methods of studying the problem. When identifying personal qualities, psychologists advise taking into account a person’s psychotype. A person’s character is a set of actions, habits and skills. Its traits are certain habits and specific skills. And they are the ones who dictate what a person should do in a given situation. But, in addition to the habits and skills formed during life, character can be attributed to one of the psychological types that also influence his actions. The terms “extrovert” and “introvert” have been known for a long time, but they were firmly introduced into everyday use by Carl Jung at the beginning of the 20th century. These are two completely opposite personality types. It is believed that every person has traits of both types, but one predominates. The definition of a personality type is based on a set of qualities such as ambition, activity, assertiveness, and sociability. An extrovert is a person who loves to communicate. He may have a rich inner world, which he turns to if only necessary to achieve some goal. An introvert is a person who is self-absorbed. Nevertheless, if necessary, he can communicate with people, but only as much as necessary. Turning to Wikipedia (Appendix 9), we found out that the “Turgenev girl” is “an obvious introvert”: she is closed, sensitive, “does not get along well with people, but has a deep inner life.” To compare this image with the appearance of a modern girl, we decided to conduct a test to determine the personality type among students, the research base was the 9th grade of MBOU Secondary School No. 2. We found out the following: out of 48 students, 19 (40%) are extroverts, 24 (50%) are introverts and 5 (10%) are amboverts (dual natures) (Appendix 10). Thus, we came to the conclusion that the psychological type , close to the image of the “Turgenev girl,” is now more widespread than any other.

3.2 Social survey to identify the relevance of the character traits of the “Turgenev” girl in modern society

Next, we conducted a survey to identify ideal female qualities and compiled an approximate list of signs of modern “Turgenev girls”: modest, romantic, with good manners, feminine, avoid vulgarity and aggressiveness, dress decently, read books, understand classical music, many play musical instruments. instruments, speak several foreign languages, can dance the waltz, adhere to strict moral principles, and come from different social classes. We decided to find out how and to what extent the main typical features of Turgenev’s heroines are manifested in modern girls. To do this, we conducted a survey to identify the relevance of the character traits of the “Turgenev” girl in modern society among 9th grade students and their parents. We asked participants to rank all qualities in order of importance, grouping them into “family”, “business” and “creative”. It turned out that business qualities were rated highest by mothers and girls, family qualities by mothers and fathers, creative qualities were rated lowest by boys and fathers (Appendix 11). At the same time: in the 1st place, according to the girls, is modesty, and in the last place is determination; according to boys, attractiveness is in first place, willpower is in last place; mothers put femininity in 1st place, determination in last place; Dads ranked modesty first and willpower last. From this we can conclude that modern girls and women are concerned with the development of business skills, since they need this for personal growth and confidence in the future, while at the same time the stronger sex does not see the point in the creative inclinations of women. We also turned to the Internet and social networks to confirm or refute the hypothesis put forward about the relevance of the issue we are considering. There we found a lot of evidence that this topic worries the minds and souls of the younger generation (Appendix 12).

3.3 Organization of a school-wide creative project “Female images in Russian literature”

In the process of studying and researching the images of the “Turgenev girl”, many of our classmates became interested in this topic. They participated in surveys, information analysis, and debates. Gradually, for us, “Turgenev’s girls” began to emerge not only verbally, but also figuratively. I wanted to bring them into reality. This idea was supported by technology teacher Olga Aleksandrovna Leshchenko. A school-wide creative project “Female Images in Russian Literature” was developed, in which everyone in grades 6-8 took part. The project was timed to coincide with the Year of Literature in Russia. The girls created female images using different techniques: cross stitch, glass and wood painting, silhouette paper cutting, dolls and more. We focused specifically on the images of “Turgenev’s girls”: we created a series of cross-stitched miniatures (Appendix 13). Visual images helped us in revealing the topic of the work. And the school-wide creative project “Women’s Images in Russian Literature” received a diploma “For the best exposition” based on the results of the municipal exhibition of arts and crafts “The World of My Hobbies-2015”.

Forinclusion

In the process of research work, an analysis of selected works by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev “Asya”, “Spring Waters” and “First Love” was carried out. We found out that the prototypes of the heroines were real girls who occupied an important place in the writer’s biography, who at one time influenced the development of his personality, and also reflected those wonderful features of the “ideal” female character that he admired all his life. “Turgenev's girl” is a capacious and broad concept; it is an ideal collective image of female beauty, femininity and purity, despite many differences in life circumstances.Over the course of a century and a half, the image of the “Turgenev girl” has changed a lot; in modern society one should not look for girls who fully meet the trends of the 19th century. In Turgenev’s time there were no such morals as in our time. But everyone wants to experience wonderful feelings; a person has always had and will always have all the bright feelings, regardless of the time and level of development of society. Having made a comparative analysis in our work of the main characteristics of the life of girls of the 19th and 21st centuries, we identified the same or similar characteristics and came to the conclusion that, despite the changed social conditions of life, there will be a place for such girls at any time.

In the practical part of our work, we conducted a survey among ninth-graders, as representatives of modern youth, in order to find out what qualities are relevant in our society. The results showed that modern girls and women are more concerned with the development of business qualities than creative ones, but “ideal” family feminine qualities are more valuable among the male part of society.

Having analyzed all the work done, we came to the conclusion that the qualities of women whom the great classic admired are undergoing changes in modern society. The appearance of modern young ladies is strikingly different from the image of the “Turgenev girl”; this is dictated by the spirit of the times. But our hypothesis that, despite the dramatically changed social conditions of life, many qualities of the “Turgenev girl” are relevant and in demand in our time, is confirmed. “Turgenev’s girls”, who descended from the world of dreams and daydreams into real earthly life, will have a place at any time.

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Download material Turgenev in the 50-80s of the 19th century wrote several works that show heroines that fit the definition of “Turgenev’s girl.” They have a lot in common. These are girls whose childhood was spent somewhere in remote estates, where the influence of the capital’s secular society is not very felt. Turgenev's heroine grew up among forests and fields, she thinks and reads a lot, she has a rich inner world into which she is in no hurry to let strangers in. She is not very attractive in appearance, and to a young man accustomed to social glitter, she may seem completely ugly. Despite the fact that her circle of acquaintances is limited, she has a good understanding of people and can distinguish the real from the show. Among the young people around her, she will unmistakably choose someone who is ready to serve a noble idea, and she is ready to follow him to the ends of the earth. Outwardly, she seems weak and gentle, but if necessary, she shows a very strong character, determination, and determination. The male hero usually turns out to be weaker than her.

Asya, Natalya, Elena

Asya from the story of the same name at first seems pretty to the main character, but somewhat unbalanced. Natalya Lasunskaya from the novel “Rudin” makes an unfavorable impression on those who see her for the first time; she seems angular, although she has a clean, regular and expressive face.

The heroine of the novel “Nov”, Marianne, seems generally ugly, with a round face, a large nose and too light eyes. Lisa Kalitina from “The Noble Nest” gives the impression of a serious, very tactful girl who tries not to offend anyone. Turgenev's girls are waiting for love, but for the sake of it they do not agree to sacrifice an idea.

Turgenev's girl in the modern world

The image of the “Turgenev young lady” has transformed greatly over the course of a century and a half. Similar characters appeared in the books of other Russian writers - for example, by Chekhov or Bulgakov. They had quite a lot in common with Turgenev's heroines. Over time, this expression became commonplace. Its meaning has changed significantly. Nowadays this is what they call romantic, overly sensitive young ladies, about whom one can say that they are not of this world. This is not a completely correct understanding of Turgenev’s work. His heroines are, of course, romantic to some extent, but far from naive. Their ability to feel deeply is combined with the ability to follow the intended path and overcome obstacles. They feel great among books, but the book world does not obscure reality for them.

Have you ever noticed that there are no expressions like “Tolstoy’s maiden” or “Chekhov’s young lady”? And a pearl like a “Dostoevsky” or “Gogolian” girl is completely unthinkable! But the expression “Turgenev’s young lady” still lives! What is the reason? And who is she, the favorite heroine of the great writer?

I think it’s worth starting with the personality and fate of I. S. Turgenev himself. Many people know that the prose writer had a strong passion for the French singer Pauline Viardot. This story of unrequited love still excites people; plays are staged and films are made about it. The writer himself never married.

The Turgenev girl is feminine, not always beautiful at first glance, but at the same time she is distinguished by some special charm. She is in a sense “out of this world”: she reads a lot, is romantic, impressionable, lives in her own world, a bright introvert. This is how the author introduces Natalya Lasunskaya to readers from the novel “Rudin”: “She often remained motionless, lowered her hands and thought; her face then expressed the inner workings of her thoughts... She felt deeply and strongly, but secretly...” An ideal example of Turgenev’s young lady, who, however, came from the pen of another writer and poet, can be considered Tatyana Larina.

Between love and moral standards, the heroine will choose the latter; she is impeccably virtuous. For her, purity of conscience is perhaps even the most important criterion of happiness. Although at first glance Turgenev's heroine is weak and helpless, in fact she has a powerful potential for inner strength, based on a sense of moral duty.

The Turgenev girl is prone to self-sacrifice; she can do a lot for the sake of her loved one. Her reserve of strength may be more powerful than that of a man, and she is driven forward by the strength of her calling. An unusual character begets an unusual destiny. Turgenev’s heroines boldly go to war (Elena in “On the Eve”), and to the revolution (like Marianna in “Novi”), and to the monastery (Liza Kalitina in “The Noble Nest”). Turgenev's young lady serves either her beloved man or an idea, and sometimes both at the same time. She can combine seemingly irreconcilable qualities: rationality in her is adjacent to outbursts of feelings and stubbornness.

Turgenev's heroine is not like the Beautiful Lady of the Middle Ages, who simply receives attention from her knight. She, rather, will become a knight herself and, like some women from Russian fairy tales, will go to save her hero. Therefore, she is not weak and weak-willed, as it seems at first glance: “... From her whole being there was something strong and bold, something impetuous and passionate,” this is how the author describes Marianne (novel “Nov”). The internal integrity and self-fidelity of Turgenev’s heroines is amazing! Let us remember, for example, Lisa Kalitina: “All imbued with a sense of duty, the fear of offending anyone, with a kind and meek heart, she loved everyone and no one in particular; she loved God alone enthusiastically, timidly, tenderly.”

Not all writers were close to the image of such a girl. Arkady Averchenko, in the story “The Death of a Girl at the Hedge,” caustically ridicules the attempts of modern women to be like Turgenev’s heroines. According to the satirist, the type of girl like this is impossible in the changed realities.

There are many stereotypes about Turgenev’s girl; the modern world gives this type its own interpretation. Sometimes this is what they call simple romantic young ladies, or those who read a lot and can immerse themselves in the world of books. There is also the idea that this is a nervous, unbalanced, hysterical girl; or very modest, almost downtrodden, or simply not modern. But I still think that a true Turgenev young lady harmoniously combines all the qualities that I wrote about above. In the modern world there are, perhaps, really few of them.

© Evgenia Novoseltseva

Shlyapkina Natasha

The history of the creation of I.S. Turgenev’s works “Rudin”, “The Noble Nest”, “Asya”. Relevance of the topic

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  1. Biography
  2. The history of the creation of the work “Rudin”
  3. The history of the creation of the work “Asya”
  4. Relevance of the topic
  5. The image of "Turgenev's girl"
  6. Literature used

Biography.

I. S. Turgenev was born on October 28 (November 9, n.s.) 1818 in Orel. His father's name was Sergei Nikolaevich. He served in the Elisavetgrad Cuirassier Regiment, which was then stationed in Oryol, and retired as a colonel. Mother - Varvara Petrovna, nee Lutovinova I.S. He was the middle of three sons. The younger brother died in his early youth, and the eldest lives in Moscow. At the age of seventeen, Turgenev lost his father, but his mother lived until she was seventy years old and died in 1850. In 1822, the Turgenev family went abroad and visited Switzerland. Upon returning to the fatherland, the family settled for a long time on the family estate in the Mtsensk district of the Oryol province. Turgenev immediately began to study with teachers of various nations, with the exception of Russian. In 1828 he moved with his parents to Moscow; in 1834 he entered Moscow University, and in 1835 he moved to St. Petersburg University, where he graduated as a candidate. In Berlin, Turgenev attended lectures on history, Latin and Greek, and Hegelian philosophy. In 1841, Turgenev returned to St. Petersburg and spent about a year in the office of the Minister of Internal Affairs. At this time he saw Belinsky very often, with whom he became close friends. Although Turgenev wrote poetry as a boy, his first poem, “Parasha,” appeared only in 1843. Following this, he wrote several other works, which, however, were not particularly successful.

Doubting his poetic talent, he decided to give up literature and left St. Petersburg at the end of 1846; but, yielding to Belinsky’s requests, he gave him a short story for Sovremennik, namely “Khor and Kalinich.” This work, which later became part of the “Notes of a Hunter,” made an extremely strong impression on the public and convinced the author himself of his talent. Devoting himself from now on to literature, Turgenev went to Paris and wrote there most of the “Notes of a Hunter,” which immediately put him at the head of Russian fiction writers. In 1852, Turgenev was sent to live in a village for publishing an article about Gogol (essentially for “Notes of a Hunter”), where he stayed for two years. Since then, Turgenev lived either in Russia or abroad until 1863.

The history of the creation of the work “Rudin”.

The novel "Rudin" was written in 1855 within two months. The process of creating the work coincided with the events of the Crimean War of 1853 - 1855.

I. S. Turgenev considered it necessary to assess the ruling class in power. It was necessary to answer the question of whether there were advanced cultural forces in the nobility that could take on the difficult task of transforming Russian life. The writer managed to cover complex material in one hundred pages of text.

Throughout the novel there is a contrast between Rudin and his noble circle. The hero of Turgenev's novel stands out as an exceptional person, although associated with his environment. In many ways, only Natalya turned out to be higher than Rudin.

The writer gives examples of Rudin’s “music of eloquence”, shows him in the process of an argument. Rudin speaks to Natalya in a figurative, poetic form about himself, about his love.

The novel “Rudin” is imbued with lyricism and the author’s evaluative attitude towards his characters, which is presented in the form of direct characterization.

Turgenev's novel ends with a lyrical landscape in the first editions (only the 1860 edition included the scene of Rudin's death on the Parisian barricades).

Turgenev's truthfulness and the sense of responsibility that he felt when deciding what kind of people Russia needs helped him rise above personal sympathies. The writer, in the person of Rudin, created a generalized image of a progressive noble intellectual of the 50s.

The history of the creation of the work “The Noble Nest”

The text of the novel known to us was created over several months, from mid-June 1858 to mid-December of the same year. But the concept of the work, by Turgenev’s own admission, dates back to 1856.

The broad meaning of the title “Noble Nest,” which shaded the social affiliation of the characters in the novel, was noticed in the criticism of P. V. Annenkov, who saw in this title a shade of the writer’s bitter irony in relation to the circle of the local nobility.

In search of those moral principles that, in his opinion, contributed to the formation of a strong and integral, persistent and selfless nature, Turgenev, in “The Nest of Nobles,” turns to religion as a source of national and folk ethical traditions, but as a realist writer he could not help but see those antisocial, reactionary tendencies that were embedded in the dogmas of Christian morality. Hence, in the novel there is such a contrasting depiction of folk and lordly religiosity. Hence the fluctuations in the author’s attitude towards the image of the heroine, which are so obvious when comparing the ethical convictions of Lisa and Lavretsky.

Calling Lizino’s renunciation of happiness “unbelief,” Lavretsky, with all his experience, convinces Liza to exclude self-sacrifice in love from the concept of duty. Lavretsky does not give up happiness; he sees it in a harmonious combination of natural inclinations and socially useful activities. In these dreams there is no philosophy of renunciation, no opposition between the concepts of happiness and duty, love and “business”. Only the intervention of hostile circumstances, an inert environment, inhumane moral laws, categories that are not eternal and subject to change, forces Lavretsky to come to terms. But when the turning point in his life finally took place, when “he really stopped thinking about his own happiness and selfish goals,” when he became a good master, he, feeling like a complete man, had already left the historical stage.

The image of Turgenev’s beloved heroine is a development of the writer’s cherished thoughts, which arose back in 1856, but became significantly more complex during the creation of The Noble Nest. Turgenev not only admires Liza, but also judges her. He sees not only the strengths of her moral beliefs, but also the destructive power of the religious foundations that raised her. Not only feminine, but also strong, not only feeling, but also reflective, Lisa goes to the monastery, without bringing happiness to anyone with her act. Moreover, the cruel inflexibility of her religious beliefs morally disarms Lavretsky. Meanwhile, Lisa’s character contains forces that could be better used

The change in the writer’s mood and views between 1856 and 1859 was reflected in his correspondence over the years, in particular in Turgenev’s letters to E. E. Lambert, a person very close to the writer for a number of years and especially during the creation of “The Noble Nest.”

The history of the creation of the work “Asya”.

The story was published in the January issue of Sovremennik magazine for 1858 under the title “Asya. N.N.'s story."

The qualities of Turgenev - an artist and a psychologist - appeared in the story “Asya”, in which the author, in essence, reveals the weaknesses of the character developed on the basis of noble liberalism.

Asya is one of Turgenev’s most poetic female images. She is the daughter of a serf peasant woman and a landowner. This explains her behavior: she is shy and does not know how to behave in society. After the death of her mother, the girl is left to her own devices; she early begins to think about the contradictions of life, about everything that surrounds her. Asya is also close to other female images in Turgenev’s works.

In the image of Asya, the idea of ​​duty receives a peculiar twist. Her demands for life are both very great and very simple. She seems strange and unnatural precisely because she does not like the ordinary life of people in her circle. She dreams of an active, sublime and noble life. Her attention is attracted by simple people, she, apparently, both sympathizes and at the same time envies them.

Asya is given in the story through the perception of the gentleman on whose behalf the story is told. N.N. meets her while traveling in Germany. Her unique charm awakens love in him. Asya herself is faced with such a feeling for the first time in her life. The hero seems to her to be an extraordinary person, a real hero. Love gives her new strength and inspires faith in life. It seemed to Asya that she had met an “extraordinary man”, and she was ready to subordinate her own fate to his. But she was wrong. The one she thought was a hero was not one. And this meant that the combination of achievement and personal happiness was impossible, that achievement for her was only conceivable as self-denial.

Her chosen one turns out to be a weak-willed and indecisive man; he cannot adequately respond to her ardent feelings. Asya’s determination frightens him, and N.N. leaves her. The heroine's first love turns out to be unhappy.

Relevance of the topic.

Every girl in her interesting life at least twice experiences such a state when she is beautiful, elegant, sophisticated, luxurious, her eyes are full of tenderness, and her heart is full of determination! It is at these moments that she resembles a true “Turgenev girl”: on the day of graduation and wedding.

The whole look is complete: long, fluffy openwork dresses in delicate colors and intricate cuts; hair collected in interesting hairstyles with beads and flowers in bed colors. And not only the external description fits that era, but also the inner state itself, when the girl behaves with dignity, feeling all her charm, all her charm, all the value of her soul and beauty. At the moments of these significant events, part of the inner world changes for a while, since these are one of the culminations of human lives. Girls behave like ladies, but at the same time, such changes require a certain audacity, determination, and self-esteem. This is a state of “utter happiness.”

And the descriptions of these images are so close to the image of the “Turgenev girl” that the disclosure of this topic becomes exciting, but at the same time understandable for readers. And that means the topic is relevant!

“Turgenev's girl”... This term hides so many captivating qualities of the soul, heroism and drama. Turgenev imbues all heroines not with external features, but with an extraordinary inner world, which, on the contrary, contradicts the appearance of the girls: external fragility and internal strength. But it is to this image that the expressions “ideal beauty” and “integrity of personality” can be applied, which is one of the qualities of Ivan Sergeevich’s works.

The image is incredibly contrasting. Purity of soul, decency, amazing upbringing, kindness, tenderness, velvety, vulnerability... All these qualities are opposed to a sharp mind, courage, determination, despair, pride and self-esteem.

Two in one: angel and demon, fire and water. The instability of character is the “zest” that interests and absorbs readers in Turgenev’s works, leaving an irresistible mark in their memory.

In addition, another feature is that the heroines are much stronger in spirit than the men around them. This gives a touch of modernity and relevance to his story, since it is in our time that the most striking example of such a “preponderance” in favor of women can be given.

All this gives us the right to boldly assert that his images are among the most poetic in Russian literature.

To substantiate all these conclusions, I took three works by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev: “Asya”, “Rudin”, “The Noble Nest”, since this is how the female images appear before us: Asya, Natalya Lasunskaya and Liza Kalitina.

Asya, in many ways reminiscent of the writer’s daughter - an open, interesting, proud, ardent girl, with an unusual, but rather pleasant appearance, spontaneity and elegance, characteristic of noble ladies. But her peasant origin adds to her shyness and inability to behave in society. This is what distinguishes her from the heroines of other stories. But even Beigbeder Frederic said: “Even the plainest woman hides a treasure,” and Asya is undoubtedly valuable as a person. What makes her similar is moral purity, sincerity, the ability for strong passions, and the dream of heroism.

In addition, her chosen one turns out to be a weak-willed and indecisive person; he cannot adequately respond to her passionate feelings, but love inspires the heroine, gives her new strength, and inspires faith in life. The heroine is again morally stronger. Going through many trials: the death of her father, not a noble birth, loneliness, unhappy love, she becomes internally richer. It’s not for nothing that they say: “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!” The ending of the story can be assessed in different ways.

The next representative of this group is Natalya Lasunskaya. Well-mannered, modest, gentle, smart beyond her years, with a rich inner world, capable of sincere feelings, self-sacrifice in the name of love, restrained, neat, dreamy, a little secretive, but at the same time passionate and ardent. Unlike Asya, Natalya is from a noble family, and therefore educated, and enjoys canvas embroidery, reading, and horses.

The eloquent Rudin made a huge impression on Natalya, but her feelings are far from simple curiosity and blind admiration. She saw in Rudin a man with a rich soul and intellect, capable of bright, significant actions that bring undoubted benefit. But Rudin treats the heroine like a child, which further excites the mind of the “young noblewoman.”

And again, how the hero behaved as a weak-willed and insecure person in a situation that required him to act instantly and decisively. And Natalya is so magnificent in her “hot” impulse at the last meeting with Rudin, and how low and pathetic Rudin himself is, who did not even make an attempt to change the situation or at least give a chance, to provide a moment of happiness. But Natalya, even being upset, finds strength in herself and thanks for the lesson she learned.

And the heroine, as the plot progresses, still seems to us to be a strong-willed and integral person, confident in herself, in her words, in her actions, proving her belonging to the image of the “Turgenev girl” and evoking respect and sympathy.

Like Natalya, Lisa Kalitina is a provincial young lady who plays the piano every day, which emphasizes the beauty of her soul, and obeys her mother in everything. But this girl is not so simple. Her soul is pure and untouched, she is religious. It is she who can be cited as proof of Rousseau’s phraseology by Jean-Jacques: “The kingdom of a woman is the kingdom of tenderness, subtlety and tolerance.” But at the same time, Turgenev admires the strength of her character, her uncompromisingness, and moral purity. It is these qualities that are inherent in Turgenev’s heroines.

When Liza realized that she loved Lavretsky, nothing could shake her, because a girl like her loves once and for life. But the news of the false death of Lavretsky’s wife pushes this determined girl to go to a monastery.

The heroines prove their consciousness with every action. They control their destiny and are ready to make decisions.

Literature used:

  1. I. S. Turgenev “Asya. N.N.'s story."
  2. I. S. Turgenev “Rudin”
  3. I. S. Turgenev “The Noble Nest”
  4. I. S. Turgenev “Complete Works and Letters”
  5. R. Desse “Twilight of love. Travels with Turgenev"
  6. I.S. Turgenev "On the Eve"
  7. V. G. Fridlyand “Turgenev’s Tale”

The heroine of Turgenev's novels, you are arrogant, gentle and pure, There is so much of stormless autumn in you From the alley where the leaves are circling. N.S. Gumilev
Why was Turgenev able to create such a bright image that has not faded for almost two centuries? The study of the psychology of the Russian person, his inner world, the Russian national character greatly fascinated the writer Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev. “Beauty is scattered everywhere... But nowhere does it shine with such power as in human individuality,” he once wrote to Pauline Viardot. It was Turgenev who created a series of truly Russian female images that incorporated subtle femininity, romance and dreaminess along with extraordinary strength of character and self-sacrifice. In his works, Turgenev captured the image of a Russian woman at the moment of her spiritual awakening, at the time when she began to realize herself as an individual: “... what is a Russian woman? What is her fate, her position in the world - in a word, what is her life ?" Turgenev's heroine is not satisfied with ordinary household chores, she "demands a lot from life, she reads, dreams... about love... but for her this word means a lot." She is waiting for a hero in whom everything is embodied for her: Without him, we would not have known for a long time The suffering of a woman’s loving soul, Her cherished thoughts, silent sadness; Only with him those songs that were hidden in silence sounded for us for the first time. He disturbed the silence of the stagnant waters, He gave a loud answer to secret requests, From the darkness he brought the woman into the light, Into the wide world of aspirations and consciousness, On the path of living delights, battles and troubles. (K. Balmont)
Turgenev's heroine grew up among forests and fields, she thinks and reads a lot, she has a rich inner world into which she is in no hurry to let strangers in. She is not very attractive in appearance, and to a young man accustomed to social glitter, she may seem completely ugly. Despite the fact that her circle of acquaintances is limited, she has a good understanding of people and can distinguish the real from the show. Among the young people around her, she will unmistakably choose someone who is ready to serve a noble idea, and she is ready to follow him to the ends of the earth. Outwardly, she seems weak and gentle, but if necessary, she shows a very strong character, determination, and determination. The male hero usually turns out to be weaker than her. Pushkin also emphasized in a woman the moral advantages of strength, integral and pure characters, which placed her above the “superfluous people” of the noble intelligentsia. Turgenev deepens and develops this contradiction and opposition. “No matter how much you knock on nature’s door, it will not respond with an understandable word, because it is dumb... A living soul will respond, and mainly a female soul.” These words of Shubin from the first chapter of “On the Eve” are justified by all Turgenev’s novels. It is Natalya who “responds” to Rudin’s call; it was Lisa who was most excited by Lavretsky’s life drama, and she responded to his love; It was Elena, leaving her loved ones and homeland, who went with Insarov to fight. Almost everywhere in Turgenev, the initiative in love belongs to the woman; her pain is stronger and her blood is hotter, her feelings are sincere, more devoted than those of educated young people. The Russian woman is always looking for heroes; she imperiously demands submission to the power of passion. She herself feels ready for a sacrifice and demands it from another; when her illusion about the hero disappears, she has no choice but to be a heroine, to suffer, to act. The novelist endows his heroines with traits of captivating femininity, which is reflected not only in a pretty appearance, but also in spiritual softness and grace. Delicacy here does not mean spinelessness. The distinctive feature of Turgenev’s female images lies precisely in the fact that, despite their outward softness, they retain complete irreconcilability in relation to the conservative environment that raised them. In all of them, the “fire” burns despite their relatives, their families, who are only thinking about how to put out this fire. They are all independent and live “their own lives.” The image of the “Turgenev young lady” has changed greatly over the course of a century and a half. Similar characters appeared in the books of other Russian writers - for example, by Chekhov or Bulgakov. They had quite a lot in common with Turgenev's heroines. Over time, this expression became commonplace. Its meaning has changed significantly. Nowadays this is what they call romantic, overly sensitive young ladies, about whom one can say that they are not of this world. In modern language, there has been a partial confusion of the image with the characteristics of the “muslin young lady” - nervous, unadapted to real life. Most likely for this reason, the expression “Turgenev’s girl” has a different meaning for modern writers than for the author. “Turgenev’s heroes are sketchy, and Turgenev’s famous women evoke any feelings other than the desire to get to know them,” wrote the ironic Sergei Dovlatov. For the vast majority of ordinary people, the image of Turgenev’s girl is associated with a certain infantile creature, always in a modest dress with a long girlish braid, waiting for Prince Charming on her porch. But this image bears little resemblance to the image of Asya, the very girl whom Turgenev described in the story of the same name, which gave its name to the definition of “Turgenev’s girl.” The modern Turgenev girl, rather, looks exactly like Asya. She is proud. Dreams of an active life, active and sublime. Her chosen one, according to her plan, should help her in everything, just as she is ready to give him all of herself, worshiping and admiring. This moral and pure nature is capable of strong passions, she dreams of a feat so that life does not pass unnoticed and without a trace. She has quite high self-esteem, but she places the same high demands on her chosen one. And here she is not ready to waste time on trifles - she is ready to wait for him as long as she has enough strength, without thinking that a girl’s beautiful age is not so long.
The world does not stand still, and modern ideas about Turgenev’s girl are also undergoing changes. And here lies the misconception of many, for whom Turgenev’s girl is a wordless quiet person who accidentally wandered into the present from the noble nineteenth century. Yes, this girl is different from the rest both in her character and in her desire to find the one, to truly love and be loved. But in the modern world, these girls live quite comfortably, they are often quite successful at work, in addition to tightly buttoned Puritan dresses, they can afford trousers, jeans, and sneakers. Such girls are widely represented in books of the romantic prose genre by both domestic and foreign authors. And in the famous Scarlett O'Hara, if you look closely, you can find many of the features of Turgenev's heroines. In the now most popular English writer in Russia, Jojo Moyes, images of sublime and purposeful girls can be found in almost every book. In the 8th issue of the magazine “Friendship of Peoples” for 2018, under the title “Turgenev girls in an information storm”, the opinions of Belgorod high school students were published. Yes, many boys and girls doubt that “Turgenev’s girls are dating now.” However, more than half of those who spoke out are sure that such girls, “a little strange, obscene and great romantics,” exist; moreover, in every girl there lives a special one, Turgenev’s. Ovcharova Maria, 9c: “At all times, people are the same by nature. Evil and kind. Stingy and generous, sad and cheerful. Of course, something changes in character, behavior, understanding of the world. But the essence remains the same. We live in age of information, technology and promiscuity. Many people do not even try to improve, set goals. Digging into this endless information flow of information, we become weak-willed vegetables. But I have met many girls who have principles, values ​​and high goals. They develop comprehensively. They dream and go towards their dreams. Existing in our century, when vulgarity and vulgarity are imposed, a girl trying to achieve her ideals accomplishes a feat.”
She is not as beautiful as Rostova - the Countess with the Russian spirit in Tolstoy. She does not have the charm of Tatyana Larina, whose virtue Pushkin zealously defends. Turgenev girl. Where does this miracle come from in Russian literature? “Her whole being strived for the truth.” Turgenev reflected his character, appearance, behavior, and disposition truthfully, and this diva is surprisingly pleasant. Her soul was waiting, “eager, languishing, Like a bird struggling alone in a cage.” The melancholy of her excited soul was calling for freedom from the empty wilderness. In her, overflowing with thirst for action, everyone could find complicity. Her face is charming, not sad, “And everything about it is subtle, smart, sweet.” With an exalted, pure soul, She does not seek peace for herself. In love, she is rather an adventurer, She rushes to her on the verge of risk. Turgenev girl. It’s unlikely you’ve never met such a girl in your life... (