The Image of Catherine the Great in the Works of Russian Literature. Why does Pushkin introduce Catherine II into the novel, as he portrays her? Catherine from the 19th century

One of the works of Russian literature, in which the image of Catherine the Great is created, is “The Captain's Daughter” by A.S. Pushkin, written in 1836. When creating a work, the writer turned to many historical sources, but he did not follow the exact historical description: the image of Catherine the Great is subordinated to the general idea of the work by Pushkin.

Literary critic V. Shklovsky cites the words from the article by P.A. Vyazemsky “On the Letters of Karamzin”: “In Tsarskoye Selo, Catherine must not be forgotten... The monuments of her reign here tell about her. Laying down the crown from her head and the purple from her shoulders, she lived here as a housewife and gracious hostess. Here, it seems, you meet her in the form and dress in which she is depicted in the famous painting by Borovikovsky, even more famous for the beautiful and excellent engraving of Utkin. manner”, “Ekaterina in Pushkin is deliberately shown in the official tradition” [Shklovsky: 277] .

Now let's turn to the story. As we know, Pushkin writes on behalf of the narrator, and the narrator - Grinev - tells about the meeting of Marya Ivanovna with the Empress from the words of Marya Ivanovna, who, of course, recalled the meeting that shocked her many times in later life. How could these people devoted to the throne talk about Catherine II? There is no doubt: with naive simplicity and loyal adoration. “According to Pushkin’s plan,” writes the literary critic P.N. , it was to portray Catherine precisely in the official interpretation: even Catherine's morning dezabile was designed to create a legend about the Empress as a simple, ordinary woman "

The fact that Pushkin recreated in the novel the features of the Empress, captured by the artist Borovikovsky, emphasized the official "version" of the portrait. Moreover, Pushkin defiantly renounced his personal perception of the Empress and gave the reader a "copy from a copy." Borovikovsky painted from life. It was enough for Pushkin to submit a copy of the highly approved portrait. He depicted not a living model, but a dead nature. Catherine II in the novel is not an image of a living person, but a "quote", as Shklovsky wittily remarked. From this secondary nature - the cold surrounding Catherine in Pushkin's novel. The "fresh breath of autumn" has already changed the face of nature - the leaves of the lindens have turned yellow, the empress, having gone for a walk, put on her "soul warmer". Her "cold" face, "full and ruddy", "expressed importance and calmness." The same coldness is associated with the “strict expression on the face” that appeared during the reading of Masha Mironova’s petition. This is even emphasized by the author's note: “Are you asking for Grinev? - said the lady with a cold look. Coldness is also in Catherine's actions: she starts a "game" with Masha, posing as a lady close to the court, she plays, but does not live.

In such an image of Catherine II, Pushkin's intention is revealed to contrast this image of the ruling empress with the image of Pugachev, the "muzhik tsar." Hence the contrast between these two figures. The grace of Pugachev, based on justice, is opposed by the "mercy" of Catherine, who expressed the arbitrariness of autocratic power.

This contrast, as always, was acutely realized and perceived by Marina Tsvetaeva: “The contrast between Pugachev’s blackness and her (Catherine II’s) whiteness, his liveliness and her importance, his cheerful kindness and her condescending, his masculinity and her ladyship could not but turn away from her childish heart, united in love and already committed to the “villain” [Tsvetaeva].

Tsvetaeva not only expresses her impressions, she analyzes the novel and carefully argues her thesis about the contrast between the images of Pugachev and Catherine II and Pushkin’s attitude towards these antipodes: and a shower jacket, on a bench, between all sorts of bridges and leaves, seemed to me a huge white fish, a white salmon. And even unsalted. (The main feature of Catherine is amazing insipidity)" [Tsvetaeva].

And further: “Let's compare Pugachev and Ekaterina in real life: “Come out, fair maiden, I will give you freedom. I am the sovereign." (Pugachev leading Marya Ivanovna out of the dungeon). “- Excuse me,” she said in an even more affectionate voice, “if I interfere in your affairs, but I am at court ...” [ibid.].

The assessment given to Tsvetaeva Ekaterina may be somewhat subjective, emotional. She writes: “And what a different kindness! Pugachev enters the dungeon - like the sun. Ekaterina's affectionateness already seemed to me sweetness, sweetness, honeyness, and this even more affectionate voice was simply flattering: false. I recognized and hated the lady patroness in her.

And as soon as she began in the book, I became suckingly bored, I was physically sick of her whiteness, fullness and kindness, like cold meatballs or warm pike perch with white sauce, which I know what I'll eat, but - how? The book for me fell apart into two couples, into two marriages: Pugachev and Grinev, Ekaterina and Marya Ivanovna. And it would be better if they got married! [ibid].

However, one question that Tsvetaeva asks seems very important to us: “Does Pushkin love Ekaterina in The Captain's Daughter? Don't know. He is respectful to her. He knew that all this: whiteness, kindness, fullness - things are respectable. Here honored.

But love - a spell in the image of Catherine - no. All Pushkin's love went to Pugachev (Grinev loves Masha, not Pushkin) - only official deference remained for Catherine.

Ekaterina is needed so that everything “ends well” [ibid.].

Thus, Tsvetaeva sees in the image of Catherine mostly repulsive features, while Pugachev, according to the poet, is very attractive, he “charms”, he looks more like a king than an empress: “How much more regal in his gesture is a peasant who calls himself a sovereign, than an empress posing as a hanger-on" [Tsvetaeva].

Yu.M. Lotman objects to Pushkin's crudely straightforward definition of Catherine II's view. Of course, Pushkin did not create a negative image of Catherine, did not resort to satirical colors.

Yu.M. Lotman explains the introduction of the image of Catherine II in the novel "The Captain's Daughter" by Pushkin's desire to equalize the actions of the impostor and the reigning empress in relation to the main character Grinev and his beloved Marya Ivanovna. The "similarity" of the action lies in the fact that both Pugachev and Catherine II - each in a similar situation acts not as a ruler, but as a person. “Pushkin in these years is deeply characterized by the idea that human simplicity is the basis of greatness (cf., for example,“ The Commander ”). It is precisely the fact that in Catherine II, according to Pushkin's story, a middle-aged lady lives next to the Empress, walking in the park with a dog, allowed her to show humanity. “The Empress cannot forgive him,” Catherine II says to Masha Mironova. But not only the empress lives in her, but also a person, and this saves the hero, and does not allow the unbiased reader to perceive the image as one-sidedly negative” [Lotman: 17] .

There is no doubt that in depicting the Empress, Pushkin must have felt particularly constrained by political and censorship conditions. His sharply negative attitude towards "Tartuffe in a skirt and in a crown", as he called Catherine II, is evidenced by numerous judgments and statements. Meanwhile, he could not show Catherine like that in a work intended for publication. Pushkin found a double way out of these difficulties. Firstly, the image of Catherine is given through the perception of an eighteenth-century nobleman officer Grinev, who, with all his sympathy for Pugachev as a person, remains a faithful subject of the Empress. Secondly, in his description of Catherine Pushkin relies on a certain artistic document.

As already mentioned, the image of the “lady” with the “white dog”, whom Masha Mironova met in the Tsarskoye Selo Garden, exactly reproduces the famous portrait of Catherine II Borovikovsky: “She was in a white morning dress, in a night cap and in a shower jacket. She seemed to be forty years old. Her face, full and ruddy, expressed importance and calmness, and her blue eyes and a slight smile had an inexplicable charm" [Pushkin 1978: 358]. Probably, any reader familiar with this portrait will recognize Catherine in this description. However, Pushkin seems to be playing with the reader and forcing the lady to hide that she is the Empress. In her conversation with Masha, we immediately pay attention to her compassion.

At the same time, Pushkin unusually subtly - without any pressure and at the same time extremely expressively - shows how this familiar "Tartuffe" mask instantly falls off Catherine's face when she finds out that Masha is asking for Grinev:

The lady was the first to break the silence. "Are you sure you're not from here?" - she said.

Exactly like this, sir: I just arrived yesterday from the provinces.

Did you come with your family?

No way. I came alone.

One! But you're still so young."

I have neither father nor mother.

Are you here on some business?

Exactly like that. I came to make a request to the empress.

You are an orphan: perhaps you complain about injustice and resentment?

Not at all. I came to ask for mercy, not justice.

May I ask, who are you?

I am the daughter of Captain Mironov.

Captain Mironov! The one who was the commandant in one of the Orenburg fortresses?

Exactly like that.

The lady seemed to be touched. “Excuse me,” she said in an even more gentle voice, “if I interfere in your affairs; but I am at court; tell me what your request is, and maybe I can help you.” Marya Ivanovna got up and respectfully thanked her. Everything in the unknown lady involuntarily attracted the heart and inspired confidence. Marya Ivanovna took a folded paper out of her pocket and handed it to her unfamiliar patroness, who began to read it to herself. At first she read with an attentive and benevolent air; but suddenly her face changed, and Marya Ivanovna, who followed all her movements with her eyes, was frightened by the stern expression of that face, so pleasant and calm in a minute.

“Are you asking for Grinev?” - said the lady with a cold look. “The Empress cannot forgive him. He stuck to the impostor not out of ignorance and gullibility, but as an immoral and harmful scoundrel.

Ah, not true! cried Marya Ivanovna.

"How untrue!" - objected the lady, flushing all over" [Pushkin 1978: 357-358].

From the "charm of the inexplicable" appearance of a stranger, as we see, there is not a trace left. Before us is not a friendly smiling "lady", but an angry, imperious empress, from whom it is useless to expect indulgence and mercy. The brighter in comparison with this, deep humanity comes through in relation to Grinev and his bride Pugachev. It is in this respect that Pushkin gets the opportunity, both as an artist and bypassing censorship slingshots, to develop - in the spirit of folk songs and legends about Pugachev - wonderful, with pronounced national-Russian features. It is no coincidence that V. Shklovsky notes: “The motive for pardoning Grinev by Pugachev is gratitude for the insignificant service that a nobleman once rendered to Pugachev. The motive for pardoning Grinev by Ekaterina is Masha's petition. [Shklovsky: 270].

Catherine's first reaction to Masha's request is a refusal, which she explains by the impossibility of forgiving the criminal. However, the question arises: why does the monarch, administering justice, condemn on denunciation and slander, and does not try to restore justice? One of the answers is this: justice is by nature alien to autocracy.

However, after all, Catherine II not only approves the unjust verdict, she also, according to many researchers, shows mercy: out of respect for the merits and advanced years of Grinev the father, she cancels the execution of her son and sends him to Siberia for eternal settlement. What kind of mercy is it - to exile an innocent person to Siberia? But such, according to Pushkin, is the "mercy" of the autocrats, which is fundamentally different from the mercy of Pugachev, it contradicts justice and is in fact the arbitrariness of the monarch. Do I need to remind you that Pushkin already knew from his personal experience what the mercy of Nicholas I boiled down to. With good reason, he wrote about himself that he was "bound by mercy." Naturally, there is no humanity in such mercy.

However, let's see if, nevertheless, in the episode of the meeting between Masha Mironova and Ekaterina and in the description of the previous circumstances, the author's attitude towards them is not. Let us recall the facts that have taken place since the moment Grinev appeared before the court. We know that he stopped his explanations to the court about the true reason for his unauthorized absence from Orenburg and thereby extinguished the “favor of the judges” with which they began to listen to him. Sensitive Marya Ivanovna understood why Grinev did not want to make excuses before the court, and decided to go to the queen herself in order to tell everything frankly and save the groom. She succeeded.

Now let us once again turn to the very episode of the meeting between the tsarina and Marya Ivanovna. Grinev's innocence became clear to Ekaterina from Marya Ivanovna's story, from her petition, just as it would have become clear to the commission of inquiry if Grinev had finished his testimony. Marya Ivanovna told what Grinev did not tell at the trial, and the queen acquitted Masha's fiancé. So where is her mercy? What is humanity?

The Empress needs Grinev's innocence more than his guilt. Every nobleman who went over to Pugachev's side did damage to the noble class, the backbone of her throne. Hence the anger of Catherine (the face changed during the reading of the letter, it became strict), which, after the story of Marya Ivanovna, "is replaced by mercy." The queen smiles, inquires where Masha is staying. She, apparently, makes a favorable decision for the petitioner and reassures the captain's daughter. Pushkin, giving the right to tell Grinev, at the same time forces him to report facts that allow us to draw our conclusions. Ekaterina speaks affectionately with Marya Ivanovna, is friendly with her. In the palace, she raises the girl who has fallen at her feet, shocked by her "mercy". She utters a phrase, addressing her, her subject, as an equal to herself: “I know that you are not rich,” she said, “but I am indebted to the daughter of Captain Mironov. Don't worry about the future. I undertake to arrange your condition. How could Marya Ivanovna, who had been brought up from childhood in respect for the throne and royal power, perceive these words?

Pushkin wrote about Catherine that "her ... friendliness attracted." In a small episode of Masha Mironova's meeting with the Empress, through the mouth of Grinev, he speaks about this quality of Catherine, about her ability to charm people, about her ability to "take advantage of the weakness of the human soul." After all, Marya Ivanovna is the daughter of a hero, Captain Mironov, whose exploits the queen knew about. Catherine handed out orders to officers who distinguished themselves in the war against the Pugachevites, and also helped orphaned noble families. What is surprising that she took care of Masha. The Empress was not generous to her. The captain's daughter did not receive a large dowry from the queen and did not increase Grinev's wealth. The descendants of Grinev, according to the publisher, i.e. Pushkin, “prospered” in the village, which belonged to ten landowners.

Catherine cherished the attitude of the nobility towards herself and perfectly understood what impression the “highest pardon” would make on the loyal Grinev family. Pushkin himself (and not the narrator) writes: “In one of the lordly outbuildings they show a handwritten letter of Catherine II behind glass and in a frame,” which was passed down from generation to generation.

And so “the legend was created about the empress as a simple, accessible to petitioners, an ordinary woman,” writes P.N. Berkov in the article "Pushkin and Ekaterina". And this is exactly what Grinev, one of the best representatives of the nobility of the late 18th century, considered her to be.

However, in our opinion, Catherine II ultimately wanted to protect her power, if she lost the support of these people, then she would also lose power. Therefore, her mercy cannot be called real, it is rather a trick.

Thus, in The Captain's Daughter, Pushkin depicts Catherine in a very ambiguous way, which can be understood not only from some hints and details, but also from all the artistic techniques that the author uses.

Another work that creates the image of Catherine, which we have chosen for analysis, is the story of N.V. Gogol "The Night Before Christmas", which was written in 1840. In terms of time, only 4 years separate this story from The Captain's Daughter. But the story is written in a completely different key, in a different key, and this makes the comparison interesting.

The first difference is related to the portrait characteristic. In the portrait of Catherine, Gogol has some kind of puppetry: “Here the blacksmith dared to raise his head and saw a woman standing in front of him of a small stature, somewhat burly, powdered, with blue eyes and at the same time with that majestically smiling look that knew how to conquer everything and could only belong to one reigning woman.” Like Pushkin, blue eyes are repeated, but Gogol's Ekaterina smiles "majestically."

The first phrase that Catherine utters shows that the Empress is too far from the people: “The Serene Highness promised to introduce me today to my people, whom I still have not seen,” said the lady with blue eyes, examining the Cossacks with curiosity. "Are you well kept here?" she continued, coming closer” [Gogol 1940: 236].

A further conversation with the Cossacks makes it possible to imagine Catherine, at first glance, sweet and kind. However, let's pay attention to the fragment when Vakula compliments her: “My God, what an ornament!” he cried joyfully, seizing his shoes. “Your Royal Majesty! Well, when shoes like that are on your feet, and in them, hopefully, your nobility, go and forge on the ice, what kind of legs should be? I think, at least from pure sugar” [Gogol 1040: 238]. Immediately after this remark, the author's text follows: "The Empress, who, for sure, had the most slender and charming legs, could not help but smile, hearing such a compliment from the lips of an ingenuous blacksmith, who in his Zaporozhye dress could be considered handsome, despite his swarthy face" [ there]. It is undoubtedly permeated with irony, which is based on alogism (remember, "a woman of small stature, even somewhat portly").

But even more irony is contained in the fragment describing the end of the meeting with the queen: “Delighted by such favorable attention, the blacksmith already wanted to question the queen thoroughly about everything: is it true that kings eat only honey and lard, and the like - but, having felt, that the Cossacks were pushing him in the flanks, he made up his mind to shut up; and when the empress, turning to the old people, began to ask how they live in the Setch, what customs are common - he, stepping back, bent down to his pocket, said quietly: “Get me out of here as soon as possible!” and suddenly found himself behind a barrier” [ibid.]. The meeting ended seemingly at the behest of Vakula, but the subtext of Gogol is as follows: it is unlikely that the empress would listen with sincere attention about the life of the Cossacks.

The background on which Catherine appears is also different in the works. If Pushkin has a beautiful garden that creates a feeling of calm and tranquility, then Gogol has this palace itself: “Having already climbed the stairs, the Cossacks passed the first hall. The blacksmith followed them timidly, fearful of slipping on the parquet at every step. Three halls passed, the blacksmith still did not cease to be surprised. Stepping into the fourth, he involuntarily walked up to a picture hanging on the wall. It was the Blessed Virgin with the Child in her arms. “What a picture! what a wonderful painting! - he reasoned, - here, it seems, he speaks! seems to be alive! and Holy Child! and pressed the hands! and smiles, poor thing! and the colors! My God, what colors! there’s a lot here, I think, and it didn’t go for a penny, everything is yar and cormorant: and the blue one is on fire! important work! the ground must have been blasted. Surprising as these paintings are, however, this copper handle,” he continued, going up to the door and feeling the lock, “is even more worthy of surprise. Wow, what a clean finish! all this, I think, was done by German blacksmiths for the most expensive prices...” [Gogol 1978: 235].

It is not so much the surrounding luxury that attracts attention here, but the thoughts and feelings of the petitioners: the blacksmith “follows timidly” because he is afraid of falling, and the works of art decorating the walls suggest that all this was done by “German blacksmiths, for the most expensive prices.” So Gogol carries out the idea that ordinary people and those who are in power seem to live in different worlds.

Together with Ekaterina, Gogol portrays her favorite Potemkin, who is worried that the Cossacks would not say something superfluous, would not behave incorrectly:

“- Do not forget to speak the way I taught you?

Potemkin bit his lips, finally came up himself and whispered commandingly to one of the Cossacks. The Cossacks have risen” [Gogol 1978: 236].

The following words of Catherine require special commentary:

"- Get up! said the Empress affectionately. - If you so want to have such shoes, then it is not difficult to do. Bring him this hour the most expensive shoes, with gold! Really, I really like this simplicity! Here you are, - continued the Empress, fixing her eyes on a man with a full, but somewhat pale face, who was standing a little distance from other middle-aged people, whose modest caftan with large mother-of-pearl buttons showed that he did not belong to the number of courtiers, - an object worthy of your witty pen! » [Gogol 1978: 237].

Catherine points out to the satirist writer what he should pay attention to - the innocence of ordinary people, and not the vices of those in power. In other words, Catherine seems to switch the writer's attention from statesmen, from the state (power is inviolable) to small "oddities" of ordinary, illiterate people.

Thus, in Gogol's work, Catherine is depicted more satirically than in Pushkin's.

CONCLUSIONS

The study made it possible to draw the following conclusions:

1) the study of historical and biographical materials and their comparison with works of art gives reason to say that there is an undoubted dependence of the interpretation of historical and biographical facts related to the life of empresses, on the peculiarities of the worldview of the authors of these works;

2) different assessments of the activities of the empresses, presented in works of art - from categorically negative to clearly positive, bordering on delight, are due, firstly, to the complexity and inconsistency of the characters of the women themselves, and secondly, to the moral attitudes of the authors of the works and their artistic priorities; thirdly, the existing differences in the stereotypes of the assessment of the personality of these rulers by representatives of different classes;

3) in the fate of Tsisi and Catherine II there are some common features: they have come a long and difficult path to power, and therefore many of their deeds from the point of view of morality are not evaluated unambiguously;

4) artistic comprehension of the controversial and ambiguous figures of the great empresses Cixi and Catherine II in the works of historical prose of China and Russia contributes to a deeper understanding of the importance of the role of an individual in the historical process and understanding of the mechanisms of formation of a moral assessment of their deeds at a certain historical period of time.

In order to describe the image of Catherine II, you will need to refer to the work. As we already know, the narrator is Grinev, and he tells us about Marya Ivanovna's meeting with the Empress. His story is based on the words of Marya, and she, of course, remembered this event for a very long time. What could she say about the great empress?

“According to Pushkin’s plan,” wrote P.N. Ekaterina, as about a simple and most ordinary person.

It is necessary to consider whether there is still an author's attitude towards them in the interaction of Masha Mironova with Ekaterina and in the description of the previous events. It is necessary to recall the facts that have taken place since the time Grinev answered in court. It is known that he interrupted his speech in court about the real circumstance of his departure from Orenburg, and this prevented favor in court .. It was clear to Mary why Grinev did not want to justify himself to the judge, and she dared to go to the empress to tell her everything honestly and save your loved one. She did it.

The fact that Grinev is absolutely not to blame for anything, the queen realized from a conversation with Marya. She initiated her into what Grinev had kept secret, and the tsarina returned the honest name to the petitioner's beloved.

It was to her advantage that Grinet was innocent. Every nobleman who went over to Pugachev's side harmed the noble class, the backbone of her rule. Because of the discontent of the ruler, which, after a conversation with Marya, was replaced by mercy. Ekaterina smiles, finds out where the girl is staying. She probably makes a good decision for the girl and gives her hope.

The author wrote that the friendliness of the empress attracted people. In a short meeting between Mironova and Ekaterina, through the mouth of Grinev, he talks about this quality of the queen, that she is able to charm any person, about her ability to take advantage of the weakness of a person’s soul. After all, Marya is the daughter of the hero, Captain Mironov, she was well aware of his merits. She did not spare the order for those who distinguished themselves in the battle with the Pugachevites, she also provided assistance to the orphaned families of the nobles. What is surprising is that she treated Masha with care, besides, she did not show generosity towards her.

The Empress appreciated the attitude of the nobles towards herself and was well aware of the impression that her "greatest mercy" of the Grinevs would make.

Composition about Catherine II

One of the most famous novels by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, The Captain's Daughter, is historical, so many of the actions described in it actually took place, of course, with the author's changes and improvements.

Throughout the work, the narration is conducted on behalf of the protagonist - an elderly officer Pyotr Grinev. Therefore, an important role is played by the image of Catherine II, the Great, which shows the attitude of the common people towards the Empress. In communication with Marya Ivanovna, she appears as a good-natured, calm woman, without haughty and arrogant behavior, she is easy to communicate with. And the fact that she was walking in the garden just in a nightgown, without security, also shows that a woman does not try to appear “higher” than others only because of her social status. She listens to Grinev's wife completely, does not rush and does not interrupt.

Of course, Pushkin is not describing a real empress. According to his plan, he wanted to present Catherine the Great not as a formidable ruler, but as a simple, ordinary person. The image of the benefactor is a disguise of the author's real relationship to the ruler. And besides, the narrator of this story is Grinev, a simple military man who saw the Empress just like that and experienced some kind of adoration towards her.

The queen is courteous towards Mary, even helping the girl, who has fallen at her feet due to shock, to stand up on her own. She speaks with Maria on an equal footing, with respect, and not as a subject. Having shown mercy, the empress showed her indifferent attitude to the problem of a poor military family. Yes, even though she did not provide Grinev's wife with a rich dowry, she nevertheless tried to help them.

Of course, Catherine II could not do otherwise, because the girl's father tried to resist the uprising, fought heroically with Pugachev's army and died in the process. Pugachev and his army were enemies of the autocratic power, and, consequently, opponents of Catherine II herself.

The true attitude of Pushkin to Catherine II is expressed only in his notes on Russian history of the 18th century. And it was radically different from the "Grinev" attitude.

Some interesting essays

Composition based on the painting by Savrasov Winter Grade 3 description
The painting "Winter" stands out from all the creative works of the author. A narrow path divided the canvas into two parts. On the left - a dense forest and a couple of trees near the roadside open up to our attention. To the right are only two lifeless birch trees.

In Pushkin's novel The Captain's Daughter, the images of Emelyan Pugachev and Empress Catherine II are symbols of power. We can say that these historical figures are at different poles, they are radically opposite.
It is known that in The Captain's Daughter Pushkin contrasted the people and the government. He considered the main reason for the Pugachev rebellion to be the isolation of power from the people, the ignorance and unwillingness of those in power to know the needs of a simple peasant. Hence the national tragedies, one of which, according to Pushkin, is the rebellion led by Emelyan Pugachev.
Pugachev is a folk hero. He represents the people's power, the people's choice. No wonder ordinary Cossacks are ready to give their lives for him. Pugachev's image is based on a real prototype. Romanny Pugachev is a Cossack, an impostor, the leader of the rebellious Cossacks, who called himself Tsar Peter III. To emphasize the historicism of his work, the writer introduces some events and details that took place in reality. So, in the chapter "Pugachevshchina" there is a government order to capture Pugachev, which actually existed. In addition, the novel provides true historical facts: the capture and execution of Pugachev, for example.
But, of course, the figure of Pugachev in The Captain's Daughter is not equated with his historical prototype. In the novel, this is one of the most complex and multidimensional images, which is a fusion of historical, everyday, symbolic and folklore elements. In the work, the figure of Pugachev develops into a symbolic image, personifying history and fate.
The appearance of Emelyan Pugachev is concrete, through the eyes of Grinev we see his portrait, we know about his origin. But, at the same time, Pugachev's realism is only apparent. With his appearance, the atmosphere of something mystical and mysterious enters the novel. Pugachev resembles a werewolf, whose essence no one can comprehend. From a tramp, this hero easily turns into a "sovereign-emperor." In Pugachev, the features of a roguish peasant are manifested, then the wisdom, strength and greatness of the people's leader. In such chapters of the novel as "The Uninvited Guest", "The Rebellious Sloboda", "The Orphan", Pugachev's metamorphoses follow one after another: either he is an imperious and formidable sovereign, then a just and merciful savior, then a cruel and quick to punish man, then a wise and sensible statesman.
The image of Pugachev in the novel is tragic. Moreover, the hero himself is aware of this tragedy. This is emphasized both in the Cossack song that he sings, and in the Kalmyk fairy tale so beloved by him. The appearance of Emelyan Pugachev is largely covered with a heroic halo. Let us recall that he rejects the possibility of the empress's grace in relation to him, while he himself has mercy on his opponents. For him, mercy is an unacceptable insult.
The image of Emelyan Pugachev in the novel is given in a folklore way. In Grinev's mind, he is closely connected with the phenomenon of a miracle, with fate itself. At the beginning of the novel, Pugachev emerges from a blizzard, then he becomes the protagonist of Pyotr Grinev's prophetic dream. In it, the false sovereign appears in the guise of a leader, a leader who unwittingly opened the eyes of the memoirist to the laws of life, history, and fate.
Thus, Pugachev in The Captain's Daughter is both real and fantastic at the same time. It connects two layers: external, vital, and mystical, a layer of fate and history. The image of Emelyan Pugachev is the central image of the novel. It is associated with Pushkin's reflections on history and fate, on the relationship between private life and historical life.
The image of Pugachev is connected by invisible threads with the image of another "man of power" - Catherine II, the official empress. In the novel, there are semantic and compositional parallels that connect these two characters. The main of them: the meeting of Grinev with Pugachev in the Belogorsk fortress - the meeting of Masha Mironova with Catherine II in St. Petersburg.
Pushkin gave in this episode a real portrait of the Empress: “She was in a white morning dress, in a night cap and in a shower jacket. She seemed to be forty years old. Her face, full and ruddy, expressed importance and calmness, and her blue eyes and a slight smile had an inexplicable charm.
The image of Catherine II, fair, merciful, grateful, was written by Pushkin with undisguised sympathy, fanned by a romantic halo. This is not a portrait of a real person, but a generalized image. Catherine is the shrine that the nobles defended in the war with Pugachev.
Catherine carefully listens to Masha Mironova and promises to look into her request, although the attitude of the empress towards the "traitor" Grinev is sharply negative. Having learned all the details of the case and imbued with sincere sympathy for the captain's daughter, Ekaterina has mercy on Masha's fiancé and promises to take care of the girl's material well-being: “... but I am indebted to Captain Mironov's daughter. Don't worry about the future. I undertake to arrange your condition.
In my opinion, Pushkin personally did not have any “claims” against Catherine II. It is known that the writer was a monarchist according to his political convictions. All transformations, in his opinion, should have been carried out only within the framework of this system. But Pushkin had no doubts that reforms were necessary.
Thus, The Captain's Daughter is a historical novel in which two main historical figures act: Emelyan Pugachev and Catherine II. Once in the fabric of a work of art, these real figures acquired many fictional features, turned into artistic images that serve to express the author's position, Pushkin's views on history, the problem of power and people, fate. Fiction and the author's will were superimposed on the real basis of these characters, as a result of which one of the best Russian historical novels was created.

Sadykov Linar

The study analyzes the image of Catherine II, depicted in the novels of Valentin Savvich Pikul "Favorite", A. S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter", the ode "Felitsa" by G. R. Derzhavin, the book by A. N. Radishchev "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" and in modern cinema.

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Municipal budgetary educational institution Alekseevskaya secondary school No. 3 named after. G. S. Borovikov Alekseevsky municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan

The image of Catherine II in

The works of her contemporaries, in the historical novels of A. S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter" and V. S. Pikul's "Favorite" and in modern cinema

Scientific adviser:

Evlanova Alexandra Fedorovna,

Literature teacher

I was prompted to write this research work by a trip to Peterhof during the autumn holidays, reading the historical novel by V. S. Pikul "Favorite" and watching the TV series "Catherine the Great", where my cousin Rinal Mukhametov starred as Count Saltykov. I plunged into the past and began to study the history of our state with interest.

The teaching of history in modern conditions, in my opinion, should be aimed at showing real history in all its complexities and contradictions, with its bright and tragic sides, strictly observing objectivity, historical truth. Only such an approach can correct the vices of the past, give an idea of the true historical events and phenomena.Therefore, today it is especially important when books of real classics of the historical genre fall into the hands, reading which you learn about how the formation and development of the Russian state actually took place.

Such works, in my opinion, include historical novels by Valentin Savvich Pikul. They have always been popular. Reading his books, we plunge into the history of our country, with all its victories and defeats. We are reliving the palace coups, the Great Patriotic War, the difficult life on the borders of the Russian Empire. The heroes of novels appear before us with all their positive and negative sides. A special place, in my opinion, among the works written by V. S. Pikul, is occupied by the novel "Favorite", which takes us to the 18th century. This is the century of the reign of Catherine II, the century of the Russian Enlightenment, the century of the heyday of Russian culture.

Enlightenment philosophy and ideology in Russia were focused on state and universal values, and the efforts of the Russian people were largely aimed at following the model of an ideal person - a citizen. And now, evaluating the fruits of the reign of Catherine II, we come to the conclusion that it was an era of glory and power of Russia, which secured the status of a great power. As Catherine II herself admitted in her Notes, that sooner or later she "will become the autocrat of the Russian Empire." She worked hard towards this goal. Such a task was, perhaps, only her character, and she achieved this with her work and patience.

The obvious and hidden paradoxes of the enlightened Catherine's age, its internal duality have always intrigued the Russian public consciousness. Recall at least A. S. Pushkin: Catherine for him, on the one hand - "Tartuffe in a skirt and crown", on the other - a wise mother - empress in "The Captain's Daughter".

In the literature of the 18th century, the dream of an ideal ruler was embodied in the image of a real monarch, a real person - Empress Catherine II. What should be a great ruler of a great power? Wise and strong, brave and proud? Or maybe humane, modest, not alien to human weaknesses? These two views of the statesman coexisted at that time in the work of poets and artists, in the minds of their contemporaries. These two views still exist today.

Research objectives:

through the image of Catherine II to show how objectively the image of a historical person is in different types of artistic creativity? How do the features of the historical image of Catherine II correlate with the literary image?
And how do my contemporaries and filmmakers perceive the image of Catherine II?

Research objectives:

Familiarize yourself with the literature on this topic.
Analyze the novels of Valentin Savvich Pikul "Favorite", A. S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter", the ode "Felitsa" by G. R. Derzhavin, who in 1791-1793 worked as secretary of state under Empress Catherine II; book by A. N. Radishchev "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow."
View and analyze the modern film "Catherine the Great".

In order to find answers to the questions posed, let us turn to the biography of Catherine II.

It is known from history that she was born in the family of the Prussian general Christian-August and Johanna-Elisabeth from the Holstein-Gottorp family. At birth, she was called Sophia-Frederick-Augusta (after the names of her three aunts on her mother's side) of Anhalt-Zerbst. Her relatives called her simply Fike. She received a French education.

Sophia came to Russia in 1744 at the invitation of Elizaveta Petrovna, since Sophia's uncle had proposed to the Russian Empress in marriage, but died before the wedding. On August 28, 1744, 15-year-old Sofia was married to the 16-year-old heir to the Russian throne, Peter Fedorovich (future Peter III), the son of Anna Petrovna (daughter of Peter I) and Karl Friedrich. Having converted to Orthodoxy, Sophia-Frederica is named Ekaterina Alekseevna. The marriage was unsuccessful, her husband had a mistress Elizaveta Vorontsova.

On January 5, 1762, after the death of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Peter III came to the throne. The latter pursued an unreasonable foreign and domestic policy, entering into an alliance with Prussia, abolishing a number of taxes and equalizing the rights of Orthodoxy and Protestantism, which led to an increase in discontent in Russian society, and especially in the guards. On July 9, 1762, as a result of a coup d'état, Catherine was proclaimed empress. The coronation took place on September 13 in Moscow.

Catherine the Great, following Peter I, pursued an active policy, striving to strengthen the Russian Empire and expand its borders. Diplomatic efforts led to the partition of Poland between Russia, Austria and Prussia (1772, 1793 and 1795). Belarus and Right-bank Ukraine (1793), as well as Courland and Lithuania (1795) went to Russia. As a result of the Russian-Turkish wars (1768-1774 and 1787-1792), the lands of Novorossia (1774) (now southern Ukraine), Crimea and Kuban were annexed to Russia. The cities of Sevastopol and Yekaterinoslav were founded. Suvorov was already waiting for the order to go to Istanbul, but Austria refused to help and the campaign was canceled. An indirect result of the weakening of the Ottoman Empire was the annexation of Georgia (1783).

At the beginning of her reign, Catherine tried to carry out a general political reform, guided by the ideas of the Enlightenment. The reform of the Senate, administrative reform were carried out; the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens was opened; introduced smallpox vaccination; freemasonry spread; put into circulation paper money - banknotes; the secularization of church lands was carried out; an attempt was made to convene a legislative Commission; liquidated hetmanate in Ukraine and the Zaporizhzhya Sich.

The era of Catherine was also marked by an uprising led by Emelyan Pugachev (1773-1774).

How is the Image of Catherine II depicted in the literature of her contemporaries and historians?

The image of Catherine the Second - the "enlightened monarch" - contained something (mind, energy, obsession), which potentially contributed to her elevation to the level of a mythological character. Catherine the Second realized her thoughts through facts and actions, having become known as a model of the era. Contemporaries wholeheartedly desired the onset of the "golden age" under Catherine. A distinctive feature of the reign of Catherine II, in addition to her gradual, non-violent transformations, was, as the historian N. M. Karamzin wrote, that the result of the cleansing of the autocracy from “impurities of tyranny” was peace of mind, success in secular amenities, knowledge, and reason. Thus, the century of Catherine II became the period of the dawn of culture in all spheres of life in Russia.

Monuments of architecture, sculpture, painting, literature, music are living witnesses of the time, bringing to us the dream of an ideal world and an ideal person.

In the 18th century, in Russian art - literature and painting, two well-defined traditions of depicting Catherine II developed. The first tradition is associated with the idealization and exaltation of the empress. Artists and poets create an official, “ceremonial portrait” of Catherine, a wise monarch who spends his days in labor and concern for the welfare of the people.

In accordance with the second tradition of depicting Catherine II, the Empress appeared as an ordinary earthly woman, not alien to human feelings and moods (chamber, intimate portraits).

The first tradition was reflected in the works of artists P. A. Antropov and D. G. Levitsky, poets G. R. Derzhavin and A. P. Sumarokov, M. M. Kheraskov.

In the literature of classicism, with its dominant high genres of ode, tragedy and oratory, the heroes were mainly kings, politicians and generals. Classicist poets depicted in their works a ceremonial portrait of Catherine II, depicting not a specific person, but their dream of an ideal, enlightened sovereign, wise, just, as Catherine seemed to them in the first years after her accession to the throne. The works of these poets are characterized by a solemn, sometimes even pretentious style, an enthusiastic, “kneeling”, abstract, devoid of a concrete image description of the empress, likened to the gods. So, M. M. Kheraskov in a solemn ode to Catherine II (1763) mentions “the beautiful face of the goddess”; "Praise the glory of the goddess Above the sun at last!" - A.P. Sumarokov exclaims in his “Ode to the Empress Empress Catherine II on the day of her namesake in November 1762, 24 days”.

In the works of these poets, we do not find descriptions of the appearance of Catherine II, her moral character, characteristic qualities; in their works, the authors praise the empress, frankly express their enthusiastic attitude towards her.

Several works were dedicated to Catherine II by our countryman, poet, statesman G. R. Derzhavin, who in 1791-1793 worked as secretary of state under Empress Catherine II. He dedicated odes to her: “The Vision of Murza”, “Felitsa” and “The Image of Felitsa”.

In this regard, I considered it necessary to turn to the memoirs of G. R. Derzhavin himself, which have come down to us. The memoirs and notes of outstanding cultural figures of the past are not actually literary and artistic works, but the memoirs of writers, in my opinion, are a unique phenomenon, since at the same time they are part of the literary process, and the study of this process, its historiography and criticism.

“Notes from incidents known to all and genuine cases containing the life of Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin (1743–1812)”, first published only in 1859, after the death of the poet, are of great historical significance, firstly, as a source of information about the era of government Empress Catherine II, secondly, as a literary work, and, thirdly, as a book telling about the history of writing poems by G. R. Derzhavin, which have become classics of Russian poetry. As historians note, there is some inconsistency and inaccuracy in the presentation in the notes: the memoirs were written by the author without preparation, without preliminary notes. Therefore, Academician Ya.K. Grot, publishing the "Notes" of the poet in 1871, found it necessary to "check them against modern authentic evidence", facts from Derzhavin's correspondence, as well as historical documents. At the same time, philologists note that the Notes "cannot be looked upon as a strictly finished literary work."

For the historian of literature, Derzhavin's memoirs are of particular interest due to their, according to Grot, "incalculable frankness", with which the poet tells how the ideas of his works arose, how they took on the final form, how they became known to the poet's friends, and later were published, how they brought the highest mercy or the empress (or her favorites) discontent and even anger.

In the first place in the memoirs are the facts of Derzhavin's service activities, the stages of his career: studying at the Kazan gymnasium, soldiering in St. Petersburg at the court.

The ode "Felitsa", written in 1782, is the first poem that made the name of Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin famous. It became a vivid example of a new style in Russian poetry. The subtitle of the poem specifies: “Ode to the wise Kyrgyz-Kaisak princess Felitsa, written by Tatarsky Murza, who has long settled in Moscow, and who lives on business in St. Petersburg. Translated from Arabic. This work received its unusual name from the name of the heroine of the "Tales of Tsarevich Chlor", the author of which wasCatherine II herself.This name, which in Latin means "happiness", is also named in Derzhavin's ode, which glorifies the empress and satirically characterizes her surroundings.It is known that at first Derzhavin did not want to publish this poem and even hid the authorship, fearing the revenge of the influential nobles, satirically depicted in it. But in 1783 it became widespread and, with the assistance of Princess Dashkova, close empress, was published in the journal Interlocutor of Lovers of the Russian Word, in which Catherine II herself collaborated. Subsequently, Derzhavin recalled that this poem so touched the empress that Dashkova found her in tears. Catherine II wanted to know who wrote the poem in which she was depicted so accurately. In gratitude to the author, she sent him a golden snuffbox with five hundred chervonets and an expressive inscription on the package: "From Orenburg from the Kirghiz Princess to Murza Derzhavin." From that day on, Derzhavin gained literary fame, which no Russian poet had known before.Derzhavin received many awards for his long and conscientious service, but one of them - the first from the Empress Catherine II - played a special role in his fate. Here is how he talks about it in his Notes: “One day, when the author was having lunch with this boss, a paper scroll was brought to him by the postman with the inscription: “From Orenburg from the Kyrgyz Princess to Murza Derzhavin.” He was surprised and, having opened it, found in it a beautiful gold snuff-box, strewn with diamonds, and in it 500 chervonny. He could not and should not have accepted this secretly, without announcing to the boss, so as not to file suspicions of bribes, but in order to approach him, he showed. He, looking at first angrily, grumbled: “What kind of gifts from the Kirghiz?” Then, seeing a fashionable French work, he said with a caustic smile: “Well, brother, I see and congratulate you.” But from that time on, hatred and malice crept into his heart, so that he could not speak indifferently with the newly famous poet ... ”This was the royal gift for the ode“ Felitsa ”.

The history of this ode is interesting. As Derzhavin later explained, it contained ironic and very transparent allusions to the weaknesses of the most influential nobles at court. So, for example, stanzas 5, 6, 7, 8 refer “to the whimsical disposition of Prince Potemkin, who was either going to war or practicing dress, feasts and all kinds of luxuries.” Stanza 9 contains a hint at Count N.I. Panin - a lover of dog hunting, the next stanza - on S.K. Naryshkin and so on.The poem "Felitsa", written as a playful sketch of the life of the Empress and her entourage, at the same time raises very important issues. On the one hand, in the ode "Felitsa" a completely traditional image of a "god-like princess" is created, which embodies the poet's idea of the ideal of an enlightened monarch. Clearly idealizing the real Catherine II, Derzhavin at the same time believes in the image he painted.
On the other hand, in the poet's verses, the thought sounds not only about the wisdom of power, but also about the negligence of performers, concerned about their own profit.In itself, this idea was not new, but behind the images of the nobles drawn in the ode, the features of real people, favorites of the Empress, clearly showed through: Potemkin, Alexei Orlov, Panin, Naryshkin. Drawing their vividly satirical portraits, Derzhavin showed great courage - after all, any of the nobles offended by him could do away with the author for this. Only the favorable attitude of Catherine saved Derzhavin.Ode "Felitsa" is a truly progressive work for its time, because the literary directionclassicism, which was firmly established at that time, forbade combining in one work a high ode and satire belonging to low genres. But Derzhavin does not even simply combine them in characterizing different persons depicted in the ode, he does something completely unprecedented for that time. Violating the traditions of the genre of laudatory ode, Derzhavin widely introduces colloquial vocabulary and even vernacular into it, but most importantly, he does not draw a ceremonial portrait of the empress, but depicts her human appearance. That is why everyday scenes appear in the ode. The “God-like” Felitsa, like other characters in his ode, is also shown in everyday life (“Not cherishing your peace, You read, write under a veil ...”). At the same time, such details do not reduce her image, but make her more real, humane, as if accurately written off from nature. Reading the poem "Felitsa", you are convinced that Derzhavin really managed to introduce into poetry the individual characters of real people boldly taken from life or created by the imagination, shown against the background of a colorfully depicted everyday environment. This makes his poems vivid, memorable and understandable.Thus, in Felitsa, Derzhavin acted as a bold innovator, combining the style of a laudatory ode with the individualization of characters and satire, introducing elements of low styles into the high genre of the ode. Subsequently, the poet himself defined the genre of "Felitsa" as a mixed ode. Derzhavin argued that, in contrast to the traditional ode for classicism, where statesmen, military leaders were praised, solemn events were sung, in a "mixed ode" "a poet can talk about everything." Destroying the genre canons of classicism, with this poem he opens the way for new poetry, which received a brilliant development in Pushkin's work.Derzhavin himself subsequently noted that one of his main merits was that he "dared to proclaim Felitsa's virtues in a funny Russian syllable." As rightly pointed out by the researcher of the poet V.F. Khodasevich, Derzhavin was proud "not that he had discovered the virtues of Catherine, but that he was the first to speak in a "funny Russian style." He understood that his ode was the first artistic embodiment of Russian life, that it was the germ of our novel in verse, and perhaps even a historical novel. And, perhaps, Khodasevich develops his thought - if “old Derzhavin” had lived at least until the first chapter of Onegin, he would have heard echoes of his ode in it.

Approximately at the same time as the ode of G. R. Derzhavin, V May 1790, on the counter of one of the bookstores of the capital, a work by Alexander Nikolayevich appearedRadishchev "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow",on which the writer worked for about ten years.The work was printed without the author's indication, in it, with unheard-of courage and directness for that time, the "nameless traveler" dealt crushing blows to all the foundations of the then imperial Russia: serfdom, the dominant Orthodox Church, the power of Catherine II. Before us appears the real image of the "enlightened queen".

The Russian Empire in the second half of the 18th century grew stronger and stronger, becoming one of the most powerful world powers. At this time, education, industry are vigorously developing, literature, science and art are flourishing. However, against the background of such prosperity, social contradictions are aggravated in the country, and feudal oppression becomes more cruel. The peasant was at the complete disposal of the landowner, who had the right to exile the serf to hard labor without any trial. Penal servitude also punished the complaints of the peasants against the landowners. It was this position that Radishchev had in mind when he wrote in his work that "a peasant in law is dead." There were no laws determining the amount of peasant duties. Corvee - free peasant work for the landowner - and dues - the amount of money with which the peasant paid off such work, remaining in the property of the landowner. Human trafficking was widespread. Serfs were sold with land and without land, wholesale and retail, separating peasant families. Radishchev was outraged by this state of affairs. He noted that the landlords looked at the peasants as their pets, as an "ox in a yoke", as a thing. Radishchev considered the whole system of autocracy and serfdom to be the cause of this boundless evil. Therefore, he brings down his accusatory criticism on the foundations of contemporary Russia: tsarist power and serfdom, which is fully reflected in the work “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”.

At that time, when the idea of the book was ripening in Radishchev, Catherine II in the spring of 1787 set off on a journey from St. Petersburg to Novorossia andCrimea, along with his favorite Grigory Potemkin. The journey was organized with extraordinary splendor, which entailed colossal expenses, the burden of which fell on the peasantry. For the passage of the queen and her retinue, the peasants in the hottest time had to put up seventy-six thousand horses. By order of the Novorossiysk governor-general Potemkin, artificial villages were built along the entire route of the empress, later called "Potemkin villages." The purpose of creating such villages was to show the supposedly happy and abundant life of the Russian peasantry. The bribed writers reflected in their messages that the peoples of Russia were prospering under the leadership of the Empress.In "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" "prosperous villages" do not exist. From time to time, positive images of “good nobles” flash across the pages. However, their personal qualities are not able to change the status quo.
The theme of the uprising of the people, the enslaved peasantry against "greedy animals, insatiable leeches" and "the villain of the villains of all the fiercest" - the king runs through the whole work. Radishchev justifies the actions of the serfs against the landowners; moreover, he calls on them to resolutely fight against serfdom and autocracy.

Radishchev was extremely indignant at such a deceit. In his "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow", which to a certain extent coincides with the route of Catherine II, the author shows a true, not embellished picture of feudal reality. The purpose of this book is to open the eyes of the public to the boundless lack of rights of the enslaved peasantry, to the unbearable burden of autocratic oppression. The narration in the books is conducted on behalf of the traveler, through whose mouth Radishchev expresses his views. The journey is made from St. Petersburg to Moscow on the chaise, on the way the narrator stops at twenty-four postal stations, where he changes horses. The traveler is an inquisitive, attentive and sincere person who disposes the people he meets to confidential communication. In each new chapter of Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow, the reader is presented with diverse, but equally typical pictures of arbitrariness, deceit and oppression, committed with impunity in an autocratic-feudal country. The story of the heavy peasant captivity begins already from the third chapter of the Journey ... - "Lyubani", when describing the peasant plowing on Sunday. With a feeling of indignation and grief, the author paints a picture of serf oppression and violence in all the chapters of his work. In "Zaitsovo", which describes the brutal attitude towards the peasants of a retired official, who began his service as a court stoker and rose to the rank of nobility. In the chapter "Vyshny Volochok", where a story is told about a landowner who achieved prosperity on his estate due to the complete ruin of the peasants. In the chapter "Copper" - the tragedy of the sale of peasants at a public auction, in "Gorodnya" - the cruelty of recruitment, in "Pawns" - a description of the impoverished peasant life, a miserable hut.

Radishchev realized that serfdom and autocracy were organically connected with each other. According to the writer, the king is "a criminal of all the first", who is the main culprit of the evil that is being done. Unable to speak directly against Catherine II, Radishchev in the chapter "Spasskaya Polest" places an allegorical dream of a traveler - a very bold satire on the empress and her inner circle. In it, Radishchev notes that the tsar was known among the people as “a deceiver, a hypocrite and a pernicious comedian,” and draws attention to the discrepancy between the words and deeds of Catherine II: the ostentatious brilliance and splendor of the facade of the empire hides terrible pictures of the oppression of the people. The central place of the dream is occupied by the meeting of the king with the "unknown wanderer" Direct Look, the truth that removes the veil from the king's eyes. After that, all things appear before the king in their natural form. Pryamozora addresses the king with words full of anger and contempt: "Know that you are ... the first robber, ... the most fierce enemy, directing his anger at the inside of the weak."

Radishchev's denunciation of autocracy and serfdom is distinguished by sharpness and force unprecedented for that time. For him, evil and oppression are not an exception in life, as for his literary predecessors, but, as a rule, exist in the autocratic-feudal system. Describing particular examples of manifestations of violence, deceit and arbitrariness, Radishchev invariably points to their main cause - autocratic power and serfdom.

Directed against tsarism and the landlord-serf system, this book provoked an angry reaction from the then reigning Catherine II. After reading the Journey, the empress became indignant and wrote in the notes: “He puts his hopes on the rebellion of the peasants ... He threatens the kings with a chopping block ... He is a rebel worse than Pugachev.” Soon after the publication of the book, Radishchev was arrested and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and then exiled to Siberia, to the Ilim prison. Such was the price for the truth.
Despite the fact that the work was published more than two hundred years ago, many of Radishchev's accusations are still relevant today. “And we will call the country of devastation blessed... where a hundred proud citizens are drowning in luxury, and thousands do not have reliable food, nor their own shelter from the heat and scum?” Isn't it about us?!

Image Catherine II in Pushkin's novel "The Captain's Daughter"

"The Captain's Daughter" by the great Russian writer Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin marked the beginning of the Russian historical novel.Defining the genre of The Captain's Daughter should provide a key to understanding the novel as a whole. In 1830, Pushkin himself, reflecting on the genre, wrote: “In our time, by the word novel we mean a historical era developed in a fictional narrative.”The novel "The Captain's Daughter" tells about the dramatic events of the 70s of the XVIII century, when the discontent of the peasants and residents of the outskirts of Russia resulted in a war led by Emelyan Pugachev. But the novel is not limited only to this topic, it is one of the many set in this multifaceted and philosophical work. In parallel, in the novel, Pushkin poses and solves a number of important issues: about patriotic education, about love and fidelity, honor and dignity of a person. The form and language of the work are brought to perfection by Pushkin. Behind the seeming simplicity and lightness, the most serious questions of being are hidden.

In the episode, which can be called "The Meeting of Masha Mironova with Catherine II", Pushkin succinctly at the same time expressively describes Catherine's appearance, her behavior, character traits, style of conversation and manner of communication. Let's get to the content. Trying to help a loved one, the daughter of Captain Mironov goes to St. Petersburg to beg forgiveness from the Empress herself. “The next day, early in the morning, Marya Ivanovna woke up, got dressed and quietly went into the garden. The morning was beautiful, the sun illuminating the tops of the lindens, which had already turned yellow under the fresh breath of autumn. Suddenly a white dog of English breed barked and ran towards her. Marya Ivanovna was frightened and stopped. At that very moment, a pleasant female voice rang out: "Don't be afraid, she won't bite." And Marya Ivanovna saw a lady sitting on a bench opposite the monument. Marya Ivanovna sat down at the other end of the bench. The lady looked at her intently; and Marya Ivanovna, for her part, casting a few oblique glances, managed to examine her from head to toe. She was in a white morning dress, a night cap and a shower jacket. She seemed to be forty years old. Her face, full and ruddy, expressed importance and calmness, and her blue eyes and a slight smile had an inexplicable charm ... "

Historians believe that in Pushkin's novel, as well as in the portrait of V.L. a middle-aged lady (“about forty years old,” the author writes), in home attire – “in a white morning dress, in a night cap and a shower jacket”, walking in the garden with a dog. Pushkin introduces into the episode a description of the landscape, which is close to the landscape background on which Catherine II is depicted in the painting by V. Borovikovsky: yellowed lindens, shrubs, a wide lake, a beautiful meadow, “where a monument has just been erected in honor of the recent victories of Count Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev. Catherine has a “full and ruddy” face, “pleasant and calm”, expressing “tenderness and calmness”, with blue eyes and a slight smile. The writer emphasizes the pleasant and affectionate voice of the Empress, her manner of communication and conversation that attracts sympathy: she was the first to break the silence, talking with Masha; she spoke affectionately with a smile, “raised and kissed”, “caressed the poor orphan”, promised to take care of her future. Pushkin reveals the features of Catherine’s character, emphasizes the ambiguity of her image: she can be strict, cold when it comes to her enemies, quick-tempered at the sight of disagreement, contradiction to her words and opinion (as she “flared up” when Masha did not agree that Grinev "an immoral and harmful scoundrel" who joined Pugachev!). At the same time, it is dominated, and this is emphasized by Pushkin, such character traits as responsiveness, mercy, the ability to be grateful (“... I am indebted to the daughter of Captain Mironov .... I undertake to arrange your condition”). The writer notes the simplicity of Catherine II (the empress listened to an orphan, the daughter of a simple commandant of a distant fortress), her willingness to help the poor girl and Grinev, her attentiveness (she listened carefully to Masha, understood her, sent her home not on foot, but in a court carriage). In this episode of the story, Pushkin openly expresses his attitude towards Catherine: “... blue eyes and a slight smile had an inexplicable charm”, “Everything attracted the heart and inspired confidence,” he writes. The very style of description, the calm manner of narration, the vocabulary chosen by the writer emphasize his attitude towards Catherine II: more than once such words as “smile” (three times), “pleasant” (voice, face), “affectionate” (voice), “affectionately” (turned), “kindly” (poor orphan).

A.S. Pushkin appreciates in a historical figure, a monarch, the ability to show “human independence”, human simplicity.

These features of the spiritual image of Catherine are reflected in the novel by A. S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter". In the image of Catherine II, the dream of a brilliant Russian writer about truly human relationships was embodied. “The Empress cannot forgive him (Grinev), says Catherine II to Masha Mironova. However, she is not only an empress, but also a person, and this saves the hero.”

It seems important to make a digression regarding the personal qualities of Catherine II. As historians note, she was an outstanding personality: smart, insightful, well educated. In the 17 years that have passed since her arrival in Russia until her accession to the throne, she diligently studied the country in which she was destined to live and reign - its history, customs and traditions, culture; suffice it to recall Catherine's stubborn self-education before coming to power - a diligent study of a non-native Russian language for her, diligent reading of books - initially French novels, and then the works of philosophers - educators, historians, works of famous lawyers and economists. Gaining the reputation of the future Russian Empress, Catherine showed a remarkable mind, understanding of people, the ability to please them, the ability to find like-minded people and inspire confidence in them. Of interest are the "Autobiographical Notes" of Catherine II, which shed light on the personality and activities of the Empress. "Notes" were written by her in French, published in 1859 in London by A.I. Herzen. And, although one cannot but agree with the opinion of many critics that in these “Notes” the Empress was not completely sincere (even in her early childhood, life taught her to be cunning and pretend), nevertheless they give an idea of \u200b\u200bCatherine, attracting many artists and poets. In this regard, we are particularly interested in one of the fragments of the "Notes" - "The Moral Ideals of Catherine II", which allows, with a certain degree of correction, to deepen our understanding of the extraordinary personality of Catherine II:

“Be gentle, philanthropic, available, compassionate and generous; let your greatness not prevent you from condescending to small people good-naturedly and putting yourself in their position, so that this kindness never begs either your power or their respect. Listen to everything that at least somewhat deserves attention ... Act in such a way that good people love you, evil people are afraid and everyone respects you.

Keep in yourself those great spiritual qualities that make up the distinctive identity of an honest person, a great person and a hero ...

I pray to Providence that it imprint these few words in my heart and in the hearts of those who will read them after me.

The image of Catherine II in the novel by V. S. Pikul "Favorite".

"Favorite" - historical novelValentina Pikulya . It chronicles the timesCatherine II . The novel consists of two volumes: the first volume is “His Empress”, the second is “His Taurida”.The novel "Favorite", like other literary masterpieces, was created by Valentin Pikul after a painstaking study of genuine historical archival materials. Despite the huge number of characters, the book is easy to read and captivates literally from the first pages.Pikul masterfully chose the way of narration: Russia of the second half of the 18th century is described through the prism of the life stages of the protagonist of the work, Prince Grigory Potemkin.The novel reflects the most important events of the national history of the second half of theXVIII century . In the center of the narrative is the image of the favorite of Empress Catherine II Alekseevna, commanderGrigory Potemkin . Many pages of the novel are also devoted to other major historical figures of that time.

Work began on the first volume of the novel in August 1976; the first volume was completed in November 1979. The second volume was written in just one month, in January 1982.

The novel "Favorite" is a multifaceted work in which a huge layer of historical reality is raised, a broad canvas of life in Russia in the second half of the 18th century is given.The work begins with the appeal "From the Author”, in which V.P. Pikul writes that “Pushkin predicted: “... the name of the strange Potemkin will be marked by the hand of history”, and Herzen later wrote that “the history of Catherine the Great cannot be read in front of the ladies.” The names of these people, soldered together by a single passion and hatred, common victories and defeats, are inseparable in Russian antiquity. Potemkin would never have become the “Prince of Tauride” if Catherine’s love had passed him, but she would not have risked the title of “Great” if she had not been surrounded by Russian people like Potemkin!

Slides captions:

“The image of Catherine II in the works of her contemporaries, in the historical novels of A. S. Pushkin “The Captain’s Daughter” and V. S. Pikul’s “Favorite” G. S. Borovikova Head: Evlanova Alexandra Fedorovna

V. S. Pikul (July 13, 1928 - July 16, 1990) “Favorite” is a historical novel-chronicle of the times of Catherine II.

Objectives of the study: 1) Through the image of Catherine II, to show how objectively the image of a historical person is in different types of artistic creativity? How do the features of the historical image of Catherine II correlate with the literary image? 2) And how do my contemporaries and filmmakers perceive the image of Catherine II?

Research objectives: 1) To get acquainted with the literature on this topic. 2) To analyze the novels of Valentin Savvich Pikul "Favorite", A. S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter", the ode "Felitsa" by G. R. Derzhavin, who in 1791-1793 worked as secretary of state under Empress Catherine II; book by A. N. Radishchev "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow." 3) View and analyze the modern film "Catherine the Great".

Catherine II the Great And it is glorious to be that tyrant, Who is great in goodness, like God? Derzhavin G.R.

How is the Image of Catherine II depicted in the literature of her contemporaries and historians? A distinctive feature of the reign of Catherine II, in addition to her gradual, non-violent transformations, was that the result of the cleansing of the autocracy from “impurities of tyranny” was peace of mind, the success of secular amenities, knowledge, and reason. N. M. Karamzin is the first Russian researcher and historian.

P. A. Antropov D. G. Levitsky Reflection of the image of Catherine in the works of artists and poets G.R. Derzhavin A.P. Sumarokov M. M. Kheraskov Raise glory to the goddess above the sun at last. A. P. Sumarokov

The image of Catherine in the book of Radishchev: “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” The image of the “villain of all the most cruel villains” - the king runs through his entire work.

The image of Catherine II in Pushkin's novel "The Captain's Daughter" "... blue eyes and a slight smile had an inexplicable charm. Everything attracted the heart and inspired confidence. ” A. S. Pushkin. V.L.Borovikovsky "Catherine II for a walk in the Tsarskoye Selo Park"

"Favorite" is a historical novel by Valentin Pikul. It uniquely describes the chronicle of the times of Catherine II. The main artistic principle of Pikul is to show the era through specific historical figures.

The image of Catherine the Great in the cinema

List of references: 1) E. A. Maimin. Pushkin. Life and art. Publishing house "Science". -M., 1981. 2) Anisimov E.V., Kamensky A.B. Russia in the 18th - the first half of the 19th century: History. Historical documents. - M.: Miros, 1994. 3) Age of Enlightenment: Century XVIII: documents, memoirs, literary monuments. - M.: Nauka, 1986. 4) Derzhavin G.R. Odes. - L .: Lenizdat, 1985. 5) Derzhavin G.R. Compositions: Poems; Notes; Letters. - L .: Fiction, 1987. - 504 p. 6) Catherine II. Works of Catherine II. - M .: Sovremennik, 1990. 7) Pushkin A.S. The captain's daughter. M., 1975. Russian literature. Textbook for the 8th grade of high school. N.I. Gromov, N.A. Spitsyna, V.I. Korovin, N.K. Semenov. 1988 8)A. N. Radishchev "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow." Literature textbook for grade 9. V. I. Korovin. M., 2010 9) https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekaterina 10) https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Favorite (novel) 11) Textbook of the History of Russia of the 18th-19th centuries for general education institutions, grade 10. N. I. Pavlenko, L. M. Dyashenko, V. A. Tvardovskaya. Bustard. M-2001 12) V. S. Pikul "Favorite". In 2 books. Publisher: AST, M., 2007.

the images of Yemelyan Pugachev and Empress Catherine II are symbols of power. We can say that these historical figures are at different poles, they are radically opposite.

Pushkin gave in this episode a real portrait of the Empress: “She was in a white morning dress, in a night cap and in a shower jacket. She seemed to be forty years old. Her face, full and ruddy, expressed importance and calmness, and her blue eyes and a slight smile had an inexplicable charm.

The image of Catherine II, fair, merciful, grateful, was written by Pushkin with undisguised sympathy, fanned by a romantic halo. This is not a portrait of a real person, but a generalized image. Catherine is the shrine that the nobles defended in the war with Pugachev.

Catherine carefully listens to Masha Mironova and promises to look into her request, although the attitude of the empress towards the "traitor" Grinev is sharply negative. Having learned all the details of the case and imbued with sincere sympathy for the captain's daughter, Ekaterina has mercy on Masha's fiancé and promises to take care of the girl's material well-being: “... but I am indebted to Captain Mironov's daughter. Don't worry about the future. I undertake to arrange your condition.

Pushkin, giving Grinev the right to tell, at the same time forces him to report facts that allow us to draw our own conclusions. Ekaterina speaks affectionately with Marya Ivanovna, is friendly with her. In the palace, she raises a girl who has fallen at her feet, shocked by her "mercy". She utters a phrase, addressing her, her subject, as an equal to herself: “I know that you are not rich,” she said, “but I am indebted to the daughter of Captain Mironov. Do not worry about the future. I take it upon myself to arrange your fortune ." How could Marya Ivanovna, who had been brought up from childhood in respect for the throne and royal power, perceive these words?

Pushkin wrote about Catherine that "her ... friendliness attracted." In a small episode of Masha Mironova's meeting with the Empress, through the mouth of Grinev, he speaks about this quality of Catherine, about her ability to charm people, about her ability to "take advantage of the weakness of the human soul." After all, Marya Ivanovna is the daughter of a hero, Captain Mironov, whose exploits the queen knew about. Catherine handed out orders to officers who distinguished themselves in the war against the Pugachevites, and also helped orphaned noble families. What is surprising that she took care of Masha. The Empress was not generous to her. The captain's daughter did not receive a large dowry from the queen and did not increase Grinev's wealth. The descendants of Grinev, according to the publisher, i.e. Pushkin, "prospered" in the village, which belonged to ten landowners.

Catherine cherished the attitude of the nobility towards herself and perfectly understood what impression the “highest pardon” would make on the loyal Grinev family. Pushkin himself (and not the narrator) writes: "In one of the master's outbuildings they show Catherine II's handwritten letter behind glass and in a frame," which was passed down from generation to generation.

But Pugachev's help to Grinev was much more real - he saved his life and helped save Masha. This is a stark contrast.