I. A. Goncharov is a writer who, like no one else, understood and accepted the changes that occurred in Russia when Western trends began to seep into its measured patriarchal way of life. He traveled a lot, so he was familiar with the cultures of various peoples and treated them more than favorably. The author of “Ordinary History” was aware that in Russia the existing system was gradually being destroyed and was being replaced by new stage development, more rational and enterprising. In the novel “Ordinary History,” St. Petersburg is shown as a business and administrative-industrial center that contrasts with a village frozen in inactivity. In it, time is marked by breakfast, lunch and dinner, and well-being by food supplies. In St. Petersburg, the whole day is scheduled by the hour: services, evening entertainment, consisting of visits or playing cards. Goncharov was able to understand that the Russian city and village are two such different, but at the same time interconnected worlds. Main character Alexander Aduev, moving from village to city, moves from one world to another, and the new system of relations turns out to be completely unfamiliar to him. On his estate, Aduev was a landowner, a “young master,” a significant and outstanding figure. And such a life inspires a young and handsome young man that he is exceptional and unique. This romantic inexperience of his, exaggerated selfishness bordering on selfishness, belief in his chosenness collapses against the backdrop of the Europeanized St. Petersburg way of life. Another important thing actor- Pyotr Aduev is Alexander's uncle. In his novel, it was very important for Goncharov to show in his image the combination of an ordinary bureaucrat official and an entrepreneur. At that time this was a very rare phenomenon, but it was in this that the author saw the opportunity to convey the true essence of St. Petersburg and its historical meaning. It is worth noting that Goncharov did not at all idealize the contemporary path of development of Russia and Russian society in particular. Thus, he did not express sympathy for the hero who represented this very society. Thus, he did not express sympathy for the hero who represented this very society. But still, in the novel one feels the need for precisely this position of the hero. Calling his novel “An Ordinary Story,” Goncharov, with a certain amount of irony and sadness, stated the fact that any person who at the beginning recognizes only his exclusivity is radically changed under the influence of existing this moment factors. Aduev-uncle, who himself joined the modern requirements, explains to his nephew the “rules of the game,” without which it is simply impossible to achieve any kind of success in St. Petersburg. At first, Alexander resists, but is gradually forced to agree that no one is interested in individuality, that you need to be like everyone else, and this is the dictate of the new time for Russia. Subsequently, Alexander loses his best spiritual qualities: innocence, freshness of perception, sincerity, but in return for this achieves career growth, movement to the upper echelons of society, and expansion of life experience. Over time, Goncharov's hero overcomes the romantic beginning that was present in his soul and joins the real life, which turned out to be quite harsh. Alexander's story is a kind of reflection of the changes that have occurred in Russian society. , I. A. Goncharov very accurately noted the progressive significance for Russia of such people as Aduev the Uncle. He is honest and firm, loves to do his own thing and says about himself and about people of his type: “We belong to a society ... which needs us.” The writer showed in the novel the breakdown of old relationships and concepts, the emergence of new characters, the consciousness of the need for business, work and knowledge. This novel made readers think about many questions, including moral ones, posed by Russian reality of that time. V. G. Belinsky, emphasizing the vital fidelity of the content of “Ordinary History,” called the novel “one of the wonderful works of Russian literature.”

Classic works are always considered the best publications to read. They have not only been tested over the years, but also raise complex, vital questions that are relevant at any time. In classical literature we find ourselves, it makes us think about our character, way of thinking, behavior and thinking.

Exactly this example classical literature and is Goncharov’s “Ordinary History”, the brief content of which will be the subject of our article. What kind of work is this? What is its essence and meaning? What is the psychological problem of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History”? Let's find out.

But before we get to know the work better, let's get to know its author.

I. A. Goncharov

The creator of “Ordinary History”, Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov, was born in 1812, into a family of eminent and wealthy merchants. WITH early childhood the boy led a carefree, satiated life - the cellars and barns were overflowing with all kinds of provisions and sweets, gold was stacked in the chests, the owners were served by servants.

At the age of seven, Vanya lost his father. His godfather Tregubov, a kind and enlightened man, a sailor by profession, became his guardian and educator. At first he taught the child himself, then sent him to a school in Moscow.

Eight years of study helped Ivan become more mature and knowledgeable; he became addicted to reading and wanted to write himself. Pushkin and Karamzin become his ideals; it is them that the future writer wants to be equal to, it is they who strives to imitate.

At nineteen, young Ivan Goncharov entered the capital’s university at the Faculty of Literature. Here he meets Belinsky, Aksakov, Lermontov, Turgenev. Such talented, thoughtful friends and comrades leave an indelible mark on open mind young men.

He thinks a lot about the meaning of life and eternal values, literature and art, the life of the people and the morals of the nobility.

After graduating from university, young Ivan Goncharov receives a good government position, but continues to move in the literary circles of St. Petersburg. Here he becomes close friends with the painter Nikolai Maikov and his writer-wife. They meet representatives of the cultural life of the capital - poets, artists, musicians...

Continuing to work in the government field, occupying responsible positions and important positions, Ivan Aleksandrovich begins to write. His first work was “An Ordinary Story,” followed by the still famous “Oblomov” and “Cliff.”

What is remarkable about Goncharov’s first book, “Ordinary History”?

How the work was written

The history of the creation of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” covers a fairly long period of time. In general, he worked very slowly and unhurriedly, thinking through every stroke and every thought in detail, trying to comprehend not only the depth of the characters of his heroes, but also the historical time in which he lived and which he described.

“An Ordinary Story” by Goncharov ( summary it will be presented below) was conceived by the author back in 1944. For the next two years, he worked on his creation, as always, intently working on every sentence, analyzing every situation and every line of the hero.

The writer revised his work several times. In 1945, after reading the drafts in the Maykov family, he made some changes to the manuscript, listening to practical advice owner of the house. He then corrected the essay immediately before its publication.

Publication history

How was Goncharov’s novel “Ordinary History” published? At first, the author entrusted the manuscript to the literary patron Yazykov, but he considered the work insignificant and trivial and did not want to show it to the famous critic Vissarion Belinsky.

If it were not for Nikolai Nekrasov, who took the manuscript from Yazykov and showed it to Vissarion Grigorievich, the world might not have seen the work published.

The critic liked the novel. He saw in it a modern and relevant trend, as well as subtle psychologism and artistic realism. In 1947, the work was purchased from Goncharov (for two hundred rubles for each sheet) and published in the Sovremennik magazine.

What is the plot of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History”, which so interested the famous writers of that time?

The beginning of the story

A brief summary of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” should begin with a description of the departure of the young, poor landowner Alexander Fedorovich, the only son of the kind-hearted lady Anna Pavlovna. Sasha is a handsome twenty-year-old romantic who has just graduated from university. He is burning with the desire to serve the Fatherland, find his path in life and walk along it hand in hand with a gentle and kind girl. Alexander Fedorovich has many talents, writes poetry, he expects happiness and love to await him in St. Petersburg.

In his native village, a young man leaves a neighbor's young lady, Sonya, who is in love with him, a sincere and pure girl. She gives him a lock of hair as a souvenir and promises to wait.

To say goodbye to Sasha, his friend Alexander Pospelov comes, having specially ridden more than one hundred and fifty kilometers for this purpose. Young people fondly remember their intimate conversations about love, loyalty and service to the fatherland.

Meeting with uncle

In the capital, Aduev comes to visit his paternal uncle, Pyotr Ivanovich, an influential official and wealthy manufacturer. However, at first he does not even want to accept his nephew. However, remembering how kind Anna Pavlovna was to him, Aduev Sr. meets with a young man, but behaves with restraint and coldness.

Sasha doesn’t understand his uncle’s insensitivity; he feels uneasy about the city’s ceremony and indifference. Walking around St. Petersburg, the young man becomes disillusioned with the capital. He misses virgin nature, endless open spaces, the good nature and friendliness of his acquaintances.

Meanwhile, Pyotr Ivanovich is going to teach his nephew wisdom. He forbids him to show his sincere feelings and emotions, orders him to forget Sonyushka and even throws out her gifts. Uncle finds Alexandra a well-paid but tedious job, and encourages young man abandon poetry and literature as an unprofitable and stupid occupation.

Two years later

What happens to the main characters of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” after this short period of time?

Alexander became more urban and important. He continues to work in one of the government departments, additionally translates articles and writes poetry or stories from time to time.

It turns out that the young man is in love with a young girl, Nadya, who responds to him with tenderness and reciprocity. However, the uncle condemns their romantic relationship, claiming that love is not needed for marriage.

Love and betrayal

The lover spends entire evenings at his beloved's dacha. Nadenka is raised by one mother and grows up to be a pampered and flighty young lady. She asks Alexander for a year to test her feelings and reunite together in a happy marriage.

And then, when the appointed time approaches, another person appears on the horizon of the young lady - the sophisticated, rich, eminent Count Novinsky. Nadya is carried away by him and pays little attention to Aduev.

He, tormented by jealousy, behaves defiantly both towards his beloved and towards his happy rival. Over time, the girl refuses Alexander.

This was a heavy blow for him. He silently sobs and yearns for his lost happiness. The uncle does not understand the young man’s feelings and, seeing that he wants to challenge the count to a duel, advises him to take revenge in a different, more sophisticated way. Only the aunt, the young wife of Aduev Sr., takes pity on Sasha in his unrequited love.

Twelve months have passed

Alexander still suffers from Nadya's refusal. He loses the meaning in life, loses faith in people, it seems to him that he is surrounded by unprincipled, evil ignoramuses. Finding joy in writing, the young man writes a story all day long, but Pyotr Ivanovich criticizes it and proves to his nephew that no one will publish it. This is true. The magazine refuses to publish the work, and young Aduev becomes disillusioned with his talent and his abilities.

Lizaveta Aleksandrovna, the wife of Aduev Sr., suffers from his coldness and aloofness. It is painful for her that her husband cares about her comfort, while forgetting about her heart and feelings.

Beautiful widow

Yulia Tafaeva, a young woman widowed early, becomes the cause of concern for Pyotr Ivanovich about his companion. He fell in love with a girl and spends all his money on her. Therefore, the uncle asks Alexander to play love with the widow in order to distract her from her partner.

Aduev Jr. doubts his success, but hits on a beautiful widow. Without noticing it, he falls in love with an experienced woman and, as it turns out, mutually.

Young people are very similar. They both want tenderness, violent manifestations of love, all-consuming passion. In their feelings, they seek solitude and want to belong to each other completely.

But such a dependent state, overshadowed by the constant jealousy and uncontrollability of his beloved, bothers Alexander. He loses interest in Yulia, and she insists on marriage.

The uncle helps the young people explain themselves and frees his nephew from the relationship that bothers him.

Main character's depression

A break with Tafaeva does not make the young man happy. He experiences enormous doubts - something has gone wrong in his life. He regrets that he came to St. Petersburg, that he abandoned the picturesque countryside and sweet Sonyushka.

However, such a rethinking of life does not prompt the main character to take action. He sinks lower and lower, works sluggishly, communicates with unsightly company, and does not visit his uncle.

Pyotr Ivanovich tries to stir up his nephew, he appeals to his ambition and reminds him of his career. Then he tries to awaken in him his former romantic impulses, but he became frozen in soul and became disillusioned with everything.

Soon the young man leaves the service and leaves St. Petersburg for his home, completely devastated and tired in soul and body.

But it's not over yet

The mother is very happy to see her son, but she is worried about him appearance and physical condition.

Over time, Alexander becomes fresher and prettier. Nature and tender memories restore his strength. He lives quiet life, but continues to dream about St. Petersburg. A year and a half later, the man writes to his aunt that he wants to return to the capital and start new life. He realizes that he behaved stupidly and wants to improve.

End of the work

Four years have passed since Aduev returned to St. Petersburg for the second time. Much has changed in his uncle's family. Having reached unprecedented heights and wealth, Pyotr Ivanovich finally understands that all this was tinsel, now the main thing for him is the health of his beloved wife, who is slowly fading away from his coldness and isolation. However, Lizaveta Aleksandrovna has already lost joy in life and she is indifferent to her husband’s belated feelings.

Alexander's life turned out completely differently. His mother died, and he finally found himself - he became confident and contented, received a good position and an enviable rank. He is going to marry an unfamiliar girl with a good dowry, whom he does not love and does not even respect. Aduev Sr. is happy for his nephew and hugs him for the first time in his life.

This concludes the summary of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History”.

Problems of the novel

As we see, the writer raised in his work serious psychological questions related to the hidden spiritual impulses and variability of the human heart. An analysis of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” shows us how the influence of society and one’s own worldview can radically change a person, force him to step over himself and his beliefs, and forget his own impulses and aspirations.

Having adapted to the system around him, Aduev turned from a kind, dreamy person into a greedy careerist and unprincipled egoist. At the end of the work, he even changes places with his uncle, as he becomes more family-oriented and virtuous, worrying about the health of his beloved wife.

This is evidenced by the characteristics of the heroes of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History”.

Images of the work

If earlier young Sasha appears to readers as attractive externally and internally, with whom you involuntarily sympathize and sympathize, then over time, experiencing disappointments and being under the influence of a rich uncle, he turns into an ordinary self-lover, a careerist and a pretender.

A serious analysis of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” leads the reader to the idea that it is not others who are to blame for the young man’s troubles, his tragedy and despondency, but himself. He, who abandoned the innocent Sonya, who was in love with him, and her free life in the village, and set off to conquer the capital. He, who was led by his weakness, fixated on unrequited love and your own feelings.

Is it bad to be rich? Is it bad to have a high paying position? Of course not! This is all very good if a person remains himself, if his heart is pure and his conscience is calm. If he does good and thinks about the feelings of others.

Sections: Literature

Model: personal.

Goals and objectives of the lesson:

• “Dive” into the amazing writer's world, “getting used to” the world created by the author, becoming familiar with the “secrets” of the author’s skill;
• Comprehension moral problems works;
• Upbringing moral qualities personality, familiarization with universal spiritual values;
• Formation of the ability to distinguish between the point of view of the author and the characters; express one’s own position, the ability to conduct dialogue;
• Analysis literary text;
• Consolidation of literary terms;
• Development of imagination, emotional and aesthetic sphere. Mastery of speech as a means of transmitting thoughts, feelings, and the content of a person’s inner world;
• Creating a special warm atmosphere of human communication in the classroom, the means of which is literature as the art of words.

Equipment: tape recorder (music by F. Chopin “Waltz”, Beethoven “Fur Elise” is played in the lesson)

Decor: portraits of the writer, drawings, statements, diagrams

Epigraphs:

Read this beauty. This is where you learn to live.

You see different views on life, on love, with which you may not agree with any of them, but your own becomes smarter and clearer.

L.N. Tolstoy about the novel by I.A. Goncharov “Ordinary History” Take it with you on the journey, leaving the soft teenage years

into stern, embittering courage, take with you all human movements, do not leave them on the road, do not pick them up later!

N.V. Gogol Feelings don't lie.

I. Goethe

During the classes

Music sounds (F. Chopin “Waltz”).

The student appears in the role of Alexander Aduev.

“Life... Life is so good, so full of charm, something mysterious, tempting, hiding so much within itself.

Teacher's word: Today we will turn to the work of I.A. Goncharov “Ordinary History”, written in 1847. We will not only get to know each other and try to analyze this work, but we will also try, each for ourselves, to answer the question that so tormented the main character of the novel: How to live - by feeling or by reason?

In the creative heritage of I.A. Goncharov’s novels “Ordinary History”, “Oblomov”, “Cliff” occupy the most important place. The writer saw them as a kind of trilogy.

In your opinion, what unites all three of Goncharov’s novels?

• “I see not three novels, but one. They are all connected by one common thread, one consistent idea - the transition from one era of Russian life, which I experienced, to another.” I.A. Goncharov.
• The antithesis of the “idealist hero” and the “practical hero” in its various variations will become the leading one for Goncharov’s novel world.
• The writer showed representatives of the patriarchal and bourgeois structures (referring to the diagram).
• common topic of all novels - Russia at the turn of two historical eras: patriarchal-serfdom and post-reform bourgeois.

Teacher: L.N. Tolstoy advised his contemporaries: “Read this beauty. This is where you learn to live. You see different views on life, on love, with which you may not agree with any of them, but your own becomes smarter and clearer.”

I hope Tolstoy’s advice will be useful to us too.

Belinsky, the frantic Vissarion, considered this novel “a terrible blow to romanticism, dreaminess, sentimentalism, and provincialism.”

What is your opinion about the novel?

• The author gives an objective description of the picture of Russian life in a small village estate and in St. Petersburg in the 40s of the 19th century.
• The dialogues between uncle and nephew are brilliantly written. The uncle confidently breaks his nephew.
• This is the story of how a sweet provincial village youth turns into a practical man. A naive, pure provincial idealist becomes a monster.
• I liked the image of Lisa. And, in my opinion, Lisa is right, I think that the norm is the heart in harmony with the mind.
• I find the plot and composition to be very simple.
• Consists of 2 parts with an epilogue. The main character, a young man Alexander Aduev, who lived an idyllic life under the wing of his mother Anna Pavlovna, decides to leave his native estate of Grachi. But all his dreams are shattered by the soulless atmosphere of St. Petersburg, where one skill is required of a person - “to love his work more than the person, to calculate and think about everything.”
• I believe that main topic works are the theme of love. It helps to understand the character of the main character. Each of the heroines (Sonya, Nadenka, Yulia, Liza) is presented in the perception of Alexander, and when the hero’s views on love change, his understanding of the role of women in society also changes. Unfortunately, not a trace remains of the romantic chanting.

What is the main content of the novel?

• The dramatic content of the novel is the relationship between the two main characters: nephew and uncle.
• A kind of duel takes place between them for the right to live life according to their ideals.
• Each of the heroes tries to defend their life principles, while going to extremes.
• But the uncle and nephew have exactly the opposite ideals.
• The basis of the composition is antithesis.

And at the center of the novel is the conflict between two “philosophies of life”: the philosophy of feeling and the philosophy of reason. The first is represented by the romantic of life - Alexander Aduev, the second - by a businessman, a practical person - Pyotr Aduev. Teacher: The conflict in “Ordinary History” is usually called dialogic. It is born of dissimilarity

life philosophy . For Goncharov, the search for harmony is important. So, a young man, full of high and noble, spiritual impulses.

• Who does this literary piece remind you of?

hero?

The image of Aduev is often correlated with the image of Lensky, the hero of the novel “Eugene Onegin”. Pushkin, as we know, admitted that his hero could be “hanged like Ryleev,” but another fate could await him: degeneration from an ardent dreamer into an ordinary landowner. Teacher: This idea of ​​the poet was developed by V.G. Belinsky, who was sure that the latter would undoubtedly await Lensky. Goncharov, in fact, showed a similar version of rebirth, outlined by Pushkin.

Let's see what our heroes argue about and how they are presented at the beginning of the novel:

Re-enactment (A. Aduev’s arrival to his uncle, first meeting)

Whose side are you on: your uncle's or your nephew's?

What does Alexander believe in, what is he convinced of? What are his values?

What do you think of your uncle's behavior? Is being a business person the dictate of the century? What: 19, 20, 21?

• (Comparison of heroes, filling out the table - Appendix 1)
• Did Alexander change immediately?
• He accepted the truth of St. Petersburg only after 10 years of living there.
• He even leaves St. Petersburg to visit his mother on the estate.
• But the “late” life seemed boring, he returns to the capital only for his career.
• A new Aduev appears, bald, with an order on his neck, and plumper. He is a major official and the owner of a large fortune.

From a romantic, Alexander turned into a skeptic, a cynic, an egoist, disappointed in life and love.

• This is an active practitioner for whom everything is determined by calculation.
• For himself, he discovers ordinary and terrible truths: you have to be a businessman. Being a person means deeds and calculations, and the measure of values ​​is money.
• Who is to blame for the collapse of Alexander's lofty hopes?
• Bureaucratic Petersburg.

Cynical skeptic uncle.

• A calculating, cruel age.
• It's just that the human heart has become different.

Is the epilogue unexpected or natural for you?

• The end of the novel is natural: Schiller’s former admirer has “a bald patch, a respectable belly, the beginnings of hemorrhoids, an excellent salary and a rich bride.”
• There is no trace of Alexander’s former ideals; he is even ashamed of them.

Do you think the romantic type is outdated?

Yes, although Aduev’s romanticism, his belief in love “forever” and friendship “to the grave of life” is not a deep outline. But what is funny and bad about them? Nothing, and even vice versa. From a truly human point of view, these feelings are normal, necessary, and even Aduev himself has been protected from vulgarity for several years.

But vulgarity wins. The delights of love and the rapture of friendship are simply indecent for a court councilor and gentleman. Dramatization: epilogue scene Why in the epilogue of the novel by I.A. Goncharov portrayed Aduev, the eldest, as unhappy and suffering?

For you

last scene

• hugs of heroes - is this a symbol of reconciliation between generations and eras?
• Why “Ordinary History”? What is she common in? What idea does it lead the reader to? Whose side is the author on? The author shows the one-sidedness of the characters’ positions, convincing readers of the need for harmony of “mind” and “heart”
• The writer leads the reader to the idea of ​​equivalence in
• human life
• and intelligence and ardor of heart.

Teacher: The writer does not pass judgment on any of his heroes; Goncharov never looked like an accuser. Yes, empty dreaminess is naive, but businesslike, calculating pragmatism is scary. Goncharov is sad about the story told, and asks, like Gogol once, not to forget the wonderful movements of the soul that are especially characteristic of a person in his youth.

“Take it with you on the journey, emerging from the soft years of youth into stern, embittered courage, take with you all human movements, do not leave them on the road, do not pick them up later!”

How to live - by feeling or by reason? There is no direct answer to this question. The reader himself seeks answers to the questions that life poses to him...

Literature

1. Great Russians / Biographical Library of F. Pavlenkov. – M.: “Olma – press”, 2003. – p. 407.
2. Russian literature XIX century. Grade 10: Textbook for schools and classes in the humanities: - Part 1. – M., Moscow Lyceum, 2003. – 139 – 145 p.
3. Yu.A. Gaetsky Million of torments: The Tale of Goncharov. – M.: Det. lit., 1979. – 61-81 p.

Composition

The writer worked on “An Ordinary Story” for three years. In an autobiographical article “An Extraordinary History” (1875-1878), he wrote: “The novel was conceived in 1844, written in 1845, and in 1846 I had a few chapters left to finish.” Goncharov read his “Extraordinary History” to Belinsky for several evenings in a row. Belinsky was delighted with the new talent, who performed so brilliantly. Before giving his work “for judgment” to Belinsky, Goncharov read it several times in the friendly literary circle of the Maykovs. Before appearing in print, the novel underwent many corrections and alterations.

Recalling the late 40s, the dark time of Nicholas’s reign when advanced Russian literature played a huge role in the fight against feudal-serf reaction, Goncharov wrote: “ Serfdom, corporal punishment, oppression by superiors, lies, prejudices of social and family life, rudeness, wildness of morals among the masses - this is what was on the agenda in the struggle and what the main forces of the Russian intelligentsia of the thirties and forties were directed towards.”

“Ordinary History” showed that Goncharov was a writer sensitive to the interests of his time. The work reflects the changes and shifts that took place in the life of feudal Russia in 1830-1840. calling for the fight against “all-Russian stagnation”, for work for the good of the fatherland, Goncharov passionately searched around him for those forces, those people who could carry out the tasks facing Russian life.

The essence of the pseudo-romantic worldview inherent in a significant part of the idealistic intelligentsia of the 1930s, divorced from reality, was revealed by Goncharov in the image of the main character of the novel, Alexander Aduev.
Romantic perception of life, sublime abstract dreams of glory and exploits, of the extraordinary, poetic impulses - who did not, to some extent, go through all this in their youth, in the “era of youthful unrest.” But Goncharov’s merit as an artist is that he showed how these youthful dreams and illusions were distorted and disfigured by the lordly-serf upbringing.

Young Aduev knows about grief and troubles only “by ear” - “life smiles at him from the shrouds.” Idleness and ignorance of life “prematurely” developed “heartfelt inclinations” and excessive daydreaming in Aduev. Before us is one of those “romantic sloths,” barchuks who are accustomed to blithely living off the labor of others. Young Aduev sees the purpose and happiness of life not in work and creativity (work seemed strange to him), but in an “exalted existence.” “Silence... stillness... blessed stagnation” reigns on the Aduev estate. But in the estate he does not find a field for himself. And Aduev leaves to “seek happiness,” “to make a career and fortune - to St. Petersburg.” All the falsity of Aduev’s everyday concepts begins to be revealed in the novel already in the first clashes between his dreamer nephew, spoiled by laziness and lordship, and his practical and intelligent uncle, Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev. The struggle between uncle and nephew also reflected the then, just beginning, breakdown of old concepts and mores - sentimentality, caricatured exaggeration of feelings of friendship and love, poetry of idleness, family and home lies of feigned, essentially unprecedented feelings, waste of time on visits, on unnecessary hospitality etc. In a word, all the idle, dreamy and affective side of the old morals with the usual impulses of instincts for the high, great, graceful, for effects, with a thirst to express this in crackling prose, mostly in verse.

Aduev Sr. at every step mercilessly ridicules the feigned, groundless dreaminess of Aduev Jr.

But the young hero does not give in to moral teaching. “Isn’t love a thing?” he answers his uncle. It is characteristic that after the first failure in love, Aduev Jr. complains “about the boredom of life, the emptiness of the soul.” The pages of the novel devoted to the description of the hero’s love affairs are an exposure of the egoistic, possessive attitude towards a woman, despite all the romantic poses that the hero takes in front of the chosen ones of his heart.

For eight years, my uncle worked with Alexander. In the end, his nephew becomes a business man, a brilliant career and a profitable marriage of convenience await him. Not a trace remained of the former “heavenly” and “sublime” feelings and dreams. The evolution of the character of Alexander Aduev, shown in “Ordinary History,” was “ordinary” for some of the noble youth of that time. Having condemned the romantic Alexander Aduev, Goncharov contrasted him in the novel with another, undoubtedly more positive in a number of traits, but by no means ideal person - Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev. The writer, who was not a supporter of the revolutionary transformation of feudal-serf Russia, believed in progress based on the activities of enlightened, energetic and humane people. However, the work reflected not so much these views of the writer as the contradictions that existed in reality, which were carried with them by the bourgeois-capitalist relations that replaced the “all-Russian stagnation”. Rejecting the Aduev-type romanticism, the writer at the same time felt the inferiority of the philosophy and practice of bourgeois “common sense”, the selfishness and inhumanity of the bourgeois morality of the elder Aduevs. Pyotr Ivanovich is smart, businesslike and in his own way a “decent person.” But he is extremely “indifferent to man, to his needs and interests.”
..what was the main purpose of his works? Did he work for a common human goal, fulfilling the lesson given to him by fate, or only for petty reasons, in order to acquire official and monetary importance among people, or, finally, so that he would not be bent into an arc by need and circumstances? God knows. He didn’t like to talk about lofty goals, he called it nonsense, but he spoke dryly and simply about what to do.”

Alexander and Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev are contrasted not only as a provincial romantic nobleman and a bourgeois businessman, but also as two psychologically opposite types. “One is enthusiastic to the point of extravagance, the other is icy to the point of bitterness,” says Lizaveta Alexandrovna about her nephew and husband.

Goncharov sought to find an ideal, that is, normal type a person is not in Aduev the elder and not in Aduev the younger, but in something else, a third, in the harmony of “mind” and “heart”. A clear hint of this is already contained in the image of Lizaveta Aleksandrovna Adueva, despite the fact that the “age” has “seized” her, according to Belinsky’s fair remark, Pyotr Ivanovich.

These wonderful images include not only Lizaveta Alexandrovna, but also Nadenka.

The daughter is a few steps ahead of her mother. She fell in love with Aduev without asking and almost does not hide it from her mother or is silent only for the sake of decency, considering that she has the right to dispose of her own things in her own way. inner world and Aduev himself, whom, having studied him well, she mastered and commands. This is her obedient slave, gentle, spinelessly kind, promising something, but pettyly proud, a simple, ordinary young man, of which there are a bunch everywhere. And she would have accepted him, gotten married - and everything would have gone as usual. But the figure of the count appeared, consciously intelligent, dexterous, and brilliant. Nadenka saw that Aduev could not stand comparison with him either in mind, or in character, or in upbringing.
She listened to his poetry for a minute. She expected that strength and talent lay there. But it turned out that he only writes passable poetry, but no one knows about them, and he is also sulking to himself at the count because he is simple, smart and behaves with dignity. She went over to the side of the latter: this was the conscious step of the Russian girl so far - silent emancipation, a protest against the authority of her mother, which was helpless for her.

But this is where this emancipation ended. She realized, but did not turn her consciousness into action, she stopped in ignorance, since the very moment of the era was a moment of ignorance.

“Ordinary History” immediately placed Goncharov in the first rank of progressive realist writers. “An Ordinary Story” fully reflected the strong and original talent of Goncharov, the called master of the Russian realistic novel.

Other works on this work

“Goncharov’s plan was broader. He wanted to strike a blow at modern romanticism in general, but failed to determine the ideological center. Instead of romanticism, he ridiculed provincial attempts at romanticism" (based on the novel by Goncharov "An Ordinary Story" by I.A. Goncharov “The Loss of Romantic Illusions” (based on the novel “An Ordinary Story”) The author and his characters in the novel “An Ordinary Story” The author and his characters in I. A. Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story” The main characters of I. Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story”. The main character of I. Goncharov's novel "An Ordinary Story" Two philosophies of life in I. A. Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story” Uncle and nephew of the Aduevs in the novel “An Ordinary Story” How to live? Image of Alexander Aduev. St. Petersburg and the province in I. Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story” Review of the novel by I. A. Goncharov “An Ordinary Story” Reflection of historical changes in Goncharov’s novel “Ordinary History” Why is I. A. Goncharov’s novel called “Ordinary History”? A novel about the everyday life of ordinary people Russia in I. A. Goncharov’s novel “Ordinary History” The meaning of the title of I. Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story.” The meaning of the title of I. A. Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story” Comparative characteristics of the main characters of I. Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story” Old and new Russia in I. A. Goncharov’s novel “Ordinary History” The ordinary story of Alexander Aduev Characteristics of the image of Alexander Aduev Comparative characteristics of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov and Alexander Aduev (characteristics of characters in Goncharov’s novels) About Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story” The plot of Goncharov’s novel Goncharov I. A. “An Ordinary Story”

The novel, first published in Sovremennik in 1847, is autobiographical: Sasha Aduev is easily recognizable as Ivan Goncharov at the time when he devoted all his free time from service to writing poetry and prose. “I then stoked the stoves with piles of written paper,” the writer recalled. “An Ordinary Story” is the first work with which Goncharov decided to go public. In the poems attributed to Sasha, literary scholars recognize the author's original poems (remaining in drafts). Sasha’s poems rehash the “commonplaces” of romanticism: both melancholy and joy are causeless, are in no way connected with reality, “swoop in like a sudden cloud,” etc., etc.

Literary direction

Goncharov is a bright representative of that literary generation which, in the words of modern researcher V.G. Shchukin, “tried with all his might to emphasize their hostility to the romantic worldview they had overcome (of which they constantly convinced themselves and those around them)”: for him “anti-romantic realism was around in the 1840s. something like self-rehabilitation, reckoning with the romantic past.”

Genre

“An Ordinary Story” is a typical novel of education, depicting fundamental changes in the worldview and character of the main character - a typical young man of his generation - under the influence of changes in society and everyday vicissitudes.

Issues

The problem of the inevitability of changes in a person under the influence of changes in society is the main one in the novel, but the attitude towards it is by no means unambiguous: the title itself contains a grain of bitter irony, regret about the naive but pure ideals of youth. And hence the second important problem, which is that an individual, perfectly adapted socially, is by no means capable of guaranteeing simple universal values ​​(physical health, moral satisfaction, family happiness) either to himself or to his loved ones.

Main characters

Aduev Jr. (Alexander) is a beautiful-hearted young man, with whom, in the course of the novel, an “ordinary story” of maturation and hardening occurs.

Aduev Sr. (Peter Ivanovich), Alexander’s uncle, is a “man of action.”

Lizaveta Aleksandrovna is the young wife of Pyotr Ivanovich, she loves and respects her husband, but she sincerely sympathizes with her nephew.

Style, plot and composition

Goncharov’s novel is an exceptional case of stylistic maturity and true mastery of a debut work. The irony that permeates the author's presentation is subtle, sometimes elusive, and appears retroactively, when the simple but elegant composition of the novel forces the reader to return to some plot collisions. Like a conductor, the author controls the tempo and rhythm of reading, forcing you to read into this or that phrase, or even go back.

At the beginning of the novel, Sasha, having completed a course in science, lives in his village. His mother and servants pray for him, his neighbor Sophia is in love with him, his best friend Pospelov writes long letters and receives the same answers. Sasha is firmly convinced that the capital is looking forward to him, and there is a brilliant career in it.

In St. Petersburg, Sasha lives in the apartment next to his uncle, forgets Sonechka and falls in love with Nadenka, to whom he dedicates romantic poems. Nadya, soon forgetting her vows, becomes interested in more adult and interesting person. This is how life teaches Sasha the first lesson, which is not as easy to dismiss as failures in poetry or in the service. However, Alexander’s “negative” love experience was waiting in the wings and was in demand when he himself had the opportunity to recapture the young widow Yulia Tafaeva from her uncle’s companion who was in love with her. Subconsciously, Alexander longed for “revenge”: Julia, soon abandoned by him, had to suffer in Nadya’s place.

And now, when Sasha is gradually beginning to understand life, he is disgusted with her. Work - whether in the service or in literature - requires work, and not just “inspiration.” And love is work, and it has its own laws, everyday life, and tests. Sasha confesses to Lisa: “I have known all the emptiness and all the insignificance of life - and I deeply despise it.”

And here, in the midst of Sasha’s “suffering,” a true sufferer appears: an uncle enters, unbearably suffering from pain in the lower back. And the ruthless nephew also accuses him of the fact that his life did not work out. The reader now has a second reason to feel sorry for Aduev Sr. - in the form of a suspicion that things didn’t work out not only with his lower back, but also with his wife. But it would seem that he has achieved success: he will soon receive the position of director of the chancellery, the title of actual state councilor; he is a rich capitalist, a “breeder,” while Aduev Jr. is at the very bottom of the everyday abyss. 8 years have passed since his arrival in the capital. 28-year-old Alexander returns to the village in disgrace. “It was worth coming! You have disgraced the Aduev family!” - Pyotr Ivanovich concludes their argument.

Having lived in the village for a year and a half and buried his mother, Sasha writes smart, affectionate letters to his uncle and aunt, informing them of his desire to return to the capital and asking for friendship, advice and protection. These letters end the dispute, and the plot of the novel itself. That seems to be the whole “ordinary story”: the uncle turned out to be right, the nephew came to his senses... However, the epilogue of the novel turns out to be unexpected.

...4 years after Alexander’s second visit to St. Petersburg, he appears again, 34 years old, plump, bald, but with dignity wearing “his cross” - an order around his neck. In the posture of his uncle, who has already “celebrated his 50th anniversary,” dignity and self-confidence have diminished: his wife Lisa is ill, and perhaps dangerously. The husband tells her that he has decided to quit his service, sells the plant and takes her to Italy to devote “the rest of his life” to her.

The nephew comes to his uncle with good news: he has his eye on a young and rich bride, and her father has already given him his consent: “Go, he says, only in the footsteps of your uncle!”

“Do you remember what letter you wrote to me from the village? – Lisa tells him. “There you understood, explained life to yourself...” And the reader involuntarily has to go back: “Not to be involved in suffering means not to be involved in the fullness of life.” Why did Alexander consciously abandon the found correspondence between life and his own character? What made him cynically prefer a career for the sake of a career and marriage for the sake of wealth and without any interest in the feelings of not only a rich, but young and, apparently, beautiful bride, who, after all, like Liza, “needs a little something else besides common sense” meaning!