Introduction

Ivan Goncharov for the first time in his novel “Oblomov” introduces a new concept for Russian literature “Oblomovism”, which denoted a special social tendency, characteristic, first of all, of the Russian people, concluded in complete lack of will, apathy, constant laziness and excessive daydreaming, when illusions are replaced real life, and the person degrades. The very word “Oblomovshchina” comes from the name of the main character of the work - Oblomov and the name of his native village - Oblomovka, which was the focus of everything that led to the gradual decline of Ilya Ilyich as a person, his complete isolation from the world and final escapism. The depiction of Oblomov and “Oblomovism” in Goncharov’s novel is a reflection of the process of gradual change, the “breaking” of a person who is instilled with unnatural values ​​and desires, which ultimately leads to tragic consequences - the acquisition of a false meaning of life, fear of the real world and the early death of the hero.

Oblomovka and “Oblomovism”

The roots of the appearance of “Oblomovism” in Oblomov lie in the childhood of the hero - Ilya Ilyich grew up in a distant village, literally cut off from the real world and the center of Russia - Oblomovka. The Oblomov estate is located in a picturesque, quiet, peaceful area, where the climate pleased with its moderation and tranquility, where there were no heavy rains, hurricanes or winds, a raging sea or majestic mountains, instead of which there were gentle hills, even the sky “huddles closer to the ground”, “to hug her tighter, with love: it spread out so low above her head, like a parent’s reliable roof, to protect, it seems, the chosen corner from all adversity.”

Everything here promised “a calm, long-term life until the hair turns yellow and an imperceptible, sleep-like death.” Even the seasons followed each other according to the calendar, without destroying the crops with spring snows - everything in Oblomovka went according to its usual way, without changing for decades. In such a semblance of paradise on earth, Oblomov and the Oblomovites developed, protected even by nature from all sorts of hardships, experiences and losses.

People in Oblomovka lived from rite to rite - from birth to wedding and from wedding to funeral. The pacifying nature pacified their disposition, making them quiet, harmless and indifferent to everything: the most terrible atrocities in the village were associated with the theft of peas or carrots, and having once found a dead man from a neighboring village, they decided to forget about it, since the life of other communities did not concern them touched, which means the dead man is not their problem. A similar situation occurred with a letter from a neighboring estate, which described a recipe for beer, but the Oblomovites were afraid to open it right away, fearing bad news that could disturb the usual tranquility of the village. People in Oblomovka did not like work, considering it a duty and trying to get the job done as quickly as possible or even shift it onto the shoulders of someone else. On the estate, all the work was done by the servants, who, as can be seen from the example of Zakhar, were also not the most responsible and hardworking people, but at the same time remained devoted servants of their bar.

The days of the Oblomovites passed in calmness and idleness, and most important event there was a choice of dishes for lunch, when everyone offered their own options, and then everyone consulted, approaching the menu with particular seriousness: “caring for food was the first and main concern of life in Oblomovka. After the meal, everyone fell into a sleepy state, sometimes they carried on lazy, meaningless conversations, but more often they were completely silent, gradually falling asleep: “it was some kind of all-consuming, invincible sleep, a true likeness of death,” which little Ilya observed from year to year, gradually adopting parental behavior model and values.

Oblomov's childhood in Oblomovka

As a child, Ilya was an inquisitive, active child who tried in every possible way to learn the world. He wanted, like other children, to run through the fields, climb trees, walk where it was forbidden, or, climbing into the hayloft, admire the river and magnificent landscapes from above. Oblomov liked to watch animals and explore the surrounding area. However, overly protective parents, who from infancy surrounded Ilya with constant care and control, forbade the boy to actively interact with the world and study it, instilling in him completely different, “Oblomov” values ​​and behavior patterns: constant laziness, unwillingness to work and study, lack of will and fear of the real. peace.

Deprived of the need to fight for his desires, receiving everything he wants at the first request, Oblomov became accustomed to idleness. He did not need to decide or do anything on his own - there were always parents nearby who “knew better” what their son needed, or servants who were ready to bring him any food, help him get dressed or clean his chambers. Ilya was raised as an exotic “indoor flower,” protected with all their might from the outside world and hidden in Oblomovka’s peaceful nest. His parents did not even demand academic success from their son, since they did not consider science to be something truly important and useful; they often left him at home on holidays or in bad weather. That is why studying at school, and then at the institute, became for Oblomov something like an instruction from his parents, and not the implementation of his own will. During the classes, Ilya Ilyich was bored; he did not understand how the knowledge gained could be applied in later life, in particular, in Oblomovka.

The destructive influence of fairy tales on Oblomov’s life

In the novel, Ilya Ilyich appears as a very sensitive, dreamy person who knows how to see beauty and subtly experience any manifestations of the outside world. In many ways, the formation of these qualities in the hero was influenced by Oblomov’s picturesque nature and fairy tales that his nanny told the boy. Myths and legends carried Oblomov into a completely different world - a fantastic, beautiful and full of wonders: “He involuntarily dreams of Militrisa Kirbityevna; he is constantly drawn in the direction where they only know that they are walking, where there are no worries and sorrows; he always has the disposition to lie on the stove, walk around in a ready-made, unearned dress and eat at the expense of the good sorceress.” Even in adulthood, realizing that “rivers of milk” do not exist, Ilya Ilyich “is sometimes unconsciously sad, why is a fairy tale not life, and why is life not a fairy tale.” That is why in Oblomov, that feeling of abandonment of a person in a terrifying and frightening world, instilled with fairy tales, continued to live in Oblomov, where you need to blindly make your way forward, neither seeing a goal nor a road, from which only a true miracle can save you.

The fabulous, magical world of legends and myths becomes an alternative reality for Oblomov, and already in adulthood he invents for himself a fairy tale about a future life in the paradise Oblomovka, about endless calm family happiness, prosperity and tranquility. However, the tragedy of Ilya Ilyich does not even lie in total escapism, fear of society, unwillingness to do anything and fight for his happiness, and not the understanding that he has already replaced real life with an illusory one. Before his death, for Oblomov, his dreams are more real and important than his son, wife, friend and people around him, even more important than himself, because in his dreams everything is in order with his health, he is full of strength and energy. However, Goncharov himself in the novel briefly gives the reader one of the explanations for this substitution: “or maybe sleep, the eternal silence of a sluggish life and the absence of movement and any real fears, adventures and dangers forced a person to create another, unrealizable one among the natural world, and to look for revelry and fun for the idle imagination or the solution to ordinary combinations of circumstances and causes of a phenomenon outside the phenomenon itself,” emphasizing that life itself should be a continuous striving forward, and not an endless sleep in the “comfort zone.”

Conclusion

The concept of “Oblomovism” in the novel “Oblomov” is introduced by Goncharov not as a single characteristic of the life motives and characteristics of the protagonist’s nature, but as a typical and especially attractive phenomenon for Russian society - the archetype of Emelya the Fool, lying on the stove and waiting for his finest hour. According to the author himself, this is “an evil and insidious satire on our great-grandfathers, and maybe even on ourselves” - a fairy tale that everyone wants to believe in, but which has nothing to do with reality, where in order to achieve heights it is necessary to rise from ovens and work, work on yourself. Using Oblomov as an example, Goncharov showed how a sensitive, dreamy person can be detrimentally affected by excessive care and guardianship, protection from stress and loss, leading to complete disappointment in real life and its replacement with illusions.

The characteristics of the concept of “Oblomovism”, the history of its appearance and the connection with the main character of the novel will be useful to 10th graders while preparing an essay on the topic “Oblomov and “Oblomovism” in the novel “Oblomov”.

Work test

WHAT IS OBLOMOVSHCHINA? In his novel “Oblomov” I.A. Goncharov told us a story about “how the good-natured sloth Oblomov lies and sleeps and how neither friendship nor love can awaken and raise him...” wrote N. A. Dobrolyubov in the article “What is Oblomovism?” "God knows what important story“,” the critic notes, and nevertheless, considers Goncharov’s novel a valuable acquisition for Russian literature. Valuable because in this story “Russian life is reflected, in it a living, modern Russian type appears before us, minted with merciless severity and correctness; it expressed a new word of our own development, pronounced clearly and firmly, without despair and without childish hopes, but with a full consciousness of the truth. This word is Oblomovism; it serves as a key to unraveling many phenomena of Russian life, and it gives Goncharov’s novel much more social significance than all our accusatory stories have.” Dobrolyubov saw in Oblomov’s type and in Oblomovism something more than just the successful creation of a strong talent, he saw in him “a work of Russian life, a sign of the times.”

So who is this Oblomov and why is such a vast phenomenon of Russian life named after him? Let's try to figure it out by taking a short tour through the pages of his biography.

Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is a nobleman and has the rank of collegiate secretary. When he was a little over twenty years old, he came from Oblomovka, a family estate located in one of the provinces, to St. Petersburg and since then he lived in the capital without a break. We learn that once, in his youth, he “was full of various aspirations, he kept hoping for something, he expected a lot both from fate and from himself.” But what exactly was he waiting for? Apparently, nothing concrete, if even in the features of his face there is no definite idea, any concentration, and “the dominant and main expression not only of the face, but of the whole soul” is softness. Carelessness and gentleness permeate the entire appearance of the hero. Oblomov’s portrait complements the description of his home suit, which suits “his calm features and his pampered body!” As Oblomov’s social circle narrowed, the robe acquired in his eyes “a darkness of invaluable merits: it is soft, flexible; the body does not feel it on itself; he, like an obedient slave, submits to the slightest movement of the body.”

The costume in the hero's biography acquires symbolic meaning. Oblomov loves spacious clothes: he imagines himself in a dressing gown, a spacious frock coat or jacket in his dreams. But as soon as Oblomov’s life changes, its rhythm changes, so does his clothes: when he falls in love with Olga, he stops wearing a robe, wears a housecoat, wears a light scarf around his neck, a snow-white shirt, a beautifully tailored frock coat, and a smart hat. In an attempt to keep up with life, Oblomov strives to follow fashion, but in his soul he still compares himself to an old, worn-out caftan.

Although the novel says that Ilya Ilyich was not like either his father or his grandfather, many situations of Oblomov’s life are repeated in his St. Petersburg life, and it is clear that the origins of Ilya Ilyich’s character, his attitude to life and to himself must be sought in the family nest. It was in Oblomovka that he received his first concepts and impressions of life, which, “like a calm river,” flows by and in which the ideal is peace and inaction. He was a developed child, but the boy’s inquisitive mind was still unable to resist the simplicity of morals, the silence and stillness that reigned in Oblomovka. Since childhood, Oblomov “will forever have the disposition to lie on the stove, walk around in a ready-made, unearned dress and eat at the expense of the good sorceress.” And as an adult, Ilya Ilyich retains faith in miracles and unconsciously sadness about “why a fairy tale is not life, and life is not a fairy tale.” The boarding school where Ilyusha studied was not much different from his parents' home. Both at home and in the boarding house he was cherished, “like an exotic flower in a greenhouse, and just like the last one under glass, he grew slowly and sluggishly,” and therefore the forces that sought their manifestation “turned inward and faded, withering.” After studying at the boarding school, Ilyusha’s parents sent him to Moscow, “where he, willy-nilly, followed the course of study to the end.”

After completing the course of study, Oblomov goes to St. Petersburg, dreaming of success in his career, a worthy position in society, family happiness, but even in St. Petersburg he leads a lifestyle familiar to him since childhood. Ten years passed, and Oblomov “didn’t advance a single step in any field... he kept getting ready and preparing to start life, he kept drawing a pattern of his future in his mind.”

Although Ilya Ilyich does not strive for communication, people visit him every now and then different people. Some, like Volkov, Sudbinsky, Penkin, do not come often and not for long. Others - Alekseev, Tarantiev - diligently visit him. They come to eat, drink, smoke good cigars, finding at Oblomov’s “a warm, peaceful shelter and always the same, if not cordial, then indifferent welcome.” Alekseev shared “equally in agreement with his silence, and his conversation, and excitement, and way of thinking, whatever it was.” Tarantiev brought “life, movement, and sometimes news from the outside” into Oblomov’s kingdom of sleep and peace. In addition, Oblomov innocently believed that Tarantiev “was really capable of advising him of something worthwhile.”

The rest of the time, nothing disturbed the hero’s normal state, and this state was “rest” and “lying down.” In solitude and loneliness, Oblomov “loved to withdraw into himself and live in the world he created”: to imagine himself as an invincible commander, a thinker, a great artist, to solve world problems, to be imbued with sympathy for all the disadvantaged and unfortunate... And when imaginary worries became insurmountable, he became lost and began to “pray fervently, fervently, begging the sky to somehow ward off the threatening storm.” After prayer, he became “calm and indifferent to everything in the world,” entrusting the care of his fate to heaven. Only in his dreams was Oblomov truly happy: he felt “a vague desire for love, quiet happiness.” True, returning to reality, he strove to realize his ideals and thoughts, but these aspirations instantly disappeared, often without even taking shape verbally. A loud call to Zakhar, without having time to turn into a request or an order, was quickly replaced by the usual thoughtful mood.

Although there were no shocks and storms in Oblomov’s real life, his fate was tragic. He understood everything about himself perfectly. In a confession to Stoltz, Ilya Ilyich admitted that he was hurt “for his underdevelopment, stunted growth moral forces, for the heaviness that interferes with everything.” He felt “that some good, bright beginning was buried in him, as in a grave... like gold in the depths of a mountain” and envied people who lived “so fully and widely,” but he did nothing. Behind the softness, carelessness and effeminacy there actually lies a solid and integral nature that remains true to itself. He breaks ties with those who understand life differently, and sincerely loves only Stolz. The friends were connected by romantic youthful dreams. With Stolz, Oblomov was going to “travel the length and breadth of Europe, walk through Switzerland, burn his feet on Vesuvius, go down to Herculaneus.” But if for Stolz traveling is not a feat, but a simple and familiar thing, then Oblomov made in his life “the only trip from his village to Moscow.” And, nevertheless, it was Stolz who awakened vitality in his friend for some time.

The attempt to fulfill the youthful dream of traveling was not crowned with success, but the “awakened vital forces” rushed to fulfill another dream - the dream of love.

Stolz introduced Ilya to Olga Ilyinskaya, and the rhythm of his life changed. Oblomov seemed to see himself and his life from the outside and was horrified. “And the robe seemed disgusting to him, and Zakhar was stupid and unbearable, and the dust and cobwebs were unbearable.” Just as violently and passionately as his novel began, Oblomov “shakes off the dust and cobwebs” from his entire life, boldly and bravely rushes into a world full of movement, excitement, passions. Soon he confesses his love to Olga, feeling that Olga is exactly the ideal of “happiness in life.”

Love filled Oblomov’s life with meaning. He dreams of traveling abroad, intends to leave with Olga to his green paradise - Oblomovka, but... suddenly inflamed with love passion, Oblomov just as suddenly sobers up. When the poetic time in love has passed and “a strict story has begun: a ward, then a trip to Oblomovka, building a house, a mortgage to the council, building a road, an endless discussion of cases with men... reaping, threshing... the caring face of the clerk... a court hearing,” love becomes her “summer, blooming poem” ends with duty. Having delved into the “practical side of the wedding issue,” Oblomov sees in it “an official step towards significant and serious reality and a number of strict responsibilities,” and this depresses him.

Time passes, while waiting for the attorney's report on the state of his affairs, Oblomov is looking for an apartment in St. Petersburg, closer to the Ilyinskys, and while an apartment is found, he settles in the house of Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna. Life in this house reminds the hero of life in his beloved Oblomovka. Silence and calm, the hostess’s constant worries about the kitchen in which she reigns, lead Oblomov to despair. He understands that life with Olga does not promise him “peaceful happiness and peace.” He needs at least a temporary respite from constant shocks and worries, so the wedding with Olga is postponed. Their romantic love did not stand the test of real life, but during that year, the period for which the wedding was postponed, Pshenitsyna’s house became for Ilya Ilyich that blessed paradise to which he had always strived.

After Stoltz manages to settle matters in Oblomovka, Oblomov regularly receives income, and peace and silence reign in Pshenitsyna’s house. As in Oblomovka, in the newfound corner of paradise there is talk about holidays, cuisine, and food. As in Oblomovka, here the master can sit without moving from his place, and may “the sun not rise tomorrow, whirlwinds will cover the sky, a stormy wind will rush from the ends of the universe, and soup and roast will appear on his table, and his linen will be clean and fresh, and the cobwebs have been removed from the wall...”

The loving eye of Agafya Matveevna’s wife vigilantly guarded every moment of Ilya Ilyich’s life, but “eternal peace, eternal silence and lazy crawling from day to day quietly stopped the machine of life.” Oblomov “died, apparently, without pain, without suffering, as if a watch had stopped and they had forgotten to wind it.” This is how his life ended ingloriously...

According to D.I. Pisarev, “Oblomov... personifies that mental apathy to which Mr. Goncharov gave the name Oblomovism.” “This apathy... is expressed in the most diverse forms and is generated by the most diverse causes; but plays in it everywhere main role terrible question: “Why live? Why bother? - a question to which a person often cannot find a satisfactory answer. This unresolved question, this unsatisfied doubt depletes strength and ruins activity; a person gives up, and he gives up work, not seeing a goal in it...” The reason for apathy lies partly in the external situation of a person, and partly in the manner of his mental and moral development. In terms of his external position, Oblomov is a gentleman: “he has Zakhar and three hundred more Zakharovs,” who provide him with a carefree idle life.

N.A. wrote superbly about the exceptional typicality of Oblomovism. Dobrolyubov, but in the novel itself its vitality and prevalence are shown quite convincingly. Stolz speaks angrily about it, and Oblomov’s own confession testifies to it: “Am I alone? Look: Mikhailov, Petrov, Semenov, Alekseev, Stepanov... you can’t count them: our name is legion!” Oblomovism was found not only in the village on the Volga, but also in other places of feudal Russia, and in the capital; it manifested itself not only in the behavior of the bar, but also in the inertia of officials, serfs, people of intelligent professions, who would gladly leave their occupations if everything that they earn with their labor went to them for free.

The Oblomov principle, as we have seen, lives in Zakhara, at the hero’s house, in social salons, in the life of the widow Pshenitsyna... That is why the word and concept “Oblomovism”, according to D.I. Pisarev, will never “die in our literature”, “will penetrate the language and come into general use.”

Thanks to Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov, the concept of “Oblomovism” appeared. With this word the author denoted the state in which his main character- smart, handsome, with a pure soul, who does not want to live the way most of his friends live. At the same time, Oblomov does not have “his own path” - he only dreams, makes unrealistic plans and does nothing at all. Life, youth, love pass him by, and it seems there is no force that would make him get up from the couch.

The debate about what Oblomovism is began immediately after the book was published and continues to this day. The source of these disputes lies, as often happens, in considering the phenomenon of Oblomovism from opposing points of view.

Oblomovism is a social evil

Since the novel was written in the era of transition from serfdom to capitalism, many contemporaries saw Oblomovism as a product of feudal relations, a brake on social development.

Dmitry Pisarev called Oblomovism “submissive, peaceful, smiling apathy,” and Oblomov called it pampered, spoiled, “accustomed to lordship, inaction and complete satisfaction of one’s physical needs.”

The prominent statesman Anatoly Koni even argued that the Oblomovs of his time “with their apathy, fear of any initiative and lazy non-resistance to evil, nullify the glaring issues of life and the needs of the country.”

Oblomovism - the search for higher meaning

However, not all critics limited themselves to such a one-sided interpretation of the concept of “Oblomovism.” Many have tried to consider this phenomenon from a universal human perspective, to see in it something more than pathological laziness conditioned by social conditions. Thus, Goncharov’s contemporary, writer Alexander Druzhinin, argued that “it is impossible to know Oblomov and not love him deeply,” if only because “he is positively incapable of evil deeds.”

Already in Soviet times, Mikhail Prishvin wrote about the novel “Oblomov”: “In this novel, Russian laziness is internally glorified and externally it is condemned by the depiction of dead-active people. No “positive” activity in Russia can withstand Oblomov’s criticism: his peace is hidden in itself a request for the highest value, for an activity for which it would be worth losing peace.”

Modern critics Peter Weil and Alexander Genis also agree with him. In their book “Native Speech: Lessons in Fine Literature,” they describe Oblomov as “the only true person in the novel,” who does not want to put on the roles imposed by society, defending his right to remain just a man.

I. A. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” was published in 1859, at a time when the issue of abolition of serfdom was extremely acute in the country, when Russian society was already fully aware of the destructiveness of the existing order. Deep knowledge of life and accuracy of social analysis of characters allowed the writer to find amazing correct definition The way of Russian life of that time was Oblomovism.

The action of "Oblomov" covers, at intervals, the period of time from 1819 (when Ilyusha was 7 years old) to 1856. The actual action of the novel takes place over eight years, while counting its “prehistory” and “posthistory” - thirty-seven years. Until then, no Russian novel had covered such a wide span of time. A person's entire life has passed before us. And along with it, “Oblomov” revealed the processes of a large historical period, an entire era of Russian life.(3)

Goncharov researched and revealed in artistic images the origin of Oblomovism, its development and destructive influence on human personality. It was this sociological “monographic nature” that distinguished “Oblomov” from a number of works similar to it in theme: “Childhood” and “Adolescence” by Tolstoy, “Family Chronicle” by Aksakov - and to some extent brought “Oblomov” closer to such works of Shchedrin as “Poshekhon Antiquity” and especially “Messrs. Golovlevs”. (27)

This novel resolves a broad, universal psychological problem that could arise only in purely Russian, national phenomena, possible only with our way of life, under those historical circumstances that shaped folk character, under the conditions under the influence of which our younger generation developed and is still partly developing. The author touches on vital issues and shortcomings of society in order to show the full picture of life as it is, and a person with his feelings, thoughts and passions. Complete objectivity, calm, dispassionate creativity, the absence of narrow temporary goals and lyrical impulses that violate the clarity and distinctness of the epic narrative - these are the hallmarks of Goncharov’s talent. His thought, carried out in the novel, belongs to all centuries and peoples, but has special significance for Russian society. The author decided to trace the deadening, destructive influence that mental apathy and sleep have on a person, which little by little takes possession of all the forces of the soul, embracing and fettering all the best, human, rational movements and feelings. This apathy is a universal human phenomenon, it is expressed in the most diverse forms and is generated by the most diverse causes; but everywhere in it the main role is played by the terrible question: “Why live? Why bother? - a question to which a person often cannot find a satisfactory answer. This unresolved question, this unsatisfied doubt, drains strength and ruins activity. A person gives up and gives up work without finding a goal for it. One will throw away the work with indignation and bile, the other will put it aside quietly and lazily. One will break out of his inaction, be indignant at himself and at people, look for something with which to fill the inner emptiness, his apathy will take on a shade of gloomy despair and will be interspersed with feverish impulses to disorderly activity, but it will remain apathy, because which will take away his strength to act, feel and live. For another, indifference to life will be expressed in a softer, colorless form, animal instincts will quietly float to the surface of the soul, the highest aspirations will freeze without pain, the person will sink into a soft chair and fall asleep, enjoying his meaningless peace. Instead of life, vegetation will begin and stagnant water will form in the human soul, which will not be touched by any disturbance of the external world, which will not be disturbed by any internal revolution. In the first case, it is forced apathy. At the same time, we are seeing a struggle against it, an excess of forces asking for action and slowly fading away in fruitless attempts. This is Byronism, a disease strong people. In the second case, we are dealing with submissive apathy, peaceful, smiling, without the desire to get out of inaction. This is Oblomovism, as Goncharov himself called it, a disease whose development is promoted by both Slavic nature and the entire life of our society. It was precisely this kind of apathy, its development, that Goncharov described in the novel and showed with incredible accuracy, tracing it from origins to completion. (1)

The entire plan of the novel is constructed according to this idea in such a deliberate manner. There is not a single accident in it, not a single introductory person, not a single unnecessary detail. Everything is strictly natural and, at the same time, quite meaningful, imbued with an idea; there are almost no events or actions. The content of a novel can be told in two or three lines, just as the life of any person who has not experienced strong shocks can be told in a few words. The interest of such a novel, the interest of such a life, lies not in the intricate combination of events, but in observing the inner world of a person. This world is always interesting, always attracts attention, and is especially accessible for study in quiet moments, when the person who is the subject of our observation is left to himself, does not depend on external events, and is not placed in an artificial position resulting from a random coincidence of circumstances. In such quiet moments of life, a person concentrates, collects his thoughts and looks into his inner world. It is then that an unnoticed, silent internal struggle, thought matures and develops or there is a turn to the past, an assessment of one’s own actions, one’s own personality. Such mysterious moments, especially dear to the artist, are especially interesting to the enlightened observer. In Goncharov's novel, inner life characters open before the reader's eyes. (3)

Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, the hero of the novel, personifies that mental apathy to which Goncharov gave the name Oblomovism. The word Oblomovism will not die in our literature: it is composed so successfully and so tangibly characterizes one of the significant vices of our Russian life that, in all likelihood, from literature it will penetrate into the language and come into general use (1).

To understand the essence of Oblomovism and describe the life of Ilya Ilyich, Goncharov skillfully describes first everything that surrounded the main character, his place of life, his parents, who symbolically act as guides in the novel. (9.24)

Oblomovka was depicted by Goncharov with amazing completeness and versatility. He showed the isolation and closedness of this social environment: “their interests were focused on themselves, did not intersect or come into contact with anyone else.” Oblomovka appeared before us in its silence and “in imperturbable calm,” so characteristic of this patriarchal outback. The inhabitants of Oblomovka were characterized by the undivided power of tradition: “The norm of life was ready and taught to them by their parents, and they accepted it, also ready from their grandfather, and grandfather from their great-grandfather, with a covenant to preserve its value and inviolability.” Patriarchal Oblomovka is the kingdom of laziness. Here live people whose souls “sank peacefully, without interference, into a soft body” (10)

When analyzing the chapter “Oblomov’s Dream,” Goncharov’s position in relation to the “ideal of calm and inaction” as the main character of the novel imagines the existence of the inhabitants of Oblomovka is clearly clarified. It is not without reason that in Oblomovka’s description, the images of sleep and death are not only endlessly repeated but also equated to each other, for peace and silence serve as characteristics of both “twins,” as F.I. Tyutchev called these states of the human soul:

“everything there promises a peaceful, long-term life until the hair turns yellow and an imperceptible death like a dream”

“Everything in the village is quiet and sleepy... It will be in vain to call loudly: dead silence will be the answer.”

“Dead silence reigned in the house. The time for everyone's afternoon nap has arrived."

“Everyone in Oblomovka rests so soundly and peacefully”

Moreover, symbolic designations of life and death often collide in context:

“everything promises a peaceful, long-term life there”

"life is like a still river"

“three main acts of life - homeland, weddings and funerals”

"sleep, the eternal silence of a sluggish life"

The concepts of life, death, sleep, peace, peace, silence - essentially do not have independent characteristics, and for Oblomovites these states themselves are no different. “Sleepy Oblomovka is an afterlife, this is the absolute peace of a person...”

Oblomovism, according to Goncharov himself, corrupted not only the landowner class, but also a certain part of the Russian peasants, who were torn away from productive work. The Oblomovs' servants inevitably became a type of boibak - that's exactly what they were life path Zahara. Zakhar is the same inert person as Oblomov, but if in the former this trait is dramatic, here it became only comic: Zakhar’s consciousness did not suffer from inertia at all. Everything that Oblomov is clothed in the poetic attire of a “dream” appeared in Zakhar in all its prosaic nakedness

However, a comprehensive display of Oblomovka was not a goal, but a means. The focus of his attention was the fate of the boy raised in this well-fed and inert environment. Goncharov's novel amazes us with the depth of penetration into the spiritual world of Ilyusha Oblomov. With the skill of a true psychologist, Goncharov posed the problem of the destructive impact of the reactionary environment on a living and inquisitive child, in whom it, however, fostered anemia, an inability to live and act.

Oblomovka broke the will of the person it raised. Oblomov admits this, telling Stoltz: “I know everything, I understand everything, but there is no strength and will. Give me your will and mind and guide me (10).

The author's main task in the novel is to show how a person gradually dies in a person, how unadapted a landowner is to life, not accustomed to doing anything. The main qualities of the kind, sweet Ilya Ilyich Oblomov are his inertia, apathy, and aversion to any activity. True to the traditions of realism, I. A. Goncharov shows that these qualities were the result of Oblomov’s upbringing; they were born from the confidence that any of his desires would be fulfilled and no effort needed to be made for this. Oblomov is a nobleman, he does not have to work for a piece of bread - hundreds of Zakharov serfs work for him on the estate and completely ensure his existence.

This means that he can lie on the couch all day long, not because he is tired, but because “this was his normal state.” He almost merged with his soft, comfortable robe and long, wide shoes, which he masterfully slipped into the first time, as soon as he dangled his feet from the sofa. (27)

In his youth, Oblomov “was full of all sorts of aspirations, hopes, he expected a lot from fate and himself, he was always preparing for some field, for some role.” (10) But time passed, and Ilya Ilyich was still getting ready, getting ready to start new life, but made no progress towards any goal. In Moscow he received a good education, but his head “was like a library, consisting of only knowledge scattered in parts.” Entering the service, which had previously seemed to him in the form of some kind of family occupation, he did not even imagine that life would immediately be divided into two halves for him, one of which would consist of work and boredom, which for him were synonymous, and the other - from peace and peaceful fun. He realized that “it would take at least an earthquake to prevent a healthy person from coming to work,” and therefore he soon resigned, then stopped going out into the world and completely shut himself up in his room. If Oblomov recognizes some kind of work, it is only the work of the soul, since dozens of generations of his ancestors “endured labor as a punishment imposed on our forefathers, but they could not love, and where there was a chance, they always got rid of it, finding it possible and due."

There were moments in Oblomov’s life when he thought about the reasons that prompted him to lead such a life, when he asked himself the question: “Why am I like this?” In the climactic chapter of the novel “Oblomov’s Dream,” the writer answers this question. (1, 17)

He creates a picture of provincial landowner life and shows how lazy hibernation gradually becomes the normal state of a person.

The chapter "Oblomov's Dream" has independent meaning. In the preface to the novel, literary critic V.I. Kuleshov writes: “Goncharov decided to insert the previously published “Oblomov’s Dream” in its entirety, giving it a kind of symbolic meaning. As part of the novel Oblomov, this early sketch began to play the role of a preliminary history, important message about the hero’s childhood... The reader receives important information about what kind of upbringing the hero of the novel became a couch potato. Since lazy hibernation became “the hero’s lifestyle and more than once dreams appeared to him, dreams that transported him to the world of dreams, imaginary kingdoms, then “Oblomov’s Dream” turned out to be natural for him. His unique presence with a special title in the composition of the novel acquired a certain symbolic meaning, giving the reader the opportunity to realize where and in what way this life “broke off.” But that's not all there is to a great episode.

From a medical point of view, such long and clear dreams do not exist, and Goncharov did not have the task of describing a real dream. Here the dream is a dream, it is conditional, and also logically constructed.

Chapter IX of the novel, entitled “Oblomov’s Dream,” shows an idyll of childhood. Childhood is a special page of Russian classical literature, soulful, poetic; the joys and sorrows of a child learning the world, nature, and himself were described by S. T. Aksakov, L. N. Tolstoy, A. N. Tolstoy, V. V. Nabokov. We can say that the theme of childhood is nostalgic, especially in Nabokov, for whom childhood is also a lost homeland that he carries within himself.

In a dream, Oblomov is transported to his parents’ estate Oblomovka, “to a blessed corner of the earth,” where there is “no sea, no high mountains, rocks, abysses, no dense forests - there is nothing grandiose, wild and gloomy.” An idyllic picture appears before us, a series of beautiful landscapes. “The annual circle is performed there correctly and calmly. Deep silence lies in the fields. Silence and calm of life also reign in the morals of the people in that region,” writes Goncharov. Oblomov sees himself as a little boy, striving to look into the unknown, ask more questions and get answers. But only caring for food becomes the first and main concern of life in Oblomovka. And the rest of the time is occupied by “some kind of all-consuming, invincible dream,” which Goncharov makes a symbol characterizing people like Oblomov, and which he calls “the true likeness of death.” From childhood, Ilya was accustomed to the fact that he did not have to do anything, that for any job there was “Vaska, Vanka, Zakharka,” and at some point he himself realized that it was “much calmer” this way. And therefore, all those “seeking manifestations of strength” in Ilyusha “turned inward and sank, withering away.” Such a life deprived the hero of the novel of any initiative and gradually turned him into a slave of his position, his habits, and even a slave of his servant Zakhar.

Ilyusha Oblomov has everything that is typical of a normal child: liveliness, curiosity. “He passionately wants to run up to the hanging gallery that goes around the whole house...” “With joyful amazement, as if for the first time, he looked around and ran around parents' house...” “His child’s mind observes all the phenomena taking place in front of him; they sink deep into his soul, then grow and mature with him.” And the nanny? There is always a nanny who tells fairy tales. And here are the significant words: “...his fairy tale is mixed with life, and he sometimes unconsciously feels sad, why is a fairy tale not life, and why is life not a fairy tale.” Here, in childhood, everything that will remain with him until his death is already laid down.

The idyll of local life, peace, sweet sleep, frozen life, the sleep of all Oblomovka... How was life understood in Oblomovka? " Good people they understood it only as an ideal of peace and inaction, disturbed from time to time by various troubles, such as illness, losses, quarrels and, among other things, labor. They endured labor as a punishment imposed on our forefathers, but they could not love...” And death here was like an imperceptible transition from a state of sleep to eternal sleep. But there is also endless charm in this idyll.

“The annual circle was completed there correctly and calmly.” Nature itself, soft, calm, where there are no mountains, but only hills that smoothly turn into plains, embodies “deep silence and peace.” “Silence and imperturbable calm reign in the morals of people.” In all this there is both joy and... death. No matter how much charm and poetry these paintings contain, they are about frozen time.

The adult Ilya Ilyich Oblomov would like to live in this frozen time. He sighs heavily when “life gets to him.”

Oblomov's dream plays an important role in the novel. compositional role. Starting from Chapter II, Goncharov brings visitors to Oblomov’s apartment. Volkov, a narcissistic dandy who needs to get into “ten places.” “Ten places in one day - unfortunate! - thought Oblomov. - And this is life!.. Where is the person here? What does it crush and crumble into?” And Oblomov rejoices, “turning over on his back, that he does not have such empty desires and thoughts, that he does not rush around, but lies here, maintaining his human dignity and your peace." The next visitor is Sudbinsky, a former colleague of Oblomov who has made a career. “I got stuck, dear friend, I got stuck up to my ears... And when he comes out into the world, he will eventually manage his affairs and grab ranks... And how little a person needs here: his mind, his will, his feelings...” Next comes the writer Penkin. Oblomov’s conclusion after Penkin’s departure: “Yes, write everything, waste your thought, your soul on trifles... trade in your mind and imagination... know no peace... When to stop and rest? Unhappy!" A man without qualities arrives, no one even knows his last name for sure: either Ivanov, or Vasilyev, or Alekseev, who is also fussing, always calling Oblomov somewhere. Finally, Ilya Ilyich’s fellow countryman, Tarantiev, appears, a personality no less vain than the others. He is a master at talking, he makes a lot of noise, but he is not enough for action.

A doctor comes to visit and gives useful advice Oblomov: move more, walk “eight hours a day.” After all, Ilya Ilyich had already developed early obesity.

Not accepting all this empty activity (the pursuit of a career, money, social entertainment), Oblomov subjects himself to a “secret confession” and comes to the conclusion that “some secret enemy laid a heavy hand on him at the beginning of his journey...”. His thoughts ended with the fact that “sleep stopped the slow and lazy flow of his thoughts.”

“Oblomov’s Dream” explains why the path of his visitors is unacceptable for Ilya Ilyich. A dream separates these visits from the arrival of Stolz, who played a huge role in Oblomov’s life.

With difficulty, at the beginning of five o'clock, Oblomov comes out of sleep, and then, like a fresh wind from the outside, Stolz bursts in. He has nothing in common with previous visitors. Stolz is honest, smart, active. He sincerely wants to bring Oblomov out of hibernation. But it turned out that his childhood friend Stolz also does not know the true purpose of life, and his activities are largely mechanical. Oblomov, in essence, realizing that Stolz sincerely wants to help him, turns out to be unable to join life, to go his own way, and Stolz’s activities are not for him. However, the arrival of Stolz brought Oblomov out of his immobility, as if giving him a chance. Oblomov seemed to come to life when he fell in love with Olga. But even here he saved.

Oblomov’s days end on Vasilyevsky Island near Pshenitsyna. This is also a kind of Oblomovka, but without the feeling of the poetry of childhood, nature, or the expectation of a miracle. Almost imperceptibly our hero passes into his eternal sleep.

What is the reason that Oblomov’s possibilities were not realized? internal forces left unused? Of course, it is rooted in Oblomovka. “Oblomov’s Dream” explains why he did not want and could not follow either the path of the early visitors or the path of Stolz: Ilya Ilyich had neither specific purpose, no energy to implement it. Thus, Oblomov’s dream is, as it were, the focus of the novel.

In his article “What is Oblomovism?” N.A. Dobrolyubov wrote “Oblomov is not a stupid apathetic figure without aspirations and feelings, but a person who is also looking for something in life, thinking about something.” (17) He is endowed with many positive qualities, and not stupid. There is a sad truth in his judgments - also a consequence of Russian life. What are all these Sudbinskys, Volkins, Penkovs striving for? Indeed, is it worth getting up from the couch for the sake of the petty fuss that his former comrades are busy with?

In the extremely simple plot of “Oblomov”, which did not shine with any external effects, Dobrolyubov saw deep social content. He wrote: “Apparently, Goncharov did not choose a vast sphere for his own. The story of how the good-natured sloth Oblomov lies and sleeps, and how neither friendship nor love can awaken and raise him, is not God knows what an important story. But it reflects Russian life, in it a living, modern Russian type appears before us, minted with merciless severity and truthfulness; it expressed a new word for our social development, pronounced clearly and firmly, without despair and without childish hopes, but with a full consciousness of the truth. This word - “Oblomovism”, serves as the key to unraveling many phenomena of Russian life, and it gives Goncharov’s novel much more social significance than all our accusatory stories have. In the type of Oblomov and in all this “Oblomovism” we see something more than just the successful creation of a strong talent; we find in it a work of Russian life, a sign of the times.” (17)

Turning to the image of Oblomov, Dobrolyubov insightfully saw the source of his life drama, partly in Oblomov’s external position, and partly “in the image of his mental and moral development.” Dobrolyubov saw in Oblomov an image of those “supposedly talented natures” whom they had previously admired “before they covered themselves with different robes, adorned themselves with different hairstyles, and attracted people with different talents. But now Oblomov appears before us exposed as he is, silent, brought down from a beautiful pedestal onto a soft sofa, covered instead of a robe only with a spacious robe. The question is what does he do? What is the meaning and purpose of his life? - delivered directly and clearly, not filled with any side questions.” (27)

Oblomov was destroyed by serfdom, lordly upbringing and the entire system of Russian landowner life, which slowly but surely turned this man out of life, turning him into “a warehouse filled with all sorts of rubbish.” (18)

The antithesis of Obolomova is Andrei Ivanovich Stolts. He is introduced into the novel to emphasize Oblomov’s character, to show the difference between them; without him, the picture of Oblomovism would not be complete, so we will not ignore Stolz.

Andrei Ivanovich Stolts is such a person as there were very few in that society. He was not spoiled by home education; from a young age he began to enjoy reasonable freedom, learned life early and was able to bring solid theoretical knowledge into practical activity.

Elaboration of convictions, strength of will, a critical view of people and life, as well as faith in truth and goodness, respect for everything beautiful and sublime - these are the main character traits of Stolz.

It was after analyzing the two heroes of the novel that we saw a clear difference.

In conclusion of this part of the diploma, I would like to summarize what Oblomovism really is, what its place is in Goncharov’s work and the life of a Russian person.

Let us turn to the words of Gorky, who wrote that the generalizing power of the image created by Goncharov is enormous “... in the person of Oblomov we have before us the most truthful image of the nobility” (16). The Oblomovites are not only the small provincial nobility, they are the entire Russian nobility of that time, which was experiencing a process of deep, social and moral crisis. Oblomov is the widest image in its range, covering the entire noble-landowner class, a synthesis of the most significant features of its psyche and, above all, deep inertia, convinced bigotry. In the fate of Oblomov, the process of degradation and degeneration of the serf system with its characteristic features of savagery and stagnation was shown with exhaustive completeness. Oblomov is the personification of the entire landowner way of life on the eve of the 60s.