Wise minnow direction. "wise gudgeon", analysis of the tale. Artwork test

The composition was prepared by Leonid Zusmanov

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin was born in January 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province. According to his father, he belonged to an old and rich noble family, according to his mother, to the merchant class. After successfully graduating from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, Saltykov becomes an official in the military department, but he is of little interest in the service.

In 1847 first appear in print literary works- "Contradictions" and "Confused Cases". But seriously about Saltykov, as a writer, they started talking only in 1856, when he began the publication of Provincial Essays.

He directed his extraordinary talent to open his eyes, to show those who still do not see the lawlessness that is happening in the country, the flourishing ignorance and stupidity, the triumph of bureaucracy.

But today I would like to dwell on the writer's fairy-tale cycle, begun in 1869. Fairy tales were a kind of result, a synthesis of the ideological and creative searches of the satirist. At that time, due to the existence of strict censorship, the author could not completely expose the vices of society, show the entire inconsistency of the Russian administrative apparatus. And yet, with the help of fairy tales "for children of a fair age," Shchedrin was able to convey to people a sharp criticism of the existing order.

In 1883, the famous "Wise Gudgeon" appeared, which over the past hundred years has become Shchedrin's textbook tale. The plot of this tale is known to everyone: once upon a time there was a minnow, who at first was no different from his own kind. But, a coward by nature, he decided to live his whole life, not sticking out, in his hole, trembling from every rustle, from every shadow that flickered next to his hole. So life passed by - no family, no children. And so he disappeared - either by himself, or some pike swallowed it. Just before his death, the minnow thinks about his life: “Who did he help? Whom did he regret that he did good things in life? - He lived - trembled and died - trembled. Only before death does the inhabitant realize that no one needs him, no one knows him and will not remember him.

But this is the plot, the outer side of the tale, what is on the surface. And the subtext of Shchedrin's caricature in this fairy tale of the manners of modern philistine Russia was well explained by the artist A. Kanevsky, who made illustrations for the fairy tale “The Wise Gudgeon”: “... everyone understands that Shchedrin is not talking about fish. Minnow is a cowardly layman, trembling for his own skin. He is a man, but also a gudgeon, the writer gave him this form, and I, the artist, must preserve it. My task is to combine the image of a frightened layman and a minnow, to combine fish and human properties. It is very difficult to “understand” a fish, to give it a pose, a movement, a gesture. How to display on the fish "face" forever frozen fear? The figurine of a minnow-official gave me a lot of trouble ....».

Terrible narrow-minded alienation, isolation in oneself is shown by the writer in The Wise Gudgeon. M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is bitter and painful for the Russian people. Reading Saltykov-Shchedrin is not easy. Therefore, perhaps, many did not understand the meaning of his fairy tales. But most of the "children of a fair age" appreciated the work of the great satirist on merit.

In conclusion, I would like to add that the thoughts expressed by the writer in fairy tales are modern today. Shchedrin's satire has stood the test of time and is especially poignant in times of social turmoil such as Russia is experiencing today.

The fairy tale “The Wise Scribbler” says that a scribbler lived in the world, who was afraid of everything, but at the same time considered himself wise. Before his death, his father told him to behave carefully, and so he would remain alive. “Look, son,” said the old scribbler, dying, “if

If you want to live life, then look at both!” Piskar listened to him and began to think about his future life. He came up with a house for himself such that no one but him could climb into it, and began to think about how to behave the rest of the time.

With this fairy tale, the author tried to show the life of officials who did nothing in their lives, but only sat in their “burrow” and were afraid of someone who was higher than them in rank. They were afraid to somehow harm themselves if they went beyond their "burrow". That, perhaps, there is some kind of force that can suddenly deprive them of such a rank. That life without luxury is the same for them as death, but at the same time

Just stay in one place and everything will be fine.

Just in the image of a scribbler, this is visible. He appears in the tale throughout the story. If before the death of his father, the life of the scribbler was ordinary, then after his death he hid. He trembled every time someone swam or stopped near his hole. He did not finish his meal, afraid to get out again. And from the twilight that constantly reigned in his hole, the scribbler was half-blind.

Everyone considered the scribbler a fool, but he himself considered himself wise. The title of the tale “The Wise Scribbler” hides a clear irony. “Wise” means “very smart”, but in this tale the meaning of this word means something else - proud and stupid. Proud because he considers himself the smartest, since he found a way to secure his life from an external threat. And he is stupid, because he did not understand the meaning of life. Although at the end of his life, the scribbler thinks about living like everyone else, not hiding in his hole, and as soon as he gathers the strength to swim out of the shelter, he begins to tremble again and again considers this idea stupid. “I’ll get out of the hole and swim like a gogol across the river!” But as soon as he thought about it, he was frightened again. And began, trembling, to die. Lived - trembled, and died - trembled.

In order to more sarcastically show the life of a scribbler, there is hyperbole in the fairy tale: “He does not receive a salary and does not keep servants, he does not play cards, he does not drink wine, he does not smoke tobacco, he does not chase red girls. “. Grotesque: “And the wise scribbler of this kind lived for more than a hundred years. Everyone trembled, everyone trembled.” Irony: “Most likely, he died himself, because what sweetness is it for a pike to swallow an ailing, dying scribbler, and besides, a wise one? “

Talking animals predominate in ordinary folk tales. Since in the fairy tale of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin there is also a talking squeaker, his fairy tale is similar to folk tale.

Essays on topics:

1. Once upon a time there was an "enlightened, moderately liberal" gudgeon. Clever parents, dying, bequeathed to him to live, looking at both. The minnow realized that he was threatened from everywhere ...
2. “The Wise Scribbler” is an epic work, a fairy tale for adults. However, it is included in the number of school program works quite justifiably, because ...
3. The theme of serfdom and the life of the peasantry played important role in the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin. The writer could not openly protest the existing system. Merciless...
4. Ideological and artistic features satire Saltykov-Shchedrin most clearly manifested in the genre of fairy tales. If apart from "fairy tales" Saltykov-Shchedrin did not write anything, ...
5. Democratic Literature II half of XIX centuries, sought to awaken a civil conscience in Russian society, influencing the poetic “word of denial” or the edge of the political ...
6. M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, a brilliant thinker and original critic, publicist, editor, entered the history of Russian literature as a satirist writer. Genre diversity...
7. The fairy tales of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, written mainly in the 80s of the XIX century (they are often called political), became a satire on the ...

Problems of the fairy tale by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin "The Wise Gudgeon"

In the complex sense of Shchedrin's tales, small in volume and large in their ideological content, the following topics can be distinguished: satire on the autocratic government and on the exploiting classes, depiction of the life of the people in tsarist Russia, exposure of the behavior and psychology of the philistine-minded strata of the intelligentsia, disclosure of individual morality and propaganda of the socialist ideal and new morality.
In the fairy tale "The Wise Gudgeon" Shchedrin condemned the cowardice of that section of the intelligentsia which, during the years of political reaction, succumbed to shameful panic. Depicting the pitiful fate of the hero, who went mad with fear, walled himself up in a dark hole for life, the satirist showed his warning and contempt to all those who, obeying the instinct of self-preservation, plunge into the narrow world of their own needs instead of active social struggle.
The minnow's parents lived quietly and peacefully, did not interfere in the life of society, and therefore died a natural death. And they ordered their son to watch both, protecting himself. Their son was smart and took the words of his parents literally. He protected himself not only from large fish, but also from crayfish and water fleas. Although they were smaller than him, they could do more harm, in his opinion. He was completely furious with fear and was even afraid to have a wife and children.
Shchedrin also ridiculed the minnow's thoughts about man, that is, about the government. How many different means he came up with to destroy the minnows, that is, the people, and they, knowing all these stupid means, still swallow them. "Although this is the most stupid tool, but with us minnows, the more stupid, the more true," - this is how the old minnow talks about the life of the people, who in no way want to learn even from their mistakes.
That minnow did not live, but only did that, that he trembled and was glad that he was alive. Even the pike began to praise him, hoping that he would come out of the hole. And he is not. I spent more than a hundred years sitting and thinking that I was the smartest. But Saltykov-Shchedrin talks about the wrong way of reasoning minnows that not those minnows become worse than citizens who sit in holes, tremble and therefore eat in vain. What is the benefit to society from their existence? No. Therefore, it did not consider the minnow smart, but only called a fool.
originality artistic skill Shchedrin found herself in the great power of his laughter, in the art of using humor, hyperbole, the grotesque and fantasy for a realistic depiction of reality and evaluating it from progressive public positions. In his fairy tales, those who tried to hide from the enemy, to avoid social struggle, to live by their own needs, perish. He tried to instill in the reader a sense of social duty, to teach him to live social life, public needs. Only under these conditions can a person be called smart and wise.

Saltykov-Shchedrin, "The Wise Minnow", let's start the analysis of the tale with the personality of the writer.

Mikhail Evgrafovich was born in 1826 (in January) in the Tver province. On the side of his father, he belonged to a very old and rich family of nobles, and on the side of his mother, to the class of merchants. Saltykov-Shchedrin successfully graduated and then took the post of an official in the military department. Unfortunately, the service interested him very little.

In 1847, his first literary works, "A Tangled Case" and "Contradictions", saw the light of day. Despite this, only in 1856 did they start talking about him seriously as a writer. At this time, he began to publish his "Provincial Essays".

The writer tried to open the eyes of readers to the lawlessness happening in the country, to ignorance, stupidity, and bureaucracy.

Let us dwell in more detail on the cycle of fairy tales written by the writer in 1869. It was a kind of synthesis of the ideological and creative searches of Saltykov-Shchedrin, a kind of result.

Mikhail Evgrafovich could not fully expose all the vices of society and the failure of management due to the censorship that existed at that time. That is why the writer chose the form of a fairy tale. So he was able to sharply criticize the existing order, without fear of prohibitions.

The fairy tale "The Wise Gudgeon", the analysis of which we are doing, is quite rich from the artistic side. The author resorts to the use of the grotesque, antithesis, hyperbole. It also plays an important role. It is these techniques that helped to hide the true meaning of what is written.

The fairy tale appeared in 1883, it is famous to this day, it has even become a textbook. Its plot is known to everyone: there lived a minnow, who was quite ordinary. His only difference was cowardice, which was so strong that the gudgeon decided to spend his whole life in a hole without protruding from there. There he sat, afraid of every rustle, every shadow. And so his life passed, no family, no friends. The question arises, well, what kind of life is this. What did he do well in life? Nothing. Lived, trembled, died.

That's the whole plot, but it's just the surface.

Analysis of the fairy tale "The Wise Gudgeon" implies a deeper study of its meaning.

Saltykov-Shchedrin depicts the mores of contemporary petty-bourgeois Russia. In fact, minnow does not mean a fish, but a cowardly layman who is afraid and trembles only for his own skin. The writer set himself the task of combining the features of both fish and man.

The tale depicts philistine alienation and isolation in oneself. The author is offended and bitter for the Russian people.

Reading the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin is not very easy, which is why not everyone was able to comprehend the true intention of his fairy tales. Unfortunately, the level of thinking and development modern people not very appropriate.

I would like to draw attention to the fact that the thoughts expressed by the writer are relevant to this day.

Read the tale “The Wise Minnow” again, analyze it based on what you have now learned. Look deeper into the idea of ​​works, try to read between the lines, then you will be able to analyze not only the fairy tale "The Wise Gudgeon" yourself, but also all works of art.

Sections: Literature

Lesson Objectives:

1.Educational:

a) Knowledge:

• Repetition and systematization of previously acquired knowledge about the writer's work; compositions of the work; using various artistic media.
• Deepening knowledge about sarcasm as a kind of irony;
• Introduction to the concept of grotesque.

b) Skills:

• Finding the studied trail.
• Strengthening the ability to analyze piece of art unity of form and content.

2. Developing:

a). Memory development (installation to reproduce the material at the end of the lesson);

b). Development of thinking (logical, figurative when working with text);

v). Development oral speech students (monologic, dialogical speech).

3. Educators:

a). Education of an active life position.

b) Raising interest in literature.

c) Raising a respectful attitude towards culture and art.

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin was born in January 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province. According to his father, he belonged to an old and rich noble family, according to his mother, to the merchant class. After successfully graduating from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, Saltykov becomes an official in the military department, but he is of little interest in the service.

In 1847 his first literary works appear in print - "Contradictions" and "Confused Cases". But seriously about Saltykov, as a writer, they started talking only in 1856, when he began the publication of “Provincial Essays”.

He directed his literary talent to open his eyes, to show those who still do not see the lawlessness that is happening in the country, the flourishing ignorance and stupidity, the triumph of bureaucracy. M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is a great Russian satirist, revolutionary democrat, colleague of Chernyshevsky and Nekrasov. He chose satire as his weapon against social evil and social injustice, continuing and developing the traditions of Fonvizin and Gogol in new historical conditions. Chernyshevsky argued: "None of the writers preceding Shchedrin painted pictures of our life in darker colors. No one punished our own ulcers with greater mercilessness." (slide number 2 in Appendix 1)

But today I would like to dwell on the writer's fairy-tale cycle, begun in 1869. Fairy tales were a kind of result, a synthesis of the ideological and creative searches of the satirist. At that time, due to the existence of strict censorship, the author could not completely expose the vices of society, show the entire inconsistency of the Russian administrative apparatus. And yet, with the help of fairy tales “for children of a fair age,” Shchedrin was able to convey to people a sharp criticism of the existing order.

To write fairy tales, the author used the grotesque, hyperbole and antithesis. Aesopian language was also important for the author. Trying to hide the true meaning of what was written from censorship, I had to use this technique as well. The tale, by the simplicity of its form, is accessible to anyone, even an inexperienced reader, and therefore is especially dangerous for the "tops". No wonder the censor Lebedev informed: “G. S.’s intention to publish some of his fairy tales in separate pamphlets is more than strange. What G. S. calls fairy tales does not at all correspond to its name; more or less directed against our social and political order."

The thoughts expressed by the writer in fairy tales are modern today. Shchedrin's satire has stood the test of time and is especially poignant in a period of social turmoil such as Russia is experiencing today. That is why the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin have been reprinted many times in our time. (Slide 3 in Appendix 1)

Before we begin to analyze the fairy tale “The Wise Scribbler”, we will consider the necessary terms: sarcasm, irony, grotesque, hyperbole. (Slide 4 in Appendix 1)

SARKASM is a caustic, caustic mockery, with a frankly accusatory, satirical meaning. Sarcasm is a kind of irony.

IRONY - a negative assessment of an object or phenomenon through its ridicule. The comic effect is achieved by the fact that the true meaning of the event is masked.

GROTESQUE is a depiction of reality in an exaggerated, ugly comic form, an interweaving of the real and the fantastic.

HYPERBOLE is a deliberate exaggeration.

IV. Work on the text of a fairy tale.

The tale “The Wise Gudgeon” (1883) became a textbook.

one). Work on the image of the main character (slide number 5 in Appendix 1)

How did the minnow's parents live? What did his father bequeath to him before his death?

How did you decide to live wise minnow?

What was the minnow's position in life? What is a person with such a position called? (slide number 8 in Appendix 1)

So, we see that the gudgeon at first was no different from his own kind. But, a coward by nature, he decided to live his whole life, not sticking out, in his hole, trembling from every rustle, from every shadow that flickered next to his hole. So life passed by - no family, no children. And so he disappeared - either by himself, or some pike swallowed it. Just before his death, the minnow thinks about his life: “Who did he help? Whom did he regret that he did good things in life? - He lived - trembled and died - trembled. Only before death does the inhabitant realize that no one needs him, no one knows him and will not remember him.

But this is the plot, the outer side of the tale, what is on the surface. And the subtext of Shchedrin's caricature in this fairy tale of the manners of modern philistine Russia was well explained by the artist A. Kanevsky, who made illustrations for the fairy tale “The Wise Gudgeon”: “... everyone understands that Shchedrin is not talking about fish. Minnow is a cowardly layman, trembling for his own skin. He is a man, but also a gudgeon, the writer gave him this form, and I, the artist, must preserve it. My task is to combine the image of a frightened layman and a minnow, to combine fish and human properties ... ”.

Terrible narrow-minded alienation, isolation in oneself is shown by the writer in The Wise Gudgeon. M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is bitter and painful for the Russian people.

2) Work on the composition of the work, artistic means.

What is the composition of the piece? (The composition is restrained and strict. In a small work, the author traces the life of the protagonist from birth to inglorious death. The circle of actors is extremely narrow: the gudgeon himself and his father, whose orders he carries out.)

What traditional fairy tale motifs does the author use? (The traditional fairy-tale beginning “there once was a scribbler” is used, common phrases “neither in a fairy tale to say, nor to describe with a pen”, “began to live and live”, folk expressions “mind chamber”, “out of nowhere”, colloquial speech “haunted life” , "destroy".)

What allows us to talk about the mixture of fantasy and reality in the work? (Along with folklore expressions, the fairy tale contains expressions used by the author and his contemporaries “to do exercise”, “to introduce themselves”.)

Find in the text examples of the use of the grotesque, hyperbole.

The political orientation of Saltykov-Shchedrin's satire required new artistic forms. To get around the censorship obstacles, the satirist had to turn to allegories, allusions, to "Aesopian language". The combination of fantasy and reality, the use of the grotesque, hyperbole, allowed the writer to create a new original genre of political fairy tale. This form of storytelling helps to push the boundaries of artistic representation. The satire on the petty layman takes on a huge scale, a symbol of a cowardly person is created. His entire biography boils down to the formula: "He lived - trembled, and died - trembled."

In "The Wise Scribbler" the image of a small, miserable fish, helpless and cowardly, is displayed. Shchedrin ascribes human properties to fish and at the same time shows that "fish" features can also be inherent in a person. The meaning of this allegory is revealed in the words of the author: "Those who think that only those scribblers can be considered worthy citizens who, mad with fear, sit in a hole and tremble, believe incorrectly. No, these are not citizens, but at least useless scribblers" .

3) Work on the title and idea of ​​the work (slide No. 10 in Appendix 1)

How do you understand the title of the work? What technique does the author use in the title? (The minnow considered himself wise. And the author calls the tale that way. But behind this heading lies irony, revealing the worthlessness and uselessness of the layman, trembling for his life.)

What rhetorical questions does a minnow ask himself before his death? Why are they included in the text of the work? (“What joys did he have? Whom did he comfort? Whom did he give good advice to? Whom did he say a kind word? Whom did he shelter, protect and protect?” There is one answer to all these questions - no one, no one, none. The questions are introduced into the fairy tale for the reader , in order for him to ask them to himself and think about the meaning of his life.)

What is the idea of ​​the work? (One cannot live only for the sake of saving one's life. It is necessary to set lofty goals and go towards them. It is necessary to remember human dignity, courage and honor.)

We saw that in the fairy tale the author denounces the cowardice, mental limitations, and life failure of the layman. The writer poses important philosophical problems: what is the meaning of life and the purpose of man. These problems will always face the individual and society as a whole. The writer does not seek to entertain the reader, he teaches him a moral lesson. Saltykov-Shchedrin's fairy tales will invariably be relevant, and the characters will be recognizable.

Composition-miniature “Which is better - to live a hundred years without bringing harm or benefit, or to live by making mistakes and learning from them?”

Note

The presentation used footage from the animated film "The Wise Gudgeon", directed by Valentin Karataev.