The growth of the scale and strength of the impact of the Bible on the literary process in the second half of the XIX century. largely associated with the democratization of Russian society, caused by the abolition of serfdom and other reforms. Verbal art opens up and masters new spheres of life, an increasing place in it is occupied by characters from the people's "lower classes", where the Holy Scripture has long since become a Book in the highest sense of the word.

No wonder the poem by F. I. Tyutchev, which made a strong impression on readers and for a long time later evoked responses in the literature - “These poor villages ...” * (1855), creates the image of the Savior - a wanderer in Russia, as if lifting the whole immensity of people's suffering:

Burdened with the burden of a godmother,
All of you, dear land,
In a slavish form, the King of Heaven
Went out blessing.

The sympathetic interest of writers in "ordinary people" - the breadwinners and defenders of Russia - comes from ancient times, at least from the Tale of Igor's Campaign. One of the brightest heroines of medieval Russian literature is the wise and righteous peasant maiden Fevronia, who became a princess in Murom (“The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” by Yermolai-Erasmus, mid-16th century). The mindful reader will see with his inner eye a whole gallery of living images of the same social nature: Anastasia Markovna - the wife and colleague of Avvakum, Fonvizin's Shumilov, Vanka, Petrushka, Eremeevna, Tsifirkin, Kuteikin, Lisa Karamzin, Anyuta Radishchevskaya, Liza Griboedovskaya ...

But this is only a foreshadowing of what will happen when an boundless crowd, but with unique faces and destinies, men, women, soldiers, Cossacks, deacons, merchants, clerks, coachmen, janitors, lackeys, artisans (you can’t count everyone!) , drawn by I. S. Turgenev, I. A. Goncharov, N. A. Nekrasov, A. N. Ostrovsky, L. N. Tolstoy, N. S. Leskov, F. M. Dostoevsky, A. P. Chekhov, VG Korolenko... The worldview of this boundless human sea is complex, multicomponent, just as conservative as it is mobile, not amenable to precise and final definitions. But there is no doubt that if you want to understand at least something in that picture of people's life that was created by the Russian classics of the second half of the 19th century, you must constantly remember the Book of Books. The secret depths of the Russian folk character are revealed to the reader and viewer by the playwrights of A. N. Ostrovsky. And the long history of critical and theatrical interpretations of The Thunderstorm* (1859) is particularly instructive in this respect. Some of these interpretations became events in the life of not only literature and theater, but in the movement of social thought, in the development of Russian culture. Reflections and disputes focused mainly around the image of Katerina Kabanova, and at the center of them was invariably the question of the relationship of this amazingly lively, holistic, inexhaustible image to external circumstances, to Kalinov’s “cruel morals”, to the family where the young heroine was sent, to the “dark kingdom " generally. Such a view is, of course, inevitable and necessary. But it can give rise to directly opposite judgments, as happened in the most famous articles about "Thunderstorm": "A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom" by N. A. Dobrolyubov (1860) and "Motives of Russian Drama" by D. N. Pisarev (1864) . Dobrolyubov saw in Katerina "a protest against Kabanov's notions of morality, a protest carried through to the end, proclaimed both under domestic torture and over the abyss into which the poor woman had thrown herself." Pisarev categorically disagreed with Dobrolyubov: he saw the “Russian Ophelia”, who “at every step confuses both her own life and the lives of other people”, who, “having committed many stupid things, throws herself into the water and thus makes the last and capital stupidity." But this very polarity in the positions of two talented critics, true "rulers of the minds", the youth of their time, was, I think, the result of insufficient attention to how Katerina relates to herself, how the playwright depicted her inner world, her spiritual evolution. This one-sidedness, dictated by the habit prevailing for many years to consider works of art primarily as performances in social struggle, also caused a decrease in the interest of schoolchildren in a brilliant play. Young readers were drawn into the debate about whether the liberation movement needed Katerina, (“beam” - not “beam”, strong character - weak, immature, confused character). And, hardly realizing it, they turned a lively, voluminous, dynamic image into a flat thesis. Meanwhile, Ostrovsky, with paternal love, draws the formation of his heroine - a formation that ended, to his great grief, with death, but death that elevates a person. For the author, Katerina's natural involvement in the Christian worldview, in the bright unity of faith, goodness, purity, miracle, fairy tale, is of great importance. This feature of the image of the heroine of criticism, of course, was noticed; the most subtle analysis of Katerina's childhood impressions and dreams can be found in Dobrolyubov's article, which at school is usually reduced to a thought in the headline. But Dobrolyubov also refers the heroine's impressions received in her mother's house to the phenomena of the "dark kingdom". “Look carefully: you see that Katerina was brought up in concepts that are the same as the concepts of the environment in which she lives, and cannot get rid of them, having no theoretical education. The stories of the wanderers and the suggestions of the household, although they were reworked by her in her own way, could not but leave an ugly trace in her soul: and indeed, we see in the play that Katerina, having lost her bright dreams and ideal, lofty aspirations, retained from her upbringing one thing a strong feeling - the fear of some dark forces, something unknown, which she could neither explain to herself well, nor reject. Fair. And unfair, because these same concepts brought up her fearlessness, directness, intolerance to violence and lies. And if it is true that the play is a ray of light, then this image itself appears in Katerina’s memoirs about her childhood: “Do you know,” she tells Varvara about the church, where “she loved to go to death”, “on a sunny day from the dome there is such a bright pillar goes, and in this pillar there is smoke, like clouds, and I see, it used to be that angels in this pillar fly and sing. And ultimately she is afraid only of her own conscience: “It’s not so terrible that it will kill you, but that death will find you as you are, with all your sins, with all evil thoughts.” If Katerina had not had faith in the holiness of the biblical commandments, there would not have been her quivering and unbending character: there would have been another secretly self-willed Barbara who is not afraid of sin - if only everything remained shut and covered. The following detail is significant: Varvara, listening to Katerina's stories about life in her mother's house, about flowers, prayers, pilgrimage wanderers, remarks: "But we have the same thing." Dobrolyubov, in essence, expresses the same idea when speaking about Katerina's concepts that are common with the concepts of the environment. Katerina answers Varvara with her intuitive insight: “Yes, everything here seems to be from bondage.” But does the meaning of the commandments change depending on how they are accepted - freely or involuntarily? Is it not all the same, say, how to observe moral purity - voluntarily or under pain of punishment? And don't Marfa Ignatyevna and Katerina view the sin of adultery in the same way? There is something to think about here.

There is not one, but two strong female characters in The Thunderstorm. Marfa Ignatievna is an image no less alive than Katerina. Drawing him, Ostrovsky contradictory and naturally mixed boastful virtue and loyalty to moral traditions, unbridled lust for power and relentless anxiety, heartlessness and suffering. "Prude, sir! She gives clothes to the poor, but completely eats up the household, ”Kuligin says to Boris Grigoryevich about Marfa Ignatievna and, as it were, exhausts her human essence. In this spirit, he understands Kabanova and Dobrolyubov. But the play doesn't stop there. Marfa Ignatievna, of course, destroys her family with her own hands: her involvement in Tikhon's drunkenness, Varvara's mischief, Katerina's suicide is undeniable. But she acts quite confidently, and her maternal heart really hurts. Only this heart is ruled not by love, but by malice, not by compassion, but by hatred. From her first appearance on the stage, Marfa Ignatievna persistently pushes Katerina to a quarrel, twists her every word, every gesture in a spirit of hostility. It is clear: a rare mother-in-law is not jealous of her daughter-in-law for her son. But that's hardly the only thing. Katerina, who wants so much to love everyone, who is ready - not out of obsequiousness, but from the generosity of her heart - to call her hard-hearted mother-in-law a mother, for Marfa Ignatievna is irreconcilably a stranger. Yes, and her love for Tikhon is filled with contempt. Another magnificent detail: the mother teaches her son the rules of family life right on the boulevard, in the presence of his wife and sister, in full view of the walking Kalinovites, deliberately humiliating him and getting more and more inflamed. Tikhon embarrassedly justifies himself. “Kabanova (completely cold-bloodedly). Fool! (Sighs). What a fool and talk! only one sin!"

No, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have the same faith “by letter”, but different in spirit. They, if we apply the gospel image, have different treasures. The Pharisees once reproached Jesus for healing people on the Sabbath, when all labor is forbidden. And he answered them that good can be done on the Sabbath, and pointed out the real reason for their reproaches:

"Birds of vipers! how can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

A good man out of a good treasure brings forth good things; but an evil man brings forth evil out of an evil treasure.”

Today it is not so easy to understand what an explosion was the appearance of "Thunderstorm" in print and on stage. After all, there is only one true righteous woman here - a sinner guilty of adultery and suicide. It seems to be easy to justify her: after all, her husband, who did not know what he was doing, pushed her away and offended her, her house was turned into a prison, her bread was poisoned with reproaches, and even her beloved spoke to her in parting, looking around fearfully, and parting, wished her from the bottom of her heart imminent death. But she does not need excuses, because she judges herself most severely of all. And her image remains luminous: Dobrolyubov understood this and showed it magnificently, but Pisarev could not understand it already because he compared this image with a pre-cut block of a “developed personality” and, discovering their complete discrepancy, outlined the story of Katerina with almost mocking irony: thunder - Katerina has lost the last remnant of her mind ... "

Meanwhile, the idea of ​​a righteous life and a righteous person, followed by people, which tormented Gogol so much, in the second half of the 19th century became even more attractive and burning. This is, in general, the original and cherished idea of ​​Russian folklore and Russian literature, which manifested itself in epics and fairy tales, in the lives of saints and stories about the church fathers. But at a time when Russia did not yet know what would happen about the acquired freedom and where the historical path would turn, among the issues that have always occupied Russian literature, one of the first places was not economic or political, but moral - as a means of solving all difficult issues facing the country. Suffice it to recall those works that most excited first the Russian, and then the European, world readership of the 1950s and 1990s - even if only the novels of Turgenev, Tolstoy, Goncharov, Dostoevsky, Leskov - and it becomes clear that in the center their invariably the question of the dignity of the individual and his role in the life of the people.

Images of noble dreamers and selfless figures, heroes who are “positively beautiful” or dreaming of “being quite good”, righteous people or those who want to live “like God” from these books entered the spiritual world of Russia. It should be noted that Chernyshevsky's novel What Is to Be Done?, contrary to harshly imposed interpretations, is not at all a manual for preparing a revolution, but an attempt to draw "new people" and a "special person" - those who, in the author's opinion, are "salt of salt". earth”, who is able to improve society by his own moral example. And if the writers portrayed vulgarity, vanity, demonism, they could not do without high moral guidelines.

Writers of the second half of the 19th century are not inclined to idealize either their favorite heroes or the possibilities of their impact on life. Sending men-truth-seekers to wander around Russia, N. A. Nekrasov - the author of the poem "Who Lives Well in Russia" * (1863 - 1877) - at the very first stage of the journey, he will depict a reliable and symbolic picture:

All along that lane
And along the roundabout paths,
How far did the eye go
Crawled, lay, rode,
Drunk floundering
And there was a groan!

But if he glimmers in this epic, where Nekrasov, by his own admission, put all his observations, all his thoughts about the people, some kind of light of hope, then he comes from people who are able to live in truth and in conscience, according to the moral commandments of Christ. That is why the poet, with such artistic detail, with such love and hope, paints an ordinary scene: a peasant family listens to a pilgrim wanderer, of which there were many in Russia; it was they who carried biblical truths to the lower ranks of the people, sometimes whimsically mixing them with all sorts of legends and fairy tales, but without losing their heartfelt meaning. Nekrasov slowly, carefully draws the wanderer himself, and each member of the family, and even the cat Vaska, playing with a spindle, which the hostess, having heard, dropped from her knees. And ends the description like this:

Who has seen how he listens
Of their passing wanderers
peasant family,
Understand that no work
Not eternal care
Nor the yoke of long slavery,
Not a tavern by ourselves
More Russian people
No limits set:
Before him is a wide path!

However, the “humble praying mantis” Iona Lyapushkin, referred to in this scene, does not look like a benevolent figure in Nekrasov: after all, it is he who tells the legend “About two great sinners”, where the murder of an inhuman tyrant acts as a righteous deed that removed the “burden of sins” from robber Kudeyar. The poet does not depict reprisals against rapists as a path to people's happiness: the righteous of his poem - Yermil Girin, the brothers Grisha and Savva Dobrosklonov - follow the paths of enlightenment, asceticism, and mercy. But so much evil has accumulated in the world that each of the writers-thinkers stopped in deep thought before the question: what to do with the brutalized, rabid villains? How to get rid of the endless humility of the humiliated and offended? Young Pushkin addressed the theme of the gospel Sower in several poems. In one of them, V. L. Davydov ”(1821) - he says, referring to the failure of the Italian fighters for the liberation of the country from the Austrian yoke:

But those in Naples are naughty,
And she is unlikely to resurrect there ...
The people of silence want
And for a long time their yoke will not crack.
Has the ray of hope disappeared?
But no! - we will enjoy happiness,
Communion of the bloody cup -
And I will say: Christ is risen!

The play on the meanings of the word "chalice" (the rite of the Eucharist and the uprising) is quite transparent here. In the second half of the century, having survived the failure of the Decembrists, the defeat of the Petrashevists, the heroism and bitterness of the Crimean War, the joy and disappointment of the peasant reform, Russia returns to the same questions with even greater anxiety. In most works of Russian classics of this time, one can notice a direct or indirect reference to the Gospel of Matthew, where the commandment of Christ sounds: “... love your enemies, bless those who curse you and pray for those who offend you and persecute you” (V, 44). But other words are also quoted there:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; not peace I came to bring, but a sword;

For I have come to divide a man from his father, and a daughter from her mother, and a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law” (X, 34-35).

The wise and painful dialectics of peacefulness and intransigence is reflected in the most impressive literary images; The scene from Dostoevsky's novel "The Brothers Karamazov" became truly symbolic, when Alyosha - a righteous soul - to the question of his brother Ivan, what to do with the landowner, who hunted the child with dogs, answers: "Shoot!"

Dostoevsky undertook a task of unimaginable difficulty: to investigate the development of the most tragic confrontations between good and evil in the human world, when the distance from good deed to evil deed may seem non-existent or insignificant. In his artistic experiments, the Gospel is present not only as the focus of moral ideas and norms, as a source of ideas and images: its influence on the very process of creativity, on the artistic structure, style of works is undoubtedly.

Let's open the novel "Crime and Punishment" (1865 - 1867). Raskolnikov is preparing to carry out his fantastic plan and does not believe that he will ever decide to carry it out. Having visited the pawnbroker Alena Ivanovna, the hero is so disgusted with what he is going to do, such longing that he walks along the sidewalk, “like a drunk, not noticing passers-by and colliding with them ...” So he ends up in a tavern, where he meets Marmeladov . And in the repentant and justifying speech of a new acquaintance, first a shadow, and then more and more clearly, the memory of the New Testament comes through, “... and everything secret becomes clear,” Marmeladov pronounces the commonly used “winged word” from the Gospel of Matthew (X, 26).

The speaker himself does not attach any special meaning to these words: he is characterized by florid speech - “due to the habit of frequent tavern conversations,” the narrator notes. But this speech further, the more points to the Bible as the source of the syllable itself: “For this I drink, that in this drink I seek compassion and feelings. I’m not looking for fun, but I’m looking for single sorrow ... I drink, because I want to suffer purely! And the "winged words" used by Marmeladov begin to seem not accidental. The thought of the secret and the obvious not only predicts the inevitable course of events (the crime will be solved), but draws the reader's attention to the text from which it "flew": the author consciously or intuitively recalled the teaching that Jesus delivers to His twelve apostles. And in this teaching, everything is connected by invisible threads with the further course of the novel. The Savior warns His disciples that their path will be painful, that they will experience misunderstanding and hatred even of people close to them, but the most serious mistake would be doubt in the Teacher: “And whoever denies Me before people, I will also renounce him before My Father in Heaven ... "(X, 33).

And the next gospel expression that Marmeladov pronounces is “Behold the Man!” - something other than just a decoration of speech. These are the words of Pilate according to the Gospel of John (XIX, 5). The procurator, on whose orders the Roman soldiers beat Jesus, mocking Him, found nothing criminal in His actions, no guilt. Marmeladov either wants to justify the tavern servants laughing at him, or himself, but the reader begins to see the events of the novel in some new dimension.

Further, in Marmeladov's confession, word-signals are increasingly encountered, prompting the reader to recall the Book of Books, to think about the internal connections of the narrative. It is obvious that the surname of the tailor, from whom Sonya rents a room - Kapernaumov, has its own meaning: Capernaum (the village of Naum in the original meaning, and the name Naum means "consolation", as they say in the Bible Encyclopedia) - "the main and favorite residence of the Lord Jesus during His earthly life. Here lived his apostles Simon (Peter) and Andrew, here he called Matthew to the apostolic service, here he performed many miracles. But to this city, many of whose inhabitants remained alien to His teaching, mired in sins, Jesus predicted a bitter fate: “And you, Capernaum, who ascended to heaven, you will fall down to hell” (Gospel of Matthew, XI, 23). The author of the novel knew, no doubt, that the city was wiped off the face of the earth by time, that only ruins remained of it ...

The finale of Marmelad's confession is also deeply significant, where we are talking about the coming Last Judgment, when "He who took pity on everyone" will forgive both Sonya and her sinful father, "both good and evil, and wise and humble." Here, as in the entire text of the novel, unambiguous interpretations are fruitless. In the image of Marmeladov, vileness and suffering, repentance and meanness, self-condemnation and self-justification are inseparably combined. But the main thing has already been done: behind the events of the novel, the reader saw other events, the scope of the narrative expanded indefinitely, artistic time gained boundless length ... And then another event occurs, the turning point of which is palpable, but the meaning goes deep into the subtext and is far from being revealed immediately ( apparently, therefore, it is not clarified by numerous interpretations of the novel).

Let us put before ourselves the question prompted by the very course of the story: when does Raskolnikov finally decide to kill? When does he decisively overcome the disgust, nausea, anguish that grips him at the mere thought of a planned experiment? Attentive, the reader remembers: after taking Marmeladov home, seeing both Katerina Ivanovna and the children, Raskolnikov inconspicuously leaves his last pennies on the window. But on the stairs he reproaches himself, thinks with dislike of the Marmeladovs: “Oh, Sonya! What a well, however, they managed to dig! and enjoy! That's because they use it! And got used to it. We cried and we got used to it. A scoundrel-man gets used to everything!

He considered.

Well, if I lied, - he suddenly exclaimed involuntarily, - if a person is really not a scoundrel, the whole in general, the whole race, that is, the human race, then it means that everything else is prejudice, only fears cast on, and there are no barriers, and so on and it should be! ..” What happened? Let us try to imagine the work of a mind endowed with brilliant logic and wounded by the relentless thought of the possibility of saving not so much ourselves as suffering humanity, saving at the cost of life alone, and already dying, weighed down by malice and acquisitiveness...

Here in front of Raskolnikov is a drunken official, the destroyer of his own family, who deserves sympathy, however, not indulgence. His unfortunate wife arouses burning compassion in Raskolnikov, but she is also guilty of the fact that, although “in illness and crying children did not eat,” she sent her stepdaughter to the panel ... Yes, and the whole family lives on her shame, her suffering . Raskolnikov's conclusion about meanness as a common property of people looks inevitable. It is supported by the well-known biblical idea of ​​the sinfulness of the entire human race: Adam and Eve were the first to sin, violating the Lord's commandment; their descendants, generation after generation, became more and more mired in sins, despite terrible warnings: a worldwide flood, the death of Sodom and Gomorrah ...

Only one thing stuck with a thorn: what is Sonya guilty of, sacrificing herself to save her sisters and brother? What is their fault - this boy and two girls? For what sins are they punished by such a terrible fate? And in general, all children with their obvious to everyone, primordial purity and naivety: it is insane and vile to consider them scoundrels, to make them responsible for the disobedience of their ancestors, for the violence and depravity that reigns in the world. And humanity, after all, is made up of growing children ... It is here that Raskolnikov's thought turns sharply.

No, the misfortunes of mankind are not generated by eternal human meanness, but by something else, most likely by the eternal obedience of the vast majority to the violence of the few. And if so, then only the ruler is capable of saving mankind, who wishes good for people and will lead them to happiness, without stopping before violating - for the sake of the common good - the biblical commandments. All the same, these commandments are “Do not kill”, “Do not steal”, “Do not commit adultery”, etc. - at every step they are violated with impunity, these are simply prejudices, and the afterlife retribution is nothing more than "fears instilled" ...

Approximately this is how Raskolnikov's thought moves, his rebellion is brewing, his doubt about Divine justice. Further, his determination is reinforced by a letter from his mother, testifying to the same thing: it is useless to believe that “blessed are the meek,” that they “inherit the earth,” that those who mourn will be comforted” (Gospel of Matthew, V, 3-8). You can protect them from violence only by violence, but with a good goal: to gain power in order to direct humanity to prosperity with a powerful hand - this is how you can imagine the logic of the hero's thoughts.

This rebellion, similar to the rebellion of the biblical Job, becomes the source of all subsequent events in the novel. It is very important for the reader to see the conflict that organizes the entire narrative between the precepts of the Bible and the theory of the eternal division of mankind into "the right to have" and "the trembling creature." The fact is that the theory that Raskolnikov honed in his reflections like a razor is logically irrefutable. She remains unshaken in the novel to the very end, and beyond it - in critical and reader's opinions - up to the present day, no convincing arguments have been put forward against her. Not only that: not only in the past, but even today, literally every hour brings more and more new facts confirming that many people submit not just to legitimate authority, but to tyranny, are passionately engaged in mutual extermination and do not cease to deify their insane and heartless rulers.

Not by the force of evidence, not by historical, political and legal calculations, Raskolnikov's conviction of the reliability of his theory is shaken, but above all by a feeling - a feeling of breaking the ties of the unfortunate killer with his mother, sister, friend, with the whole human world and slowly resurrecting faith in the divinity of the human soul, in the sanctity of life, despite all worldly abomination and meanness. That is why the turning point in Raskolnikov's spiritual purification is the story of the resurrection of Lazarus from the Gospel of John (XI, 1 - 44), which Sonya reads to him. In this story there is not and cannot be ordinary logic, as in the Bible in general, as well as in the very scene of the novel. The murderer and the harlot came together strangely while reading the Eternal Book; it is strange that Sonya received the book from Lizaveta, who was killed by Raskolnikov. It is also strange that Raskolnikov asked to read to him about Lazar, as if by some kind of inspiration, and Sonya painfully wanted to read this story to him "about the greatest and unheard of miracle."

But the miracle is revealed only to those who are able to believe in it. It is essentially not subject to analytical logic, although it does not cancel or humiliate logic. These are two constantly interacting elements of human spiritual activity: the rigor of research, the accuracy of facts are as precious as prophetic intuition and fantasy that transforms the world.

Reading the Gospel does not shake those convictions of Raskolnikov that prompted him to decide on a crime. He recalls the children of the Marmeladovs, and speaks of other children living in such conditions that they “cannot remain children”; he tells the frightened Sonya: “What to do? To break what is necessary, once for all, and nothing more: and to take upon oneself the suffering! What? Do not understand? After you understand ... Freedom and power, and most importantly power! Above all trembling creatures and over the whole anthill!..” But a breach in the armor of his passionate and terrible logic has already been pierced, the light of that time is already dawning when he will again take the same Gospel in his hands and feel the possibility of “resurrection into a new life.”

The line of correlation between the Holy Scriptures and the novel narrative goes to the last page of Crime and Punishment (here we will not trace it in detail). And from it come many connecting threads to Dostoevsky's work, to previous, contemporary and subsequent literature.

Russian literature in general amazes with the richness and constancy of internal echoes, echoes, rehashings and rethinking. Maybe because the history of literature itself is so tragic, the writers who created Russian artistic classics felt the need for memory and continuity so keenly, they valued tradition so much, which served as the strongest foundation for constant renewal.

In Dostoevsky's work, readers and researchers have noticed many explicit or implied reminders of Pushkin, quotations or references to his works. What does Pushkin mean for him, for literature, for Russia, Dostoevsky said in his famous speech of 1880: “We understood in him that the Russian ideal is wholeness, reconciliation, inhumanity.” "Pushkin" in Dostoevsky will never be able to read to the end. But the view "from the Bible" opens up more and more new lines of connections and interactions.

One of them goes through the "theory of Raskolnikov", which in Dostoevsky's artistic thinking expressed the most tragic contradiction not only of Russia, but of mankind. Recreating and investigating this theory, in which abstract thought and the torments of a living human soul were combined, Dostoevsky, one can assume, recalled both “The Imitation of the Koran” (poems about the “trembling creature”) and “Eugene Onegin” (“We all look at Napoleons. ..") and the hero of The Queen of Spades with his profile of Napoleon and the soul of Mephistopheles, and Petersburg of The Bronze Horseman, and much more from Pushkin. But, perhaps, first of all, the poem "Liberty Sower of the Desert ...", although there are no direct indications of this in Dostoevsky's novel. The very essence of the theory, its decisive argument, clearly goes back to Pushkin's poem written in November 1823.

Reading the famous chapter of The Brothers Karamazov, which gave rise to a whole library of interpretations and criticism - "The Grand Inquisitor" *, we find in the speeches of the ninety-year-old cardinal - the head of the Inquisition, addressed to his captive - Christ, a complex system of skillful arguments to prove one thought: " ... a person has no more painful care than to find someone to whom he would rather transfer the gift of freedom with which this unfortunate creature is born. The elder does not hide the fact that he is not an adherent of God, but of the devil, who tempted Christ in the wilderness with power over all the kingdoms of the earth: “We have long been not with You, but with him, for eight centuries.” The Grand Inquisitor, with brilliant logic, honed even finer than Raskolnikov’s, and with a passion that is amazing for advanced years, proves that his own efforts, like the armies of his supporters and servants, are aimed at one thing: to give happiness to people - the happiness of a submissive herd, "quiet, humble happiness, the happiness of weak beings, as they are created."

But the chapter, like the whole novel, does not give the slightest opportunity to settle down on this most monstrous and most seductive of all human ideas. It is not for nothing that Alyosha, after listening to the fantastic “poem” told to him by Ivan, exclaims in the greatest excitement: “Your poem is a praise to Jesus, and not a blasphemy ... as you wanted it to be. And who will believe you about freedom? Is that how it should be understood!” But as? He does not know this, just as no one seems to know.

It can be said that all the literature of this, and even later, goes around the same persistent question, which gives rise to an innumerable number of others. Reflections on them inevitably return to the Bible, where they are placed for the first time and forever. And again, again, images of wanderers, seekers, and righteous people appear in the books of Russian writers, because if a person is not a beast under the yoke, then something can be discerned in his fate only in the light of his soul.

A whole gallery of living, unexpected, attractive righteous people and truth-seekers was drawn by N. S. Leskov in the works of the 70s and 80s: “The Enchanted Wanderer”, “At the End of the World”, “The Non-Deadly Golovan”, “Odnodum”*, “The Man on the Clock” , "Figure" and others. These are people from different strata of the people - a soldier, a tradesman, a monk, a postman, a military engineer, an educator officer, a horse tamer, a guide in the tundra, their life goes differently. But there is something common and important for all.

Perhaps this most important thing comes through in the form of a pagan Zyryan (now this people is called Komi), who believes that the goddess Dzol-Dzayagachi protects him, “giving children and baking, as if, about the happiness and health of those who begged from her ". The old archbishop, the hero and narrator of the story "At the End of the World", in his youth was the bishop of a remote Siberian diocese and was zealously engaged in missionary work among the northern peoples. It is he who tells about his wanderings in the snowy desert together with a guide - a zyryan. At first, this savage appeared to the missionary, who was forced to flee from the blizzard and cold in a snow pit, along with a guide, some kind of stupid, stinking animal. Then, when the Zyryan suddenly got on his skis and ran away somewhere, the bishop saw in him a coward and a traitor who left him to die. But after despair came insight: it turned out that the guide, risking his own life, rushed to save his companion from inevitable starvation.

And the young bishop suddenly realized that this pagan “does not go far from the Kingdom of Heaven” (an expression from the Gospel of Mark, XII, 34): not knowing the apostolic precepts, he acted in full agreement with them, not believing in Christ, he went towards Him and was enlightened "by some wondrous light from above." And the narrator himself seems to be enlightened by this light: under the flashes of the Northern Lights, he looks at the guide sleeping from exhaustion and sees him as a beautiful, enchanted hero. For the first time, a great truth is revealed to the preacher of Christianity: Christ will come into this pure heart when the time comes. It is insane and criminal to plant faith, like happiness, by violence against anyone's soul. “There is no more confusion in my heart,” the young bishop says to himself, “I believe that You have revealed Yourself to him as much as he needs, and he knows You, as he knows You all...”

Among the righteous Leskov there is a postal messenger Ryzhov (the story "Odnodum"), who always carries a Bible with him in a gray canvas bag. But he and his other heroes, eccentrics, unmercenaries, knights of conscience and mercy, carry this Book in their hearts, even if they never mention it or do not know it at all.

L. N. Tolstoy has cycles of stories, short stories and fairy tales, where gospel truths are revealed in the thickness of everyday, rapidly flowing everyday life: “If you miss the fire, you won’t put it out” (1885), “Girls are smarter than old men” (1885), “How many people the land is needed "(1885)," Worker Emelyan and an empty drum "(1886)," Death of Ivan Ilyich "(1884 - 1886)," Kreutzer Sonata "(1887 - 1889)," Master and Worker "(1894 - 1895 ), "Father Sergius" (1891 - 1898) and others. Sometimes the author puts the relevant texts of Scripture at the beginning of the work. The ideological and plot-forming significance of the Gospel in the novel Resurrection (1899) is obvious: everything that happens to Nekhlyudov and Katyusha Maslova is correlated with the gospel precepts, and the evolution of the characters is a transformation in the light of these precepts, which is predicted by the title of the novel.

Going through in his memory everything that is familiar to the reader from what Tolstoy wrote, one can be convinced that a look at life through the prism of the Gospel never leaves him and is most of all reflected in the dynamics of the narrative: in the course of events, in the fates of the characters.

This is especially evident at the turning points of historical and life paths. Here, for example, is one of the final scenes of the novel "War and Peace" (1863 - 1869). Pierre Bezukhov returned from a trip to St. Petersburg, where he met with his new friend, Prince Fedor. The reader guesses the content of their conversations from Pierre's laconic, ardent statements in conversations with Nikolai Rostov, Vasily Denisov. “Everyone sees that things are going so badly that it cannot be left like this, and that it is the duty of all honest people to oppose it to the best of their ability.” It is clear that this is the starting point of that system of ideas and sentiments that was characteristic of the future Decembrists - participants in a failed, but not fruitless attempt to rebuild Russia on the basis of philanthropy, citizenship and freedom, "the common good and common security," as Pierre says. Neither Rostov nor Denisov understand him - for various reasons, but equally rejecting the idea of ​​a secret society. Pierre is trying to explain that the secret does not hide some kind of evil and hostility: “... this is a union of virtue, this is love, mutual assistance; this is what Christ preached on the cross…”

The algorithm for writing the final essay

Bondarenko N.A.,

teacher of literature MAOU "LNIP"

city ​​district of Korolev

Moscow region

Algorithm for writing an essay

2) Identify the problem/question contained in the topic

3) Formulate theses that reveal the problem, answer the question posed

1) Choose a theme

5) Think over the composition of the work, write a plan or plan

4) Select works (1-4) on the material of which you can prove your point of view

6) Write a draft of the work

8) Write the final paper

9) Re-read what was written, correct the mistakes you noticed

7) Re-read what was written, make the necessary corrections

Composition of the essay

Composition structure

Logical structure

Introduction

Preparation for the perception of the main ideas of the work

Main part

Conclusion

Statement of the problem/question contained in the topic (4-5 sentences).

The answer to the main question of the topic, a consistent proof of the main idea of ​​the essay (on the example of works of fiction (1–4)) taking into account the problem (problems) posed in the introduction.

Thesis 1

Generalization on the whole topic; conclusions (if there are several, then each conclusion is on a new line).

Must be at least

Brief and precise answer to the question posed in the introduction; concise summary of the reasoning (2-5 sentences).

Microinference (generalization)

3 theses !

Essay structure

Thesis 2

Arguments, evidence, example (one or more)

Microinference (generalization)

Logical transition to a new thought

Thesis 3

Arguments, evidence, example (one or more)

Microinference (generalization)

Introduction + conclusion = no more than ¼ of the essay.

The conclusion should overlap with the introduction and contain conclusions on the problem.

(problems) posed in the introduction

In the main part, the problem (problems) should be solved / the answer to the question (questions) posed in the introduction should be received

Constantly in a direct or synonymous form, refer to the wording of the topic

(in the introduction, body and conclusion of the essay) to emphasize the relevance of the work to the chosen topic

Entry Options

Types of introductions

Peculiarities

HISTORICAL

Example

Involves a brief description of a particular era, an analysis of the socio-economic, moral, political and / or cultural characteristics of that time

(Direction "Way".

Advantages

The history of Russia, the Russian nation is full of anxieties and trials, brilliant insights and fatal delusions, creative undertakings and destructive wars. The struggle against the Tatar-Mongol yoke and the conquest of Siberia, the difficult times of the Troubles and the grandiose transformations of Peter the Great, the devastation after the wave of revolutions and the daring rise of avant-garde art, the hardships of the post-war years and the enthusiasm of the builders of the Baikal-Amur Mainline ... Whenever it seemed that life and consciousness Russian people were driven into a dead end, subdued and crushed, fresh shoots of hope sprouted that the best was ahead, new forces appeared and faith was strengthened - faith in God, faith in the country, faith in human capabilities. Is it really true that there are no fetters, shackles that would stop our people in their striving for happiness, for a meaningful existence? It is the question of the “lack of limits” that now, as in other times, continues to excite everyone who considers great Russia their homeland.

Topic: (N.A. Nekrasov)).

Flaws

- Versatility.

- Wide coverage of time and space.

- A broad outlook is needed.

- Significant volume possible.

Entry Options

Types of introductions

Peculiarities

ANALYTICAL

Example

(Direction "Way".

Advantages

Almost every Russian person is sure that for our people there are no insurmountable borders and unbearable difficulties. What gives rise to such confidence in the strength and firmness of the spirit of the Russian nation? The difficult historical path, the constant search for truth, the coming to balance through delusions and losses, examples of real courage and true holiness - all this helps to affirm in the mind the idea of ​​a limitless, endless path along which Russia and the Russian people are developing. Is it really true that there are no fetters, shackles that would stop a Russian person in his striving for happiness, for a meaningful being? This question is confidently answered by domestic literature.

Topic: “The Russian people have not yet set limits: there is a wide path before them” (N.A. Nekrasov)).

Flaws

- The most "favorable" entry option.

- Convenient transition to the problem/question.

- Abstraction of reasoning.

- The discussion begins already in the introduction.

Entry Options

Types of introductions

BIOGRAPHICAL

Peculiarities

Example

Contains facts from the biography of the writer that are relevant to the work or to the problem raised in it

(Direction "Way".

Advantages

There is no person in Russian literature more devoted to a simple Russian person than Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov. No life's difficulties, hardships and hardships, the temptations of metropolitan life forced this wonderful poet to change the main theme of his life - the theme of the fate of the Russian people. Exploring the Russian soul, analyzing Russian history, studying Russian life, Nekrasov became more and more convinced in the thought of the firmness and indestructibility of the whole nation, of which we are all a part. Why, in his poem “To whom it is good to live in Russia,” Nikolai Alekseevich speaks so confidently about the absence of limits for a Russian person? Is it really true that there are no fetters, shackles that would stop a Russian person in his striving for happiness, for a meaningful being?

Topic: “The Russian people have not yet set limits: there is a wide path before them”

Flaws

- Versatility.

(N.A. Nekrasov)).

- The transition to the analysis is already in the introduction.

- Assumes knowledge of the biography of the writer/poet.

- Assumes a good knowledge of the text of a work of art.

- In the main part, it is supposed to refer to the work of the writer / poet who is mentioned in the introduction.

Entry Options

Types of introductions

QUOTATION

Peculiarities

Example

At its core, it contains a quote that is directly related to the topic of the essay and is a “starting point” for further development of thought

(Direction "Way".

Advantages

“The Russian people have not yet set limits: there is a wide path ahead of them.” So the great Russian poet Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov defines boundless faith in the Russian people, conveys confidence in their future well-being. Yes, the Russian people have gone through a lot, endured, surviving a family, a country, a faith on their shoulders. His trials continue to this day. Is it really true that there are no fetters, shackles that would stop a Russian person in his striving for happiness, for a meaningful being?

Topic: “The Russian people have not yet set limits: there is a wide path before them”

Flaws

- Direct connection with the topic.

(N.A. Nekrasov)).

- Emotionality.

- Assumes the accuracy of quoting (a quotation not stated in the subject of the essay can be used).

Entry Options

Types of introductions

PERSONAL

Peculiarities

Example

Involves a statement of one's position, a statement of thoughts, feelings related to the topic of the essay

(Direction "Way".

Advantages

I did not accidentally choose this topic for my work. The question that she raises interests me not only as a reader, but also as a person who is part of his people, living in the interests of his time. Why does Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov speak so confidently about the absence of limits for a Russian person? Is it really true that there are no fetters, shackles that would stop a Russian person in his striving for happiness, for a meaningful being?

Topic: “The Russian people have not yet set limits: there is a wide path before them”

Flaws

- Versatility.

(N.A. Nekrasov)).

- Ease of presentation.

- A low degree of "immersion" in the topic at the beginning of work.

- Not the most successful version of the entry due to the universality of the wording.

Conclusion Options

Types of introductions

SUMMARY

Peculiarities

Example

Involves a return to the main idea of ​​the essay, presenting it more widely and emotionally

(Direction "Way".

Advantages

Summing up, I want to emphasize that Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov proposed not just a slogan, arguing that "the Russian people have no limits: there is a wide path ahead of them." The poet confidently and clearly stated what all his work has gained through suffering: the strength of the spirit of a Russian person, his patient work and faith in goodness and justice open up wide opportunities for his development and make him invincible both spiritually and physically.

Topic: “The Russian people have not yet set limits: there is a wide path before them”

Flaws

- The most typical and logical ending of the essay.

(N.A. Nekrasov)).

- Emotionality.

- Sometimes it sounds overly pathetic.

Conclusion Options

Types of introductions

RHETORICAL QUESTION

Peculiarities

Example

An interrogative sentence, including a rhetorical question, at the end of the essay returns to the main problem contained in the topic, emphasizing its relevance.

(Direction "Way".

Advantages

Unfortunately, the trials of the Russian people have not ended. The constant struggle and assertion of the value and uniqueness of the Russian character continues to this day. How much more needs to be experienced, endured, overcome, so that the whole world and we ourselves are convinced that “the Russian people have no limits: there is a wide path ahead of them”?

Topic: “The Russian people have not yet set limits: there is a wide path before them”

Flaws

- Close connection with the entry.

(N.A. Nekrasov)).

- Emotionality.

- The final question is not always successfully posed.

Conclusion Options

Types of introductions

A CALL TO THE READER

Peculiarities

Example

An appeal, an appeal to the reader focuses on the main idea of ​​the essay, encourages the reader to change his attitude to the problem.

(Direction "Way".

Advantages

In conclusion, I want to make an appeal: believe in the Russian people, in the strength of their spirit, in their limitless possibilities. Only confidence in each other, cohesion and unity of consciousness will help to overcome any difficulties that arise in the way of the development of the country, the nation.

Topic: “The Russian people have not yet set limits: there is a wide path before them”

Flaws

- Simplicity and brevity of presentation.

(N.A. Nekrasov)).

- Emotionality.

- The thought in the conclusion is not always successfully correlated with the main idea of ​​the essay.

Conclusion Options

Types of introductions

QUOTE

Peculiarities

A statement that expresses the idea fully enough

Example

Advantages

(Direction "Way".

No matter how long the disputes about the uniqueness of the Russian character, about the special path of Russia, continue, it is impossible to expect a universal and precise answer to such a question. But I know for sure: the centuries-old history of the formation of our nation and the establishment of statehood in our country proves the validity of the words of N.A. Nekrasov: “The Russian people have not yet set limits: there is a wide path ahead of them!”

Topic: “The Russian people have not yet set limits: there is a wide path before them”

Flaws

- A convenient option if there is a quote in the topic of the essay (but in this case you cannot use the quote version of the introduction!).

(N.A. Nekrasov)).

- Citation accuracy is assumed.

- Not every quote is appropriate in the conclusion (this may be a quote that is not stated in the topic of the essay).

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING AN ESSAY

Criterion

Features of assessment

1. Relevance to the topic

This criterion aims to check the content of the essay.

The graduate discusses the proposed topic, choosing the way to open it (for example, answers the question posed in the topic, or reflects on the proposed problem, or builds a statement on the basis of theses related to the topic, etc.).

This criterion aims at testing the ability to use literary material to build a reasoning on the proposed topic and to argue one's position.

"Failure" it is put only under the condition that the essay does not correspond to the topic or it does not trace the specific purpose of the statement, i.e. communicative intention (in all other cases, a "test" is given).

The graduate builds a reasoning, involving for argumentation at least one work of domestic or world literature choosing your own way of using literary material; shows a different level of comprehension of literary material: from elements of semantic analysis (for example, topics, problems, plot, characters, etc.) to a comprehensive analysis of a literary text in the unity of form and content and its interpretation in the aspect of the chosen topic.

"Failure" it is set on the condition that the essay was written without the involvement of literary material, or the content of the work is significantly distorted in it, or literary works are only mentioned in the work, without becoming a support for reasoning (in all other cases, a "test" is set).

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING AN ESSAY

Criterion

Features of assessment

3. Composition and logic of reasoning

This criterion aims to test the ability to logically build a reasoning on the proposed topic.

4. Quality of writing

The graduate argues the expressed thoughts, trying to maintain the ratio between the thesis and evidence.

This criterion aims at checking the speech design of the text of the essay.

5. Literacy

"Failure" it is set on the condition that gross logical violations interfere with understanding the meaning of what was said or there is no thesis and evidence part (in all other cases, a "test" is given).

The graduate accurately expresses thoughts, using a variety of vocabulary and various grammatical constructions, if necessary, appropriately uses terms, avoids speech clichés.

This criterion allows assessing the literacy of a graduate.

"Failure" it is set on the condition that the poor quality of speech significantly complicates the understanding of the meaning of the essay (in all other cases, a "test" is given).

"Failure" is put if speech, grammatical, as well as spelling and punctuation errors made in the essay make it difficult to read and understand the text (in total more than 5 errors per 100 words ).

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING AN ESSAY

• To receive a “pass” rating for an essay, it is necessary that the work must be credited at least according to three criteria: according to criteria 1 and 2 + any of criteria 3, 4, 5.

• If in an essay less than 250 words, then the essay is not checked against criteria 1-5.

In cells according to all evaluation criteria, "failure".

• If an essay according to criterion 1 is set to “fail”, then the essay according to criteria 2-5 is not checked. In cells according to all evaluation criteria, “failure” is set.

• If for an essay according to criterion according to criterion 1 “pass” is set, and according to criterion 2 “fail” is set, then the essay according to criteria 3-5 is not checked. In the cells according to the evaluation criteria 3-5, “failure” is set.

In all other cases, the essay is checked according to all five criteria.

Criterion

Conditions for scoring

1. Relevance to the topic

Number of points (max 20)

The graduate, in one form or another, discusses the proposed topic, choosing a convincing way of its disclosure (for example, answers the question posed in the topic, or reflects on the proposed problem, or builds a statement based on theses related to the topic, etc.), communicative The intention of the essay is clearly expressed.

The graduate speaks superficially on the proposed topic, the communicative intent of the essay can be traced.

The essay is off topic

and / or the communicative intent of the composition is not traceable.

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING AN ESSAY ( with points conversion system) (recommended for higher education institutions)

Criterion

Conditions for scoring

2. Argumentation. Attraction of literary material

Number of points (max 20)

The graduate, when revealing the topic of the essay, builds reasoning on the basis of at least one work of domestic or world literature of your own choice, determining their own way of using literary material; shows a different level of comprehension: from elements semantic analysis(for example, themes, issues, plot, characters, etc.) to a comprehensive analysis of a literary text in the unity of form and content; admitted no more than 1 factual error related to knowledge of literary material(an error in the spelling of the author and the title of the work, the names of the characters and toponyms of the work, in the presentation of the storyline, literary and historical facts, etc.)

The graduate builds a reasoning based on literary material, but limited to general statements about a work of art;

and/or limited a simple retelling of a work of art ;

essay written without reference to literary material,

and/or admitted 2-4 factual errors associated with knowledge of literary material.

or literary works are only mentioned in the work, without becoming a support for reasoning,

and/or the essay contains 5 or more factual errors.

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING AN ESSAY ( with points conversion system) (recommended for higher education institutions)

Criterion

Conditions for scoring

3. Composition

Number of points

and logic reasoning

The composition is notable for its compositional integrity, logical presentation of thoughts and proportionality of parts; there are no violations of sequence and unreasonable repetitions inside the semantic parts.

(max 20)

The composition is notable for its compositional integrity, its parts are logically interconnected, but there are sequence violations and unreasonable repetitions inside the semantic parts,

and/or compositional intent can be traced in the composition, but there are violations of the compositional connection between the semantic parts,

Gross logical violations interfere with the understanding of the meaning of what is written, or there is no thesis-proof part, or the argument is not convincing.

and/or the thought is repeated and not developed .

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING AN ESSAY ( with points conversion system) (recommended for higher education institutions)

Criterion

Conditions for scoring

4. Quality of writing (quality of composition)

The graduate accurately expresses thoughts, using a variety of vocabulary and various grammatical constructions, if necessary, appropriately uses terms, avoids clichés.

Number of points

The graduate accurately expresses thoughts, but his speech is characterized by the poverty of the dictionary and the monotony of the grammatical structure of speech.

(max 20)

The poor quality of speech significantly complicates the understanding of the meaning, or the essay is written in poor, primitive language, or is replete with colloquial expressions and vulgarisms.

5. Originality of the essay

The graduate demonstrates a creative, non-standard approach to the disclosure of the topic (interesting thoughts are noted in the essay, or unexpected and at the same time convincing arguments, or fresh observations, etc.) or the brightness of style.

The graduate does not demonstrate independent thinking, and/or a creative, non-standard approach, and/or originality of style.

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING AN ESSAY ( with points conversion system) (recommended for higher education institutions)

Criterion

Conditions for scoring

6. Speech norms

Number of points

No more than 2 speech errors were made.

(max 20)

3-4 speech errors were made.

7. Spelling norms

5 or more speech errors were made.

There are no spelling errors, or 1 minor mistake was made.

There are 2-3 spelling mistakes.

4-5 spelling mistakes were made.

More than 5 spelling mistakes were made.

CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING AN ESSAY ( with points conversion system) (recommended for higher education institutions)

Criterion

Conditions for scoring

8. Punctuation norms

Number of points

There are no punctuation errors, or 1 minor error was made.

(max 20)

There are 2-3 punctuation errors.

4-5 punctuation errors were made.

More than 5 punctuation errors were made.

9. Grammar

No more than 2 grammatical errors were made.

3-4 grammatical errors were made.

5 or more grammatical errors were made.

10. Actual accuracy in the background material

There are no actual errors.

There are factual errors in the background material (one or more).

Mark on a ten-point grading system

Primary score

EXAMPLES of work on an essay (work with a draft)

Slides 25 - 29 show examples of working on an essay:

drawing up a plan, presented schematically, for five topics

(one topic for each direction (2015-2016 academic year)).

Direction "Time"

Topic: "Society and era"

How are society and era related? (Introduction)

Thesis 3

Thesis 4

Thesis 2

Thesis 1

The awakening or delusion of society depends on the activities of the "heroes of time"

A certain era is a step in the development of society

The actions of a person and his needs form an idea of ​​​​the era

Epoch - a long period of time with characteristic phenomena, events

Renaissance, Age of Enlightenment, Napoleonic Wars

• L. Tolstoy. "War and Peace" (Napoleon);
• A. Pushkin. "The Bronze Horseman" (Peter I).

L. Tolstoy. "War and Peace";

• M. Lomonosov;
• modernists (poets, artists, etc.).

F. Dostoevsky. "Crime and Punishment" (Napoleon);

A. Griboyedov. "Woe from Wit" (Chatsky);

N. Gogol. "Dead Souls" (Chichikov).

CONCLUSION (conclusion):

society and era are inextricably linked with each other, their interaction is a natural way of development

Direction "Home"

Topic: "Home: discord with oneself and the world"

When is home a place of discord with oneself and the world? (Introduction)

Thesis 4

Thesis 1

Thesis 3

Thesis 2

The house should be an island of happiness, peace, give a sense of security

There is no joy in the house if

In poverty and need, the house is perceived as a temporary shelter, and this gives rise to internal protest

Dissatisfaction with life arises if there is no mutual respect in the family and violence reigns

it's empty and lonely

L. Tolstoy. "War and Peace" (Rostov).

I. Goncharov. "Oblomov" ("Oblomov's Dream").

I. Bunin. "Antonov apples".

A. Pushkin. "Eugene Onegin" (Onegin);

A. Ostrovsky. "Thunderstorm" (Kabanov Family).

M. Gorky. "At the bottom" (Satin, Actor, Tick, etc.).

CONCLUSION (conclusion):

The warmth of the hearth, love and mutual understanding help to avoid conflict with oneself and the world or overcome it.

Direction "Way"

Topic: "The way to yourself"

Why is the path to yourself so difficult? (Introduction)

Thesis 3

Thesis 2

Thesis 1

Finding harmony with oneself depends primarily on the person himself.

To know and understand yourself, you need to be ready to know and understand others.

Lack of harmony with oneself is a source of mental and physical hardships

M. Lermontov. "Hero of our time" (Pechorin).

F. Dostoevsky. "Crime and Punishment" (Raskolnikov)

F. Dostoevsky. "Crime and Punishment" (Raskolnikov, Sonya)

L. Tolstoy. "War and Peace" (Bolkonsky, Bezukhov).

L. Tolstoy. "War and Peace" (Bezukhov).

M. Lermontov. "Hero of our time" (Pechorin).

CONCLUSION (conclusion):

Knowing oneself is a process of overcoming selfishness, reconciliation with the strengths and weaknesses of others, with the diversity and imperfection of the world.

Direction "Love"

Theme: "Faces of Love"

How versatile is love? (Introduction)

Thesis 4

Thesis 3

Thesis 1

Thesis 2

Love is the liberation of the spirit from the captivity of the material world

Love is a test

Love is renewal through suffering and disappointment

Love is the highest emotional and spiritual pleasure

mind and heart

I. Goncharov. "Oblomov".

Lyrics by A. Pushkin (“Confession”, “I remember a wonderful moment ...”, “Madonna”).

A. Pushkin. "Eugene Onegin" (Tatiana).

F. Dostoevsky. "Crime and Punishment" (Raskolnikov, Sonya).

Lyrics by A. Pushkin (“I loved you ...”).

Lyrics by A. Pushkin (“The Burnt Letter”).

Lyrics by F. Tyutchev ("Oh, how deadly we love ...").

M. Lermontov. "A Hero of Our Time" (Princess Mary).

I. Turgenev. "Fathers and Sons" (Bazarov).

CONCLUSION (conclusion):

Love is many-sided, complex, but always beneficial and creative for the human soul.

Direction "Year of Literature in Russia"

Topic: “Is literature a confession or a sermon?”

Should literature tell the truth about life or teach how to live? (Introduction)

Thesis 3

Thesis 2

Thesis 1

Thesis 4

The key to transformation is the purification of the soul

Without confession there is no understanding of the truth, purification and liberation from delusions

The world of a work of art is a model of society and human relations

N. Gogol. "Dead Souls".

L. Tolstoy. "War and Peace".

M. Gorky. "At the Bottom", "Old Woman Izergil".

I. Bunin. "Mr. from San Francisco."

E. Zamyatin. "We".

F. Dostoevsky. "Crime and Punishment" (Raskolnikov);

A. Pushkin. "Eugene Onegin" (Onegin).

I. Turgenev. "Fathers and Sons" (Pavel Kirsanov, Bazarov).

M. Lermontov. "Hero of our time" (Pechorin).

M. Lermontov. "Mtsyri" (Mtsyri).

CONCLUSION (conclusion):

The task of literature is to influence the mind and heart of a person through purification, liberation from vanity and delusions,

that is, preaching through confession.

Homework :

write introductions and conclusions for each of the topics named on slides 25 - 29. Use the material from slides 5 - 13. Prerequisite: introductions and conclusions should be of different types (one of the options for the conclusion can be repeated twice, because there are 4 of them) . Indicate which of the options for the introduction and conclusion, respectively, you have chosen.

Approximate topics of the final essay on literature 2015-2016

Yandex.Direct

We offer you approximate topics for graduation essays in areas.

1. Time:

Problems of the century

Search time

Time to talk about the man...

Man and time

Society and era

masculine time

Test time

It's time to grow up

Time forward!

Hero(s) of our time

“Oh times, oh manners! "(Mark Tullius Cicero)

History is the key to understanding people

The writer is the judge of his time

"A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones" (From the Bible.)

“Times are not chosen, they live and die in them” (A.S. Kushner)

“In our vile times, a person needs a conscience” (N. Korzhavin)

2. House:

Home is the center of the world for a person

Home is the basis of human existence

House - the custodian of Orthodox values

Home is a beautiful dream of happiness

Home - home, family home

House - an island, a fortress in the chaos of revolutionary, military events

The house is a haven for a tired soul, a place for its rest and recuperation.

The house is a place of saving spiritual, moral, cultural traditions.

The house is a statement of eternity, beauty and strength of life.

The house is a portrait of the soul of the family.

The house is a monument to man

Home is a home for soul and body.

The loss of a home is the collapse of moral ideals. (About the flooding of villages in the 70-80s of the 20th century.)

The house is a discord with oneself and the world.

Home is a conscience for a person

House - anxiety

Home is destiny

The house is the revival of ideals.

Home - Russia

Home is a place where you are always welcome

"Parental home - the beginning of the beginning"

3. Way:

Ah, the path, the front ...

Long way home...

life path

The path of knowledge

The path to eternity (Man comes from eternity.)

Road to nowhere...

honor road

Type of "Russian wanderer" in literature

“The Russian people have not yet been given limits - there is a wide path ahead of them” (N.A. Nekrasov)

The path of faithfulness to nature is the right path (Yoon Seong-do)

Way to yourself...

4. Love:

Love for ages

Does love always make a person happy?

Love is stronger than death...

Love and War...

Love and separation...

Love is spiritual rebirth...

Faces of love...

“Who told you that there is no true, true, high love in the world? »

“From love to a woman, everything beautiful on earth was born” (A.M. Gorky)

Hypocritical love is worse than hate.

5. Year of Literature in Russia:

" My favorite book "

"The role of the book in my life"

Who is your ideal literary hero? »

“Which of the literary heroes do you understand, but do not accept? »

“Is it possible to do without books? »

Is it possible to experience joy while reading a book? »

What questions does literature ask a person? »

Is literature a confession or a sermon?

What thoughts and feelings do the final scenes of your favorite books evoke?

“The brightest characters in literature are failed villains. The dullest are the failed positives.” (S.D.Dovltov)

"A poet in Russia is more than a poet"

“A good book is a stream through which good flows into the human soul. "(F. Abramov)

“Books are ships of thought, wandering along the waves of time and carefully carrying their precious cargo from generation to generation” (F. Bacon)

Anniversaries« Years of Literature in Russia»:

“What problems raised by A.A. Fet (A.A. Blok, S.A. Yesenin, A.I. Kuprin) have passed through time and are relevant today? »

"A.A. Fet (A.A. Blok, S.A. Yesenin, A.I. Kuprin) in your reading experience",

“My A.A. Fet (A.A. Blok, S.A. Yesenin, A.I. Kuprin)”, etc.

Love is a high, pure, beautiful feeling that people have sung about since antiquity. The theme of Love can be explored in different ways:

love for a man or woman

love for parents or child

love to motherland

love for the cause you have chosen.

View preparation materials

Love for a woman or a man...

The inexhaustibility of this topic is obvious. Love is the most complex, mysterious and paradoxical reality that a person faces. And not because, as it is usually believed, that there is only one step from love to hatred, but because love cannot be “neither calculated nor calculated!” Poets and writers, philosophers and mystics, artists and composers of different eras turned to this eternal theme, trying to express the charm, harmony, drama of love, to comprehend its secret by means of their genre. Today, humanity has a colossal historical and literary material for understanding the phenomenon of love.

A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin", M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time", I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons", I.A. Goncharov "Oblomov", L.N. Tolstoy "Anna Karenina" , A.I. Kuprin "Garnet Bracelet", M.A. Sholokhov "Quiet Don" and many others. When citing examples from these works, it is important to remember that love can be different - passionate, tender, prudent, cruel, unrequited... These books talk about unhappy love, but you can take examples of happy love in the works of: L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace", M.A. Bulgakov "Master and Margarita", O. Henry "Gifts of the Magi", A.I. Kuprin "Lilac Bush".

Love to motherland in LYRICA

M.Yu.Lermontov

M.Yu. Lermontov loved his Motherland with high love. He loved its people, its nature, wished happiness to his country. According to Lermontov, to love the Motherland means to fight for its freedom, to hate those who keep their native country in chains of slavery. Love for the Motherland is the theme of such poems by Lermontov as “Complaints of a Turk”, “Field of Borodino”, “Borodino”, “Two Giants”. But this theme is revealed with special force and completeness in the poem “Motherland”, created by the poet a few months before his death. Here Lermontov is contrasted

t their patriotism to official, government patriotism. He declares his blood connection with Russian, his native nature, with the Russian people, with the sorrows and joys of his life. Lermontov calls his love for the Motherland “strange”, because he loves the people of his country, nature, but hates the “country of masters”, autocratic-feudal, official Russia.

N.A. Nekrasov

A feeling of fiery love for the Motherland permeates all of Nekrasov's work:

Not to the heavens of a foreign Fatherland -

I composed songs for the Motherland! -

said the poet in the poem "Silence". He loved his Motherland with a deep and tender filial love. "Motherland! I have humbled myself in soul, I have returned to you with a loving heart”; "Motherland! I have never traveled across your plains with such a feeling”; “You are poor, you are rich, you are powerful, you are powerless, Mother Russia!” - with these words the poet addressed the Motherland. In the work of Nekrasov, the words “love for the Motherland” were constantly combined with the words “anger” and “sadness”:

Who lives without sorrow and anger,

He does not love his Fatherland, -

he wrote. Loving the Motherland, Nekrasov never tired of hating the system of tsarist Russia, its ruling classes. He loved, hating, and this love-hate expresses the originality of the patriotism of Nekrasov, the faithful son of his Fatherland, the great national poet-fighter.

S.A. Yesenin

Describing his lyrics, Yesenin said: “My lyrics are alive with one great love, love for the Motherland. The feeling of the motherland is the main thing in my work.” Indeed, every line of Yesenin's poems is imbued with an ardent love for the motherland, which for him is inseparable from Russian nature and the countryside. In this fusion of the motherland, the Russian landscape, the village and the personal fate of the poet lies the originality of S. Yesenin's lyrics. In the pre-revolutionary poems of the poet, pain for his impoverished homeland, for this "abandoned land" sounds. In the poems “Hewn drogs sang ...”, “Goy you, Russia, my dear”, the poet says that he loves the “lake anguish” of his homeland to “joy and pain”. “But I can’t learn not to love you!” he exclaims, turning to Russia.

The poet's love for his homeland gave birth to such heartfelt lines:

If the holy army shouts:

“Throw Russia, live in paradise!”

I will say: “There is no need for paradise,

Give me my country."

A.A. Blok

According to Blok, he devoted his life to the theme of the Motherland. The poet claimed that absolutely all of his poems are about the Motherland. The verses of the Motherland cycle confirm this statement of the author. In the poem "Rus" the poet creates an atmosphere of mystery, paganism:

Russia is surrounded by rivers

And surrounded by wilds,

With swamps and cranes

And the cloudy gaze of a sorcerer.

In the verses of this cycle, the poet gives both the real features of the Motherland and its symbolic appearance, shows the country from different angles, many-sided and majestic in its immense breadth.

...to the point of pain

We have a long way to go!

Here the poet is trying in the history of Russia, in the events of the Battle of Kulikovo, to find answers to the questions of our time. The ancient world is opposed to Russia at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. The hero acts as a nameless warrior, thus the fate of the lyrical hero is identified with the fate of the Motherland. Fighting in the army of Dmitry Donskoy, he is full of patriotism and love for his Motherland. Unnamed Russian warriors are ready to lay down their heads for the sake of the salvation and freedom of the Motherland. The poet believes in victory over the enemy, his poems are full of hope.

In the poem "Russia" Blok acts as a citizen and patriot who cannot imagine himself without the Motherland. He experiences with her a bitter fate, her poverty, sees the hard life of the people. Russia appears before us in the image of a woman with a heavy share, but a strong-willed character:

And the impossible is possible

The road is long and easy

When it shines in the distance of the road

Instant glance from under the scarf.

A.A. Akhmatova

Many poets addressed the theme of the Motherland, but not all of them developed it on such a scale as in the work of A. Akhmatova. This theme became one of the main ones in her poetry, primarily because Akhmatova lived in a very difficult, tragic era for Russia and for her. This is also connected with the personality of the poet, with the fact that, having perceived the fate of Russia as her own, she did not leave the country, but, having endured all the trials, remained faithful to her Motherland to the end, without changing herself. For the first time, the theme of the Motherland appears in Akhmatova's collection The White Flock. It includes poems written in 1912-1916, during a period of great upheavals and trials for Russia, during the First World War. Akhmatova perceives the First World War as a terrible national tragedy. The poems of The White Pack are strict and philosophical, they feel the proximity of an inevitable catastrophe, a premonition of terrible and tragic events in the life of Russia. Akhmatova always remained aloof from politics, but she expressed her attitude towards Russia in her poems (“We thought: we are poor ...”). In The White Flock, the warmth of sacrificial love for the Motherland arises. We see acute pain, feelings for the fate of Russia in the poem "Prayer". Akhmatova is ready to do anything for the sake of Russia, she is ready to sacrifice herself, her "song gift", loved ones, friends, even a child, if only "the cloud over dark Russia becomes a cloud in the glory of the rays."

The poem "I had a voice ..." is already less concrete. It is not clear whose voice calls the heroine to leave Russia: either internal, or a “voice from above” (assuming that the lyrical situation of the poem is reminiscent of the biblical theme of the “exodus” of the righteous from the sinful land), or is it the voice of Anrep and his emigrant friends

in Akhmatova.

The heroine of this poem is faced with a moral choice. And she chooses Russia, accepting her fate as her own:

But indifferent and calm

I covered my ears with my hands

So that this speech is unworthy

The mournful spirit was not offended (with Akhmatova - “not defiled”) ...

Love to MOTHER

You can talk about mothers endlessly. Kind, proud, courageous mothers! How many lives were saved by their hands, how many misfortunes were driven away by their kind words, how many feats were accomplished by their brave hearts. Songs, poems, beautiful legends and serious books are written about them.

For the Christian world, the prototype of the ideal mother, of course, is the Mother of God. Sacrificial love, purity and tenderness, meekness and at the same time moral steadfastness - these associations arise at the mention of the Blessed Virgin even among people who are far from the Church.

ON THE. Nekrasov Poems "Great feeling ...", "Mother"

The poem is dedicated to the most sacred thing in the life of every person - mother:

Great feeling, its to the end

We keep alive in our souls.

We love sister and wife and father,

But in agony we remember our mother

With the help of syntactic parallelism, Nekrasov focuses our attention on the rhetorical exclamation "Great feeling!" and the thought that neither children nor mothers can do without each other.

Nekrasov always spoke of his mother with love and admiration. Such an attitude towards her, in addition to the usual sons of affection, undoubtedly followed from the consciousness of what he owed her:

Oh, my mother, I am inspired by you!

You saved a living soul in me!

(From the poem "Mother")

S.A. Yesenin Poem "Letter to Mother" The heart of the poet reaches out to the parental hearth, to the parental home. And, as if reviving the Pushkin tradition of poetic messages, S. Yesenin addresses a letter-poem

rhenium to mother:

Let it flow over your hut

That evening unspeakable light.

This is a good wish for a loved one using magnificent epithets ("evening unspeakable light") and the emotionally charged word "flows".

In the second and third stanzas, S. Yesenin's feelings about his mother are felt. The poet realizes that she knows about his ruined life, about "tavern fights", about drinking bouts. Her anguish is so great, her premonitions are so unhappy that they torment her, and she "often goes on the road." The image of the road appears more than once in the poem. It symbolizes the life path of the poet, on which a mother appears all the time, wishing good and happiness to her son.

I.A. Bunin Poem "Mother".

In the poem, the poet recalls his childhood, to which he wants to return again and again. Thinking back to the past, he notes:

I remember the bedroom and the lamp

toys, warm bed

"Guardian angel over you!"

These simple, but very expensive images for Bunin become the guiding star that does not allow him to stray from the path of life.

Turning to his mother, the poet recalls with nostalgia: “You will cross, kiss ... I remember, I remember your voice!”.

V.A.Zakrutkin The story "Mother of man"

In his book, the author recreated the image of a simple Russian woman who overcame the terrible blows of fate. Husband Ivan and son Vasyatka were hanged by the Nazis. Only Mary managed to escape. Alone, she had to fight for her life and for the life of her unborn child. Terrible trials did not break this woman. Further events of the story reveal the greatness of the soul of Mary, who truly became the Mother of Man. Hungry, exhausted, she does not think about herself at all, saving the girl Sanya, mortally wounded by the Nazis. Feeling a burning hatred for the Nazis, Maria, having met a wounded young German, frantically throws herself at him with a pitchfork, wanting to avenge her son and husband. But the German, a defenseless boy, shouted: “Mom! Mother!". And the heart of a Russian woman trembled. Maria takes under her roof seven Leningrad orphans, brought by the will of fate to her farm. The story of V. Zakrutkin sounds like a hymn to a Russian woman, whose soul is saturated with love.

Love for your profession

Confucius wrote: “If you love what you do, this is not a job, this is an exciting journey towards a dream.” Love for one's work... This quality in people fascinates, stops and causes a desire either to experience something similar, or to escape as quickly as possible from the blinding feeling of delight with which enthusiasts sparkle. They are like lovers, meeting whom people cannot hide their attitude to life, joy and love.

In what books of Russian classics can one find examples of this topic?

N.S. Leskov “Lefty”, I.S. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons”, A.P. Platonov “In a beautiful and furious world”, Yu.P. German “The cause you serve”, V.M. Sanin "72 degrees below zero", D.A. Granin "I'm going into a thunderstorm", "Bison", V. G. Rasputin "French lessons", V. D. Dudintsev "White clothes".

Compiled by: I.A. Suyazova

FIPI: Path- the direction actualizes the specific and symbolic meaning of the concept of "path", aiming at its moral and philosophical understanding. The range of thoughts is wide: from road impressions to thoughts about the fate of a person, his way of life, the choice of a goal and means to achieve it.

The path of life... How should it be?.. How it seems to be straight and without bumps. However, this is rarely seen. As a rule, a person is subject to all kinds of trials and choices. By the way, Russian people clearly know their goal and see the way to achieve it, tempering their character along the way both in peacetime and wartime. This is evidenced by the works of writers L. Tolstoy, F. Dostoevsky, M. Sholokhov, as well as representatives of the literature of the XX century L. Borodin and B. Vasiliev.

It is known that the strategy and tactics of human behavior are determined by the goal. So, in B. Vasiliev’s novel “He Wasn’t on the Lists,” Nikolai Pluzhnikov, having entered a military school and having finished it excellently, considered it his necessity to know army life, and not to remain at the headquarters (as suggested by the school management). Pluzhnikov chooses not an easy road, but a thorny one, in order to become a high specialist who knows his job perfectly. Perhaps he would have become such, since he was responsible for everything. But fate has prepared for him a severe test - to remain faithful to military and civic duty or to surrender? By the way, for Nikolai Pluzhnikov there was no such dilemma. Like all Russians, the young man loves freedom and wants to see his homeland free, so he decided to fight the invaders.

The writer shows Pluzhnikov's active life position. He did not lose his head in the conditions of the outbreak of war, but took command over the people who hid in the casemates of the fortress. Without water, without food, without weapons, Pluzhnikov is at war with the Germans, because the Motherland is above all for him. This man never turned off the chosen path. Even dying, he does not name his rank or surname, but declares that he is a Russian soldier. You are simply amazed at his courage, inner stamina and fortitude!

B. Vasiliev showed the behavior of not only the main character in an extreme situation, but also the actions of other fighters who ended up in the casemates of the Brest Fortress. Among them, I would especially like to note Sergeant Semishny, who wore the banner of the fortress under his tunic, and a military doctor who helped doomed old people and children in casemates, and the latter, being sick, refused to eat, because others, in his opinion, needed it more.

So, the author showed the high national spirit of the Russians, the inflexibility of their will. Twenty-year-old Nikolai Pluzhnikov, gray-haired, thin, blind, with frostbitten fingers, who got to the surface with the help of Svitsky, appeared before the Germans as a proud man. Moreover, he pushed the paramedics aside and walked to the ambulance on his swollen legs. I must say that the German general greeted this man, putting his hand to the visor of his cap, and his soldiers saluted, and saluted not the enemy, but the patriot, who for many months remained faithful to his homeland until his last breath. He died free and after life, "death tramples down death."

The Nus people are distinguished by their extraordinary thinking, adherence to principles and optimism. This is the hero of L. Borodin's story "The Third Truth" - Andrian Selivanov. This person is not dependent on anyone or anything. He has his own point of view, different from others, on the events taking place in the period of the post-revolution in the country and is ready to defend "his own truth." This person is proud of himself, although he was not lucky with either height or physique. He is a strong personality, cherishing freedom and fighting for his principles by any means: he is cunning, cunning, takes a serious sin on his soul. Andrian is not satisfied with the policy of conquering the taiga and enters into a struggle with the new government, as a result of which he saves Chekhardak - a unique place.

Leonid Borodin showed his life path as a path filled with surprises. A chance acquaintance with a white officer who came to see his daughter and die in his homeland was a test of humanity for the hero. Risk and trouble did not frighten Andrian. He hides them in the taiga, and helping the sick officer, he tries to support his daughter Lyudmila with a kind word and convince her of the uselessness of the massacre that happened as a result of the struggle for power.

Andrian Selivanov is a person who is always true to his word. Having promised the dying white officer to take care of his daughter, he enters into a mortal battle with Long, knowing full well that Lyudmila is not on the way with him, since he is in a senseless struggle against the already established new government. Thus, our hero saved a young soul who was not involved in any politics and suffered in life, because she was the daughter of a white officer. Moreover, being a part of the fate of his friend Ivan Ryabinin (“thundered” for twenty-five years of hard labor) and his wife Lyudmila, the protagonist raises their joint daughter as his own. Selivanov's devotion to this family knows no bounds. He saves the Ryabininsky house by hook or by crook, successfully resolving all the problems that arose on the way.

The experts who are rewriting the Russian development strategy until 2020 on behalf of the government have sent an interim version of the work to the ministries. In August, the document will be considered by the government presidium. If growth is not changed, the Russian economy will face one of two scenarios: either the economy will slowly fade, or bubbles will inflate and then burst.

In 1999-2008 The Russian economy grew rapidly thanks to the inflow of capital and the expansion of the domestic market. This era is over, and next year growth will slow down to 2-2.5% per year (the forecast of the Ministry of Economic Development for 2011 is 4.2%, for 2012 - 3.5%), government experts promise.

If the government tries to accelerate the economy to growth of 6-7% per year (by stimulating consumption and credit), then by the end of the decade, Russia will face a “credit hole” of 16% of GDP and a painful crisis, experts predict.

The current model has exhausted itself due to three fundamental limitations: the closed economy, the lack of direct and long-term investments, and the lack of competition in the domestic market.

Commentary by Igor Zalyubovsky

Experts commissioned by the government in an interim report on Russia’s development strategy until 2020: “If growth models are not changed, the Russian economy will face one of two scenarios: either the economy will slowly fade, or bubbles will inflate and then burst,” etc. and etc.

Such documents cause inescapable boredom. And not only because they are written mainly for the conjuncture. And not because the authors, in fact, are not responsible for anything written: what will happen to us by 2020 - God knows, and then who will remember today's reports ... One gets the impression that the authors reason about this, and there is a kind of (I note, extremely highly paid) "club of interests" - some kind of reasoning on a given topic, overgrown with the opinions of various experts, and it rolls along a well-trodden rut of all kinds of forecasts that are of interest only to those participating in them.

Why am I so sharp, the reader will say, aren't forecasts needed? Or no one is interested?

As a specialist in computer prognostication, I will answer: of course, they are necessary and interesting. But we live in the 21st century, and today forecasting is not just a set of opinions of certain experts, but rather strict computer and statistical procedures based on various non-linear algorithms with the involvement of powerful computers. But most importantly, for such a forecast there must be a clear and transparent object, in this case, the Russian economy and its development. And this is where the biggest problem arises, in the sense that it is necessary to analyze what seems to be there, but at the same time, as it were, not quite.

For ease of understanding, let's recall our recent past. In the days of the USSR, the CIA had unique specialists who could by where one of the members of the Politburo stood on the podium or how Leonid Ilyich's eyebrow was arched when visiting the state farm. predict appointments and dismissals in the Soviet top. Sometimes the Americans succeeded in surprisingly accurate predictions, however, America did not expect the collapse of the USSR. But it's about something else: such forecasts were made not from a good life, but from hopelessness, since real information was practically absent due to the Iron Curtain.

Now, of course, everything is different, and there is an abundance of information, but its reliability, to put it mildly, "raises questions."

Here we had, for example, valiant ministers with the letter M, and now they have become the letter P. And there seems to be a lot of information in the media about how everything is improving as a result of this - right before our eyes. And I really want to believe. This is how it seems: you are driving along the highway, a polite officer of law and order stops you and says: “We are now not with the letter M, but with the letter P. So we don’t need any money, but I just stopped you to wish you a happy journey.” Only the eye (what a nasty organ!) sees a different picture.

And suddenly the information came across: the African tribe of Babongo renamed the dry month so that God would send down rains to the new name.

Or here are the national projects. Can someone (other than "experts on behalf") claim, in all honesty, that he sees how they work. Do not analyze something incomprehensible in numbers, but go out into the street, look around and see for yourself that, for example, large-scale road construction is underway. Like in China: there is a project similar to ours, and large-scale road construction is visible everywhere. And we seem to have a project, and it is written that here it is - in front of our eyes, but one involuntarily wants to ask: “In whose eyes?”

A little more history. In the 80s, the leadership of the USSR decided to create a prognostic supersystem for the national economy and surpass the RAND Corporation itself in this. As planned, this system was to be based on two bases - an analysis of the economy and an analysis of the labor force (that is, personnel, in today's language). The best minds were involved to work on this project, in particular, the economic part was headed by Pavel Bunich.

As a result, the system was built only halfway - in terms of personnel analysis, the now well-known expert complexes of NPO Etalon came out of it. But Bunich refused to do the economic part and later explained it with the following example: “If the ruble exchange rate is determined by economic reasons, you can try to predict it. But if the rate is calculated based on a call from Staraya Ploshchad, a correct forecast is unrealistic, since too much depends on manipulation.”

Alas, this example of the outstanding economist Academician Pavel Bunich has not lost its relevance in today's Russian realities.

P.S. Explanation from Wikipedia. Old Square in colloquial speech is a synonym for top management: in the Soviet period, the Central Committee of the CPSU was located in house No. 4 on Staraya Square, at present the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation occupies the same building.

With respect to readers, Igor Zalyubovsky