Trilogy by L. N. Tolstoy "Childhood. Adolescence. Youth"

Like all the works of L. N. Tolstoy, the trilogy "Childhood. Adolescence. Youth" was, in fact, the embodiment of a large number of ideas and undertakings. In the course of work on the work writer carefully honed every phrase, every plot combination, tried to subordinate everything artistic means strict adherence common idea. Everything is important in the text of Tolstoy's works, there are no trifles. Each word is not used by chance, each episode is thought out.

The main goal of L. N. Tolstoy is to show the development of a person as a person during his childhood, adolescence and youth, that is, during those periods of life when a person most fully feels himself in the world, his indissolubility with him, and then, when separation of himself begins from the world and understanding of its environment. Separate stories make up a trilogy, but the action in them takes place according to the idea, first in the Irtenevs' estate ("Childhood"), then the world expands significantly ("Boyhood"). In the story "Youth", the theme of the family, at home, sounds much more muffled, giving way to the theme of Nikolenka's relationship with the outside world. It is no coincidence that with the death of the mother in the first part, the harmony of relations in the family is destroyed, in the second - the grandmother dies, taking with her great moral strength , and in the third - dad remarries a woman whose even smile is always the same. family happiness becomes completely impossible. Between the stories there is a logical connection, justified primarily by the logic of the writer: the formation of a person, although it is divided into certain stages, is actually continuous.

The first-person narration in the trilogy establishes the connection of the work with the literary traditions of that time. In addition, it psychologically brings the reader closer to the hero. And, finally, such a presentation of events indicates a certain degree of autobiographical work. However, one cannot say that autobiography was the most convenient way to embody a certain idea in a work, since it was precisely it, judging by the statements of the writer himself, that did not allow the original idea to be realized. L. N. Tolstoy conceived the work as a tetralogy, that is, he wanted to show four stages in the development of the human personality, but philosophical views the writer himself at that time did not fit into the framework of the plot. Why still an autobiography? The fact is that, as N. G. Chernyshevsky said, L. N. Tolstoy "exceedingly carefully studied the types of life human spirit in himself”, which made it possible for him “to paint pictures of the internal movements of a person.” However, it is important that in the trilogy there are actually two main characters: Nikolenka Irteniev and an adult who recalls his childhood, adolescence, youth. Comparison of the views of a child and an adult individual is always was an object of L. N. Tolstoy’s interests, and the distance in time is simply necessary: ​​L. N. this moment he was worried, and therefore in the trilogy there should have been a place for an analysis of Russian life in general.

Each chapter contains a certain thought, an episode from a person's life. Therefore, the construction within the chapters is subordinate internal development, transferring the state of the hero. Long Tolstoyan phrases, layer by layer, level by level, build a tower of human sensations and experiences. L. N. Tolstoy shows his heroes in those conditions and in those circumstances where their personality can manifest itself most clearly. The hero of the trilogy finds himself in the face of death, and here all the conventions no longer matter. Shows the character's relationship with ordinary people, that is, a person is, as it were, being tested by the “people”. Small, but incredibly bright inclusions in the fabric of the narrative are woven moments in which it is about something that goes beyond the understanding of the child, which can be known to the hero only from the stories of other people, for example, war "Contact with something unknown, as a rule, turns into almost a tragedy for a child, and memories of such moments come to mind first of all in moments of despair. For example, after a quarrel with St. Jerome, Nikolenka begins to sincerely consider herself illegitimate, remembering snippets of other people's conversations.

Of course, L. N. Tolstoy masterfully uses such traditional Russian literary methods of presenting a person’s characteristics as describing a hero’s portrait, depicting his gesture, behavior, since all these are external manifestations of the inner world. The speech characteristics of the heroes of the trilogy are extremely important. Exquisite French language good for people comme il faut, a mixture of German and broken Russian characterizes Karl Ivanovich. It is also not surprising that the heartfelt story of a German is written in Russian with separate inclusions of German phrases.

So, we see that L. N. Tolstoy's trilogy "Childhood. Adolescence. Youth" is built on a constant comparison of the inner and outer world of a person. such an analysis, in my opinion, Leo Tolstoy knows no equal.

Review of the book "Childhood" (trilogy "Childhood. Adolescence. Youth" by Leo Tolstoy), written as part of the competition "My Favorite Book". Reviewer: Anastasia Khalyavina. .

Last year, at literature lessons, I got acquainted with Leo Tolstoy's trilogy “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth”, or rather, only with the first part of it. At school, we got acquainted only with some chapters from the part "Childhood". I was interested in this work, and I decided, by all means, to read everything. And, as is understood, I began precisely with "Childhood" - a happy, irrevocable time.

In the center of the story is a little boy - Nikolenka Irteniev, who is only ten years old at the beginning of the book. Since the story is pseudo-autobiographical, it is not difficult to assume that Nikolenka is Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy himself. From this, the book becomes even more interesting, because it comes to the understanding that it is almost real story real person, his experiences, emotions. It should be noted that the work was written on behalf of the adult Nikolai, ”who often evaluates his children's actions, therefore he can also be called the main character.

Reading the book, one can be surprised at how warm and kind each paragraphs, sentences and even phrases are filled with warmth and kindness. Now, moving to real world, let's remember that Lev Nikolaevich was the first to discover free school for peasant children. He loved his students as if they were his own children and not only taught them to read and write, but also brought up a Man from each of them! One can only guess where the writer got the strength for the many years of kindness that he gave to people. Perhaps the answer lies in the story. It seems to me that Nikolenka Irteniev (or Leo Tolstoy) was instilled with kindness from childhood mainly by three people: his mother, a German friend and tutor, Karl Ivanovich, and nanny Natalya Savishna.

Karl Ivanovich loved children, and they reciprocated. I think that it is this friendship and mutual sympathy he taught children kindness. "How kind he is and how he loves us," Nikolenka thought of Karl Ivanovich. In many phrases of the young Irtenyev in relation to the teacher, the word “kind” sounds in all his declensions. Perhaps this is also not accidental and also means something.

The brothers loved and respected Natalya Savishna very much. She, in turn, gave the entire supply of love that was stored in her to her young lady and her children. She was always busy with something and loved the house and the Irtenev family very much. Even dying, she transferred all her small property not to her relative, but to her owners. Subsequently, Tolstoy writes: “Ever since I can remember myself, I remember Natalya Savishna, her love and caresses; but now I can only appreciate them. Then it never occurred to me what a rare, wonderful creature this old woman was. not only did she never speak, she did not seem to think about herself: her whole life was love and self-sacrifice. It was she who taught Nikolenka to selflessly create and give good.

Mom, maman, as the children called her in French, loved her children like no one else, appreciated them ... “She smiles with her sad, charming smile, takes my head with both hands, kisses me on the forehead and puts me on her knees,” - spoke little Kolya. By the way, it so happened that in my book there were no footnotes with the translation of French phrases, and therefore I was able to reinforce my knowledge in French, which, after reading it, had a good effect on French lessons at school. So this book for me was also a textbook of the French language at the same time as a textbook of "life". Mais je vais aller dans le côté, et reviens au thème de "l'amour de maman" (But let's not digress and return to the topic of mother's love). Although I have a little more to add. Only that before her death she wrote the whole truth only to the father of the children, so as not to upset them. She feared for them even in this situation. This is how her boundless love for children affected their future.

At the end of the work, a terrible event occurs - the mother of the brothers dies and, unable to bear the grief, the nanny. This damage took a toll on emotional health. little boy. After these events, Nikolenka begins to see life in a different, more mortal and difficult light. But more about that later

Childhood

"Childhood. Adolescence. Youth "- 1

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

Childhood

Chapter I

TEACHER KARL IVANYCH

August 12, 18 ..., exactly on the third day after my birthday, on which I was ten years old and on which I received such wonderful gifts, at seven o'clock in the morning - Karl Ivanovich woke me up, hitting me over my head with a cracker - made of sugar paper on a stick - fly. He did it so awkwardly that he touched the icon of my angel hanging on the oak headboard, and that the dead fly fell right on my head. I poked my nose out from under the blanket, with my hand stopped the icon, which continued to sway, threw the dead fly on the floor, and, though with sleepy, but angry eyes, looked at Karl Ivanitch. He, in a colorful cotton robe, girded with a belt of the same material, in a red knitted yarmulke with a tassel and in soft goat boots, continued to walk near the walls, aim and clap.

“Let’s suppose,” I thought, “I’m small, but why does he disturb me? Why doesn't he kill flies near Volodya's bed? there are so many! No, Volodya is older than me; but I am least of all: that is why he torments me. All his life he thinks about it, - I whispered, - how to make trouble for me. He sees very well that he woke me up and frightened me, but he shows it as if he does not notice ... a nasty person! And the dressing gown, and the hat, and the tassel - how nasty!

While I was mentally expressing my annoyance with Karl Ivanovich in this way, he went up to his bed, looked at the clock that hung above it in an embroidered beaded shoe, hung the clapperboard on a carnation, and, as was noticeable, in the most pleasant mood turned to us.

- Auf, Kinder, auf! .. s "ist Zeit. Die Mutter ust schon im Saal," he shouted in a kind German voice, then came up to me, sat at my feet and took a snuffbox out of my pocket. I pretended to be sleeping. Karl Ivanovich first he sniffed, wiped his nose, snapped his fingers, and then only set to work on me. He, laughing, began to tickle my heels. “Nun, nun, Faulenzer!” he said.

No matter how I was ticklish, I did not jump out of bed and did not answer him, but only buried my head deeper under the pillows, kicked my legs with all my might and tried my best to keep from laughing.

“How kind he is and how he loves us, and I could think so badly of him!”

I was annoyed both with myself and with Karl Ivanovich, I wanted to laugh and I wanted to cry: my nerves were upset.

- Ach, lassen sie, Karl Ivanovich! I cried with tears in my eyes, sticking my head out from under the pillows.

Karl Ivanovich was surprised, left my soles alone and began to ask me with anxiety: what am I talking about? didn’t I see something bad in my dream? His kind German face, the concern with which he tried to guess the cause of my tears, made them flow even more profusely: I was ashamed, and I did not understand how, a minute before, I could not love Karl Ivanovich and find his dressing gown, cap and tassel disgusting; now, on the contrary, all this seemed to me exceedingly sweet, and even the tassel seemed a clear proof of his kindness. I told him that I was crying because I had a bad dream - as if mamma had died and they were carrying her to bury. I invented all this, because I absolutely did not remember what I dreamed that night; but when Karl Ivanovich, touched by my story, began to console and reassure me, it seemed to me that I had definitely seen this nightmare, and tears poured out for another reason.

When Karl Ivanovich left me and I, rising up on the bed, began to pull the stockings over my small legs, the tears subsided a little, but gloomy thoughts about a fictitious dream did not leave me. Uncle Nikolai came in - a small, clean little man, always serious, neat, respectful and a great friend of Karl Ivanovich. He carried our dresses and shoes. Volodya boots, and I still have unbearable shoes with bows. With him, I would be ashamed to cry; moreover, the morning sun shone merrily through the windows, and Volodya, mimicking Marya Ivanovna (the sister's governess), laughed so cheerfully and sonorously, standing over the washstand, that even serious Nikolai, with a towel on his shoulder, with soap in one hand and with a washstand in the other, smiling, he said:

- It will be for you, Vladimir Petrovich, if you please, wash your face.

I was quite amused.

– Sind sie bald fertig? - I heard the voice of Karl Ivanych from the classroom.

His voice was stern and no longer had that expression of kindness that moved me to tears. In the classroom, Karl Ivanovich was a completely different person: he was a mentor. I quickly dressed, washed, and, still with a brush in my hand, smoothing my wet hair, came to his call.

Karl Ivanitch, with spectacles on his nose and a book in his hand, was sitting in his usual place, between the door and the window. To the left of the door there were two shelves: one was ours, for children, the other was Karl Ivanovich, own. On ours there were all sorts of books - educational and non-educational: some were standing, others were lying. Only two large volumes of "Histoire des voyages", in red bindings, decorously rested against the wall; and then came the long, thick, large and small books—the crusts without the books and the books without the crusts; you used to press and stick everything in the same place when they were ordered to put the library in order before the recreation, as Karl Ivanovich loudly called this shelf. Collection of books on own if it was not as large as on ours, then it was even more diverse. I remember three of them: a German pamphlet on the manure of cabbage gardens - without binding, one volume of the history of the Seven Years' War - in parchment burned from one corner, and a complete course in hydrostatics. Karl Ivanovich spent most of his time reading, even ruining his eyesight with it; but apart from these books and the Northern Bee, he read nothing.

Among the items that lay on the shelf of Karl Ivanovich, there was one that reminds me of him most of all. This is a cardon circle inserted into a wooden leg, in which this circle moved by means of pegs. On the mug was pasted a picture representing caricatures of some lady and a hairdresser. Karl Ivanovich glued it very well, and he himself invented and made this circle in order to protect his weak eyes from bright light.

As I now see in front of me a long figure in a padded robe and a red cap, from under which one can see rare White hair. He sits near a table on which stands a circle with a hairdresser who casts a shadow over his face; in one hand he holds a book, the other rests on the arm of the chair; next to him are a watch with a huntsman painted on the dial, a checkered handkerchief, a black round snuff box, a green spectacle case, tongs on a tray. All this is so sedately, neatly in its place, that from this order alone one can conclude that Karl Ivanovich has a clear conscience and a peaceful soul.

It used to be like you were running down the hall to your fill, you would tiptoe upstairs to the classroom, you would look - Karl Ivanovich was sitting alone in his armchair and with a calm and majestic expression was reading one of his favorite books. Sometimes I found him even at such moments when he was not reading: his glasses went down on his big aquiline nose, blue half-closed eyes looked with some special expression, and his lips smiled sadly. The room is quiet; all you can hear is his even breathing and the striking of the clock with the huntsman.

It happened that he did not notice me, and I stood at the door and thought: “Poor, poor old man! There are many of us, we play, we have fun, but he is alone, and no one caresses him. He tells the truth that he is an orphan. And what a terrible story! I remember how he told it to Nikolai - it's terrible to be in his position! And it will become so pitiful that you used to go up to him, take him by the hand and say: “Lieber Karl Ivanovich!” He loved it when I told him so; always caresses, and it is clear that he is touched.

Landcards hung on the other wall, all almost torn, but skillfully glued by the hand of Karl Ivanovich. On the third wall, in the middle of which there was a door down, two rulers hung on one side: one was cut, ours, the other was brand new, own, used by him more for encouragement than for shedding; on the other, a black board, on which our big misdeeds were marked with circles and small ones with crosses. To the left of the board was a corner where we were put on our knees.

How I remember this corner! I remember the damper in the oven, the vent in that damper, and the noise it made when it was turned. Sometimes you stand, stand in a corner, so that your knees and back hurt, and you think: “Karl Ivanovich forgot about me: he must be calmly sitting on an easy chair and reading his hydrostatics, but what about me?” - and you will begin, in order to remind yourself, to slowly open and close the damper or pick the plaster from the wall; but if suddenly too large a piece falls with a noise to the ground - right, fear alone is worse than any punishment. You look back at Karl Ivanovich, and he is sitting with a book in his hand and seems not to notice anything.

In the middle of the room stood a table covered with a tattered black oilcloth, from under which in many places one could see the edges cut with penknives. There were several unpainted stools around the table, but from long use of varnished stools. The last wall was occupied by three windows. This is what the view looked like from them: right under the windows there is a road on which every pothole, every pebble, every rut has long been familiar and dear to me; behind the road is a sheared linden alley, behind which in some places one can see a wicker palisade; through the alley one can see a meadow, on one side of which there is a threshing floor, and opposite a forest; Far in the forest is visible the hut of the watchman. From the window to the right, a part of the terrace is visible, on which the big ones usually sat until dinner. It used to happen that while Karl Ivanovich was correcting a sheet of dictation, you looked in that direction, you saw the black head of your mother, someone's back, and you vaguely heard talking and laughter from there; It will become so annoying that you can’t be there, and you think: “When will I be big, will I stop studying and will I always sit not at dialogues, but with those whom I love?” Annoyance will turn into sadness, and, God knows why and about what, you will think so hard that you don’t hear how Karl Ivanovich is angry for mistakes.

Like all the works of Leo Tolstoy, the trilogy “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth "was, in fact, the embodiment of a large number ideas and beginnings. In the course of working on the work, the writer carefully honed every phrase, every plot combination, tried to subordinate all artistic means to a clear adherence to the general idea. Everything is important in the text of Tolstoy's works, there are no trifles. Each word is not used by chance, each episode is thought out.

The main goal of L. N. Tolstoy is to show the development of a person as a person during his childhood, adolescence and youth, that is, during those periods of life when a person most fully feels himself in the world, his indissolubility with him, and then, when separation of himself begins from the world and understanding of its environment. Separate stories make up a trilogy, but the action in them takes place according to the idea, first in the Irtenevs' estate (“Childhood”), then the world expands significantly (“Boyhood”). In the story “Youth”, the theme of the family, at home, sounds many times more muffled, giving way to the theme of Nikolenka’s relationship with the outside world. It is no coincidence that with the death of the mother, in the first part, the harmony of relations in the family is destroyed, in the second, the grandmother dies, taking with her great moral strength, and in the third, the father remarries a woman whose even smile is always the same. The return of the former family happiness becomes completely impossible. Between the stories there is a logical connection, justified primarily by the logic of the writer: the formation of a person, although it is divided into certain stages, is actually continuous.

The first-person narration in the trilogy establishes the connection of the work with literary traditions that time. In addition, it psychologically brings the reader closer to the hero. And finally, such a presentation of events indicates a certain degree of autobiographical work. However, it cannot be said that autobiography was the most convenient way to embody a certain idea in the work, since it was she, judging by the statements of the writer himself, who did not allow the original idea to be realized. L. "N. Tolstoy conceived the work as a tetralogy, that is, he wanted to show four stages of development human personality, but the philosophical views of the writer himself at that time did not fit into the framework of the plot. Why still an autobiography? The fact is that, as N. G. Chernyshevsky said, L. N. Tolstoy “exceedingly carefully studied the types of life of the human spirit in himself,” which made it possible for him “to paint pictures of the internal movements of a person.” However, it is important that in the trilogy there are actually two main characters: Nikolenka Irteniev and an adult who remembers his childhood, adolescence, youth. Comparison of the views of a child and an adult individual has always been the object of LN Tolstoy's interests. Yes, and the distance in time is simply necessary: ​​L. N. Tolstoy wrote his works about everything that worried him at the moment, which means that in the trilogy there should have been a place for analyzing Russian life in general. And I must say - found.

Here, the analysis of Russian life is a kind of projection of his own life. To see this, it is necessary to turn to those moments of his life, in which there is a connection with the trilogy and other works of Lev Nikolayevich.

Tolstoy was the fourth child in a large noble family. His mother, nee Princess Volkonskaya, died when Tolstoy was not yet two years old, but according to the stories of family members, he had a good idea of ​​\u200b\u200b"her spiritual appearance": some features of the mother (brilliant education, sensitivity to art, a penchant for reflection and even a portrait resemblance Tolstoy gave to Princess Marya Nikolaevna Bolkonskaya ("War and Peace") Tolstoy's father, participant Patriotic War, remembered by the writer for his good-natured and mocking character, love for reading, for hunting (served as the prototype for Nikolai Rostov), ​​also died early (1837). The upbringing of children was carried out by a distant relative T. A. Ergolskaya, who had a huge impact Tolstoy: "she taught me the spiritual pleasure of love." Childhood memories have always remained the most joyful for Tolstoy: family traditions, the first impressions of the life of a noble estate served as rich material for his works, were reflected in the autobiographical story "Childhood".

When Tolstoy was 13 years old, the family moved to Kazan, to the house of P. I. Yushkova, a relative and guardian of the children. In 1844 Tolstoy entered Kazan University in the Department of Oriental Languages ​​of the Faculty of Philosophy, then transferred to the Faculty of Law, where he studied for less than two years: classes did not arouse keen interest in him and he passionately indulged social entertainment. In the spring of 1847, having filed a letter of resignation from the university "due to frustrated health and domestic circumstances", Tolstoy left for Yasnaya Polyana with the firm intention of studying the entire course of legal sciences (in order to pass the exam as an external student), "practical medicine", languages, Agriculture, history, geographical statistics, write a dissertation and "achieve the highest degree of perfection in music and painting."

After a summer in the countryside, disappointed by the unsuccessful experience of managing on new, favorable conditions for serfdom (this attempt is captured in the story The Morning of the Landowner, 1857), in the fall of 1847 Tolstoy left first for Moscow, then for St. Petersburg to take candidate exams at the university. His way of life during this period often changed: either he prepared for days and passed exams, then he passionately devoted himself to music, then he intended to start a bureaucratic career, then he dreamed of becoming a cadet in a horse guard regiment. Religious moods, reaching asceticism, alternated with revelry, cards, trips to the gypsies. In the family, he was considered "the most trifling fellow", and he managed to repay the debts he had made then only many years later. However, it was these years that were colored by intense introspection and struggle with oneself, which is reflected in the diary that Tolstoy kept throughout his life. At the same time, he had a serious desire to write and the first unfinished artistic sketches appeared.

In 1851, his elder brother Nikolai, an officer in the army, persuaded Tolstoy to travel together to the Caucasus. For almost three years, Tolstoy lived in a Cossack village on the banks of the Terek, traveling to Kizlyar, Tiflis, Vladikavkaz and participating in hostilities (at first voluntarily, then he was hired). The Caucasian nature and the patriarchal simplicity of the Cossack life, which struck Tolstoy in contrast with the life of the noble circle and with the painful reflection of a man of an educated society, provided material for the autobiographical story "The Cossacks" (1852-63). Caucasian impressions were also reflected in the stories "The Raid" (1853), "Cutting the Forest" (1855), as well as in the later story "Hadji Murad" (1896-1904, published in 1912). Returning to Russia, Tolstoy wrote in his diary that he fell in love with this "wild land, in which two most opposite things - war and freedom - are so strangely and poetically combined." In the Caucasus, Tolstoy wrote the story "Childhood" and sent it to the journal "Contemporary", without revealing his name (published in 1852 under the initials L. N .; together with later stories "Boyhood", 1852-54, and "Youth", 1855 -57, compiled an autobiographical trilogy). The literary debut immediately brought real recognition to Tolstoy.

In 1854 Tolstoy was assigned to the Danube Army in Bucharest. Boring staff life soon forced him to transfer to Crimean army, to besieged Sevastopol, where he commanded a battery on the 4th bastion, showing rare personal courage (awarded with the Order of St. Anna and medals). In the Crimea, Tolstoy was captured by new impressions and literary plans(I was going to publish a magazine for soldiers), here he began to write a cycle of "Sevastopol stories", which were soon published and had a huge success (Even Alexander II read the essay "Sevastopol in December"). The first works of Tolstoy struck literary critics boldness psychological analysis and a detailed picture of the "dialectic of the soul" (N. G. Chernyshevsky). Some of the ideas that appeared during these years make it possible to guess in the young artillery officer the late Tolstoy the preacher: he dreamed of "founding a new religion" - "the religion of Christ, but purified from faith and mystery, a practical religion."

In November 1855, Tolstoy arrived in St. Petersburg and immediately entered the Sovremennik circle (N. A. Nekrasov, I. S. Turgenev, A. N. Ostrovsky, I. A. Goncharov, etc.), where he was greeted as a "great hope of Russian literature" (Nekrasov). Tolstoy took part in dinners and readings, in the establishment of the Literary Fund, was involved in disputes and conflicts of writers, but he felt like a stranger in this environment, which he described in detail later in Confession (1879-82): "These people disgusted me, and I disgusted myself." In the autumn of 1856, after retiring, Tolstoy went to Yasnaya Polyana, and at the beginning of 1857 went abroad. He visited France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany (Swiss impressions are reflected in the story "Lucerne"), in the fall he returned to Moscow, then to Yasnaya Polyana.

In 1859, Tolstoy opened a school for peasant children in the village, helped set up more than 20 schools in the vicinity of Yasnaya Polyana, and Tolstoy was so fascinated by this occupation that in 1860 he went abroad for the second time to get acquainted with the schools of Europe. Tolstoy traveled a lot, spent a month and a half in London (where he often saw A. I. Herzen), was in Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, studied popular pedagogical systems, which basically did not satisfy the writer. Own ideas Tolstoy set out in special articles, arguing that the basis of education should be "the freedom of the student" and the rejection of violence in teaching. In 1862 he published a pedagogical journal " Yasnaya Polyana"with books for reading as an application, which have become in Russia the same classic examples of children's and folk literature, as well as compiled by him in the early 1870s. "ABC" and "New ABC". In 1862, in the absence of Tolstoy, a search was conducted in Yasnaya Polyana (they were looking for a secret printing house).

However, about the trilogy.

According to the author's idea, "Childhood", "Adolescence" and "Youth", as well as the story "Youth", which, however, was not written, were to make up the novel "Four Epochs of Development". Showing step by step the formation of the character of Nikolai Irtenyev, the writer carefully examines how the environment influenced his hero - first a narrow family circle, and then an ever wider circle of his new acquaintances, peers, friends, rivals. In the very first completed work, dedicated to the early and, as Tolstoy argued, the best, most poetic time human life- childhood, he writes with deep sadness that rigid barriers have been erected between people, dividing them into many groups, categories, circles and circles. The reader is left in no doubt that young hero It will not be easy for Tolstoy to find a place and work in a world that lives according to the laws of alienation. The subsequent course of the story confirms this assumption. Adolescence turned out to be especially difficult for Irtenyev. Drawing this "epoch" in the life of the hero, the writer decided to "show the bad influence" on Irtenyev of "the vanity of educators and the clash of interests of the family." In the scenes of Irtenyev’s university life from the story “Youth”, his new acquaintances and friends, raznochintsy students, are sympathetically depicted, their mental and moral superiority over the aristocratic hero who professed the code of a secular person is emphasized.

The sincere desire of the young Nekhlyudov, who is the main character in the story “The Morning of the Landowner,” to do good to his serfs looks like a naive dream of a half-educated student who, for the first time in his life, saw how hard his “baptized property” lives.

At the very beginning of Tolstoy's writing career, the theme of the separation of people imperiously invades his work. In the trilogy "Childhood", "Adolescence", "Youth" the ethical inconsistency of the ideals of a secular person, an aristocrat "by inheritance" is clearly revealed. The writer’s Caucasian military stories (“Raid”, “Logging”, “Degraded”) and stories about the Sevastopol defense amazed readers not only with the harsh truth about the war, but also with the bold denunciation of aristocratic officers who came to the army for ranks, rubles and awards . In "The Morning of the Landowner" and "Polikushka" the tragedy of the Russian pre-reform village is shown with such force that for honest people the immorality of serfdom became even more obvious.

In the trilogy, each chapter contains certain thought, an episode from the life of a man. Therefore, the construction within the chapters is subject to internal development, the transfer of the state of the hero. Long Tolstoyan phrases, layer by layer, level by level, build a tower of human sensations and experiences. L. N. Tolstoy shows his heroes in those conditions and in those circumstances where their personality can manifest itself most clearly. The hero of the trilogy finds himself in the face of death, and here all the conventions no longer matter. The relationship of the hero with ordinary people is shown, that is, a person is, as it were, tested by the “nationality”. Small but incredibly bright inclusions in the fabric of the narrative are woven into moments in which we are talking about something that is beyond the understanding of the child, which can be known to the hero only from the stories of other people, for example, war. Contact with something unknown, as a rule, turns into almost a tragedy for the child, and memories of such moments come to mind, especially in moments of despair. For example, after a quarrel with St.-Jerme, Nikolenka begins to sincerely consider herself illegitimate, recalling fragments of other people's conversations.

Of course, L. N. Tolstoy masterfully uses such traditional Russian literature methods of presenting a person’s characteristics as a description of a portrait of a hero, an image of his gesture, behavior, since all these are external manifestations inner peace. Extremely important speech characteristic heroes of the trilogy. exquisite French good for people comme il faut, a mixture of German and broken Russian characterizes Karl Ivanovich. It is also not surprising that the heartfelt story of a German is written in Russian with separate inclusions of German phrases.

So, we see that L. N. Tolstoy's trilogy “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” is built on a constant comparison of the inner and outer world of a person. The autobiographical nature of the trilogy is obvious.

The main goal of the writer, of course, was to analyze what constitutes the essence of each person. And in the skill of carrying out such an analysis, in my opinion, Leo Tolstoy knows no equal.

Introduction

In the literary firmament, Leo Tolstoy is a star of the first magnitude. "Tolstoy's chair is empty. In world literature, in our current one, there is no one to compare with Tolstoy yet," this conclusion was made. Soviet writer L. Leonov in his "Word about Tolstoy".

Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy left a great artistic heritage, which entered the treasury of not only Russian, but also world literature. ingenious artist, a passionate moralist, he, perhaps, like no other Russian writer, was the conscience of the nation. Whatever aspects of life this outstanding person in his works, he painted unprecedentedly deep, humanly wise and simple. But Tolstoy entered the history of spiritual life not only as great artist but also as a kind of thinker. The 19th century neither in Russia nor in Europe knew another such powerful, passionate and ardent "truth seeker". And this greatness of Tolstoy's personality was reflected both in his thoughts and in his whole life.

Childhood, adolescence, youth

In the estate of Yasnaya Polyana, located fourteen miles from the ancient Russian city of Tula, on August 28 (September 11), 1828, the brilliant Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was born.

The Tolstoy family belonged to the highest aristocratic nobility of Russia. Tolstoy's father - Count Nikolai Ilyich - a dreamy young man, the only son of his parents, against the wishes of his relatives, entered the military service, and for a number of years he participated in many battles of the Patriotic War of 1812. Upon his retirement, he married and settled in his wife's estate in Yasnaya Polyana, where he took care of the household. Tolstoy's mother, Maria Nikolaevna, is the only daughter of Prince N.S. Volkonsky, was an educated woman of her time. Most she spent her youth in Yasnaya Polyana on her father's estate. The couple lived happily: Nikolai Ilyich treated his wife with great respect and was devoted to her; Maria Nikolaevna, on the other hand, felt sincere affection for her husband as for the father of her children. And the Tolstoys had five of them: Nikolai, Dmitry, Sergey, Lev and Maria.

Maria Nikolaevna died shortly after the birth of her daughter Maria, when her younger son Levushka was not even two years old. He did not remember her at all and, at the same time, in his soul he created a wonderful image of his mother, who he loved all his life. "She seemed to me such a high, pure, spiritual being that often in middle period my life, during the struggle with the temptations that overcame me, I prayed to her soul, asking her to help me, and this prayer always helped me," wrote Tolstoy already in adulthood.

Carefree and joyful life of L.N. Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana in childhood. The inquisitive boy eagerly absorbed the impressions of the rich Yasnaya Polyana nature and the people around him. Lyovochka loved to read books as a child. He was fond of Pushkin's poems, Krylov's fables. Tolstoy retained his love for Pushkin for life and called him his teacher.

Little Tolstoy was very sensitive. Childhood sorrows of Lyovochka evoked in him, on the one hand, a feeling of tenderness, on the other, a desire to unravel the mysteries of life, and these aspirations remain in him for life.

From the early childhood Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana, in addition to relatives and friends, was surrounded by courtyards (servants) and peasants. They had a great influence on Tolstoy; they brought him closer to the people, involuntarily made him think about the question of why life is arranged so unfairly that rich nobles owned land and serfs, lived in idle luxury, and serfs had to work for the nobles, live in need and always obey their own people. gentlemen.

Nikolai Ilyich decided to take the children to Moscow, where more opportunity give them an education. Tolstoy was nine years old when he first left Yasnaya Polyana. Later L.N. Tolstoy often had to travel by carriage from Yasnaya Polyana to Moscow and back. The impressions from these trips were so strong and vivid that they were vividly reflected in "Childhood", "Boyhood".

Soon after the family moved to Moscow, the father dies. Less than a year after the death of Nikolai Ilyich, Countess Pelageya Nikolaevna died, unable to come to terms with the loss of her son. The Tolstoy children were completely orphans. They were placed under guardianship. At first, their guardian was the closest relative - the kind and deeply religious Alexandra Ilyinichna Osten-Saken; and after her death, which followed in 1841, another aunt, Pelageya Ilyinichna Yushkova, a woman, although not far off, was highly respected in the aristocratic circle, largely thanks to her husband Vladimir Ivanovich Yushkov. The Yushkovs lived in Kazan, where the children were sent. But the closest person for the Tolstoy children is Tatyana Aleksandrovna Ergolskaya, a distant relative on her father's side. It was rather poor attractive woman who loved Nikolai Ilyich dearly all her life. " Main feature her love was, but no matter how much I wanted it to be otherwise - love for one person - for my father, - Lev Nikolaevich wrote about her. Only already proceeding from this center, her love spilled over to all people. "T.A. Ergolskaya did not go to Kazan with the Tolstoy children.

In the spring of 1844, 16-year-old Tolstoy takes an exam at Kazan University for the Arabic-Turkish department of the Oriental Faculty, with the intention of becoming a diplomat. Dressed in an overcoat with beavers, white gloves and a cocked hat, Tolstoy appeared at Kazan University as a real gentleman. From this time begins his secular life.

Tolstoy was captivated by the exuberant noisy social life. And bright childhood dreams, and vague dreams - everything drowned in this whirlpool of Kazan life. But the more he was among a noisy and idle society, the more often the young man Tolstoy remained lonely, he increasingly disliked this way of life.

Tolstoy's religious ideas are also crumbling at this time. “From the age of sixteen, I stopped going to prayer and stopped going to church and fasting on my own impulse,” he recalled in Confession. Savor he is tired and unsatisfied, he thinks more and more about the falsity of the life of those around him, he begins to experience mental anxiety.

Not having a penchant for diplomacy, Tolstoy, a year after entering the university, decided to transfer to the Faculty of Law, believing that legal sciences are more useful for society.

With great interest, he listens to the lectures of the master at the university. civil law D. Meyer - a supporter of Belinsky, a supporter advanced ideas. Belinsky's ideas, his articles on literature penetrated the walls of Kazan University and exerted their beneficial influence on young people. Tolstoy enthusiastically read Russian fiction, he liked Pushkin, Gogol, from foreign literature- Goethe, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In books, Tolstoy is looking for answers to his questions. Not limited to reading this or that book, he keeps notes about what he read.

But even the legal sciences could not satisfy Tolstoy. He faces more and more questions, to which he could not get an answer at the university.

At the end of his stay at the university, Tolstoy moves from random notes in notebooks to a systematic diary. In his diaries, he sets out the rules of life, which he considers necessary to follow: "1) What is assigned to be sure to be done, then do it, no matter what. 2) What you do, do it well. 3) Never consult a book if you forgot something, but try to remember." Along with drawing up the rules of life, Tolstoy also thinks about the question of the purpose of human life. He defines the goal of his life as follows: "... a conscious desire for comprehensive development everything that exists"

In 1847, while in his last year, Tolstoy left the university. The main thing that prompted him to do this, as he himself says about it, is the desire to devote himself to life in the village, the desire to do good and love it.

Upon Tolstoy's arrival in Yasnaya Polyana, the division of the father's inheritance took place between the brothers. 19-year-old Lev Nikolaevich, as the youngest of the brothers, got Yasnaya Polyana. Tolstoy, a young landowner, strives with all his passion to improve his shaken economy. In the village, Tolstoy continues to keep his diary. characteristic feature diaries of the writer and at this time is immediacy, deep sincerity and truthfulness. In them, he paid much attention to introspection, castigated his idle life, his shortcomings. But life in the village still could not fully satisfy the writer and fill his interests. At the beginning of 1849, Tolstoy left for Moscow, and then for St. Petersburg, where he plunged headlong into the "disorderly" life of a secular young man "without service, without employment, without purpose." He was especially attracted by the "process of extermination of money" at the card table. To put an end to this way of life, Tolstoy decides to leave for the Caucasus. And in April 1851, he was sent along with his brother, officer Nikolai Nikolayevich, who was assigned there.