Introduction

little man ostrovskiy literature

The concept of "little man" was introduced by Belinsky (1840 article "Woe from Wit").

"Little Man" - who is it? This concept refers to the literary hero of the era of realism, who usually occupies a fairly low place in the social hierarchy. A "little man" can be anyone from a petty official to a tradesman or even a poor nobleman. The more democratic literature became, the more relevant the “little man” became.

Appeal to the image " little man", was very important even at that time. More than that, this image was relevant, because its task is to show life common man with all its problems, worries, failures, troubles and even small joys. It is a very hard work to explain, to show the life of ordinary people. To convey to the reader all the subtleties of his life, all the depths of his soul. This is difficult, because the "little man" is a representative of the whole people.

This topic is still relevant today, because in our time there are people who have such a shallow soul, behind which you can’t hide either deceit or a mask. It is these people who can be called "little men." And there are just people who are small only in their status, but great, showing us their pure soul, unspoiled by wealth and prosperity, who know how to rejoice, love, suffer, worry, dream, just live and be happy. These are small birds in the boundless sky, but they are people of great spirit.

The history of the image of the "little man" in world literature and its writers

Many writers raise the topic "little man". And each of them does it in his own way. Someone represents him accurately and clearly, and someone hides him inner world, so that readers can think about his worldview and, somewhere in depth, compare with his own. Ask yourself a question. And who am I? Am I a small person?

The first image of a little man was Samson Vyrin from the story “ Stationmaster» A.S. Pushkin. Pushkin, in the early stages of his work, as one of the first classics who described the image of the "little man", tried to show the high spirituality of the characters. Pushkin also considers the eternal ratio of the "little man" and unlimited power - "Arap of Peter the Great", "Poltava".

Pushkin was characterized by a deep penetration into the character of each hero - the "little man".

Pushkin himself explains the evolution of a small person by constant social changes and the variability of life itself. Each era has its own "little man".

But, since the beginning of the 20th century, the image of the “little man” in Russian literature has been disappearing, giving way to other heroes.

Pushkin's traditions are continued by Gogol in the story "The Overcoat". A “little man” is a person of low social status and origin, without any abilities, not distinguished by strength of character, but at the same time kind, harmless and does no harm to people around him. Both Pushkin and Gogol, creating the image of a little man, wanted to remind readers that the most ordinary person also a person worthy of sympathy, attention and support.

The hero of the "Overcoat" Akaki Akakievich is an official of the lowest class - a person who is constantly mocked and mocked. He was so accustomed to his humiliated position that even his speech became inferior - he could not finish the phrase. And this made him humiliated in front of everyone else, even equal to him in class. Akaki Akakievich cannot even defend himself in front of people equal to him, despite the fact that he opposes the state (as Yevgeny tried to do this).

It was in this way that Gogol showed the circumstances that make people "small"!

Another writer who touched on the topic of the “little man” was F.M. Dostoevsky. He shows the "little man" as a person more deeply than Pushkin and Gogol, but it is Dostoevsky who writes: we all came out of Gogol's "Overcoat".

His main goal was to convey all the internal movements of his hero. Feel through everything with him, and concludes that "little people" are individuals, and their personal feeling is valued much more than people with a position in society. Dostoevsky's "little man" is vulnerable, one of the values ​​of his life is that others can see in him a rich spiritual personality. And self-awareness plays a huge role.

In the work “Poor people” F.M. Dostoevsky main character the scribe Makar Devushkin is also a minor official. He was also bullied at work, but this is a completely different person by nature. The ego is concerned with issues of human dignity, it reflects on its position in society. Makar, after reading The Overcoat, was indignant that Gogol portrayed the official as insignificant person, because he recognized himself in Akaky Akakievich. He differed from Akaky Akakievich in that he was able to deeply love and feel, which means that he was not insignificant. He is a person, although low in his position.

Dostoevsky strove for his character to realize in himself a person, a personality.

Makar is a person who knows how to empathize, feel, think and reason, and this is according to Dostoevsky best qualities"little man".

F.M. Dostoevsky becomes the author of one of the leading themes - the theme of "humiliated and insulted", "poor people". Dostoevsky emphasizes that every person, no matter who he is, no matter how low he stands, always has the right to compassion and sympathy.

For a poor person, the basis in life is honor and respect, but for the heroes of the novel “Poor People” this is almost impossible to achieve: “And everyone knows, Varenka, that a poor person is worse than a rag and cannot receive any respect from anyone, what’s there do not write".

According to Dostoevsky, the “little man” himself is aware of himself as “small”: “I am used to it, because I get used to everything, because I am a quiet person, because I am a small person; but, nevertheless, what is all this for? ... ". "Little Man" is the so-called microworld, and in this world there are many protests, attempts to escape from the most difficult situation. This world is rich positive qualities and bright feelings but he is subjected to humiliation and oppression. The "little man" is thrown into the street by life itself. "Little people" according to Dostoevsky are small only in their social position, and their inner world is rich and kind.

The main feature of Dostoevsky is philanthropy, paying attention to the nature of a person, his soul, and not to a person’s position on the social ladder. It is the soul that is the main quality by which a person must be judged.

F.M. Dostoevsky wished a better life for the poor, defenseless, "humiliated and insulted", "little man". But at the same time, pure, noble, kind, disinterested, sincere, honest, thinking, sensitive, spiritually elevated and trying to protest against injustice.

In this chapter, various definitions of the concept of "little man" will be considered, the evolution of the image in Russian and American literature, and the features characteristic of this type will be identified. at the head, dedicated to the works John Updike, will be presented short biography writer, considered stylistic features the author and presents the views of foreign and Russian critics to his creativity.

The term "little man". History and nature of the concept

The concept of "little man" is by no means new. " Literary Encyclopedia terms and concepts" speaks of the international spread of the theme of the "little man", for the first time it was discovered in the neo-Attic comedy. Until recently, the concept of "little man" was not defined terminologically. Obviously, this explains the assignment to the category of "little people" of some literary characters, which do not belong to it at all. The designation "little man" should be understood as a group of "rather heterogeneous heroes", united by the fact that they "occupy one of the lowest places in the social hierarchy and that this circumstance determines their psychology and social behavior."

Other definitions of the term "little man" belong mainly to Russian scientists. V.M. Markovich in his study "Petersburg Tales of Gogol" said that "little people" are typical representatives the general mass, people "who can be considered average in every respect,<.>heroic officials, mired in routine, but worthy of a better fate” [Markovich 1989: 10].

As the researcher A.A. Anikin in his work “The Theme of the Little Man in Russian Classics”, the definition of “little man” is a true long-liver of the Russian literary tradition. It is not surprising that a certain semantic and emotional stereotype has developed that accompanies this term. Even the literary heroes themselves frankly recommend themselves this way: “I, sir, am a little man” (Kuligin from A.N. Ostrovsky’s play “Thunderstorm”). However, if you look at it with an open mind, the picture may appear in a different light. The same Kuligin is filled with such pretentious pathos that the definition of "little man" is more like a mask than authenticity. Robert Rozhdestvensky already in the 20th century plays with this concept: “On the Earth there lived a mercilessly small man, there was a small man ...”, but he ends up much more sublimely: “... on the whole Earth there was not enough marble to knock out a guy in full height!" [Rozhdestvensky 2004: 72].

According to A.G. Zeitlin, by the 20-30s of the 19th century, there was a whole tradition of choosing poor officials as heroes of their works, drawing their life and psychology. So, the researcher believes, many writers " natural school» «pick up» and develop the image of the poor secretary Molchalin from the comedy A.C. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit". A prominent place in the life stories dedicated to poor officials is occupied by F.V. Bulgarin. From the humorous genre of his narrations, Zeitlin notes, Gogol's "Overcoat" will later appear [Tseitlin 1968: 104].

Not a single study by Soviet literary critics dedicated to The Stationmaster and The Bronze Horseman A.S. Pushkin, "Petersburg stories" N.V. Gogol, early works F.M. Dostoevsky and the work of the writers of the "natural school" of the 40s of the XIX century, could not do without mentioning the "poor official", suffering from the injustice of the reality surrounding him.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, V.V. Vinogradov.

In the following decades, the image of the “little man” in the work of A.C. Pushkin, N.V. Gogol, writers of the "natural school" was studied by a number of major literary critics: Sahakyan P.T., Zeitlin A.G., Rudenko V.F.

The point of view of A.A. Anikin, who proposes to consider the Bible, especially the Gospel, as the primary source for the theme of the "little man" in Russian literature. He notes that the person depicted in the Gospel is precisely “small”, less before God, and not before earthly power, or strength, or wealth. Moreover, the earthly meaning of a person and his appearance before God do not coincide. Christ is first of all addressed to the "lowly and offended": "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Let's give a few more capacious gospel verses that define the semantic core of our topic: "What you did to one of my younger brothers, you did to me" (Matt., 25, 40 - 45); “He who is least among you will be great” (Luke 9:48); “Whoever wants to be great among you, let him be your servant; whoever wants to be first, let him be your slave” (Matt. 20:26); “Be careful not to despise any of these little ones” (Matthew 18:10). So, the gospel man is small in spirit, humiliated, vicious and weak, but aspiring to God, waiting high court, is transformed, despite earthly humiliation (“the last will be the first”) [Anikin: Electronic resource].

A.A. Anikin in his work “The Theme of the Little Man in Russian Classics” notes: “In the 18th century, literature in the tradition of Radishchev seemed to have exhausted faith in the earthly well-being of the “little man”, returning to the tragic pathos of the Gospel with a sense of earthly suffering that will never be overcome, which gave impetus to comparatively the rapid development of the theme from Samson Vyrin to Platon Karataev, and the tragic pathos also determines the philosophical deepening of the hero. The insufficiency and even inappropriateness of sympathy for earthly suffering, the understanding of the impossibility of fully establishing the Kingdom of God on Earth (and the impossibility for a “little man” to fully understand the Word of God) only increased the artistic appeal of the theme. On the contrary, the revolutionary pathos of saving the “little man”, bright and attractive in itself, turned out to be unproductive for depth. artistic image personality” [Anikin: Electronic resource].

This image, as already noted, has become very characteristic of Russian classics. One can recall the textbook, “school” works: “The Stationmaster” by A.S. Pushkin, "Overcoat" N.V. Gogol, "A Hero of Our Time" by M.Yu. Lermontov, "Crime and Punishment" by F.M. Dostoevsky, "War and Peace" by L.N. Tolstoy (the image of Platon Karataev). In addition, there are a number of “borderline” images that allow one to appreciate the nuances of the theme, contrasting deviations from it, already transferring the characters to a different category (for example, Eugene from “ Bronze Horseman”, Chichikov, Karandyshev, heroes of “Thunderstorm” A.N. Ostrovsky, and finally - a number of Chekhov's characters, on which the actual theme of the little man is interrupted: Chekhov "destroys" the little man, striving not so much for approval as for the rebirth of such a hero). In general, the theme of the "little man" in its pure form, without developing into a completely different topic (for example, the participation of a small person in a great cause, as in the article by M. Gorky “On small people and their great work”, or an overestimation of the spirituality of a small person: small in society, but great in soul, etc. .), will turn out to be one of the specific themes of precisely the classics of the 19th century, where, despite the presence of common thematic features, the philosophy of the “little man” will nevertheless develop conceptually, but precisely around the gospel parable.

The little man was and remains a literary hero. L.N. Dmitrievskaya notes: “When we say “little man”, we somehow remove him from ourselves, we pity him condescendingly, condescendingly. But if we have a MAN in front of us, then the approach to him is already different. And in this case, the image of the hero makes us no longer think about whether it is worth pitying him or not - he demands that we think about ourselves, about our human essence" [Dmitrievskaya 2009: 3].

The study of the problem of the “little man” in the light of the Christian tradition led to the fact that the concept under study, previously defined as a “petty official”, “poor man”, suffering from his own ambition, constant humiliation and insults due to his low origin or social status, changes its usual meaning when faced with the author's view of the hero's poverty problem.

Moreover, this literary image sometimes called the most important and fundamental in Russian literature. Mikhail Epshtein, in his work “The Little Man in a Case: The Bashmachkin-Belikov Syndrome,” argues: “It is widely believed that all Russian literature came out of Gogol’s “Overcoat”. There is reason to say that many characters in Russian literature came out of Gogol's Bashmachkin. Usually a small person is treated as a separate type - humiliated, humble, resigned, and Bashmachkin is put on a par with Pushkin's Semyon Vyrin and Makar Devushkin of F. Dostoevsky. But Akaki Bashmachkin can also be placed in a completely different, widely divergent series of his unrecognized descendants and heirs in Russian literature” [Epshtein 2005: 18]. Such a noticeable literary trend could not but affect foreign literature. Correctly identified P.L. Weil in his work "Map of the Motherland": "The little man from the great Russian literature is so small that it cannot be further reduced. Changes could only go in the direction of increase. This is what the Western followers of our classical tradition have done. Out of our Little Man came the heroes of Kafka, Beckett, Camus, who have grown to global proportions […]. Soviet culture threw off the Bashmachkin overcoat - on the shoulders of the living Little Man, who, of course, did not go anywhere, simply got off the ideological surface, died in literature" [Vail 2007: 32].

The concept of "little man" as such is inextricably linked with the concepts of humanism and morality. It is love for a person as a thinking and free being that allows the reader not only to sympathize, but also to understand and sympathize with the “little people”. From the Christian-based ideas of Erasmus of Rotterdam, the Renaissance philosopher, to the atheistic humanists of the twentieth century, the value of a single human personality. Erasmus proceeded from the humanistic idea of ​​man as a noble living being, for the sake of which alone this delightful mechanism of the world was built by God. He, recognizing, in agreement with Christian teaching that the source and outcome of eternal salvation depend on God, believed, however, that the course of affairs in earthly human existence depends on man and on his free choice under given conditions, which is prerequisite moral responsibility. "Little man", driven into the harsh framework of poverty, social stratum, or even his own weak character, deserves to be called a man, based on the values ​​of humanism.

The twentieth century brings new ideas, A New Look per person. However, the ideas of humanism and the value of the individual are just as relevant. Atheist Jean-Paul Sartre presents his work "Existentialism is a Humanism".

Sartre proceeds from the fact that "existence precedes essence." From his point of view, it is difficult to immediately define a person, because at first he does not represent anything. A man becomes a man only later, when he makes himself. In this, Sartre sees the most important, even the first principle of existentialism, which he associates with subjectivity. It is obvious that these ideas of Sartre have something in common with humanism. For him, “a person is, first of all, a project that is experienced subjectively. Nothing exists prior to this project, there is nothing in the intelligible sky, and man will become what his project of being is. Not the way he wants” [Sartre 2010: 284].

Such a responsibility of a person for himself is determined, from the point of view of Sartre, by the fact that “man is condemned to be free. Condemned, because he did not create himself, and yet free, because, once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything that he does ... ”[Sartre 2010: 288]. According to Sartre, a person is responsible not only for his rational actions, but also for his passions. Man exists only insofar as he realizes himself. He is, therefore, nothing but the totality of his actions, nothing but his own life.

In this regard, he considers two different meanings of the word "humanism".

In the first of the meanings he singled out, a person is understood as a goal and as the highest value. With this approach, according to Sartre, a cult of humanity is formed, which "can be worshiped in the manner of Auguste Comte." From Sartre's point of view, such humanism is absurd, so it must be abandoned.

Sartre proposes to understand humanism in a different sense. His project of humanism includes the concept of the active character of man, for whom "there is no other legislator but himself." According to Sartre, a person "in a situation of abandonment" decides his own fate, turning to the search for goals that are outside of him. According to Sartre's existentialism, the liberation of a person occurs through his concrete self-realization, focused on activity and freedom, on responsibility for himself in an organization with others.

Obviously, despite Sartre's expansion of the meaning of Humanism, the idea of ​​the value of man remains immutable. However, freedom becomes the main idea of ​​humanism in the period of existentialism. The internal rebellion described by Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus determines the value of a reasonable person. However, this is not yet the formation of personality. The idea of ​​a little man overwhelmed internal contradictions, was created and developed by existentialists as the idea of ​​freedom in general. Another feature humanism in existentialism is the absence of God. Thus, the essential difference between the ideas of Camus and Sartre from the ideas of the Renaissance was what determines the value of a single person - moral responsibility or freedom of consciousness.

American literature has not left this image without attention. In the eternal search for the American Dream, there are inevitably winners and losers. Mark Twain in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn explored the problem not only of slavery, in the book the author analyzes many topics that remain relevant to this day. Ernest Hemingway noted that "All American literature came out of one book by Mark Twain, from his Huckleberry Finn... best book we do not have". Huck - this poor, homeless boy, fleeing from his always drunk father, from the insipid charity that disgusted him - does not sail through the Mississippi alone. He is the very "scoundrel and scoundrel" who, despite the danger, dares to "shelter" a runaway slave on a raft. And not only to shelter, but also to share with him your meager supplies of food, to help him hide. He pities and loves old Jim, considers him his friend. Jim for Huck is better, more honest, more caring than his own father, who did not hesitate to rob his son clean, kept him starving, and even “thrashed him with anything” every day.

Mark Twain does not think that his hero is such a brave fighter against injustice, he does not touch Huck, but simply says that the friendship of these two good, courageous people is as common as the friendship of Huck with Tom Sawyer or Tom with his girlfriend Becky Thatcher. Jim for the writer and for his little hero- not "also a person", but the most real man, just like anyone else. It was Mark Twain who laid down in American literature a humanistic approach to man, to the individual, regardless of his position in society.

This image was not bypassed by another American writer- Theodore Dreiser. In his work Tragic America, he argues: “Let the speed of cars, the power of cars, the height of skyscrapers built in record time be as high as possible, the run of trains through the tunnels of the subway as dizzying as possible! More cities more business more deeds and worries—as if it were we, of all peoples, who were called upon not only to mechanize, but also to populate the whole world! But why is all this being done? For some specific purpose? For the sake of creating some higher spiritual values? It seems to me that, on the contrary, in such an environment a person inevitably fizzles out both physically and morally; and with millions of people it has either already happened or is about to happen in the near future. They live and die without having experienced anything worth living for. The life of the average person has turned into continuous torment: it is so insignificant and meaningless, to such an extent he himself is confused and doomed to defeat in advance! [Dreiser 1952: 10]. The crisis of lack of spirituality in a purely commercial environment overtakes both Clyde Griffith in An American Tragedy and Sister Kerry. Like Updike, in all his novels, Dreiser gives a broad picture of the customs and life of the environment he depicts. Dreiser is a moralist, in his novels the desire for enrichment at the expense of spirituality is punished, but this does not mean that the author does not sympathize with his heroes. Like Jack London, who is filled with sympathy for his Martin Eden just when his hero is a poor uneducated sailor, a small man. But Martin himself is aware of what he has lost: “He was striving for the stars, but fell into a fetid quagmire” [London 2009: 552].

Herman Melville dedicates a short philosophical story- Scribe Bartleby. Bartleby is a typical little person, very similar to similar types of Russian literature. The hero of the story is a petty clerk, a copyist of court papers in a private law office in New York, an American colleague of Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin. For reasons that remain unclear ("an irreparable loss to literature," Melville states, either mockingly or puzzled), the scribe Bartleby, a sullen, homeless young man, announces something like a boycott of the society in which he lives. He refuses to work, refuses to leave the premises of the office where he works, refuses to be fired for dereliction of duty, and refuses to give an explanation for his actions. However, at the end of the story, the narrator, Bartleby's former boss, comes up with a truly humanistic thought: “For the first time in my life, I was seized by a feeling of painful, aching sadness ... Brother's sadness! After all, Bartleby and I were both sons of Adam” [Melville 1988: 110].

Another typical small person in the United States is introduced in 1949 by Arthur Miller. The play "Death of a Salesman" again raises the problem of loneliness and lack of spirituality in the world of commerce. Central problem in the play is the problem american dream”, that is, the problem of a small person who dreams of becoming big man. Willy Loman, an aging salesman, never goes beyond his type. He often thinks about his dream, but he cannot be called ambitious: “All I need is some boards and peace of mind” [Miller 2011: 298].

The second half of the 20th century brings many technological discoveries, but it also raises no fewer questions. As E.A. Stetsenko: “Man has fallen into a twilight, crisis era, in which he is forced to wait for a new light, a new day and a new self-consciousness.” But the personality and its value in society still has a literary value. E.A. Stetsenko refers to K. Popper: “The concrete history of mankind, if there was such, should be the history of all people. It should be the story of all human hopes, efforts and sufferings. Because there is not a single person who would be more important than another person” [Stetsenko 2009: 150].

Later literary currents were also interested in the role of man in big world. K. Kesey in the novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" represents a whole series of types who prefer seclusion in a clinic for the mentally ill real world. For the rebel McMurphy, it becomes a shock that people have abandoned society and self-realization of their own free will. In addition to patients with clearly expressed deviations, there are real little people in the clinic, frightened by reality. However, as the protagonist notes: “Loneliness only increases the feeling of uselessness” [Kesi 2009: 237].

John Updike continues the tradition American Literature and makes it possible to trace the evolution of the image at the end of the twentieth century. In the wake of an increased interest in postmodernism, avant-garde and experimental literature, Updike remains true to the quest of the middle class, the values ​​​​of ordinary people who can easily be imagined living in the neighborhood. In his work, the humanistic principle is akin to Dreiser's, his heroes rush about in their little worlds, but do not stop thinking about eternal questions being. Updike's little man is a product of the environment, and although Updike can hardly be called a moralist, he nevertheless shows the results of a crisis of lack of spirituality.

1. Introduction p.3

2. Main body

2.1. The history of the concept of "little man" page 4

2.2. The image of the "little man" in the works of A. S. Pushkin ("The Stationmaster") pp. 4 - 5

2.3. Reflection of the theme of the "little man" in the "Overcoat" pp. 5 - 6

N. V. Gogol.

2.4. The image of the "little man" in the work of pp. 6 - 7

Dostoevsky.

2.5. Reflection of the "little man" theme in the stories pp. 7 - 9

V.M. Shukshin and M.M. Zoshchenko

3. Conclusion page 9

4. References p. 10

Introduction.

The words are well known: - “We all came out of Gogol's Overcoat, although their authorship and
the circumstances of the pronunciation are still being discussed. But the meaning itself is attractive:
Gogol was able to tell about something that was then deepened, developed, developed
other writers, he brought out human type who has always been and always will be.
Or maybe "we" is ordinary people who have visited the place of Bashmachkin more than once?
"Little Man" - type literary hero, which originated in Russian
literature with the advent of realism, that is, in the 20-30s of the XIX century.
This image was of interest to writers, and many works help
convey to us high value"small" people.
The concept of the "little man" has changed throughout the 19 -
20 centuries. Each writer had his own personal views on this hero.
In my work, I tried to reveal the significance of each character in individual
works of classics and writers of the 19th - 20th centuries.

Relevance (significance) of this topic: behind the whole routine of our life, we do not notice a number of "little people", their existence in society. Usually a small person is treated as a separate type - humiliated, humble, uncomplaining. Has this little man's life changed over the years? Apparently not. In the same way, he is defenseless against passers-by, swindlers, bosses, offices, departments, organizations, authorities, the state, fate, circumstances, and how many more offenders do the unfortunate have? The authors - and we, along with them - mourn not only the untimely death of a little man, but the loss of the very title of a man, when people are divided into significant and insignificant, when they neglect the timid, weak, patient, offend and indifferently take away from them the most precious thing, therefore the relevance of the theme of the “little” person does not fade even today.

Research problem: evolution of the image of a "little" person in the works of Russian writers.

Object of study: creativity of Russian writers.

Subject of study: image of a "little" person.

Purpose of the study: identification and comparison of the symbolic nature
"little man" in literature, the evolution of the image.

Research objectives:

1. Summarize and compare critical literature on this topic.

2. Analyze works,

3. To trace the development of the theme of the "little man" in Russian literature.

Research hypothesis: the image of the "little man" is found in literature XIX-XX centuries in connection with historical events of that time and evolves as the situation in social circles changes.

Research methods:

Analysis of the material read;
- generalization and systematization of the data obtained during the research;
- comparison and comparison of heroes;
- use of Internet resources.

Main part.

The history of the concept of "little man".

The first period of Russian literature, as we know, is ancient Russian literature, the heroes of which were princes, saints, wars. Only at the end of the period of existence ancient Russian literature an ordinary person, not a hero, not a saint, not a ruler, is “allowed” into it. Then classicism comes to literature from the West, this direction corresponded to the needs of that time. Peter I built a "strong" state. The classicists were worried about the needs of the state and a citizen who was useful to his country. Only with the arrival, again from Western literature, in the Russian literature of sentimentalism, the writers became interested in the personal needs and experiences of people. The first writer to discover the world of "little people" was Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. The greatest influence on subsequent literature was his story " Poor Lisa". The narrator tells about the fate of the heroine with sadness and sympathy. It was essential for the sentimentalist writer to turn to social issues. Social inequality of heroes and natural complexity human soul become an obstacle to Liza's happiness. The author does not convict Erast of Liza's death: the young man is just as unhappy as the peasant girl. But this is especially important: Karamzin was perhaps the first to discover in Russian literature “ living soul"in the "little man", in the representative of the "lower" class. “And peasant women know how to love” - this phrase became a catch phrase in Russian literature for a long time. This is where another tradition of Russian literature begins: sympathy for the “little man”, his joys and troubles. Protecting the weak, the oppressed and the voiceless - this is the main moral task of the artists of the word. Humanity, the ability to sympathize and be sensual turned out to be very in tune with the spirit of the times, when literature moved from the civil theme, characteristic of the Enlightenment, to the theme of the personal, privacy person, and the main object of her attention was the inner world of an individual. Karamzin laid the foundation for a huge cycle of works about "little people", took the first step in the study of a previously unknown topic. It was he who opened the way for such writers as Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky.

• "Little man" - a type of literary hero that arose in Russian literature with the advent of realism, that is, in 20-30 years XIX century.

  The first image of a little man was Samson Vyrin from A. S. Pushkin's story "The Stationmaster". Pushkin's traditions were continued by N.V. Gogol in the story "The Overcoat".

  A small person is a person of low social status and origin, not gifted outstanding abilities, not distinguished by strength of character, but at the same time kind, harmless to no one. Both Pushkin and Gogol, in creating the image of a little man, wanted to remind readers accustomed to admiring romantic heroes that the most ordinary person is also a person worthy of sympathy, attention, support.

  The theme of the little man is also addressed by writers late XIX and the beginning of the 20th century: A.P. Chekhov, A.I. Kuprin, M. Gorky, L. Andreev, F. Sologub, A. Averchenko, K. Trenev, I. Shmelev, S. Yushkevich, A. Meshcheryakov. The power of tragedy of little people - "heroes of fetid and dark corners" (A. Grigoriev) - was correctly identified by Pyotr Weil:

  The little man from the great Russian literature is so small that it cannot be further reduced. Changes could only go in the direction of increase. This is what the Western followers of our classical tradition have done. Out of our Little Man came the heroes of Kafka, Beckett, Camus, who have grown to global proportions […]. Soviet culture threw off the Bashmachkin overcoat - on the shoulders of the living Little Man, who, of course, did not go anywhere, simply got off the ideological surface, died in literature.

  The little man, who does not fit into the canons of socialist realism, migrated to the literary underground and began to exist in the everyday satire of M. Zoshchenko, M. Bulgakov, V. Voinovich.

  From the multifaceted literary gallery small people stand out as heroes who strive to gain universal respect through a change in their material status or appearance (“Luka Prokhorovich” by E. Grebenka, 1838; “The Overcoat” by N. Gogol, 1842); seized with fear of life (“The Man in the Case” by A. Chekhov, 1898; “Our Man in the Case” by V. Pietsukh, 1989); who, in the conditions of overwhelming bureaucratic reality, fall ill mental disorders(“Double” by F. Dostoevsky, 1846; “Diaboliad” by M. Bulgakov, 1924); in whom an internal protest against social contradictions coexists with a painful desire to exalt themselves, to acquire wealth, which ultimately leads them to lose their minds (“Notes of a Madman” by N. Gogol, 1834; “Double” by F. Dostoevsky); whom fear of superiors leads to insanity or death (“Weak Heart” by F. Dostoevsky, 1848, “Death of an Official” by A. Chekhov, 1883); who, fearing to expose themselves to criticism, change their behavior and thoughts (“Chameleon” by A. Chekhov, 1884; “Funny Oysters” by A. Averchenko, 1910); who can find happiness only in love for a woman (“Old Sin” by A. Pisemsky, 1861; “Mountains” by E. Popov, 1989; “ Garnet bracelet» A. I. Kuprin, 1910); who want to change their lives through the use of magical means (“The True Medicine” by E. Grebenka, 1840; “The Little Man” by F. Sologub, 1905); who, because of life's failures, decide to commit suicide ("Old Sin" by A. Pisemsky; "The Story of Sergei Petrovich" by L. Andreev, 1900).

  Also, the problem of a small person is present in Andrey Platonov's story "Yushka".

"Little Man" is the image of a hero who is on the lowest rung of the social ladder. Addressing this topic in the work of N.M. Karamzin was an important step in Russian literature, as the writer drew attention to the situation of many disenfranchised people of his time, when the true feelings and thoughts of the “little man” in society were of no interest to anyone. In the story "Poor Lisa" Karamzin revealed to the readers the living soul of the village girl Lisa, a representative of the lower class, showing that "peasant women know how to love."

The author of the work becomes a friend and protector of the unfortunate girl. He asks not to judge her actions strictly, justifies her mistakes with love for Erast, highly appreciates Lisa's spiritual qualities and the ability to consider love as the main feeling. All this confirms the birth new tradition in Russian literature - sympathy for the "little man", compassion and the desire to help in his troubles. That is why the writer would like to protect his heroine, who did not find a way out of the impasse into which she got.

Karamzin endows Lisa with high spiritual qualities, but emphasizes the impossibility for her to reveal her soul to anyone because of her humiliated position in society. Since Liza could not talk about her experiences and trouble, she is forced to hide her pain, she considers the situation hopeless. Lack of rights and injustice made the "little people" withdraw into themselves, feel lonely and defenseless.

Why couldn't Lisa do anything to achieve happiness in life? Because in a society where wealth and nobility were the main measure of human dignity, a peasant girl understood the impossibility of her equality with the nobleman Erast. She felt weak, unable to change her life for the better. The author sympathizes with his heroine, who suffers from loneliness and defenselessness in a world where even a mother cannot help her unfortunate daughter. Lisa chooses death for herself (and therefore for her mother), she does not want to suffer because of unrequited love and shame, realizing that not only will no one support her, but rather, they will “throw stones” in her direction.

Could Lisa demand from her beloved to be honest and fair towards her? No, and in this the peasant girl is not only out of pride, but also in her own way. social status was disenfranchised and voiceless, meekly accepting the blows of fate. Erast's attitude towards Liza during the period of their acquaintance is undergoing changes because a simple girl was needed by a nobleman for a short period of time, while passion and feelings seemed unusual, interesting. He justified the termination of relations with Lisa life circumstances, but it is unlikely that Erast was going to connect his life with a peasant woman forever. The cooling of feelings and the break with the girl who loves him is also explained by the low moral qualities of Erast, his upbringing and prejudices about social inequality. Therefore, the fate of Liza could not be otherwise: the fate of the “little man” in the conditions of social injustice was often a foregone conclusion, as it turned into hopelessness, turned out to be tragic. People sometimes tried to defend the rights of the individual by riots, but Liza could not stand up for herself, she experienced her grief alone, and in this case it is almost impossible to gain respect for herself. A person's struggle for their rights, even in the 21st century, does not always lead to positive results.

The theme of the "little man" is also reflected in the work of A.S. Pushkin "The Stationmaster" The author calls his hero "a martyr of the fourteenth grade", because he is not protected by his rank from unfair accusations and demands from passers-by or authorities stopping at the station. Indeed, his service is a real hard labor. Even in bad weather and the delay of travelers on the road, the caretaker is to blame. Pushkin convincingly portrayed the difficult lot of the "little man" who is in a humiliated position when serving important gentlemen. Therefore, the author's call to feel compassion for such employees as Samson Vyrin is understandable.

Minsky (a traveling hussar) was not at all going to reckon with the feelings of Dunya's father, with the caretaker's hopes for a peaceful old age next to his daughter and grandchildren. The desire to return his daughter is too great, and the unfortunate caretaker goes to St. Petersburg, finds out the address of Minsky and meets with him, begs to give Dunya. But here Vyrin may be mistaken, because he does not know if Dunya wants to return home from St. Petersburg, to the wilderness. Although the hussar tricked her into taking her away and the girl was not going to decide her fate in this way, but later she apparently fell in love with Minsky and hoped for happiness with him. It is clear that she pities her father, but does not know how to decide family problem. And the father is right when he seeks a meeting with Dunya, when he tries to defend his self-esteem. He rejects monetary compensation for the loss of a daughter, excluding such a sale of paternal feelings, parental rights. And money would not interfere with him, since a lonely old age awaited him ahead.

Why didn't Samson Vyrin write complaints and seek justice? Probably not only because he is a weak, insecure person. But also because he was mistaken, thinking that his daughter left with Minsky by agreement, and will return, realizing the mistake. The caretaker is confident tragic outcome events and is ready to wish the death of the lost daughter if she does not come to him with repentance. He assumed that the hussar would definitely leave his daughter, but, apparently, Minsky loved Dunya. However, Samson Vyrin had the right to bless his daughter, and Minsky deprived him of this opportunity as well, since, apparently, he was not going to get married in a church. Therefore, the life of his daughter seemed vicious to the caretaker, and separation from Dunya and worries about her prematurely brought him to the grave. Such is the fate of a man whom they did not consider it necessary to treat with respect, and his rights were grossly violated.

N.V. Gogol addressed the topic of exposing the bureaucratic and bureaucratic system of the Russian state more than once. This system made it possible to divide people into "big" (significant) and "small". Gogol's story "The Overcoat" reflects not only the theme of the "little man", but also poses the problem of corporate impregnability of high-ranking officials. special role in satirical image important bosses is given to the episode of the meeting of Akaky Akakievich with " significant person».

From the moment the unfortunate "little man" lost the most precious thing (an overcoat sewn at the cost of unimaginable savings and taken away by a robber), he experienced a feeling of hopelessness, great grief. On the advice of one of his colleagues, Bashmachkin turns to a "significant person" because the police did not provide him with assistance.

Akaky Akakievich experienced on himself all the superiority of his superiors over the insignificant little men for them. He came for help, and received such a "dressing" that he almost lost consciousness. Fear, resentment, pain and the wind that pierces him through when returning home, led to a serious illness and untimely death. And all because of the overcoat! Gogol emphasizes how insignificant a person's life can be even in comparison with things, and even more so in comparison with the "precious" time of a "significant", that is, an official.

Who or what makes a person "small" and his life insignificant? There is an assumption that the very structure of life in Russia was inhumane, wrong, unfair. Therefore, the episode of Bashmachkin's meeting with the "significant person" has a continuation.

The writer further shows a fantastic situation when the "little man" avenges himself, fighting for justice: already dead (in the guise of a ghost), Akaky Akakievich takes away the general's overcoat from the very boss who trampled him human dignity and took a life. Moreover, Gogol hints to the bosses about the revenge of other "humiliated and insulted", the poor, for whom the "overcoat" dearer than life. Gogol created the image of a ghost, which no longer looks like Bashmachkin, but continues to wander in the darkness of the night, as if looking for someone.

This episode played an important role in the author's intention, allowing him to satirically portray the bureaucracy of Russia, draw the attention of society to the lack of rights of the "little man" and designate true values in life. The people themselves, according to the author, must also learn to value both their personality and their lives in order to fight for the right to be a Person whom no one will dare to consider "small".

Reviews

When by school curriculum children get acquainted with the classics, few of the children discover them for themselves. (Maybe I'm wrong?)
For me personally, there were only a few works that struck me, made me think.
But now, decades later ... I really want to re-read and re-read it again.
With respect and warmth, Irina.