"Tales" by M.E. Saltykov Shchedrin, their main themes, fantastic directions, Aesopian language. Problems and artistic features of fairy tales by Saltykov-Shchedrin

Fairy tales come to us from the depths folk life. They were passed down from generation to generation, from father to son, slightly changing, but retaining their basic meaning. Fairy tales are the result of many years of observation. In them, the comic is intertwined with the tragic, the grotesque, hyperbole are widely used ( artistic technique exaggeration) and amazing art Aesopian language. Aesopian language - an allegorical, allegorical way of expression artistic thought. This language is deliberately obscure, full of omissions. It is usually used by writers who are unable to speak directly.

The folk tale form has been used by many writers. literary tales in verse or prose they recreated the world of folk ideas, and sometimes contained satirical elements, for example, the tales of A. S. Pushkin. Saltykov-Shchedrin also created sharply satirical tales in 1869, as well as in the 1880-1886s. Among the vast legacy of Shchedrin, they are perhaps the most popular.

In fairy tales we will meet heroes typical of Shchedrin: here are the stupid, ferocious, ignorant rulers of the people (“The Bear in the Voivodeship”, “The Eagle-Maecenas”), here is the people, powerful, hardworking, talented, but at the same time submissive to their exploiters ( “The Tale of How One Man Feeded Two Generals”, “Konyaga”).

Shchedrin's tales are distinguished by true nationality. Covering the most pressing issues of Russian life, the satirist acts as a defender popular interests, an exponent of popular ideals, advanced ideas of his time. He masterfully uses vernacular. Turning to oral folk art, the writer enriched folk stories folklore works revolutionary content. He created his images based on folk tales about animals: a cowardly hare, a cunning fox, a greedy wolf, a stupid and evil bear.

A master of Aesopian speeches, in fairy tales, written mainly during the years of cruel censorship, he widely uses the technique of allegory. Under the guise of animals and birds, he depicts representatives of various social classes and groups. Allegory allows the satirist not only to encrypt, hide true meaning his satires, but also to hyperbolize in their characters the most characteristic. The images of the forest Toptygins, committing “petty, shameful” atrocities or “major bloodshed” in the forest slum, most accurately reproduced the very essence of the despotic system. The activities of Toptygin, who destroyed the printing house, dumped the works of the human mind into a waste pit, ends with the fact that he was “respected by the peasants”, “putting him on a horn”. His activities turned out to be meaningless, unnecessary. Even the Donkey says: “The main thing in our craft is: laissez passer, laisses faire (to allow, not to interfere). And Toptygin himself asks: “I don’t even understand why the governor is sent! " Story " wild landlord” - a work directed against social order based not on the exploitation of the peasant. At first glance, this is just a funny story of a stupid landowner who hated the peasants, but, left without Senka and his other breadwinners, he completely ran wild, and his economy fell into decay. Even the mouse is not afraid of him.

Depicting the people, Saltykov-Shchedrin sympathizes with them and at the same time condemns them for their long-suffering and resignation. He likens it to a "swarm" of industrious bees living an unconscious herd life. “... They raised a chaff whirlwind, and a swarm of peasants swept away from the estate.”

Somewhat different social group population of Russia draws a satirist in a fairy tale “ wise scribbler". Before us appears the image of a frightened inhabitant to death, “a dumbass who does not eat, does not drink, does not see anyone, does not lead bread and salt with anyone, but only protects his hateful life.” Shchedrin explores in this tale the question of the meaning and purpose of human life.

The layman-"piskar" considers the main meaning of life the slogan: "Survive and the pike will not get into hailo." It always seemed to him that he lives correctly, according to the order of his father: "If you want to live life, then look at both." But then came death. His whole life flashed before him in an instant. “What were his joys? who did he comfort? who gave good advice? to whom good word said? who sheltered, warmed, protected? who heard about it? who will remember its existence?” He had to answer all these questions: no one, no one. "He lived and trembled - that's all." The meaning of Shchedrin's allegory, depicting, of course, not a fish, but a miserable, cowardly man, lies in the words: “Those who think that only those scribblers can be considered worthy citizens who, mad with fear, sit in holes and tremble, believe incorrectly. No, these are not citizens, but at least useless scribblers.” Thus, “piskar” is a definition of a person, an artistic metaphor that aptly characterizes the townsfolk.

So, it can be said that ideological content, and artistic features satirical tales Saltykov-Shchedrin are aimed at fostering respect for the people and civic feelings in Russian people. They have not lost their bright vitality in our time. The Tales of Shchedrin still remain an extremely useful and fascinating book for millions of readers.

Aesopian language helps to reveal the vices of society. And now it is used not only in fairy tales and fables, but also in the press, in television programs. From TV screens you can hear phrases that have double meaning denouncing evil and injustice. “This happens when the vices of society cannot be spoken openly.

"Tales" by Saltykov-Shchedrin is not accidentally called the final work of the author. In them, those problems of Russia in the 60-80s are raised with all the acuteness. XIX century, which worried the progressive intelligentsia. Many points of view were expressed in disputes about the future paths of Russia. It is known that Saltykov-Shchedrin was a supporter of the struggle against the autocracy. Like many thinking people of that time, he was carried away by the "folk" idea and complained about the passivity of the peasant. Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote that despite the abolition of serfdom, it lives in everything: “in our temperament, in our way of thinking, in our customs, in our actions. Everything that we turn our eyes to, everything comes out of it and rests on it. This political views and the journalistic and journalistic activities of the writer and his literary work are subordinated.

The writer constantly sought to make his opponents funny, for laughter is great power. So in "Tales" Saltykov-Shchedrin ridicules government officials, landlords, liberal intelligentsia. Showing the helplessness and worthlessness of officials, the parasitism of the landowners, and at the same time emphasizing the industriousness and dexterity of the Russian peasant, Saltykov-Shchedrin expresses his main idea in fairy tales: the peasant has no rights, is downtrodden by the ruling estates.

So, in “The Tale of How One Man Feeded Two Generals,” Saltykov-Shchedrin shows the complete helplessness of two generals who found themselves on a desert island. Despite the fact that there was an abundance of game, and fish, and fruits around, they almost died of hunger.

Officials who were “born, brought up and grown old” in some kind of registry office did not understand anything and did not know “even any words”, except perhaps the phrase: “Accept the assurance of my perfect respect and devotion ”, the generals did not know how to do anything and quite sincerely believed that the rolls grow on trees. And suddenly the thought dawns on them: we need to find a man! After all, he must be, just "hiding somewhere, shirking work." And the man really was found. He fed the generals and immediately, on their orders, obediently twists the rope with which they tie him to a tree so that he does not run away.

In this tale, Saltykov-Shchedrin expresses the idea that Russia rests on the labor of a peasant who, despite his natural intelligence and ingenuity, dutifully submits to helpless masters. The same idea is developed by the author in the fairy tale "The Wild Landowner". But if the generals from the previous story ended up on a desert island by the will of fate, then the landowner from this fairy tale always dreamed of getting rid of unbearable peasants, from whom a bad, servile spirit comes. Therefore, the pillar nobleman Urus-Ku-chum-Kildibaev oppresses the men in every possible way. And now the male world has disappeared. And what? After some time, "he was all ... overgrown with hair ... and his claws became iron." The landowner has run wild, because without a peasant he is not even able to serve himself.

The deep faith of Saltykov-Shchedrin in the hidden forces of the people is visible in the fairy tale "Konyaga". The tortured peasant nag impresses with its endurance and vitality. Her whole existence lies in endless hard work, and in the meantime, well-fed idle dancers in a warm stall are surprised at her endurance, talk a lot about her wisdom, diligence, sanity. Most likely, in this tale, Saltykov-Shchedrin meant by empty dances the intelligentsia, pouring from empty to empty, talking about the fate of the Russian people. It is obvious that the peasant-worker is reflected in the image of Konyaga.

The heroes of "Tales" are often animals, birds, fish. This suggests that they are based on Russian folklore. The appeal to him allows Saltykov-v-Shchedrin to convey the deep content in a laconic form and at the same time satirically sharply. Take, for example, the fairy tale "The Bear in the Voivodeship". Three Toptygins are three different rulers. By nature, they are not similar to each other. One is cruel and bloodthirsty, the other is not evil, "but so, cattle," and the third is lazy and good-natured. And each of them is unable to provide normal life in the forest. And the style of their rights has nothing to do with it. We see that nothing has changed the general dysfunctional order in the forest slum: kites pluck crows, and wolves tear the skin from hares. “Thus, a whole theory of dysfunctional well-being suddenly grew before the mental gaze of the third Toptygin,” the author ironically. Hidden meaning of this fairy tale, in which the real rulers of Russia are parodied, that nothing will change without the abolition of autocracy.

Speaking about the ideological content of "Tales" by Saltykov-Shchedrin, it should be noted that many talented writers of the 20th century (Bulgakov, Platonov, Grossman, etc.) just showed in their works what happens when a person violates the eternal laws development of nature, society. We can say that the literature of the 20th century, which experienced upheavals social revolutions, argues with the literature of the second half of XIX century, including the work of Saltyko-va-Shchedrin. The events of the beginning of the 20th century led the thinking intelligentsia to disappointment in the people, while the "thought of the people" in the 19th century was decisive for many Russian writers. But our literary heritage is all the richer because it contains different points of view on the development of society.

Fairy tales come to us from the depths of folk life. They were passed down from generation to generation, from father to son, slightly changing, but retaining their basic meaning. Fairy tales are the result of many years of observation. In them, the comic is intertwined with the tragic, the grotesque, hyperbole (an artistic device of exaggeration) and the amazing art of Aesopian language are widely used. Aesop's language is an allegorical, allegorical way of expressing artistic thought. This language is deliberately obscure, full of omissions. It is usually used by writers who are unable to speak directly.

The folk tale form has been used by many writers. Literary tales in verse or prose recreated the world of folk ideas, and sometimes contained satirical elements, for example, the tales of A. S. Pushkin. Saltykov-Shchedrin also created sharply satirical tales in 1869, as well as in the 1880-1886s. Among the vast legacy of Shchedrin, they are perhaps the most popular.

In fairy tales, we will meet heroes typical of Shchedrin: here are the stupid, ferocious, ignorant rulers of the people (“The Bear in the Voivodeship”, “The Eagle-Maecenas”), here is the people, powerful, hardworking, talented, but at the same time submissive to their exploiters ( "The Tale of How One Man Feeded Two Generals", "Konyaga").

Shchedrin's tales are distinguished by true nationality. Covering the most pressing issues of Russian life, the satirist acts as a defender of the people's interests, a spokesman for the people's ideals, the advanced ideas of his time. He masterfully uses the vernacular. Turning to oral folk art, the writer enriched the folk plots of folklore works with revolutionary content. He created his images based on folk tales about animals: a cowardly hare, a cunning fox, a greedy wolf, a stupid and evil bear.

A master of Aesopian speeches, in fairy tales written mainly during the years of cruel censorship, he makes extensive use of allegory. Under the guise of animals and birds, he depicts representatives of various social classes and groups. Allegory allows the satirist not only to encrypt, hide the true meaning of his satire, but also to exaggerate the most characteristic in his characters. The images of the forest Toptygins, committing “petty, shameful” atrocities or “great bloodshed” in the forest slum, as accurately as possible reproduced the very essence of the despotic system. The activities of Toptygin, who destroyed the printing house, dumped the works of the human mind into a waste pit, ends with the fact that he was “respected by the peasants”, “putting him on a horn”. His activities turned out to be meaningless, unnecessary. Even Donkey says: “The main thing in our craft is: laissez passer, laisses faire (to allow, not to interfere). And Toptygin himself asks: “I don’t even understand why the governor is sent! ”

The fairy tale “The Wild Landowner” is a work directed against the social system based not on the exploitation of the peasant. At first glance, this is just a funny story of a stupid landowner who hated the peasants, but, left without Senka and his other breadwinners, completely ran wild, and his economy came to even a little mouse is not afraid of him.

Depicting the people, Saltykov-Shchedrin sympathizes with them and at the same time condemns them for their long-suffering and resignation. He likens it to a "swarm" of industrious bees living an unconscious herd life.

A somewhat different social group of the Russian population is drawn by a satirist in the fairy tale "The Wise Scribbler". We are presented with the image of a frightened layman to death, "a dumbass who does not eat, does not drink, does not see anyone, does not lead bread and salt with anyone, but only cherishes my life.” Shchedrin explores in this tale the question of the meaning and purpose of human life.

The layman-"piskar" considers the main meaning of life to be the slogan: "Survive and the pike will not get into hailo". It always seemed to him that he lived correctly, at the behest of his father: “If you want to live life, then look at both.” But then death came. All life flashed before him instantly. “What were his joys? who did he comfort? who gave good advice? to whom did he say a kind word? who sheltered, warmed, protected? who heard about it? who will remember its existence?” He had to answer all these questions: no one, no one. "He lived and trembled - that was all." , mad with fear, sit in holes and tremble. No, these are not citizens, but at least useless scribblers.” Thus, "piskar" is a definition of a person, an artistic metaphor that aptly characterizes the townsfolk.

So, we can say that both the ideological content and the artistic features of the satirical tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin are aimed at fostering respect for the people and civic feelings in Russian people. They have not lost their bright vitality in our time. The Tales of Shchedrin still remain an extremely useful and fascinating book for millions of readers.

Aesopian language helps to reveal the vices of society. And now it is used not only in fairy tales and fables, but also in the press, in television programs. From TV screens you can hear phrases that have a double meaning, exposing evil and injustice. This happens when the evils of society cannot be spoken openly.

Abstract "Tales"
M.E. Saltykov Shchedrin, their main themes, fantastic directions, Aesopian language.

Content:

1. Saltykov-Shchedrin
2. Feature of fairy tales
3. The main themes and problems of fairy tales
4. "Aesopian language" in the fairy tales of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.
5. List of references.

Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin (1826-1889)

Shchedrin was born and raised in a wealthy landowner's family, but there was an atmosphere of stinginess, mutual enmity, hypocrisy and inhumanity in the house.
Saltykov studied first at the Moscow Noble Institute and, as an excellent student, was sent to St. Petersburg, to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. In 1844, Saltykov graduated from the Lyceum and entered the military ministry.
In his first works, the writer opposed social inequality. The hero of his story "A Tangled Case" imagined the social system of Russia as a huge pyramid of people, at the base of which are the poor, hunted down by the unbearable hardships of life. Nicholas I found in the story "the desire to spread revolutionary ideas", so in 1848 the young writer was exiled to Vyatka, where he spent 8 years. Only after the death of the tsar, in 1855, the writer was able to return to St. Petersburg.
In 1857 came out A new book writer - "Provincial essays". The work was directed against the oppression of the landowners and bureaucratic arbitrariness.
In the 60s, the great satirist resolutely opposed the autocracy in his remarkable book "The History of a City", in which he sought to destroy the people's faith in the "good king". In this work, Shchedrin painted a horrific picture of people's lack of rights, grief and poverty.
From 1868 to 1884, he prints all his works only on the pages of Otechestvennye Zapiski. Readers of the magazine get acquainted with the cycles satirical stories and Saltykov's essays: "Pompadours and Pompadourses", "Letters about the provinces", "Signs of the times", "Gentlemen of Tashkent", "Well-intentioned speeches", "In the environment of moderation and accuracy", "Monrepos Refuge", "Letters to the aunt, novels "Gentlemen Golovlevs" and "Modern Idyll" Saltykov creates a kind of satirical encyclopedia of Russian life.
The fairy tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin are the most popular. His first fairy tales were published in 1869: "The Wild Landowner", "How One Man Feeded Two Generals".
Fairy tales are the result of many years of life observations of the writer. In them, he acts as a defender of the people's interests, an exponent of the people's ideals, the advanced ideas of his time.
Throughout his life, Saltykov-Shchedrin retained faith in his people, his history. "I love Russia to the point of pain in my heart, and I can't even conceive of myself anywhere but Russia."

Feature of fairy tales.

Among the many literary works written by Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin, Fairy Tales for Children of a Fair Age stand apart. These tales were created between 1869 and 1886. Feature of the fairy tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin:
Saltykov's tales are acutely social. We can determine the historical epoch during which the action takes place, and the social strata acting in the tale. For example, after reading the fairy tale “The Wise Scribbler”, we can say that it was written during the period of reaction, when the police and censorship acted mercilessly, when any sound thought was perceived as sedition. In the image of a wise scribbler, the author showed the driven and downtrodden intelligentsia, and in the image of a pike (predatory fish) - officials and the police, that is, the state apparatus.
Thus, in the fairy tale, the author also uses such techniques as humanization of animals and typification. In a fairy tale selfless hare The writer continues the theme of power and people. The image of a hare is symbolic. It symbolizes a liberal inhabitant, in everything obedient to the bloodthirsty power - the wolf. The wolf demands unquestioning obedience from the hare. And the Hare is ready to sit under a bush and wait for his death, or, which is unlikely, that the wolf will “ha ha, have mercy on him.”

The next striking feature of Saltykov's fairy tales is the complete absence goodies. Indeed, if in Russian folk tales the main idea is the idea of ​​abstract goodness, truth, justice, then in Saltykov's tales it is not virtue that always triumphs, but vice. So, through denial, Saltykov strives to affirm the ideal of goodness, justice, and truth. The wise scribbler is in fact stupid and cowardly; the two generals from “The Tale of How One Muzhik Feeded Two Generals” are loafers, clumsy, and the peasant himself is glad to try, if only he would be praised. The insignificant amount that the generals sent for his labors is enough for him.

Mikhail Evgrafovich constantly uses internal monologues that complement the described picture, more fully reveal the character of the hero. For example, the wise scribbler thinks aloud, in his dreams (at the end of the tale) he sees what he can only dream about: how to freely, without fear of anyone, swim in the river.
Saltykov arranges his heroes in accordance with a strict hierarchy (depending on the character’s social affiliation): a bear is a mayor or a major official, a wolf is a smaller official: a rank or a censor, a hare, a scribbler is a people dependent on the authorities, showing humility and love for bosses.

If we compare "Tales" by Saltykov-Shchedrin with Russian folk tales, then it should be noted that Saltykov's characters are static. In Shchedrin's tales there is no triumph of good over evil, as in Russian folk tales. Rather, vice triumphs in them. But in "Tales for children of a fair age" there is always a moral that makes them related to fables. The language in which Saltykov's fairy tales are written is also amazing. It's like some kind of unusual fusion of literary, colloquial and clerical languages. For example, this is how the fairy tale “The Wild Landowner” begins: “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived, there was a landowner, he lived and looked happy at the light. He had enough of everything: peasants, and bread, and cattle, and land, and gardens. And that landowner was stupid, he read the newspaper “Vest” and his body was soft, white and crumbly ...” Or the beginning of “The Tale of How One Man Feeded Two Generals” sounds like this: both were frivolous, then soon, by pike command, at my will, found themselves on a desert island. The generals served all their lives in some kind of registrar; they were born, raised and grew old there, therefore, they did not understand anything ... ”Since Saltykov’s fairy tales are a satire that ridicules the shortcomings of society, the author uses a number of satirical techniques. The grotesque is found in almost every fairy tale: the extraordinary obedience of a hare, the eternal fear of the squatter, the absolute ignorance of two generals who think that buns grow on a tree. The grotesque is also used to depict a landowner who has gone wild without peasants: “And now he has gone wild ... He is all overgrown with hair from head to toe, like the ancient Esau, and his nails have become like iron. He stopped blowing his nose a long time ago, but he walked more and more on all fours and was even surprised that he had not noticed before that this way of walking was the most decent and most convenient. In addition to the grotesque, the writer also uses satirical image, irony (in Moskovskie Vedomosti, generals read only about receptions and banquets, hence the impression of this newspaper), allegory (in all fairy tales the problem of the people and power is posed), fantasy (the transformation of the landowner into a wild beast).

All these artistic techniques make the fairy tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin unique works. “Tales for children of a fair age” cannot be confused with anything, they are always recognizable, one of a kind. And the problems posed in them (the problem of power and the people, the stupidity of power, the obedience and servility of the people) are relevant to this day. main feature of these works lies in the fact that, through negation, the writer strives to affirm such lofty concepts as honor, conscience, truth, justice, and wisdom.

The main themes and problems of fairy tales.

Shchedrin's tales are distinguished by true nationality. Covering the most pressing issues of Russian life, the satirist acts as a defender of the people's interests, a spokesman for the people's ideals, the advanced ideas of his time. He masterfully uses the vernacular. Turning to oral folk art, the writer enriched the folk plots of folklore works with revolutionary content. He created his images based on folk tales about animals: a cowardly hare, a cunning fox, a greedy wolf, a stupid and evil bear.

Depicting the people, Saltykov-Shchedrin sympathizes with them and at the same time condemns them for their long-suffering and resignation. He likens it to a "swarm" of industrious bees living an unconscious herd life. “... They raised a chaff whirlwind, and a swarm of peasants swept away from the estate.”

A somewhat different social group of the population of Russia is drawn by a satirist in the fairy tale “The Wise Piskar”. Before us appears the image of a frightened inhabitant to death, “a dumbass who does not eat, does not drink, does not see anyone, does not lead bread and salt with anyone, but only protects his hateful life.” Shchedrin explores in this tale the question of the meaning and purpose of human life.
The layman-"piskar" considers the main meaning of life the slogan: "Survive and the pike will not get into hailo." It always seemed to him that he lives correctly, according to the order of his father: "If you want to live life, then look at both." But then came death. His whole life flashed before him in an instant. “What were his joys? who did he comfort? who gave good advice? to whom did he say a kind word? who sheltered, warmed, protected? who heard about it? who will remember its existence?” He had to answer all these questions: no one, no one. "He lived and trembled - that's all." The meaning of Shchedrin's allegory, depicting, of course, not a fish, but a miserable, cowardly man, lies in the words: “Those who think that only those scribblers can be considered worthy citizens who, mad with fear, sit in holes and tremble, believe incorrectly. No, these are not citizens, but at least useless scribblers.” Thus, “piskar” is a definition of a person, an artistic metaphor that aptly characterizes the townsfolk.

So, we can say that both the ideological content and the artistic features of the satirical tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin are aimed at fostering respect for the people and civic feelings in Russian people. They have not lost their bright vitality in our time. The Tales of Shchedrin still remain an extremely useful and fascinating book for millions of readers.

Aesopian language helps to reveal the vices of society. And now it is used not only in fairy tales and fables, but also in the press, in television programs. From TV screens you can hear phrases that have a double meaning, exposing evil and injustice. This happens when the evils of society cannot be spoken openly.

"Aesopian language" in the fairy tales of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.

Saltykov-Shchedrin introduced the concept of "Aesopian language" into Russian literary use, by which he meant artistic allegory (an expression containing a hidden, secret meaning), or allegory. The writer, as you know, studied at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, where he received an excellent classical education, so the name ancient Greek He knew Aesop very well: the lyceum students had to read Aesop's fables in the original.

Aesop - Phrygian slave, ugly hunchback, writer of fables - lived, according to legend, in the VI century BC. Whether Aesop really existed, there is no exact information, but several of his biographies are known, and all anonymous prose fables in ancient Greek literature are attributed to him. In other words, Aesop is a semi-legendary creator of the European fable genre: Aesop's fable is built on allegory, animals usually act in it, and people are meant.

Saltykov-Shchedrin showed inexhaustible ingenuity in creating allegory techniques and developed a whole system of "fraudulent means". Usually, animals act in Shchedrin's fairy tales, but the writer constantly "makes a reservation", switches the narration from the fantastic to the real, from the zoological world to the human one. Toptygin The first from the fairy tale “The Bear in the Voivodeship” ate a siskin, but the commentary on this insignificant forest event is quite serious: “It’s all the same, as if someone brought a poor tiny gymnasium student to suicide by pedagogical measures ...” . After this "proviso" it becomes clear that we are talking about the police persecution of student youth. In the fairy tale "Karas the Idealist", the main character and ruff talk about social problems: world progress, class harmony and civic feelings - in a word, about "socialism"
However, the writer maintains a distance between zoological images and people so that the allegory is artistically convincing. Describing the life of a cowardly minnow, the satirist depicts the underwater world and the habits of various fish, even introduces a man into the fairy tale - a terrible “fish enemy”: “And man? What kind of wicked creature is this! What tricks he did not invent, so that he, minnow, would be destroyed by a vain death! The result is a complex allegory: on the one hand, undersea world presented as a human society, where the strong and the rich oppress and destroy the weak and the poor, on the other hand, the underwater world is openly opposed to man, that is, it should be perceived as if directly and literally.
Saltykov-Shchedrin, being a wonderful satirist, mastered all the techniques of the comic: humor, satire, irony, sarcasm, grotesque. In fairy tales, he most often used irony - a subtle, hidden mockery, presented as praise, flattery, feigned agreement with the enemy. The generals from The Tale of How One Man Feeded Two Generals, loitering around a desert island, stumble upon a man: “Under a tree, with his belly up and his fist under his head, a huge man was sleeping and in the most impudent way shied away from work.” Further, the author, with ironic sympathy, reports: "The indignation of the generals knew no bounds."
All fairy tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin, like folklore ones, depict events in a non-specific time and place, and in some, for purely external disguise, it is indicated that we are talking about old times or foreign countries. The tale “The Fool” begins with the words: “In the old years, under Tsar Pea, it was ...”, in confirmation of the deep antiquity of the events, one of the heroines of the tale is called Militrisa Kirbityevna, as the insidious mother of Bova the King. And in the fairy tale “The Wild Landowner”, the writer ironically used the traditional beginning of folk tales: “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived a landowner, he lived and, looking at the light, rejoiced.” The uncertainty of time and place in the fairy tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin only emphasizes the opposite semantic effect: the author describes the modern Russian reality, topical social and political events.

The "Aesopian" manner is manifested in the fact that Saltykov-Shchedrin brings fantasy in a fairy tale to the point of absurdity, so that the reader cannot bring these fantastic pictures closer to reality and, therefore, pays especially close attention to such episodes.

Saltykov-Shchedrin himself called one of the methods of the "Aesopian language" "lowering the tone." Toptygins in the fairy tale "The Bear in the Voivodeship" occupy at least the governor's position, and have only the rank of major. Consequently, satirical ridicule in the tale is directed against big and small ranks and is of a generalizing nature. Having made up the governor as a bear, the satirist does not hesitate in expressions and easily calls him "cattle", "son of a bitch", "scoundrel". Similarly, the generals from “The Tale of How One Man Feeded Two Generals” served all their lives in some kind of registry, the landowner from the fairy tale “The Wild Landowner” was not a rich nobleman, but an ordinary small estate owner.

So, one of the main features of the fairy tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin is the use of "Aesopian language", that is, the conscious creation of a two-valued text, when a second meaning is revealed behind the direct meaning of what was said, which clarifies the author's idea. Usually, the "Aesopian language" in the fairy tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin is explained by the prohibitions of censorship. However, it is known that many fairy tales, with the consent of the satirist, were published abroad. In these cases, the author was completely free to express his thoughts, but even then he did not refuse allegories. The allegorical manner of fairy tales is due not only to censorship obstacles that the writer had to overcome, but also to Saltykov-Shchedrin's penchant for satire (it is ambiguous images and expressions that make it poisonous). In other words, for the Aesopian writer, the language became a witty manner of depiction, and therefore Saltykov-Shchedrin often resorted to allegorical expressions, "accidental" reservations, omissions, irony, and the mask of a "well-intentioned narrator." Of course, these tricks in fairy tales appear in a complex combination.

Aesopian language helps to reveal the vices of society. And now it is used not only in fairy tales and fables, but also in the press, in television programs. From TV screens you can hear phrases that have a double meaning, exposing evil and injustice.

Bibliography:

1. Bushmin A.S. Saltykov-Shchedrin: The Art of Satire - Moscow: Sovremennik, 1976.

2. Tops: A book about outstanding works of literature. / Comp. IN AND. Kuleshova. - M.: Children's literature, 1983.

3. Saltykov-Shchedrin Satirical novels and fairy tales. M .: Moskovsky worker 1987.
Internet resources:

1. http://lib.ru/
2. http://hobbitaniya.ru/

Short description

Shchedrin was born and raised in a wealthy landowner's family, but there was an atmosphere of stinginess, mutual enmity, hypocrisy and inhumanity in the house.
Saltykov studied first at the Moscow Noble Institute and, as an excellent student, was sent to St. Petersburg, to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. In 1844, Saltykov graduated from the Lyceum and entered the military ministry.

The writing

Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin in his work chose the satirical principle of depicting reality as a sure weapon. He became the successor of the traditions of D. I. Fonvizin, A. S. Griboedov, N. V. Gogol in that he made satire his political weapon, fighting with it with sharp questions of his time.

Saltykov-Shchedrin refers to the fairy tale genre in his work more than once: first in 1869, and then after 1881, when historical conditions(the assassination of the king) led to increased censorship.

Like many writers, Saltykov-Shchedrin uses the fairy tale genre to reveal the vices of man and society. Written for "children of a fair age," the fairy tales are a sharp criticism of the existing system and, in essence, serve as a weapon that denounces the Russian autocracy.

The themes of fairy tales are very diverse: the author not only opposes the vices of autocracy (“The Bear in the Voivodeship”, “Bogatyr”), but also denounces noble despotism (“The Wild Landowner”). The views of the liberals ("Karas the idealist"), as well as the indifference of officials ("Idle Talk") and narrow-minded cowardice ("The Wise Minnow") cause particular condemnation in the satirist.

However, there is a theme that, one might say, is present in many fairy tales - this is the theme of the oppressed people. In the fairy tales “How one man fed two generals”, “Konyaga” it sounds especially bright.

Themes and problems determine the variety of characters acting in these witty satirical works. These are stupid rulers, who strike with their ignorance and tyrant landowners, officials and townsfolk, merchants and peasants. Sometimes the characters are quite reliable, and we find in them the features of specific historical figures, and sometimes the images are allegorical and allegorical.

Using the folklore and fairy-tale form, the satirist covers the most pressing issues of Russian life, acts as a defender of popular interests and advanced ideas.

The tale “The Tale of How One Man Feeded Two Generals” stands out from all of them with its special dynamism, variability of the plot. The writer uses a fantastic trick - the generals, as if "by pike", are transferred to a desert island, and here the writer, with his characteristic irony, demonstrates to us the complete helplessness of officials and their inability to act.

“The generals served all their lives in some kind of registry; there they were born, brought up and grew old, therefore, they did not understand anything. They didn't even know the words. Due to their stupidity and narrow-mindedness, they almost starved to death. But a man comes to their aid, who is a master of all trades: he can hunt and cook food. The image of a “hefty man” in this tale personifies both the strength and weakness of the Russian people. Skill, his extraordinary abilities are combined in this image with humility, class passivity (the man himself weaves a rope to be tied to a tree at night). Having collected ripe apples for the generals, he takes for himself sour, immature, and he was also glad that the generals “praised him, a parasite, and did not disdain him for peasant labor.”

The tale of two generals suggests that the people, according to Saltykov-Shchedrin, are the backbone of the state, they are the creator of material and spiritual values.

The theme of the people is developed in another fairy tale by Saltykov-Shchedrin - "Konyaga", which was created in 1885. In style, it differs from others in the absence of action.

This tale is called the strongest work in the series dedicated to the plight of the Russian peasantry. The image of a horse-worker is collective. He personifies the entire forced laboring people, it reflects the tragedy of millions of peasants, this enormous force, enslaved and disenfranchised.

In this tale, the theme of the obedience of the people, their wordlessness and lack of desire to fight also sounds. Konyaga, “tortured, beaten, narrow-chested, with protruding ribs and burned shoulders, with broken legs” - such a portrait is created by the author, who mourns for the unenviable fate of a disenfranchised people. Reflections on the future, the fate of the people are painful, but filled with selfless love.

In the fairy tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin, with the help of Aesopian language, elements of fantasy, folk traditions and satirical devices various topics are heard, political problems are developed, topical issues. Defending the advanced ideals of his time, the author acted in his works as a defender of the people's interests. Having enriched folklore plots with new content, Saltykov-Shchedrin directed the genre of fairy tales to educate civic feelings and special respect for the people.