Questions to the story of Merime Matteo Falcone. Literature lesson based on the novel by Prosper Merimee "Matteo Falcone"

Year of writing — 1829

Genre— short story

Novella- a small work about an unusual event in life with an unexpected ending, intense and vividly depicted action.

main characters: Matteo Falcone, his son Fortunata, wife Giuseppe, fugitive criminal Giannetto Sanpiero, soldiers and sergeant Teodor Gamba.

Issues- honor and betrayal

Time and place of action- the events of the story take place at the beginning of the 19th century on the island of Corsica.

Topic: murder of a traitor son by a father. The theme of the people as a carrier of high moral principles occupies a large place in the work of Merimee.

Idea: the superiority of moral principles over personal attitude

The main idea of ​​the novel by Prosper Merimee "Matteo Falcone": it is necessary to observe the moral norms accepted in a given society, deviation from them is strictly punished.

Plot

The boy was alone at home when a man in rags forced him to hide him from the soldiers and gave him a silver coin for this. The boy hid it in a haystack. The sergeant was a relative of this boy, he asked to extradite the criminal and gave him a watch for this. The boy pointed to the haystack.
The robber was arrested, and at that time the boy's father returned. He learned about what happened.

Mateo Falcone, following the Corsican code of honor of those years, kills his only son for greed, betrayal and violation of the law of hospitality. It didn't matter that they had a criminal hiding that the police were looking for. The father did not even listen to his son, he told him to pray, and then shot a ten-year-old boy in cold blood, tempted by the promised reward from a police relative. And the mother could only cry about her son, she - a Corsican - obeyed her husband and accepted the harsh laws of society.

Novella by Prosper Mérimée "Matteo Falcone"

One early autumn morning, Matteo and his wife went to poppies look at their flocks that were grazing in the clearing. Little Fortunato wanted to go with them, but the pasture was too far away, someone had to stay behind to guard the house, and his father did not take him with him. From what follows it will be seen how he had to repent of that.

1 stop

Several hours had passed since they left; little Fortunato lay quietly in the very sun and, looking at the blue mountains, thought that next Sunday he would go to dinner in the city with his uncle caporale , when suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a gunshot. He jumped up and turned towards the plain where the sound had come from. Again, at irregular intervals, shots were heard, closer and closer; Finally, on the path leading from the plain to Matteo's house, a man appeared, covered with tatters, overgrown with a beard, in a pointed hat, such as mountaineers wear. He could hardly move his legs, leaning on the gun. He had just been shot in the thigh.

2 stop

He was a bandit who, having gone to the city at night for gunpowder, was ambushed by Corsican voltigeurs 1 . He fired furiously and eventually managed to escape from the chase, hiding behind the ledges of rocks. But he was not much ahead of the soldiers: the wound did not allow him to run to poppies.

He approached Fortunato and asked:

-Are you Matteo Falcone's son?

Yes.

- I am Giannetto Sanpiero. The yellow collars are chasing me. Hide me, I can't go anymore.

- What will my father say if I hide you without his permission?

- He will say that you did well.

How to know!

- Hide me quickly, they're coming here!

- Wait until your father returns.

- Wait? Damn! Yes, they'll be here in five minutes. Come on, hide me quickly, or I'll kill you!

Fortunato answered him with complete composure:

-Your gun is unloaded, and in your carchera no more ammo.

I have a dagger.

- Where can you follow me!

In one leap, he was out of danger.

- No, you are not the son of Matteo Falcone! Are you going to let me be captured near your house?

This must have had an effect on the boy.

Voltigeurs- here: mounted soldiers.

3 stop

- What will you give me if I hide you? he asked, approaching.

The bandit rummaged in a leather bag hanging from his belt and pulled out a five-franc coin, which he probably hid to buy gunpowder. Fortunato smiled at the sight of the silver coin; he seized her and said to Giannetto:

Don't be afraid of anything.

4 stop

He immediately made a large hole in a haystack that stood near the house. Giannetto curled up in it, and the boy covered it with hay so that the air penetrated there and he had something to breathe. It would never have occurred to anyone that someone was hidden in the mop. In addition, with the cunning of a savage, he came up with another trick. He brought a cat with kittens and put it on the hay so that it looked as if it had not been stirred for a long time. Then, noticing traces of blood on the path near the house, he carefully covered them with earth and again, as if nothing had happened, stretched out in the sun.

A few minutes later, six riflemen in brown uniforms with yellow collars, under the command of a sergeant, were already standing in front of Matteo's house. This sergeant was a distant relative of Falcone. (It is known that in Corsica more than anywhere else they are considered kinship.) His name was Teodoro Gamba. He was a very active man, a storm of bandits, whom he caught quite a few.

Hello, nephew! he said, going up to Fortunato. - How did you grow up! Has anyone passed by here just now?

Well, uncle, I'm not as big as you yet! - answered the boy with a simple-hearted look.<…>

Ah, rogue! You are cunning! Answer quickly, where did Giannetto go, we are looking for him. He walked this path, I'm sure of it.

How much do I know?

How much do you know? And I know that you saw him.

Do you see passers-by when you sleep?

You didn't sleep, you bastard! The shots woke you up.

Do you think, uncle, that your guns fire so loudly? Father's carbine shoots much louder.<…>

Scammer! - said Gamba, grabbing his ear. - I only have to want, and you will sing in a different way! - It should, perhaps, give you a dozen or two blows with a flat saber so that you finally speak.

And Fortunato continued to laugh.

My father is Matteo Falcone! he said significantly.

Do you know, rascal, that I can take you to Corte or Bastia, throw you in jail on straw, shackle you and cut off your head, if you do not tell me where Giannetto Sanpiero is?

The boy burst out laughing at such a ridiculous threat. He repeated:

My father is Matteo Falcone.

Sergeant! one of the voltigeurs said softly. - No need to quarrel with Matteo.

Gamba was clearly in trouble. He spoke in an undertone to the soldiers, who had already inspected the entire house.<…>

The sergeant and his squad were losing patience; they were already looking at the plain, as if about to return to where they came from, but then ...

Bastia- a city and port on the northeast coast of Corsica.

5 stop

…their boss, convinced that the threats did not make any impression on the son of Falcone, decided to make a last attempt and test the power of affection and bribery.<…>

-... listen: be smart and I'll give you something. <…>

The sergeant pulled out of his pocket a silver watch, which cost a good ten crowns, and, noticing that the eyes of little Fortunato lit up at the sight of it, he said to him, holding the watch hanging by the end of the steel chain:

-Rogue! You would probably like to wear such a watch on your chest, you would walk proudly through the streets of Porto-Vecchio, like a peacock, and when passers-by would ask you: “What time is it?” - you would answer: "Look at my watch."

-When I grow up, my uncle corporal will give me a watch.

- Yes, but your uncle's son already has a watch... not as pretty as this one, though... and he's younger than you. The boy sighed.

- Well, do you want this watch, nephew?

Fortunato, glancing sideways at his watch, was like a cat being offered a whole chicken. Feeling that he is teased, he does not dare to stick his claws into him, from time to time averts his eyes to resist the temptation, constantly licks his lips and with his whole appearance seems to say to the owner: “How cruel your joke is!”<…>

-Just tell me where Giannetto and your watch are.

Fortunato smiled incredulously, his black eyes fixed on the sergeant's, trying to read them as far as he could believe his words.

-Let them take off my epaulettes, - cried the sergeant, - if you don’t get a watch for this! The soldiers will be witnesses that I will not go back on my words.

As he spoke, he brought the watch closer and closer to Fortunato, almost touching the boy's pale cheek with it. Fortunato's face clearly reflected the struggle that had flared up in his soul between the passionate desire to receive a watch and the duty of hospitality. His bare chest heaved heavily - it seemed that he was about to suffocate. And the clock swayed in front of him, spinning, now and then touching the tip of his nose.

6 stop

Finally, Fortunato hesitantly reached for the watch, the fingers of his right hand touched it, the watch lay on his palm, although the sergeant still did not let go of the chain ... The blue dial ... The brightly polished cover ... It burns with fire in the sun ... The temptation was too great.

Fortunato raised his left hand and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at the haystack he was leaning against. The sergeant understood immediately. He let go of the end of the chain, and Fortunato felt like he was the sole owner of the watch. He jumped up faster than a doe and ran ten paces away from the shock, which the voltigeurs immediately began to scatter.

The hay stirred, and a bloodied man with a dagger in his hand crawled out of the hay; he tried to stand on his feet, but the clotted wound prevented him from doing so. He fell. The sergeant rushed at him and pulled out the dagger. He was immediately tied hand and foot, despite resistance.

Lying on the ground, twisted like a bundle of brushwood, Giannetto turned his head towards Fortunato, who approached him.

-...son! he said more contemptuously than angrily.

The boy tossed him a silver coin which he had given him—he knew he no longer had any right to it—but the culprit seemed to take no notice of it. With complete composure, he said to the sergeant:

- Dear Gamba! I can't go; you will have to carry me to the city.<…>

7 stop

While the voltigeurs were busy, some preparing a stretcher from chestnut branches, some dressing Giannetto's wound, at the turn of the path that led to poppies, suddenly appeared Matteo Falcone and his wife.<…>

Matteo stopped without saying a word; while the sergeant spoke, he slowly raised the muzzle of his gun so that it was pointing skyward at the moment the sergeant approached.

Good afternoon brother! said the sergeant, holding out his hand. - We haven't seen each other for a long time.

Good afternoon brother!

I came by to say hello to you and to Sister Peppa. Today we made a fair finish, but we have too noble booty, and we cannot complain of fatigue. We just covered Giannetto Sanpiero.

Thank God! Giuseppa screamed. “He stole a dairy goat from us last week.

These words delighted Gamba.

Poor fellow! Matteo replied. - He was hungry!

That scoundrel defended himself like a lion,” continued the sergeant, a little annoyed. “He killed one of my shooters and crushed Corporal Chardon's arm; well, this trouble is not great: after all, Chardon is a Frenchman ... And then he hid himself so well that the devil himself would not have found him. If not for my nephew Fortunato, I would never have found him.

Fortunato? exclaimed Matteo.

Fortunato? repeated Giuseppa.

-Yes! Giannetto hid in that haystack over there, but his nephew discovered his trick. I will tell his uncle the corporal about this, and he will send him a good gift as a reward. And I will mention both him and you in the report addressed to the prosecutor.

- Damn! - Matteo said a little audibly.

They approached the group. Giannetto was lying on a stretcher, they were about to carry him away. Seeing Matteo next to Gamba, he somehow grinned strangely, and then, turning to face the house, spat on the threshold and said:

House of the traitor!

Only a man doomed to death could dare to call Falcone a traitor. A blow from a dagger would immediately repay the insult, and such a blow would not have to be repeated.

However, Matteo raised only his hand to his forehead, like a heartbroken man.

Fortunato, seeing his father, went into the house. Soon he reappeared with a bowl of milk in his hands and, lowering his eyes, handed it to Giannetto.

Then, turning to one of the voltigeurs, he said:

-Comrade! Give me a drink.

<…>The sergeant signaled to start, said goodbye to Matteo, and, not receiving an answer, quickly moved towards the plain.

About ten minutes passed, and Matteo remained silent. The boy glanced anxiously first at his mother, then at his father, who, leaning on his gun, looked at his son with an expression of restrained anger.

Good start! Matteo finally said in a calm voice, but terrible for those who knew this man.

Father! - cried the boy; his eyes filled with tears, he took a step forward, as if about to fall on his knees before him.

But Matteo shouted:

Away!

The boy, sobbing, stopped motionless a few paces from his father.

8 stop

Giuseppa arrived. She noticed the watch chain, the end of which stuck out from under Fortunato's shirt.

Who gave you this watch? she asked sternly.

Uncle Sgt.

Falcone snatched out the watch and, throwing it with force against a stone, smashed it to smithereens.

- Wife! - he said. - Is this my child?

Giuseppa's swarthy cheeks were brick red.

- Watch out, Matteo! Think about who you're talking to!

-So this child was the first in our family to become a traitor.

Fortunato's sobs and sobs intensified, and Falcone still fixed his lynx eyes on him. Finally, he banged his butt on the ground and, throwing his gun over his shoulder, went along the road to poppies, ordering Fortunato to follow him. The boy obeyed.

Giuseppa rushed to Matteo and grabbed his arm.

-After all, this is your son! she cried in a trembling voice, glaring her black eyes into her husband's eyes and as if trying to read what was going on in his soul.

-Leave me, - said Matteo. - I'm his father!

Giuseppa kissed her son and, crying, returned to the house.

She threw herself on her knees in front of the image of the Mother of God and began to pray fervently. Meanwhile, Falcone, having walked two hundred paces along the path, descended into a small ravine. After testing the earth with a butt, he was convinced that the earth was loose and that it would be easy to dig it. The place seemed to him suitable for the fulfillment of his plan.

- Fortunato! Stand by that big stone.

Fulfilling his order, Fortunato fell to his knees.

Pray!

- Father! Father! Do not kill me!

- Pray! repeated Matteo menacingly.

Stuttering and crying, the boy read "Our Father" and "I believe." The father at the end of each prayer firmly said "Amen".

-Do you know more prayers?

-Father! I also know the Mother of God and the litany that my aunt taught me.

- It is very long... Well, anyway, read on.

The boy finished the litany without a sound.

Are you finished?

-Father, have mercy! I'm sorry! I will never again! I'll ask Uncle Corporal to pardon Giannetto!

He babbled something else; Matteo raised his gun and, taking aim, said:

- May God forgive you!

Fortunato made a desperate effort to get up and fall at his father's feet, but he did not succeed. Matteo fired and the boy fell dead.

Without even looking at the corpse, Matteo went along the path to the house for a shovel to bury his son. Before he had gone a few steps, he saw Giuseppa: she was running, alarmed by the shot.

- What did you do? - she exclaimed.

- Executed justice.

Where is he?

- In the ravine. I will bury him now. He died a Christian. I'll order a memorial service for him. I must tell my son-in-law, Theodore Bianchi, to come live with us.

9 stop

"Matteo Falcone" the main characters and their characteristics will help to understand the reasons for their actions.

"Matteo Falcone" main characters

main characters:

• Matteo Falcone - head of families
• his son Fortunato,
• Giuseppa is Matteo's wife, a woman who is not very respected in Corsican families. Household, obedient to her husband, pious. She sincerely regrets her son, but cannot protect him from her husband.
• fugitive criminal Giannetto Sanpiero,
• soldiers and sergeant Theodore Gamba.

"Matteo Falcone" characterization of heroes

- a typical Corsican who knows how to shoot accurately, resolute, proud, brave, strong, observes the laws of hospitality and is ready to help anyone who asks her. Matteo Falcone does not tolerate meanness and betrayal. He owned numerous herds, which were looked after by specially hired shepherds. In Corsica, he was considered a good friend and a dangerous enemy.

“He lived honestly, that is, without doing anything, on income from his numerous flocks, which the nomadic shepherds grazed in the mountains, driving from place to place.”

Someone considers Matteo Falcone a hero, someone a murderer. For some, he is a man with great willpower, an iron character, who even managed to kill his own son in order to punish betrayal ... And for someone, a cruel killer who, in order to maintain his good name, killed his little son.

From the point of view of Christianity, from the universal point of view, he is a murderer who has committed a grave sin. And from the point of view of the unwritten laws of the inhabitants of Corsica, their understanding of duty and honor, he is a hero who has done justice. Great willpower and firmness of character are needed to punish one's own son. It is love for his son that pushes Falcone to kill. The strength of Matteo Falcone's character is such that he overcomes the natural human instinct to preserve himself in children, the instinct of procreation. But at that time he could not do otherwise. The meaning of the hero's life is the honor of the family. According to Matteo, the honor of a person, the purity of the soul must be impeccable, without flaw.

Fortunato Ten-year-old son Matteo. The boy is smart, cunning, cautious. He helped a fugitive, for his own benefit.

The boy behaves with the gendarmes who were looking for the criminal, confidently, coolly, trying to confuse them, not afraid, even laughing. Fortunato is not afraid of either a bandit or a policeman, he behaves with them quite independently and freely: he is sure that no one will touch Matteo Falcone's son. The boy's problem is different. He hid the bandit and promised him: "Don't be afraid of anything." And he gave the criminal to the gendarmes for a silver watch. This act of the boy is immoral, vile, low. Now he is a traitor and would remain so for the rest of his life.

Fortunato died at the hands of his own father. He paid with his life because of his selfishness and greed, which led him to betrayal. Sergeant Gamba, who bribed the boy and provoked his act, was also involved in this.

Why did Matteo Falcone kill his son?

Matteo Falcone did this because he did not want to raise a traitor in his house. A small traitor grows into a big one, he thought.

One who has already committed betrayal once cannot count on the respect of people, no matter how small he may be.

For Matteo, a good name and honor are dearer than anything, even dearer than his son. Matteo committed the murder of his son because local customs dictated it to him, but no one has the right to decide when to die

Literature lesson in 6th grade.

Novella by Prosper Mérimée "Matteo Falcone".

1. Introduce students to the work of Prosper Merimee.

2. Give a concept about the genre of the novel, about the heroic character in literature

3. To develop the ability to competently characterize literary characters;

development of skills to compare, generalize, trace the feelings of the main character;

to teach schoolchildren to understand their world, actions through a work of art;

4. To educate moral qualities, such as honor, conscience, dignity, fidelity to duty.

During the classes.

I. Organization of the lesson.

II. Introductory speech of the teacher about the life and work of the writer.

Prosper Merimee is a representative of French literature of the 19th century.

He was born in Paris in 1803. His parents were artists. The boy grew up in a family where they worshiped art. As a young man, he entered the University of Paris at the Faculty of Law. However, the legal sciences did not interest the student, and literature, the history of languages, and archeology became his real vocation. Later, P. Merimee was elected a member of the French Academy.

The creative path of the writer began in 1825 with the publication of a collection of plays called "The Theater of Clara Gasul". In the period up to 1829, a large number of ballads, poems, and the novel Chronicle of the Reign of Charles IX were written. Merimee's further work is connected with the genre of short narrative form - the short story. Merimee's heroes are always extraordinary, exceptional people with a difficult fate. Suffice it to recall Carmen - the name of this heroine is known to the whole world. The famous opera by Bizet was written based on the short story by Merimee. His novella "Matteo Falcone" became a masterpiece of novelistic art, where the tragic story of the hero - little Fortunatto - shocks the reader.

The novel "Matteo Falcone" was written in 1829 and then translated into Russian. One of the translators was N.V. Gogol. In this work, the writer is mainly interested in moral and aesthetic problems, he penetrates deeper into the inner world of his characters, explores the connection of their actions with reality, with the circumstances of life.

Merimee knew the Russian language, Russian literature. He translated into French the short story "The Queen of Spades" and the poem "Gypsies" by Pushkin, a number of works by Gogol and the novel "Smoke" by Turgenev, with whom he was familiar and corresponded.

The work of Merimee - a historian, creator of bright, unforgettable characters - is interesting for the reader. This is a writer who develops an exacting literary taste, helps readers appreciate the merits of prose.

III. Work on the concept of a short story.

The work "Matteo Falcone" is written in the genre of a short story. Let's write the definition in a notebook.

Novella- a small epic work comparable to a short story, characterized by a sharp, fast-paced plot and a lack of descriptiveness. The focus of the novel is usually an incident that affects the life of the hero, revealing his character.

Work on the epigraph for the novel

What did you do? - she exclaimed.
- Served justice.
P. Merime.

Let's answer the following questions:

Why are these lines taken out as an epigraph?

The writer focuses on the human character, the character of the protagonist - Matteo. What can you say about this person?

Let's write down the main theses that will help you answer these questions:

Social status;

• His past;

  people's attitude towards him.

There is a card in front of you, refer to it when analyzing the novel.

IV.Test on reading.

Performing a test to identify students' knowledge of the text.

1. The action of the novel takes place:

A) on the coast

B) on a steep hill

B) in the gorge of the mountains

2. Poppies are:

A) red flowers

B) a plantation for growing smugglers' goods

C) dense chaotic thickets of shoots from a burnt forest.

3. “A man of small stature, but strong, with curly pitch-black hair, an aquiline nose, thin lips, large lively eyes and a face of the color of dressed skin” is a portrait:

A) Matteo Falcone

B) Giannetto Sanpiero

B) Theodora Gamba

4. Fortunato hid the bandit:

A) in the cellar

B) in a haystack

5. Yellow Collars are:

A) shepherds

B) Corsican soldiers

C) bandits who hid in poppies

6. Matteo Falcone was a rather rich man and lived:

A) in a spacious one-story house with many rooms

B) in a two-story mansion

C) his dwelling consisted of one square room

7. Fortunato was a boy:

A) selfish

B) disinterested

B) very cowardly

8.Soldiers:

A) immediately shot the captured bandit

B) bandaged his wound

B) put him in shackles

9. Matteo Falcone

A) was connected with bandits by common illegal affairs

B) was angry at the bandits

C) treated them with respect for their courage and courage

10.Gianneto:

A) mortally insulted Matteo, touched his family honor

B) shook his head sympathetically when he saw Matteo appear

C) shouted and swore at Matteo with the last words

11. Matteo:

A) praised his son for the watch received from the sergeant

B) smashed them to smithereens

c) didn't pay attention to the clock

12. Matteo made his son pray before his death:

A) to give yourself time to cool down, forgive the child and change your terrible decision

B) to let his son die a Christian

C) so that the son, having prayed, would repent and ask for forgiveness already with a clear conscience, and then his father would forgive him.

13. Matteo's act you explain:

A) great love for the motherland

B) selfishness

C) self-esteem and honor.

CODE: 1-b, 2-c, 3-a, 4-c, 5-b, 6-c, 7-a, 8-b, 9-c, 10-a, 11-b, 12-b, 13th century

(The answer to question 13 reveals the students' personal perception of the heroes, so other answers should not be regarded as incorrect).

V. Vocabulary work.

Determine the meanings of the words that will be needed in the lesson.

What does the word "Corsica" mean? (an island in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to France, the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, to whom Merimee treated with great respect). (show on the map)

Maki - forest thickets, thicket.

Voltigeurs - (student reading from a textbook) a detachment of shooters, for some time now recruited by the government so that, along with the gendarmes, they helped the police.

Stiletto - a small dagger with a thin triangular blade.

Fortuna -) in ancient Greek mythology: the goddess of fate, happiness, good luck, was depicted on a container or wheel (a symbol of the variability of happiness) with a blindfold and a horn. ( one must hope not for luck, but to have firm foundations)

Work with explanatory dictionary.

Traitor - one who betrayed treacherously placed at the disposal of someone

Honour -

VI. Analysis of the novel.

Today in the lesson we have to answer the question: So who is he, Matteo Falcone, a hero or a killer?

-- Where and when does the story take place?(The story takes place at the beginning of the 19th century on the island of Corsica. Impenetrable forest thickets, a semi-civilized population, primitive life, harsh and simple customs - this is the place where events develop.) ( reading the description of the house, - S.386. textbook).

-- What is this choice of scene called in the literature?(“local flavor”, it is typical for a number of “exotic” short stories by P. Merimee).

-- What does he use "local color" for?(“local color” plays a completely realistic role, helps to understand the characters’ characters, their psychology, to convey the atmosphere of the time in which human behavior is formed, i.e. the hero’s behavior depends on external circumstances, on the same “local color”).

-- What form does Merimee choose when describing the scene?(Merime chooses the form direct conversation with the reader, as if explaining to him the route “If you go northwest from Porto-Vecchio into the interior of the island, then the area will begin to rise quite steeply, and after a three-hour walk along winding paths cluttered with large clouds of rocks and in some places crossed by ravines, you will come out to vast thickets of poppies. Merimee calls these impenetrable thickets of the young forest "the birthplace of the Corsican shepherds and all those who are at odds with justice." So the writer gives the reader a sign: it will be about those "who are at odds with justice." Along the way, we learn that farmers do not bother to fertilize the soil, but follow this path: they burn the forest, and the soil turns out to be fertilized with the ashes of burned trees.)

--How does the writer talk about local customs?(Laconically, sparingly, as if simply stating facts.)

_ What examples can you give ( Description of the house by M. Falcone
(p. 386), “Father, if necessary, could count on daggers and carbines sons-in-law" p.382, "What did I think about when I saw the soldiers" Few of the Corsicans, rummaging well in memory does not remember any sinful thing like a gun shot, a blow with a stiletto, or other trifles in the same way…” p.389.)

Merimee uses appeal to the reader: "If you killed a man, run to the poppies ...").

-- What does it mean? (he does not call on the reader to kill. Merimee needs this ironic form so that the reader understands that the Corsican has no other option in such circumstances, the matter is common in Corsica, this is how it is done in this area. The most interesting thing is that Merimee is so detailed. With knowledge of the matter describing Corsica, was not there.From the note we learn that for the first time the writer was in Corsica only 10 years after writing the novel.).

So,

What do local people value in life? What laws do they live by?(p. 381, reading), (“if you killed a person, run to the poppies, from the point of view of the poppies, killing is not a sin, but a violation of the eternal laws of justice and duty. Above all, the Corsicans put a debt of honor").

--What can you say about the main character - Matteo Falcone?(“Matteo Falcone was a rather rich man”, “he lived honestly” (although Merimee immediately adds: “that is, without doing anything”); “the accuracy with which he fired a gun was unusual even for this region”; "he was considered as good a friend as a dangerous enemy"; "only a man doomed to death could dare to call Falcone a traitor.")

What role does portraiture play? (The portrait characterizes Matteo Falcone as a courageous, intelligent man. Hardened by life's difficulties, close to nature, "natural." He was "small in stature, but strong, with curly jet-black hair, an aquiline nose, thin lips, large lively eyes and a bare-skinned face.” This description romantic hero. Matteo Falcone is in all respects a true Corsican. This is a direct, courageous person, not accustomed to hesitate in the performance of duty.)

What event underlies the plot of the novel? (Murder by the father of his son for betrayal).

How do you feel about the boy's behavior?(Fortunatto's act - vile and low, a traitor - at first agreed to hide the wounded for a silver coin, but then, seduced by the sergeant's silver watch, betrayed his guest to his pursuers. Others believe that Fortunatto is still too small and did not understand what he had done.

Let's turn to the text. Fortunato was confident with Sergeant Gamba, proud that his father was a respected person: “My father is Matteo Falcone!” But when Gamba took out a silver watch, "little Fortunatto's eyes lit up." “Fortunatto’s face clearly reflected the struggle that broke out in his soul between the passionate desire to receive a watch and the duty of hospitality.” Fortunato could not resist the temptation.)

What was Gianetto to the boy? (guest).

- How do the Bashkirs treat the guest?

What mistake did Fortunato make? (He violated the custom of welcoming a guest, especially a wounded one. After all, at all times and among all peoples, the extradition of a wounded, unarmed person to the authorities who asked the owner of the house for shelter is regarded as a betrayal. For example, in Siberia, food was specially left for the night for fugitives).

Why did the father kill his son? Did he have a right to it? How did his wife react to the act of Matteo Falcone?(Matteo Falcone did this because that he did not want to raise a traitor in his family. A big one grows from a small traitor. He considered. He who once committed treachery cannot count on the respect of people, no matter how small he may be. . For Matteo Falcone, a good name and honor are dearer than anything, dearer than a son. Matteo committed this murder because local customs dictated it to him.. Exceptional by its nature, the situation of filicide in the image of Merimee acts as a natural, natural manifestation of the strong and whole nature of Matteo, everything Corsican way of life. Giuseppa, Matteo's wife , does not try to justify his traitor son. She cries and prays, but not a word of protest escapes her. She only tried to appeal to her husband's paternal feelings: "After all, this is your son!" Even in her motherly grief, she does not encroach on what, together with her husband, considers the dictates of duty.)

Why did the father punish his son so severely? (This is a natural, natural manifestation of the strong and whole nature of the Corsican, the whole way of Corsican life).

Who is he, Matteo Falcone - a hero or a killer? (In the figure of Matteo Falcone, a conflict of the heroic and treacherous beginnings of life is revealed. It turns out that Matteo is both a hero and a murderer. From the point of view of Christianity, from a universal point of view, he is a murderer who has committed a grave sin. And from the point of view of the unwritten laws of the inhabitants of Corsica, their understanding of duty and honor, he is a hero who has done justice. You need great willpower and firmness of character to punish your own son. It is love for his son that pushes Falcone to kill. The strength of Matteo Falcone's character is such that he overcomes the natural human instinct to preserve himself in children, the instinct to continue kind.)

We saw how complex and ambiguous the character of the hero of the novel, Matteo Falcone.

And the last. Note the significance of the name of the son of the protagonist, Fortunatto. Fortune means "luck". Fortunatto was "the hope of the family and the successor of the family." In this name, there is a tragic discrepancy between the fate of the heroes and their initial hopes.

VII. Lesson results.

So, we are convinced that in order to understand the nature of literary heroes, it is necessary take into account the time and circumstances in which it is placed.

We must also take into account that wild poppies are beginning to penetrate monetary relations, morals are changing. This is already realism.(They bribe Fortunato for hours. The father thinks about the new heir, whom he is going to make a son-in-law, without having time to bury his son.)

But despite the easing of laws, humanism, and today it is important to maintain a sense of duty, honor, and today treat betrayal with contempt. Which work that we studied touches on the same problem? ("The Captain's Daughter", who advises " Take care of honor from a young age".) It contains the idea of ​​high morality, honor, fidelity, duty, oath, human dignity, which a person must bring through any trials. This proverb, which has come down to us from time immemorial, has been and remains an excellent parting word for every young person. Because there are concepts that are the most important in all ages, there are prohibitions that "must not be violated."

Homework.

Complete the “Creative Task” of the textbook or answer one of the questions in writing:

1. What is the fault and misfortune of Fortunato?

2. Is it possible to justify the cruel act of Matteo Falcone?

The writing

The name of Prosper Mérimée rightfully takes its place in the brilliant constellation of French realists of the second half of the 19th century. The work of Stendhal, Balzac and their younger contemporary Mérimée became the pinnacle of French national culture of the post-revolutionary period.

The writer wanted to give an idea of ​​the cruel customs of the XIV century, without violating historical accuracy.

In 1829, P. Mérimée began writing the novel "Matteo Falcone". Merimee's short stories amaze with their emotional expressiveness and conciseness. In the short stories, the writer is drawn to an exotic theme. The cruel life of modernity forced him to turn to the depiction of passions, which became a sign of human originality.

The central event of the novel - the murder of his son for treachery - organizes all the plot material. A short exposition not only explains the origin of maquis, but also characterizes Corsican customs, local hospitality and readiness to help the persecuted. “If you have killed a man, run to the maquis of Porto-Vecchio… The shepherds will give you milk, cheese and chestnuts, and you have nothing to fear from justice…”

Matteo Falcone is a brave and dangerous man, famous for the extraordinary art of shooting, he is faithful in friendship, dangerous in enmity. His character traits are determined by the laws of Corsican life.

In the scene of Fortunato's betrayal, almost every word is weighty, as is the symbolism of the boy's name, which makes it possible to imagine how much his father expected from him. At ten years old, the boy "showed great promise", for which the father was proud of his son. This is evidenced by the intelligence and courage with which he made a deal, first with Giannetto, and then with Gamba.

Sergeant Gamba played the role of a fatal seducer, he is also a Corsican, even a distant relative of Matteo, although he has completely different personal qualities. He represents a world in which profit and calculation overwhelm all natural impulses. A silver watch with a blue dial and a steel chain became a symbol of commercial civilization. This thing took the lives of two people. In the death of Fortunato, one can safely declare Sergeant Gamba guilty. The specifics of Corsian life, as well as the internal tragedy of the event, are revealed by a sparse dialogue and laconic expressiveness of the action. Matteo, his wife Giuseppa, bandit Gianneto Sampiero, maca shepherds are people of the same world, living according to their own internal laws. This world is opposed by Sergeant Gamba, his yellow-collared voltigeurs - a sign of their oddity, the semi-mythical and omnipotent "uncle corporal", whose son already has a watch and who, as Fortunatto thinks, can do anything. The spatial border of these two worlds lies between the poppies and the field, while the moral border can be overcome at the cost of betraying the moral laws of your world, which is what Fotunato is trying to do.

His actions can be interpreted in different ways. On the one hand, he betrayed Corsican laws, violated moral norms; on the other hand, it is easy to understand him: he is still a child, he liked the watch very much, and a zealous feeling of envy appeared, because the son of “Uncle Corporal” has such a watch, although he is younger than Fortunato. In addition, Gamba promised the boy that "uncle corporal" would send him a good gift as a reward.

Matteo punishes his son for such an act with death. The fact that the sentence handed down by Fotunato's father was not the result of Matteo's personal exaggerated ideas about the honor of the family, but expressed a moral attitude towards the betrayal of the whole people, is evidenced by the behavior of Giuseppa, who, with all her grief, recognizes that Matteo was right.