The historical past in the story by N.V. Gogol "Taras Bulba" lesson plan on literature (7th grade) on the topic. Historical basis of the story "Taras Bulba". Real historical events underlying the story Historical time in the story Taras Bulba

The time of action of the story “Taras Bulba” is related to the events in the Zaporozhye Sich. However, Gogol, violating historical chronology, mixed incidents and episodes from different centuries. He did not observe historical accuracy at all, because for him it was not historical, but artistic time that was more important.

Artistic time is the conventional time that is depicted in a work of art.

In Gogol, as in other writers, it does not coincide with historical time and with the time of the image. Gogol, firstly, describes the events of almost three centuries, but places them in one artistic time. It is absolutely clear that even such a hero as Taras Bulba could not live two or three hundred years. Secondly, about the historical era of the Zaporozhye Sich, which had long disappeared by the time of Gogol, is written not by its contemporary, but by a distant descendant. Consequently, the time depicted in the story does not coincide with the time of the image. In other words, a person of the 19th century writes about the era of the 15th-17th centuries. Artistic time is conditional, and the writer, in in this case Gogol, it is necessary for special purposes.

There are two such features of artistic time in Taras Bulba: it is famous for its exploits and heroes, and it is epic, that is, it was a long time ago. The story was created in the spirit of a heroic epic, like the epic of Homer or the epic of chivalry, but it arose in a different place.

Her main character- Taras Bulba - is endowed with epic integrity and carries within himself the conventional ethical values ​​of the Zaporozhye Sich. And they are that the Zaporozhye Sich - Orthodox world, a special “nomadic” and free cultural and historical community. Its irreconcilable enemy is Catholic and “sedentary” Poland. Statehood has already been established in Poland. The Zaporozhye Sich is a wild freemen, which rests on “comradery”, brotherhood, on conditional equality that excludes property. All concepts of good and evil in the Zaporozhye Sich are special, they belong to a bygone world, and they must be judged not according to modern, but according to the laws of that time. For example, a Cossack needs will, but not a hut, because if a person has a house or any property, he loses courage. The one who is homeless is brave. Everyone needs a wife to bear children. Otherwise, she is a burden and only fetters the will. For a Cossack, mother and wife are lower than friend. Above all else, even family ties, is camaraderie. The two sons of Taras Bulba are first of all comrades, brothers, and then sons. Old Taras is proud of Ostap because he follows the laws of brotherhood without betraying them. Andriy is unworthy to be the son of Taras, since he violated the commandments of partnership. He must certainly die in order for the Cossack community to maintain unshakable unity. Since Taras gave birth to a traitor, he is obliged to rid the Cossacks of Andriy.

Another feature of the Cossack partnership is the Orthodox faith. It does not at all act as a teaching of the church, but is thought of as a simple belonging to Orthodoxy, to Christ. Consequently, faith is a sign, a symbol of the Sich.

The Cossacks know literacy, but they consider it bookish wisdom, which is lower than military wisdom. True education in the spirit of camaraderie will only be completed when Ostap and Andriy master the martial art and take part in battles with the Catholic Poles. War is a bloody test of loyalty to comradeship, loyalty to Orthodoxy. Anyone who fought receives an indisputable right to an honorable place in the sacred Fatherland. The meaning of the feasts in “Taras Bulba” is clear, when a barrel of red wine is rolled out and with this wine and simple bread the Cossacks partake of faith and comradeship before battles.

Zaporozhye Sich is a special conventional artistic world in which its own moral values, its own concepts of good and evil operate. When Gogol describes them, he takes the side of the main character - Taras Bulba. Taras Bulba is the keeper of the holy laws of partnership and faith. He is the bearer of epic consciousness and its exponent. Therefore, his point of view appears as objective and always correct, undeniable. This is how the chronicler writes, this is how the folk storyteller tells it, completely trusting the epic hero. In other words, Taras Bulba is always right. Even when in the actions of the Zaporozhye freemen there is a feeling of predatory revelry, both from a modern point of view and from the point of view of a person of the 19th century, many of Taras Bulba’s actions are anti-human and disgusting. But Gogol portrays them with epic calm. They are not subject to critical evaluation or moral judgment, because Taras Bulba is an ideal hero of Slavic antiquity and because he acted in full accordance with the morals that reigned in his era.

As soon as the common feelings and concepts that unite people (Fatherland, faith, blood family kinship, common clan property that belongs to everyone and the brotherhood and camaraderie based on them) are replaced by personal feelings and concepts, individual preferences, the epic world immediately decomposes and collapses.

Historically, the satisfaction of personal interests and individual aspirations, of course, meant a decisive step by society towards humanity, spiritual subtlety, and deeper individual development. But to Gogol, as well as to other writers, this process was revealed from the other side: as the triumph of individualism, selfish passions over common interests, over common faith, over patriotic feelings. The power of egoism and the superiority of individualistic passions meant the end of an epic era in which man had not yet stood out from the general whole. In Taras Bulba, Cossack unity is placed above Andriy’s individualism, but it is dying, losing its power and is supported only by tradition. The epic world is still capable of temporarily protecting itself and protecting it from the triumph of egoistic manifestations; it is still capable of punishing and punishing a hero who has fallen away from the family-tribal fraternal unity, but gradually the epic world itself, and time, and its heroes are also dying. Together with them, the heroic epic goes into the past, the place of which goes to the novel, including love, glorifying refined personal feelings, revelations of individual love. Andriy becomes such a novel hero. Contrary to his preferences, Gogol with exceptional lyricism describes his inherent feeling of love, the beauty of the Polish woman, who appears to Andriy simultaneously in traditionally epic and folklore images and in individual sensations (pallor, comparison with pearls, etc.). The writer presents this personal feeling as a satanic temptation, as a devilish obsession, as a manifestation of individualism, but through such an image admiration for beauty, the sophistication of experiences, and spiritual richness also shines through. Gogol cannot hide his intoxication with girlish beauty.

Nevertheless, it is the epic world and epic consciousness that is leaving the historical arena that wins, and not the individualistic world and egoistic consciousness, in which humanity, humaneness, and personality in general with its own morals and interests were contradictorily manifested. In contrast to the execution of Andria, Gogol depicts the execution of Ostap, the eldest son, heir to the tradition. The shameful execution in solitude is replaced by the high, solemn execution of Ostap in full view of the entire square: “... people poured in there from all sides.” And so Ostap approached the frontal area. His life is directly compared with the execution of Christ, with the cup he drank the day before in the Garden of Gethsemane (“He was the first to drink this heavy cup”). The execution is understood as an execution for faith, just as Christ sacrificed himself for faith: “Grant, God, that all the heretics who stand here do not hear, the wicked, how a Christian suffers! So that not one of us utters a single word!” And here Ostap, enduring unbearable torment, as befits an epic hero, calls out not to his mother, not to his wife: “... he would like to see a strong husband now...” And he turns to his father, to the family origin, and he responds to his exclamation. Gogol contrasts the bewitching female beauty and her personal experience with the beauty of courage, which is characteristic of a rough and simple, but integral epic hero.

Taras Bulba is also faithful to the triumph of the masculine principle. He gathers an army and starts a war to avenge the death of Ostap. The new war is an attempt to preserve the Cossack community, the Cossack freemen, who lived by raids, robberies and at the same time firmly defending their independence and the Orthodox faith. When Taras is captured by the Poles, the execution ahead of him - to be burned at the stake - is interpreted as a high, sin-burning and cleansing sacrifice for the sake of comradeship. It is not for nothing that Taras was given the last joy - to see that the brother of the beautiful Polish woman who seduced Andriy died, and the last minute of happiness to watch how his comrades were saved and the Cossack brotherhood was preserved. This means that the “Orthodox Russian faith” has not died.

Three executions: one execution of the traitor, the traitor Andriy, another execution of Ostap, who died for his faith, and the third - Taras for the glory of comradeship. Three last words, three shouts: Andria - to the Polish lady, Ostap - to his father, Taras - to his comrades and to the coming Russian power: “Even now they sense distant and close generations: their king is rising across the Russian land and there will be no power in the world , which would not submit to him!..” The Zaporozhye Sich goes into the mythological past, becoming a legend, tradition, the property of epic tales. She did not die, her memory was preserved. It only gave way to the historical place of the great Russian kingdom, which has such power that there is no force “that would overpower the Russian force!” And although the writer’s romantic prophecy came true, the enthusiastic elation of the prophecies in “Taras Bulba” was nevertheless corrected by the general composition of the stories included in “Mirgorod”.

Edition 1835. Part I

Edition 1842. Part I

The original author's version of the revised manuscript was transferred by the author to N. Ya. Prokopovich for the preparation of the 1842 edition, but differs from the latter. After Prokopovich’s death, the manuscript was acquired, among other Gogol manuscripts, by Count G. A. Kushelev-Bezborodko and donated by him to the Nizhyn Lyceum of Prince Bezborodko (see N. Gerbel, “On Gogol’s manuscripts belonging to the Lyceum of Prince Bezborodko,” “Time,” 1868, No. 4, pp. 606-614; cf. “Russian Antiquity” 1887, No. 3, pp. 711-712); in 1934, the manuscript was transferred from the library of the Nizhyn Pedagogical Institute to the manuscript department of the Library of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kyiv.

Neither the 1842 edition nor the 1855 edition can be used as the basis for the development canonical text stories, as they are clogged with extraneous editorial corrections. The basis of the published text of the story (Gogol N.V. Complete works: [In 14 volumes] / USSR Academy of Sciences; Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin. House). - [M.; L.]: Publishing House Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1937-1952) based on the text prepared for publication by Gogol himself in 1842, that is, the text of the autograph; the missing passages were taken from the clerk’s copy, where they were copied from the corrected copy of “Mirgorod” (in several cases the text was taken from “Mirgorod” without changes and thus can be checked directly against the edition of “Mirgorod”). Only in a few cases does the text deviate from the manuscript, correcting suspected errors or filling in omissions. According to the general principles of the publication (see the introductory article to volume I), neither the amendments made by N. Ya. Prokopovich on behalf of Gogol in the 1842 edition, nor the later (1851-1852) amendments of Gogol himself are introduced into the main text, applied in proofreading to the text of the 1842 edition, since the separation of Gogol’s corrections from non-Gogol’s cannot be made in this text with complete confidence and consistency.

Idioms

• “Turn around, son!”
• “I gave birth to you, I will kill you!”
• "There is life in the old dog yet?!"
• “Be patient, Cossack, and you will be an ataman!”
• “There is no bond holier than fellowship!”
• “What, son, did your Poles help you?”

Criticism of the story

Along with the general approval that critics met with Gogol's story, some aspects of the work were found unsuccessful. Thus, Gogol was repeatedly accused of the unhistorical nature of the story, the excessive glorification of the Cossacks, and the lack of historical context, which was noted by Mikhail Grabovsky, Vasily Gippius, Maxim Gorky and others. Critics believed that this could be explained by the fact that the writer did not have enough reliable information about the history of Ukraine. Gogol studied the history of his native land with great attention, but he drew information not only from rather meager chronicles, but also from folk tales, legends, as well as frankly mythological sources, such as “History of the Rus”, from which he obtained descriptions of the atrocities of the gentry and the atrocities of the Jews and the valor of the Cossacks. The story caused particular discontent among the Polish intelligentsia. The Poles were outraged that in Taras Bulba the Polish nation was presented as aggressive, bloodthirsty and cruel. Mikhail Grabowski, who had a good attitude towards Gogol himself, spoke negatively about Taras Bulba, as well as many other Polish critics and writers, such as Andrzej Kempinski, Michal Barmut, Julian Krzyzanowski. In Poland, there was a strong opinion about the story as anti-Polish, and partly such judgments were transferred to Gogol himself.

Antisemitism

The story was also criticized for anti-Semitism by some politicians, religious thinkers, and literary scholars. The leader of right-wing Zionism, Vladimir Jabotinsky, in his article “Russian Weasel” assessed the scene of the Jewish pogrom in the story “Taras Bulba” as follows: “ None of the great literature knows anything similar in terms of cruelty. This cannot even be called hatred or sympathy for the Cossack massacre of the Jews: this is worse, this is some kind of carefree, clear fun, not overshadowed even by the half-thought that the funny legs kicking in the air are the legs of living people, some amazingly whole, indecomposable contempt for the inferior race, not condescending to enmity". As literary critic Arkady Gornfeld noted, Jews are depicted by Gogol as petty thieves, traitors and ruthless extortionists, devoid of any human traits. In his opinion, Gogol’s images “ captured by the mediocre Judeophobia of the era"; Gogol’s anti-Semitism does not come from the realities of life, but from established and traditional theological ideas “ about the unknown world of Jewry"; the images of Jews are stereotyped and represent pure caricature. According to the thinker and historian Georgy Fedotov, “ Gogol gave a jubilant description of the Jewish pogrom in Taras Bulba", which indicates " about the well-known failures of his moral sense, but also about the strength of the national or chauvinistic tradition that stood behind him» .

The critic and literary critic D.I. Zaslavsky held a slightly different point of view. In the article “Jews in Russian Literature,” he also supports Jabotinsky’s reproach for the anti-Semitism of Russian literature, including in the list of anti-Semitic writers Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Nekrasov, Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Leskov, Chekhov. But at the same time he finds justification for Gogol’s anti-Semitism as follows: “There is no doubt, however, that in the dramatic struggle of the Ukrainian people in the 17th century for their homeland, the Jews showed neither understanding of this struggle nor sympathy for it. This was not their fault, this was their misfortune.” “The Jews of Taras Bulba are caricatures. But the caricature is not a lie. ... The talent of Jewish adaptability is vividly and aptly depicted in Gogol’s poem. And this, of course, does not flatter our pride, but we must admit that the Russian writer has captured some of our historical features with evil and aptness.” .

Film adaptations

In chronological order:

• “Taras Bulba” (1909) - the first attempt at a film adaptation of the story, a Russian silent film by Alexander Drankov
• "Taras Bulba" (1924) - German film based on the story

What period of life in Ukraine is the story dedicated to? How does the creation of this work characterize the writer?

N.V. Gogol was very interested in the history of his native Ukraine, he admired the folk heroes - the Zaporozhye Cossacks, who in the 16th-17th centuries selflessly fought against the oppressors of the Ukrainian and Russian peoples - the Polish gentry. The writer looked for great deeds and heroic characters in the past, contrasting them with the petty concerns and petty characters of his contemporaries. The creation of the story characterizes N.V. Gogol as a patriot who was proud of the glory of the Cossacks and the heroic history of his homeland.

Does the beginning of the story seem successful to you? Why?

The beginning of the story seems to us, its readers, not just successful, but the only possible one: literally from the first lines, the flavor of an era is recreated, tragic in its essence, but with comic situations in the life and behavior of the heroes. The author introduces the reader to the family of an old Cossack, introduces him to the unique morals, customs, relationships, combining heroism and humor in the characters and behavior of his heroes.

What thoughts and feelings of Gogol are expressed in the words: “Are there really such fires, torments and such power in the world that would overpower Russian power!”? How are they related to the content of the entire story?

Gogol's story is dedicated to the events of the liberation movement in Ukraine, the struggle of the Cossacks against the Polish invaders, Turks and Tatar hordes. These words express the writer’s admiration for the courage and greatness of the people who fought for the freedom and happiness of their fatherland and gave their lives for it.

What qualities of Taras Bulba as a folk hero are embodied in the story? Make a plan for the characterization of Taras Bulba (including in it a definition of the main character traits of the hero and episodes that confirm these traits).

Taras is a wise Cossack and an experienced warrior, who is respected by his comrades and elected as their ataman; a brave, courageous and stern man who gave his life to defend the fatherland.

Characteristics plan

Taras is a father and husband (the arrival of his sons and the decision to take them to the Sich; relationship with his wife). Bulba is a man of the Sich (freedom and unrestrained nature and at the same time severity and asceticism, devotion to the common cause). The main values ​​of his life are the struggle for the Christian faith and fellowship, the most highest score for him - “good Cossack”. Taras Bulba - warrior (battle of Dubno, Taras’s last battle). Attitude to camaraderie (talking about camaraderie, attitude towards the Cossacks of the Sich). A character born of time. The greatness and tragedy of Taras. Why, reading the story, “...you are surprised at him (Taras. - Author), and horrified, and laugh at him” (V.G. Belinsky)?

The character of the main character of the story is very multifaceted. What is surprising about Taras is the unrestrained and rudeness of his nature, combined with devotion and tenderness; we laugh at his spontaneity, simplicity and cheerfulness, and are horrified by his cruelty and mercilessness.

Make a comparative description of Ostap and Andriy, paying attention to the following questions: what impression does your first acquaintance with the brothers leave? What made them different while studying at the bursa? What is the difference between the behavior of Ostap and Andriy in the Zaporozhye Sich, in battle? How did the brothers die? Using the material from previous answers and recommendations for comparative characteristics, compare the brothers Ostap and Andriy.

Rough plan

Similarities between Ostap and Andria:

A) one family;

B) education;

B) training in a bursa;

D) encirclement in the Sich.

Difference between brothers:

A) appearance, character;

B) attitude towards people;

C) perception of nature and beauty;

D) attitude towards war, behavior in battle;

D) death of brothers.

Find lyrical digressions in the text. How are they related to the main narrative and why are they introduced into the story?

Gogol introduces a number of lyrical digressions into the narrative (description of the steppe, the Dnieper, etc.), creating an emotional and artistic subtext of the story, expressing the author’s feeling for what is depicted, correlating pictures of nature with the fate of the heroes.

Is it possible to call "Taras Bulba" historical story? Are there genuine historical figures, facts, or correlations with a specific historical time in this work?

In "Taras Bulba" there is no depiction of genuine historical facts, real historical figures. The time depicted in the story can only be determined with approximate accuracy: XV-XVII centuries. There is not a single definite historical fact in the story, i.e. Gogol did not set himself the goal of reliably telling about specific historical events, and did not intend to recreate a picture of the historical past. The historical background in the story is quite conventional. Gogol set himself not so much historical as epic goals, therefore “Taras Bulba” is not a historical story, but a heroic epic. Jacques's folklore works reflect the life ideals born in the popular consciousness, and in Gogol's story ideal human characters are recreated.

At what moments did the greatness of Taras Bulba’s spirit especially manifest itself? What was the last feat he accomplished?

The greatness of the spirit of Taras Bulba manifested itself in the most dramatic moments of his life and the life of the Cossacks: here he reminds his comrades of what comradeship is, and finds such words that were necessary, infused new courage into the Cossacks; Here he is executing his traitorous son; here, risking his life, he supports his second son, the hero Ostap, before the death; now, when the fire was already licking his feet, he thinks not about himself, not about how to save himself, but about how to save his comrades from certain death.

How does the author characterize Taras Bulba and his sons? How does he express his attitude towards them? What role does the description of the Ukrainian steppe play in the story? Why is this description interesting? How are the life and customs of the Zaporozhye Sich shown? What is attractive about the images of the Cossacks? Why did the Cossacks choose Taras Bulba as their ataman? Do you think their choice was successful? How did the sons of Taras perceive the life and morals of the Zaporozhye Sich? Why did Ostap immediately find his place among the Cossacks, while it was more difficult for Andriy to get close to them? How and why did Andriy become a traitor? Do you admit that such a fate could befall Ostap? How is the heroism of the Cossacks shown in the battles near the city of Dubno? Is the author's voice heard here? How did the second battle of Dubno end for Taras and his sons? How did the story about Andriy’s death at the hands of his father make you feel? Did this episode change your previous opinion of them? How did Ostap die? Why does he call his father before his death? Which lines of the story express its main idea?

The events of the book take place among the Zaporozhye Cossacks, in the first half of the 17th century. The history of the Cossack uprising of 1637-1638, suppressed by Hetman Nikolai Pototsky, formed the basis of N.V. Gogol’s story “Taras Bulba” and gave specific examples dramatic destinies of the heroes. One of the prototypes of Taras Bulba is the ancestor of the famous traveler N. N. Miklouho-Maclay, born in Starodub in early XVII century Kurennoy ataman of the Zaporozhian Army Okhrim Makukha, an associate of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, who had three sons: Nazar, Khoma (Thomas) and Omelka (Emelyan). Nazar betrayed his fellow Cossacks and went over to the side of the Poles because of his love for the Polish lady, Khoma (the prototype of Gogol's Ostap) died trying to deliver Nazar to his father, and Emelyan became the ancestor of Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay and his uncle Grigory Ilyich Mikloukha, who studied with Nikolai Gogol and who told him a family legend. The prototype is also Ivan Gonta, who was mistakenly attributed to the murder of two sons from his Polish wife, although his wife is Russian and the story is fictitious.

When preparing the draft manuscript for publication, Gogol made numerous corrections. The great negligence of the draft manuscript of “Taras Bulba”, omissions of individual words, illegible handwriting, unfinished appearance of individual phrases - all this led to the fact that many errors crept into the composition of “Mirgorod”, published in 1835. By 1842, Gogol had a new adaptation of “Taras Bulba”, where new episodes appeared, and the volume of the story doubled. Having gone abroad in 1842, Gogol entrusted all the care of the printed collection of all his works to Nikolai Yakovlevich Prokopovich, emphasizing that there were many errors in his story “Taras Bulba”. In 1842, its second, revised edition was published with changes from Gogol and Prokopovich, where Prokopovich carefully responded to all of Gogol’s requests, and most of the edits were made to words and phrases that did not correspond to the norms of the Russian literary language (for example, the pronoun “this” was replaced on that").

Plot

After graduating from the Kyiv Academy (Kyiv was part of Poland from 1569 to 1654), his two sons, Ostap and Andriy, come to the old Cossack colonel Taras Bulba. Two stalwart young men, healthy and strong, whose faces have not yet been touched by a razor, are embarrassed to meet their father, who makes fun of their clothes as recent seminarians.

On the occasion of the arrival of his sons, Taras Bulba convenes all the centurions and the entire regimental rank and announces his decision to send Ostap and Andriy to the Sich, because there is no better science for a young Cossack than the Zaporozhye Sich. At the sight of the young strength of his sons, the military spirit of Taras himself flares up, and he decides to go with them to introduce them to all his old comrades. The mother sits over her sleeping children all night, wanting the night to last as long as possible. In the morning, after the blessing, the mother, desperate with grief, is barely torn away from the children and taken to the hut.

Three horsemen ride in silence. Old Taras remembers his wild life, a tear freezes in his eyes, his gray head hangs down. Ostap, who has a stern and firm character, although hardened over the years of studying at the Bursa, retained his natural kindness and was touched by the tears of his poor mother. This alone confuses him and makes him lower his head thoughtfully. Andriy is also having a hard time saying goodbye to his mother and home, but his thoughts are occupied with memories of the beautiful Polish woman whom he met just before leaving Kiev. Then Andriy managed to get into the beauty’s bedroom through the fireplace chimney; a knock on the door forced the Polish woman to hide the young Cossack under the bed. Tatarka, the lady's servant, as soon as the anxiety passed, took Andriy out into the garden, where he barely escaped from the awakened servants. He saw the beautiful Polish girl again in the church, soon she left - and now, with his eyes cast down into the mane of his horse, Andriy thinks about her.

After a long journey, the Sich meets Taras and his sons with his wild life - a sign of the Zaporozhye will. Cossacks do not like to waste time on military exercises, collecting military experience only in the heat of battle. Ostap and Andriy rush with all the ardor of young men into this riotous sea. But old Taras does not like an idle life - this is not the kind of activity he wants to prepare his sons for. Having met all his comrades, he is still figuring out how to rouse the Cossacks on a campaign, so as not to waste their Cossack prowess on a continuous feast and drunken fun. He persuades the Cossacks to re-elect the Koshevoy, who keeps peace with the enemies of the Cossacks. The new Koshevoy, under the pressure of the most militant Cossacks, and above all Taras, is trying to find a justification for a profitable campaign against Turkey, but under the influence of the Cossacks who arrived from Ukraine, who spoke about the oppression of the Polish lords and Jewish tenants over the people of Ukraine, the army unanimously decides to go to Poland, to avenge all the evil and disgrace of the Orthodox faith. Thus, the war takes on a people's liberation character.

And soon the entire Polish southwest becomes the prey of fear, the rumor running ahead: “Cossacks! The Cossacks have appeared! In one month, the young Cossacks matured in battle, and old Taras loves to see that both of his sons are among the first. The Cossack army is trying to take the city of Dubno, where there is a lot of treasury and wealthy inhabitants, but they encounter desperate resistance from the garrison and residents. The Cossacks are besieging the city and waiting for famine to begin. Having nothing to do, the Cossacks devastate the surrounding area, burning defenseless villages and unharvested grain. The young, especially the sons of Taras, do not like this life. Old Bulba calms them down, promising hot fights soon. One dark night, Andriy is awakened from sleep by a Tatar woman, the servant of the very Polish woman with whom Andriy is in love. The Tatar woman whispers that the lady is in the city, she saw Andriy from the city rampart and asks him to come to her or at least give a piece of bread for his dying mother. Andriy loads the bags with bread, as much as he can carry, and underground passage the Tatar woman leads him to the city. Having met his beloved, he renounces his father and brother, comrades and homeland: “The homeland is what our soul seeks, what is dearer to it than anything else. My homeland is you.” Andriy remains with the lady to protect her until his last breath from his former comrades.

Polish troops, sent to reinforce the besieged, march into the city past drunken Cossacks, killing many while they were asleep, and capturing many. This event embitters the Cossacks, who decide to continue the siege to the end. Taras, searching for his missing son, receives terrible confirmation of Andriy's betrayal.

The Poles are organizing forays, but the Cossacks are still successfully repelling them. News comes from the Sich that, in the absence of the main force, the Tatars attacked the remaining Cossacks and captured them, seizing the treasury. The Cossack army near Dubno is divided in two - half goes to the rescue of the treasury and comrades, half remains to continue the siege. Taras, leading the siege army, makes a passionate speech in praise of comradeship.

The Poles learn about the weakening of the enemy and move out of the city for a decisive battle. Andriy is among them. Taras Bulba orders the Cossacks to lure him to the forest and there, meeting Andriy face to face, he kills his son, who even before his death utters one word - the name of the beautiful lady. Reinforcements arrive to the Poles, and they defeat the Cossacks. Ostap is captured, the wounded Taras, saved from pursuit, is brought to Sich.

Having recovered from his wounds, Taras persuades Yankel to secretly transport him to Warsaw to try to ransom Ostap there. Taras is present at the terrible execution of his son in the city square. Not a single groan escapes from Ostap’s chest under torture, only before death he cries out: “Father! where are you! Can you hear? - “I hear!” - Taras answers above the crowd. They rush to catch him, but Taras is already gone.

One hundred and twenty thousand Cossacks, including the regiment of Taras Bulba, rise up on a campaign against the Poles. Even the Cossacks themselves notice Taras’s excessive ferocity and cruelty towards the enemy. This is how he takes revenge for the death of his son. The defeated Polish hetman Nikolai Pototsky swears not to inflict any offense on the Cossack army in the future. Only Colonel Bulba does not agree to such a peace, assuring his comrades that the forgiven Poles will not keep their word. And he leads his regiment away. His prediction comes true - having gathered their strength, the Poles treacherously attack the Cossacks and defeat them.

Taras walks throughout Poland with his regiment, continuing to avenge the death of Ostap and his comrades, mercilessly destroying all living things.

Five regiments under the leadership of that same Pototsky finally overtake the regiment of Taras, who was resting in an old collapsed fortress on the banks of the Dniester. The battle lasts four days. The surviving Cossacks make their way, but the old chieftain stops to look for his cradle in the grass, and the haiduks overtake him. They tie Taras to an oak tree with iron chains, nail his hands and lay a fire under him. Before his death, Taras manages to shout to his comrades to go down to the canoes, which he sees from above, and escape from pursuit along the river. At the last terrible minute, the old chieftain predicts the unification of the Russian lands, the destruction of their enemies and the victory of the Orthodox faith.

The Cossacks escape from the chase, row their oars together and talk about their chieftain.

The history of the story

Gogol’s work on “Taras Bulba” was preceded by a thorough, in-depth study historical sources. Among them should be named “Description of Ukraine” by Boplan, “The History of the Zaporozhye Cossacks” by Prince Semyon Ivanovich Myshetsky, handwritten lists of Ukrainian chronicles - Samovidets, Samuil Velichko, Gregory Grabyanka, etc. helping the artist to comprehend the spirit folk life, characters, psychology of people. Among the sources that helped Gogol in his work on Taras Bulba, there was another, most important one: Ukrainian folk songs, especially historical songs and thoughts.

"Taras Bulba" has a long and complex creative history. It was first published in 1835 in the collection “Mirgorod”. In 1842, in the second volume of Gogol’s Works, the story “Taras Bulba” was published in a new, radically revised edition. Work on this work continued intermittently for nine years: from 1833 to 1842. Between the first and second editions of Taras Bulba, a number of intermediate editions of some chapters were written. Due to this, the second edition is more complete than the 1835 edition, despite some of Gogol’s claims due to many significant inconsistent edits and changes to the original text during editing and rewriting.

The original author's manuscript of "Taras Bulba", prepared by Gogol for the second edition, was found in the sixties of the 19th century. among the gifts of Count Kushelev-Bezborodko to the Nezhin Lyceum. This is the so-called Nezhin manuscript, entirely written by the hand of Nikolai Gogol, who made many changes in the fifth, sixth, seventh chapters, and revised the eighth and tenth chapters.

Thanks to the fact that Count Kushelev-Bezborodko bought this original author’s manuscript from the Prokopovich family in 1858, it became possible to see the work in the form that suited the author himself. However, in subsequent editions “Taras Bulba” was reprinted not from the original manuscript, but from the 1842 edition, with only minor corrections. The first attempt to bring together and unite the author's original manuscripts of Gogol, the clerk's copies that differ from them, and the 1842 edition was made in the Complete Works of Gogol.

Differences between the first and second edition

A number of significant changes and significant additions were made to the version for the publication of “Works” (1842), compared to the original of 1835. In general, the 1842 version is more censored, partly by the author himself, partly by the publisher, in some places in violation of the original style of the original version of the work. At the same time, this version is more complete, and the historical and everyday background of the story has been significantly enriched - a more detailed description of the emergence of the Cossacks, the Zaporozhye army, the laws and customs of the Sich is given. The condensed story about the siege of Dubno is replaced by a detailed epic depiction of the battles and heroic exploits of the Cossacks. In the second edition, Andriy's love experiences are given more fully and the tragedy of his situation, caused by betrayal, is more deeply revealed.

The image of Taras Bulba was rethought. The place in the first edition where it is said that Taras “was a great hunter of raids and riots” was replaced in the second by the following: “Restless, he always considered himself the legitimate defender of Orthodoxy. He arbitrarily entered villages where they only complained about the harassment of tenants and the increase in new duties on smoke.” The calls for comradely solidarity in the fight against enemies and the speech about the greatness of the Russian people, put into the mouth of Taras in the second edition, finally complete the heroic image of a fighter for national freedom.

Edition 1835, part I:

Edition 1842, part I:

The original author's version of the revised manuscript was transferred by the author to N. Ya. Prokopovich for the preparation of the 1842 edition, but differs from the latter. After Prokopovich's death, the manuscript was acquired, among other Gogol manuscripts, by Count G. A. Kushelev-Bezborodko and donated by him to the Nezhinsky Lyceum of Prince Bezborodko; in 1934, the manuscript was transferred from the library of the Nizhyn Pedagogical Institute to the manuscript department of the Library of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kyiv.

Neither the 1842 edition nor the 1855 edition can be used as the basis for developing the canonical text of the story, since they are clogged with extraneous editorial corrections. The published text of the story is based on the text prepared for publication by Gogol himself in 1842, that is, the text of the autograph; the missing passages were taken from the clerk’s copy, where they were copied from the corrected copy of “Mirgorod” (in several cases the text was taken from “Mirgorod” without changes and thus can be checked directly against the edition of “Mirgorod”). Only in a few cases does the text deviate from the manuscript, correcting suspected errors or filling in omissions. According to the general principles of the publication, neither the amendments made by N. Ya. Prokopovich on Gogol’s instructions in the 1842 edition, nor the later (1851-1852) amendments by Gogol himself, applied in proofreading to the text of the 1842 edition, are introduced into the main text, since the separation of Gogol’s edits from Negolevsky cannot be made in this text with complete confidence and consistency.

Criticism of the story

Along with the general approval that critics met with Gogol's story, some aspects of the work were found unsuccessful. Thus, Gogol was repeatedly accused of the unhistorical nature of the story, the excessive glorification of the Cossacks, and the lack of historical context, which was noted by Mikhail Grabovsky, Vasily Gippius, Maxim Gorky and others. Critics believed that this could be explained by the fact that the writer did not have enough reliable information about the history of Ukraine. Gogol studied the history of his native land with great attention, but he drew information not only from rather meager chronicles, but also from folk tales, legends, as well as frankly mythological sources, such as “History of the Rus”, from which he obtained descriptions of the atrocities of the gentry and the atrocities of the Jews and the valor of the Cossacks. The story caused particular discontent among the Polish intelligentsia. The Poles were outraged that in Taras Bulba the Polish nation was presented as aggressive, bloodthirsty and cruel. Mikhail Grabovsky, who had a good attitude towards Gogol himself, spoke negatively about Taras Bulba, as well as many other Polish critics and writers, such as Andrzej Kempinsky, Michal Barmut, Julian Krzyzanowski. In Poland, there was a strong opinion about the story as anti-Polish, and partly such judgments were transferred to Gogol himself.

Antisemitism

The story was also criticized for anti-Semitism by some politicians, religious thinkers, and literary scholars. The leader of right-wing Zionism, Vladimir Jabotinsky, in his article “Russian Weasel”, assessed the scene of the Jewish pogrom in the story “Taras Bulba” as follows: “None of the great literature knows anything similar in cruelty. This cannot even be called hatred or sympathy for the Cossack massacre of the Jews: this is worse, this is some kind of carefree, clear fun, not overshadowed even by the half-thought that the funny legs kicking in the air are the legs of living people, some amazingly whole, indecomposable contempt for the inferior race, not condescending to hostility." As literary critic Arkady Gornfeld noted, Jews are depicted by Gogol as petty thieves, traitors and ruthless extortionists, devoid of any human traits. In his opinion, Gogol’s images “are captured by the mediocre Judeophobia of the era”; Gogol's anti-Semitism comes not from the realities of life, but from established and traditional theological ideas “about the unknown world of Jewry”; the images of Jews are stereotyped and represent pure caricature. According to the thinker and historian Georgy Fedotov, “Gogol gave in Taras Bulba a jubilant description of the Jewish pogrom,” which testifies “to the well-known failures of his moral sense, but also to the strength of the national or chauvinistic tradition that stood behind it.”

The critic and literary critic D.I. Zaslavsky held a slightly different point of view. In the article “Jews in Russian Literature,” he also supports Jabotinsky’s reproach for the anti-Semitism of Russian literature, including in the list of anti-Semitic writers Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Nekrasov, Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Leskov, Chekhov. But at the same time, he finds justification for Gogol’s anti-Semitism as follows: “There is no doubt, however, that in the dramatic struggle of the Ukrainian people in the 17th century for their homeland, the Jews showed neither understanding of this struggle nor sympathy for it. This was not their fault, this was their misfortune.” “The Jews of Taras Bulba are caricatures. But the caricature is not a lie. ... The talent of Jewish adaptability is vividly and aptly depicted in Gogol’s poem. And this, of course, does not flatter our pride, but we must admit that the Russian writer has captured some of our historical features evilly and aptly.”

Poeticization of violence

Philologist Elena Ivanitskaya sees in the actions of Taras Bulba “the poetry of blood and death” and even “ideological terrorism”

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol wrote a story that describes in detail the events happening to the Cossacks, their way of life, traditions and tasks. The writer spent his childhood in this area; he was well acquainted with the spacious steppe and the Cossacks as people.

The story describes a cruel time, a time when there was a war with Poland. The Cossacks were cruel, they did not consider women as people, they treated them like things. For example, the mother of Andriy and Ostap, Taras Bulba, was very cruel to her, he did not even allow her to say goodbye to her children properly.

For all Cossacks, including

including for Taras Bulba, the main thing is service, exploits in war and comrades. Taras Bulba was ready to kill his son Andriy for betrayal - this is proof that cruelty begets cruelty (the Poles oppressed and offended the people).

The main task of the Cossacks is to fight in battles, to perform feats for the sake of the Motherland, and also never to betray their comrades. Taras Bulba, making a speech before the battle, said: Wars and harsh living conditions instilled in young children an indifference to luxury and a sense of brotherhood - these are the qualities every warrior should possess. Gogol does not embellish the life of the Cossacks, he tells us everything how

there is: their barbaric behavior and customs.

The story fully reflects the time of this era. For example, the execution of Andriy, because his own father killed him. He, of course, betrayed his homeland, but did not save his life.

But despite the complexity and cruelty of the story, it is very interesting and you want to read it and read it.

Other works on this topic:

1. Taras Bulba is a key character in the work of the same name by N.V. Gogol, who had many prototypes that existed in reality - his image absorbed...
2. The story “Taras Bulba” was written by N.V. Gogol in 1835. His interest in the history of Ukraine (Little Russia), namely the struggle of the Zaporozhye Cossacks for independence from...
3. For the prose of N.V. Gogol, who was born in the Poltava province, the Ukrainian theme has always been relevant. She came to the fore in the story “Taras Bulba” (1835)....
4. Very vividly and reliably N.V. Gogol presented the reader with the image of one of the main characters of the story “Taras Bulba”, youngest son Tarasa, Andria. His personality is well described...
5. Continue the comparative description of Ostap and Andriy, noting how the brothers showed themselves in the first battles. How was their behavior different in battle? Ostap reveals “the inclinations of the future leader,”...