Zhukovsky's works: list

Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky is considered one of the founders of romanticism in Russia. This poet put the problems of the human inner world at the center of his work. As Belinsky said about him, Zhukovsky’s merit is invaluable - he gave the “soul and heart” of Russian poetry.

Zhukovsky’s works focus on the inner experiences of the hero, the feelings and emotions of a simple person, which led to the poet having to overcome the high syllable that was written by the classicists, his predecessors. The language of works has become more emotional, lively, conveying various psychological nuances. It includes phraseology and colloquial speech.

Origin of the poet

The poet was born on January 29, 1783 on the border of the Oryol, Kaluga and Tula provinces, in the village of Mishenskoye. He was the illegitimate son of a wealthy landowner, Athanasius Ivanovich Bunin and a Turkish woman, whom the Russians captured in 1770 during the assault on Bender.

The future poet received a surname from his relative, Andrei Ivanovich Zhukovsky, a poor nobleman who lived in the estate of Bunin, who adopted the boy. Thus, he escaped the status of illegitimate.

Zhukovsky's works (list)

The poet wrote a lot, so it is very difficult to cover his work in one article. Nevertheless, we bring to your attention the main works of Zhukovsky (a list arranged in chronological order).

1. May Morning (1797).
2. "Thoughts at the Tomb" (1797).
3. "Rural cemetery" (1802).
4. "Evening" (1806).
5. "Lyudmila" (1808).
6. "Svetlana" (1812).
7. "Singer in the camp of Russian soldiers" (1812).
8. "Aeolian Harp" (1814).
9. The Inexplicable (1819).
10. "Tsarskoye Selo Swan" (1851).
11. "Wandering Jew" (1851-1852).

Read more about each piece below.

Young years and first works

Even in his youth, while studying at the Noble hostel located at Moscow University, Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky, whose works we will analyze, created his first poems. The most significant achievements of that time are considered to be: the poem "May Morning" and the prose work "Thoughts at the Tomb", written in 1797. The poem "May Morning" begins in the spirit of classicism: "Belorumyan dawn dawns ...". The picture of nature is described in an abstract, idealistic way. High vocabulary (“face”), mythologisms (“Phoebe”), compound epithets (“Belorussian”) are used. However, in the following lines a feeling of bitterness and heart loss appears. The work ends in the spirit of sentimentalism: "Life, my friend, is an abyss of tears and suffering ...".

"Rural cemetery"

Vasily Zhukovsky often wrote early works in the elegy genre. Karamzin, then a famous Russian writer, was a friend and teacher of the poet. It was he who Zhukovsky entrusted to evaluate one of his first serious works - the elegy "Rural Cemetery", a translation of the elegy of Thomas Gray, an English poet. Karamzin approved this work and ensured that in 1802 the modified elegy was printed in the Vestnik Evropy, the publisher of which he was at that time. The main theme of the work is the meaning of life, as well as the relationship of a person with the outside world. Elegy is built as a poet’s meditation, caused by the contemplation of a rural cemetery. The poet’s mind spontaneously raises questions to which he is trying to answer. They share a common idea about the transience of life and the vicissitudes of fate. The poet gives preference not to the "confidants of fortune", but to those who work hard for the good of the earth.

"Evening"

A little later, the first original works of Zhukovsky arose, for example, the elegy "Evening", written in 1806. Although the poet’s own style is not yet fully formed, the elegance and musicality of the elegy language are striking. The theme of "Evenings" is the meaning of life, the mission of man. The best things in life, according to the poet, are love and friendship, the beauty of nature. In this elegy, classic traditions were still guessed: mythologies (“Bacchus”, “Zephyr”, “Alpin”, “Minvan”) and Slavs (“near the shore”, “gold”, “oratai”, etc.) were used.

Don Quixote, critical articles

Zhukovsky’s works for children are opened by the first of six volumes of Cervantes’s translation “Don Quixote”, which appeared in 1804, which also notes melodic speech and lively Russian.

In 1808, Zhukovsky (only 25 years old) became the chief editor of Vestnik Evropy, successor to Karamzin. At the same time, he translates a lot, writes fairy tales, reviews, poems, critical articles. In the latter, the poet speaks of romanticism as a new independent direction in Russian literature. The classic norms for romanticism are no longer applicable, it must be evaluated in terms of "proportionality" and "conformity" of taste, stylistic compatibility.

"Lyudmila"

The genres of Zhukovsky’s works were not limited to elegies. In 1808, the first ballad, Lyudmila, was released, which is a free translation of the work of G. Burger, a German poet. This work takes the reader to an unknown world beyond, frightening and alluring at the same time. The plot takes the reader to the Middle Ages, the period of the Livonian wars of the 16-17th centuries. The main character, Lyudmila, is waiting for her beloved from the battlefield and, without waiting, begins to grumble at fate. Mother tries to calm her down, saying that "paradise is for humble retribution, hell is for rebellious hearts," and calls to be obedient to heaven. However, Lyudmila loses faith, and her destiny becomes hell instead of the expected reward.

Svetlana

The work "Svetlana" (Zhukovsky) is already an original ballad, in which Russian rites and beliefs were included.

The mood of this work, in contrast to Lyudmila, is joyful and bright. Elements of Russian folklore — obscene songs and expressions (“blacksmith, give me gold and a new crown”, “my beauty”, “girlfriend”, “joy, the light of my eyes”, “the light is red”, etc.) are inserted into the ballad. Svetlana also expects the groom, but, unlike Lyudmila, in the end meets him.

"Aeolian harp"

The romantic works of Zhukovsky are continued by the creation of the "Aeolian Harp" (1814). It organically combines a ballad and a lyrical element. An analysis of the work of Zhukovsky was proposed by Belinsky, in his opinion, in this ballad "the whole meaning, all the fragrant charm of the romance of Zhukovsky is concentrated." The heroine does not die, but passes into the other world, where she finally connects with her lover. The motive of double peace permeates many famous works of Zhukovsky, passing through all his work.

"The singer in the camp ..."

The Patriotic War of 1812 could not but elicit a response in the heart of the poet, who was familiar with her firsthand - Zhukovsky took an active part in hostilities with the rank of lieutenant, fighting for his homeland. The work “Singer in the Camp of Russian Warriors” is dedicated to the events of that time, in which the patriotic theme sounds especially strong, because everything is connected with the author’s personal experience. The main part of the work was written at the front, before the battle of Tarutin. The poet praises the courage and valor of the Russian people, their heroism and fearlessness in the face of the enemy. Odic solemnity, an elevated language, the use of Slavicisms such as "army", "host", "ce", "spectator", "entrusted" and others are characteristic here. The work was written by a combination of three -foot and four-foot iamba, which was unusual at that time, since the odes before that were written exclusively by four-foot iamba.

Inexplicable

After the death of Masha Protasova, her lover and muse, with whom the poet never connected in life, since the girl’s mother was against their marriage, Zhukovsky begins to think more and more about the eternal, heavenly, mystical connotation and religious motifs appear in the verses. The works become a little stricter, sometimes the poet refuses his favorite stylistic excesses, and even rhyme. He is overwhelmed by the "excess of inexplicable feelings" that he tried to convey in the poem "Inexplicable" (1819):

"Everything immense in a single sigh is crowded;
And only silence clearly says. "

Translations of the 20-30s

In the 20-30s. the poet creates new ballads and translations. He borrowed the plots from Goethe (“Fisherman”), Schiller (“Knight of Togenburg”, “Cup”), Scott (“Castle of Smeagolm, or Ivan's Evening”) and other poets. Zhukovsky translates “The Word of Igor’s Regiment”, “Byron's Prisoner” byron (1818-1822), Schiller’s “Orleans Maiden”, and is also interested in Goethe, whom he managed to meet in person in 1821, when the poet first made a trip abroad.

Recent works of Zhukovsky

Zhukovsky’s last ballads are translations of the poems Rustem and Zorab and Nal and Damayanti in which he reflects on eternity. These ballads sound very modern because they are written in free verse and touch on exciting topics. Zhukovsky Vasily Andreevich, whose works were no less original from this, often borrowed motives and themes from foreign authors.

Only at the age of 58, in 1841, did the poet finally find a family by marrying Elizabeth Reuter. However, some time after the marriage, Elizabeth fell ill, and the family went to Germany to improve her health. Here Zhukovsky fell ill, but continued to work.

In 1851, Zhukovsky wrote the elegy "Tsarskoye Selo Swan", which ends with the death of a swan, who once lived in Tsarskoye Selo. This work is thoroughly autobiographical, allegorical, but very sincerely tells of the tragic fate of the poet, who survived his era and himself.

In the same year, he began to dictate (since he could no longer hold a pen) his last poem “The Wandering Jew”, which was a peculiar result of all the author’s work. Unfortunately, she remained incomplete.

April 12, 1852 Zhukovsky died in the German city of Baden-Baden.

Zhukovsky’s works left the era of classicism and the literary movement of the first third of the 19th century, answered a number of pressing questions of that time and gave impetus to the development of literature in a new direction - in a romantic way.