Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov is a unique poet. It is difficult to find a person who is not familiar with the works of Lermontov. Their list is quite significant: from the poetic lines “Death of a poet” and “Borodino” (studied at school) to a significant event for Russian literature of the 19th century - the novel “Hero of Our Time”.
Judging by his work, one does not even believe that fate let him go only 27 years of life. However, his talent and concentration on creativity allowed this man, who lived a short but vibrant life, to become a recognized classic. Lermontov’s famous works, like a mirror, reflect his life, his mystically defined understanding of his place in the world and his fate.
What can be expected from a man who in 1830 predicts the overthrow of the emperor in the "black year"? Who knows why, at the time of his death (in a duel in the mountains), a terrible storm suddenly broke out?
Pushkin and Lermontov ...
It was he who, in 1837, after the death of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, “the first poet in Russian Parnassus,” gave reason to feel and understand to all contemporaries that this place did not become vacant. For a short time, however, he occupied him until the fateful duel of 1841. Peculiarities of the problems of Lermontov's works were noticed by his contemporaries. If Vissarion Belinsky called Alexander Sergeyevich “a poet of the inner sense of the soul,” whose thoughts were first born in the soul and then splashed into society, then Mikhail Yuryevich was a poet who was more socially oriented, often taking up a pen under the influence of significant phenomena in Russia.
What is the difference between the personality of Pushkin and Lermontov?
If the worldview of young Pushkin was formed in a fairly harmonious, socially stable society during the reign of Emperor Alexander I, which gave reason to think about monarchy virtue, and the poet came to socially significant ideas only at the age of thirty, then the situation was different with the worldview of Mikhail Yuryevich. We are given the opportunity to discuss in this way the particulars of the problems of Lermontov's works. After all, his personality was formed during the tyrannical reign of Nicholas I. Instead of realizing the objective reasons that brought
the Decembrists to the
Senate Square (meaning the corrupting influence of serfdom on Russian society and, accordingly, the country's socio-economic backwardness), the gendarme emperor created an unprecedented mechanism of repression. It was about the broken harmony in Russian society that Lermontov wrote.
Conscious, clearly expressed protest against reactionary politics, rejection of humiliation by the people’s power - these are the features of the problems of Lermontov’s works.
The first period of Lermontov’s work
The work of Mikhail Yuryevich can be divided into three stages.
The first period (from 1828 to 1832) is characterized by a clear imitation of George Gordon Byron. It was with this great British that Lermontov felt a personal spiritual unity.
Byron worked in the period after the French Revolution, during the radical changes, takeoff and collapse of the state of Emperor Napoleon. The Russian poet - during a period of brutal reaction after the suppression of the Decembrist uprising: the best sons of the Fatherland were executed, exiled, imprisoned.
The similarity of the works of Lermontov and Byron
Both poets were united by a rebellious spirit, a rebellious soul. You must admit that this is not the topic of happiness in Lermontov’s works, not the enthusiastic young romance in the initial period of creativity is dominant. It is no accident that the aforementioned poets compare themselves with sailing ships leaving for the stormy sea (Lermontov - “The sail turns white ...”, Byron - “Stances to a woman when leaving England”).
Byron’s poems (as well as Lermontov’s works), according to the characterization given by Belinsky, are a warrior’s cry for help, but not a cry, but condescending. The depth of feelings, the suffering of the poet-citizen, and the unbridled desire for freedom are palpable in them. The imitation of Lord Byron, the singer of freedom, helped Mikhail Yurievich learn to write brightly, naturally, captivatingly, passionately. Meanwhile, Byron’s depth can be traced in his writings. An analysis of the works of Lermontov, where the maturity of thought is manifested, makes it possible to trace their consonance with the lines of the great British. Like Byron, with heartfelt sorrow, he evaluates his generation, crushed by reaction, without a future (Lermontov - “Duma”, Byron - “Pilgrimage of Childe-Harold”).
Mikhail Yuryevich, of course, draws for himself themes and images, deeply familiarizing himself with the work of other great poets, such as Pushkin and Goethe. However, he does not just get acquainted with the great British’s heritage, but also translates it (“Jewish Melody”, “Dying Gladiator”). Moreover, the famous works of Lermontov of that period include numerous imitations ("Vision", "Imitation of Byron", "Night").
At the end of this period, the poet will leave the path of imitation of the English classic and follow his own poetic path. In his work, he wrote about this milestone very clearly: “No, I'm not Byron, I'm different ...”
Further formation of a poetic gift
The second period of the poet’s work is marked by his move to St. Petersburg and the admission to the school of cavalry junkers and ensigns. On the eve of his studies, he writes the aforementioned poem “Sail,” after which an obvious lull is observed in his work. And this gives the right to literary critics to assert that the well-known works of Lermontov are not created during his studies. The young man is completely indulging in the junker revelry.
The exception is perhaps the poem "I, the mother of God, now with prayer." Instead of being published, the hussar amuses the comrades with “applied” army poetry. Lermontov writes quite relaxed rhymed barracks jokes, songs of a table sense and, it seems, does not think of more. However, the originality and harmony of rhythm, freshness and accuracy of rhymes, literacy and metaphorical style, which reveals the analysis of the works of Lermontov of this period, allow us to conclude that we have before us a fully formed poet. And to reveal this, we need a serious test.
"His talent suddenly flashed like a lit candle ..."
And yet a tragic event happened that stirred up the whole nature of Mikhail Yuryevich. The news that transformed him from a reckless hussar into a feeling-hearted citizen, a herald of truth, was a notice of Pushkin 's death. Lermontov was ill when he was informed of this loss. At the same time, he, feeling all the tragedy for Russia of this moment, was indignant to the core that many representatives of the higher world justified the murderer of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin - Georges Dantes.
Background to the creation of the "Death of a Poet"
Lermontov was indignant and poured out “heartbreak”, that is, what he felt on paper ... It was an incomplete version of the work. 16 lines have not yet been written ... But when Nikolai Stolypin (a relative on my mother's side), having started a public dispute with the poet, began to discuss and prove that Dantes is a worthy and decent man, Lermontov’s cup of patience was full, and he put his relative out of the doorway . And then he went into his office, sat at his desk, and ... fiery, scourging lines poured: "And you, arrogant descendants ..."
Hatred and love in Lermontov’s works have never sounded with such force! This was the work that was given to stir up Russia ... The arrest of him and then the court became evidence of his glory.
The first link to the Caucasus
Authorities based on the gendarmerie apparatus (“blue uniforms”) have long angered Lermontov’s works. The list of unreliable citizens clearly contained his last name. Now it has been practically proved that not without secret gendarme intrigues took place his fateful duel with Martynov.
However, in our arguments we ran ahead ... Let us return to 1937, to the reaction of the authorities to the poem "The Death of the Poet". Nicholas I fiercely hated Lermontov and personally monitored the severity of his punishment.
Mikhail Yuryevich was transferred to serve in the Caucasus. This was the poet’s first reference, which, thanks to the efforts of her grandmother and her connections in the world, was essentially softened and lasted only a few months.
Mtsyri and Demon
Here begins the third period of creativity of a genius. The impressions received from the amazing nature of the mountains are reflected in the subsequent works of the poet. Thanks to the exile, Lermontov among the advanced Russian youth gained a huge number of fans. When he returned to Petersburg, in the salons there he was assigned the role of a secular lion. The accumulated bitterness was looking for a way out in poetry. Mikhail Yurievich creates “Mtsyri” and “Demon”. The new heroes of Lermontov’s works, inspired by impressions of the Caucasus, attract readers with their charisma, desire for freedom and perfection of spirit.
About the poem "Mtsyri" ...
According to the plot of the work, the Circassian Mtsyri captive by Georgians makes a bold and hopeless escape and for three days tries to escape from his pursuers. And on the fourth he, exhausted, who is near death, but intoxicated by the smell of freedom, is delivered back to the monastery.
Belinsky believed that with the image of Mtsyri, the reader begins to observe the features of the problems of Lermontov’s works. This powerful and integral literary image of a young man running “at a terrible hour”, “thunderstorms”, when all the others, consumed by fear, were “at the altar”, but also “prostrated on the ground,” directly contained a hint of a stifling, stinking , repressive socio-political atmosphere of Russia at the beginning of the XIX century.
An analysis of the works of Lermontov, according to the literary critic Belinsky, demonstrates the personality of the poet in terms of their central images.
The clear rhythm of the lines of the hammered four-legged iamba of the poem “Mtsyri”, basically rhymed only by male endings, reflects at the same time the richness of the paintings of the outside world and a whole bunch of feelings of the protagonist: despair, tenderness, unshakable determination, love, mild sadness. This poem is especially traced as a characteristic motive of creativity loneliness in the works of Lermontov.
Lermontovsky "Demon"
This theme of the isolation of the creative person finds its logical development in the image of the Demon, the hero of the eponymous poem Mikhail Yuryevich. The very choice of the central image of the work testifies to the investment in it of a special psychological and social meaning. It is not simply by its very nature opposed to the values of the ruling stratum, but it is also “the king of knowledge and freedom”. Mikhail Yuryevich invested in it the dialectic of rejection of the youth of the 19th century by the state machine of humiliation. Lighting this image, we are not just talking about loneliness in the works of Lermontov.
This is the philosophy already put into the poem by the author, a mature realization that it is dangerous to deny and hate everything connected with the tangible world order that this leads to internal devastation. The tragedy of Lermontov's “Demon” consists in replacing it with the eternal values of “love, goodness and beauty” with its far-fetched egoistic images. How far he is from people! The inner world seems to him much more important than "the painful hardships, labors and troubles of the crowd of people." The latter leads to a mental crisis, and as a result to the death of his beloved Tamara, who followed the speeches of the Demon, “full of temptation”. The Demon himself, just as before meeting the girl, remains a creature alien to regret and participation.
An analysis of Lermontov’s works written later invariably shows the expansion of the consciousness invested in them by the poet, which indicates the evolution of his personality.
Love in the works of Lermontov
The theme of love in Lermontov’s works sounds sublime and piercingly tragic. Unfortunately, the personality of Mikhail Yuryevich was heavily imprinted by his unrequited love for Varenka Lopukhina. Where another, less solid young man, if refused, would be engaged in the search for another passion, Lermontov was principled - "either all or nothing!". And although Varenka remained his faithful and sensitive friend, adviser, the poet, of course, wanted more ...
Judging by the poems, then Lermontov’s love is light, high, but it is inseparable. Therefore, the description of Lermontov’s works by various literary critics led them to a single conclusion: this is a poet of love and sadness. Even in the philosophical works of Mikhail Yuryevich, for example, in the poem "Duma" there is a motive of love. And what a perfect one! Listen only to the stanza melody: “And we hate, and we love by chance ...”
The poet’s insightful grandmother, who knew him more than anyone, noticed her grandson’s special attitude to this feeling - perfect, without half tones. The poet is convinced that there is a “different life”, and that man himself was originally created for life in an aura of happiness and joy. According to his beliefs, true love cannot be earthly, it must be equivalent to eternal bliss. The heroes of Lermontov’s works, even falling in love, praise their ego above love (“I will not be humbled before you”).
The interpretation of happiness by Mikhail Yuryevich is unique. Perhaps only he could give such a definition ... A thoughtful reader who is interested in the topic of happiness in Lermontov’s works will find him in “The Hero of Our Time”: “Happiness is concentrated pride!” By these words, the poet understood such a state of one person when it turns into a treasure of joys and sorrows for another.
His maximalism gave rise to a special Lermontov style of love lyrics - to contrast the gray everyday life with the ideal world created by the poet’s imagination. It is such a creative concept that can be seen in the poems Sonnet and Valerik.
Output
Features of the works of Lermontov reflect the epoch of his work. It was in demand as a creative, ideological counterweight to the policy of repression conducted by Emperor Nicholas I.
Lermontov’s lines contain a denial of the existing state system, and doubts, painful reflections on the future of Russia. In the works of Mikhail Yurievich specific images (symbols) are created, therefore, as a matter of fact, Russian symbolism begins with the work of this classic.
At the same time, the depth of awareness of the 27-year-old poet of the world around us is striking, and from here come the varied themes of Lermontov’s works: reflections on the fate of the generation, loneliness and pride, pathetic patriotism, problems of the poet’s and society’s relationship.
His original and non-standard personality was and remains a mystery.