It's no secret that literary works belong to certain genres and types of literature. And if we limit ourselves to three categories: epic, lyric, drama, then there are a much larger number of genres.
"Eugene Onegin": genre
The famous work of art “Eugene Onegin”, written by the great Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, has long been under the close attention of philologists and literary scholars. Not only is this work filled with deep semantic content, its genre characteristics are also very ambiguous. So, why is the definition of the genre of “Eugene Onegin” so unusual?
Types and genres of literature
To begin with, it should be noted that the work is written in poetic form, which means the genre to which it belongs is lyrical. However, despite the fact that the story is described in verse, it is absolutely impossible to call it a simple poem. The developed plot, the dynamics of events, psychologism and works within the work rightfully allow us to classify “Eugene Onegin” as a novel. According to the definition from the explanatory dictionary of Sergei Ivanovich Ozhegov, a novel is a prosaic epic literary work with several characters and a complex plot structure. Based on it, we can say that in terms of meaning and content, “Eugene Onegin” rather belongs to the type of epic and novel genre of literature.
Brief description of the plot
According to the plot, the spoiled and selfish young man from the capital Evgeny Onegin, tired of endless balls and social receptions, decides to retire to live in the village in order to somehow add variety to his identical everyday life. However, life in the village turns out to be more boring than in St. Petersburg, and Evgeniy is again attacked by the blues. He meets the young residents of the village: the eighteen-year-old talented poet Vladimir Lensky, the Larin sisters - the beautiful and cheerful Olga, the thoughtful and dreamy Tatyana.
They also become the main characters in the plot. Lensky is engaged to Olga, while Tatyana has fallen in love with Evgeniy. However, he does not reciprocate the girl’s feelings, and having received a letter with an ardent and tender declaration of love, he tries to set her on the right path, advising her not to express her feelings to unfamiliar people in the future. Tatyana is embarrassed and offended. Meanwhile, Lensky challenges Onegin to a duel because he repeatedly invited his bride Olga to dance. Just before the duel, Tatyana sees a dream in which Evgeniy kills Vladimir, but the girl does not know about the young people’s intention to shoot, otherwise she would have prevented the duel. Onegin kills Lensky, fearing to call off the duel and be branded a coward in secular society. Olga does not mourn her lover for long and soon marries another. After some time, Tatyana also gets married, for some time she still continues to love Evgeniy, but then the veil falls from her eyes.
One day, at a social ball, these two met: the still bored and moping Onegin and the inaccessible noble wife of the general Tatyana. And at this meeting the heroes swapped roles, Eugene realized that he had fallen in love with the beautiful princess, and Tatiana answered him with a phrase that later became famous: “But I was given to another and I will be faithful to him forever.”
Analysis of the genre specificity of the text
So, how, in fact, can we determine the genre in the work “Eugene Onegin”? One can say about the plot that it is really rich in events, and the dialogues and monologues of the characters are full of sensuality and psychologism. These features allow us to classify the work as a novel genre. However, the poetic form of Pushkin’s famous creation leaves the question open. Experts are inclined to argue that the genre of “Eugene Onegin” is a novel in verse. However, according to some literary critics, including Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky, this is not so. They argue that the genre of “Eugene Onegin” is a poem, since the work fully and almost with historical accuracy reproduces the life of the Russian public in the capital and beyond. V. G. Belinsky, without stinting, called “Eugene Onegin” “an encyclopedia of Russian life.” But for a poem, the work is still too large in volume, the amount of text is closer to that of a novel. This is the first contradiction.
The second contradiction is related to the content of the novel. Again, critics call “Eugene Onegin” not only a “novel about a novel,” but also a “novel within a novel.” And if the first definition is directly influenced by the genre of “Eugene Onegin” by A. S. Pushkin, as well as the love line - the central theme of the plot, then the second characteristic is directly related to the inside of the work.
"A Novel about a Novel"
So, as it was already clarified earlier, in terms of its genre, the work is more likely to be a novel, despite its presentation in verse. And this is the first component of the definition of “a novel about a novel.” The second undoubtedly reflects the presence of love events in the plot. As the action progresses, the reader can observe how the relationship between two couples develops: Olga Larina and Vladimir Lensky and her sisters Tatyana and Evgeny Onegin. However, the relationship of the latter still comes to the fore. It is around this couple that the plot revolves. Thus, the expression “a novel about a novel” not only indicates the presence of a love line in the text, but also once again emphasizes that in the work “Eugene Onegin” the genre is characterized as a novel.
"A Novel within a Novel"
This characteristic also contains a reference to the genre of Pushkin’s work. However, now that the question “Eugene Onegin” no longer arises - what genre?”, deciphering the second part of the phrase is not required. We are, of course, talking about the attitude to the genre. But the first part of the definition reminds us of the presence in the text of another novel - a letter from Tatyana Larina , almost a work of art. Confessing her love to Onegin, Tatyana spoke about her feelings in writing. And Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin fully reflected her impulse. It is about this novel as a genre characteristic within another novel - the work itself - that we are talking about. Tatyana Larina, pouring out her love for Eugene, produced her own novel in verse, reflecting it in a letter.
So, even after analyzing the work “Eugene Onegin”, it is still problematic to establish its genre. In form it is a poem, in content it is a novel. Perhaps only such a talented and great poet as Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is allowed to invent his own genre - a novel in verse - and demonstrate it with the best example.
The novel “Eugene Onegin” was written by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin in 1823 – 1831. The work is one of the most significant creations of Russian literature - according to Belinsky, it is an “encyclopedia of Russian life” of the early 19th century.
The novel in verse by Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” belongs to the literary movement of realism, although in the first chapters the influence of the traditions of romanticism on the author is still noticeable. There are two storylines in the work: the central one is the tragic love story of Evgeny Onegin and Tatyana Larina, as well as the secondary one - the friendship of Onegin and Lensky.
Main characters
Eugene Onegin- a prominent young man of eighteen years old, a native of a noble family, who received a French home education, a secular dandy who knows a lot about fashion, is very eloquent and knows how to present himself in society, a “philosopher.”
Tatyana Larina- the eldest daughter of the Larins, a quiet, calm, serious girl of seventeen years old, who loved to read books and spend a lot of time alone.
Vladimir Lensky- a young landowner who was “nearly eighteen years old,” a poet, a dreamy person. At the beginning of the novel, Vladimir returns to his native village from Germany, where he studied.
Olga Larina- the youngest daughter of the Larins, lover and bride of Vladimir Lensky, always cheerful and sweet, she was the complete opposite of her older sister.
Other characters
Princess Polina (Praskovya) Larina- mother of Olga and Tatyana Larin.
Filipevna- Tatiana's nanny.
Princess Alina- Tatiana and Olga's aunt, Praskovya's sister.
Zaretsky- a neighbor of Onegin and Larin, Vladimir’s second in the duel with Evgeniy, a former gambler who became a “peaceful” landowner.
Prince N.- Tatiana’s husband, “important general”, friend of Onegin’s youth.
The novel in verse “Eugene Onegin” begins with a brief author’s address to the reader, in which Pushkin characterizes his work:
“Receive the collection of motley heads,
Half funny, half sad,
Common people, ideal,
The careless fruit of my amusements."
Chapter first
In the first chapter, the author introduces the reader to the hero of the novel - Evgeny Onegin, the heir of a wealthy family, who rushes to his dying uncle. The young man was “born on the banks of the Neva,” his father lived in debt, often held balls, which is why he eventually completely lost his fortune.
When Onegin matured enough to go out into the world, high society accepted the young man well, since he had an excellent command of French, danced the mazurka easily and could talk freely on any topic. However, it was not science or brilliance in society that interested Eugene most of all - he was a “true genius” in the “science of tender passion” - Onegin could turn the head of any lady, while remaining on friendly terms with her husband and admirers.
Evgeniy lived an idle life, walking along the boulevard during the day and visiting luxurious salons in the evening, where famous people of St. Petersburg invited him. The author emphasizes that Onegin, “afraid of jealous condemnation,” was very careful about his appearance, so he could spend three hours in front of the mirror, bringing his image to perfection. Evgeniy returned from the balls in the morning, when the rest of the residents of St. Petersburg were rushing to work. By noon the young man woke up and again
“Until the morning his life is ready,
Monotonous and motley."
However, is Onegin happy?
“No: his feelings cooled down early;
He was tired of the noise of the world."
Gradually, the hero was overcome by the “Russian blues” and he, as if Chade-Harold, appeared gloomy and languid in the world - “nothing touched him, he did not notice anything.”
Evgeniy withdraws from society, locks himself at home and tries to write on his own, but the young man does not succeed, since “he was sick of persistent work.” After this, the hero begins to read a lot, but realizes that literature will not save him: “like women, he left books.” Evgeny, from a sociable, secular person, becomes a withdrawn young man, prone to “caustic argument” and “joke with bile in half.”
Onegin and the narrator (according to the author, it was at this time that they met the main character) were planning to leave St. Petersburg abroad, but their plans were changed by the death of Eugene’s father. The young man had to give up his entire inheritance to pay his father’s debts, so the hero remained in St. Petersburg. Soon Onegin received news that his uncle was dying and wanted to say goodbye to his nephew. When the hero arrived, his uncle had already died. As it turned out, the deceased bequeathed a huge estate to Evgeniy: lands, forests, factories.
Chapter two
Evgeniy lived in a picturesque village, his house was located by the river, surrounded by a garden. Wanting to somehow entertain himself, Onegin decided to introduce new orders in his domains: he replaced corvee with “light rent”. Because of this, the neighbors began to treat the hero with caution, believing “that he is the most dangerous eccentric.” At the same time, Evgeny himself avoided his neighbors, avoiding getting to know them in every possible way.
At the same time, the young landowner Vladimir Lensky returned from Germany to one of the nearest villages. Vladimir was a romantic person,
“With a soul straight from Göttingen,
Handsome man, in full bloom,
Kant's admirer and poet."
Lensky wrote his poems about love, was a dreamer and hoped to reveal the mystery of the purpose of life. In the village, Lensky, “according to custom,” was mistaken for a profitable groom.
However, among the villagers, Lensky’s special attention was attracted by the figure of Onegin, and Vladimir and Evgeniy gradually became friends:
“They got along. Wave and stone
Poems and prose, ice and fire."
Vladimir read his works to Evgeniy and talked about philosophical things. Onegin listened to Lensky’s passionate speeches with a smile, but refrained from trying to reason with his friend, realizing that life itself would do this for him. Gradually, Evgeny notices that Vladimir is in love. Lensky’s beloved turned out to be Olga Larina, whom the young man knew as a child, and his parents predicted a wedding for them in the future.
“Always modest, always obedient,
Always cheerful like the morning,
How a poet's life is simple-minded,
How sweet is the kiss of love."
The complete opposite of Olga was her older sister, Tatyana:
“Wild, sad, silent,
Like a forest deer is timid."
The girl did not find the usual girlish pastimes fun, she loved to read novels by Richardson and Rousseau,
“And often all day alone
I sat silently by the window."
Tatiana and Olga's mother, Princess Polina, was in love with someone else in her youth - a guard sergeant, a dandy and a gambler, but without asking, her parents married her to Larin. The woman was sad at first, but then took up housekeeping, “got used to it and became happy,” and gradually peace reigned in their family. Having lived a quiet life, Larin grew old and died.
Chapter Three
Lensky begins to spend all his evenings with the Larins. Evgeniy is surprised that he has found a friend in the company of a “simple, Russian family,” where all conversations boil down to discussing the household. Lensky explains that he enjoys home society more than a social circle. Onegin asks if he can see Lensky's beloved and his friend invites him to go to the Larins.
Returning from the Larins, Onegin tells Vladimir that he was pleased to meet them, but his attention was more attracted not by Olga, who “has no life in her features,” but by her sister Tatyana, “who is sad and silent, like Svetlana.” Onegin's appearance at the Larins' house caused gossip that perhaps Tatiana and Evgeniy were already engaged. Tatyana realizes that she has fallen in love with Onegin. The girl begins to see Evgeniy in the heroes of the novels, to dream about the young man, walking in the “silence of the forests” with books about love.
One sleepless night, Tatyana, sitting in the garden, asks the nanny to tell her about her youth, about whether the woman was in love. The nanny says that she was married by agreement at the age of 13 to a guy younger than her, so the old woman does not know what love is. Peering into the moon, Tatiana decides to write a letter to Onegin declaring her love in French, since at that time it was customary to write letters exclusively in French.
In the message, the girl writes that she would be silent about her feelings if she were sure that she would be able to see Evgeniy at least sometimes. Tatyana reasons that if Onegin had not settled in their village, perhaps her fate would have turned out differently. But he immediately denies this possibility:
“This is the will of heaven: I am yours;
My whole life was a pledge
The faithful date with you."
Tatyana writes that it was Onegin who appeared to her in her dreams and it was him she dreamed about. At the end of the letter, the girl “hands over” her destiny to Onegin:
"I'm waiting for you: with one glance
Revive the hopes of your heart,
Or break the heavy dream,
Alas, a well-deserved reproach!
In the morning, Tatyana asks Filipyevna to give Evgeniy a letter. There was no answer from Onegin for two days. Lensky assures that Evgeny promised to visit the Larins. Finally Onegin arrives. Tatiana, frightened, runs into the garden. Having calmed down a little, he goes out into the alley and sees Evgeniy standing right in front of him “like a menacing shadow.”
Chapter Four
Evgeny, who even in his youth was disappointed with relationships with women, was touched by Tatyana’s letter, and that is why he did not want to deceive the gullible, innocent girl.
Having met Tatyana in the garden, Evgeniy spoke first. The young man said that he was very touched by her sincerity, so he wants to “repay” the girl with his “confession.” Onegin tells Tatyana that if a “pleasant lot had commanded” him to become a father and husband, he would not have looked for another bride, choosing Tatyana as his “friend of sad days.” However, Eugene “was not created for bliss.” Onegin says that he loves Tatyana like a brother and at the end of his “confession” turns into a sermon to the girl:
“Learn to control yourself;
Not everyone will understand you like I do;
Inexperience leads to disaster."
Discussing Onegin's action, the narrator writes that Eugene acted very nobly with the girl.
After the date in the garden, Tatyana became even sadder, worrying about her unhappy love. There is talk among the neighbors that it is time for the girl to get married. At this time, the relationship between Lensky and Olga is developing, young people spend more and more time together.
Onegin lived as a hermit, walking and reading. One winter evening Lensky comes to see him. Evgeniy asks his friend about Tatyana and Olga. Vladimir says that his wedding with Olga is scheduled in two weeks, which Lensky is very happy about. In addition, Vladimir recalls that the Larins invited Onegin to visit Tatiana’s name day.
Chapter Five
Tatyana loved the Russian winter very much, including Epiphany evenings, when the girls told fortunes. She believed in dreams, omens and fortune telling. On one of the Epiphany evenings, Tatyana went to bed, putting a girl’s mirror under her pillow.
The girl dreamed that she was walking through the snow in the darkness, and in front of her there was a roaring river, across which was thrown a “trembling, disastrous bridge.” Tatyana doesn’t know how to cross it, but then a bear appears from the other side of the stream and helps her cross. The girl tries to run away from the bear, but the “shaggy footman” followed her. Tatiana, unable to run any longer, falls into the snow. The bear picks her up and carries her into a “wretched” hut that appears between the trees, telling the girl that his godfather is here. Having come to her senses, Tatyana saw that she was in the hallway, and behind the door she could hear “a scream and the clink of a glass, as at a big funeral.” The girl looked through the crack: there were monsters sitting at the table, among whom she saw Onegin, the host of the feast. Out of curiosity, the girl opens the door, all the monsters begin to reach out to her, but Evgeny drives them away. The monsters disappear, Onegin and Tatyana sit on the bench, the young man puts his head on the girl’s shoulder. Then Olga and Lensky appear, Evgeny begins to scold the uninvited guests, suddenly pulls out a long knife and kills Vladimir. In horror, Tatiana wakes up and tries to interpret the dream from the book of Martyn Zadeka (fortune teller, interpreter of dreams).
It’s Tatiana’s birthday, the house is full of guests, everyone is laughing, crowding around, saying hello. Lensky and Onegin arrive. Evgeniy is seated opposite Tatiana. The girl is embarrassed, afraid to look up at Onegin, she is ready to cry. Evgeny, noticing Tatiana's excitement, became angry and decided to take revenge on Lensky, who brought him to the feast. When the dancing began, Onegin invites Olga exclusively, without leaving the girl even during breaks between dances. Lensky, seeing this, “flashes up in jealous indignation.” Even when Vladimir wants to invite his bride to dance, it turns out that she has already promised Onegin.
“Lenskaya is unable to bear the blow” - Vladimir leaves the holiday, thinking that only a duel can solve the current situation.
Chapter Six
Noticing that Vladimir had left, Onegin lost all interest in Olga and returned home at the end of the evening. In the morning, Zaretsky comes to Onegin and gives him a note from Lensky challenging him to a duel. Evgeny agrees to a duel, but, left alone, he blames himself for making a joke about his friend’s love in vain. According to the terms of the duel, the heroes were supposed to meet at the mill before dawn.
Before the duel, Lensky stopped by Olga, thinking to embarrass her, but the girl greeted him joyfully, which dispelled her beloved’s jealousy and annoyance. Lensky was absent-minded all evening. Arriving home from Olga, Vladimir examined the pistols and, thinking about Olga, writes poetry in which he asks the girl to come to his grave in the event of his death.
In the morning, Evgeniy overslept, so he was late for the duel. Vladimir's second was Zaretsky, Onegin's second was Monsieur Guillot. At Zaretsky’s command, the young men came together and the duel began. Evgeny is the first to raise his pistol - when Lensky just started to aim, Onegin already shoots and kills Vladimir. Lensky dies instantly. Evgeniy looks at his friend’s body in horror.
Chapter Seven
Olga did not cry for Lensky for long; she soon fell in love with a lancer and married him. After the wedding, the girl and her husband left for the regiment.
Tatyana still could not forget Onegin. One day, while walking through a field at night, a girl accidentally came to Evgeniy’s house. The girl is warmly greeted by the courtyard family and Tatyana is allowed into Onegin’s house. The girl, looking around the rooms, “stands for a long time in the fashionable cell, enchanted.” Tatyana begins to constantly visit Evgeniy’s house. The girl reads her lover’s books, trying to understand from the notes in the margins what kind of person Onegin is.
At this time, the Larins begin talking about how it’s high time for Tatyana to get married. Princess Polina is worried that her daughter refuses everyone. Larina is advised to take the girl to the “bride fair” in Moscow.
In winter, the Larins, having collected everything they need, leave for Moscow. They stayed with an old aunt, Princess Alina. The Larins begin to travel around to visit numerous acquaintances and relatives, but the girl is bored and uninterested everywhere. Finally, Tatyana is brought to the “Meeting,” where many brides, dandies, and hussars have gathered. While everyone is having fun and dancing, the girl, “unnoticed by anyone,” stands at the column, remembering life in the village. Then one of the aunts drew Tanya’s attention to the “fat general”.
Chapter Eight
The narrator again meets the now 26-year-old Onegin at one of the social events. Eugene
"languishing in idle leisure
Without work, without wife, without business,
I didn’t know how to do anything.”
Before this, Onegin traveled for a long time, but he was tired of this, and so, “he returned and ended up, like Chatsky, from the ship to the ball.”
At the evening, a lady appears with a general, who attracts everyone's attention from the public. This woman looked "quiet" and "simple". Evgeny recognizes Tatyana as a socialite. Asking a friend of the prince who this woman is, Onegin learns that she is the wife of this prince and indeed Tatyana Larina. When the prince brings Onegin to the woman, Tatiana does not show her excitement at all, while Eugene is speechless. Onegin cannot believe that this is the same girl who once wrote him a letter.
In the morning, Evgeniy receives an invitation from Prince N., Tatiana’s wife. Onegin, alarmed by memories, eagerly goes to visit, but the “stately”, “careless Lawgiver of the hall” does not seem to notice him. Unable to bear it, Eugene writes a letter to the woman in which he declares his love for her, ending the message with the lines:
“Everything is decided: I am in your will,
And I surrender to my fate."
However, no answer comes. The man sends a second, third letter. Onegin was again “caught” by a “cruel blues”, he again locked himself in his office and began to read a lot, constantly thinking and dreaming about “secret legends, heartfelt, dark antiquities.”
One spring day, Onegin goes to Tatyana without an invitation. Eugene finds a woman crying bitterly over his letter. The man falls at her feet. Tatyana asks him to stand up and reminds Evgenia how in the garden, in the alley she humbly listened to his lesson, now it’s her turn. She tells Onegin that she was in love with him then, but found only severity in his heart, although she does not blame him, considering the man’s act noble. The woman understands that now she is in many ways interesting to Eugene precisely because she has become a prominent socialite. In parting, Tatyana says:
“I love you (why lie?),
But I was given to another;
I will be faithful to him forever"
And he leaves. Evgeny is “as if struck by thunder” by Tatiana’s words.
“But a sudden ringing sound rang out,
And Tatyana’s husband showed up,
And here is my hero,
In a moment that is evil for him,
Reader, we will now leave,
For a long time... forever..."
conclusions
The novel in verse “Eugene Onegin” amazes with its depth of thought, the volume of events, phenomena and characters described. Depicting in the work the morals and life of cold, “European” St. Petersburg, patriarchal Moscow and the village - the center of folk culture, the author shows the reader Russian life as a whole. A brief retelling of “Eugene Onegin” allows you to get acquainted only with the central episodes of the novel in verse, therefore, for a better understanding of the work, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the full version of the masterpiece of Russian literature.
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“Eugene Onegin” rightfully stands apart among the works of Russian literature of the 19th century. This is one of the most harmonious in composition and rich in content of Pushkin’s works. Alexander Sergeevich devoted more than 8 years to his brainchild: having begun work on a novel in verse in the spring of 1823, he completed the work only in the fall of 1831. This was the most painstaking and lengthy work on a work in his life.
He either abandoned work on “Eugene Onegin” or started it again. Conventionally, the work on the novel can be divided into four stages, during which many events happened in Pushkin’s life: the southern exile, the Boldino autumn, and a series of stormy novels. All chapters were published gradually, as they were written, one after another. The last author's version was published in 1837. According to the description, the actions in the novel cover a period of time over 6 years. In the process of the story, the characters grow up, go through a certain path in life and turn from dreamy boys and girls into mature, accomplished individuals.
Thanks to the expression of the characters' emotions through poetic form, the novel gains greater lyricism and expressiveness, thus the reader becomes clear and accessible to the entire palette of feelings that the author laid as the basis. In addition, Pushkin introduces himself into the novel as one of the heroes of the story, he keeps Tatyana’s letter and meets Onegin in St. Petersburg. There are many lyrical digressions in the novel, where Pushkin shares his thoughts and experiences with the reader, as if alienating himself from the course and main line of the narrative.
Analysis of the work
The main plot of the work
The plot is based on a love line: young Tatyana Larina falls in love with the bright, extraordinary personality of Evgeny Onegin. Still very young, he is already tired of the noisy bustle and tinsel surrounding him, and calls his soul cold. A young girl in love decides to take a desperate step and writes a letter of recognition, where, with the ardor characteristic of her youthful nature, she pours out her soul to Evgeniy and expresses hope for the possibility of a romantic relationship between them. The hero does not reciprocate Tatyana’s feelings, which greatly hurts her. A decisive explanation takes place between the young people, and Onegin gently tells Tatyana that his callous soul is no longer able to love, even such a young and beautiful girl as Tatyana. Later, when Larina becomes a married woman and seemingly finds quiet family happiness, the paths of the heroes cross again. Onegin understands what a terrible mistake he has made, but, unfortunately, it is no longer possible to correct anything. Tatyana says her famous “...but I was given to someone else, and I will be faithful to him forever...”, which puts an end to the failed love story.
Many mistakes that people tend to make, especially in their youth, prevented the young heroes from being together, despite their mutual love. Only after going through a series of emotional upheavals, Onegin realizes that Tatyana is the very girl with whom he could be very happy, but, as usual, he understands this too late. All this, of course, makes the reader wonder if he is making a similar mistake. Or, perhaps, it immerses you in memories of past sad experiences or makes you relive ardent and tender first feelings.
Main characters
One of the main characters is Evgeny Onegin. A reserved young man with a complex character. The author deliberately does not idealize his image, endowing him with all those shortcomings that are usually inherent in a real person. Since childhood, he did not know the need for anything, being the son of a St. Petersburg nobleman. His soul did not gravitate towards work; it was pampered by novels, balls and scientific works of his favorite authors. His life was as empty as that of a million of the same lordly offspring of that time, filled with revelry and debauchery, senseless wasting of life. As is usual, as a result of this lifestyle, Eugene became a real callous egoist, thinking only about his own pleasures. He doesn’t give a damn about other people’s feelings and easily insults a person if he doesn’t like him or utters a phrase that is inappropriate in his opinion.
Meanwhile, our hero is not without positive traits: for example, throughout the entire novel, the author shows us how Onegin gravitates toward science and knowledge. He is constantly looking for something with which to replenish and expand his consciousness, studies the works of philosophers, and conducts intellectual conversations and debates. In addition, unlike his peers, he very quickly gets bored with the bustle of balls and meaningless pastime. Very soon, the reader can observe his personal growth, while his friends, one after another, inevitably degrade, turning into flabby landowners.
Despite his disappointment and dissatisfaction with the lifestyle he is forced to lead, he lacks the mental strength and motivation to break this vicious circle. He did not grab the saving straw that the pure and bright girl Tatyana holds out to him, declaring her love.
The turning point in his life is the murder of Lensky. At this moment, Onegin’s eyes open, he understands how insignificant his entire previous existence is. From a feeling of shame and remorse, he is forced to flee, and is sent to conquer the vastness of the country in the hope of hiding from the “bloody shadow” of his murdered friend.
He returns from a three-year voyage as a completely different person, mature and conscious. Having met Tatyana again, who was already married at that time, he realizes that he has feelings for her. He sees in her an intelligent adult woman, an excellent conversationalist and a holistic, mature nature. He is amazed at her greatness and secular coldness, not recognizing in her the timid and gentle village girl that he knew her before. Now she is a loving wife, tactful and friendly, reserved and calm. He falls madly in love with this woman, and is mercilessly rejected by her.
This served as the ending of the novel; the further life of Onegin and Tatyana remains unknown to the reader. Pushkin does not give any answer to the questions about whether Evgeny was able to come to terms with and forget his love and how he spent his subsequent days? Was Tatyana happy in the future married to an unloved man? All this remained a secret.
No less important is the image described in the novel - the image of Tatyana Larina. Pushkin describes her as a simple noblewoman from the provinces. A modest young lady, not endowed with special beauty or external attractiveness, however, possessing a surprisingly deep, multifaceted inner world. Her romantic, poetic nature captivates the reader and makes her sympathize and empathize with her suffering from the first to the last line. Pushkin himself more than once confesses his love for his fictional heroine:
« Forgive me: I love you so much
My dear Tatiana!
Tanya grows up to be a rather withdrawn, immersed in her own feelings, closed girl. Books became her best friends very early, in them she looked for answers to all questions, through the pages of novels she learned about life. All the more strange for the reader is Tatyana’s unexpected impulse and her frank letter to Onegin. This behavior is not at all typical of her character and indicates that the feelings that flared up for Eugene were so strong that they overshadowed the young girl’s mind.
The author makes it clear to us that even after Onegin’s refusal, and after Onegin’s long departure, and even after marriage, Tanya does not stop loving him. However, her enormous nobility and self-esteem do not give her the opportunity to rush into his arms. She respects her husband and protects her family. Having abandoned Onegin's feelings, she reveals herself as an exceptionally reasonable, strong and wise woman. Duty turns out to be above all else for her, and this decision of hers makes the reader feel deep respect for the heroine. Onegin’s suffering and later repentance are the natural ending of his lifestyle and actions.
(Illustration by K. I. Rudakov "Eugene Onegin. Meeting in the Garden", 1949)
In addition to the main characters, the novel describes many secondary characters, but no one else receives such vivid characteristics as Tatiana and Onegin. Unless the author pays some attention to Lensky. With bitterness he describes his tragic fate with an unfair ending. Pushkin characterizes him as an exceptionally pure young man, with an unblemished reputation and high moral qualities. He is talented and impetuous, but at the same time very noble.
Conclusion
The description of nature in the novel stands out: the author devotes a lot of time to it. We can find on the pages of the novel beautiful paintings that recreate before our eyes Moscow, St. Petersburg, Crimea, Odessa, the Caucasus and, of course, the wonderful nature of the Russian hinterland. Everything that Pushkin describes is everyday pictures of the Russian village. At the same time, he does it so masterfully that the pictures he created literally come to life in the reader’s imagination and fascinate him.
Despite the disappointing ending of the novel, it cannot be called pessimistic at all. On the contrary, the abundance of bright, living moments makes the reader believe in a wonderful future and look into the distance with hope. There are so many bright, real feelings, noble impulses and pure love here that the novel is more capable of bringing positive emotions to the reader.
The entire composition of the novel is built surprisingly harmoniously, which is surprising, given the long breaks with which the author began working on it again. The structure has a clear, harmonious and organic structure. Actions flow smoothly from one another, and throughout the entire novel, Pushkin’s favorite technique is used - a ring composition. That is, the place of the initial and final events coincides. The reader can also track the specularity and symmetry of the events taking place: Tatiana and Evgeniy find themselves in similar situations several times, at one of which (Tatiana’s refusal) the action of the novel is interrupted.
It is worth noting that not a single love story in the novel has a successful ending: like her sister Tatyana, Olga Larina was not destined to find happiness with Lensky. The difference between the heroes is shown through contrast: Tatiana and Olga, Lensky and Onegin.
To summarize, it is worth noting that “Eugene Onegin” is truly a confirmation of Pushkin’s remarkable poetic talent and lyrical genius. The novel is read literally in one breath and captures you from its first line.
"Eugene Onegin"(1823-1831) - a novel in verse by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, one of the most significant works of Russian literature.
History of creation
Pushkin worked on the novel for over seven years. The novel was, according to Pushkin, “the fruit of a mind of cold observations and a heart of sorrowful observations.” Pushkin called his work a feat - of all his creative heritage, only “Boris Godunov” he characterized with the same word. Against a broad background of pictures of Russian life, the dramatic fate of the best people of the noble intelligentsia is shown.
Pushkin began work on Onegin in 1823, during his southern exile. The author abandoned romanticism as the leading creative method and began to write a realistic novel in verse, although the influence of romanticism is still noticeable in the first chapters. Initially, it was assumed that the novel in verse would consist of 9 chapters, but Pushkin subsequently reworked its structure, leaving only 8 chapters. He excluded the chapter “Onegin’s Travels” from the work, which he included as an appendix. After this, the tenth chapter of the novel was written, which is an encrypted chronicle of the life of the future Decembrists.
The novel was published in verse in separate chapters, and the release of each chapter became a major event in modern literature. In 1831, the novel in verse was completed and published in 1833. It covers events from 1819 to 1825: from the foreign campaigns of the Russian army after the defeat of Napoleon to the Decembrist uprising. These were the years of development of Russian society, the reign of Tsar Alexander I. The plot of the novel is simple and well known. At the center of the novel is a love affair. And the main problem is the eternal problem of feelings and duty. The novel “Eugene Onegin” reflected the events of the first quarter of the 19th century, that is, the time of creation and the time of action of the novel approximately coincide. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin created a novel in verse similar to Byron’s poem “Don Juan”. Having defined the novel as “a collection of motley chapters,” Pushkin emphasizes one of the features of this work: the novel is, as it were, “open” in time, each chapter could be the last, but it could also have a continuation. And thus the reader draws attention to the independence of each chapter of the novel. The novel has become an encyclopedia of Russian life of the 20s of the century before last, since the breadth of the novel’s coverage shows readers the whole reality of Russian life, as well as the multiplicity of plots and descriptions of different eras. This is what gave V. G. Belinsky the basis to conclude in his article “Eugene Onegin”:
“Onegin can be called an encyclopedia of Russian life and a highly folk work.”
In the novel, as in the encyclopedia, you can find out everything about the era: how they dressed, what was in fashion, what people valued most, what they talked about, what interests they lived. “Eugene Onegin” reflects the whole of Russian life. Briefly, but quite clearly, the author showed the fortress village, lordly Moscow, secular Petersburg. Pushkin truthfully depicted the environment in which the main characters of his novel, Tatyana Larina and Evgeny Onegin, live. The author reproduced the atmosphere of the city noble salons in which Onegin spent his youth.
Plot
The novel begins with a grumpy speech by the young nobleman Eugene Onegin, dedicated to the illness of his uncle, which forced him to leave St. Petersburg and go to the sick bed in the hope of becoming the heir of the dying man. The narrative itself is told on behalf of the nameless author, who introduced himself as a good friend of Onegin. Having thus outlined the plot, the author devotes the first chapter to a story about the origin, family, and life of his hero before receiving news of a relative’s illness.
Evgeny was born “on the banks of the Neva,” that is, in St. Petersburg, in the family of a typical nobleman of his time -
“Having served excellently and nobly, his father lived in debt. He gave three balls every year and finally squandered it.” The son of such a father received a typical upbringing - first by the governess Madame, then by a French tutor who did not bother his pupil with an abundance of science. Here Pushkin emphasizes that Evgeniy’s upbringing from childhood was carried out by people who were strangers to him, and foreigners at that.
Onegin's life in St. Petersburg was full of love affairs and social amusements, but now he faces boredom in the village. Upon arrival, it turns out that his uncle died, and Eugene became his heir. Onegin settles in the village, and soon the blues really take hold of him.
Onegin’s neighbor turns out to be eighteen-year-old Vladimir Lensky, a romantic poet, who came from Germany. Lensky and Onegin converge. Lensky is in love with Olga Larina, the daughter of a landowner. Her thoughtful sister Tatyana is not like the always cheerful Olga. Having met Onegin, Tatyana falls in love with him and writes him a letter. However, Onegin rejects her: he is not looking for a calm family life. Lensky and Onegin are invited to the Larins. Onegin is not happy about this invitation, but Lensky persuades him to go.
“[...] He pouted and, indignant, vowed to enrage Lensky, and to take revenge in order.” At dinner with the Larins, Onegin, in order to make Lensky jealous, unexpectedly begins to court Olga. Lensky challenges him to a duel. The duel ends with Lensky's death, and Onegin leaves the village.
Two years later, he appears in St. Petersburg and meets Tatyana. She is an important lady, the wife of a prince. Onegin was inflamed with love for her, but this time he was rejected, despite the fact that Tatyana also loves him, but wants to remain faithful to her husband.
Storylines
- Onegin and Tatiana:
- Meet Tatyana
- Conversation with the nanny
- Tatiana's letter to Onegin
- Explanation in the garden
- Tatiana's dream. Name day
- Visit to Onegin's house
- Departure to Moscow
- Meeting at a ball in St. Petersburg after 2 years
- Letter to Tatyana (explanation)
- Evening at Tatiana's
- Onegin and Lensky:
- Dating in the village
- Conversation after the evening at the Larins'
- Lensky's visit to Onegin
- Tatiana's name day
- Duel (Death of Lensky)
Characters
- Eugene Onegin- the prototype Pyotr Chaadaev, a friend of Pushkin, was named by Pushkin himself in the first chapter. The story of Onegin is reminiscent of the life of Chaadaev. An important influence on the image of Onegin was exerted by Lord Byron and his “Byronian Heroes”, Don Juan and Childe Harold, who are also mentioned more than once by Pushkin himself.
- Tatyana Larina- prototype Avdotya (Dunya) Norova, Chaadaev’s friend. Dunya herself is mentioned in the second chapter, and at the end of the last chapter, Pushkin expresses his grief over her untimely death. Due to the death of Dunya at the end of the novel, the prototype of the princess, matured and transformed Tatiana, is Anna Kern, Pushkin’s beloved. She, Anna Kern, was the prototype of Anna Kerenina. Although Leo Tolstoy copied Anna Karenina’s appearance from Pushkin’s eldest daughter, Maria Hartung, the name and story are very close to Anna Kern. Thus, through the story of Anna Kern, Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina is a continuation of the novel Eugene Onegin.
- Olga Larina, her sister is a generalized image of a typical heroine of a popular novel; beautiful in appearance, but lacking deep content.
- Vladimir Lensky- Pushkin himself, or rather his idealized image.
- Tatiana's nanny- probable prototype - Arina Rodionovna Yakovleva, Pushkin’s nanny
- Zaretsky, duelist - Fyodor Tolstoy the American was named among the prototypes
- Tatyana Larina's husband, not named in the novel, is an “important general,” General Kern, Anna Kern’s husband.
- Author of the work- Pushkin himself. He constantly intervenes in the course of the narrative, reminds of himself, makes friends with Onegin, in his lyrical digressions he shares with the reader his thoughts on a variety of life issues, and expresses his ideological position.
The novel also mentions the father - Dmitry Larin - and the mother of Tatyana and Olga; “Princess Alina” - Moscow cousin of Tatyana Larina’s mother; Onegin's uncle; a number of comical images of provincial landowners (Gvozdin, Flyanov, “Skotinins, the gray-haired couple”, “fat Pustyakov”, etc.); St. Petersburg and Moscow light.
The images of provincial landowners are mainly of literary origin. Thus, the image of the Skotinins refers to Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor,” Buyanov is the hero of the poem “Dangerous Neighbor” (1810-1811) by V. L. Pushkin. “Among the guests there were also “important Kirin”, “Lazorkina - a widow-widow”, “fat Pustyakov” was replaced by “fat Tumakov”, Pustyakov was called “skinny”, Petushkov was a “retired clerical worker”.
Poetic features
The novel is written in a special “Onegin stanza”. Each stanza consists of 14 lines of iambic tetrameter.
The first four lines rhyme crosswise, lines five through eight rhyme in pairs, lines nine through twelfth are connected in a ring rhyme. The remaining 2 lines of the stanza rhyme with each other.
The novel in verse “Eugene Onegin” became a real revolution in Russian literature. And from the point of view of the plot, and from the point of view of language, and as a way of self-expression of the author, “Eugene Onegin” has no analogues in Russian literature. It is enough to read the poetic works created by Pushkin’s predecessors to understand that all theses about the development of Russian literature, nurtured primarily by Soviet criticism, are nothing more than fitting evidence to a predetermined result.
Written - not without reservations, of course - in a living language, the work was sharply different from the examples that already existed. Critics, who perceived “Eugene Onegin” rather ambiguously, blamed Pushkin for such things as the combination of the words “peasant” and “triumphant” in one line - a common word, according to the concepts of poetry of that time, could not be combined with the lofty verb “triumphant.” The phrase “his beaver collar is silvered with frosty dust” could not be used in poetry at all, because a beaver collar is a vulgar thing, neither Orestes, nor Zeus, nor Achilles wore it.
Five rubles per chapter + 80 kopecks postage. If Stephen King had carefully studied the history of Russian literature, he would be the richest of all
“Eugene Onegin” became a breakthrough both in terms of plot, in its language, and in the fact that the author, when describing the characters, does not shy away from expressing his opinion. Pushkin not only outlined a certain plot, but also substantiated its development and psychologically explained the actions of the heroes. And the author’s entire construction is based on a powerful basis of knowledge of everyday life, the strict rules of which did little to contribute to the independent behavior of the heroes. Here is Onegin’s need to go to the village, and “I was given to another,” and “Love has passed, the muse has appeared.” And at the same time, Pushkin wanted to show that the will of a person means something. This is especially clearly seen in the lines that are, as it were, an epitaph for Lensky.
Here are a few facts that may help you better understand one of the greatest works of Russian literature and the history of its creation:
1. Pushkin did not have a single plot plan for “Eugene Onegin”. In one of the letters, he complains that Tatyana “ran away” with him - she got married. However, the poet’s talent is so great that the work looks solid, like a monolith. The description of Pushkin “a collection of motley chapters” refers to the chronology of publication, because each chapter was published separately.
2. A. S. Pushkin’s fee for a novel in verse was 12,000 rubles. That is, for each line (there are just over 7,500 of them) the poet received about 1.5 rubles. It is quite difficult to calculate the exact equivalent of Pushkin’s earnings in current rubles - both prices and costs were different. Based on prices for simple food products, Pushkin would now receive about 11 - 12 million rubles. It took the poet more than 7 years to write the novel.
3. You can often come across the statement that Pushkin very well described the everyday side of the noble life of those years. Belinsky generally wrote about the novel as an encyclopedia of Russian life. There are indeed enough descriptions of the features of everyday life in Eugene Onegin, but already half a century after the novel’s publication, many features of everyday life became incomprehensible to readers.
4. Memoirs and correspondence of contemporaries testify to the psychological accuracy of the description of the characters in Eugene Onegin. Literally dozens of people believed that Alexander Sergeevich “wrote” them in the novel. But the well-known Wilhelm Kuchelbecker went the furthest. According to Küchli, Pushkin portrayed himself in the image of Tatyana.
5. Despite the obvious far-fetchedness of Kuchelbecker’s conclusion, Pushkin is one of the main characters of his own novel. Moreover, this is the special charm of the work. The author constantly interferes with his remarks, explanations and clarifications, even where it is not at all required. Along the way, Pushkin manages to ridicule the morals of the nobility, and explain the actions of the heroes, and communicate his attitude towards them. And all these escapades look very natural and do not tear the fabric of the narrative.
6. Frequently mentioned in the novel, debts, pledges, etc. were the scourge of the nobles not only of the middle class, but also of the rich during the years of the novel. The state was also indirectly to blame for this: the nobles took money from the State Bank on the security of their estates and serfs. When the loan ran out, they took out a new one for the next estate or the next “souls.” Private loans were also in use at 10-12% per annum.
7. Onegin did not serve anywhere for even a day, which was only theoretically possible. As usual, nobles joined the military. Civil service, with the exception of a number of areas such as diplomacy, was valued less, but almost everyone served at least somewhere. Nobles who resigned after several years of service were viewed with disdain in society and hostility in government. And at post stations they were provided with a minimum of horses and as a last resort.
8. Chapter XXXIX in the seventh part was not omitted or erased by censorship - Pushkin introduced it to strengthen the impression of the duration of the Larins’ trip to Moscow.
9. About transport: ride “on your own” - use your own horses and carriages. Long, but cheap. “At post offices” - changing horses at special post stations, where there might not be any, and the rules were quite strict. More expensive, but generally faster. “Discharge crew” was a foreign car of that time. "Boyarsky cart" - a carriage on a sleigh. Arriving in Moscow, the carts were hidden and “civilized” crews were hired.
Carts are not afraid of snow. It's immediately obvious...
10. It is no coincidence that Onegin walks along the embankment at one o’clock in the afternoon. It was at this time that Emperor Alexander I took his regular walk, which attracted hundreds of representatives of the world to the embankment.
11. “There is no better place for confessions...” than a ball. Indeed, practically the only place where young people could talk without supervision and prying ears was the ballroom. The conduct of the balls and the behavior of the participants were strictly regulated (in Chapter 1, Onegin appears at the ball at the height of the mazurka, that is, unacceptably late), but the dance provided an opportunity for privacy among the noisy crowd.
12. An analysis of Onegin’s duel with Lensky and the circumstances preceding it shows that the manager of the fight, Zaretsky, was for some reason interested in the bloody outcome. The rules required the master to attempt to achieve a peaceful outcome at each of several stages preceding the duel itself. Even at the site of the duel, after Onegin was an hour late, Zaretsky could cancel the duel (the rules allowed no more than 15 minutes of delay). And the rules for shooting itself - to converge up to 10 steps - were the most cruel. In such fights, both participants often suffered.
13. Given Onegin’s attitude towards Lensky, which the author characterizes as love, we do not understand why Onegin did not shoot demonstratively past? Evgeniy did not have such a right. A shot in the air was already a reason for a duel, since it deprived the enemy of a choice - an unacceptable thing in those days. Well, before Onegin’s shot, the duelists walked 9 steps each (first 4, then 5 more), that is, there were only 14 steps between them - a lethal distance if Lensky’s anger is too strong.
In 10 steps...
14. Young Onegin, as soon as he arrived in St. Petersburg, cut his hair “in the latest fashion.” Back then it was a short haircut in the English style, for which French hairdressers charged 5 rubles. For comparison: a landowner family, moving for the winter from Nizhny Novgorod to St. Petersburg on their own transport, spent 20 rubles traveling on two dozen carriages and carts. The average quitrent per serf was 20 - 25 rubles per year.
15. In the X stanza of the 2nd chapter, Pushkin masterfully ridicules the rhymes “moon - clear”, “obedient - simple-minded”, “serene - tender”, “color - years”, etc., common among classic poets.
16. Books are mentioned in the novel only three times, and these are works of 17 authors without any systematization.
17. Ignorance of the Russian language by nobles of the 19th century is now considered commonplace. So Pushkin’s Tatyana “didn’t know Russian well.” But it's not that simple. The literary Russian language was then very poor in terms of the number of works. Contemporaries mention Karamzin’s “History” and several literary works, while literature in foreign languages was very diverse.
18. An innocent line about flocks of jackdaws on the crosses of Moscow churches aroused the wrath of Metropolitan Philaret, who reported this to A.H. Benkendorf, who was in charge of censorship. "Pushkin's Persecutor." The censor called by the chief of the III department told Benckendorff that the jackdaws sitting on the crosses were more likely to fall within the purview of the police chief than of a poet or censor. Benckendorff did not tease Filaret and simply wrote that the matter was not worth the attention of such a high hierarch.
A. H. Benckendorff endlessly spread rot on Pushkin, paying his debts and defending him before the church or censorship
19. Despite requests from the public and the indignation of critics (later Belinsky asked 9 rhetorical questions in a row about this in a critical article), Pushkin did not complete the plot of “Eugene Onegin.” And not because I planned to write “Eugene Onegin-2”. Already in the lines dedicated to the death of Lensky, the author refuses the predetermination of any life. For each reader, the ending of “Eugene Onegin” should have become individual to the extent of his understanding of the work.