The time of the story "Taras Bulba" is related to the events in the Zaporizhzhya Sich. However, Gogol, violating historical chronology, mixed up incidents and episodes from different centuries. He did not observe historical accuracy at all, because for him it is not historical, but artistic time that is more important.
Artistic time is called conditional time, which is depicted in a work of art.
In Gogol, as in other writers, it does not coincide with the 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 quite clear that even such a hero as Taras Bulba could not live two hundred or three hundred years. Secondly, about historical era The Zaporizhian Sich, long gone by the time of Gogol, is written not by her contemporary, but by a distant descendant. Therefore, 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 XV-XVII centuries. Artistic time is conditional, and the writer, in this case Gogol, it is necessary for special purposes.
There are two such features of artistic time in Taras Bulba: it is glorious for its feats and heroes, and it is epic, that is, it was a long time ago. The story is created in the spirit of the heroic epic, like the epic of Homer or the knightly epic, only that arose in a different place.
Its main character - Taras Bulba - is endowed with epic integrity and carries the conventional ethical values of the Zaporizhian Sich. And they lie in the fact that the Zaporizhzhya Sich is an Orthodox world, a special "nomadic" and free cultural and historical community. Its irreconcilable enemy is Catholic and “sedentary” Poland. Poland has already established statehood. The Zaporizhzhya Sich is a wild freeman, which rests on "partnership", brotherhood, on conditional equality, excluding property. All concepts of good and evil in the Zaporizhzhya Sich are special, they belong to the bygone world, and they should be judged not according to modern, but according to the laws of that time. For example, a Cossack needs a will, but not a hut, because if a person has a house or any property, he loses his courage. Brave is he who is homeless. Everyone needs a wife to bear children. Otherwise, it is a burden and only fetters the will. For a Cossack, mother and wife are lower than a friend. Above all, even family ties, camaraderie. The two sons of Taras Bulba are first of all comrades, brothers, then sons. Old Taras is proud of Ostap, because he follows the laws of brotherhood without changing them. Andriy is not worthy to be the son of Taras, as 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 save the Cossacks from Andriy.
Another feature of the Cossack community 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. Therefore, 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 the battles with the Catholic Poles. War is a bloody test of loyalty to comradeship, of loyalty to Orthodoxy. Those who fought receive an indisputable right to a place of honor in the sacred Fatherland. The significance of the feasts in Taras Bulba is understandable, when a barrel of red wine rolls out and with this wine and simple bread the Cossacks partake of faith and fellowship before battles.
Zaporizhzhya Sich - a special conditional art world in which their moral values, their concepts of good and evil operate. When Gogol describes them, he takes the side of the main character - Taras Bulba. Taras Bulba is the guardian of the holy laws of fellowship and faith. He is the bearer of the epic consciousness and its spokesman. 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, completely trusting the epic hero. In other words, Taras Bulba is always right. Even when in the actions of the Zaporizhzhya freemen one can feel the robbery revelry, both from the 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 epically calmly. They are not subject to critical evaluation, moral judgment, because Taras Bulba is the ideal hero of Slavic antiquity and because he acted in full accordance with the mores that reigned in his era.
As soon as the common feelings and concepts that unite people (of the Fatherland, faith, consanguinity, tribal, property belonging to all and the brotherhood and partnership based on them) are replaced by personal feelings and concepts, individual preferences, the epic world immediately decays and collapses.
In historical terms, the satisfaction of personal interests, individual aspirations, of course, meant a decisive step towards humanity, spiritual subtlety, and deeper individual development. But for Gogol, as well as for other writers, this process was revealed from the other side: as the triumph of individualism, egoistic passions over common interests, over common faith, over patriotic feelings. The power of egoism and the superiority of individualistic passions meant the end of the epic era, where man had not yet emerged from the general whole. In Taras Bulba, the Cossack unity is placed above Andriy's individualism, but it perishes, loses its power and is supported only by tradition. The epic world is still able to defend itself for a while and protect itself from the triumph of egoistic manifestations, it is still able to punish and punish the hero who has fallen away from family and tribal fraternal unity, but gradually the epic world itself, and time, and its heroes also perish. Together with them, the heroic epic goes into the past, the place of which goes to the novel, including the love story, which glorifies refined personal feelings, revelations of individual love. Andriy becomes such a novelist. Contrary to his preferences, Gogol describes with exceptional lyricism his inherent feeling of love, the beauty of the Polish woman, who appears to Andrii both 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, refinement of feelings, spiritual wealth also breaks through. Gogol cannot hide the ecstasy of girlish beauty.
Nevertheless, the epic world and epic consciousness, which is leaving the historical arena, is victorious, and not the individualistic world and egoistic consciousness, in which humanity, humanity, personality in general, with their own customs and interests, have contradictoryly manifested themselves. In contrast to the execution, 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: "... the people poured there from all sides." And then Ostap approached the place of execution. 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”). Execution is comprehended by execution for faith, just as Christ sacrificed himself for faith: “Give it, O God, that all, whatever heretics stand here, do not hear, the impious, how a Christian is tormented! So that none of us utter a single word!” And then Ostap, who endures unbearable torments, as befits an epic hero, appeals not to his mother, not to his wife: “... he would like to see a firm husband now ...” And he turns to his father, to the family and family principle, and he responds to his exclamation. bewitching female beauty Gogol opposes the beauty of courage, which is characteristic of a rude and simple, but whole epic hero, to her personal experience.
Taras Bulba is also faithful to the triumph of the masculine. 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 Orthodox faith. When Taras is taken prisoner by the Poles, his forthcoming execution - to burn at the stake - is comprehended by a lofty, burning all sins and cleansing sacrifice for the sake of camaraderie. No wonder 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 look at how the comrades were saved and the Cossack brotherhood was preserved. This means that the “Russian Orthodox faith” has not died.
Three executions: one execution of the traitor, traitor Andriy, another execution of Ostap, who died for his faith, and the third - Taras for the glory of fellowship. Three last words, three cries: Andria - to the Polish lady, Ostap - to his father, Taras - to his comrades and to the coming Russian power: did not submit to him! .. ”The Zaporizhzhya Sich goes into the mythological past, becoming a legend, a tradition, the property of epic tales. She did not die, her memory was preserved. She only gave way to a historical place for 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 divination in Taras Bulba is still corrected by the general composition of the stories included in Mirgorod.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol wrote a story that describes in detail the events that happen to the Cossacks, their way of life, traditions and tasks. The writer's childhood passed in this area, he is well acquainted with the spacious steppe and the Cossacks, like 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 to be 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 let her say goodbye to her children normally.
For all Cossacks, including
including for Taras Bulba, the main thing is service, exploits in the war and comrades. Taras Bulba was ready to kill his son Andriy for betrayal - this is proof that cruelty breeds 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 fight, said: Wars and harsh living conditions brought up even in small children indifference to luxury and a sense of brotherhood - these are the qualities that every warrior should possess. Gogol does not embellish the life of the Cossacks, he tells us everything, how
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 one wants to read and read it.
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 concrete examples dramatic fates of heroes. One of the prototypes of Taras Bulba is the ancestor famous traveler N. N. Miklukho-Maklaya, born in Starodub at the beginning of the 17th century, the kunov ataman of the Zaporizhzhya Army Okhrim Makukha, an associate of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, who had three sons: Nazar, Khoma (Foma) and Omelka (Emelyan). Nazar betrayed his Cossack comrades and went over to the side of the Poles because of his love for the Polish girl, Khoma (the prototype of Gogol's Ostap) died trying to deliver Nazar to his father, and Emelyan became the ancestor of Nikolai Miklukho-Maclay and his uncle Grigory Ilyich Miklukha, who studied with Nikolai Gogol and who told him a family tradition. The prototype is also Ivan Gonta, who was mistakenly credited with the murder of two sons from a Polish wife, although his wife is Russian and the story is fictional.
In preparing the draft manuscript for publication, Gogol made numerous corrections. The great carelessness of the draft manuscript of "Taras Bulba", the omissions of individual words, illegible handwriting, the 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 revision of Taras Bulba, where new episodes appeared, and the volume of the story doubled. Leaving abroad in 1842, Gogol entrusted all the worries about 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 by Gogol and Prokopovich, where Prokopovich carefully considered all Gogol's requests, and most of the edits fell on words and phrases that did not correspond to the norms of the Russian literary language (for example, the pronoun "this" was replaced on that").
After graduating from the Kyiv Academy (Kyiv was part of Poland from 1569 to 1654), two of his sons, Ostap and Andriy, come to the old Cossack colonel Taras Bulba. Two burly fellows, healthy and strong, whose faces have not yet been touched by a razor, are embarrassed by the meeting with their father, who makes fun of their clothes of 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 Zaporozhian 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 all night over the sleeping children, wishing that the night would last as long as possible. In the morning, after the blessing, the mother, despairing of grief, is barely torn off from the children and taken to the hut.
The three riders ride in silence. Old Taras recalls his wild life, a tear freezes in his eyes, his graying head droops. Ostap, who has a stern and firm character, although hardened over the years of training in 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 a beautiful Polish girl 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. As soon as the worry had passed, the Tatar woman, the lady's maid, took Andrii out into the garden, where he barely escaped from the woke servants. He once again saw the beautiful Polish woman in the church, soon she left - and now, lowering his eyes into the mane of his horse, Andriy thinks about her.
After a long journey, the Sich meets Taras with his sons with his wild life - a sign of the Zaporizhian will. Cossacks do not like to waste time on military exercises, collecting abusive experience only in the heat of battle. Ostap and Andriy rush with all the ardor of youths into this rampant sea. But old Taras does not like an idle life - he does not want to prepare his sons for such an activity. Having met with all his associates, he thinks out how to raise the Cossacks on a campaign so as not to waste the Cossack prowess on an uninterrupted feast and drunken fun. He persuades the Cossacks to re-elect the Koschevoi, who keeps peace with the enemies of the Cossacks. The new koshevoi, under pressure from 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 told about the oppression of the Polish pans and tenant Jews over the people of Ukraine, the army unanimously decides to go to Poland, to avenge all the evil and shame of the Orthodox faith. Thus, the war acquires a people's liberation character.
And soon the entire Polish south-west becomes the prey of fear, the rumor running ahead: “Cossacks! The Cossacks showed up! In one month, young Cossacks matured in battles, and old Taras is pleased 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 rich inhabitants, but they meet desperate resistance from the garrison and residents. The Cossacks besiege the city and wait for the famine to begin in it. Having nothing to do, the Cossacks devastate the surroundings, burn out defenseless villages and unharvested grain. The young, especially the sons of Taras, do not like this kind of life. Old Bulba reassures them, promising hot fights soon. On one of the dark nights, Andriy is awakened from his sleep by a Tatar woman, a servant of the very Polish woman with whom Andriy is in love. The Tatar woman tells in a whisper 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 her dying mother. Andriy loads the sacks with bread as much as he can carry, and the Tatar woman leads him through the underground passage to the city. Having met his beloved, he renounces his father and brother, comrades and homeland: “The homeland is what our soul is looking for, which is dearest to her. My fatherland is you." Andriy stays with the lady to protect her to the last breath from her former comrades.
Polish troops, sent to reinforce the besieged, pass into the city past drunken Cossacks, killing many while sleeping, and capturing many. This event hardens the Cossacks, who decide to continue the siege to the end. Taras, looking for his missing son, receives a terrible confirmation of Andriy's betrayal.
The Poles arrange sorties, 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 Dubna is divided in two - half goes to the rescue of the treasury and comrades, the other half remains to continue the siege. Taras, leading the siege army, delivers an impassioned speech to the glory of camaraderie.
The Poles learn about the weakening of the enemy and come out of the city for a decisive battle. Among them is Andriy. Taras Bulba orders the Cossacks to lure him to the forest and there, meeting with Andriy face to face, he kills his son, who even before his death utters one word - the name of the beautiful lady. Reinforcements arrive at the Poles, and they defeat the Cossacks. Ostap is captured, the wounded Taras, saving from the chase, is brought to the Sich.
Having recovered from his wounds, Taras persuades Yankel to smuggle him to Warsaw in order to try to ransom Ostap there. Taras is present at terrible execution son in the city square. Not a single groan escapes under torture from Ostap's chest, only before his death he cries out: “Father! where are you! Do you hear? - "I hear!" - Taras answers over the crowd. They rush to catch him, but Taras is already gone.
One hundred and twenty thousand Cossacks, among whom is the regiment of Taras Bulba, go on a campaign against the Poles. Even the Cossacks themselves notice the excessive ferocity and cruelty of Taras towards the enemy. This is how he avenges the death of his son. The defeated Polish hetman Nikolai Pototsky swears an oath not to inflict any further offense on the Cossack army. 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. His prediction comes true - having gathered strength, the Poles treacherously attack the Cossacks and defeat them.
Taras walks all over Poland with his regiment, continuing to avenge the death of Ostap and his comrades, ruthlessly destroying all life.
Five regiments under the leadership of the same Potocki finally overtake the regiment of Taras, who has come to rest in an old ruined fortress on the banks of the Dniester. The battle lasts for four days. The surviving Cossacks make their way, but the old ataman 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 leave the chase along the river. At the last terrible moment, the old ataman predicts the unification of the Russian lands, the death of their enemies and the victory of the Orthodox faith.
The Cossacks leave the chase, row together with oars and talk about their chieftain.
Gogol's work on "Taras Bulba" was preceded by a thorough, in-depth study historical sources. Among them are Beauplan's "Description of Ukraine", Prince Semyon Ivanovich Myshetsky's "History of the Zaporozhye Cossacks", handwritten lists of Ukrainian chronicles - Samovydets, Samuil Velichko, Grigory 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 was another, most important: Ukrainian folk songs, especially historical songs and thoughts.
"Taras Bulba" has a large and complex creative history. It was first published in 1835 in the Mirgorod collection. In 1842, in the second volume of Gogol's "Works", the story "Taras Bulba" was published in a new, radically altered 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 claims by Gogol due to many significant uncoordinated edits and changes in the original text during editing and correspondence.
The original author's manuscript of "Taras Bulba", prepared by Gogol for the second edition, was found in the sixties of the nineteenth century. among the gifts of Count Kushelev-Bezborodko to the Nizhyn Lyceum. This is the so-called Nezhin manuscript, completely written by the hand of Nikolai Gogol, who made many changes in the fifth, sixth, seventh chapters, revised the eighth and tenth chapters.
Due 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 combine the author's original manuscripts of Gogol, the clerk's copies that differ from them, and the 1842 edition was made in the Complete Collected Works of Gogol.
A number of significant changes and significant additions were made to the version for the publication of "Works" (1842), compared with the original of 1835. In general, the version of 1842 is more censored, partly by the author himself, partly by the publisher, in places with a 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 Zaporizhzhya army, the laws and customs of the Sich is given. The compressed story about the siege of Dubno is replaced by a detailed epic depiction of the battles and heroic deeds of the Cossacks. In the second edition fuller given Andriy's love experiences and the tragedy of his position, caused by betrayal, is more deeply revealed.
The image of Taras Bulba has undergone a rethinking. The place in the first edition, which says that Taras “was a great hunter of raids and riots,” is replaced in the second with the following: “Restless, he always considered himself the legitimate defender of Orthodoxy. Arbitrarily entered the 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:
| Bulba was stubbornly terrifying. This was one of those characters that could only have arisen in the rough 15th century, and, moreover, in the semi-nomadic East of Europe, during the right and wrong concept of lands that became some kind of disputed, unresolved possession, to which Ukraine belonged then ... In general, he was great hunter before raids and riots; he heard with his nose and eye where and in what place the indignation broke out, and already, like snow on his head, he appeared on his horse. "Well, children! what and how? who should be beaten and for what?’ he usually said, and intervened in the matter. |
Edition 1842, part I:
| Bulba was stubbornly terrifying. This was one of those characters that could only have arisen in the difficult 15th century on a semi-nomadic corner of Europe, when all of southern primitive Russia, abandoned by its princes, was devastated, burned to the ground by the indomitable raids of the Mongol predators ... Eternally restless, he considered himself the legitimate defender of Orthodoxy. Arbitrarily entered the villages, where they only complained about the harassment of tenants and the increase in new duties on smoke. |
The original author's version of the revised manuscript was handed over by the author to N. Ya. Prokopovich for the preparation of the 1842 edition, but differs from the last one. After the death of Prokopovich, the manuscript was acquired, among other manuscripts by Gogol, by Count G. A. Kushelev-Bezborodko and donated by him to the Nizhyn Lyceum of Prince Bezborodko; in 1934 the manuscript was transferred from the library of the Nezhin 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 of the canonical text of the story, since they are littered 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 are 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 publication of "Mirgorod"). Only in a few cases does the text deviate from the manuscript, correcting alleged typographical errors or filling in omissions. According to general principles editions, neither the amendments made by N. Ya. Prokopovich on behalf of Gogol in the edition of 1842, nor the later (1851-1852) amendments of Gogol himself, applied in the proof to the text of the edition of 1842, are introduced into the main text, since the separation of Gogol's corrections from non-Gogol's cannot be produced in this text with complete certainty and consistency.
Along with the general acclaim with which Gogol's story was received by critics, some aspects of the work were found to be unsuccessful. So, Gogol was repeatedly blamed for the unhistorical nature of the story, the excessive glorification of the Cossacks, the lack of a 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 history with great attention native land, but he drew information not only from rather meager annals, but also from folk tales, legends, as well as frankly mythological sources, such as "History of the Rus", from where he drew descriptions of the atrocities of the gentry, the excesses of the Jews and the valor of the Cossacks. The story aroused particular dissatisfaction 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 Kempinski, Michal Barmuth, Julian Krzyzhanovsky. In Poland, there was a strong opinion about the story as anti-Polish, and in part such judgments were transferred to Gogol himself.
The story was also criticized for anti-Semitism by some politicians, religious thinkers, literary critics. The leader of right-wing Zionism, Vladimir Zhabotinsky, 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 like this in terms of cruelty. It cannot even be called hatred, or sympathy for the Cossack massacre of the Jews: it is worse, it is some kind of carefree, clear fun, not clouded even by a half-thought that the funny legs jerking in the air are the legs of living people, some amazingly whole, indecomposable contempt for the lower race, not condescending to enmity. As the 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, the images of Gogol "are captured by the ordinary anti-Semite phobia 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"; images of Jews are stereotyped and are pure caricature. According to the thinker and historian Georgy Fedotov, “Gogol gave a jubilant description of the Jewish pogrom in Taras Bulba,” which indicates “the well-known failures of his moral sense, but also the strength of the national or chauvinistic tradition that stood behind him.”
A slightly different point of view was held by the critic and literary critic D. I. Zaslavsky. In the article "Jews in Russian Literature", he also supports Zhabotinsky's reproach for the anti-Semitism of Russian literature, including Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Nekrasov, Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Leskov, Chekhov in the list of anti-Semitic writers. But at the same time, he finds justification for Gogol's anti-Semitism as follows: “However, there is no doubt 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. It was not their fault, it was their misfortune. “The Jews of Taras Bulba are caricatures. But the cartoon is not a lie. ... The talent of Jewish adaptability is vividly and aptly described in Gogol's poem. And this, of course, does not flatter our pride, but we must admit that the Russian writer has evilly and aptly captured some of our historical features.
Philologist Elena Ivanitskaya sees in the actions of Taras Bulba "poetry of blood and death" and even "ideological terrorism"
main feature artwork on a historical theme - in that the author organically combines in it a story about events that actually took place, with the author's fiction. In this regard, the story of N.V. Gogol "Taras Bulba" is somewhat unusual in this regard: historical events are not specified in it, moreover, when reading, it is sometimes quite difficult to determine at what time the actions unfold - in the 15th, 16th or 17th century. In addition, none of the heroes is a historical person, including Taras himself. Despite this, since the appearance of the work, it has been considered an epic story, sometimes called a novel. What is the strength and scale of "Taras Bulba"?
The writer's appeal to the theme of the Cossacks was not accidental. A native of the Poltava province, from childhood he had heard a lot about heroic deed people during the struggle against numerous external invaders. Later, when Gogol had already begun to write, such brave and devoted people as Taras Bulba were of particular interest to him. There were many of them in the Sich. Often, former serfs became Cossacks - they found a home and comrades here.
N.V. Gogol studied many sources devoted to this issue, including manuscripts of Ukrainian chronicles, historical studies of Beauplan and Myshetsky. Not satisfied with what he read (in his opinion, they contained meager information, which was not enough to understand the soul of the people), Gogol turned to folklore. and thoughts dedicated to talking about the characteristics of the characters, customs and life of the Cossacks. They gave the writer excellent "live" material, which became an excellent addition to scientific sources, and some storylines in a revised form entered the story.
"Taras Bulba" is a book about free people who inhabited the territory of the Dnieper region in the 16-17th centuries. Their center was the Zaporizhian Sich - its name is due to the fact that it was fortified on all sides by a fence of fallen trees - notches. It had its own way of life and management. Subjected to frequent attacks by the Poles, Turks, Lithuanians, the Cossacks had a very strong, well-trained army. They spent most of their time in battles and military campaigns, and the trophies obtained became the main means of subsistence. It is no coincidence that the rooms in the house where his wife lived alone include numerous signs of the host's camp life.
The year 1596 became fatal for the Ukrainian people, who at that time were under the rule of Lithuanians and Poles. accepted the union of the unification under the authority of the Pope of Rome of the two Christian religions: Orthodox and Catholic. The decision made further complicated the difficult relations between the Poles and the Cossacks, which resulted in open military confrontations. Gogol devoted his story to this period.
The main school for the education of persistent, courageous warriors was a special way of life and management, and experienced Cossacks, who more than once showed their prowess in battle, became teachers. One of them was Colonel Taras Bulba. His biography is a story about the formation of a true patriot, for whom the interests and freedom of the fatherland are above all else.
It reminded me of a large republic based on the principles of humanism and equality. Koshevoy was chosen by general decision, usually from among the most deserving. During the battle, the Cossacks had to obey him unconditionally, but in peacetime it was his duty to take care of the Cossacks.
In the Sich, everything was arranged to ensure the life and military campaigns of its inhabitants: all kinds of workshops and forges worked, and cattle were bred. Ostap and Andriy will see all this when Taras Bulba brings them here.
The history of the short existence of the Zaporozhye Republic showed new way organization of people's lives, based on brotherhood, unity and freedom, and not on the oppression of the weak by the strong.
How the formation of young warriors took place can be judged by the example of the sons of Taras, Ostap and Andriy. They graduated from the bursa, after which their path lay in Zaporozhye. The father meets his sons after a long separation not with hugs and kisses, but with a test of their strength and dexterity on his fists.
The life of Taras Bulba was unpretentious, as evidenced by the feast in honor of the arrival of his sons (“bring ... the whole ram, the goat ... and more burners” - with these words the old Cossack addresses his wife) and sleep in the open, under the open sky.
Ostap and Andriy did not even stay at home for a day, when they set off for the Sich, where the best camaraderie in the world and glorious deeds for their homeland and religion awaited them. Their father was convinced that only participation in military battles could become a real school for them.
Approaching the Sich, Taras and his sons saw a Cossack sleeping picturesquely in the middle of the road. He sprawled out like a lion and was admired by all. Wide trousers like the sea, proudly tossed forelock (he was certainly left on a shaved head), a good horse - this is what a real Cossack looked like. It is no coincidence that the protagonist of the story appeals to his sons with an appeal to immediately change their “demonic” clothes (they came from the bursa in it) to another one worthy of a Cossack. And they really immediately changed in morocco boots, wide trousers, scarlet Cossacks and mutton hats. The image was complemented by a Turkish pistol and a sharp saber. Admiration and pride were caused by the good fellows sitting on glorious stallions from the father.
The historical basis of the story "Taras Bulba" obliged the author to treat the Cossacks impartially. With all due respect to them and their valor, Gogol truthfully says that sometimes their behavior caused condemnation and misunderstanding. This referred to the riotous and drunken life that they led in between battles, excessive cruelty (for the murder of the criminal they buried him in the grave along with the victim alive) and a low cultural level.
The main advantage of the Cossacks was that at the moment of danger they could quickly mobilize and act as a single army against the enemy. Their selflessness, partisanism, courage and devotion to the common cause had no boundaries. In the story, Taras Bulba himself proved this more than once. The biography of other prominent warriors, including the experienced Tovkach, Kukubenko, Pavel Gubenko, Mosiy Shilo and the young Ostap, also emphasizes this.
Bulba said well about the unity and main purpose of the Cossacks in his speech on the eve of the decisive battle: “There are no ties holier than camaraderie!” His speech is an expression of great wisdom and holy faith that he and his brethren are defending a just cause. At a difficult moment, the words of Taras encourage the Cossacks, remind them of their sacred duty to protect their comrades, always remember the Orthodox faith and devotion to the motherland. The most terrible thing for a Cossack was betrayal: this was not forgiven to anyone. Taras kills his own son, having learned that because of his love for a beautiful Polish woman, he preferred personal interests to public ones. So the bonds of brotherhood were more important than blood. The fact that this fact corresponded to reality is evidenced by the historical basis of the story.
A colonel with a stern character, who went through a glorious military path. A glorious ataman and comrade who could support with an encouraging word and give good advice V Hard time. He had a burning hatred for the enemy who encroached on the Orthodox faith, and did not spare his own life for the sake of saving his homeland and his brothers in arms. Accustomed to a free life, he was content with a clean field and was absolutely unpretentious in everyday life. This is how Gogol portrays the main character. He spent his whole life in battles and always found himself in the very dangerous place. Weapon, smoking pipe and the glorious horse of Taras Bulba were his main wealth. At the same time, he could joke and joke, he was satisfied with life.
disillusioned with younger son the hero felt great pride in Ostap. Risking his life, Bulba came to the place of execution to see him for the last time. And when Ostap, who endured deathly torments, called him at the last minute, he expressed his pride, approval and support not only to his son, but to his comrade-in-spirit, comrade-in-arms with one word that made the whole square shudder. Until the end of his life, Taras will grieve for his son and avenge his death. The experience will add to him cruelty and hatred for the enemy, but will not break his will and fortitude.
The story does not contain the usual description of Taras Bulba for the hero, since this is not so important. The main thing is that he has such qualities, thanks to which it was possible to survive in that cruel time.
The characterization of the hero is supplemented by a description of his death, which is largely absurd. The hero is captured, as he bends down to pick up the fallen pipe - even he does not want to give it to the damned enemy. Here Taras resembles a folk hero: a dozen or three people could hardly defeat him.
In the last scene, the author does not describe the pain from the fire that the hero experienced, but his anxiety for the fate of his brothers floating down the river. At the moment of death, he behaves with dignity, remaining true to the main principles of fellowship. Most importantly, he was sure that he had not lived his life in vain. This is what a real Cossack was like.
The historical basis of the story "Taras Bulba" is the liberation struggle of the people against the invaders who encroached on their country and faith. Thanks to such strong-willed people as Taras Bulba, his son and comrades, it was possible to defend independence and freedom more than once.
The work of N.V. Gogol and his heroes have become a model of masculinity and patriotism for many, so it will never lose its relevance and significance.
