M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin was born in January 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province. On his father's side he belonged to the ancient and rich noble family, on the mother's side - the merchant class. After successfully graduating from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, Saltykov becomes an official in the military department, but he is of little interest in the service.
In 1847 his first appear in print literary works- “Contradictions” and “Complicated Affairs.” But they started talking seriously about Saltykov as a writer only in 1856, when he began publishing “Provincial Sketches.”
He directed his extraordinary talent to open the eyes of those who do not yet see the lawlessness going on in the country, the flourishing ignorance and stupidity, and the triumph of bureaucracy.
But today I would like to dwell on the writer’s fairy-tale cycle, begun in 1869. Fairy tales were a kind of result, a synthesis of the ideological and creative quest of the satirist. At that time, due to the existence of strict censorship, the author could not fully expose the vices of society, show all the inconsistency of the Russian administrative apparatus. And yet, with the help of fairy tales “for children of considerable age“Shchedrin was able to convey to people sharp criticism of the existing order.
In 1883 the famous “ The wise minnow”, which over the past hundred-plus years has become Shchedrin’s textbook fairy tale. The plot of this fairy tale is known to everyone: once upon a time there was a gudgeon, which at first was no different from its own kind. But, a coward by nature, he decided to live his whole life without sticking out, in his hole, flinching from every rustle, from every shadow that flashed next to his hole. So life passed me by - no family, no children. And so he disappeared - either himself, or the pike that swallowed it. Only before death does the minnow think about his life: “Who did he help? Who did you regret, what good did he do in life? “He lived - he trembled and he died - he trembled.” Only before death does the average person realize that no one needs him, no one knows him and no one will remember him.
But this is the plot, the external side of the fairy tale, what is on the surface. And the subtext of Shchedrin’s caricature in this tale of the morals of modern bourgeois Russia was well explained by the artist A. Kanevsky, who made illustrations for the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”: “...everyone understands that Shchedrin is not talking about fish. The gudgeon is a cowardly man in the street, trembling for his own skin. He is a man, but also a minnow, the writer put him in this form, and I, the artist, must preserve it. My task is to combine the image of a frightened man in the street and a minnow, to combine fish and human properties. It is very difficult to “comprehend” a fish, to give it a pose, a movement, a gesture. How to display forever frozen fear on a fish’s “face”? The figurine of the minnow-official gave me a lot of trouble....”
The writer shows the terrible philistine alienation and self-isolation in “The Wise Minnow.” M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is bitter and painful for the Russian people. Reading Saltykov-Shchedrin is quite difficult. Therefore, perhaps many did not understand the meaning of his fairy tales. But the majority of “children of a fair age” appreciated the work of the great satirist as it deserved.
In conclusion, I would like to add that the thoughts expressed by the writer in fairy tales are still contemporary today. Shchedrin's satire is time-tested and it sounds especially poignant in times of social unrest, such as those that Russia is experiencing today.
Saltykov-Shchedrin, a Russian satirist, wrote his moralizing stories in the form of fairy tales. Hard years reactions and strict censorship, which carefully monitored the activities of writers, blocked all roads for writers expressing their opinions on political events. Fairy tales gave the author the opportunity to express his opinion without fear of censorship. We offer brief analysis fairy tales, this material can be used both for work in literature lessons in 7th grade and for preparing for the Unified State Exam.
Brief Analysis
Year of writing: 1883
History of creation - Years of reaction could not allow one to openly express one’s Political Views, and the writer veiled the social and political meaning of his statements in the form of fairy tales.
Subject- Social - political background implies political theme, expressed in ridicule of the Russian liberal intelligentsia.
Composition — Compositional structure fairy tales are simple: the beginning of the fairy tale, a description of the life, and death of the minnow.
Genre— The genre of “The Wise Minnow” is an epic allegorical tale.
Direction- Satire.
History of creation
The great Russian satirist had the time to live and create during the years of reaction. The authorities and censorship carefully monitored what entered the minds of citizens, hushing up political problems in every possible way.
The harsh reality of the events had to be hidden from the people. People who openly expressed their progressive views were severely punished. People doing literary activity, tried in every way to convey revolutionary ideas to the people. Poets and prose writers used various artistic media to tell the whole truth about fate ordinary people and about their oppressors.
The history of the creation of satirical tales by Saltykov-Shchedrin was a direct necessity against state policy. To ridicule human vices, civil cowardice and cowardice, the writer used satirical devices, giving human characteristics various beasts and animals.
Subject
The theme of “The Wise Minnow” includes the social and political issues of society of that era. The work mercilessly ridicules the behavior of ordinary people of the reactionary era, their cowardly inaction and indifference.
In the moralizing work of Saltykov - Shchedrin main character- a liberal fish whose existence completely reflects the politics of the liberal-minded intelligentsia. This image contains the main idea of the fairy tale, which exposes intellectuals - liberals, hiding from the truth of life behind their own cowardice, trying to spend their lives unnoticed. It comes up here again eternal theme that time when everyone behaves like this, thinking only about “no matter what happens, no matter what happens.”
The denunciation of such a society clearly proves that such behavior will lead to nothing, the point is that you still won’t be able to escape by hiding in your hole.
In “The Wise Minnow,” analysis of the work is impossible without determining the meaning of the title that the author gave to his tale. An allegorical and satirical tale also implies a satirical title.
There lives a gudgeon who considers himself “wise.” In his understanding, this is indeed the case. The gudgeon's parents managed to live a long time; they died of old age. This is what they bequeathed to my own son- to the minnow, “live quietly and calmly, don’t interfere anywhere, you will live long and happily.” The author puts sarcasm into the name of the gudgeon “wise.” It is impossible to be wise while living in gray a meaningless life, afraid of everyone and everything.
Composition
The peculiarities of the composition of the writer's fairy tale are that this fairy tale is an allegory. Exposition of the tale at the beginning of the development of the action. It begins with the beginning: it tells about the gudgeon and his parents, about the hard life and methods of survival. The father makes a will to the minnow on how to live in order to save his life.
The plot of the action: the gudgeon understood his father well and accepted his wishes for action. Next comes the development of the action, the story of how the gudgeon lived, did not live, but vegetated. All his life he trembled, from any sound, noise, knock. He was afraid all his life and hid all the time.
The climax of the tale is that when the gudgeon finally thought about what it would be like if everyone lived the way he lives. The gudgeon was horrified when he imagined such a picture. After all, this is how the entire gudgeon genus would hatch.
The denouement comes: the gudgeon disappears. Where and how remains unknown, but everything suggests that he died a natural death. The author sarcastically emphasizes that no one will eat an old, skinny gudgeon, and even a “wise” one.
The satirist's entire tale is built on allegory. Fairy tale heroes, events, environment- all this in an allegorical sense reflects human life that time.
All satirical tales The writer's works are written in response to some event or social phenomenon. The fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” is the writer’s reaction to the assassination attempt by the People’s Will forces on the monarch Alexander II.
What the satirist's work teaches is the death of the minnow. We must live brightly, with benefit for society, and not hide from problems.
Genre
The reactionary era led to the birth different ways to express his thoughts, the author of “The Wise Minnow” used for this the genre of an allegorical tale, of course, of a satirical direction. Fairy tale "The Wise Minnow" - epic essay for adults. The satirical orientation indicates the exposure of social vices, their harsh ridicule. In a short tale, the author revealed interconnected vices - cowardice and inaction. It is typical for Saltykov-Shchedrin to depict the unpleasant aspects of life through hyperbolic images and the grotesque.
Intended for adults, the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”, upon careful analysis, demonstrates the typical features of the work of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. The writer was a master of subtle irony. Within the chosen style, the author draws very characteristic images, helping himself using grotesque techniques and exaggerating the figures of the main characters.
Literary criticism of the Soviet school sought to look for features of class confrontation and social struggle in the Russian classics of the imperial period. The same fate befell the tale of the wise minnow - in the main character they diligently looked for the features of a despicable petty official, trembling with fear, instead of devoting his life to the class struggle.
However, most Russian writers were still concerned not so much with revolutionary ideas as moral issues society.
Genre and meaning of the fairy tale title
The fairy tale genre has long been attractive to fiction writers. It is interesting because, within the framework of allegory, one can allow oneself to draw any parallels with objective reality and real figures of contemporaries, without skimping on epithets, but at the same time without annoying anyone.
A typical fairy tale genre involves the participation of animals in the plot, endowed with intelligence, agility, and human manner of communication and behavior. In this case, the work, with its phantasmagorical nature, fits well into the plot of the fairy tale.
The work begins characteristically - once upon a time. But at the same time, it is called a fairy tale for adults, because the author, in allegorical language, invites the reader to think about a problem that is not at all childish - about how to live one’s life so that before death one does not regret its meaninglessness.
The title fully corresponds to the genre in which the work is written. The gudgeon is not called smart, not wise, not intellectual, but precisely “wise”, in best traditions fairy tale genre(it is enough to recall at least Vasilisa the Wise).
But already in this title itself one can discern the sad irony of the author. It immediately sets the reader up to think about whether it is fair to call the main character wise.
Main characters
In the fairy tale the most bright portrait the image of the wisest gudgeon was created. The author not only characterizes his general level of development - the “mind chamber” tells the background to the formation of his character traits.
He describes in detail the motives of the main character’s actions, his thoughts, mental turmoil and doubts shortly before his death.
The gudgeon son is not stupid, he is thoughtful, and even prone to liberal ideas. Moreover, he is such a cowardly individual that he is ready to fight even with his instincts in order to save his life.
Therefore, the son heeded his father’s main teaching and, having lost his parents, decided to take all available measures to never risk his life. Everything he subsequently did was aimed at realizing his plans.
As a result, it was not life itself in its entirety, but precisely the preservation of life that gained highest value, has become an end in itself.
And for the sake of this idea, the gudgeon sacrificed absolutely everything, for which, in fact, he was born. The gudgeon father is the second hero of the fairy tale. He, deserving of the author’s positive characterization, lived ordinary life
, had a family and children, took moderate risks, but had the imprudence to scare his son for life with the story of how he almost got hit in the ear.
The reader's main picture of his personality is formed mainly through the account of this dramatic incident, told in the first person.
Brief summary of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”
Gudgeon, the son of good and caring parents, left alone after their death, rethought his life. The future scared him. He saw that he was weak and defenseless, and water world
around him is full of dangers. To save its life, the gudgeon began to dig a hole for itself to hide from the main threats.
During the day he did not get out of it, he only walked at night, which is why over time he almost went blind. If there was danger outside, he preferred to stay hungry so as not to take risks. Because of his fear, the gudgeon abandoned a full life, communication and procreation.
So he lived in his hole for more than a hundred years, trembling with fear and considering himself wise, because he turned out to be so prudent.
At the same time, the other inhabitants of the reservoir did not share his opinion of themselves, considering him a fool and a dunce who lived as a hermit in order to preserve his worthless life.
Sometimes he had a dream in which he won two hundred thousand rubles, stopped trembling and became so big and respected that he himself began to swallow pike. However, in reality he does not strive to become rich and influential, these are just secret dreams embodied in dreams. However, before his death, the gudgeon comes to mind about a wasted life. Analyzing the years he has lived, thinking that he has never consoled, pleased, or warmed anyone, he realizes that if other gudgeons led the same useless life as he did, the gudgeon race would quickly be extinguished.
What does the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” teach?
The author, using allegorical language, tries to make the reader rethink the most important philosophical theme- about the meaning of life.
It is precisely what a person spends his life on that will ultimately become the main criterion of his wisdom.
By using grotesque image gudgeon Saltykov-Shchedrin is trying to convey this idea to the reader, to warn the younger generation against making the wrong choice of their path, and invites the older generation to think about a worthy ending to their life’s journey.
The story is not new. Gospel parable about a man who buried his talent in the ground, just about this. It gives the very first and most important moral lesson about this theme. Subsequently, the problem was repeatedly raised in the literature little man- “a trembling creature”, and his place in society.
But with all this, a fair portion of the generation of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s contemporaries are familiar with literary heritage ancestors, educated, and moderately liberal, did not draw the necessary conclusions, therefore, in their multitude, they were just such minnows, having no civic position, no social responsibility, no desire for a positive transformation of society, entrenched in their own little world and trembling with fear of those in power.
It is curious that society itself also considers such individuals to be ballast - uninteresting, stupid and meaningless. The inhabitants of the reservoir spoke extremely unflatteringly about the gudgeon, despite the fact that he lived without disturbing anyone, without offending anyone and without making enemies.
The end of the main character's life is very significant - he did not die, he was not eaten. He disappeared. The author chose this ending to once again emphasize the ephemeral nature of the minnow’s existence.
The main moral of the fairy tale is this: if during life a person did not strive to do good and be needed, then no one will notice his death, because his existence had no meaning.
In any case, before his death, the main character regrets precisely this, asking himself questions - to whom did he do a good deed, who can remember him with warmth? And he doesn’t find a consoling answer.
The best quotes from the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”
In a fairy tale The wise minnow” it is said that in the world there lived a minnow who was afraid of everything, but at the same time considered himself wise. His father told him before he died to be careful and that way he would live. “Look, son,” said the old minnow, dying, “if you want to chew your life, then keep your eyes open!” Piskar listened to him and began to think about later life. He invented a house for himself such that no one but him could get into it, and began to think about how to behave the rest of the time.
With this tale, the author tried to show the life of officials who did nothing in their lives, but only sat in their “hole” and were afraid of those who were higher in rank. They were afraid of somehow harming themselves if they went outside their “hole.” That, perhaps, there will be some kind of force there that can suddenly deprive them of such a rank. Life without luxury is the same as death for them, but at the same time you have to stay in one place and everything will be fine.
This is precisely what can be seen in the image of the minnow. He appears in the tale throughout the entire story. If before his father’s death the gudgeon’s life was ordinary, then after his death he hid. He trembled every time someone swam or stopped near his hole. He didn’t finish eating, afraid to get out again. And from the twilight that constantly reigned in his hole, the gudgeon was half-blind.
Everyone considered the gudgeon a fool, but he considered himself wise. The title of the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” hides obvious irony. “Wise” means “very smart,” but in this fairy tale the meaning of this word means something else – proud and stupid. Proud because he considers himself the smartest, since he found a way to protect his life from external threat. And he is stupid because he never understood the meaning of life. Although at the end of his life the minnow thinks about living like everyone else, not hiding in his hole, and as soon as he gathers the strength to swim out of the shelter, he again begins to tremble and again considers this idea stupid. “Let me crawl out of the hole and swim like a goldeneye across the entire river!” But as soon as he thought about it, he became frightened again. And he began to die, trembling. He lived and trembled, and he died - he trembled.”
To more sarcastically show the life of a minnow, there is a hyperbole in the fairy tale: “He does not receive a salary and does not keep servants, does not play cards, does not drink wine, does not smoke tobacco, does not chase red girls. “. Grotesque: “And the wise minnow lived in this way for more than a hundred years. Everything was trembling, everything was trembling.” Irony: “Most likely he died, because what sweetness is it for a pike to swallow a sick, dying gudgeon, and a wise one at that? “
Talking animals dominate common folk tales. Since in the fairy tale by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin there is also a talking minnow, his fairy tale is similar to folk tale.
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Analysis of the fairy tale "The Wise Minnow"
M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin was born in January 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol Tverskaya
provinces. According to his father, he belonged to an old and rich noble family, and according to his mother,
merchant class. After successfully graduating from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum Saltykov
becomes an official of the military department, but the service interests him little.
In 1847 His first literary works appear in print -
“Contradictions” and “Complicated Affairs”. But they started talking seriously about Saltykov as a writer
only in 1856, when he began publishing “Provincial Sketches”.
He directed his extraordinary talent to open their eyes, to show those
who does not yet see the lawlessness, flourishing ignorance and stupidity going on in the country,
triumphs of bureaucracy.
But today I would like to dwell on the writer’s fairy-tale cycle, begun in 1869.
Fairy tales were a kind of result, a synthesis of the ideological and creative quest of the satirist. In that
at times, due to the existence of strict censorship, the author could not fully expose the vices
society, to show the inconsistency of the Russian administrative apparatus.
But still
with the help of fairy tales “for children of a fair age,” Shchedrin was able to convey to people a sharp
criticism of the existing order.
The Aesopian language was important to the author. Trying to hide the true meaning from censorship
written, I had to use this technique.
In 1883, the famous “Wise Minnow” appeared, which over the past hundred years has become
more than one year of Shchedrin's textbook tale. The plot of this tale is known to everyone:
there was a gudgeon, which at first was no different from its own kind. But, he's a coward
character, he decided to live his whole life, without sticking out, in his hole, shuddering from
every rustle, every shadow that flashed next to his hole. And so life passed
past - no family, no children. And so he disappeared - either on his own or some pike swallowed him.
Only
Before his death, the minnow thinks about his life: “Who did he help? Whom did you regret?
What good has he ever done in his life? “He lived - he trembled and he died - he trembled.” Only
before death, the average person realizes that no one needs him, no one knows him or about him
won't remember.
But this is the plot, the external side of the fairy tale, what is on the surface. And the subtext
Shchedrin's caricature in this tale of modern bourgeois morals
Russia was well explained by the artist A. Kanevsky, who made illustrations for the fairy tale.
“The Wise Minnow”: “…. Everyone understands that Shchedrin is not talking about fish.
Gudgeon –
a cowardly man in the street, trembling for his own skin. He is a man, but also a minnow, in this
the writer gave it its form, and I, the artist, must preserve it. My task is to combine the image
a frightened man in the street and a minnow, to combine fish and human properties.
Very
it is difficult to “comprehend” a fish, to give it a pose, a movement, a gesture. How to display on a fish “face”
forever frozen fear? The figurine of the minnow-official gave me a lot of trouble....” .
The writer shows the terrible philistine alienation and self-isolation in
“The Wise Minnow.” M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is bitter and painful for the Russian people.
Reading Saltykov-Shchedrin is quite difficult. Therefore, perhaps many never
understood the meaning of his tales. But most “children of a fair age” appreciated the creativity
a great satirist deservedly so.
