The main idea of the fairy tale is a bear in the province. Bear in the voivodeship

A satirical depiction of the ruling classes and various social types vividly expressed in fairy-tale form in the work “The Bear in the Voivodeship.”

Already at the beginning of the tale, the writer notifies the reader that we will talk about atrocities. Next, the hero of the work is introduced - Toptygin 1st. The serial number itself serves as a hint to the first person in the state. This hint is emphasized in the further story about Toptygin the 1st, when the author emphasizes that the hero wants to get “on the tablets of History” and everything else suggests the brilliance of bloodshed.

However, already in the second paragraph, apparently due to the desire to pass censorship obstacles, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin notes: “For this, Lev promoted him to the rank of major and, as a temporary measure, sent him to the further forest, sort of like a governor, internal to pacify the adversaries." Social aspect the narratives are emphasized by the lexical structure: “major rank”, “trade”, “industry”, “servants”, “freemen”. Pressing social problems are also expressed allegorically in the tale. "Animals prowled, birds flew, insects crawled; but no one wanted to march in step." Appointed governor, Toptygin, however, is worth his entire farm. Instead of going into the forest, he got drunk and went to sleep in a clearing.

Carefully, as if it just had to be said by the way, the author hastens to mention that Leo, who is now becoming the prototype of the head of state, has a Donkey among his advisers: there was no one wiser in the fairy-tale state.

At the same time, a new character- siskin. All the birds, that is, the people, the public, consider him a real sage. Outraged by the fact that the little siskin sat down to sing right on top of him, the governor grabbed it in his paw and ate it with a hangover. And then he just caught himself and realized that he had done a stupid thing. Sayings (“The first pancake is always lumpy”) and catchphrases(“Do noble deeds, but beware of the idle”) bring to the atmosphere of the work the didactic principle necessary for the fairy tale genre.

M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin continues to use lexical play as a means of satirical denunciation: from the syntactic constructions traditional for fairy tales (“he sits and wonders.” “Toptygin is right there”), which give the story a conversational tone, he moves on to reduced vocabulary ( “I thought and thought, but I didn’t come up with anything, you bastard.” “...If even the most innocent bird is gobbled up, it will rot in the major’s belly just like the most criminal one.” Alas! Apparently, Toptygin did not know that in the sphere of administrative activity the first mistake is the most fatal, that having given the administrative run a direction at an angle from the very beginning, it will subsequently move it further and further away from the straight line..." This contrast emphasizes that in responsible government positions there are people who are inactive, irresponsible, and incapable of pursuing correct policies.

Toptygin consoles himself with only one thought: the thought that no one saw him. However, there was a squirrel who shouted to the whole forest about it. What did the bear do? The separately written lines of the bird characters also contain sparkling satire on the ruling circles. “Fool! They sent him to bring us to the same denominator, but he ate a siskin!” - exclaims the starling. Looking at him, the crow also dares to support him.

The starling, unlike the gullible siskin, did not become an easy prey for the bear. The information spread with great speed: an hour later the whole forest knew what Toptygin had done: “Every bush, every tree, every hummock, as if alive, is teasing. And he listen!” To emphasize how rumors spread and the information field for gossip expands, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin introduces more and more new characters into the text of the narrative. These are eagle owls, sparrows, hedgehogs, frogs, mosquitoes, flies. Gradually the whole swamp, the whole forest learns about Toptygin’s stupidity.

A paradoxical situation arises: in an effort to get into history, Toptygin did not take into account that “history only values the most excellent bloodsheds, and mentions small ones with spitting.” In the context of the story, the siskin becomes a symbol of reprisals against the free-thinking intelligentsia. It is no coincidence that his image is associated with the image of the poet A. S. Pushkin, who died untimely as a result of a duel forced on him. this comparison arises after reading the phrase: “Both the wild Tungus and the Kalmyk, the son of the steppes, will all say: “Major Toptygin was sent to conquer the adversary, but he, instead, ate a little siskin!” It contains a direct reference to the text of the famous Pushkin poem “I He erected a monument to himself, not made by hands...": "Rumor about me will spread throughout Great Rus', And every language in it will call me, And the proud grandson of the Slavs, and the Finn, and the now wild Tungus, and the friend of the steppes Kalmyk."

In parallel with this, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin paints an angrily accusatory picture of what, in fact, the common people expect from the tsar’s governor. The ideas of slaughtering a herd of cows, dispossessing an entire village through theft, rolling out a log from a woodsman's hut - all of this appears in the work as typical steps and methods of those who are endowed with state power. The culmination of the author’s growing sense of indignation at the current political situation in the country is an exclamation based on hyperbole: “How many general bloodsheds will be required to inflict in order to atone for this dirty trick! How many people to rob, ruin, ruin!” Here again we recall the key phrase for the work that history values only the “most excellent” bloodshed.

Subtle irony permeates the tale with the mention that, along with the report, Bear sent Donkey a tub of honey as a present. For this service he received a special valuable advice: make amends minor dirty trick which he committed was a major crime.

The list of further exploits of Mikhail Ivanovich intersperses events worthy of traditional fairy tales(he slaughtered a flock of sheep, caught a woman in a raspberry patch and took away a basket of raspberries, and the cruel realities of the era, painting a typical picture of reprisals against the Russian democratic press ("he climbed into a printing house at night, smashed the machines, mixed up the font, and dumped the works of the human mind into a cesspool" Thus, Toptygin 1st goes from a single reprisal against a freedom-loving poet (siskin) to a large-scale reactionary policy (the fight against the democratic press). The final lines of the first part of the tale sound caustic: “And so Toptygin 1st remained a major forever. And if he had started straight from the printing houses, he would now be a general."

In the second chapter, a parallel plot is drawn: Lev Toptygin 2nd is sent to another slum with the same task. In this fragment of a fairy tale, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin criticizes the government’s policy towards educational institutions and science. It turned out that in this slum everyone is shrouded in the darkness of times, “knowing neither the past nor the present and not looking into the future.” Toptygin 2nd arrives with the desire to start with some large-scale atrocity. However, it turns out that already under M. L. Magnitsky (M. L. Magnitsky (1778-1855) - trustee of Kazan University in last years reign of Alexander I) the printing press and university in in full force transferred to line battalions, and the academicians were imprisoned in hollows, where they lethargic sleep abide. A scientifically aphoristic phrase in Latin sounds satirical in the context of the following statement: “Toptygin got angry and demanded that Magnitsky be brought to him in order to tear him to pieces (“similia similibus curantur”) [they knock out a wedge with a wedge (lat.)], but received in response that Magnitsky, by the will of God, will die." In the second chapter of the work, an image of a spontaneous popular protest arises, the result of which is reprisal against the governor: “the men came running to the roar, some with a stake, some with ..., and some with a spear. Wherever they turn, there is a pogrom everywhere. The fences are broken , the yard is open, there are pools of blood in the stables, and in the middle of the yard the gate itself hangs.” This scene serves as a kind of warning to the authorities about the coming era of popular revolutions. In relation to the future, it sounds prophetic.

As you know, compositionally, a Russian fairy tale is characterized by threefold repetition. In this regard, the appearance of Toptygin III in the work seems natural. This hero chooses average atrocities: his reign does not bring social life special changes, and he himself resembles an “empty place”. In the fairy-tale space entrusted to him at this time, the usual social hierarchy, established in society, flourishes: “If from time immemorial it has been customary that wolves skin hares, and kites and owls pluck crows, then, although in such an “order” there is nothing prosperous, but so as it is, after all, “order” - therefore, it should be recognized as such. And if at the same time neither the hares nor the crows not only do not complain, but continue to multiply and populate the earth, then this means that “order” does not emerge. from the boundaries determined for him from time immemorial."

The policy of social contrasts is embodied by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin in polar images: the cry of some is an agonizing cry, and the cry of others is a victorious cry. This realistic situation is formalized in Toptygin’s theory of dysfunctional well-being. Here M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin again resorts to stylistic contrast as an accusatory means: “The main thing in our craft is: laisser passer, laisser faire! (allow, do not interfere! (French), granting the state complete freedom of action to the private entrepreneurship!)]. Or, in Russian: “A fool sits on a fool and drives a fool).” However, in the finale, Toptygin the 3rd suffers the same fate as Toptygin the 2nd. is a vivid embodiment of the spontaneous social protest of the leading part of the Russian intelligentsia against the oppression and enslavement of the people and freedom of thought in Russia.

How to download a free essay? . And a link to this essay; Analysis of the fairy tale “The Bear in the Voivodeship” by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin already in your bookmarks.

Additional essays on this topic

“The Bear in the Voivodeship” was first published in full in the collection “New Fairy Tales for Children of considerable age. N. Shchedrin." The book was published in Geneva in 1886. In Russia, the fairy tale was published for the first time after the death of the author - in 1906.

Composition

The tale consists of an introduction and three parts, each of which is dedicated to one forest commander and named after him. Thanks to this, the work resembles historical chronicles. It is interesting that “The Bear in the Voivodeship” does not have a conclusion. Probably, Saltykov-Shchedrin abandoned him in order to demonstrate that the story continues, most likely, the murdered Toptygin 3rd will be replaced by Toptygin 4th.

Main characters

The main character of the first part of the tale is Toptygin I. Initially, the governor sought bloodshed because he was a “beast.” In fact, by accident he committed a “shameful” crime. By eating little Chizhik, the bear ruined his career. The subsequent “brilliant” atrocities did not help rectify the situation. As a result, Leo dismissed the unsuccessful governor.

The main character of the second part of the work is Toptygin 2nd, also a governor, but assigned to a different place. He was lucky enough to start with a “brilliant” villainy - at night he exterminated all the livestock of the “neighboring man”, and also wanted to “roll out his yard on a log.” The bear's plans were not destined to come true. Toptygin 2nd hit the spear. Then the men skinned him and took the corpse to the swamp.

Toptygin 3rd, main character the third part of the tale, looks more adequate than the previous governors. He is characterized by a good-natured character. He can even be considered a liberal ruler. Toptygin III did not commit any crimes. Moreover, he chose to refuse any action. However, this did not save the governor - the ending for him turned out to be tragic. Toptygin on the 3rd “suffered the fate of all fur-bearing animals.”

The main theme of the work

The central theme of the fairy tale “The Bear in the Voivodeship” is the interaction between the authorities and the people. The representatives of power in the work are the king of beasts Leo, his assistant Donkey and the three bears described above. All military characters are modifications of one image - a strong, but not very smart ruler. Saltykov-Shchedrin sharply criticizes the administrative system Russian Empire. It shows that the personal qualities of a governor are not very important. Initially, the problem lies in the system of power itself.

The common people in the work are shown ambiguously. On the one hand, he is capable of rebellion, which is reflected in the second part of the tale. On the other hand, in “The Bear in the Voivodeship” there is also an image of a slave people. For example, at the beginning it is said that before the arrival of Toptygin the 1st, “the freemen walked among the forest men.” The men understood that no one would praise them for this, but they themselves could not settle down. They waited for the governor, hoping that he would come and “fall asleep” to them.

The artistic originality of the fairy tale “The Bear in the Voivodeship”

Key artistic principle, used by Saltykov-Shchedrin in “The Bear in the Voivodeship” and other fairy tales, is an allegory. This was necessary not least in order to circumvent obstacles from censorship. Perhaps the most important means of allegory in the fairy tales written by Saltykov-Shchedrin is irony. For example, in “The Bear in the Voivodeship” the narrator notes that Leo considered the Donkey to be a sage. Through irony, the author manages to emphasize the stupidity of both characters.

Among the techniques that Saltykov-Shchedrin used in “The Bear in the Voivodeship” is the grotesque (connection of the incompatible). The fairy tale says that the printing press, which once stood in the forest, was destroyed under Magnitsky. Mikhail Leontyevich Magnitsky (1788-1844) – conservative statesman during the reign of Emperor Alexander I. The reorganization of Kazan University, which was more similar to its defeat, brought him sad fame. There is a hint of this in “Bear in the Voivodeship.” The work says that Magnitsky “converted the entire university into line battalions, and imprisoned the academicians in a hollow, where they remain in a lethargic sleep.” In this case, thanks to the combination of reality and fantasy, the convention is emphasized fairy tale storytelling. The reader understands that Saltykov-Shchedrin actually does not mean the forest, but the Russian Empire.

M. E. SALTYKOV-SHCHEDRIN

BEAR IN THE VOIVODIA

“Large and serious atrocities are often called brilliant and, as such, are recorded on the tablets of History.” And even contemporaries scold petty crimes.

Toptygin 1st

Toptygin was the first to want to get on the tablets of History so much that he forgot that he knew how to build dens, and “he kept turning to one thing: “Bloodsheds... bloodsheds... that’s what is needed!” For this lust for blood, Lev promoted the bear to the rank of major and sent him to the distant forest as a governor. As soon as he arrived, he decided to start bloodshed the next day. And while waiting, I drank a bucket of vodka and lay down in the clearing to sleep. As luck would have it, Chizhik flew past, mistook the bear for a block of wood, sat on it and began to sing. The bear, with a hangover, didn’t figure out what this “internal adversary” was, but simply took and ate Chizhik.

For this too petty crime, Toptygin became the laughing stock of the entire forest. And the crow, and the frog, and even the mosquito teased him from behind the bushes: “You fool, you fool! Ate the little siskin!” The bear, in order to justify himself in the eyes of his superiors, destroyed the printing house at night, and “buried the works of the human mind in a waste pit.” But it was already too late... Lev did not believe that the same Toptygin, “with whom Lyubimov’s mavo took down Chizhik,” was capable of such feats! (the author reproduces Lev’s illiterate spelling).

Toptygin 2nd

Another governor, also Toptygin, was sent to another forest. He decided to start with major atrocities, but there was no printing house, no university, no academicians in that forest - everyone had already been destroyed before Toptygin. What makes you different? The bear climbed into the man's yard, picked up a horse, a cow, a pig, a couple of sheep and climbed onto the roof. The rotten roof fell through - a bear was caught! He grabbed a piece of log and roared - he was afraid to fall. The men gathered and finished off the bear: “Look, anathema! He wanted to curry favor with his superiors, but we have to go through this!”

Since then, in forest history, the division of atrocities into brilliant and shameful (in terms of size) has been abolished, and all atrocities began to be considered shameful.

Toptygin 3rd

The third Toptygin was smarter: he realized that neither large nor small atrocities were allowed to be committed. He arrived in the forest and lay down in a den, talking about rights: “Even the squirrel has rights now! A pellet in your nose—that’s your rights!” Thinking like this, he did not actually take part in management - and everything in the forest went on as usual. Someone ate, someone was eaten - “natural” atrocities occurred. Realizing that even without him “the villainy would happen on its own,” the bear decided to leave the den only “to receive the assigned contents.” Orders in the forest were never violated during this time. Lev promoted Toptygin to higher and higher ranks: lieutenant colonel, colonel and finally...

Men with a spear appeared and drove the bear out of the den into the field. “And the fate of all fur-bearing animals befell him.”

A comment. In the fairy tale “Conscience Is Missing,” the writer shows the decline of morality in bourgeois-noble society. In this society it is possible to live and get rich only by losing your conscience. Demoralization has gone so far that those who do not cheat or take bribes are ridiculed by those who are accustomed to being under the yoke of those in power. The ending of the fairy tale is interesting, where the writer expresses faith in new generations who are able to fight for bright ideals, guided precisely by conscience.

Fairy tale " The wise minnow” written shortly after the defeat of the Narodnaya Volya. The intelligentsia was overcome by cowardice and cowardice. The writer's satirical criticism is directed against this cowardice, against those who hide in holes from reality. But the sound of the fairy tale is still relevant - anyone who refuses to fight evil, who lives by the principle “my house is on the edge,” looks like such a “squeaker.”

In the fairy tale “The Bear in the Voivodeship,” three Toptygins are depicted in succession - the evil, the zealous and the good-natured. Using the example of the first two, the satirist showed what unlimited scope for abuse the government system of autocracy opened up. The third Toptygin did not interfere in matters, although he did not refuse tribute, but nothing in the forest changed significantly. It turns out that the issue is not in the abuse of power, but in the very principle of the autocratic system, in which the people are simply doomed to suffer. Commentators note that the text contains a number of topical allusions - for example, the personality of Alexander III is guessed in the image of the illiterate Leo.

(No Ratings Yet)

A great, formidable inhabitant of the forests. Hero of many fairy tales and legends. All this is about him - Bear. His very appearance makes even the bravest tremble, and his menacing roar leads to complete...
M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin acted as an irreconcilable critic of the autocracy. In his tales, familiar images appear before the reader old Russia: tyrant rulers (“Poor Wolf”, “Bear in the Voivodeship”), cruel exploiters (“Wild Landowner”, “The Tale of...
Saltykov-Shchedrin is one of the greatest satirists in the world. He devoted his entire life to the struggle for the liberation of the Russian people, criticizing autocracy and serfdom in his works, and after the reform of 1861...
Fairy tales sum up the entire satirical work of Saltykov-Shchedrin. Fairy tales show all aspects of social and political life Russia of the 60-80s of the twentieth century. Saltykov-Shchedrin exposed social inequality, the arbitrariness of the autocracy, the cruel exploitation of the people....
Evgeniy Lvovich Schwartz An ordinary miracle Fairy tale play (1956) Manor in the Carpathian Mountains. Here, having got married and decided to settle down and start farming, a certain wizard settled. He is in love with his wife and promises her...
It is no coincidence that Saltykov-Shchedrin’s “Fairy Tales” is called the author’s final work. They raise with all their severity those problems of Russia in the 60-80s. XIX century, which worried the advanced intelligentsia. In disputes about further paths...
The tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin are usually defined as the result of the work of the great satirist. And this conclusion is to some extent justified. Fairy tales chronologically complete the actual satirical works writer. As a genre, the Shchedrin fairy tale gradually matured in...
ENGLISH LITERATURE Alan Alexander Milne Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh) Fairy Tale (1926) Winnie the Pooh is a teddy bear, a great friend of Christopher Robin. The most things happen to him different stories. One day, going out...
Ideological and artistic originality of Saltykov-Shchedrin's fairy tales Fairy tales are the result of the writer's creativity. Three of them were written in the 60s. (“The Tale of How One Man Fed Two Generals”, “Wild Landowner”, “Lost Conscience”), the rest...
FROM RUSSIAN LITERATURE OF THE 19TH CENTURY M. B. Saltykov-Shchedrin Ideological and artistic originality of fairy tales Fairy tales are the result of the writer’s creativity. Three of them were written in the 60s. (“The story of how one man two...
Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak Twelve months Dramatic tale(1943) B winter forest the wolf talks with the raven, the squirrels play burner with the hare. They are seen by the Stepdaughter, who came to the forest for brushwood...
AMERICAN LITERATURE James Fenimore Cooper The Last of the Mohicans, or The Last of the Mohicans Novel (1826) In the wars between the British and French for...
Favorite corner of nature in summer pine forest. I spend every summer in the village with my grandmother and really love being in the pine forest. It starts right behind our house. In that...
The long-awaited summer has arrived! After cold winter I really want warmth, gentle sun. Finally you can carry out your free time outdoors and enjoy the world around you. In warm weather sunny days So...
Many art lovers know the stunning paintings of Isaac Levitan. What is most striking is its landscapes. They are so believable and realistic that when you look at them, you are transported to that exact place. Be...
A fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it... A. S. Pushkin The tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin reflect the main social, political, ideological and moral problems that characterized Russian life in the second century. half of the 19th century century. IN...
Plan 1. Vacation in the village. 2. Meeting with a forest friend. 3. “Forest Pharmacy”. 4. “Goodbye, forest!” Memories of summer are always associated with the forest. The whole point is that summer holidays...
One day I was very sad. My hand reached out to Rudyard Kipling’s book “Mowgli”. When you read an interesting, exciting story about distant countries, unusual heroes, you are often happy, sad, worried with them...
M. E. SALTYKOV-SHCHEDRIN WILD LAND LANDSCAPE “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived a landowner, he lived and looked at the light and rejoiced. He had enough of everything: peasants, grain, livestock...
PICTURE OF HUMAN COURAGE IN V. P. ASTAFIEV’S STORY “VASYUTKINO LAKE” Every minute of his life, working, communicating and even just idle, a person shows certain traits of his character. But better...
SOCIAL PATHOS OF M. E. SALTYKOV-SHCHEDRIN'S FAIRY TALES The fairy tales of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin testified to the new rise of the author's mighty talent and were a kind of result of his work. Many questions and problems, many topics and... MAN ALONE WITH NATURE (based on the story by V. P. Astafiev “Vasyutkino Lake”) Who among us does not like to read beautiful poems about beauty native land, swim in the sea, climb mountains, wander...

BEAR IN THE VOIVODIA

Composition

Fairy tales by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin are works more for adults than for children. In the subtitle to them, the writer indicated: “fairy tales for adults.” Why did Saltykov-Shchedrin choose this particular genre? It seems to me that for his sharp satirical statements and Aesopian thoughts, the language of a fairy tale was the most suitable form.

In “Fairy Tales,” Saltykov-Shchedrin develops his “crown themes,” which are fully embodied in “The History of a City.” This, on the one hand, is a sharp criticism and satire on Russian authorities, and on the other hand, to the Russian people.

The fairy tale “The Bear in the Voivodeship” was written in 1884. It consists of three short stories, representing an imitation, a parody of a historical chronicle. The stories about the service of the three Toptygin governors are preceded by a short “introduction”, indicating a theme that connects all three stories. According to Shchedrin, history consists of a list of major and bloody atrocities committed by rulers against their people. Small ones, the writer sneers, don’t count worthy of attention Chronicler and History.

The first short story tells the story of a “beast servant” who was sent to the voivodeship “in the distant forest.” Appearing in his domain, the bear immediately decided to cause bloodshed. Shchedrin writes about it this way: “What made him make such a decision is unknown: for, strictly speaking, he was not angry, but just a brute.” In this way, the writer speaks about the nature of all those in power - not exactly a villain, but a decent brute.

But the plans of Toptygin the First were not destined to come true. He destroyed his career and reputation in the most decisive way. By chance, while sleeping, Toptygin ate Chizhik, mistaking him for an “inner adversary.” This Chizhik was smart, but a “small bird.” This “crime” killed Toptygin. Each and every one considered it their duty to point this out to the governor.

But why was Toptygin reproached? Because he killed an innocent soul? Not at all. The worst thing is that the ruler was accused of “not living up to the hopes” of the people: “What a brute! good people They expected bloodshed from him, but he ate Chizhik!” These words of the starling show the attitude of the people towards the authorities. He is so accustomed to all sorts of atrocities on the part of his superiors that he obediently expects exactly this from him. In addition, if no cruelty is achieved, then the people are even disappointed.

At the beginning of the story, the Russian people are shown as a passive, lax mass, hoping for “maybe”: “The men understood that they would not be praised for this, but they could not settle down on their own. “As soon as the major arrives,” they said, “he will fall asleep for us - then we will find out what Kuzka’s mother-in-law is called!”

Toptygin's career was completely ruined. Even the bloodshed that he committed to atone for his “guilt” did not help. The authorities, Lev and Donkey, could not forget the “sin” of the governor. As a result, he was demoted: “So Toptygin remained 1st Major forever.”

The second Toptygin was smarter than the first. He drew up a plan for his “campaign” in advance. But, upon arriving at the place, he found out that everything had already been destroyed before him. There were no printing houses or universities in his domain. What could the poor bear do but become famous? Toptygin decided to destroy his charges physically. But the men did not like this turn of events. They roughly punished Toptygin - they tore off his skin.

Surprisingly, people’s patience, it turns out, has its limits. The case of the second Toptygin indicates this.

“What should the governors do?! - asks the writer. “How can they advance in their careers?” Toptygin the Third found the most the right way. He decided that the “best” bloodsheds were “natural” bloodsheds. This governor spent his entire life sleeping in a den, letting the people’s lives take their course. “Natural” incidents took place in it, there were casualties, but all this went “to the governor’s piggy bank.” Lying in his den, he not only received encouragement from his superiors, Shchedrin sadly notes. But the people, knowing the custom, kept bringing taxes to their “master” so that he would not touch them.

Everything would be quiet and peaceful, on the one hand, and hopeless, on the other. But the third short story ends with a significant phrase: “But then Lukash men appeared in the slum, and Toptygin the 3rd came out of the den into the field. And the fate of all fur-bearing animals befell him.” This phrase, in my opinion, contains the writer’s hopes rather than the truth, reality. These are Shchedrin’s aspirations and, at the same time, his call to action. He calls on the Russian people to fight for their rights and their lives.

Of course, there are people hiding under the guise of the Toptygins. This tale describes problems and questions Russian society the end of the 19th century, which worried Saltykov-Shchedrin. With the help of satire, irony, and allegory, he tries to open the eyes of Russian society to the most pressing, in Saltykov’s opinion, problems. In addition, the writer gives his own recipe, a way out of the current situation. I think that Saltykov-Shchedrin undoubtedly calls for revolution in his fairy tale.

A special feature of Shchedrin’s satire is the “Aesopian language” he created, an allegorical narrative full of transparent allusions to certain persons, in which sometimes not only the characters, but also the words have a double meaning.

Fairy tale "Bear in the Voivodeship" (1884) contains a satire on the administrative principles of autocratic bureaucratic power. Behind the heroes of his tale one can discern contemporary political groups or someone from the “ruling circles.” For example, under Leo, contemporaries saw Alexander III, in Donkey they recognized Pobedonostsev, and Toptygins I and II reminded them of two successive ministers of internal affairs. Shchedrin continues the theme that he examined earlier in the cycle “Pompadours and Pompadours” and “Stories of a City.” Shchedrin used the technique of likening a person to a bear in the story “Village Silence” (1863), the hero of which in a dream imagines himself as a bear and feels satisfaction when he feels his physical superiority over the servant Vanka, who irritated him.

The plot of the fairy tale tells the story of three Toptygins, whom Lev sends in turn to rule in the forest slums, where “at that time there was such a free spirit between the forest men that everyone strove in their own way...”.

The activities of Toptygin I, aimed at pacifying “internal enemies,” were carried out under the banner of “bloodshed.” The stupid desire to destroy everything in one’s path in order to “get on the tablets of History” is not simply condemned by Shchedrin. It shows not only the cruelty and senselessness of Toptygin I’s actions, but also the unnaturalness of his existence. Before he even started carrying out the bloodshed, Toptygin I foolishly swallowed a siskin. Lev, having learned that Toptygin I had disgraced himself, removed him from the voivodeship, and all living things in the forest took up arms against the bear because of the eaten siskin. Irony turns from a means of allegory into compositional technique. The contrast between the spoken (written) and the implied creates in the first part of the tale the effect of a two-dimensional narrative.

The outwardly impartial narrator first only records the facts of life in the forest world. The condemnation of the “forest freemen” and the description of the drunken bear are replaced by an emotionally charged discussion about the fatal mistake of Toptygin I. The narrator seems to express sympathy for the bear (“Alas! Apparently, Toptygin did not know that in the sphere of administrative activity the first mistake is the fatal one”). But hidden behind all this is the author's irony. The helplessness of a "specialist" in "bloodshed" chasing a starling is depicted satirically. It is no coincidence that the forest inhabitants appear in this episode in a certain order: the starling is joined by a crow, then a hare (not very brave), and then a mosquito. But the author’s irony is that the animals condemn Toptygin not for killing the siskin, but for

inability to organize the “bloodshed” that “good people... expected from him.”

Imaginary sympathy allows the author to openly use abusive words addressed to the bear (as a representative of the authorities), which are put into the mouths of the “unreasonable” forest dwellers: “churban” (siskin), “cattle” (crow), “stoeros bourbon” (zainka). Gradually, the narration acquires an increasingly subjective character, and Toptygin I’s inappropriately direct and straightforward speech displaces the author’s speech. At the same time, the satirical subtext, which openly breaks through in the author’s speech towards the end of Part I (after describing the senselessness of the bear’s act) in the phrase “Having done all this, the son of a bitch, squatted down and waited for encouragement,” becomes increasingly clear. But the author immediately seeks to soften such a “harsh” statement with the message that Leo did not reward the bear. However, there is also room for ironic judgment here.

The reason for the dismissal of Toptygin I was only that, in Lev’s opinion, an “officer” who ate a siskin cannot be brave, and therefore, probably, is not suitable for subsequent “bloodsheds”.

At this time, governor Toptygin II was sent to another slum, who was going a different route. Understanding the importance of the first step, he spent a long time choosing the area of application of his forces. . This one began his activities with a major crime: “In turn he killed a horse, a cow, a pig, a couple of sheep... but everything seems too little to him.” Toptygin decided to roll out the peasant’s yard on a log and send him around the world. However... his greed let him down, the villain hung on a piece of log. The men came running, some with a stake, some with an axe. They threw him onto a spear, tore off his skin, and took the rest to the swamp for birds of prey to be torn to pieces.

Toptygin III was smarter than his predecessors and had a good-natured disposition. Taking into account the sad experience of his predecessors, he looked for the safest type of activity until he finally comprehended the “theory of dysfunctional well-being.” The result was a tactic of inaction, which assumed the manifestation of vital activity only when necessary to “receive assigned maintenance” and food, i.e. he limited his activities only to observing the “established order of old.” This went on for many years. The patience of the men ran out, and they dealt with Toptygin III, as with the previous one.

Portraying different types rulers, Shchedrin shows that nothing changed in the forest under them: “Both day and night it thundered with millions of voices, some of which represented an agonizing cry, others a victorious cry.” Thus, the writer emphasizes that the matter is not only in the personal qualities of the representative of power, but to a greater extent in the very structure of the autocratic-bureaucratic system..

The tale castigated the stupidity of the tsarist self-governors, their concern only for their own good. The writer’s conclusion was that until the authorities figure out how to improve the methods of government “from above,” the people, having lost patience, will overthrow them “from below.”

The satirist mercilessly denounced the politicians of his day, portraying them in the form of animals. This technique, called “zoologization,” was often used by Saltykov-Shchedrin in “Fairy Tales.”

Unlike "traditional" Russians folk tales, where each animal was assigned certain stable character traits (the fox is cunning, the bear is lazy and stupid, the hare is cowardly), in Shchedrin’s fairy tales the animal could receive unexpected traits and properties. The hare became selfless, the bear became angry and bloodthirsty; this created a special satirical effect.

The main idea of ​​the fairy tale is a bear in the province. Bear in the voivodeship

Composition

Main characters

The main theme of the work

The artistic originality of the fairy tale “The Bear in the Voivodeship”

The main idea of the fairy tale is a bear in the province. Bear in the voivodeship