Famous literary heroes list. The most famous book characters

Men are attracted primarily to masculine characters, while women are attracted to both male and female characters.

In the Year of Literature, the Reading Section of the RBA held an Internet campaign “Monument to a Literary Hero,” inviting people to talk about literary traditions and literary preferences of readers of different generations.

From January 15 to March 30, 2015, a questionnaire was published on the RBA website with the possibility of reprinting it. Colleagues from many libraries, regional book and reading centers, educational institutions, The media supported the action by posting a questionnaire on their resources.

More than four and a half thousand people from 63 constituent entities of the Russian Federation aged from 5 to 81 took part in the event. In the overall sample, women made up 65%, men – 35%. Answering the question “Which literary hero would you like to see a monument to in the area where you live?”, respondents named 510 heroes from 368 works created by 226 authors. Adults over 18 years old named 395 heroes. Children and teenagers 17 years old and younger – 254 heroes. Adult women named 344 heroes. Men – 145 heroes.

The top ten heroes to whom the action participants would like to see monuments are as follows:

1st place: Ostap Bender - named 135 times (including the joint monument with Kisa Vorobyaninov), totaling 179 mentions;

2nd place: Sherlock Holmes – 96 times (including the joint monument with Dr. Watson), totaling 108 mentions;

3rd place: Tom Sawyer – 68 times (including the joint monument to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn), totaling 108 mentions;

4th place: Margarita – 63 (including the joint monument with the Master) is 104 mentions;

5th place: Evgeny Onegin – 58 (including the joint monument with Tatiana) is 95 mentions;

6th-7th place was shared by Vasily Terkin and Faust - 91 times each;

8th place: Romeo and Juliet – 86;

9th place: Anna Karenina – 77;

10th place: Stirlitz – 71.

Looking at male and female preferences, it can be said that men are attracted predominantly to masculine characters, while women are interested in both male and female characters. The top ten male preferences are as follows (we consider by analogy with the data for the entire array, taking into account joint monuments): 1) Ostap Bender; 2) Stirlitz; 3) Musketeers; 4-5) Sherlock Holmes and Don Quixote; 6) Margarita; 7) Fedor Eichmanis; 8) Sharikov; 9) Artyom Goryainov; 10-11) shepherd Santiago; Robinson Crusoe. So, in the top ten there is only one female image - Margarita. It should be added that very rarely Galina is present with Artyom Goryainov. Women's preferences look different: 1) Ostap Bender; 2) Tatyana Larina; 3) Anna Karenina; 4-5) Romeo and Juliet; Arseny-Lavr; 6) Sherlock Holmes; 7-8) Cat Hippo; Margarita; 9-10) Strange children; Angie Malone; 11) Mary Poppins.

Survey data provides compelling evidence of intergenerational reading preferences. The top ten preferences of girls 17 years old and younger include (in descending order): Assol, Romeo and Juliet, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, Snow Maiden, Little Red Riding Hood, Gerda, Mary Poppins, Harry Porter, Alice.

Thus, the majority are female images. At the same time, girls’ orientation toward female images is not as pronounced as their preference male images in boys.

The top ten preferences of boys 17 years old and younger: Tom Sawyer, Vasily Terkin, Robinson Crusoe, D'Artagnan and the Musketeers, Dunno, Sherlock Holmes, Andrei Sokolov, Mowgli, Faust, Hottabych.

Boys, like men, clearly demonstrate a preference for and need for male heroes. Boys in the top twenty heroes have no female characters at all. The first of them appear only in the third ten of the ratings, and even then in company with male heroes: The Master and Margarita; Harry, Hermione, Ron; Romeo and Juliet.

According to the survey, the absolute leader in the number of preferred monuments is Ostap Bender.

A comparison of lists of preferences for different parameters shows that the image of Ostap Bender is the undisputed leader, but he is still closer to men.

Why is this image of a hero-adventurer so attractive to our contemporaries? Analyzing the most numerous and famous monuments to beloved literary heroes that arose in post-Soviet times (Ostap Bender, Munchausen, Vasily Terkin, Koroviev and Behemoth), M. Lipovetsky notes the common thing that unites them: “Apparently, the fact that they are all in to one degree or another, but always quite clearly represent the cultural archetype of the trickster.

Looking back at Soviet culture in its various manifestations, it is not difficult to see that most of the characters that gained mass popularity in Soviet culture represent various versions of this ancient archetype.

Moreover, the author proves that the significance of such images remains in post-Soviet culture. Both men and women are also interested in the image of Sherlock Holmes, who, according to M. Lipovetsky, also belongs to the trickster archetype.

Traditionally, in the structure of women’s preferences, the share of domestic and foreign classics, as well as melodrama. Men, especially young men, have a clear interest in the heroes of adventure literature.

The survey clearly showed other preferences related to the age and gender of readers. Each new generation wants to see its heroes, corresponding to their time, acting in books created at the present time. Thus, “The Home for Peculiar Children” by R. Riggs is of interest mainly to 20-year-olds and mostly girls. Also, mostly 20-year-olds are interested in “A Street Cat Named Bob” by J. Bowen.

According to online stores, both books are in great reader demand. Their high rating Among young people, various online reading communities are also noted. And the image of Katerina from the story by V. Chernykh for the film “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears” gathers a female audience aged 40-50 years and is not found among those under 30 and over 60 years old.

The undisputed hero of the older generation is Stirlitz. Among 20-year-olds it is not mentioned once, among 30-year-olds - once, 40-year-olds - 7 times, 50-year-olds - 26 times, among 60-year-olds it is the absolute leader among men, it is also found among women and is the leader overall. V senior group according to the age. The Yulian Semyonov Cultural Foundation has already held an Internet voting “Monument to Stirlitz. What should he be like?

However, the monument to one of the most cult heroes Soviet literature and cinema never appeared.

The results of a study by the FOM “Idols of Youth”, conducted in 2008, noted: “It is significant that the relative majority of people who had idols in their youth remain faithful to them throughout adult life: two-thirds (68%) of such people (that’s 36% of all respondents) admitted that they can still call their idol the one who was them in their youth.” Probably, this can partly explain the attitude of older people towards Stirlitz.

According to the survey, readers would like to erect monuments to heroes of completely different books: including the heroes of Homer and Sophocles, Aristophanes, G. Boccaccio, as well as L.N. Tolstoy, A.S. Pushkina, I.S. Turgeneva, N.V. Gogol, F.M. Dostoevsky, I.A. Goncharova, M.Yu. Lermontov, A.P. Chekhov. Among foreign literature The heroes of the books of G. Hesse, G. García Márquez, R. Bach were named in the 20th century; among domestic ones are the heroes of books by K. Paustovsky, V. Astafiev, B. Mozhaev, V. Zakrutkin, V. Konetsky, V. Shukshin and many others.

If we talk about works latest literature, then the survey participants showed significant interest in the heroes of D. Rubina’s trilogy “Russian Canary” and the heroes of the novel “The Abode” by Z. Prilepin.

It should be noted one more work of modern fiction, which has earned a fairly high reader rating is E. Vodolazkin’s novel “Laurel,” which received the “ Big Book"in 2013. There is one main character here - Arseny-Lavr, to whom they would like to erect a monument.

Among the works whose heroes would like to have a monument erected, thus, the obvious leaders are noted:

The diversity of the presented literature is noteworthy. The top ten books include Russian and foreign classic literature, a classic of world adventure literature, the best Russian literature, created in Soviet period, modern bestsellers.

To the question about which existing monuments to literary heroes do they like and where they are located, 690 people answered, which is 16.2% of the number of participants. In total, 355 monuments were named, dedicated to 194 heroes. These heroes act in 136 works created by 82 authors.

The rating of heroes whose monuments are well known and liked is headed by: The Little Mermaid; Ostap Bender; Pinocchio; White Bim Black Ear; Chizhik-Pyzhik; Baron Munchausen; Mu Mu; Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson; The Bremen Town Musicians…

The overall ranking of monuments is headed by: The Little Mermaid from Copenhagen; White Bim Black Ear from Voronezh; Samara Pinocchio; St. Petersburg Chizhik-Pyzhik, Ostap Bender, Mumu; Baron Munchausen from Kaliningrad; Moscow Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson; The Bremen Musicians from Bremen; monument to the Cat Behemoth and Koroviev from Moscow.

The named monuments are located in 155 cities, including 86 domestic cities(55.5%) and 69 foreign (44.5%). Among foreign cities the leaders are: Copenhagen, Odessa, London, Kyiv, Bremen, Kharkov, New York, Osh, Nikolaev. Among domestic ones: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Samara, Kaliningrad, Ramenskoye, Tobolsk, Tomsk. It should be said that in fact two cities in the country top the list in terms of the number of mentions of monuments: monuments in Moscow were named 174 times, and monuments in St. Petersburg – 170 times. In third place is Copenhagen with a single monument to the Little Mermaid - 138 times, in fourth place is Voronezh - 80 times.

During the survey, the participants of the action also named their region of residence. A comparison of the region of residence of the survey participant with the hero to whom they would like to erect a monument (and we were talking specifically about a monument for their place of residence), as well as with those existing monuments that they like, showed that respondents from less than half of the regions named real or desired monuments , where the hero, the author of the work or the location of the action were associated with the place of residence of the participant.

In modern Russia, a tradition has formed of erecting street sculptures of literary heroes, and small-scale architecture is developing. Literary heroes can and do become local cultural symbols.

The social demand for this kind of symbols is quite large. Literary monuments create comfortable conditions for citizens to spend their time, aim at a reciprocal emotional response, and form the unity of local self-awareness.

A series of events develops around them, that is, they are included in traditional commemorative or everyday practices, they become accustomed to the urban environment.

The appearance of objects of decorative urban sculpture, monuments to literary heroes, monuments dedicated to books and reading can contribute not only to the aesthetic education of the population, but also to the formation of a personal perception of their small homeland, new traditions.

Sculptures, especially street sculptures that are close to people, play and entertain townspeople, form unofficial practices for handling such an object and a personal attitude towards it.

Filling public spaces with such symbols undoubtedly carries a positive emotional load and contributes to the humanization of the public environment.

Literary heroes, as a rule, are the fiction of the author. But some of them still have real prototypes that lived at the time of the author, or known historical figures. We will tell you who these strangers were to a wide circle readers figures.

1. Sherlock Holmes

Even the author himself admitted that Sherlock Holmes has a lot common features with his mentor Joe Bell. On the pages of his autobiography one could read that the writer often recalled his teacher, spoke about his eagle profile, inquisitive mind and amazing intuition. According to him, the doctor could turn any matter into a precise, systematized scientific discipline.

Often Dr. Bell used deductive methods inquiries. Just by looking at a person he could tell about his habits, his biography, and sometimes even make a diagnosis. After the novel's release Conan Doyle corresponded with the “prototype” of Holmes, and he told him that perhaps this is exactly how his career would have turned out if he had chosen a different path.

2. James Bond

Literary history James Bond began with a series of books that were written by intelligence officer Ian Fleming. The first book in the series, Casino Royale, was published in 1953, a few years after Fleming was assigned to monitor Prince Bernard, who had defected from German service to English intelligence. After much mutual suspicion, the scouts began good friends. Bond took over from Prince Bernard to order a Vodka Martini, adding the legendary “Shaken, not stirred.”

3. Ostap Bender

The man who became the prototype of the great schemer from the “12 chairs” of Ilf and Petrov, at the age of 80, still worked as a conductor on railway on the train from Moscow to Tashkent. Born in Odessa, Ostap Shor was from a young age prone to adventure. He introduced himself either as an artist or as a chess grandmaster, and even acted as a member of one of the anti-Soviet parties.

Only thanks to his remarkable imagination, Ostap Shor managed to return from Moscow to Odessa, where he served in the criminal investigation department and fought against local banditry. This is probably where Ostap Bender’s respectful attitude towards the Criminal Code comes from.

4. Professor Preobrazhensky

Professor Preobrazhensky from the famous Bulgakov novel “ Heart of a Dog"was also real prototype- French surgeon of Russian origin Samuil Abramovich Voronov. This man made a real splash in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century by transplanting monkey glands into humans to rejuvenate the body. The first operations showed a simply amazing effect: elderly patients experienced a resumption of sexual activity, improved memory and vision, ease of movement, and children who were lagging behind in mental development gained mental alertness.

Thousands of people were treated in Voronova, and the doctor himself opened his own monkey nursery on the French Riviera. But very little time passed and the miracle doctor’s patients began to feel worse. Rumors arose that the result of the treatment was just self-hypnosis, and Voronov was called a charlatan.

5. Peter Pan

The boy with the beautiful fairy Tinkerbell was given to the world and to James Barry himself, the author of the written work, by the Davis couple (Arthur and Sylvia). The prototype for Peter Pan was Michael, one of their sons. Fairytale hero received from a real boy not only his age and character, but also nightmares. And the novel itself is a dedication to the author’s brother, David, who died a day before his 14th birthday while ice skating.

6. Dorian Gray

It’s a shame, but the main character of the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” significantly spoiled the reputation of his real-life original. John Gray, who in his youth was a protégé and close friend of Oscar Wilde, was handsome, rugged, and had the appearance of a 15-year-old boy. But their happy union came to an end when journalists became aware of their relationship. An angry Gray went to court and obtained an apology from the newspaper's editors, but after that his friendship with Wilde ended. Soon John Gray met Andre Raffalovich, a poet and native of Russia. They converted to Catholicism, and after some time Gray became a priest at St. Patrick's Church in Edinburgh.

7. Alice

The story of Alice in Wonderland began on the day Lewis Carroll walked with the daughters of the rector of Oxford University, Henry Lidell, among whom was Alice Lidell. Carroll came up with the story on the fly at the request of the children, but the next time he did not forget about it, he began to compose a sequel. Two years later, the author presented Alice with a manuscript consisting of four chapters, to which was attached a photograph of Alice herself at the age of seven. It was entitled “A Christmas gift to a dear girl in memory of a summer day.”

8. Karabas-Barabas

As you know, Alexei Tolstoy only planned to present Carlo Collodio’s “Pinocchio” in Russian, but it turned out that he wrote an independent story, in which analogies were clearly drawn with cultural figures of that time. Since Tolstoy had no weakness for Meyerhold’s theater and its biomechanics, it was the director of this theater who got the role of Karabas-Barabas. You can guess the parody even in the name: Karabas is the Marquis Karabas from Perrault’s fairy tale, and Barabas is from Italian word scammer - baraba. But no less speaking role The leech seller Duremar went to Meyerhold's assistant, who worked under the pseudonym Waldemar Luscinius.

9. Lolita

According to the memoirs of Brian Boyd, biographer of Vladimir Nabokov, when the writer was working on his scandalous romance"Lolita", he regularly looked through newspaper sections in which reports of murder and violence were published. His attention was drawn to the sensational story of Sally Horner and Frank LaSalle, which occurred in 1948: a middle-aged man kidnapped 12-year-old Sally Horner and kept her with him for almost 2 years until the police found her in a California hotel. Lasalle, like Nabokov’s hero, passed off the girl as his daughter. Nabokov even briefly mentions this incident in the book in the words of Humbert: “Did I do to Dolly the same thing that Frank LaSalle, a 50-year-old mechanic, did to eleven-year-old Sally Horner in ’48?”

10. Carlson

The story of Carlson’s creation is mythologized and incredible. Literary scholars claim that a possible prototype of this funny character became Hermann Goering. And although Astrid Lindgren’s relatives deny this version, such rumors still exist today.

Astrid Lindgren met Goering in the 1920s when he organized air shows in Sweden. At that time, Goering was just “in the prime of his life,” a famous ace pilot, a man with charisma and a wonderful appetite. The motor behind Carlson’s back is an interpretation of Goering’s flying experience.

Supporters of this version note that for some time Astrid Lindgren was an ardent fan of the National Socialist Party of Sweden. The book about Carlson was published in 1955, so there could be no talk of a direct analogy. However, it is possible that the charismatic image of the young Goering influenced the appearance of the charming Carlson.

11. One-Legged John Silver

Robert Louis Stevenson in the novel “Treasure Island” portrayed his friend Williams Hansley not at all as a critic and poet, which he essentially was, but as a real villain. During his childhood, William suffered from tuberculosis and his leg was amputated at the knee. Before the book appeared on store shelves, Stevenson told a friend: “I have to confess to you, Evil on the surface, but kind at heart, John Silver was copied from you. You're not offended, are you?

12. Winnie the Pooh Bear

According to one version, the world-famous teddy bear got its name in honor of the favorite toy of the writer Milne’s son Christopher Robin. However, like all the other characters in the book. But in fact, this name comes from the nickname Winnipeg - that was the name of the bear who lived in the London Zoo from 1915 to 1934. This bear had many child fans, including Christopher Robin.

13. Dean Moriarty and Sal Paradise

Despite the fact that the main characters in the book are named Sal and Dean, Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road is purely autobiographical. One can only guess why Kerouac abandoned his name in the very famous book for the beatniks.

14. Daisy Buchanan

In the novel “The Great Gatsby,” its author Francis Scott Fitzgerald deeply and soulfully described Ginevra King, his first love. Their romance lasted from 1915 to 1917. But due to different social statuses they separated, after which Fitzgerald wrote that "poor boys should not even think of marrying rich girls." This phrase was included not only in the book, but also in the film of the same name. Ginevra King became the prototype for Isabel Borge in Beyond Paradise and Judy Jones in Winter Dreams.

Especially for those who like to sit up and read. If you choose these books, you will definitely not be disappointed.

Every book that has become a masterpiece has its own heroes (good and bad). Today we want to talk about characters who, even after 100 years, remain relevant and famous. Many of these books were filmed, which is why we sometimes recognize many of the characters from films. Let's start with Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes

Literary character created by Arthur Conan Doyle. His works, dedicated to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the famous London private detective, are considered classics detective genre. The prototype of Holmes is considered to be Dr. Joseph Bell, a colleague of Conan Doyle, who worked at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and was famous for his ability to guess the character and past of a person from the smallest details.

The first work about the famous detective, the story “A Study in Scarlet,” was written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. The last collection, The Archives of Sherlock Holmes, was published in 1927. Sherlock Holmes is apparently a biochemist by training. At the time of his acquaintance with Watson, he worked as a laboratory assistant in one of the London hospitals.

Hercule Poirot

A literary character of the famous English writer Agatha Christie, a Belgian detective, the protagonist of 33 novels, 54 short stories and 1 play, written between 1920 and 1975, and films, television series, theater and radio plays based on them.

Poirot is a Belgian emigrant and former policeman. Poirot himself in his book “Tragedy in Three Acts” says that “... in my youth I was poor and had many brothers and sisters... for some time I worked as a police officer in Belgium... then the War began, I was wounded... I was sent to England for treatment, where did I stay..."

Robin Hood

A popular hero of medieval English folk ballads, a noble leader of forest bandits. According to legend, he acted with his gang in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham - he robbed the rich, giving the loot to the poor.

The identity of the prototype of these ballads and legends has not been established. Presumably, he lived at the beginning of the 14th century, during the reign of King Edward II. However, currently the most popular is the artistic version of Walter Scott, according to which Robin lived in the second half of the 12th century (that is, he was a contemporary of Richard the Lionheart and John Lackland). A number of historical details speak in favor of the first version and against Scott’s version: for example, archery competitions began to be held in England no earlier than the 13th century.

E rast Fandorin

Hero of a series of historical detective stories Russian writer Boris Akunin "The Adventures of Erast Fandorin". In this series, the writer set himself the task of writing one detective story each different styles: conspiracy detective, spy detective, hermetic detective, ethnographic detective, etc.

Reviewers expressed the opinion that Fandorin's surname is an allusion to the journalist Jerome Fandor, the hero of a series of detective novels French writers Marcel Allen and Pierre Souvestre about Fantômas (1911-1913) and the French film trilogy of the 1960s based on these novels.

Erast Petrovich Fandorin was born on January 8 (20), 1856 into an old noble family. The boy's mother died during childbirth. Therefore, either out of annoyance, or in mockery of his bitter fate, the father, Pyotr Isaakievich, mourning his wife Elizabeth, named the boy Erast.

To Commissioner Maigret

Commissaire Jules Maigret

Commissioner Jules Maigret is the hero of the popular series of detective novels and stories by Georges Simenon, a wise policeman.

Jules Joseph Anselme Maigret was born in 1884 in the village of Saint-Fiacre near Mantignon in the family of the estate manager, Count Saint-Fiacre. He spent his childhood and youth there. Simenon repeatedly mentions Maigret's peasant roots. The commissioner's mother died in childbirth. When he was 8 years old, he spent several months at the Lyceum, where he had a very hard time, and, in the end, his father sent him to his sister, who was married to a baker in Nantes. Arriving in Paris, Maigret began studying to become a doctor, but for a number of reasons and circumstances he left his studies and decided to join the police.

Maigret, with his talent and perseverance, rose from an ordinary inspector to the position of divisional commissioner, head of a team for the investigation of especially serious crimes.

It is impossible to imagine Maigret without a smoking pipe; he has a whole collection of them.

Z orro

A fictional character, a variation on the theme of Robin Hood, a "masked hero" who comes to the aid of the disadvantaged inhabitants of New Spain. Zorro was originally a character in Johnston McCulley's adventure books.

Zorro was originally a character in Johnston McCulley's adventure books. He first appeared in the story "The Curse of Capistrano", published in 1919. According to one version, when creating the image, McCulley was based on stories about a certain William Lamport. On next year the first Fox film appeared, The Mark of Zorro, with Douglas Fairbanks in leading role. Subsequently, many films were made about Zorro both in America and abroad.

T arzan

A fictional character created by writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and first appearing in Tarzan of the Apes. The novel was published in magazines in 1912, and was published as a book in 1914, followed by twenty-three sequels. Tarzan is called the most recognizable literary character in the world. In addition to the huge number of books written by Burroughs himself and other authors, the character also appeared in many films, television programs, on radio, in comics and parodies.

D rakula

Vampire, for main character And main antagonist Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. As the archetypal vampire, Dracula has appeared in many works popular culture, even not directly related to Bram Stoker's novel.

Good Soldier Schweik

Satirical character created by Czech writer Jaroslav Hasek; the main character of the unfinished novel “The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik during the World War,” written in 1921-1923, a cycle of 5 stories “The Good Soldier Schweik. The exciting adventures of an honest soldier" and the story "The Good Soldier Schweik in Captivity."

According to the literary critic S. V. Nikolsky, the prototypes of the good soldier Schweik were two people with whom Hasek was familiar: Corporal Josef Schweik and Frantisek Straszlipka, the orderly of the real lieutenant Lukasz, Hasek’s company commander during the First World War.

B etman

A fictional superhero character from DC Comics who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. Along with Superman, Batman is one of the most popular and famous heroes comics. It was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. Until recently, Bob Kane was considered the main creator of the character, but after much research, the credit was transferred to Bill Finger in 2015, as Kane's actual contribution to the creation of the character was very minor.

Tom Sawyer

One of the main characters in Mark Twain's novels: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "Tom Sawyer Abroad" and "Tom Sawyer - Detective"; also a character in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Tom Sawyer appears in at least three other unfinished works by Mark Twain - On School Hill, The Tom Sawyer Conspiracy and Huck and Tom Among the Indians.

The fictitious character's name may have been taken from real person named Tom Sawyer, whom Twain met in San Francisco, California, where Mark Twain worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Call. Mark Twain states in the preface that the character was based on three boys he knew as a child.

We asked Konstantin Demidov, the director of the performance “Fantasy of Faryatiev” at the Vysotsky Center and a very well-read person, to name ten literary characters who are not alien to a sense of style, and at the same time take part in photography

Dorian Gray

Perhaps the main character of Oscar Wilde, who sold his soul to the devil in order to become the most fashionable and stylish... Actually, he achieved his goal, but here another problem appears - a young man endowed with incredible beauty, having fallen under the influence of the ideas of new hedonism, devotes his life to vices and the pursuit of pleasure. This character combines subtle esthete, even a romantic, and a vicious, ruthless criminal and libertine. Times are changing, but even today many fashionistas would probably like to acquire such a portrait and be the most sophisticated and stylish person in society, without thinking about the consequences. Although, the conclusion is clear: selling your soul does not bode well.

Jay Gatsby

As they say, self-made man. Having emerged from oblivion (read: not fashion), Gatsby became an ultra-fashionable man. Even without pompous parties, the yellow convertible and luxurious wardrobe alone are worth a separate psychological analysis or someone's dissertation. For example, one may recall that pink color in a man's clothing symbolizes openness to love, and Gatsby's entire suit was pink. In his own palace, he collected all the cream of society; this place had the greatest concentration of stylish people per square meter. Yes, the great Gatsby was one of the most famous people on Long Island, but neither a car nor shirts tailored to his figure by the best tailors in New York could save him.

Sherlock Holmes

An English dandy of the highest rank, albeit a morphine addict. His elegant manner of speaking, a checkered jacket, a pipe and even a violin, not to mention his extraordinary mind, memory and ways of drawing conclusions even without any superpowers put Holmes a step above ordinary people. This character is also very much loved in the world of cinema, but only Benedict Cumberbatch managed to warm up the cooling interest of the new generation in the classics. The costume designers were able to make the new Holmes' style quite recognizable. Even my wife dreams of finding me a coat like Sherlock’s. Although I personally watched the BBC series once, and I’m unlikely to watch it again, I can watch Maslennikov’s version from anywhere.

Pants, shirt, blazer, tie, belt – all Dockers;
watches, scarf - the property of the stylist; boots are the property of the model

Erast Fandorin

The hero of a series of historical detective stories by Russian writer Boris Akunin. This character becomes more and more stylish from book to book: “The starched collar sticks out as if it were alabaster, there is a pearl pin in the silk tie, and a scarlet carnation in the buttonhole. Smooth hair-to-hair parting, sleek nails, thin black mustache, as if drawn with charcoal.” Gaining experience and increasingly entering the circle of officials, Erast tries to correspond to his new position in society. Reading another adventure about this detective, you always imagine him dressed to the nines.

Ostap Bender

Despite poverty and humble origins, Ostap is very smart and quick-witted. Women liked the charming scammer different ages. He wore the same jacket, which did not stop him from marrying (albeit fictitiously) Madame Gritsatsueva, once again proving that to achieve your goals you don’t have to be the most stylish. Energy, inexhaustible inventions, rich imagination, sense of humor, humanity (at least in relation to his companions) - this is why Bender is so loved by readers.

Ermolai Lopakhin

A character that many may not remember. But if you love the works of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov or go to the theater at least twice a year, then you may know him. Lopakhin is a former peasant and then a merchant from the play “ The Cherry Orchard" It was he who advised Sorin and Ranevskaya on how to protect the estate from ruin. His grandfather and father were serfs, and Ermolai was the first to enter the same house with different rights, but he remained a “man a man.” If I ever stage this play, I'd like to make it more stylish than it might appear on first reading. Since in his relationship with Ranevskaya one can feel a certain emotion that can force the “man” to dress up in the fashion of that time.

Cyrano de Bergerac

A real person who became a literary character and became best known as the hero of the play of the same name by Edmond Rostand. Excellent poet, warrior and swordsman, knight beautiful lady, after reading works about him, it seems to us very stylish and sophisticated. So let's assume that this is one of the most fashionable characters of the Baroque era.

hat, bow tie, watch – the property of the stylist; boots are the property of the model

Eugene Onegin

The one who is “dressed like a London dandy.” Main character novel of the same name by A.S. Pushkin. Wikipedia characterizes him as follows: “Onegin’s life in St. Petersburg was full of love affairs and social entertainment, but this constant series of amusements led the hero to the blues.” Pushkin himself does not spend many words describing appearance hero, limiting himself to a succinct description that before going out he spent at least three hours in front of the mirror. So there is no doubt that Onegin’s wardrobe was impeccable. In the village where Onegin comes to take a break from high society, he rejects the girl and kills his new friend Lensky in a duel. Obviously, being a fashionable metropolitan thing and remaining a person with capital letters- not the same thing.

Grigory Pechorin

The main character of “A Hero of Our Time” M.Yu. Lermontov. A typical Byronic hero with all the ensuing consequences - always impeccably dressed, as required by the officer's regulations, a thoughtful look and unusual appearance (black mustache and eyebrows with blond hair), which made women fall in love with him left and right. Pechorin is practically the same Onegin, with the only difference that he wore the uniform of the Russian imperial army, and not velvet camisoles. But the result is the same - broken women’s hearts and a comrade killed in a duel. Oddly enough, the image of Pechorin is remembered as positive, which once again proves that beautiful and stylish people are forgiven any vices.

Count Dracula

Romanian vampire. It is impossible to trace the style of this character from the surviving drawings of those times. But filmmakers fell in love with the count and turned a man with a strange (terrible) story into a stylish person. Particularly fun and stylistically interesting is Todd Browning's 1931 retro version, in which Bela Lugosi plays the Count. His Dracula, with his greased head, tuxedo, red-lined cloak and bow tie, resembles a crazy conductor, and his fingers and mannerisms before biting some young beauty are beyond praise.

Pants, shirt, belt – all Dockers;
coat is the model's property

Photographer: Pavel Kondratyev
Stylist: Alexey Moiseenkov
Producer: Mikhail Volodin

We express our gratitude to the Pushkin Moscow Drama Theater for providing the premises for filming

Alla Sokolova dedicated the play “Faryatyev’s Fantasies” to her father,
and I want to dedicate this performance to all dreamers and, forgive the pathos,
to those who look at the stars, even when they are covered with a veil.
And also to all inventors and poets, and, of course, to all lovers.

Konstantin Demidov

Russian literature has given us a cavalcade of both positive and negative characters. We decided to remember the second group. Beware, spoilers.

20. Alexey Molchalin (Alexander Griboedov, “Woe from Wit”)

Molchalin is the hero “about nothing”, Famusov’s secretary. He is faithful to his father’s behest: “to please all people without exception - the owner, the boss, his servant, the janitor’s dog.”

In a conversation with Chatsky, he sets out his life principles, consisting in the fact that “at my age I should not dare to have my own judgment.”

Molchalin is sure that you need to think and act as is customary in “Famus” society, otherwise they will gossip about you, and, as you know, “ gossips worse than pistols."

He despises Sophia, but in order to please Famusov, he is ready to sit with her all night long, playing the role of a lover.

19. Grushnitsky (Mikhail Lermontov, “Hero of Our Time”)

Grushnitsky has no name in Lermontov's story. He is the “double” of the main character - Pechorin. According to Lermontov’s description, Grushnitsky is “... one of those people who have ready-made pompous phrases for all occasions, who are not touched by simply beautiful things and who are importantly draped in extraordinary feelings, sublime passions and exceptional suffering. Producing an effect is their pleasure...”

Grushnitsky loves pathos very much. There is not an ounce of sincerity in him. Grushnitsky is in love with Princess Mary, and at first she answers him special attention, but then falls in love with Pechorin.

The matter ends in a duel. Grushnitsky is so low that he conspires with his friends and they do not load Pechorin’s pistol. The hero cannot forgive such outright meanness. He reloads the pistol and kills Grushnitsky.

18. Afanasy Totsky (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “The Idiot”)

Afanasy Totsky, having taken Nastya Barashkova, the daughter of a deceased neighbor, as his upbringing and dependent, eventually “became close to her,” developing a suicidal complex in the girl and indirectly becoming one of the culprits of her death.

Extremely averse to the female sex, at the age of 55 Totsky decided to connect his life with the daughter of General Epanchin Alexandra, deciding to marry Nastasya to Ganya Ivolgin. However, neither one nor the other case burned out. As a result, Totsky “was captivated by a visiting Frenchwoman, a marquise and a legitimist.”

17. Alena Ivanovna (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”)

The old pawnbroker is a character who has become a household name. Even those who have not read Dostoevsky’s novel have heard about it. Alena Ivanovna, by today’s standards, is not that old, she is “about 60 years old,” but the author describes her like this: “... a dry old woman with sharp and angry eyes with a small pointed nose... Her blond, slightly gray hair was greasy with oil. Some kind of flannel rag was wrapped around her thin and long neck, similar to a chicken leg...”

The old woman pawnbroker is engaged in usury and makes money from people's misfortune. She takes valuable things at huge interest rates, abuses her younger sister Lizaveta, beats her.

16. Arkady Svidrigailov (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”)

Svidrigailov is one of Raskolnikov’s doubles in Dostoevsky’s novel, a widower, at one time he was bought out of prison by his wife, he lived in the village for 7 years. A cynical and depraved person. On his conscience is the suicide of a servant, a 14-year-old girl, and possibly the poisoning of his wife.

Due to Svidrigailov's harassment, Raskolnikov's sister lost her job. Having learned that Raskolnikov is a murderer, Luzhin blackmails Dunya. The girl shoots at Svidrigailov and misses.

Svidrigailov is an ideological scoundrel, he does not experience moral torment and experiences “world boredom,” eternity seems to him like a “bathhouse with spiders.” As a result, he commits suicide with a revolver shot.

15. Kabanikha (Alexander Ostrovsky, “The Thunderstorm”)

In the image of Kabanikha, one of the central characters of the play “The Thunderstorm,” Ostrovsky reflected the outgoing patriarchal, strict archaism. Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna, “a rich merchant’s wife, widow,” mother-in-law of Katerina, mother of Tikhon and Varvara.

Kabanikha is very domineering and strong, she is religious, but more outwardly, since she does not believe in forgiveness or mercy. She is as practical as possible and lives by earthly interests.

Kabanikha is sure that family life can survive only on fear and orders: “After all, out of love your parents are strict with you, out of love they scold you, everyone thinks to teach you good.” She perceives the departure of the old order as a personal tragedy: “This is how the old times come to be... What will happen, how the elders will die... I don’t know.”

14. Lady (Ivan Turgenev, “Mumu”)

We all know sad story about the fact that Gerasim drowned Mumu, but not everyone remembers why he did it, but he did it because the despotic lady ordered him to do so.

The same landowner had previously given the washerwoman Tatyana, with whom Gerasim was in love, to the drunken shoemaker Capiton, which ruined both of them.
The lady, at her own discretion, decides the fate of her serfs, without regard at all to their wishes, and sometimes even to common sense.

13. Footman Yasha (Anton Chekhov, “The Cherry Orchard”)

The footman Yasha in Anton Chekhov's play “The Cherry Orchard” is an unpleasant character. He openly worships everything foreign, while he is extremely ignorant, rude and even boorish. When his mother comes to him from the village and waits for him in the people’s room all day, Yasha dismissively declares: “It’s really necessary, she could come tomorrow.”

Yasha tries to behave decently in public, tries to seem educated and well-mannered, but at the same time alone with Firs he says to the old man: “I'm tired of you, grandfather. I wish you would die soon.”

Yasha is very proud that he lived abroad. With his foreign polish, he wins the heart of the maid Dunyasha, but uses her location for his own benefit. After the sale of the estate, the footman persuades Ranevskaya to take him with her to Paris again. It is impossible for him to stay in Russia: “the country is uneducated, the people are immoral, and, moreover, boredom...”.

12. Pavel Smerdyakov (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “The Brothers Karamazov”)

Smerdyakov is a character with a telling surname, according to rumors, the illegitimate son of Fyodor Karrmazov from the city holy fool Lizaveta Stinking. The surname Smerdyakov was given to him by Fyodor Pavlovich in honor of his mother.

Smerdyakov serves as a cook in Karamazov’s house, and he cooks, apparently, quite well. However, this is a “rotten man.” This is evidenced at least by Smerdyakov’s reasoning about history: “In the twelfth year there was a great invasion of Russia by Emperor Napoleon of France the First, and it would be good if these same French had conquered us then, a smart nation would have conquered a very stupid one and annexed it to itself. There would even be completely different orders.”

Smerdyakov is the killer of Karamazov's father.

11. Pyotr Luzhin (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”)

Luzhin is another of Rodion Raskolnikov’s doubles, business man 45 years old, “with a cautious and grumpy face.”

Having made it “from rags to riches,” Luzhin is proud of his pseudo-education and behaves arrogantly and primly. Having proposed to Dunya, he anticipates that she will be grateful to him all her life for the fact that he “brought her into the public eye.”

He also wooes Duna out of convenience, believing that she will be useful to him for his career. Luzhin hates Raskolnikov because he opposes his alliance with Dunya. Luzhin puts one hundred rubles in Sonya Marmeladova's pocket at her father's funeral, accusing her of theft.

10. Kirila Troekurov (Alexander Pushkin, “Dubrovsky”)

Troekurov is an example of a Russian master spoiled by his power and environment. He spends his time in idleness, drunkenness, and voluptuousness. Troekurov sincerely believes in his impunity and limitless possibilities (“This is the power to take away property without any right”).

The master loves his daughter Masha, but marries her to an old man she doesn’t love. Troekurov's serfs are similar to their master - Troekurov's hound is insolent to Dubrovsky Sr. - and thereby quarrels old friends.

9. Sergei Talberg (Mikhail Bulgakov, “The White Guard”)

Sergei Talberg is the husband of Elena Turbina, a traitor and an opportunist. He easily changes his principles and beliefs, without much effort or remorse. Talberg is always where it is easier to live, so he runs abroad. He leaves his family and friends. Even Talberg’s eyes (which, as we know, are the “mirror of the soul”) are “two-story”; he is the complete opposite of Turbin.

Thalberg was the first to wear the red bandage at the military school in March 1917 and, as a member of the military committee, arrested the famous General Petrov.

8. Alexey Shvabrin (Alexander Pushkin, “The Captain's Daughter”)

Shvabrin is the antipode of the main character of Pushkin’s story “ Captain's daughter» Petra Grinev. IN Belogorsk fortress he was exiled for murder in a duel. Shvabrin is undoubtedly smart, but at the same time he is cunning, impudent, cynical, and mocking. Having received Masha Mironova’s refusal, he spreads dirty rumors about her, wounds him in the back in a duel with Grinev, goes over to Pugachev’s side, and, having been captured by government troops, spreads rumors that Grinev is a traitor. In general, he is a rubbish person.

7. Vasilisa Kostyleva (Maxim Gorky, “At the Depths”)

In Gorky's play "At the Bottom" everything is sad and sad. This atmosphere is diligently maintained by the owners of the shelter where the action takes place - the Kostylevs. The husband is a nasty, cowardly and greedy old man, Vasilisa’s wife is a calculating, resourceful opportunist who forces her lover Vaska Pepel to steal for her sake. When she finds out that he himself is in love with her sister, he promises to give her up in exchange for killing her husband.

6. Mazepa (Alexander Pushkin, “Poltava”)

Mazepa is a historical character, but if in history Mazepa’s role is ambiguous, then in Pushkin’s poem Mazepa is unambiguous negative character. Mazepa appears in the poem as an absolutely immoral, dishonest, vindictive, evil person, as a treacherous hypocrite for whom nothing is sacred (he “does not know the sacred,” “does not remember charity”), a person accustomed to achieving his goal at any cost.

The seducer of his young goddaughter Maria, he puts her father Kochubey to public execution and - already sentenced to death - subjects her to cruel torture in order to find out where he hid his treasures. Without equivocation, Pushkin denounces and political activity Mazepa, which is determined only by the lust for power and thirst for revenge on Peter.

5. Foma Opiskin (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants”)

Foma Opiskin is an extremely negative character. A hanger-on, a hypocrite, a liar. He diligently pretends to be pious and educated, tells everyone about his supposedly ascetic experience and sparkles with quotes from books...

When he gains power, he shows his true nature. “A low soul, having come out from under oppression, oppresses itself. Thomas was oppressed - and he immediately felt the need to oppress himself; They broke down over him - and he himself began to break down over others. He was a jester and immediately felt the need to have his own jesters. He boasted to the point of absurdity, broke down to the point of impossibility, demanded bird's milk, tyrannized beyond measure, and it got to the point where good people, not having yet witnessed all these tricks, but listening only to tales, they considered it all a miracle, an obsession, crossed themselves and spat on it...”

4. Viktor Komarovsky (Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago)

Lawyer Komarovsky is a negative character in Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago. In the destinies of the main characters - Zhivago and Lara, Komarovsky is " evil genius" And " eminence grise" He is guilty of the ruin of the Zhivago family and the death of the protagonist's father; he cohabits with Lara's mother and Lara herself. Finally, Komarovsky tricks Zhivago into separating him from his wife. Komarovsky is smart, calculating, greedy, cynical. Overall, bad person. He understands this himself, but this suits him quite well.

3. Judushka Golovlev (Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, “The Golovlev Lords”)

Porfiry Vladimirovich Golovlev, nicknamed Judas and Blood Drinker, - “ last representative of the escapist kind." He is hypocritical, greedy, cowardly, calculating. He spends his life in endless slander and litigation, drives his son to suicide, and at the same time imitates extreme religiosity, reading prayers “without the participation of the heart.”

Toward the end of his dark life, Golovlev gets drunk and runs wild, and goes into the March snowstorm. In the morning, his frozen corpse is found.

2. Andriy (Nikolai Gogol, “Taras Bulba”)

Andriy - younger son Taras Bulba, the hero of the story of the same name by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. Andriy, as Gogol writes, from early youth began to feel the “need for love.” This need fails him. He falls in love with the lady, betrays his homeland, his friends, and his father. Andriy admits: “Who said that my homeland is Ukraine? Who gave it to me in my homeland? The Fatherland is what our soul is looking for, what is dearer to it than anything else. My fatherland is you!... and I will sell, give away, and destroy everything that I have for such a fatherland!”
Andriy is a traitor. He is killed by his own father.

1. Fyodor Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky, “The Brothers Karamazov”)

He is voluptuous, greedy, envious, stupid. By maturity, he became flabby, began to drink a lot, opened several taverns, made many fellow countrymen his debtors... He began to compete with his eldest son Dmitry for the heart of Grushenka Svetlova, which paved the way for the crime - Karamazov was killed by his illegitimate son Pyotr Smerdyakov.