In this lesson, you will continue your acquaintance with the work of Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin "The Minor", consider how the author presented the problems of education and serfdom in his play, what a way out he sees from this situation.

After that, many events happened in russian life: the annexation of the Crimea, the legendary passage of Suvorov through the Alps, the foundation of the Tsarist-rural lyceum and the Patriotic War of 1812. And the generation of Pushkin perceives the era of Fonvizin almost as a venerable antiquity. In the novel "Eugene Onegin" Pushkin writes:

“… In old years,

Satyrs are the brave lord

Fonvizin, friend of freedom shone ... "

If Pushkin felt such a temporary distance (Fig. 2) in 1823, talking about a comedy that was staged in 1782, then it is even more difficult for our generation to understand Fonvizin's work.

Figure: 2. A.S. Pushkin ()

Like any talented work, the comedy "The Minor" (Fig. 3) reflects the specific features of a particular era, its unique features, but at the same time it also raises universal timeless questions. One of them was the issue of education. This topic turns out to be very important in general for the tradition of the Enlightenment, where the focus is on the improvement of a person, the maturation of his mind, the social status of a wise public person. We remember about upbringing when we work with such a direction as classicism, where the author somehow tries to enlighten and educate his reader or viewer. It is no coincidence that Fonvizin's work is often called a comedy of education. This is such a clarifying genre definition.

Figure: 3. The title page of the first edition of the comedy "Minor" ()

Age of Enlightenment The people of the 17th century wanted to free themselves from ignorance and prejudice, which, as it seemed to them, were associated with a religious understanding of the world. They planned on their own, without the help of higher powers, to improve all aspects of social life and the person himself. This desire and strong belief (no longer in God, but in human power) determined their worldview and behavior. For people of the Enlightenment era, the belief that human cognitive capabilities are absolutely limitless is characteristic. All the laws of nature will someday be discovered, all the riddles will be solved. The philosophers of the 18th century still recognize God as the creator of the world, but they deny the direct intervention of God in human life. They believe that there are some general laws that govern both nature and society, and they try to unravel these laws. At this time, the prevailing idea of \u200b\u200bthe natural equality of people and the good nature of man. Enlighteners believe that a person is initially, by nature, good, kind and beautiful. There is no original sin, man is already perfect. Through upbringing and education, even greater improvement can be achieved. Enlighteners are going to take over Europe and come to Russia. Works by French authors are very popular. Catherine II was in correspondence with Voltaire (Fig. 4), and Count Grigory Orlov invited another enlightener, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, to settle in his estate and considered this to be his greatest honor. Books of enlighteners are an indispensable feature of the noble libraries of that time.

Classicism Classicism - literary direction, which is based on the following features: · The cult of reason ("reason"); · The most important principle - the idea of \u200b\u200bstatehood, embodied in the image of an enlightened monarch; A strict hierarchy of genres: High: tragedy, epic, ode (they depict social life, history; monarchs, heroes, generals act), Medium: letters, diaries, Low: comedy, satire, fable (subject of the image - everyday life ordinary people). Mixing high and low genre was considered wrong and was not allowed; · Recognition of ancient (ancient Greek and Roman) art as the highest example, an eternal ideal; · One-dimensionality, "simplicity" of characters' characters; frank didacticism (instructive).

In the comedy, the reader sees the upbringing of Mitrofan, who is a young man, a nobleman, an undergrowth, that is, one who has not yet grown to public service, but will soon grow up. In modern Russian, the concept of "undergrowth" is a common noun and has a negative connotation. Initially, the word "undergrowth" did not imply any assessment. It was a social status, even an age - a teenager, a teenager, someone who is not yet 18 years old and therefore has not yet entered into law and is not responsible. Only because of the comedy "Minor" this word means what we are accustomed to - an ignoramus, an uneducated person, spineless, ill-mannered, arrogant.

In the comedy "Minor", upbringing and such an important component of it as education come to the fore.

Education is mastery of sciences, it is an increase in scientific knowledge, some kind of academic success.

Let's consider what successes the hero of Fonvizin's comedy shows in the field of science education:

Fourth action. PhenomenonVii

Mitrofan. So I sat down.

Tsyfirkin sharpens the lead.

Ms. Prostakova.I'll sit down right there. I'll knit a wallet for you, my friend! Sofyupshkin's money would be where to put.

Mitrofan.Well! Come on board, garrison rat! Ask what to write.

Tsyfirkin.Your honor, always please bark without doing.

Ms. Prostakova(working).Oh, my God! Don't you dare to elect Pafnutich too, a little boy! And I got angry!

Tsyfirkin.Why be angry, your honor? We have a Russian proverb: the dog barks, the wind carries.

Mitrofan.Ask your butts, turn around.

Tsyfirkin.All ass, your honor. Vit with backsomes a century ago and stay.

Ms. Prostakova.None of your business, Pafnutich. It's very nice to me that Mitrofanushka doesn't like to step forward. With his mind, but fly far, and God forbid!

Tsyfirkin.A task. You deigned, on the butt, to walk along the road with me. Well, at least we’ll take Sidorych with us. We found three ...

Mitrofan(writes).Three.

Tsyfirkin.On the road, on the butt, three hundred rubles.

Mitrofan(writes).Three hundred.

Tsyfirkin.It came to a division. See why on your brother?

Mitrofan(calculating, whispering).Once three - three. Once zero - zero. Once zero - zero.

Ms. Prostakova.What, what up to the division?

Mitrofan.You see, the three hundred rubles that you found should be divided among the three.

Ms. Prostakova.He's lying, my friend! Found the money, did not share it with anyone. Take everything for yourself, Mitrofanushka. Don't study this stupid science.

Mitrofan.Listen, Pafnutich, ask another one.

Tsyfirkin.Write, your honor. For my studies you give me ten rubles a year.

Mitrofan.Ten.

Tsyfirkin.Now, however, there is nothing for that, but if you, sir, took something from me, it would not be a sin then to add ten more.

Mitrofan(writes).Well, well, ten.

Tsyfirkin.How much for a year?

Mitrofan(calculating, whispering).Zero yes zero - zero. One and one ...(Thoughtfully.)

Ms. Prostakova.Do not work in vain, my friend! I won't add a penny; and not at all. Science is not like that. Only you are tormented, and everything, I see, is emptiness. No money - what to count? There is money - let's count it well without Pafnutich.

Kuteikin.Sabbath, right, Pafnutich. Two tasks have been solved. Wit will not be cited in actual fact.

Mitrofan.I suppose, brother. Mother will not be mistaken here herself. Go now, Kuteikin, teach a lesson from yesterday.

Kuteikin(opens the book of hours, Mitrofan takes the pointer).Let's start blessed. Follow me, with attention. "I am a worm ..."

Mitrofan."I am a worm ..."

Kuteikin.A worm, that is, a beast, cattle. That is to say: "I am the cattle."

Mitrofan."I am the cattle."

Mitrofan(same)."Not a man."

Kuteikin."Defamation of Men."

Mitrofan."Defamation of Men."

Kuteikin."And uni ..."

Fourth action. PhenomenonVIII

Ms. Prostakova.Here's the thing, sir. For the prayers of our parents, - for us sinners, where could we beg, - the Lord gave us Mitrofanushka. We did everything to make him look as you please to see him. Would you please, my father, to take upon yourself the work and see how we have learned it?

Starodum.O madam! It has already dawned on my ears that he now only deigned to unlearn. I heard about his teachers and I see in advance what kind of literacy he needs to be, studying with Kuteikin, and what kind of mathematics, studying with Tsyfirkin. (To Pravdin.) I would have been curious to hear what the German had taught him.

Ms. Prostakova, Prostakov(together):

- All sciences, father.

- Everything, my father. Mitrofan. Anything you please.

Pravdin(To Mitrofan).What would it be, for example?

Mitrofan(hands him the book).Here's the grammar.

Pravdin(taking the book).I see. This is grammar. What do you know about it?

Mitrofan. A lot of. Noun yes adjective ...

Pravdin.Door, for example, what's a noun or an adjective?

Mitrofan.Door, which door?

Pravdin.Which door! This one.

Mitrofan.This? Adjective.

Pravdin. Why then?

Mitrofan. Because it is attached to its place. There, at the closet of the pole, the door has not been hung for a week: so that is still a noun.

Starodum. So is that why you have the word fool as an adjective because it is applied to a foolish person?

Mitrofan. And it is known.

Ms. Prostakova. What, what is it, my father?

Mitrofan.What's it like, my father?

Pravdin.It couldn't be better. He's strong in grammar.

Milon.I think not less in history.

Ms. Prostakova.Then, my father, he is still a hunter to stories.

Skotinin.Mitrofan for me. I myself will not take my eyes off, so that the elected one does not tell me stories. Master, son of a dog, where does that come from!

Ms. Prostakova. However, he still will not come against Adam Adamich.

Pravdin(To Mitrofan).Are you far in history?

Mitrofan.How far is it? What is the story. In another you will fly over the distant lands, over the thirty kingdom.

Pravdin.AND! so is this story teaching you Vralman?

Starodum. Vralman? The name is familiar.

Mitrofan.No, our Adam Adamich does not tell a story; he, what am I, himself a hunter to listen.

Ms. Prostakova.They both force themselves to tell stories of the cowgirl Havroniu.

Pravdin.Did you both study geography with her?

Ms. Prostakova(to the son).Do you hear, my dear friend? What kind of science is this?

Prostakov(quietly to the mother).And how do I know.

Ms. Prostakova(quietly to Mitrofan).Don't be stubborn, darling. Now it's time to show yourself.

Mitrofan(quietly to the mother).I don’t understand what they are asking about.

Ms. Prostakova(To Pravdin.)What, father, did you call science?

Pravdin.Geography.

Ms. Prostakova(To Mitrofan).Do you hear, eorgafia.

Mitrofan. What is it! Oh my God! They stuck to the throat with a knife.

Ms. Prostakova(To Pravdin.)And knowingly, father. Yes, tell him, do mercy, what a science it is, he will tell it.

Pravdin. Description of the land.

Ms. Prostakova(To Starodum.)And why would it serve in the first case?

Starodum.In the first case, it would have been good for the fact that if it happened to go, you know where you are going.

Ms. Prostakova. Oh, my father! Yes, cabbies, then what? This is their business. This is not a noble science either. Nobleman just tell me: take me there - they will take me wherever you please. Believe me, father, that, of course, this is nonsense, which Mitrofanushka does not know.

Starodum.Oh, of course, madam. In human ignorance it is very comforting to consider everything as nonsense that you do not know.

Ms. Prostakova.People live and lived without sciences.

First action. PhenomenonVI

Sophia.Read it yourself, madam. You will see that nothing could be more innocent.

Ms. Prostakova.Read it yourself! No, madam, I, thanks to God, have not been brought up that way. I can receive letters, but I always have someone else read them. (To her husband.) Read.

Prostakov(looking for a long time).It's tricky.

Ms. Prostakova. And you, my father, apparently, were brought up like a red girl. Brother, read it, work hard.

Skotinin.I ? I never read anything from my life, sister! God saved me this boredom.

Third action. PhenomenonVii

Ms. Prostakova. While he is resting, my friend, at least for the sake of appearance, learn that it will come to his ears how you work, Mitrofanushka.

Mitrofan.Well! And then what?

Ms. Prostakova.And there he got married.

In the comedy of Fonvizin, which is natural for the works of classicism, everything is said unambiguously, in plain text. We can only ask a rhetorical question: what success can be expected from a child if his parents from childhood instill in him that learning is not only unnecessary, but also harmful?

Mitrofan's teacher does not inspire confidence either. The reader will learn interesting details about them:

Ms. Prostakova.We pay money to three teachers. A deacon from the Intercession, Kuteikin, comes to him for the letter. A retired sergeant, Tsyfirkin, teaches him arichmetics, father. They both come here from the city. Vitus is also a town three miles away, father. German Adam Adamich Vralman teaches him in French and all sciences. This is three hundred rubles a year. We sit at the table with us.<…> To tell the truth, and we are happy with it, my dear brother. He does not bond a rogue.

Of course, the "speaking" surnames are striking. The reader immediately gets an idea of \u200b\u200bthe teachers of Mitrofanushka. "Speaking" surnames here are a sign of the author's irony. The surname Vralman stands out especially - a hypocrite who curses himself with his masters, and behaves extremely arrogantly with his servants. We learn that we are faced with a deceiver, because he is a coachman, and he pretends to be a competent teacher.

A very sad picture is created. Indeed, Russian education at that time left much to be desired. Russia, with the light hand of Peter I, had just plunged into an absolutely alien European culture, could not immediately learn everything. In combination with natural human laziness, this gave such funny and sad results.

It is no coincidence that the famous critic Belinsky will later say about Fonvizin and his characters:

“His fools are very funny and disgusting. But this is because they are not a creation of fantasy, but too true lists from nature. "

The characters of the goodies Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky expressed himself about positive characters comedy "Minor" like this: “Starodum, Milon, Pravdin, Sophia are not so much living faces as moralistic mannequins; but their real originals were no more vivid than their dramatic photographs. They hastily tightened up and, stammering, read to those around them new feelings and rules, which they somehow adjusted to their inner being, as they fitted foreign wigs to their bristly heads; but these feelings and rules clung to their home-grown, natural notions and habits as mechanically as those wigs to their heads. They were walking, but still lifeless schemes of a new, good morality, which they put on like a mask ... Sophia left<…> a freshly made doll of good manners, from which the dampness of the pedagogical workshop still emanates. " IN. Klyuchevsky "Fonvizin's minor (Experience in the historical explanation of the educational play) " However, after reading Klyuchevsky's witty remarks, one should not criticize Fonvizin, who reflected in his comedy not only indignation at the bad, but also the dream of the good and the right, about how the problem of education and education should be solved in Russian life.

Pushkin and Fonvizin

Consider the table in which two heroes are compared: the hero of Fonvizin's comedy "The Minor" and the hero of Pushkin's novel "The Captain's Daughter".

Mitrofanushka DI. Fonvizin, "Minor" (1782)	Petrusha A.S. Pushkin, "The Captain's Daughter" (1836)
1. Favorite leisure
I'll run to the dovecote now.		I lived a small life, chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with the courtyard boys.
2. Qualification of teachers
We pay money to three teachers. A deacon from the Intercession, Kuteikin, comes to him for the letter. One retired sergeant Tsyfirkin teaches him arichmetic<…>... German Adam Adamich Vralman teaches him in French and all sciences.			Beaupre was a hairdresser in his homeland, then a soldier in Prussia, then came to Russia<…>. He was obliged to teach me in French, in German and all sciences ...
3. "Success" in training
Ms. Prostakova (quietly to Mitrofan). Don't be stubborn, darling. Now, show yourself. Mitrofan (quietly to the mother). I don’t understand what they are asking about. Ms. Prostakova (To Pravdin.) What, father, did you call science? Pravdin.Geography. Ms. Prostakova (To Mitrofan). Do you hear, eorgafia.				Father came in at the same time as I was fitting my wet tail to the Cape of Good Hope.
4. Life prospects
With you, my friend, I know what to do. I went to serve ...				Petrusha will not go to Petersburg. What will he learn by serving in St. Petersburg? Shake and hang? No, let him serve in the army, let him pull the strap, let him smell gunpowder, let him be a soldier, not chamaton.

The heroes of these two works are in very similar starting conditions, but life paths they will be different. Think about why Pushkin deliberately orients his hero to some resemblance to the ignorant Mitrofanushka.

Upbringing involves not only obtaining scientific knowledge, but also awakening in a person his best qualities, the formation of his character. This situation in the family portrayed by the author is even sadder than with arithmetic and geography.

Fourth action. PhenomenonVii

Skotinin.And I am here.

Starodum.Why did you come?

Skotinin.For your need.

Starodum.How can I serve?

Skotinin.In two words.

Starodum.What is it?

Skotinin.Hugging me tighter, say: Sophia is yours.

Starodum. Do you want to start something empty? Think carefully.

Skotinin. I never think, and I’m sure in advance that if you don’t think too, then Sofyushka is mine.

Starodum. This is a strange thing! Man, as I see, you are not crazy, but you want me to give my niece, for whom I don’t know.

Skotinin. If you don’t know, I’ll say so. I am Taras Skotinin, not the last of my kind. The Skotinin family is great and ancient. You will not find our ancestor in any heraldry.

Pravdin(laugh).Commercials you will assure us that he is older than Adam.

Skotinin. What do you think? At least a little ...

Starodum(laugh.)That is, your ancestor was created even on the sixth day, but a little earlier than Adam?

Skotinin.No, right? So you have a good opinion of the old days of my kind?

Starodum.ABOUT! so-and-so kind that I wonder how, in your place, you can choose a wife from a different kind, like from the Skotinins?

Skotinin.Consider how happy Sofyushka is to be behind me. She is a noblewoman ...

Starodum.What a man! Yes, that's why you're not her fiancé.

Skotinin. I have already gone to that. Let them talk that Skotinin married a noblewoman. It doesn't matter to me.

Starodum. Yes, for her it does not matter when they say that the noblewoman married Skotinin.

Milon.Such inequality would make both of you unhappy.

Skotinin. Bah! What is this equal here? (Quietly to Starodum.) Isn't it beating off?

Starodum(quietly to Skotinin).It seems to me.

Skotinin(in the same tone).Where the hell is it!

Starodum(in the same tone).Heavy.

Skotinin(loudly, pointing to Milo).Which of us is ridiculous? Ha ha ha ha!

Starodum(laughs).I see who's funny.

Sophia.Daddy! How nice to me that you are cheerful.

Skotinin(To Starodum.)Bah! You're funny. Just now I thought that there was no attack for you. He didn't say a word to me, and now everyone is laughing with me.

Starodum.Such is the person, my friend! One hour does not come.

Skotinin. This is evident. Vit and just now I was the same Skotinin, and you were angry.

Starodum.There was a reason.

Skotinin.I know her. I myself am the same in this. At home, when I go into the bite and find them out of order, annoyance and take. And you, not carrying the word, drove here, found the sisters' house no better than nibbles, and you are annoyed.

Starodum. You are happier than me. People touch me.

Skotinin.And I'm so pigs.

If the hero, in his own words, was created a little earlier than Adam, then, knowing the biblical history, we can interpret this unequivocally: he considers himself to be a wordless creature - to animals. If you remember the incredible love for pigs that Skotinin has, then a very definite perception occurs. This is, of course, a caricature - satirical image, but the Prostakov family and the Skotinin line are, in general, not really people. They do not have the most important quality for classicists - the quality of reason. They are dumb animals.

It is no coincidence that Mitrofan learns to behave in a bestial manner in his environment. He's getting lessons again. Now he is already quite a talented student, and the lessons of immorality are not in vain for him. The main teacher here is his mother. It is no coincidence that the very name of the protagonist is Mitrofan, which in Greek means "like a mother."

Mitrofan sees how Prostakova despises, insults, severely beats the old man - the nanny Eremeevna. As he calls her "hrychovka", as she tortures her own husband. After all, she was born Skotinina, she is rude to everyone who depends on her, and openly flatters Starodum when she finds out that he has a fortune. At the beginning of the play, she mocks Sophia, humiliates her. And fawns upon her when she becomes a rich bride. With pride Prostakova speaks of his father, who acquired his fortune by bribes. Therefore, in Mitrofan, she deliberately fosters deceit and greed, so that he too will achieve prosperity:

“I found the money, don't share it with anyone! Leave everything to yourself, Mitrofanushka. "

Tired of this nightmare, the reader is glad to find something else in the play - a good upbringing. The characters in comedy, as is typical of classicism, are built according to the principle of antithesis - a clear opposition of good and bad. The terrible family is opposed, of course, by Starodum.

"My upbringing was given by my father in that age, the best," he says.

He thought about a lot in his lifetime and, of course, knows that everything depends on who specifically brings up the young man. "What kind of education can children expect from a mother who has lost her virtue?" he asks. It is in the education of a person's character and his spiritual qualities that the wise hero sees the promise of future happiness. The main human value for Starodum is inner purity and decency.

Starodum. My father kept telling me the same thing: have a heart, have a soul, and you will be a man at all times.

Everyone will find in himself enough strength to be virtuous. You need to want to decisively, and then it will be easier not to do that for which your conscience would bite you.

Mind, since it is just mind, is a trifle. With fleeting minds we see bad men, bad fathers, bad citizens. Good manners give him a direct price.

The rich man ... the one who counts off what is too much from you to help the one who does not have what is needed.

This is what Starodum says and is guided by these principles in his life.

The reader finds a positive example and antithesis to Mitrofan in a representative of the younger generation - Sophia, whose name is translated from Greek as "wisdom". The heroine appears on stage with a book by the French educator Fenelon about the upbringing of girls. Being a poor orphan, she has no invited teachers and stubbornly wants to improve herself mentally, to grow. For this, Starodum and the author himself sympathize with her.

Starodum is a resonant hero in the play.

Hero Reason - the one who in the work expresses the views of the author.

Starodum loves Sophia very much, because she is ready at all costs to learn and become better, and she does not expect wealth from her uncle, but good advice:

“Your instructions, uncle, will constitute all my well-being. Give me the rules that I must follow. " Sophia asks about it.

The characters of the virtuous characters in the play are not distinguished by complexity and believability. This, paradoxically, is much less lively people than the unpleasant Prostakova and her relatives. However, it is important for Fonvizin, as a classicist author, to give readers and viewers not only a disgusting, frightening picture, but also an example to follow.

The final of the comedy, as conceived by the author, should also have an educational function. We must think about what model of family behavior Mitrofanushka will inherit: will the stupid, weak-willed Prostakovs or the aggressive and cruel Skotinins influence him in the end? But maybe there is some other way? Obviously, Mitrofanushka, who has neither education, nor benefits, will begin service from the lowest rung of the career ladder. From a simple soldier, he will rise up.

The same choice, but not under the pressure of circumstances, but independently and consciously, will be made by Petrusha Grinev's father in Pushkin's novel "The Captain's Daughter". He does not want an easy fate for Petrusha, but wants to grow a real person and a valiant warrior out of him. Thus, two young heroes - Mitrofanushka Prostakov and Petrusha Grinev - will find themselves in similar life circumstances. Why Pushkin, who wrote his novel much later (in 1836), you can think about for yourself, is a very interesting question about why Pushkin does this.

Pay attention to one statement of Starodum (the hero-resonator):

Starodum. We see all the unfortunate consequences of a bad upbringing ... how many noble fathers who entrust the moral upbringing of their son to their serf slave! Fifteen years later, instead of one slave, two leave, an old uncle and a young master.

He sees not a careful, not respectful coexistence and cooperation of peasants and nobles in Russian life as a rational hero, but cruel mockery and humiliation. So in the text a very important and very acute problem of serfdom arises in the era of Fonvizin, or rather the abuse of serfdom.

Action one

Ms. Prostakova (examining the caftan on Mitrofan). The caftan is all ruined. Eremeevna, bring the swindler Trishka here. (Eremeevna leaves.) He, a thief, has strapped him everywhere. Mitrofanushka, my friend! I have tea, you are pressed to death. Call your father here.

Ms. Prostakova (To Trishka). And you, cattle, come closer. Didn't I tell you, thief's mug, so that you let your caftan wider. The child, first, grows; another, a child and without a delicate narrow caftan. Tell me, you fool, how will you justify yourself?

Trishka. Why, madam, I was self-taught. Then I reported to you: well, if you please give it to the tailor.

Ms. Prostakova. So, is it really necessary to be a tailor to be able to sew a caftan properly? What a bestial reasoning!

Trishka. Yes, ma'am, he was a tailor, but I didn’t.

Ms. Prostakova. Looking for he also argues. A tailor learned from another, another from a third, but who was the first to be a tailor? Speak, cattle.

Trishka. Yes, the tailor is the first, maybe he sewed worse than mine.

Second action. PhenomenonVI

Eremeevna. Uncle scared everyone. He nearly grabbed the hairs. And not for anything ... not about anything ...

Ms. Prostakova (in anger). Well...

Eremeevna. Stuck to him: do you want to marry? ..

Ms. Prostakova. Well...

Eremeevna. The child did not conceal, it’s been a long time ago, uncle, the hunt takes. How frenzied he will, my mother, how he will rise up! ..

Ms. Prostakova (trembling). Well ... and you, beast, were dumbfounded, and you didn’t stick to your brother’s mug, and you didn’t rip his snout over his ears ...

Eremeevna. I took it! Oh, accepted, yes ...

Ms. Prostakova. Yes ... but what ... not your child, you beast! Kill the child to death for you.

Eremeevna. Ah, creator, save and have mercy! Yes, if my brother didn’t deign to leave at that moment, I would have broken with him. That's what God would not have set. If these were dull (pointing to the nails), I wouldn't take care of the fangs.

Ms. Prostakova. All of you beasts are diligent in words alone, and not in deeds ...

Eremeevna (crying). I am not diligent for us, mother! You don’t know how to serve more ... I’d be glad not only that you don’t regret your belly ... but you don’t want anything.

Third action. Phenomenon IV

Ms. Prostakova. Are you a girl, are you a dog's daughter? Do I have no maidservants in my house besides your filthy hari? Where is the stick?

Eremeevna.She fell ill, mother, she has been lying in the morning.

Ms. Prostakova. Lies! Oh, she's a beast! Lies! As if noble!

Eremeevna. Such a fever made a difference, mother, she raves incessantly ...

Ms. Prostakova. Delusional, beast! As if noble!

We find an explanation for this shameless behavior not only in the character of Prostakova, but also in some circumstances external to the heroine. At the end of the comedy, Prostakova utters a phrase that can be called one of the most important remarks in the entire play:

Ms. Prostakova. Not free! A nobleman, when he wants, and the servants are not free to whip! But why have we been given a decree on the freedom of the nobility?

The famous Russian historian Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky (Fig. 5) considers this phrase to be the most essential for understanding comedy. And all the events that precede this statement are just an introduction to the main topic.

Figure: 5. V.O. Klyuchevsky

To justify his behavior, Prostakova mentions a decree, a manifesto on noble liberty, proclaimed by Emperor Peter III (Fig. 6) in 1762.

In order to understand the essence of this important law, it is worth taking a short historical excursion. It so happened that it was the nobility who bore the entire burden of military service for many centuries. Privileges, lands, estates are a just reward for a person who is always ready to put his chest under arms. For a very long time, service (25 years) was obligatory for the nobles, and it was impossible to evade it. As soon as a young man grew up to a certain age, thus becoming a stunted, he prepared for military service. However, at some point, the size of the army becomes very impressive due to the fact that other estates are already entering military service, and then there is no need for the universal service of the nobility. The state sees in this new opportunities for the activities of the nobles. A nobleman is not obliged to serve 25 years and spend his whole life in military campaigns. Now he has the right to work for the good of the Fatherland, living on his own estate. The mission of the nobleman now is to take care of his peasants, to make their life easier, to establish schools and hospitals, to give education (at least the basics of initial literacy). The nobleman faces another very important task - to give his children an education of the European level, so that future nobles will be a true support for their Fatherland - a developing, young country.

The simpletons did not succeed in either one or the other. And they are not alone. The fact is that the law on noble liberty was written in such a respectful, calm language, it was formulated so peacefully, and nothing threatened the person who violated it, that the nobles perceived the law not as a prescription, but as permission to do whatever they please. The authors of the decree thought that it would be a real pleasure for the nobles to voluntarily take care of the peasants, to raise children in the traditions of the European Enlightenment, to engage in science, because now they have all the possibilities for this.

But this hope turned out to be unfounded. The nobles took it this way: we have all the rights and no more responsibilities. Thus, the law proclaimed by Peter III in 1762 and after 20 years of the reign of Catherine II (Fig. 7) was never fully comprehended by Russian society, but, on the contrary, everything became even worse.

Figure: 7. Catherine II ()

Two decades after the adoption of the law, Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin undertakes, in a sense, to educate a whole class of nobles. And he writes a work that raised the question of the role of the nobleman very acutely and painfully. This important document (decree on noble liberty) must be rethought. Abstract, beautiful law does not reach the consciousness of the nobles. A polite belief and expression of hope alone does not work for those who are accustomed to doing monstrous things with impunity. According to the playwright, government intervention is necessary. When the author forces, at the end of the comedy, Pravdin to take Prostakova's estate under guardianship, he thereby suggests a real way out - all landowners who cruelly treat serfs should be deprived of the right to own the peasants and manage their estate.

The image of Prostakova, who has absorbed the features of many landowners, was supposed, according to the author's plan, to become a living reproach to those nobles in whose houses the same thing happened.

Thus, the comedy "The Minor" calls for a human and just attitude towards the peasants. Noting the extremely negative attitude of the author to the humiliation of serfs, it is worth remembering that the author of "The Minor" is not against serfdom as such, as a form of organization of economic and social life. He is against the abuse of serfdom. The basis of the state is the commonwealth and cooperation of peasants and nobles, which should be humane, fair and based on the principles of the Enlightenment.

In this lesson, you examined how Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin's comedy "The Minor" reflected the eternal and contemporary problems of the author: the issue of abuse of serfdom and the global issue of educating a human person and a worthy citizen. You also learned about the important concept of a “hero-reasoner”.

List of references

1. Ko-ro-vin-na V.Ya., Zhu-rav-lev V.P., Ko-ro-vin V.I. Literature. Grade 9. - M .: Pro-sves-shchenie, 2008.
2. Lady-gin M.B., Esin A.B., Nefe-do-va N.A. Literature. Grade 9. - M .: Bustard, 2011.
3. Cher-tov V.F., Tru-bi-na L.A., An-ti-po-va A.M. Literature. Grade 9. - M .: Pro-sves-shchenie, 2012.

1. Internet portal "5litra.ru" ()
2. Internet portal "litresp.ru" ()
3. Internet portal "Festival of pedagogical ideas" Open lesson "" ()

Homework

1. Describe the level of upbringing, education and morality of Mrs. Prostakova and her son Mitrofanushka. Give examples from the text.
2. Make up the "moral code" of Starodum.
3. How does Fonvizin see the problem of serfdom? What solution does the author propose in the play?

Style: interaction of several artistic directions. 1. classicism - love intrigue as a plot engine, division into + and –th heroes, one-dimensional character of the hero, speaking surnames (\\ The playwright endows his characters with names and surnames indicating their main features. So, Mitrofan is translated from Greek means “like a mother.” The surname of Prostakova comes from the word “simpleton,” meaning at the time of Fonvizin “little-minded,” “blatant.” The names of other characters in the play are just as eloquent: Skotinin, Vralman, Starodum, Pravdin, Tsyfirkin.), preserved the classicistic principle of "three unities": the unity of place, the unity of time and the unity of action. Events take place in the house of the landowner Prostakova during the day. There are five acts in the play. The plot of the comedy is based on a traditional love intrigue - Sophia's relationship with applicants for her hand and heart (Milon, Skotinin and Mitrofan).

2.features of the nascent enlightenment realism - love intrigue on the 2nd plane, on the 1st plane the problem of real reality, a false love trigolnik (Skotinin, Soph, Metrofan), the image of some characters becomes more complicated, becomes psychologically ambiguous (Mrs. Prostakova as a disturbing despot. son) .. However, Fonvizin's “negative” heroes are already multifaceted, he tries to avoid schematism in depicting the characters. So, Mitrofanushka in "Nedorosl" is not only ignorant, but also rude, cowardly, malicious. In the finale, he actually renounces his own mother, who has completely failed in her intentions. Mrs. Prostakova rushes to her son, trying to find support and consolation from him, and in response he hears: "Let go, mother, how imposed ..." In a certain sense, the character of the landowner herself is multifaceted. Mrs. Prostakova is portrayed in the play in various guises: she is a landowner who is cruel in her relations with serfs, and a powerful wife, and a mother who blindly loves her child. A broader than usual image of the everyday background of the play due to off-stage and episodic characters. The serf girl Palashka does not work because she is sick. “Oh, she's shameless, she lies like a noble one” (extra-stage character. Serfdom problems). individualization of the language, especially the characters. The vitality of comedy, the versatility of characters is largely created thanks to the speech of the heroes. So, in the speech of the landowner Prostakova, rude, abusive, offensive expressions are often found. “From morning to evening, as if I was hung by the tongue, I don’t lay my hands on it: now I swear, now I fight; so the house keeps itself, ”she confidentially informs Pravdin. "Cattle", "thief", "thief's harya", "kanalya", "beast", "dog's daughter" - these are her appeals to the servants. She considers her husband a "freak" and a "bastard". Affectionate, ingratiating intonations, conveying maternal love, appear in her only when communicating with her son: "my dear friend", "darling." Skotinin's speech also clearly outlines the circle of his interests: "Well, be I a pig's son, if ...", "I want to have my own piglets," "if I have a special shed for each pig, then I'll find a light for my wife." Researchers have repeatedly noted that assimilation of a hero to an animal is one of the main methods of creating satirical characters. This technique is also actively used by Fonvizin in his comedy, emphasizing the animal nature of all the "negative" characters of "The Minor". Skotinin's remark about himself acquires a symbolic character: "I love pigs, sister, and we have such large pigs in our neighborhood that there is not one of them that, standing on its hind legs, would not be taller than each of us with a whole head." The speech of Mitrofan's teachers also reflects their personality and life circumstances. For example, the half-graduated seminarian Kuteikin often uses in his speech the words of high style, Church Slavicisms: "meal", "fingers", "by the town." The retired sergeant Kuteikin reminds us of military service with his remarks: "We wish your honor good health ...". The German Vralman, teaching Mitrofan the French language, also reveals to us in his remarks the traces of his former "profession" (earlier he was a coachman at Starodum's): "horse", "horses", "carriage". Eremeevna's speech, Mitrofan's wet nurse, is bright and colorful. In her remarks, there are stable turns (“smoke with a pillar”, “I took my legs away by force”), repetitions (“get married, my father, get married”), words with diminutive suffixes (“little head”, “brother”).

"I don't want to study, I want to get married."

FROM ALINA SPUR.A liter of the 18th century is a liter of the era of enlightenment, its main pathos is the idea of \u200b\u200bmorality, the skills of development, active enlightenment of the individual. 18th century is the century of active state building. Ch. the topic is educational.

Artistic literature of the 19th century - a movement from classicism, with its idea of \u200b\u200bnormativity, exemplaryness, subjection to sentimentalism and romanticism, where there is interest in the inner world and freedom of creativity.

In the 60s and 70s. - serious changes at all levels of literature, classism collapsed, ideology changed, the ideas of the Enlightenment come to the fore - freedom, equality, brotherhood, there is a struggle with the church, faith in an enlightened monarchy, in science ( it is science that does better). In Russia, Russian. Enlightenment developed in parallel with the class-zm, is closely related to the state military polit. problems.

The highest development of Enlightenment. receive. in the TV-ve of Radishchev, Krylov, Fonvizin.

There is a debate about when work began on 1766 "Ned". A peculiar prototype of the collisions of Ned's play was Catherine II's comedy "Oh, Time".

"Ned" is determined not only by the theme of images and upbringing, but also by a more general theme - what place should the nobility occupy in modern society. The play shows a turning point - the moment when the heroes get the right to choose between obliging societies with duty and life "for themselves." The play actively discusses the "decree on the freedom of the nobility" of 1761.

More particular problems touched upon in the play are the condemnation of ignorance, the lack of enlightenment of a part of the nobility, the cat Fon considers destroying the human personality, bringing people down to the level of an animal, this is manifested in the reception (Taras Skotinin, comparison of Prostakova with an animal).

Upbringing and education itself, Fonvizin understands, is multifaceted, he distinguishes between the education of the mind and moral development and considers moral development more important, significant, and shaping the personality.

The topic of education is completely important in the play, which is associated with the characteristics of not only Mitrofanushka, but also other characters: Mrs. Prostakova, Skotinin on the one hand and Starodum, Sophia on the other.

Fonvizin speaks more cautiously about the problem of abuse of serfdom, he emphasizes that the crepe of law is becoming outdated economically, but to a greater extent the crepe of law does not constitute the moral side, Fonv shows its corrupting effect on both masters and servants.

The problem of an ideal monarchy: Fonv condemns the abuses of the court of Catherine, but at the same time highly values \u200b\u200bthe very concept of an ideal monarch who places high on the law, personal power, reason and law (5 acts).

Comedy "Minor" - the pinnacle of TV-va Fonviz. It combines the features of a sniper class and innovative features.

Adherence to the traditions of classism is manifested in: the fact that comedy retains all the signs of a "low" genre. This is the first socio-political comedy on the stage. In the play, vices (rudeness, stupidity, cruelty, lack of education) are mocked, which require immediate correction. The problem of education is the center. in the ideas of enlightenment in Fon-na's comedies. The language of pronunciation (one of the rules of the class) corresponds to the specificity of the depiction of the action, the speech of Prostakova in relation to the servants is rough, in relation to the son - affectionate. "Correct", "bookish" language - will lay the foundation of speech. characters. The rule of 3 units is observed, dey-e in the estate of Mrs. Prostakova, the author is subordinate to the dei-i. task - solving the problem of true education. In the comedy, unenlightened, uneducated characters (Prostakovs, Skotinin, Mitrofanushka) are contrasted with figurative, enlightened characters (Starodum, Sophia, Pravdin). The division of characters into half. and negate - one of the rules of the class-snake.

Novat. Background, well, it is important not only to pose the problem of upbringing, but also to show how the situation influences the formation of character, personality. In "Nedoroslya" the foundations of a realistic depiction of action are laid, the author reproduces the atmosphere of landlord tyranny, cruelty, impunity and ignorance of the Prostakovs and Skotinins. In contrast to the classic. pronunciation "Minor" is multi-dark. Its main. the problems are closely related to each other: the problems of education, communication. with the problems of serf parva and state. authorities. To expose the vices, the author uses such techniques as speaking surnames, self-exposure of heroes. Put it in the mouth. heroes Fonn contributes criticism of the depraved century, idlers, nobles, ignorant landowners. The theme of serving the Fatherland, the celebration of justice, t / w is carried out through the put. images. Language also serves to reveal images: the book language is the basis, in Starodum's speech there are archaisms. For Pravdin, clericalism is characteristic, for young people - Sophia and Milon - sentimental turns.

Innovation and in the system of images: Fonn introduces heroes from the lower class (Trishka, Eremeevna, teachers Kuteikin and Tsyfirkin). In addition, Fon-n tried to give a brief prehistory of the characters, to reveal the different facets of the har-s of some of them. At the beginning of the comedy, Prostakova is a cruel landowner, in the finale - an unhappy mother, rejected by her own. son.

2. Roman I.A. Goncharova "Oblomov". Critical literature about the novel and the peculiarities of Goncharov's talent as an artist.

Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov ()

In the early 50s and 60s of the 19th century, the breaking of all the old foundations of patriarchal Russia began. The country said goodbye to inertia, stagnation, inaction, but lost the warmth of relations between people, respect for traditions.

In 1859 - the novel "Oblomov", wrote for ten years.

Main character novel - Ilya Ilyich Oblomov: 32 - 33 years old, average height, pleasant appearance, with the absence of any idea and concentration. The whole face is the light of carelessness.

The simple plot of the novel deeply and truthfully reflected Russian reality. The novel is interesting in that we can identify the image of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov with a certain type of people who lived in Russia at that time. Goncharov introduces his hero to different situations in order to maximize all the disadvantages and advantages of the Oblomov type. Ilya Ilyich passes the test both by friendship and love. The character of the protagonist is most clearly revealed in his relationship with Olga Ilyinskaya. Love literally transforms Ilya Ilyich, reveals his best qualities. Their love continues until Ilya has to face real life, until decisive action is required of him, until Olga realizes that she loves the future Oblomov. Neither friendship, nor even such pure, sincere love could force Oblomov to abandon his ideals: a peaceful, calm, carefree life, hearty food and serene sleep. “What killed you? There is no name for this evil ... ”Olga exclaims at parting. "There is ... Oblomovism!" he whispered, barely audibly.

The broad and soft character was influenced by:

1) the Central Russian nature of Oblomovka. Nature here, like an affectionate mother, takes care of the silence, measured calmness of a person's entire life.

2) a special "harmony" of peasant life with a rhythmic succession of weekdays and holidays.

3) education. Oblomov's parents understood the importance and necessity of education, but they saw in it only a means of promotion.

4) excessive love and affection of the mother. The nanny whispered to him about the side, "where there are no nights, no cold, where all miracles are performed, where rivers of honey and milk flow and where no one does anything all year round." As an adult, he dreams of her.

5) labor was the main enemy of Oblomovka's inhabitants. They “endured it as a punishment, and wherever there was a case, they always got rid of it. The desire for independence was stopped by the shouts of the parents: "And what are the servants for?"

Goncharov revealed socio-psychological the reasons for "Oblomovism" and revealed many important features of the Russian national character.

Dobrolyubov “What is Oblomovism?”.

1) In Oblomov's type and in all this Oblomovism - there is more than just talent, it is a sign of the times.

2) The main features of Oblomov's character are in complete inertia. The reason is in his outward position, partly in the image of his mental and moral development. Outwardly, he is a master; "he has Zakhar and three hundred more Zakharov", The habit of receiving satisfaction of his desires not from his own efforts, but from others - plunged him into a miserable state of moral slavery.

3) Oblomovism in literature:

Oblomov is not a completely new face in our literature: Onegin, Pechorin, Beltov, Rudin are also Oblomovs. N. A. Dobrolyubov wrote: "Oblomov is our root, folk type, from which none of our serious artists could separate."

IA Goncharov wrote his "Oblomov", being under the strong influence of VG Belinsky. Most of the "programmatic" part of the novel - exposure social evil "Oblomovism" - obscures another, no less important part - about love, about the relationship between a man and a woman, about marriage. The artist overpowered the publicist and denouncer of social illness in Goncharov.

Belinsky about Goncharov in general.

"A Look at Russian Literature 1847" (48) consists of 2 items:

- "General assessment and origins" nat.shk ";

- "About specific works of writers" nat.shk ".

The second article deals with Herzen, potters, Turgenev, Grigorovich, Dal, Druzhinin, Dostoevsky. A comparative analysis of Goncharov's "Ordinary History" and "Who is to Blame?" Herzen (Herzen the thinker, Goncharov the artist; another image of a woman is not cloyingly sentimental; a lot of attention to Aduev, Jr., by type is a romantic, incapable of friendship, love)

AV Druzhinin "Oblomov", Goncharov's novel "The character of Ilya reflects the essential aspects of Russian life, But, in vain, many people are trying to despise Oblomov, he is kind to all of us and is worth boundless love.

It is not good for the land where there are no kind and incapable of evil eccentrics like Oblomov.

Oblomovshchina - an early stage in the country's development (childhood). Druzhinin's approach to understanding Oblomov and Oblomovism did not become popular in the 19th century.

But in the 20th century, Prishvin about Oblomov:

his peace is fraught with a demand for the highest value, for such an activity, because of which it would be worth losing peace.

They also wrote: Yu. I. Aykhenvald. "Silhouettes of Russian Writers" - Goncharov (about Oblomov's novel - excerpt)

this ordinary story of human destiny, human life and death is what attracts the most in the famous novel.

DI Pisarev (From the article “Oblomov”). 1859 A rare novel revealed in its author such a power of analysis, such a complete and subtle knowledge of human nature in general and feminine in particular ...

N.O. Lossky (From the article "The character of the Russian people"). 1957 Oblomovshchina is the flip side of the high qualities of the Russian person - the desire for complete perfection and sensitivity to the shortcomings of our reality ...

DS Merezhkovsky (From the article "Eternal companions. Goncharov"). 1890 Everyone noticed, and the author himself admits that the German Stolz is an unfortunate, invented figure. You feel tired from his long and cold conversations with Olga. He loses all the more in our eyes that he stands next to Oblomov, like an automaton with a living person ...

What problems Fonvizin raises in the comedy "The Minor" you will learn in this article.

"Undergrowth": problems

Problems raised in the comedy "The Minor":

1. What should be a true nobleman - and does the Russian nobility meet their purpose?

2. The need for enlightenment, education - their absence ..

3. Lawlessness of peasants and tyranny of landowners.

Each of these problems is viewed through the prism of ideas of education. Fonvizin, sharpening his attention to the shortcomings of the era through the techniques of the comic, stresses the need to change the traditional, outdated, long irrelevant foundations that drag people into the swamp of "evil", stupidity, likening them to animals.

The problem of education in the comedy "Minor"

In Fonvizin's view, the problem of upbringing acquired state significance, for the only reliable, in his opinion, source of salvation from the evil threatening society - the spiritual degradation of the nobility - was rooted in correct upbringing.

Education should give "the direct value of learning", awaken humane, philanthropic feelings, contribute to the general improvement of morals.

"Minor" the problem of serfdom

The theme of the lack of rights of the peasants and the tyranny of the landowners was indicated by the writer in the first act. Prostakova's first remark: “The whole caftan is spoiled. Eremeevna, bring the swindler Trishka here. He, a thief, has tied him up everywhere ”- introduces us into the atmosphere of the tyranny of the landlords' power. All the next five events are dedicated to showing this arbitrariness.
This is how the "Minor" begins. The main conflict in the socio-political life of Russia - the tyranny of the landowners, supported by the supreme power, and the lack of rights of the serfs - becomes the theme of a comedy. The dramatic conflict of the "Minor" is the struggle of the progressive-minded progressive nobles - Pravdin and Starodum - against the serf-owners - Prostakovs and Skotinins.
Slavery, not education, corrupts and corrupts the landowners themselves, - Fonvizin draws a second conclusion. The playwright sternly and denunciatingly declares: the Russian noblemen turned into Skotinins, who lost their honor, dignity, humanity, became cruel executioners of the people around them and omnipotent tyrants and parasites only as a result of serfdom. Hence the demonstration of the skotinin nature of those who call themselves the "noble estate" - Prostakova, her husband, her son, her brother. The slave owners not only turned their peasants into "heavy cattle", but they themselves became vile and despicable slaves.
The main intention of Fonvizin in "Nedorosl" was to show all the actions, deeds, thoughts of the Prostakovs and Skotinin, all their morals and interests in social conditioning. ... They are generated by serfdom, Fonvizin argues. That is why, from the first to the last act, the theme of serfdom permeates the entire work.

Integrated lesson (literature, history)
Condemnation of serfdom in the comedy by D.I. Fonvizin "Minor" "

Objectives:

deepen the students' understanding of serfdom;

to form an idea of \u200b\u200bthe situation of the serf peasant;

analyze the images of feudal landlords.

to cultivate a feeling of hostility to the oppression of man by man, to ignorance.

Methodological techniques:

teacher's story, vocabulary work, student reports-messages, commented reading
Registration:

1. Writing on the epigraph board:

1. “Magic land, there in the old years
Satyrs bold lord
Fonvizin shone, friend of freedom "
(A.S. Pushkin, “Eugene Onegin”).
2. “... an excellent satirist
Ignorance executed in comedy
People's ... "

(A.S. Pushkin. Message to the censor).

2. Portrait of D. Fonvizin by Vogel, 1875

3. Vocabulary work: writing on the board or handouts (at the teacher's choice)

Satire -

1. Denouncing, scourging irony.

2. A literary work exposing the negative phenomena of reality!

Serfdom - form of dependence of the peasant on the landlord, the owner of the land

Serfdom is a form of dependence of the peasant on the landlord, the owner of the land.

The main elements of serfdom.

Attaching the peasant to the plot of land he is cultivating; without the consent of the landowner, the peasant could not change his place of residence;

Taxation of the peasant in favor of the landlord in kind and in cash
duties;

The landowner's right to subject the peasant to corporal punishment and fines.

4. Reproductions of paintings:

AG Venetsianov “Morning of the landowner”, VV Pukirev “Unequal marriage”, PA Fedotov “The matchmaking of the major”, NV Nevrev “Bargaining”, “The manor house”.

1. Lesson flow

Guys! We have an integrated lesson today. We will consider one topic from the side of two sciences: literature, history. The topic of our lesson is “Condemnation of serfdom in the comedy“ The Minor ”. Let's turn to the epigraphs. Choose one and write it down in a notebook (students write down the topic of the lesson, an epigraph in the notebook). They say about the 18th century: “The century is insane and wise” and it has not been fully solved. Why? On the one hand, serfdom prevails in Russia, on the other, a cultural revolution is taking place.

Let's hear what the history teacher has to say about this.

A history teacher.

(Handout - during the explanation, students follow and fill in the blanks in the table, students are given tables at the teacher's discretion, you can skip filling in different columns of the table)

Stages of enslavement of peasants

Year

Decree

Content of the decree

1497

“Code of Law of Ivan III "

The term of the Peasants' Transition is limited - "Yuryev's Day"

1550

“Code of Law "

Confirmation of the provision on St. George's Day

1581

Decree "On reserved years"

Temporary ban on the transition to St. George's Day

1597

Ordinance on "school years"

Five-year search for runaway peasants

1607

“On increasing the term of detecting fugitive peasants "

Investigation period increased to 15 years

Penalty RUB 10 for adopting a fugitive

The meaning of the term “elderly” has changed - a fine for keeping a fugitive

Mandatory search for runaway peasants

1649

“Cathedral Code "

Hereditary attachment of the peasant to the land and the feudal lord

Final enslavement of the peasantry

The teacher chooses which columns to remove information from

Serfdom in the 18th century

Year

Emperor

Event, decrees

1708

1721

Peter I

Introduced poll tax

Allowed the purchase of peasants by factories, since 1744, not only by the piece, but also by whole families

1747

Elizaveta Petrovna

It is allowed to sell peasants as recruits and exile them to settle in Siberia

1785 g.

Catherine II

“Certificate of honor to the nobility "

Second half of the 18th century

Catherine II

Distribution of peasants to nobles

Peasants are forbidden to complain about the landlord

An aspect is made on the definition of serfdom and the stages of enslavement of peasants (1497 ... 1649)

The final strengthening of serfdom occurs under the successors of Peter 1.

The 18th century is the time of the final consolidation of the peasants for their landlords. This was largely facilitated by the legislation of Elizabeth Petrovna, Peter III and, especially, Catherine II. What was the situation of the peasants?

In 1742 and 1762, on the second and third revisions, various small categories of persons, formerly free, gradually fell into serfdom - illegitimate, freedmen who do not remember kinship and other vagabonds, children of soldiers, ordinary clergymen, adoptees, captive foreigners, etc.

Thus, in the 18th century, the circle of dependent people expanded.

An essential feature of serfdom, as it was understood by the people of the 18th century, was the view of the serf peasant as the personal complete property of the owner. According to the law, the owner's power over the serf consisted of two elements: the landowner - the closest steward of the serf, secondly, the creditor and owner of the serf's labor (the landowner supervised, judged, punished, imposed the work on the peasant). Since the 18th century, the landowners have assumed criminal jurisdiction over the peasants with the right to subject them to appropriate punishment. (The decree of 1760 allowed the peasants to be exiled to Siberia). In the "Charter to the nobility" of 1785, Catherine II did not single out the peasants from the total number of immovable property of the nobility, i.e. recognized the peasants as part of the landlord's agricultural implements.

In the 18th century, the landowners clearly understood that the peasant was their full property. This was expressed in the following: the landowner was the complete manager of the peasant world, he performed court and punishment here, looked after the deanery and order, arranged all the economic and social relations of the peasants, could sell his peasants as a commodity.Referring to the painting N.V. Nevreva "Bargaining"

Count Pyotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev was one example of such treatment of peasants.

Rumyantsev established strict penalties for the misdeeds and crimes of the peasants. Such punishments were monetary fines of 2 kopecks. up to 5 rubles, chain, sticks and whip.

Rumyantsev did not like the cane, preferring sticks to them, which make a stronger impression on the punished.

The severe punishments imposed by Rumyantsev are decidedly self-indulgent compared to the penalties imposed by other landowners. This is how an unknown landowner describes the massacre of peasants in the Journal of Household Management. “For not going to church without a good reason, the guilty person paid 10 kopecks. in favor of the temple; for the smallest theft, the serf was punished by the confiscation of all movable property, corporal punishment, and surrender to the soldier without reporting to the master. For an insult inflicted on a nobleman, the serf was punished with batogs at the request of the latter, "as long as he is satisfied"; in favor of his landowner, he paid another 2 rubles. fine ”. Hundreds of whips fell on the serfs for every little thing, and the rods - thousands of blows; the ratio of the lash to the rod was strictly differentiated: the lash equals 170 rods. Every feast the courtyards were supposed to bow to the master's house; a thousand rods were assigned for failure to appear. If the serf fasted, but did not commune, he was punished for that with 5 thousand rods. The punished person could go to the master's hospital hard; however, it was determined exactly how many days each punished person could lie: the term depended on the number of blows. Punished with 100 lashes or 17 thousand rods could lie for a week; who received no more than 10 thousand rods - half a week. Whoever lay more, was deprived of bread and deducted the corresponding share of his monthly salary.

A striking example of the most terrible treatment of the peasants was Daria Nikolaevna Saltykova, (Saltychikha - as she was called by the people)

Let's hear the message about her.

Student message.

A history teacher.

So, we found out that for several centuries there was a process of enslaving the peasants. The 18th century became a special milestone in this event, the landowners had unlimited power over their peasants, severe tortures often ended in the death of a serf. The torture of the serfs, which ended in the death of the unfortunate victims of the master's tyranny, got away with the torturers.

All this caused discontent among the common population, peasant unrest broke out everywhere, and even the liberal-minded intelligentsia began to express words of protest.

Literature teacher

The century is insane, since serfdom prevailed, but at the same time, it was marked by an unprecedented rise in the development of science and art.

Among the arts that taught development in the 18th century, special attention should be paid to literature. New Russian literature began with the satyr Antiochus Cantemir, the reformer of Russian versification Vasily Trediakovsky, Mikhail Lomonosov, Radishchev, Fonvizin. The biggest event in literature on the eve of the 19th century was the appearance of the comedy "The Minor". Fonvizin's merit is that he was one of the first, following Radishchev, to condemn serfdom in his comedy, which has outlived its time for a long time.

Tell me, through what images does the author show his attitude to serfdom?(Through the images of serf-owners: Prostakovs, Skotinin). We can imagine what the landlords' estate looked like. An appeal to a reproduction of the painting "The Manor House".

Describe the situation in the Prostakovs' house. Show by examples, referring to the text, how she behaves with her loved ones: with her husband, with Sophia, brother, how she behaves with Mitrofanushka's teachers;

(Her husband is under her thumb, she pushes him around. She treats Sophia unceremoniously, does not trust her (d.1, jav. 6) She tries to outwit her brother after learning about Sophia's inheritance. She treats teachers disrespectfully, feeds badly)

Prostakova is the sovereign mistress of the estate. No one in the house can say a word or step without her consent. Powerfully, rudely she treats everyone. And even to Starodum, until he finds out who he is.

What is the position of the servants (servants) in her house?

(Awful. She is especially disgusting with them. Calls them names, scolds, insults, hits them.)

To Trishka: swindler, thief, cattle, thieves' mug, fool. (house 1, yav. 2, 4)

To Eremeevna: beast, I was dumbfounded, but you didn’t stick to your brother’s mug, and you didn’t rip his snout over his ears ...

You are still crying, old witch ...

... Are you a girl, are you a dog's daughter? Do I have no maids in my house besides your filthy hari! Where is the stick? Lies! Oh, she's a beast! Lies, as if noble. (D.Z, jav 4)

Eremeeevna about herself: I have been serving for forty years, but the mercy is all the same. Five rubles a year, and five slaps a day (file 3, jav. 6);

To Starodum: I, brother, will not bark with you. From birth, the father did not quarrel with anyone. I have such a disposition. Though you scold me, I won't say a word for a century. (d.Z, yavl 5)

Prostakova about herself: I do not intend to indulge the slaves. Go, sir, and now punish (d. 1, jav.Z).

Like a calf, my father. I manage everything myself, father: now I fight, now I swear; on that house and keeps. (house 2, jav 5)

Let go! Let go, father! Give me a face, a face ... (d.Z, yav.Z - fights with Skotinin). Heart took, let me fight! (Milo separated them). ... Dodgers! The thieves! Scammers! I will order everyone to be beaten to death! (house 5, manifest 2)

Ah, I'm a dog's daughter! What have I done! (house 5, stage 3)

Well! Now I'll give the dawn to the canals to my people. Now I’m going to sort them all out one by one. Now I’ll try to find out who let her go. No scammers, no thieves! I will not forgive a century, I do not ask for this ridicule. (d.5.jav.4)

Kuteikin Tsyfirkin: Have you heard, brother, what is the life of the local Chelyadin people, even if you are a servant? (d.Z, jav 6).

We can only guess what awaits the poor servants. Fonvizin spares the audience and does not show scenes of massacre of people. But in the “House Management Logs” it is said about it in detail and reliably.

Does Prostakova somehow justify her cruelty?

(Yes. She says to Starodum: Am I not powerful in my people?)

Skotinin: When a nobleman wants to, he is free to beat a servant (d.5, yav.4)

She substantiates despotism by existing laws, the rights of the noble class. Prostakova is convinced that this title of nobility gives her the right not to regard serfs as people.

Tell me, does she love anyone?

(Yes, Mitrofanushka, his son. She takes care of him, is affectionate with him, stands up for him, hires teachers).

How does Prostakova feel about education? Why is she hiring teachers?

(“People live and lived without sciences,” says the landowner).

She herself is an extremely ignorant, illiterate woman. However, she lives in a time that was preceded by Peter's reforms, when new trends are already reaching noblemen like her. Prostakova is forced to invite teachers to her son, although she does not consider education a necessity and looks at training as a heavy duty.

She is present at the lessons and supports her son in everything: “It is very nice for me that Mitrofanushka does not like to step forward ...” she says to Tsyfirkin.

When solving the problem of money, she advises her son: “... He is lying, my dear friend. Found the money, did not share it with anyone. Take everything for yourself, Mitrofanushka. Don't study this stupid science Science is not like that. Only you are tormented, and that's all, I see emptiness. No money - what to count? There is money - let's count it well without Pafnutich.

Prostakova on geography: “... Yes, cabbies, what for? This is their business. This is not a noble science either. Nobleman just tell me: take me there, they will take me wherever you please. Believe me, father, that, of course, this is nonsense, which Mitrofanushka does not know. (house 4, event 8)

P. Starodum: “My father, what is the joy of learning?

Conclusion: Prostakova is an ignorant, uneducated woman, very domineering, despotic, cruel towards people, a merciless serf woman. She is still stingy, hypocritical, and at the same time cowardly.

How does Mitrofanushka grow?(like a mother)

How does he relate to others?

To Eremeyevna: Well, say another word, old chrychovka! (house 2, jav 4)

To Skotinin: Why are you so bristling? ... .. What are you, uncle, overeat henbane? Get out, uncle, get out.

To the Teachers: Shoot them take it. (d.2., yav. 5)

She speaks badly with Eremeevna. (d.2., yav. 5)

To Tsyfirkin: Well, come on board, garrison rat!

Tsyfirkin on Mitrofan: Your Honor! Always bark without doing anything.

Conclusion: Behaves rude and cruel after the mother. For him, teachers are enemies, and servants are not people. These character traits are added by extreme ignorance. He is heartless, selfish and rude. In some respects, he went beyond his mother. He perfectly understands who needs to please and how (dream). His mother loves him (albeit in her own way), and Mitrofan only pretends to be loving.

What does a mother see happiness for her son?(In wealth and idleness).

Can we say that the bright and individual qualities of this landowner acquire the character of a broad generalization?(Yes of course.)

- Who else of the heroes represents the feudal landlords?(Skotinin, Prostakov).

Does Skotinin look like his sister?

Prostakova: “I don’t be Taras Skotinin, if my fault is not all my fault.

In this, my sister, I have one custom with you ”(d.1, jav.4)

“... How much the neighbors didn’t offend me, how much they didn’t make a loss, I didn’t hit anyone with my forehead, and I’ll rip off any loss with what to look for it from my peasants, and the ends are in the water ”.

Prostakov: “It's true, brother, the whole neighborhood says that you masterfully collect rent”.

Prostakova: “If only you, brother, would teach us, but we do not know how. Since we have taken away everything that the peasants had, we cannot tear off anything. Such a disaster! (house 1, jav 5)

Mitrofanu: "Oh, you damned pig!" (house 2, jav 4)

Prostakova: “Get off, sister! It will come to breaking, I will bend, so you will crackle "

In response to Milon's words: “Isn't she your sister?” Skotinin replies: “What a sin to conceal, one litter; Yes, you see how she squealed. " (house 3, event 3)

Student message about Skotinin (generalization)

Student message about Prostakov (generalization)

What is the secret of comedy, the secret of its immortality?

Raises the topic of education and upbringing;

He makes fun of the ignorant and cruel feudal landlords.

So, the author created satirical images of landowners - serf-owners, he exposed serfdom, showed what a destructive effect it has on the landowner and serf (Eremeevna). He showed that it is lawless to oppress your own kind with slavery.

2. Homework.

Write a message creative work... “Portrait of a landowner - serf-owner“ Here are the evil

In this lesson, you will continue your acquaintance with the work of Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin "The Minor", consider how the author presented the problems of education and serfdom in his play, what a way out he sees from this situation.

After that, many events took place in Russian life: the annexation of the Crimea, the legendary passage of Suvorov through the Alps, the founding of the Tsarist-rural lyceum and the Patriotic War of 1812. And the generation of Pushkin perceives the era of Fonvizin almost as a venerable antiquity. In the novel "Eugene Onegin" Pushkin writes:

“… In old years,

Satyrs are the brave lord

Fonvizin, friend of freedom shone ... "

If Pushkin felt such a temporary distance (Fig. 2) in 1823, talking about a comedy that was staged in 1782, then it is even more difficult for our generation to understand Fonvizin's work.

Figure: 2. A.S. Pushkin ()

Like any talented work, the comedy "The Minor" (Fig. 3) reflects the specific features of a particular era, its unique features, but at the same time it also raises universal timeless questions. One of them was the issue of education. This topic turns out to be very important in general for the tradition of the Enlightenment, where the focus is on the improvement of a person, the maturation of his mind, the social status of a wise public person. We remember about upbringing when we work with such a direction as classicism, where the author somehow tries to enlighten and educate his reader or viewer. It is no coincidence that Fonvizin's work is often called a comedy of education. This is such a clarifying genre definition.

Figure: 3. The title page of the first edition of the comedy "Minor" ()

Age of Enlightenment The people of the 17th century wanted to free themselves from ignorance and prejudice, which, as it seemed to them, were associated with a religious understanding of the world. They planned on their own, without the help of higher powers, to improve all aspects of social life and the person himself. This desire and strong belief (no longer in God, but in human power) determined their worldview and behavior. For people of the Enlightenment era, the belief that human cognitive capabilities are absolutely limitless is characteristic. All the laws of nature will someday be discovered, all the riddles will be solved. The philosophers of the 18th century still recognize God as the creator of the world, but they deny the direct intervention of God in human life. They believe that there are some general laws that govern both nature and society, and they try to unravel these laws. At this time, the prevailing idea of \u200b\u200bthe natural equality of people and the good nature of man. Enlighteners believe that a person is initially, by nature, good, kind and beautiful. There is no original sin, man is already perfect. Through upbringing and education, even greater improvement can be achieved. Enlighteners are going to take over Europe and come to Russia. Works by French authors are very popular. Catherine II was in correspondence with Voltaire (Fig. 4), and Count Grigory Orlov invited another enlightener, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, to settle in his estate and considered this to be his greatest honor. Books of enlighteners are an indispensable feature of the noble libraries of that time.

Classicism Classicism is a literary direction, which is based on the following features: · The cult of reason ("reason"); · The most important principle - the idea of \u200b\u200bstatehood, embodied in the image of an enlightened monarch; A strict hierarchy of genres: High: tragedy, epic, ode (they depict social life, history; monarchs, heroes, generals act), Medium: letters, diaries, Low: comedy, satire, fable (the subject of the image is the daily life of ordinary people). Mixing high and low genre was considered wrong and was not allowed; · Recognition of ancient (ancient Greek and Roman) art as the highest example, an eternal ideal; · One-dimensionality, "simplicity" of characters' characters; frank didacticism (instructive).

In the comedy, the reader sees the upbringing of Mitrofan, who is a young man, a nobleman, an undergrowth, that is, one who has not yet grown to public service, but will soon grow up. In modern Russian, the concept of "undergrowth" is a common noun and has a negative connotation. Initially, the word "undergrowth" did not imply any assessment. It was a social status, even an age - a teenager, a teenager, someone who is not yet 18 years old and therefore has not yet entered into law and is not responsible. Only because of the comedy "Minor" this word means what we are accustomed to - an ignoramus, an uneducated person, spineless, ill-mannered, arrogant.

In the comedy "Minor", upbringing and such an important component of it as education come to the fore.

Education is mastery of sciences, it is an increase in scientific knowledge, some kind of academic success.

Let's consider what successes the hero of Fonvizin's comedy shows in the field of science education:

Fourth action. PhenomenonVii

Mitrofan. So I sat down.

Tsyfirkin sharpens the lead.

Ms. Prostakova.I'll sit down right there. I'll knit a wallet for you, my friend! Sofyupshkin's money would be where to put.

Mitrofan.Well! Come on board, garrison rat! Ask what to write.

Tsyfirkin.Your honor, always please bark without doing.

Ms. Prostakova(working).Oh, my God! Don't you dare to elect Pafnutich too, a little boy! And I got angry!

Tsyfirkin.Why be angry, your honor? We have a Russian proverb: the dog barks, the wind carries.

Mitrofan.Ask your butts, turn around.

Tsyfirkin.All ass, your honor. Vit with backsomes a century ago and stay.

Ms. Prostakova.None of your business, Pafnutich. It's very nice to me that Mitrofanushka doesn't like to step forward. With his mind, but fly far, and God forbid!

Tsyfirkin.A task. You deigned, on the butt, to walk along the road with me. Well, at least we’ll take Sidorych with us. We found three ...

Mitrofan(writes).Three.

Tsyfirkin.On the road, on the butt, three hundred rubles.

Mitrofan(writes).Three hundred.

Tsyfirkin.It came to a division. See why on your brother?

Mitrofan(calculating, whispering).Once three - three. Once zero - zero. Once zero - zero.

Ms. Prostakova.What, what up to the division?

Mitrofan.You see, the three hundred rubles that you found should be divided among the three.

Ms. Prostakova.He's lying, my friend! Found the money, did not share it with anyone. Take everything for yourself, Mitrofanushka. Don't study this stupid science.

Mitrofan.Listen, Pafnutich, ask another one.

Tsyfirkin.Write, your honor. For my studies you give me ten rubles a year.

Mitrofan.Ten.

Tsyfirkin.Now, however, there is nothing for that, but if you, sir, took something from me, it would not be a sin then to add ten more.

Mitrofan(writes).Well, well, ten.

Tsyfirkin.How much for a year?

Mitrofan(calculating, whispering).Zero yes zero - zero. One and one ...(Thoughtfully.)

Ms. Prostakova.Do not work in vain, my friend! I won't add a penny; and not at all. Science is not like that. Only you are tormented, and everything, I see, is emptiness. No money - what to count? There is money - let's count it well without Pafnutich.

Kuteikin.Sabbath, right, Pafnutich. Two tasks have been solved. Wit will not be cited in actual fact.

Mitrofan.I suppose, brother. Mother will not be mistaken here herself. Go now, Kuteikin, teach a lesson from yesterday.

Kuteikin(opens the book of hours, Mitrofan takes the pointer).Let's start blessed. Follow me, with attention. "I am a worm ..."

Mitrofan."I am a worm ..."

Kuteikin.A worm, that is, a beast, cattle. That is to say: "I am the cattle."

Mitrofan."I am the cattle."

Mitrofan(same)."Not a man."

Kuteikin."Defamation of Men."

Mitrofan."Defamation of Men."

Kuteikin."And uni ..."

Fourth action. PhenomenonVIII

Ms. Prostakova.Here's the thing, sir. For the prayers of our parents, - for us sinners, where could we beg, - the Lord gave us Mitrofanushka. We did everything to make him look as you please to see him. Would you please, my father, to take upon yourself the work and see how we have learned it?

Starodum.O madam! It has already dawned on my ears that he now only deigned to unlearn. I heard about his teachers and I see in advance what kind of literacy he needs to be, studying with Kuteikin, and what kind of mathematics, studying with Tsyfirkin. (To Pravdin.) I would have been curious to hear what the German had taught him.

Ms. Prostakova, Prostakov(together):

- All sciences, father.

- Everything, my father. Mitrofan. Anything you please.

Pravdin(To Mitrofan).What would it be, for example?

Mitrofan(hands him the book).Here's the grammar.

Pravdin(taking the book).I see. This is grammar. What do you know about it?

Mitrofan. A lot of. Noun yes adjective ...

Pravdin.Door, for example, what's a noun or an adjective?

Mitrofan.Door, which door?

Pravdin.Which door! This one.

Mitrofan.This? Adjective.

Pravdin. Why then?

Mitrofan. Because it is attached to its place. There, at the closet of the pole, the door has not been hung for a week: so that is still a noun.

Starodum. So is that why you have the word fool as an adjective because it is applied to a foolish person?

Mitrofan. And it is known.

Ms. Prostakova. What, what is it, my father?

Mitrofan.What's it like, my father?

Pravdin.It couldn't be better. He's strong in grammar.

Milon.I think not less in history.

Ms. Prostakova.Then, my father, he is still a hunter to stories.

Skotinin.Mitrofan for me. I myself will not take my eyes off, so that the elected one does not tell me stories. Master, son of a dog, where does that come from!

Ms. Prostakova. However, he still will not come against Adam Adamich.

Pravdin(To Mitrofan).Are you far in history?

Mitrofan.How far is it? What is the story. In another you will fly over the distant lands, over the thirty kingdom.

Pravdin.AND! so is this story teaching you Vralman?

Starodum. Vralman? The name is familiar.

Mitrofan.No, our Adam Adamich does not tell a story; he, what am I, himself a hunter to listen.

Ms. Prostakova.They both force themselves to tell stories of the cowgirl Havroniu.

Pravdin.Did you both study geography with her?

Ms. Prostakova(to the son).Do you hear, my dear friend? What kind of science is this?

Prostakov(quietly to the mother).And how do I know.

Ms. Prostakova(quietly to Mitrofan).Don't be stubborn, darling. Now it's time to show yourself.

Mitrofan(quietly to the mother).I don’t understand what they are asking about.

Ms. Prostakova(To Pravdin.)What, father, did you call science?

Pravdin.Geography.

Ms. Prostakova(To Mitrofan).Do you hear, eorgafia.

Mitrofan. What is it! Oh my God! They stuck to the throat with a knife.

Ms. Prostakova(To Pravdin.)And knowingly, father. Yes, tell him, do mercy, what a science it is, he will tell it.

Pravdin. Description of the land.

Ms. Prostakova(To Starodum.)And why would it serve in the first case?

Starodum.In the first case, it would have been good for the fact that if it happened to go, you know where you are going.

Ms. Prostakova. Oh, my father! Yes, cabbies, then what? This is their business. This is not a noble science either. Nobleman just tell me: take me there - they will take me wherever you please. Believe me, father, that, of course, this is nonsense, which Mitrofanushka does not know.

Starodum.Oh, of course, madam. In human ignorance it is very comforting to consider everything as nonsense that you do not know.

Ms. Prostakova.People live and lived without sciences.

First action. PhenomenonVI

Sophia.Read it yourself, madam. You will see that nothing could be more innocent.

Ms. Prostakova.Read it yourself! No, madam, I, thanks to God, have not been brought up that way. I can receive letters, but I always have someone else read them. (To her husband.) Read.

Prostakov(looking for a long time).It's tricky.

Ms. Prostakova. And you, my father, apparently, were brought up like a red girl. Brother, read it, work hard.

Skotinin.I ? I never read anything from my life, sister! God saved me this boredom.

Third action. PhenomenonVii

Ms. Prostakova. While he is resting, my friend, at least for the sake of appearance, learn that it will come to his ears how you work, Mitrofanushka.

Mitrofan.Well! And then what?

Ms. Prostakova.And there he got married.

In the comedy of Fonvizin, which is natural for the works of classicism, everything is said unambiguously, in plain text. We can only ask a rhetorical question: what success can be expected from a child if his parents from childhood instill in him that learning is not only unnecessary, but also harmful?

Mitrofan's teacher does not inspire confidence either. The reader will learn interesting details about them:

Ms. Prostakova.We pay money to three teachers. A deacon from the Intercession, Kuteikin, comes to him for the letter. A retired sergeant, Tsyfirkin, teaches him arichmetics, father. They both come here from the city. Vitus is also a town three miles away, father. German Adam Adamich Vralman teaches him in French and all sciences. This is three hundred rubles a year. We sit at the table with us.<…> To tell the truth, and we are happy with it, my dear brother. He does not bond a rogue.

Of course, the "speaking" surnames are striking. The reader immediately gets an idea of \u200b\u200bthe teachers of Mitrofanushka. "Speaking" surnames here are a sign of the author's irony. The surname Vralman stands out especially - a hypocrite who curses himself with his masters, and behaves extremely arrogantly with his servants. We learn that we are faced with a deceiver, because he is a coachman, and he pretends to be a competent teacher.

A very sad picture is created. Indeed, Russian education at that time left much to be desired. Russia, with the light hand of Peter I, had just plunged into an absolutely alien European culture, could not immediately learn everything. In combination with natural human laziness, this gave such funny and sad results.

It is no coincidence that the famous critic Belinsky will later say about Fonvizin and his characters:

“His fools are very funny and disgusting. But this is because they are not a creation of fantasy, but too true lists from nature. "

The characters of the goodies Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky expressed himself about the positive characters of the comedy "The Minor" as follows: “Starodum, Milon, Pravdin, Sophia are not so much living faces as moralistic mannequins; but their real originals were no more vivid than their dramatic photographs. They hastily tightened up and, stammering, read to those around them new feelings and rules, which they somehow adjusted to their inner being, as they fitted foreign wigs to their bristly heads; but these feelings and rules clung to their home-grown, natural notions and habits as mechanically as those wigs to their heads. They were walking, but still lifeless schemes of a new, good morality, which they put on like a mask ... Sophia left<…> a freshly made doll of good manners, from which the dampness of the pedagogical workshop still emanates. " IN. Klyuchevsky "Fonvizin's minor (Experience in the historical explanation of the educational play) " However, after reading Klyuchevsky's witty remarks, one should not criticize Fonvizin, who reflected in his comedy not only indignation at the bad, but also the dream of the good and the right, about how the problem of education and education should be solved in Russian life.

Pushkin and Fonvizin

Consider the table in which two heroes are compared: the hero of Fonvizin's comedy "The Minor" and the hero of Pushkin's novel "The Captain's Daughter".

Mitrofanushka DI. Fonvizin, "Minor" (1782)	Petrusha A.S. Pushkin, "The Captain's Daughter" (1836)
1. Favorite leisure
I'll run to the dovecote now.		I lived a small life, chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with the courtyard boys.
2. Qualification of teachers
We pay money to three teachers. A deacon from the Intercession, Kuteikin, comes to him for the letter. One retired sergeant Tsyfirkin teaches him arichmetic<…>... German Adam Adamich Vralman teaches him in French and all sciences.			Beaupre was a hairdresser in his homeland, then a soldier in Prussia, then came to Russia<…>. He was obliged to teach me in French, in German and all sciences ...
3. "Success" in training
Ms. Prostakova (quietly to Mitrofan). Don't be stubborn, darling. Now, show yourself. Mitrofan (quietly to the mother). I don’t understand what they are asking about. Ms. Prostakova (To Pravdin.) What, father, did you call science? Pravdin.Geography. Ms. Prostakova (To Mitrofan). Do you hear, eorgafia.				Father came in at the same time as I was fitting my wet tail to the Cape of Good Hope.
4. Life prospects
With you, my friend, I know what to do. I went to serve ...				Petrusha will not go to Petersburg. What will he learn by serving in St. Petersburg? Shake and hang? No, let him serve in the army, let him pull the strap, let him smell gunpowder, let him be a soldier, not chamaton.

The heroes of these two works are in very similar starting conditions, but their life paths will be different. Think about why Pushkin deliberately orients his hero to some resemblance to the ignorant Mitrofanushka.

Upbringing involves not only obtaining scientific knowledge, but also awakening in a person his best qualities, the formation of his character. This situation in the family portrayed by the author is even sadder than with arithmetic and geography.

Fourth action. PhenomenonVii

Skotinin.And I am here.

Starodum.Why did you come?

Skotinin.For your need.

Starodum.How can I serve?

Skotinin.In two words.

Starodum.What is it?

Skotinin.Hugging me tighter, say: Sophia is yours.

Starodum. Do you want to start something empty? Think carefully.

Skotinin. I never think, and I’m sure in advance that if you don’t think too, then Sofyushka is mine.

Starodum. This is a strange thing! Man, as I see, you are not crazy, but you want me to give my niece, for whom I don’t know.

Skotinin. If you don’t know, I’ll say so. I am Taras Skotinin, not the last of my kind. The Skotinin family is great and ancient. You will not find our ancestor in any heraldry.

Pravdin(laugh).Commercials you will assure us that he is older than Adam.

Skotinin. What do you think? At least a little ...

Starodum(laugh.)That is, your ancestor was created even on the sixth day, but a little earlier than Adam?

Skotinin.No, right? So you have a good opinion of the old days of my kind?

Starodum.ABOUT! so-and-so kind that I wonder how, in your place, you can choose a wife from a different kind, like from the Skotinins?

Skotinin.Consider how happy Sofyushka is to be behind me. She is a noblewoman ...

Starodum.What a man! Yes, that's why you're not her fiancé.

Skotinin. I have already gone to that. Let them talk that Skotinin married a noblewoman. It doesn't matter to me.

Starodum. Yes, for her it does not matter when they say that the noblewoman married Skotinin.

Milon.Such inequality would make both of you unhappy.

Skotinin. Bah! What is this equal here? (Quietly to Starodum.) Isn't it beating off?

Starodum(quietly to Skotinin).It seems to me.

Skotinin(in the same tone).Where the hell is it!

Starodum(in the same tone).Heavy.

Skotinin(loudly, pointing to Milo).Which of us is ridiculous? Ha ha ha ha!

Starodum(laughs).I see who's funny.

Sophia.Daddy! How nice to me that you are cheerful.

Skotinin(To Starodum.)Bah! You're funny. Just now I thought that there was no attack for you. He didn't say a word to me, and now everyone is laughing with me.

Starodum.Such is the person, my friend! One hour does not come.

Skotinin. This is evident. Vit and just now I was the same Skotinin, and you were angry.

Starodum.There was a reason.

Skotinin.I know her. I myself am the same in this. At home, when I go into the bite and find them out of order, annoyance and take. And you, not carrying the word, drove here, found the sisters' house no better than nibbles, and you are annoyed.

Starodum. You are happier than me. People touch me.

Skotinin.And I'm so pigs.

If the hero, in his own words, was created a little earlier than Adam, then, knowing the biblical history, we can interpret this unequivocally: he considers himself to be a wordless creature - to animals. If you remember the incredible love for pigs that Skotinin has, then a very definite perception occurs. This, of course, is a caricature - a satirical image, but the Prostakov family and the Skotinin line are, in general, not really people. They do not have the most important quality for classicists - the quality of reason. They are dumb animals.

It is no coincidence that Mitrofan learns to behave in a bestial manner in his environment. He's getting lessons again. Now he is already quite a talented student, and the lessons of immorality are not in vain for him. The main teacher here is his mother. It is no coincidence that the very name of the protagonist is Mitrofan, which in Greek means "like a mother."

Mitrofan sees how Prostakova despises, insults, severely beats the old man - the nanny Eremeevna. As he calls her "hrychovka", as she tortures her own husband. After all, she was born Skotinina, she is rude to everyone who depends on her, and openly flatters Starodum when she finds out that he has a fortune. At the beginning of the play, she mocks Sophia, humiliates her. And fawns upon her when she becomes a rich bride. With pride Prostakova speaks of his father, who acquired his fortune by bribes. Therefore, in Mitrofan, she deliberately fosters deceit and greed, so that he too will achieve prosperity:

“I found the money, don't share it with anyone! Leave everything to yourself, Mitrofanushka. "

Tired of this nightmare, the reader is glad to find something else in the play - a good upbringing. The characters in comedy, as is typical of classicism, are built according to the principle of antithesis - a clear opposition of good and bad. The terrible family is opposed, of course, by Starodum.

"My upbringing was given by my father in that age, the best," he says.

He thought about a lot in his lifetime and, of course, knows that everything depends on who specifically brings up the young man. "What kind of education can children expect from a mother who has lost her virtue?" he asks. It is in the education of a person's character and his spiritual qualities that the wise hero sees the promise of future happiness. The main human value for Starodum is inner purity and decency.

Starodum. My father kept telling me the same thing: have a heart, have a soul, and you will be a man at all times.

Everyone will find in himself enough strength to be virtuous. You need to want to decisively, and then it will be easier not to do that for which your conscience would bite you.

Mind, since it is just mind, is a trifle. With fleeting minds we see bad men, bad fathers, bad citizens. Good manners give him a direct price.

The rich man ... the one who counts off what is too much from you to help the one who does not have what is needed.

This is what Starodum says and is guided by these principles in his life.

The reader finds a positive example and antithesis to Mitrofan in a representative of the younger generation - Sophia, whose name is translated from Greek as "wisdom". The heroine appears on stage with a book by the French educator Fenelon about the upbringing of girls. Being a poor orphan, she has no invited teachers and stubbornly wants to improve herself mentally, to grow. For this, Starodum and the author himself sympathize with her.

Starodum is a resonant hero in the play.

Hero Reason - the one who in the work expresses the views of the author.

Starodum loves Sophia very much, because she is ready at all costs to learn and become better, and she does not expect wealth from her uncle, but good advice:

“Your instructions, uncle, will constitute all my well-being. Give me the rules that I must follow. " Sophia asks about it.

The characters of the virtuous characters in the play are not distinguished by complexity and believability. This, paradoxically, is much less lively people than the unpleasant Prostakova and her relatives. However, it is important for Fonvizin, as a classicist author, to give readers and viewers not only a disgusting, frightening picture, but also an example to follow.

The final of the comedy, as conceived by the author, should also have an educational function. We must think about what model of family behavior Mitrofanushka will inherit: will the stupid, weak-willed Prostakovs or the aggressive and cruel Skotinins influence him in the end? But maybe there is some other way? Obviously, Mitrofanushka, who has neither education, nor benefits, will begin service from the lowest rung of the career ladder. From a simple soldier, he will rise up.

The same choice, but not under the pressure of circumstances, but independently and consciously, will be made by Petrusha Grinev's father in Pushkin's novel "The Captain's Daughter". He does not want an easy fate for Petrusha, but wants to grow a real person and a valiant warrior out of him. Thus, two young heroes - Mitrofanushka Prostakov and Petrusha Grinev - will find themselves in similar life circumstances. Why Pushkin, who wrote his novel much later (in 1836), you can think about for yourself, is a very interesting question about why Pushkin does this.

Pay attention to one statement of Starodum (the hero-resonator):

Starodum. We see all the unfortunate consequences of a bad upbringing ... how many noble fathers who entrust the moral upbringing of their son to their serf slave! Fifteen years later, instead of one slave, two leave, an old uncle and a young master.

He sees not a careful, not respectful coexistence and cooperation of peasants and nobles in Russian life as a rational hero, but cruel mockery and humiliation. So in the text a very important and very acute problem of serfdom arises in the era of Fonvizin, or rather the abuse of serfdom.

Action one

Ms. Prostakova (examining the caftan on Mitrofan). The caftan is all ruined. Eremeevna, bring the swindler Trishka here. (Eremeevna leaves.) He, a thief, has strapped him everywhere. Mitrofanushka, my friend! I have tea, you are pressed to death. Call your father here.

Ms. Prostakova (To Trishka). And you, cattle, come closer. Didn't I tell you, thief's mug, so that you let your caftan wider. The child, first, grows; another, a child and without a delicate narrow caftan. Tell me, you fool, how will you justify yourself?

Trishka. Why, madam, I was self-taught. Then I reported to you: well, if you please give it to the tailor.

Ms. Prostakova. So, is it really necessary to be a tailor to be able to sew a caftan properly? What a bestial reasoning!

Trishka. Yes, ma'am, he was a tailor, but I didn’t.

Ms. Prostakova. Looking for he also argues. A tailor learned from another, another from a third, but who was the first to be a tailor? Speak, cattle.

Trishka. Yes, the tailor is the first, maybe he sewed worse than mine.

Second action. PhenomenonVI

Eremeevna. Uncle scared everyone. He nearly grabbed the hairs. And not for anything ... not about anything ...

Ms. Prostakova (in anger). Well...

Eremeevna. Stuck to him: do you want to marry? ..

Ms. Prostakova. Well...

Eremeevna. The child did not conceal, it’s been a long time ago, uncle, the hunt takes. How frenzied he will, my mother, how he will rise up! ..

Ms. Prostakova (trembling). Well ... and you, beast, were dumbfounded, and you didn’t stick to your brother’s mug, and you didn’t rip his snout over his ears ...

Eremeevna. I took it! Oh, accepted, yes ...

Ms. Prostakova. Yes ... but what ... not your child, you beast! Kill the child to death for you.

Eremeevna. Ah, creator, save and have mercy! Yes, if my brother didn’t deign to leave at that moment, I would have broken with him. That's what God would not have set. If these were dull (pointing to the nails), I wouldn't take care of the fangs.

Ms. Prostakova. All of you beasts are diligent in words alone, and not in deeds ...

Eremeevna (crying). I am not diligent for us, mother! You don’t know how to serve more ... I’d be glad not only that you don’t regret your belly ... but you don’t want anything.

Third action. Phenomenon IV

Ms. Prostakova. Are you a girl, are you a dog's daughter? Do I have no maidservants in my house besides your filthy hari? Where is the stick?

Eremeevna.She fell ill, mother, she has been lying in the morning.

Ms. Prostakova. Lies! Oh, she's a beast! Lies! As if noble!

Eremeevna. Such a fever made a difference, mother, she raves incessantly ...

Ms. Prostakova. Delusional, beast! As if noble!

We find an explanation for this shameless behavior not only in the character of Prostakova, but also in some circumstances external to the heroine. At the end of the comedy, Prostakova utters a phrase that can be called one of the most important remarks in the entire play:

Ms. Prostakova. Not free! A nobleman, when he wants, and the servants are not free to whip! But why have we been given a decree on the freedom of the nobility?

The famous Russian historian Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky (Fig. 5) considers this phrase to be the most essential for understanding comedy. And all the events that precede this statement are just an introduction to the main topic.

Figure: 5. V.O. Klyuchevsky

To justify his behavior, Prostakova mentions a decree, a manifesto on noble liberty, proclaimed by Emperor Peter III (Fig. 6) in 1762.

In order to understand the essence of this important law, it is worth taking a short historical excursion. It so happened that it was the nobility who bore the entire burden of military service for many centuries. Privileges, lands, estates are a just reward for a person who is always ready to put his chest under arms. For a very long time, service (25 years) was obligatory for the nobles, and it was impossible to evade it. As soon as a young man grew up to a certain age, thus becoming a stunted, he prepared for military service. However, at some point, the size of the army becomes very impressive due to the fact that other estates are already entering military service, and then there is no need for the universal service of the nobility. The state sees in this new opportunities for the activities of the nobles. A nobleman is not obliged to serve 25 years and spend his whole life in military campaigns. Now he has the right to work for the good of the Fatherland, living on his own estate. The mission of the nobleman now is to take care of his peasants, to make their life easier, to establish schools and hospitals, to give education (at least the basics of initial literacy). The nobleman faces another very important task - to give his children an education of the European level, so that future nobles will be a true support for their Fatherland - a developing, young country.

The simpletons did not succeed in either one or the other. And they are not alone. The fact is that the law on noble liberty was written in such a respectful, calm language, it was formulated so peacefully, and nothing threatened the person who violated it, that the nobles perceived the law not as a prescription, but as permission to do whatever they please. The authors of the decree thought that it would be a real pleasure for the nobles to voluntarily take care of the peasants, to raise children in the traditions of the European Enlightenment, to engage in science, because now they have all the possibilities for this.

But this hope turned out to be unfounded. The nobles took it this way: we have all the rights and no more responsibilities. Thus, the law proclaimed by Peter III in 1762 and after 20 years of the reign of Catherine II (Fig. 7) was never fully comprehended by Russian society, but, on the contrary, everything became even worse.

Figure: 7. Catherine II ()

Two decades after the adoption of the law, Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin undertakes, in a sense, to educate a whole class of nobles. And he writes a work that raised the question of the role of the nobleman very acutely and painfully. This important document (decree on noble liberty) must be rethought. Abstract, beautiful law does not reach the consciousness of the nobles. A polite belief and expression of hope alone does not work for those who are accustomed to doing monstrous things with impunity. According to the playwright, government intervention is necessary. When the author forces, at the end of the comedy, Pravdin to take Prostakova's estate under guardianship, he thereby suggests a real way out - all landowners who cruelly treat serfs should be deprived of the right to own the peasants and manage their estate.

The image of Prostakova, who has absorbed the features of many landowners, was supposed, according to the author's plan, to become a living reproach to those nobles in whose houses the same thing happened.

Thus, the comedy "The Minor" calls for a human and just attitude towards the peasants. Noting the extremely negative attitude of the author to the humiliation of serfs, it is worth remembering that the author of "The Minor" is not against serfdom as such, as a form of organization of economic and social life. He is against the abuse of serfdom. The basis of the state is the commonwealth and cooperation of peasants and nobles, which should be humane, fair and based on the principles of the Enlightenment.

In this lesson, you examined how Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin's comedy "The Minor" reflected the eternal and contemporary problems of the author: the issue of abuse of serfdom and the global issue of educating a human person and a worthy citizen. You also learned about the important concept of a “hero-reasoner”.

List of references

1. Ko-ro-vin-na V.Ya., Zhu-rav-lev V.P., Ko-ro-vin V.I. Literature. Grade 9. - M .: Pro-sves-shchenie, 2008.
2. Lady-gin M.B., Esin A.B., Nefe-do-va N.A. Literature. Grade 9. - M .: Bustard, 2011.
3. Cher-tov V.F., Tru-bi-na L.A., An-ti-po-va A.M. Literature. Grade 9. - M .: Pro-sves-shchenie, 2012.

1. Internet portal "5litra.ru" ()
2. Internet portal "litresp.ru" ()
3. Internet portal "Festival of pedagogical ideas" Open lesson "" ()

Homework

1. Describe the level of upbringing, education and morality of Mrs. Prostakova and her son Mitrofanushka. Give examples from the text.
2. Make up the "moral code" of Starodum.
3. How does Fonvizin see the problem of serfdom? What solution does the author propose in the play?