Kuprin officers. Officers and service to the Fatherland: expert analysis

"Duel" Kuprin A.I.

In the work of Kuprin at this time accusatory notes sound louder and louder. The public upsurge in the country arouses in him a growing intention to carry out his long-conceived plan - to “enough” the tsarist army. So on the eve of the first revolution, the writer's largest work, the story "The Duel", on which he began to work in the spring of 1902, was formed. The course of social events hurried the writer. Kuprin, an extremely suspicious person, found confidence in himself, in his abilities, in Gorky's friendly support. It is to these years (1904-1905) that the time of their greatest convergence belongs. “Now, finally, when everything is over,” Kuprin wrote to Gorky on May 5, 1905, after the completion of “The Duel,” “I can say that everything bold and violent in my story belongs to you. If you knew how much I have learned from you and how grateful I am to you for it. The story, intended for the World of God, was transferred by Kuprin to the Znanie publishing house and came out with a dedication to Gorky in May 1905, shortly after the heavy defeats of the Russian autocracy in the war with Japan. Twenty thousand copies of the sixth collection "Knowledge", in which the main place was occupied by Kuprin's story, sold out instantly, so that a new edition was needed a month later.

With hard strokes, as if paying off the past, Kuprin draws the army, to which he gave the years of his youth.

According to their, so to speak, purely human qualities, the officers of the Kuprin story are very different people. We will not believe one of its heroes, lieutenant Nazansky, exclaiming in romantic excitement that bad people not at all. However, almost every officer has the necessary stock of "good" feelings, bizarrely mixed with cruelty, rudeness, indifference. When one of Leo Tolstoy's acquaintances said that in "The Duel" "only negative types" were bred, Tolstoy objected: "The regimental commander is an excellent positive type." But, although the commander of the regiment Shulgovich, under his thunderous bourbon, hides his concern for the officers, and Lieutenant Colonel Rafalsky loves animals and devotes all his free and non-free time to collecting a rare domestic menagerie, finally, main character To tell the story, Lieutenant Romashov suffers without measure when he sees physical reprisal against a soldier - their good feelings come into conflict with cruel statutory necessity. As Kuprin’s mouthpiece, Nazansky, says, “all of them, even the best, most tender of them, wonderful fathers and attentive husbands, all of them become base, cowardly, stupid little animals in the service. You will ask why? Yes, precisely because none of them believes in the service and does not see a reasonable goal of this service.

However, Kuprin himself makes a reservation: not all. The commander of the fifth company, Captain Stelkovsky, "a strange man", adhered to completely different rules, for which "comrades treated him hostilely, but the soldiers loved him." “In his company, they didn’t fight and didn’t even swear, although they weren’t particularly tender, and yet his company, by its magnificent appearance and training would not have yielded to any guards unit. It is his company at the May review that causes tears with its youthfulness from the corps commander, in which one can recognize the famous General Dragomirov. However, this, notes Kuprin, "perhaps the only example in the entire Russian army."

Romashov's image. Kuprin shows that the officers, regardless of their personal qualities, are just a tool or a victim of inhumanly categorical statutory conventions, cruel traditions and obligations. But for people with a more subtle mental organization, like Romashov, the service makes a repulsive impression precisely because of its unnaturalness and anti-humanity. From the denial of petty rituals (holding hands at the seams and heels together in a conversation with the boss, pulling the sock down when marching, shouting “On the shoulder!”), Romashov comes to the denial of war as such. Desperate human "I don't want to!" should, according to the young lieutenant, destroy the barbaric method of resolving disputes between peoples by force of arms: “Let's say tomorrow, let's say, this second this thought came to everyone's mind: Russians, Germans, British, Japanese ... And now there is no more war, there are no officers and soldiers, everyone has gone home.” “What courage! Leo Tolstoy said admiringly about Romashov. - And how did the censors let it through and how do the military not protest? »

The preaching of peacemaking ideas provoked strong attacks in the fierce magazine campaign unleashed around the Duel, and military officials were especially indignant. The story was a major literary event that sounded more topical than the latest news “from the Manchurian fields” - military stories and notes of an eyewitness “At War” by V. Veresaev or the anti-militarist “Red Laughter” by L. Andreev, although Kuprin's story described events about a decade ago. Due to the depth of the issues raised, the ruthlessness of the denunciation, the brightness and generalizing significance of the derived types, “Duel” largely determined the further depiction of the military theme. Its influence is also noticeable on the novel by S. Sergeev-Tsensky "Babaev" (1907), and even on the later anti-war story "In the middle of nowhere" (1914) by E. Zamyatin.

In his work, AI Kuprin tried to draw the reader's attention to the problems prevailing in the army. Display the life of the army and the mores of the military environment from the side from which they do not know it. The image and characterization of Stelkovsky in Kuprin's story "Duel" are rather positive, because it is no coincidence that his character is strikingly different from other officers of the Russian army.

Stelkovskiy- Commander of the Fifth Company. Captain. positive character. Single.

Image

Captain Stelkovsky was a little strange, as if out of this world. He kept his friends at a distance. His comrades disliked him for his aloofness. He didn’t share with anyone what was going on in his soul. I preferred a secluded lifestyle. But the soldiers doted on him. They understood him perfectly.

"... the soldiers truly loved: an example, perhaps the only one in the Russian army."

"... the company, in its magnificent appearance and training, was not inferior to any guards unit."

He was not bestial, like other officers, who prefer to influence the soldiers with cruelty and violence. The captain knew how to talk to the soldiers, and they could hear him.

Character traits

The captain is one of those people who should keep the army. He takes care of the wards, like a father. But like everyone else ordinary people he has small faults. Likes commander young girls, having fun and flirting with them recklessly. Among the main character traits, I would like to note the following.

The writing

A. I. Kuprin's story "The Duel" was published in May 1905 in the sixth volume of the collection "Knowledge" with a dedication to A. M. Gorky. It immediately attracted general attention and made the name of yesterday still a little-known writer famous. Twenty thousand copies of the "collection" sold out so quickly that a new edition was required within a month. After that, "Duel" was repeatedly published as a separate book and translated into many foreign languages. Aroused the ardent approval of Russian democratic and revolutionary circles, major contemporary writers and critics, and sharp protests from the reactionary press, representatives of the then military, the story was and remains the most socially significant work of Kuprin, the pinnacle of his democracy.

It is difficult to name in the previous and subsequent literature another work in which, with such artistic power and psychological skill, the true state of the tsarist army, the unnaturalness and anti-humanity of military service in tsarist Russia, a work that would protect everything bright in a person, so ruthlessly suppressed by the inert and ignorant military environment.

The story was published after historical events the fall of Port Arthur and on January 9, 1905, when the heavy defeat of tsarism in the Russo-Japanese War and the rapid increase in revolutionary movement. Administrative oppression and censorship harassment at this time somewhat weakened, but nevertheless "Duel" was able to avoid a ban or serious withdrawals from the text only thanks to the cunning maneuvers of the commercial director of the Znanie publishing house, K. P. Pyatnitsky.

The material for the "Duel" was given to AI Kuprin by life itself. The future writer studied at cadet corps, then in the cadet school, after graduating from which in 1890 he was assigned to the 46th Dnieper Infantry Regiment. Here he served for almost four years and at the beginning of 1894 he retired with the rank of lieutenant. During his service in the regiment stationed in Kamenetz-Podolsky, Proskurov, Volochisk, Kuprin accumulated the impressions and knowledge that allowed him to create a whole cabinet of curiosities of types of officers and soldiers and truthful, relief pictures of army life in a provincial outback.

The regimental life that Kuprin paints in "Duel" is absurd, gone, bleak, stupefying. There are only two ways to get out of it: leave the army or try to enter the academy and, after graduating from it, climb to higher rungs of the military ladder, "make a career." The fate of the bulk of the officers depicted by Kuprin is to pull an endless and tedious strap with a long-term prospect of retiring after receiving a small pension. Everyday life officers consisted of attending military exercises and "literature" (that is, studying military regulations by soldiers), attending officer meetings in the evenings, drinking alone or in company, vulgar relationships with other people's wives, traditional balls and picnics, playing cards, sometimes trips to the local brothel. Reviews, parades, maneuvers brought some variety to this life.

The story shows a long line of officers. With undoubted common features, due to the nature of the service, life, environment, each of them is distinguished by its originality. There is also the unpretentious, good-natured, unthinking Vetkin, and the stupid campaigner company commander Captain Sliva, and Bek-Agamalov with constant outbursts of wild bloodthirsty instincts, and Osadchy, who sings of "fierce merciless war", and the impoverished widowed lieutenant Zegrzht, to whom his miserable salary is not enough to feed four children, and Lieutenant Colonel Rafalsky, nicknamed Bram, takes his soul away in his home menagerie, and Bobetinsky, a fat and dummy, who tries to look like a guardsman, playing the role of a secular man, and Archakovsky, a card sharper, and many other. Even the best of the officers that Kuprin brought out in the "Duel" do not arouse sympathy. Rafalsky-Bram, carefully nurturing his menagerie, was once furious that the bugler, dazed from fatigue, performed the wrong signal, and he hit the soldier on the horn so that the bugler spat out his crumbled teeth onto the ground along with blood. Stelkovsky takes care of his soldiers, he has the best company in the regiment, but he himself is a debauchee.

The action of the story refers to the mid-90s of the last century (it is known that duels between officers, previously banned, were reintroduced into use by order of the military department, issued in May 1894). But the pictures of army life ten years ago did not hide from readers the modern sound of "Duel": in them one could see the explanation of the catastrophe that the tsarist army suffered in the battles near Mukden, Liaoyang, Port Arthur. Contemporaries, as can be seen from the reviews of criticism and memoirs, saw in the story, first of all, the condemnation of the order of the tsarist army, the exposure of its officers, and in the image of the sick, clumsy, impoverished soldier Khlebnikov, tortured by senseless drill, the personification of the oppressed and trampled people. Pictures of training soldiers in classes in the ranks or in the classroom (studying charters), conducted by illiterate junior commanders Rynda, Shapovalenko, Seroshtan, scenes of constant bullying of soldiers aroused feelings of indignation and protest in the reader.

However, the meaning of the story lies not only in the merciless criticism of the tsarist army, as a backward military organization with an inert officer caste and soldiers driven to stupefaction. "Duel" reveals the dehumanization, the spiritual devastation to which people are subjected to the conditions of army life, the refinement and vulgarization of these people. The humanistic meaning of the story is manifested in the opposition of the hero of the "Duel" lieutenant Romashov and his senior friend officer Nazansky to the army milieu.

Critics and literary historians rightly noted in Romashov many autobiographical features of Kuprin. Like the writer himself, Romashov comes from the city of Narovchat, Penza province, he only has a mother, he does not remember his father, he spent his childhood in Moscow, he studied at the cadet corps, and then at a military school. All this coincides with the circumstances of Kuprin's life. Romashov tries his hand at literature, composes the "third in a row" story "The Last Fatal Debut" (Kuprin, while still at the cadet school, wrote and published in 1889 in the Moscow magazine "Russian satirical sheet" the story "The Last Debut").

However, the similarity of the biographies of the hero and his creator is important mainly for the historian of literature. For the reader, Romashov is, first of all, a charming image of a young man, drawn by the writer with great psychological skill, attracting with his spiritual purity. Romashov, with his rich and vivid imagination, youthful, sometimes almost childish daydreaming, his inherent humanity, compassion for the misfortune of others, it is impossible to get along in an army environment. He is a man, and he is surrounded for the most part by degraded and stupefied, stubborn in prejudice and forgot how to think Bourbons campaigners, vulgar philistines, moral freaks. Romashov is weary of serving in the army and seeks to leave it for the expanse of life, this intention is ardently supported by Nazansky. Romashov's humanity is reflected in everything: in his condemnation of the officers' reprisals against "shpaks", in the way he treats his batman, the Cheremis Gainan, and, by the way, to his pagan beliefs, in the nightly dramatic meeting with the desperate Khlebnikov, in the way Romashov , risking his life, he was left alone in front of the distraught Bek-Agamalov and protected the woman from him, in how painfully Romashov was weighed down by a vulgar affair with Raisa Peterson, in how, finally, he fell in love with Alexandra Petrovna purely and selflessly. In the image of Romashov, even his youthful naive features are attractive, for example, the habit of thinking about himself in the third person in the words of formulaic novels, which he managed to read, or his overly enthusiastic attitude towards Nazansky.

However, Romashov's worldview, his understanding of history and society, is also somewhat limited, which, apparently, is characteristic of the period when the Duel was created, and for Kuprin himself.

So, for example, in dreams Romashov sees himself as a brilliant officer general staff who achieve success not only in maneuvers, in war, or as a secret intelligence agent, but also in the role ... of a worker uprising. Of course, the pictures that arise in Romashov's imagination are emphatically written with precisely those banal, supposedly beautiful words of "template novels" that the twenty-year-old second lieutenant was fond of. But for Romashov, espionage in the enemy camp, fighting in war, and suppressing the revolutionary movement are, in general, equivalent, this is a fight against the enemy. In another place in the story, when Romashov is strongly and unexpectedly vividly aware of his I, his individuality, in further reasoning he comes to individualistic conclusions. It seems to him that the concepts of the fatherland, foreign enemies, military honor and others live only in his mind. "But if the homeland disappears, and honor, and uniform, and all the great words, my I will remain inviolable. So, after all, my I am more important than all these concepts of duty, honor, love?"

Moreover, it seems to him that it is only necessary for those millions of I who make up humanity to suddenly say: "I don't want to!" don't want to fight "and now war will become unthinkable". “All this military prowess, and discipline, and respect for rank, and the honor of uniforms, and all military science, everything is based only on the fact that humanity does not want, or does not know how, or does not dare to say “I don’t want to!”.

These arguments reveal Romashov's subjectivist, illusory idea that one's desire alone can change the course of history, abolish certain social institutions, such as the army.

In a more developed and supplemented form, we find the same thoughts in Nazansky, another character in the Duel, who, apparently, expresses the writer's cherished views and, in fact, exists in the story only for this. Nazansky is the least vital figure in this work, he is essentially a reasoner, designed to complement Romashov, who, due to his youth and level of education, could not become an exponent of such an expanded philosophy.

Kuprin put into the mouth of Nazansky a merciless criticism of the tsarist army of that time and its officers, criticism that, as it were, generalizes the pictures of the life of the regiment drawn in the story and the types of officers created by the writer. “No, think about us, the unfortunate Armeuts, about the army infantry, about this main core of the glorious and brave Russian army. After all, all this is rubbish, tear, scum,” said Nazansky.

Kuprin gave Nazansky his great zest for life, his admiration for the joy and beauty of life. “But look, no, just look how beautiful, how seductive life is! exclaimed Nazansky, spreading his arms wide around him. Oh joy, oh divine beauty of life!” He continues, "Not if I get hit by a train and my stomach is cut and my insides are mixed with sand and wrapped around the wheels, and if at this last moment they ask me: "Well, is life beautiful now?" I will say with grateful delight: "Oh, how beautiful she is!" This feeling of the charm of life, greed for its joys were the main thing in Kuprin's worldview.

The inspired words about love for a woman that Nazansky says are just as close to the writer. He idolizes a woman: "I often think of gentle, pure, graceful women, about their bright tears and lovely smiles, I think about young, chaste mothers, about lovers who go to death for love, about beautiful, innocent and proud girls with a snow-white soul, who know everything and are not afraid of anything. "Nazansky devotes the most enthusiastic tirades to the undivided love." Do you understand how many varied happiness and charming torments lie in inseparable, hopeless love? When I was younger, I had one dream: to fall in love with an unattainable, extraordinary woman, one, you know, with whom I can never have anything in common. Fall in love and devote all my life, devote all my thoughts to her. "Nazansky speaks of happiness at least once a year by chance to see this woman, kiss her footprints on the stairs, touch her dress once in a lifetime, "days, months, years to use all the forces of ingenuity and perseverance , and here is a great, breathtaking delight: you have in your hands her handkerchief, a piece of paper from a candy, a dropped poster. "He enthusiastically sings of the readiness to give for this woman," for her whim, for her husband, for her lover, for her beloved dog "and life, and honor," and everything that is possible to give! "The excited Romashov also accepts the words of Nazansky with all his heart, this is how he loves Alexandra Petrovna. Kuprin turned the dream of such love into the images of the "Garnet Bracelet", written in five years after the “Duel.” This is exactly how the official Zheltkov loves Princess Vera Sheina, keeping the handkerchief she forgot for years, her only note with which she forbade Zheltkov to write to her, the program of an art exhibition she had forgotten.

The obvious connection between these thoughts of Nazansky and Kuprin's worldview gives reason to believe that other views of this hero on the present and future, on the history of mankind are of a programmatic nature for the writer. And there are a lot of erroneous, contradictory and false in them.

In two conversations with Romashov, Nazansky appears as a preacher of anarcho-individualism mixed with Nietzscheanism, and his outpourings find Romashov's most enthusiastic approval. At the last meeting, he wants to say to Nazansky: "Goodbye, teacher." Nazansky's head seems to Romashov to look like "the head of one of those Greek heroes or wise men" whom he saw in engravings.

Nazansky says, for example: "New, brave, proud people have appeared, fiery free thoughts light up in the minds. As in the last act of a melodrama, old towers and dungeons are collapsing, and because of them a dazzling radiance is already visible." Nazansky sees the "terrible and irreparable" guilt of the officers in the fact that the officers are "blind and deaf" to this "enormous, new, luminous life," that they greet it with exclamations: "What? Where? Silence! Revolt! I'll shoot!"

It may at first seem to the modern reader that these "new, bold and proud" people mean revolutionaries, fighters against the autocracy. But further reasoning of Naeansky shows that he has in mind something quite different. He rejects not only the gospel teachings: "Love your neighbor as yourself," but in general any thought about public duty and service. “More honest, stronger, more predatory ones told us: “Let’s join hands, let’s go and perish, but we will prepare a bright and easy life for future generations.” But I never understood this, says Nazansky. Who will prove to me with clear persuasiveness, what do I have to do with it damn it! my neighbor, with a vile slave, with an infected, idiot?.. Oh, I hate! I hate lepers and do not like neighbors. And then, what interest will make me break my head for happiness people of the thirty-second century?"

But that's not all. What is Nazansky's idea of the future, what is his ideal? He claims that love for humanity is being replaced by "a new, divine faith ... This is love for yourself, for your beautiful body, for your omnipotent mind, for the infinite wealth of your feelings. No, think, think, Romashov: who is dearer to you and closer than yourself? no one in the whole universe, because there is no one above you and no one is equal to you. The time will come, and great faith in one's own Self will overshadow, like fiery tongues of the holy spirit, the heads of all people, and then there will be no slaves, no masters, no cripples, no pity, no vices, no malice, no envy. Then people will become gods."

The magnificent and loud tirade of Nazansky contains the preaching of individualism, anarchy and the divine strong personality in the spirit of Nietzsche's philosophy. It reflected the weakness and falsity of Kuprin's socio-philosophical views, which explain his departure from the advanced democratic positions during the years of reaction, the divergence from Gorky, the creation of works that are far in their subject matter and spirit from the social events of the time.

That love for one's Self, the "divine faith" in this Self, which Nazansky proclaims, the affirmation in the thought that there is no one dearer and closer to a person than himself, the rejection of everything "that binds my spirit, violates my will, humiliates my respect for my personality," is fraught with the most callous egoism. A. V. Lunacharsky rightly noted in his article that if for a person his life is “above everything”, then he, therefore, “can always be bought with life”, that is, for the sake of his precious personality, he can sacrifice other lives, go to any crime and villainy.

Nazansky is brought closer to Romashov by his disgust for the order, traditions, life of the tsarist army and its officers, for the suppression of the human in a person under these conditions, for vegetating in the mire of worldly vulgarity.

However, Romashov is alien to Nazansky's Nietzschean contempt for the weak, for "neighbour, vile slave, infected, idiot"; it is enough to recall how carefully he treated Khlebnikov. This and not only this distinguishes Romashov from Nazansky. Romashov does not live according to the theoretical concepts of his teacher. Having gone through many human activities in his mind, Romashov comes to the conclusion that "there are only three proud vocations of man: science, art and free physical labor." Of course, Romashov would have aspired to one of these vocations in the future, and although his dream of "free" labor was unrealizable in Tsarist Russia, it arouses sympathy and disposition among readers.

The anti-human, corrupting and stupefying atmosphere of army life embraces all who come into contact with it.

Officers' wives, like their husbands, live poorly, monotonously, vulgarly, mired in a swamp of ignorance and philistinism. Raisa Peterson presents the type of such an officer's wife most prominently in the story. We first get to know her through two letters she sent to Romashov, and already these letters, vulgar, stupid, sentimental and at the same time spiteful, clearly outline the appearance of Peterson. Her explanation with Romashov at the ball and her vile revenge on him anonymous letters that led to the duel and death of Romashov complete this image.

But the talent and sensitivity of the artist Kuprin are manifested almost more in the creation of the image of Shurochka Alexandra Petrovna Nikolaeva.

At first, she looks almost the exact opposite of Peterson - she has a charming appearance, she is smart, sensitive, tactful, and the reader fully understands why Romashov fell in love with such a woman in this musty outback, just as Nazansky fell in love with her even earlier. She is frightened by the prospect of living: "Ober-officer, forty-eight rubles salary, six children, diapers, poverty ... Oh, what a horror!" exclaims Shurochka. But what does she want? “You know,” she says to Romashov, “I hate to shiver this philistine, beggarly officer society. I want to always be beautifully dressed, beautiful, graceful, I want worship, power!” For the sake of this dream, she lives with her unloved husband, whose caresses are disgusting to her, she wants him to enter the academy and make a career, because of her plans she refuses to love Nazansky and, finally, betrays Romashov for them. She is given to Romashov in order to finally bind his will, so that he does not even accidentally destroy her intentions.

Shurochka appeared to us at first as a charming person, her soul seems to be close, kindred to the soul of Romashov. But Shurochka is already distorted, dehumanized. The desire to get out of the dull provincial life at all costs, to enter the highest privileged circle, to be successful in this circle all this turned Shurochka into a ruthless egoist and predator.

The story as a whole is an unusually strong and vivid work of Kuprin. Despite the false theories put into the mouth of Nazansky, The Duel is at its core a democratic work. A person with all the wealth of his talents and requests, with his love for nature, with a thirst for life, beauty and striving for a high moral ideal, is opposed in him to that society that suppresses and distorts the individual. And this was especially clearly felt in the tsarist army, in all its way of life. This opposition is the revolutionary, humanistic meaning of the story. Criticism of the army develops in Kuprin into criticism of the entire anti-human, anti-people regime that gave rise to it.

Not without reason, A. M. Gorky, having familiarized himself with the first chapters of the story, encouraged Kuprin in every possible way to bring his work to the end. Many years later, returning to his homeland from emigration, Kuprin recalled: "If he had not breathed confidence in my work into me, I probably would not have finished my novel." K. Paustovsky rightly called "Duel" "one of the most remarkable and merciless works of Russian literature."

According to a number of testimonies, Kuprin was dissatisfied with the end of the story: he was in a hurry and, throwing away the duel scene that was not given to him, ended the “Duel” with a report about it.

Subsequently, at the end of 1907 or the beginning of 1908, Kuprin, in a letter to I. A. Bunin, offered the Moscow publishing house of writers "an unwritten chapter from" Duel ", namely, how Romashov goes to the duel, his thoughts and feelings" at the time of the duel. However, Dietz's report, with which the story abruptly ends, is an excellent artistic conclusion to it. He cuts off the story, as Romashov's short life is cut off by an ominous shot.

Published according to the publication: A. I. Kuprin. Duel. Moscow, publishing house "Fiction", 1967

Grade 11. Lessons based on the novel by A. I. Kuprin "Duel" (1905)

The purpose of the lesson: to show the significance of Kuprin's story for society's awareness of the crisis of all Russian life; humanistic, anti-war pathos of the story.

Methodical methods: analytical conversation, commented reading.

During the classes

Teacher's word. The revolutionary era brought before all writers an urgent need to understand the historical fate of Russia, its people, and national culture. These global issues led to the creation of large "numerous" canvases. The writers comprehended the pace of the world in a contradictory time. This is how the stories "Duel", "Dry Valley" and "Village" by Bunin are written; "Judas Iscariot" by L. Andreev; "Movements", "Bear Cub" by Sergeev-Tsensky.

At first glance, the story (any of them) is simple in its content. But according to the author's generalizations, it is multi-layered, reminiscent of a "casket in a casket" that stores a jewel.

Tale " Duel" came out in May 1905, in the days of the defeat of the Russian fleet at Tsushima. The image of a backward, incapacitated army, decomposed officers, and downtrodden soldiers had an important socio-political meaning: it was the answer to the question about the causes of the Far Eastern catastrophe. With hard strokes, as if paying off the past, Kuprin draws the army, to which he gave the years of his youth.

This story can be defined as psychological and philosophical. Since "Fathers and Sons" there was no such work.

Story conversation:

What is the theme of the story? The main theme is the crisis of Russia, of all spheres of Russian life. The critical orientation of the story was noted by Gorky, classifying "Duel" as civil, revolutionary prose. The story had a wide resonance, brought Kuprin all-Russian fame, became the reason for controversy in the press about the fate of the Russian army. The problems of the army always reflect the general problems of society. In this sense, Kuprin's story is still relevant today.

Dedicating "Duel" in her first publication to Gorky, Kuprin wrote to him: "Now, finally, when everything is over, I can say that everything bold and violent in my story belongs to you. If you knew how much I learned from Vasya, how grateful I am to you for it.

What, in your opinion, in "Duel" can be defined as " bold and exuberant »? From the denial of petty rituals (holding hands at the seams and heels together in a conversation with superiors, pulling the sock down when marching, shouting “On the shoulder!”, Ch. 9, p. 336.), the main character of the “Duel” Romashov comes to the denial of what that in a rational societythere shouldn't be wars : « Maybe all this is some kind of common mistake, some kind of worldwide delusion, insanity? Is it natural to kill? “Let’s say tomorrow, let’s say, this very second this thought occurred to everyone: Russians, Germans, British, Japanese ... And now there is no more war, there are no officers and soldiers, everyone has gone home.” Romashov naively believes that in order to eliminate the war, it is necessary that all people suddenly see the light, declare in one voice:"I don't want to fight!" and dropped their weapons. « What courage ! - said admiringlyL. Tolstoy about Romashov. - And how did the censors let it through and why don’t the military protest?”

The preaching of peacemaking ideas provoked strong attacks in the fierce magazine campaign unleashed around the "Duel", and the military officials were especially indignant. The story was a major literary event that sounded topical.

What thematic lines can be identified in the story? There are several of them: the life of officers, the combat and barracks life of soldiers, relations between people. It turns out that not all people hold the same pacifist views as Romashov.

How does Kuprin draw images of officers? Kuprin knew the military environment very well from his many years of experience. The images of the officers are given accurately. Realistically, with ruthless authenticity. Almost all the officers in the "Duel" are nonentities, drunkards, stupid and cruel careerists and ignoramuses.

Moreover, they are confident in their class and moral superiority, they are contemptuous of civilians, who are called "hazel grouses", "shpaks", "shtafirks ". Even Pushkin for them "some kind of spat ". Among them, it is considered “youthfulness to scold or beat a civilian for no reason, put out a lit cigarette on his nose, put a top hat over his ears.” Arrogance based on nothing, perverted ideas about the "honor of the uniform" and honor in general, rudeness - a consequence of isolation, isolation from society, inactivity, stupefying drill. In ugly revels, drunkenness, absurd antics, some kind of blind, animal,senseless rebellion against mortal anguish and monotony. Officers are not used to thinking and reasoning, some seriously believe that in military service in general "not supposed to think "(N. Rostov visited similar thoughts).

Literary critic Yu. V. Babicheva writes: “The officers of the regiment have a single "typical" face with clear signs of caste limitation, senseless cruelty, cynicism, vulgarity and swagger. At the same time, in the course of the development of the plot, each officer, typical in his caste ugliness, at least for a moment is shown as he could have become if it were not for the destructive influence of the army. ».

Do you agree that the officers in the story "Duel" have a single "typical" face? If so, what is the manifestation of this unity?The writer shows the officer environment in a vertical section: corporals, junior officers, senior officers, senior officers. "With the exception of a few ambitious and careerists, all officers served as a forced, unpleasant, disgusted corvee, yearning for it and not loving it. ". A scary pictureugly wholesale revelry " officers. 406, ch. eighteen .

In addition to the common features common to most officers, each of them haspersonality traits, outlined so vividly and expressively that the image becomes almost symbolic:

BUT) Regimental commander Shulgovich, under his thunderous bourbon, hides his concern for the officers.

B) What can you say about the image of Osadchy? An ominous image of Osadchy. "He's a cruel man." - says Romashov about him. The cruelty of Osadchy was constantly experienced by the soldiers, who trembled from his thunderous voice and the inhuman force of blows. In Osadchy's company, more often than in others, there were suicides of soldiers. The bestial, bloodthirsty Osadchy in disputes about the duel insists on the need for a fatal outcome of the duel - “otherwise it will only be a stupid pity ... a comedy. At the picnic he makes a toastfor the joy of former wars, for the cheerful bloody cruelty ". In a bloody battle, he finds pleasure, the smell of blood intoxicates him, he is ready to chop, stab, shoot all his life - no matter who and for what (ch. 8, 14)

C) Tell us about your impressions of Captain Plum. « Even in the regiment, which, thanks to the conditions of wild provincial life, did not differ in a particularly humane direction, it was some kind of outlandish monument of this ferocious military antiquity. He did not read a single book, not a single newspaper, and despised everything that went beyond the limits of the order, charter and company. This is a sluggish, downcast man, he brutally, to the point of blood, beats the soldiers, but he is attentive "to soldier's needs: does not delay money, personally monitors the company's boiler "(Ch. 10, 337)

D) What is the difference between Captain Stelkovsky, commander of the 5th company? Perhaps only the image of Captain Stelkovsky - patient, cold-blooded, persistent - does not cause disgust, "soldiers truly loved: an example, perhaps the only one in the Russian army "(Ch. 15. 376 - 377). “In his company, they didn’t fight and didn’t even swear, although they weren’t particularly gentle, and yet the company, in terms of its magnificent appearance and training, was not inferior to any guards unit.” It is his company at the May review that causes tears from his corps commander.

D) Lieutenant colonel Rafalsky (Brem ) loves animals and devotes all his free and non-free time to collecting a rare domestic menagerie.352.

E) What are distinctive features Bek-Agamalova ? He boasts of his ability to chop, says with regret that he probably won’t cut a man in half: “I’ll blow my head to hell, I know that, but so that it’s oblique ... no ”My father did it easily …» (« Yes, there were people in our time …”). With his evil eyes, his hooked nose and bared teeth, helooked like some kind of predatory, angry and proud bird" (ch.1)

8) Bestiality generally distinguishes many officers . During a scandal in a brothel, this bestial essence comes through especially brightly: in Bek-Agamalov's rolling eyes "naked round squirrels sparkled terribly, his head" was lowered low and menacingly", "an ominous yellow gleam lit up in the eyes ». “And at the same time, he bent his legs lower and lower, all cringed and absorbed his neck, like a beast ready to make a jump” . After this scandal, which ended in a fight and a challenge to a duel, "everyone dispersed, embarrassed, depressed, avoiding looking at each other. Everyone was afraid to read in other people's eyes their own horror, their slavish, guilty longing - the horror and longing of small, evil and dirty animals. » (Ch. 19).

9) Let us pay attention to the contrast of this description with the following description of the dawn "with clear, childlike skies and still cool air. Trees, damp, shrouded in barely visible ferry, silently woke up from their dark, mysterious night dreams ". Romashov feels "short, ugly, ugly and infinitely alien in the midst of this innocent charm of the morning, smiling half-awake ».

As the mouthpiece of Kuprin - Nazansky says,“all of them, even the best, most tender of them, wonderful fathers and attentive husbands, all of them in the service become base, cowardly, stupid little animals. You will ask why? Yes, precisely because none of them believe in the service and do not see the reasonable goal of this service ».

10) How are the "regimental ladies" depicted? Officers' wives are just as predatory and bloodthirsty as their husbands. Evil, stupid, ignorant, hypocritical. Regimental ladies are the personification of extreme squalor. Their everyday life is woven from gossip, a provincial game of secularism, boring and vulgar connections. The most repulsive image is Raisa Peterson, the wife of Captain Talman. Evil, stupid, depraved and vindictive. "Oh, how nasty she is!” Romashov thinks of her with disgust. "And from the thought of the former physical intimacy with this woman, he had such a feeling, as if he had not washed for several months and had not changed his linen ”(ch. 9).

Not better and the rest of the "ladies" . Even with outwardly charmingShurochka Nikolaeva the features of Osadchy, who seems to be unlike him, appear: she stands up for fights with a fatal outcome, says: “I would shoot these people like rabid dogs ". There is no truly feminine left in her: “I don't want a child. Fu, what a mess !" - she confesses to Romashov (ch. 14).

A) poorly thinking, slow-witted Bondarenko ,

B) intimidated, stunned by shoutsArkhipov, which the " does not understand and cannot memorize the simplest things »,

B) loser Khlebnikov. 340, 375, 348/2. His image is more detailed than others. Ruined, landless and impoverished Russian peasant,shaved into soldiers. Khlebnikov's soldier's lot is painful and pitiful. Corporal punishment and constant humiliation - that's his lot. Sick and weak, with a facein cam ”, on which a dirty nose turned up absurdly stuck up, with eyes in which“froze stupid, submissive horror ", This soldier has become a general ridicule in the company and an object for mockery and abuse. He is driven to the idea of suicide, from which Romashov saves him, seeing in Khlebnikov his brother-man. Pitying Khlebnikov, Romashov says:Khlebnikov, are you sick? And I'm not feeling well, my dear... I don't understand anything of what's going on in the world. Everything is some wild, senseless, cruel nonsense! But you have to endure, my dear, you have to endure …» Khlebnikov, although he sees in Romashov a kind person who humanly relates to a simple soldier, but, first of all, he sees in himmaster . Cruelty, injustice, the absurdity of the way of life become obvious, but the hero sees no way out of this horror, except for patience.

G) educated, intelligent, independentFokin.

Depicting gray, impersonal, crushed « own ignorance, general slavery, bossy indifference, arbitrariness and violence » soldier, Kuprin evokes compassion in the reader for them, shows that in fact they are living people, and not faceless "cogs" of the military machine.

So Kuprin comes to another, very important topic – personality theme.

D. h. 1) Prepare messages based on the images of Romashov and Nazansky (in groups) (portrait characteristics, relationships with people, views, attitude to service, etc.)

2) Answer the questions:

How is the theme of love dealt with in the story?

What is the meaning of the title of the story?

Lesson 2

Topic: The metaphorical nature of the title of A. I. Kuprin's story "Duel".

The purpose of the lesson: analyze the images of the characters expressing the author's position in the story.

Methodical methods: students' messages, work on the text, analytical conversation.

Checking the house. tasks. The author's ideals are expressed by the heroes opposed to the main mass - Romashov and Nazansky. These heroes are represented by several students (in groups)

Characteristics of the image of Nazansky. The conversations between Romashov and Nazansky contain the essence of the story.

BUT) We learn about Nazansky from the conversation between the Nikolaevs and Romashov (ch. four): this is " inveterate person ", he " goes on vacation for one month due to domestic circumstances ... This means that he took a drink”; “Such officers are a disgrace to the regiment, an abomination!”

B) Chapter 5 contains a description of the meeting between Romashov and Nazansky. We see firstwhite figure and golden head "Nazansky, we hear his calm voice, we get acquainted with his dwelling:"288", ch. 5. All this, and even a direct look "thoughtful, beautiful blue eyes ”contradicts what the Nikolaevs said about him. Nazansky argues "about sublime matters ”, philosophizes, and this, from the point of view of others, is“nonsense, idle and absurd chatter ". He thinks about 289 ". This is for him" 290/1 ". He feels someone else's joy and someone else's sorrow, feelsinjustice exist with Troy, the aimlessness of your life , looking for and not finding a way out of the impasse . 431-432.

Description of the landscape , the mysterious night that opens from the window, according to hislofty words : « 290/2 ».

Nazansky's face seems to Romashov "beautiful and interesting ": golden hair, a high, clean forehead, a neck of a noble pattern, a massive and graceful head, similar to the head of one of the Greek heroes or sages, clear blue eyes, looking "lively, smart and meek ". True, this description is almost the perfect hero ends with a revelation:291/1".

Dreaming about " future godlike life ”, Nazansky glorifies the power and beauty of the human mind, enthusiastically calls for respect for a person, enthusiastically talks about love - and at the same time expresses the views of the author himself: “293/1 ". Love according to Kuprin is a talent akin to a musical one. Kuprin will develop this theme later in the story "Garnet Bracelet", and much of what Nazansky said will go directly into the story.

AT) « 435 -underlined » (ch. 21 ). Preaches equality and happiness, sings of the human mind.

In the passionate speeches of Nazanskya lot of bile and anger , thoughts on the need to fight against "two-headed monster" - the tsarist autocracy andpolice regime in the country, forebodings of the inevitability of profound social upheavals : « 433/1 ". Believes in the next life.

He anti-military and the army in general condemns the brutal treatment of soldiers (ch.21, 430 - 432 ). Nazansky's accusatory speeches are full of open pathos. It's kind ofduel hero with a senseless and cruel system . Some statements of this hero, as Kuprin himself later said, “sound like a gramophone, but they are dear to the writer, who invested in Nazansky much that worried him.

D) What do you think, why was such a hero needed in the “Duel” next to Romashov? Nazansky asserts: there is only man, the complete freedom of man. Romashov embodies the principle of human lack of freedom. The door is not closed, you can go out. Romashov recalls that his mother tied him to the bed with the thinnest thread. She caused him mystical fear, although it was possible to break.

Characteristics of Romashov.

Lieutenant Romashov, the protagonist of The Duel, becomes infected with the moods and thoughts of Nazansky. This is a typical Kuprin image of a truth seeker and a humanist. Romashovgiven in perpetual motion , in the process of his inner change and spiritual growth. Kuprin reproducesnot all biography hero, a crucial moment in it, without a beginning, but with a tragic end.

Portrait the hero is outwardly expressive:260, ch. one ", sometimes unsophisticated. However, in the actions of Romashov one can feelinner strength coming from a sense of righteousness and justice. For example, he unexpectedly defends the Tatar Sharafutdinov, who does not understand Russian, from a colonel who insults him (Ch. 1,262-263 )

He stands up for the soldier Khlebnikov when a non-commissioned officer wants to beat him (ch.10, 340/1).

He even triumphs over the bestial Bek-Agamalov, when he almost hacked to death a woman from a brothel where the officers were drinking: “18 ch., 414" . Bek-Agamalov is grateful to Romashov for not letting him, who had gone berserk from drunkenness, kill a woman

In all these fights Romashov is at his best.

- What lifestyle does ? (bored, drunkenness, loneliness, is in connection with an unloved woman)

- There are plans ? Extensive in self-education, the study of languages, literature, art. But they remain only plans.

- What is he dreaming about? About a brilliant career, sees himself as an outstanding commander. His dreams are poetic, but they are wasted.267-269.

- Where does Romashov like to go? ? Meet trains at the station265. ch.2. His heart yearns for beauty. Wed Tolstoy ("Resurrection"), Nekrasov ("Troika"), Blok ("On railway», 439) . Straight reminiscence ( echo, the influence of someone's creativity in work of art). The railway is read as the theme of the distance, the theme of life's way out

Romashov is a romantic, subtle nature. Him "264 ". Attractive in the herosoftness of mind , kindness, congenital sense of justice . All this sharply distinguishes him from the rest of the officers of the regiment.

Painful, boring army situation in a provincial regiment. Senseless, sometimes idiotic military practice. His disappointments are painful.

- Why is Kuprin's hero young? Over blossoming youth is dominated by soul-deadening treasury. Choosing a young hero, Kuprin intensified the torment "nonsense, incomprehensibility ».

- What feeling does Romashov evoke in the reader? Deep sympathy.

Romashov has trend towards evolution . Moves towards the knowledge of life.Clash of man and officer first takes place in Romashov himself, in his soul and mind. This internal struggle gradually turns into an open one.duel with Nikolayev and with all the officers. pp. 312 (ch. 7), 348, 349, 419.

Romashov graduallyfreed from a false understanding of honor officer's uniform. The turning point was the hero's reflections on the position of the human person in society, his internal monologue in defense of human rights, dignity and freedom. Romashova "I was stunned and shocked by the unexpectedly bright consciousness of my individuality. and he rose in his own wayagainst depersonalization of a person in military service , in defense of the ordinary soldier. He is indignant at the regimental authorities, who maintain a state of enmity between soldiers and officers. But his impulses to protest are replaced by complete apathy and indifference, his soul is often overwhelmed by depression: “My life is gone!"

The feeling of absurdity, confusion, incomprehensibility of life depresses him. During a conversation with a sick, disfiguredKhlebnikov Romashov is experiencingdeep pity and compassion for him (ch. 16 ). He, brought up in the spirit of superiority over the mass of soldiers, indifference to the hard fate of a soldier, begins to understand that Khlebnikov and his comrades are depersonalized and crushed by their own ignorance, general slavery, arbitrariness and violence, that soldiers are also people who have the right to sympathy.402/1, 342 .

A. And Kuprin recalled that the scene at the railroad track made a great impression onGorky : « When I read the conversation between Lieutenant Romashov and the miserable soldier Khlebnikov, Alexei Maksimovich was moved, and it was terrible to see this big man with wet eyes.

Unexpectedly for himself, he suddenly rebels against God himself, who allows evil and injustice (anotherduel perhaps the most important). « 402" . He withdrawn into himself, focused on his inner world , determined to break with military service to start new life: "403"; "404/1 ”- this is how Romashov defines for himself the worthy purpose of life.

A modest person grows spiritually, discovers the eternal values of being. Kuprin sees in the youth of the hero hope for the future transformation of the world. The service makes a repulsive impression on him precisely because of its unnaturalness and anti-humanity. However, Romashov does not have time to fulfill his dreams and dies as a result of betrayal.

4. Thoughts about the possibility of another life are combined in him with thoughts about love forShurochka Nikolaeva . Sweet, feminine Shurochka, with whom Nazansky is in love, is essentiallyguilty of the murder of Romashov to a duel. Greed, calculation, lust for power, duplicity , « some evil and proud force ", Shurochka's resourcefulness is not noticed by Romashov in love. She demands:You must shoot tomorrow ”- and Romashov agrees for her sake to a duel that could have been avoided.

Types of business people have already been created in Russian literature (Chichikov, Stolz). Shurochka is a business man in a skirt. She seeks to escape from the environment. The only way is for her husband to enter the academy, he seeks to leave for the capital from the petty-bourgeois province.280, 4 ch.

For the sake of winning his place in the world, he rejects Nazansky's passionate love, for the sake of preserving his husband's reputation and career, he sacrifices Romashov. Outwardly charming and smart, she appears disgusting in a conversation with Romashov on the eve of a duel.440/2.

Discussing the meaning of the story's title.

BUT) The title itself conveys the personal and social conflict underlying the plot.

plot aspect. P fights , which we have already talked about, is inevitable and naturallead to the denouement - to the last fight .

Final Feature . The duel between Romashov and Nikolaev is not described in the story. Othe death of Romashov report dry, official, soulless linesreport Staff Captain Dietz (ch.23, 443 ). The ending is perceived as tragic because Romashov's death is meaningless. This last chord is filled with compassion. This duel, the death of the hero is a foregone conclusion:Romashov is too different from everyone, to survive in this society.

Mentioned several times in the storyduel , a painful, stuffy atmosphere is being forced. Chapter 19 describes how drunken officers are pullingfuneral tune, (in Vetkin's stupid eyes this motive causes tears), but pure soundsfuneral services suddenly interrupted "terrible, cynical swearing" Osadchy , 419. Offended Romashov is trying to reason with people. After that, a scandal is played out, which led to the fact that Romashov challenges Nikolaev to a duel, 420, 426.

B) The meaning of the name is in Romashov's duel with the evil that is in himself. This conflict is given as a philosophical one, the hero's comprehension of freedom and necessity.

C) The theme of the duel - a sign of reality itself, the disunity of people, the misunderstanding of one person by another.

G) Civilian - officers, 411-412. Caste officer prejudices.

D) officers and soldiers (humiliated, let's remember the Tatar, Romashov's orderly, finishing his coffee after him, finishing his dinners)

E) But the name is also metaphorical , symbolic meaning. Kuprin wrote:With all the strength of my soul, I hate the years of my childhood and youth, the years of the corps, the cadet school and service in the regiment. About everything. What I have experienced and seen, I must write. And with my novel I will challenge the royal army to a duel ". The name also has another, much larger social aspect. The story is Kuprin's duel with the whole army, with the whole system that kills the personality in a person and kills the person himself. In 1905, this story, of course, was taken by the revolutionary forces as a call to fight. But even almost a hundred years after the writing, the story remains a call for respect for the human person, for reconciliation and brotherly love.

5. So, traditions of Russian literature:

1) Kuprin's hero is closely connected with the concept of a superfluous person, Tolstoy's hero.

2) Subtle psychological drawing (Dostoevsky, Tolstoy). Like L. Tolstoy, he explores in depth the struggle of feelings, the contradictions of the awakening consciousness, their collapse. Romashov is close to Chekhov's characters. Kuprin's approach to his hero is akin to Chekhov's. An embarrassing, short-sighted and baggy lieutenant, thinking of himself in the 3rd person with the words of stilted novels, 375, 380. 387., evokes a mocking and compassionate attitude. This is how the figure of Petya Trofimov is illuminated.

3) Spontaneous democracy, sympathy for the little man. (Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky)

4) Socio-philosophical definition of good and evil.

5) Orientation to some kind of doctrine. Tolstoy is looking for his "green stick". Kuprin does not know how to rebuild the world. His work contains the rejection of evil.

Agenosov's textbook, part 1, p. 26.

V. Lilin, With. 64 - reviews of the "Duel" by Gorky, L. Tolstoy.

A. I. Kuprin . Selected writings. Moscow, "Fiction", 1985

Grade 11. Lessons based on the novel by A. I. Kuprin "Duel" (1905)

The purpose of the lesson: to show the significance of Kuprin's story for society's awareness of the crisis of all Russian life; humanistic, anti-war pathos of the story.

Methodical methods: analytical conversation, commented reading.

During the classes

At first glance, the story (any of them) is simple in its content. But according to the author's generalizations, it is multi-layered, reminiscent of a "casket in a casket" that stores a jewel.

This story can be defined as psychological and philosophical. Since "Fathers and Sons" there was no such work.

Story conversation:

Dedicating "Duel" in her first publication to Gorky, Kuprin wrote to him: " Now, finally, when everything is over, I can say that everything bold and violent in my story belongs to you. If you knew how much I learned from Vasya, how grateful I am to you for it.

What, in your opinion, in "Duel" can be defined as "bold and exuberant »? From the denial of petty rituals (holding hands at the seams and heels together in a conversation with superiors, pulling the sock down when marching, shouting “On the shoulder!”, Ch. 9, p. 336.), the main character of the “Duel” Romashov comes to the denial of what that in a rational society there shouldn't be wars: « Maybe all this is some kind of common mistake, some kind of worldwide delusion, insanity? Is it natural to kill? “Let’s say tomorrow, let’s say, this very second this thought occurred to everyone: Russians, Germans, British, Japanese ... And now there is no more war, there are no officers and soldiers, everyone has gone home.” Romashov naively believes that in order to eliminate the war, it is necessary that all people suddenly see the light, declare in one voice: "I don't want to fight!" and dropped their weapons.« What courage! - said admiringly L. Tolstoy about Romashov. - And how did the censors let it through and why don’t the military protest?”

Moreover, they are confident in their class and moral superiority, they are contemptuous of civilians, who are called " hazel grouses", "shpaks", "shtafirks". Even Pushkin for them " some kind of spat". Among them, it is considered “youthfulness to scold or beat a civilian for no reason, put out a lit cigarette on his nose, put a top hat over his ears.” Arrogance based on nothing, perverted ideas about the "honor of the uniform" and honor in general, rudeness - a consequence of isolation, isolation from society, inactivity, stupefying drill. In ugly revels, drunkenness, absurd antics, some kind of blind, animal, senseless rebellion against mortal anguish and monotony. Officers are not used to thinking and reasoning, some seriously believe that in military service in general " not supposed to think"(N. Rostov visited similar thoughts).

Literary critic Yu. V. Babicheva writes: “ The officers of the regiment have a single "typical" face with clear signs of caste limitation, senseless cruelty, cynicism, vulgarity and swagger. At the same time, in the course of the development of the plot, each officer, typical in his caste ugliness, at least for a moment is shown as he could have become if it were not for the destructive influence of the army.».

Do you agree that the officers in the story "Duel" have a single "typical" face? If so, what is the manifestation of this unity? The writer shows the officer environment in a vertical section: corporals, junior officers, senior officers, senior officers. " With the exception of a few ambitious and careerists, all officers served as a forced, unpleasant, disgusted corvee, yearning for it and not loving it.". A scary picture ugly wholesale revelry " officers. 406, ch. eighteen.

In addition to the common features common to most officers, each of them has personality traits, outlined so vividly and expressively that the image becomes almost symbolic :

BUT) Regimental commander Shulgovich, under his thunderous bourbon, hides his concern for the officers.

B) What can you say about the image of Osadchy? An ominous image of Osadchy. " He's a cruel man."- says Romashov about him. The cruelty of Osadchy was constantly experienced by the soldiers, who trembled from his thunderous voice and the inhuman force of blows. In Osadchy's company, more often than in others, there were suicides of soldiers. The bestial, bloodthirsty Osadchy in disputes about the duel insists on the need for a fatal outcome of the duel - “ otherwise it will only be a stupid pity ... a comedy. At the picnic he makes a toast for the joy of former wars, for the cheerful bloody cruelty". In a bloody battle, he finds pleasure, the smell of blood intoxicates him, he is ready to chop, stab, shoot all his life - no matter who and for what ( ch. 8, 14)

C) Tell us about your impressions of Captain Plum. « Even in the regiment, which, thanks to the conditions of wild provincial life, did not differ in a particularly humane direction, it was some kind of outlandish monument of this ferocious military antiquity. He did not read a single book, not a single newspaper, and despised everything that went beyond the limits of the order, charter and company. This is a sluggish, downcast man, he brutally, to the point of blood, beats the soldiers, but he is attentive " to soldier's needs: does not delay money, personally monitors the company's boiler"(Ch. 10, 337)

D) What is the difference between Captain Stelkovsky, commander of the 5th company? Perhaps only the image of Captain Stelkovsky - patient, cold-blooded, persistent - does not cause disgust , "soldiers truly loved: an example, perhaps the only one in the Russian army"(Ch. 15. 376 - 377). “In his company, they didn’t fight and didn’t even swear, although they weren’t particularly gentle, and yet the company, in terms of its magnificent appearance and training, was not inferior to any guards unit.” It is his company at the May review that causes tears from his corps commander.

D) Lieutenant colonel Rafalsky (Brem) loves animals and devotes all his free and non-free time to collecting a rare domestic menagerie.352.

E) What are the distinguishing features of Bek-Agamalov? He boasts of his ability to chop, says with regret that he probably won’t cut a man in half: “ I’ll blow my head to hell, I know that, but so that it’s oblique ... no ”My father did it easily…» (« Yes, there were people in our time…”). With his evil eyes, his hooked nose and bared teeth, he looked like some kind of predatory, angry and proud bird"(ch.1)

8) Bestiality generally distinguishes many officers. During a scandal in a brothel, this bestial essence comes through especially brightly: in Bek-Agamalov's rolling eyes " naked round squirrels sparkled terribly, his head" was lowered low and menacingly", "an ominous yellow gleam lit up in the eyes». “And at the same time, he bent his legs lower and lower, all cringed and absorbed his neck, like a beast ready to make a jump”. After this scandal, which ended in a fight and a challenge to a duel, " everyone dispersed, embarrassed, depressed, avoiding looking at each other. Everyone was afraid to read in other people's eyes their own horror, their slavish, guilty longing - the horror and longing of small, evil and dirty animals.» (Ch. 19).

9) Let us pay attention to the contrast of this description with the following description of the dawn " with clear, childlike skies and still cool air. Trees, damp, shrouded in barely visible ferry, silently woke up from their dark, mysterious night dreams". Romashov feels " short, ugly, ugly and infinitely alien in the midst of this innocent charm of the morning, smiling half-awake».

As the mouthpiece of Kuprin - Nazansky says, “all of them, even the best, most tender of them, wonderful fathers and attentive husbands, all of them in the service become base, cowardly, stupid little animals. You will ask why? Yes, precisely because none of them believe in the service and do not see the reasonable goal of this service».

10) How are the "regimental ladies" depicted? Officers' wives are just as predatory and bloodthirsty as their husbands. Evil, stupid, ignorant, hypocritical. Regimental ladies are the personification of extreme squalor. Their everyday life is woven from gossip, a provincial game of secularism, boring and vulgar connections. The most repulsive image is Raisa Peterson, the wife of Captain Talman. Evil, stupid, depraved and vindictive. " Oh, how nasty she is!” Romashov thinks of her with disgust. " And from the thought of the former physical intimacy with this woman, he had such a feeling, as if he had not washed for several months and had not changed his linen ”(ch. 9).

Not better and the rest of the "ladies". Even with outwardly charming Shurochka Nikolaeva the features of Osadchy, who seems to be unlike him, appear: she stands up for fights with a fatal outcome, says: “ I would shoot these people like rabid dogs". There is no truly feminine left in her: “ I don't want a child. Fu, what a mess!" - she confesses to Romashov (ch. 14).

What role do images play?soldier? Depicted by the mass, motley in national composition, but gray in essence. The soldiers are completely powerless: officers take out their anger on them, beat them, crush their teeth, break their eardrums.

Kuprin gives and individualized images(there are about 20 of them in the story). A whole series of ordinary soldiers - in chapter 11:

A) poorly thinking, slow-witted B ondarenko,

B) intimidated, stunned by shouts Arkhipov, which the " does not understand and cannot memorize the simplest things»,

B) loser Khlebnikov. 340, 375, 348/2. His image is more detailed than others. Ruined, landless and impoverished Russian peasant, shaved into soldiers. Khlebnikov's soldier's lot is painful and pitiful. Corporal punishment and constant humiliation - that's his lot. Sick and weak, with a face in cam”, on which a dirty nose turned up absurdly stuck up, with eyes in which“ froze stupid, submissive horror", This soldier has become a general ridicule in the company and an object for mockery and abuse. He is driven to the idea of suicide, from which Romashov saves him, seeing in Khlebnikov his brother-man. Pitying Khlebnikov, Romashov says: Khlebnikov, are you sick? And I'm not feeling well, my dear... I don't understand anything of what's going on in the world. Everything is some wild, senseless, cruel nonsense!But you have to endure, my dear, you have to endure …» Khlebnikov, although he sees in Romashov a kind person who humanly relates to a simple soldier, but, first of all, he sees in him master.Cruelty, injustice, the absurdity of the way of life become obvious, but the hero sees no way out of this horror, except for patience.

G) educated, intelligent, independent Fokin.

So Kuprin comes to another, very important topic - personality theme.

D. h. 1) Prepare messages based on the images of Romashov and Nazansky (in groups) (portrait characteristics, relationships with people, views, attitude to service, etc.)

2) Answer the questions:

How is the theme of love dealt with in the story?

What is the meaning of the title of the story?

Lesson 2

Topic: The metaphorical nature of the title of A. I. Kuprin's story "Duel".

The purpose of the lesson: analyze the images of the characters expressing the author's position in the story.

Methodical methods: students' messages, work on the text, analytical conversation.

Characteristics of the image of Nazansky. The conversations between Romashov and Nazansky contain the essence of the story.

BUT) We learn about Nazansky from the conversation between the Nikolaevs and Romashov ( ch. four): this is " inveterate person", he " goes on vacation for one month due to domestic circumstances ... This means that he took a drink”; “Such officers are a disgrace to the regiment, an abomination!”

B) Chapter 5 contains a description of the meeting between Romashov and Nazansky. We see first white figure and golden head"Nazansky, we hear his calm voice, we get acquainted with his dwelling:" 288", ch. 5. All this, and even a direct look " thoughtful, beautiful blue eyes”contradicts what the Nikolaevs said about him. Nazansky argues " about sublime matters”, philosophizes, and this, from the point of view of others, is“ nonsense, idle and absurd chatter". He thinks about 289 ". This is for him" 290/1 ". He feels someone else's joy and someone else's sorrow, feels injustice exist with Troy, the aimlessness of your life, looking for and not finding a way out of the impasse. 431-432.

Description of the landscape, the mysterious night that opens from the window, according to his lofty words: « 290/2 ».

Nazansky's face seems to Romashov " beautiful and interesting": golden hair, a high, clean forehead, a neck of a noble pattern, a massive and graceful head, similar to the head of one of the Greek heroes or sages, clear blue eyes, looking " lively, smart and meek". True, this description of an almost ideal hero ends with a revelation: “ 291/1".

Dreaming about " future godlike life”, Nazansky glorifies the power and beauty of the human mind, enthusiastically calls for respect for a person, enthusiastically talks about love - and at the same time expresses the views of the author himself: “ 293/1 ". Love according to Kuprin is a talent akin to a musical one. Kuprin will develop this theme later in the story "Garnet Bracelet", and much of what Nazansky said will go directly into the story.

AT) « 435 -underlined » (ch. 21). Preaches equality and happiness, sings of the human mind.

In the passionate speeches of Nazansky a lot of bile and anger, thoughts on the need to fight against"two-headed monster" - the tsarist autocracy and police regime in the country, forebodings of the inevitability of profound social upheavals: « 433/1 ". Believes in the next life.

He anti-military and the army in general condemns the brutal treatment of soldiers (ch.21, 430 - 432). Nazansky's accusatory speeches are full of open pathos. It's kind of duel hero with a senseless and cruel system. Some statements of this hero, as Kuprin himself later said, “ sound like a gramophone, but they are dear to the writer, who invested in Nazansky much that worried him.

Characteristics of Romashov.

Lieutenant Romashov, the protagonist of The Duel, becomes infected with the moods and thoughts of Nazansky. This is a typical Kuprin image of a truth seeker and a humanist. Romashov given in perpetual motion, in the process of his inner change and spiritual growth. Kuprin reproduces not all biography hero, and the most important moment in it, without a beginning, but with a tragic end.

Portrait the hero is outwardly expressive: 260, ch. one ", sometimes unsophisticated. However, in the actions of Romashov one can feel inner strength coming from a sense of righteousness and justice. For example, he unexpectedly defends the Tatar Sharafutdinov, who does not understand Russian, from a colonel who insults him (Ch. 1, 262-263 )

He stands up for the soldier Khlebnikov when a non-commissioned officer wants to beat him ( ch.10, 340/1).

He even triumphs over the bestial Bek-Agamalov, when he almost hacked to death a woman from a brothel where the officers were drinking: “ 18 ch., 414". Bek-Agamalov is grateful to Romashov for not letting him, who had gone berserk from drunkenness, kill a woman

In all these fights Romashov is at his best.

- What lifestyle does ? (bored, drunkenness, loneliness, is in connection with an unloved woman)

- There are plans ? Extensive in self-education, the study of languages, literature, art. But they remain only plans.

- What is he dreaming about? About a brilliant career, sees himself as an outstanding commander. His dreams are poetic, but they are wasted. 267-269.

- Where does Romashov like to go? ? Meet trains at the station 265. ch.2. His heart yearns for beauty. Wed Tolstoy ("Resurrection"), Nekrasov ("Troika"), Blok ("On the Railway", 439) .Straight reminiscence ( echo, the influence of someone's creativity in a work of art). The railway is read as the theme of the distance, the theme of life's way out

Romashov is a romantic, subtle nature. Him " 264 ". Attractive in the hero softness of mind, kindness, congenital sense of justice. All this sharply distinguishes him from the rest of the officers of the regiment.

Painful, boring army situation in a provincial regiment. Senseless, sometimes idiotic military practice. His disappointments are painful.

-Why is Kuprin's hero young? Over blossoming youth is dominated by soul-deadening treasury. Choosing a young hero, Kuprin intensified the torment " nonsense, incomprehensibility».

- What feeling does Romashov evoke in the reader? Deep sympathy.

Romashov has trend towards evolution. Moves towards the knowledge of life. Clash of man and officer first takes place in Romashov himself, in his soul and mind. This internal struggle gradually turns into an open one. duel with Nikolayev and with all the officers. pp. 312 (ch. 7), 348, 349, 419.

Romashov gradually freed from a false understanding of honor officer's uniform. The turning point was the hero's reflections on the position of the human person in society, his internal monologue in defense of human rights, dignity and freedom. Romashova " I was stunned and shocked by the unexpectedly bright consciousness of my individuality. and he rose in his own way against depersonalization of a person in military service, in defense of the ordinary soldier. He is indignant at the regimental authorities, who maintain a state of enmity between soldiers and officers. But his impulses to protest are replaced by complete apathy and indifference, his soul is often overwhelmed by depression: “ My life is gone!"

The feeling of absurdity, confusion, incomprehensibility of life depresses him. During a conversation with a sick, disfigured Khlebnikov Romashov is experiencing deep pity and compassion for him (ch. 16). He, brought up in the spirit of superiority over the mass of soldiers, indifference to the hard fate of a soldier, begins to understand that Khlebnikov and his comrades are depersonalized and crushed by their own ignorance, general slavery, arbitrariness and violence, that soldiers are also people who have the right to sympathy. 402/1, 342 .

A. And Kuprin recalled that the scene at the railroad track made a great impression on Gorky: « When I read the conversation between Lieutenant Romashov and the miserable soldier Khlebnikov, Alexei Maksimovich was moved, and it was terrible to see this big man with wet eyes.

Unexpectedly for himself, he suddenly rebels against God himself, who allows evil and injustice (another duel perhaps the most important). « 402" . He withdrawn into himself, focused on his inner world, firmly decided to break with military service in order to start a new life: "403"; "404/1 ”- this is how Romashov defines for himself the worthy purpose of life.

4. Thoughts about the possibility of another life are combined in him with thoughts about love for Shurochka Nikolaeva. Sweet, feminine Shurochka, with whom Nazansky is in love, is essentially guilty of the murder of Romashov to a duel. Greed, calculation, lust for power, duplicity, « some evil and proud force", Shurochka's resourcefulness is not noticed by Romashov in love. She demands: You must shoot tomorrow”- and Romashov agrees for her sake to a duel that could have been avoided.

Discussing the meaning of the story's title.

BUT) The title itself conveys the personal and social conflict underlying the plot.

plot aspect. P fights, which we have already talked about, is inevitable and natural lead to the denouement - to the last fight.

Final Feature . The duel between Romashov and Nikolaev is not described in the story. O the death of Romashov report dry, official, soulless lines report Staff Captain Dietz ( ch.23, 443). The ending is perceived as tragic because Romashov's death is meaningless. This last chord is filled with compassion. This duel, the death of the hero is a foregone conclusion: Romashov is too different from everyone, to survive in this society.

Mentioned several times in the story duel, a painful, stuffy atmosphere is being forced. Chapter 19 describes how drunken officers are pulling funeral tune,(in Vetkin's stupid eyes this motive causes tears), but pure sounds funeral services suddenly interrupted " terrible, cynical swearing" Osadchy , 419. Offended Romashov is trying to reason with people. After that, a scandal is played out, which led to the fact that Romashov challenges Nikolaev to a duel, 420, 426.

B) The meaning of the name is in Romashov's duel with the evil that is in himself. This conflict is given as a philosophical one, the hero's comprehension of freedom and necessity.

C) The theme of the duel - a sign of reality itself, the disunity of people, the misunderstanding of one person by another.

G) Civilian - officers, 411-412. Caste officer prejudices.

D) officers and soldiers(humiliated, let's remember the Tatar, Romashov's orderly, finishing his coffee after him, finishing his dinners)

E) But the name is also metaphorical, symbolic meaning. Kuprin wrote: With all the strength of my soul, I hate the years of my childhood and youth, the years of the corps, the cadet school and service in the regiment. About everything. What I have experienced and seen, I must write. And with my novel I will challenge the royal army to a duel". The name also has another, much larger social aspect. The story is Kuprin's duel with the whole army, with the whole system that kills the personality in a person and kills the person himself. In 1905, this story, of course, was taken by the revolutionary forces as a call to fight. But even almost a hundred years after the writing, the story remains a call for respect for the human person, for reconciliation and brotherly love.

5. So, traditions of Russian literature:

1) Kuprin's hero is closely connected with the concept of a superfluous person, Tolstoy's hero.

3) Spontaneous democracy, sympathy for the little man. (Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky)

4) Socio-philosophical definition of good and evil.

5) Orientation to some kind of doctrine. Tolstoy is looking for his "green stick". Kuprin does not know how to rebuild the world. His work contains the rejection of evil.

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