N.V. Gogol "Taras Bulba": description, characters, analysis of the work

Quiz with answers based on the story “Taras Bulba” by N.V. Gogol.

7th grade

1.Where does the story “Taras Bulba” take place? (In Ukraine)

2.What is the main theme of the story? (heroic struggle of the Ukrainian people with the Polish gentry)

3.Style of writing the story? (epic tale)

4. Why can N.V. Gogol’s story be called heroic? (tells about the struggle of the Ukrainian people)

5. Historical times depicted in the story “Taras Bulba”? (XVII century, when the Zaporozhye Cossacks selflessly fought against the oppressors of the people)

6.What does Gogol call the Zaporozhye Sich? (nest)

7.What did Taras do to Andriy in response to the betrayal? (killed him)

8.Name the reason for Andriy’s betrayal. (Love)

9.Whose portrait? “He endured all the torment and torture like a giant. Neither a scream nor a groan was heard even when they began to break his...bones.” (Ostap)

10.Which of the characters own the words? “Be patient, Cossack, you will become an ataman!”, “Is there still gunpowder in the flasks?”

11.Name the hero of the story.“…. His courageous face, recently filled with strength and a charm invincible for wives, still expressed wonderful beauty; black eyebrows, like mourning velvet, set off his pale features.” (Andriy)

12. Which character owns the words?“I would like to tell you, gentleman, what our partnership is... There are no bonds more holy than partnership! A father loves his child, a mother loves her child, a child loves his father and mother. But this is not the same, brothers: the beast also loves its child. But only one person can become related by kinship by soul, and not by blood...” (To Taras Bulba)

13.Name the hero. "Four times he buried his primer in the ground, and four times, having torn it inhumanely, they bought him a new one. But, without a doubt, he would have repeated the fifth if his father had not given him a solemn promise to keep him in the monastery servants for twenty years and had not sworn in advance that he would not see Zaporozhye forever if he did not learn all the sciences at the academy" (Ostap )

14. Name the hero. "He studied more willingly and without the tension with which a difficult and strong character is usually accepted. He was more resourceful than his brother; more often he was the leader of a rather dangerous enterprise and sometimes, with the help of his inventive mind, he knew how to evade punishment” (Andriy)

15.Name the place. “...represented an extraordinary phenomenon. It was some kind of continuous feast, a ball that began noisily and lost its end. Some were engaged in crafts, others kept shops and traded...” (Zaporozhye Sich)

16. Which character owns the words? "It’s okay, gentlemen-brothers, we will retreat. But I’ll be a filthy Tatar, and not a Christian, if we let even one of them out of the city! Let them all die of hunger, dogs!” (to Koshevoy)

17. Who are we talking about? “...I saw a beauty standing by the window, the likes of which I had never seen in my life: black-eyed and white as snow, illuminated by the morning blush of the sun. She laughed heartily, and laughter gave sparkling power to her dazzling beauty...”(Pannochka)

18.Whose words are these?“Father! Where are you? Can you hear?(Ostapa)

19. What thoughts and feelings of Gogol are expressed in the words: “Will there really be such fires, torments and such strength in the world that would overpower the Russian force!”(the writer’s admiration for the courage and greatness of the people who fought for the freedom and happiness of their fatherland and gave their lives for it)

20. Name the literary device used by the author in this passage.“Blue, blue and purple hairs showed through the thin, tall stems of grass; the yellow gorse jumped up with its pyramidal top; white porridge dotted the surface with umbrella-shaped caps; the ear of wheat brought from God knows where was pouring into the thicket.” (scenery)

Taras Bulba became a symbol of courage and love for the fatherland. The character, who was born from the pen, has successfully taken root in cinema and even in music - opera productions based on Gogol's story have been staged in theaters all over the world since the end of the 19th century.

History of character creation

Nikolai Gogol gave 10 years of his life to the story “Taras Bulba”. The idea of ​​an epic work in the genre of a historical story was born in the 1830s and already in the middle of the decade adorned the collection “Mirgorod”. However, the author was not satisfied with the literary creation. As a result, it went through eight edits, some of them drastic.

Nikolai Vasilyevich rewrote the original version until it was changed storylines and the introduction of new heroes. Over the years, the story grew thicker by three chapters, the battle scenes were filled with colors, and the Zaporozhye Sich became overgrown with small details from the life of the Cossacks. They say that the writer checked every word so that it more accurately conveyed the atmosphere and characters of the characters, while striving to preserve the flavor of the Ukrainian mentality. In 1842, the work was published in a new edition, but it was still corrected until 1851.

The story “Taras Bulba” by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, part of the cycle of stories “Mirgorod” (2 parts), was written in 1834. This is one of the most outstanding Russian historical works in fiction of that time, distinguished by a large number of characters, versatility and thoughtfulness of compositions, as well as the depth and capacity of the characters.

History of creation

The idea of ​​writing a large-scale historical story about the feat of the Zaporozhye Cossacks came to Gogol in 1830; he worked on creating the text for almost ten years, but the final editing was never completed. In 1835, in the first part of Mirgorod, the author’s version of the story “Taras Bulba” was published; in 1942, a slightly different edition of this manuscript was published.

Each time, Nikolai Vasilyevich remained dissatisfied with the printed version of the story, and made changes to its content at least eight times. For example, there was a significant increase in its volume: from three to nine chapters, the images of the main characters became brighter and more textured, more vivid descriptions were added to the battle scenes, the life and life of the Zaporozhye Sich acquired new interesting details.

(Illustration by Viktor Vasnetsov for “Taras Bulba” by Gogol, 1874)

Gogol very carefully and meticulously read the written text in an effort to create that unique combination that would best reveal his talent as a writer, penetrating into the depths of the characters’ characters, showing the unique self-awareness of the entire Ukrainian people as a whole. In order to understand and convey in his work the ideals of the era he describes, the author of the story with great passion and enthusiasm studied a wide variety of sources that described the history of Ukraine.

To give the story a special national flavor, which was clearly manifested in the description of everyday life, the characters, in bright and rich epithets and comparisons, Gogol used works of Ukrainian folklore (thoughts, songs). The work was based on the history of the Cossack uprising of 1638, which Hetman Potocki was tasked with suppressing. The prototype of the main character Taras Bulba was the ataman of the Zaporozhye Army Okhrim Makukha, a brave warrior and ascetic of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, who had three sons (Nazar, Khoma and Omelko).

Analysis of the work

Story line

The beginning of the story is marked by the arrival of Taras Bulba and his sons to the Zaporozhye Sich. Their father brings them in order to, as they say, “smell gunpowder,” “gain their wits,” and, having hardened themselves in battles with enemy forces, become real defenders of their Motherland. Finding themselves in the Sich, young people almost immediately find themselves in the very epicenter of developing events. Without even having time to really look around and get acquainted with local customs, they are called to military service into the Zaporozhye army and go to war with the nobility, which oppresses the Orthodox people, trampling on their rights and freedoms.

The Cossacks, as courageous and noble people, loving their homeland with all their souls and sacredly believing in the vows of their ancestors, could not help but interfere in the atrocities committed by the Polish gentry; they considered it their sacred duty to defend their Fatherland and the faith of their ancestors. The Cossack army goes on a campaign and bravely fights with the Polish army, which is much superior to the Cossack forces both in the number of soldiers and in the number of weapons. Their strength is gradually drying up, although the Cossacks do not admit this to themselves, so great is their faith in the fight for a just cause, fighting spirit and love for their native land.

The Battle of Dubno is described by the author in a unique folklore style, in which the image of the Cossacks is likened to the image of the legendary heroes who defended Rus' in ancient times, which is why Taras Bulba asks his brothers-in-arms three times “do they have gunpowder in their flasks,” to which they also answered three times times: “Yes, dad! The Cossack strength has not weakened, the Cossacks are not yet bending!” Many warriors find their death in this battle, dying with words glorifying the Russian land, because dying for the Motherland was considered the highest valor and honor for the Cossacks.

Main characters

Ataman Taras Bulba

One of the main characters of the story is the Cossack ataman Taras Bulba, this experienced and courageous warrior, together with his eldest son Ostap, is always in the front row of the Cossack offensive. He, like Ostap, who was already elected as chieftain by his brothers-in-arms at the age of 22, is distinguished by his remarkable strength, courage, nobility, strong-willed character and is a true defender of his land and his people, his whole life is devoted to serving the Fatherland and his compatriots.

Eldest son Ostap

A brave warrior, like his father, who loves his land with all his heart, Ostap is captured by the enemy and dies a difficult martyr’s death. He endures all tortures and trials with stoic courage, like a real giant, whose face is calm and stern. Although it is painful for his father to see his son’s torment, he is proud of him, admires his willpower, and blesses him for a heroic death, because it is worthy only of real men and patriots of his state. His Cossack brothers, who were captured with him, following the example of their chieftain, also accept death on the chopping block with dignity and some pride.

The fate of Taras Bulba himself is no less tragic: having been captured by the Poles, he dies as a martyr. terrible death, he is sentenced to be burned at the stake. And again, this selfless and brave old warrior is not afraid of such a cruel death, because for the Cossacks the most terrible thing in their lives was not death, but the loss of their own dignity, violation of the holy laws of comradeship and betrayal of the Motherland.

Youngest son Andriy

The story also touches on this topic: the youngest son of old Taras, Andriy, having fallen in love with a Polish beauty, becomes a traitor and goes over to the enemy camp. He, like his older brother, is distinguished by courage and boldness, but his spiritual world is richer, more complex and contradictory, his mind is more sharp and dexterous, his mental organization is more subtle and sensitive. Having fallen in love with the Polish lady, Andriy rejects the romance of war, the rapture of battle, the thirst for victory and completely surrenders to the feelings that make him a traitor and traitor to his people. His own father does not forgive him the most terrible sin - treason and sentences him: death by his own hand. Thus, carnal love for a woman, whom the writer considers the source of all troubles and creatures of the devil, overshadowed the love for the Motherland in Andriy’s soul, ultimately not bringing him happiness, and ultimately destroying him.

Features of compositional construction

In this work, the great classic of Russian literature depicted the confrontation between the Ukrainian people and the Polish gentry, who wanted to seize the Ukrainian land and enslave its inhabitants, young and old. In the description of the life and way of life of the Zaporozhye Sich, which the author considered the place where “the will and Cossacks throughout Ukraine” develops, one can feel the author’s especially warm feelings, such as pride, admiration and ardent patriotism. Depicting the life and way of life of the Sich and its inhabitants, Gogol in his brainchild combines historical realities with high lyrical pathos, which is the main feature of the work, which is both realistic and poetic.

The images of literary characters are depicted by the writer through their portraits, described actions, through the prism of relationships with other characters. Even a description of nature, for example the steppe along which old Taras and his sons are traveling, helps to penetrate more deeply into their souls and reveal the character of the heroes. In landscape scenes, various artistic and expressive techniques are present in abundance; there are many epithets, metaphors, comparisons, it is they that give the described objects and phenomena that amazing uniqueness, rage and originality that strike the reader right in the heart and touch the soul.

The story “Taras Bulba” is a heroic work glorifying love for the Motherland, one’s people, the Orthodox faith, and the holiness of feats in their name. The image of the Zaporozhye Cossacks is similar to the image of the epic heroes of antiquity, who harrowed the Russian land from any misfortune. The work glorifies the courage, heroism, bravery and dedication of the heroes who did not betray the sacred bonds of comradeship and defended their native land until their last breath. Traitors to the Motherland are equated by the author to enemy offspring, subject to destruction without any twinge of conscience. After all, such people, having lost honor and conscience, also lose their soul; they should not live on the land of the Fatherland, which the brilliant Russian writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol sang with such great fervor and love in his work.

Despite the author’s indication that Taras Bulba was born in the 15th century, the well-known fact of Bulba’s heavy smoking speaks in favor of the 17th century: the discovery of tobacco by Europeans occurred at the very end of the 15th century (thanks to Columbus) and only by the 17th century did it become widespread.

Pointing out the 15th century, Gogol emphasized that the story is fantastic, and the image is collective, but one of the prototypes of Taras Bulba is the ancestor of the famous traveler Kurennaya ataman of the Zaporozhian Army Okhrim Makukha, an associate of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, born in Starodub at the beginning of the 17th century, who had three Nazar's sons, Khomu (Foma) and Omelko (Emelyan), of whom Nazar betrayed his fellow Cossacks and went over to the side of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth army because of his love for the Polish lady (the prototype of Gogol's Andriy), Khoma (the prototype of Gogol's Ostap) died trying deliver Nazar to his father, and Emelyan became the ancestor of Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay and his uncle Grigory Ilyich Mikloukha, who studied with Nikolai Gogol and told him the family legend. The prototype is also Ivan Gonta, who was mistakenly attributed to the murder of two sons from his Polish wife, although his wife is Russian and the story is fictional.

Plot

Postage stamp of Romania, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of N.V. Gogol (“Taras Bulba”, 1952)

USSR postage stamp dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of N.V. Gogol, 1952

Russian postage stamp dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of N.V. Gogol, 2009

After graduating from the Kyiv Academy, his two sons, Ostap and Andriy, come to the old Cossack colonel Taras Bulba. Two stalwart young men, healthy and strong, whose faces have not yet been touched by a razor, are embarrassed to meet their father, who makes fun of their clothes as recent seminarians. The eldest, Ostap, cannot stand his father’s ridicule: “Even though you’re my dad, if you laugh, then, by God, I’ll beat you!” And father and son, instead of greeting each other after a long absence, seriously hit each other with blows. A pale, thin and kind mother tries to reason with her violent husband, who himself stops, glad that he has tested his son. Bulba wants to “greet” the younger one in the same way, but his mother is already hugging him, protecting him from his father.

On the occasion of the arrival of his sons, Taras Bulba convenes all the centurions and the entire regimental rank and announces his decision to send Ostap and Andriy to the Sich, because there is no better science for a young Cossack than the Zaporozhye Sich. At the sight of the young strength of his sons, the military spirit of Taras himself flares up, and he decides to go with them to introduce them to all his old comrades. The poor mother sits all night over her sleeping children, without closing her eyes, wanting the night to last as long as possible. Her dear sons are taken from her; they take it so that she will never see them! In the morning, after the blessing, the mother, desperate with grief, is barely torn away from the children and taken to the hut.

Three horsemen ride in silence. Old Taras remembers his wild life, a tear freezes in his eyes, his gray head droops. Ostap, who has a stern and firm character, although hardened over the years of studying at the Bursa, retained his natural kindness and was touched by the tears of his poor mother. This alone confuses him and makes him lower his head thoughtfully. Andriy is also having a hard time saying goodbye to his mother and home, but his thoughts are occupied with memories of the beautiful Polish woman he met just before leaving Kiev. Then Andriy managed to get into the beauty’s bedroom through the fireplace chimney; a knock on the door forced the Polish woman to hide the young Cossack under the bed. Tatarka, the lady's servant, as soon as the anxiety passed, took Andriy out into the garden, where he barely escaped from the awakened servants. He saw the beautiful Polish girl again in the church, soon she left - and now, with his eyes cast down into the mane of his horse, Andriy thinks about her.

After a long journey, the Sich meets Taras and his sons with his wild life - a sign of the Zaporozhye will. Cossacks do not like to waste time on military exercises, collecting military experience only in the heat of battle. Ostap and Andriy rush with all the ardor of young men into this riotous sea. But old Taras does not like an idle life - this is not the kind of activity he wants to prepare his sons for. Having met all his comrades, he is still figuring out how to rouse the Cossacks on a campaign, so as not to waste their Cossack prowess on a continuous feast and drunken fun. He persuades the Cossacks to re-elect the Koshevoy, who keeps peace with the enemies of the Cossacks. The new Koshevoy, under the pressure of the most militant Cossacks, and above all Taras, is trying to find a justification for a profitable campaign against Turkey, but under the influence of the Cossacks who arrived from Ukraine, who spoke about the oppression of the Polish lords and Jewish tenants over the people of Ukraine, the army unanimously decides to go to Poland, to avenge all the evil and disgrace of the Orthodox faith. Thus, the war takes on a people's liberation character.

And soon the entire Polish southwest becomes the prey of fear, the rumor running ahead: “Cossacks! The Cossacks have appeared! In one month, the young Cossacks matured in battle, and old Taras loves to see that both of his sons are among the first. The Cossack army is trying to take the city of Dubno, where there is a lot of treasury and wealthy inhabitants, but they encounter desperate resistance from the garrison and residents. The Cossacks are besieging the city and waiting for famine to begin. Having nothing to do, the Cossacks devastate the surrounding area, burning defenseless villages and unharvested grain. The young, especially the sons of Taras, do not like this life. Old Bulba calms them down, promising hot fights soon. One dark night, Andria is awakened from sleep by a strange creature that looks like a ghost. This is a Tatar, a servant of the same Polish woman with whom Andriy is in love. The Tatar woman whispers that the lady is in the city, she saw Andriy from the city rampart and asks him to come to her or at least give a piece of bread for his dying mother. Andriy loads the bags with bread, as much as he can carry, and the Tatar woman leads him along the underground passage to the city. Having met his beloved, he renounces his father and brother, comrades and homeland: “The homeland is what our soul seeks, what is dearer to it than anything else. My homeland is you.” Andriy remains with the lady to protect her until his last breath from his former comrades.

Polish troops, sent to reinforce the besieged, march into the city past drunken Cossacks, killing many while sleeping and capturing many. This event embitters the Cossacks, who decide to continue the siege to the end. Taras, searching for his missing son, receives terrible confirmation of Andriy's betrayal.

The Poles are organizing forays, but the Cossacks are still successfully repelling them. News comes from the Sich that, in the absence of the main force, the Tatars attacked the remaining Cossacks and captured them, seizing the treasury. The Cossack army near Dubno is divided in two - half goes to the rescue of the treasury and comrades, half remains to continue the siege. Taras, leading the siege army, makes a passionate speech in praise of comradeship.

The Poles learn about the weakening of the enemy and move out of the city for a decisive battle. Andriy is among them. Taras Bulba orders the Cossacks to lure him to the forest and there, meeting Andriy face to face, he kills his son, who even before his death utters one word - the name of the beautiful lady. Reinforcements arrive to the Poles, and they defeat the Cossacks. Ostap is captured, the wounded Taras, saved from pursuit, is brought to Sich.

Having recovered from his wounds, Taras persuades Yankel to secretly transport him to Warsaw to try to ransom Ostap there. Taras is present at the terrible execution of his son in the city square. Not a single groan escapes from Ostap’s chest under torture, only before death he cries out: “Father! where are you! Can you hear? - “I hear!” - Taras answers above the crowd. They rush to catch him, but Taras is already gone.

One hundred and twenty thousand Cossacks, including the regiment of Taras Bulba, rise up on a campaign against the Poles. Even the Cossacks themselves notice Taras’s excessive ferocity and cruelty towards the enemy. This is how he takes revenge for the death of his son. The defeated Polish hetman Nikolai Pototsky swears not to inflict any offense on the Cossack army in the future. Only Colonel Bulba does not agree to such a peace, assuring his comrades that the forgiven Poles will not keep their word. And he leads his regiment away. His prediction comes true - having gathered their strength, the Poles treacherously attack the Cossacks and defeat them.

And Taras walks throughout Poland with his regiment, continuing to avenge the death of Ostap and his comrades, mercilessly destroying all living things.

Five regiments under the leadership of that same Pototsky finally overtake the regiment of Taras, who was resting in an old collapsed fortress on the banks of the Dniester. The battle lasts four days. The surviving Cossacks make their way, but the old chieftain stops to look for his cradle in the grass, and the haiduks overtake him. They tie Taras to an oak tree with iron chains, nail his hands and lay a fire under him. Before his death, Taras manages to shout to his comrades to go down to the canoes, which he sees from above, and escape from pursuit along the river. And at the last terrible minute, the old ataman predicts the unification of the Russian lands, the destruction of their enemies and the victory of the Orthodox faith.

The Cossacks escape from the chase, row their oars together and talk about their chieftain.

Gogol's work on Taras Bulba

Gogol's work on Taras Bulba was preceded by a careful, in-depth study of historical sources. Among them should be named “Description of Ukraine” by Boplan, “History of the Zaporozhye Cossacks” by Myshetsky, handwritten lists of Ukrainian chronicles - Samovidets, Velichko, Grabyanka, etc.

But these sources did not completely satisfy Gogol. He lacked a lot in them: first of all, characteristic everyday details, living signs of the times, a true understanding of the past era. Special historical studies and chronicles seemed to the writer too dry, sluggish and, in essence, of little help to the artist to comprehend the spirit folk life, characters, psychology of people. Among the sources that helped Gogol in his work on Taras Bulba, there was another, most important one: Ukrainian folk songs, especially historical songs and thoughts. "Taras Bulba" has a long and complex creative history. It was first published in 1835 in the collection “Mirgorod”. In 1842, in the second volume of his Works, Gogol placed “Taras Bulba” in a new, radically revised edition. Work on this work continued intermittently for nine years: from to. Between the first and second editions of Taras Bulba, a number of intermediate editions of some chapters were written.

Differences between the first and second edition

In the first edition, the Cossacks are not called “Russians”; the dying phrases of the Cossacks, such as “let the holy Orthodox Russian land be glorified forever and ever,” are absent.

Below are comparisons of the differences between both editions.

Edition 1835. Part I

Edition 1842. Part I

Idioms

• “What, son, did your Poles help you?”
• “I gave birth to you, I will kill you!”
• “Turn around, son! How funny you are!”
• “The Fatherland is what our soul seeks, what is dearest to it.”
• "There is life in the old dog yet?!"
• “There is no bond holier than fellowship!”
• “Be patient, Cossack, and you will be an ataman!”
• “Good, son, good!”
• “Damn you, steppes, how good you are!”
• “Don’t listen to your mother, son! She’s a woman, she doesn’t know anything!”
• “Do you see this saber? Here is your mother!

Criticism of the story

Along with the general approval that critics met with Gogol's story, some aspects of the work were found unsuccessful. Thus, Gogol was repeatedly accused of the unhistorical nature of the story, the excessive glorification of the Cossacks, and the lack of historical context, which was noted by Mikhail Grabovsky, Vasily Gippius, Maxim Gorky and others. This can be explained by the fact that the writer did not have enough reliable information about the history of Little Russia. Gogol studied the history of his native land with great attention, but he drew information not only from rather meager chronicles, but also from folk tales, legends, as well as frankly mythological sources, such as “History of the Rus”, from which he gleaned descriptions of the atrocities of the gentry and the atrocities of the Jews and the valor of the Cossacks. The story caused particular discontent among the Polish intelligentsia. The Poles were outraged that in Taras Bulba the Polish nation was presented as aggressive, bloodthirsty and cruel. Mikhail Grabowski, who had a good attitude towards Gogol himself, spoke negatively about Taras Bulba, as well as many other Polish critics and writers, such as Andrzej Kempinski, Michal Barmut, Julian Krzyzanowski. In Poland, there was a strong opinion about the story as anti-Polish, and partly such judgments were transferred to Gogol himself.

The story was also criticized for anti-Semitism by some politicians, religious thinkers, and literary scholars. The leader of right-wing Zionism, Vladimir Jabotinsky, in his article “Russian Weasel”, assessed the scene of the Jewish pogrom in the story “Taras Bulba” as follows: “ None of the great literature knows anything similar in terms of cruelty. This cannot even be called hatred or sympathy for the Cossack massacre of the Jews: this is worse, this is some kind of carefree, clear fun, not overshadowed even by the half-thought that the funny legs kicking in the air are the legs of living people, some amazingly whole, indecomposable contempt for the inferior race, not condescending to enmity". As literary critic Arkady Gornfeld noted, Jews are depicted by Gogol as petty thieves, traitors and ruthless extortionists, devoid of any human traits. In his opinion, Gogol’s images “ captured by the mediocre Judeophobia of the era"; Gogol’s anti-Semitism does not come from the realities of life, but from established and traditional theological ideas “ about the unknown world of Jewry"; the images of Jews are stereotyped and represent pure caricature. According to religious thinker and historian Georgy Fedotov, " Gogol gave a jubilant description of the Jewish pogrom in Taras Bulba", which indicates " about the well-known failures of his moral sense, but also about the strength of the national or chauvinistic tradition that stood behind him» .

The critic and literary critic D.I. Zaslavsky held a slightly different point of view. In the article “Jews in Russian Literature,” he also supports Jabotinsky’s reproach for the anti-Semitism of Russian literature, including in the list of anti-Semitic writers Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Nekrasov, Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Leskov, Chekhov. But at the same time he finds justification for Gogol’s anti-Semitism as follows: “There is no doubt, however, that in the dramatic struggle of the Ukrainian people in the 17th century for their homeland, the Jews showed neither understanding of this struggle nor sympathy for it. This was not their fault, this was their misfortune.” “The Jews of Taras Bulba are caricatures. But the caricature is not a lie. ... The talent of Jewish adaptability is vividly and aptly depicted in Gogol’s poem. And this, of course, does not flatter our pride, but we must admit that the Russian writer has captured some of our historical features with evil and aptness.” .

Philologist Elena Ivanitskaya sees “the poetry of blood and death” and even “ideological terrorism” in the actions of Taras Bulba. Educator Grigory Yakovlev, arguing that Gogol’s story glorifies “violence, incitement to war, excessive cruelty, medieval sadism, aggressive nationalism, xenophobia, religious fanaticism demanding the extermination of infidels, incessant drunkenness elevated to a cult, unjustified rudeness even in relations with loved ones” , raises the question of whether this work should be studied in high school.

Critic Mikhail Edelstein differentiates the personal sympathies of the author and the laws of the heroic epic: “The heroic epic requires a black and white palette - emphasizing the superhuman virtues of one side and the complete insignificance of the other. Therefore, both Poles and Jews - yes, in fact, everyone except the Cossacks - in Gogol’s story are not people, but rather some kind of humanoid mannequins that exist to demonstrate the heroism of the main character and his warriors (like the Tatars in the epics about Ilya of Muromets or the Moors in "Songs of Roland"). It’s not that the epic and ethical principles come into conflict - it’s just that the first completely excludes the very possibility of the manifestation of the second.”

Film adaptations

In chronological order:

Musical adaptations

The pseudonym “Taras Bulba” was chosen by Vasily (Taras) Borovets, a leader of the Ukrainian nationalist movement, who in 1941 created the armed formation of the UPA, called the “Bulbovtsy”.

Notes

1. The text says that Bulba’s regiment is participating in the campaign of Hetman Ostranitsa. Ostranitsa is a real historical character, elected hetman in 1638 and in the same year was defeated by the Poles.
2. N.V. Gogol. Collection of works of art in five volumes. Volume two. M., Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1951
3. Library: N.V. Gogol, “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”, part I (Russian)
4. N.V. Gogol. Mirgorod. Text of the work. Taras Bulba | Komarov Library
5. NIKOLAI GOGOL BLESSED ANOTHER “TARAS BULBA” (“Mirror of the Week” No. 22, June 15-21, 2009)
6. Janusz Tazbir. “Taras Bulba” - finally in Polish.
7. Comments on "Mirgorod".
8. V. Zhabotinsky. Russian weasel
9. A. Gornfeld. Gogol Nikolai Vasilievich. // Jewish Encyclopedia (ed. Brockhaus-Efron, 1907-1913, 16 vols.).
10. G. Fedotov New on an old topic
11. D. I. Zaslavsky Jews in Russian literature
12. Weiskopf M. Gogol's plot: Morphology. Ideology. Context. M., 1993.
13. Elena Ivanitskaya. Monster
14. Grigory Yakovlev. Should we study Taras Bulba at school?
15. How a Jew turned into a woman. The story of a stereotype.
16. Taras Bulba (1909) - information about the film - films of the Russian Empire - Cinema-Theatre. RU
17. Taras Bulba (1924)
18. Tarass Boulba (1936)
19. The Barbarian and the Lady (1938)
20. Taras Bulba (1962)
21. Taras Bulba (1962) - Taras Bulba - information about the film - Hollywood films - Cinema-Theatre. RU
22. Taras Bulba, il cosacco (1963)
23. Taras Bulba (1987) (TV)
24. Duma about Taras Bulba - Slobidsky region
25. Taras Bulba (2009)
26. Taras Bulba (2009) - information about the film - Russian films and TV series - Kino-Teatr.RU
27. Classical music.ru, TARAS BULBA - opera by N. Lysenko // author A. Gozenpud

Sources

The time of action of the story “Taras Bulba” is related to the events in the Zaporozhye Sich. However, Gogol, violating historical chronology, mixed incidents and episodes from different centuries. He did not observe historical accuracy at all, because for him it was not historical, but artistic time that was more important.

Artistic time is the conventional time that is depicted in a work of art.

In Gogol, as in other writers, it does not coincide with historical time and with the time of the image. Gogol, firstly, describes the events of almost three centuries, but places them in one artistic time. It is absolutely clear that even such a hero as Taras Bulba could not live two or three hundred years. Secondly, about the historical era of the Zaporozhye Sich, which had long disappeared by the time of Gogol, is written not by its contemporary, but by a distant descendant. Consequently, the time depicted in the story does not coincide with the time of the image. In other words, a person of the 19th century writes about the era of the 15th-17th centuries. Artistic time is conditional, and the writer, in this case Gogol, needs it for special purposes.

There are two such features of artistic time in Taras Bulba: it is famous for its exploits and heroes, and it is epic, that is, it was a long time ago. The story was created in the spirit of a heroic epic, like the epic of Homer or the epic of chivalry, but it arose in a different place.

Her main character- Taras Bulba - is endowed with epic integrity and carries within himself the conventional ethical values ​​of the Zaporozhye Sich. And they are that the Zaporozhye Sich is an Orthodox world, a special “nomadic” and free cultural and historical community. Its irreconcilable enemy is Catholic and “sedentary” Poland. Statehood has already been established in Poland. The Zaporozhye Sich is a wild freemen, which rests on “comradery”, brotherhood, on conditional equality that excludes property. All concepts of good and evil in the Zaporozhye Sich are special, they belong to a bygone world, and they must be judged not according to modern, but according to the laws of that time. For example, a Cossack needs will, but not a hut, because if a person has a house or any property, he loses courage. The one who is homeless is brave. Everyone needs a wife to bear children. Otherwise, she is a burden and only fetters the will. For a Cossack, mother and wife are lower than friend. Above all else, even family ties, is camaraderie. The two sons of Taras Bulba are first of all comrades, brothers, and then sons. Old Taras is proud of Ostap because he follows the laws of brotherhood without betraying them. Andriy is unworthy to be the son of Taras, since he violated the commandments of partnership. He must certainly die in order for the Cossack community to maintain unshakable unity. Since Taras gave birth to a traitor, he is obliged to rid the Cossacks of Andriy.

Another feature of the Cossack partnership is the Orthodox faith. It does not at all act as a teaching of the church, but is thought of as a simple belonging to Orthodoxy, to Christ. Consequently, faith is a sign, a symbol of the Sich.

The Cossacks know literacy, but they consider it bookish wisdom, which is lower than military wisdom. True education in the spirit of camaraderie will only be completed when Ostap and Andriy master the martial art and take part in battles with the Catholic Poles. War is a bloody test of loyalty to comradeship, loyalty to Orthodoxy. Anyone who fought receives an indisputable right to an honorable place in the sacred Fatherland. The meaning of the feasts in “Taras Bulba” is clear, when a barrel of red wine is rolled out and with this wine and simple bread the Cossacks partake of faith and comradeship before battles.

Zaporozhye Sich is a special conventional artistic world in which its own moral values, its own concepts of good and evil operate. When Gogol describes them, he takes the side of the main character - Taras Bulba. Taras Bulba is the keeper of the holy laws of partnership and faith. He is the bearer of epic consciousness and its exponent. Therefore, his point of view appears as objective and always correct, undeniable. This is how the chronicler writes, this is how the folk storyteller tells it, completely trusting the epic hero. In other words, Taras Bulba is always right. Even when in the actions of the Zaporozhye freemen there is a feeling of predatory revelry, both from a modern point of view and from the point of view of a person of the 19th century, many of Taras Bulba’s actions are anti-human and disgusting. But Gogol portrays them with epic calm. They are not subject to critical evaluation or moral judgment, because Taras Bulba is an ideal hero of Slavic antiquity and because he acted in full accordance with the morals that reigned in his era.

As soon as the common feelings and concepts that unite people (Fatherland, faith, blood family kinship, common clan property that belongs to everyone and the brotherhood and camaraderie based on them) are replaced by personal feelings and concepts, individual preferences, the epic world immediately decomposes and collapses.

Historically, the satisfaction of personal interests and individual aspirations, of course, meant a decisive step by society towards humanity, spiritual subtlety, and deeper individual development. But to Gogol, as well as to other writers, this process was revealed from the other side: as the triumph of individualism, selfish passions over common interests, over common faith, over patriotic feelings. The power of egoism and the superiority of individualistic passions meant the end of an epic era in which man had not yet stood out from the general whole. In Taras Bulba, Cossack unity is placed above Andriy’s individualism, but it is dying, losing its power and is supported only by tradition. The epic world is still capable of temporarily protecting itself and protecting it from the triumph of egoistic manifestations; it is still capable of punishing and punishing a hero who has fallen away from the family-tribal fraternal unity, but gradually the epic world itself, and time, and its heroes are also dying. Together with them, the heroic epic goes into the past, the place of which goes to the novel, including love, glorifying refined personal feelings, revelations of individual love. Andriy becomes such a novel hero. Contrary to his preferences, Gogol with exceptional lyricism describes his inherent feeling of love, the beauty of the Polish woman, who appears to Andriy simultaneously in traditionally epic and folklore images and in individual sensations (pallor, comparison with pearls, etc.). The writer presents this personal feeling as a satanic temptation, as a devilish obsession, as a manifestation of individualism, but through such an image admiration for beauty, the sophistication of experiences, and spiritual richness also shines through. Gogol cannot hide his intoxication with girlish beauty.

Nevertheless, it is the epic world and epic consciousness that is leaving the historical arena that wins, and not the individualistic world and egoistic consciousness, in which humanity, humaneness, and personality in general with its own morals and interests were contradictorily manifested. In contrast to the execution of Andria, Gogol depicts the execution of Ostap, the eldest son, heir to the tradition. The shameful execution in solitude is replaced by the high, solemn execution of Ostap in full view of the entire square: “... people poured in there from all sides.” And so Ostap approached the frontal area. His life is directly compared with the execution of Christ, with the cup he drank the day before in the Garden of Gethsemane (“He was the first to drink this heavy cup”). The execution is understood as an execution for faith, just as Christ sacrificed himself for faith: “Grant, God, that all the heretics who stand here do not hear, the wicked, how a Christian suffers! So that not one of us utters a single word!” And here Ostap, enduring unbearable torment, as befits an epic hero, calls out not to his mother, not to his wife: “... he would like to see a strong husband now...” And he turns to his father, to the family origin, and he responds to his exclamation. Gogol contrasts the bewitching female beauty and her personal experience with the beauty of courage, which is characteristic of a rough and simple, but integral epic hero.

Taras Bulba is also faithful to the triumph of the masculine principle. He gathers an army and starts a war to avenge the death of Ostap. The new war is an attempt to preserve the Cossack community, the Cossack freemen, who lived by raids, robberies and at the same time firmly defending their independence and the Orthodox faith. When Taras is captured by the Poles, the execution ahead of him - to be burned at the stake - is interpreted as a high, sin-burning and cleansing sacrifice for the sake of comradeship. It is not for nothing that Taras was given the last joy - to see that the brother of the beautiful Polish woman who seduced Andriy died, and the last minute of happiness to watch how his comrades were saved and the Cossack brotherhood was preserved. This means that the “Orthodox Russian faith” has not died.

Three executions: one execution of the traitor, the traitor Andriy, another execution of Ostap, who died for his faith, and the third - Taras for the glory of comradeship. Three last words, three shouts: Andria - to the Polish lady, Ostap - to his father, Taras - to his comrades and to the coming Russian power: “Even now they sense distant and close generations: their king is rising across the Russian land and there will be no power in the world , which would not submit to him!..” The Zaporozhye Sich goes into the mythological past, becoming a legend, tradition, the property of epic tales. She did not die, her memory was preserved. It only gave way to the historical place of the great Russian kingdom, which has such power that there is no force “that would overpower the Russian force!” And although the writer’s romantic prophecy came true, the enthusiastic elation of the prophecies in “Taras Bulba” was nevertheless corrected by the general composition of the stories included in “Mirgorod”.