The role of fantasy in various prose cycles of Gogol. Essay on the topic “The role of fantasy and grotesque in the creativity of N.

One of the most significant critics of his time, V.G. Belinsky disapproved of the story “Portrait”: “this is an unsuccessful attempt by Mr. Gogol in a fantastic way. Here his talent declines, but even in his decline he remains a talent.”

Probably, the success of Pushkin’s “Queen of Spades” prompted Gogol to tell the story of a man who was destroyed by a thirst for gold. The author called his story “Portrait”. Is it because the portrait of the moneylender played a fatal role in the fate of his heroes, the artists, whose fates are compared in two parts of the story? Or because Gogol wanted to give a portrait of modern society and a talented person who perishes or is saved in spite of hostile circumstances and the humiliating properties of nature? Or is this a portrait of art and the soul of the writer himself, trying to get away from the temptation of success and prosperity and cleanse the soul with high service to art?

Probably, in this strange story by Gogol there is a social, moral, and aesthetic meaning, there is a reflection on what a person, society, and art are. Modernity and eternity are intertwined here so inextricably that the life of the Russian capital in the 30s of the 19th century goes back to biblical thoughts about good and evil, about their endless struggle in the human soul.

At first we meet the artist Chartkov at that moment in his life when, with youthful ardor, he loves the heights of the genius of Raphael, Michelangelo, Correggio and despises handicraft fakes that replace art for the average person. Seeing a strange portrait of an old man with piercing eyes in the shop, Chartkov is ready to give his last two kopecks for it. Poverty did not take away his ability to see the beauty of life and work with passion on his sketches. He reaches out to the light and does not want to turn art into an anatomical theater, to expose a “disgusting person” with a knife-brush. He rejects artists whose “nature itself... seems low and dirty,” so that “there is nothing illuminating in it.” Chartkov, according to his teacher in painting, is talented, but impatient and prone to worldly pleasures and vanity. But as soon as the money, miraculously dropped from the portrait frame, gives Chartkov the opportunity to lead an absent-minded social life and enjoy prosperity, wealth and fame, and not art, become his idols. Chartkov owes his success to the fact that, while drawing a portrait of a society young lady, which turned out bad for him, he was able to rely on a disinterested work of talent - a drawing of Psyche, where one could hear the dream of an ideal being. But the ideal was not alive and only by connecting with the impressions of real life did it become attractive, and real life acquired the significance of the ideal. However, Chartkov lied, giving the insignificant girl the appearance of Psyche. Having flattered for the sake of success, he betrayed the purity of art. And Chartkov’s talent began to leave him and betrayed him. “Whoever has talent within himself must be purer in soul than anyone else,” says the father to his son in the second part of the story. And this is an almost verbatim repetition of Mozart’s words in Pushkin’s tragedy: “Genius and villainy are two incompatible things.” But for Pushkin, goodness is in the nature of genius. Gogol writes a story about how the artist, like all people, is subject to the temptation of evil and destroys himself and his talent more terribly and quickly than ordinary people. Talent that is not realized in true art, talent that has parted with goodness, becomes destructive for the individual.

Chartkov, who has given up truth to beauty for the sake of success, ceases to feel life in its multicolor, variability, and trembling. His portraits console customers, but they do not live, they do not reveal, but hide the personality and nature. And despite the fame of a fashionable painter, Chartkov feels that he has nothing to do with real art. A wonderful painting by an artist who perfected himself in Italy caused a shock in Chartkov. Probably, in the admiring outline of this painting, Gogol gave a generalized image of the famous painting by Karl Bryullov “The Last Day of Pompeii”. But the shock experienced by Chartkov does not awaken him to a new life, because for this it is necessary to abandon the pursuit of wealth and fame, to kill the evil in himself. Chartkov chooses a different path: he begins to expel talented art from the world, buy and cut magnificent canvases, and kill goodness. And this path leads him to madness and death.

What was the reason for these terrible transformations: a person’s weakness in the face of temptations or the mystical witchcraft of the portrait of a moneylender who gathered the evil of the world in his scorching gaze? Gogol answered this question ambiguously. A real explanation of Chartkov’s fate is just as possible as a mystical one. The dream that leads Chartkov to gold may be both the fulfillment of his subconscious desires and the aggression of evil spirits, which is mentioned every time the portrait of a usurer is mentioned. The words “devil”, “devil”, “darkness”, “demon” turn out to be the speech frame of the portrait in the story.

Pushkin in “The Queen of Spades” essentially refutes the mystical interpretation of events. The story, written by Gogol in the year of the appearance and general success of “The Queen of Spades,” is a response and objection to Pushkin. Evil affects not only Chartkov, who is subject to the temptations of success, but also the father of the artist B., who painted a portrait of a moneylender who resembled the devil and who himself became an evil spirit. And “a strong character, an honest, straightforward person,” having painted a portrait of evil, feels “incomprehensible anxiety,” disgust for life and envy for the success of his talented students.

The artist who touched evil, who painted the eyes of the moneylender, which “looked demonically destructive,” can no longer paint good, his brush is driven by “unclean feeling,” and in the picture intended for the temple, “there is no holiness in the faces.”

All people associated with a moneylender in real life die, having betrayed the best qualities of their nature. The artist who reproduced evil expanded its influence. The portrait of a moneylender robs people of the joy of life and awakens “such melancholy... just as if I wanted to stab someone to death.” This combination is stylistically characteristic: “exactly as if...” Of course, “exactly” is used in the sense of “as” in order to avoid tautology. At the same time, the combination of “exactly” and “as if” conveys Gogol’s characteristic manner of detailed realistic description and illusory, fantastic meaning of events.

The story “Portrait” does not bring reassurance, showing how all people, regardless of the characteristics of their character and the height of their convictions, are susceptible to evil. Gogol, by redoing the ending of the story, takes away the hope of eradicating evil. In the first edition, the image of the moneylender mysteriously evaporated from the canvas, leaving the canvas blank. In the final text of the story, the portrait of the moneylender disappears: evil has again begun to roam the world.

RUSSIAN FICTION OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY

General characteristics of N.V.’s creativity Gogol

N.V. Gogol is the first major Russian prose writer. In this capacity, in the opinion of many contemporaries, he stood above Pushkin himself, who was recognized primarily as a poet. For example, Belinsky, having praised Pushkin’s “History of the Village of Goryukhin,” made a reservation: “...If our literature did not contain Gogol’s stories, then we would not know anything better.”

The flourishing of realism in Russian prose is usually associated with Gogol and the “Gogolian direction” (a later term of Russian criticism, introduced by N. G. Chernyshevsky). It is characterized by special attention to social issues, depiction (often satirical) of the social vices of Nikolaev Russia, careful reproduction of socially and culturally significant details in portraits, interiors, landscapes and other descriptions;

addressing themes of St. Petersburg life, depicting the fate of a minor official. Belinsky believed that Gogol’s works reflected the spirit of the “ghostly” reality of Russia at that time. Belinsky emphasized that Gogol’s work cannot be reduced to social satire (as for Gogol himself, he never considered himself a satirist).

At the same time, Gogol's realism is of a very special kind. Some researchers (for example, writer V.V. Nabokov) do not consider Gogol a realist at all, others call his style “fantastic realism.” The fact is that Gogol is a master of phantasmagoria. There is a fantastic element to many of his stories. A feeling of “displaced”, “distorted” reality is created, reminiscent of a crooked mirror. This is due to hyperbole and grotesque - the most important elements of Gogol’s aesthetics. Much connects Gogol with the romantics (for example, with E. T. Hoffman, in whom phantasmagoria is often intertwined with social satire). But, starting from romantic traditions, Gogol directs the motifs borrowed from them into a new, realistic direction.

There is a lot of humor in Gogol's works. It is no coincidence that V. G. Korolenko’s article about the creative fate of Gogol is called “The Tragedy of the Great Humorist.” Gogol's humor is dominated by the absurd principle. Gogol’s traditions were inherited by many Russian humorists of the late 19th and 20th centuries, as well as those writers who focused on the aesthetics of the absurd (for example, the “Oberiuts”: D. Kharms, A. Vvedensky, etc.).

Gogol himself was in some way an idealist and passionately wanted to “learn” to portray a positively beautiful world, truly harmonious and sublimely heroic characters. The tendency to depict only the funny and ugly psychologically weighed on the writer; he felt guilty for showing only grotesque, caricatured characters. Gogol admitted more than once that he passed on his own spiritual vices to these heroes, filling them with his “rubbish and muck.” This topic sounds especially acute, for example, at the beginning of Chapter VII of “Dead Souls” (find her) as well as in journalism (see “Four letters to different persons regarding “Dead Souls” from the series “Selected passages from correspondence with friends”). In his later years of creativity, Gogol experienced a deep mental crisis and was on the verge of a mental breakdown. During these years, the writer gave his previously written works an unexpected paradoxical interpretation. Being in severe depression. Gogol destroyed the second and third volumes of the poem “Dead Souls,” and one of the reasons for this act was the writer’s painful rejection of his work.

The real in Gogol’s stories coexists with the fantastic throughout the writer’s entire work. But this phenomenon is undergoing some evolution - the role, place and methods of including the fantastic element do not always remain the same.

In Gogol’s early works (“Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”, “Viy”) the fantastic comes to the foreground of the plot (miraculous metamorphoses, the appearance of evil spirits), it is associated with folklore (Little Russian fairy tales and legends) and with romantic literature , which also borrowed such motifs from folklore.

Let us note that one of Gogol’s “favorite” characters is the “devil.” Various evil spirits often appear in the plots of “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” in a popular farcical form, not scary, but rather funny (there are exceptions, for example, the demonic sorcerer in “Terrible Revenge”). In the works of a later period, the author’s mystical anxiety, the feeling of the presence of something sinister in the world, is more strongly felt. re, a passionate desire to overcome this with laughter. D. S. Merezhkovsky in his work “Gogol and the Devil” expresses this idea with a successful metaphor: the goal of Gogol’s work is “to make fun of the devil.”

In St. Petersburg stories, the fantastic element is sharply relegated to the background of the plot, fantasy seems to dissolve in reality. The supernatural is present in the plot not directly, but indirectly, indirectly, for example, as a dream (“The Nose”), delirium (“Notes of a Madman”), implausible rumors (“The Overcoat”). Only in the story “Portrait” do truly supernatural events occur. It is no coincidence that Belinsky did not like the first edition of the story “Portrait” precisely because of the excessive presence of a mystical element in it.

Finally, in the works of the last period (“Revisor”, “Dead Souls”) the fantastic element in the plot is practically absent. The events depicted are not supernatural, but rather strange and extraordinary (although in principle possible). But the manner of narration (style, language) becomes more and more bizarre and phantasmagoric. Now the feeling of a crooked mirror, a “displaced” world, the presence of sinister forces arises not thanks to magical fairy-tale plots, but through absurdity, alogisms, and irrational moments in the narrative. The author of the study “The Poetry of Gogol,” Yu. V. Mann, writes that Gogol’s grotesque and fantasy gradually move from plot to style.

(See also the cross-cutting topic: “The role of the fantastic element in Russian literature.”)

• Expanding students' understanding of Gogol's work, helping them see the real and fantastic world in the story "Portrait".
• Formation of research skills and comparative analysis.
• Strengthen faith in the high purpose of art.

Equipment: portrait of N.V. Gogol, two versions of the story, illustrations for the story.

Preparing for the lesson. In advance, students are given the task of reading the story "Portrait": the first group - the "Arabesque" option, the second group - the second option. Prepare answers to the questions:

1. What is the ideological content of the story?
2. How did the hero get the portrait?
3. Who is shown in the portrait?
4. How did the artist try to get rid of the terrible portrait?
5. How does the spiritual fall of an artist occur?
6. What is the future fate of the portrait?

During the classes

Organizational part. State the topic and purpose of the lesson.

Teacher's opening speech.

One of the features of N.V.’s creativity. Gogol - a vision of the world through fantasy. As a romantic, he was fascinated by fantastic plots and strong characters of people from the people. The stories “The Night Before Christmas”, “May Night, or the Drowned Woman”, beloved by many readers, “Viy”, “Terrible Revenge”, “Enchanted Place” are similar to a fairy tale, because in them the world is divided into ordinary, real and unusual, “otherworldly” ". In his works, reality is intricately intertwined with fantastic fiction.

We see such a connection between reality and fantasy in the story “Portrait”. It is considered one of the most controversial and complex stories of the St. Petersburg cycle; is interesting not only as a unique expression of the writer’s aesthetic views, but also as a work in which the contradictions of Gogol’s worldview were reflected. Gogol's world of St. Petersburg is real, recognizable and at the same time fantastic, eluding understanding. In the 1930s, stories about people of art, musicians, and artists were especially popular. Against the background of these works, Gogol's "Portrait" stood out for the significance of its ideological concept and the maturity of the writer's generalizations.

Conversation about the history of the story.

Teacher. Please note the publication date of the story.

The original version of the story was published in the collection "Arabesques" in 1835. The second, revised version was published in 1942 in the Sovremennik magazine. They are both similar and different.

It turns out that the original edition of the story caused a number of negative reviews from critics. The great critic V.G. spoke especially harshly about her. Belinsky. In the article “On the Russian story and the stories of Mr. Gogol,” he writes: “Portrait” is an unsuccessful attempt by Gogol in the fantastic genre. Here his talent declines, but even in his decline he remains a talent. The first part of this story is impossible to read without fascination; in fact, there is something terrible, fatal, fantastic in this mysterious portrait, there is some kind of invincible charm that makes you forcibly look at it, although it is scary for you. Add to this many humorous paintings and essays in the taste of Mr. Gogol: But the second part of it is absolutely worthless; Mr. Gogol is not visible in it at all. This is an obvious addition in which the mind worked, and fantasy did not take any part: In general, it must be said that the fantastic is somehow not entirely given to Mr. Gogol.”

Under the influence of Belinsky’s criticism, Gogol revised the story in 1841-1842 during his stay in Rome and sent it to Pletneva for publication, accompanied by the words: “It was published in Arabesques, but don’t be afraid of that. Read it: you will see that there is only one left.” only the outline of the previous story, that everything was embroidered from it again. In Rome, I completely redid it, or, better yet, wrote it again, as a result of comments made back in St. Petersburg,” he wrote to Pletnev.

Comparative analysis of the work.

Teacher. What is this story about?

The writer focuses on the tragic fate of the artist in modern society, where everything is for sale, including beauty, talent and inspiration. The collision of the ideals of art, beauty and reality forms the basis of the content of both the first and second editions.

A talented but poor young artist bought an old portrait with his last money. The strangeness of the portrait lies in the eyes, the piercing gaze of the mysterious person depicted in it. “The portrait, it seemed, was not finished; but the power of the brush was striking. Most extraordinary of all were the eyes: it seemed that the artist had used all the power of the brush and all the diligent care in them. They simply looked, looked even from the portrait itself, as if destroying its harmony with their strange liveliness... They were alive, they were human eyes! They were motionless, but, probably, they would not have been so terrible if they had moved.” The young artist spent a night full of nightmares. He saw, either in a dream or in reality, how the terrible old man depicted in the portrait jumped out of the frames: So he began to approach the artist, began to unwrap the packages, and there were gold coins: “My God, if only part of this money!” - the artist dreamed, and his dream came true. But from that day on, strange changes began to occur in the young man’s soul. Flattered by wealth, not without the intervention of a portrait, he gradually turned from a promising talented artist into a greedy, envious artisan. “Soon it was impossible to recognize him as a modest artist: His fame grew, his works and orders increased: But even the most ordinary merits were no longer visible in his works, and yet they still enjoyed fame, although true experts and artists only shrugged their shoulders, looking at his latest works, gold became his passion and ideal, fear and pleasure, a goal. Bunches of banknotes grew in his chests.” Chartkov sank lower and lower, reached the point where he began to destroy the talented creations of other masters, went crazy and finally died. After his death, his paintings were put up for auction, including that portrait. Recognized by one of the visitors, the mysterious portrait disappeared to continue its destructive influence on people.

Teacher. Let's compare two versions of the story. What differences do you find between the stories of the two editions?

How did the hero get the portrait?

Who is shown in the portrait?

How did the artist try to get rid of the terrible portrait?

How does the spiritual fall of an artist occur?

What is the future fate of the portrait?

Editorial "Arabesque".	Second edition.
1. The painting appeared in the hands of the artist Chertkov in a mysterious way. Chertkov paid 50 rubles for the portrait, but, horrified by his eyes, ran away. That evening the portrait mysteriously appeared on his wall. (Mystical element)	1. Chartkov bought a portrait in a shop for the last two kopecks and “took it with him.”
2. The portrait depicts a mysterious moneylender, either a Greek, or an Armenian, or a Moldavian, whom the author called a “strange creature.” But he has a specific surname - Petromikhali. Before his death, he begged and conjured the artist to “draw a portrait of him.” Half of his life turned into a portrait.	2. Unknown moneylender, “an extraordinary creature in every way.” No one knows his name, but there is no doubt about the presence of evil spirits in this man. “The devil, the perfect devil!” the artist thinks about him, “that’s who I should have painted the devil from.” As if having learned about his thoughts, the terrible moneylender himself came to him to order a portrait. “What devilish power! He will simply jump out of my canvas, if only I am at least a little true to nature:” - How right he was, this artist!
3. The author of the portrait burned it in the fireplace, but the terrible portrait appeared again, and the artist experienced many misfortunes.	3. A friend begged the author for the painting, and the portrait began to bring misfortune to people one after another.
4. Clients somehow mysteriously learn about the famous artist Chertkov. The spiritual fall of the artist occurs as a result of the intervention of the “devil”.	4. Chartkov himself orders an advertisement in the newspaper “On Chartkov’s extraordinary talents.”
Due to his penchant for social life, ostentation, and the love of money, he sinks lower and lower.	5. At the end, the portrait mysteriously and without a trace disappeared from the canvas. (Mysticism again!)

5. The portrait is stolen. But it continues to exist and destroy people. (Realistic meaning)

Teacher. What is the ideological content of the story?

If in the first edition “Portrait” is a story about the invasion of mysterious demonic forces into the work and life of an artist, then in the second edition it is a story about an artist who betrayed art and suffered retribution for the fact that he began to treat creativity as a profitable craft. In the second story, Gogol significantly weakened the fantastic element and deepened the psychological content of the story. The artist’s moral decline was not at all accidental; it was explained not by the magical power of the portrait, but by the inclinations of the artist himself, who revealed “impatience,” “excessive vibrancy of colors,” and a love of money. Thus, the ending in the second edition acquired a realistic meaning.

The death of the painter Chartkov is predetermined at the very beginning of the story in the words of the professor: “Look, brother, you have talent; it will be a sin if you ruin it: Beware: the light is already beginning to attract you: It is tempting, you can start painting fashionable pictures, portraits for money . But this is where talent is destroyed, not developed:". However, the young man did not pay much attention to the mentor’s warning.

Teacher. Art is called upon to reveal to man the holiness, the mystery of life, its justification. The artist who painted the mysterious portrait speaks about the reconciling mission of art in “Portrait.” Through years of solitude and humility, he atones for the evil he committed unwittingly. He passes on his new understanding of art to his son, also an artist. These ideas are especially close and dear to Gogol. He tries to comprehend the most complex nature of creativity; Therefore, the story correlates the fates of three artists. Name them.

Firstly, Chartkov, endowed with a spark of God and having lost his talent; secondly, the artist who created a painting in Italy that amazes everyone with its harmony and silence; thirdly, the author of the ill-fated portrait.

Summing up the lesson.

Teacher. In the story, Gogol gradually reveals the reason for the death of not only his talent, but also the artist himself. In the pursuit of wealth, Gogol's character loses the integrity of his spirit and can no longer create from inspiration. The soul destroyed by the “light” seeks salvation in material wealth and worldly fashionable fame. The reader believes that mystical forces are also involved in this. The result of such a deal, and Gogol considers it a deal with the devil, is the death of talent, the death of the artist. This is the merging of the fantastic and realistic in the story.

N.V. Gogol saw St. Petersburg not only as a flourishing capital, whose life is full of magnificent balls, not only as a city where the best achievements of art in Russia and Europe are concentrated. The writer saw in him a concentrate of depravity, poverty and cowardice. The collection “Petersburg Tales” was dedicated to identifying the problems of society in northern Palmyra, and at the same time throughout Russia, and searching for ways of salvation. This cycle includes “Portrait,” which will be discussed in our article.

The writer came up with the idea for the story “Portrait” in 1832. The first edition was published in the collection "Arabesques" in 1835. Later, after writing “Dead Souls” and traveling abroad, in 1841 Gogol subjected the book to significant changes. In the third issue of Sovremennik, a new version was published. In it, the epithets, dialogues, and rhythm of presentation were changed, and the surname of the leading character became “Chartkov” instead of “Chertkov,” which was associated with the devil. This is the story of "Portrait".

The motif of an image possessing ominous power was inspired by Gogol’s then-fashionable novel by Maturin “Melmoth the Wanderer.” In addition, the image of a greedy moneylender also makes these works similar. In the image of the greedy businessman, whose portrait turns the life of the main character upside down, one can hear echoes of the myth of Agasphere - the “Eternal Jew” who cannot find peace.

Meaning of the name

The ideological concept of the work lies in its title – “Portrait”. It is no coincidence that Gogol names his brainchild this way. It is the portrait that is the cornerstone of the entire work, which allows you to expand the genre range from a story to a detective story, and also completely changes the life of the main character. It is also filled with special ideological content: it is the symbol of greed and depravity. This work raises the question of art and its authenticity.

In addition, this title of the story makes the reader think about the problems that the writer reveals. What else could the title be? Suppose, “The Death of the Artist” or “Greed”, all this would not carry such a symbolic meaning, and the ominous image would remain only a work of art. The title “Portrait” focuses the reader on this particular creation, forces him to always keep in mind, and subsequently, see in it more than the captured face.

Genre and direction

The direction of fantastic realism set by Gogol showed up relatively little in this work. There are no ghosts, animated noses or other humanized objects, but there is a certain mystical power of the moneylender, whose money brings people only grief; The painting, completed at the end of his life, continues the terrible mission of the man depicted in it. But Gogol gives a simple explanation for all the terrifying phenomena that happened to Chartkov after acquiring the canvas: it was a dream. Therefore, the role of fiction in “Portrait” is not great.

The story in the second part receives elements of a detective story. The author gives an explanation of where the money could have come from, the discovery of which at the beginning of the work seemed magical. In addition, the fate of the portrait itself has the features of a detective: it mysteriously disappears from the wall during the auction.

The portrayal of the characters of Chartkov's capricious clients, his naive craving for tasteless pomp - all these are comic techniques embodied in the book. Therefore, the genre of the story is correlated with satire.

Composition

The story “Portrait” consists of two parts, but each of them has its own compositional features. The first section has a classic structure:

1. exposition (life of a poor artist)
2. tie-in (purchase of a portrait)
3. climax (Chartkov's mental disorder)
4. denouement (death of the painter)

The second part can be perceived as an epilogue or some kind of author’s commentary on the above. The peculiarity of the composition of “Portrait” is that Gogol uses the technique of a story within a story. The son of the artist who painted the ominous portrait appears at the auction and claims ownership of the work. He talks about the difficult fate of his father, the life of a greedy money lender and the mystical properties of the portrait. His speech is framed by the auctioneers' bargaining and the disappearance of the very subject of the dispute.

About what?

The action takes place in St. Petersburg. The young artist Chartkov is in extreme need, but with his last pennies he buys a portrait of an old man in a shop on Shchukin’s yard, whose eyes “stroking as if they were alive.” Since then, unprecedented changes began to occur in his life. One night the young man dreamed that the old man came to life and stuck out a bag of gold. In the morning, gold chervonets were discovered in the frame of the picture. The hero moved to a better apartment, acquired all the things necessary for painting in the hope of devoting himself entirely to art and developing his talent. But everything turned out completely differently. Chartkov became a fashionable popular artist, and his main activity was painting commissioned portraits. One day he saw the work of his friend, which awakened in the young man his former interest in real creativity, but it was too late: the hand does not obey, the brush performs only memorized strokes. Then he goes berserk: he buys up the best paintings and brutally destroys them. Soon Chartkov dies. This is the essence of the work: material wealth destroys a person’s creative nature.

During the auction, when his property is being sold, one gentleman claims rights to the portrait of an old man, which was bought by Chartkov at Shchukin’s yard. He tells the background and description of the portrait, and also admits that he himself is the son of the artist, the author of this work. But during the auction, the painting mysteriously disappears.

The main characters and their characteristics

We can say that each part of the story has its own main character: in the first it is Chartkov, and in the second the image of a moneylender is vividly presented.

• The character of the young artist changes dramatically throughout the work. At the beginning of “Portrait,” Chartkov is a romantic image of an artist: he dreams of developing his talent, learning from the best masters, if only he had the money for it. And then the money appears. The first impulse was quite noble: the young man bought everything necessary for painting, but the desire to become fashionable and famous in an easier way than through many hours of work took over. At the end of the first part, the artist is overwhelmed by greed, envy and frustration, which forces him to buy up the best paintings and destroy them, he becomes a “fierce avenger.” Of course, Chartkov is a small man, unexpected wealth turned his head and eventually drove him crazy.
• But it can be assumed that the effect of the golden chervonets on the main character is not connected with his low social status, but with the mystical effect of the money of the moneylender himself. The son of the author of the portrait of this Persian tells many stories about this. The moneylender himself, wanting to preserve part of his power, asks the artist to paint a portrait of him. The narrator's father took on this job, but could not cope with it. In this painter, Gogol portrayed the true creator in the Christian understanding: to undergo purification, pacify his spirit and only then begin to work. He is contrasted with Chartkov, the artist from the first part of the story.

Themes

This relatively short story touches on many topics relating to quite diverse areas of human life.

• Theme of creativity. Gogol introduces us to two artists. What should a true creator be like? One strives to study the works of masters, but is not averse to gaining fame in an easier way. Another painter first of all works on himself, on his desires and passions. For him, art is part of his philosophy, his religion. This is his life, it cannot contradict it. He feels a responsibility to creativity and believes that a person must prove his right to engage in it.
• Good and evil. This theme is expressed through both art and wealth. On the one hand, feathered means are needed so that the creator can freely go about his business and develop his talent. But using the example of Chartkov, we see that initially good intentions to invest in one’s improvement can turn into death, first of all, the death of the human soul. Is it only the mystical sweetness of the moneylender's heritage that is to blame? Gogol shows that a person can overcome anything, if only he is strong. The main character demonstrated weakness of spirit, and therefore disappeared.
• Wealth- the main theme in the story “Portrait”. Here it is presented as a way to find happiness. It would seem that just a little money, and everything will be fine: there will be a happy marriage with the first beauty, creditors will leave the family alone, everything necessary for creativity will be acquired. But everything turns out differently. In addition to satisfying needs, money has a downside: it creates greed, envy and cowardice.

Issues

• The problem of art. In the story, Gogol offers the artist two paths: to paint portraits for money or to engage in self-improvement without any special claims to wealth. The artist faces a difficult choice: to develop, he needs funds for paints, brushes, etc., but many hours of work and infamy will not bring any money. There is a way to get rich quick, but painting portraits does not mean increasing your skill level. When deciding what to do, you need to remember one thing: if the one who follows the path of the master monk makes a mistake, he can still be saved, but he who follows the easy road will no longer get rid of the “hardened forms.”
• Vanity. Gogol shows in the story how Chartkov, who suddenly became rich, gradually comes to vanity. At first he pretends that he does not recognize his teacher, then he agrees to endure the whims of clients for the sake of money and fame. The omen of trouble is the censure of the classics, and the result of this path was madness.
• Poverty. This problem faces most of the characters in "Portrait". Poverty does not allow Chartkov to freely engage in creativity; due to his not very high position, one of the heroes of the second part cannot marry his beloved. But poverty here is not only a material problem, but also a spiritual one. Gold drives the heroes crazy, makes them greedy and envious. According to the author, a cowardly person with a lot of money is not able to cope: it completely destroys him.

The meaning of the story

Always remember about your soul, and not chase wealth - this is the main idea of ​​​​the story “Portrait”. All the possibilities for achieving a goal, finding happiness in a person already exist - Gogol talks about this. Later, Chekhov would turn to this idea in his drama “Three Sisters,” where the girls will believe that the path to joy is Moscow. And Nikolai Vasilyevich shows that it is possible to reach the goal, in this case, to comprehend art, without any special material costs. The main thing is not in them, but in the inner strength of a person.

The narrator in the second part talks about the fatal effect of the moneylender's money, but is it fair to attribute all the troubles to mysticism? A person who puts money first is vulnerable to envy and depravity. That is why wild jealousy awoke in the happy spouse, and despair and vindictiveness awoke in Chartkov. This is the philosophical meaning of the story “Portrait”.

A person with a strong spirit is not subject to such low qualities; she is able to cope with them and get rid of them. This illustrates the life path of the artist, the author of the portrait of a moneylender.

What does it teach?

The story “Portrait” warns about the danger of exalting money. The conclusion is simple: wealth cannot be set as the goal of life: this leads to the death of the soul. It is important to note that the image of a little man is characterized not only by material poverty, but also by spiritual poverty. This can explain the troubles of Chartkov and the moneylender’s borrowers. But Gogol does not give a single positive example when money would be beneficial. The author's position is clearly expressed: the writer sees the only correct path in spiritual improvement, in renouncing secular temptations. The main character understands this too late: he did not heed the warnings of his teacher, for which he was severely punished.

In this story, Gogol is closest to Hoffman in style and method of correlating the fantastic and the real. Here, every unusual thing can be explained rationally, and the characters are as close as possible to the society of St. Petersburg. Such persuasiveness alarmed the reader of the story and made “Portrait” a relevant work both for Gogol’s contemporaries and for his heirs.

Criticism

Literary criticism of the author's contemporaries was varied. Belinsky disapproved of this story, especially the second part, he considered it an addition in which the author himself was not visible. Shevyrev also adhered to a similar position, accusing Gogol of a weak manifestation of the fantastic in “Portrait.” But Nikolai Vasilyevich’s contribution to the development of Russian classical prose can hardly be overestimated, and “Portrait” also makes its contribution here. Chernyshevsky speaks about this in his articles.

When considering critics' assessments, it is important to keep in mind that the final edition of "Portrait" took place during the late, critical period of Gogol's work. At this time, the writer is looking for a way to save Russia, mired in bribery, greed and philistinism. In letters to friends, he admits that he sees an opportunity to correct the situation in teaching, and not in introducing any newfangled ideas. From these positions one should consider the validity of the criticism of Belinsky and Shevyrev.

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>Essays on the work Portrait

The role of fiction

One of the main features of N.V. Gogol’s works is his vision of the world through fantasy. For the first time, elements of fantasy appeared in his well-known “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka,” written around 1829-1830. The story “Portrait” was written a few years later, still with the same elements of inexplicable mysticism. Gogol loved to portray the characters of people from the people and confront his heroes with fantastic phenomena. In his works, reality was intertwined with fiction in some interesting way.

The original version of the story “Portrait” was published in 1835, but after the author’s corrections it was published again in 1842. The main character is a young, promising artist named Chartkov, who lives poorly and tries his best to achieve perfection in his creativity. Everything changes after purchasing an unusual portrait that he came across in one of the St. Petersburg art shops. The portrait looked so alive that it seemed as if the sitter was about to come to life and start talking. It was this liveliness that attracted the young Chartkov, as well as the artist’s high skill.

According to the plot, the portrait had supernatural powers and brought troubles and misfortunes into the lives of its owners. It depicted an old man of Asian appearance with piercing, almost “living” eyes. The day after the purchase, Chartkov found a bag of chervonets in the portrait frame, with which he was able to pay for the apartment and rent luxury apartments for himself. It should be noted here that the happy discovery was preceded by a strange dream. The night before, it seemed to him that the portrait had come to life, and the old man, coming out of the frame, was holding in his hands just this bag with the inscription “1000 chervonets.”

In the second part, the author reveals to us the secret of these mystical phenomena and the painting itself. As it turned out, it was painted by a talented Kolomna master who once painted temples. Having started work on this portrait, the master did not know that the neighbor, the moneylender, was the real personification of evil, and when he found out, he left the painting unfinished and went to the monastery to atone for his sins. The fact is that the evil moneylender indirectly brought misfortune to everyone to whom he lent money. These people either went crazy, or became terrible envious people, or committed suicide, or lost loved ones.

Anticipating his imminent death, the moneylender wished to remain alive in the portrait, so he turned to a self-taught artist living next door. According to the author, the unfinished painting now traveled from hand to hand, bringing first wealth and then misfortune to its new owners. In the first edition, at the end of the story, the appearance of the moneylender disappeared from the portrait, leaving those around him in bewilderment. In the second edition, the author decided to make the portrait completely disappear from view and continue to wander around the world.