Taras Bulba what century is described. The story "Taras Bulba", dedicated to the heroic life of the people. Image of the Zaporozhian Sich

1. What period of Ukrainian life is the story dedicated to? How does the writer characterize the creation of this work?

N.V. Gogol was very interested in the history of his native Ukraine, he admired the folk heroes - the Zaporozhye Cossacks, who in the 16th-17th centuries selflessly fought against the oppressors of the Ukrainian and Russian peoples - the Polish gentry. The writer looked in the past for great deeds and heroic characters, opposing them to the petty worries and petty characters of his contemporaries. The creation of the story characterizes N.V. Gogol as a patriot who was proud of the glory of the Cossacks, the heroic history of his homeland.

2. Do you find the beginning of the story a good one? Why?

The beginning of the story seems to us, its readers, not just successful, but the only possible one: literally from the first lines, the color of the era is recreated, tragic in its essence, but with comic situations in the life and behavior of the characters. The author introduces the reader to the family of an old Cossack, acquaints him with unique morals, customs, relationships, combining heroics and humor in the characters and behavior of his heroes.

3. What thoughts and feelings of Gogol are expressed in the words: “But are there such fires, torments and such a force in the world that would overpower the Russian force!”? How do they relate to the content of the whole story?

Gogol's story is dedicated to the events of the liberation movement in Ukraine, the struggle of the Cossacks against the Polish invaders, the Turks and the Tatar hordes. These words express the writer's admiration for the courage and greatness of people who fought for the freedom and happiness of their fatherland and gave their lives for it.

4. What qualities of Taras Bulba as a folk hero are embodied in the story? Make a plan to characterize Taras Bulba (include in it a definition of the main character traits of the hero and episodes that confirm these traits).

Taras is a wise Cossack and an experienced warrior, who is respected by his comrades and elected as their chief chieftain; a brave, courageous and stern man who gave his life to the defense of the fatherland.

Performance plan

1. Taras - father and husband (arrival of sons and decision to take them to the Sich; relationship with his wife).
2. Bulba is a man of the Sich (freedom and unrestraint of nature and at the same time sternness and asceticism, devotion to the common cause). The main values ​​of his life are the struggle for the Christian faith and fellowship, the highest rating for him is “a good Cossack”.
3. Taras Bulba - warrior (battle near Dubno, the last battle of Taras).
4. Attitude towards partnership (talking about partnership, attitude towards the Cossacks Se-chi).
5. A character born of time. Greatness and tragedy of Taras.
5. Why, when reading the story, "... you are surprised at him (Taras. - Author), and horrified, and laugh at him" (V. G. Belinsky)?

The character of the protagonist of the story is very multifaceted. Taras is surprised by the impetuousness and rudeness of his nature, combined with devotion and tenderness, we laugh at his spontaneity, simplicity and cheerfulness, we are horrified by his cruelty and mercilessness.

6. Make a comparative description of Ostap and Andriy, paying attention to the following questions: what impression does the first acquaintance with the brothers leave? What made them different during their studies at the bursa? What is the difference between the behavior of Ostap and Andriy in the Zaporozhian Sich, in battle? How did the brothers die? Using the material of the previous answers and recommendations for comparative characteristics, compare the brothers Osta-pa and Andriy.

Sample Plan

1. Similarities between Ostap and Andriy:

a) one family

b) education;

c) training in the bursa;

d) encirclement in the Sich.

2. Brothers difference:

a) appearance, character;

b) attitude towards people;

c) perception of nature and beauty;

d) attitude towards war, behavior in battle;

e) death of brothers.

7. Find lyrical digressions in the text. How are they related to the main narrative and why are they introduced into the story?

Gogol introduces a number of lyrical digressions into the narrative (a description of the steppe, the Dnieper, etc.), creating an emotional and artistic subtext of the story, expressing the author's feeling for the depicted, correlating the pictures of nature with the fate of the characters.

8. Can Taras Bulba be called a historical story? Are there genuine historical persons, facts, correlation with a specific historical time in this work?

In "Taras Bulba" there is no depiction of true historical facts, real historical figures. The time depicted in the story can only be determined with approximate accuracy: XV-XVII centuries. There is not a single definite historical fact in the story, that is, Gogol did not set himself the goal of accurately telling about specific historical events, he was not going to recreate a picture of the historical past. The historical background in the story is rather conditional. Gogol set himself tasks not so much historical as epic, therefore Taras Bulba is not a historical story, but a heroic epic. Jacques in folklore works reflect the life ideals born in the people's consciousness, and ideal human characters are recreated in Gogol's story.

9. At what moments did the greatness of the spirit of Taras Bulba especially manifest itself? What was his last feat?material from the site

   The greatness of the spirit of Taras Bulba manifested itself in the most dramatic moments of his life and the life of the Cossacks: here he reminds his comrades-in-arms of what partnership is, and finds the words that were needed, poured new courage into the Cossacks; here he is executing a traitor son; here, risking his life, he supports his second son, the hero Ostap, before the death; now, when the fire has already licked his feet, he thinks not about himself, not about how to save himself, but about how to save his comrades from certain death.

10. How does the author characterize Taras Bulba and his sons? How does he express his attitude towards them?
11. What role does the description of the Ukrainian steppe play in the story? Why is this description interesting?
12. How is the life and customs of the Zaporozhian Sich shown?
13. Why are the images of the Cossacks attractive?
14. Why did the Cossacks choose Taras Bulba as the chief ataman? Do you consider them a good choice?
15. How did the sons of Taras perceive the life and customs of the Zaporozhian Sich? Why did Ostap immediately find his place among the Cossacks, while it was more difficult for Andriy to get close to them?
16. How and why did Andriy become a traitor? Do you admit that such a fate could befall Ostap?
17. How is the heroism of the Cossacks shown in the battles near the city of Dubno? Is the author's voice heard here?
18. How did the second battle near Dubno end for Taras and his sons? What feelings did the story about the death of Andriy at the hands of his father evoke in you? Did this episode change your previous opinion about them?
19. How did Ostap die? Why does he call his father before he dies?
20. What lines of the story express its main idea?

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• similarity (environment, upbringing, family) taras and bulba

One of the most famous works of Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol "Taras Bulba". The description of the events taking place in this story are connected with historical events that took place over more than two centuries. And all of them are combined in one work and are reflected in the fate of one character.

Creating a story, reflecting historical events

In his work "Taras Bulba" Nikolai Vasilievich touches on the past of the country, when an ordinary person broke away from everyday life and became capable of committing heroic and patriotic deeds.

When Gogol created this story, he often turned to many historical sources.

And, nevertheless, in the center of the narrative of the story "Taras Bulba" there is no description of any specific historical event. The author dedicated his work to the entire era when the Ukrainian people waged a national liberation struggle. I tried to reveal their heroic characters, their attitude to their native Earth.

A believable description of the events of the era

It describes the events associated with the struggle against the Lithuanian and Polish invaders. When the main character Taras Bulba himself, whose character description is quite interesting, together with other patriotic residents of Ukraine, created the Zaporozhian Sich and began their struggle against the knights. Nikolai Vasilievich does not resort to methods of softening or embellishing the events of this era.

On the contrary, he quite vividly and believably recreates the pictures of the harsh life associated with the war. Gogol chose a moment in the life of the Ukrainian people when their patriotic spirit was at the very peak of its rise. And it was this heroism that he was able to capture in his work.

The main character of the story and his main features

In order to clearly present the image of the main character, it is necessary to delve into the description of the character of Taras Bulba. First of all, he was a very difficult person. The whole way of his life speaks about it. Starting from living conditions: decorating a room, or rather, its absence, and ending with relationships with loved ones. With his wife or children, as well as with comrades. Particular attention must be paid to his behavior in battle.

Taras is a Cossack colonel with vast experience in military battles. And he believes that he is always right in everything. Wise by life experience, he demands unconditional obedience. His whole life is devoted to dangers and difficulties, the Cossack is filled with a thirst for justice. It was not created for family comfort, its real element is the Sich.

The relationship of the main character with his sons

Taras Bulba, whose character description is mainly based on solid features, somewhere even excessively harsh, nevertheless, is a person not without sentimentality. Somewhere you can see how he shed a tear, seeing the care of his wife, or remembering his young years and comrades. Taras is used to being a father not only to his two sons, but also to all the Cossacks who believe him. These are the ones he commands and whose lives are in his hands.

People trusted him, and he must be an example for them. At first glance, in relations with sons it is impossible to notice any special love and affection, but, nevertheless, there is some kind of harsh tenderness. He hopes that his children will become worthy Cossacks and defenders of the fatherland. Do not shame his name.

The main differences between the two sons of the protagonist

Where can one begin the description of the sons of Taras Bulba? Probably because of their differences. The eldest, Ostap, is presented by the author as the embodiment of courage. He, like Taras, loves his homeland, people and is devoted to the Cossack brotherhood. His appearance is menacing and filled with great inner strength. He is a real warrior who must continue the difficult work of his father.

Andriy is softer and more gentle. It clearly shows the features of a hot-tempered young man. He does not tend to reason and think about his actions. His life is spontaneous and subject to the influence of feelings, not reason. Even in battle, he did things that Ostap, having a cold-blooded character, would never have dared to do.

Nikolai Vasilyevich in his story "Taras Bulba", contrasts Andriy's description with the image of his older brother. Of course, he emphasized the sincerity of this tender, impressionable young man's love for the Polish girl, but did not hide the fact that Andriy could not rise above the level of an ordinary person.

The author condemned him for neglecting the young man and his father and brother, as well as love for the Motherland and his people, for the sake of personal feelings. Nikolai Vasilevich very clearly emphasizes the contradictory qualities of characters in the images of the brothers. On the one hand, Ostap, filled with courage and courage, on the other, Andriy, absorbed in his own individualism.

His image is opposed to the whole character of the people, and his death was a necessary retribution for the betrayal of the common aspiration. The description of the sons of Taras Bulba is important enough to reveal the meaning of the action of the protagonist. The murder of a son.

The manifestation of a tough character or revenge for betrayal

Description of the story "Taras Bulba" would be impossible without the scene of the murder of his own son by the protagonist. Why did the father decide to do this? The laws among the Cossacks were very strict. The punishment for theft and murder was severe. There was no talk of cowardice and betrayal, because it was believed that there could not be such among the Cossacks.

When Andriy fell in love with the lady, he forgot about all the oaths that he took. For the sake of his love, the young man was capable of anything: to kill a comrade, to betray his homeland. Taras understands that between a sense of duty to the fatherland and his own emotions, his son makes a choice in favor of love. He performs an act that cannot be called masculine. And here he can not be justified. And Andrew himself understands this. He dies under the hand of his father in silence, only quietly pronouncing the name of his beloved.

Another loss of an elderly Cossack

Trouble, as usual, does not come alone. The second son of Taras is captured. The description of Ostap from "Taras Bulba" from the first pages of this work is constantly filled with the most heroic features that embody the very era described by Nikolai Vasilevich. Ostap showed his courage not only in battles, but also in captivity he did not lose his dignity.

A young Cossack went through many tortures, but retained his courage and honor. Even in the face of death, he looks for his father's eyes to show that he did not betray his people and Motherland. He remained faithful to the Cossack traditions and did not shame the memory of his ancestors. The opinion of Taras Bulba, who has always been an example for him, was so important to him.

So Taras lost both of his sons. Like a madman now, he fights on the battlefield, wanting to avenge the death of Ostap. The Poles paid dearly for catching the desperate Cossack. Taras Bulba dies as courageously as he fought and lived. Until the last minute, he remembered his comrades-in-arms and his beloved fatherland.

"Taras Bulba". Description of the steppe or the image of Russian expanses

There is a wonderful description of nature in the story. Taras goes with his sons to his comrades-in-arms. Everyone is busy with their own thoughts. Father reminisces about his youth. He thinks about how time flies, about lost friends. Ostap recalls his mother's worries, which touched the heart of the young Cossack. And Andriy is busy thinking about the beautiful Polish girl who has settled in his heart.

The historical basis of the story of N. V. Gogol "Taras Bulba".
N.V. Gogol's story "Taras Bulba" reflects the main events of the 16th century: in Ukraine at that time, Polish gentry - "pans" became large landowners, who introduced Polish laws in their lands and planted "their faith" - Catholicism.

The bulk of the population of Ukraine professed Orthodoxy and did not want to convert to Catholicism: apostasy has always been considered a terrible sin by the Russian people. In addition, the arrival of the Polish lords on the Ukrainian lands was accompanied by a deterioration in the life of the people: the peasants were deprived of the best land plots that had belonged to their families for centuries, many were simply driven off their land or resettled on unsuitable for agriculture, infertile lands. Large taxes were imposed on free peasants in order to force them to sell their land to a large landowner.
A “quiet” expansion of foreign territory began: everything Ukrainian, everything national was persecuted, the language, way of life and customs of the Polish people were planted. Some Ukrainian landlords adopted the customs and way of life of the Poles, but the people resisted desperately, resisted Polonization as best they could (Poland in Latin sounds like Polonia) and, if possible, waged an open struggle against the new owners and the new faith.

Expansion (lat. expansio) - expansion, expansion of boundaries or influence beyond the original limits, for example. trade expansion - the capture of new markets. - (The latest dictionary of foreign words and expressions. - M .: AST; Minsk: Harvest, 2002. - P. 933.)

In order to somehow “pull” the Ukrainian people to their side, the Polish and Ukrainian landlords, under the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, came up with a “unia” - an “agreement” between the Orthodox and Catholics, in fact a new version of the Christian religion - Uniatism. Many church rites in Uniatism outwardly resembled the ritual side of Orthodoxy, but in fact Uniatism was and remains an offshoot of the Roman Catholic Church with its dogmas and ideas about how a Christian should live.

The Ukrainians in the 16th-17th centuries opposed the encroachment on the faith and moral foundations of their people, and the fictitious hero Taras Bulba is fighting against the “damned pans”, “Polyakhs”.
The story of N. V. Gogol describes the Zaporozhian Sich - a real historical object that arose in Ukraine in the Middle Ages: often the peasants of the western and middle regions of Ukraine, fleeing the Polish oppression, went east, many settled in the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Here, at the Dnieper rapids, on the island of Khortitsa, a large fortified camp of Cossacks and runaway peasants from Great Russia arose. (After the construction of the Dneproges in the 1940s, the island of Khortitsa, like part of the rapids, went under water.) They began to be called Zaporizhzhya Cossacks.
Zaporizhzhya Cossacks usually surrounded their camps with fences - fences made of cut down trees, pointed upwards. From the Ukrainian word sich, (in Russian - notch), the largest camp on Khortitsa got its name - Zaporizhzhya Sich. Cossacks - the name is conditional, since there was no permanent population in the Zaporizhzhya Sich: as a rule, in the spring the bulk of the Cossacks gathered in the Sich, united in kurens - a kind of detachment that lived in one hut (kuren - hut), elected their kuren ataman. For better management of such a combined population, kurens were united in camps, or kosh, which were headed by kosh chieftains. All the affairs of the Sich were decided at a general meeting - a council.
Many Cossacks were engaged in cattle breeding, hunting or various crafts, less often - agriculture. More often they went on long trips to Poland or the Crimea, to Turkish cities or Tatar settlements on the Black Sea coast. It is not worth idealizing the Cossacks: their campaigns were predatory, in the spirit of the Middle Ages.

However, by the end of the 16th century, the oppression of Poland became unbearable for the population of all Ukraine, so the Zaporozhye Cossacks, fugitive peasants and the population of the enslaved regions actively opposed the expansion of the Poles: they attacked Polish lands, burned crops and cities, drove away Polish landowners and "put them in their place" their landowners.
This went on for almost a hundred years. In the second half of the 17th century, Ukraine voluntarily joined the Muscovite state (1654). Now a strong Orthodox state protected the interests of its citizens, most of whom were Ukrainians - a kindred Russian people.

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

Character Creation History

The story "Taras Bulba" Nikolai Gogol gave 10 years of his life. 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 Mirgorod collection. However, the literary creation did not satisfy the author. As a result, it survived eight edits, and cardinal ones.

Nikolai Vasilyevich rewrote the original version right up to changing the storylines and introducing new characters. Over the years, the story grew fat by three chapters, the battle scenes were filled with colors, and the Zaporizhzhya Sich was overgrown with small details from the life of the Cossacks. They say that the writer verified 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 of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol "Taras Bulba", which is part of the cycle of stories "Mirgorod" (2 parts), was written in 1834. This is one of the most outstanding Russian historical works in the fiction of that time, distinguished by a large number of characters, the versatility and thoughtfulness of the compositions, as well as the depth and capacity of the characters.

History of creation

The idea to write a large-scale historical story about the feat of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks came to Gogol in 1830, he worked on the creation of the text for almost ten years, but the final editing was never completed. In 1835, the author's version of the story "Taras Bulba" was published in the 1st part of "Mirgorod", in 1942 a slightly different edition of this manuscript was published.

Each time, Nikolai Vasilievich remained dissatisfied with the printed version of the story, and made corrections 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 more vivid and textured, more vivid descriptions were added to the battle scenes, the life and life of the Zaporizhzhya Sich acquired new interesting details.

(Viktor Vasnetsov's illustration for Gogol's Taras Bulba, 1874)

Gogol very carefully and meticulously proofread the written text in an effort to create that unique combination that perfectly reveals his talent as a writer, penetrating into the depths of the characters' characters, showing the unique self-consciousness 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 enthusiasm and enthusiasm, studied a 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 life, the characters' characters, in bright and juicy, 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 Pototsky was instructed to suppress. The prototype of the protagonist Taras Bulba was the chieftain of the Zaporizhzhya Army Okhrim Makukha, a brave warrior and ascetic of Bogdan 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 with his sons to the Zaporozhian Sich. The father brings them in order to, as they say, “smell the gunpowder”, “gather the mind of reason”, and having hardened in battles with enemy forces, they become real defenders of their homeland. 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 up for military service in the Zaporizhzhya army and go to war with the gentry, which oppresses the Orthodox people, trampling on their rights and freedoms.

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

The battle near Dubno is described by the author in a peculiar 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 three times “if they have gunpowder in their powder flasks”, to which they also answered three times: “Yes, father! The Cossack strength has not weakened, the Cossacks still do not bend! 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, along with his eldest son Ostap, is always in the forefront of the Cossack offensive. He, like Ostap, who was already elected chieftain by his brothers at the age of 22, is distinguished by remarkable strength, courage, nobility, strong-willed character and is a real 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 heavy martyr's death. He endures all tortures and trials with stoic courage, like a real giant, whose face is imperturbable and stern. Although it hurts 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 their state. His Cossack brothers, who were taken prisoner with him, following the example of their chieftain, also with dignity, and with some pride, accept death on the chopping block.

The fate of Taras Bulba himself is no less tragic: having been captured by the Poles, he dies a terrible martyr's 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 life 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

This topic is also touched upon in the story, the youngest son of old Taras, Andriy, having fallen in love with the Polish beauty, becomes a traitor and goes into the enemy camp. He, like his older brother, is distinguished by courage and courage, however, his spiritual world is richer, more complex and contradictory, his mind is more sharp-witted and dexterous, his mental organization is more subtle and sensitive. Having fallen in love with a 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 pronounces a sentence on him: death by his own hand. So carnal love for a woman, whom the writer considers the source of all troubles and the creations of the devil, eclipsed the love for the Motherland in Andriy's soul, not bringing him happiness in the end, and eventually ruining him.

Features of compositional construction

In this work, the great classic of Russian literature portrayed the confrontation between the Ukrainian people and the Polish gentry, who want to seize the Ukrainian land and enslave its inhabitants from young to old. In the description of the life and way of life of the Zaporizhzhya Sich, which the author considered a place where “the will and the Cossacks for the whole Ukraine” develops, one can feel especially warm feelings of the author, such as pride, admiration and ardent patriotism. Depicting the life and life of the Sich, 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, such as the steppe through which old Taras and his sons travel, helps to penetrate deeper into their souls and reveal the character of the characters. In landscape scenes, there are an abundance of various artistic and expressive devices, there are many epithets, metaphors, comparisons, they give the described objects and phenomena that amazing uniqueness, fury 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, its people, the Orthodox faith, the holiness of the feat in their name. The image of the Zaporizhzhya 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, courage and selflessness of the heroes who did not betray the holy bonds of camaraderie and defended their native land until their last breath. The traitors of the Motherland are equated by the author with the enemy offspring, subject to destruction without any twinge of conscience. After all, such people, having lost their honor and conscience, also lose their souls, 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.