2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
S altykov-Shchedrin, "The Wise Minnow", let's start the analysis of the tale with the personality of the writer.
Mikhail Evgrafovich was born in 1826 (in January) in the Tver province. On the side of his father, he belonged to a very old and rich family of nobles, and on the side of his mother, to the class of merchants. S altykov-Shchedrin successfully graduated from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, and then took up the post of an official in the military department. Unfortunately, he had very little interest in the service.
In 1847, his first literary works were published - "A Tangled Case" and "Contradictions". Despite this, only in 1856 did they start talking about him seriously as a writer. At this time, he began to publish his "Provincial Essays".
The writer tried to open the eyes of readers to the lawlessness happening in the country, to ignorance, stupidity, bureaucracy.
Let's take a closer look at the cycle of fairy tales written by the writer in 1869. It was a kind of synthesis of the ideological and creative searches of S altykov-Shchedrin, a certain result.
Mikhail Evgrafovich could not fully expose all the vices of society and the failure of the management of the state apparatus due to the censorship that existed at that time. That is why the writer chosefairy tale form. So he was able to sharply criticize the existing order, without fear of prohibition.
The tale "The Wise Gudgeon", the analysis of which we are doing, is rich enough from the artistic side. The author resorts to the use of the grotesque, antithesis, hyperbole. Aesopian language also plays an important role. It was these techniques that helped to hide the true meaning of what is written.
The fairy tale appeared in 1883, it is famous to this day, it has even become a textbook. Its plot is known to everyone: there lived a minnow, who was quite ordinary. His only difference was cowardice, which was so strong that the gudgeon decided to spend his whole life in a hole without protruding from there. There he sat, afraid of every rustle, every shadow. And so his life passed, no family, no friends. The question arises, well, what kind of life is this. What did he do well in life? Nothing. Lived, trembled, died.
That's the whole plot, but it's just the surface.
Analysis of the fairy tale "The Wise Gudgeon" implies a deeper study of its meaning.
S altykov-Shchedrin depicts the mores of contemporary petty-bourgeois Russia. In fact, minnow does not mean a fish, but a cowardly layman who is afraid and trembles only for his own skin. The writer set himself the task of combining the features of both fish and man.
The fairy tale depicts philistine alienation and isolation in oneself. The author is offended and bitter for the Russian people.
Reading the works of S altykov-Shchedrin is not verysimply, that is why not everyone was able to comprehend the true intention of his fairy tales. Unfortunately, the level of thinking and development of modern people is not very appropriate.
I would like to draw attention to the fact that the thoughts expressed by the writer are relevant to this day.
Read the tale "The Wise Minnow" again, analyze it based on what you have now learned. Look deeper into the idea of the works, try to read between the lines, then you will be able to analyze not only the fairy tale "The Wise Gudgeon" yourself, but also all works of art.
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