2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
The story "The Night Before Christmas" was created in 1830-1832. Its author is the famous writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. This story is part of a great literary work.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, biography
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was born in the Poltava province. The exact place of birth is the village of Velikiye Sorochintsy. This great man, the author of the story "The Night Before Christmas", was the son of a county landowner. His family is known for having many priests.
After graduating from an educational institution in Poltava, Gogol went to St. Petersburg, and his first works, "Italy" and "Hans Küchelgarten", were also published there. In 1829, the author of the story "The Night Before Christmas" serves in the department of economic affairs at a large ministry and there he gains experience that later came in handy when writing works.
In the 1830s Gogol's most famous works appeared. These are "The Nose", "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka", "Taras Bulba". In 1835Gogol receives advice from Pushkin to write The Inspector General and implements this idea. In 1836, the writer went to Germany, where he worked on his famous novel Dead Souls. Gogol travels around Europe, then goes to Jerusalem and returns to Russia.
In 1849 and 1850 Gogol lives in Moscow, sometimes visiting Odessa. In 1851, he again lives in Moscow, at which time he begins to have he alth problems. He stayed in the capital until his death (in 1852).
The story "The Night Before Christmas", Vakula and Oksana
The action of the story takes place at a time when Catherine II reigns in Russia. Chronologically, it can be attributed to 1775. The scene of action is the village of Dikanka, located in one of the Ukrainian provinces. If you know who is the author of the story "The Night Before Christmas", what this story is about, you will also be interested.
The devil and a witch on a broomstick are circling in the night sky. The first wants to annoy the blacksmith Vakula, who painted the devil in a disgraceful form on the wall of the church. To this end, he steals the moon from the sky. The devil is sure that in this darkness Vakula will not dare to go to the hut of the Cossack Chub, to his daughter Oksana. However, the Cossack Chub himself still goes to visit the deacon in order to drink vodka. The one who is the author of the story "The Night Before Christmas" knew well the customs of the Ukrainian people.
At this time, Chuba's daughter Oksana gathers her friends at home. On one of them she sees shoes embroidered with gold. Oksana tells her friends that she will marry the blacksmith Vakula in the event thatif he brings her little slippers that the queen herself wears.
Kozak Chub goes to Solokha. There he has to hide from Vakula, who returned to his mother Solokha. Before that, the devil, the head and the clerk hid in the hut.
Upset Vakula takes all the bags, takes them outside and throws them away, leaving the smallest one for himself. And the devil is in it. The devil offers Vakula to sell his soul, but the blacksmith does not agree. Threatening the devil with a cross, Vakula mounts him and rushes to Petersburg.
The story "The Night Before Christmas", the second part
In St. Petersburg, Vakula comes to the Cossacks and goes with them to the Queen's palace. Having got to her reception, the blacksmith makes an exquisite compliment and asks for a little slipper, which she wears. The queen is delighted with the appearance of Vakula and gives him the slippers.
At this time, village women in Dikanka are arguing about exactly how Vakula committed suicide. Some claim that he hanged himself, others that he drowned himself. Oksana, hearing this, is very worried and truly falls in love with the blacksmith.
The blacksmith, meanwhile, returns to his native village and comes to the Cossack Chub - to woo Oksana. He brings Chub a new hat and a beautiful belt. Chub agrees to give his daughter to a blacksmith, and soon the wedding of the young takes place. Vakula, having created a family, paints her hut beautifully, striking those around her.
Pictures of folk life in Gogol's story "The Night Before Christmas"
Prose writer Gogol in hisThe story sought, first of all, to portray the life of the common Ukrainian people, to show folk customs and traditions. Many people think about what the theme of the story "The Night Before Christmas" is. The theme of the story is the life and customs of the Ukrainian people, their traditions. The central character is the blacksmith Vakula, who seeks to fulfill the desire of his beloved at any cost. The image of Oksana is the image of a Ukrainian girl, to whom many wooed, but no one managed to win her heart. Oksana falls in love with a blacksmith, seeing his courage and willingness to go through any trials for her sake. The one who wrote the story "The Night Before Christmas" created magnificent characters of the common people.
Traditions of the Ukrainian people in the story "The Night Before Christmas"
The life of the Ukrainian people is shown during the celebration of the bright holiday of Christmas. The tradition of caroling is vividly described: a procession of mummers passes through the village, singing songs and asking for gifts. The sacks in which Solokha's guests hid are mistaken by carolers for sacks of provisions and carry them around the village for a long time until they figure out the deception.
Ukrainian people respect religious Orthodox traditions and firmly believe in them. With the power of the holy cross, the villagers manage to protect themselves from all misfortunes, and the blacksmith Vakula manages to curb the devil.
Fiction in Gogol's story "The Night Before Christmas"
Gogol's prose is interesting because it combines the real with the fantastic. Mythological characters are associated with evil spirits. But at the same timeevil spirits has all the features of real characters. The main representative of evil spirits - the devil - looks like a foreigner in front, and in the back - like a provincial attorney. The witch also has the features of a real Ukrainian woman. This is Solokha, who can both fly on a broomstick and walk around the village, talking with fellow villagers.
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