Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky and Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich: the history of friendship, comparison of works

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Zhukovsky and Pushkin - two big names in the history of Russian literature, two geniuses, two great people. Such different destinies, different characters, and such a warm friendship for many years! What were close Zhukovsky and Pushkin, briefly described in many sources. Let's try to look deeper.

Backstory

Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky - born in 1783, the illegitimate son of the landowner Afanasy Bunin. To give his son the opportunity to get an education and a certain position in society, Bunin gave the boy for adoption to the impoverished nobleman Andrei Zhukovsky. This made it possible to arrange a gifted child in a good boarding school, where his literary talent began to manifest.

Fifteen years later, in 1799, the future genius of Russian literature, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, was born into a poor but noble noble family. At the age of 13, he was enrolled in the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, where he was distinguished by a cheerful disposition, a penchant for pranks and rebellions, an absolute dislike for mathematical sciences and the ability to create poeticmasterpieces.

Introduction

At the age of 17, Alexander meets Vasily Andreevich, who often traveled to Tsarskoye Selo, was on friendly terms with the Pushkin family and visited the most famous literary drawing rooms of the capital.

During this period, Alexander Pushkin has already become famous for several poems, while Zhukovsky's work is at the peak of popularity: he is recognized, read out at evening parties, poetic lines and translations are learned by heart. Vasily Andreevich is already close to the royal family and moves in the highest circles.

What brought together such seemingly different people as Zhukovsky and Pushkin, different in age, social status and occupation? Probably, first of all, love for literature and sensitivity to the poetic style. Pushkin read Zhukovsky, was his devoted admirer, and Vasily Andreevich was able to immediately discern the poetic gift of his young and mischievous comrade. He predicted a great future for him.

Common interests

Love for literature contributed to the development of common interests and topics for conversation. Pushkin, together with Zhukovsky and his parents, began to visit the living rooms of Karamzin, Batyushkov and other famous writers. Together with his older friend, he became a member of the Arzamas circle, where they studied poetry, wrote and recited poems, and competed in literary skills. Relations between Zhukovsky and Pushkin became more and more warm and trusting. The age difference is nothindered this friendship: the wisdom and life experience of one always often helped to cool the youthful ardor of the other.

Creative duel

The work of Zhukovsky is known to us largely thanks to his fairy tales. Pushkin considered himself a student of Vasily Andreevich, because it was his tales that inspired the young Alexander to create his own masterpieces.

In 1831, after being exiled to Mikhailovskoye, Pushkin presented his friend "The Tale of the Priest and His Worker Balda" and several other sketches. Zhukovsky highly appreciated the works and offered to enter into a comic competition. The dispute between Zhukovsky and Pushkin concerned the writing of fairy tales in folk style. So the famous "The Tale of Tsar S altan and his son Gvidon …" and "The Tale of the Dead Princess …" by Pushkin, as well as Zhukovsky's tales "About Tsar Berendey" and "About the Sleeping Princess" appeared. Comparison of Pushkin and Zhukovsky during this period leads to the idea that Vasily Andreevich adheres to the Western style (after all, his fairy tales are based on the works of European authors, and their romantic motives are preserved), and Alexander Sergeevich brings a truly Russian character to his creations, and his fairy tales are very reminiscent of folk.

After a while, Pushkin will bring the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" to his wise friend for judgment. And he will receive a gift in return - a portrait of V. A. Zhukovsky with the inscription "To the winner of the student from the defeated teacher." With this, Zhukovsky and Pushkin end their literary duel.

It is impossible not to notice that in the poem"Ruslan and Lyudmila" young Pushkin allowed himself a parody of his teacher and a few rather caustic phrases, which he regretted very much in his mature years.

True friendship

All the years after they met and until Pushkin's death, Zhukovsky was a kind of savior (or savior?) for his young friend. Temperamental, quick-tempered and straightforward Alexander from time to time got into various troubles, and the wise and diplomatic Vasily Andreevich knew how to find a way out of any situation for him.

When in 1820 Pushkin was about to be sent to Siberia for objectionable to the tsar lines of poems and harsh epigrams, Zhukovsky, Karamzin and other influential people made sure that such a terrible measure was replaced by a transfer to the south of the country. Thanks to this, Alexander managed to maintain his service and social position.

Zhukovsky was there even in the difficult year of 1824, when a major quarrel with his father threatened the poet with a lawsuit, and this would further aggravate his already not the most advantageous position. Thanks to his diplomatic skill, Alexander Sergeevich again saw the favor of the tsar and returned to high society.

In 1825, thanks to his influence at court, Vasily Andreevich helped to acquit Pushkin, who was accused of involvement in the Decembrist uprising.

It was Zhukovsky who, among the few most faithful friends, did not leave Pushkin even during his exile in Mikhailovskoye. And in any difficult situations, he knew how to support, at least by letter.

Zhukovsky - a friend of Pushkin, who remained close in the years of joys and in the years of disasters, did not leave insickness and even on his deathbed.

Pushkin about Zhukovsky

Alexander Sergeevich idolized his wise friend since his lyceum years. Despite their not entirely serious rivalry, Pushkin always saw Zhukovsky as a teacher and mentor. The lines of one of the poems became textbooks:

His poetry captivating sweetness

Centuries of envious distance will pass…

"Heavenly soul" - Alexander so warmly and affectionately called his beloved friend, and in letters he often addressed him only as "guardian angel".

Zhukovsky about Pushkin

In relation to Vasily Andreevich to his young friend, there was never even a hint of condescension, despite the difference in age and social status. We can safely say that age did not play any role in these relationships - these two people turned out to be so mentally close. Zhukovsky highly appreciated both Alexander's personal qualities and his poetic gift. From the school bench, he read glory to him, inspired, directed, prompted - until the moment he was convinced that the student surpassed his teacher.

Death of a poet

The years 1836-1837 were very difficult for Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The appearance of Georges Dantes, the frivolous behavior of his wife Natalia, the intrigues of high society, slander and humiliating epigrams against the Pushkin family, attempts to protect the honor of his wife … The situation was heating up every day.

It was clear that there was only one goal - to provoke the quick-tempered poet to a duel. ExactlyZhukovsky, with long persuasion, convinced Alexander not to send an insulting letter to his enemy, because then a duel would be inevitable. It was Zhukovsky who begged him to remain reasonable and not succumb to provocations.

It was Zhukovsky who, a few days later, brought the mortally wounded poet into the apartment on the Moika (temperament and the desire to protect the woman he loved nevertheless prevailed over prudence).

Fate played a cruel joke: the birthday of V. A. Zhukovsky, January 29, became the day of death of his faithful and beloved friend…

Vasily Andreevich was very worried about the death of his student and friend, even then he understood that not only a wonderful person, but also the greatest poet had passed away.

And after the death of the poet, like a guardian angel, Zhukovsky again came to the aid of his already deceased friend: having received an order to review and deliver to the sovereign all Pushkin's letters, he disobeyed for the first time and secretly delivered them to his wife, Natalya Nikolaevna.

Zhukovsky and Pushkin are the embodiment of spiritual friendship, a relationship devoid of self-interest, built on common interests, love of literature and the desire to help each other in difficult situations.