The story of how the good-natured sloth Oblomov lies and sleeps, and no matter how friendship or love can awaken and raise him, is not God knows what an important story. But it reflected Russian life; it presents us with a living, modern Russian type, minted with merciless rigor and correctness; it expressed a new word in our social development, pronounced clearly and firmly, without despair and without childish hopes, but with a full consciousness of the truth. This word is Oblomovism... NA Dobrolyubov. What is oblomovism?

“In Gorokhovaya Street, in one of the large houses, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov lay in bed in the morning, in his apartment.” Thus begins the novel by I. A. Goncharov, which bears the name of the protagonist - in fact, the story about this hero.

I don't know of another work where the hero's one day is told in such detail as here - throughout the entire first part. The main occupation of the hero during the day is lying in bed. The author immediately puts an end to the “and”, telling us: “Ilya Ilyich’s lying down was neither a necessity, like a sick person or like a person who wants to sleep, nor an accident, like someone who is tired, nor pleasure, like a lazy person. : that was his normal state."

We see in front of us a young, healthy man, whom you cannot take out either for a merry walk or for a visit, for whom the service is so burdensome that he abandoned it. Moving to another apartment seems to him an insoluble problem, any business, movement recedes before the need to take off his bathrobe, get dressed, decide something. Just as his apartment is covered with cobwebs, mired in dust, he himself freezes in a web of doing nothing, life is replaced by existence, half-asleep, the absence of all desires and motives, except for the one and only, to be left alone. “You are too lazy to live!” - his childhood friend Stolz will tell him. Even dreams of family life are reduced to a joint breakfast, nice conversations and preparations for lunch and dinner. And memories of childhood are reminiscent of a fairy tale about a kingdom plunged into a dream, and even they come to the hero in a dream. Somewhere out there, in distant childhood, among the eternal breakfast-lunch-dinner, conversations about food and rest before and after meals, he may have wanted to run, he was drawn to something, but the strict prohibitions of his mother and nanny, hothouse life did their job. Education passed by - "He had a whole abyss between science and life, which he did not try to cross." “His head represented a complex archive of dead deeds, faces, eras, figures, religions, unrelated, political, economic, mathematical or other truths, tasks, positions, etc. It was a library, consisting of some scattered volumes on all parts of knowledge.

Oblomov left the service not only because he did not want to spend any effort on his career - he simply did not find a place for himself in society, did not feel like a part of all these Alekseevs, Tarantievs, Stoltsevs. He "discovered that the horizon of his activity and life lies in himself." Of course, it is easy to delve into oneself without thinking about a career and daily bread when there is Oblomovka, even with a thief-headman and an ever-decreasing income, but it exists! Not occupying himself with business concerns, he loved to go into dreams, performing one feat after another in his dreams and not paying attention to the fact that Zakhar, the same sleepyhead as he was, put on different stockings and touched his handkerchief somewhere . “Barin” is an accurate and capacious answer to the question of what Oblomov is. "Oblomovism" - this is how Stoltz will characterize his way of life, or rather, his worldview. And not only Oblomov is like that, he himself claims: "Our name is legion." It's contagious, like an epidemic. This is convenient and pleasing to the government, because such people do not rebel.

Thinking about his life, the hero comes to the conclusion: "For twelve years, the light was locked in me, which was looking for a way out, but only burned its prison, did not break free and died out." But this fire was! After all, eyes lit up in a dream of a feat! After all, there was something of his own, not borrowed from others in his judgment of people! (By the way, the very word “other” in relation to him, the need to be like everyone else, to do what is customary, only because it is customary, offends him!)

Oblomov, fearing to be insincere, will not be able to say the on-duty compliment to the girl he liked, which many would calmly say. But he also does not want to be a burden to her, an obstacle on her life path and will write a sincere letter explaining his act. In his place, someone else would have tried to change his lifestyle or - most likely - would have promised his beloved to change, and there, as God willing, he, thinking and caring more about her, told the truth. “He painfully felt that some good, bright beginning was buried in him, as in a grave, perhaps now already dead, or it lies like gold in the bowels of a mountain, and it is high time for this gold to be a walking coin. But the treasure is deeply and heavily littered with rubbish, alluvial rubbish. It was as if someone had stolen and buried in his own soul the treasures brought to him by the world and life. Oblomov has a truly “honest, faithful heart”, it will not lie, will not betray the person who trusted him, but it is silent when they offend and rob him. You can’t “hide your head under your wing and want nothing more” all your life. It is impossible to condemn society and not try to resist at least some of its members. One cannot rely all one's life on guaranteed daily bread from the estate (by the way, without thinking at all about those who produce it!) And on Zakhar for every trifling occasion. You have to go through life yourself, and it is not at all necessary to apply to it or be like Stolz.

The feeling of being superfluous in society, unlike others, gave rise in Russia to the Onegins and Pechorins, not only philosophizing, but also trying to change something in their lives, to risk something, if only so that it would not be boring. Even with the brightest head and honest heart, not wishing harm to other people, you can live only for yourself. And the egoist, even if he himself suffers from this, withdraws into himself, creates a kind of cocoon, a wall that separates him from the outside world. The dirt of worldly fuss, lies, and a misunderstanding of life's values ​​can stick to this wall. It is this sticky layering that makes the wall stronger, making it impossible to go beyond it. And then the fire that burned inside a person devours itself - and the light goes out. The shell remains - the grave.

The novel by I. A. Goncharov "Oblomov" was published in 1859, at a time when the issue of the abolition of serfdom was extremely acute in the country, when Russian society already fully aware of the perniciousness of the existing order. A deep knowledge of life and the accuracy of the social analysis of characters allowed the writer to find a surprisingly correct definition of the way of Russian life of that time - Oblomovism.

The action of Oblomov covers, at intervals, the period from 1819 (when Ilyusha was 7 years old) to 1856. The actual action of the novel takes eight years, including its "prehistory" and "posthistory" - thirty-seven years. Until then, no Russian novel had covered such a wide stretch of time. The whole life of a person has passed before us. And together with it, the processes of a large historical period were revealed in Oblomov, whole era Russian life.(3)

Goncharov researched and revealed in artistic images the origin of Oblomovism, its development and destructive influence on human personality. It was this sociological “monographic character” that singled out “Oblomov” from a number of works close to him on the subject of “Childhood” and “Adolescence” by Tolstoy, “Family Chronicle” by Aksakov - and to some extent brought Oblomov closer to such works by Shchedrin as “Poshekhonskaya old times” and especially "Lord Golovlev". (27)

In this novel, a vast, universal psychological problem is solved, which could arise only in purely Russian, national phenomena, possible only in our way of life, under those historical circumstances that shaped folk character under the conditions under the influence of which our younger generation has developed and is still developing to some extent. The author touches upon the vital issues and shortcomings of society in order to show the full picture of life as it is, and a person with his feelings, thoughts and passions. Complete objectivity, calm, dispassionate creativity, the absence of narrow temporal goals and lyrical impulses that violate the clarity and distinctness of the epic narrative - these are the hallmarks of Goncharov's talent. His thought, carried out in the novel, belongs to all ages and peoples, but is of particular importance for Russian society. The author decided to trace the deadly, destructive influence that mental apathy has on a person, lulling to sleep, which gradually takes possession of all the forces of the soul, embracing and fettering all the best, human, rational movements and feelings. This apathy is a universal phenomenon, it is expressed in the most diverse forms and is generated by the most diverse causes; but everywhere in it the terrible question plays the main role: “Why live? why work?" - a question to which a person often cannot find a satisfactory answer. This unresolved question, this unsatisfied doubt, exhausts one's strength, destroys one's activity. A person gives up and gives up work, not finding a goal for him. One with indignation and bile will throw away the work, the other will put it aside quietly and lazily. One will rush out of his inaction, be indignant at himself and at people, look for something with which to fill the inner emptiness, his apathy will take on a shade of gloomy despair and will be interspersed with feverish impulses for disorderly activity, but it will remain apathy, because that will take away from him the strength to act, feel and live. For another, indifference to life will be expressed in a softer, colorless form, animal instincts will quietly float to the surface of the soul, higher aspirations will freeze without pain, a person will sink into an easy chair and fall asleep, enjoying his meaningless peace. Instead of life, vegetation will begin, and stagnant water will form in the human soul, which will not be touched by any disturbance of the external world, which will not be disturbed by any internal upheaval. In the first case, it is forced apathy. At the same time, we are witnessing a struggle against it, an excess of forces that were begging for action and slowly dying out in fruitless attempts. It's Byronism, a disease strong people. In the second case, we are dealing with submissive apathy, peaceful, smiling, without the desire to get out of inactivity. This is Oblomovism, as Goncharov himself called it, a disease whose development is facilitated both by Slavic nature and the whole life of our society. It is this kind of apathy, its development that Goncharov described in the novel, showed with incredible accuracy, tracing it from its origins to its completion. (one)

On this idea, the whole plan of the novel is built so deliberately. There is not a single accident, not a single introductory person, not a single superfluous detail. Everything is strictly natural and, meanwhile, quite meaningful, imbued with the idea, there are almost no events and actions. The content of the novel can be told in two or three lines, just as the life of any person who has not experienced strong shocks can be told in a few words. The interest of such a novel, the interest of such a life lies not in the intricate chain of events, but in observation of the inner world of a person. This world is always interesting, always attracts attention, and is especially accessible for study in quiet moments, when the person who is the object of our observation is left to himself, does not depend on external events, is not placed in an artificial position resulting from a random coincidence of circumstances. In such calm moments of life, a person concentrates, collects his thoughts and looks into his inner world. It is then that an invisible, dull internal struggle takes place, a thought matures and develops, or a turn to the past takes place, an assessment of one's own actions, one's own personality. Such mysterious moments, especially dear to the artist, are especially interesting to the enlightened observer. In Goncharov's novel, inner life actors open before the eyes of the reader. (3)

Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, the hero of the novel, personifies the mental apathy to which Goncharov gave the name of Oblomovism. The word Oblomovism will not die in our literature: it is composed so successfully and characterizes one of the essential vices of our Russian life so palpably that, in all likelihood, from literature it will penetrate into the language and enter into general use (1).

To understand the essence of Oblomovism, describing the life of Ilya Ilyich, Goncharov first skillfully describes everything that surrounded the main character, his place of life, his parents, who symbolically act as guides in the novel. (9.24)

Oblomovka was depicted by Goncharov with amazing completeness and versatility. He showed the isolation, isolation of this social environment: "their interests were focused on themselves, they did not intersect and did not come into contact with anyone." Oblomovka appeared before us in its silence and "in unperturbed calm", so characteristic of this patriarchal outback. The inhabitants of Oblomovka were characterized by the undivided power of tradition: “The norm of life was ready and taught to them by their parents, and they accepted it, also ready from grandfather, and grandfather from great-grandfather, with the covenant to observe its value and inviolability.” Patriarchal Oblomovka is the realm of laziness. People live here whose soul "peacefully, without interference, was buried in a soft body" (10)

When analyzing the chapter "Oblomov's Dream", Goncharov's position in relation to the "ideal of calmness and inactivity", how the existence of the inhabitants of Oblomovka is conceived by the protagonist of the novel, is clearly clarified. Not without reason, in the description of Oblomovka, the images of sleep and death are not only endlessly repeated, but also equated to each other, because peace and silence serve as characteristics of both "twins", as she called these states human soul Tyutchev F.I.:

“everything promises there a quiet long-term life to the yellowness of the hair and an imperceptible, sleep-like death”

“Everything is quiet and sleepy in the village…. In vain will you start calling loudly: dead silence will be the answer.

“Dead silence reigned in the house. It's time for everyone's afternoon nap."

“In Oblomovka everyone rests so soundly and calmly”

Moreover, symbolic designations of life and death often collide in the context:

“everything promises there a quiet long-term life”

"life is like a calm river"

"three main acts of life - motherlands, weddings and funerals"

"sleep, eternal silence of sluggish life"

The concepts of life, death, sleep, peace, peace, silence - in essence, do not have independent characteristics, for Oblomovists, these states themselves are no different. “Sleepy Oblomovka is an afterlife, it is the absolute peace of a person ...”.

Oblomovism, according to Goncharov himself, corrupted not only the landlord class, but also a certain part of the Russian peasants, who were torn away from productive labor. The servants of the Oblomovs inevitably became a kind of bobak - that was exactly what life path Zakhara. Zakhar is the same inert person as Oblomov, but if in the first this feature is dramatic, then here it became only comical: Zakhar's consciousness did not suffer from inertia at all. Everything that Oblomov is clothed in the poetic attire of a “dream” appeared at Zakhar in all its prosaic nakedness

However, a comprehensive display of Oblomovka was not a goal, but a means. In the center of his attention was the fate of the boy brought up by this well-fed and inert environment. Goncharov's novel amazes us with the depth of penetration into the spiritual world of Ilyusha Oblomov. With the art of a true psychologist, Goncharov posed the problem of the destructive influence of the reactionary environment on a living and inquisitive child, in whom, however, she brought up anemia, an inability to live and act.

Oblomovka broke the will of the person she raised. Oblomov admits this, telling Stolz: “I know everything, I understand everything, but there is no strength and will. Give me your will and mind and lead me (10).

The main task of the author in the novel is to show how a person gradually dies in a person, how unadapted to life a landowner is, not used to doing anything. The main qualities of the kind, sweet Ilya Ilyich Oblomov are his inertia, apathy, and aversion to any activity. Faithful to the traditions of realism, I. A. Goncharov shows that these qualities were the result of Oblomov's upbringing, they are born of the confidence that any desire of him will be fulfilled and no effort is needed for this. Oblomov is a nobleman, he does not have to work for a piece of bread - hundreds of serfs Zakharov work for him on the estate and fully ensure his existence.

This means that he can lie on the couch all day long, not because he was tired, but because "that was his normal state." He almost merged with his soft, comfortable dressing gown and long, wide shoes, which he masterfully hit the first time, as soon as he hung his legs off the sofa. (27)

In his youth, Oblomov "was full of all sorts of aspirations, hopes, expected a lot from fate and himself, everything was preparing for some kind of field, for some kind of role." (10) But time passed, and Ilya Ilyich was getting ready to start new life, but did not move a single step towards any goal. In Moscow, he received a good education, but his head "was like a library, consisting of some knowledge scattered in parts." Entering the service, which had previously seemed to him in the form of some kind of family occupation, he did not even imagine that life would immediately be divided for him into two halves, one of which would consist of labor and boredom, which were synonymous for him, and the other - out of peace and peaceful joy. He realized that “there must be at least an earthquake so that a healthy person does not come to the service,” and therefore he soon resigned, then stopped going out into the world and completely closed himself in the room. If Oblomov recognizes some kind of work, then only the work of the soul, since dozens of generations of his ancestors “endured labor as a punishment imposed on our forefathers, but they could not love, and where there was a case, they always got rid of it, finding it possible and proper."

There were moments in Oblomov’s life when he thought about the reasons that prompted him to lead such a life, when he asked himself the question: “Why am I like this?” In the climactic chapter of the novel The Dream of Oblomov, the writer answers this question. (1, 17)

He creates a picture of a provincial landowner's life and shows how lazy hibernation is gradually becoming a normal state of a person.

The chapter "Oblomov's Dream" has an independent meaning. In the preface to the novel, literary critic V. I. Kuleshov writes: “Goncharov decided to insert the previously published “Oblomov’s Dream” in its entirety, giving it a kind of symbolic meaning. As part of the novel "Oblomov", this early essay began to play the role of a preliminary story, an important message about the hero's childhood ... The reader receives important information, thanks to which upbringing the hero of the novel became a couch potato. Since lazy hibernation became "the hero's lifestyle and more than once he had dreams, dreams that transferred him to a world of dreams, imaginary kingdoms," Oblomov's Dream " turned out to be natural for him. His unique presence with a special title in the composition of the novel acquired a certain symbolic meaning, gave the reader the opportunity to realize where and in what exactly this life “broke off”. But that's not all that includes a great episode.

Such long and clear dreams, from a medical point of view, do not exist, and Goncharov did not have the task of describing a real dream. Here a dream is a dream, it is conditional, also logically built.

In the IX chapter of the novel called "Oblomov's Dream" an idyll of childhood is shown. Childhood is a special page of the Russian classical literature, penetrating, poetic; S. T. Aksakov, L. N. Tolstoy, A. N. Tolstoy, V. V. Nabokov described the joys and sorrows of a child who knows the world, nature, and himself. We can say that the theme of childhood is nostalgic, especially for Nabokov, for whom childhood is also the lost homeland that he carries within himself.

In a dream, Oblomov is transferred to the estate of his parents Oblomovka, "to a blessed corner of the earth", where there is no "sea, no high mountains, rocks, abysses, no dense forests - there is nothing grandiose, wild and gloomy." Before us appears an idyllic picture, a series of beautiful landscapes. “Rightly and calmly the yearly cycle is completed there. A deep silence lies in the fields. Silence and tranquility of life also reign in the morals of people in that region, ”writes Goncharov. Oblomov sees himself as a little boy, seeking to look into the unknown, ask more questions and get answers to them. But only concern for food becomes the first and main concern of life in Oblomovka. And the rest of the time is occupied by "some kind of all-consuming, invincible dream," which Goncharov makes a symbol that characterizes people like Oblomov, and which he calls "a true likeness of death." From childhood, Ilya was accustomed to the fact that he should not do anything, that for any work there is “Vaska, Vanka, Zakharka”, and at some point he himself realized that it was “much calmer” this way. That is why all the “seekers of manifestations of strength” in Ilyusha “turned inward and drooped, fading away.” Such a life deprived the hero of the novel of any initiative and gradually turned him into a slave of his position, his habits, and even a slave of his servant Zakhar.

Ilyusha Oblomov has everything that is characteristic of a normal child: liveliness, curiosity. “He passionately wants to run up to the hanging gallery that went around the whole house ...” “With joyful amazement, as if for the first time, he looked around and ran around his parent’s house ...” “His childish mind observes all the phenomena taking place before him; they sink deep into his soul, then grow and mature with him.” And the nanny? Be sure to have a nanny who tells fairy tales. And here are the significant words: "... his fairy tale is mixed with life, and sometimes he unconsciously feels sad, why a fairy tale is not life, and life is not a fairy tale." Here, in childhood, everything that will remain with him until his death is already laid.

An idyll of local life, peace, sweet sleep, frozen life, the dream of the whole Oblomovka... How was life understood in Oblomovka? " Kind people understood it only as the ideal of peace and inactivity, disturbed from time to time by various troubles, such as: illnesses, losses, quarrels and, by the way, work. They endured labor as a punishment imposed on our forefathers, but they could not love ... ”And death here was, as it were, an imperceptible transition from a state of sleep to eternal sleep. But there is in this idyll and endless charm.

"The annual circle was made there correctly and calmly." Nature itself, soft, calm, where there are no mountains, but there are hills, smoothly turning into a plain, embodies "deep silence and peace." "Silence and imperturbable calm reign in the morals of people." In all this, both joy and ... death. No matter how much charm and poetry these paintings contain, they are about frozen time.

I would like to live in this frozen time for the adult Ilya Ilyich Oblomov. He sighs heavily when his "life gets out."

Oblomov's dream plays an important role in the novel. compositional role. Beginning with Chapter II, Goncharov brings visitors to Oblomov's apartment. Volkov, a narcissistic dandy who needs to get into "ten places." “Ten places in one day - unfortunate! - thought Oblomov. - And this is life! .. Where is the man here? What does it break up and crumble into?” And Oblomov rejoices, “rolling over on his back, that he does not have such empty desires and thoughts, that he does not loom around, but lies here, maintaining his human dignity and his peace.” The next visitor is Sudbinsky, a former colleague of Oblomov who has made a career. “He got stuck, dear friend, he got stuck up to his ears ... And he will go out into the people, in time he will turn over affairs and pick up ranks ... And how little a person needs here: his mind, will, feelings ...” Next comes the writer Penkin. Oblomov’s conclusion after Penkin’s departure: “Yes, write everything, waste your thought, your soul on trifles ... trade your mind and imagination ... not know peace ... When to stop and rest? Unhappy!" A man without properties comes, no one even knows his last name for sure: either Ivanov, or Vasilyev, or Alekseev, who is also fussing, everyone is calling Oblomov somewhere. Finally, Ilya Ilyich's countryman, Tarantiev, appears, a personality no less vain than others. He is a master of speech, he makes a lot of noise, but he is not enough for business.

A doctor is visiting, who gives practical advice to Oblomov: move more, walk "eight hours a day." After all, Ilya Ilyich had already begun early obesity.

Not accepting all this empty activity (chasing a career, money, secular entertainment), Oblomov exposes himself to a “secret confession” and comes to the conclusion that “some secret enemy laid a heavy hand on him at the beginning of the journey ... ". His reflections ended with the fact that "sleep stopped the slow and lazy flow of his thoughts."

"Oblomov's Dream" explains why the path of his visitors is unacceptable for Ilya Ilyich. A dream separates these visits from the arrival of Stolz, who played huge role in the life of Oblomov.

With difficulty, at the beginning of the fifth, Oblomov comes out of sleep, and then, like a fresh wind from the will, Stolz bursts in. He has nothing to do with the previous visitors. Stolz is honest, smart, active. He sincerely wants to bring Oblomov out of hibernation. But it turned out that Stolz, a childhood friend, also does not know the true purpose of life, and his activity is largely mechanical. Oblomov, in essence, realizing that Stolz sincerely wants to help him, is unable to join life, go his own way, and Stolz's activities are not for him. However, the arrival of Stolz brought Oblomov out of immobility, as if giving him a chance. Oblomov seemed to come to life when he fell in love with Olga. But even here he saved.

Oblomov's days are ending on Vasilyevsky Island near Pshenitsyna. This is also a kind of Oblomovka, but without a sense of the poetry of childhood, nature, and the expectation of a miracle. Almost imperceptibly, our hero passes into his eternal sleep.

What is the reason that Oblomov's possibilities did not come true, internal forces left unused? Of course, it is rooted in Oblomovka. "Oblomov's Dream" explains why he did not want and could not follow either the path of the early visitors or the path of Stolz: Ilya Ilyich had neither a definite goal nor the energy to achieve it. Thus, Oblomov's dream is, as it were, the focal point of the novel.

In his article “What is Oblomovism?” N. A. Dobrolyubov wrote “Oblomov is not a stupid apathetic figure without aspirations and feelings, but a person who is also looking for something in life, thinking about something.” (17) He is endowed with many positive qualities, and he is not stupid. There is a sad truth in his judgments - also a consequence Russian life. What are all these Sudbinskys, Volkins, Penkovs striving for? Indeed, is it worth it to get up from the couch for the petty fuss that occupies his former comrades?

In the extremely simple plot of Oblomov, which did not shine with any external effects, Dobrolyubov saw a deep social content. He wrote: “Apparently, Goncharov chose not a vast sphere for his own. The story of how the good-natured man lies and sleeps the kind-hearted sloth Oblomov, and no matter how friendship or love can awaken and raise him, God knows what an important story. But it reflects Russian life, it presents us with a living, modern Russian type, minted with merciless rigor and truthfulness; it expressed a new word in our social development, pronounced clearly and firmly, without despair and without childish hopes, but with a full consciousness of the truth. This word - "Oblomovism", serves as a key to unraveling many phenomena of Russian life, and it gives Goncharov's novel much more public interest than how many of our accusatory stories have it. In the type of Oblomov and in all this "Oblomovism" we see something more than just the successful creation of a strong talent; we find in it a work of Russian life, a sign of the times.” (17)

Turning to the image of Oblomov, Dobrolyubov shrewdly saw the source of his life drama, partly in Oblomov's outward position, and partly "in the image of his mental and moral development." Dobrolyubov saw in Oblomov an image of those “imaginary talented natures” that had previously been admired, “before they covered themselves with different mantles, adorned themselves with different hairstyles, and attracted them with different talents. But now Oblomov appears before us, unmasked as he is, silent, reduced from a beautiful pedestal to a soft sofa, covered instead of a mantle only by a spacious dressing gown. The question is what does he do? What is the meaning and purpose of his life? - delivered directly and clearly, not clogged with any side questions. (27)

Oblomov was ruined by serfdom, lordly education and the whole system of Russian landlord life, which slowly but surely turned this person out of life, turned him into a "warehouse littered with all sorts of rubbish." (eighteen)

Andrey Ivanovich Stoltz is the antipode of Obolomov. He was introduced into the novel to emphasize the character of Oblomov, to show their difference from each other, without him the picture of Oblomovism would not be complete, therefore we will not bypass Stolz.

Andrey Ivanovich Stolz is such a person, which there were still very few in that society. He was not spoiled by home education, from a young age he began to enjoy reasonable freedom, learned life early and knew how to contribute to practical activities solid theoretical knowledge.

The development of convictions, firmness of will, a critical view of people and life, as well as faith in truth and goodness, respect for everything beautiful and sublime - these are the main features of Stolz's character.

It was after analyzing the two heroes of the novel that we saw a striking difference.

In conclusion of this part of the diploma, I would like to sum up what Oblomovism is, what is its place in the work of Goncharov and the life of a Russian person.

Let us turn to the words of Gorky, who wrote that the generalizing power of the image created by Goncharov is enormous “... in the person of Oblomov we have before us the most truthful image of the nobility” (16). The Oblomovites are not only the petty provincial nobility, they are all the then Russian nobility, which was going through a process of deep, social and moral crisis. Oblomov is the widest image in its range, embracing the entire noble-landlord class, a synthesis of the most essential features of his psyche and, above all, deep inertia, convinced bailing. In the fate of Oblomov, the process of degradation, the degeneration of the feudal system with its characteristic features of savagery and stagnation, was shown with exhaustive completeness. Oblomov is the personification of the entire landlord way of life on the eve of the 60s.

The novel by I. A. Goncharov “Oblomov” was published in 1859, at a time when the issue of abolishing serfdom was extremely acute in the country, when Russian society was already fully aware of the perniciousness of the existing order. A deep knowledge of life and the accuracy of the social analysis of characters allowed the writer to find a surprisingly correct definition of the way of Russian life of that time - “Oblomovism”.
The main task of the author in the novel is to show how a person gradually dies in a person, how unadapted to life a landowner is, not used to doing anything. The main qualities of the kind, sweet Ilya Ilyich Oblomov are his inertia, apathy, and aversion to any activity. Faithful to the traditions of realism, I. A. Goncharov shows that these qualities were the result of Oblomov's upbringing, they are born of the confidence that any desire of him will be fulfilled and no effort is needed for this. Oblomov is a nobleman, he does not have to work for a piece of bread - hundreds of serfs Zakharov work for him on the estate and fully ensure his existence. This means that he can lie on the couch all day long, not because he was tired, but because “that was his normal state.” He almost merged with his soft, comfortable dressing gown and long, wide shoes, which he masterfully hit the first time, as soon as he hung his legs off the sofa.
In his youth, Oblomov “was full of all sorts of aspirations, hopes, expected a lot from fate and himself, everything was preparing for some kind of field, for some kind of role.” But time passed, and Ilya Ilyich kept getting ready, preparing to start a new life, but did not advance a single step towards any goal. In Moscow, he received a good education, but his head "was like a library, consisting of some knowledge scattered in parts." Entering the service, which had previously seemed to him in the form of some kind of family occupation, he did not even imagine that life would immediately be divided for him into two halves, one of which would consist of labor and boredom, which were synonymous for him, and the other - out of peace and peaceful joy. He realized that “there must be at least an earthquake so that a healthy person does not come to the service,” and therefore he soon resigned, then stopped going out into the world and completely closed himself in the room. If Oblomov recognizes some kind of work, then only the work of the soul, since dozens of generations of his ancestors “endured labor as a punishment imposed on our forefathers, but they could not love, and where there was a case, they always got rid of it, finding it possible and proper."
There were moments in Oblomov's life when he thought about the reasons that prompted him to lead such a life, when he asked himself the question: “Why am I like this?” In the climactic chapter of the novel "Oblomov's Dream" the writer answers this question. He creates a picture of a provincial landowner's life and shows how lazy hibernation is gradually becoming a normal state of a person.
In a dream, Oblomov is transferred to the estate of his parents Oblomovka, “to a blessed corner of the earth”, where there is “no sea, no high mountains, rocks, abysses, no dense forests - there is nothing grandiose, wild and gloomy.” Before us appears an idyllic picture, a series of beautiful landscapes. “Rightly and calmly the yearly cycle is completed there. A deep silence lies in the fields. Silence and tranquility of life also reign in the morals of people in that region, ”writes I. A. Goncharov. Oblomov sees himself as a little boy, seeking to look into the unknown, ask more questions and get answers to them. But only concern for food becomes the first and main concern of life in Oblomovka. And the rest of the time is occupied by “some all-consuming, invincible dream”, which I. A. Goncharov makes a symbol that characterizes people like Oblomov, and which he calls “a true likeness of death”. From childhood, Ilya was accustomed to the fact that he should not do anything, that for any work there is “Vaska, Vanka, Zakharka”, and at some point he himself realized that it was “much calmer” this way. That is why all the “seekers of manifestations of strength” in Ilyusha “turned inward and drooped, fading away.” Such a life deprived the hero of the novel of any initiative and gradually turned him into a slave of his position, his habits, and even a slave of his servant Zakhar.
In his article “What is Oblomovism?” N. A. Dobrolyubov wrote: “Oblomov is not a stupid apathetic figure without aspirations and feelings, but a person who is also looking for something in life, thinking about something.” He is endowed with many positive qualities, and not stupid. There is a sad truth in his judgments - also a consequence of Russian life. What are all these Sudbinskys, Volkins, Penkovs striving for? Indeed, is it worth getting up from the couch for the sake of the petty fuss that his former comrades are busy with?
In the spirit of the tradition created by Russian writers, I. A. Goncharov subjects his hero to the greatest test - the test of love. A feeling for Olga Ilyinskaya, a girl of great spiritual strength, could resurrect Oblomov. But I. A. Goncharov is a realist, and he cannot show the happy ending of the novel. “Why did everything die? Who cursed you, Ilya? What ruined you? - bitterly tries to understand Olga. And the writer gives an answer to these questions, quite accurately defining the name of this evil - Oblomovism. And not only Ilya Ilyich became its victim. "Our name is legion!" he says to Stolz. And indeed, almost all the heroes of the novel became its victims: Zakhar, Agafya Pshenitsyna, Stolz, and Olga.
The greatest merit of I. A. Goncharov lies in the fact that he surprisingly accurately portrayed the disease that struck Russian society in the middle of the 19th century, which N. A. Dobrolyubov described as “the inability to actively want something”, and pointed out the social causes of this phenomenon.

Introduction

Ivan Goncharov for the first time in his novel "Oblomov" introduces a new concept for Russian literature "Oblomovism", which he designated a special social trend, characteristic, first of all, for the Russian people, concluded in complete lack of will, apathy, constant laziness and excessive daydreaming, when illusions replace real life, and the person degrades. The very word "Oblomovism" came from the name of the protagonist of the work - Oblomov and the name of his native village - Oblomovka, which was the focus of everything that led to the gradual extinction of Ilya Ilyich as a person, his complete isolation from the world and final escapism. The image of Oblomov and "Oblomovism" in Goncharov's novel is a reflection of the process of gradual change, the "breakdown" of a person who is instilled with unnatural values ​​and desires, which ultimately leads to tragic consequences - gaining a false meaning of life, fear real world and early death of the hero.

Oblomovka and "Oblomovism"

The roots of the appearance of "Oblomovism" in Oblomov lie in the childhood of the hero - Ilya Ilyich grew up in a remote village - Oblomovka, literally cut off from the real world and the center of Russia. The Oblomov estate is located in a picturesque, quiet, peaceful area, where the climate pleased with its moderation and tranquility, where there were no heavy rains, hurricanes or winds, a raging sea or majestic mountains, instead of which gentle hills spread, even the sky "closer to the earth", “to hug her tighter, with love: it stretched out so low above your head, like a parent’s reliable roof, in order to protect, it seems, the chosen corner from all sorts of adversity.”

Everything here promised "a calm, long-term life to the yellowness of the hair and an imperceptible, sleep-like death." Even the seasons changed each other according to the calendar, without destroying the crops with spring snows - everything in Oblomovka went according to its usual way, not changing for decades. In such a semblance of paradise on earth, Oblomov and the Oblomovites developed, even protected by nature from all sorts of adversities, experiences and losses.

People in Oblomovka lived from rite to rite - from birth to wedding and from wedding to funeral. The pacifying nature pacified their temper, making them quiet, harmless and indifferent to everything: the most terrible atrocities in the village were associated with the theft of peas or carrots, and once they found a dead person from a neighboring village, they decided to forget about it, since the life of other communities was not theirs. touched, which means the dead person is not their problem. A similar situation was with a letter from a neighboring estate, where the recipe for beer was described, but the Oblomovites were afraid to open it right away, fearing bad news that could disturb the usual calm of the village. They did not like work in Oblomovka, considering it a duty and trying to do the job as quickly as possible or even shift it onto the shoulders of another. On the estate, all the work was done by the courtyards, who, as can be seen from the example of Zakhar, were also not the most responsible and hardworking people, but at the same time remained devoted servants of their bar.

The days of the Oblomovites passed in calmness and idleness, and the most important event was the choice of dishes for dinner, when everyone offered their own options, and then everyone consulted, approaching the menu with particular seriousness: “care for food was the first and main life concern in Oblomovka. After the meal, everyone fell into a sleepy state, sometimes they carried on lazy meaningless conversations, but more often they were completely silent, gradually falling asleep: “it was some kind of all-consuming, invincible dream, a true likeness of death,” which little Ilya observed from year to year, gradually adopting model of behavior and values ​​of parents.

Oblomov's childhood in Oblomovka

As a child, Ilya was an inquisitive, active child who tried his best to learn about the world around him. He wanted, like other children, to run through the fields, climb trees, walk where it is forbidden, or, climbing into the hayloft, admire the river and magnificent landscapes from a height. Oblomov liked to watch animals, to inspect the surrounding area. However, overprotective parents, who from infancy surrounded Ilya with continuous care and control, forbade the boy to actively interact with the world and study it, instilling in him completely different, "Oblomov" values ​​​​and behavior patterns: constant laziness, unwillingness to work and study, weak will and fear of the real peace.

Deprived of the need to fight for his desires, getting everything he wants at the first request, Oblomov is used to idleness. He did not have to decide or do anything on his own - there were always parents who “knew better” what their son needed, or servants who were ready to bring him any food, help him get dressed or clean up the rooms. Ilya was raised as an exotic " indoor flower”, protecting him from the outside world with all his might and sheltering him in the pacifying nest of Oblomovka. Parents did not even demand academic success from their son, since they did not consider science to be something really important and useful, they often left him at home on holidays or in bad weather. That is why studying at school, and then at the institute, became for Oblomov something like an indication of parents, and not the realization of his own will. In the classroom, Ilya Ilyich was bored, he did not understand how the knowledge gained could be applied in later life, in particular, in Oblomovka.

The destructive influence of fairy tales on Oblomov's life

In the novel, Ilya Ilyich appears as a very sensitive, dreamy person who knows how to see beauty and subtly experience any manifestations of the outside world. In many ways, the formation of these qualities in the hero was influenced precisely by the picturesque nature of Oblomov and the fairy tales that his nanny told the boy. Myths and legends carried Oblomov into a completely different world - a fantastic world, beautiful and full of miracles: “He involuntarily dreams of Militris Kirbityevna; everything pulls him in that direction, where they only know that they are walking, where there are no worries and sorrows; he always has the disposition to lie on the stove, walk around in a ready-made, unearned dress and eat at the expense of a good sorceress. Even in adulthood, realizing that "milk rivers" do not exist, Ilya Ilyich "unconsciously sad sometimes, why is a fairy tale not life, and life is not a fairy tale." That is why in Oblomov continued to live that, instilled with fairy tales, the feeling of being abandoned in a terrifying and frightening world, where you need to blindly make your way forward, not seeing a goal or a road, from which only a true miracle can save.

Fairy, Magic world legends and myths becomes an alternative reality for Oblomov, and already in adulthood he invents himself a fairy tale about future life in heavenly Oblomovka, about endless calm family happiness, prosperity and tranquility. However, the tragedy of Ilya Ilyich does not even consist in total escapism, fear of society, unwillingness to do anything and fight for his happiness, and not in the understanding that he has already replaced real life with an illusory one. Before his death, for Oblomov, his dreams are more real and important than his son, wife, friend and people around him, even more important than himself, because in his dreams everything is in order with health, he is full of strength and energy. However, Goncharov himself in the novel briefly gives the reader one of the explanations for this substitution: “or maybe sleep, the eternal silence of a sluggish life and the absence of movement and any real fears, adventures and dangers forced a person to create another, unrealizable world in the natural world, and in it to look for revelry and fun to idle imagination or unraveling the ordinary chains of circumstances and the causes of the phenomenon outside the phenomenon itself”, emphasizing that life itself should be a continuous striving forward, and not an endless sleep in the “comfort zone”.

Conclusion

The concept of "Oblomovism" in the novel "Oblomov" is introduced by Goncharov not as a single characteristic of life motives and personality traits of the protagonist, but as a typical and especially attractive phenomenon for Russian society - the archetype of Emelya the Fool, lying on the stove and waiting for his finest hour. According to the author himself, this is “an evil and insidious satire on our great-grandfathers, and maybe even on ourselves” - a fairy tale that everyone wants to believe in, but which has nothing to do with reality, where in order to achieve heights it is necessary to stand up with stoves and work, work on yourself. On the example of Oblomov, Goncharov showed how excessive care and guardianship, protection from stress and loss, leading to complete disappointment in real life and replacing it with illusions, can adversely affect a sensitive, dreamy person.

The characteristics of the concept of “Oblomovism”, the history of its appearance and the connection with the main character of the novel will be useful to 10 classes during the preparation of an essay on the topic “Oblomov and “Oblomovism” in the novel “Oblomov”.

Artwork test

"In Gorokhovaya Street, in one of the big houses<…>Ilya Ilyich Oblomov was lying in bed in his apartment in the morning, ”so I. A. Goncharov introduces us to the main character of the work, a gentleman a little over 30 years old, who does not know and does not want to know about work. An old, worn dressing gown (sleeping dressing gown) and slippers are his usual attire. These are symbols of laziness and apathy, which run like a red thread through the whole life of the character.

“Yes, I’m a gentleman and I don’t know how to do anything!” - says Oblomov about himself.

N. A. Dobrolyubov understood "Oblomovism" as something social, "a sign of the times." In his understanding, the image of Oblomov is a strictly minted type of Russian person, "spoiled" by the opportunity to shift all responsibility onto other people's shoulders. From the critic's point of view, "Oblomovism" is an allegory of serfdom.

(A still from N. Mikhalkov's film A Few Days in the Life of II Oblomov. Ilya Oblomov - Oleg Tabakov)

Where did "Oblomovism" come from? The reader learns about this from the chapter "Oblomov's Dream", which tells about Ilyusha's childhood. The life of a serf estate is divided into two worlds: a lazy, amorphous aristocratic world, where there is nothing more important than delicious food and a strong, sweep-like sleep, and a peasant one, filled with labor aimed at solving the household problems of the masters. We see a world ossified, closed in traditions and customs that do not encourage living aspirations and, moreover, labor. And why, if there is "Zakhar and even 300 Zakharov"?

Moving away from Dobrolyubov's concept of serfdom, one can see in the "Oblomovism" a phenomenon that is often encountered even today. Fear of being sent to great life”, Persistently nurtured by parents in offspring, life “according to the knurled” and beaten by generations path of following traditions and foundations. Excessive guardianship from work and the creation of a social vacuum ruin the slightest manifestations of curiosity and the urge to independence: “Those who seek manifestations of strength turned inward and drooped, withering.”

Oblomov's whole life is a desire to plunge into a utopia, where everything is easy and there is no need to make decisions. Ilya Ilyich does not want to leave the house, he is always immersed in dreams about rebuilding the estate, but dreams remain dreams, and Oblomov’s world is still limited to a sofa, because “a fairy tale is not life, and life is not a fairy tale.”

"Oblomovism" is contrition, "primitive laziness", time spent in dreams and empty dreams. The time that is created for action.

No external force can awaken even a single spark in Ilya Ilyich. The desire of Andrei Stolz to bring him back to life collapsed under a heap of fears, foundations and the notorious shabby robe, which enveloped not only the body, but also the mind, the soul of Oblomov. Olga's aspirations to return Ilya to society did not come true either. Decadence consumed his essence.

("The same Oblomov - yesterday and today")

Everything that captures a person infected with "Oblomovism" is doomed. Everything around him perishes, because there is no fire inside, no desire to live, and not drag out existence, lying on the couch and hiding from any "external stimuli".

The last refuge of Ilya Ilyich was the house of Agafya Pshenitsina, where he found echoes of his "cradle" - Oblomovka, to which all his nature aspired.