The history of the creation of the novel "Oblomov". Theme, idea, problematic, composition.

“The story of how the sloth Oblomov lies and sleeps

and even though neither friendship nor love can awaken and raise him,

God knows what a story..."

1. The concept of the novel “Oblomov.

The concept of the novel "Oblomov" arose in 1847, but the work was created slowly. In 1849 one was published in the Sovremennik magazine chapter from the novel "Oblomov's Dream", in which he gave an amazingly bright and deep picture of patriarchal landowner life. But the main part of the novel was written almost 10 years later, V 1857, in Marienbad (Germany), where Goncharov was treated for mineral waters. During this decade, the author not only carefully thought through the entire plan of the work, but also all the plot moves and details. Subsequently, the writer noted that he “wrote almost all of the last 3 volumes of Oblomov within 7 weeks.” Goncharov did a colossal job. He wrote until he was exhausted. “I worked so hard, did so much in these two months that no one else wrote so much in his two lives.”

IN 1858"Oblomov" wasfinished, and was fully published only in 1859.

2. Theme, idea of ​​the novel.

The theme is the fate of a generation looking for its place in society, but unable to find the right path.

Idea - show the conditions that give rise to laziness and apathy, trace how a person gradually fades away, turning into a dead soul. " I tried to show in Oblomov how and why our people turn prematurely into... jelly - the climate, the outback environment, the drowsy life and more private, individual circumstances for each».

3. Issues

1) In his novel the writer showed what serfdom has a detrimental effect on life, culture, and science . The consequence of these orders is stagnation and immobility in all areas of life .

2) Conditions landowner life And noble upbringing give birth to a hero apathy, lack of will, indifference .

3) Personality degradation and personality disintegration.

4) Goncharov puts in the novel questions about genuine friendship, love, O humanism.

Time, depicted in the novel "Oblomov", about 40 years old.

4. Artistic merits of the novel “Oblomov” :

1) A broad picture of life in Russia is presented.

2) Special attention is given to the description internal state heroes: internal monologue characters and conveying experiences through gesture, voice, and movements.

3) The full disclosure of the character of the characters is achieved through repeating details (for Oblomov - a robe and slippers).

5. Structure of the novel:

Part 1 - Oblomov lies on the sofa.

Part 2 - Oblomov goes to the Ilyinskys and falls in love with Olga, and she with him.

Part 3 - Olga sees that she was mistaken about Oblomov, and they part ways.

Part 4 - Olga marries Stolz, and Oblomov marries the owner of the house where he rents an apartment - Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsy noah. Lives on the Vyborg side, peace that turns into “eternal peace.”

« That's all. No external events, no obstacles...interfere with the romance. Oblomov's laziness and apathy are the only spring of action in his entire story. ()

6. Composition

All actions unfold around the main character - Ilya Ilyich Oblomov. He unites everyone around him characters There is little action in the novel. Scene in the novel - Petersburg.

1. Exposition - the first part and 1.2 chapters of part 2 are drawn out, the conditions for the formation of Oblomov’s character are shown in great detail.

2. Tie 3 and 5 ch. Part 2 - Oblomov’s acquaintance with Olga. Oblomov’s feelings for Olga are growing stronger, but he doubts whether he can give up laziness.

3. Climax - Chapter 12 of the 3rd part. Ilya Ilyich declares his love for Olga. But he cannot sacrifice his peace, which leads to a quick break in the relationship.

4. Denouement– 11, 12 chapters of part 3, which show Oblomov’s insolvency and bankruptcy.

In chapter 4 of the novel - further decline of the hero. He finds ideal living conditions for himself in Pshenitsyna’s house. He again lies on the sofa in a robe all day long. The hero suffers a final downfall. Relationship between Olga and Stolz.

In the epilogue – Chapter 11, part 4, Goncharov talks about the death of Oblomov, the fate of Zakhar, Stolz and Olga. This chapter explains the meaning of “Oblomovism.”

The novel “Oblomov” is an integral part of Goncharov’s trilogy, which also includes “The Precipice” and “An Ordinary Story.” It was first published in 1859 in the magazine " Domestic notes“, however, the author published a fragment of the novel “Oblomov’s Dream” 10 years earlier, back in 1849. According to the author, the draft of the entire novel was already ready at that time. A trip to his native Simbirsk with its ancient patriarchal way of life largely inspired him to publish the novel. However, I had to take a break creative activity in connection with a trip around the world.

Analysis of the work

Introduction. The history of the creation of the novel. Main idea.

Much earlier, in 1838, Goncharov published humorous story“Dashing Sickness,” which condemningly describes such a destructive phenomenon that flourishes in the West as a tendency to excessive daydreaming and melancholy. It was then that the author first raised the issue of “Oblomovism,” which he later fully and comprehensively revealed in the novel.

Later, the author admitted that Belinsky’s speech on the topic of his “Ordinary History” made him think about creating “Oblomov”. In his analysis, Belinsky helped him outline a clear image of the main character, his character and individual traits. In addition, the hero Oblomov is, in some way, an admission by Goncharov of his mistakes. After all, he, too, was once a supporter of serene and meaningless pastime. Goncharov spoke more than once about how difficult it was sometimes for him to do some everyday things, not to mention the difficulty with which he decided to go on a circumnavigation of the world. His friends even nicknamed him “Prince De Lazy.”

The ideological content of the novel is extremely deep: the author raises deep social problems, which were relevant for many of his contemporaries. For example, the dominance of European ideals and canons among the nobility and the vegetation of original Russian values. Eternal questions of love, duty, decency, human relationships and life values.

General characteristics of the work. Genre, plot and composition.

According to genre features, the novel “Oblomov” can be easily identified as a typical work of the realism movement. Here there are all the signs characteristic of works of this genre: a central conflict of interests and positions of the protagonist and the society opposing him, many details in the description of situations and interiors, authenticity from the point of view of historical and everyday aspects. For example, Goncharov very clearly depicts the social division of layers of society inherent in that time: bourgeois, serfs, officials, nobles. During the course of the story, some characters receive their development, for example, Olga. Oblomov, on the contrary, degrades, breaking under the pressure of the surrounding reality.

The typical phenomenon of that time, described on the pages, which later received the name “Oblomovshchina,” allows us to interpret the novel as a social one. The extreme degree of laziness and moral depravity, vegetation and personal decay - all this had an extremely detrimental effect on the bourgeoisie of the 19th century. And “Oblomovshchina” became a household name, in a general sense reflecting the way of life of the Russia of that time.

In terms of composition, the novel can be divided into 4 separate blocks or parts. At the beginning, the author lets us know what he is main character, to follow the smooth, non-dynamic and lazy flow of his boring life. What follows is the climax of the novel - Oblomov falls in love with Olga, comes out of “hibernation”, strives to live, enjoy every day and receive personal development. However, their relationship was not destined to continue and the couple experienced a tragic breakup. Oblomov's short-term insight turns into further degradation and disintegration of personality. Oblomov again falls into despondency and depression, plunging into his feelings and joyless existence. The denouement is the epilogue, which describes future life hero: Ilya Ilyich marries a homely woman who does not sparkle with intelligence and emotions. Conducts last days in peace, indulging in laziness and gluttony. The finale is the death of Oblomov.

Images of the main characters

In contrast to Oblomov is the description of Andrei Ivanovich Stolts. These are two antipodes: Stolz’s gaze is directed clearly forward, he is confident that without development there is no future for him as an individual and for society as a whole. Such people move the planet forward; the only joy available to them is constant work. He takes pleasure in achieving goals, he has no time to build ephemeral castles in the air and vegetate like Oblomov in a world of ethereal fantasies. At the same time, Goncharov is not trying to make one of his heroes bad and the other good. On the contrary, he repeatedly emphasizes that neither one nor the other male image is not ideal. Each of them has both positive features, and disadvantages. This is another feature that allows us to classify the novel as a realistic genre.

Just like men, women in this novel are also opposed to each other. Pshenitsyna Agafya Matveevna - Oblomov's wife is presented as a narrow-minded, but extremely kind and flexible nature. She literally idolizes her husband, trying to make his life as comfortable as possible. The poor thing does not understand that by doing so she is digging his grave. She is a typical representative of the old system, when a woman is literally a slave of her husband, not having the right to her own opinion, and a hostage to everyday problems.

Olga Ilyinskaya

Olga is a progressive young girl. It seems to her that she can change Oblomov, set him on the true path, and she almost succeeds. She is incredibly strong-willed, emotional and talented. In a man, she wants to see, first of all, a spiritual mentor, a strong, integral personality, at least equal to her in mentality and beliefs. This is where the conflict of interests with Oblomov occurs. Unfortunately, he cannot and does not want to meet her high demands and goes into the shadows. Unable to forgive such cowardice, Olga breaks up with him and thereby saves herself from “Oblomovism.”

Conclusion

The novel raises a rather serious problem from the point of view historical development Russian society, namely “Oblomovshchina” or the gradual degradation of certain layers of the Russian public. The old foundations that people are not ready to change and improve their society and way of life, philosophical issues of development, the theme of love and the weakness of the human spirit - all this rightfully allows us to recognize Goncharov’s novel as a brilliant work of the 19th century.

“Oblomovism” from a social phenomenon gradually flows into the character of the person himself, dragging him to the bottom of laziness and moral decay. Dreams and illusions are gradually replacing real world where there is simply no place for such a person. This leads to another problematic topic raised by the author, namely the question “ An extra person", which is Oblomov. He is stuck in the past and sometimes his dreams even take precedence over really important things, for example, his love for Olga.

The success of the novel was largely due to the deep crisis of the serfdom that coincided at the same time. The image of a bored landowner, incapable of independent life, was perceived very sharply by the public. Many recognized themselves in Oblomov, and Goncharov’s contemporaries, for example, the writer Dobrolyubov, quickly picked up the theme of “Oblomovism” and continued to develop it on the pages of their scientific works. Thus, the novel became an event not only in the field of literature, but the most important socio-political and historical event.

The author is trying to reach the reader, make him look at own life, and perhaps rethink something. Only by correctly interpreting Goncharov’s fiery message can you change your life and then you can avoid Oblomov’s sad ending.

/Dmitry Ivanovich Pisarev (1840-1868). Oblomov. Roman I. A. Goncharova /

In every literature that has reached a certain degree of maturity, works appear that reconcile universal human interest with popular and modern interests and elevate to the level of artistic creations types taken from the environment of the society to which the writer belongs. The author of such a work is not interested in contemporary, often petty, issues of life that have nothing to do with art; he does not set himself the task of compiling an instructive book and ridiculing this or that shortcoming of society or extolling this or that virtue that this society needs. No! Creativity with a pre-conceived practical goal is an illegal phenomenon; it must be left to the lot of those writers who are denied a powerful talent, who are given in return a moral sense capable of making them good citizens, but not artists. A true poet stands above everyday issues, but does not shy away from resolving them, encountering them on the path of his creativity. Such a poet looks deeply at life and in every phenomenon he sees a universal human side that will touch every heart and will be understandable to every time.

Should the poet happen to pay attention to some social evil - let's say, to bribery - he will not, like representatives of the accusatory movement, go into the subtleties of casuistry and set out various intricate tricks: his goal will not be to ridicule the evil, but to resolve it before the eyes of the reader psychological task; he will pay attention not to what bribery is manifested in, but to where it comes from; in his eyes, a bribe-taker is not an official who unscrupulously fulfills his duty, but a person in a state of complete moral humiliation. To trace the state of his soul, reveal it to the reader, explain the participation of society in the formation of such characters - this is the job of a true poet, whom a work about bribery can arouse not only disgust, but deep sadness for the moral decline of a person. This is how the poet looks at the phenomena of his time, this is how he relates to various aspects of his nationality, he looks at everything from a universal human point of view; without wasting effort on reproducing small external features national character, without dividing his thoughts into the petty phenomena of everyday life, the poet at once comprehends the spirit, the meaning of these phenomena, acquires a complete understanding of the national character and then, fully possessing his material, creates, not writing off from the reality around him, but deriving this reality from the depths of his own spirit and putting into the living images he created the thought that animates him.

“Nationality,” says Belinsky, “is not a virtue, but necessary condition true work of art"1. The poet's thought seeks a definite, rounded expression and, according to natural law, results in the form that is most familiar to the poet; each trait of universal human character has its own famous nationality its own characteristics, every universal movement of the soul is expressed in accordance with the conditions of time and place. A true artist can embody his idea only in the most definite images, and that is why nationality and historical fidelity constitute a necessary condition for an elegant work.

The words Belinsky said about Gogol’s stories can be applied in full force to the assessment of Mr. Goncharov’s new novel. This novel resolves a vast, universal psychological problem; this task is resolved in purely Russian, national phenomena, possible only with our way of life, with those historical circumstances that shaped folk character, under the conditions under the influence of which our younger generation developed and is still partly developing. This novel also touches on life, contemporary issues to the extent that these issues are of general human interest; it also exposes the shortcomings of society, but they are exposed not with a polemical purpose, but for the sake of fidelity and completeness of the picture, for artistic image life as it is, and a person with his feelings, thoughts and passions.

Complete objectivity, calm, dispassionate creativity, the absence of narrow temporary goals that profane art, the absence of lyrical impulses that violate the clarity and distinctness of the epic narrative - this is features the author's talent, as expressed in his last work. The thought of Mr. Goncharov, carried out in his novel, belongs to all centuries and peoples, but is of particular importance in our time, for our Russian society. The author decided to trace the deadening, destructive influence that mental apathy and sleep have on a person, which little by little 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 human phenomenon, it is expressed in the most diverse forms and is generated by the most diverse causes; but plays in it everywhere main role terrible question: “Why live? Why work?” - a question to which a person often cannot find a satisfactory answer. This unresolved question, this unsatisfied doubt depletes strength and ruins activity; a person gives up and gives up work, not seeing a goal for it. One will throw away the work with indignation and bile, the other will put it aside quietly and lazily; one will break 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, it will alternate with feverish impulses to disorderly activity and will still remain apathy, because it will take away his strength to act, feel and live.

For another, indifference to life will be expressed in a softer, colorless form; animal instincts will quietly, without struggle, float to the surface of the soul; the highest aspirations will freeze without pain; a person will sink into a soft chair and fall asleep, enjoying his meaningless peace; Vegetation will begin instead of life, 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 revolution. In the first case, we see some kind of forced apathy - apathy and at the same time a struggle against it, an excess of strength asking for action and slowly fading away in fruitless attempts; this is Byronism, a disease strong people. In the second case, there is submissive, peaceful, smiling apathy, without the desire to emerge from inaction; This is Oblomovism, as Mr. Goncharov called it, this is a disease, the development of which is promoted by both Slavic nature and the life of our society. Mr. Goncharov traced this development of the disease in his novel.

The author’s enormous idea, in all the grandeur of its simplicity, fits into the appropriate frame. The entire plan of the novel is built on this idea, constructed so deliberately that there is not a single accident, not a single introductory person, not a single superfluous detail; The main idea runs through all the individual scenes, and yet, in the name of this idea, the author does not make a single deviation from reality, does not sacrifice a single detail in the external decoration of persons, characters and positions. Everything is strictly natural and yet completely meaningful, imbued with an idea. There are almost no events, no action; the content of a 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 concatenation of events, even plausible, even if they actually happened, but in observing the inner world of a person. This world is always interesting, always attracts our attention; but it is especially accessible to study in quiet moments, when the person who is the subject of our observation is left to himself, does not depend on external events, and is not placed in an artificial position resulting from a random combination of circumstances. In such calm moments of life, when a person, not disturbed by external impressions, concentrates, collects his thoughts and looks into his inner world, in such moments, sometimes an invisible, silent internal struggle occurs, in such moments a sincere thought matures and develops, or a turn to the past occurs, a discussion and assessment of one’s own actions, one’s own personality. These mysterious moments are especially dear to the artist and especially interesting to the enlightened observer.

In the novel by Mr. Goncharov inner life the characters are open before the reader’s eyes; there is no confusion of external events, no invented and calculated effects, and therefore the author’s analysis does not lose its clarity and calm insight for a minute. The idea is not fragmented in the interweaving of various incidents: it harmoniously and simply develops from itself, is carried through to the end and supports all the interest to the end, without the help of extraneous, incidental, introductory circumstances. This idea is so broad, it covers so many aspects of our life that, embodying this one idea, without deviating from it even a step, the author could, without the slightest stretch, touch upon almost all the issues currently occupying society. He touched them involuntarily, not wanting to sacrifice the eternal interests of art for temporary purposes; but this is involuntarily expressed in public affairs the artist’s word cannot fail to have a strong and beneficial influence on minds: it will act as everything true and beautiful does.<...>

The author’s main idea, as far as one can judge from the title and the course of action, was to depict the state of calm and submissive apathy, which we have already discussed above; Meanwhile, after reading the novel, the reader may have a question: what did the author want to do? Which the main objective led him? Didn't he want to trace the development of the feeling of love, to analyze to the smallest detail the changes that the soul of a woman, excited by a strong and deep feeling, experiences? This question arises not because the main goal has not been achieved, not because the author’s attention has deviated from it: on the contrary! the fact is that both goals, the main and the secondary, that arose during creativity, are achieved to such an extent that the reader does not know which of them to give preference to. In “Oblomov” we see two paintings, equally finished, placed side by side, penetrating and complementing one another. main idea the author is sustained to the end; but during the process of creativity, a new psychological task presented itself, which, without interfering with the development of the first thought, itself is resolved to such a complete extent as it has never been resolved, perhaps. Rarely has a novel revealed in its author such a power of analysis, such a complete and subtle knowledge of human nature in general and female nature in particular; Rarely has a novel ever combined two such enormous psychological tasks, it is rare that the combination of two such problems has been elevated to such a harmonious and apparently uncomplicated whole. We would never finish if we started talking about all the merits of the general plan drawn up by such a brave hand; Let's move on to considering individual characters.

Goncharov managed to create an amazing, one might even say, the only image in literature - The entire work is unique, there are no sharp turns in the plot, the setting almost never changes (the entire first part it was the protagonist’s apartment), but nevertheless you worry about the characters. An image such as Oblomov cannot but cause controversy about his character and understanding of life.

They don’t rise in the novel political problems, only personal and interpersonal conflicts, which remain relevant in any era. Goncharov's novel is studied at school, and writing an essay on Oblomov's theme is mandatory in literary program. It raises serious moral questions that make the reader think while reading.

Essay topics on "Oblomov"

The list of topics on which you are asked to write an essay is quite extensive, so the most interesting ones will be presented below.

1. "Love theme in the work "Oblomov".
2. Essay on the topic "Oblomov and Stolz".
3. "Historical and philosophical meaning of the novel "Oblomov".
4. "Oblomov and Oblomovism."
5. "Oblomov's childhood in the novel "Oblomov".

Relations between Oblomov and Stolz

An essay on the topic “Oblomov and Stolz” is both simple and difficult to write. Simple, because these are two main characters with clearly defined characters, with clear and understandable life principles. But their friendship is not as simple as it might seem.

After all, they not only respect and value each other, but they are also opposites, which cannot but affect their attitude towards each other’s lifestyle. If at some point in his life Ilya tries to accept the point of view of his comrade, then Andrei sharply criticizes “Oblomovism” and does not even try to understand why Ilya Ilyich is so attracted to a solitary lifestyle.

But this does not prevent them from remaining close and only friends throughout their lives. After all, only Stoltz Oblomov could tell about his experiences, and he, in turn, is always ready to help his friend.

Discussion about "Oblomovism"

An essay on the topic “Oblomov’s Life” will not be distinguished by any bright events that could happen to the main character, but it will be interesting in how they changed life principles Main character. A very true and accurate description of the life of Ilya Ilyich was given by his friend Andrei Stolts - “Oblomovism”.

An essay on the theme of Oblomov differs from discussions about other works precisely in that greater emphasis in the novel itself is placed on the inner world of the main character. Of course, the character of other heroes is also told, but Oblomov himself is created in such a way that his lifestyle cannot be of much interest to the reader.

It is much more important to understand why he has such a craving for a solitary and monotonous life. And the reason lies in his childhood, where every day was similar to one another, where his parents did not burden themselves with serious matters or thoughts and were happy.

But if the son had been like them, then he would not have thought about Stolz’s words, he would not have understood that times have changed, that living this way is not entirely correct. But because Oblomov did not study at home, a philosophical principle was nurtured in him, which prompted him to various thoughts.

But despite all Stolz’s attempts to take his friend away from that monotonous course of life, Oblomov still returned to his roots. Because the basis of his character was this monotony, unhurriedness, a sense of calm in this measured way of life and actions.

Assessing the Main Character's Personality

In an essay on the topic of Oblomov, it will be quite difficult to give any unambiguous assessment central character. On the one hand, this way of life is wrong in that gradually a person weanes himself from making responsible decisions, becomes lazy, and not purposeful. Gradually, his personal development may stop due to a narrow circle of friends and narrowing interests. After all, self-education requires willpower and discipline, which is lost with such a lifestyle. Therefore, Ilya Ilyich had doubts and a desire to change his lifestyle.

But, on the other hand, the formation of his character was greatly influenced by the environment and environment in which he grew up. And he associated this feeling of calm and stability with such a measured way of life. For him, it remained an ideal, so at the end of the novel, despite all the efforts of Stolz and Olga, he returns to his previous philosophy.

In an essay on the topic of Oblomov, one can also point out that the example of the Oblomovs shows how the old lordly way of life was replaced, that people became more educated, and progress reached housekeeping. Oblomov and Stolz were a reflection of the opposite public opinion, which reigned in the country at that time. Therefore, despite the lack of a wide variety of characters and changes in setting, this novel became classic work, whose relevance continues to persist over time.

/Dmitry Ivanovich Pisarev (1840-1868). Oblomov. Roman I. A. Goncharova /

In every literature that has reached a certain degree of maturity, works appear that reconcile universal human interest with popular and modern interests and elevate to the level of artistic creations types taken from the environment of the society to which the writer belongs. The author of such a work is not interested in contemporary, often petty, issues of life that have nothing to do with art; he does not set himself the task of compiling an instructive book and ridiculing this or that shortcoming of society or extolling this or that virtue that this society needs. No! Creativity with a pre-conceived practical goal is an illegal phenomenon; it must be left to the lot of those writers who are denied a powerful talent, who are given in return a moral sense capable of making them good citizens, but not artists. A true poet stands above everyday issues, but does not shy away from resolving them, encountering them on the path of his creativity. Such a poet looks deeply at life and in every phenomenon he sees a universal human side that will touch every heart and will be understandable to every time.

Should the poet happen to pay attention to some social evil - let's say, to bribery - he will not, like representatives of the accusatory movement, go into the subtleties of casuistry and set out various intricate tricks: his goal will not be to ridicule the evil, but to resolve it before the eyes of the reader psychological task; he will pay attention not to what bribery is manifested in, but to where it comes from; in his eyes, a bribe-taker is not an official who unscrupulously fulfills his duty, but a person in a state of complete moral humiliation. To trace the state of his soul, reveal it to the reader, explain the participation of society in the formation of such characters - this is the job of a true poet, whom a work about bribery can arouse not only disgust, but deep sadness for the moral decline of a person. This is how the poet looks at the phenomena of his time, this is how he relates to various aspects of his nationality, he looks at everything from a universal human point of view; without wasting effort on reproducing the small external features of the people's character, without splitting his thoughts into the petty phenomena of everyday life, the poet immediately comprehends the spirit, the meaning of these phenomena, acquires a complete understanding of the people's character and then, having fully disposed of his material, creates without copying from the environment his reality, but by bringing this reality out of the depths of his own spirit and putting into the living images created by him the thought that animates him.

“Nationality,” says Belinsky, “is not a virtue, but a necessary condition for a truly artistic work” 1 . The poet’s thought seeks a definite, rounded expression and, according to natural law, results in the form that is most familiar to the poet; Every feature of the universal human character has its own characteristics in a certain nationality, every universal movement of the soul is expressed in accordance with the conditions of time and place. A true artist can embody his idea only in the most definite images, and that is why nationality and historical fidelity constitute a necessary condition for an elegant work.

The words Belinsky said about Gogol’s stories can be applied in full force to the assessment of Mr. Goncharov’s new novel. This novel resolves a vast, universal psychological problem; this task is resolved in purely Russian, national phenomena, possible only under our way of life, under those historical circumstances that shaped the national character, under the conditions under the influence of which our younger generation developed and is partly still developing. This novel also touches on vital, modern issues to the extent that these issues are of universal human interest; it also exposes the shortcomings of society, but they are exposed not for a polemical purpose, but for the fidelity and completeness of the picture, for the artistic depiction of life as it is, and of man with his feelings, thoughts and passions.

Complete objectivity, calm, dispassionate creativity, the absence of narrow temporary goals that profane art, the absence of lyrical impulses that violate the clarity and distinctness of the epic narrative - these are the hallmarks of the author’s talent, as far as it was expressed in his last work. The thought of Mr. Goncharov, carried out in his novel, belongs to all centuries and peoples, but is of particular importance in our time, for our Russian society. The author decided to trace the deadening, destructive influence that mental apathy and sleep have on a person, which little by little 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 human phenomenon, it is expressed in the most diverse forms and is generated by the most diverse causes; but everywhere in it the main role is played by the terrible question: “Why live? Why work?” - a question to which a person often cannot find a satisfactory answer. This unresolved question, this unsatisfied doubt depletes strength and ruins activity; a person gives up and gives up work, not seeing a goal for it. One will throw away the work with indignation and bile, the other will put it aside quietly and lazily; one will break 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, it will alternate with feverish impulses to disorderly activity and will still remain apathy, because it will take away his strength to act, feel and live.

For another, indifference to life will be expressed in a softer, colorless form; animal instincts will quietly, without struggle, float to the surface of the soul; the highest aspirations will freeze without pain; a person will sink into a soft chair and fall asleep, enjoying his meaningless peace; Vegetation will begin instead of life, 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 revolution. In the first case, we see some kind of forced apathy - apathy and at the same time a struggle against it, an excess of strength asking for action and slowly fading away in fruitless attempts; This is Byronism, a disease of strong people. In the second case, there is submissive, peaceful, smiling apathy, without the desire to emerge from inaction; This is Oblomovism, as Mr. Goncharov called it, this is a disease, the development of which is promoted by both Slavic nature and the life of our society. Mr. Goncharov traced this development of the disease in his novel.

The author’s enormous idea, in all the grandeur of its simplicity, fits into the appropriate frame. The entire plan of the novel is built on this idea, constructed so deliberately that there is not a single accident, not a single introductory person, not a single superfluous detail; The main idea runs through all the individual scenes, and yet, in the name of this idea, the author does not make a single deviation from reality, does not sacrifice a single detail in the external decoration of persons, characters and positions. Everything is strictly natural and yet completely meaningful, imbued with an idea. There are almost no events, no action; the content of a 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 concatenation of events, even plausible, even if they actually happened, but in observing the inner world of a person. This world is always interesting, always attracts our attention; but it is especially accessible to study in quiet moments, when the person who is the subject of our observation is left to himself, does not depend on external events, and is not placed in an artificial position resulting from a random combination of circumstances. In such calm moments of life, when a person, not disturbed by external impressions, concentrates, collects his thoughts and looks into his inner world, at such moments sometimes an invisible, silent internal struggle occurs, at such moments a sincere thought matures and develops or a turn occurs on the past, discussing and evaluating one’s own actions, one’s own personality. These mysterious moments are especially dear to the artist and especially interesting to the enlightened observer.

In Mr. Goncharov's novel, the inner life of the characters is open before the reader's eyes; there is no confusion of external events, no invented and calculated effects, and therefore the author’s analysis does not lose its clarity and calm insight for a minute. The idea is not fragmented in the interweaving of various incidents: it harmoniously and simply develops from itself, is carried through to the end and supports all the interest to the end, without the help of extraneous, incidental, introductory circumstances. This idea is so broad, it covers so many aspects of our life that, embodying this one idea, without deviating from it even a step, the author could, without the slightest stretch, touch upon almost all the issues currently occupying society. He touched them involuntarily, not wanting to sacrifice the eternal interests of art for temporary purposes; but this word of the artist, involuntarily expressed in a public matter, cannot but have a strong and beneficial influence on minds: it will act in the same way as everything true and beautiful acts.<...>

The author’s main idea, as far as one can judge from the title and the course of action, was to depict the state of calm and submissive apathy, which we have already discussed above; Meanwhile, after reading the novel, the reader may have a question: what did the author want to do? What was the main goal that guided him? Didn't he want to trace the development of the feeling of love, to analyze to the smallest detail the changes that the soul of a woman, excited by a strong and deep feeling, experiences? This question arises not because the main goal has not been achieved, not because the author’s attention has deviated from it: on the contrary! the fact is that both goals, the main and the secondary, that arose during creativity, are achieved to such an extent that the reader does not know which of them to give preference to. In “Oblomov” we see two paintings, equally finished, placed side by side, penetrating and complementing one another. The author's main idea is maintained to the end; but during the process of creativity, a new psychological task presented itself, which, without interfering with the development of the first thought, itself is resolved to such a complete extent as it has never been resolved, perhaps. Rarely has a novel revealed in its author such a power of analysis, such a complete and subtle knowledge of human nature in general and female nature in particular; Rarely has a novel ever combined two such enormous psychological tasks; rarely has it elevated the combination of two such tasks to such a harmonious and apparently uncomplicated whole. We would never finish if we started talking about all the merits of the general plan drawn up by such a brave hand; Let's move on to looking at individual characters.