To my village at the same time
The new landowner galloped up
And equally strict analysis
The neighborhood provided a reason.
Named Vladimir Lensky,
With a soul straight from Göttingen,
Handsome man, in full bloom,
Kant's admirer and poet.
He's from foggy Germany
He brought the fruits of learning:
Freedom-loving dreams
The spirit is ardent and rather strange,
Always an enthusiastic speech
And shoulder-length black curls.

Pushkin gives this description of his hero. A young landowner of noble origin, Vladimir Lensky could not evoke any feelings other than sympathy, respect, and condescension for his youth. He was one of the most profitable suitors in the entire province, and therefore the landowner families where their daughters grew up willingly accepted and welcomed him. In addition to his wealth, he was handsome. His black wavy hair and light, flexible figure could excite any girl’s heart.

But Olga Larina managed to take possession of the young man’s heart,

...he loved like in our summer
They no longer love; as one
The Mad Soul of the Poet
Still condemned to love:

Lensky was smart, talented, and wrote lyrical poetry. Not a groom, but a dream. He studied and received his education in Germany, in Göttingen, where, in addition to knowledge, he gained freedom-loving idealistic ideas and was a supporter of Kant’s philosophy. He had not yet become disillusioned with the life he looked at through rose-colored glasses.

Lensky was youthfully sentimental. Love for was his first and only love, it was pure and bright, like a forest spring.

A little boy, captivated by Olga,
Having not yet known heartache,
He was a touched witness
Her infant amusements;
In the shadow of a guardian oak grove
He shared her fun
And crowns were predicted for the children
Friends and neighbors, their fathers.

Vladimir speaks about Olga with the delight of an unspoiled youth.

And Olga herself never gave any reason for jealousy or anxiety. Perhaps the prerequisites and conditions for this simply did not arise.

The image of Lensky was necessary in the novel, as an antipode to Onegin. And although they became close and became friends, Lensky and Onegin are completely different people.

They got along. Wave and stone
Poetry and prose, ice and fire.

But it was not the same male friendship for which people are ready to fight through thick and thin. At least, such a feeling of attachment to Lensky was not born in Onegin’s soul. And what kind of friendship is this if people are ready to become enemies because of a misunderstanding?

Due to his ignorance and inexperience, the young poet perceived the joke, perhaps an evil one, as betrayal and deceit. But when the next morning he met Olga, still as sweet and spontaneous, he realized that he had gone overboard. And not finding the spirit or reason in myself to make peace with Onegin,

He thinks: “I will be her savior,
I will not tolerate the corrupter
Fire and sighs and praises
He tempted the young heart;
So that the despicable, poisonous worm
Sharpened a lily stalk;
To the two-morning flower
Withered still half-open.”
All this meant, friends:
I'm shooting with a friend.

On the eve of the fight, the young man did not sleep all night. Either it was excitement before the first duel in his life, or he was oppressed by the premonition of death. Most likely, the second one. This premonition resulted in his elegiac lines:

And I, perhaps I am the tomb
I'll go down into the mysterious canopy,
And the memory of the young poet
Slow Lethe will be swallowed up,
The world will forget me; notes
Will you come, maiden of beauty,

In the quotation characteristics used in this article, Lensky is shown from all sides; Pushkin’s lines clearly depict his thoughts, actions, and emotional impulses.

Literary critics reproach the young man for ignorance of life. What could a young man know at 18? Is it his fault that Vladimir Lensky grew up like a hothouse plant in a closed educational institution, where there was book theory, philosophy, art, but no one ever talked to him about life, about the fact that there are dark sides in it? : greed, hypocrisy, cunning, meanness.

Pushkin nowhere describes the state of his estate. How was it managed? By whom? How did its peasants live? But this fact could show whether the young man applied his knowledge in practice, or whether he used it only in disputes with Onegin and others like him, if he suddenly happened to meet an educated person.

Pushkin sees two prospects for Lensky’s future: the first - having found meaning in life, he could develop his literary talent and turn into a “life-giving voice”, and the second -

The youthful summers would have passed:
The ardor of his soul would cool.
He would change in many ways
I would part with the muses, get married,
In the village, happy and horny,
I would wear a quilted robe;
I would really know life
I would have gout at the age of forty,
I drank, ate, got bored, got fat, grew weaker,
And finally in my bed
I would die among children,
Whining women and doctors.

And why exactly were you bored? After all, Lensky could apply his knowledge in practice, find the meaning of life in the development of his economy, in the application of progressive technologies and economic programs, and raised his children. Yes, he could be happy because his people, his family, are happy. What's wrong with that?

Why should the meaning of life for progressive youth be to shoot kings? True, Belinsky saw a portrait of Lensky in the would-be writers who besieged the magazines.

“The Lenskys are not extinct even now; they have just been reborn. There was nothing left in them that was so charmingly beautiful in Lensky; they do not contain the virginal purity of his heart, they only contain claims to greatness and a passion for dirtying paper.”

Among his famous works, we can highlight the novel in verse Eugene Onegin, where, in addition to the main character, Vladimir Lensky plays an important role. Let's look at our characterization of Lensky from the novel Eugene Onegin, using quotes from the work.

Vladimir Lensky brief description

In general, when creating the image of Onegin, the writer revealed the theme of disappointment with reality that progressive youth experienced, but having met Vladimir Lensky on the pages of the novel, we see a completely different image. He was a lively and sincere character. He can even be called an ideal person.

From the brief information that the author gives about Lensky’s past, we understand that he is from the nobility and was born on the Krasnogorye estate. But most of his life was spent in Germany under the skies of Schiller and Goethe. Under the influence of their creativity, Lensky’s soul was also ignited. And when he arrived from foggy Germany, bringing the fruits of his learning, he became an enviable half-Russian groom in his homeland.

Lensky immediately stands out from secular society. He does not like the feasts that young people love so much, so he constantly runs away from the noisy crowd. Wanting to find like-minded people, he comes to Onegin’s house, where two opposites begin. As Pushkin writes, they were ice and fire, people with different views on life, where Lensky was a romantic, while Onegin was a pragmatist. But these opposites attracted each other, and therefore a friendship began between the young people, which Lensky treasured very much.

Being a romantic, Lensky often lived in his own world, not seeing the essence of things from their depths, therefore, having fallen in love with Olga, he saw only her beautiful eyes and slender figure, but did not notice her frivolous nature. After all, in essence, she was like other girls in secular society. However, Lensky believes in love, just as he believes in the power of friendship, so he took Onegin’s joke very seriously. Unable to forgive his friend's advances, he challenges him to a duel, where he dies.

In general, having become acquainted with Pushkin’s novel and having met Vladimir Lensky on the pages of the work, we saw in his image a romantic, a dreamer and an ardent young man. The young man was not corrupted by the world and society; he is simple-minded, naive, bashful and even timid. This is a person who believes in goodness and a bright feeling of love. He values ​​friendships.

Anyone who has ever read “Eugene Onegin” will certainly admire the perfection of its content, the beauty of the language and the ease of perception. But that's not all. This work traces the problems of Russian society at the beginning of the 19th century. After all, the freedom-loving and progressive youth of that time experienced great disappointment in what they saw and what awaited them in an empty social life. And Onegin is just one of these people.

The image of Lensky in the novel "Eugene Onegin"

An essay on this topic presupposes an answer to the question: who then is Vladimir Lensky? This hero received an unusually bright and lively characterization from Pushkin. He amazes with his decency, sincerity and vulnerability. The image of Lensky in the novel “Eugene Onegin” precisely personifies a certain contrast to the sophisticated and spoiled youngster, brought up without strict morality and educated at home - Onegin, who is already tired and disappointed with life and sees in it only deceit and aimlessness.

The author himself describes Lensky as a handsome man in the full bloom of his years, who lived and studied abroad for a long time and was far from Russia. Lensky was enveloped in the poetry of Schiller and Goethe, his soul was drawn to everything moral and pure. He had not yet had time to fade into the cold depravity of the world, because he was almost eighteen years old. For comparison: Onegin was 26 years old, he was not at all interested in poetry and did not write poetry.

The image of Lensky in the novel “Eugene Onegin” is a vivid type of an educated, cultured and still very young, dreamy and romantic person who tried to express all his emotions and experiences in his poems. He was a complete stranger in secular society; he did not like feasts and noisy, stupid conversations. Therefore, it was difficult for him to find like-minded people and like-minded people.

The image of Lensky in the novel “Eugene Onegin”: a summary of the relationship between the main characters

And then fate itself brings Lensky to Onegin’s house. A friendship immediately arises between them, although it is so strange and unusual. Two opposites came together, very different from each other, like a wave and a stone, like ice and fire. And even though they constantly argued, these people still felt mutual sympathy for each other. Lensky valued this friendship very much; it was of great importance to him, since he needed Onegin and wanted to share his experiences with him, and sometimes philosophize on various topics. Lensky deeply believed that they would always come to the rescue and fairly condemn the offender.

"Dear ignoramus at heart"

Pushkin more than once draws his attention to the fact that Lensky lives in a world of dreams and unfulfilled desires. He does not delve deeply into the essence of things and therefore literally immediately falls in love with Olga as soon as he sees her smile, light curls and light figure. And as a very romantic person, Lensky for himself adds to her image with perfections and virtues, feelings and thoughts that were absolutely not in her. He fell in love with Olga so madly. But she was by no means perfect.

This is how the author conceived the novel “Eugene Onegin”. The image of Lensky is presented there as too pure and selfless, because his main priorities in life were faith in freedom, friendship and, of course, love, which will destroy him.

Because of his keen perception and ambitions, he was very sensitive to the defiant behavior of the womanizer Onegin, who decided to spite him to flirt with his fiancée Olga. Now it seemed to Lensky that he had been cruelly deceived, and he was unable to bear this shame and therefore was forced to challenge Onegin to a duel. The fatal duel took place, and Onegin killed poor Lensky.

Coincidence or pattern?

The death of the young man is very symbolic and suggests that pure romantic and dreamy natures, far from reality, often die due to collisions with the harsh realities of life. This is probably how Pushkin sees the way out of the prevailing moral emptiness and immorality.

The image of Lensky in the novel “Eugene Onegin” is a bright representative of the advanced young aristocracy, who died at the hands of a comrade. Did it all happen by chance? After all, he was a man with excellent inclinations, a hopeful poet and a dreamy romantic.

Conclusion

Lensky's misunderstanding leads to his death. He was required to be restrained and use only common sense instead of maximalist principles and emotionality. But he could not reconcile; his ambition and ardor got in the way. And so he died, and precisely when it was necessary to show firmness and fortitude of character. This is how Pushkin decided to end Lensky’s fate.

If he had remained alive, then, most likely, he would have turned into an ordinary man in the street, disappointed in people, without the sentimentality that cynicism would replace. Pushkin, having conceived the image of Lensky in the novel “Eugene Onegin,” understood that such people at that time had no future, which is why the fate of this hero is so sad.

Studying the works of A.S. Pushkin, we are increasingly imbued with respect for his literary work. Constant interest in his works makes us dive deeper and deeper into the world of his creations. Everything that belongs to Pushkin’s pen is capacious, beautiful, impressive. His immortal works will be studied by more than one generation of readers.

“Eugene Onegin” is a novel to which Pushkin devoted eight long years. The value of this novel for our cultural and spiritual life is undeniable. The novel was written according to new canons - it is a novel in verse. The novel “Eugene Onegin” is a philosophical, historical novel.

Onegin and Lensky are the two central figures of the novel. In order to understand what these heroes are, to understand the concept of the personality of these people, to penetrate deeper into the author's intention, we will give their comparative characteristics.

Comparative characteristics of the heroes are given according to the following criteria:
upbringing,
education,
character,
ideals,
attitude towards poetry
attitude towards love
attitude to life.

Upbringing

Eugene Onegin. Onegin, by right of birth, belongs to a noble family. Under the leadership of a French tutor, Onegin, “a child of fun and luxury,” was brought up in the spirit of aristocracy, far from truly Russian national foundations.

“At first Madame followed him,
Then Monsieur replaced her...
Lightly scolded for pranks
And he took me for walks in the Summer Garden.”

Vladimir Lensky. A humanly attractive character. Handsome, “shoulder-length black curls,” rich, youthfully enthusiastic and ardent. The author is silent on what ideals Lensky was brought up on.

Education

Eugene Onegin
“We all learned a little, something and somehow,” A.S. Pushkin wisely notes. Onegin was taught in this way “so that the child would not be exhausted.”

Prince P.A. Vyazemsky, a friend of A.S. Pushkin, wrote at one time that according to the canons of that time, insufficiently deep knowledge of the Russian language was allowed, but ignorance of French was not allowed.

“He’s completely French.”
He could express himself and wrote"

What other knowledge did Evgeniy shine with? He was somewhat familiar with classical literature, Roman and Greek. He was interested in history (“from Romulus to the present day”). He had an idea of ​​the social sciences (“he knew how to judge how the state gets rich and how it lives”), political economy (“but he read Adam Smith”).

“A learned fellow, but a pedant:
He had a lucky talent
No coercion in conversation
Touch everything lightly
With the learned air of an expert.”

In general, Onegin can be characterized as an intelligent person, critical of reality, able to weigh the pros and cons.

Vladimir Lensky
"Half-Russian" student at the University of Göttingen. Quite smart, passionate about philosophy (“fan of Kant”) and poetry.

"He's from foggy Germany
He brought the fruits of learning..."

Perhaps he had a bright future, but most likely

"...a poet
The ordinary one was waiting for his destiny.”

Ideals

Eugene Onegin. In order to understand Onegin’s ideals, one must understand the very concept of “ideal”. The ideal is what we strive for. What did Onegin strive for? Towards harmony. Which way did he go? Onegin's path is a struggle between the eternal (national) and the temporary (that which settled in the character of the hero thanks to society and the ideals of someone else's, introduced philosophy).

Vladimir Lensky. Lensky's ideal is eternal love and holy friendship until the grave.

Character

Eugene Onegin. Onegin's character is contradictory and complex, just as his time is complex and contradictory.

What is he like, Onegin?
Onegin is lazy (“which occupied his melancholy laziness all day”), proud, indifferent. He is a hypocrite and a flatterer, eager to slander and criticize. Likes to attract attention and philosophize. At the feast of life, Onegin is superfluous. He clearly stands out from the crowd around him and strives to seek the meaning of life. He's sick of hard work. Boredom, melancholy, loss of direction in life, skepticism are the main signs of “extra people,” which Onegin belongs to.

Vladimir Lensky. Lensky is the complete opposite of Onegin. There is nothing rebellious in Lensky's character.

What is he like, Lensky?
Enthusiastic, freedom-loving, dreamy. He is a romantic, a sincere person, with a pure soul, not spoiled by the light, direct, honest. But Lensky is not ideal. The meaning of life is a mystery to him.

“The purpose of our life is for him
Was a tempting mystery..."

Lensky and Onegin are different. But at the same time, they are similar: both do not have a worthwhile business, reliable prospects, they lack fortitude.

Attitude to poetry

Eugene Onegin.“Yawning, he took up the pen and wanted to write...” What literary material did Onegin decide to take up? It is unlikely that he intended to write poetry. “He could not distinguish iambic from trochee, No matter how we fought, to distinguish...” At the same time, it cannot be said that Onegin was averse to poetry. He did not understand the true purpose of poetry, but he was engaged in poetry. He wrote epigrams. (An epigram is a small satirical poem ridiculing a person or social phenomenon).

"And make the ladies smile
Fire of unexpected epigrams"

Vladimir Lensky. Lensky's attitude towards poetry is the most favorable. Lensky is a poet, romantic, dreamer. And who is not a romantic at eighteen? Who doesn’t secretly write poetry or awaken the lyre?

Attitude towards love

Eugene Onegin.“Considered to be disabled in love, Onegin listened with an important look...” Onegin’s attitude towards love is skeptical, with a certain amount of irony and pragmatism.

Vladimir Lensky. Lensky is a singer of love.
“He sang love, obedient to love,
And his song was clear..."

Attitude to life

Eugene Onegin. Onegin's views on life: life is meaningless, empty. There is no worthy goal in life to strive for.

Vladimir Lensky. Romantics, with their ardent spirit and enthusiastic speeches, are alien to a deep view of life.

Conclusion

A.S. Pushkin is the great son of the Russian land. He was given the opportunity to open a new page in Russian literature.

Onegin and Lensky are antipodes. Onegin is a man in whom a good beginning lies dormant, but his superficial “ideals” lead to constant conflicts and internal disharmony.

Lensky is freedom-loving, dreamy and enthusiastic; he firmly believes in his ideals. But he is cut off from his native soil, he has no inner core.

The novel in verse by A. S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” is not just a beautiful work about love. The poet raises important issues that worried society in his era. And the novel is written in an elegant and beautiful style. In Pushkin's era, the main problem of the progressive younger generation was disappointment in the surrounding reality. The central character should also be included in the group of these people. But the image of Lensky in the novel "Eugene Onegin" is the complete opposite of the central character. And the more surprising their friendship seemed to those around them. The personality of the romantic poet will be discussed below. Further, for a more complete disclosure of the image, several quotes about Lensky from “Eugene Onegin” will be used.

Connection with the personality of the poet

The image of Lensky in the novel “Eugene Onegin” is a self-portrait of Pushkin the romantic, although Pushkin scholars note that the prototypes for this character were others and individuals from the poet’s circle. This is an idealist for whom honor and high ideals, pure feelings were above all. These qualities were inherent in Alexander Sergeevich himself.

Outwardly, the poet was skeptical about the manifestations of romanticism. He, like Onegin, strove to be one step ahead of the rest of society. But Pushkin was never able to completely abandon the romantic side of his nature.

Brief biography of the hero

To fully reveal the image of Lensky in the novel "Eugene Onegin", it is necessary to give a brief description of his biography. He was a young landowner, rich, and therefore considered an eligible bachelor. He was 18 years old and had recently returned to his estate, which was located in Krasnogorye. Lensky lost his parents early, and had known the Larin family since childhood.

Secular entertainment was alien to the poet. Therefore, he was not spoiled by secular society, like the main character. He knew how to appreciate inner beauty and see beauty. He was not interested in his neighbors, who saw in him only a profitable match for their daughters.

He spent a lot of time abroad and graduated from the University of Göttingen, known at that time for being the center of liberalism in Europe. Therefore, the young man returned from there as a freethinker, an idealist and a fan of romanticism. Lensky always talked about lofty things, so his speech was emotional. Thus, he was the complete opposite of the main character.

Lensky's appearance in the novel "Eugene Onegin"

The work gives a brief description of the young poet. He was a handsome young man:

"A handsome man in full bloom."

"And shoulder-length black curls."

This length of hair (at that time young people rarely let their curls reach their shoulders) is a sign of a freethinker, a liberal. This fashion came from mysterious Germany, where Vladimir Lensky studied.

Friendship with a socialite dandy

In describing the image of Lensky in the novel "Eugene Onegin" it is necessary to talk about his relationship with Onegin himself. Against the background of the cynical, indifferent Eugene, the sensitive and sublime nature of the romantic poet, who idealizes those around him, stands out more strongly.

Despite the fact that there was always room for disputes in their conversations (because their judgments were different in everything), the young people enjoyed their communication. Lensky attached great importance to this friendship. Brought up in the best traditions of romanticism, an idealist who placed love and friendship above all else, the poet was sincerely attached to Onegin.

Lensky needed a faithful friend with whom he could share his dreams and discuss philosophical topics. The ardent poet lived in his own special world and sincerely believed that other people would answer him in the same way.

For Onegin, everything in Lenskoye was new. Disappointed in life, tired of entertainment, he was interested in listening to the poet’s inspired speeches. He listened to his revelations with condescension. For Vladimir, Onegin stood out from all his neighbors in his judgments and manners; he was unlike the others. Therefore, the romantic Lensky idealized his friend.

Love for Olga

Of great importance in the characterization of Lensky in the novel “Eugene Onegin” is the description of his attitude towards Tatyana’s younger sister, Olga. Living in his own special world, idealizing those around him, he created a romantic image of his beloved. Vladimir was not experienced in matters of the heart, so it is not surprising that his heart was captivated by a lovely rural girl with an angelic appearance.

"Oh, he loved, as in our summer

They no longer love; as one

The Mad Soul of the Poet

Still condemned to love."

With all the ardor and passion of his nature, he surrendered to this first bright feeling. Olga was his whole world, his ideal. Only such sublime and dreamy people are capable of experiencing such a feeling. And Vladimir did not notice the shortcomings of his chosen one at all. Because he believed that his beloved possessed all the qualities of a romantic and sublime heroine.

Drama of a young poet

The characterization of Lensky in the novel "Eugene Onegin" is a description of an idealist, impressionable and sublime romantic nature. Therefore, Vladimir could not react differently to his friend’s cruel joke. Living in his own world, considering all his loved ones to be ideal people, he did not notice their shortcomings.

The poet did not attach any importance to the fact that Onegin was an indifferent, cynical person who treated him with condescension and patronage. Olga, like most young girls, was a coquette who took the sighs of her admirer lightly.

Therefore, Lensky regarded Onegin’s joke and Olga’s act as betrayal. All his ideas about high ideals, friendship and love were destroyed. And Vladimir challenged Evgeny to a duel, where he, frightened by the opinion of society, shot the young poet. But perhaps what was scary for Lensky was not the duel itself, but the fact that all his illusions and dreams were destroyed in an instant at the ball.

Lensky's role in the plot

So who is Lensky in the novel "Eugene Onegin"? What role did he play in the work? The death of the young poet is symbolic: it shows that a romantic, living only with his illusions, dies when confronted with reality. A. S. Pushkin, using the example of Vladimir, showed that in secular society there is no place for Lensky’s lofty ideals.

With the help of this character, Pushkin showed that sincere feelings were not in fashion; feigned manners and indifference were valued in society. Alexander Sergeevich created a vivid image of an intelligent nobleman, lyric poet, romantic, who highly valued love, friendship and honor.