The essay was prepared by Leonid Zusmanov

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin was born in January 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province. On his father's side he belonged to the ancient and rich noble family, on the mother's side - the merchant class. After successfully graduating from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, Saltykov becomes an official in the military department, but he is of little interest in the service.

In 1847 his first appear in print literary works- “Contradictions” and “Complicated Affairs.” But they started talking seriously about Saltykov as a writer only in 1856, when he began publishing “Provincial Sketches.”

He directed his extraordinary talent to open the eyes of those who do not yet see the lawlessness going on in the country, the flourishing ignorance and stupidity, and the triumph of bureaucracy.

But today I would like to dwell on the writer’s fairy-tale cycle, begun in 1869. Fairy tales were a kind of result, a synthesis of the ideological and creative quest of the satirist. At that time, due to the existence of strict censorship, the author could not fully expose the vices of society, show all the inconsistency of the Russian administrative apparatus. And yet, with the help of fairy tales “for children of considerable age“Shchedrin was able to convey to people sharp criticism of the existing order.

In 1883, the famous “Wise Minnow” appeared, which over the past hundred years has become extra years Shchedrin's textbook tale. The plot of this fairy tale is known to everyone: once upon a time there was a gudgeon, which at first was no different from its own kind. But, a coward by nature, he decided to live his whole life without sticking out, in his hole, flinching from every rustle, from every shadow that flashed next to his hole. So life passed me by - no family, no children. And so he disappeared - either on his own or some pike swallowed him. Only before his death does the minnow think about his life: “Who did he help? Who did you regret, what good did he do in life? “He lived - he trembled and he died - he trembled.” Only before death does the average person realize that no one needs him, no one knows him and no one will remember him.

But this is the plot, the external side of the fairy tale, what is on the surface. And the subtext of Shchedrin’s caricature in this fairy tale of the morals of modern bourgeois Russia was well explained by the artist A. Kanevsky, who made illustrations for the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”: “...everyone understands that Shchedrin is not talking about fish. The gudgeon is a cowardly man in the street, trembling for his own skin. He is a man, but also a minnow, the writer put him in this form, and I, the artist, must preserve it. My task is to combine the image of a frightened man in the street and a minnow, to combine fish and human properties. It is very difficult to “comprehend” a fish, to give it a pose, a movement, a gesture. How to display forever frozen fear on a fish’s “face”? The figurine of the minnow-official gave me a lot of trouble....”

The writer shows the terrible philistine alienation and self-isolation in “The Wise Minnow.” M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is bitter and painful for the Russian people. Reading Saltykov-Shchedrin is quite difficult. Therefore, perhaps many did not understand the meaning of his fairy tales. But the majority of “children of a fair age” appreciated the work of the great satirist as it deserved.

In conclusion, I would like to add that the thoughts expressed by the writer in fairy tales are still contemporary today. Shchedrin's satire is time-tested and it sounds especially poignant in times of social unrest, such as those that Russia is experiencing today.

CONCLUSION. 11g

Analysis of the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin was born in January 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province. According to his father, he belonged to an old and wealthy noble family, and according to his mother, he belonged to the merchant class. After successfully graduating from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, Saltykov becomes an official in the military department, but he is of little interest in service.
In 1847 His first literary works, “Contradictions” and “Intricate Affairs,” appeared in print. But they started talking seriously about Saltykov as a writer only in 1856, when he began publishing “Provincial Sketches.”

He directed his extraordinary talent to open their eyes, to show those who do not yet see the lawlessness going on in the country, the flourishing ignorance and stupidity, the triumph of bureaucracy.

But today I would like to dwell on the writer’s fairy-tale cycle, begun in 1869. Fairy tales were a kind of result, a synthesis of the ideological and creative quest of the satirist. At that time, due to the existence of strict censorship, the author could not fully expose the vices of society, show the entire inconsistency of the Russian administrative apparatus. And yet, with the help of fairy tales “for children of a fair age,” Shchedrin was able to convey to people a sharp criticism of the existing order.

In 1883, the famous “The Wise Minnow” appeared, which over the past hundred years has become Shchedrin’s textbook tale. The plot of this fairy tale is known to everyone: once upon a time there lived a minnow, who at first was no different from his own kind. But, a coward by nature, he decided to live his whole life without sticking out in his hole, flinching from every rustle, from every shadow that flashed next to his hole. And so life passed by - no family, no children. And so he disappeared - either himself, or the pike swallowed him. Only before death does the minnow think about his life: “Who did he help? Who did you regret, what good did he do in life? “He lived - he trembled and he died - he trembled.” Only before death does the average person realize that no one needs him, no one knows him and no one will remember him.

But this is the plot, the external side of the fairy tale, what is on the surface. And the subtext of Shchedrin’s caricature depiction in this fairy tale of the morals of modern bourgeois Russia was well explained by the artist A. Kanevsky, who made illustrations for the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow”: “...everyone understands that Shchedrin is not talking about fish. The gudgeon is a cowardly man in the street, trembling for his own skin. He is a man, but also a minnow, the writer put him in this form, and I, the artist, must preserve it. My task is to combine the image of a frightened commoner gudgeon, to combine fish and human properties. It is very difficult to “understand” a fish, to give it a pose, a movement, a gesture. How to display forever frozen fear on a fish’s “face”? The figurine of the gudgeon official gave me a lot of trouble....”

The writer shows the terrible philistine alienation and self-isolation in “The Wise Minnow.” M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin is bitter and sick of the Russian people. Reading Saltykov-Shchedrin is quite difficult. Therefore, perhaps, many did not understand the meaning of his fairy tales. But the majority of “children of a fair age” appreciated the work of the great satirist as it deserved.

In conclusion, I would like to add that the thoughts expressed by the writer in fairy tales are still contemporary today. Shchedrin's satire is time-tested and it sounds especially poignant in times of social unrest, such as those that Russia is experiencing today.

Consideration of the fairy tale by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “The Wise Minnow”

The great satirist wrote his works using “Aesopian language.” It is known that folk tales provide examples of accessible and most convincing allegories. It can be argued that the fairy tale is a school of Aesopian language created by the people themselves. Saltykov-Shchedrin, who knew Russian folklore well, took advantage of the techniques that were revealed to him in folk tales. On their basis, he himself created masterpieces in this genre of literature.

In his “Fairy Tales,” the writer pursued not moralizing, but political and social goals. It is no coincidence that Saltykov-Shchedrin especially eagerly resorted to the form of fairy tales in the most difficult years of the reaction, which created especially unfavorable conditions for his literary activity. "Fairy Tales" gave the writer the opportunity to scourge reaction, despite the fear of liberal editors and despite the fury of censorship.

“Fairy Tales” in a unique, economical form repeats the themes of almost all of the satirist’s past work. In this regard, in my opinion, they are like a summary of everything written by Shchedrin. Therefore, fairy tales can be called the best introduction to familiarize yourself with the collected works of the great writer. Bear, eagle, wolf and other animals that are the main actors tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin, is a fairy-tale interpretation of “city governors” and “pompadours”.

The tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin speak about the fate of the Russian people and their oppressors. Simmering pain, unquenchable hatred, the search for a way out guided the satirist’s pen. Pain sought a way out in creativity, creativity was a reflection on ways to heal pain, every written line cried out against those who cause pain. “The liveliness of pain,” the satirist wrote, “served as a source of living images, through which pain was transmitted to the consciousness of others.”

The revolutionary nature of the political and social meaning of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s fairy tales, in my opinion, is undeniable. It is expressed decisively, without omissions. The revolutionary sound of the writer's fairy tale cycle is enhanced by a caustic mockery of timid feelings and civil cowardice. Fairy tales of the latter category are the most widely known. Their characters have become household names along with the characters folklore tales. Such works by Saltykov-Shchedrin include his fairy tale “The Wise Minnow.”

The most negative characters the world of Shchedrin's fairy tales are animals that are fully aware of their surroundings, but nevertheless have not acquired either the hunt or the courage to fight. For example, wise minnow- a politically minded creature: “He was an enlightened minnow, moderately liberal, and very firmly understood that living life is not like licking a whorl.” Yes, both “his father and mother were smart; Little by little, Ared's eyelids lived in the river, and did not hit the fish's ear or the pike's ear. They ordered the same for my son. “Look, son,” said the old minnow, dying, “if you want to chew your life, then keep your eyes open!”

The political direction, which in advance refused not only to fight, but even to put forward any demands, gave birth to individuals who thought only about personal self-preservation. These were the Russian liberals. They were more disgusting than a dog licking its owner's hand, or a submissive hare. Their behavior was deliberately chosen and theoretically justified. The wise minnow is wise because he lives according to a carefully developed plan. He subordinated everything to “skin,” to concern for his self-preservation.

Piskar did not want to be responsible for others. The whole life of this wise hero went into trembling. His, so to speak, entertainment and joys of life boiled down to the fact that “he did exercise at night, moonlight He swam, and during the day he climbed into a hole and trembled. Only at noon will he run out to grab something - but what can you do at noon!”

The whole life of the gudgeon, so limited by himself, consisted only in the thought: “Does it seem that I am alive?” This thought was accompanied by the same trembling: “Oh, something will happen tomorrow.” As the minnow lived, so he died: “He lived and trembled, and he died - he trembled.” That's the whole biography of this hero.

The ironic title of the tale is justified by the content. You involuntarily ask the question: “What is the wisdom of this gudgeon?” The moral of the tale is given by Saltykov-Shchedrin in the finale. The gudgeon disappeared, and no one will remember him with either a good or a bad word: “What happened here—whether a pike swallowed him, a crayfish he broke with his claws, or he himself died of his own death and floated to the surface—there were no witnesses to this case. Most likely, he himself died, because what sweetness is it to swallow a sick, dying minnow, and a wise one at that?”

Shchedrin's genius lies in the fact that in such a small form as a fairy tale, he embodied life (and therefore folk) philosophy. Through allegory, the writer was able to depict the harsh reality, imbued with bitter laughter. A reality that people easily guessed, and which we can guess after so many years.

The fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” says that in the world there lived a minnow who was afraid of everything, but at the same time considered himself wise. His father told him before he died to be careful and that way he would live. “Look, son,” said the old minnow, dying, “if you want to chew your life, then keep your eyes open!” Piskar listened to him and began to think about later life. He invented a house for himself such that no one but himself could get into it, and began to think about how to behave the rest of the time.

With this tale, the author tried to show the life of officials who did nothing in their lives, but only sat in their “hole” and were afraid of those who were higher in rank. They were afraid of somehow harming themselves if they went outside their “hole.” That, perhaps, there will be some kind of force there that can suddenly deprive them of such a rank. Life without luxury is the same as death for them, but at the same time you have to stay in one place and everything will be fine.

This is precisely what can be seen in the image of the minnow. He appears in the tale throughout the entire story. If before his father’s death the gudgeon’s life was ordinary, then after his death he hid. He trembled every time someone swam or stopped near his hole. He didn’t finish eating, afraid to get out again. And from the twilight that constantly reigned in his hole, the gudgeon was half-blind.

Everyone considered the gudgeon a fool, but he considered himself wise. The title of the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” hides obvious irony. “Wise” means “very smart,” but in this fairy tale the meaning of this word means something else - proud and stupid. Proud because he considers himself the smartest, since he found a way to protect his life from external threat. And he is stupid because he never understood the meaning of life. Although at the end of his life the minnow thinks about living like everyone else, not hiding in his hole, and as soon as he gathers the strength to swim out of the shelter, he again begins to tremble and again considers this idea stupid. “I’ll crawl out of the hole and swim like a goldeneye across the entire river!” But as soon as he thought about it, he became frightened again. And he began to die, trembling. He lived and trembled, and he died - he trembled.”

To more sarcastically show the life of a gudgeon, there is a hyperbole in the fairy tale: “He does not receive a salary and does not keep servants, does not play cards, does not drink wine, does not smoke tobacco, does not chase red girls...”. Grotesque: “And the wise minnow lived in this way for more than a hundred years. Everything was trembling, everything was trembling." Irony: “Most likely he died, because what sweetness is it for a pike to swallow a sick, dying gudgeon, and a wise one at that?”

Talking animals dominate everyday life folk tales. Since in the fairy tale M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin also has a talking minnow, then his tale is similar to a folk tale.

Saltykov-Shchedrin, “The Wise Minnow”, let’s start the analysis of the fairy tale with the personality of the writer.

Mikhail Evgrafovich was born in 1826 (January) in the Tver province. On his father's side he belonged to a very old and rich family of nobles, and on his mother's side he belonged to the class of merchants. Saltykov-Shchedrin successfully graduated and then took the post of official in the military department. Unfortunately, the service interested him very little.

In 1847, his first literary works were published - “A Tangled Affair” and “Contradictions”. Despite this, it was only in 1856 that people started talking about him seriously as a writer. At this time he began to publish his “Provincial Sketches”.

The writer tried to open the readers' eyes to the lawlessness happening in the country, to ignorance, stupidity, and bureaucracy.

Let's take a closer look at the cycle of fairy tales written by the writer in 1869. This was a kind of synthesis of the ideological and creative quest of Saltykov-Shchedrin, a certain result.

Mikhail Evgrafovich could not fully expose all the vices of society and the failure of management due to the censorship that existed at that time. That is why the writer chose the form of a fairy tale. So he was able to sharply criticize the existing order without fear of prohibitions.

The fairy tale “The Wise Minnow,” which we are analyzing, is quite rich in artistic terms. The author resorts to the use of grotesque, antithesis, and hyperbole. An important role is played by these techniques that helped hide the true meaning of what was written.

The fairy tale appeared in 1883, it is famous to this day, it has even become a textbook. Its plot is known to everyone: there lived a gudgeon who was completely ordinary. His only difference was cowardice, which was so strong that the gudgeon decided to spend his entire life in a hole without sticking his head out of there. There he sat, afraid of every rustle, every shadow. This is how his life passed, no family, no friends. The question arises: what kind of life is this? What good has he done in his life? Nothing. Lived, trembled, died.

That's the whole story, but it's just the surface.

Analysis of the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” implies a deeper study of its meaning.

Saltykov-Shchedrin depicts the morals of contemporary bourgeois Russia. In fact, a minnow does not mean a fish, but a cowardly man in the street who fears and trembles only for his own skin. The writer set himself the task of combining the features of both fish and humans.

The fairy tale depicts philistine alienation and self-isolation. The author is offended and bitter for the Russian people.

Reading the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin is not very easy, which is why not everyone was able to comprehend the true intent of his fairy tales. Unfortunately, the level of thinking and development modern people not quite up to par.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the thoughts expressed by the writer are relevant to this day.

Read the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” again, analyze it based on what you have now learned. Look deeper into the intention of the works, try to read between the lines, then you will be able to analyze not only the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow” yourself, but also all works of art.