Lesson type: combined.
Lesson objectives.
- Give the concept of dividing epics into two cycles.
- Find out the reasons for the direction of separation.
Educational:
- Expanding students' horizons.
- Work on speech culture.
- Upbringing aesthetic feelings in students.
Equipment: chalkboard, map of Rus' XI - XII centuries. , illustrations for epics.
Lesson method: explanatory and illustrative.
LESSON PLAN.
1. Class organization (2 min.)
2. Lecture (30 min.)
3. Fixing the material (10 min.)
4. Homework(3 min.)
PROGRESS OF THE LESSON
1. Organize the class before the lesson: give the task to read in advance and bring the texts of epics to the lesson.
Organization of the class during the lesson: announcement of the topic, explanation of the goals and objectives of this lesson.
2. LITERATURE TEACHER: “The word “EPIC” was used in folk speech in the meaning of reality, past, and entered literature as the name of Russian epic songs, in mid-19th century. They stopped writing epics XII century; although they were still being fulfilled for many centuries. IN last centuries epics were performed without musical accompaniment, in more ancient times, epics were read to the accompaniment of the gusli. The performers were called storytellers; among the peasants they enjoyed special honor and respect. ” (footnote no. 1)
HISTORY TEACHER. History has brought to us several names, famous storytellers. It is known that every artel tried to lure the storyteller T. G. Ryabinin (Kizhi), who went fishing. P. N. Rybnikov, who recorded epics from this storyteller, exclaimed: “And where did Ryabinin learn such masterful diction: every object appeared in his real light, every word received its own meaning.” In the Ryabinin family, the skill of telling epics was passed down from generation to generation. Trofim Grigorievich’s son, Ivan Trofimovich, was also a famous storyteller. From the latter, the art of performing epics was adopted by his stepson Ivan Gerasimovich Ryabinin - Andreev. In the 20-40s of our century, the son of Ivan Gerasimovich, Pyotr Ivanovich Ryabinin-Andreev, was widely known.
LITERATURE TEACHER: In fact, not every person could be a storyteller, but only people with a good memory. Since literature Ancient Rus' I didn’t know poetic speech; I had to memorize prose text, although it had a certain rhythm. The stress fell on every third syllable. The narrator’s speech flowed smoothly, but in the right places (to attract attention) it could become intermittent. The epic also has its own techniques that made it easier to memorize the text (let me remind you that writing appeared in Rus' only in the second half of the 9th century, and even then only a select few knew it initially). These are repetitions, fixed expressions, choruses, constant epithets(mother of cheese-earth, beautiful maiden, good fellow), common places.
According to the content, epics are divided into two cycles: Kiev and Novgorod. Moreover, both the characters and the plots in them are very different. If the Kiev cycle tells us about heroes - defenders of the Russian land, then the Novgorod cycle told us about merchants, trade and so-called peaceful exploits. And if there were no historical explanation, it is unlikely that we would be able to guess the reasons for this division.
HISTORY TEACHER. Yes, indeed, history illuminates this problem very clearly. But first we need to explain a little about the social and political structure of Ancient Rus'. An integral state did not yet exist; it was at the stage of emergence. In the meantime, each city was a kind of appanage principality, had its own ruler, its own army. The most powerful, developed cultural centers of that time were Kyiv and Novgorod. Hence there are two directions in the creation of epics. The content of the epics reflects the life of these cities. And if we carefully look at the map of Ancient Rus' at the end of the 11th - 12th centuries, we will see that Novgorod was or was located inside the country and was protected from almost all sides by Russian cities. This means that he fought less and had more time to develop peaceful crafts and trade. Kyiv was located on the very border and was forced to constantly repel attacks from external enemies: the Pechenegs, Mongols, Tatars and Khazars, and the Polovtsians. Therefore, the heroes of the Kyiv cycle are heroes. (see Appendix No. 1,2).
LITERATURE TEACHER: “In general, the word hero has entered our lives as a measure of assessing people in the unlimited manifestation of their capabilities and best qualities. The heroes of epics show their heroic qualities in military exploits in the name of protection native land. The epic enemy attacking Rus' is always cruel and insidious; he intends to destroy the people, their statehood, culture, and shrines. So, Sokolnik, heading to Kyiv, threatens:
I will lower the cathedrals and churches into smoke,
I'll crush printed books in the dirt,
Wonderful images - icons of floating water,
I’ll boil the prince himself in a cauldron,
I’ll take the princess myself...
Kalin is the king.
He wants to ruin the capital city of Kyiv,
The rabble - he will knock out all the peasants...
Tugarin.
He desecrated the Orthodox churches,
He trampled all the little children with his horse,
Tugarin captivated all the merchant guests. ”
HISTORY TEACHER: There is a lot of evidence of the cruelty of the enemies who attacked Rus'. They spared no children, no old people, no women. Cities were burned, often along with people. There is a legend that when Ryazan was attacked by enemies, the princess, together with her little son, threw herself down from the fortress wall so that he would not be captured by
Polovtsy.
LITERATURE TEACHER: But the heroes stand guard over Kyiv, the Russian land: Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich, who defeat Tugarin, and the Snake, and Nightingale - the robber. Ilya also builds a road at the same time: with one hand he tears up trees by the roots, and with the other he builds bridges. This, of course, is a hyperbole, but it is still worth remembering the original routes of communication in Ancient Rus' - only along rivers - in order to appreciate the greatness of such a thing. Every battle of a hero ends with his victory over the enemy, but a long series of epics shows the continuity of such battles and the emergence of more and more new heroes.
HISTORY TEACHER: “The epics reflected the difficult process of formation and survival of the Ancient Russian state, which for many centuries fought off the raids of nomads eastern peoples. In this struggle, the historical consciousness of the Eastern Slavs and the consciousness of the unity of the Russian land were formed.
The epics of the Kyiv cycle know only one prince - Vladimir. The connection between the epic Vladimir and the Kyiv prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (reign 980 - 1015) is beyond doubt. By the end of the 10th – beginning of the 11th centuries, the Old Russian Kievan state reached its peak. Under the rule of Kyiv were, with a few exceptions, all the East Slavic tribes, as well as some non-Slavic ones along the Volga, Oka, and Novgorod lands. Kievan Rus is among the strongest states in Europe. The activities of Vladimir Monomakh (1113 – 1125) also helped consolidate the name of the prince. There is also a historical prototype for the epic Dobrynya Nikitich - he, who lived at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th centuries, was the maternal uncle of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, his associate in military and political affairs. At least two epics “The Marriage of Vladimir”, “Dobrynya and the Serpent” are connected with real events of the last quarter of the 10th century - marriage Prince of Kyiv on the Polotsk princess Rogneda (980) and the introduction of Christianity in Rus' (988). ”
LITERATURE TEACHER: but it would be wrong to take the epic world as an ideal one. The inner world of epics is always a world of confrontation between good and evil, light and dark forces. Even those few epics that end with the death of the heroes, nevertheless, affirm their moral victory. The wide epic world is bright and sunny until it is threatened with danger. In general, in epics there is no natural alternation of seasons; weather changes only accompany the invasion of hostile forces. Then black clouds, fog, and thunderstorms approach. The sun and stars are dimming from the countless enemy hordes:
From that - that from a couple of horses,
From that, from the human spirit
And the red sun faded,
Father died in the light of the month,
The frequent stars are lost,
The stars are frequent and the dawns are clear.
But all this is in the Kiev cycle of epics, the Novgorodians also had to fight off the attack of foreign conquerors - the Swedes and Germans, participate in all-Russian military campaigns and internecine wars, but in the small Novgorod cycle of epics the military affairs of the Novgorod heroes are not told. The main characters of the Novgorod cycle are: Sadko, Vasily Buslaev, Stavr Godinovich. And the last thing is interesting. Movies very often show us merchants as overweight, clumsy people, incapable of anything other than counting money. What really happened?
HISTORY TEACHER: in fact, merchants not only owned ships (remember that in Rus' there were mainly waterways). One of these paths was the so-called path “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” Between Novgorod and Kiev lay hundreds of kilometers of difficult travel.
While the plows were sailing along the Lovat River, there was still nothing to complain about fate, but this is how the land of Smolensk began - here were the first portages. The wooden rollers on each ship were prepared ahead of time, and the plows were placed on them. They rolled along them on dry land from water to water. This is where you can expect an attack from robbers. And if the squad falters, the goods are lost and people are ruined. Therefore, the Slavic merchants were not lacking in courage and military skill. When we moved to the Dnieper, all in the same Smolensk land, it became easier.
And finally, the capital city of Kyiv, here the first half of the journey “from the Varangians to the Greeks” ended. Caravans of merchants gathered here to be sent to Constantinople. But this is a topic for another lesson.
LITERATURE TEACHER: before we start talking about the poetics of epics, let's check what you have managed to remember.
- What did the word epic originally mean?
- By what time did epics stop being created?
- What were the names of the performers of epics?
- How many cycles were epics divided into and into what cycles?
- What is the content of the epics of the Kyiv cycle?
- What is the content of the epics of the Novgorod cycle?
- Which heroes of this series do you know?
- What do epics have in common?
Literature used:
- Sergey Boyko “In Pushkin’s magical country”, Moscow - Stavropol 1999, pp. 127 – 130.
- Library of Russian Folklore, Volume Bylina, Moscow “ Soviet Russia” 1988, pp. 5 – 24.
Contents of the article
EPICAL- folk epic song, a genre characteristic of the Russian tradition. The basis of the plot of the epic is some heroic event, or a remarkable episode of Russian history (hence popular name epics - “old man”, “old woman”, implying that the action in question took place in the past). The term “epic” was introduced into scientific use in the 40s of the 19th century. folklorist I.P. Sakharov (1807–1863).
Means of artistic expression.
Over the course of many centuries, unique techniques have been developed that are characteristic of the poetics of epics, as well as the method of their execution. In ancient times, it is believed that storytellers played along with themselves on the harp, and later epics were performed in recitative. Epic poems are characterized by a special pure-tonic epic verse (which is based on the commensurability of the lines by the number of stresses, which achieves rhythmic uniformity). Although the storytellers used only a few melodies when performing epics, they enriched the singing with a variety of intonations and also changed the timbre of their voices.
The emphatically solemn style of presentation of the epic, which tells about heroic and often tragic events, determined the need to slow down the action (retardation). To do this, a technique called repetition is used, and not only individual words are repeated: ... this braid, braid, …from far, far away, wonderful wonderful(tautological repetitions), but also an intensification of synonyms: fight, tribute duties, (repetitions are synonymous), often the end of one line is the beginning of another: And they came to Holy Rus', / To Holy Rus' and to the city of Kyiv..., it is not uncommon for entire episodes to be repeated three times, with enhanced effect, and some descriptions are extremely detailed. The presence of “common places” is also characteristic of the epic; when describing similar situations, certain formulaic expressions are used: thus (and in extremely detailed manner) the saddling of a horse is depicted: Ay, Dobrynya comes out into the wide yard, / He saddles the bridle of a good horse, / He puts a braid bridle, / He puts sweatshirts on sweatshirts, / He puts felts on felts, / On the top he puts a Cherkassy saddle. / And he pulled the girths tightly, / And the girths were made of overseas silk, / And the overseas silk of Sholpansky, / Buckles of glorious copper from Kazan, / Pins of Siberian damask iron, / Not beautiful bass, brothers, well done, / And for the fortification it was heroic. “Commonplaces” also include a description of a feast (mostly at Prince Vladimir’s), a banquet, and a heroic ride on a greyhound horse. The folk storyteller could combine such stable formulas at his own discretion.
The language of epics is characterized by hyperboles, with the help of which the narrator emphasizes the character traits or appearance of the characters that are worthy of special mention. The listener’s attitude to the epic is also determined by another device - the epithet (mighty, Holy Russian, glorious hero and filthy, evil enemy), and stable epithets are often found (violent head, hot blood, frisky legs, flammable tears). Suffixes also play a similar role: everything related to heroes was mentioned in diminutive forms (hat, little head, dumushka, Alyoshenka, Vasenka Buslaevich, Dobrynyushka, etc.), but the negative characters were called Gloomy, Ignatisch, Tsarish Batuisch, Ugarishch filthy. A significant place is occupied by assonance (repetition of vowel sounds) and alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds), additional organizing elements of verse.
Bylinas, as a rule, have three parts: a chorus (usually not directly related to the content), the function of which is to prepare for listening to the song; the beginning (within its limits the action unfolds); ending.
It should be noted that certain artistic techniques used in the epic are determined by its theme (for example, antithesis is characteristic of heroic epics).
The narrator's gaze never turns to the past or the future, but follows the hero from event to event, although the distance between them can vary from several days to several years.
Plots of epics.
The number of epic stories, despite the many recorded versions of the same epic, is very limited: there are about 100 of them. There are epics based on the matchmaking or struggle of the hero for his wife ( Sadko, Mikhailo Potyk, Ivan Godinovich, Danube, Kozarin, Solovey Budimirovich and later - Alyosha Popovich and Elena Petrovichna, Hoten Bludovich); fighting monsters ( Dobrynya and the snake, Alyosha and Tugarin, Ilya and Idolishche, Ilya and the Nightingale the Robber); the fight against foreign invaders, including: repelling Tatar raids ( Ilya's quarrel with Vladimir, Ilya and Kalin, ), wars with Lithuanians ( An epic about the raid of Lithuanians).
Satirical epics or epic parodies stand apart ( Duke Stepanovich, Competition with Churila).
The main epic heroes.
Representatives of the Russian “mythological school” divided the heroes of epics into “senior” and “younger” heroes. In their opinion, the “elders” (Svyatogor, Danube, Volkh, Potyka) were the personification of elemental forces; epics about them uniquely reflected the mythological views that existed in Ancient Rus'. The “younger” heroes (Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich) are ordinary mortals, heroes of the new historical era, and therefore are minimally endowed with mythological features. Despite the fact that serious objections were subsequently raised against such a classification, such a division is still found in the scientific literature.
Images of heroes are the people's standard of courage, justice, patriotism and strength (it is not for nothing that one of the first Russian aircraft, which had an exceptional carrying capacity at that time, was named by its creators “Ilya Muromets”).
Svyatogor
refers to the oldest and most popular epic heroes. His very name indicates a connection with nature. He is tall and powerful; the earth can hardly bear him. This image was born in the pre-Kiev era, but subsequently underwent changes. Only two stories have come down to us, initially associated with Svyatogor (the rest arose later and are fragmentary in nature): the story of Svyatogor’s discovery of a saddle bag, which, as specified in some versions, belonged to another epic hero, Mikula Selyaninovich. The bag turns out to be so heavy that the hero cannot lift it, he strains himself and, dying, finds out that this bag contains “all earthly burdens.” The second story tells about the death of Svyatogor, who meets on the road a coffin with the inscription: “Whoever is destined to lie in a coffin will lie in it,” and decides to try his luck. As soon as Svyatogor lies down, the coffin lid jumps up on its own and the hero cannot move it. Before his death, Svyatogor transfers his strength to Ilya Muromets, thus the hero of antiquity passes the baton to the new hero of the epic who comes to the fore.
Ilya Muromets,
undoubtedly the most popular hero of epics, the mighty hero. The epic does not know him as a young man, he is an old man with a gray beard. Oddly enough, Ilya Muromets appeared later than his epic younger comrades Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. His homeland is the city of Murom, the village of Karacharovo.
The peasant son, the sick Ilya, “sat sitting on the stove for 30 years and three years.” One day, wanderers came to the house, “walking kaliki.” They healed Ilya, giving him heroic strength. From now on, he is a hero who is destined to serve the city of Kyiv and Prince Vladimir. On the way to Kyiv, Ilya defeats the Nightingale the Robber, puts him in a Toroki and takes him to the princely court. Among other exploits of Ilya, it is worth mentioning his victory over the Idol, who besieged Kyiv and forbade begging and remembering God's name. Here Elijah acts as a defender of the faith.
His relationship with Prince Vladimir is not going smoothly. The peasant hero does not meet with due respect at the prince’s court, he is treated with gifts, and is not given a place of honor at the feast. The rebellious hero is imprisoned in a cellar for seven years and doomed to starvation. Only the attack on the city by the Tatars, led by Tsar Kalin, forces the prince to ask for help from Ilya. He gathers the heroes and enters the battle. The defeated enemy flees, vowing never to return to Rus'.
Dobrynya Nikitich
- a popular hero of the Kyiv epic cycle. This hero-snake fighter was born in Ryazan. He is the most polite and well-mannered of the Russian heroes; it is not for nothing that Dobrynya always acts as an ambassador and negotiator in difficult situations. The main epics associated with the name Dobrynya: Dobrynya and the snake, Dobrynya and Vasily Kazemirovich, Fight between Dobrynya and the Danube, Dobrynya and Marinka, Dobrynya and Alyosha.
Alyosha Popovich
– originally from Rostov, he is the son of a cathedral priest, the youngest of the famous trinity of heroes. He is brave, cunning, frivolous, prone to fun and jokes. Scientists belonging to the historical school believed that this epic hero traces his origins to Alexander Popovich, who died in the Battle of Kalka, however, D.S. Likhachev showed that in reality the opposite process took place, the name of the fictional hero entered the chronicle. The most famous feat of Alyosha Popovich is his victory over Tugarin Zmeevich. The hero Alyosha does not always behave in a dignified manner; he is often arrogant and boastful. Among the epics about him - Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin, Alyosha Popovich and Petrovich sister.
Sadko
is also one of ancient heroes besides, he is perhaps the most famous hero epics Novgorod cycle. The ancient plot about Sadko, which tells how the hero wooed the daughter of the sea king, subsequently became more complicated, and surprisingly realistic details appeared regarding the life of ancient Novgorod.
The epic about Sadko is divided into three relatively independent parts. In the first, guslar Sadko, having impressed the sea king with the skill of his playing, receives advice from him on how to get rich. From this moment on, Sadko is no longer a poor musician, but a merchant, a rich guest. In the next song, Sadko bets with Novgorod merchants that he can buy all the goods of Novgorod. In some versions of the epic, Sadko wins, in some, on the contrary, he is defeated, but in any case he leaves the city due to the intolerant attitude of the merchants towards him. IN last song tells about Sadko's journey across the sea, during which sea king calls him to her to marry his daughter and leave him in the underwater kingdom. But Sadko, having abandoned the beautiful princesses, marries Chernavushka the mermaid, who personifies the Novgorod river, and she brings him to his native shores. Sadko returns to his “earthly wife”, leaving the daughter of the sea king. V.Ya. Propp points out that the epic about Sadko is the only one in the Russian epic where the hero goes to other world(underwater kingdom) and marries an otherworldly creature. These two motifs indicate the antiquity of both the plot and the hero.
Vasily Buslaev.
Two epics are known about this indomitable and violent citizen of Veliky Novgorod. In his rebellion against everyone and everything, he does not pursue any goal other than the desire to riot and show off. The son of a Novgorod widow, a wealthy city dweller, Vasily from an early age showed his unbridled temper in fights with peers. Having grown up, he gathered a squad to compete with all of Veliky Novgorod. The battle ends in complete victory for Vasily. The second epic is dedicated to the death of Vasily Buslaev. Having traveled with his squad to Jerusalem, Vasily mocks the dead head he encounters, despite the ban, swims naked in Jericho and neglects the requirement inscribed on the stone he found (you cannot jump over the stone lengthwise). Vasily, due to the indomitability of his nature, begins to jump and gallop over it, catches his foot on a stone and breaks his head. This character, who embodied the unbridled passions of Russian nature, was M. Gorky's favorite hero. The writer carefully saved up materials about him, cherishing the idea of writing about Vaska Buslaev, but upon learning that A.V. Amphiteatrov was writing a play about this hero, he gave all the accumulated materials to his fellow writer. This play is considered one of best works A.V.Amphiteatrova.
Historical stages in the development of epics.
Researchers disagree on when epic songs appeared in Rus'. Some attribute their appearance to the 9th–11th centuries, others to the 11th–13th centuries. One thing is certain - having existed for so long, passed on from mouth to mouth, the epics did not reach us in their original form; they underwent many changes, as the political system, the domestic and foreign political situation, and the worldview of listeners and performers changed. It is almost impossible to say in what century this or that epic was created; some reflect an earlier, some a later stage in the development of the Russian epic, and in other epics researchers distinguish very ancient subjects under later layers.
V.Ya. Propp believed that the most ancient are the plots associated with the hero’s matchmaking and with snake fighting. Such epics are characterized by elements that are also significant for a fairy tale, in particular: tripling the plot components (Ilya, at a crossroads, runs into a stone with an inscription foreshadowing one or another fate, and sequentially chooses each of the three roads), prohibition and violation of the prohibition (Dobrynya is forbidden swim in the Puchai River), as well as the presence of ancient mythological elements (Volkh, born from a serpent father, has the gift of transformation into animals, Tugarin Zmeevich in different versions of the epic appears either as a snake, or as a snake endowed with anthropomorphic features, or as a creature of nature or human, or serpentine; in the same way, the Nightingale the Robber turns out to be either a bird or a man, or even combines both features).
The largest number of epics that have come down to us dates back to the period from the 11th to the 13th–14th centuries. They were created in the southern Russian regions - Kyiv, Chernigov, Galicia-Volyn, Rostov-Suzdal. The most relevant during this period was the theme of the struggle of the Russian people with the nomads who raided Kievan Rus, and later with the Horde invaders. The epics begin to group around the plot of the defense and liberation of the Motherland, brightly colored with patriotic feelings. People's memory has preserved only one name for the nomadic enemy - Tatar, but researchers find among the names of heroes of epics the names of not only Tatar, but also Polovtsian military leaders. In the epics there is a noticeable desire to raise the people's spirit, to express love for home country and fierce hatred of foreign invaders, the exploits of the mighty and invincible are praised folk heroes-heroes. At this time, the images of Ilya Muromets, the Danube Matchmaker, Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, Vasily Kazemirovich, Mikhailo Danilovich and many other heroes became popular.
With the formation of the Moscow State, starting in the 16th century, heroic epics gradually fade into the background, buffoons become more relevant ( Vavila and the buffoons, Birds) and satirical epics with their acute social conflicts. They describe the exploits of heroes in peaceful life, the main characters confront princes and boyars, and their task comes down to protecting their own family and honor (Sukhman, Danilo Lovchanin), while the buffoon epics ridicule the ruling strata of society. At the same time there arises new genre- historical songs, which tell about specific historical events that took place from the 13th to the 19th centuries, there is no fiction and exaggeration characteristic of epics, and in battles several people or an entire army can act as heroes at once.
In the 17th century epics are gradually beginning to supplant translated knightly romances adapted for Russian audiences, meanwhile they remain popular folk entertainment. At the same time, the first written retellings of epic texts appeared.
Historical reality and fiction in epics.
The relationship between reality and fiction in epics is by no means straightforward; along with obvious fantasies, there is a reflection of the life of Ancient Rus'. Behind many epic episodes one can discern real social and everyday relations, numerous military and social conflicts that took place in ancient times. It is also noteworthy that in epics certain details of everyday life are conveyed with amazing accuracy, and often the area where the action takes place is described with amazing accuracy. It is also interesting that even the names of some epic characters are recorded in chronicles, where they are narrated as real personalities.
Nevertheless, folk storytellers who sang the exploits of the princely squad, unlike the chroniclers, did not literally follow the chronological course of events; on the contrary, folk memory carefully preserved only the most striking and remarkable historical episodes, regardless of their location on the timeline. Close connection with surrounding reality determined the development and change of the system and plots of epics, according to the course of the history of the Russian state. Moreover, the genre itself existed until the middle of the 20th century, of course, undergoing various changes.
Cyclization of epics.
Although due to special historical conditions In Rus', a coherent epic never took shape; scattered epic songs are formed into cycles either around a hero, or according to the community of the area where they lived. There is no classification of epics that would be unanimously accepted by all researchers; however, it is customary to single out the epics of the Kyiv, or “Vladimirov”, Novgorod and Moscow cycles. In addition to them, there are epics that do not fit into any cycles.
Kyiv or “Vladimirov” cycle.
In these epics, heroes gather around the court of Prince Vladimir. The prince himself does not perform feats, however, Kyiv is the center that attracts heroes called upon to protect their homeland and faith from enemies. V.Ya. Propp believes that the songs of the Kyiv cycle are not a local phenomenon, characteristic only of the Kyiv region; on the contrary, epics of this cycle were created throughout Kievan Rus. Over time, the image of Vladimir changed, the prince acquired features that were initially unusual for the legendary ruler; in many epics he is cowardly, mean, and often deliberately humiliates heroes ( Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin, Ilya and Idolishche, Ilya's quarrel with Vladimir).
Novgorod cycle.
The epics differ sharply from the epics of the “Vladimirov” cycle, which is not surprising, since Novgorod never knew Tatar invasion, but was the largest shopping center ancient Rus'. The heroes of Novgorod epics (Sadko, Vasily Buslaev) are also very different from others.
Moscow cycle.
These epics reflected the life upper strata Moscow society. The epics about Khoten Bludovich, Duke and Churil contain many details characteristic of the era of the rise of the Moscow state: the clothes, morals and behavior of the townspeople are described.
Unfortunately, Russian heroic epic did not fully develop, this is what distinguishes it from the epics of other peoples. The poet N.A. Zabolotsky at the end of his life tried to make an unprecedented attempt - to create a single poetic epic on the basis of disparate epics and epic cycles. Death prevented him from carrying out this bold plan.
Collection and publication of Russian epics.
The first recording of Russian epic songs was made at the beginning of the 17th century. Englishman Richard James. However, the first significant work on collecting epics, which had enormous scientific significance, was done by the Cossack Kirsha Danilov around 40–60 of the 18th century. The collection he collected consisted of 70 songs. For the first time, incomplete records were published only in 1804 in Moscow, under the title Ancient Russian Poems and for a long time were the only collection of Russian epic songs.
The next step in the study of Russian epic songs was made by P.N. Rybnikov (1831–1885). He discovered that in the Olonets province epics were still being performed, although by that time this folklore genre was considered dead. Thanks to the discovery of P.N. Rybnikov, it was possible not only to study more deeply epic epic, but also to get acquainted with the method of its execution and with the performers themselves. The final set of epics was published in 1861–1867 under the title Songs collected by P.N. Rybnikov. Four volumes contained 165 epics (for comparison, let us mention that in Collection of Kirsha Danilov there were only 24 of them).
This was followed by collections by A.F. Hilferding (1831–1872), P.V. Kireevsky (1808–1856), N.E. Onchukov (1872–1942) and others, the material for which was collected mainly in Siberia, in the Middle and Lower Volga region, on the Don, Terek and Ural (in the Central and Southern regions, the epic epic has been preserved in very small quantities). The last recordings of epics were made in the 20th–30th centuries. Soviet expeditions traveling across northern Russia, and from the 50s of the 20th century. The epic epic practically ceases to exist in live performance, surviving only in books.
For the first time, K.F. Kalaidovich (1792–1832) tried to comprehend the Russian epic as an integral artistic phenomenon and understand its relationship with the course of Russian history in the preface to the second edition of the collection he undertook (1818).
According to representatives of the “mythological school”, to which F.I. Buslaev (1818–1897), A.N. Afanasyev (1826–1871), O.F. Miller (1833–1889) belonged, epic songs were nothing more than derived from more ancient myths. Based on these songs, representatives of the school tried to reconstruct the myths of primitive peoples.
“Comparatist” scientists, including G.N. Potanin (1835–1920) and A.N. Veselovsky (1838–1906), considered the epic an ahistorical phenomenon. They argued that the plot, after its inception, begins to wander, changing and enriching itself.
Representative of the “historical school” V.F. Miller (1848–1913) studied the interaction between epic and history. In his opinion, the epic recorded historical events, and thus the epic is a kind of oral chronicle.
V.Ya. Propp (1895–1970) occupies a special place in Russian and Soviet folklore. In his innovative works, he combined a historical approach with a structural approach (Western structuralists, in particular C. Levi-Strauss (b. 1909), called him the founder of their scientific method, to which V. Ya. Propp sharply objected).
Epic stories and heroes in art and literature.
Since the publication of Kirsha Danilov’s collection, epic stories and heroes have firmly entered the world of modern Russian culture. Traces of acquaintance with Russian epics are easy to see in the poem by A.S. Pushkin Ruslan and Lyudmila and in the poetic ballads of A.K. Tolstoy.
The images of Russian epics are also multifacetedly reflected in music. Composer A.P. Borodin (1833–1887) created a farce opera Bogatyrs(1867), and gave the title to his 2nd symphony (1876) Bogatyrskaya, he used images of the heroic epic in his romances.
A colleague of A.P. Borodin in the “mighty handful” (an association of composers and music critics) N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908) twice turned to the image of the Novgorod “rich guest”. First he created a symphony musical picture Sadko(1867), and later, in 1896, the opera of the same name. It's worth mentioning that theatrical production This opera was designed in 1914 by the artist I.Ya. Bilibin (1876–1942).
V.M. Vasnetsov (1848–1926), is mainly known to the public for his paintings, the subjects of which are taken from the Russian heroic epic, suffice it to name the canvases Knight at the crossroads(1882) and Bogatyrs (1898).
M.A. Vrubel (1856–1910) also turned to epic stories. Decorative panels Mikula Selyaninovich(1896) and Bogatyr(1898) interpret these seemingly familiar images in their own way.
Heroes and plots of epics are precious material for cinema. For example, a film directed by A.L. Ptushko (1900–1973) Sadko(1952), the original music for which was written by composer V.Ya. Shebalin, partly used in the musical design classical music N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, was one of the most spectacular films of its time. And another film by the same director Ilya Muromets(1956) became the first Soviet widescreen film with stereophonic sound. Animator director V.V. Kurchevsky (1928–1997) created an animated version of the most popular Russian epic, his work is called Sadko is rich (1975).
Berenice Vesnina
Literature:
Epics of the North. Notes from A.M. Astakhova. M. - L., 1938–1951, vols. 1–2
Ukhov P.D. Epics. M., 1957
Propp V.Ya., Putilov B.N. Epics. M., 1958, vol. 1–2
Astakhova A.M. Epics. Results and problems of the study. M. – L., 1966
Ukhov P.D. Attribution of Russian epics. M., 1970
Ancients Russian poems, collected by Kirsha Danilov. M., 1977
Azbelev S.N. Historicism of epics and the specifics of folklore. L., 1982
Astafieva L.A. The plot and style of Russian epics. M., 1993
Propp V.Ya. Russian heroic epic. M., 1999
Researchers are almost unanimous in the opinion that once the Kiev cycle of epics was not the only one and, like the surviving Novgorod ones, there were epics from Ryazan, Rostov, Chernigov, Polotsk, Galicia-Volyn... Moreover, until the 19th and 20th centuries only Kyiv and Novgorod, there is a historical pattern. “Bylina,” notes D.S. in this regard. Likhachev is not a remnant of the past, but an artistic and historical work about the past. Its attitude to the past is active: it reflects the historical views of the people to an even greater extent than historical memory. The historical content of epics is conveyed by storytellers consciously. The preservation of what is historically valuable in the epic (be it names, events, social relationships, or even historically correct vocabulary) is the result of the conscious, historical attitude of the people to the content of the epic. The people in their epic creativity proceed from fairly clear historical ideas about the time of the heroism of Kyiv. Awareness of the historical value of what is being conveyed and the unique historical ideas of the people, and not just mechanical memorization, determine the stability of the historical content of epics.”
The people preserved what was historically valuable in the Kyiv and Novgorod epics, in which two completely different types of urban and state life Ancient Rus'. Epic Kyiv is always the center of the princely, state power, in all the plots of the Kyiv cycle, one way or another, there is a conflict between the hero (personality) and the prince (power). While the epic Novgorod is always the personification of the veche power, which also affects all conflict situations between Vasily Buslaev and the Novgorod men, Sadko and trading people. And the Heroic cycle is already new stage both in Russian history and in Russian epic. Here the idea of protecting the native land becomes dominant, everything else recedes into the background.
The time of the emergence of the epics of the Kyiv cycle, as well as the Novgorod cycle, chronologically coincides with the heyday of these principality states. During the heyday of Kievan Rus - the largest of the medieval states of the era - the processing of the most ancient archaic layer of myths and legends took place, the “historicization of previous traditions” (V.P. Anikin) both in oral folk literature, and in writing. After all, when creating the first chronicle code“Tales of Bygone Years” also included revised and “historicized” pagan legends from deep antiquity.
In this regard, the epics of the Kyiv cycle are no less reliable historical source than any others - chronicles and literature.
Just as Novgorod is isolated in Russian history, so its heroes stand out noticeably among the heroes of the Russian epic. The epics about Sadko and Vasily Buslaev are not just new original plots and themes, but also new epic images, new types of heroes that the Kiev cycle does not know. Researchers attribute the emergence of the Novgorod cycle to the 12th century - the heyday of Lord Novgorod the Great and the beginning of the decline of Kievan Rus, torn apart by princely strife. “The heyday of Kyiv,” notes D.S. Likhachev, comparing the Novgorod cycle with the Kyiv cycle, was in the past - and epic tales of military exploits are attached to the past. The heyday of Novgorod was a living modernity for the 12th century, and the themes of modernity were primarily social and everyday... Just as the time of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich was presented in the Kyiv epics as a time of “epic opportunities” in the military sphere, so the time of the veche order in Novgorod was the same time “ "epic opportunities" in the social sphere.
References
Victor Kalugin. Bogatyrs of the Kyiv and Novgorod cycle"
(starinas) - heroic and patriotic songs and tales telling about the exploits of heroes and reflecting the life of Ancient Rus' in the 9th-13th centuries; a type of oral folk art, which is characterized by a song-epic way of reflecting reality. The main plot of the epic is some heroic event or a remarkable episode of Russian history.
Epics expressed the high social, moral and ethical ideals of the people. The hero and heroism had the power of a compelling life example. The epic was not only historical memory people, but also their dignity, intelligence, moral code. It always tells about the struggle between two principles: good and evil and the victory of good. Among the epics, a group of the most ancient stands out. These are the so-called epics about the “elder” heroes, associated with mythology. The heroes of these works are the personification of unknown forces of nature associated with mythology. Such are Svyatogor and Volkhv Vseslavyevich, Danube and Mikhailo Potyk. In the second period of their history, the ancient heroes were replaced by heroes of modern times - Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich.
Basic classification of epics: epics of the Kyiv and Novgorod cycles.
Kyiv cycle of epics. Characteristics of the images of heroes Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich. Novgorod cycle of epics. Three stories about Sadko: Sadko gains wealth, Sadko competes with Novgorod, Sadko with the sea king.
The epics of the Kievan cycle reflected mainly the activities of the princely-squad class of Kievan Rus in the military and peacetime. The main plots of the epics are the following: 1) military exploits of heroes: a) in campaigns against enemies, to clear roads, for tribute, for the release of Russian prisoners, b) in the fight against the filthy, besieging Kyiv, with rapists entrenched in Kyiv and c) at the Bogatyrskaya outpost; 2) matchmaking of brides for Vladimir and heroes, and matchmaking often ends with violence against the homeland of the brides and the taking of the latter to Kyiv, with their consent or against their will; 3) the daring of the heroes at the court of Vladimir, manifested in various kinds of competitions.
The epics of the Novgorod cycle are everyday ones (incidents from the life of the inhabitants of a large trading city - Veliky Novgorod. The reasons are clear: the city and the veche republic formed around it have always occupied a separate place in life, and, therefore, in the culture of Rus'). The heroes of these epics were merchants, princes, peasants, guslars (Sadko, Volga, Mikula, Vasily Buslaev, Blud Khotenovich). Ovgorod heroes, unlike the heroes of the heroic cycle, do not perform feats of arms. This is explained by the fact that Novgorod escaped the Horde invasion; Batu’s hordes did not reach the city. However, the Novgorodians could not only rebel (V. Buslaev) and play the gusli (Sadko), but also fight and win brilliant victories over the conquerors from the West. The Novgorod cycle of epics that appeared in such circumstances allows us to look not at the fabulous exploits of heroes, as in the epics of the Kyiv cycle, but at the ordinary life of the ancient city. Even the style of presentation and the plot of these songs are more reminiscent of bright and exciting “gossip” spread throughout the noisy city by buffoons and storytellers. That is why Novgorod epics are distinguished among their “brothers”, rather classified as European short stories about city life.
The epics of the Novgorod cycle develop themes of social and family life. The military theme of the Kyiv epics had all-Russian significance. Novgorod, which knew almost nothing of the Tatar yoke, did not develop epics with military themes. Of the Novgorod epics, as has been said, the ones that are especially important are epics “Sadko” and “Vasily Buslaev" The Novgorod epics, according to the fair assumption of V.F. Miller, also include the epic about Volga and Mikula, in which, in addition to the geographical and everyday details characteristic of northern Rus' (see the description of the Mikula field, the mention of the salt issue, the name of Orekhovets-Shlisselburg and etc.), there is a contrasting opposition between the prince-combatant and the peasant, which is easily explained in Novgorod Rus', in which the prince was an invited person from outside who did not have the right to land
The depiction in the epic about Sadko of merchant feasts and boasting of shops with goods contains acute social and everyday characteristics. The epic develops the theme of miraculous deliverance from poverty. In itself, such a motive could only arise in an environment where malnutrition and underdrinking were commonplace. At the beginning of the epic, the storytellers depict Sadko as a beggar guslar, the creator of wonderful songs. The power of his art is enormous; it can evoke a response in nature itself. But this art turned out to be unnecessary for the Novgorod merchants, and Sadko had nothing to live on, nothing to feed himself. Sadko leaves the merchants on the shore of Lake Ilmen and conquers the water element with his playing of the harp and singing. The king of the sea himself rises from the depths of the waters and gives the guslar unprecedented gifts - “golden feathers of fish.” Beggar guslar, representative folk art, defeats famous merchants.
The epic about Sadko is built on showing the conflict between a poor guslar and the merchants of Novgorod (the merchants do not invite Sadko to a feast; Sadko delights the sea king by playing the gusli, receives a reward from him and, at his instigation, argues with the merchants; Sadko wins the argument, becomes rich, is proud of his wealth , argues with the merchants again). The conflict is resolved successfully for Sadko as long as he fights with individual merchants. As soon as Sadko loses consciousness of his connection with the collective and comes to oppose himself to the whole of Veliky Novgorod, he loses. The defeat of the one who opposes himself to the collective people is inevitable - this is the idea affirmed by the epic and determines the development of the plot. The second part tells how Sadko, defeated by Novgorod, leaving his hometown, wanders the seas. The epic combines the idea of the miraculous overcoming of social injustice (rich merchants - poor guslar) with the glorification of Novgorod.
The epic about Sadko has a number of episodes similar to episodes of the epics of other peoples. This made it possible to bring it closer to “Kalevala” (the image of the wonderful musician Vainemoinen was interpreted by some researchers as parallel and even identical to Sadko; the sea king of the epic was interpreted as a reworking of the water god Ahto of the Karelian-Finnish epic). The episode of Sadko's descent into the sea was seen as a variation on the theme of throwing a sinner into the sea, developed by the Bible (the story of Jonah in the belly of the whale) and medieval literature (cf. the story of Sadko in the old French novel “Tristan de Leonois”)
The attribution of the epic about Sadko to foreign sources and its interpretation as a reworking of folklore and literature of other peoples is deeply erroneous. But the very parallels to the epic about Sadko should be taken into account as material for the study of the Russian epic, helping to reveal its features and what the epics have in common with the heroic medieval epic of other peoples.
An equally remarkable example of the Novgorod epic epic are two epics about Vasily Buslaev - about his youth (“Vasily Buslaev and the Novgorod men”) and about how he went to pray (“The Death of Vasily Buslaev”). These epics, reflecting the life and social relationships of medieval Novgorod (they contain remarkable everyday sketches that have correspondences in chronicles - see the Novgorod Chronicle and the Sophia Vremennik), are especially important in that they reflected early glimpses of criticism and elements of rationalism in Rus'.
The epics about Vasily Buslaev reflect a critical attitude towards the dogmas approved by the church and the entire system of the feudal state. The very image of Vaska Buslaev is characterized by the absence of superstition, so typical of the Middle Ages, and the desire to disrupt the established order of things. They say about Buslaev that he “doesn’t believe in dreams, or chochs, or birds.” Lack of respect for everything that was revered as illuminated by religion is manifested in many of Vaska’s actions. Thus, in the heat of battle on the bridge over the Volkhov, Vaska does not hesitate to raise his hand against his “godfather”; It must be remembered that the godfather appears before Vaska in spiritual vestments, therefore, Vaska is not stopped by monastic clothes. At the Holy Sepulcher, Vaska breaks the rules of behavior by entering the Jordan River naked. Vaska also did other things forbidden for a Christian.
These characteristic features of Buslaev’s image are entirely explained by the ideological life of the Russian Middle Ages. The more the ideological oppression of the Russian Church intensified, the more rational the people’s consciousness became. Under conditions of the dominance of a religious worldview, it often took the form of “heretical” movements. Such were the well-known heresies of the Strigolniks and Judaizers in Rus'. The latter, for example, denied the divinity of Jesus Christ, the miraculousness of icons and much more that the canonical Orthodox Church as the main elements of Christian doctrine.
The epics about Vasily Buslaev, of course, cannot be directly connected with these “heretical” trends in Russian social thought. But the epic songs about him undoubtedly reflected a situation that gave rise to variously expressed rationalism. Vasily Buslaev’s protest against established prohibitions, his violation of foundations and rules of life, disbelief in beliefs and signs reflected progressive phenomena public life medieval Rus'. A. M. Gorky rightly emphasized that the image of Buslaev was a specifically Russian generalization of social phenomena and pointed out that it reflected some aspects of the national Russian character.
It should be noted that folk art notes the unawareness of Buslaev’s protest. The protest itself completely captures the hero of the epic, forcing him to violate all the rules of society, and also commit unreasonable actions - entirely for the sake of reckless daring. This leads to some inconsistency in the image, reflected in the fact that Vaska, perceived as clearly goodie, whose actions express a protest against medieval stagnation, against established customs, commits a series of actions that are essentially unnecessary, do not give anything, and sometimes contradict the elementary rules of behavior (see, for example, the episode with the death's head). Vasily Buslaev does not know how to restrain himself in anything; he himself becomes a victim of violation of prohibitions and ultimately dies.
The epics about Vasily Buslaev, telling about the life of the hero in Veliky Novgorod, give wonderful sketches of the life of the medieval city (the custom of brotherhood, fist fights, etc.). The etching of the epic is very accurate and is fully confirmed by chronicle stories (cf. in the Novgorod Chronicles). The combination of truthfully depicted ideological phenomena of medieval Rus' with accurate and vivid sketches of social and family life distinguishes the epic about Vasily Buslaev as one of the most artistic original epic songs of the Russian people.
It comes into contact with Novgorod epics (and perhaps in Novgorod lands and an epic was created about Babylon and the buffoons. The basis for this assumption is given by the fact that the buffoon song and epic tradition was vividly preserved on the territory of the Novgorod Pyatina until the 20th century, and the epic “Vavila and the buffoons”, recorded on the river. Pinega is a vivid example of this tradition. Novgorod in the XV-XVII centuries. Along with Moscow, it was the center of buffoonery art. Naturally, the persecution of buffoons, the persecution of buffoon art, which was especially strong in the 17th century, also took place in the Novgorod region. The buffoons in the charters of Moscow Rus' were declared servants of the devil, and their art is demonic. The epic about Babylon and the buffoons seems to answer the government and the clergy and calls the art of the buffoons holy. This epic is an apology for buffoonery art.
In the epic, Tsar Dog with his son, daughter and son-in-law are contrasted with buffoons leading the peasant Vavila with them. There is no sufficient reason to see any specific person under the name of Tsar Dog (for example, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who especially harshly persecuted buffoons). Most likely, this image should be understood as a generalizing epic image, opposed to the buffoons, with whom, at their call, leaving everyday work in the field, the peasant Vavila goes. With the power of their art - song and play - Vavila and the buffoons cause a fire that incinerates the “eating kingdom” of King Dog. The buffoons put Vavila in the kingdom. It is also worthy of attention that in the epic the buffoons going against Tsar Dog are named after the saints Kuzma and Demyan - unmercenaries (i.e. the poor), patrons of artisans (mainly blacksmiths). The epic says about them: “They are not ordinary people, saints!”
The epic, contrasting the peasant Babylon with the king, asserts the victory of the smerd over the ruler-Dog and the legality of the destruction of his kingdom.