“Clean Monday” by I.A. Bunin
Included in the collection " Dark alleys» story by I.A. Bunin " Clean Monday" written in 1944. It combines tragic and lyrical principles. At the center of the plot of the work - love story. At the same time, for I.A. For Bunin, it is not so much the events themselves that are important, but rather the feelings and emotions of the characters in the story. This is the main feature of most of his works. They are distinguished by the presence of a lyrical plot, organized according to the associative principle.
Love for I.A. Bunin is a short-term happy period of life, which, unfortunately, always ends quickly, but for many years leaves an indelible mark on the heroes’ souls.
The plot of the story is dynamic. The actions of the heroes are not fully explained, and are unlikely to be interpreted logically. It is no coincidence that the author often uses the epithet “strange” in this work.
The hero of the story is a nobleman. The heroine belongs to the merchant class. The hero dreams of marriage, but his chosen one deliberately avoids serious conversations on this topic.
A poetic portrait of the heroine is created using a number of exquisite details. This is the garnet velvet of the dress, the black velvet of the hair and eyelashes, the gold of the skin of the face. It is symbolic that the heroine consistently appears in clothes of three colors: in a garnet velvet dress and the same shoes, in a black fur coat, hat and boots on Forgiveness Sunday and in a black velvet dress on the night from Monday to Tuesday. Finally, in final scene In the story, an image of a female figure in a white robe appears.
Of particular importance for the creation artistic space The work contains a play of light and darkness (“It had long since gotten dark, the frost-lit windows behind the trees were turning pink,” “The Moscow gray winter day was getting dark, the gas in the lanterns was coldly lit, the shop windows were warmly illuminated”). Such light contrasts enhance the atmosphere of mystery and mystery.
The story has many symbolic details: a view of the Kremlin and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the gate as a symbol of purification, finding the righteous path. Every evening the hero moves from the Red Gate to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and back. At the end of the story, he finds himself at the gates of the Marfo-Mariinsky monastery. On the last evening of the heroes' intimacy, he sees her naked in swan slippers in the doorway. This scene is also symbolic: the heroine has already decided her fate, she is ready to go to a monastery and from sinful life. social life turn to a righteous life.
The story consists of four parts. At the same time artistic time as if completing a certain circle: from December 1912 to the end of 1914.
I.A. Bunin considered this story the best he had ever written. The fate of the heroine in it to some extent symbolizes the fate of Russia: the writer saw the path of his native power in purification, and not in the bloody cataclysms of the revolutionary era.
Ivan Bunin is known to many readers as brilliant writer and poet. For my creative career the writer created huge amount poems, stories, novellas and novels. All of them are imbued with deep meaning and have an interesting and exciting plot. The collection of short stories “Dark Alleys” gained particular popularity. All works from it tell about love. For the writer himself, this feeling evokes conflicting emotions - happy and sad at the same time. To talk about love in more detail, Bunin wrote “Clean Monday”. shows how ambiguous and deep it is.
The strangeness of love between the heroes of the story
Love is not only the joy of meetings, but also the torment of parting, this is also shown by analysis. Bunin wrote “Clean Monday” to show the depth of feelings of his characters. The writer didn’t even give them names, because the story is told by the hero himself, and the image of the heroine is so complex, multifaceted and mysterious that she doesn’t need a name. Even at the beginning of the work, it becomes clear that the lovers will have no future. This is a beautiful, young couple, full of strength and energy, but they are too different.
A man is fixated on his feelings, and this prevents him from knowing better spiritual world to your beloved. They spend a lot of time together, have a picnic, go to restaurants, visit the theater, but the girl seems too distant. The heroine is in search of her true purpose - this is exactly what the analysis shows. Bunin composed “Clean Monday” to talk about the fact that sooner or later every person will have to decide what to do next, to determine whether he has chosen the right path. The girl does not want to talk about the future, categorically denies the possibility of marriage, and says that she is not ready to become a wife. The man understands that this is not normal, but still agrees with the oddities of his beloved.
Finding your place in this world
The heroine cannot find herself - this is also shown by the analysis. Bunin wrote “Clean Monday” to show the girl’s emotional experiences. She did everything that was accepted in society: she studied, dressed beautifully, attended the theater, met with her loved one. But deep down, the woman realized that all this was not what she needed. This is what explains the detachment main character, her reluctance to talk about a future together with her lover. She always did everything the way everyone else did, but that didn’t suit her.
Painful separation
Conflicting feelings increasingly arise in the girl’s soul; she can no longer live simply and carefree, like most young people. The decision to radically change her life has long been brewing for the heroine, and the analysis speaks to this. It was not in vain that Bunin chose Clean Monday as a turning point in the fate of the characters. On the first day of Great Lent, the girl decides to devote herself to serving God. The heroine makes a man suffer from separation, but she herself suffers from this.
The story “Clean Monday” is mainly dedicated to the strong personality of a girl who was not afraid to do something different from everyone else, to dramatically change her life and find the meaning of her existence.
Ivan Bunin’s creative heritage includes both prose and poems. He himself rightly considered himself first and foremost a poet and was offended when he was called a prose writer. Your best prose works he wrote like a true poet.
In the story “Clean Monday” feelings come to the fore, which brings it closer to poetry. If you work a little on the rhymes, then the beginning of the story can be remade into a lyrical poetic work:
The Moscow winter day was getting dark,
The cabs were rushing by...
This “flowing” of prose into poetry makes Bunin’s story unusually musical.
The writer's syntax also has its own characteristics. “Clean Monday” contains large, half-sheet paragraphs that consist of two or three huge sentences. They do not create a feeling of heaviness, because they have some kind of peculiar rhythm, to which visual and expressive means are also subordinated artistic style speech.
It is impossible to retell the plot, because without the magic of Bunin’s words the most ordinary story. Just Him and She. He tells the story of his love. Just six pages of text, enough to go down in literary history.
The story is called “Clean Monday”, of course, not by chance. There are no accidents for a demanding artist. But the meaning of the name is not immediately revealed. Clean Monday is the first day of Lent after Maslenitsa. Orthodox Christians fast strictly in order to cleanse themselves of filth and prepare for better things. bright life. The day before, on Forgiveness Sunday, the heroes go not to a restaurant, but to the Novodevichy Convent, visit the graves of Ertel and Chekhov, and try to find Griboyedov’s house.
The next day, Clean Monday, nothing happens. He and She meet only late in the evening. Evgeny Yablokov writes: “... in the work called “Clean Monday”, there is, in essence, no Clean Monday: its place in the plot is occupied by a pause lasting exactly a day... and in the word “Clean”, in addition to the meaning of “holy”, Paradoxically, the meaning “unfilled”, “empty”, “absent” is emphasized.
Why, even after two years of separation, does the hero remember precisely Clean Monday, and the author calls the story that?
On this day, the girl finally makes the most important decision for herself: to move away from the bustle of the world and become a nun. Purity and holiness, fighting the temptations of earthly life, win. She removes everything unnecessary “imperceptibly but carefully” from herself, like the train of an evening dress. The decision was painful, because as a test from above, beautiful love was sent to the heroine.
The composition falls into three parts. The first introduces the characters, talks about their relationships and pastimes. The second part is devoted to the events of Forgiveness Sunday and Clean Monday. The shortest, but most capacious third part completes the composition.
The short story contains comprehensive information about the characters.
This is achieved through careful selection artistic means allowing you to create bright, memorable characters. Epithets, metaphors, and comparisons give the story the necessary figurative expressiveness. Every evening the hero hurries to his beloved on a “stretching trotter”, it becomes clear with what impatience he awaits the meeting.
The tone of the story changes from the second part. Built on dialogue, it is less dynamic, but extremely important, since it begins to clarify ideological content story, we learn for the first time about the heroine’s love for antiquity and religious rituals. Here she admits her desire to go to a monastery. At the same time, her eyes are “gentle and quiet”, her clothes are designed in dark colors. Eyes - clothes, landscape - everything is in full accordance with the mood of the heroine.
The feeling of tranquility is created by a “peaceful sunny” evening, the silence of the monastery, broken by the ringing of bells, and the “golden enamel” of the sunset. It is not for nothing that after two years the narrator remembers the smallest details that take on the meaning of symbols. One of these details - symbols is the star trail in the snow from the boots of the beloved girl. She walks, as if scattering stars, and this light will be repeated in the glow of candles in the hands of nuns, in one of which the hero recognizes his beloved.
The night after Monday is the climax in the composition of the story. Love reaches its climax, but separation is inevitable: she firmly decided to become a novice in a monastery.
The third part is narrated as if by another person. Not surprising: for two years the hero “... disappeared into the dirtiest taverns, became an alcoholic, sinking in every possible way, more and more.”
Then he gradually recovered and began to live “indifferently, hopelessly.” But the guardian angel did not forget about him. As if anticipating his appearance, the same sunny evening is repeated, and the candles flicker in the same way, and the singing of the church choir is heard. Before us is no longer a frivolous young man, but one who has suffered a lot, capable of crying from memories, striving for the temple. He saw his beloved among the nuns, and, I want to believe, the look of her dark eyes will give him the strength to live on enough...
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Among all the stories of Ivan Alekseevich Bunin, “Clean Monday” is distinguished by its small volume, which managed to contain a much greater meaning. This story was included in the series “Dark Alleys”, in which, according to the writer himself, he managed to write 37 times about the same thing - about love. Ivan Alekseevich thanked God for giving him the strength and opportunity to write this story, which he considered the best of his works.
As you know, Clean Monday is the first day of Lent, which comes after Maslenitsa and Forgiveness Sunday. This is the day when the soul must repent of its sins and cleanse itself. The title of the story fully justifies its content: the young lover of the protagonist, a girl who is looking for herself in this life, refuses his love and goes to a monastery.
History of the story
I. A. Bunin wrote his story “Clean Monday” while in French immigration. He began working on the story in 1937. “Clean Monday” was published in 1945 in New Journal in New York. In 1944, while working on a story, Bunin made the following entry:
“It’s one o’clock in the morning. I got up from the table - I just had to finish writing a few pages of “Clean Monday”. I turned off the light, opened the window to ventilate the room - not the slightest movement of air; full moon, the whole valley is in the thinnest fog. Far on the horizon is the gentle pink shine of the sea, silence, the soft freshness of young tree greenery, here and there the clicking of the first nightingales... Lord, extend my strength for my lonely, poor life in this beauty and work!
We invite you to familiarize yourself with summary works by Ivan Bunin where the author recalls his past
In a letter to P.L. Vyacheslavov, Bunin’s wife V.N. Muromtseva-Bunina said that Ivan Alekseevich considers “Clean Monday” the best of all that he once wrote. Didn't hide this fact and the writer himself.
Plot
The story is very short, it covers only a small part of the heroes' lives. Main character cares for an unusual girl. Her name is not mentioned, but the author gives an exhaustive description of both her appearance and her mental organization. Image young man conveyed through the prism of their relationship. He wants love, he desires his beloved physically, he is attracted by her beauty. However, he does not at all understand her soul, which rushes between sin and purification.
Their relationship is doomed to collapse: his beloved immediately warns him that she is not fit to be a wife. Despite this, he does not lose hope and continues to look after her.
The story ends with the fact that after the final physical rapprochement between them, the girl renounces the love of the young man in favor of spiritual purification and goes to the monastery.
For the main character, the path to purification is serving God, while the hero also grows spiritually, having experienced all the bitterness of unexpected separation from his beloved.
In "Clean Monday" there is most powerful game contrasts: bright colors– strict colors; restaurants, taverns, theaters - cemetery, monastery, church; physical intimacy - tonsure. Even the girl’s beauty exudes some kind of devilish power: she has black hair, dark skin, dark eyes and mysterious soul.
Hero prototypes
Researchers are confident that the prototype of the main character was Ivan Alekseevich Bunin himself. As for his beloved, most likely, her image was copied from Varvara Vladimirovna Pashchenko, the woman who became Bunin’s first love.
Varvara Vladimirovna was a very beautiful and educated woman; she completed a full seven-year course at the gymnasium in Yelets with a gold medal. They met Bunin in 1889, when Varvara worked as a proofreader at the Orlovsky Vestnik.
It was Varvara who first confessed her love to Bunin. However, she was unable to fully understand her feelings and constantly reproached Ivan Alekseevich for not loving her fully.
In the end, in November 1894, Varvara Vladimirovna left Bunin, leaving him only a short note goodbye. Soon she married him best friend actor Arseny Bibikov. Varvara Vladimirovna’s life was short and not too happy: she and her husband lost their 13-year-old daughter, who died of tuberculosis. In 1918, Bunin’s first lover herself died from this dangerous disease. Varvara Vladimirovna became the prototype female images many of Bunin’s works, such as “Mitya’s Love” and “The Life of Arsenyev”.
The main idea of the story
“Clean Monday” by Ivan Alekseevich Bunin is not only a story about tragic love two completely different people, this is a story about the choice that every person has to make.
This is a choice between good and evil, sin and purification, idleness and modesty, earthly love and love of God.
Some researchers are confident that the image of Bunin’s beloved represents not just an earthly girl, but the whole of Russia, whom the writer calls on to take the path of purification, draw closer to God and choose a simple but meaningful life instead of idleness and fun.
Class- 11
Lesson objectives:
- introduce students to the life and work of I.A. Bunin, the book “Dark Alleys”;
- analyze the story “Clean Monday”: reveal the problem of love, find out the reasons tragic fate heroes;
- introduce the spiritual heritage of Russia;
- develop skills analytical reading epic work, the ability to make micro-conclusions and, with their help, a general conclusion; develop critical thinking and stage skills;
- to cultivate spiritual culture, responsibility for one’s actions and the fate of the country;
- make interdisciplinary connections - draw parallels: literature, painting, music, religion.
Equipment: exhibition “Who wants to know Russia, visit Moscow”, portrait of I.A. Bunin, music by L.-V. Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”, D. Verdi’s opera “Aida”, “Red Ringing” of bells, candles, texts of the work and prayers of E. Sirin, Kustodiev’s painting “Maslenitsa”, magazine “LSh” - No. 2, 3, 1996, No. 3 , 1997, projector.
Lesson progress
I. Org. moment.
II. Preparation for the main stage.
Teacher's word.
Today we will get acquainted with the work of I.A. Bunin; Let's find out what problems the author touches on in the story “Clean Monday” and how the characters solve them.
III. Assimilation of new knowledge and methods of action.
1. Presentation about I.A. Bunin. Student’s speech.
2. Reading the epigraph.
Is there such a thing as unhappy love?
Doesn't the world's sad music give happiness?
All love is great happiness,
even if it is not divided.
I. Bunin
3. Analysis of the epigraph. Teacher's word.
These words are the meaning of the entire book “Dark Alleys”. Encyclopedia love dramas you can call it a book of 38 love stories, created during World War II (1937-1944). I. Bunin in 1947 This is how he assessed his work: “She talks about the tragic and about many tender and beautiful things - I think that this is the best and most original thing that I have written in my life...”
Bunin's love amazes not only with the power of artistic depiction, but also with its subordination to some internal, unknown laws. It's a secret. And not everyone, in his opinion, is given the opportunity to touch her. The state of love is not fruitless for the writer’s heroes; it elevates their souls. However, love is not only happiness, but also tragedy. It cannot end in marriage. Bunin's heroes part forever.
4. The history of writing the story “Clean Monday”.
The story “Clean Monday” was written on May 12, 1944.
Why is the date of writing specific, and the events described in the work refer to 1914? 1944 During the years of difficult trials for the country, I. Bunin reminded people of love as the most wonderful feeling in life. Thus, Bunin rejected fascism and exalted Russia.
5. The meaning of the story's title.
1) Historical background holiday. Reading a textbook article.
Maslenitsa – Forgiveness Sunday – Lent – Clean Monday – Easter
2) Description of Clean Monday by I. Shmelev in the novel “The Summer of the Lord.”
(Against the background of Beethoven's music)
“Today is Clean Monday, and everything in our house is being cleaned... It’s dripping outside the window - when it starts crying. So she began to cry - drip... drip... drip... And something joyful is stirring in her heart: everything is new now, different. Now the soul will begin...”, “the soul must be prepared.” To fast, to fast, to prepare for the Bright Day... Today is a special day, a strict one... Yesterday was a forgiven day... Read - “Lord is the Lord of my life...”. The rooms are quiet and deserted, smelling of a sacred smell. In the hallway, in front of the reddish icon of the Crucifixion... they lit a Lenten... lamp, and now it will burn unquenchably until Easter. When my father lights the lamps - on Saturdays he lights the lamps himself - he always hums pleasantly and sadly: “Let us bow to Your Cross, Master,” and I sing after him, wonderful:
And holy... Your Resurrection
Sla-a-vim!..
Joyful prayer! She shines with a gentle light in these sad days of Lent!”
6. Introduction to the Lenten prayer of Ephraim the Syrian.
Ephraim the Syrian is an outstanding figure of the Christian Church of the 4th century, the famous author of many theological works.
“Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of idleness, covetousness and idle talk. Grant me the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to your servant! To her, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother, for blessed are you forever and ever. Amen".
7. Story composition.
The composition is consistent.
Winter at the beginning and end of the story is syntactic parallelism.
8. Conversation based on content.
Why is the plot interesting?
What emotions did the story evoke in you?
What kind of ending were you expecting?
Why didn't your hopes come true?
How would you end the story of this undying love?
Where does the action take place?
Name the holy places of Moscow mentioned in the story. (Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Novodevichy Convent, Conception Monastery, Archangel Cathedral, Marfo-Mariinsky Convent) (Excerpts from a poem about Moscow are heard while the bells are ringing)
Here, as it was, so now -
The heart of all Rus' is holy.
Here are her shrines
Behind the Kremlin wall!
(V.Bryusov)
Wonderful city ancient city,
You fit into your ends
And towns and villages,
And chambers and palaces!
Belted with a ribbon of arable land,
You are all colorful in the gardens:
How many temples, how many towers
On your seven hills!
May you flourish with eternal glory,
City of temples and chambers!
Middle city, heartfelt city,
The city of indigenous Russia!
(F. Glinka)
“This is the Russia we lost,” I. Shmelev laments. And I. Bunin echoes him.
The story is built on contrasts.
Artistic detail plays a huge role. This is the color.
| black | yellow | red |
| Black hair | Shoes with gold buckles | Garnet shoes |
| Eyes as black as coal | Golden Dome | Garnet velvet dress |
| Tar bangs | Gold brocade | Brick and bloody walls of the monastery |
| Dark eyes | Sunset Gold Enamel | Red Gate |
| Charcoal velvet eye | Amber of bare hands | |
| Black board icons | Golden cross on the forehead | |
| Black kid glove | Amber face | |
| Black felt boots | Book “Fire Angel” | |
| Black velvet dress | Yellow-haired Rus' | |
| Black shiny braids | Amber cheeks | |
| Smolny hair | Fire pancakes | |
| Indian Persian beauty | Gold iconostasis | |
| Eyebrows like black sable fur | ||
| Black leather sofa |
What is their function?
Yellow and red are traditional icon painting colors.
Yellow symbolizes the Kingdom of Heaven.
Red – fire, i.e. life.
Black – humility, submission.
What does SHE do?
(Listening to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”)
Topic “ Moonlight Sonata” - this is SHE.
He is the theme of the march from Aida. Prove it.
(Listen to Verdi's music)
“... human life is entirely under the power of a woman,” noted Maupassant.
Let's listen to their dialogue.
(There are two chairs nearby. She reads silently.)
She: - You are terribly talkative and restless, let me finish reading the chapter.
He: - If I hadn't been talkative and restless, I might never have recognized you
She: - That's all true, but still be silent for a while, read something, smoke...
He: - I can’t remain silent! You can't imagine the power of my love for you! You don't love me!
She: - I can imagine. As for my love, you know well, except for my father and you, I have no one in the world. In any case, you are my first and last. Is this not enough for you? But enough about that.
He (to himself): -Strange love.
She : - I’m not fit to be a wife. I'm not good, I'm not good.
He (to himself): -We’ll see there!
(out loud) No, this is beyond my strength! And why, why do you torture me and yourself so cruelly! “Yes, after all, this is not love, not love...”
She: - May be. Who knows what love is?
He : - I, I know! (exclaimed) And I will wait for you to find out what love and happiness are!
What do his internal remarks say?
Do you think they loved each other? Prove it.
Did he recognize her? Why?
And again the whole evening they talked about strangers.
So January, February passed... Maslenitsa.
On Forgiveness Sunday, she ordered him to come in the evening.
What day is this?
He has arrived. She met him, all in black.
Read their dialogue. (Reading dialogue)
Why does she want to go to a monastery?
Why didn't he know about her religiosity? What were you blinded by?
(Sounds “Moonlight Sonata”)
At 10 o'clock evening the next day (it was Clean Monday) he opened the door with his key. Everything was lit: chandeliers, candelabra, a lamp... and the “Moonlight Sonata” was playing. She stood near the piano in a black velvet dress.
They went to the cabbage party.
What kind of entertainment is this?
How did she behave? Why cheeky? What is strange about her character?
What was the weather like that evening? (Blizzard)
What role does a snowstorm play?
Why did she keep him after the “cabbage party”, which she had not done before?
Why did she take off all her black clothes and wear only swan slippers?
What role does white play?
Why was there no more snowstorm when he left her?
Why is she leaving for Tver?
What letter did she write? Read it.
Why did she go to the monastery?
Why wasn’t he surprised by this ending to their meetings? (Didn't look into the soul)
Re-read the ending of the story.
When was this?
What brought him to the monastery?
What did he understand?
Why did he turn and quietly walk out of the gate?
Why is the story told in 1st person?
IV. Systematization and generalization of knowledge.
Conclusions from the lesson.
Any true love- great happiness, even if it ends in separation, death, tragedy. Bunin’s heroes, who have lost, overlooked, or destroyed their love themselves, come to this conclusion, albeit late. In this late repentance, the late spiritual resurrection of the heroes, we see real people, their imperfection, inability to value what is nearby, and we also see the imperfection of life itself, social conditions, circumstances that often interfere with truly human relationships.
The story, which tells about tragic collisions, does not carry pessimism. He's like music, like everything great art, cleanses, elevates the soul, affirming the truly high and beautiful.
V. Summing up the lesson.
VI. Reflection.
VII. Information about homework.
How would you conclude the story? Complete the love story.