A. N. Tolstoy created the novel “Peter the First” for about a decade and a half. Three books were written, a continuation of the epic was planned, but even the third book was not completed. Before writing, the author deeply studied historical sources, and as a result we have the opportunity to see a portrait of the creator of the empire.
“Peter the Great” is a novel about the morals and life of that era, which gives magnificent portraits of Peter the Great’s time. This is greatly facilitated by the language, which conveys the flavor of the 17th century.
The Tsar's childhood and youth
After the death of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and then his son, the active and energetic Sofya Alekseevna sought to come to power, but the boyars prophesied the kingdom of Peter, Naryshkina’s healthy and lively son. “Peter the Great” is a novel that describes the tragic events in Rus', where antiquity and nobility rule, and not intelligence and business qualities where life goes on the old fashioned way.
Incited by Sophia, the archers demand that they be shown two young princes Ivan and Peter, who are later installed as kings. But despite this, their sister Sophia really rules the state. She sends Vasily Golitsyn to Crimea to fight the Tatars, but returns ingloriously Russian army. Meanwhile, Petrusha is growing up far from the Kremlin. “Peter the First” is a novel that introduces the reader to those persons who will later be Peter’s associates: Aleksashka Menshikov, the smart boyar Fyodor Sommer. In a German settlement, young Peter meets who later becomes an uncrowned queen. Meanwhile, the mother marries her son to Evdokia Lopukhina, who does not understand her husband’s aspirations and gradually becomes a burden to him. This is how the action in Tolstoy’s novel develops rapidly.
“Peter the Great” is a novel that, in the first part, shows under what conditions the unbending character of the autocrat is forged: conflicts with Sophia, the capture of Azov, the Grand Embassy, work at the shipyards in Holland, the return and bloody suppression of the Streltsy revolt. One thing is clear - Byzantine Rus' will not exist under Peter.
The maturity of an autocrat
A. Tolstoy shows in the second volume how the tsar builds a new country. Peter the Great does not allow the boyars to sleep, elevates the active merchant Brovkin, and gives his daughter Sanka in marriage to their former master and master Volkov. The young king longs to lead the country to the seas in order to trade freely and duty-free and become rich from it. He organizes the construction of a fleet in Voronezh. Later, Peter sails to the shores of the Bosphorus. By this time, Franz Lefort, a faithful friend and assistant who understood the Tsar better than he understood himself, had died. But the thoughts laid down by Lefort, which Peter could not formulate, begin to be implemented. He is surrounded by active, energetic people, and all the mossy and ossified boyars, like Buinosov, have to be pulled out of their slumber by force. The merchant Brovkin is gaining great power in the state, and his daughter, the noble noblewoman Volkova, is mastering Russian and foreign languages and dreams of Paris. Son Yakov is in the navy, Gavrila is studying in Holland, Artamosha, who received a good education, helps his father.
War with Sweden
Already laid out on the marshy and swampy St. Petersburg - the new capital of Russia.
Natalya, Peter's beloved sister, does not let the boyars sleep in Moscow. She stages performances and arranges a European court for Peter’s beloved, Catherine. Meanwhile, war with Sweden begins. A. Tolstoy talks about the years 1703-1704 in his third book. Peter the Great acts at the head of the army and, after a long siege, takes Narva, and the general - the commandant of the Gorna fortress, who doomed many people to senseless death, is taken to prison.
Personality of Peter
Peter is the central personality of the work. The novel includes many characters from the people, who see in him both a ruler replaced abroad and a reformer tsar who is hardworking and does not shy away from menial work: he himself chops with an ax when building ships. The king is inquisitive, easy to communicate, and brave in battle. The novel “Peter the First” presents the image of Peter in dynamics and development: from a young, poorly educated boy who, already in childhood, begins to plan the creation of a new type of army, to a purposeful builder of a huge empire.
On his way, he sweeps away everything that prevents Russia from becoming a full-fledged European state. The main thing for him at any age is to sweep away the old, the musty, everything that interferes with moving forward.
Memorable paintings were created by A. N. Tolstoy. The novel “Peter the Great” is easy to read and immediately captivates the reader. The language is rich, fresh, historically accurate. The writer’s artistic skill is based not only on talent, but also on a deep study of primary sources (the works of N. Ustryalov, S. Solovyov, I. Golikov, diaries and notes of Peter’s contemporaries, torture notes). Feature films have been made based on the novel.
Details Category: Historical prose Published 11/27/2017 17:57 Views: 1782The historical novel by Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy “Peter the Great” is dedicated to the first to the Russian Emperor, one of the most prominent statesmen who determined the direction of development of Russia in the 18th century.
This epic depicts one of the brightest and most difficult periods in the history of our country, when “young Russia matured with the genius of Peter.” Peter the Great was not only the first emperor of Russia, but also a military leader, builder and naval commander.
Historical basis of the novel
P. Delaroche. Portrait of Peter I (1838)
During preparatory work over the novel Alexei Tolstoy used a series historical sources: academic “History of the reign of Peter the Great” by N. Ustryalov; volumes 13-15 “History of Russia from ancient times” by S. Solovyov; “The Acts of Peter the Great” by I. Golikov; diaries and notes of Patrick Gordon, I. Zhelyabuzhsky, Johann Korb, D. Perry, B. Kurakin, Yust Yulya, I. Neplyuev, P. Tolstoy, F. Berchholz and others; torture records of the late 17th century, collected by Professor N. Ya. Novombergsky.
The author depicts some historical events in the novel: the Azov campaigns of Peter, the Streletsky revolt, as well as a number of historical characters: Princess Sophia and her lover Vasily Golitsyn, Lefort, Menshikov, Charles XII, Anna Mons and others.
Alexander Danilovich Menshikov- comrade-in-arms of the king, son of the court groom, later his Serene Highness.
Unknown artist. Portrait of A. D. Menshikov (1716-1720)
Franz Yakovlevich Lefort- Russian statesman and military leader of Swiss origin, closest assistant and adviser to Tsar Peter I.
Portrait of F. Ya. Lefort (late 17th century)
Anna Mons- Peter's favorite. D.L. Mordovtsev, a Russian writer, author of historical novels that were popular in his time on themes from the Cossack history of the 17th-18th centuries, described this lady and the consequences of her favoritism as follows: “Anna Mons is a foreigner, the daughter of a wine merchant - a girl for whose love Peter was especially zealous turned old Rus' to face the West and turned it so sharply that Russia still remains a little crooked” (“Idealists and Realists”, 1878).
Alleged portrait of Anna Mons
Sofya Alekseevna- princess, sister of Peter. In 1682-1689. she was regent for her younger brothers Peter and Ivan. Sophia ruled, relying on her favorite Vasily Golitsyn.
On May 30, 1689, Peter I turned 17 years old. He, at the insistence of his mother, Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, married Evdokia Lopukhina, and, according to the customs of that time, came of age. The elder Tsar Ivan was also married. Thus, there were no formal grounds left for Sofia Alekseevna’s regency, but she continued to hold power in her hands. Peter made attempts to insist on his rights, but to no avail: the Streltsy chiefs and orderly dignitaries, who received their positions from the hands of Sophia, still carried out only her orders.
Sofya Alekseevna
Vasily Vasilievich Golitsyn- head of government of Sophia
Artamon Sergeevich Matveev- Russian statesman, “the great sovereign’s neighbor,” the head of the Russian government at the end of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, one of the first “Westernizers.”
Patriarch Joachim
Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina- Tsarina, mother of Peter I
In addition, among the characters in the novel are Fyodor Yuryevich Romodanovsky (prince Caesar), boyar Andrei Golikov (gomaz from Palekh), Elder Nektary (head of the schismatic monastery), Charles XII (King of Sweden), Augustus (Elector of Saxony, King of Poland) and etc.
Along with major historical figures, the novel depicts ordinary people from the people. The action of the novel is constantly transferred from the palace to the smoking hut; from the boyar estate - to the smoky tavern; from the Assumption Cathedral - on the Tsar's wanted list, etc.
After the death of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich (late 17th century), a struggle for power began in Russia. Incited by Princess Sophia, the archers rebel. There were two kings in Moscow (young Ivan Alekseevich and Pyotr Alekseevich), and above them was the ruler Sophia. “And everything went as before. Nothing happened. Over Moscow, over the cities, over hundreds of districts spread across the vast land, the twilight of a hundred years soured - poverty, servility, lack of contentment.
At the same time, the Brovkin peasant family lives. One day, Ivashka Brovkin took his son Aleshka with him to Moscow, who runs away and meets his peer Aleksashka Menshikov. Alyosha is starting independent life. And Aleksashka Menshikov had a fleeting meeting with the boy Peter, the future tsar. Soon they will meet again and will not part until Peter’s death.
Growing up Peter and his mother Natalya Kirillovna live quietly and boringly in Preobrazhenskoye. To kill boredom, Peter visits the German Settlement and there he meets Franz Lefort (Aleksashka Menshikov is in Lefort’s service) and falls in love with Anchen Mons. Mother Natalya Kirillovna marries Peter to Evdokia Lopukhina.
"Fun" troops
Peter in Preobrazhenskoe is engaged in a “funny” army, a prototype of the future Russian army. The tsar takes Alexashka as his bed servant, and he becomes an intermediary between the tsar and the foreigners. Alexashka gets Alyosha Brovkin into the “amusing” army as a drummer. Alyosha helps his father with money, and with this small capital, things immediately begin to improve for Ivan Brovkin: he is bought out of serfdom and becomes a merchant. Peter marries Sanka Brovkina to Vasily Volkov, the former master of the Brovkins. “From now on, nobility is counted by fitness” - the future motto of Tsar Peter.
A new Streltsy revolt begins in favor of Sophia, who is defeated, the Streltsy leaders are terribly tortured and executed. Vasily Golitsyn is sent with his family into eternal exile in Kargopol, Sophia is locked up in the Novodevichy Convent.
Peter's heir is born - Alexey Petrovich, his mother Natalya Kirillovna dies.
Peter begins his reforms. We must move into the new 18th century with new achievements. Lefort plays a big role in Peter's transformations.
But the reforms place a heavy burden on the people, who, due to exorbitant hardships, begin to commit robbery or go into the forests to join schismatics, but even there they are overtaken by the sovereign’s servants. “The Western infection uncontrollably penetrated into the dormant existence... The boyars and landed nobility, the clergy and archers were afraid of change, hated the speed and cruelty of everything new... But those, rootless, efficient, who wanted change, who were enchanted by Europe... these said that they were not mistaken in the young king.”
In connection with Peter I's preparation for military action against Ottoman Empire by the end of the 17th century. there was a need to build a regular Russian navy, and only with state funds and with the help of domestic specialists. Peter begins to build ships in Voronezh, and with the help of the fleet, Azov is nevertheless taken, but this leads to a clash with the powerful Turkish Empire. Peter understands that allies must be sought in Europe. Under the name of the sergeant of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Pyotr Mikhailov, he travels with the embassy to Konigsberg, to Berlin, to Holland, to England. There he lives as a simple artisan, mastering the necessary crafts.
M. Dobuzhinsky “Peter the Great in Holland”
But during his absence, rumors spread that the king had died and foreigners had replaced him. Sophia again incites the archers to revolt, but this rebellion is suppressed, and upon Peter’s return to Moscow, torture and executions begin. “The whole country was gripped by horror. The old stuff was hidden in dark corners. Byzantine Rus' was ending."
Tsarina Evdokia Fedorovna is sent to Suzdal, to a monastery, and Anna Mons takes her place. Franz Lefort dies. More and more new ships are laid down in Voronezh, and now a whole flotilla is sailing to the Crimea, then to the Bosphorus, and the Turks cannot do anything about the new naval power of Russia that has come from nowhere.
The rich man Ivan Artemyich Brovkin is engaged in supplies to the army, he has big house, many eminent merchants are his clerks, his son Yakov is in the navy, his son Gavril is in Holland, the younger Artamon lives with his father. Alexandra Brovkina became a noble lady. And Alexey Brovkin falls in love with Princess Natalya Alekseevna, Peter’s sister, she is also not indifferent to him.
In 1700, the young and brave Swedish king Charles XII defeated Russian troops near Narva, occupied Livonia and Poland, wanted to rush after Peter into the depths of Muscovy, but the generals dissuaded him. And Peter rushes between Moscow, Novgorod and Voronezh, recreating the army; ships are built, new cannons are cast from monastery bells. The army of the nobility is unreliable, now everyone is recruited to take its place, and there are many who want to escape from bondage and peasant bondage. Under the command of Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, Russian troops capture the Marienburg fortress; Among the prisoners and soldiers, the Field Marshal General notices a pretty girl with straw in her hair and takes her on as a housekeeper, but the influential Alexander Menshikov takes the beautiful Katerina for himself. When Peter finds out about Anna Mons's betrayal, Menshikov slips him Katerina, who is after the Tsar's heart. She subsequently becomes Tsarina Catherine I.
Catherine I
“The embarrassment near Narva did us great good,” says Peter. “By beating, iron becomes stronger, a man matures.” He begins the siege of Narva; its defender, General Gorn, does not want to surrender the city, which leads to the senseless suffering of its inhabitants. Narva was taken by a furious assault, and the fearless Menshikov with a sword was seen in the thick of the battle. General Gorn surrenders. “You will not be honored by me,” says Peter. “Take him to prison, on foot, across the whole city, so that he can see the sad work of his hands...”
A. Tolstoy worked on the novel from 1929 until his death. The first two books were published in 1934. Shortly before his death in 1943, the writer began work on the third book, but only managed to bring the novel to the events of 1704.
The image of Peter in the novel
Peter I in childhood
In the first volume we read about Peter's childhood. For the first time, the author shows him as still a frightened child in a monomachian hat that has slipped to one side, when, at the request of the rebellious archers, the Tsarina and Matveev carry the boy out onto the porch to the people. A. Tolstoy describes other episodes real biography Petra.
Gradually the image of the hero changes. First, it is a 12-year-old teenager, “a boy with a muffled voice and unblinking owl eyes,” whom Aleksashka Menshikov, his future favorite, teaches cunning. Then it is Peter, already spreading his wings, giving the first rebuff to the imperial claims of his older sister. During the solemn religious procession in the Assumption Cathedral, the hero violates the splendid church ritual and, in the presence of the boyars, enters into arguments with Sophia. Then this awkward, lanky young man...
Peter's youth and early life were full of sharp dramatic clashes and intense struggles for power. The future tsar has a restless but active character; he constantly shows himself in action: at first these are “amusing” regiments, in relation to which the hot, unbridled temper of the tsar was fully manifested. This was facilitated by unlimited power and permissiveness, the obedience of others. Gradually, the “amusing” troops turn into Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky, becoming a force, a support for Peter in the fight against the old way of life, the keeper of which is Princess Sophia. She is supported by boyars and archers.
At that time, the question of which path Russia would take next was being decided. Therefore, without exaggeration, we can say that Peter’s role in the fate of our country is exceptionally great.
But his personality is considered demonic. His gaze is “dark, intent, inhuman.” His harshness, lack of restraint, cruelty towards enemies, suspiciousness, suspicion are extremely aggravated. The character of Peter, well known from documentary sources, acquires artistic authenticity in the novel.
Despite the fact that the novel remained unfinished, the character of the first Russian emperor is described quite fully. His image also merged the features of a people's leader who knew the road to a new better life and ready to sacrifice his own and other people’s fate for her sake, and his contradictions. The image of Peter I shows the best features national character, he is truly a “people’s tsar-worker,” but he is also the arbiter of world history.
V. Serov. "Peter I" (1907)
Not only A. Tolstoy, but also other authors in different time tried to comprehend the role of this extraordinary personality. His character and deeds are assessed ambiguously by almost everyone: some consider Peter a great reformer who saved Russia and opened up new prospects for its development, others consider him a strong but cruel autocrat who disrupted the smooth course of history.
Despite all the exaggeration of the role of trading people, the author is not inclined to reveal the mechanism of commercial success. But in the depiction of a new way of life, a culture clumsily transplanted onto unprepared soil, absurdly fitting clothes, a mixture of foreign (often distorted) and Russian words in the speech of many characters, in a cheerfully ironic display of “politeness” (Sanka Brovkina-Volkova, her brother Artamon, “ maidens" Buinosovs and others) A. Tolstoy is completely in his element. He showed both the boyar’s aversion to coffee” and the belligerent non-recognition of potatoes by ordinary Russian people. Even the lies of the man Fedka, who has experienced a lot, Wash himself with Mud (a nickname that evokes a face dirtier than mud) about making a gun in front of Charles XII, supposedly with a bullet in his chest, raises him in the eyes of the men who are ready to marvel at everything and let him spend the night.
The change in the country and people is shown, starting with Peter himself. Being “frightened from a young age,” he hates antiquity and willingly parodies it at “the most humorous and most drunken cathedrals.” Milestones in the formation of personality are highlighted: the first visit to a German settlement, a trip to Arkhangelsk, to the sea (A. Tolstoy omitted the second trip, like a number of others historical events, in the name of concentration of action, and highlighted some significant episodes of these events for him), and a serious conversation with Lefort, the first major failure near Azov, settling down Peter (“... another person: angry, stubborn, businesslike”), and the second, near Narva, subsequent experience leading to success and victories.
The speech of the characters and partly the author, which is basically modern colloquial, is permeated with understandable or immediately explained archaisms and barbarisms that create a historical flavor; written documents, partly edited, partly stylized, more archaic. In general, in “Peter the Great” A. Tolstoy reached the pinnacle of his verbal and visual mastery. Here, for example, is a description of the dances of Russian guests at the Elector of Hanover: “Menshikov moved his shoulders, raised his eyebrows, got bored with his face and walked from toe to heel... Volunteers who arrived from the garden took apart the ladies and grabbed them in a squat with twists and Tatar frenzied squeals. Skirts were twisting, wigs were disheveled. They poured sweat on the German women.”
In the first and second books of the novel, not a single character is idealized. But the writer could not stay at this level. In 1934-1935, the play “On the Rack” was transformed into an almost new one - “Peter the Great”, where the emphasis on the psychological drama of the reformer was weakened, although the threat of the death of his cause remained. Almost simultaneously, the script for a two-part film of the same name began to be created (with the participation of director V. Petrov and his assistant N. Leshchenko), which was brilliantly brought to the screen in 1937 and 1939, but was already very far from the novel. The originally written episodes were excluded: the self-immolation of the schismatics, the “all-joking council”, Catherine’s betrayal of Peter with Willim Mons (in the novel, which was not completed before this time, a similar role is played by the betrayal of Anchen Mons with Koenigsek), etc. To concentrate the action, a gross anachronism was allowed: in At the time of the Narva defeat (1700), Peter already had an adult son, an enemy of his cause (analogy to “enemies of the people”) - the historical Tsarevich Alexei was then ten years old. In the third edition of the play (1938), out of ten pictures of the original version, three remained, heavily altered. The scene of the Battle of Poltava was reworked, the action was moved to the battlefield. Pictures of popular resistance have disappeared, the scene in the fortress with the death of Alexei, etc. The play ends, like the film, not with a flood, but with Peter’s solemn speech after the victorious conclusion Northern War and the Senate granting him the title of Father of the Fatherland.
In between the two books of Peter, Tolstoy wrote the novel Black Gold (1931) about emigrants and European politicians organizing an anti-Soviet conspiracy and terrorist group. The basis of the work is genuine (there are many portraits of those whom Tolstoy met before the revolution and in exile). The writer said that he was creating a political novel, innovative in genre, which had not yet been seen in Soviet literature. But his characters were caricatured or turned out to be black villains (though the material provided grounds for this); This novel is more adventurous than political. In 1940, almost rewritten, it was published under the title “Emigrants.”
Children's story 1935 “The Golden Key” - a reworking of Collodi’s fairy tale (Carlo Loranzini, 1826-1890) “Pinocchio”, or “The Adventures of the Puppet”. The first chapters, before Buratino’s meeting with Malvina, are a free retelling; then there is an independent plot, without the didacticism of the original source and the transformation of a wooden doll into a real exemplary boy. In Tolstoy's fairy tale, the dolls get their own theater, and with its ideological transformation into a play and film script (1938), the key began to unlock the door to the “Land of Happiness” - the USSR.
After the abolition of RAPP (1932), A. Tolstoy’s social position, previously unenviable, strengthened, but the most independent people, like Akhmatova and Pasternak, treated him with hostility. In 1934, the former count received a slap in the face from the mendicant Jew O. Mandelstam. M. Bulgakov ridiculed him in the image of Fialkov (“ Theatrical novel"). True, during the war, in evacuation. Tolstoy easily became friends with Akhmatova in Tashkent and called her Annushka. The soul of any society, he literally spread the “joy of life” around him.
In 1934, according to the memoirs of L. Kogan, Tolstoy scolded his “Eighteenth Year” and spoke about the lack of starting points for further work. In anticipation of the continuation (“1919,” as the author first called his plan in accordance with the “historical” principle), the writer was influenced by the political leadership in the person of K. E. Voroshilov. He outlined his (and Stalin’s) version of the events of 1918, which were not covered in the second book of the trilogy, and assigned a General Staff employee to Tolstoy for instructions. The writer was provided with materials from the official “History” that was then being created civil war in the USSR”, a list of participants in the “Tsaritsyn epic”, were sent to the battlefields. Tolstoy stated in an interview with Stalingradskaya Pravda (1936) that the main characters of his new work about the defense of Tsaritsyn in 1918 “are Lenin. Stalin and Voroshilov. At the same time, in the article “On the Broad Road,” he wrote about the difficulties of “creating images of great people” (although he considered his experience “the beginning, perhaps, of a whole series of stories”): it was necessary to “understand their character,” “understand the line of their behavior. After all, the words that they spoke are not written down anywhere; you can give them (this is what I did) words that, of course, they did not say. But when they read them, they will say with confidence that they said them.”
Those in power were quite satisfied with the recognition as authentic not only of words they had not spoken, but also of deeds not committed (or done in a completely different way). The Tsaritsyn “epic” in the story “Bread (Defense of Tsaritsyn)” (1937) was presented as perhaps the main event of the civil war; Voroshilov and especially Stalin were presented as the saviors of the entire Soviet Russia from hunger. Lenin, before sending Stalin to Tsaritsyn (the future Stalingrad), consulted with him and accepted his proposal. Red Guard Ivan Gora, fixing the hungry leader's phone (there is no one else to fix it), simultaneously shares bread from his ration with him. The charming Voroshilov skillfully worked with people and was no less skillful in chopping with a saber. The commander of the detachment Dumenko (the creator of the first cavalry corps, repressed in 1920) appeared before the reader in a dressing gown, barefoot and drunk, but his assistant Budyonny turned out to be in every sense fine and fit. The “leader of the left communists,” i.e. Bukharin, appeared without a surname and was clearly a caricature. At the end of the story, Stalin and Voroshilov walked under targeted artillery fire, “without accelerating their pace,” and Stalin also stopped to light his pipe. When he sees a kite, he reflects on the creation of an “air fleet”: “... people can fly better if their strength is freed up...”
People should know the history of their country in order to know in the future what to do in this or that case. Alexey Tolstoy, inspired by the era of Peter 1, decided to show us all the subtleties and difficulties of the Peter I era. As you know, he put almost 10 years of his life into his work and spent many hours to study exactly the era of transformation and change in our country.
Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy was very interested in the fate of Emperor Peter 1; for more than twenty years the writer studied the biography and historical facts from the life of the ruler. This case can be called one of those when the author’s work, in attempts to convey the character of the era and personality, borders on scientific historical literature.
Initially, the work was conceived as an epic novel, which, given its volume, would allow showing all the positions and changes of thoughts of a Soviet person. The writer fully succeeded in this, because through the image of Peter the personality of Tolstoy’s patron and admirer, I.V. Stalin, is visible. In his novel, Tolstoy wanted to show the value of the transformations of that time; he describes how the wisdom of the ruler determines further development states. But it is not at all difficult for the reader to grasp the connection between that time and the new Soviet era, where it is also not easy for people to change for the better, where people do not want to accept the need for change. In such a situation, the country needs a cruel, but strong and far-sighted leader, whom the author saw in both Peter the Great and Secretary General CPSU party.
Genre, direction
“Peter the Great” is a historical novel that includes elements of a novel of formation and a heroic narrative. Traits of a biographical novel can also be found.
The essence
In the first book, Peter the Transformer appears before us. A personality that was still fully formed, but strived to take the true and correct path. The author shows us the king as a person close to his people, capable of understanding all problems and trying to find their solution.
- The first volume shows us a very young Peter, frightened by the impending difficulties of his reign. From this moment our acquaintance with the formation of the future king, capable of changing the fate of his country, begins. We can watch how the little ruler learns to cope with palace intrigues, betrayals, experiences his first failures, learns to correct his mistakes and solve complex, even seemingly insoluble problems.
- In the second volume we see Peter already grown up, capable on a par with common people work for the prosperity of the country. A lot of time has passed, the young ruler is preparing for the first transformations and signing of laws. Peter takes care of his people, trying to prevent arbitrariness on the part of the boyars. So, page after page, before our eyes, the formation of a king takes place, from a small, frightened boy into a mature, wise ruler.
- In the third volume, we are presented with a person who has already matured as a person, a king, a man. Petersburg is already standing on the banks of the Neva, many years of war have ceased. Like Peter, the country rises to new way, changes and improvements. The third volume is the finale and an indicator of the positive consequences of the reforms; there is a cultural upsurge in people's lives, and the military power of the state is growing.
Main characters
- Petr Alekseevich- Tsar of Russia. The writer tried to reveal the image of the ruler in a multifaceted and complete manner, showing both positive and some negative qualities Petra. The monarch appears before us in a different light, from his youth to the peak of successful reforms of an accomplished historical figure. The hero is distinguished by hard work, determination, foresight and willpower.
- Alexander Danilovich Menshikov- Peter’s comrade-in-arms, ready to do anything for the sake of the ruler, Peter trusted him completely, considered him his right hand. Menshikov ran away from his family when he was very young, survived as best he could, living from penny to penny. Thanks to his intelligence, he ended up in the palace, where he worked as a bed servant. When Peter realized the true value of this man, he became the right hand of the sovereign. He was distinguished by his intelligence, efficiency and ability to assimilate new trends.
- Franz Lefort- Peter’s mentor, his friend, who helped reveal the king’s potential. Franz appears before us as a mature man; we can say that he was in charge of all affairs of foreigners in Russia. Lefort served as Peter's adviser on military issues, social and economic affairs, and suggested what to do best during the palace struggle with Sophia.
There are other heroes of the novel who are no less important for the plot, but it is not possible to describe each one, since we are not writing an epic article. But if you were missing someone, feel free to write about it in the comments, we’ll add it.
Topics and issues
- The main theme is patriotism. The author shows that our land is rich in various natural deposits, but they are wasted. Thus, there is potential in our country, but it is either not used or used incorrectly. This can only be changed by a strong and strong-willed person, according to the writer. Each of us, for the sake of our homeland, for the sake of our future, must become such a person.
- The main problem is power and its influence on the individual.. Peter had to face family intrigues; his relatives were ready to get rid of him just to take the throne. The craving for power knocks out all the good things out of a person, leaving a scorched field in place of the soul.
- The problem of social injustice. Peter put himself in the place of an ordinary worker and realized how difficult the life of the people was under the yoke of boyar tyranny. That is why he took up arms against the nobility, who with their greed were pulling the country back, exhausting the peasant and living at his expense.
- Social issues also includes the question of the people's readiness for change. It is very difficult for innovators to change the world; they constantly face misunderstanding and aggression from those who are used to living the old fashioned way.
the main idea
The main idea of the novel is that a large country needs a far-sighted, purposeful and decisive leader who will guide the country forward through the power of his will. Without a strong and steady hand, effective management is impossible. Without it, the elite will never agree to change anything, because they already have a good life, and the people, out of fear of change or ignorance, will gradually sink into stagnation. Thus, a true leader is a tough and unyielding person who must make sacrifices to create history.
You may not agree with this premise; it is very controversial. The author, who returned from emigration and (thanks to Gorky’s patronage) settled under a regime hostile to him, could carry out a political order, the meaning of which was to justify Stalin’s brutal dictatorship, covering up repressions with historical necessity.
What does it teach?
Changes that bring benefits are always needed. Life cannot stand still, especially in such a large state as our country. But any significant transformations cannot happen on their own, without our readiness for them. The book teaches people to take responsibility for the future of the country into their own hands and look to the future.
Often people themselves hinder progress, and they really have to be pushed from above, this is the direct purpose of the government. But the person himself must move towards positive changes, must develop and adapt in modern times, and not stand still and rest on what already exists. Then you won’t have to push anyone.
Criticism
Contemporaries highly appreciated the work “Peter the Great” and regretted that the author did not finish it to the end. For example, Korney Chukovsky wrote that before his death the author’s imagination began to border on clairvoyance. Judging by his memoirs, Tolstoy planned to write a historical literary epic dedicated to the era palace coups and the reign of Ivan the Terrible. All this would be a continuation of the story already written by him.
I. Ehrenburg pointed out that Tolstoy’s work was similar to the work of Dostoevsky. The author himself did not know what the heroes would do; they came to life in his head and did what they themselves considered necessary. These writers never knew how this or that book would end.
V. Inber recalled that Tolstoy was an amazingly integral person and chose a hero to match himself. He also loved Russia, like its first emperor.
Yu. Olesha noted the authenticity of his colleague’s prose. He often imagined what was written in the novel, and the lines came to life in his head. The text of the trowel described everything that the writer wanted to say.
V. Lidin said that in Tolstoy he values, first of all, his nationality. Its king is like a man from the people, living by the interests of ordinary people. The author masterfully conveyed the Russian spirit, paying attention to lively Russian speech, which decorates the text and conveys the subtlest shades of meaning.
L. Kogan described the details of conversations with the writer, who believed that the turning point in Russian history was Battle of Poltava, it was there that the king and the people united in a single impulse.
G. Ulanova believed that Tolstoy lived in the souls of his heroes, as if he himself was experiencing their emotions, as if he had seen history with his own eyes.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!Alexey Tolstoy in the novel “Peter the Great” paid tribute to the image of Peter the Great, creating novel of the same name. Having accepted the revolutionary events, Tolstoy chose for a better understanding of them the most accurate analogy in Russian history - with the era of Peter.
Works historical genre, especially large forms, are distinguished by the presence of a pronounced artistic means the author's idea of the laws of history, its driving forces and conflicts.
In contrast to the novels of the 1920-1930s, which depicted popular uprisings and their leaders (“Razin Stepan” and “Walking People” by A. Chapygin, “Salavat Yulaev”
S. Zlobina, “The Tale of Bolotnikov” by G. Storm, etc.). A. Tolstoy placed at the center of the work the figure of the king, a figure of historical significance. In Peter, the writer first of all showed his transformative genius, his understanding of the need for fundamental changes in the life of the country (“In Russia, everything needs to be broken - everything is new”).
The author no longer doubts the historical prospects of reforms. The meaning of the Peter the Great era in A. Tolstoy’s novel is a breakthrough from the past to the future, from isolation and patriarchy to the number of the leading powers of the world, a time of sharp collision between the old and the new. In this Tolstoy saw a consonance between the “tragic and creative” era of Peter and the revolutionary history of Russia.
If for traditional historical novel characterized by a focus on
depicting the past, A. Tolstoy sought to recreate the connection of times, to reveal the common features of critical historical eras. This approach has become a fundamentally new phenomenon for historical prose.
"Personality formation in historical era"- this is how A. Tolstoy defined it main principle Images. The author not only recreates the biography of Peter, he seeks to show, on the one hand, how the era influenced the formation of the hero’s personality, and on the other, what was the impact of Peter’s
transformations on the fate of the country.
All other problems of the novel are also connected with the solution of this main problem: the question of the objective necessity and significance of Peter’s transformations; depiction of an acute struggle between the new and the old; “identifying the driving forces of the era”, the role of the individual and the people in history.
The concept of the work determined the features of the composition and plot.
The work is distinguished by its epic scope in depicting the life of the country at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries. The plot is based on real events of a short period, but rich in content, from 1682 to 1704.
The first book of the novel (1930) represents the background to Peter's reforms. This is the period of Peter's childhood and youth, cruel life lessons, studying with foreigners, the beginning of the creation of a fleet, the military “embarrassment,” the suppression of the Streltsy revolt.
The second book (1934) includes a description of the initial period of the Northern War and
ends with the construction of St. Petersburg.
Climax of the image government activities Peter was supposed to be the third book, but the novel remained unfinished. In the published chapters of the third book (1943-1944), in accordance with the spirit of wartime when it was created, the main motive was the glorious victories of Russian weapons (the capture of Narva). The novel recreates a living, dynamic, multifaceted picture of the era.
The first chapter is a historical exposition depicting the life of pre-Petrine Russia. Emphasized here negative sides patriarchal Russian life: “poverty, servility, lack of wealth,” lack of movement (“the sour twilight of a hundred years”).
The general dissatisfaction with life is emphasized by the author’s digressions (beginning of chapter 2; chapter 5, subchapter 12; beginning of chapter 7). They formulated a general conclusion: “What kind of Russia is this, a sworn country—when will you move?”
Creating an image of Russia awaiting change, the author uses the cinematic technique of changing camera angles. The action, which began in the peasant hut of Ivashka Brovkin, is transferred to the estate of Vasily Volkov,
from there to Moscow, will linger more than once on the roads of Russia, will lead to the royal chambers, where at the bedside of the dying Fyodor Alekseevich it is decided who will be king.
The scene of the action is the tavern on Varvarka, where the opinion of ordinary people is expressed, the room of Princess Sophia, the square where the archers are rioting, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Pereslavl, Arkhangelsk, Don, Voronezh, Germany and Holland, Narva.
The multifaceted composition gave the author the opportunity to depict the life of all classes and groups of Russian society: from royal family, boyars, foreigners to merchants and military people, peasants, schismatics, convicts, fugitives. Along with real facts Fictional events and characters play an important role in the story and characters in the novel.
In this regard, we can especially note the story of the Brovkin family, closely connected with Peter, which illustrates specific changes in the lives of Russian people.
Life, morals, customs, the very spirit of a bygone era are recreated in the novel based on documents, historical works and other sources. The most important of them was the book by Professor N. Novombergsky “The Word and Deed of the Sovereign,” which contains acts of the Secret Chancery and the Preobrazhensky Order. In these “torture recordings” she “told, moaned, lied, screamed in pain and fear folk Rus'"(XIII, pp. 567-568).
Simple and accurate colloquial The 17th century formed the basis of the language of A. Tolstoy’s novel. This made it possible to give the work a historical flavor, liveliness and imagery, while making it accessible to the modern reader.
The language of the work reflects the spirit of Peter’s reforms, it combines folk words and expressions, archaisms, foreign borrowings. Researchers are unanimous in their opinion about Tolstoy’s novel as the pinnacle of the artist’s verbal and visual skills.
Image of Peter the Great.
The peculiarity of the portrayal of the hero is that the writer shows Peter not as an already established statesman, but traces the process of personality formation under the influence of historical circumstances.
The depicted events in the life of the country become milestones in Peter’s personal biography, stages of his growing up. Tolstoy does young hero witness
massacres of the Streltsy with his loved ones, and this memory will be echoed in the future by an irreconcilable conflict with his sister Sophia and the boyars in the struggle for power and brutal reprisals against the Streltsy.
A visit to the German settlement awakens Peter's interest in European image life. A trip to Arkhangelsk and the sight of foreign ships strengthens in Peter’s mind the idea of the need for transformation.
The author repeatedly uses the technique of paired episodes, showing rapid changes in the character of the hero (for example, two meetings of the Boyar Duma - before
Azov campaign (book 1, chapter 5, subchapter 20.) and after it (book 1, chapter 7, subchapter 1) - they emphasize: Peter is now “... a different person: angry, stubborn, businesslike.”
These contrasts reveal the energy and determination of the protagonist, his willingness to learn from the most different people, learning lessons from defeats, his sincere pain for the poverty and backwardness of the country, simplicity and lack of arrogance.
Alexei Tolstoy shows Peter as a complex and contradictory personality (for example, scenes of the procession in the Assumption Cathedral - book 1, chapter 4, subchapter 2; the end of book 1 - the suppression of the Streltsy rebellion; Peter at the Elector - book 1, chapter 7 , subch. 8; in the forge of Zhemov, chapter 10; book 2, chapter 3; Peter In the dugout - book 3, chapter 2, subch.
He, using Pushkin’s definition, “raised Russia on its hind legs with an iron hand.” Transformations are carried out through brutal exploitation, at the cost of thousands of lives; the country is breaking out of backwardness through mass executions, torture, and the forcible introduction of elements of European culture.
But the author balances the acute drama of the situation with attention to the image
the results of Peter’s case (you can compare the description of the life of peasants on Volkov’s estate during the reign of Sophia (book 1, chapter 4, subchapter 1) and on the Buinosov estate during the reign of Peter (book 2, chapter 1, subchapter 3) ; follow the changes in the life of Ivashka Brovkin).
Peter is shown through the eyes of different people: his mother, Sophia, boyars, comrades-in-arms: Menshikov, Brovkin, the German Lefort, ordinary people - the blacksmith Zhemov, the artist Golikov, peasants, builders, soldiers. This allows us to convey a polyphony of opinions about the main content of the image - the case of Peter.
The writer captured a phenomenon unique to the era depicted: a change in traditional social trajectories, the promotion of people not according to the nobility of their family, but according to their intelligence, efficiency, commitment to the new (Menshikov, Alyoshka Brovkin and his sister Sanka, Demidov, etc.).
Defining the relationship between the characters, the writer places them between two poles: supporters and opponents of Peter’s reforms. In relation to all characters, even minor ones, the principle of versatility of the image applies (for example, the image of the boyar Buinosov).
In revealing the psychology of the hero, Tolstoy widely uses the “internal gesture” technique. We are talking about the transfer of internal state through external manifestation. through movement, gesture. The writer was convinced that “you cannot paint a portrait of a hero on ten whole pages”, “the portrait of a hero must appear from the very movement, struggle, in clashes, in behavior”) (XIII, p. 499)3. That is why movement and its expression - the verb - are the basis for creating an image.
The people in the novel Peter the Great.
Peter In the novel by A.N. Tolstoy appears as the brightest embodiment of the Russian national character. Placing the tsar-reformer at the center of the work, the writer paid special attention to depicting the active role of the people in Peter’s reforms. In the work one can constantly hear the people’s assessment of what is happening, and for the author this is the most important criterion historical justice of Peter's case. In crowd scenes, people are depicted not statically, but in a clash of contradictory moods. Tolstoy masterfully uses polylogue and identifies individual figures in the generalized image of the people.
In the second and third books, the author shows the growth of popular discontent, evidenced by the frequent mention of the name of the rebellious Stepan Razin. The schismatic movement is also interpreted by Tolstoy as one of the forms of protest against increased oppression in the era of Peter the Great.
Data embodies the conflict close-up images of Ovdokim, piebald Ivan and Fedka Wash yourself with Mud. The ending of the second book of the novel sounds symbolically: a gloomy, branded, shackled man “Fedka washed himself with Mud, throwing his hair on his sore wet forehead, beat and hit the piles with an oak sledgehammer...”. Here the bloody efforts to create a passage from Ladoga to the open sea are emphasized, and the threat posed by construction is emphasized new capital empires.
Talking about the life of a Russian person, A. Tolstoy emphasizes his hard work and talent (images of Kuzma Zhemov, Kondrat Vorobyov (book 2, chapter 5, subchapter 3); Palekh painter Andrei Golikov (book 2, chapter 5, subchapter 3; book 2, chapter 2, subch.
In the battles that Peter wages, such qualities of the Russian people as heroism and courage are clearly manifested. Thanks to the interaction of the images of Peter and the people, the author was able to show the turbulent, contradictory historical movement of Russia and reveal the fate of the nation at a turning point that determined the course of its history for many centuries.
The novel “Peter the Great” is Tolstoy’s pinnacle work, which has received recognition both in Russia and in the Russian diaspora. If not everyone accepted the historical concept of Peter the Great's era, then the highest mastery of depiction, living language, and inexhaustible humor made the novel classic work Russian literature.
War as a test of Russian character “During the days of the war, Alexei Tolstoy found himself at his post. His words encouraged, amused, and excited the fighters. Tolstoy did not go into silence, did not wait, did not refer to the alienation of the muses from the music of battle. Tolstoy spoke in October 1941, and Russia will not forget this,” wrote Ilya Ehrenburg.
The leading theme of Tolstoy’s work is the Russian character in his historical development- during the years of the Great Patriotic War has acquired particular relevance. As in the historical theme, the image of native land, watered with the blood of their ancestors, protected by “smart, pure, leisurely” Russian people who “protect their dignity”. Characteristic for public consciousness and culture of the period of the Great Patriotic War is the appeal to heroic images national history and culture, the exploits of fathers and grandfathers contributed to the strengthening of national identity. The writer saw the task of literature as being “the voice of the heroic soul
people."
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