Literary heroines who inspire us. Literary character, hero
Epics about Ilya Muromets
Hero Ilya Muromets, son of Ivan Timofeevich and Efrosinya Yakovlevna, peasants of the village of Karacharova near Murom. The most popular character in epics, the second strongest (after Svyatogor) Russian hero and the first domestic superman.
Sometimes a real person is identified with the epic Ilya of Muromets, the Monk Elijah of the Caves, nicknamed Chobotok, buried in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and canonized in 1643.
Years of creation. XII-XVI centuries
What is the point. Until the age of 33, Ilya lay, broken with paralysis, on the stove in his parents' house, until he was miraculously healed by pilgrims ("kaliks passing by"). Having gained strength, he set up his father's household and went to Kiev, on the way taking prisoner Nightingale the Robber, who was terrorizing the surroundings. In Kiev, Ilya Muromets joined the squad of Prince Vladimir and found the hero Svyatogor, who gave him a sword-kladenets and mystical "real power". In this episode, he demonstrated not only physical strength, but also high moral qualities, not responding to the flirting of Svyatogor's wife. Later, Ilya Muromets defeated the "great power" near Chernigov, paved the direct road from Chernigov to Kiev, inspected the roads from the Alatyr-stone, tested the young hero Dobrynya Nikitich, saved the hero Mikhail Potyk from captivity in the Saracen kingdom, defeated Idolische, walked with his squad to Constantinople, one defeated the army of Kalin the king.
Ilya Muromets was no stranger to simple human joys: in one of the epic episodes, he walks around Kiev with "tavern heads", and his son Sokolnik was born out of wedlock, which later leads to a fight between father and son.
What it looks like. Superman. The epics describe Ilya Muromets as "a remote, burly good fellow", he fights with a club "ninety poods" (1440 kilograms)!
What he is fighting for. Ilya Muromets and his squad very clearly formulate the purpose of their service:
“... stand alone for the faith for the fatherland,
... stand alone for the Kiev city,
... stand alone for churches for cathedrals,
... to take care of Prince and Vladimir. "
But Ilya Muromets is not only a statesman - he is at the same time one of the most democratic fighters against evil, as he is always ready to fight "for widows, for orphans, for poor people."
The way to fight. A duel with the enemy or a battle with superior enemy forces.
With what result. Despite the difficulties caused by the numerical advantage of the enemy or the disdainful attitude of Prince Vladimir and the boyars, he invariably wins.
What he is fighting against. Against internal and external enemies of Russia and their allies, violators of law and order, illegal migrants, invaders and aggressors.
2. Protopop Avvakum
"Life of Protopop Avvakum"
Hero. Archpriest Avvakum made his way from a village priest to the leader of resistance to church reform, Patriarch Nikon, and became one of the leaders of the Old Believers, or schismatics. Avvakum is the first religious figure of this magnitude, who not only suffered for his beliefs, but also described it himself.
Years of creation. Around 1672-1675.
What is the point. A native of the Volga village, Avvakum from his youth was distinguished by both piety and violent disposition. After moving to Moscow, he took an active part in church educational activities, was close to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, but sharply opposed the church reforms that were carried out by Patriarch Nikon. With his characteristic temperament, Avvakum led a fierce struggle against Nikon, advocating the old order of the church rite. Avvakum, not at all embarrassed in expressions, conducted public and journalistic activities, for which he repeatedly went to prison, was cursed and defrocked, exiled to Tobolsk, Transbaikalia, Mezen and Pustozersk. From the place of his last exile, he continued to write appeals, for which he was imprisoned in an "earthen pit". He had many followers. Church hierarchs tried to persuade Habakkuk to abandon his "delusions", but he remained adamant and was eventually burned.
What it looks like. One can only guess: Habakkuk did not describe himself. Maybe the way the priest looks in Surikov's painting "Boyarynya Morozova" - Feodosia Prokopyevna Morozova was a faithful follower of Avvakum.
What he is fighting for. For the purity of the Orthodox faith, for the preservation of tradition.
The way to fight. Word and deed. Avvakum wrote accusatory pamphlets, but he could personally beat the buffoons who entered the village and break their musical instruments. He considered self-immolation as a form of possible resistance.
With what result. Avvakum's passionate preaching against church reform made massive resistance to it, but he himself, along with three of his associates, was executed in 1682 in Pustozersk.
What he is fighting against. Against the desecration of Orthodoxy with "heretical novelties", against everything alien, "external wisdom", that is, scientific knowledge, against entertainment. Suspects the imminent coming of the Antichrist and the reign of the devil.
3. Taras Bulba
"Taras Bulba"
Hero.“Taras was one of the indigenous, old colonels: he was all created for abusive anxiety and was distinguished by the rude straightforwardness of his disposition. Then the influence of Poland was already beginning to appear on the Russian nobility. Many already adopted Polish customs, started up luxury, magnificent servants, falcons, hunters, dinners, courtyards. Taras did not like it. He loved the simple life of the Cossacks and quarreled with those of his comrades who were inclined to the Warsaw side, calling them serfs of the Polish lords. Eternally restless, he considered himself the legitimate defender of Orthodoxy. I arbitrarily entered the villages, where they only complained about the harassment of tenants and the increase in new duties on smoke. He himself with his Cossacks performed reprisals against them and made it a rule for himself that in three cases one should always take up the saber, namely: when the commissars did not respect the elders in what and stood in front of them in hats, when they mocked Orthodoxy and did not honor the ancestral law and, finally, when the enemies were Busurmans and Turks, against whom he considered it in any case permissible to raise arms for the glory of Christianity. "
Year of creation. The story was first published in 1835 in the collection "Mirgorod". The 1842 edition, in which, in fact, we all read Taras Bulba, differs significantly from the original version.
What is the point. Throughout his life, the dashing Cossack Taras Bulba has been fighting for the liberation of Ukraine from oppressors. He, the glorious chieftain, cannot bear the thought that his own children, flesh of his flesh, may not follow his example. Therefore, Andriy Taras, who betrayed the sacred cause, kills without hesitation. When another son, Ostap, is captured, our hero deliberately penetrates the heart of the enemy camp - but not in order to try to save his son. His only goal is to make sure that under torture Ostap did not show cowardice and did not renounce his high ideals. Taras himself dies as Jeanne d'Arc, having previously presented Russian culture with the immortal phrase: "There are no bonds holier than comradeship!"
What it looks like. Extremely heavy and thick (20 pounds, in terms of - 320 kg), gloomy eyes, black-white eyebrows, mustache and forelock.
What he is fighting for. For the liberation of the Zaporizhzhya Sich, for independence.
The way to fight. Military actions.
With what result. With a deplorable one. All died.
What he is fighting against. Against the oppressor Poles, foreign yoke, police despotism, old-world landowners and court satraps.
4. Stepan Paramonovich Kalashnikov
"Song about Tsar Ivan Vasilievich, a young oprichnik and daring merchant Kalashnikov"
Hero. Stepan Paramonovich Kalashnikov, merchant class. Trades in silks - with varying success. Moskvich. Orthodox. Has two younger brothers. He is married to the beautiful Alena Dmitrievna, because of whom the whole story came out.
Year of creation. 1838
What is the point. Lermontov was not fond of the topic of Russian heroism. He wrote romantic poems about nobles, officers, Chechens and Jews. But he was one of the first to find out that the 19th century was rich only in the heroes of its time, but heroes for all times should be sought in the deep past. There, in Moscow, Ivan the Terrible, and was found (or rather, invented) a hero with the now-speaking surname Kalashnikov. The young oprichnik Kiribeyevich falls in love with his wife and attacks her at night, persuading her to surrender. The next day, the offended husband calls the oprichnik to a fist fight and kills him with one blow. For the murder of his beloved guardsman and for the fact that Kalashnikov refuses to name the reason for his act, Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich orders the execution of the young merchant, but does not leave his widow and children with mercy and care. Such is the royal justice.
What it looks like.
"His falcon eyes are burning,
He looks at the guardsman intently.
Opposite him, he becomes,
He pulls on his handguards,
He straightens his mighty shoulders. "
What he is fighting for. For the honor of my woman and family. Kiribeyevich's attack on Alena Dmitrievna was seen by neighbors, and now she cannot appear to honest people. Although, going out to battle with the oprichnik, Kalashnikov solemnly declares that he is fighting "for the holy truth, mother." But heroes sometimes cringe.
The way to fight. Fist fight fatal. In fact, a murder in broad daylight in front of thousands of witnesses.
With what result.
“And they executed Stepan Kalashnikov
Fierce, shameful death;
And a mediocre little head
I rolled to the chopping block in blood. "
But then they buried Kiribeyevich too.
What he is fighting against. Evil in the poem personifies the guardsman with a foreign patronymic Kiribeyevich, and even a relative of Malyuta Skuratov, that is, an enemy in the square. Kalashnikov calls him "Basurman's son", hinting at his enemy's lack of Moscow registration. And the first (aka the last) blow is struck by this person of eastern nationality not in the face of the merchant, but in the Orthodox cross with the relics from Kiev that hangs on the brave chest. He says to Alena Dmitrievna: "I am not a thief, a forest murderer, / I am a servant of a tsar, a terrible tsar ..." - that is, he hides behind the highest mercy. So the heroic act of Kalashnikov is nothing more than a premeditated murder on the basis of ethnic hatred. Lermontov, who himself participated in the Caucasian campaigns and wrote a lot about the wars with the Chechens, the theme of "Moscow for Muscovites" in its anti-Basurman aspect was close.
5. Danko "Old woman Izergil"
Hero of Danko. Biography unknown.
“In the old days, only people lived in the world, impenetrable forests surrounded the camps of these people on three sides, and on the fourth, there was a steppe. They were funny, strong and courageous people ... Danko is one of those people ... "
Year of creation. The short story "Old Woman Izergil" was first published in the "Samarskaya Gazeta" in 1895.
What is the point. Danko is the fruit of the uncontrollable fantasy of that very old woman Izergil, after whom Gorky's short story is named. A sultry Bessarabian old woman with a rich past tells a beautiful legend: during the times of Ona, a redistribution of property took place - a showdown between two tribes took place. Not wanting to remain in the occupied territory, one of the tribes went into the forest, but there the people suffered a massive depression, because "nothing - neither work, nor women exhausts the bodies and souls of people in the way that melancholy thoughts exhaust them." At a critical moment, Danko did not allow his people to bow to the conquerors, but instead offered to follow him in an unknown direction.
What it looks like.“Danko ... a young handsome man. Beautiful are always brave. "
What he is fighting for. Go know. For getting out of the forest and thereby ensuring freedom for your people. Where are the guarantees that freedom is exactly where the forest will end, it is not clear.
The way to fight. An unpleasant physiological operation, indicating a masochistic personality. Self-dismemberment.
With what result. With dualism. I got out of the forest, but died right there. Sophisticated mockery of your own body does not pass in vain. The hero did not receive gratitude for his feat: his heart, which had been torn out of his chest with his own hand, was trampled by someone's heartless heel.
What he is fighting against. Against collaboration, compromise and servility before the conquerors.
6. Colonel Isaev (Stirlitz)
Corpus of texts, from "Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat" to "Bomb for the Chairman", the most important of the novels - "Seventeen Moments of Spring"
Hero. Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov, aka Maxim Maksimovich Isaev, aka Max Otto von Stirlitz, aka Estilitz, Bolsen, Brunn. An employee of the press service of the Kolchak government, an underground Chekist, intelligence officer, professor of history, exposing the conspiracy of the followers of Nazism.
Years of creation. The novels about Colonel Isaev were created over 24 years - from 1965 to 1989.
What is the point. In 1921, the Chekist Vladimirov liberates the Far East from the remnants of the White Army. In 1927, they decided to send him to Europe - it was then that the legend of the German aristocrat Max Otto von Stirlitz was born. In 1944, he saves Krakow from destruction by helping Major Whirlwind's group. At the very end of the war, he was entrusted with the most important mission - disrupting separate negotiations between Germany and the West. In Berlin, the hero is doing his difficult job, simultaneously saving the radio operator Kat, the end of the war is already close, and the Third Reich is crumbling to the song of Marika Reck “Seventeen Moments of April”. In 1945 Stirlitz was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
What it looks like. From the party characteristics of a member of the NSDAP since 1933, von Stirlitz, Standartenfuehrer SS (VI Department of the RSHA): “A true Aryan. Character - Nordic, self-possessed. He maintains good relations with workmates. Performs his official duty impeccably. Merciless to the enemies of the Reich. Excellent athlete: Berlin tennis champion. Single; he was not noticed in connections discrediting him. Awarded with the Fuhrer's awards and thanks from the Reichsfuehrer SS ... "
What he is fighting for. For the victory of communism. It's unpleasant to admit this to myself, but in some situations - for the homeland, for Stalin.
The way to fight. Intelligence and espionage, sometimes a deductive method, ingenuity, skill-disguise.
With what result. On the one hand, he saves everyone who needs it, and successfully conducts subversive activities; reveals secret networks of secret agents and defeats the main enemy - the chief of the Gestapo Müller. However, the Soviet country, for whose honor and victory he is fighting, thanks its hero in its own way: in 1947, he, who had just arrived in the Union on a Soviet motor ship, was arrested, and on Stalin's orders his wife and son were shot. Stirlitz is released from prison only after the death of Beria.
What he is fighting against. Against whites, Spanish fascists, German Nazis and all enemies of the USSR.
7. Nikolay Stepanovich Gumilev "Look monsters in the eyes"
Hero Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilyov, symbolist poet, superman, conquistador, member of the Order of the Fifth Rome, ruler of Soviet history and fearless dragon slayer.
Year of creation. 1997
What is the point. Nikolai Gumilyov was not shot in 1921 in the dungeons of the Cheka. He was saved from execution by Jacob Wilhelmovich (or James William Bruce), a representative of the secret order of the Fifth Rome, created in the 13th century. Having acquired the gift of immortality and power, Gumilyov walks through the history of the 20th century, generously leaving his traces in it. He puts Marilyn Monroe to bed, simultaneously building chickens to Agatha Christie, gives valuable advice to Ian Fleming, starts a duel with Mayakovsky out of absurdity of character and, leaving his cold corpse in Lubyansky Passage, runs away, leaving the police and literary scholars to compose a version of suicide. He takes part in the congress of writers and gets hooked on xerion, a magical dope based on dragon blood that gives the members of the order immortality. Everything would be fine - problems begin later, when evil dragon forces begin to threaten not only the world in general, but the Gumilyov family: his wife Annushka and son Stepa.
What he is fighting for. First, for goodness and beauty, then he is no longer up to high ideas - he simply saves his wife and son.
The way to fight. Gumilyov participates in an unthinkable number of battles and battles, owns hand-to-hand combat techniques and all types of firearms. True, in order to achieve special sleight of hand, fearlessness, omnipotence, invulnerability and even immortality, he has to throw Xerion.
With what result. Nobody knows this. The novel "Look into the eyes of the monsters" ends without giving an answer to this burning question. All the sequels of the novel (both "The Hyperborean Plague" and "March of the Ecclesiastes"), firstly, are much less recognized by the fans of Lazarchuk-Uspensky, and secondly, and this is the most important thing, they also do not offer the reader clues.
What he is fighting against. Having learned about the real causes of the disasters that have befallen the world in the 20th century, he is primarily struggling with these misfortunes. In other words - with the civilization of evil dinosaurs.
8. Vasily Terkin
"Vasily Terkin"
Hero. Vasily Terkin, reserve private, infantryman. Originally from near Smolensk. Single, no children. Has an award for the totality of feats.
Years of creation. 1941–1945
What is the point. Contrary to popular belief, the need for such a hero appeared even before the Great Patriotic War. Tvardovsky invented Terkin during the Finnish campaign, where he, along with the Pulkins, Mushkins, Protirkins and other characters in newspaper feuilletons, fought with the White Finns for their Motherland. So in 1941 Terkin entered as an experienced fighter. By 1943, Tvardovsky was tired of his unsinkable hero and was about to send him to retirement because of his injury, but letters from readers returned Terkin to the front, where he spent two more years, was wounded and surrounded three times, recaptured high and low heights, led fighting in the swamps, liberating villages, taking Berlin and even talking to Death. His simple, but sparkling wit invariably saved him from enemies and censors, but girls were definitely not attracted by it. Tvardovsky even turned to readers with an appeal to love his hero - just like that, from the heart. Still, Soviet heroes do not possess the knack of James Bond.
What it looks like. Endowed with beauty He was not excellent, Not tall, not that small, But a hero is a hero.
What he is fighting for. For the cause of peace for the sake of life on earth, that is, his task, like any soldier-liberator, is global. Terkin himself is sure that he is fighting "for Russia, for the people / And for everything in the world," but sometimes, just in case, he mentions the Soviet regime - no matter what happens.
The way to fight. In war, as you know, any means are good, so everything is used: a tank, a machine gun, a knife, a wooden spoon, fists, teeth, vodka, the power of persuasion, a joke, a song, an accordion ...
With what result... Several times was on the verge of death. Was supposed to receive a medal, but due to a typo in the list, the award never found a hero.
But imitators found him: by the end of the war, almost every company had its own "Terkin", and in some - and two.
What he is fighting against. First against the Finns, then against the Nazis, sometimes against Death. In fact, Terkin was called upon to fight depressive moods at the front, which he did with success.
9. Anastasia Kamenskaya
A series of detective stories about Anastasia Kamenskaya
Heroine. Nastya Kamenskaya, MUR major, Petrovka's best analyst, brilliant operative, investigating serious crimes in the manner of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.
Years of creation. 1992–2006
What is the point. The work of an operative presupposes difficult everyday life (the first evidence of this is the television series Streets of Broken Lanterns). But it is difficult for Nastya Kamenskaya to rush around the city and catch bandits in dark alleys: she is lazy, weak in health and loves peace more than anything else. Because of this, she periodically has difficulties in relations with the leadership. Only her first boss and teacher, nicknamed Kolobok, believed in her analytical abilities without limit; others have to prove that she is best at investigating bloody crimes, sitting in an office, drinking coffee and analyzing, analyzing.
What it looks like. Tall, thin blonde, expressionless features. She never uses cosmetics, she prefers discreet, comfortable clothes.
What he is fighting for. Definitely not for a modest police salary: knowing five foreign languages and having some connections, Nastya can leave Petrovka at any moment, but she does not. It turns out that he is fighting for the triumph of law and order.
The way to fight. First of all, analytics. But sometimes Nastya has to change her habits and go out on the warpath on her own. In this case, acting skills, the art of reincarnation and female charm are used.
With what result. Most often - with brilliant: criminals exposed, caught, punished. But in rare cases, some of them manage to hide, and then Nastya does not sleep at night, smokes one cigarette after another, goes crazy and tries to come to terms with the injustice of life. However, there are clearly more successful finals so far.
What he is fighting against. Against crime.
10. Erast Fandorin
A series of novels about Erast Fandorin
Hero. Erast Petrovich Fandorin, nobleman, son of a small landowner who lost his family fortune at cards. He began his career in the detective police with the rank of a collegiate registrar, managed to visit the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, served in the diplomatic corps in Japan and cause disfavor of Nicholas II. He rose to the rank of state councilor and resigned. Private detective and consultant for various influential persons since 1892. Phenomenally successful in everything, especially in gambling. Single. Has a number of children and other descendants.
Years of creation. 1998–2006
What is the point. The turn of the XX – XXI centuries again turned out to be an era that is looking for heroes in the past. Akunin found his defender of the weak and oppressed in the gallant 19th century, but in that professional sphere that is becoming especially popular right now - in the special services. Of all Akunin's stylistic endeavors, Fandorin is the most charming and therefore tenacious. His biography begins in 1856, the action of the last novel dates back to 1905, and the end of the story has not yet been written, so you can always expect new achievements from Erast Petrovich. Although Akunin, like Tvardovsky earlier, has been trying since 2000 to put an end to his hero and write the last novel about him. The Coronation is subtitled The Last of the Novels; The Death Lover and Death Lover, written after her, were published as a bonus, but then it became clear that Fandorin's readers would not let go so easily. The people need, the people need an elegant detective who knows languages and enjoys great success with women. Not all the "Cops", in fact!
What it looks like."He was a very pretty young man, with black hair (which he was secretly proud of) and blue (alas, it would be better also black) eyes, rather tall, with white skin and a cursed, indestructible blush on his cheeks." After the misfortune experienced, his appearance takes on an intriguing detail for the ladies - gray-haired whiskey.
What he is fighting for. For an enlightened monarchy, order and legality. Fandorin dreams of a new Russia - ennobled in the Japanese manner, with firmly and reasonably established laws and their scrupulous execution. About Russia, which did not go through the Russo-Japanese and the First World War, the revolution and the civil war. That is, about Russia, which could have been if we had the luck and common sense to build it.
The way to fight. A combination of deductive method, meditation techniques and Japanese martial arts with an almost mystical luck. By the way, there is also a woman's love, which Fandorin uses in every sense.
With what result. As we know, the Russia that Fandorin dreams of did not happen. So, globally, he suffers a crushing defeat. And in the little things too: those whom he is trying to save most often die, and the criminals never go to jail (they die, or pay off from the court, or simply disappear). However, Fandorin himself invariably remains alive, as does the hope for the final triumph of justice.
What he is fighting against. Against the unenlightened monarchy, revolutionary bombers, nihilists and the social and political chaos that can come in Russia at any moment. Along the way, he has to fight bureaucracy, corruption in the highest echelons of power, fools, roads and ordinary criminals.
Illustrations: Maria Sosnina
Men are attracted to predominantly male characters, while women are interested in both male and female characters.
In the Year of Literature, the Reading Section of the RLA held an Internet action "Monument to a Literary Hero", inviting readers of different generations to talk about literary traditions and literary preferences.
From January 15 to March 30, 2015, a questionnaire was published on the RBA website with the possibility of reprinting it. Colleagues from many libraries, regional centers for books and reading, educational institutions, the media supported the action by posting a questionnaire on their resources.
More than four and a half thousand people from 63 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, aged from 5 to 81, took part in the action. In the sample as a whole, women accounted for 65%, men - 35%. Answering the question “A monument to what literary hero would you like to see in the area where you live?”, Respondents named 510 heroes out of 368 works created by 226 authors. Adults over 18 named 395 heroes. Children and adolescents 17 and under - 254 heroes. Adult women named 344 heroes. Men - 145 heroes.
The first ten heroes whose monuments the participants of the action would like to see are as follows:
1st place: Ostap Bender - named 135 times (taking into account the joint monument with Kisa Vorobyaninov), 179 references;
2nd place: Sherlock Holmes - 96 times (including the joint monument with Dr. Watson), 108 mentions;
3rd place: Tom Sawyer - 68 times (including the joint monument to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn), 108 times;
4th place: Margarita - 63 (taking into account the joint monument with the Master) is 104 mentions;
5th place: Eugene Onegin - 58 (taking into account the joint monument with Tatyana) makes 95 mentions;
6-7 places were shared by Vasily Turkin and Faust - 91 times;
8th place: Romeo and Juliet - 86;
9th place: Anna Karenina - 77;
10th place: Stirlitz - 71.
Considering male and female preferences, we can say that men are attracted mainly by male images, while women are interested in both male and female characters. The first ten male preferences are as follows (we consider it by analogy with the data for the entire array, taking into account joint monuments): 1) Ostap Bender; 2) Stirlitz; 3) Musketeers; 4-5) Sherlock Holmes and Don Quixote; 6) Margarita; 7) Fedor Eikhmanis; 8) Balls; 9) Artyom Goryainov; 10-11) shepherd Santiago; Robinson Crusoe. So, in the top ten there is only one female image - Margarita. It should be added that Galina is very rarely present with Artyom Goryainov. Women's preferences look different: 1) Ostap Bender; 2) Tatiana Larina; 3) Anna Karenina; 4-5) Romeo and Juliet; Arseny-Laurus; 6) Sherlock Holmes; 7-8) Cat Behemoth; Margarita; 9-10) Strange kids; Angie Malone; 11) Mary Poppins.
The survey data provide strong evidence of intergenerational reading preferences. The top ten preferences of girls aged 17 and under include (in descending order): Assol, Romeo and Juliet, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, Snow Maiden, Little Red Riding Hood, Gerda, Mary Poppins, Harry Porter, Alice.
Thus, the majority are female images. At the same time, girls' orientation towards female images is not as pronounced as the preference for male images among boys.
Top ten preferences of boys aged 17 and under: Tom Sawyer, Vasily Turkin, Robinson Crusoe, D'Artanyan and the Musketeers, Dunno, Sherlock Holmes, Andrei Sokolov, Mowgli, Faust, Hottabych.
Boys, like men, vividly demonstrate a preference for and a need for male heroes. Boys in the top twenty heroes have no female characters at all. The first of them appear only in the third ten of the rating, and even then in the company of male heroes: The Master and Margarita; Harry, Hermione, Ron; Romeo and Juliet.
According to the poll, Ostap Bender is the absolute leader in the number of preferred monuments.
Comparison of lists of preferences according to different parameters shows that the image of Ostap Bender is the undisputed leader, but he is nevertheless closer to men.
Why is this image of an adventurer hero so attractive to our contemporaries? Analyzing the most numerous and well-known monuments to beloved literary heroes that arose in the post-Soviet era (Ostap Bender, Munchausen, Vasily Turkin, Koroviev and Begemot), M. Lipovetsky notes something in common that unites them: “Apparently, the fact that they are all in to one degree or another, but always quite clearly represent the cultural archetype of the trickster.
Looking back at Soviet culture in its various manifestations, it is easy to see that most of the characters who have gained massive popularity in Soviet culture are different versions of this ancient archetype. "
Moreover, the author argues that the significance of such images remains in the post-Soviet culture as well. Both men and women are also interested in the image of Sherlock Holmes, which, according to M. Lipovetsky, also belongs to the trickster archetype.
Traditionally, in the structure of women's preferences, the share of domestic and foreign classics, as well as melodrama, is higher. Men, especially young men, have a clear interest in the heroes of adventure literature.
The survey also clearly showed other preferences related to the age and gender of readers. Each new generation wants to see their heroes, corresponding to their time, acting in the books created at the present time. Thus, R. Riggs' House of Peculiar Children is of interest mainly to 20-year-olds and mostly girls. Also predominantly 20-year-olds are interested in "Street Cat Called Bob" by J. Bowen.
According to online retailers, both books are in high demand. Their high rating among the youth is also noted by various readers' Internet communities. And the image of Katerina from the story of V. Chernykh for the film "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" attracts a female audience aged 40-50 years and is not found among those under 30 and over 60 years old.
The undisputed hero of the older generation is Stirlitz. Among 20-year-olds, he is not mentioned even once, among 30-year-olds - 1 time, 40-year-olds - 7 times, 50-year-olds - 26 times, 60-year-olds - the absolute leader in men, occurs in women and in general in the older age group. The Yulian Semyonov Cultural Foundation has already conducted an Internet voting “Monument to Stirlitz. What should he be? "
However, a monument to one of the most iconic heroes of Soviet literature and cinema never appeared.
In the results of the FOM study “Idols of Youth”, conducted in 2008, it was noted: of all respondents) admitted that they can still call their idol the one who was to them in their youth. " Probably, this can partly explain the attitude of older people towards Stirlitz.
According to the survey, readers would like to erect monuments to the heroes of completely different books: including the heroes of Homer and Sophocles, Aristophanes, J. Boccaccio, as well as L.N. Tolstoy, A.S. Pushkin, I.S. Turgeneva, N.V. Gogol, F.M. Dostoevsky, I.A. Goncharova, M. Yu. Lermontov, A.P. Chekhov. Among the foreign literature of the XX century were named the heroes of the books of G. Hesse, G. García Márquez, R. Bach; among domestic - heroes of the books of K. Paustovsky, V. Astafiev, B. Mozhaev, V. Zakrutkin, V. Konetsky, V. Shukshin and many others.
If we talk about the works of the latest literature, the survey participants showed significant interest in the heroes of the trilogy by D. Rubina "Russian Canary" and the heroes of the novel "Abode" by Z. Prilepin.
It should be noted that one more work of modern fiction, which has earned a fairly high readership, is the novel by E. Vodolazkin "Laurel", which received the "Big Book" award in 2013. There is one main character, Arseny-Laurus, to whom we would like to stage monument.
Among the works, the heroes of which would like to erect a monument, thus, clear leaders are noted:
№ | author | Work | Number of mentions |
1 | I. Ilf and E. Petrov | 12 chairs, Golden Calf | 189 |
2 | Bulgakov M. | The Master and Margarita | 160 |
3 | Pushkin A. | Eugene Onegin | 150 |
4 | Prilepin Z. | Abode | 114 |
5 | Dumas A. | Musketeer Trilogy | 111 |
6-7 | Doyle A.-K. | Notes about Sherlock Holmes | 108 |
6-7 | Mark Twain | Adventures of Tom Sawyer | 108 |
8 | Rubina D. | Russian canary | 93 |
9-10 | A. | Vasily Turkin | 91 |
9-10 | Goethe I. | Faust | 91 |
11 | Shakespeare W. | Romeo and Juliet | 88 |
12 | Defoe D. | Robinson Crusoe | 78 |
13 | Tolstoy L.N. | Anna Karenina | 77 |
14 | A. | Scarlet Sails | 73 |
15 | Bulgakov M. | dog's heart | 71 |
16 | Semenov Yu. | Seventeen Moments of Spring | 70 |
17 | Travers P. | Mary Poppins | 66 |
18 | Saint-Exupery A. | The little Prince | 65 |
19 | Rowling J. | Harry Potter | 63 |
20 | Cervantes M. | Don Quixote | 59 |
The diversity of the presented literature attracts attention. The top ten books include Russian and foreign classical literature, classics of world adventure literature, the best Russian literature created during the Soviet period, modern bestsellers.
When asked what already existing monuments to literary heroes like and where they are located, 690 people answered, which is 16.2% of the number of participants. In total, 355 monuments dedicated to 194 heroes were named. These heroes act in 136 works created by 82 authors.
The rating of heroes whose monuments are well known and liked is headed by: The Little Mermaid; Ostap Bender; Pinocchio; White Bim Black Ear; Chizhik-Pyzhik; Baron Munchausen; Mu Mu; Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson; The Bremen Town Musicians…
The overall rating of monuments is headed by: The Little Mermaid from Copenhagen; White Bim Black Ear from Voronezh; Samara Buratino; Petersburg Chizhik-Pyzhik, Ostap Bender, Mumu; Baron Munchausen from Kaliningrad; Moscow Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson; Bremen Town Musicians from Bremen; a monument to the Cat Behemoth and Koroviev from Moscow.
The named monuments are located in 155 cities, including 86 domestic cities (55.5%) and 69 foreign ones (44.5%). Among foreign cities the leaders are: Copenhagen, Odessa, London, Kiev, Bremen, Kharkov, New York, Osh, Nikolaev. Among domestic ones: Moscow, Petersburg, Voronezh, Samara, Kaliningrad, Ramenskoye, Tobolsk, Tomsk. It should be said that the top of the list in terms of the number of mentions of monuments is actually two cities of the country: the monuments of Moscow were named 174 times, and the monuments of St. Petersburg - 170 times. Copenhagen is in third place with the only monument to the Little Mermaid - 138 times, in fourth - Voronezh - 80 times.
During the survey, the protesters also named their region of residence. Comparison of the region of residence of the survey participant with the hero to whom they would like to erect a monument (and it was just about the monument for their place of residence), as well as those existing monuments that they like, showed that respondents from less than half of the regions named real or desired monuments where the hero, the author of the work or the place of action were associated with the place of residence of the participant.
In modern Russia, a tradition has formed to put street sculptures on literary heroes, and small-scale architecture is developing. Literary heroes may well be and are becoming local cultural symbols.
The social demand for this kind of symbols is quite large. Literary monuments create comfortable conditions for the pastime of the townspeople, are aimed at a reciprocal emotional response, and form the unity of local self-awareness.
A series of events develops around them, that is, they are included in traditional commemorative or everyday practices, and they get used to the urban environment.
The appearance of objects of decorative urban sculpture, monuments to literary heroes, monuments dedicated to books and reading, can contribute not only to the aesthetic enlightenment of the population, but also to the formation of a personal perception of their small homeland, new traditions.
Sculptures, especially street sculptures, close to a person, play and entertain the townspeople, form unofficial practices of handling such an object and a personal attitude towards it.
Filling public spaces with such symbols undoubtedly carries a positive emotional load, contributes to the humanization of the public environment.
Each book that has become a masterpiece has its own heroes (good and bad). Today we want to talk about characters who, even after 100 years, remain relevant and famous. Many of these books were filmed, which is why we sometimes recognize many heroes from films. Let's start with Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes
A literary character created by Arthur Conan Doyle. His works, dedicated to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the famous London private detective, are considered classics of the detective genre. The prototype of Holmes is considered to be Dr. Joseph Bell, a colleague of Conan Doyle who worked at Edinburgh Royal Hospital and was famous for his ability to guess the character and past of a person in the smallest detail.
The first work about the famous detective, the story "Study in crimson tones", was written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. The last collection, The Sherlock Holmes Archive, was published in 1927. Sherlock Holmes is apparently a biochemist by education. At the time of his acquaintance with Watson, he worked as a laboratory assistant in one of the London hospitals.
Hercule Poirot
A literary character of the famous English writer Agatha Christie, a Belgian detective, the protagonist of 33 novels, 54 stories and 1 play, written between 1920 and 1975, and films, television series, theatrical and radio plays based on them.
Poirot is a Belgian émigré and former police officer. Poirot himself in the book "Tragedy in Three Acts" says that "... in my youth I was poor and had many brothers and sisters ... for some time I worked in the police in Belgium ... then the War began, I was wounded ... I was sent to England for treatment, where I stayed ... ".
Robin the Hood
The popular hero of medieval English folk ballads, the noble leader of the forest robbers. According to legend, he acted with his gang in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham - robbed the rich, giving the spoils to the poor.
The identity of the prototype of these ballads and legends has not been established. Presumably, he lived at the beginning of the XIV century, during the reign of King Edward II. However, at present, the most popular is the artistic version of Walter Scott, according to which Robin lived in the second half of the 12th century (that is, he was a contemporary of Richard the Lionheart and John the Landless). A number of historical details speak in favor of the first version and against Scott's version: for example, archery competitions began to be held in England no earlier than the 13th century.
E rast Fandorin
The hero of the series of historical detective stories by the Russian writer Boris Akunin "The Adventures of Erast Fandorin". In this series, the writer set himself the task of writing one detective of different styles: conspiracy detective, spy detective, hermetic detective, ethnographic detective, etc.
Reviewers expressed the opinion that Fandorin's surname is an allusion to the journalist Jerome Fandor, the hero of a series of detective novels by French writers Marcel Allen and Pierre Souvestre about Fantômas (1911-1913) and a French film trilogy of the 1960s, based on these novels.
Erast Petrovich Fandorin was born on January 8 (20), 1856 in an old noble family. The boy's mother died during childbirth. Therefore, either out of annoyance, or in a mockery of the bitter fate, the father, Pyotr Isaakievich, mourning his wife Elizabeth, called the boy Erast.
To Omissar Maigret
Сommissaire Jules Maigret
Commissioner Jules Maigret is the hero of the popular series of detective novels and short stories by Georges Simenon, a wise policeman.
Jules Joseph Anselm Maigret was born in 1884 in the village of Saint-Fiacre near Mantignon to the family of the estate manager, Count Saint-Fiacre. There he spent his childhood and youth. Simenon repeatedly mentions the peasant roots of Maigret. The Commissioner's mother died in childbirth. When he was 8 years old, he spent several months at the Lyceum, where it was very difficult for him, and, in the end, his father sent him to his sister, who was married to a baker in Nantes. Arriving in Paris, Maigret began to study to be a doctor, but for a number of reasons and circumstances left his studies and decided to go to serve in the police.
Maigret, with his talent and perseverance, rose from an ordinary inspector to the position of divisional commissar, head of a brigade for the investigation of especially grave crimes.
Maigret is impossible to imagine without a smoking pipe, he has a whole collection of them.
Z orro
A fictional character, a variation on the theme of Robin Hood, the "masked hero" who comes to the aid of the disadvantaged people of New Spain. Zorro was originally a character in the adventure books by Johnston McCully.
Zorro was originally a character in the adventure books by Johnston McCully. First appeared in The Curse of Capistrano, published in 1919. According to one of the versions, when creating the image, McCully started from stories about a certain William Lamport. The following year, the first Fox movie, The Sign of Zorro, appeared, starring Douglas Fairbanks. Subsequently, many films were made about Zorro both in America and abroad.
T arzan
Fictional character created by writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and first appeared in Tarzan, the Adopted of the Apes. The journal was published in 1912, and in 1914 it was published as a separate book, followed by twenty-three sequels. Tarzan has been called the most recognizable literary character in the world. In addition to a huge number of books written by Burroughs himself and other authors, the character has also appeared in many films, television programs, radio, comics and parodies.
D rakula
Vampire, title character and main antagonist of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. As an archetypal vampire, Dracula has appeared in many works of popular culture, even not directly related to the novel by Bram Stoker.
B equal soldier Schweik
A satirical character invented by the Czech writer Jaroslav Hasek; the protagonist of the unfinished novel "The Adventures of the Gallant Soldier Schweik during the World War", written in 1921-1923, a cycle of 5 stories "The Brave Soldier Schweik. Fascinating adventures of an honest campaigner "and the story" The brave soldier Schweik in captivity. "
According to the literary critic S. V. Nikolsky, the prototypes of the gallant soldier Schweik were two people with whom Hasek was familiar: Corporal Josef Schweik and Frantisek Strashlipka - the batman of the real lieutenant Lukash, company commander Hasek during the First World War.
B etman
A fictional superhero character from DC Comics who first appeared in Detective Comics # 27 in May 1939. Along with Superman, Batman is one of the most popular and well-known comic book characters. Was created by artist Bob Kane in collaboration with writer Bill Finger. Until recently, Bob Kane was considered the main character creator, but after much research, in 2015 the authorship was transferred to Bill Finger, since Kane's real contribution to the creation of the hero was very small.
Tom Sawyer
One of the main characters in Mark Twain's novels: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer the Detective; also a character in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Tom Sawyer is present in at least three more unfinished works of Mark Twain - "On School Hill", "Tom Sawyer's Conspiracy" and "Huck and Tom Among the Indians."
The fictional character's name may have been taken from a real person named Tom Sawyer, whom Twain met in San Francisco, California, where Mark Twain was a reporter for the San Francisco Call. Mark Twain reveals in the foreword that the character of the character was based on three boys whom he knew as a child.
The most famous characters in the books updated: November 26, 2017 by the author: site
Men rule the ball in literature: writers, heroes, villains. But are women no less interesting and talented? We have selected several heroines who inspire with intelligence, ingenuity, strong character and kindness.
Ancient women and goddesses
Scheherazade conquered "toxic masculinity" before the term even existed. The Persian king Shahriyar faced the infidelity of his first wife and his brother's wife and decided that all women were vicious libertines. Since he still could not do without women, he decided to marry innocent girls and execute them after the first wedding night. The clever and beautiful daughter of the vizier Scheherazade decided to rid the country of the tyranny of such misogynism. She came to the king as a new bride. And then you know: she began to tell an interesting story and cut it off at the most intriguing moment. Curiosity seized Shahriyar, and he kept the girl alive until the next night. This went on for a thousand days (almost three years!), During which time Scheherazade gave birth to three children. When she finally fell at his feet and asked to save her life for the sake of their common sons, Shahriyar replied that he had pardoned her for a long time. This is how the boldness, intelligence and skill of the storyteller saved many innocent lives.
Elizabeth. "Pride and Prejudice "
Witty and observant, Elizabeth captivated not only the impregnable and proud Mr. Darcy, but also millions of readers around the world. She loves her family very much, especially her sisters, whom she is trying to protect. Moreover, she is offended to see the shortcomings of her parents, but she does not try to remake people close to her or rebel: she only wants to find an acceptable place for herself in her modern society.
Scarlett O'Hara. "Gone With the Wind "
Bright, wayward and flighty, Scarlett evokes conflicting feelings among readers. Many believe that she herself is to blame for her misfortunes and in general was an unbearable woman. The writer Margaret Mitchell herself was ambivalent about her character. But beautiful and strong women who are not used to losing often infuriate others. Unlike men: they are praised for the same qualities. Still, it is worth admiring the strength of the spirit of the green-eyed Irish woman: she survived the civil war, the death of her parents and deprivation, coping with all the hardships herself.
Margarita. "The Master and Margarita "
A beautiful woman who chose love with a poor artist over a profitable marriage. For his sake, she went to humiliation, made a deal with the devil and took revenge on the offenders of her betrothed. Some see sacrifice in Margarita, but we know that she understood well for whom she risked everything. She is admired for the strength of her love and courage.
Pippi Longstocking. Cycle of stories
Astrid Lindgren was still that mischievous woman and did not hesitate to break the far-fetched rules of decency. For example, she made a daring attempt to walk from her native Vimmerby to Lake Vettern (distance of 300 kilometers) in the company of five women and completely without male help. Believe me, it was a challenge for Sweden at that time! It is not surprising that her heroines also make boring ordinary people itch. Pippi Longstocking easily violates social norms and infuriates adults: he goes to bed whenever he wants, keeps a horse on the balcony, hits thieves and generally lives without parental supervision. She also annoys real moms and dads: there were even complaints that because of Pippi, children "have the opportunity to find a socially acceptable outlet for aggression against their parents." But the children like it, because they can do whatever they would like, but they won’t become out of fear of the “big ones”. The fact that Pippi has become so popular speaks only of a longing for direct, flamboyant heroines, headstrong and funny.
Hermione. Harry Potter Book Cycle
How not to love Hermione? With her we spend all our (and her) childhood. We meet her as a little girl who is very smart and wants to be no worse than others in the class. After all, she immediately realized that it would be more difficult for her, because she does not know those things that the children of wizards know from childhood. She makes friends, falls in love, becomes stronger before our eyes. Hermione learns from her mistakes: after the story with the windbag Lockhart, she does not trust everyone, but only those who deserve her respect. She is brave and knows how to sympathize with the weak, and now someone has a clearly wider emotional range than a toothpick.
Russian literature has given us a cavalcade of both positive and negative characters. We decided to recall the second group. Spoiler alert.
20. Alexey Molchalin (Alexander Griboyedov, "Woe from Wit")
Molchalin - the hero "about nothing", the secretary of Famusov. He is faithful to the behest of his father: "to please all people without exception - the owner, the boss, his servant, the janitor's dog."
In a conversation with Chatsky, he expounds his life principles, which are that "in my age you should not dare to have your own judgment."
Molchalin is sure that you need to think and act as is customary in the "Famus" society, otherwise they will gossip about you, and, as you know, "evil tongues are worse than pistols."
He despises Sophia, but is ready, for the sake of pleasing Famusov, to sit with her all night long, playing the role of a lover.
19. Grushnitsky (Mikhail Lermontov, "A Hero of Our Time")
Grushnitsky has no name in Lermontov's story. He is the "double" of the main character - Pechorin. According to Lermontov's description, Grushnitsky is “... one of those people who have ready-made pompous phrases for all occasions, who are simply not touched by the beautiful and who are importantly draped into extraordinary feelings, lofty passions and exceptional suffering. To produce an effect is their pleasure ... ”.
Grushnitsky is very fond of pathos. There is not an ounce of sincerity in him. Grushnitsky is in love with Princess Mary, and at first she answers him with special attention, but then falls in love with Pechorin.
The case ends in a duel. Grushnitsky is so low that he conspires with friends and they do not load Pechorin's pistol. The hero cannot forgive such blatant meanness. He reloads the pistol and kills Grushnitsky.
18. Afanasy Totsky (Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot)
Afanasy Totsky, having taken Nastya Barashkova, the daughter of a deceased neighbor, into the upbringing and maintenance, eventually "became close to her," developing a suicidal complex in the girl and indirectly becoming one of the culprits of her death.
Extremely greedy for the female sex, at the age of 55, Totsky decided to link his life with the daughter of General Epanchin Alexandra, deciding to marry Nastasya to Ganya Ivolgin. However, neither the one nor the other case worked out. As a result, Totsky "was captivated by one visiting French woman, a marquess and a Legitimist."
17. Alena Ivanovna (Fyodor Dostoevsky, "Crime and Punishment")
The old woman pawnbroker is a character who has become a household name. Even those who have not read Dostoevsky's novel have heard of her. Alena Ivanovna is not that old by today's standards, she is “60 years old”, but the author describes her as follows: “... a dry old woman with sharp and angry eyes with a small pointed nose ... Her blond, slightly gray hair was greased with oil. On her thin and long neck, similar to a chicken leg, there was some kind of flannel rags… ”.
The old woman pawnbroker is engaged in usury and profits from the grief of the people. She takes valuable things at huge interest rates, treats her younger sister Lizaveta, beats her.
16. Arkady Svidrigailov (Fyodor Dostoevsky, "Crime and Punishment")
Svidrigailov is one of Raskolnikov's doubles in Dostoevsky's novel, a widower, at one time he was ransomed by his wife from prison, lived in the village for 7 years. A cynical and depraved person. He is responsible for the suicide of a servant, a 14-year-old girl, possibly the poisoning of his wife.
Due to the harassment of Svidrigailov, Raskolnikov's sister lost her job. Learning that Raskolnikov is a murderer, Luzhin blackmails Dunya. The girl shoots at Svidrigailov and misses.
Svidrigailov is an ideological scoundrel, he does not experience moral torment and experiences "world boredom", eternity seems to him "a bathhouse with spiders." As a result, he commits suicide with a shot from a revolver.
15. Kabanikha (Alexander Ostrovsky, "The Thunderstorm")
In the image of Kabanikha, one of the central characters in the play The Thunderstorm, Ostrovsky reflected the departing patriarchal, strict archaism. Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna - “a rich merchant's wife, a widow”, mother-in-law of Katerina, mother of Tikhon and Varvara.
The boar is very domineering and strong, she is religious, but more outwardly, since she does not believe in either forgiveness or mercy. She is as practical as possible and lives by earthly interests.
Kabanikha is sure that the family way of life can be preserved only on fear and orders: "After all, parents are strict with you from love, they scold you because of love, everyone thinks to teach good." She perceives the departure of the old order as a personal tragedy: “This is how the old man is withdrawn… What will happen, how the elders will die,… I don’t know”.
14. Lady (Ivan Turgenev, "Mumu")
We all know the sad story about the fact that Gerasim drowned Mumu, but not everyone remembers why he did it, and he did it because the tyrannical lady ordered him to do so.
The same landowner had previously betrayed the washerwoman Tatiana, in whom Gerasim was in love, for the drunkard shoemaker Kapiton, which ruined both of them.
The lady, at her discretion, decides the fate of her serfs, in no way taking into account their wishes, and sometimes even with common sense.
13. Lackey Yasha (Anton Chekhov, "The Cherry Orchard")
The lackey Yasha in Anton Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" is an unpleasant character. He openly adores everything foreign, while he is extremely ignorant, rude and even boorish. When his mother comes to him from the village and waits for him all day in the room, Yasha dismissively declares: "It is very necessary, she could come tomorrow as well."
Yasha tries to behave decently in public, tries to seem educated and well-mannered, but at the same time alone with Firs says to the old man: “You are tired, grandfather. If only you would die as soon as possible.
Yasha is very proud to have lived abroad. With a foreign veneer, he wins the heart of the maid Dunyasha, but takes advantage of her location for his own benefit. After the sale of the estate, the footman persuades Ranevskaya to take him back to Paris with her. It is impossible for him to remain in Russia: "the country is uneducated, the people are immoral, and boredom ...".
12. Pavel Smerdyakov (Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov)
Smerdyakov is a character with a speaking surname, according to rumors, the illegitimate son of Fyodor Karrmazov from the city holy fool Lizaveta the Smerdyaschaya. The surname Smerdyakov was given to him by Fyodor Pavlovich in honor of his mother.
Smerdyakov serves as a cook in the house of Karamazov, while, apparently, he cooks well. However, this is a "man with foulbrood". This is evidenced by at least Smerdyakov's reasoning about history: “In the twelfth year there was a great invasion of the Emperor Napoleon of France the first, and it’s good, if we were then conquered by these very French, an intelligent nation would have conquered a very stupid one, sir, and added to itself. There would even be completely different orders. "
Smerdyakov is the killer of Karamazov the father.
11. Peter Luzhin (Fyodor Dostoevsky, "Crime and Punishment")
Luzhin is another of Rodion Raskolnikov's doubles, a 45-year-old business man, "with a cautious and grumpy face."
Having escaped "from rags to riches", Luzhin is proud of his pseudo-education, behaves arrogantly and primly. Having made an offer to Duna, he anticipates that she will be grateful to him all her life for the fact that he "brought her to the people."
He also wooed Duna by calculation, believing that she would be useful to him for his career. Luzhin hates Raskolnikov, because he opposes their union with Dunya. Luzhin puts a hundred rubles in Sonya Marmeladova's pocket at her father's funeral, accusing her of stealing.
10. Kirila Troekurov (Alexander Pushkin, "Dubrovsky")
Troekurov is an example of a Russian master spoiled by his power and environment. He spends time in idleness, drunkenness, voluptuousness. Troekurov sincerely believes in his impunity and unlimited possibilities (“This is the power to take away property without any right”).
The master loves his daughter Masha, but passes her off as an old man she does not love. The serfs of Troyekurov are similar to their master - the Troyekurov hound is insolent to Dubrovsky the elder - and thus quarrels with old friends.
9. Sergei Talberg (Mikhail Bulgakov, "White Guard")
Sergei Talberg is the husband of Elena Turbina, a traitor and opportunist. He easily changes his principles, beliefs, without much effort and remorse. Thalberg is always where it is easier to live, so he flees abroad. He leaves his family, friends. Even Talberg's eyes (which, as you know, are the “mirror of the soul”) are “two-story”, he is the complete opposite of Turbin.
Thalberg was the first to put on a red armband at a military school in March 1917 and, as a member of the military committee, arrested the famous General Petrov.
8. Alexey Shvabrin (Alexander Pushkin, "The Captain's Daughter")
Shvabrin is the opposite of the protagonist of Pushkin's story "The Captain's Daughter" by Pyotr Grinev. He was exiled to the Belogorsk fortress for murder in a duel. Shvabrin is undoubtedly smart, but at the same time cunning, impudent, cynical, and mocking. Having received a refusal from Masha Mironova, he spreads dirty rumors about her, in a duel with Grinev he wounds him in the back, goes over to the side of Pugachev, and when captured by the government troops, spreads rumors that Grinev is a traitor. In general, he is a trash person.
7. Vasilisa Kostyleva (Maxim Gorky, "At the bottom")
In Gorky's play At the Bottom, everything is sad and sad. This atmosphere is diligently maintained by the owners of the hostel where the action takes place - the Kostylevs. The husband is a disgusting cowardly and greedy old man, Vasilisa's wife is a calculating, resourceful adaptation, forcing her lover Vaska Ash to steal for her sake. When she finds out that he himself is in love with her sister, he promises to give her up in exchange for the murder of her husband.
6. Mazepa (Alexander Pushkin, "Poltava")
Mazepa is a historical character, but if in history the role of Mazepa is ambiguous, then in Pushkin's poem Mazepa is an unambiguously negative character. Mazepa appears in the poem as an absolutely immoral, dishonest, vindictive, spiteful person, as a treacherous hypocrite for whom there is nothing sacred (he “does not know what is holy”, “does not remember benevolence”), a person who is accustomed to achieving his goal at any cost.
The seducer of his young goddaughter Maria, he betrays her father Kochubei to public execution and, already sentenced to death, subjects him to cruel torture in order to find out where he hid his treasures. Without equivocation, Pushkin denounces the political activities of Mazepa, which is determined only by the lust for power and the thirst for revenge on Peter.
5. Foma Opiskin (Fyodor Dostoevsky, "The village of Stepanchikovo and its inhabitants")
Foma Opiskin is an extremely negative character. Acquaintance, hypocrite, liar. He painstakingly portrays piety and education, tells everyone about his supposedly ascetic experience and sparkles with quotes from books ...
When he gets his hands on power, he shows his true essence. “A low soul, coming out of oppression, itself oppresses. Thomas was oppressed - and he immediately felt the need to oppress himself; they broke over him - and he himself began to break over others. He was a jester and immediately felt the need to turn on his jesters. He boasted to the point of absurdity, broke down to the point of impossibility, demanded bird milk, tyrannized without measure, and it got to the point that good people, having not yet witnessed all these tricks, and listening only to tales, considered it all a miracle, an obsession, were baptized and spat ... ".
4. Viktor Komarovsky (Boris Pasternak, "Doctor Zhivago")
Advocate Komarovsky is a negative character in Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago. In the fates of the main characters - Zhivago and Lara, Komarovsky is an "evil genius" and a "gray eminence". He is guilty of the ruin of the Zhivago family and the death of the protagonist's father; he cohabitates with Lara's mother and with Lara herself. Finally, Komarovsky tricked Zhivago away from his wife. Komarovsky is smart, calculating, greedy, cynical. All in all, a bad person. He himself understands this, but it suits him perfectly.
3. Judas Golovlev (Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, "Lord Golovlevs")
Porfiry Vladimirovich Golovlev, nicknamed Judushka and Blood Drinker, is "the last representative of the extinct family." He is hypocritical, greedy, cowardly, calculating. He spends his life in endless slander and litigation, brings his son to suicide, while imitating extreme religiosity, reading prayers "without the participation of the heart."
Towards the end of his dark life, Golovlev gets drunk and runs wild, goes into a March blizzard. In the morning they find his numb corpse.
2. Andriy (Nikolay Gogol, "Taras Bulba")
Andriy is the youngest son of Taras Bulba, the hero of the story of the same name by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. Andriy, as Gogol writes, from an early youth began to feel "the need for love." This need brings him down. He falls in love with panochka, betrays his homeland, friends, and father. Andriy confesses: “Who said that my motherland is Ukraine? Who gave it to me in my homeland? The Fatherland is what our soul is looking for, what is dearer to it than everything. You are my fatherland! ... and I will sell everything that is, I will give it, I will ruin it for such a fatherland! "
Andrii is a traitor. His own father kills him.
1. Fyodor Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky, "The Brothers Karamazov")
He is voluptuous, greedy, envious, stupid. By the time he reached maturity, he began to drink a lot, opened several taverns, made many of his fellow countrymen debtors ... He began to compete with his eldest son Dmitry for the heart of Grushenka Svetlova, which paved the way for the crime - Karamazov was killed by his illegitimate son Peter Smerdyakov.