The theme of love is one of the leading in the works of Russian and world fiction. This feeling either causes a heavy drama of the heroes, or, on the contrary, contributes to moral improvement, the purification of characters. In the latter case, the authors focused on the psychology of the actors, describing in detail their relationship.
The works of A. S. Pushkin about love
Domestic writers have always paid special attention to the description of the inner world of heroes, their feelings and experiences. Therefore, the theme of love occupies an important place in their work. Moreover, the authors primarily sought to show how it affects the spiritual development of man. Love as a spiritual rebirth is one of the main motives of Russian literature.
In the first half of the 19th century, A.S. Pushkin, in novels and short stories, showed how this feeling helps people survive disasters and maintain dignity in difficult times of upheaval. For example, in the story “The Captain's Daughter”, the love of Peter Grinev for Masha Mironova helps both to overcome the trials that fell to their lot. The same idea sounds in his other story - "The Young Lady-Peasant." The mutual sympathy of the heroes unexpectedly led to a happy ending, despite all the misunderstandings that had accumulated between them.
L. N. Tolstoy on the moral meaning of love
In the novels of L. N. Tolstoy, the topic under consideration received a special psychological sound. In the work “War and Peace” love as a spiritual rebirth occupies one of the central places. It was a serious passion for Prince Andrei young Natasha Rostova that helped him to look at the world with a new look. Thanks to the girl, the prince again believed in himself, in life, in friends. And before his death, the thought of a bride reconciled him with a difficult fate: the presence of his beloved undoubtedly encouraged Andrei and eased his suffering.
The same can be said about the other famous novel of the writer - “Resurrection”. Love as a spiritual rebirth has become the main theme of the work. The sincere sympathy of Dmitry Nekhlyudov for former lover Katyusha Maslova completely changed the main character. Helping a poor girl, he learned to be responsive to the grief and misfortune of others, became kinder, softer, more generous.
Love theme in the works of F. M. Dostoevsky
Another famous writer, F. M. Dostoevsky, paid much attention to how the sympathies and affection of the heroes contributed to their moral improvement. First of all, this concerns the novel Crime and Punishment, in which Raskolnikov, thanks to the compassion of Sonya Marmeladova, realized his guilt and accepted the punishment for the crime committed. Thus, love as a spiritual rebirth for the protagonist became one of the key themes in the work, along with the image of the complex psychological struggle that Raskolnikov had to endure.
In the novel “The Idiot”, this topic is the engine of the plot: Prince Myshkin’s compassionate love for others greatly contributed to the moral purification of all those whom he had to face. However, the tragedy of the situation is that not everyone was able to accept this love and change in the soul. This contradiction led to the tragic denouement in the finale of the work.
Love stories in the stories of I.A. Bunina
Writers of the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries paid special attention to love as a spiritual rebirth. An essay on this topic can be written on the example of I.A. Bunina and A.I. Kuprina. Both writers attached great importance to this issue. Almost all of their heroes experienced in their time a strong and deep passion that forever left a mark on their future destiny.
Love as a spiritual rebirth in Bunin's stories is the main theme of his famous cycle “Dark Alleys”. The protagonists in their youth experienced a strong passion, which, as a rule, ends for both sides with a severe shock and separation for a long time or for a lifetime. Nevertheless, the characters retain memories of this beautiful feeling for life.
This is the moral meaning of love, which, despite the unlucky end, ennobles the heroes. For example, in the story Dark Alleys, the protagonist carries through his whole life a feeling of love for his former serf. The latter also retains the memory of her windy lover, and this sympathy, preserved after so many years, makes their meeting so touching for the reader.
Love in the works of A.I. Kuprina
The writer took a slightly different approach to portraying the relations between the characters than Bunin. Love as a spiritual rebirth in Kuprin's stories acquired a more acute sound. In the work “Moloch”, the author emphasized the conflict of the situation, the opposition of the protagonist to the outside world, and against this background showed his relationship with the heroine. Social issues sharply overshadowed the image of Bobrov and his torment of love, which Bunin did not have, who portrayed love in calm, lyrical, slightly sad tones.
Closer to the "Dark Alleys" in spirit, the story "Garnet Bracelet". In this work, Kuprin emphasized the moral meaning of love. The main character, Zheltkov, is so in love with Princess Vera that she suffers severe moral torment for her sake, which may seem harder than any physical suffering.
Love theme in the works of Russian classical literature
The writers of the 19th and early 20th centuries showed love as a bright, beautiful feeling that ennobles and exalts the heroes. You can notice how carefully and carefully they described the emotional experiences of their characters, how carefully they depicted their sympathies, doubts, vacillations, and hopes. Exceptional attention to the inner world - this is the basic principle of their work. Therefore, love as a spiritual rebirth in the stories of these writers acquired such a strong sound, and the reliability of the narrative makes their compositions relevant in our time.