How many of us have not been familiar with the Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish since childhood? Someone read it in childhood, someone first met her when he saw a cartoon on a television screen. The plot of the work is undoubtedly familiar to everyone. But not many people know how and when this fairy tale was written. It is about the creation, origins and characters of this work that we will discuss in our article. And also consider modern alterations of fairy tales.
Who wrote the fairy tale about the goldfish and when?
The tale was written by the great Russian poet Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin in the village of Boldino on October 14, 1833. This period in the writer's work is called the second Boldinsky autumn. The work was first published in 1835 on the pages of the magazine "Library for Reading". At the same time, Pushkin created another famous work - "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights".
History of creation
Even in early action, A. S. Pushkin began to be interested in folk art. Tales, heard by him even in the cradle from his beloved nanny, were preserved in his memory for life. In addition, later, already in the 20s of the 19th century, the poet was engaged in the study of folklore in the village of Mikhailovsky. It was then that he began to have ideas for future tales.
However, Pushkin turned directly to folk stories only in the 30s. He began to try his hand at creating fairy tales. One of them was a fairy tale about a goldfish. In this work, the poet tried to show the nationality of Russian literature.
For whom did A. S. Pushkin write fairy tales?
Pushkin wrote fairy tales in the heyday of his work. And initially they were not intended for children, although they immediately entered the circle of their reading. The tale of the goldfish is not just entertainment for children with morality in the end. This is primarily a model of creativity, traditions and beliefs of the Russian people.
Nevertheless, the plot of the tale itself is not an exact retelling of folk works. In fact, little of Russian folklore was reflected in it. Many researchers claim that most of the poet’s tales, including the tale of the goldfish (the text of the work confirms this), was borrowed from German fairy tales collected by the Grimm brothers.
Pushkin chose the plot he liked, remade it at his discretion and clothed it in poetic form, not caring about how true the stories would be. However, the poet managed to convey, if not the plot, then the spirit and character of the Russian people.
Images of the main characters
The fairy tale about the goldfish is not rich in characters - there are only three of them, however, this is enough for a fascinating and instructive plot.
The images of the old man and the old woman are diametrically opposed, and their views on life are completely different. They are both poor, but reflect different aspects of poverty. So, the old man is always disinterested and ready to help in trouble, because he himself has been in the same situation more than once and knows what grief is. He is kind and calm, even when he was lucky, he does not take advantage of the fish's offer, but simply releases it.
The old woman, despite the same social position, is arrogant, cruel and greedy. She pushes the old man, harasses him, constantly scolds and is always unhappy with everything. For this, she will be punished at the end of the tale, left with a broken trough.
However, the old man does not receive any reward, because he is unable to resist the will of the old woman. For his humility, he did not deserve a better life. Here Pushkin describes one of the main features of the Russian people - patience. That it does not allow you to live better and calmer.
The image of the fish is incredibly poetic and saturated with folk wisdom. She acts as a higher power, which for the time being is ready to fulfill wishes. However, her patience is not unlimited.
Summary
The tale of the old man and the goldfish begins with a description of the blue sea, on the coast of which an old man and an old woman have been living in the dugout for 33 years. They live very poorly and the only thing that feeds them is the sea.
One day, an old man goes fishing. He throws a net twice, but both times he brings only sea mud. The third time, the old man is lucky - a goldfish falls into his net. She speaks in a human voice and asks to let her go, promising to fulfill a desire. The old man did not ask anything from the fish, but simply released it.
Returning home, he told his wife everything. The old woman began to scold him and ordered him to go back, ask the fish for a new trough. The old man went, bowed to the fish, and the old woman received what she requested.
But this was not enough for her. She demanded a new home. Fish fulfilled this desire. Then the old woman wanted to become a pillar noblewoman. Again the old man went to the fish, and again she fulfilled the wish. The fisherman himself was sent by an angry wife to work at the stable.
But this was not enough. The old woman ordered her husband to go back to the sea and ask her to be queen. This desire also came true. But this did not satisfy the greed of the old woman. She again called the old man to her and told her to ask the fish to make her the queen of the sea, and herself to serve on her premises.
The fisherman conveyed the words of his wife. But the fish did not answer, just splashed its tail and sailed into the depths of the sea. He stood by the sea for a long time, waiting for an answer. But the fish no longer appeared, and the old man returned home. And there he was awaited by an old woman with a broken trough, sitting by an old dugout.
Plot source
As noted above, the fairy tale about the fisherman and the goldfish has its roots not only in Russian, but also in foreign folklore. So, the plot of this work is often compared with the tale "The Greedy Old Woman", which was part of the collection of the Brothers Grimm. However, this similarity is very distant. German authors focused all attention in the tale on the moral conclusion - greed does not lead to good, you need to be able to be content with what you have.
Actions in the fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm also take place on the seashore, however, instead of a goldfish, a flounder acts as a wish-fulfiller, which later turns out to be an enchanted prince as well. Pushkin replaced this image with a goldfish, symbolizing wealth and luck in Russian culture.
Tale of a goldfish in a new way
Today you can find many alterations of this tale in a new way. Characteristic for them is a change in time. That is, from ancient times, the main characters are transferred to the modern world, where there is also a lot of poverty and injustice. The moment of catching a goldfish remains unchanged, like the magic heroine herself. But the old woman’s desire is changing. Now she already needs an Indesit car, new boots, a villa, a Ford. She wants to be a blonde with long legs.
In some alterations, the end of the story is changing. A fairy tale can end with a happy family life of an old man and an old woman who are 40 years younger. However, such an end is more likely an exception than a rule. Usually the ending is either close to the original or tells of the death of an old man or old woman.
conclusions
Thus, the fairy tale about the goldfish still lives and remains relevant. This is confirmed by many of its alterations. Sounding in a new way gives her a new life, however, the problems posed by Pushkin, even in alterations, remain unchanged.
All about the same heroes are told by these new options, the same greedy old woman, and the obedient old man, and the wish-fulfilling fish, which speaks of the incredible skill and talent of Pushkin, who managed to write a work that remains relevant after almost two centuries.