The life and work of Goncharov. Goncharov's works

By his character, Ivan Alexandrovich was very different from most thinkers born of the era of the 60s, active and energetic. In his life there was a lot uncharacteristic for that time, as if the stormy social activities and various changes of the 60s did not touch him at all. The concentration, tension, impulsiveness, characteristic of the writers of this era, are replaced by Ivan Alexandrovich poise, sobriety, simplicity. Goncharov’s life and work are briefly described in this article.

Chronological table of life

Young years

The chronological table of Goncharov Ivan Alexandrovich opens in 1812. This year, in Simbirsk, he was born. Ivan Alexandrovich belonged to the merchant class, which at that time was a rare exception for the intelligentsia, as he was usually represented by the nobility. However, the writer’s entourage did not have much of a merchant proper; this environment had almost no effect on his upbringing and education, nor on his surroundings. Ivan Alexandrovich’s father, who died early, was very wealthy, which allowed the Goncharovs not to save on expenses and to live quite richly.

Simbirsk of that time was a collection of mostly wooden, old houses and buildings, and the population of the city was not numerous. The first ten years of the future writer’s life passed in this place. Ivan Goncharov, whose biography and work are closely related, received his first education in private boarding houses of the city, as well as from a local priest who contained a boarding house for children from noble families. In this guesthouse, Ivan Alexandrovich discovered a small library and liked to spend time reading fiction from Russian and foreign authors.

Studying in Moscow

In 1822, at the age of ten, he was taken to Moscow to a secondary institution for nobles to continue his studies. So the life and work of Goncharov pass into a new stage of independent life, without parental care. He only came home for the summer, spending the rest of his time in Moscow. Here, Ivan Alexandrovich, among other things, got acquainted with the works of French fiction writers, and one of the novels by Eugene Sue even translated into Russian. An excerpt from this translation was published in the journal Telescope for 1832.

Eight years of training passed very quickly, without, in general, bringing either particular benefit or particular harm.

University

In 1830, 18 years old, Goncharov was preparing to enter the university, but cholera began, and it was closed, so Ivan Alexandrovich managed to enter there only the next year, 1831. By that time, he already knew several languages: French, German, English and Latin.

At the university, the life and work of Goncharov, which are briefly reviewed in this article, are entering a new stage. He listened to lectures by Kachenovsky, Shevyrev, Nadezhdin, Pogodin, Davydov and others, and subsequently remembered them with gratitude. Goncharov was an exemplary student. He attended almost all lectures, zealously wrote down for lecturers, and did homework. Ivan Alexandrovich avoided the circles. Herzen and Ogarev studied at the university at that time, but he did not meet with either one, and he met with Lermontov only in the audience.

The chronological table of Goncharov Ivan Alexandrovich continues the next date, June 1834, when he successfully passed the final exams and left home with his brother in Simbirsk. The life and work of the young writer begins now in his homeland.

At home

Goncharov Ivan Alexandrovich writes: "I was swept over like domestic fermentation." In this “dear Oblomovka,” a well-fed, contented life was passing, days were replaced by days, and years by years, there were no noticeable changes. In provincial Simbirsk the harsh atmosphere of the Nikolaev regime was practically not felt. The whole year Goncharov simply rested, doing nothing especially. Balls and social events replaced each other. When the young man at times thought about the future, it seemed to him in the form of a service, although all this seemed still very distant, and only the case accelerated the matter, namely the friendship that Goncharov made (the biography and work of the writer of the following years are described below) with the governor Uglitsky, who invited him to become a clerk in his office.

From that moment, the usual bureaucratic routine began for Ivan Alexandrovich, from which there were not very pleasant, but useful impressions and memories regarding bribery and other vices of officials. A photo of Goncharov is presented below.

Petersburg The first literary activity

The stages of life and work of Goncharov continue with the St. Petersburg period. According to someone’s denunciation in 1835, Uglitsky was recalled from his native Simbirsk and headed to Petersburg, and Ivan Alexandrovich went with him. Here he entered the Ministry of Finance in the service, in the department of foreign trade, first as a translator, and then as the head of the department. This smooth, calm character corresponded to this service, and the measured clerical atmosphere did not bother Ivan Alexandrovich at all.

In the first years after arriving in St. Petersburg in his free time, he translated Schiller, Winkelmann, Goethe, as well as English novelist writers. However, Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov did not think about his own work at this time. Only in the early forties did his first independent works appear. See below the photo of Goncharov.

"Ordinary story"

In 1847, the first novel of the beginning writer, Ordinary History, was published on the pages of Sovremennik. By this time, the writer was already 35 years old, the life and work of Goncharov entered a phase of maturity.

It was a story of disappointment, the collapse of the hopes of young pupils of various Oblomov, flocking to the capital with a souvenir from a lady of the heart and a volume of Schiller in his pocket, cheerful, spoiled, fattened. Petersburg immediately relieved them of all illusions and reverie, crushed all hopes, so this story could be called "Ordinary Tragedy."

In the novel, a biographical element is clearly felt. According to the author himself, this work reflected his life experience, the period when he turned from a romantic and a dreamer into a cold and businesslike official. Ivan Goncharov, whose biography is brought to your attention, underwent a transformation similar to the one that the protagonist experiences.

Alexander Aduev, a dreamy romantic man from the provinces, a Schiller fan who blindly believes in eternal friendship and love, comes to the capital, Petersburg of the forties, from the care of his selflessly loving mother. He falls in love, but love betrays him, and friendship changes. From this, Alexander becomes desperate. He returns to the province, forgets about all his aspirations and ideals, and ends his life with a rich bride, a respectable belly and a good salary.

The Ordinary History was copied three times; the writer spent about 5-6 years creating it before the work was published. She immediately attracted attention, and Goncharov gained recognition as a writer. The famous insightful critic Belinsky also responded to this novel, who welcomed the new talented author and predicted his success.

In 1846, Ivan Alexandrovich personally met Belinsky, but he did not come close either with him or with other members of the literary circle. Then Nekrasov, Panaev, Turgenev, Botkin, Granovsky, Herzen and others belonged to this circle.

Frigate Pallas

In 1852, Ivan Alexandrovich, as Secretary of Admiral Putyatin, went on an expedition to the Russian possessions in America. The purpose of the trip was to draw up a trade agreement with Japan, a country that at that time was almost unknown to Europeans. The journey was not easy for the writer, especially the first months of the voyage - he suffered from an attack of neuralgia with headaches, and it was often cold in the cabin. Only gradually, upon arrival in England, Ivan Alexandrovich managed to get used to the marine life with its rolling, cold and fog and feel at home. In addition to official reports and reports, he wrote letters published in the Marine Collection, in which he described his impressions. Later, from these letters a description of the voyage under the name "Frigate" Pallas "was published, published in two volumes.

This work was noted as one of the best descriptive works in Russian literature. It could be read by both adults and children, educated and uneducated. The book describes the nature of various exotic countries where the ship visited, a comparison of the customs of strangers with the inhabitants of their native country is given, and there are also humorous episodes. He paid tribute to the beauties of local nature, but nevertheless his native landscapes were more sweet to his heart, of which Goncharov, whose books were spoken for the writer himself, always remembered with love.

I.A. Goncharov: "Oblomov"

Goncharov’s novels continues to "Oblomov". His idea came to the writer in the forties. And during the expedition described above, the prototype of Ilya Ilyich greatly occupied him. Take for example the first chapter of the first book, The Frigate Pallas, which contrasts the busy, active, hasty Englishman with the Russian gentleman, calm and lazy. The description of the life of the gentleman is very similar to the description of Oblomov.

Oblomov is a whole new stage in which Goncharov’s life and work have entered. The table of his biography and creativity is not complete without mentioning 1857. This year, while relaxing on the waters in Kissingen, this work was completed, conceived back in the forties.

The life and work of Goncharov with the release of this novel open a new stage. Immediately after publication, the work became a real sensation, they talked about and argued in all camps without exception. The two best critics, Dobrolyubov and Pisarev, devoted their witty critical articles to Oblomov. Dobrolyubov's article "What is Oblomovism?" put Oblomov on a par with the most famous heroes of the time - Pechorin, Onegin, Beltov, Rudin. “Oblomovka is our direct homeland,” writes Dobrolyubov, who in his article equated the entire Russian intelligentsia with the Oblomov type. For Nikolai Alexandrovich, Oblomovism is, above all, effeminacy, lordly laziness, which is condoned by many servants. Of course, Dobrolyubov does not express the slightest sympathy for either the protagonist or Oblomovism as a whole.

Pisarev in his article devotes much more space to psychological characterization, noting the destructive effect of mental apathy caused by a variety of reasons. Goncharov himself noted that Pisarev’s article was the best of all that was written about his novel, since he described the complexity of such a seemingly elementary Oblomov type. After all, the hero, it turns out, was a sick man, as Goncharov notes. Oblomov not only does not want to work, but is afraid of labor, because he brings him physical agony. And after all, he is sometimes capable of active work, albeit under the influence of others. Olga managed to induce him to activity, various activities.

The hero trembles literally throughout the work of Goncharov, except, perhaps, for his most recent pages. He fears everything: dampness, movement, through wind, love, decency, a big word. And this fear is a characteristic symptom of atrophy of the will, a psychiatric illness.

In addition, Oblomov is always between two opposites: he was brought up in an old Russian manner and atmosphere, used to inaction and luxury, to satisfy his own whims. His childhood passed under the tireless, thoughtless supervision of relatives, as lethargic and passive as he was.

They undead and spoiled him, they tried to suppress the impulses of activity and agility, natural for a young age, as well as curiosity and interest in anything. The fruits of such education are known - laziness, which has taken its extreme form, as well as fear of any changes and demands of life.

This disease, according to Goncharov, is rooted in all of Russian life and history. In this sense, Oblomov was the true embodiment of the lordly Russia of pre-reform times. However, can it be considered that after the abolition of serfdom, the situation has changed so dramatically? Did Ilya Ilyich really die?

No, he cannot die. That is why this novel now, as always, remains relevant.

Oblomov, understood as an accusatory novel, ridiculed the nobility and Russian laziness, was a huge reader's success. Goncharov was even compared to Gogol.

After returning from a trip around the world, Ivan Alexandrovich again took up the civil service, working all the same in the department of foreign trade as the head of the department. However, soon, in 1858, he entered the service of the censorship department under the Ministry of Education. In 1862, he became editor of the then-published Northern Post, an official journal. Goncharov served in good faith and achieved significant success in the service: he was promoted several times - from the censor to a member of the Main Press Directorate.

I.A. Goncharov: the novel "Cliff"

Goncharov’s novels do not end with the publication of Oblomov. In 1868, on the pages of the journal Vestnik Evropy appeared his next novel after Oblomov - Cliff. He was conceived almost simultaneously with Oblomov, but it took more than 20 years to write this work by Goncharov! Over the years, a whole generation has changed, a whole era. From the dark period of Nicholas’s rule, Russia proceeded to revival and renewal. But Goncharov’s gaze was still fixed on the past, from where he drew his images and characters. Criticism did not appreciate this novel, perhaps the uncertainty of the time when it appeared contributed to this. By this period, the magazines Sovremennik and Russkoe Slovo were closed, and criticism lost its best representatives, including Pisarev. "Domestic Notes" was just getting on its feet. The journalism was dominated by confusion in the moods and minds. And suddenly, at this troubled time, a work is born that is imbued with a certain outlook on life, and, one might say, an optimistic outlook ... Goncharov recognizes all that is old as strong, healthy and right, hopes for a reconciliation of the old with the new. Naturally, at that time such a position could not have supporters.

Let us briefly talk about the two central figures of the novel - Paradise and grandmother. Paradise fights against the old order, effeminacy, but sleeps in a comfortable bed and does not deny himself anything, even allows Yegorka to take off her boots. He still lives in the era of serfdom, and fights with it only in words that are not backed by deed: he simply advises his grandmother to let the serfs free, but he himself does not want to intervene, although the estate belongs to him. This indecision is very typical, characteristic of the whole of Russian society at that difficult time, as well as for any transitional era.

Grandmother is much more businesslike than her grandson. She speaks the language of her ancestors, in the words of proverbs, ancient wisdom. Through this outdated wisdom, much more common sense can be seen in her than in Paradise. She was a stubborn, firm, domineering woman who did not like to give in, although deep down and often understood that Paradise was right. However, in spite of all her confidence and conviction of her rightness, she still does not have a proud rejection of the new. She is simply happy with the old, and afraid of the new, but if necessary, inferior to him.

So this theme goes through the whole novel: the obsolete struggle with the new. Goncharov does not defend either side; he seeks only to reconcile and unite them.

last years of life

Ivan Alexandrovich, naturally, was offended by the way his novel was accepted. By that time he was already under 60 years old, and behind his back were major literary victories. After the release of The Cliff, Goncharov very rarely appeared to the public and wrote little. His latest works include Literary Evening, Million of Torment, Notes on Belinsky’s Personality, Better Late Than Never, Servants, Memories.

The failure of his beloved brainchild, illness and approaching old age lead him to melancholy and longing. In 1873, with the rank of general, Goncharov resigned, hardly having taken out one good memory from more than forty years of service. However, after this, Ivan Alexandrovich was destined to live for almost 20 years. He had few friends, close ones too, he rarely received guests and talked somehow reluctantly. In recent years, Ivan Alexandrovich suffered from health problems, and Goncharov died of pneumonia on September 15, 1891.