Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov is one of the most interesting writers of the twentieth century. A lot of controversy and ambiguous judgments provoked and causes his work. Therefore, it is quite exciting to conduct an analysis of Nabokov. "Mashenka" is not just a novel, but the first novel of a writer, which makes him even more significant and valuable.
Creativity Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov is an unsolved mystery and inexplicable mystery of twentieth-century literature. Some consider him a genius, others do not recognize him as a talented writer. He was born in the XIX century in St. Petersburg and died at the end of the last century in Switzerland. Most of his life he lived abroad, but his Russian childhood was not forgotten. Nabokov wrote both in his native and in English, translated his novels, and lectured in philology.
Many of his texts preempted the era of modernism, and the style of his works is so distinctive that it has no analogues in Russian or foreign literature. The ambiguity and heterogeneity of his creations make a complete analysis of Nabokov impossible. âMashaâ is taken by us for study, not only because it is the first novel of Vladimir Vladimirovich, but also because it is the first work written by him in exile.
History of creation
So, we will begin the analysis of Nabokov (âMashenkaâ is in the focus of our attention). The novel was written in 1926 in Berlin. He has many biographical motives, primarily related to homesickness, the intolerable sadness of an emigrant for a lost home.
In the Niva magazine, immediately after the novel was published, a review of it was published: "Nabokov embroiders his fate according to the outline of his works ... the fate of a whole human type is reflected - a Russian intellectual emigrant." Life abroad was difficult, as for many people who left their home country. The only thing Nabokov could find solace in was the memory of the past, where there was joy, love, home. It was these bright thoughts that formed the basis of the novel.
Summary: start
Before proceeding with the analysis, we turn to the retelling of the plot of the novel "Mashenka". Summary should begin to be described in the spring of 1934 in Berlin. The main character, Ganin Lev Glebovich, lives in a guesthouse for Russians, where, in addition to him, there are:
- Alferov Alexey Ivanovich (mathematician);
- Podtyagin Anton Sergeevich (old poet),
- "Cozy young lady" Clara, in love with Ganina and working as a typist;
- couple in love - ballet dancers Colin and Gornotsvetov.
Ganin arrived in Berlin a year ago, during which time he changed several jobs: a nurse, a worker, a waiter. He managed to save enough money to leave, but first he needs to part with Lyudmila, with whom they have been in a relationship for three months, which is terribly tired of the hero. But Ganin cannot find an excuse for a break. The windows of his room, as luck would have it, overlook the railway, and the desire to leave becomes irresistible. In a fit of feelings overwhelming him, Lev Glebovich announces to the hostess of the guesthouse that he is leaving on Saturday.
First love
A lot of feelings and experiences of Nabokov himself were reflected in the work "Mashenka". The summary of the novel (especially Ganin's memories of the past) also proves this.
Lev Glebovich learns from Alferov that his wife, Mashenka, will arrive on Saturday. In his wifeâs photo, the mathematician Ganin recognizes the girl whom he first fell in love with. He is captured by memories of the past, he even, according to his feelings, is ten years younger. And the next day he tells Lyudmila that he is in love with another. Ganin feels freedom and completely surrenders to memories.
He is sixteen years old, he is in a summer estate, where he is recovering from typhoid. From boredom, the young man creates in his thoughts the image of an ideal lover, whom he meets exactly one month later. It was Mashenka - a girl with a âbrown scythe in a black bowâ, burning eyes, a swarthy face and a âmoving, burryâ voice. She was constantly cheerful, very fond of sweets. Once Ganin met her with her friends, and they agreed to go boating, but the next day, Masha came without friends. Since that time, young people began to meet next to an empty estate.
When they met for the last time on the eve of their departure to St. Petersburg, Ganin noticed that the shutters at one window were ajar and a face was guessed in the glass. It turned out that the watchman's son was spying on them. Ganin was so angry that he beat him badly.
The next morning, the protagonist left. Mashenka moved to Petersburg only in November. Now it has become more difficult for young people to meet - itâs cold outside, you canât walk for a long time. The only joy was the telephone - in the evenings they could talk for hours with each other. And shortly before the New Year, Mashenkaâs family moved to Moscow. To his surprise, Ganin felt relief from this.
In the summer they had the opportunity to meet again. The only problem is this year, Mashenkaâs father rented a cottage fifty miles from the Ganiny estate. The young man went to his lover, but he got already dark. She greeted him with the words: "I am yours, do whatever you want with me." But there were too many rustles, it seemed to Ganin that someone was walking, so he quickly left.
The last time they met a year later was on the train and have not seen each other since. Only exchanged a few letters during the war.
The end of the novel
As you can see, Nabokov draws a realistic and very life story in his novel.
The summary is coming to an end. On the eve of Mashenkaâs return, Ganin watered Alferov at a celebration hosted by Kolin and Gornotsvetov. He plans to meet a woman himself and grin with her.
In the morning, Ganin says goodbye to boarders and leaves for the station. There is an hour left until the train arrives. Gradually, thoughts began to climb into Ganinâs head that their affair with Masha had ended a long time ago. Without waiting for the woman to arrive, he goes to another station and leaves.
Theme and idea
An analysis of the novel âMashenkaâ by Nabokov should begin with the definition of a topic and an idea. It seems that the theme of love in the work is in the first place and is the leading one, but this is not so. In fact, the novel is dedicated exclusively to the lost homeland - Russia. All other subtopics and motives are grouped around this image.
In the work of Nabokov, and with it the main character, they try to regain their lost happiness, to regain paradise. But the outcome is disappointing - not to return the lost, everything is over, only wandering remains, there is no turning back.
Conflict in the novel
The conflict that created in the novel by Nabokov is very interesting and specific. "Mashenka" (analysis of the work) allows us to conclude that the main contradiction is based on contrasts: genuine - fake, everyday - unusual. Dreams of Russia are becoming more real than living in exile, and the routine of Berlin is replaced by the exclusivity and unusualness of the vastness of his native country.
The plot and plot
If we conduct a thorough analysis of the novel "Mashenka" by Nabokov, it turns out that as such there is no plot in it. The content of the work more closely resembles a stream of consciousness: Ganinâs constant internal monologues, character dialogues, descriptions of places where an event occurs.
Of course, one cannot call a novel built on just that. There is a view from the outside - the narration is from a third party, a certain objectivity is inherent in the description of the space, the reader hears not only the hero's voice, but also the speech of other characters. However, the whole plot of the novel can be reduced to several events: Ganin is going to leave, learns about the arrival of a longtime lover, remembers feelings he had experienced in his youth, is going to revive them, but at the last moment refuses this and leaves. It is in this scarcity of actions that the originality and unusualness of Nabokov's work is expressed, what makes him unlike neither Russian nor foreign writers.
The image of Ganin
The image of the main character was largely written off by Vladimir Nabokov. "Mashenka" (analysis of Ganinâs feelings and experiences as an emigrant) once again confirms this. Nobody needs him in Berlin, and he doesn't care about anyone either. Leo Glebovich is lonely and unhappy, oppressed, his soul was gripped by hopeless longing. He has no desire to fight something or change something.
Only the memories of Mashenka revive the hero. Thoughts about the past revive his soul and body, phantom happiness warms, pushes to action, gives hope for the future. But this euphoria does not last long . Sitting at the station, waiting for Mashenka, he suddenly realizes that it is impossible to regain the past, you can only dream of a lost paradise (Homeland), but you will never be able to regain it again.
The image of Masha
It is impossible, making an analysis of the story âMashenkaâ (Nabokov), not to pay attention to the image of the main character, even if she appears only in Ganinâs dreams. Only the brightest and happiest memories are associated with Masha in the work. The image of the girl becomes the personification of forever lost happiness, Russia even before the war and revolution.
The fact that Mashenka, merging with the image of the Motherland, does not appear in the novel, speaks of the unattainability of paradise (Russia). She appears only in memories and dreams, more is not available for emigrants.
The peculiarity of the end of the novel
Very often in this piece Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov plays on the deception of the readerâs expectations: Mashenka (the analysis of her image is presented above) does not appear, the alleged love triangle, to which the arrangement of the main characters pushes, turns into a zilch, and the finale does not correspond to traditional literary devices.
The end of the novel is more philosophical than psychological. Nabokov does not allow heroes to meet, not because of deep emotional experiences, but because there is no return to the past.
Conclusion
Thus, the eccentricity and a certain mystery of the work are confirmed by Nabokovâs analysis. âMashenkaâ in this context is not only the authorâs first novel, but also a statement about his unusual talent, which only developed in later works.