V. A. Zhukovsky - famous poet, master poetic word, a keen expert on Russian culture and folklore. In the ballad “Svetlana,” the author realistically described Russian life, folk rituals, and revealed the Russian soul, so large, generous, reverent and ardent. The life of a Russian person used to be closely connected with traditions and rituals. According to the signs of fate or nature, the life and activities of one person or an entire family were adjusted.

Once on Epiphany evening

The girls were guessing

Fear of the unknown, curiosity, and the desire to find out the fate of loved ones pushed people to tell fortunes. Wealth or poverty, marriage or marriage, life or death, eternal wanderings or settled life with family - fortune telling on holidays will tell you everything.

V. A. Zhukovsky, the son of the landowner Bunin and the captive Turkish woman Salha, knew the Russian soul, loved the Russian hinterland, and felt nature. In the ballad “Svetlana” all this merged together, and as a result, the sadness of the soul and the fear of loss were revealed. The poet's verse is filled with music, rich in half-currents and nuances.

It was not for nothing that A.S. Pushkin considered Zhukovsky a great poet who paved many paths for Russian poetry. Zhukovsky had the rare gift of capturing the anxieties of a Russian person in a short poem or ballad, coloring them with music and sound, revealing their secrets without violating their integrity.

The ballad "Svetlana" is dedicated to Sashenka Protasova, with whom Zhukovsky was in love. Fortune telling on the mirror of a girl worried about the fate of her groom is traditional for Russian Christmas rituals. she peers into the mirror, and a phantasmagoria of images passes before her: a den of robbers, and a “replacement” groom who turns out to be a murderer. But a bright and clear smile resolves romantic horrors: this is just a bad dream.

Oh, don't know these terrible dreams

You, my Svetlana.

The future of the real Svetlana turned out to be tragic, her marriage was unsuccessful. But bright, poetic ballads remain in the history of literature.

The author sought to create a national Russian girl, but in “Lyudmila” this creative task was not solved. In “Svetlana” the same plot about a dead man is told by Zhukovsky in a different way. The author balances the eerie flavor of the narrative, traditional for a romantic “scary ballad,” with the poetry of love experiences and a happy ending. The author’s poetic discoveries also include the image of the heroine. Svetlana embodies the character of a Russian girl - cheerful and active, capable of sacrificial and faithful love. Subsequently, this type of heroine was repeatedly reproduced in Russian literature.

The plot about the dead man is preceded in the ballad by an everyday scene of Christmas fortune-telling, and “Svetlana” ends with the heroine’s awakening from sleep, return to real life and a happy meeting with her groom. The everyday framing of a mystical plot changes the character of the work as a whole. The story of the dead man appears as a kind of fun - nothing more than a scary tale told before bed. At the same time, the fortune telling scene allows the poet to reproduce the features of Russian national life and folk customs:

Once on Epiphany evening

The girls wondered:

A shoe behind the gate,

They took it off their feet and threw it;

The snow was cleared; under the windows

Listened; fed

Counted chicken grain...

The girls are having fun, only Svetlana is sad (after all, there is “no news” from her betrothed). In the name of love, the heroine decides to try her luck and begins to tell fortunes. This becomes a difficult test for her: she is left alone with unknown forces and gripped by fear:

The timidity in her stirs her chest,

She's afraid to look back

Fear clouds the eyes...

But then the sound of the lock is heard, and then “a quiet, light whisper.” The betrothed has returned, he calls the heroine to church, and Svetlana, without hesitation, sets off on the road with her imaginary groom.

In folklore tradition, the image of a road is associated with ideas about the path of life. So in “Svetlana” the road symbolizes the heroine’s life path - from the crown to the grave. But Svetlana makes this path with an inauthentic betrothed, which explains her vague, anxious premonitions, the trembling of her “prophetic” heart.

Horses rush through the blizzard across the snow-covered and deserted steppe. Everything prophesies trouble, speaks of the presence of evil forces: white snow (associated with the veil of death - a shroud), a black raven, the flickering of the moon. The coffin is also mentioned twice - a clear sign of death. Svetlana and her “groom” jump first in God's temple, and then to a “peaceful corner”, “a hut under the snow” (a metaphor for a grave). The “groom” disappears, and Svetlana is left alone with the unknown dead man and has a premonition imminent death: “What about the girl?.. She’s trembling... Death is near...”

The culminating event is the scene of the sudden “revival” of the dead man (“Moaning, he gnashed his teeth terribly...”), in which the heroine recognizes her fiancé. However, the very next moment she, waking up from sleep, is sitting in her little room by the mirror (in front of which the fortune telling began). The horror of what she experienced is behind her, and the heroine is rewarded both for her fears and for her willingness to follow her beloved into the unknown distance: the bell rings, and Svetlana’s real, living groom - stately and “amiable” - approaches the porch...

By incorporating the traditional plot into a new form, the poet connected the ballad with a fairy tale, thanks to which the plot clichés traditional for the ballad were rethought. In particular, the image of the road is typical for both ballads and fairy tales. In a fairy tale, a well-deserved reward awaits the hero at the end of the journey, and this is what happens in “Svetlana.” What did the heroine do to deserve the “reward”? Firstly, with his devotion, fidelity, mental fortitude. Secondly, her faith in God, to whom she constantly turns for spiritual support (“She fell to the dust before the icon, prayed to the Savior...”).

God's Providence, the poet shows, protects the living soul and does not allow it to perish. If she does not deviate from the true faith, night is replaced by day - a bright time filled with colors and sounds: “... a noisy rooster flaps its wings...”, “... snow glistens in the sun, thin steam glows red... " In “Svetlana,” in contrast to traditional ballads, a joyful and bright perception of life triumphs; folk principles, the bearer of which is Svetlana, triumph.

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Text content of presentation slides: The theme of love and death in the ballad “Svetlana”. Author Bezvinnaya T.A. The captivating sweetness of his poems will pass through the envious distance of centuries... A.S. Pushkin. “Svetlana” is one of Zhukovsky’s best ballads. The basis of the plot of this work is fortune-telling by girls: Once on Epiphany evening the girls were telling fortunes... They threw a shoe behind the gate, taking it off their feet; The snow was cleared; listened under the window; fed Snowy chicken grain; The ardent wax was heated; In a bowl of clean water they placed a gold ring, emerald earrings; They spread out a white cloth and sang in tune over the bowl, sublime songs. Fortune telling on a log. In the dark, they take a log from the barn and then examine the houses in the light. A smooth log means your husband will be good, a dry log means he will be bad, with cracks he will be angry. Fortune telling by name. The girls get ready and go outside. Here, everyone asks about the name of the first man they meet - his name will be the name of the betrothed. Fortune telling by eavesdropping. Fortune tellers go to listen under the windows of other people's houses to snatches of conversations, laughter, screams, complaints - who will "hear" what, and depending on the nature of what they hear, they predict the nature of the next year. Fortune telling with wax Melt the wax in a mug, pour milk into a saucer and place it at the threshold of your apartment or house. Say: “Brownie, my master, come to the threshold to drink milk and eat wax.” WITH last words pour melted wax into milk. Now look carefully. If you see a frozen cross, some illnesses await you in the new year. If the cross only appears, then in the coming year your financial affairs will not go too well, and in your personal life you will be overcome by troubles, but not too serious. If a flower blooms, get married, get married or find a new pleasant partner. If an animal appears, be careful: you will have some kind of enemy. If the wax spreads in stripes, roads and crossings await you. If the wax appears like stars, expect good luck in your work or studies. If a human figurine is formed, then you will have a new friend. Ring in water You need to take an ordinary glass with a completely flat bottom, without any designs, pour three-quarters of water into it and carefully lower a round wedding ring, previously cleaned, into the middle. Then you need to look through the water for a long time into the middle of the lowered ring. With a rather rich imagination, many claim that they see the face of the future groom. Throwing a shoe Fortune telling girls usually go outside the village and throw their shoes in front of them (on their left foot). And already, judging by where the toe of the shoe points, you can judge which side will be narrowed. If the toe of the shoe points to the outskirts, this means that the fortuneteller will not get married this year. Mirror corridor You need to start this fortune telling after 12 o'clock at night. Take two mirrors of different sizes (one is 2-3 times larger than the other) and place them opposite each other. A mirror corridor is formed. Sit behind the smaller mirror and look over it into the larger one. Place candles on both sides of the smaller mirror. Then, having patience, peer into the mirrored corridor. When your betrothed appears at the end of the corridor, throw a clean scarf over the smaller mirror. The plot is based on a mystical dream main character- Svetlana. And this is precisely the peculiarity of the composition of the ballad. In the work we are presented with an antithesis - the opposition of good forces to evil, a dream - reality. Moreover, the line between these phenomena is so poorly defined that we do not immediately realize what is happening. An example of this is the proposal of girlfriends who ask Svetlana to make a wish “in a clean glass of a mirror.” Further we see the following picture: Someone knocked, hears: Shyly looks in the mirror: Someone seemed to be shining behind her shoulders With bright eyes... The line between reality and sleep has been erased. And this fact enhances the mysterious, mystical perception of the work. And the appearance of a dead groom horrifies not only the heroine. The fantastic events taking place in the poem - the appearance of the dead groom, the path to his “abode”, the revival of the dead man - reflect the struggle between good and evil. The good beginning in Zhukovsky's ballads is a higher power. In “Svetlana” they are personified in the image of a dove: A snow-white dove with bright eyes, quietly blowing, flew in, quietly sat down on her chest, hugged them with his wings. “Poetry of the terrible,” characteristic of many ballads, is associated with an evil principle: terrifying aliens from the other world, the dead. The action in the work takes place at midnight. Traditional ballad images contribute to the build-up of horror: the moon, a black raven, a black coffin, a shroud. The image of Svetlana, images of Russian girls What is the author’s attitude towards the heroines? How is it transmitted? Everything connected with girls evokes tender feelings. Diminutive vocabulary helps convey this. Can we imagine a world in which girls live? What is important to them? Elegant world. Everything in it has meaning: “emerald earrings,” a gold ring, a mirror. Do the external attributes of a girl's life help us understand the heroine? Fortune telling and dreams help her understand what worries her. How are Svetlana’s intense feelings and emotional fluctuations conveyed? Author's position: humble yourself and submit to the experience. Faith in execution turns into faith in life. What images help Zhukovsky convey the charms of youth? Homework: What features of Russian folklore can be seen in the ballad “Svetlana”? Read Zhukovsky’s poem “To the Sea”, “Sea”


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The name of V. A. Zhukovsky in our literature is associated primarily with this genre poetic creativity like a ballad. Despite the fact that most of the poet’s works are translations, “Svetlana” is considered a symbol of early romanticism in Russia, since it reinforces the national flavor of our Motherland, which cannot be felt in the original German ballads.

Zhukovsky’s first ballad is “Lyudmila” (1808), which is actually a free translation of “Lenora” (1773) German poet G. Burger. In order to adapt the text for the Russian reader, the writer changes the name of the main character, her location, and introduces references to the folklore of the Russian people and their myths.

In 1812, “Svetlana” was published, also based on the plot of “Lenora”, but here the national flavor is further enhanced by details and landscapes, which, of course, was not in “Lenora”; In addition, Zhukovsky changes the ending of the ballad.

To whom did Zhukovsky dedicated the ballad? He addressed it to his niece A. A. Protasova as a gift for her wedding with his friend A. Voyekov.

In 1831, he translated “Lenora” for the third time, now with minimal changes.

Genre and direction

A ballad is a poem based on a highly dramatic plot, an extraordinary incident. The term itself comes from French and translates as "dance song". Ballads appeared in the Middle Ages. They are largely connected with folk tales and ancient legends. Here the features of song narration and story are combined.

The romanticism in the ballad “Svetlana” is obvious. The conflict inherent in romanticism comes to the fore, which is presented here as a struggle between the fictional world and the real world. The feelings of the main character are clearly expressed through landscapes that become active characters; Plot elements such as dreams, fortune telling, and the symbolism of Russian folklore are also inherent in romanticism, in contrast to, for example, the classicism that preceded it.

The relationship between the real and the fantastic becomes interesting in the ballad. It turns out that what is real here is fortune-telling, a dream, a meeting with a loved one at the end. The real (dream as a process) gives rise to the fantastic (the content of the dream): a dead groom, a coffin in a hut, a raven and a dove, a journey on horseback, etc. In a surprising way, the fantastic takes on a different meaning in “Svetlana”: faith saves the main character. It turns out that it, fantastic, can not only destroy the human soul, but also become its protector. Usually in ballads the opposite happens: in “Lyudmila”, and in “Lenora”, and in “The Forest Tsar” by I. Goethe, and in “The Cup” by A. S. Pushkin, the heroes lose to magical forces.

Composition

The composition of the ballad is based on the technique of antithesis: dream and reality are opposed. This clash is determined by the content, because reality in the work is contrasted with harmful illusion, faith with superstition, truth with lies.

The role of the composition is to show the contrast and the need for moral choice between mysticism, superstition, dream and reality, faith, truth. The heroine chose her path and returned to real world, where happiness awaited her.

About what?

The plot of this work largely repeats the plot of the previous one, “Lyudmila”. In them, Zhukovsky seems to resurrect the common motif of songs for the people: a young girl is waiting for her lover from the war.

Svetlana really misses her fiancé, from whom there has been no news for a year, and decides to tell fortunes in front of the mirror on Epiphany evening. The heroine looks in the mirror and suddenly hears the voice of her beloved, who calls her to church to finally tie their hearts in marriage. Of course, the girl agrees.

The road becomes a great test for her: she feels danger, hears the cries of a raven, sees a coffin. Many things portend trouble. When the sleigh with the heroine stops near a hut, the horses and the groom disappear. Svetlana enters the house and again sees the coffin, from which her deceased lover rises and stretches out his hands to her to seal their marriage. The girl is saved by a wonderful dove, hiding her from the dead man.

From fright, the heroine wakes up and realizes that her whole adventure turned out to be bad dream. She is confused, because, most likely, this was an omen, but in the finale a happy ending awaits her: the groom returns safe and sound.

The main characters and their characteristics

Many images in the ballad “Svetlana” have symbolic overtones, that is, they represent a mystical power contained in the body.

  1. Characteristics of Svetlana. It seems that the ballad has only one active character - Svetlana. She truly becomes the central character in the story. This is a young girl, saddened by the fact that there is no news from her beloved, she is worried about him. She cannot have fun like her friends, and for her fortune telling is not a simple girlish pastime. The heroine is pure and innocent: she does not complain about God, does not blame fate when she finds out that her fiancé has died, but on the contrary, she prays. Lyudmila and Lenora behaved differently, who, in a fit of despair, accuse the Savior of not hearing their prayers. The image of Svetlana is contrasted with these heroines: she does not call God to judgment, therefore dark, evil forces cannot destroy her pure and beautiful soul. For humility, piety and loyalty, the author rewards the heroine with a happy ending.
  2. Pigeon. A snow-white dove becomes a kind of double and protector of Svetlana, which protects her from the forces of darkness. This is the “comforting angel” to whom Svetlana prayed before she began to tell fortunes.
  3. Crow. This bird represents death and dark forces.

The ghost of the groom, who appears in a nightmare, the groom himself and Svetlana’s girlfriends do not have a well-developed characterization, but the reader learns that the girl’s lover is handsome, brave and faithful.

Themes

The main themes of the work are love and faith.

  1. Love is the basis of the plot, what drives it. Devout Svetlana decides to do fortune-telling, which is not approved by the Church, precisely because of her feelings for her lover.
  2. Faith acts as the savior of the girl, who does not give her into the hands of the ominous dead, into the arms of darkness. Both love and faith give her the strength to fight for her happiness.
  3. Traditions of Rus'. It is impossible not to note the importance of fortune telling in the plot: in Rus' it was a favorite pastime for girls. Zhukovsky uses it to show the life of the Russian people. The scene in the poem “Eugene Onegin” is constructed in a similar way - first Tatyana tells fortunes with her friends, and then sees a terrible dream.

Problems

The problems of “Svetlana” are quite multifaceted and original even for our time.

  • In the ballad “Svetlana,” Zhukovsky raises the problem of a person’s perception and acceptance of his fate. The poet shows that it is possible to overcome one’s grief and life’s difficulties with dignity and meekness. Humble and grateful to God, Svetlana prays to him for salvation and does not blame him for the death of her beloved.
  • The problem of superstition is also touched upon - cultural heritage paganism. People willingly believe all sorts of legends and signs, rituals and dreams, but they don’t see real life, where a system of moral and moral standards matters, which can only be built by genuine religiosity.

the main idea

"Svetlana" became very popular among readers. This is due, first of all, to the fact that the ballad contains a lot of details of national color; it was close to the people and was perceived as a truly Russian work that was understandable to the reader. There is a wide folklore and folk basis here: some signs, typical fortune-telling, references to famous songs and legends, motifs from Russian fairy tales and legends. Orthodox Russia in those days liked the end of the work, where, thanks to faith in God, the girl is saved from evil forces. This is the main idea of ​​the work: religiosity protects a person from defilement and is the key to a happy life.

Thus, Zhukovsky also turns to Russian history, which in early XIX century gains popularity thanks to the works of N. M. Karamzin, and to the ideas of the Orthodox faith. The author of the ballad shows that you don’t need to believe dreams, fortune telling and superstitions, but you can rely on what is actually happening; You should never lose faith in the best and hope. He expresses the meaning of the ballad in the following lines: “Here misfortune is a false dream; / Happiness is awakening.”

Outdated words

Thanks enough easy language a modern reader can easily understand the text of the ballad. However, it is worth mentioning the historicisms and archaisms that appear in the text.

  1. Historicisms- these are words denoting objects and phenomena that once existed that disappeared from the life of society for one reason or another. In “Svetlana” the following historicisms are found: tesovye (gates) - made of tesa - thin boards made of coniferous wood; Naloye - a high and narrow table for icons or the Gospel with an inclined tabletop for reading prayers while standing; Svetlitsa is a front room full of light (hence the name).
  2. Archaisms- these are outdated words that are most often not used anymore, but which have a modern language synonyms. The following archaisms are found in this work: sadness - sadness, melancholy; ochi - eyes; face - face; mouth - lips; creator - founder; Dennitsa - morning star.

What does it teach?

The ballad “Svetlana” teaches devotion, faith and meekness, as well as patience and perseverance. The heroine is devoted to her loved one and God, in whom she sincerely believes and does not forget in difficult moments. She gets into trouble because she breaks God's law by deciding to tell fortunes, but she does this because she does not receive news from the groom. The girl is saved by her humility and reverence for the Creator, who sent her a guardian dove.

At the end of the work, Zhukovsky prescribes a moral: “Glory - we were taught - smoke...”. Thus, he urges the reader to abide by God's laws and beware of false values ​​and illusions.

Means of expression

Also present here a large number of funds artistic expression, including epithets (“sweet”, “snow-white”, “pleasant”, “peaceful”), metaphors (“light is an evil judge”, “glory is smoke”), similes (“her soul is like a clear day”, “they rush as if on wings”), hyperbolization (“the darkness of people in the temple”), personification (“the chest aches,” “the cricket cried”).

Such techniques help Zhukovsky achieve imagery in the text, which is intuitively understandable to the Russian reader.

Folklore elements

The text contains many folklore references, among which is the image of the road as life path. It is often used in fairy tales. In “Svetlana,” the road that she overcomes with anxiety leads her from wedding to death.

In addition, light and darkness are contrasted using color symbolism (“snow-white”, “white” dove and “black” raven). Also, the source of light in the ballad is snow, which “falls in clumps” and “glitters in the sun,” while darkness is present without active action: “dark in the mirror,” “dark in the distance,” “in the dark.”

The work of V. A. Zhukovsky, both translations and original works, is of invaluable importance for world literature. The poet experimented with themes and formats, introduced the Russian public to the experience of Western writers and created something new, his own. In “Svetlana” he reflected to some extent the mentality of the people of his country, which significantly distinguishes this work both from its German original and from what was published in thick magazines of that time.

One of best examples The ballad of Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky “Svetlana” is rightfully considered to be an early Russian romanticism. The work is a reflection of the national mentality; it contains various folklore elements: signs, fortune telling, folk tales and ritual songs. We offer for analysis brief analysis“Svetlana” according to a plan that will be useful for 9th grade students in preparation for a lesson on literature and the Unified State Exam.

Brief Analysis

History of creation– The verse was written in 1812. It is based on the work of the German poet August Bürger “Lenora”, but Zhukovsky managed to convey the folk flavor so skillfully that the Russian version differs in many ways from the German original.

Theme of the poem– A terrible dream during Christmas fortune-telling, and a morning awakening that brought relief and joy. Also in the work, the author reveals themes of fate, happiness, fidelity, doubts and emotional experiences.

Composition– The composition of the ballad is built on an antithesis - the opposition of fantasy and reality, life and death, day and night. The main feature of the composition is Svetlana’s mystical dream.

Genre- Ballad.

Poetic size– Trochee with cross rhyme.

Metaphors – « dead silence”, “the light is an evil judge”.

Epithets – « dear", "stately", "secret».

Comparisons – « rushing as if on wings”, “she has a soul like a clear day».

Personifications – « my chest aches heavily,” “the cricket cried pitifully».

Hyperboles– « darkness of people in the temple”, “from their hooves a blizzard rose under their feet».

History of creation

At first creative path Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky imitated English and German poets in many ways. He sincerely believed that domestic writers had a lot to learn from their Western colleagues, and did not hesitate to adopt their experience. However, in his works Zhukovsky always took into account the peculiarities of the Russian mentality. As a result, even the converted works were distinguished by their amazing originality and bore little resemblance to the original sources.

One example of such imitation was the ballad “Svetlana,” which is based on the work of the famous German poet Bürger “Lenora.” Shifting the original source into his own style, in 1812 Zhukovsky presented Russian readers with a wonderful ballad that opens the door to the world of fairy tales, mysticism, legends and traditions.

The question involuntarily arises: to whom is such a mystical and mysterious work written by Zhukovsky and great love? Vasily Andreevich dedicated his ballad to his own niece and goddaughter A. Protasova. It was a kind of wedding gift to a girl who was getting married to best friend poet, A. Voeikov.

Subject

At the center of the ballad's narrative is Christmas fortune-telling for one's betrothed, which in the old days was very popular among unmarried girls.

The poet skillfully depicts the trepidation and anxious anticipation of the main character’s miracle. Exhausted in anticipation of her groom, Svetlana decides to lift the veil of secrecy over the future. But instead of the long-awaited wedding bells, terrible visions appear before her eyes: a memorial service for the deceased, an abandoned house, a coffin with a dead man.

And only faith and sincere prayer help Svetlana free herself from the bonds of the nightmare. The ballad has a happy ending in the form of a wedding and a complete denial of superstitious fears. This is how Zhukovsky expressed the main idea of ​​the work - true love and unshakable faith can eliminate any fears and doubts. With their help, you can overcome all life's problems and adversities; it is faith and love that give strength, fill confidence and inner harmony human soul.

Composition

The composition of the work is based on such an artistic device as antithesis. In the ballad the author depicts the struggle of love and death, night and day, reality and fantasy. Thanks to this technique, Zhukovsky was able to demonstrate contradictions inner world a person, the interaction of his soul and the reality of the surrounding world.

The composition “Svetlana” is distinguished by its harmony and ease of perception. The plot is based on the mystical dream of the lyrical hero - a girl named Svetlana. This is the main feature of the ballad composition.

  • Exposition- description of Christmas fortune telling for Russian girls.
  • The beginning– Svetlana looks in the mirror alone and falls asleep. The appearance of a groom who persistently asks her to get married.
  • Developments- a rapid road through a snowstorm and blizzard to the church where a memorial service for the deceased is being held. In an instant, everything disappears, and Svetlana finds herself in a hut, where she sees a coffin with a dead man.
  • Climax– Svetlana recognizes her lover in the dead man and wakes up in horror.
  • Denouement– Svetlana’s awakening, her meeting with her groom.
  • Epilogue– the author sincerely wishes the girl happiness.

Genre

When determining genre, Zhukovsky’s work is often confused with a poem, but it is written in the ballad genre, since it is presented in a melodic syllable, and lyrical hero finds himself in the thick of mysterious, mystical events.

The special lyricism and melodiousness of the ballad comes from the meter of the poem - trochee. This sound effect is further enhanced by cross rhyme.

Means of expression

The ballad is different great variety means of artistic expression. So, the author uses metaphors(“dead silence”, “evil judge light”), epithets(“darling”, “stately”, “secret”), comparisons(“they rush as if on wings”, “she has a soul like a clear day”), personifications(“the chest aches heavily,” “the cricket cried pitifully”), hyperboles(“darkness of people in the temple”, “from their hooves a blizzard rose under their feet”).

Poem test

Rating analysis

Average rating: 4.7. Total ratings received: 105.

The works were created on the basis of poems by foreign lyricists, but were distinguished by their originality and understandability for the Russian reader. The characteristic national flavor is especially clearly manifested in “Svetlana”.

Analysis of “Svetlana” by V. A. Zhukovsky, carried out according to plan, helps to get acquainted with the content of the work, understand the features and ideological content ballads.

History of the creation of the ballad

The composition “Svetlana” was completed four years after the publication of the translated ballad “Lyudmila”. The works are based on a narrative song by the German poet G. A. Burger.

Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky (1783 - 1852) - Russian poet, one of the founders of romanticism in Russian poetry. Translator of poetry and prose, literary critic, teacher.

The verse itself became a kind of wedding gift for the wedding of Vasily Andreevich’s niece and student Alexandra Protasova and the poet Voeikov. The author dedicated his lyrical lines to Alexandra Andreevna.

Reading full text“Svetlana” takes no more than 8 minutes. The ballad tells a story about Epiphany fortune-telling.

The first lines describe various ways to determine the future and find out your betrothed. Svetlana alone is sad and does not participate in the fun of her friends. She is sad about her distant beloved.

And yet, at night, the girl decides to perform a fortune-telling ritual and look into the mirror. What follows is a description of what was seen in the mirror surface by candlelight. Her lover appears before Svetlana, they rush to church. In the temple through open doors The girl sees many people and a black coffin. The sleigh rushes past, away, to a lonely hut.

Both the horses and the groom disappear, and the girl enters the hut. On the table under a white tablecloth there is a coffin with Svetlana’s lover. What she saw makes a terrifying impression on the maiden, and she wakes up. What does the dream promise? “Svetlana sat down (her chest aches heavily) under the window.” And she sees a racing sled on the road. A stately guest, her groom, comes out of the sleigh.

All the sad events turned out to be just a gloomy dream, “happiness is awakening.” The author encourages one to believe in providence and wishes not to have frightening dreams. The last lines contain wishes for a bright and cheerful life.

Analysis of the ballad “Svetlana”

The work of V. A. Zhukovsky “Svetlana” received positive reviews contemporaries.

Analyzing the idea and artistic originality, V. G. Belinsky noted the saturation of “poetic pictures of Russian Christmas customs and winter Russian nature.” And N.V. Gogol emphasized the strong impression made by the ballad “on everyone at that time.”

The meaning of the work

The main idea of ​​the ballad is contained in the final passage, where the author says that in life it is necessary to believe in Providence, and all misfortunes are “a lying dream; happiness is awakening.”

There is no need to live with groundless premonitions and constant anticipation of disaster. Reality has nothing to do with scary dreams. People should not confuse reality and fantasy. And when doubts and fears arise, you need to turn to faith.

Genre and direction

The work was written in the era of romanticism and bears pronounced features of this movement. In “Svetlana” the main features of the ballad genre emerge clearly. Therefore, it is a mistake to consider the work a poem due to its significant volume. The ballad belongs to the main genres of the romantic style.

IN lyrical work Zhukovsky contains the main typical features of a ballad. It's lyrical-epic piece of art, describing an unusual dramatic incident. The poetic lines of “Svetlana” have a special melodiousness, and the plot is filled with mysticism and mysterious events.

The author actively uses means of artistic expression: metaphors, personification, comparisons. There is an inextricable connection between the plot and Russian and German folklore. Typical of German folklore is the presence of a dead groom rising from a coffin. Russian folk art imparts special mysticism to the rituals of Christmas fortune-telling.

The ballad contains a lot of symbolism characteristic of Russian folklore. The raven serves as the messenger of death, the mysterious dilapidated hut resembles the home of the fabulous Baba Yaga, the white dove refers the reader to the incarnation of the biblical Holy Spirit. And all fears and mystical images disappear as soon as the Rooster crows.

Another characteristic device of romanticism present in the poem is motivation by sleep. Stands in front of the main character main question: which side to take. Should I preserve the holy faith in Providence in my heart or succumb to mystical temptations?

Poetic meter and composition

The composition of the ballad is based on the technique of opposition. The author draws such contrasting concepts as love and death, night and day, reality and sleep. With the help of this technique, V. A. Zhukovsky demonstrates the inconsistency of a person’s inner world.

Text of the ballad “Svetlana” (click to enlarge)

The composition is consistent and easily perceived by the reader. The plot is based on the lyrical dream of the main character. The exhibition includes a poetic description of the rites of Epiphany fortune-telling.

The plot begins with Svetlana’s decision to tell fortunes alone at midnight and her subsequent appearance on the groom’s doorstep.

The development of events occurs rapidly and is accompanied by winter weather and frantic horse racing.

The climax is the appearance of the young maiden's lover in a mysterious hut in a coffin.

The crow of a rooster and the girl's awakening from sleep, and then the appearance of Svetlana's alive and unharmed groom is the denouement.

The meter of the ballad is alternating tetrameter and trimeter trochee. The rhyme is cross.

The main characters and their characteristics

The ballad contains minor characters and symbolic images.

The main character is the girl Svetlana. In the first lines of the poem, the author gives the girl the following description: “Silent and sad, my dear.” In the image of Svetlana, Zhukovsky embodies the highest national qualities.

The heroine combines beautiful appearance and spiritual purity. For a year, knowing nothing about her lover, she humbly waits. Her sadness is meek and tender. She does not look for entertainment in separation, but quietly indulges in memories.

Her “soul is like a clear day,” so happiness does not bypass Svetlana. The result of all doubts and worries is a long-awaited meeting and eternal love.

Another romantic hero ballads - Svetlana's groom. He has all the characteristic qualities: beauty, daring, kindness and stature.

Ballad themes

The ballad reveals several main themes:

  • love;
  • faith in God;
  • predictions.

Love theme is the main one driving force works. It runs like a leitmotif through the entire narrative. Love encourages Svetlana to perform mystical fortune-telling, it gives strength and helps to believe in the best.

Sincere faith in God protects the heroine from representatives of the other world and leads to a happy life.

The theme of Christmas predictions is presented by the author in an original manner. The visions appear not in the mirror, but in Svetlana’s imagination, in a dream. The basic rule of fortune telling is rejected - refusal of divine support, removal of the pectoral cross before the ceremony. The girl undergoes the test “with her cross in her hand.” And here Zhukovsky again speaks of the importance of faith in Providence.

Issues

When assessing the problems of a poem, it is necessary to clearly understand what historical era it was written. Zhukovsky wrote primarily for his contemporaries. He raised the problem of the Orthodox faith and the importance of ritual activities.

What does the ballad “Svetlana” teach?

Illustrations are given in Zhukovsky’s lyrical work folk life, describes unusual dramatic events that turned out to be just a bad dream. The author teaches the reader perseverance and loyalty, following universal human values.

The main character's sleep and awakening are interpreted not only literally, but also symbolically. Dreams disturb the soul and create an erroneous understanding of reality. Waking up, a person is able to see clearly and understand the true meaning of life.

Zhukovsky focuses on basic moral values ​​and teaches to cherish love, maintain hope and believe in happy moments in life.