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Introduction

Alexander Nikolaevich is called the founder of the Russian realistic theater. It was he, according to Goncharov, who "finished the building, at the base of which the cornerstones of Fonvizin, Griboyedov, Gogol were laid." The influence of the traditions of Russian literature served as the writing of many of Ostrovsky's famous plays.

Each play by A.N. Ostrovsky is filled with a mystery - unusual names and surnames actors.

This work is devoted to the study and decoding of "talking" names and surnames in the work of A.N. Ostrovsky.

The relevance of my work is as follows. Firstly, the topic is poorly considered in textbooks, and I think it will be interesting for my peers to find out the meanings of surnames and names in the works. Secondly, this work will help them know that the author is carefully considering how to name his character. Thirdly, if we talk about practical significance work, it lies in the fact that deciphering the names will help the reader understand the idea of ​​the play.

The purpose of the work is to analyze for what purpose A.N. Ostrovsky in his plays used such a technique as "speaking" names and surnames

Setting this goal led to the following research objectives:

Consider the variety of surnames

Classify the names and surnames of the characters in A.N. Ostrovsky.

Decipher names and surnames.

Match the name and surname of the hero with his character.

Based on the research work answer the question: for what purpose A.N. Ostrovsky used "talking" names and surnames?

The historical origin of the word "surname"

Have you ever wondered what your last name or first name means? The name can determine, for example, the fate of a person, and the surname - his character, or vice versa. But the relationship of personal names with a person is obvious. A vivid example of this is the play by A.N. Ostrovsky. That is why it became very interesting for me to decipher some of the names and surnames in the works of Alexander Nikolaevich.

Before proceeding to the decoding of surnames in the works, it is necessary to understand what this word “surname” itself means.

The book by L. Uspensky says that in the 17th century, in Russia, a peasant was given a nickname, which was formed from a partial change in the name locality, in which he lived or it was given by occupation, for example, Velikie Bast shoes, Kuznetsov. During the Peter's reforms, the nickname was replaced by a surname. But it was difficult for the people to get used to the new foreign word, so the surname was most often used after the abolition of serfdom, as the peasants became free, and nicknames ceased to be used so often. In modern times, the surname is translated as a “family name”, inherited, added to a personal name.

But most importantly, in literature, the "surname" is one of the most striking means of characterizing a character. Even without knowing the hero, the reader forms his attitude by analyzing such personal data as the first and last name.

"Speaking" surnames and names as an artistic device in the works of Russian literature before A.N. Ostrovsky

Classicism with its strict canons is a thing of the past. But if you carefully analyze the plays, you can see a bright feature of this direction - "talking" surnames that help to understand the essence of the characters.

One of the brightest such examples is Fonvizin's comedy "Undergrowth". Denis Ivanovich, according to Pushkin, is “a bold ruler of satire”, therefore the surnames in his comedy determine the main feature in the characterization of the characters. Skotinin, bestial, he puts pigs "above each with a whole head."

Mitrofan translated from Greek means “like a mother”, and his inner qualities are stinginess, arbitrariness, rudeness, cruelty, which, indeed, is similar to his mother.

The names Pravdin and Vralman unambiguously characterize their characters. The first hero stands for the truth, and for the second, a lie, deception of the owners as the norm of life.

"Talking" surnames remain in the works, regardless of their direction.

In comedy A.S. Griboedov “Woe from Wit” Chatsky has features that make him related to the Decembrists: love for the common people, hatred for serfdom, a highly developed sense of self-esteem, true culture and enlightenment, unwillingness to put up with an unfair social order. Therefore, it is no coincidence that A.S. Griboyedov assigned the surname Chatsky to the representative of the "present" century, which is consonant with the surname of the philosopher, publicist and Decembrist Chaadaev.

Molchalin is the easiest surname to understand, it indicates that the hero is better silent, does not express his opinion, unlike Chatsky. “At my age, one should not dare to have one’s own judgment” (d. III, yavl. 3) is such a life principle of Molchalin.

Famusov, one of the representatives of conservatism, caters to everyone who stands above him, this careerist bureaucrat only cares about what the world will say, it’s not for nothing that his last name in Latin means “rumor”, and from English - famous.

In Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol's comedy The Government Inspector shows people worthy of universal ridicule. This is the negligent judge Lyapkin - Tyapkin, the hypocritical Luka Lukich, the flattering Strawberry, the doctor Gibner. Concerning the last surname there are fears, what outcome awaits his patients? With each action, more and more character traits of the characters are revealed. According to N.V. Gogol, in his comedy The Inspector General, he decided to "collect into one heap everything bad in Russia, all injustices, and at one time laugh at everyone." It is no coincidence that the main characters of the play are laughter and irony.

Thus, D.I. Fonvizin, A.S. Griboyedov and N.V. Gogol look at dramaturgy as a serious means of characterizing characters, educating the reader and viewer. In order to most clearly and accurately emphasize the vices and virtues of mankind, playwrights use "speaking" names and surnames in their works.

A.N. Ostrovsky - the successor of the traditions of Russian literature

Exploring the work of the playwright, I put forward a hypothesis that A.N. Ostrovsky

is the successor of the traditions of Russian literature.

In the portraits that A.N. Ostrovsky, there are no schemes, abstract personifications. Each of his images is a living, individual face. real life. Plays by A.N. Ostrovsky are devoted to depicting the manners and characters of various social groups. Life truth, artistic fidelity of A.N. Ostrovsky were also determined by a deep knowledge of the characters he portrayed.

To fully reveal the character of the heroes, A.N. Ostrovsky used a technique dating back to the Fonvizin theater: he began characterizing the characters with “talking” names and surnames. Many personal names are not invented, but taken from real life. A.N. Ostrovsky created more than fifty plays, in each he showed the unique character of a person. Also, names and surnames can be classified according to several criteria: animal names, lifestyle, formed from dialectisms, character traits consonant with the names of scientists.

3.1 The variety of "speaking" names and surnames

The second task that I set for myself was to consider the variety of names and surnames in the plays of A.N. Ostrovsky. There are more than 100 of them, for example, Berkutov, Pavlin Savelyich, Kabanova, Zhadov, Kruchinina, Neznamov, Pogulyaev, Karandyshev, Paratov, Ogudalova, Lynyaev, Podkhalyuzin Lazar Elizarych, etc. Therefore, it was decided to systematize them. For this purpose, eleven plays by A.N. Ostrovsky. That's what came out of it.

3.2 Classification of "speaking" names and surnames

Surnames consonant with the names of animals

Surnames that include the names of animals show that their owners have lost humane and human qualities if they are already compared with animals. It is no coincidence that A.N. Ostrovsky says that "humanity is being abolished, that which gives life its value and meaning is being abolished." So, for example, in the play "Wolves and Sheep". Vasily Ivanovich Berkutov, a clever, greedy landowner who was able to clean up the fortune of a wealthy widow, which further emphasizes his similarity to the bird of prey golden eagle.

Everyone knows the peacock bird, but not everyone knows its less common name - “royal chicken”. By definition, a peacock is a real chicken, only it is larger and the color is beautiful and unusual, unlike poultry. It was his appearance that made him famous. So the butler Pavlin Savelich wants to appear important and significant.

After the playwright traveled in the upper reaches of the Volga, in order to collect extensive material for his works, he deepened the possibilities of an important literary device. A.N. Ostrovsky learns that a wild boar is not just a wild pig, but also a dialect word, which means "block of ice" in translation. Therefore, the name Kabanov was not invented by A.N. Ostrovsky and fully describes the wild, rude and ferocious temper of Marfa Ignatievna. But in the city of Kalinov, her surname turns into the nickname Kabanikha, which further reveals the bestial nature in her character. The church-Slavonic words that she uses are determined by her piety and worldly experience. A boar can rudely interrupt a person’s speech: “Talk more!”. She reads instructions on the banks of the river so that everyone knows what she teaches children, but those around them understand that with her notations she “sharpens” her relatives like rusty iron.

Similarly, N.V. Gogol compared Sobakevich, the landowner in the poem Dead Souls, with a medium-sized bear, emphasizing physical strength and ugly clumsiness. To achieve the desired results, he with bearish force makes his way into life. Sobakevich considers all people crooks and scoundrels, that is, he judges everyone in his own image.

The animal nature dominates the natures of these characters. They are far from any philosophical dreams, they do not understand high spiritual demands, for them this is an empty pastime. So, A.N. Ostrovsky was the successor of Gogol's traditions, and one of the means of creating surnames in his plays is metaphorization.

Surnames showing lifestyle

Curious are the names that reflect the way of life, the behavior of the characters.

For example, the image of Zhadov (“ Plum”) is the image of a labor intellectual who finds himself in the ranks of the bureaucracy. He felt his social infringement, so his life was tragic. The surname "Zhadov" means greedy, or a person who is thirsty for something, and this explains his actions. He could not endure the struggle with the inert environment around him and, lamenting his youthful dreams, went to his uncle to ask for a “profitable place”, where he learns that he is being put on trial for “shortage sums and various abuses” (“Profitable Place”, d.V , yavl. 2 and 4). This serves as a lesson to the hero. Thus, Ostrovsky, with the help of the image of Zhadov, mercilessly exposed the vices and crimes of bureaucratic omnipotence.

Opposite Zhadov is the image of the actress Kruchinina (“Guilty Without Guilt”). She, a former teacher, was led to the theater by an inner calling to high service. The surname Kruchinina indicates hard life. Clever, educated, straightforward, believing that there is nobility in people, she set herself the goal of bringing goodness into life.

In the image of the actor Neznamov, the playwright collected the suffering of the illegitimate as if in focus. He is a man without a passport, who does not know who his relatives are, so it is not difficult for the reader to guess that "don't know" in Dahl's dictionary is interpreted as an unknown person.

Bodaev in the comedy "Forest" speaks sharply, stands his ground, he seems to butt heads with everyone.

From the surname Pogulyaev ("Abyss") it is clear that the person wearing it is idly spending time.

All these names indicate the relationship of people among themselves, their behavior in different situations.

Surnames formed from dialect words

There are not so many surnames that were formed from dialectisms in the works of A.N. Ostrovsky. For example, Ogudalova in "Dowry". “Ogudat” in the dialect, according to the dictionary of M. Vasmer, means “to deceive”, indeed, Ogudalova has to deceive, “splurge” in order to marry her daughters and get money.

The surname Lynyaev in the play "Wolves and Sheep" means to shirk, to get away from something. Ostrovsky's choice of such a surname makes it clear to the reader how Mikhail Borisovich decides things.

Paratov in "Dowry" is a man who arrives in Briakhimov pompously and ceremoniously, with cannon shots. This surname comes from the dialect word "poraty", which means "brave, lively." It is these features that are revealed when Paratov tells how he wanted to overtake the steamer "Airplane". Karandyshev, from the word "pencil" - a short man, only a poor official.

In the comedy Enough Stupidity for Every Wise Man, bright images of “business people” are created for whom “money does not smell”, and wealth becomes the only life goal. This is how the impoverished nobleman Glumov appeared, who traditionally dreamed of receiving an inheritance, a high position, a rich bride. His cynicism and business acumen do not contradict the way of life of the old noble bureaucracy: he himself is an ugly product of this environment. Glumov is smart in comparison with those before whom he is forced to bend, he is not averse to mocking the stupidity and arrogance of Mamaev and Kurchaev, he is able to see himself from the outside: “I am smart, angry and envious,” Glumov admits. He does not seek truth, but simply benefits.

With the help of dialect words A.N. Ostrovsky gives his characters more personality.

Names and surnames reflecting character traits

Basically, all surnames and names show a pronounced main character trait of the hero. In this regard, the most striking surname is Podkhalyuzin ("Our people - we will be counted"). He advises his subordinates - sellers to cheat buyers at the first opportunity. It should be noted that the clerk's name is Lazar Elizarych. Main feature his - hypocrisy, meanness. In the character's name one hears "sing Lazarus", which means whining, begging, exaggerating one's imaginary suffering and trying to arouse the regret and sympathy of others, meanness in the surname. In the image of Podkhalyuzin A.N. Ostrovsky explains that shameless, impudent deception in the eyes of the merchants is not a vice, but a necessary condition for trade.

The surname Wild ("Thunderstorm") is interesting - crazy, crazy, which fully justifies his wild temper. The position of an "important" person in the city, who is in alliance with the mayor himself, makes it possible for Wild to dictate his rights with complete impunity. He was not accustomed to restrain himself in communication. This is a rude tyrant, an exploiter, a dictator, even households hide from him for weeks in attics and closets, and in the bazaar the ranks “should give up their own, if only he calmed down” (case I, fig. 3).

Tikhon and Varvara are like the city fathers. They do not feel any respect for the people, they only observe external “piety”.

Among the highest creations of world drama, one can recognize the image of Tikhon Kabanov - how dramatically dialectical and truthful he is. In his image A.N. Ostrovsky rose to the pinnacle of psychological realism - so deeply did he reveal the screaming contradictions of this character, in which the features of Russian forced reality were expressed. Kind, naive by nature, he is capable of a sincere feeling, he truly loves Katerina and bitterly pities her. But he also gives her painful blows. The parting scene before Tikhon's departure is especially remarkable in this sense. He is ashamed in front of Katerina when, on the instructions of his mother, he repeats insulting instructions after her: “do not be rude”, “do something without me.” But at the end of the tragedy, a protest awakens in Tikhon: “Mama, you ruined her! You, you, you ... ”If Tikhon had kept silent or again followed the moralizing of his mother, then we would have been just a weak-willed, downtrodden person, a complete insignificance. It was at this moment of shock that the fire of anger and an explosion of despair broke out.

Barbara is the direct opposite of her brother. It is not submissive to the despotic power of tyranny. It has strength, will, courage, audacity. In translation, her name means "barbarian", which explains that she is deprived of a sense of responsibility for her actions, she does not understand internal suffering. “But in my opinion: do what you want, if only it were sewn and covered” (d. II, yavl. 1) - this is Barbara's code of life, justifying her deceit.

And only in Katerina the light of conscience glimmers, her piety absorbs all the beauty of nature. Her name comes from the Greek word "katharios" - pure, immaculate. Radiating divine light, the heroine is far from the house-building rules. Katerina passionately wanted freedom, she was drawn to the light. The darkness of immeasurable lawlessness dominated life. She could not resist him, overcome him. And, not humbled before him, but protesting against him with all her feelings, she passes away.

Katerina's love is Boris, his name means "glorious in the fight", but in his life he did not try to fight for at least something, but on the contrary, refused to help Katerina in eliminating the new life against the traditions of the dark kingdom.

"Dowry" is one of the universally recognized creations of A.N. Ostrovsky of the late period. The main character, Larisa, brings to mind the "Thunderstorm". Her tragic fate similar to the fate of Katerina. But Larisa, compared to Katerina, is a softer, lighter, more unprotected girl, her nature is more refined. Larisa is a significant name: translated from Greek, it is a seagull. The romantic and artistic nature of the heroine flies over the world on the wings of music. She does not notice godless sides in people and perceives the world as the heroine of a romance. But the mother's numerous deceptions, the drama of the first love interest left an indelible imprint on Larisa's soul. Now she is aloof from society.

The name Filicata (“Truth is good, but happiness is better”) is derived from the name Felicia, which means “happy”, good-natured, independent of the opinions of others. In addition to these qualities, the nanny Filizata has an extraordinary mind, cunning sharpness. “I’ve always been kind, but I didn’t notice something in myself before: it all seemed that it was not enough, not to the real extent; and now it turns out that in the house I am smarter than everyone else ”(d. IV, yavl. 8), - Filizata rejoices at the successful result of her invention.

Another interesting character drama - Kuligin. His last name is very consonant with the great self-taught scientist, Kulibin. The hero of the play is a poetic and dreamy person, as evidenced by his first appearance with the song “Among the Flat Valley ...” Kuligin, a self-taught watchmaker. He dreams of making the city of Kalinov better, but the despotism of the Wild does not allow him to realize his good intentions.

Also plays by A.N. Ostrovsky are filled with other signs, for example, funny names and surnames: Razlyulyaev (“Poverty is not a vice”), Malomalsky (“Don’t get into your sleigh”), Nedonoskov and Nedorostkov (“Jokers”), Dudkin and Shmaga (“Guilty without guilt ”), Puzatov (“Family Life”).

My hypothesis that A.N. Ostrovsky expanded the list of "talking" names and surnames was confirmed.

4. The role of "speaking" names and surnames in the work of A.N. Ostrovsky

The role of "speaking" names and surnames in the work of A.N. Ostrovsky is great. They give the work brightness and imagery, help to reveal the essence, penetrate into the depth of the author's intention, indicate the position of the author. Even without reading the work, with the help of "talking" names and surnames, you can guess which character is in character, how he treats people, how he perceives the world, what he is fond of. Using "speaking" names and surnames, A.N. Ostrovsky creates bright, fresh, individual images. Individualizing them, the playwright discovers the gift of the deepest penetration into them. psychological world. "Talking" surnames and first names help the author to saturate the work with colorful bright colors, with their help the plays become more emotional, expressive and expressive.

A.N. Ostrovsky, through the heroes of his plays, depicted a social system in which the value of a person was determined by his wealth, high position in society, in which people of the lower social strata experienced the hopelessness of their position. That is why in his plays all positive characters are in tragic positions.

In order to show the difference in the characters and social status of people with the greatest force, Ostrovsky was helped by the "speaking" names and surnames of the characters in his plays.

Conclusion

So, having studied the names of some characters in individual plays by A.N. Ostrovsky, we can summarize.

The playwright continued the traditions of D.I. Fonvizin, A.S. Griboyedov and N.V. Gogol, but with the help of "speaking" names and surnames, he was able to depict human vices and virtues, as well as social inequality, more clearly than his predecessors.

A.N. Ostrovsky showed a new social phenomenon characteristic of post-reform Russia: not the "moderation and accuracy" of the Molchalins lead, but the caustic mind and talent of the Chatskys.

In each play, Alexander Nikolayevich revealed the essence of a person through the "speaking" names and surnames of the heroes of his plays. In work on the characters of A.N. Ostrovsky constantly improved the techniques of his psychological skill, complicating the coloring of the images.

The peculiarity of the naming of the characters is that some of the names of A.N. Ostrovsky took from real life.

Working on today's topic, we made sure that A.N. Ostrovsky not only followed the traditions of Russian writers, but also expanded the possibilities of using "speaking" names and surnames, that their decoding is necessary for a deeper understanding of the meaning of the work, and they also serve as a "key of understanding" in revealing the inner world of the characters in A.N. Ostrovsky.

We can say that the tasks and goals set were achieved.

Attachment 1

Table 1

Classification of surnames by:	Surname / name of the character	The meaning of the surname / name of the character in the play
	Peacock ("Wolves and Sheep")	"royal hen"
Consonant with the names of animals:	Berkutov ("Wolves and Sheep")	Predatory bird
Consonant with the names of animals:	Kabanova ("Thunderstorm")	Wild pig, "block of ice"
Lifestyle:	Zhadov ("Profitable Place")
Lifestyle:	Kruchinina (“Guilty Without Guilt”)	Smart, kind
Lifestyle:	Neznamov (“Guilty Without Guilt”)	"Neznam" - unknown person
Lifestyle:	Pogulyaev ("Abyss")	Idle
Lifestyle:	Bodaev ("Forest")
	Lynyaev ("Wolves and Sheep")
Formed from dialect words:	Ogudalova ("Dowry")	"Ogud" - to deceive
Formed from dialect words:	Paratov ("Dowry")	"Porty" - bold, lively
Formed from dialect words:	Karandyshev ("Dowry")	"Pencil" - shorty
Formed from dialect words:	Glumov (“There is Enough Simplicity for Every Wise Man”)	sneer
Character traits:	Podkhalyuzin Lazar Elizarych ("Our people - we will settle")	meanness, complaining
Character traits:	Wild ("Thunderstorm")	Crazy, crazy
Character traits:	Tikhon ("Thunderstorm")	Quiet, without a mind of its own
Character traits:	Barbara ("Thunderstorm")	"Barbarian"
Character traits:	Katerina ("Thunderstorm")	"Katharios" - pure, immaculate
Character traits:	Boris ("Thunderstorm")	"Glorious in the fight"
Character traits:	Larisa ("Dowry")
Character traits:	Filizata ("Truth is good, but happiness is better")	"Felicia" - happy, good-natured

List of used literature

The art of dramaturgy A.N. Ostrovsky. Ed. 2nd, rev. And extra. M., "Enlightenment", 1974.

Moscow in the life and work of A.N. Ostrovsky. Publishing house "Moscow worker".

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. - 2nd ed., corrected. And extra. - M.: Art, 1982. - 568 p., ill., 16 sheets. ill., 1l. portrait - (Life in art)

Dictionary living Great Russian language Dal. Publishing house "Russian language" V / O "Sovexportkniga", 1991.

A.N. Ostrovsky - comedian. M, Publishing House of Moscow. un-ta, 1981, 216s.

Russian literature. XIX century. From Krylov to Chekhov: Proc. allowance. Comp. N.G. Mikhnovets.-St. Petersburg: "Parity", 2001. - 416p.

Literature. Directory of the applicant / V.E. Krasovsky, A.V. Ledenev / Under the general editorship of V.E. Krasovsky - M .: Philol. Society "SLOVO", LLC "Firma" AST Publishing House ", 1998. - 736s.

"Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky. M., "Khudozh.lit.", 1975 104s.

Uspensky Lev Vasilyevich YOU AND YOUR NAME AND THE NAME OF YOUR HOUSE. Uch. - ed. l. 29.38. TP 1972 No. 524. M - 17242.

"Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language" by M. Fasmer. 1st edition: 1964-1973; 2nd edition: 1986-1987

From the point of view of the phenomenon of speaking names we are considering, a lot of new, remarkable material can be found in the plays of this great playwright. Let us touch upon only the most interesting moments of the use of this literary device in Ostrovsky's most famous plays.

For example, in the play "Thunderstorm" there are no random names and surnames. Tikhonya, weak-willed drunkard and sissy Tikhon Kabanov fully justifies his name. The nickname of his "mother" - Kabaniha has long been rethought by readers as a name. No wonder the creator of "Thunderstorm" already in the poster presents this heroine in this way: "Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova (Kabanikha), a rich merchant's wife, a widow." By the way, her old, almost sinister name, paired with Savel Prokofievich Diky, quite definitely speaks of their characters, lifestyle, and morals. Interestingly, in translation from Aramaic, the name Martha is translated as "lady."

The surname Dikoy also contains a lot of curious things. The fact is that the ending -oy in the corresponding words is now read as -y (-y). For example, Pushkin's "desert sower of freedom" (in the current pronunciation - "desert") means "lonely." Thus, Wild is nothing but a "wild man", simply a "savage".

Names and surnames also have a symbolic meaning in the play "Dowry". Larisa - translated from Greek - a seagull. The surname Knurov comes from the dialect word knur - boar, boar, wild boar. Paratov is etymologically connected with the adjective porous - lively, strong, hefty, zealous. Vozhevatov comes from the phrase "tough people", which means cheeky, shameless. In the name, patronymic and surname of Larisa's mother, Harita Ignatievna Ogudalova, everything turns out to be significant. Gypsies from the choir were called Charites (from the Greek charis - grace, charm, beauty), and every Gypsy was called Ignat in Moscow. Hence the comparison of Larisa's house with a gypsy camp. The surname comes from the word ogudat - to deceive, seduce, inflate. Julius Kapitonovich Karandyshev, in contrast to the name and patronymic with the surname, already contains the image of this person in the grain. Julius - the name of the noble Roman emperor Caesar, Kapiton - from the Latin capitos - head, Karandyshev - from the word pencil - short, short, a man with exorbitant and unfounded claims. So psychologically polyphonic human characters emerge from the very first pages of the play.

Surprisingly interesting from the point of view of the study of the semantics of speaking names is the play "Hot Heart", in which there is a whole constellation of the most curious surnames, names and patronymics of the characters. Here, by the way, as V. Lakshin writes about this in the article “Ostrovsky's Poetic Satire”: “Perhaps the most striking and caustic figure in the political sense of comedy is Serapion Mardarevich Gradoboev. Well, Ostrovsky invented a name for him! Serapion is easily changed into “scorpion”, as the rude Matryona calls him, Mardariy sounds next to the dissonant word “muzzle”, and even Gradoboev is a surname filled to the brim with ironic semantics: not only crops beaten by hail, but also a battle imposed on the city " . By the way, Gradoboev is none other than the mayor of the city of Kalinov (remember "Thunderstorm", "Forest"), who is not very almondy with the townsfolk.

There is also a merchant Kuroslepov in the Hot Heart, who, either from drunkenness or from a hangover, suffers from something like night blindness: he does not see what is happening under his nose. By the way, his clerk, the favorite of Madame Kuroslepova, has a characteristic name - Narkis.

If you look through the works of A.N. Ostrovsky, you can find many characters with telling names. These are Samson Silych Bolshov, a wealthy merchant, and Lazar Elizarich Podkhalyuzin, his clerk (the play "Our people - we will settle"); Egor Dmitrievich Glumov from the drama "Enough Stupidity for Every Wise Man", who really mocks those around him; an actress of the provincial theater Negina from "Talents and Admirers" and a lover of delicate treatment, the merchant Velikatov.

In the play "The Forest" Ostrovsky persistently names the characters with names associated with the concepts of "happiness and misfortune", as well as with "paradise, arcadia". No wonder the name of the landowner Gurmyzhskaya is Raisa. Yes, and the root of the surname of Raisa Pavlovna leads to certain reflections. A.V.Superanskaya and A.V.Suslova write about this: “The name of Raisa Gurmyzhskaya, a rich landowner, in Russian is consonant with the word “paradise”. The clue to her surname can be found in another play by Ostrovsky - “The Snow Maiden” - In the words of Mizgir, who tells about the wonderful island of Gurmyz in the middle of the warm sea, where there are a lot of pearls, where there is heavenly life.

And about the stage names of the provincial actors Schastlivtsev and Neschastlivtsev, the same authors write as follows: consummate master names and surnames remains Ostrovsky. So, in the play "Forest" he shows the provincial actors Schastlivtsev and Neschastlivtsev. Yes, not just Schastlivtseva, but Arcadia (cf. Arcadia - the legendary happy country inhabited by shepherdesses and shepherdesses). Gennady Neschastlivtsev (Gennady - Greek noble) is a noble tragic actor. And their common fate seems especially tragic against the background of these names.

So, one of Ostrovsky's methods of forming surnames is metaphorization ( figurative meaning). So, the surname Berkutov (“Wolves and sheep”) and Korshunov (“Poverty is not a vice”) are formed from the names of birds of prey: the golden eagle is a strong mountain eagle, sharp-sighted, bloodthirsty; a kite is a weaker predator, capable of grabbing smaller prey. If the character with the surname Berkut is from the breed of "wolves" (which is emphasized by the title of the play) and "swallows" a large fortune, then Korshunov in the play dreams of stealing, like a chicken, from his father's house a weak, fragile creature (Lyubov Gordeevna).

Many of Ostrovsky's surnames are formed from common words (names of animals, birds, fish) with a pronounced negative meaning: they seem to characterize people according to the properties that are inherent in animals. Baranchevsky and Pereyarkov are stupid as sheep; Lisavsky is cunning, like a fox; Kukushkina is selfish and heartless, like a cuckoo...

The surname of Ostrovsky can also indicate the appearance of a person: Puzatov, Borodavkin, Pleshakov, Kurchaev, Belotelova; in the manner of behavior: Gnevyshev, Gromilov, Lyutov, Groznov; on lifestyle: Baklushin, Pogulyaev, Dosuzhaev; to social and financial situation: Bolshov, Velikatov ... And in the names of Goltsov, Mykin, Tugina, Kruchinina, the difficult, full of need and deprivation life of their bearers is indicated.

Almost a third of all the surnames in the playwright’s works are of dialectal origin: Velikatov (“Talents and Admirers”) from Velaty, that is, “stately, prominent, important, swaggering, proud, polite, able to treat people, inspiring respect for himself”; Lynyaev (“Wolves and Sheep”) from shirking, that is, “shirking, evading business” (V.I. purchase and sale ", Zhadov ("Profitable Place") from Zhadat - in ancient meaning: "to have a strong desire."

Ostrovsky’s plays are rich in funny surnames: Razlyulyaev (“Poverty is not a vice”), Malomalsky (“Don’t get into your sleigh”), Nedonoskov and Nedorostkov (“Jokers”) ...

As a "building material" for the formation of the characters' surnames, Ostrovsky does not often, but uses distorted foreign words: Paratov (“Dowry”) from the French “parade” (does everything for show, likes to show off, splurge. In the theater of A.N. Ostrovsky, speaking names are so accurate and significant that it’s time to talk about the virtuosic, phenomenal possession of this technique by the playwright .

2.5. Parody names in the work of M.E. Saltykov - Shchedrin, Kozma Prutkov

It is well known that when some phenomenon or phenomenon of culture reaches a certain level, becomes universally known and popular, they begin to parody it. So it is with speaking names. We have already partly touched on the fact that Gogol parodied some noble families. By the way, M.E. has many such surnames. Saltykov-Shchedrin: Interception-Zalikhvatsky from "The History of a City", Serpukhov-Catch up, Uryupinsky-Dezzhay from "Abroad", Peresvet-Toad from "Satire in Prose". However, in this case, we were dealing with a rather social, political, and only then a literary phenomenon.

In the full sense, parodic names and, accordingly, heroes appear in the work of Kozma Prutkov, created by the friendly efforts of A.K. Tolstoy and the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers. Is it any wonder that the heroes of the comedy "Fantasy" are completely parodic names. So, the hero, whom the authors present as a “decent person”, bears the surname Kutilo-Zavaldaisky; “a shy person”, of course, is called Shameless. "The Man Selling Soap" in this comedy turns out to be Prince Kasyan Rodionovich Batog-Batyev. In this double last name both Batu and the batogs found a place for themselves. An obvious roll call with the name of Manilov's son is the name of Femistocles Miltiadovich Razorvaki. And in the drama "Love and Silin" Kozma Prutkov brings General Kislozvezdova, "a dumb but voluptuous widow", and Silva-don-Alonzo-Bastard, "a visiting Gishpanets", onto the stage.

No less parodic and funny are the names of the comedy "Skulls, that is, a phrenologist." Here is Shishkengolm, “a phrenologist, a cheerful old man, bald, with a knobby skull,” here is Vikhorin, “a civil official. Shaved face, bald, in a wig. Know, because he and Vikhorin.

Parody always co-exists in parallel with what it makes fun of.

It can be assumed that the playwrights of later eras had to change the speaking names of the characters. The work of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov bright to that the confirmation.

With the name of Block in our worldview, first of all, the image of a romantic poet, who sings in his poems of the ideal beloved, the embodiment of accomplished femininity and beauty, is connected. The appearance of this motive (rather, even the leitmotif of the author's early work) is associated with the aesthetics of symbolism and with the philosophy and poetry of V. Solovyov. The teaching of the latter about the Universal Soul or Eternal Femininity, designed to renew and revive the world, passed through the prism of Blok's poetic talent. At the same time, "Poems about the Beautiful Lady" are largely autobiographical, as far as this word can be applied to a poetic work. Blok embodied in them the lovingly lyrical experiences of his youth. The beloved girl becomes in his poems the Holy, Most Pure Virgin, a symbol of femininity and beauty. The entire cycle of poems about the Beautiful Lady is permeated with the pathos of chaste love for a woman, chivalrous service to her and admiration for her as the personification of the ideal of spiritual beauty, a symbol of everything sublimely beautiful. The heroine of Blok's poetry is seen by the hero not as an earthly woman, but as a deity. She has several names: Beautiful Lady, Eternally Young, Holy Virgin, Volodarka of the Universe. She is heavenly, mysterious, inaccessible, removed from earthly disasters. It is inaccessible to the hero, because he is only a man, earthly, sinful, mortal. The lyrical hero of the cycle, the double of the poet -

Sometimes a servant, sometimes a sweetheart, And forever a slave. A knight, a kneeling monk, a slave - he carries out his service to the beautiful queen, the Most Pure Virgin: I enter dark temples, I perform a poor rite, There I wait for the Beautiful Lady In the flickering of red lamps.

In everything the hero feels her presence - in the bottomless azure of the sky, in the spring wind, in the song of the violin. At the same time, the heroine is almost incorporeal, her image does not imply anything concrete, “palpable”, because everything earthly is alien to her:

Here a face arises from lace, A face arises from lace ... Here its blizzard trills float, Light stars dragging with a train ...

“I can’t hear any sighs or speeches,” says the hero. To describe the object of his worship, the author uses epithets such as "radiant", "mysterious", "indescribable", "illumined", "comforting". But in some verses about the Beautiful Lady, her image takes on more concrete, earthly features, devoid of a touch of mysticism:

I will get up in the drizzling morning,

The sun hits your face.

You, dear friend,

Are you coming to my porch?

Before us is no longer an image prevented, but an earthly woman. In the verses that followed the cycle of the Beautiful Lady, one can trace further development her image. The heroine of the cycle remained a celestial, did not take pity on the hero and his love. In later poems, the figure of a new heroine appears, who also embodied the ideal of beauty and light in her own way. Heavenly angel, Star Maiden unexpectedly falls to the ground:

You flowed like a bloody star, I changed your path in total, When you started to fall.

The metaphysical fall of the Virgin disturbs and upsets the hero, but then he realizes, having found his beloved on the unconsecrated ground, in the "unlit gate", that

And this look is no less bright than it was in the misty heights.

Having descended from "heaven", the heroine has not lost her beauty, charm, charm. This is how the Stranger is born - an angel who descended to earth, a "genius of pure beauty", in the words of A. S. Pushkin. In the poem “A Train Smeared with Stars”, the heroine is compared to a comet, falling down, connecting heaven and earth with this fall:

Train, spattered with stars, Blue, blue, blue look. Between earth and heaven Whirlwind raised fire.

So the image of the mystical "Eternal Femininity" is replaced in the poetic world of Blok by a romantic image living on the land of the Stranger. And then there is another conflict:

Among this mysterious vulgarity, Tell me what to do with you - unattainable and the only one, Like a smoky blue evening?

The heroine is doomed to stay in a world of vulgarity and dirt. How is it possible for the beautiful and the ugly, the sublime and the mundane to coexist? Blok tries to answer this question in his poem "The Stranger". It is built on the opposition of two worlds. In the first part, the poet gives a picture of an ugly everyday reality (stuffiness of the streets, boredom, dust, crying, screeching. Ordinary, familiarity of what is happening is emphasized by the repeated use of the combination “and every evening. And at the same time -

... At the appointed hour, (But I'm only dreaming of this?) A girl's camp, seized by silks, In a foggy window moves.

The image of the Stranger cannot be interpreted unambiguously. Is it just a vision that the hero, sitting over a glass of wine, had a vision of? Is it a real woman, endowed with the attributes of a romantic lover - again, not without the influence of alcohol? An heir to romanticism, Blok does not avoid ambiguity and irony. One thing seems certain: dream and reality are incompatible, there is no place for the ideal in the world of everyday life. The last lines look like a sarcastic conclusion:

You're right, drunk monster! I know: the truth is in wine.

But - how to know? perhaps it is the wine of poetry? Romantic in character, the image of the Beautiful Lady gives a tragic sound to Blok's works. The ideal beloved is far away, inaccessible, lifeless she is only a symbol. Subsequently, her image is filled with vital content: the poet is looking for his heroine in this world. But the meeting cannot bring him either joy or peace, since the impossibility of its existence on earth is obvious. This is how the image of the Beautiful Lady, the Eternal Femininity of the desired friend, the fallen angel, the Stranger, develops and finds its end in Blok's poetry.

The whole horizon is on fire, And the appearance is near, But I'm afraid - you will change your appearance, And audacious awaken suspicion, replacing the usual features of A. Blocking the usual features of A. Blok

The theme of the path is one of the main lyrical themes of poets. silver age and especially symbolist poets. Their poems are an accurate fixation of the path of the lyrical hero and his generation. Three volumes of A. Blok's lyrics are his diary, a consistent description of all emotional experiences, events that took place in his life. “This is my path, and I am firmly convinced that all my poems are a trilogy of incarnation. From a moment of too bright light through a swampy forest to retribution and to the birth of a public person, an artist, ”said the poet himself.

The first volume of A. Blok's lyrics is permeated with the expectation of the Beautiful Lady. The first cycle - "Ante lucem" - is filled with a premonition of the coming into the world of great femininity, hence the motives of darkness, then the coming harmony. A. Blok cultivates the poetics of limits, extremes, and at the same time creates a world permeated with blue and purple colors, woven from highlights, filled with an amazing melody of verse: “I loved, I love to love tirelessly ...” The motive of renewal is associated with the appearance of the Beautiful Lady. Keywords the second cycle of the first volume of lyrics - "" - light and flame. The poet finds harmony, finds the ideal of eternal femininity and is only afraid of being unworthy of this ideal.

The third cycle of poems included in the first volume of lyrics, "Crossroads", takes on a tragic sound. The poet feels how harmony is gradually slipping away from him, how he is gradually moving away from the ideal. Sleep, oblivion - these are the main motives of this cycle. The images are dominated by gray color, blurry halftones, and the elements of the farce burst into the world. In the soul of a lyrical hero, high and low, high tragedy and farce are intertwined. The transition to the world of clowns, masks and booths is tragic, and "coffin steps" lead to this world:

I celebrated a bright death

Touching the wax hand

The rest is a bottomless expanse

Buried in the blue mist.

All this prepared that tragic turning point in the perception of the world, which was realized in the second volume of A. Blok's lyrics. “She will never come,” the poet says about the Beautiful Lady. The ideals of the lyrical hero A. Blok are destroyed, he surrenders to the elements, and his world is filled with swamp imps (cycle "Bubbles of the Earth"). In the lyrics of the second book of poems, there is a transition from unearthly harmony to earthly, chaotic, a stable motif of a booth and "hellish retinue" appears. In the City cycle, the poet shows how two realities coexist in the world. Unearthly harmony and trying to get along with the inhumanity of the city of Petra, his devilish laughter, ugly dwarfs:

And a couple flickered after a couple ...

I was waiting for a bright angel to us,

So that here, in the glee of the sidewalk,

He attached one to heaven...

And above - on a dangerous ledge -

Quietly cringing, the dwarf crouched,

And it seemed to us a red banner

In the town lyrical hero Alexandra Blok finds the ghostly ideal of the Stranger - an ideal that exists only in the soul of the poet:

There is a treasure in my soul

And the key is entrusted only to me!

The stranger and the "drunkards with the eyes of rabbits" are the two realities that are combined in the soul of the lyrical hero.

With surprising constancy, the motif of death appears in the verses of this cycle. Life is compared to a wax doll, the hero lives in a constant premonition of the cessation of life, the coming of the power of chaos. The poet feels “the approaching rumble of a distant uprising”, expects a breakthrough of the elements.

The "Snow Mask" cycle is divided into two equally important sub-cycles: "Snows" and "Masks". Snow is the personification of a whirlwind, elements, unlimitedness, chaos. The mask appears because in the world whirlpool a person gradually loses his face:

Give me back, mask, soul,

Woe is my light!

In the Faina cycle, the lyrical hero of A. Blok receives a new worldview. “A dark veil has fallen…”, and the hero turns to life again. The motive of meeting with life, fate becomes the leading one in the verses of this cycle. But life is already perceived differently, it is an amazing fusion of contradictions (“Autumn Love”). A. Blok rethinks the understanding of poetry, now he sees that it is always less life, and the poet "loves heaven and earth" less "than rhyming and non-rhyming speeches about earth and sky." This feeling of the narrowness of poetry is also connected with the appearance in the Faina cycle of poems written in free verse - free verse.

So the main idea gradually matures, which was embodied in the third book of A. Blok's poems - the world is imperfect, but it is impossible to remake it, it is only necessary to try to understand it by any means. “The plan for the third book of my poems is the inevitable dramatic sequence of life,” the poet writes in 1908. AT last book lyrics Alexander Alexandrovich explores human soul, in the verses the motif of a double appears - a man, telling the truth about the life of a lyrical hero.

Before the appearance of the Stranger, tragic notes clearly sound in the poem, the theme of the “terrible world”, “the impenetrable horror of life”.

The poet describes evening life: restaurants, where "hot air" is wild and deaf, alleys. The line "and every evening" is repeated periodically. That is, the real world is revealed to the author only in the evening, when the disk “pointlessly curves” in the sky.

When reading a poem, you can hear a lot different sounds, for example, “baby crying”, creaking of oarlocks, “female screeching”, cry of drunkards “with rabbit eyes”.

The image of the "terrible world" expresses not only gray everyday life, from which the lyrical hero sees no way out, but also the emptiness of his inner world, which he feels with no less tragedy. There is no harmony in the real world. The author is looking for what will bring him a sense of harmony. Changes in the soul of the lyrical hero occur with the advent of the Stranger, who "every evening, at the appointed hour ... A window will move in the foggy." The question arises before the lyrical hero: “Is this a dream of mine?” A stranger appears when "all the souls ... bends Pierced tart wine"

Block writes:

There is a treasure in my soul

And the key is entrusted only to me!

With these lines, the author shows that love and beauty are in the soul of a person, and not in the surrounding “terrible world”. The fate of love is determined by the person himself. To use the "key" to the "treasure", the lyrical hero gets drunk, and understands that for him "truth is in wine." And he sees not only the beautiful Stranger, but also "the enchanted shore." And there is no longer that “terrible world”, the sight of which makes you shudder, but there is a wonderful feeling of love and an endless “enchanted distance”.

Every person in one way or another is characterized by a sense of beauty, a desire for beauty. At all times, the personification of this was a woman, as we can judge from ancient myths and legends. A special cult of a woman, a lady, developed in the Middle Ages, in the era of chivalry. Let us recall Don Quixote, who, in the name of his Dulcinea, did a variety of, sometimes fantastic and absurd deeds. The great Dante and Petrarch in sublime, enthusiastic verses immortalized the images of their beloved Beatrice and Laura.

In Russian poetry of the Silver Age, the cult of a woman was embodied primarily in the poetry and philosophy of Vladimir Solovyov. In his view, a woman personified the image of the World Soul, the Eternal Wife, Sophia the Wise, was a symbol of harmony, reason, love and beauty. The cult of the Eternal Femininity was further developed in the work of Alexander Blok, for whom Vladimir Solovyov became a spiritual teacher. It is Blok who owns unusually lyrical and tender poems about the Beautiful Lady.

Alexander Blok made his debut in poetry as a traditional romantic, and in his early poems there were corresponding motives: alienation from the crowd, disappointment in life, disbelief in happiness. And suddenly, in the darkness of unbelief, blindness, She appears - "clear", "radiant", "illumined", "golden". Blok describes it in the same way as icon painters usually depict the Mother of God surrounded by radiance. At the same time, a real, quite earthly woman, Lyubov Dmitrievna Mendeleeva, became the prototype of the Beautiful Lady.

At first glance, there is nothing in common between the "heavenly" Mother of God and the "earthly" beloved of the poet. But in his mind, there is a connection between them, and this connection is mystical. Just like the romantic poets, Blok recreates the image of a real woman in accordance with his ideal, turning her into a Beautiful Lady, into a Madonna. The poet himself (a lyrical hero) appears before us, according to the definition of J. Aikhenvald, “a knight and a pilgrim”.

He anticipates the Mother of God, follows “in the footsteps of her blue paths”, breaking ties with reality and transporting himself to a completely different world - the world of “dreams and fogs”, the world of dreams. Blok called the cycle of poems about the Beautiful Lady "a closed book of being", which reflected a journey through the "countries of the soul" in the "early morning dawn". "Poems about the Beautiful Lady" convey a special - prayerful - state of the soul of the hero (author), a state of inner contemplation. The lyrical hero of Blok contains the whole Universe, his soul is equal to the universe:

I don't care - the universe is in me ...

Block contrasts this ideal world with the real one. It is in the realm of the ideal that he seeks salvation from the vulgarity and rudeness of earthly existence:

Seeking salvation.

My fires burn on the heights of the mountains -

The whole region of the night was illuminated.

But the brightest of all is the spiritual gaze in me

And you are away.

The Beautiful Lady is the undivided mistress of the poet’s soul, the motive of insight is associated with her (“I am here at the end, full of insight”); she opens the way for him to comprehend Eternity, being her messenger:

I'm just waiting for a conditional vision

To fly off into another void ...

In many verses of the cycle, the image of the Beautiful Lady is incorporeal, unsteady, barely perceptible, perceived not so much by sight (internal) as by hearing (also internal):

The wind brought from afar

Your sound songs...

Thus, the Beautiful Lady becomes a link between the earthly (alien) and heavenly (native) worlds. We see that the lyrical hero values ​​earthly attributes little - with all his being he strives upward. Let us turn to the poem "I enter the dark temples." The whole poem is imbued with a solemn mood, the hero is waiting for a meeting with her "in the flickering of red lamps." As you know, red is the color of fire, passion. This passion is filled with the soul of the beautiful Lady waiting for the appearance: "I'm trembling from the creak of doors." He desperately wants to see Her, but he knows that this is impossible:

And illumined looks into my face

Only an image, only a dream about Her.

This invisible presence is dearer to the hero than the real one. Moreover, he is afraid of a real meeting, which allows us to talk about, for example, a line from the poem “I foresee You”:

But I'm afraid: you will change your appearance.

The poet understands that the earthly embodiment of a dream is impossible without the destruction of the ideal.

As we see, in the image of the Beautiful Lady there are more heavenly than earthly features: it seems sublime, absolutely inaccessible and incomprehensible. And yet the earth is present in it. This is indicated by the appeal to Her for “you”, earthly epithets (“sweetheart”), some features that make her appearance visible: “virgin robe”, “white dress”, “pale beauty”. In some poems, the image of the heroine fits the poet into a real earthly landscape:

We met at sunset

You cut the bay with an oar.

With all his striving upwards, the lyrical hero of Blok cannot completely break with the earth. Moreover, he begins to be weary of this gap, strives to "overcome dreams and fogs" in the name of gaining reality. That is why Blok called "Poems about the Beautiful Lady" the beginning of the "trilogy of incarnation."