"Peter the Great" (Tolstoy): analysis of the novel, the image of Peter, the system of characters. School encyclopedia Topics and problems

A. N. Tolstoy created the novel "Peter the Great" for about a decade and a half. Three books were written, a continuation of the epic was planned, but even the third book was not completed. Before writing, the author deeply studied historical sources, and as a result, we have the opportunity to see a portrait of the creator of the empire.

"Peter the Great" is a novel about the manners and life of that era, in which magnificent portraits of the time of Peter the Great are given. This is largely facilitated by the language, which conveys the flavor of the 17th century.

Childhood and youth of the king

After the death of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and then his son, the active and energetic Sofya Alekseevna sought to come to power, but the boyars prophesy the kingdom of Peter, the healthy and lively son of Naryshkina. "Peter the Great" is a novel that describes the tragic events in Russia, where antiquity and nobility rule, and not intelligence and business qualities, where life flows in the old fashioned way.

Incited by Sophia, the archers demand that they be shown the two young princes Ivan and Peter, who are later installed in the kingdom. But despite this, their sister Sophia really rules in the state. She sends Vasily Golitsyn to the Crimea to fight the Tatars, but the Russian army returns ingloriously. Meanwhile, Petrusha is growing up away from the Kremlin. "Peter the Great" is a novel that introduces the reader to those persons who will later be Peter's associates: Aleksashka Menshikov, the clever boyar Fyodor Sommer. In a German settlement, young Peter meets a woman who later becomes the uncrowned queen. Meanwhile, the mother marries her son to Evdokia Lopukhina, who does not understand the aspirations of her husband and gradually becomes a burden to him. This is how the action in Tolstoy's novel develops rapidly.

"Peter the Great" is a novel that in the first part shows the conditions under which the inflexible character of the autocrat is forged: conflicts with Sophia, the capture of Azov, the Great Embassy, work at the shipyards in Holland, the return and bloody suppression of the streltsy rebellion. One thing is clear - there will be no Byzantine Russia under Peter.

The maturity of the autocrat

How the tsar builds a new country is shown in the second volume by A. Tolstoy. Peter the Great does not let the boyars sleep, elevates the active merchant Brovkin, gives his daughter Sanka in marriage to their former master and owner Volkov. The young king longs to lead the country to the seas in order to freely and duty-free trade and grow rich in it. He organizes the construction of the fleet in Voronezh. Later, Peter sails to the shores of the Bosphorus. By this time, Franz Lefort had died - a faithful friend and assistant who understood the king better than he himself. But the thoughts laid down by Lefort, which Peter could not formulate, are beginning to be realized. He is surrounded by active energetic people, and all the mossy and ossified boyars, like Buynosov, have to be pulled out of their slumber by force. The merchant Brovkin is gaining great power in the state, and his daughter, the noble noblewoman Volkova, masters Russian and foreign languages and dreams of Paris. His son Yakov is in the Navy, Gavrila is studying in Holland, Artamosha, who has received a good education, helps his father.

War with Sweden

Already laid on marshy and swampy St. Petersburg - the new capital of Russia.

Natalya, Peter's beloved sister, in Moscow does not let the boyars doze off. She puts on performances, suits the European court of Peter's beloved - Catherine. Meanwhile, the war with Sweden begins. A. Tolstoy talks about 1703-1704 in the third book. Peter the Great leads the army and, after a long siege, takes Narva, and the general - the commandant of the Horn fortress, who doomed many people to senseless death, is taken to prison.

Personality of Peter

Peter is the central personality of the work. Many characters from the people are introduced into the novel, who see in him both a ruler who has been replaced abroad, and a reformer tsar who is hardworking and does not shy away from menial work: he himself cuts with an ax when building ships. The king is inquisitive, easy to communicate with, brave in battle. The novel "Peter the Great" presents the image of Peter in dynamics and development: from a young, poorly educated boy who, already in childhood, begins to plan the creation of a new type of army, to a purposeful builder of a huge empire.

On its way, it sweeps away everything that prevents Russia from becoming a full-fledged European state. The main thing for him at any age is to sweep away the old, musty, everything that interferes with moving forward.

Memorable pictures were created by A. N. Tolstoy. The novel "Peter the Great" is easy to read and captures the reader immediately. The language is rich, fresh, historically accurate. The artistic skill of the writer is based not only on talent, but also on a deep study of primary sources (the works of N. Ustryalov, S. Solovyov, I. Golikov, diaries and notes of Peter's contemporaries, torture notes). Based on the novel, feature films were staged.

Tolstoy began work on the novel in 1929. The first two books were completed by 1934. Shortly before his death in 1943, the author began work on the third book, but managed to bring the novel only to the events of 1704.

The novel Peter the Great covers the time after the death of Fyodor Alekseevich, the son of Alexei Mikhailovich, and almost before the capture of Narva by Russian troops.

The novel is as close as possible to real historical events. Streltsy rebellion, the insidious Princess Sophia, her lover, Prince Vasily Golitsyn, Lefort, Menshikov, Charles XII, Anna Mons - all these historical figures are present here.

Peter the Great has a stubborn character and fights for his decisions, often not carried out by crafty and lazy military leaders.

With difficulty, with the help of the fleet, Azov was taken, which led Russia to clash with the mighty Turkish Empire.

The meaning of the novel

Tolstoy wrote: “A historical novel cannot be written in the form of a chronicle, in the form of history. We need, first of all, the composition, the architectonics of the work. What is composition? This is primarily the establishment of the center, the center of vision. In my novel, the center is the figure of Peter I.

The boredom of the Transfiguration Palace leads Peter the Great to the settlement, to ordinary people.

The novel by Alexei Tolstoy shows the whole existence of that time. Ordinary people, Peter's contemporaries, are especially vividly portrayed. They argue, agree, participate in historical events. On them, it is on them that Alexei Tolstoy shows the opinion of the people about the reforms of Peter the Great, about his policies and other deeds.

The work of the people is depicted. The first army of Peter was defeated in the war with the Swedes, but the future emperor did not give up - he began to create a new army and having created it, he defeated the Swedes and won the war.

The culmination and end of the novel - the result of the efforts and the dream of all the people who suffered the victory was the capture of Narva. At the very end of the novel, on the last page - Peter the Great approaches the commandant of Narva - General Gorn, who was taken prisoner and says: "Take him to prison, on foot, through the whole city, so that he can see the sad work of his hands ...".

The special style of A. Tolstoy's narration allows the reader to read this novel in one fell swoop, without much effort, delving into the meaning on the go. This makes the story more interesting and exciting...

Characters

Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov - Tsar
Alexander Danilovich Menshikov - comrade-in-arms of the tsar, His Serene Highness Prince
Franz Lefort - associate of Peter, general
Anna Mons - Peter's favorite
Sofya Alekseevna Romanova - princess, sister of Peter
Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn - Prince, Sophia's lover
Artamon Sergeevich Matveev - boyar
Patriarch Joachim - Patriarch
Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina - queen
Ivan Kirillovich Naryshkin - brother of the queen
Dwarf - servant of Ivan Kirillovich
Alexey Ivanovich Brovkin (Alyoshka) - son of Ivashka Brovkin, friend of Aleksashka
Ivan Artemich Brovkin (Ivashka Brovkin) - a serf, later a wealthy merchant, Alyoshka's father

Materials and documents that formed the basis for writing the novel

Torture records of the end of the 17th century, collected by Professor N. Ya. Novombergsky and handed over to the writer by historian V.V. Kalmash at the end of 1916. “History of the reign of Peter the Great” by N. Ustryalov, volumes 13-15 “History of Russia from ancient times” by S. Solovyov, “Acts of Peter the Great” by I. Golikov. As well as the diaries and notes of Patrick Gordon, I. Zhelyabuzhsky, Johann Korb, D. Perry, B. Kurakin, Yust Jul, N. Neplyuev, P. Tolstoy, F. Berchholz and others.

"Peter" is the first real historical novel in our literature, "a book for a long time," M. Gorky wrote to Alexei Tolstoy. In general, the historical narrative of the writer about Peter the Great became such a “magnificent thing”. Conveying the complexity and dramatic grandeur of the unfolding events, Tolstoy seeks to combine them into an integral plot unity. The writer populates the novel with a huge number of characters. Through the relationship of the characters, the author tries to explore the spirit of the era, to understand the alignment of its driving forces, the events that shaped and developed the personality of Peter.

All the efforts of the writer are aimed at fully and multifacetedly revealing the image of Peter, to show the uniqueness of this figure not only for Russia, but for all times and peoples. But no matter how talented and energetic the king was, he would not have been able to do anything if he had not rallied around him faithful and active people. Subsequently, Pushkin will figuratively and accurately call them "chicks of Petrov's nest."

Who were they? Greedy for life and work, to match Tsar Peter, with his indefatigable energy, strength, will and desire to be useful to Russia.

Franz Lefort was the first friend and mentor who did a lot for Peter's spiritual growth. He introduced the still unintelligent young man to the course of European politics, explained why, sitting on wealth, the Russians are in poverty. After his early death, Peter felt that he had suffered an irreparable loss. That evening, he admitted that Menshikov was the only faithful person to the end, his right hand, "albeit a thieving one."

Having got out of the urban poor, Alexander Danilovich Menshikov was never able to give up some of the habits that were firmly ingrained in his soul.

Menshikov is devoted to Peter to self-forgetfulness, he is ready, at the wave of the “Min Hertz” hand, to go to any business, without hesitation he jumps into the thick of battle, blocking his idol with himself, gives him his beloved woman - the captive Katerina, but it’s not possible to refuse his thieving nature forces, for which it is often beaten by Peter, quick to reprisal.

The Brovkins, who have risen from oblivion, are just as devoted to the tsar. Ivan Artemyich is trying to supply Peter's troops with the best products, the fleet - with hemp and canvas. He gives the king and the most precious - his sons. Brovkins are one of those who do not accumulate wealth by chests, but study languages, sciences, European politeness. Peter above all appreciates knowledge and dedication in people, so he instructs Alexei Brovkin to make a trip to the northern lands, to recruit people suitable for the construction of St. Petersburg and into the troops.

Artamon Brovkin, despite his young age, serves in the embassy department, as he knows languages, understands European politics. Gavrila Brovkin was sent by the tsar to Moscow to help his sister Natalya Alekseevna organize the first theater. Among Peter's comrades-in-arms there are well-born boyars, on whom the tsar can rely at a difficult moment. This is, first of all, Prince-Caesar Romodanovsky, left by the governor in Moscow. Like a chained dog, he protects the royal property, in the most difficult periods for the king he is his support and support, he opens secret cellars to Peter to equip the troops for the Azov campaign. Sheremetiev, Repnin, Makarov - there are many of them, who, together with Peter, forged the victory near Azov and Narva, then completely defeated the Swedes near Poltava.

If Peter had not had so many followers, faithful and selfless comrades-in-arms, he would not have been able to do anything, but this was precisely the phenomenon of this man, that he could unite the best forces around him, lead him, where only by personal example, and where, if necessary, with the help of a whip and fists, he drove negligent assistants to work. Peter understood that, acting only in a good way, in a good way, he would not achieve anything. Russian society was too ossified in inaction, so all means were good to force them to serve the Fatherland zealously and conscientiously.

A. Tolstoy achieved in world literature an outstanding ability to depict characters in their organic unity with the social and physical environment. Romain Rolland noted that what struck him most about Tolstoy's art was the way the writer "sculpts characters in their surroundings."

Bright, memorable, historically determined, the heroes of A. Tolstoy still amaze readers with their individuality, truthfulness, simplicity and artlessness. This work is of constant interest to both Russian and foreign readers, as it explains the phenomenon of the national Russian character.

The theme of Peter excited the creative imagination of Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy for more than a quarter of a century. Stories, the tragedy "On the Rack" and, of course, the novel "Peter I" were devoted to this topic.

Tolstoy's novel is a "monumental work, consisting of three books and describing in detail the era of Peter's reign. The first book tells about the events connected with the accession of Peter to the throne, about the struggle for power with his opponents. The second book, as conceived by the author, describes the next two decades of the Petrine era. In the third book, which was written in 1944, the author showed the legislative activities of Peter, his reforms, the tsar's trips abroad. Thus, the author set himself the task of giving an objective assessment of the turbulent events of the time of Peter the Great.

Assessing the talent of A. Tolstoy, contemporaries noted his amazing optimism. Even depicting gloomy pictures of history, Tolstoy gives the reader the opportunity to feel his faith in the Russian people, in their past.

Going to write a novel about a historical figure, Tolstoy wanted to show the formation of a person in an era. Like Leo Tolstoy in the novel "War and Peace", the author of "Peter G" believes that the individual is not the force that drives history. Personality is a function of the era. She grows out of the era. It seems to designate historical events depending on the contribution made.

Tolstoy's novel is multi-layered. In the final version, the work is structured as follows: the first book is a picture of pre-Petrine Russia. It begins with the depiction of the hard life of a peasant, using the Brovkin family as an example, and ends with scenes of the execution of archers. The second book is the beginning of young Russia created by Peter. It begins with a sad picture of life in Moscow after the suppression of the Streltsy rebellion, and ends with the construction of St. Petersburg. In the third book it is shown that the cause of Peter won and was established. It begins with the lamentation of the old boyars that Moscow is no longer the same after the construction of the new capital. The author wanted to end the book with the triumph of the Poltava victory. But the novel is interrupted by the events connected with the capture of Narva. Thus, the novel explores the life of Russia from the early 80s of the 17th century to 1704.

Tolstoy is objective in his assessments. Depicting the cruel times of the formation of Peter's power, he shows the conflict between different representatives of the master classes - between the old boyars and supporters of Peter, between the ruling class and the people, and between the Russian state and foreign invaders.

Hard was Peter's struggle against the well-born Miloslavskys and Sophia. It is in this struggle that the heart of the young king hardens. The scenes associated with this struggle i allow us to understand the behavior of Peter during the execution of Tsykler or the massacre of the archers. Sophia's attempt to stay on the throne was not successful, as the Crimean campaigns undertaken at that time were unsuccessful. Golitsyn fantasized more about great feats than he was able to accomplish them. Meanwhile, in his amusing games in Preobrazhensky, Tsar Peter is maturing. The author is not indifferent to the movements of the soul of his characters.

So, Princess Sophia loves the handsome Golitsyn, but is doomed to loneliness. Peter is hopelessly in love with the charming Ankhen. Tragic is the fate of Evdokia Lopukhina, Peter's first wife, unloved, but loving in her own way. Of course, the love line is not the main one in the novel, but without it, the story would turn out to be dry and lifeless. Scenes imbued with humor are not rare in Tolstoy's novel. It is impossible to read without a smile how Roman Borisovich Buynosov, dejected by the hated new order, spends the morning. The author skillfully combines detail paintings and generalization paintings in the novel. And this gives the story depth and volume. Surprising and bright, figurative, conveying the features of the time, the language of the novel. The novel is historical, and this is a responsible condition. Tolstoy follows his own special path.

The novel is based on the modern Russian literary language. Archaic elements are very carefully introduced into this language. There are so few of them that it is not necessary for the author to explain them in footnotes. On the other hand, he sometimes resorts to other methods: here he gives explanations nearby.

The central image of the novel is certainly the image of Peter I. Next to him, the author portrayed his associates, as well as those who stood in the way of the new Russia. An important place in the novel is occupied by the image of the people. In the novel about Peter, the people are shown as they were at that time: downtrodden, oppressed, but creating all material values. For example, in the first book, the peasant Gypsy is described, who fled from the landowner, but was returned. He lost an eye in the Azov campaign, began to work as a laborer, as his farm was ruined. From such a life, the Gypsy runs into a gang of robbers, and then goes to prison. Blacksmith Zhomov talks about his fate. He is a serf and dreams of building a flying machine. But there are no funds for the construction. And the master only scoffs at his ideas.

In the second book, we see Zhomov working next to Peter. Here is the hero Fedka, nicknamed Wash with Mud, who reproaches Andryushka Golikov for dreaming of peace in schismatic sketes.

Concluding the story about the great work of the great master, we can quote the words of Tolstoy himself: "To understand the secret of the Russian people, its greatness, you need to know its past well and deeply: our history, its root knots ... in which the Russian character was tied." Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy depicts historical facts from the point of view of the interests of contemporary reality, emphasizing the moments that are important for the education of a new person in the era of the first years of Soviet power.

Alexei Tolstoy in the novel "Peter the Great" paid tribute to the image of Peter the Great, creating a novel of the same name. Having accepted the revolutionary events, Tolstoy chose for a better understanding of them the most accurate analogy in Russian history - with the era of Peter.

The works of the historical genre, especially the large-scale form, are distinguished by the presence of the author's idea expressed by artistic means about the laws of history, its driving forces and conflicts.

Unlike the novels of the 1920-1930s, which depicted popular uprisings and their leaders (Razin Stepan and Walking People by A. Chapygin, Salavat Yulaev
S. Zlobina, "The Tale of Bolotnikov" by G. Storm and others). A. Tolstoy placed in the center of the work the figure of the king, a figure of historical proportions. In Petra, the writer first of all showed his transformative genius, his understanding of the need for fundamental changes in the life of the country (“In Russia, everything needs to be broken - everything is new”).

The author has no doubts about the historical prospects of the reforms. The meaning of the Petrine era in the novel by A. Tolstoy is a breakthrough from the past to the future, from isolation and patriarchy to the number of leading powers of the world, a time of sharp clash between the old and the new. In this, Tolstoy saw a consonance between the "tragic and creative" era of Peter the Great and the revolutionary history of Russia.

If the traditional historical novel is characterized by a focus on
depicting the past, then A. Tolstoy sought to recreate the connection of times, to reveal the common features of critical historical eras. This approach has become a fundamentally new phenomenon for historical prose.

“Formation of the personality in the historical era” - this is how A. Tolstoy defined the main principle of the image. The author does not just recreate the biography of Peter, he seeks to show, on the one hand, how the era influenced the formation of the personality of the hero, and on the other, what was the impact of Peter's
transformations on the fate of the country.

All other problems of the novel are connected with the solution of this main task: the question of the objective necessity and significance of Peter's transformations; depiction of the acute struggle between the new and the old; "Identification of the driving forces of the era", the role of the individual and the people in history.

The idea of the work determined the features of the composition and plot.

The work is distinguished by an epic scale in depicting the life of the country at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries. The plot is based on real events of a short but rich period from 1682 to 1704.

The first book of the novel (1930) is a prehistory of Peter's reforms. This is the period of Peter's childhood and youth, cruel life lessons, learning from foreigners, the beginning of the creation of a fleet, military "embarrassment", suppression of the streltsy rebellion.

The second book (1934) includes a description of the initial period of the Northern War and
ends with the construction of St. Petersburg.

The third book was supposed to be the apogee of the depiction of the state activity of Peter, but the novel remained unfinished. In the published chapters of the third book (1943-1944), in accordance with the spirit of wartime when it was created, the main motive was the glorious victories of Russian weapons (the capture of Narva). The novel recreates a lively, dynamic, multifaceted picture of the era.

The first chapter is a historical exposition depicting the life of pre-Petrine Russia. Here, the negative aspects of patriarchal Russian life are accentuated: “poverty, servility, homelessness”, lack of movement (“sour hundred-year twilight”).

General dissatisfaction with life is emphasized by the author's digressions (beginning of ch. 2; ch. 5, subch. 12; beginning of ch. 7). They formulated a general conclusion: "What kind of Russia, the accursed country - when will you move from your place?"

Creating the image of Russia waiting for change, the author uses the cinematic technique of changing angles. The action, which began in the peasant hut of Ivashka Brovkin, is transferred to the estate of Vasily Volkov,
from there to Moscow, more than once it will be delayed on the roads of Russia, it will lead to the royal chambers, where at the bedside of the dying Fyodor Alekseevich it is decided who will be the king.

The place of action is a tavern on Varvarka, where the opinion of ordinary people is expressed, the room of Princess Sophia, the square where archers riot, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Pereslavl, Arkhangelsk, Don, Voronezh, Germany with Holland, Narva.

The multifaceted composition gave the author the opportunity to depict the life of all classes and groups of Russian society: from the royal family, boyars, foreigners to merchant and military people, peasants, schismatics, convicts, fugitives. Along with real facts and characters of history, fictional events and heroes play an important role in the novel.

In this regard, one can especially note the history of the Brovkin family, closely connected with Peter, by the example of which concrete changes in the life of Russian people are shown.

Life, customs, customs, the very spirit of the past era are recreated in the novel based on documents, historical works and other sources. The most important of them was the book of Professor N. Novombergsky "The word and deed of the sovereign", which contains acts of the Secret Chancellery and the Preobrazhensky order. In these "torture records" "people's Russia told, groaned, lied, screamed in pain and fear" (XIII, pp. 567-568).

The simple and precise colloquial language of the 17th century formed the basis of the language of A. Tolstoy's novel. This made it possible to give the work a historical flavor, liveliness and imagery, while making it accessible to the modern reader.

The language of the work reflects the spirit of Peter's transformations, it combines folk words and expressions, archaisms, foreign borrowings. Researchers are unanimous in their opinion about Tolstoy's novel as the pinnacle of the artist's speech and visual skills.

Image of Peter the Great.

The peculiarity of the image of the hero is that the writer shows Peter not as an already established statesman, but traces the process of personality formation under the influence of historical circumstances.

The depicted events in the life of the country become milestones in Peter's personal biography, the stages of his growing up. Tolstoy makes the young hero a witness
the reprisals of the archers with his relatives, and this memory will echo in the future with an irreconcilable conflict with his sister Sophia and the boyars in the struggle for power and the cruel reprisal against the archers.

A visit to the German Quarter arouses Peter's interest in the European way of life. A trip to Arkhangelsk and the sight of foreign ships reinforces in Peter's mind the idea of the need for change.

The author repeatedly uses the technique of paired episodes, showing rapid changes in the character of the hero (for example, two meetings of the Boyar Duma - before
Azov campaign (book 1, ch. 5, ep. 20.) and after it (book 1, ch. 7, ep. 1) - they emphasize: Peter is now "... a different person: angry, stubborn, businesslike."

These contrasts reveal the energy and determination of the protagonist, his willingness to learn from a variety of people, learn from defeats, his sincere pain for the poverty and backwardness of the country, simplicity and lack of arrogance.

Alexei Tolstoy shows Peter as a complex and controversial personality (for example, the scenes of the procession in the Assumption Cathedral - book 1, ch. 4, subch. 2; the end of book 1 - the suppression of the streltsy rebellion; Peter at the Electors - book 1, ch. 7 , subchapter 8; in the smithy near Zhemova — book 2. ch.1, subchapter 10; Peter near Narva — book 2, chapter 4, subchapter 3; book Z. ch.4, subchapter 1; Pyotr In the dugout - book 3, chapter 2, subsection 5).

He, using Pushkin's definition, "with an iron hand / raised Russia on its hind legs." Transformations are carried out at the expense of cruel exploitation, at the cost of thousands of lives, the country breaks out of backwardness through mass executions, torture, and the forcible introduction of elements of European culture.

But the author balances the sharp drama of the situation with attention to the image
results of the case of Peter (one can compare the description of the life of the peasants in the Volkov estate during the reign of Sophia (book 1, ch. 4, subch. 1) and in the Buynosov estate during the reign of Peter (book 2, ch. 1, subch. 3) ; follow the changes in the life of Ivashka Brovkin).

Peter is shown through the eyes of different people: mother, Sophia, boyars, associates: Menshikov, Brovkin, the German Lefort, ordinary people - the blacksmith Zhemov, the artist Golikov, peasants, builders, soldiers. This allows us to convey the polyphony of opinions about the main content of the image - the case of Peter.

The writer captured a phenomenon unique for the era depicted: a change in traditional social trajectories, the promotion of people not by the nobility of the family, but by the mind, efficiency, commitment to the new (Menshikov, Alyoshka Brovkin and his sister Sanka, Demidov, etc.).

Defining the relationship between the characters, the writer places them between two poles: supporters and opponents of Peter's reforms. In relation to all characters, even minor ones, the principle of the versatility of the image applies (for example, the image of the boyar Buinosov).

In revealing the psychology of the hero, Tolstoy widely uses the technique of "internal gesture". We are talking about the transfer of the internal state through the external manifestation. through movement, gesture. The writer was convinced that “it is impossible to write a portrait of a hero on as many as ten pages”, “a portrait of a hero must appear from the very movement, struggle, in clashes, in behavior”) (XIII, p. 499)3. That is why the movement and its expression - the verb - are the basis for creating the image.

The people in the novel "Peter the Great".

Peter In the novel by A.N. Tolstoy appears as the brightest embodiment of the Russian national character. Putting the reformer tsar in the center of the work, the writer paid special attention to depicting the active role of the people in Peter's reforms. In the work, one constantly hears an assessment of what is happening by the people, and for the author this is the most important criterion for the historical justice of Peter's case. In crowd scenes, the people are depicted not statically, but in a clash of conflicting moods. Tolstoy skillfully uses the polylogue, highlights individual figures in the generalized image of the people.

In the second and third books, the author shows the growth of popular discontent, evidence of which is the frequent mention of the name of the rebellious Stepan Razin. The movement of schismatics is also interpreted by Tolstoy as one of the forms of protest against the strengthening of oppression in the era of Peter the Great.

The close-up images of Ovdokim, the tan-bearded Ivan and Fedka Wash Yourself with Mud became the embodiment of the conflict. The finale of the second book of the novel sounds symbolically: a gloomy, branded, shackled man “Fedka wash yourself with Mud, throwing your hair on an inflamed wet forehead, beat and beat with an oak sledgehammer into piles ...”. Here, the bloody efforts that create a passage from Ladoga to the open sea are emphasized, and the threat posed by the construction of the new capital of the empire is emphasized.

Talking about the life of a Russian person, A. Tolstoy emphasizes his industriousness, talent (images of Kuzma Zhemov, Kondrat Vorobyov (book 2, ch. 5, subch. 3); Palekh painter Andrei Golikov (book 2, ch. 5, subch. 3; book 2, chapter 2, subsection 5).

In the battles that Peter leads, such qualities of the Russian people as heroism and courage are clearly manifested. Thanks to the interaction of the images of Peter and the people, the author managed to show the turbulent, contradictory historical movement of Russia and reveal the fate of the nation at a turning point that determined the course of its history for many centuries.

The novel "Peter the Great" is Tolstoy's pinnacle work, which has received recognition both in Russia and in Russian abroad. If the historical concept of the Petrine era was not accepted by everyone, then the highest skill of figurativeness, lively language, and inexhaustible humor made the novel a classic work of Russian literature.

War as a Test of the Russian Character “In the days of the war, Alexei Tolstoy was at his post. His words cheered up, amused, excited the fighters, Tolstoy did not go into silence, did not wait, did not refer to the estrangement of the muses from the music of battle. Tolstoy spoke in October 1941, and Russia will not forget this,” wrote Ilya Ehrenburg.

The leading theme of Tolstoy's work - the Russian character in its historical development - acquired particular relevance during the Great Patriotic War. As in the historical theme, the central image in the works of the war years was the image of the native land, watered with the blood of their ancestors, protected by “smart, clean, unhurried”, “protecting their dignity” Russian people. The appeal to the heroic images of the national history and culture, the exploits of fathers and grandfathers, characteristic of the public consciousness and culture of the period of the Great Patriotic War, contributed to the strengthening of national self-consciousness. The writer saw the task of literature in being "the voice of the heroic soul
people."

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The system of images in the novel "Peter the Great"

"Peter" is the first true historical novel in our literature, "for a long time," M. Gorky wrote to Alexei Tolstoy. In general, the historical narrative of the writer about Peter the Great became such a “magnificent thing”. Conveying the complexity and dramatic grandeur of the unfolding events, Tolstoy seeks to combine them into an integral plot unity. The writer populates the novel with a huge number of characters. Through the relationship of the characters, the author tries to explore the spirit of the era, to understand the alignment of its driving forces, the events that shaped and developed the personality of Peter.

Who were they? Greedy for life and work, to match Tsar Peter, with his indefatigable energy, strength, will and desire to be useful to Russia.

Having got out of the urban poor, Alexander Danilovich Menshikov was never able to give up some of the habits that were firmly ingrained in his soul.

Artamon Brovkin, despite his young age, serves in the embassy department, as he knows languages, understands European politics. Gavrila Brovkin was sent by the tsar to Moscow to help his sister Natalya Alekseevna organize the first theater. Among Peter's associates there are well-born boyars, on whom the tsar can rely in difficult times. This is, first of all, Prince-Caesar Romodanovsky, left by the governor in Moscow. Like a chained dog, he protects the royal property, in the most difficult periods for the king he is his support and support, he opens secret cellars to Peter to equip the troops for the Azov campaign. Sheremetiev, Repnin, Makarov - there are many of them, who, together with Peter, forged the victory near Azov and Narva, then completely defeated the Swedes near Poltava.

So, the princess loves the handsome Golitsyn, but is doomed to loneliness. Peter is hopelessly in love with the charming Ankhen. Tragic is the fate of Evdokia Lopukhina, Peter's first wife, unloved, but loving in her own way. Of course, the love line is not the main one in the novel, but without it, the story would turn out to be dry and lifeless. Scenes imbued with humor are not rare in Tolstoy's novel. It is impossible to read without a smile how Roman Borisovich Buynosov, dejected by the hated new order, spends the morning. The author skillfully combines detail paintings and generalization paintings in the novel. And this gives the story depth and volume. Surprising and bright, figurative, conveying the features of the time, the language of the novel. The novel is historical, and this is a responsible condition. Tolstoy follows his own special path.

In the second book, we see Zhomov working next to Peter. Here is the hero Fedka, nicknamed Wash with Mud, who reproaches Andryushka Golikov for dreaming of peace in schismatic sketes.