The main feature of a work of art on a historical theme is that the author organically combines in it a story about events that actually took place with the author's fiction. In this regard, NV Gogol's story "Taras Bulba" is somewhat unusual: historical events are not specified in it, moreover, when reading, it is sometimes quite difficult to determine at what time the action unfolds - in the 15th, 16th or 17th century. In addition, none of the heroes is a historical person, including Taras himself. Despite this, since the appearance of the work, it has been ranked among epic stories, sometimes called a novel. What is the strength and scale of "Taras Bulba"?
The history of the creation of the story
The writer's appeal to the topic of the Cossacks was not accidental. A native of the Poltava province, he had heard from childhood about the heroic feat of the people during the struggle against numerous external invaders. Later, when Gogol had already begun to write, such brave and loyal people as Taras Bulba aroused particular interest in him. There were many of them in the Sich. Often former serfs became Cossacks - they found a home and comrades here.
N.V. Gogol studied many sources on this issue, including the manuscripts of the Ukrainian chronicles, the historical research of Boplan and Myshetsky. Not satisfied with what he read (in his opinion, they contained scant information that was not enough to understand the soul of the people), Gogol turned to folklore. and dumas dedicated to talk about the features of the characters, customs and life of the Cossacks. They gave the writer great "living" material, which became an excellent addition to scientific sources, and some plot lines in a revised form were included in the story.
The historical basis of the story
"Taras Bulba" is a book about free people who inhabited the territory of the Dnieper region in the 16-17 centuries. Their center was the Zaporizhzhya Sich - its name is associated with the fact that it was fortified on all sides by a fence of fallen trees - serifs. It had its own way of life and management. Subjected to frequent attacks from the Poles, Turks, Lithuanians, the Cossacks had a very strong, well-trained army. They spent most of their time in battles and military campaigns, and the trophies they got became the main means of subsistence. It is no coincidence that the luminaries in the house where his wife lived alone includes numerous signs of the owner's camp life.
1596 was a fatal year for the Ukrainian people, who were at that time under the rule of the Lithuanians and Poles. adopted a union on the unification of two Christian religions under the rule of the Pope: Orthodox and Catholic. The decision made further complicated the uneasy relationship between the Poles and the Cossacks, which resulted in open military confrontations. Gogol dedicated his story to this period.
Image of the Zaporizhzhya Sich
The main school for the education of staunch, courageous warriors was a special way of life and management, and experienced Cossacks, who more than once showed their valor in battle, became teachers. One of them was Colonel Taras Bulba. His biography is a story about the formation of a real patriot, for whom the interests and freedom of the fatherland are above all.
It reminded me of a large republic based on the principles of humanism and equality. Koshevoy was chosen by a general decision, usually from among the most worthy. During the battle, the Cossacks had to obey him unconditionally, but in peacetime it was his responsibility to take care of the Cossacks.
In Sich, everything was arranged to provide for the life and military campaigns of its inhabitants: all kinds of workshops and forges worked, and cattle were raised. All this will be seen by Ostap and Andriy when Taras Bulba brings them here.
The history of the short existence of the Zaporozhye Republic showed a new way of organizing people's lives, based on brotherhood, unity and freedom, and not on the oppression of the weak by the strong.
The main school for the Cossack is a fighting brotherhood
How the formation of young warriors took place can be judged by the example of the sons of Taras, Ostap and Andriy. They graduated from the Bursa, after which their path lay in Zaporozhye. The father meets his sons after a long separation not with hugs and kisses, but with a test on their fists of their strength and dexterity.
The life of Taras Bulba was unpretentious, as evidenced by the feast in honor of the sons' arrival ("bring ... a whole ram, a goat ... and more burners" - with these words the old Cossack addresses his wife) and sleep in the open air.
Ostap and Andrii did not even stay at home for a day, when they went to the Sich, where the best companionship in the world and glorious deeds for their homeland and religion awaited them. Their father was convinced that only participation in military battles could become a real school for them.
Cossacks
Approaching the Sich, Taras and his sons saw a picturesque Cossack sleeping in the middle of the road. He stretched out like a lion, and caused universal admiration. Wide as the sea, wide trousers, a proudly thrown forelock (it was certainly left on a shaved head), a good horse - this is how a real Zaporozhets looked. It is no accident that the protagonist of the story appeals to his sons with an appeal to immediately change their "demonic" clothes (they came from the school in it) for another one worthy of a Cossack. And they really immediately transformed into morocco boots, wide trousers, scarlet Cossacks and ram hats. The image was complemented by a Turkish pistol and a sharp saber. Admiration and pride were aroused by the fellows sitting on the glorious stallions from the father.
The historical basis of the story "Taras Bulba" obliged the author to treat the Cossacks impartially. With all due respect to them and their valor, Gogol also truthfully says that at times their behavior aroused condemnation and misunderstanding. This referred to the riotous and drunken life that they led in between battles, excessive cruelty (for killing a criminal, they were buried in the grave with the victim alive) and a low cultural level.
Strength of camaraderie
The main advantage of the Cossacks was that at a moment of danger they could quickly mobilize and act as a united army against the enemy. Their selflessness, parttiotism, courage and dedication to the common cause had no boundaries. Taras Bulba himself proved this more than once in the story. The biography of other prominent warriors, including the experienced Tovkach, Kukubenko, Pavel Gubenko, Mosiy Shilo and young Ostap, also emphasizes this.
Well about the unity and the main purpose of the Cossacks said in his speech on the eve of the decisive battle Bulba: "There are no bonds holier than comradeship!" His speech is an expression of great wisdom and holy faith that he and his fellow men are defending a just cause. At a difficult moment, the words of Taras encourage the Cossacks, remind them of their sacred duty to protect their comrades, to always remember about the Orthodox faith and devotion to the motherland. The most terrible for the Cossack was betrayal: it was not forgiven to anyone. Taras kills his own son, learning that because of his love for the beautiful Polish girl, he chose personal interests over public ones. So the bonds of brotherhood were more important than blood ties. The fact that this fact corresponded to reality is evidenced by the historical basis of the story.
Taras Bulba is the best representative of the Cossacks
Colonel with a stern character, who passed a glorious military career. A glorious chieftain and comrade who could support with an encouraging word and give good advice in difficult times. He possessed a burning hatred for the enemy who had encroached on the Orthodox faith, and did not spare his own life for the sake of saving his homeland and his brothers in arms. Accustomed to a free life, he was content with a clean field and was absolutely unpretentious in everyday life. This is how Gogol portrays the main character. He spent his whole life in battles and always found himself in the most dangerous place. Weapons, a smoking pipe and the glorious horse of Taras Bulba were his main wealth. At the same time, he could joke and pamper, he was pleased with life.
Disappointed in his youngest son, the hero felt great pride in Ostap. Risking his life, Bulba came to the place of execution to see him for the last time. And when Ostap, steadfastly enduring mortal torments, called him at the last minute, in one word that made the whole square shudder, he expressed his pride, approval and support not only to his son, but to his comrade in spirit, colleague. Until the end of his life, Taras will grieve for his son and avenge his death. The experience will add to him cruelty and hatred for the enemy, but will not break his will and fortitude.
The story lacks the description of Taras Bulba, which is familiar to the hero, since this is not so important. The main thing is that he has such qualities, thanks to which it was possible to withstand that cruel time.
Hyperbolization of Taras in the execution scene
The characterization of the hero is complemented by the description of his death, which is to a large extent ridiculous. The hero is taken prisoner, as he bends over to pick up the fallen pipe - even he does not want to give it to the accursed enemy. Here Taras resembles a national hero: a dozen or so people could barely defeat him.
In the last scene, the author describes not the pain of the fire that the hero felt, but his anxiety for the fate of his fellows sailing along the river. At the time of death, he behaves with dignity, remaining true to the main principles of partnership. Most importantly, he was sure that he had not lived his life in vain. This is exactly what a real Cossack was.
The significance of the work today
The historical basis of the story "Taras Bulba" is the liberation struggle of the people against the invaders who encroached on their country and faith. Thanks to such a strong spirit, people like Taras Bulba, his son and comrades, managed to defend independence and freedom more than once.
The work of N.V. Gogol and his heroes have become an example of masculinity and patriotism for many, so it will never lose its relevance and significance.
The story "Taras Bulba" by N.V. Gogol was included in the compulsory curriculum in Russian literature for the entire Soviet Union, is included for schoolchildren in Russia today. I have just read this story, and in both versions.
So, Taras Bulba, together with his sons Ostap and Andriy, goes to the Sich. In the Sich they yearn for "work", but there is no "work" at all. Koshevoy says that it is impossible to go to Turkey on a campaign, since the Cossacks have made peace with the Sultan. Taras is convinced that there can be no peace with the Busurmans, because "God and the Holy Scripture orders to beat the Busurmen." He gives water and persuades some of the foremen and the Cossacks, they call the Rada and drop the old koshevoy and choose Taras' friend as the koshevoy (and in the first version they simply force the old koshovy to announce a campaign to Turkey). There are no apparent reasons for the hike. The new-old koshevoy holds a speech and names the reasons, the first of which is: many Cossacks have drunk everything they can and owe the Jews and their comrades. And the second: there are many young people in the Sich who haven’t sniffed gunpowder, and “a young man cannot be without war”. And third, that the icons in the church on the Sich still stand without salaries. And on the basis of these three reasons, Koshevoy considers it possible to break the peace with the Sultan, which the Cossacks have sworn to observe in the Bible. And the Zaporozhian people, when they mention the icons without salaries, immediately embrace the "religious impulse": we, they say, for the sake of our Christ, will demolish the floor of Turkey. their predatory deeds.
But the Cossacks did not go to Turkey. At the last moment, the Cossacks arrive on the island and announce what is being done in the hetman. What is going on there that the Cossack army immediately decides to march on Poland, "to defend the Christian faith"? 1. “Jews” have rented churches and they have to pay in order, among other things, to rule Mass and keep Easter. 2. Ksionzas harness Orthodox Christians to their tarantaikas instead of horses and ride like that. 3. "Zhidovki" sew themselves skirts from priest's vestments. 4. And, finally, when asked how the hetman and the colonels allowed such lawlessness, they answer that the colonels were chopped up, and the hetman is roasted in a copper bull. All this does not seem convincing to me. Items 2 and 3 are generally some kind of stories. And what does it mean "the Jews have rented churches"? As I understand it, this means that some of the churches were on private land, or maybe they were built by the owners of the land. And these landowners had the opportunity to lease their land together with the church, and maybe one church without land, to the Jews. And the Jews could take additional payments from the peasants for the "services". Surely, there were such cases. But, for sure, it was a process stretched out in space and time. But according to Gogol, it turns out that within a maximum of several months in most of Ukraine, Jews received churches on lease and began to take payments from Christians. The Cossacks who arrived do not say that in such and such a village or in such and such a district, Christians from now on must pay Jews and something must be done. No, it happened in general "in the hetman". Also, "in the hetman", a significant part of the priests suddenly began to harness Orthodox Christians into tarantays, and most of the "Jewish women" began to sew skirts from priest's vestments. Incidentally, the question of how they end up with these vestments is not clear: in rented churches, Jews take whatever they want? That is, these vestments did not belong to priests, but to the owners of churches? In any case, I see the situation in such a way that Gogol had to somehow psychologically justify the trip to Poland, present it as a response to the oppression of the Orthodox faith. And, "please do not shoot," he did as he could. In reality, inXVI - XVII centuries, both the registered Cossacks (under the hetman, the official military of the Polish army) and unregistered (Zaporozhye) ones went on an endless number of campaigns with the "oppressors" - the Poles against the Turks, and against the Tatars, and against Russia. And also with the Busurmans-Tatars against the Poles.
The Cossacks begin to defend the Christian faith by staging a Jewish pogrom on the outskirts of Sich, where the Jews who serve them live and there are obviously no tenants. Then the Cossacks go to Poland, and according to the modern, to western Ukraine (the city of Dubno is located between Lvov and Rovno) and “Jewish tenants were hung in heaps together with the Catholic clergy” - this is in the old version of the story. And in the new “fires engulfed the villages; cattle and horses, which did not chase the army, were beaten right there, on the spot ... Beaten babies, circumcised women's breasts, skinned from the knee-deep legs of those who were released, in a word, the Cossacks repaid their previous debts in large coins. Gogol in this place, as it were, apologizes for the Cossacks, they say, all these were "signs of the ferocity of the half-savage century." And when he writes about the Jewish pogroms, he does not even apologize, but almost admires. Then the Zaporozhye army goes to take the city of Dubno, but not at all because the Orthodox faith was somehow especially oppressed there. No, they go there because there, "there were rumors, there were a lot of treasury and wealthy inhabitants."
So why did the Cossacks go on a campaign against Poland (Western Ukraine) when they heard about the oppression of Orthodoxy in the Hetman region (Eastern Ukraine)? I think Gogol represents the following situation: there were persecutions by Jews and priests in the Hetmanate - Polish autonomy; the hetman and the colonels stood up, and the Poles punished them. And from that moment on, the whole of Poland and all "Jews" become a legitimate military target for the Cossacks. And it doesn't matter that the people killed by the Cossacks had nothing to do with the oppression.
When Taras, at the end of the story, went to Poland to celebrate Ostap's wake, the description of his "exploits" takes half a page, the most memorable is how the girls tried to escape at the altars, but Taras lit them with churches, and "cruel Cossacks raised them with spears from the streets of their babies and threw them into the flames. " With all this, Gogol considers Taras a hero of his people, and the Cossacks as true Christians, defenders of "the Russian land forever beloved by Christ." In one place, Gogol directly depicts the posthumous fate of one of the Cossacks: “Sit down, Kukubenko, at my right hand! - Christ will tell him, - you have not betrayed the partnership, you have not done a dishonorable deed, you have not betrayed a person in trouble, you have kept and preserved my church. The murder of babies and defenseless women, or at least the presence and "not hindering", apparently, is not "dishonorable" for the Cossack and Gogol Christ. The time, they say, was like that and the natures were wide. Yes, the Poles also broke their joints and mocked the captive Cossacks in a different way, but Gogol says nothing about switching over to women and children in their revenge. They probably did not have a wide enough soul. Well, the burning of churches and the murder of Catholic priests - it seems that for Gogol, in general, a godly deed.
The first thing that Christ gives to the Cossack merit: "You have not betrayed the partnership." About the partnership Taras Bulba makes a heartfelt and chaotic speech before the fight, which we were forced to learn by heart at school. True, about partnership, in fact, there is almost nothing in the speech. Taras says that 1) the Urus land had a wonderful past and 2) a sad present, because 3) “Busurmans took everything”, that 4) Russians differ from other peoples for the better with their soul: “love like the Russian soul , no one can ”, but 5) today many Russians think only about money, adopt“ the devil knows what Busurman customs ”“ abhor their language ”, etc. At the end, Taras express the hope that 6) even "the last bastard" will wake up "a grain of Russian feeling", and he will go to atone for the "shameful deed" in agony and will be ready for such a death for which no one else "has enough of their mouse nature" ... In general, it repeats all the myths and hopes of Russian Slavophilism-Pochvenism-Nationalism of Zma-Nazism. And not only Russian, but any other, you just need to replace the adjective "Russian" with "Ukrainian", "Polish", "Turkish", etc. But as for the actual camaraderie, loyalty to friends, then this feeling can cause admiration not in itself, but only as a means to achieve righteous goals. Partnership is always for some kind of joint business. Friendship is carried out at the moment of a joint business, overcoming obstacles, cognition, the rest of the time it, at best, smolders (this is another topic). In the case of the Cossacks, 90% of the cases in which their partnership was manifested were joint robberies, robberies, murders and battles with those who tried to prevent such robberies, robberies and murders.
It is necessary, by the way, to understand who were those babies whom the Cossacks raised on spears, those girls whom they burned in churches. Now those events are presented as a national liberation war of the Ukrainians against the Poles. But then the concept of "Ukrainian" was not used at all, and "Pole", as far as I know, meant "nobleman, subject of the Polish king." To become a full-fledged Polish nobleman, one had to convert to Catholicism. Any “Ukrainian”, having moved from the east to Lvov or Warsaw and adopted Catholicism, automatically became indistinguishable from the surrounding “Poles”. Among the peasants and other "non-nobles" no one distinguished and could not distinguish between Poles and Ukrainians. All were citizens of the Polish state and spoke dozens of dialects. They differed only in faith. To the east of the Dnieper (on the territory of modern Poltava, Cherkassk, part of Kiev and Chernigov regions) there was a hetman, Polish autonomy with special privileges for Orthodoxy and Orthodox. Taras Bulba was Orthodox and a colonel, which is, in a modern way, the head of the district administration. Therefore, the Cossacks did not go on campaigns to the hetman, they themselves exercised certain powers there. And everything west of the Dnieper was Poland, a legitimate place for robberies. Most of the peasants up to the Carpathians were Orthodox, and the majority of landowners, nobles and representatives of other estates were Catholics, who often crossed themselves from Orthodox for the sake of safety, career, business, etc. That is, I want to say that the babies and women killed by the Cossacks, not to mention the men, were Catholics of Western Ukraine, the ancestors of modern Ukrainians, and, today, the most “Ukrainian” among Ukrainians. The inhabitants of the burned down villages, the owners of the cattle killed for the sake of amusement were, I think, almost alone Orthodox. And from hunger in the besieged Dubno, first of all the Orthodox died, as the poorer, and the garrison consisted not only of Catholics, and women who threw stones from the walls at the Cossacks, sandbags, etc. were not entirely Catholic. And if the Cossacks burst into the city, they would probably rob and kill everyone in a row without asking about religion.
The following fact is interesting. In the first version of the story, there is not a speech by Taras about partnership (the Slavophil program), and no mention of the "Russian land". There is a mention of "Ukraine" as a synonym for Getmashshchyna. But the Cossacks are fighting not for "Ukraine" and not even for the Hetmanate (this is still a political and administrative term, such as a military district), but for the Christian faith and for the Sich. "Russian land", about which Taras speaks and which every dying Cossack wishes to live well for all time, appears only in the second version! I think that the historical Cossacks did not say anything about the "Russian land", and all this is Gogol's Slavophil distortions.
The portrait of Taras the hero ends with his attitude to his own wife: “She endured insults, even beatings; she saw out of mercy only the caresses given, etc. " “Don't listen to your son, mother: she is a woman. She doesn't know anything. "
So, the conclusion: the story "Taras Bulba" is a poeticization of robberies, robberies, vandalism, unmotivated violence (barbarism), sexism, and, most importantly, the destruction of people on ethnic and religious grounds. But the worst of all is that several generations of children were and are forced to see in Taras Bulba a national hero, a defender of the Russian land, an exponent of the Russian (or Ukrainian) national character, and crusting their moral sense. Since this story to a certain extent reflects historical realities, I have a question for modern Ukrainian (and not only) singers of ancient Cossack traditions: “And what, in fact, do you admire? What exactly are you trying to revive? " Maybe you can find something positive there, but "you can't wash a black dog white!"
The story of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol "Taras Bulba", included in the cycle of stories "Mirgorod" (2 parts) was written in 1834. This is one of the most outstanding Russian historical works in the fiction of that time, distinguished by a large number of characters, versatility and thoughtfulness of compositions, as well as the depth and capacity of the characters' characters.
History of creation
The idea to write a large-scale historical story about the feat of the Zaporozhye Cossacks came to Gogol in 1830, he worked on the creation of the text for almost ten years, but the final revision was never completed. In 1835, in the first part of Mirgorod, the author's version of the story "Taras Bulba" was published, in 1942 a slightly different edition of this manuscript was published.
Each time Nikolai Vasilyevich was dissatisfied with the printed version of the story, and made corrections to its content at least eight times. For example, there was a significant increase in its volume: from three to nine chapters, the images of the main characters became brighter and more textured, more vivid descriptions were added to the battle scenes, the life and life of the Zaporizhzhya Sich were overgrown with new interesting details.
(Illustration by Viktor Vasnetsov for "Taras Bulba" by Gogol, 1874)
Gogol very carefully and meticulously read the written text in an effort to create that unique combination that perfectly reveals his talent as a writer, penetrating into the depths of the characters' characters, showing the unique self-consciousness of the Ukrainian people as a whole. In order to understand and convey in his work the ideals of the era described by him, the author of the story with great enthusiasm and enthusiasm studied a variety of sources that described the history of Ukraine.
To give the story a special national flavor, which was clearly manifested in the description of everyday life, the characters of the characters, in bright and juicy epithets and comparisons, Gogol used works of Ukrainian folklore (thoughts, songs). The work was based on the history of the Cossack uprising of 1638, which was entrusted to suppress hetman Pototsky. The prototype of the protagonist Taras Bulba was the ataman of the Zaporozhye Army Okhrim Makukha, a brave warrior and devotee of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, who had three sons (Nazar, Khoma and Omelko).
Analysis of the work
Story line
The beginning of the story is marked by the arrival of Taras Bulba with his sons to the Zaporozhye Sich. Father brings them in order to, as the saying goes, "sniffed the gunpowder", "got the mind to the wits", and tempered in battles with enemy forces, they became real defenders of their homeland. Finding themselves on the Setch, young people almost immediately find themselves in the very epicenter of developing events. Without even having time to really look around and get acquainted with local customs, they are called up for military service in the Zaporozhye army and go to war with the gentry, which oppresses the Orthodox people, trampling on their rights and freedoms.
The Cossacks, as courageous and noble people, loving their homeland with all their hearts and piously believing in the vows of their ancestors, could not but intervene in the atrocities perpetrated by the Polish gentry, they considered it their sacred duty to defend their homeland and the faith of their ancestors. The Cossack army sets out on a campaign and fights bravely with the Polish army, which is much superior to the Cossack forces both in the number of soldiers and in the number of weapons. Their strength is gradually drying up, although the Cossacks do not admit this to themselves, so great is their faith in the struggle for a just cause, fighting spirit and love for their native land.
The battle of Dubno is described by the author in a peculiar folk style, in which the image of the Cossacks is likened to the image of the legendary heroes who defended Russia in ancient times, which is why Taras Bulba asks his brothers three times “do they have gunpowder in their flasks,” to which they also answered three times: “Yes, father! The Cossack power has not weakened, the Cossacks still do not bend! " Many soldiers find their death in this battle, dying with words glorifying the Russian land, because for the Cossacks to die for the Motherland was considered the highest valor and honor.
main characters
Ataman Taras Bulba
One of the main characters of the story is the Cossack ataman Taras Bulba, this experienced and courageous warrior, together with his eldest son Ostap, is always in the front row of the Cossack offensive. He, like Ostap, who at the age of 22 was elected by his brothers-in-arms to the chieftain, is distinguished by remarkable strength, courage, nobility, strong-willed character and is a real defender of his land and his people, his whole life is devoted to serving the Fatherland and his compatriots.
Eldest son Ostap
A brave warrior, like his father, who loves his land with all his heart, Ostap is captured by the enemy and dies a heavy martyr's death. He endures all tortures and trials with stoic courage, like a real giant, whose face is imperturbable and stern. Although it hurts for his father to see his son's torment, he is proud of him, admires his willpower, and blesses him for a heroic death, because she is worthy only of real men and patriots of her state. His brothers, the Cossacks, who were taken prisoner with him, following the example of their chieftain, also with dignity and some pride accept death on the block.
The fate of Taras Bulba himself is no less tragic: once captured by the Lyakhs, he dies a terrible martyr's death, he is sentenced to be burned at the stake. And again, this selfless and brave old warrior is not afraid of such a fierce death, because for the Cossacks the most terrible thing in their life was not death, but the loss of their own dignity, violation of the holy laws of partnership and betrayal of the Motherland.
Younger son Andriy
The story also touches on this topic, the youngest son of old Taras, Andrii, having fallen in love with the Polish beauty, becomes a traitor and goes into the enemy camp. He, like his older brother, is distinguished by courage and courage, however, his spiritual world is richer, more complex and contradictory, his mind is more sharp and dexterous, his mental organization is more subtle and sensitive. Having fallen in love with the Polish lady, Andriy rejects the romance of war, the rapture of battle, the thirst for victory and completely surrenders to the feelings that make him a traitor and a traitor to his people. His own father does not forgive him the most terrible sin - treason and pronounces a sentence on him: death by his own hand. So carnal love for a woman, whom the writer considers the source of all troubles and the creatures of the devil, overshadowed the love for the Motherland in Andriy's soul, not bringing him happiness in the end, and ultimately ruining him.
Features of compositional construction
In this work, the great classic of Russian literature portrayed the confrontation between the Ukrainian people and the Polish gentry, who wants to seize the Ukrainian land and enslave its inhabitants from young to old. In the description of the life and everyday life of the Zaporizhzhya Sich, which the author considered a place where "will and Cossacks throughout Ukraine" develop, one can feel the author's especially warm feelings, such as pride, admiration and ardent patriotism. Depicting the life and life of the Sich, its inhabitants, Gogol in his brainchild combines historical realities with high lyrical pathos, which is the main feature of the work, which is both realistic and poetic.
The images of literary characters are depicted by the writer through their portraits, described actions, through the prism of relationships with other heroes. Even the description of nature, for example the steppe, along which old Taras and his sons are riding, helps to penetrate deeper into their souls and reveal the character of the heroes. In landscape scenes, there are an abundance of various artistic and expressive techniques, there are many epithets, metaphors, comparisons, they give the described objects and phenomena that amazing uniqueness, fury and originality that strike the reader right in the heart and touch the soul.
The story "Taras Bulba" is a heroic work that glorifies love for the Motherland, its people, the Orthodox faith, the sanctity of deeds in their name. The image of the Zaporozhye Cossacks is similar to the image of the epic heroes of antiquity, who harrowed the Russian land from any misfortune. The work glorifies the courage, heroism, courage and dedication of the heroes who did not betray the holy bonds of comradeship and defended their native land to the last breath. Traitors to the Motherland are equated by the author with an enemy spawn, subject to destruction without any twinge of conscience. After all, such people, having lost their honor and conscience, also lose their souls, they should not live in the land of the Fatherland, which the brilliant Russian writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol sang with such great fervor and love in his work.
The general contradictory concept of the novel, the heterogeneity of its individual parts, undoubtedly made itself felt as work on the novel developed. At the same time, insufficient knowledge of the era was clearly reflected. All this together, in all likelihood, was the reason that Gogol stopped working on the novel Hetman; however, he did not give up the thought of writing a work dedicated to the events that were touched upon in the novel.
There are undoubted similarities between "Taras Bulba" and "Hetman", individual images and scenes of "Hetman" are like sketches for "Taras Bulba". In addition to the already noted connection between the image of Pudko's mother and the wife of Taras Bulba, one can point to the well-known convergence of the image of Ostranitsa with the image of Andriy. The scene of Ostranitsa's meeting with Pudko is used as the basis for the scene of Taras Bulba's meeting with his comrades in arms, in which dead friends are recalled. In "Taras Bulba" Ostranitsa is also mentioned - the Cossack hetman, to whose troops the regiment, led by Taras Bulba, belongs. For all that, the epic is a work with immeasurably higher ideological and artistic qualities than Hetman. The source of the fundamental difference between Taras Bulba and the first experiments on historical themes is its deep penetration into the era, into the historical past.
Gogol approached the historical epic when his realistic method was more clearly defined. Prior to that, not only the "Old World Landowners" and the story of a quarrel were created, but also the linkage of "Vladimir of the Third Degree", the first edition of "Marriage". The idea was often expressed that oral folk poetry was the main source that fed Gogol in the creation of Taras Bulba. In this case, the writer's real knowledge of the historical material is questioned in the same way. Views of this kind incorrectly illuminate the very process of Gogol's creative work and its results.
As you know, in the second half of 1833 and in 1834, Gogol intensively studied the history of Ukraine, intending to write a scientific work. With the aim of collecting unpublished materials as widely as possible, he published "Announcement on the publication of the history of Little Russia", in which he appealed to the general public with a request to send him in copies or originals unpublished chronicles, records, songs, business papers, etc. All sources that managed to collect, Gogol carefully studied. He did not have to write a scientific work on the history of Ukraine, but the materials related primarily to the history of the Cossacks were used by him in his creative work on the epic.
But neither the summary works, nor the individual chronicles completely satisfied Gogol. In the annals and chronicles there were not only contradictions by me, but the material itself was often very scarce, giving little food to the artist's imagination. “I have lost interest in our annals, trying in vain to find in them what I would like to find,” the writer declared. And here he received invaluable help from folk art, folk songs, which he studied, starting from the Nezhin period of his life. The writer gave a sketch of this general picture in the article "A Look at the Compilation of Little Russia". Describing the origin of the Cossacks, Gogol wrote there about the southern Russian steppes: “... this defenseless, open land was the land of Devastation and raids, - the place where three warring nations collided, It was the land of fear; and therefore only a warlike people could be formed in it, strong in its union, a desperate people, whose whole life was twisted and cherished by war. And so the people who were free to involuntary, homeless, those who had nothing to lose, whose life was a penny, whose violent will could not tolerate laws and authorities, which were threatened by the gallows everywhere, settled down and chose the most dangerous place in view of the Asian conquerors - Tatars and Turks ... This crowd, having grown and grown, made up a whole people who threw a swap character and, one might say, flavor throughout Ukraine ... ”With great insight, Gogol pointed to the origins of the formation of the Cossacks. Fleeing from serfdom, the peasants fled to the southern outskirts, to the steppe, where they found themselves outside the power of the feudal lords, became free people. Striving for freedom, flight from the oppression of the law and power - that is what he saw as the most important reason for the emergence of the Cossacks and the Zaporozhye Sich. The breadth of Gogol's historical views becomes especially clear if we compare his statements with the views on this problem that existed at that time. DN Bantysh-Kamensky wrote in his “History of Little Russia”: “The Cossacks must have moved beyond the Dnieper from the Caucasus, where the Circassians now live, a warlike people practicing robberies. One name, a lonely disposition, a lonely inclination to raid confirms this guess. Either they were expelled from their homeland by internecine warfare, common among the Asian peoples, or, devastating adjacent lands, chose a new home for themselves in places irrigated by the majestic Dnieper. "
In the historical concept of "Taras Bulba" its other constituent elements are also very significant. For Gogol, the Cossacks are the force that played the largest role in protecting the Russian land from external enemies. “Flint of troubles knocked him out of the people's chest. Instead of the former estates, small towns filled with huntsmen and hunters, instead of small princes that were warring and trading in cities, formidable villages, smoking places and outskirts arose, connected by a common danger and hatred against non-Christian predators. Everyone already knows from history how their eternal struggle and restless life saved Europe from these indomitable aspirations that threatened to overthrow it. "
Gogol opposes the loyalty of the Cossacks to their homeland, its fearless defense against attacks from outside, to the selfish, petty enmity in which the princes were, neglecting the interests of their native land. The writer deeply and truly shows the importance of the Cossacks in the defense of the country from foreign enemies. The Cossacks formed on its outskirts in severe battles defended the Russian land from the devastating raids of steppe nomads, Crimean Tatars, and Turks.
The Ukrainian people responded to all the growing social and national oppression with a stormy liberation movement. In the early 90s of the 16th century, a major uprising took place under the leadership of Kosinsky. No sooner had the Polish magnates dealt with it, as in 1594 a new uprising, even wider in scope, broke out, led by Nalivaiko, who at first won a number of serious victories. At the end of the 20s of the 17th century, a major uprising was led by Taras Shake, then in the 30s one after another uprisings followed by Pavlyuk, Guni, Ostryanin. In 1648, the great historical struggle of the Ukrainian people for their liberation began, led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky, a struggle that led to the reunification of two fraternal peoples - Ukrainian and Russian.