Features and stages of the history of the creation of the novel by N.G. Chernyshevsky "What to do?"

Roman N.G. Chernyshevsky “What to do?” has an interesting history of creation.

The message that N.G. Chernyshevsky writes a novel and intends it for Sovremennik; this was done in one of his letters to A.N. Pypin.The work was written in response to the novel by I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons". N.G. Chernyshevsky did not agree with I.S. Turgenev in his assessment of the “new man”, the tragic inconsistency of which he so convincingly showed. Turgenev's type of “nihilist” N.G. Chernyshevsky contrasted his types of “new people”. The role of Bazarov in the novel by I.S. Turgenev comes down to an irreconcilable denial of all the foundations of life and morality of the noble society, all the views on nature, science, and art dominant in this society.

From the point of view of I.S. Turgenev, common intellectuals cannot create their own environment, their own way of life and morality and are not able to change anything in the course of the historical life of society. Therefore, Bazarov remains a tragically unsettled figure, unable to find his place in reality.

As the largest exponent of the opposite tendency - integral and consistent revolutionary democracy, which saw the only acceptable path in fundamental revolutionary transformations, Chernyshevsky, naturally, was irreconcilable with the interpretation of the image of a revolutionary democrat that Turgenev gave in his novel. “But here,” a picture worthy of Dante’s brush, “what kind of faces are these - emaciated, green, with wandering eyes, with lips twisted by an evil smile of hatred, with unwashed hands, with bad cigars in their teeth? These are the nihilists depicted by Mr. Turgenev in the novel “Fathers and Sons.” These unshaven, unkempt young men reject everything, everything: they reject paintings, statues, the violin and bow, opera, theater, female beauty - everything, they reject everything, and they just recommend themselves like that: we, they say, are nihilists, we deny and destroy everything" ( X, 185), he wrote in the article “Lack of Money,” intended for the April book of Sovremennik for 1862. In the novel “What is to be done?” It was especially important for him, having placed in the center of attention of readers the “new people” of the mixed-democratic environment, to reveal in their images as fully as possible not only the features of revolutionaries - destroyers of the old, but first of all those views and character traits that would show them as builders new relationships, creators of higher forms of life.

It is also a common idea that N.G. Chernyshevsky decided to become a novelist only because he was forced to do so by circumstances: for the writer imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, other opportunities for direct participation in the ideological struggle of his time were closed, so he decided to launch the propaganda of his ideas in fictional form. This opinion is only partly true. Similar considerations were expressed by N.G. Chernyshevsky only during the period when he was preparing to begin work on “What is to be done?” On October 5, 1862, he wrote from the fortress to his wife about his intention to write a book “with anecdotes, scenes, witticisms, so that it would be read by everyone who reads nothing but novels" (XIV, 456). The goal of the future book was purely educational: “It’s nonsense in people’s heads, that’s why they are poor and pitiful, evil and unhappy; it is necessary to explain to them what the truth is and how they should think and live” (XIV, 456).

In the process of working on the novel “What is to be done?” before N.G. Chernyshevsky raised a whole series of new questions that were fundamental to the spiritual problems and practical destinies of the Russian raznochinsky intelligentsia: the rapidly increasing role of ideas in public life, and in accordance with this, the growing role of thought in psychology and in the behavior of an individual.

N.G. Chernyshevsky wrote the novel “What is to be done?” while in solitary confinement in the Alekseevsky ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress, from December 14, 1862 to April 4, 1863 (112 days). Since January 1863, the manuscript was transferred in parts to the investigative commission in the case of N.G. Chernyshevsky (the last part was transmitted on April 6). The commission, and after it the censors, saw only a love story in the novel and gave permission for publication.

The assistant superintendent of the Alekseevsky ravelin, I. Borisov, wrote that he had read the novel in manuscript and could “certify that the censorship of the III Department corrected it in very few ways.” The novel was passed “without any exceptions.” After viewing the novel by the highest police and investigative authorities, the censor of the Ministry of Public Education simply no longer dared to make any encroachments on the text of the work.

V.N. Beketov in a late conversation with N.Ya. Agafonov claimed that after the novel passed the “filter of Section III,” he looked at it superficially and “blindly signed it.”

However, soon the censorship oversight was noticed, the responsible censor V.N. Beketov was removed from office. But the novel had already been published in the magazine Sovremennik (1863, No. 3-5).

Despite the fact that the issues of Sovremennik, in which the novel “What is to be done?” were published, were banned, the text of the novel in handwritten copies was distributed throughout the country and caused a lot of imitations.

Strict censorship ban with “What to do?” was removed only by the 1905 revolution. The popularity of the novel was such that enthusiasts rewrote and distributed the manuscript. ON THE. Alekseev, an old Bolshevik, rewrote the novel “What is to be done?” four times by hand.

V.M. Sapezhko dressed as a beggar and in a large bag (as if for collecting bread) carried the manuscript of the novel “What is to be done?”, bound by him and his comrades, for distribution in the villages.

In 1906, the novel was first published in Russia as a separate edition.

"What to do?" - a novel by philosopher and critic Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky. The period of work on the novel was from December 14, 1862 to April 4, 1863. The place of writing is the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, where Chernyshevsky was imprisoned.

Chernyshevsky was in solitary confinement. Between interrogations and attempts to get free, he worked on a novel. In total, work on the work took 112 days.

Since January 1863, Chernyshevsky’s novel began to be transferred in parts to the investigative commission. Due to the fact that the novel was analyzed in parts, the commission did not see its hidden meaning, paying attention only to the love line. But in fact, the novel contains revolutionary ideas, a new vision of social life, economics and politics.

This is how the work escaped censorship. Chernyshevsky’s work began to be published in the Sovremennik magazine, which at that time was headed by the poet Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov.

The censors' oversight became noticeable only after the novel was published. Censor Beketov, who was responsible for allowing the manuscript to be published, was fired from his position.

All issues of Sovremennik in which the novel was published were immediately banned. But all attempts by the authorities to ban the work were in vain. The novel was rewritten by hand, and it gained extreme popularity among readers.

Chernyshevsky's work was vigorously discussed in society. Reaction to the novel was mixed. Some people liked the work, while others criticized the author. But still, “What should I do?” hooked readers and made them think about life.

Until 1905, the novel was banned in Russia. It should not have been published. However, it is known that the novel was published in Switzerland back in 1867. This was done by Russian emigrants.

Before 1917, there were already four editions of “What to do?” They were prepared by Chernyshevsky’s son, Mikhail Nikolaevich.

One of the indicators of the popularity of a work can be considered the presence of many translations of “What to do?” Thus, the novel is available in Dutch, Polish, Hungarian, English, Italian, French, Swedish and Serbian.

The novel consists of several storylines. The main character is Vera Pavlovna Rozalskaya. It was not for nothing that Chernyshevsky made a woman the central character. It was much more difficult for women to achieve a significant position in society.

The novel is based on a real life story. Chernyshevsky’s friend, Doctor Pyotr Ivanovich Bokov, fictitiously married his student Marya Aleksandrovna Obrucheva. The girl strived for independence and gaining knowledge.

Then Marya Alexandrovna fell in love with the physiologist Ivan Mikhailovich Sechenov. Seeing that a real feeling had flared up between Sechenov and Obrucheva, Pyotr Ivanovich Bokov did not interfere with their relationship.

1863, "Contemporary"

1867 (Geneva), 1906 (Russia)

"What to do?"- a novel by Russian philosopher, journalist and literary critic Nikolai Chernyshevsky, written in December - April, during his imprisonment in the Peter and Paul Fortress of St. Petersburg. The novel was written partly in response to Ivan Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons.

History of creation and publication

Chernyshevsky wrote the novel while in solitary confinement in the Alekseevsky ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress, from December 14, 1862 to April 4, 1863. Since January 1863, the manuscript has been transferred in parts to the investigative commission in the Chernyshevsky case (the last part was transferred on April 6). The commission, and after it the censors, saw only a love story in the novel and gave permission for publication. The censorship oversight was soon noticed, and the responsible censor, Beketov, was removed from office. However, the novel had already been published in the magazine Sovremennik (1863, No. 3-5). Despite the fact that the issues of Sovremennik, in which the novel “What is to be done?” were published, were banned, the text of the novel in handwritten copies was distributed throughout the country and caused a lot of imitations.

“They talked about Chernyshevsky’s novel not in a whisper, not in a low voice, but at the top of their lungs in the halls, on the entrances, at Madame Milbret’s table and in the basement pub of the Stenbokov Passage. They shouted: “disgusting,” “charming,” “abomination,” etc. - all in different tones.”

“For Russian youth of that time, it [the book “What is to be done?”] was a kind of revelation and turned into a program, became a kind of banner.”

The emphatically entertaining, adventurous, melodramatic beginning of the novel was supposed to not only confuse the censors, but also attract a wide mass of readers. The external plot of the novel is a love story, but it reflects new economic, philosophical and social ideas of the time. The novel is permeated with hints of the coming revolution.

• In the novel by N. G. Chernyshevsky “What to do?” aluminum is mentioned. In the “naive utopia” of Vera Pavlovna’s fourth dream, it is called the metal of the future. And this great future By now (mid XX - XXI centuries) aluminum has already reached.
• The “lady in mourning” who appears at the end of the work is Olga Sokratovna Chernyshevskaya, the writer’s wife. At the end of the novel we are talking about the liberation of Chernyshevsky from the Peter and Paul Fortress, where he was while writing the novel. He never received his release: on February 7, 1864, he was sentenced to 14 years of hard labor followed by settlement in Siberia.
• The main characters with the surname Kirsanov are also found in Ivan Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons”.

Literature

• Nikolaev P. Revolutionary novel // Chernyshevsky N. G. What to do? M., 1985

Film adaptations

• 1971: Three-part teleplay (directors: Nadezhda Marusalova, Pavel Reznikov)

Notes

see also

Links

Categories:

• Literary works in alphabetical order
• Nikolai Chernyshevsky
• Political novels
• Novels of 1863
• Novels in Russian

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See what “What to do? (novel)” is in other dictionaries:

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The name of the famous socio-political novel (1863) by Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky (1828 1889). The main question that in the 60s and 70s. XIX century was discussed in youth circles, there was, as the revolutionary P. N. Tkachev writes, “the question that ... ... Dictionary of popular words and expressions

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As you know, the novel “What is to be done?” was written by Nikolai Chernyshevsky within the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The writer was arrested by the authorities in July 1862 due to fears of open rebellion. This happened after Herzen’s letter, in which he openly stated that he planned to publish “The Bell” abroad together with Chernyshevsky. In December of the same year, the writer began work on his largest novel. It was written in 112 days and published in Sovremennik magazine. The political subtext of the work was not immediately noticed. At first, only the love line of the novel was visible.

The censorship oversight was noticed a little later. As a result, the responsible censor Beketov was even suspended from work. Despite the ban imposed on those issues of the magazine where the novel “What is to be done?” was published, the text had already spread throughout the country and caused a resonance in society. Young people considered Chernyshevsky’s work a kind of banner and program for the future. In 1867, the novel was published as a separate book in Geneva and quickly spread among Russian emigrants. It was subsequently translated into many European languages, and in Russia the ban on its printing lasted until 1905. The work appeared as a separate publication in his homeland after the writer’s death, in 1906.

In the process of working on his novel, Chernyshevsky raised many problems of concern to society, in particular, the spiritual problems of the Russian intelligentsia that existed at that time in the country. He was perhaps the first of the Russian writers to raise the issue of psychology in the behavior of an individual. At first glance, the integral structure of the work was divided in its own way into several separate plots, which were organically intertwined with each other. The author understood that for a woman to rise from the “bottom” to socially significant activities was much more difficult. For this reason, Vera Pavlovna Rozalskaya became the central character of the novel - an independent person, sensible and mature in spirit.

Just like Vera Pavlovna, all the other main characters in the work are puzzled by the thought of the happiness of a “decent person.” They are all united by integrity and honesty. These people are full of interesting ideas and goals, they know how to achieve what they want, and they are convinced of the power of truth. They understand perfectly well that it is impossible to achieve personal happiness at the expense of another person and therefore make their own way on their own. These are rationalist people, convinced of the limitless possibilities of the mind and the power of introspection. According to Chernyshevsky, true love for humanity could only develop through the depth of personal attachments. This kind of psychological reflection, moral rules and thoughtful analysis were included in the plot of the novel “What is to be done?”

The family psychological theme can be called cross-cutting and frankly presented in the work. In addition, there was a secret plot in the novel, which can be observed in the chapter “A Special Person”. Drawing the image of the young Rakhmetov, Chernyshevsky showed what a budding revolutionary and a man of the “new generation” should be like. Despite all the modifications, reprints and censorship imposed on the novel, absolutely all episodes reached society and affected wide circles of readers of that time.

Publication date 02/20/2018

The originality of the history of the creation of the novel by N.G. Chernyshevsky “What to do?”

Balakhonova Anastasia Alexandrovna

Hristova Tatyana Yurievna
5th year student of the Pedagogical Institute of the Faculty of History and Philology, Belgorod State National Research University, Russia, Belgorod

Abstract: The article examines the peculiarities of the idea and the creative history of the creation of the novel by N.G. Chernyshevsky “What to do?”
Key words: N.G. Chernyshevsky, novel, history of creation, creative history

Balakhonova Anastasia Alexandrovna

Khristova Tatyana Yurievna
5-year student of the Pedagogical Institute of the History and Philology Faculty of Belgorod State National Research University, Russia, Belgorod

Abstract: The article considers the peculiarity of the idea and the creative history of the novel “What to do?” by N.G. Chernyshevsky.
Keywords: N.G. Chernyshevsky, novel, history, creative story

It is well known that the work of N.G. Chernyshevsky “What to do?” has a rich and unique creative history.

It is noteworthy that a couple of months before starting work on his “key” work of creative activity, the novel “What is to be done?” N.G. Chernyshevsky, sharing his literary plans with his wife, Olga Sokratovna, noted that he had finally thought through the plans for his works, which he had so dreamed of: “The History of the Material and Mental Life of Mankind”, “A Critical Dictionary of Ideas and Facts”, in which “they will be sorted out” and all thoughts about all important things will be sorted out, and on each occasion the true point of view will be indicated.” Further, on the basis of these two works, he will compile the “Encyclopedia of Knowledge and Life” - “this will be a small extract, two or three volumes, written so that it is understandable not only to scientists, but to the entire public...”.

Thus, the manuscript of a materialist writer was sent from one fortress in parts. In our opinion, this decision of N.G. Chernyshevsky was very witty.

It should be noted that creative work on the manuscript began after five months of being in the Peter and Paul Fortress, on December 14, 1862, at a time that was associated with the Decembrist uprising against the autocratic system. It is interesting that the writer created the novel in his free time from interrogations and writing protest letters.

And already on January 26, 1863, the beginning of the novel “What is to be done?” sent from the Peter and Paul Fortress to the police chief as a transfer to his cousin N.G. Chernyshevsky, A.N. Pypin, with the right to publish it “in compliance with established rules for censorship.” From A.N. Pypin's manuscript reached N.A. Nekrasov, without waiting for the completion of the work, he began publishing it in the Sovremennik magazine. Next, N.A. Nekrasov took the manuscript to N.G. Chernyshevsky to the printing house of Mr. Wulf, which was located next to his apartment, on Liteinaya Street, near Nevsky, where an amazing incident occurred.

Many critics noted that with N.A. A misfortune befell the Nekrasovs: he dropped the manuscript. In his memoirs, N.A. himself Nekrasov noted: “... And how many times before have I carried a lot of manuscripts to the printing house in vans, never lost a piece of paper, but here it’s too close, and I couldn’t deliver a thick manuscript!.. Four days passed... An announcement about the loss appeared three times in the “Police Gazette.” manuscripts, but no one responded... That means she died!” .

It is interesting that only on the fifth day the manuscript of N.G. Chernyshevsky was found: N.A. Nekrasov received a note “The manuscript has been brought...”.

Thus, the novel itself by N.G. Chernyshevsky “What to do?” was written in approximately three months (December 14, 1862 – April 4, 1863). The writer implemented his own aesthetic program in this work (ideas from the dissertation “Aesthetic Relations of Art to Reality” (1853), putting a double plan into the novel: family-psychological (the story of Vera Pavlovna’s family life and love) and revolutionary (a call for changing the social situation in the country) .

1. Weil P.L. Novel of the century: “What to do?” N.G. Chernyshevsky / P.L. Weil - M.: Native speech. – 1991. – 125-132 p.
2. Paperno I. Semiotics of behavior: N.G. Chernyshevsky – a man of the era of realism / I. Paperno. – M.: New Literary Review. – 1996. – 208 p.
3. Chernyshevsky N.G. What to do? From stories about new people / N.G. Chernyshevsky - M.: Fiction. - [Text]. – 1985. – 399 p.