Analysis and history of the creation of the poem "Winter Nights" (Pasternak)

Boris Leonidovich Pasternak is one of the most famous Russian writers of the 20th century, whose prose and poetry are rightfully considered one of the best. The most famous of his work is Doctor Zhivago. It is a novel that, for the first time in the history of Russian literature, has combined poetry and prose. And opens the poetic part of the novel work "Winter Nights".

Pasternak created a hero who subtly feels and writes poetry. But in order not to distract the reader from the life events of Yuri Zhivago, the writer puts all his lyrical creations at the end of the novel.

History of creation

So, the poem Winter Night »(Pasternak), the history of which will be described below, was written as part of a larger work. It is this work that opens a collection of poems by Yuri Zhivago. Later, the verse was repeatedly published separately from the novel and even was put on music. But back to history.

The exact date for writing the poem is now impossible, since Pasternak himself worked for the whole 10 years on the novel (1945-1955). However, critics tend to believe that the poet created his lyrical masterpiece shortly before the end of the novel. This assumption is connected with the fact that in those years he had already suffered his first heart attack Pasternak. "Winter Night" - a verse about the struggle of life and death, therefore, this topic was supposed to be close to the writer. And at what other moment, if not on the eve of the last moments of existence, can such thoughts enter the person's head?

Be that as it may, most literary scholars believe that the poem was written exactly in 1954-55.

As for the work itself, the novel "Doctor Zhivago" was recognized abroad, Pasternak was awarded for him "Nobel Prize". For this, both the work and the writer himself were seriously persecuted at home. He was no longer published and expelled from the Writers' Union. Pasternak wrote letters many times, trying to convince the government of his loyalty, but this did not help. Opponents of the writer turned to the content of the novel, calling it anti-Soviet. And the poem "Winter Night" was subjected to special persecution, as it was recognized as vulgar, decadent and decadent.

Subject

As already noted above, the main theme of the poem "Winter Nights" (Pasternak) was the theme of the struggle between life and death. The work itself is very metaphorical, each line and image has a special meaning hidden.

So, considering the whole text in the context of the struggle, we can conclude that the wind, blizzard and cold are the symbols of death, and the scarcely burning flame of the candle is life. And this fragile light leaves the sick Yuri Zhivago just as he will leave Pasternak himself.

However, along with the dark theme of life and death, there is a theme of love associated with natural phenomena. Feelings of people seem to continue in nature. So, human passion is accompanied by a blizzard, weaving on the windows "circles and arrows." However, does nature and the "heat of temptation" have a beneficial effect on the protagonist?

Idea

The idea of the poem "Winter Nights" (Pasternak) is consonant with the theme. It is embodied in the struggle of man not only with death, but also with everyday adversities, human temptations. So, the lyrical hero resists both the blizzard raging outside the window, and the temptation that burns his soul. In the soul of the character reigns confusion, he can not understand where the good, and where the evil. To express this in the poem helps the following semantic range: the angel, the temptation, "crosswise".

However, to confront external threats (blizzards) can only the spiritual strength (which is symbolized by a candle) and love. Before the sublime feeling, darkness recedes, the house becomes cozy, warming.

The candle symbol is noteworthy. It, as noted above, is consonant with the hero himself. It continues to burn (live), despite the pressure of the outside world. The image of the fragile but continuing to warm candles goes through the entire poem.

Composition of the poem "Winter Night" (Pasternak)

Analysis of the composition of the poem allows us to conclude that the work is based on the reception of the antithesis (opposition) of two elements: ice and flame. A snowstorm sweeping the whole world, swallowing everything around, splits about the glass, it can not penetrate into the room, warmed by a candle.

The poem has a ring composition - the last line repeats the first, albeit not exactly. And consequently this phrase is not only key, but the differences in it are of great semantic significance. So, at the end of the poem there is no repetition of "melok-melo" and there is an indication of time - February. Thus, the poet sums up the storm that has already passed, and hence the power of life and hope has triumphed.

The Poetic Size

The poetic size provides a strong emotionality to the poem "Winter Night" (Pasternak). Analysis of the structure suggests that the work is written with a four-legged iamba with cross rhyme, where the male (1, 3 line) and female (2, 4 line) rhyme alternate. And the so-called peregovka rhythm, that is, the reduction of the 2 nd and 4 th line, gives the poem a special dynamism.

Conclusion

Thus, the universe and man, instant and eternity in the poem "Winter Nights" merged. Pasternak created an amazingly penetrating, emotional and philosophical work.