Pushkin: "I erected a monument to myself not made by hands". History of creation, analysis of artistic originality

Creativity of Alexander Pushkin in the last years of his life is extremely diverse: artistic and historical prose, poetic works on various subjects. Among his last works include a poem "I erected a monument to myself not made by hands".

Prehistory of the "Monument" and perception by contemporaries

Theories about the history of writing a poem "I erected a monument to myself" are somewhat ambiguous.

Pushkin composed it in response to the poem "Two Alexandra," written in the Lyceum years by his friend Delvig. Such a prehistory of the creation was called by the historian of literature, Pushkinist Vladislav Felitsianovich Khodasevich.

Other literary scholars-Pushkinists singled out several other theories that affect the origins of writing the poem "I erected a monument that was not made by hands".

Pushkin imitated earlier existing works of writers: G. Derzhavin, A. Vostokov, M. Lomonosov, V. Kapnist.

The second theory originates in Ancient Rome and affects the creative path of Horace, the author of the ode Exegi monumentum.

The poem was perceived by contemporaries and descendants ambiguously.

Belief in the rapid recognition of his works, the realization of the coming love and recognition from descendants - the themes touched on in the poem, were perceived by the poet's contemporaries coldly. Since the self-glorification of personal literary talents was not in high esteem. And this, in their opinion, was the work of Pushkin.

"I erected a monument to myself not made by hands" by admirers of the author's creativity was perceived as a hymn of poetry and a hope for the triumph of the soul over the corporeal.

"Monument" and the fate of the poet

The draft of the work was found in a heap of papers after the poet's death. Vasily Zhukovsky helped the poem appear in the posthumous collection of the plays of the playwright (1841).

Pushkin wrote "I erected a monument to myself not made by hands" literally five months before the fateful duel, which became the cause of his death: the poem was dated August 21, 1836. The work became a fateful prediction of the approaching death.

At the New Year's ball, Alexander Sergeyevich personally read his "Monument".

Pushkin wrote a poem comprehending the fate of the poet in the prism of human history, writing in hard years: critics took up arms against him, the tsarist censorship was fierce and prohibited most of the work for printing, secular society discussed gossips about him and his wife, and family life cracked. Perhaps, it was this atmosphere that influenced the deep view that allowed to objectively evaluate the playwright's personal creative contribution to the literature.

Self-irony and an epigram?

People who were close to Alexander Sergeevich had an opinion that the work was filled with notes of self-irony. They called the "Monument" an epigram, the object of which was Pushkin himself.

A confirmation of this theory is the directivity of the poem: it is addressed to a poet whose work is not respected among his fellow tribesmen, although they should have been admired by them.

Memoirist Peter Vyazemsky adhered to the theory of the "ironic" poem "I erected a monument to myself." Pushkin and Vyazemsky were friends, so the literary critic insisted on incorrect reading of the work by fans. He stated that it was not about the spiritual and literary heritage, but about the recognition of his own society. It is known that contemporaries, in whose circles the poet was spinning, openly disliked him as a man. But at the same time they recognized the great creative potential that Pushkin possessed.

"I erected a monument to myself not made by hands" also had a "mystical" side.

Anticipating death

Supporters of the "mystical" version were of the opinion that the poem is a prediction of the poet's future demise, which he knew in advance. Starting from this position and rejecting Vyazemsky's version of the irony of the work, we can say that the "Monument" became Pushkin's spiritual testament.

The prophetic vision affected not only the poet's life, but also his creativity. The prose writer and playwright knew that future generations would not only praise and honor him, but would also be considered worthy of imitation.

There is also a legend that long before the tragic outcome of his life's journey, Alexander Sergeevich knew on which specific day and at what time of the day he would die. It says that the fortune-teller predicted the death by the hands of the famous blond man.

Feeling the impending end and wishing to sum up his life, Pushkin turned to the most accessible source for himself - a pen - and wrote "Monument".

Pushkin. The poem "I erected a monument to myself not made by hands". Brief analysis

A lyrical hero can be called Alexander Sergeevich himself. The plot is the fate of the author, considered in the context of human history, as well as the subsequent contribution to literature.

The poet sets himself the idea of what place is assigned to him in this world, what relations he has with the society and readers. He hopes that life, wasted in creative searches and impulses, was not in vain and will benefit the descendants. He hopes that after death he will be remembered: "No, all I will not die."

Also in the poem raised the problem of the poet and poetry, poetic glory and poetic heritage. Pushkin writes that the poet will overcome death thanks to his creative heritage and the recognition of his descendants.

Each line of the "Monument" is permeated with pride because the poetry of the poet was free and highly moral: "I glorified freedom And mercy to the fallen called."

The poem with the epigraph Exegi monumentum, on the one hand, is filled with bright and joyful colors embodying the eternal life of art, but, on the other hand, it is slightly gloomy and sad, because it is the swan song of the poet, The result of creative activity, which was made by Pushkin himself.

"I erected a monument to myself not made by hands". Artistic reading

The poem on the rhythm of sound can be called slow, it is this slow pace that gives it a grand rhythm. This effect is achieved due to the single size of the verse (iamb with the trochee), crossed rhyme ideal for quatrains (quatrains), alternating female and male rhymes.

Numerous artistic means also contributed to the creation of a favorable atmosphere in the work. Among them you can call: anaphora (single-line lines), inversion (reverse order of words), series of homogeneous terms.

The majestic tone of the work was achieved thanks to epithets: "the monument is not made with hands", metaphors: "my soul will survive and decay escape", the personifications: "muse ... praise and slander was accepted indifferently And do not challenge a fool", metonymy: "the rumor of me will pass through all Russia Great ". To lexical means can be attributed the frequent use of Slavs (dokol, piit, head, erected).

Proceeding from the artistic, lexical wealth of the poem, it is logical to draw a conclusion that, as predicted by Alexander Sergeyevich, he created for his descendants his creativity "a monument not made with hands". Pushkin lived, lives and will live thanks to written works.