"Garnet bracelet. Literature lesson based on the story by A.I.
(368 words) A.I. Kuprin often wrote about love in all its manifestations. The work “Garnet Bracelet” can be called a story of unearthly love. The “little man,” the poor official “with a girlish face,” turns out to be strong, selfless, and sensitive. Such a hero has no place in a society where cruel morals reign and everyone is fighting for a place in the sun.
So, we are talking about the “mysterious admirer” of Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, who seven years ago saw a young woman and fell in love. Now he writes passionate, but not vulgar messages, leaving modest initials: “G. S. Zh.” Probably, if the heroine had met him earlier, she would not have remained indifferent. Zheltkov is tall, blue-eyed, long-haired. He is only about twenty-five to thirty years old. The official of the control chamber loves with all his heart, even deifies the cold and reserved aristocrat. Realizing that there is no hope, he still sacrifices himself and throws his whole life on the altar of forbidden passion. Zheltkov shows respect for Vera Nikolaevna and barely dares to send her a garnet bracelet - a kind of talisman, which, according to the legend, gives the owner the opportunity to foresee the future and saves from violent death. But no one saved the official himself. Having learned that his unrequited love had violated the peace of his lady, he committed suicide. Even at such a tragic moment, he thought not about himself, but about Vera Nikolaevna. This is a very sad story of a man who, at the cost of his own life, opened up to a “woman from high society” the world of real feelings, the world of love that conquers even death.
For Zheltkov, Vera Sheina is akin to a deity. He addresses her in a letter: “There is nothing more beautiful than you.” Every thing the princess touches becomes a treasure for the poor official. Zheltkov carefully preserves a note, a scarf, and an exhibition program that once belonged to the recipient of his messages. Love is the meaning of the hero's life. True, no one around him understands him. Vera's brother, Nikolai Nikolaevich, a dry and serious man, considers the letters a real insult. But Princess Sheina and her husband are shocked by Zheltkov’s feelings. They live in a completely different world, where social manners and position in society are valued, and the manifestation of such strong emotions is considered indecent.
The hero can be respected for his feelings and even for the fact that he decides not to bother his beloved anymore with his presence. Now readers will probably agree: love is born in heaven! It is no coincidence that the hero repeats: “Hallowed be Thy name.” His feelings are too sublime, and not everyone is able to share them. Even the hero himself does not expect reciprocity. He simply loves and does not demand anything in return.
Zheltkov was a young man who had long fallen in love with Vera Nikolaevna. At first he dared to write letters to her. But when she asked him not to do this anymore, he immediately stopped, since his love was higher than his own desires. At first he dreamed of a meeting and wanted an answer, but, realizing that nothing would work out for him, he still continued to love the princess. For him, her happiness and tranquility came first. He was a sensitive young man, capable of deep feeling. For him, Vera Nikolaevna was the ideal and perfection of beauty. He wasn't crazy because he understood everything that was happening perfectly. He wanted to see Vera, but had no right to do so, so he did it secretly. He understood that he could not give her gifts, but he sent her a bracelet, in the hope that she would at least see it and take it in her hands for a second.
In addition, Zheltkov was a very honest and noble young man; he did not pursue Vera Nikolaevna after her marriage and after she wrote him a note asking him never to write to her again. He only occasionally sent her congratulations on major holidays, such as New Year, Christmas, and Birthday. Zheltkov was noble, since he did not try to upset Vera Nikolaevna’s barque, and when he realized that he had already gone far and was interfering with his manifestations, he decided to simply get out of the way. But since he could not live without her, he committed suicide, because for him it was the only way to keep himself from not seeing her, not sending gifts, letters, not making himself known. He was strong enough mentally to come to this conclusion, but he was not strong enough to live without his love.
The story of unhappy love for a married woman became the plot of the story “The Garnet Bracelet.” Zheltkov G.S. is her main character. The man's name remains unknown. One can only assume that his name is George. The text contains only the last name - Zheltkov. The appearance of a man in love also does not evoke strong sympathy or negativity. He is tall, thin and pale. Other appearance features: trembling hands, nervous fingers, reddish mustache, childish chin, long soft hair. Zheltkov in the story is about 35 years old.
A poor official of some government institution saw Vera Nikolaevna at the circus and fell in love. It was love at first sight and for many years. A man begins to follow a woman, gets acquainted with society, her surroundings and hobbies. Zheltkov is happy. He truly loves, the man realizes what “enormous happiness” has visited him. The official is not interested in anything: “neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy.” He is absorbed by a woman, she becomes the meaning of his life.
Zheltkov thanks God, who gave him a great feeling. He checked whether it was a disease or an obsession. I realized that no. His love is “not a manic idea.” Even Vera's husband is sure that G.S. was not crazy, but was in love. There is some irony in the author’s words when he lists how a man burns the most precious thing he had: Vera’s things. A stolen scarf, a note, an exhibition program - objects that have been in the hands of a woman become expensive and incredibly valuable. Faith for G.S. is the only joy, consolation, thought. He does not evaluate his feelings as persecution.
Zheltkov gives the woman a garnet bracelet. This item was a family heirloom. She protected men from violent death, and rewarded women with the gift of foresight. The bracelet belonged to the great-grandmother, then passed to Zheltkov’s mother. The gift made Vera's brother Nikolai very angry. The brother wants to put an end to this story. He goes to Zheltkov and demands that he abandon the pursuit of the princess. The man is waiting for the decision of his fate from Vera Nikolaevna herself. The woman also asks to end the incomprehensible, protracted affair in letters. Zheltkov wants to stay in the city and see his beloved at least occasionally, but Vera’s words cut off all threads of hope.
G.S. commits suicide. Before his death, he admiringly addresses his beloved: “Hallowed be Thy name.” Vera is freed from Zheltkov’s feelings. But there is no peace in the beauty’s soul. She lost the love that “every woman dreams of.” The beautiful feeling passed her by, she missed the opportunity to be a muse and the meaning of life, broke off love and remained an ordinary married woman, no different from other society ladies.
A.I. Kuprin wrote a beautiful and sad story about love that every person would like to experience. The story “The Garnet Bracelet” is about just such a sublime and selfless feeling. And now readers continue to debate whether the main character did the right thing by refusing her admirer. Or perhaps an admirer would make her happy? To talk about this topic, you need to characterize Zheltkov from “Garnet Bracelet”.
Description of the appearance of a fan of Vera
What is remarkable about this gentleman and why did the author decide to make him the main character? Maybe there is something unusual in the characterization of Zheltkov in the story “The Garnet Bracelet”? For example, in many romantic stories, the main characters have beautiful or memorable appearance. It should be immediately noted that the name of the main character is not indicated in the story (perhaps his name is George). This can be explained by the writer’s attempts to show the insignificance of a person in the eyes of society.
Zheltkov was tall and had a thin build. His face looks more like a girl’s: soft features, blue eyes and a stubborn chin with a dimple. It is the last point that indicates that despite the apparent pliability of nature, this person is actually stubborn and does not like to back down from his decisions.
He looked to be 30-35 years old, i.e. he was already an adult man and a fully formed personality. There was a nervousness in all his movements: his fingers were constantly fiddling with the buttons, and he himself was pale, which indicates his strong mental agitation. If we rely on the external characteristics of Zheltkov from “The Garnet Bracelet,” we can conclude that he has a soft, receptive nature, is prone to experiences, but at the same time is not devoid of perseverance.
The situation in the main character's room
For the first time, Kuprin “brings” his character to the reader during the visit of the main character’s husband and brother. Before this, its existence was known only through letters. To the characterization of Zheltkov in “The Garnet Bracelet” we can add a description of his living conditions. The sparse decoration of the room emphasizes his social position. After all, the reason that he could not openly communicate with Vera was social inequality.
The room had low ceilings and round windows barely illuminated it. The only furniture was a narrow bed, an old sofa and a table covered with a tablecloth. The whole situation suggests that the apartment is occupied by a person who is not at all rich and does not strive for comfort. But Zheltkov didn’t need this: there was only one woman in his life with whom he could be happy, but she was already married. Therefore, the man did not even think about starting a family. That is, Zheltkov’s characterization in “The Garnet Bracelet” is complemented by an important quality - he is monogamous.
The fact that the house has small windows is indicative. The room is a reflection of the existence of the main character. There were few joys in his life, it was full of difficulties and the only bright ray for the unfortunate man was Vera.
Zheltkov's character
Despite the insignificance of his position, the main character had an exalted nature, otherwise he would not have been capable of such selfless love. The man served as an official in some chamber. The fact that he had money is informed to the reader from a letter in which Zheltkov writes that he could not give Vera a gift worthy of her due to limited funds.
Zheltkov was a well-mannered and modest person; he did not consider himself endowed with subtle taste. For the owner of the room he rented, Zheltkov became like his own son - his manner was so courteous and kind-hearted.
Vera's husband discerned in him a noble and honest nature that was incapable of deception. The main character immediately admits to him that he cannot stop loving Vera, because this feeling is stronger than him. But he will no longer bother her, because she asked for it, and the peace and happiness of his beloved is more important than anything else.
The story of Zheltkov’s love for Vera
Despite the fact that this is an unrequited romance in letters, the writer was able to show a sublime feeling. Therefore, an unusual love story has occupied the minds of readers for several decades. As for Zheltkov’s characterization in “The Garnet Bracelet,” it is precisely his willingness to be content with little, the ability for selfless love, that reveals the nobility of his soul.
He first saw Vera 8 years ago and immediately realized that she was the one, simply because there is no better woman in the world.
And all this time Zhelktov continued to love her, not expecting any reciprocity. He followed her, wrote letters, but not for the purpose of persecution, but simply because he sincerely loved her. Zheltkov did not want anything for himself - for him, the most important thing was Vera’s well-being. The man did not understand what he did to deserve such happiness - a bright feeling for her. Vera's tragedy is that she only realized at the very end that this was the very love that women dream of. She felt that Zheltkov forgave her because his love was selfless and sublime. In Kuprin's "Garnet Bracelet", Zheltkov's characterization is not a description of one person, but of a true, constant, precious feeling.
Sections: Literature
Lesson type: lesson on learning new material.
Type of lesson: lesson-conversation.
The purpose of the lesson: to identify the originality of the solution to the love theme in the work of A.I. Kuprina.
Educational:
- deepen students’ understanding of the artistic originality of A. I. Kuprin’s prose;
- introduce students to the history of the creation of the story “The Garnet Bracelet”;
- based on direct impressions from reading the story, conduct a comprehensive analysis of the work, considering the problems of the story, its plot and compositional features, and the originality of artistic images.
Educational:
- improve students’ skills in analyzing a work of art, developing the ability to identify the main, significant moments in the development of an action, determine their role in revealing the theme and idea of the work, and draw independent conclusions; develop literary text research skills; comparative analysis, detailed answers to questions; enrichment of students' vocabulary;
- to form in students their own attitude to the events and characters of the story, thereby promoting the development of an active life position and the ability to defend their own point of view.
Educational:
- to cultivate the moral qualities of students using the example of the heroes of the story (inner beauty, nobility);
- form aesthetic perception using various types of art: literature, music, fine arts, cinema;
- cultivate an attentive attitude to the word.
Preparatory stage: students are divided into 4 groups.
Progress of the lesson
I. Organizational moment. Explanation of the goals and objectives of the lesson.
II. Introductory speech by the teacher.
“Kuprin has one cherished theme. He touches it chastely, reverently and nervously. Otherwise, you can’t touch it. This is the theme of love...”
“The great power of love!” – this is exactly the theme of our lesson. The theme of love has always been, is and will be one of the most pressing topics for all humanity.
One of the most fragrant and yearning stories about love - and the saddest - is Kuprin's "Garnet Bracelet"
“Love has thousands of stories, and each of them has its own light, its own sadness, its own happiness and its own fragrance.”
(K.G. Paustovsky)
One of these “plots” will be the subject of our attention today.
We will focus on the analysis of A.I. Kuprin’s story “The Garnet Bracelet”.
III. Analysis of Kuprin’s story “Garnet Bracelet”.
Teacher:
V. Lvov-Rogachevsky: “Kuprin’s work reflected life in all its endless diversity, not so much life as a whole, but in fragments, in a whirlwind of accidents... He has the greed of a collector, only he collects not rare coins, but rare incidents of life.” Familiarity with the history of the creation of this work will allow us to verify the authenticity of V. Lvov-Rogachevsky’s words.
1.Student’s message “The history of the creation of A. I. Kuprin’s story”(student’s individual homework).
Teacher:
2. “Garnet Bracelet” has an unusual creative history. Work on the story began in the fall of 1910 in Odessa. At this time, Kuprin often visited the family of the Odessa doctor L. Ya. Meisels and listened to Beethoven’s Second Sonata performed by his wife. The musical work captivated Alexander Ivanovich so much that work on the story began with him writing down the epigraph. “L. van Beethoven. 2 Son. (op. 2, no. 2). Largo Appassionato.” Beethoven's Sonata "Appassionata", one of the most intense, languid, passionate creations of human genius in music, awakened Kuprin to literary creativity. The sounds of the sonata were combined in his imagination with the story of the bright love that he witnessed.
(Listen to the fragment “Appassionata”)
3. Analytical conversation of a comparative nature.
How did Kuprin artistically transform the real story he heard? (Kuprin embodied in his creation the ideal of beautiful, omnipotent, but not mutual love, showed that a “little man” is capable of a great, all-encompassing feeling. Kuprin ended the story with the death of the hero, which made Vera Nikolaevna think about love, about feeling, made her worry , sympathize, which she has not done before.)
Why do you think Kuprin artistically transformed the real story?
Do you think the writer achieved his intention?
4. Quiz on the work.
Before we directly move on to discussing the story, revealing the main themes, and discussing the characters’ characters, we will conduct a special quiz. Her questions will help you remember the details of the work, and your answers will show how carefully you read the story “The Garnet Bracelet” and how well you remember its contents:
1. What time of year does the story take place? (Autumn, September.)
2. Where do the events of the story take place? (Black Sea city.)
3. What is the name of the main character? (Princess Vera Sheina.)
4. Princess Sheina’s surname before marriage? (Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovskaya.)
5. Who was Vera Sheina’s ancestor? (Tamerlane.)
6. What is the name of Vera’s sister? (Anna Friesse.)
7. What is the name of Princess Vera’s husband? (Prince Vasily Lvovich.)
8. His position? (Leader of the nobility.)
9. What date was the name day of Princess Vera Sheina? (September 17.)
10. What did her husband give her? (Earrings made of pear-shaped pearls.)
11. What did your sister give Vera? (A notebook in an “amazing binding.”)
12. What was the name of the famous pianist, Vera’s friend? (Zhenya Reuter.)
13. Who gave the bracelet with garnets? (Zheltkov.)
14. What does faith compare deep red pomegranates to? (Exactly blood.)
15. Who is Zheltkov? (A telegraph operator in love with faith.)
16. What does his owner call Zheltkov? (“Pan Ezhiy.”)
17. Zheltkov’s real name? (George.)
18. About whom Kuprin wrote: “...took after her mother, a beautiful Englishwoman, with her tall flexible figure, gentle but cold and proud face, beautiful, although rather large hands, and that charming sloping shoulders that can be seen in ancient miniatures...” (about Princess Vera).
19. What was the name of the husband of Anna, Vera’s sister? (Gustav Ivanovich.)
20. Whose portrait is this? “She was half a head shorter, somewhat broad in the shoulders, lively and frivolous, a mocker. Her face was of a very Mongolian type with quite noticeable cheekbones, with narrow eyes... captivating with some elusive and incomprehensible charm...” (Anna)
21. About whom Kuprin writes: “... very pale, with a gentle girlish face, with blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle; he must have been about thirty, thirty-five years old”? (about Zheltkov.)
22. What kind of music is heard in the work? (Beethoven's Second Sonata.)
23. Whose portrait is this? “A fat, tall, silvery old man climbed heavily from the footrest... He had a large, rough, red face with a fleshy nose and with that good-natured, stately, slightly contemptuous expression in his narrowed eyes... which is characteristic of courageous and simple people...” ( General Anosov).
24. About whom does the author write: “..she hugged the acacia trunk, pressed herself against it and cried...”? (about Vera Sheina.)
25. Who owns the following words: “Where is love?” Is love unselfish, selfless, not waiting for reward? The one about whom it is said “strong as death”?
5. Work in groups.
What is a group? This is a song, a song that is only sung in the choir.
Where eyes and hands are always together, the truth is born in a creative dispute!
Exercise 1.
Let's talk about what you understand love to be and what it can be.
First group: What positive feelings can LOVE cause?
(Love is a sublime feeling, beautiful, extraordinary, love is capable of conquering everything, capable of raising a person to the pinnacle of bliss, making a person work on himself. It is impossible to live without love)
Second group: What negative feelings can LOVE cause?
(love is a feeling that brings pain, disappointment, self-doubt, love can destroy a person, force him to commit madness, love throws a person into the abyss of grief. It is better to live without love.)
Third group: Choose epithets for the word LOVE .
(Love is kind, soft, mutual, creative, joyful, happy, tragic, fatal, painful, unrequited, destructive.)
Fourth group: Working with dictionaries
Let's turn to explanatory dictionaries of the Russian language and see what definition linguists give to “LOVE”.
Love is:
Love is an intimate and deep feeling, a desire for another person, a human community or an idea. (Large encyclopedic dictionary.)
Love is 1) deep emotional attraction, a strong heartfelt feeling; 2) a feeling of deep affection, selfless and sincere affection; 3) a constant, strong inclination, passion for something; 4) the object of love (he or she whom someone loves, towards whom he feels attraction, affection); 5) addiction, taste for something. (Explanatory dictionary of S.I. Ozhegov.)
Love – 1) a feeling of affection based on common interests, ideals, and the willingness to devote one’s strength to a common cause. 2) An inclination, disposition, or attraction to something. (Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, edited by D.N. Ushakov.)
Teacher:
We see that in each definition the words sound: deep feeling; strong heart feeling; feeling of affection; inclination, disposition.
Kuprin himself spoke about love like this: “a feeling that has not yet found an interpretation.”
But not a single definition has an exact indication of whether love is happiness or misfortune.
How can this be determined? Let us turn to the story by A.I. Kuprin “Garnet Bracelet” and try to find out
Task 2.
First group: How does the princess appear to the readers in the first chapters of the story? (Coldness, indifference, royal calm, a sense of superiority.)
Second group: Is she capable of ardent, passionate love? (In her youth and early youth, the princess was capable of a strong, all-consuming feeling, but now she has changed, and “the former passionate love for her husband has long turned into a feeling of lasting, faithful, true friendship.”)
Third group: What role does Beethoven’s music play in the work? (The music is in amazing harmony with the experiences of Vera, in whose soul the words ring: “Hallowed be Thy name.” In these gentle sounds there is life, which “humblely and joyfully doomed itself to torment, suffering and death.” Zheltkov’s last memories are covered with sweet sadness, moments of happiness become eternity for him) Beethoven’s Sonata No. 2 is “an exceptional, unique work of depth.”)
Fourth group : “Love” and “infatuation”: how do these concepts differ?
Task 3.
The person who fell in love with Vera Nikolaevna so much was a simple man, an official of the control chamber, G.S. Zheltkov.
First group: How do we find out about Zheltkov’s love? Who's talking about her? (We learn about Zheltkov’s love for the first time from the stories of Prince Shein. For the prince, truth is intertwined with fiction. For him, this is a funny story. The image of Zheltkov in the prince’s stories undergoes changes: a telegraph operator - dresses up as a chimney sweep - becomes a dishwasher - turns into a monk - dies tragically, leaving a will after death.)
Second group: How was Zheltkov’s gift different from all the others? Why did Vera Nikolaevna feel anxious? (The garnet bracelet is a symbol of love, reverent, endless and hopeless, and tragedy in the fate of the hero.)
Third group: Love without reciprocity: happiness or tragedy? (Zheltkov admits that he “cut an uncomfortable wedge” into Vera’s life and is eternally grateful to her just for the fact that she exists. His love is not a disease, not a manic idea, but a reward sent by God. His tragedy is hopeless, he is a dead man.)
Fourth group: How does Zheltkov appear in his suicide letter?
Task 4.
First group: When does the conversation about true love come up for the first time? (In a conversation with Anosov. He believes that in his time people forgot how to love.)
Second group: To love and be loved? What's better?
Third group: What is the story of General Anosov? Why is it given in such detail?
Anosov knows what love is at first sight. But his wife left him. “People in our time have forgotten how to love,” says the general. “I don’t see real love. And I didn’t see it in my time.” Anosov talks about why people get married. Women have “the desire to be a housewife, the head of the house, independent... In addition, the need for motherhood, and to start building your own nest.” Men have other motives - “tiredness from a single life, from disorder in the rooms... from debts, from unceremonious comrades... You feel that living as a family is more profitable, healthier and more economical... you think: when the kids come, - I I’ll die, but a part of me will still remain in the world... there are sometimes thoughts about a dowry.” As we see, the motives for marriage of people who lived at the beginning of the 20th century differ little from the aspirations of our contemporaries... Through the mouth of his hero, Kuprin exclaims: “Where is love? Selfless, selfless love, not expecting a reward? about which it is said - “strong as death. Every woman dreams of love “one, all-forgiving, ready for anything, modest and selfless”. This is the ideal of love according to Kuprin. But achieving the ideal is difficult, almost impossible. If there is no love, women take revenge. They take revenge on themselves and others.
Fourth group: Does ideal love exist?
Old General Anosov, who is sure that high love exists, but it “... must be a tragedy, the greatest secret in the world,” without compromise.
Kuprin: true love is the basis of everything earthly. It should not be isolated, undivided, it should be based on high sincere feelings, strive for the ideal. Love is stronger than death, it elevates a person.
What is the fate of the garnet bracelet? (The unhappy lover asked to hang a bracelet - a symbol of holy love - on the icon.)
6. Work with the statements of the characters in the story.
The heroes of the story express their opinions about love. Here are the statements of the heroes of the story. Whose point of view is closer to you and why?
Anosov: “Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No life conveniences, calculations or compromises should concern her.”
Vera Nikolaevna: “And what is this: love or madness?”
Zheltkov: “... this is not a disease, not a manic idea - this is love with which God was pleased to reward me for something... “Hallowed be your name...”
Shein: “... is it possible to control such a feeling as love - a feeling that has not yet found an interpretation”
IV. Summing up the lesson.
The small package was kept in a case.
For Princess Vera Nikolaevna,
There was a garnet bracelet in it,
A stone birthday gift...Framed in gold frames,
Let them be cheap, of low standard,
A green pebble, like a count,
I was amazed by the special glow...He hid a living fire within himself -
Amulet from death and deception,
He called the owner: “Just touch me with your finger,
The future will emerge from the fog..."Beethoven's tune will sound
The third part of "Appasionata",
And the words: “I love you as long as you live!” -
They will repeat grenades for a long time...