The image of "Turgenev girls": description, description and analysis

In this article we will look at the image of "Turgenev girls". This phrase can be heard quite often, but what does it mean? To answer this question, we will have to recall the works of Turgenev. But first we note that contemporaries were very fond of the author. He had more admirers than any other Russian writer. Let's try to figure out what did Ivan Sergeevich deserve such love?

Personal tragedy and attitude to love

The image of "Turgenev girls" was formed due to the original worldview of the writer. In many respects he owes his appearance to Turgenev's attitude toward love. The writer all his life had an unrequited passion for Pauline Viardot, a famous French singer. This feeling prevented Ivan Sergeyevich from marrying, he even went to the diplomatic service to be closer to the subject of sighing. But everything was in vain - Viardot was married and loved by her husband.

This love failure affected Turgenev's world outlook. He stopped believing that feeling can make a person happy. For a writer, love has become an irresistible force that easily breaks even the most enduring personality. This can be seen from the example of Bazarov's fate. Turgenev was sure that, faced with a feeling, a person can not remain the same - love will move him. In it, the author sees doom, inevitable fate.

Heroines

The image of the Turgenev girl is a kind of incarnation of fate, which is destined to destroy lives - knowing love, the hero is doomed to spiritual and physical death. His character either dies like Bazarov, or fades away like Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, who was irresponsibly in love with Princess R. After she died, he loses inner strength, exists by inertia.

Proceeding from what has been said, it would be possible to assume that a woman who condemns a man to death must have something demonic. But Turgenev does not allow himself to take responsibility for the heroine. On the contrary, he created an almost ideal image of a woman that no Russian writer could create. The names of these perfect young ladies:

• Elena Stakhova ("The Day Before");
• Zinaida ("First Love");
• Natalya Lasunskaya (Rudin);
• Liza ("Diary of a superfluous person");
• Asya from the same name work;
• Lisa Kalitina ("Noble's Nest");
• Faith (Faust).

As for the novel "Fathers and Sons", Anna Odintsova is not suitable for the role of "Turgenev young lady". Rather, they can be counted as Fenechka and Katya.

The image of "Turgenev girls": a characteristic

The heroines of the writer are different, but they have similarities in common.

All "Turgenev girls" are very feminine. They may not be beautiful at first glance, but there is something special about them. His heroines are "not of this world" - very romantic, read a lot, impressionable, live in their own world. It is significant in this respect that Natalya's description (Rudin): "remained motionless ... thought about ... dropped her hands ... her thoughts reflected on her face ... she felt strongly and deeply, but secretly."

Turgenev's girl is very moral and impeccably virtuous. The most important thing for her is to be honest with yourself and not go against conscience. Only then can she be happy. From the side it may seem that such heroines are helpless and weak, but this is completely wrong. They contain a great power, which gives them a sense of moral duty. To break such a heroine is impossible, if she made a decision, she will not change it.

"Turgenev ladies" can easily sacrifice themselves, but only for the sake of a loved one. This again reveals their inner strength. Often the spiritual potential of such heroines is much higher than that of any male hero. Because of their unusual nature, the fate of the "Turgenev girls" is very unusual. For example, Elena from "The Eve" goes to war, Marianne of Novi is at the very center of the revolutionary events, Lisa Kalitina ("The Noble Nest") finds solace only in the monastery.

The heroine of Turgenev always has something to serve. It can be a beloved man, a higher idea, and sometimes both. In this case, completely contradictory character traits coexist in it, for example, the sobriety of the mind and stubbornness, impetuosity.

So, we sorted out the main characters of the characters. Below you can see the plan. The image of the "Turgenev girl" on it will be much easier to analyze. We take Asya for an example.

Internal strength

The writer creates a new female image. In his heroines, nothing remains of the beautiful ladies of the Middle Ages, who were considered ideal. Such women were complaisant, humble and waiting for action from men. The image of the "Turgenev girl" in the novel or novel is completely different. From it you can expect that she herself will take the place of a knight and save her lover from all ills. Therefore, to call this young lady weak-willed and weak is an irreparable mistake. Just to see its potential immediately fails. In this case the heroines of Turgenev remain true to themselves, they are always internally whole, they are not torn by contradictions and doubts. Here, for example, the description of Lisa Kalitina: "imbued with a sense of duty ... with a meek and kind heart ... she loved God alone gently, enthusiastically, timidly."

Lisa Kalitina

Consider the image of "Turgenev girls" on the example of the heroine of the novel "The Noble Nest". Lisa Kalitina appears ordinary ordinary provincial lady, who in everything submits to her mother and plays music all day. In the future, she was predicted a good party, that is, an enviable groom. Accepting this fate, she could live the same life as many of her peers. However, Lisa is ordinary only at first sight. Feature of the heroine emphasizes the author himself. He introduces the reader to each hero, painting his past, but Lisa needs to be understood by unraveling the characteristics that others give her. And it should be noted that the surrounding people do not immediately understand the girl. Thus, Lavretzky makes a wrong judgment about her completely after his first acquaintance. Only with time he manages to unravel Lisa and find out that they have much in common. The only thing that delays them is faith in God: Liza is a convinced Christian, and Lavretsky is an atheist. The girl is very ardently talking about her faith, forgetting everything in the world.

Love Lisa

The image of the "Turgenev girl" is very innocent. This is an inexperienced creature, little familiar with real life. That's why Lisa does not immediately understand that she fell in love with Lavretsky. She learned about her affection, only realizing how much in common with her lover.

A scene of explanation between young people is noteworthy. Throughout the conversation Lisa is silent. But the writer conveys her feelings through movements, facial expressions and gestures. Heroes are happy. And only after this scene Turgenev tells us about Lisa's past, which gives the key to understanding her character.

Having accepted her feeling, the heroine already does not doubt anything. But the appearance of Lavretsky's wife, who is alive, destroys her happiness. She considers this a punishment and sees one way out for herself - going to the monastery. But in this decision the girl is true to herself. Faith in God commands this action.

The image of the "Turgenev girl" in the story "Asya": a plan

To facilitate the process of character analysis, you can draw up a general scheme of reasoning. It will look like this:

1. Brief description of the work: name, subject and problems.
2. General characteristics of the main character.
3. A detailed examination of her features and actions.
4. Answer the question whether childhood and upbringing influenced the formation of personality.
5. Relations between the heroine and her lover.
6. The plot and summarizing.

The story "Asya"

Now let's try, using our plan, to disassemble the image of the "Turgenev girl". "Asya" was written in 1857. This story tells of a girl born from the connection of the master and peasant woman. The writer has often seen the fate of such children, so the topic was close to him and understandable.

Now let's proceed to Asya's description. She appears as a typical "Turgenev young lady". The girl is not particularly beautiful, but pretty, graceful, she has a lot of personal charm and uniqueness. Here is what the author herself describes: "there was something special about her swarthy large face ... with a small thin nose, bright eyes, children's cheeks." In her appearance a lot of light and even children's. On the hero, she made a strange impression at the first meeting - too much harsh and rapid was in her gestures and deeds.

As usual, the "Turgenev girl" does not open immediately. Soon it becomes clear that her behavior can be explained by a past life. Despite her age, she understands the duality of her position, and this duality was transferred to her character.

Feelings of Asi

The image of the Turgenev girl in the story "Asya" is very bright. This is especially evident at the moment when the heroine realizes that the narrator has paid attention to her. Meetings begin, they talk, and the man understands how spiritually rich Asya is. The girl reveals herself more and more, it becomes clear that she is firmly convinced that a person is capable of doing anything, there would be a desire. At the same time Asya is romantic and active, she needs an occupation, she can not sit still. Love gives her new strength, makes her happy, inspires.

But happiness was not destined to come true - the protagonist did not recognize love, was afraid of the views of the world and refused the heroine. That's why he leaves him unhappy until the end of the day and gives Turgenev another family and love. Asya (the image of the "Turgenev girl" is impeccable) appears to be the ideal that was betrayed by the closest person.