Connection of the tale of bygone years with folklore. Subject: from the "tale of bygone years": "the feat of the youth of Kiev and the cunning of the governor Pretich." features of Russian chronicles. echoes of folklore in the annals. heroes of the chronicle legend and their exploits in the name of peace in their native land.

Target: explain the connection between folklore and the annals; to reveal the meaning of the words of D.S. Likhachev

During the classes

"The past must serve the present!" (D. S. Likhachev)

I. "The feat of a Kiev youth and the cunning of the governor Pretich." Echoes of folklore in the annals
Drawing up a quotation plan
Teaching fifth graders to make a plan. To retell the text in a stylistic manner, it is best to rely on the quotation plan.
Quote- an exact excerpt from some text.
Explain that quotation marks are enclosed in quotation marks. If a fragment of a sentence is taken from the beginning of a sentence, then we put an ellipsis at the end; if we do not take a passage from the beginning, then put an ellipsis and start with a lowercase letter. These rules must be explained to children in detail in order to avoid retraining later.
By rereading the chronicle narrative, let the children feel that the story is being conducted calmly, as the spoken language sounds. Let us compare the date to which the chronicle story about the siege of Kiev by the Pechenegs is dated (968, i.e., the 10th century), and the date of the compilation of the first annals (beginning of the 11th century).
- Could the chronicler himself have witnessed this event?
We come to the conclusion that the story about this event, most likely, he wrote down from someone else's words.
- Pay attention to repetition of conjunctions and, a... What role do they play in the text?
Alliances and, a give rhythm and fluency to the narration, bring it closer to oral speech, that is, to folklore.
Let's note a few more stylistic features.
- What can you say about the dialogues in the text? How can they be called: verbose or laconic?
For dialogues with the youth, as well as for other dialogues in the annalistic passage, laconicism (brevity and accuracy), simplicity are characteristic.
- Are adjectives, nouns, verbs often found in the passage? Why?
If you pay attention to the peculiarities of the language of the chronicle passage, you will notice that adjectives are very rarely found in the text. We mainly see nouns and verbs.
Verbs are very expressive, for example: shut up, exhausted, grieve, rushed, let us rush away, approach, ruin, trumpet, shout, threaten, lamented, collected, drove... This suggests that for people of that time, not only the properties or qualities of objects, but also their actions were very important.

II. Retelling while preserving the stylistic features of the text
Such a retelling is a very difficult task for fifth graders. It is almost impossible for children 10-11 years old to retell the full text as needed. We are not faced with the task of control, it is important for us to teach children to retell while preserving stylistic features. It is best to structure the work as follows: one student (weaker) reads expressively a passage (roughly the size of the first paragraph), the second retells after him, etc.

Literature and visual arts
In the section of the textbook "Literature and Fine Arts" questions and tasks are given for the reproduction of the painting by A. Ivanov "The Feat of a Young Kievite". Children should be helped to comprehend this picture. It is possible to organize a conversation in which the teacher can include some information about classicism, about the artist and about the creation of a painting.
Andrei Ivanovich Ivanov lived in 1776-1848, that is, in the late 18th - early 19th centuries. At this time, the principles of classicism reigned in the art of Russia, which turned to the heritage of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome as a norm and an ideal model. One of the main differences of Russian classicism was the desire of artists to reflect in art the ideas of civic spirit and patriotism (love of the motherland).
The painting by A. I. Ivanov "The Feat of a Young Kiev Resident" was created around 1810 (two years after its creation, the Patriotic War of 1812 with Napoleon would begin). The artist takes a plot from the Russian chronicle, which echoes one of the plots of the history of Ancient Rome about how a young Roman saved the city from the invasion of Gauls in this way.
The artist does not strive for the historical accuracy of costumes and landscapes. It is more important for him to show the patriotic impulse of a young man who is saving his homeland from enemies.
We see a young man who, having run over the camp of enemies, took off his clothes on the bank of the river and hurries to throw himself into the water to cross the river. Behind the figure of the young man, we see a black horse with a fluttering tail and mane; above it, against the background of the ominously darkening evening sky, the seemingly black branches of a tree spread out. To the right of the horse, we guess the pale silhouettes of enemy horsemen galloping to catch up with the hero. Behind them is the outline of the fortress walls of Kiev besieged by the Pechenegs.
In the lower left corner we see a strip of river bordered by grass. On the shore, leaning his hand on the sandy river bottom, lies a Russian hero in chain mail, a feathered arrow sticking out in his chest. Another arrow, already taken from the wound, he holds in his right hand. His face expresses suffering and hope that the young man will save his native land, for which the warrior shed his blood. His left hand is raised, as if by his gesture he wants to bless the boy, but he lacks strength. The silvery chain mail, on which the youth's cloak casts the light, the scarlet belt and scarlet elements of clothing connect the images of the youth and the wounded warrior into one semantic whole.
The main character of the picture, a Kiev youth, is depicted naked. In his right hand he has a bridle, he holds a scarlet fluttering cloak, thanks to which the swiftness of the youth's movement is conveyed. The scarlet color symbolizes heroism. His light-brown curls flutter, his body is tense in running so that we see the elastic muscles of the hero. His face is focused, striving, but not fear. He wants to get to the Russian army, but it is not the desire to stay alive that motivates him: his task is to convey the important message to the soldiers. His body is illuminated by the light of the dawn, which is engaged on the left, across the river, where the troops of the Russian governor Pretich are stationed. We guess that with the help of the image of the dawn, the artist wanted to convey the idea of ​​liberation from enemies.
With the help of a painting, the artist tells us how, through anxiety, fear and darkness, a person strives for freedom, for victory over enemies.

III. "The past must serve the present!"(D. S. Likhachev)
We read the article of the textbook, based on the book by DS Likhachev "Native Land", answer the questions.
- What is the position of the heroes of the chronicle story "The feat of a Kiev youth and the cunning of the governor Pretich" you have read? (1st question.)
The heroes of the read chronicle story for the most part occupy a high position in society: Pretich is a voivode, he makes peace with the Pechenezh prince; Svyatoslav is a Russian prince, Princess Olga is his mother. Only the youth does not occupy a high position, but the prince's servant is not a commoner, and he can justly be called an outstanding brave man.
- How do you understand the words of DS Likhachev: "We must be grateful sons of our great mother - Ancient Russia"?
We must be grateful to the sons of Ancient Rus for the fact that they defended the independence of our land in a difficult struggle against the invaders, giving us an example of inner strength and mental fortitude. Our gratitude can be expressed in a careful attitude towards the monuments of Russian antiquity, in a thoughtful and attentive study of history and in concern for the beauty and prosperity of our modern Russia. Our country is our heritage, and we must take care of it and then pass it on to our children.
- Can the story of the youth from Kiev "serve the present"?

The story of the heroic deed of a Kiev youth can serve the present day, showing an example of courage and selflessness for the sake of saving his native land.

Homework
Remember the fables that were studied in elementary school.
Individual assignment
Prepare stories about MV Lomonosov's childhood, about the years of his studies, about scientific discoveries, about literary activity; prepare an expressive reading by heart of S. I. Stromilov's sonnet "Lomonosov" or N. A. Nekrasov's poem "Schoolboy" (see them in the next section of our book).

The chronological principle of presentation allowed the chroniclers to include material that was heterogeneous in nature and genre characteristics into the chronicle.

The simplest narrative unit of the chronicle is a laconic weather record, which is limited only to a statement of fact. However, the very introduction of this or that information into the chronicle testifies to its significance from the point of view of a medieval writer.

For example: “In the summer 6377 (869). The whole land of Bolgar was baptized byst ... "; “In the summer of 6419 (911). Appear a great star in the west in a spear fashion ... "; “In the summer of 6481 (973). Start to princess Yaropolk ", etc. The structure of these records is noteworthy: the first place, as a rule, is given to the verb, which emphasizes the significance of the action.

The chronicle also presents a type of detailed record, recording not only the "deeds" of the prince, but also their results. For example: "In the summer of 6391. Pocha Oleg fought the derevlyans, and having tortured them a tribute, according to the black kuna", etc.

Both the brief weather record and the more detailed one are documentary. There are no tropes that decorate speech in them. The recording is simple, clear and laconic, which gives it special significance, expressiveness and even majesty.

In the center of the chronicler's attention is the event - "INSIA THAT IS HERE IN THE SUMMER OF STRENGTH". They are followed by news of the death of the princes. The birth of children, their marriage is less often recorded. Then information about the construction activities of the princes. Finally, there are reports of church affairs, which occupy a very modest place.

True, the chronicler describes the transfer of the relics of Boris and Gleb, places legends about the beginning of the Pechersky Monastery, the death of Theodosius of the Pechersky and stories about the memorable Monastery of the Pechersk. This is quite understandable by the political significance of the cult of the first Russian saints Boris and Gleb and the role of the Kiev Caves Monastery in the formation of the initial chronicle.

An important group of chronicle news is made up of information about heavenly signs - eclipses of the sun, moon, earthquakes, epidemics, etc. The chronicler sees a connection between unusual natural phenomena and the life of people, historical events.

The historical experience associated with the testimonies of the chronicle of George Amartol leads the chronicler to the conclusion: “Signs are in the sky, or the stars, whether the sun, whether birds, or something else, are not for the good; but there are signs of anger at evil, whether the manifestation of ratification, whether it is glad, whether they manifest death. "

News, diverse in their subject matter, can be combined within one chronicle article. The material that is part of the "Tale of Bygone Years" makes it possible to single out a historical legend, a toponymic tradition, a historical legend (associated with a heroic druzhina epic), a hagiographic legend, as well as a historical legend and a historical tale.

The connection of the chronicle with folklore. The chronicler draws material about the events of the distant past from the treasury of national memory.

The appeal to the toponymic legend was dictated by the desire of the chronicler to find out the origin of the names of the Slavic tribes, individual cities and the word "Rus" itself. Thus, the origin of the Slavic tribes of the Radimichi and Vyatichi is associated with the legendary descendants of the Poles - the brothers Radim and Vyatko.

This legend arose among the Slavs, obviously, during the period of the disintegration of the clan system, when the isolated clan foreman, in order to substantiate his right to political dominance over the rest of the clan, creates a legend about his allegedly foreign origin.

Close to this chronicle legend is the legend of the vocation of princes, placed in the chronicles under 6370 (862). At the invitation of the Novgorodians, three Varangian brothers come from across the sea from across the sea with their families: Rurik, Sineus, Truvor.

The folklore of the legend confirms the presence of the epic number three-three brothers. The legend has a purely Novgorod, local origin, reflecting the practice of relations between the feudal city republic and the princes.

In the life of Novgorod, there were frequent cases of the "calling" of the prince, who served as a military leader. Introduced into the Russian chronicle, this local legend acquired a certain political meaning. She substantiated the rights of princes to political power over all of Russia.

A single ancestor of the Kiev princes was established - the semi-legendary Rurik, which allowed the chronicler to consider the history of the Russian land as the history of the princes of Rurik's house. The legend about the vocation of princes emphasized the political independence of the princely power from the Byzantine Empire.

Thus, the legend of the calling of princes served as an important argument for proving the sovereignty of the Kiev state, and did not at all testify to the inability of the Slavs to independently organize their state, without the help of the Europeans, as some scholars tried to prove.

A typical toponymic legend is also the legend about the founding of Kiev by three brothers - Kiy, Shchek, Khoriv and their sister Lybid. The chronicler himself points to the oral source of the material introduced into the chronicle: "Ini, he is not well versed, rekosha, like Kiy was a ferryman."

The chronicler indignantly rejects the version of the folk legend about the Kiev carrier. He categorically declares that Kiy was a prince, made successful campaigns against Constantinople, where he received a great honor from the Greek king and founded the settlement of Kievets on the Danube.

Chronicle news about the Slavic tribes, their customs, wedding and funeral rites are filled with echoes of ritual poetry from the times of the tribal system.

The first Russian princes, Oleg, Igor, Olga, Svyatoslav, are characterized in the chronicles by the methods of oral folk epic.

Oleg is, first of all, a courageous and wise warrior. Thanks to his military ingenuity, he defeats the Greeks, putting his ships on wheels and putting them under sail on the ground.

He cleverly unravels all the intricacies of his enemies, the Greeks, and concludes a peace treaty beneficial to Russia with Byzantium. As a sign of his victory, Oleg nails his shield at the gates of Constantinople to the shame of his enemies and the glory of his homeland.

The lucky prince-warrior is nicknamed by the people "prophetic", that is, a wizard (although, at the same time, the Christian chronicler did not fail to emphasize that the nickname was given to Oleg by the pagans, "people of rot fate.

Under 912. the chronicle contains a poetic legend associated, obviously, "with Olga's grave", which "is ... to this day." This legend has a complete plot, which is revealed in a laconic dramatic narration. It clearly expresses the idea of ​​the power of fate, which none of the mortals, and even the "prophetic" prince, can not escape.

Igor is depicted in a slightly different plan. He is also courageous and brave, defeating the Greeks in the campaign in 944. He is caring and attentive to the needs of his squad, but, moreover, he is greedy.

The desire to collect as much tribute from the Drevlyans as possible becomes the reason for his death. Igor's greed is condemned by the chronicler with a folk proverb that he puts into the mouths of the Drevlyans: "If you put a wolf in a sheep, then take out the whole flock, if not kill him ..."

Igor's wife Olga is a wise woman, faithful to the memory of her husband, rejecting the matchmaking of not only the Drevlyane prince Mal, but also the Greek emperor. She takes cruel revenge on her husband's murderers, but her cruelty is not condemned by the chronicler.

The description of Olga's four places emphasizes the wisdom, firmness and inflexibility of the character of a Russian woman. DS Likhachev notes that the basis of the legend is riddles that the unlucky Drevlyan matchmakers cannot solve.

Olga's riddles are based on associations of wedding and funeral rites: they carried in boats not only guests of honor, but also the dead; Olga's proposal to the ambassadors to wash in the bathhouse is not only a sign of the highest hospitality, but also a symbol of the funeral rite; heading to the Drevlyans, Olga goes to create a feast not only for her husband, but also for the Drevlyan ambassadors killed by her.

The slow-witted Drevlyans understand Olga's words in their direct meaning, unaware of another, hidden meaning of the wise woman's mysteries, and thus doom themselves to death. The entire description of Olga's revenge is based on a bright, laconic and scenic dialogue between the princess and the envoys of the "Derevskaya Zemlya".

The heroic of the squad epic is fanned by the image of a stern, simple and strong, courageous and straightforward warrior Svyatoslav. Deceit, flattery, cunning are alien to him - qualities inherent in his enemies - the Greeks, who, as the chronicler notes, "are flattering to this day."

With a small retinue, he wins a victory over the superior forces of the enemy: with a short, courageous speech he inspires his soldiers to fight: "... let us not shame the Ruska earth, but lie down on the bones, the dead is not a shame imam."

Svyatoslav despises wealth, he values ​​only the squad, the weapon with which you can get any wealth. The description of this prince in the chronicle is accurate and expressive: “... walking lightly, like pardus, many wage wars.

Walking, I did not lift a cart by itself, neither a cauldron, nor cooked meat, but having slaughtered the horse meat, whether animal or beef on coal, I baked yadyashe, nor a tent is named, but I sent the lining and the saddle in their heads; so is his other howl ecu byahu ".

Svyatoslav lives by the interests of his squad. He even goes against the admonitions of his mother - Olga and refuses to accept Christianity, fearing the ridicule of the squad. But constant striving

Svyatoslav to wars of conquest, disregard for the interests of Kiev, his attempt to transfer the capital of Russia to the Danube evokes the condemnation of the chronicler.

He expresses this condemnation through the mouth of the "kiyan": "... you, prince, looking for other lands and dishes, and having haunted yours (left), little (barely) pechenesi were taken from us ..."

The upright warrior prince dies in an unequal battle with the Pechenegs at the Dnieper rapids. The prince of Pechenezh who killed Svyatoslav, Smoking, "taking his head, and in his forehead (skull), I ate a cup, which bound his forehead, and I drunk it out of it."

The chronicler does not moralize about this death, but the general tendency is still evident: the death of Svyatoslav is natural, it is a consequence of his disobedience to his mother, a consequence of his refusal to be baptized.

The chronicle news about Vladimir's marriage to the Polotsk princess Rogneda, about his abundant and generous feasts held in Kiev - the Korsun legend - goes back to folk legends.

On the one hand, a pagan prince with his unbridled passions appears before us, on the other, an ideal Christian ruler endowed with all the virtues: meekness, humility, love for the poor, for the monastic and monastic rank, etc.

By contrasting a pagan prince with a Christian prince, the chronicler strove to prove the superiority of the new Christian morality over the pagan.

The reign of Vladimir was fanned by the heroism of folk tales already at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century.

The legend of the victory of the Russian youth Kozhemyaka over the Pechenezh giant is permeated with the spirit of the folk heroic epic. As in the folk epic, the legend emphasizes the superiority of a man of peaceful labor, a simple artisan over a professional warrior - the Pechenezh bogatyr. The images of the legend are built on the principle of contrasting comparison and broad generalization.

At first glance, the Russian youth is an ordinary, unremarkable person, but he embodies that enormous, gigantic strength that the Russian people possess, decorating the earth with their labor and protecting it on the battlefield from external enemies.

The Pechenezhsky warrior with his gigantic size terrifies those around him. The modest Russian youth, the youngest son of a tanner, is opposed to a boastful and arrogant enemy. He accomplishes the feat without arrogance and bragging.

At the same time, the legend is timed to the toponymic legend about the origin of the city of Pereyaslavl - "the zone of pereyaslavl's glory", but this is a clear anachronism, since Pereyaslavl was already mentioned more than once in the chronicle before this event.

The legend of the Belgorod jelly is associated with the folk fabulous epic. This legend glorifies the mind, resourcefulness and ingenuity of the Russian person.

Both the legend of Kozhemyak and the legend of the Belgorod jelly are complete narratives based on the opposition of the inner strength of the toiler to the bragging of a fearful enemy only in appearance, the wisdom of the old man to the credulity of the Pechenegs.

The plots of both legends culminate in duels: in the first - physical combat, in the second - the combat of the mind and resourcefulness with gullibility, stupidity.

The plot of the legend about Kozhemyak is typologically close to the plots of heroic folk epics, and the legend of the Belgorod jelly - folk tales.

The folklore basis is clearly felt in the church legend about the visit of the Russian land by the Apostle Andrew. Placing this legend, the chronicler strove to "historically" substantiate the religious independence of Russia from Byzantium.

The legend claimed that the Russian land received Christianity not from the Greeks, but allegedly by the disciple of Christ himself - the Apostle Andrew, who once traveled the path "from the Varangians to the Greeks" along the Dnieper and Volkhov, - Christianity was predicted on the Russian land.

The church legend about how Andrei blessed the Kiev mountains is combined with the folk legend about Andrei's visit to the Novgorod land. This legend is of an everyday nature and is associated with the custom of the inhabitants of the Slavic north to steam in hot heated wooden baths.

Compilers of the chronicles of the XVI century. drew attention to the discrepancy between the first part of the story about the visit of the Apostle Andrew to Kiev from the second, they replaced the everyday story with a pious tradition, according to which Andrew leaves his cross in the Novgorod land.

Thus, most of the chronicle legends dedicated to the events of the 9th - the end of the 10th centuries are associated with oral folk art, its epic genres.

V. V. Kuskov History of Old Russian Literature. - M., 1998

The Tale of Bygone Years is a valuable historical source. The chronicler, following the Christian concept of history, opened the "Tale" with a biblical legend about the division of the earth after the flood between the sons of Noah - Shem, Ham and Japheth (the Slavs are the descendants of Japheth and, like the Greeks, are part of the family of European nations). The chronicle included extensive historical and geographical information about the Slavic tribes, their customs and manners, relationships with neighboring peoples. The compiler of the "Tale of Bygone Years" emphasized the unity of the Eastern Slavs (Polyans, Drevlyans, Dregovichs, Polotsk, Slovens, Northerners), as well as their blood, linguistic and cultural relationship with other Slavic peoples, southern and western. He paid tribute to the great mission of the first Slavic "teachers" and "philosophers" Cyril and Methodius, the creators of the "Slovenian alphabet".

The first article, dated 852, was associated by the chronicler with the beginning of the Russian land: under the Byzantine emperor Michael III, “Rus came to Tsesargrad, like writing in Greek writing”. Under 862, there was a legend about the vocation of the Varangians, where the common ancestor of the Russian princes, Rurik, was established, together with the brothers Sineus and Truvor, invited by the Novgorodians to "reign and rule" the Russian land. This legend did not testify to the inability of the Russians to independently organize their state, but served an actual goal at that time - to prove the political independence of Russia from Byzantium.

The next turning point in Russian history is associated with the baptism of Rus under Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich (988), which introduced the country to Christian culture and strengthened its ties with European peoples. The chronicler attributed further successes in the Christianization of Russia, state and cultural development to the time of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, during which "the beginning of the time of the peasant's proliferation and expansion, and the monasticism will multiply, and the monasticism of life ... into the Slovenian language and writing. And there are many books written off ... they also learn from the people's minds and enjoy the teachings of the divine voice. " If Vladimir, according to the chronicler, plowed and softened the land, i.e. enlightened by baptism, then his son Yaroslav "and the bookish words of the hearts of false people.

The final articles of The Tale of Bygone Years told about the reign of Svyatopolk Izyaslavich. This time was overshadowed by the more frequent Polovtsian raids on Russia, feudal strife and popular riots. The opposition between the "cross" and the "knife" becomes the symbolic antithesis of the era ("kissing the cross" means to seal with an oath a treaty of peace and unanimity among princes; "to plunge in a knife" - to sow enmity between princes-brothers). The opposition reaches the highest degree of drama in "The Tale of the Blinding of Vasilko of Terebovlsky", placed in the annals under 1097.

"The Tale of Bygone Years" and folklore

"The Tale of Bygone Years" - the most significant example of the use of folklore tradition in the literature of Kievan Rus, which is not surprising. After restoring the pre-Christian, preliterate period in the history of Russia, the chronicler was forced to turn to ancestral traditions, toponymic legends, and squad poetry for information.

At the same time, he was not a simple registrar of events, but often acted as a researcher, citing and analyzing several folklore versions of one historical fact. For example, talking about the emergence of Kiev, the chronicler sets out two points of view on the origin of the founder of the city: some "rkosha, as Kiy is a ferry byst", others "say: as a great honor I have received from the Caesar." Following the logic of the official historiographer, the author of the chronicle asserts: "If Kyi was a ferryman, he would not go to Tsesaryugrad. But this Kiy is a prince in his family."

The impact of folklore primarily affects depicting heroes the initial part of the chronicle. As in the works of oral folk art, the chronicle will give the first Russian princes (Oleg, Olga, Igor, Svyatoslav, Vladimir) laconic, but vivid characteristics, highlighting in their image a dominant trait of an individual character. So, in the image of Princess Olga, the chronicler poeticizes the wisdom of a statesman, which is expressed both in her search for a single faith that can unite the East Slavic tribes, and in revenge on the Drevlyans, who, having killed her husband, Prince Igor, refused to obey Kiev.

The chronicle description of Prince Svyatoslav, the son of Princess Olga, is epically laconic. Before us is a straightforward and courageous man, easy to communicate with soldiers, who preferred victory in an open battle to military cunning and therefore, setting out on a campaign, invariably warned enemies: "I want to go!" Knowing about the ambush, he fought with small forces with the Pechenegs and died, strictly following the law of military honor. The characterization of the hero is given through his actions, the feats he accomplished; she is dripping is effective and very specific in the "depiction of" military life: "Prince Svyatoslav vzrastynyu and vzmuzhavshyu, nachya howling svokuplyati many and brave Bѣ bo and Samye horobr and legok, walking aki pardus, War, many tvoryashe Voz bo on sebѣ not vozyashe,.. neither a cauldron, nor boiled meat, but cut out horsemeat, or zvurin, or beef, bake it on uglekh, eat it, nor a tent, but put the lining on it, but the saddle is in the heads; so is his other howl all byahu. "

In later fragments of the chronicle to replace epic style in the image of the hero came monumental-historical style, where the idealization of the prince presupposed the praise of his Christian virtues: love for God, reverence for the church, mercy to the poor, abstinence from lust and drunkenness. The chronicle characteristics of the Christian princes are official, ceremonial, there are few individual signs in them. Their image is not devoid of metamorphosis: a murderer prince could turn into a righteous prince, but, of course, as a result of a miracle, for the hero of medieval literature did not yet know the inner struggle. The poetics of folklore did not allow a two-color palette in the image of the prince, while the literary hero could reincarnate. Yaroslav the Wise, from a rebellious son who refused to pay tribute to his father, the Kiev prince, turns into an instrument of divine punishment to Svyatopolk the Accursed for the death of the martyred brothers Boris and Gleb. Vseslav of Polotsk is a legendary werewolf prince, "not merciful to bloodshed," but in 1068 the people of Kiev freed him from the "porch" and put him on the grand prince's table. The "villain" became a "martyr", gained popular support and sympathy, for Izyaslav Yaroslavich deceived him to Kiev and, breaking the kiss of the cross, imprisoned his brother.

The influence of folklore sources on the "Tale of Bygone Years" is evidenced by the solution in it of the theme of military exploit. The victory of the Russians over the enemies in the initial part of the chronicle is depicted without religious motivation, without the appearance of the heavenly army on the battlefield, as a result of the unanimous desire of the "brave" Russian squad "not to disgrace the Russian land and lie with bones here, for the dead have no shame." However, the description of the duel between the Christian prince Mstislav and the Kasogian hero Rededey contains an episode when the prince, weakened in a battle with the enemy, prays to the Mother of God and makes a vow: in case of victory, erect a temple in her honor. The religious motive of the miracle will later permeate battle descriptions, making the fate of a person and a people dependent on the will of God and the help of heavenly patrons.

The stories of the chronicle, executed in an epic manner, contain more everyday realities, than episodes about the deeds of Christian princes. This is a bridle in the hands of a youth who, during the siege of Kiev, supposedly in search of a lost horse, makes his way through the enemy camp. And the mention of how, testing himself before the battle with the Pechenezh bogatyr, a young man of leather with professional strong hands pulls out of the side of a bull that has run past "I skin from the meat, I am only his hand." Everyday details help the reader to imagine what is happening in visually concrete images, to become, as it were, a witness to the events captured by the historical memory of the people, and then by the chronicle.

If in stories made in the style of monumental historicism, the reader knows everything in advance, the fate of the hero is predetermined, then in the development of the plot of the epic part of the chronicle it is often used surprise effect. For example, Princess Olga seems to take seriously the matchmaking of the Drevlyan prince Mal, secretly preparing the death of his ambassadors. The horse, from which Oleg the Prophetic, according to the prediction of the Magi, was destined to die, has long been dead, but his skull is fraught with mortal danger: "having pulled the snake out of his forehead, I will bite into the leg" of the prince, after which he "will ache and die." The fates of the epic heroes of Russian history illustrate the antithesis, where "biographies of punishment" of pagan princes are opposed to "biographies of salvation" of princes who were baptized. If Oleg, who laughed at the prediction of the Magi and stepped on the horse's skull with his foot, is punished for sacrilege - he dies at the zenith of glory by an unexpected and terrible death, then Princess Olga, being baptized, gains spiritual salvation and ends her life in old age, surrounded by the respect and love of loved ones ...

The special role of the oral-poetic tradition in the formation of the chronicle is clearly visible in the analysis of its poetics. The leading place in stories that grew up on a folklore basis is occupied by a monologue, and dialogical speech. The dialogue makes up at least half of the story about Princess Olga's revenge on the Drevlyans, while Olga's actions themselves are recorded with the utmost laconicism. Besides, rhetorical adornment of speech is alien to early chronicle texts: they are distinguished by the utmost stinginess in the use of artistic means, the frequent repetition of the same words, the use of simple syntactic constructions such as "Idea Svyatoslav on Kozars" or "Defeat Vyatich Svyatoslav and put a tribute on them." These are the features lively colloquial speech, no wonder there are so many in the annals proverbs and sayings, absorbed the wisdom of the people. "If you bring a wolf into the sheep, then carry the whole flock one by one, if not kill him; this and this, if we do not kill him, then we will destroy all of us," the Drevlyans argue, having learned that Prince Igor is going for a second tribute.

Despite the fact that the tragic events of Russian history often fell into the field of view of the chronicler: the murder by order of the brother of princes Boris and Gleb, the raids of nomads and the ruin of the Russian land, he, like the folk storyteller, believed in the ultimate triumph of good and justice; his the works are imbued with a sense of historical optimism. Condemning the policy of princely strife, the chronicler spoke out against the princes, nicknamed by the people Gorislavich and the Damned. In the chronicle "The Tale of the Blinding of Vasilko Terebovlsky", the true hero is not "sotona" (the devil), who "got" into the hearts of some husbands who "whispered" to Davyda that Vasilko and Vladimir were "forging sedition" against the Kiev prince, violating the Lyubech Treaty; not Davyd, who convinced Svyatopolk Izyaslavich to blind Vasilko and thereby deprive him of political activity; and, of course, not Prince Svyatopolk, who after the crime decided to flee from Kiev, besieged by the army of Vladimir Monomakh. And not even Prince Vasilko, because he shows an active principle only in the scene of blinding: only a few servants, with the help of boards, under which the prince's chest "crackles", managed to deprive him of the opportunity to resist. The real hero of the story about the princely crime is the people of Kiev, sending a deputation to Vladimir Monomakh with a request to abandon their ancestral revenge: "We pray, prince, you and your brother, do not mind ruining the Rus land." to disturb our land, your grandfathers and fathers have already acquired great labor and courage. "

With all the richness of the folklore tradition in the "Tale of Bygone Years" one cannot exaggerate the connection between the oral and written literature of Kievan Rus. The chronicler carefully selected historical material and, while interpreting it, did not forget about his role as an official historiographer. He wrote with condemnation both about the princely strife and about the uprisings of the smerds. The chronicle went beyond oral and poetic representations of Russian history, not only registering the brightest events, but also showing their interconnection. The circle of events that are reflected in the chronicle also expanded: these are the heroic deeds of the Russians, their military campaigns, and the first successes in the Christianization of Rus, in the dissemination of bookishness.

"NS. v. l. " drawn up monk of Kiev-Pechersk monastery Nestorom approx. 1113 g... It is based on The initial annalistic set dating from 1093-1095 At the very dawn of our written creativity, we have a chronicle, which was destined to become in ideological and political in relation to the dominant and leading phenomenon in Russian literature of the old times. The keen interest of the Russian person - even in the most distant times - in his historical past is very indicative for characterizing the spiritual image of an educated Russian person. In no other literature has chronicle writing occupied such a large place and played such a large role as in Russian.

The Tale reflects a characteristic feature of Old Russian literature: inserting new excerpts... This is syncretism, which means "difficult genre." Nestor included in the text of his source the treaties of the Russian princes with Byzantium, supplemented it with a retelling of a number of oral historical and legendary legends and his own stories about historical events of the late 11th - early 12th centuries.

The chronicler compared books to rivers: "These are the essence of rivers that give water to the universe." Here and previous annals, and legends, and oral stories, and historical songs, created in a different environment: retinue, monastery, princely, and sometimes craft and peasant. From all these sources, "The Tale ..." was born - the creation of many authors, a work that reflected in itself the ideology of the top of feudal society, and popular views on Russian history, people's thoughts and aspirations about it, an epic and lyrical work at the same time - a kind of courageous meditation on historical the ways of our country.

Origins"Stories ..." to a large extent determined the direction of its presentation. The powerful, logically harmonious, patriotic narrative of the Tale ... in its steady movement from the past to the present carried a broad understanding of the political reality of its time. "The Tale ..." became a "source of wisdom" for subsequent chroniclers. In its content at the time of feudal fragmentation and "evil Tatar" they saw living evidence of the unity of the Russian land.

"Story ..." narrates about the beginning of the Russian land, about the beginning of the Russian people the voice of the distant and at the same time close to us Russian people of the 11th - early 12th centuries.

The high merits of the "Story ..." arose on the fertile soil of Russian culture at the beginning of the 12th century. These merits were associated with increased interest in native history in all layers of Kievan Rus. The division of society into the dominant feudal elite and the enslaved lower strata of the urban and rural population was already clearly visible, but the memory of patriarchal communal relations and stories about Vladimir's feasts, which were equally open to everyone, is still vivid. The political unity of the Russian land, drawn into the process of feudalization, has already been lost, Novgorod, Polotsk, Galicia-Volyn land, Smolensk and Vladimir-Suzdal principality have already become isolated, but the consciousness of the unity of Rus is still (or already) effective.

But the chronicle tsy(Dmitriev's) are full of optimism, they are proud of Russia - its past and future. This is clearly seen in one example. Under the year 1093 one of the most dire consequences of feudal fragmentation is recounted: Polovtsian invasion... A vivid picture of the suffering of the Russian people, taken prisoner by the Polovtsians, is given: suffering, sad, tormented, frozen, from hunger, thirst and grief with faded faces, with blackened bodies, walking barefoot and with ulcerated thorns feet, with tears say to each other: “I from this village "," I am from this city. " And right after this picture, so skillfully painted by him, the chronicler exclaims that no one dares to say that we are hated by God. “Kago bo tako is God to love, how did he glorify and exalt us? Whom did he consider to eat, as if he glorified us and brought us in? Nobody! "

The optimism and patriotism of "Tale ..." were manifestations of strength new social order, in which the sad political consequences of the fragmentation of Russia have not yet had time to fully affect.

The written history of Russia was preceded by oral history... The chronicle most directly owes its flourishing to this unwritten history of Russia, the keeper of which was himself people... The "Tale ..." tells about campaigns and treaties, about the founding of cities, gives living characteristics to the princes and tells about the settlement of tribes, which indicates that the chroniclers had some kind of oral material about the historical life of the people for many generations. Looking at the composition of the information provided by the chroniclers, we see that this huge historical source was folklore. This is no coincidence. The chronicle contains numerous remnants of historical legends, legends and songs, with which the Old Russian scribes sought to fill the lack of written material on the history of their homeland. They consisted of something historical self-awareness of the people, which allowed the Russian annals to grow. Centuries adjacent to the activities of the first Russian. chroniclers - IX and X, - gave them incomparably more ist. material borrowed from ist. folklore than all the previous ones.

Several types of history are used in the annals. works. One of the most important - local legends associated with natural boundaries, burial grounds, villages and cities throughout the great Russian plain... Burial mounds have long been associated with all peoples of the East. legends. But, in addition, the memory of the buried was supported by funeral feasts performed on their mounds, a cult that surrounded many of the burial mounds. Number of hills on the territory of Ancient Russia there was great, especially in Kiev... The chroniclers refer to them as reliable witnesses to the accuracy of their truth. narration. For example, Oleg's conquest of Kiev associated with graves Askold and Dir; Igor's death- with his grave " at the Sparkling Hail in the Trees"; legend about Prophetic Oleg- with his grave: "there is his grave to this day, the word is Olga's grave"; death of Oleg Svyatoslavich- with his grave " near the city of Vrucheho" etc.

"The Story ..." has preserved from the pre-written period the content of several heroic songs of squad poetry... Their main theme was daring hikes russ. squads to the main and richest center of Europe at that time - Constantinople. The unusually daring campaigns of the Russians created favorable conditions for flourishing heroic song. The echoes of this song squad are heard in the chronicles about the campaigns to Constantinople by Askold and Dir, Oleg, Igor, Svyatoslav, in the story of how Oleg ordered the soldiers to make wheels and put ships on them. With a favorable wind, the ships turned their sails and entered Constantinople from the field. The frightened Greeks offered peace and tribute. Druzhina songs told about how the Prophetic Oleg refused to accept food and wine poisoned by the Greeks under the walls of Constantinople. Remnants of other songs can be seen in the story about the shield that Oleg nailed over the gates of Constantinople, "showing victory", the same with the legend about the death of Oleg from his beloved horse and with the Chronicle of the famous feasts of Vladimir Svyatoslavich.

Particularly vivid in the "Tale ..." created on the basis of these songs is the character of the fearless prince Svyatoslav, who spent his entire short life in distant battles. (How the Greeks wanted to test him, they sent riches, but he did not even look, but the prince liked the weapon). Druzhinnaja poetry was poetry of high patriotic pathos.

Thus, "The Tale .." with its world-historical introduction, with its broad desire to substantiate the place of the Russian people among other peoples of the world, with its special attention to the heroic, to military exploits, to the glory of Russian weapons, introduces us into an atmosphere of epic folk song attitude to Russian history.