“Old Woman Izergil” is the story of Maxim Gorky , written in 1894 , consisting of three parts. The story includes two “legends”: the legend of Larre and the legend of Danko , as well as the old woman’s story about the men she loved throughout her life.
| Old Isergil | |
|---|---|
| Genre | story |
| Author | Maksim Gorky |
| Original language | Russian |
| Date of writing | 1894 |
| Date of first publication | |
First published in the Samarskaya Gazeta periodical in 1895, issue 80, April 16; number 86, April 23; number 89, April 27th.
It was written, apparently, in the fall of 1894. The dating is confirmed by a letter from V. G. Korolenko dated October 4, 1894 to a member of the editorial board of Russian News.
Content
Story
The main concept of the story: “Living outside people and for yourself (Larra)” - “Living with people, but for yourself (Isergil)” - “Living with people and for people (Danko)”.
The Legend of Larre
The hero of the first legend told by the old woman is Larra, the son of a woman and an eagle. He only looks like a man in appearance, being at the same time a sower of death and contrasting himself with life. Thoughtless adherence to instinct, the desire to achieve a goal at all costs, an existence devoid of past and future - all this depreciates the pride and beauty that were inherent in Larra from the very beginning. He is embodied lack of spirituality: only he thinks himself perfect and destroys those unwanted by him. Larra is deprived of human destiny: he does not die, but ceases to exist. The suicide attempt is unsuccessful: the earth is estranged from its blows. All that remains of him is the shadow and the name “rejected”. The fate of Larra was determined by the court of man. It is in loneliness and estrangement from people that Gorky sees the worst punishment.
The Legend of Danko
For centuries, people of the same tribe lived in the steppe. Then another tribe came and drove people into the forest. The tribe could not go back to the steppe, but ahead was a dangerous forest with poisonous swamps.
Suddenly, Danko appeared among the people, volunteering to lead people through the forest to another steppe. Along the way, people got angry at him and wanted to kill him, but Danko pulled out a flaming heart from his chest and brought people to another steppe, after which he died. No one noticed that he died, except for one man who, fearing something, stepped on a still burning heart. It went out, but left behind sparks that remained flickering in the steppe.
Films
- 1967 - “ The Legend of the Flaming Heart ”, a cartoon by the Kievnauchfilm studio.
Sources
- Khanov V. A. The story of M. Gorky “The Old Woman Izergil”: cultural studies aspects // Russian literature. - 2003. - No. 4.
- Shcherbina I. “Me and the Old Woman ...”: About the story of M. Gorky “The Old Woman Izergil”. I. Shcherbina // Literature. - 2003 - No. 8.
- Guys, Irina . “The Old Woman Izergil” by A. M. Gorky [Text]: a new look / Irina Guys // Literature. - 2007. - No. 6 (March). - Page 38-41.