Block cycle: analysis. Block, "On the Kulikovo Field"

"The best that was in Russian literature after Tiutchev," the well-known literary critic K. Mochulsky described the cycle in approximately the same way, on whose work this analysis is based. The block "On the Kulikovo Field" was written on the eve of the catastrophic events that determined once and for all the fate of Russia. And the artist of the word felt their closeness, which makes him truly a Russian national poet who can not be inscribed in the close framework of any direction or literary school.

Literary Context

"On the Kulikovo field", the analysis of which is presented in this article, was created in 1908 and was included in the cycle "Motherland". The poet's work on the poem is evidenced by his drama The Song of Destiny, in which historical themes are presented in a lyrical key. Also in connection with the Kulikovo cycle, it is necessary to mention the article of the poet "The Intelligentsia and the Revolution". In it, Blok creates an image of the "impenetrable silence" that hangs over the country. This is the calm before the storm, which precedes the battle. It is in its depths, the poet believes, that the destiny of the Russian people is maturing.

In the article the poet, referring to the poem "On the Kulikovo Field," analyzes the relationship between the people and the intelligentsia in contemporary Russia. The bloc defines these two classes as secret enemies, but between them there is a line connecting them, something that between Russians and Tatars was not and could not be.

Composition

Building a loop is the first thing you need to start analysis with. The block "On the field Kulikovo" was divided into five parts. The poem "The River is Spread", going first in the cycle, covers the reader with a gust of wind in the steppe. In the center is the image of Russia, which, like a whirlwind, rushes through the night mist. And with each new line this movement becomes more and more rapid.

With such a dynamic introduction, the gentle lyric poem "We, the Friend ..." continues to contrast, continuing the cycle "On the Kulikovo Field". The block (the analysis clearly shows this) for the next chapter of his poetic diary - "On the night when Mamai ..." - determined the role of the compositional center. It is here that the image of the Virgin appears, in which the traits of the Beautiful Lady are guessed. The last two poems of the cycle ("Again the age-long yearning" and "And the mischief of misfortunes") continue the motives for the expectation of a future storm, all-encompassing silence, which precedes the impending battle.

The historiosophical concept

In 1912, as a note to one of the poems of the cycle "On the Field of Kulikov," Blok analysis must take this into account-he called the battle with the Tatars symbolic. In other words, the poet gives the image of the Kulikovo battle universal features, which means that it turns out to be applicable to other turning events in Russian history, including the upcoming ones. The battle with the Tatars can be seen as a metaphor for the struggle between the forces of darkness and light, and initially the battle is fought for the soul of a specific person (lyric hero), and the victory of one of these parties will finally decide what fate Russia has.

To make an analysis (Block, "On the Kulikov field" - the field of the great battle) can be done in another way. In the first poem of the cycle, the motive of the forward, causing suffering, is indicated. On this basis, it would be interesting to compare the work of Blok and Bryusov. The latter in one of the poems greeted those who came to destroy the Huns, which caused natural questions and complaints from the reading public. In fact, Valery Bryusov (as well as Blok) understood the inevitability of the coming changes, albeit very painful.

Images

We continue the analysis. The block "On the Kulikovo Field" was saturated with symbolic, multi-valued, universal images. So, Russia, its way is portrayed emphatically dynamically - so much that one involuntarily recalls Gogol's successful comparison of his country with the impetuous troika, which is constantly rushing off somewhere. Interestingly, in one of Blok's poems there is an image of Russia "with the turbid look of a sorcerer" - it is quite probable that the poet used the reference from the story "Terrible revenge". Also interesting is the image of the Beautiful Lady - Theotokos. He points to the specificity of Blok's patriotism: the poet's love for the Motherland is permeated with an erotic feeling that is comparable to the craving for a beloved woman.

Means of expressiveness

Analysis (Block, "On the Kulikov field") would be incomplete without exploring the means of expressiveness. The poet makes abundant use of emotionally charged exclamations, which help to reveal the inner state of the lyrical hero of the cycle. Some of the tropes were borrowed from folklore - epithets and metaphors that create folk-poetic images (a sad river, a bloody sunset). The latter will inevitably cause the reader to associate with Old Russian literature - in particular, "The Word ..." and "Zadonshchina." The poetic size of the cycle is iamb.

Thus, as demonstrated by the analysis (Block, "On the Kulikovo Field"), the field gives literary scholars great material for research. Together with this the poet's cycle is considered one of the tops of his work, along with the "Twelve" and "Scythians".