“The problem of life values \u200b\u200bin the work“ Gobsek. "Gobsec", an artistic analysis of the story of Honore de Balzac
And it belongs to Scenes from Private Life. The main characters in it are the old usurer Gobsek, the solicitor Derville and the count family of de Resto.
The main theme of the work - passion. She is explored in the story on two levels: on the one hand, Gobsek studies human passions (love of wealth, power, women, selfish selfishness, etc.), on the other, Balzac himself examines the nature of the old usurer and shows us that even under One all-consuming and all-destroying passion - a craving for gold, for accumulation, for constant enrichment - can be hidden behind the guise of a person who is wise in life.
The life story of Jean Ester van Hobseck, the son of a Jewess and a Dutchman, is presented to the reader through the story of the solicitor Derville, who decided to reassure the young girl Camille de Granlier regarding the brilliant position of her beloved Count Ernest de Resto.
Derville met Gobsek when he was a student. The old usurer was 76 years old at the time. The story in the salon of the Viscountess de Granlier Derville leads a few days after the death of 89-year-old Gobsek.
Thirteen years of acquaintance allowed the solicitor to make friends and penetrate the secrets of the soul of an adamant usurer who inspires terror throughout Paris. The first impression of Gobsek (by the way, this character bears a speaking surname: translated from French, "Gobsek" is "Zhivoglot") is created a colorful description of his appearance, each trait of which is metaphorically associated with wealth, old age, or cunning.
The face of the old moneylender with its "yellowish pallor", similar to "the color of silver, from which the gilding has peeled off", reminds Derville "Moon face"... Gobsek's eyes - "Small and yellow, like a ferret", nose - long with a sharp tip, lips - thin, "Like the alchemists", facial features - "Motionless, impassive, seemed to be cast in bronze"... When the usurer lifts the frayed cap, the gaze opens "A strip of naked skull, yellow like old marble". “All his actions were measured, like the movements of a pendulum. It was some kind of automatic man who was turned on every day. "... At first, Derville could not even say how old Gobsek was, since the latter looked either aged up to a time, or well-preserved forever.
Art space, in which there is a Parisian usurer, to match his calculating and cold nature. The things in his room are worn and neat, and the fire in the fireplace, even in winter, does not flare up at full power. Gobsek's room is in a damp house without a yard, with windows facing the street. It is no different from the rest of the building, each of which, with its structure, reminds Derville of a monastic cell.
The feeling of contentment with the past day and inner joy in Gobsek could only be noticed by rubbing his hands and changing the position of wrinkles on his face. Being a cabin boy in his youth and having experienced a lot of dangers, in old age the usurer reached a state of a kind of wisdom: he made his own conclusion about life and began to live in accordance with it. Existence, according to Gobsek, is "Just a habit of favorite environment"... Moral rules are different for different nations, internal passions are destructive for people and only the instinct of self-preservation is the only thing that is valuable in life. Standing firmly on your feet in a world immersed in vanity is only possible with the help of gold. It gives everything - wealth, power, position, the favor of women. Passions are best studied and profited from. The last two things are Gobseck's main entertainment.
The usurer treats his clients as a means of profit. Gobsek cannot perceive vicious people differently. Only simple, honest, hardworking personalities, such as seamstress Fanny Malvo, can take part in it. At the same time, Gobsek helps only those who can return the money taken from him with interest. In Derville, the usurer is captivated by his youth (Gobsek believes that up to the age of thirty people still retain their reserve of honesty and nobility), knowledge (Gobsek uses his advice), a sober mind, a desire to work and the ability to clearly express one's thoughts without playing on feelings, and reasoning logically.
Participation in the hereditary affairs of the count's family de Resto Gobsec explains simply: he agreed to help the unfortunate father because he trusted him "Without any tricks"... The wife of Count de Resto, the beautiful Anastasi, day after day squandered the family's fortune, releasing it on the young lover Maxim de Tray, and something had to be done about it. The artistic image of the heroine is devoid of unambiguity: she is both an unhappy woman who succumbed to love passion, and a betrayed wife (Anastazi's younger children are not from her husband), and an endless curmudgeon striving for wealth, and, perhaps, a good mother, equally wishing well to all children.
With all his rationality, Gobsek, on the verge of death, faces one on one with his individual passion - he dies without leaving behind a will (oral, given in words to Derville - does not count), in a house filled to capacity with rotting delicacies, money and the last he received a pile of gold, hidden by weakness in the ash of the fireplace.
- Summary of the story of Honore de Balzac "Gobsec"
Lesson topic. Honore de Balzac's story "Gobsec": problematics of the work, socio-historical conditioning of characters. The ambiguity of the image of Gobsek.
Money is the main law of the world
Balzac
Purpose: to acquaint students with the content of the work, the problems and socio-historical conditioning of the characters; to explore the basic techniques and means of characterizing the heroes of the story, to reveal the destructive power of the "power of gold" on people, on interpersonal and social relations, to find out the essence of Gobseck's philosophy, the ambiguity of this image; develop the skills of ideological and artistic analysis of the work; contribute to the formation of ideas about true life values.
Lesson type: content-search.
Lesson form: communication lesson with elements of theatricalization and discussion.
Working methods: problematic discussion, theatricalization, commented reading, drawing up a reference outline.
During the classes
1. Creation of a problem situation (dialogue between the teacher and students)
- Do you want you to have more money?
- And for complete happiness, how much money would you like to have?
Now we will see an unhappy man who had a lot of money, but wanted more and more.
Schubert's symphony No. 8 is played, a scene from A. Pushkin's drama "The Covetous Knight" is performed against the background of the melody - a monologue of the Covetous Knight.
- Who is it? Did you find out? Where else have we met such characters?
(Harpagon in the comedy "The Miser" by Moliere, Plyushkin in the poem "Dead Souls" by N. Gogol. We will also meet the image of the old woman-pawnbroker in the novel "Crime and Punishment")
2 ... Teacher's introduction.
Today we will get acquainted with the story of Honore de Balzac "Gobsec". Despite the fact that it was created almost 200 years ago, its theme is in many respects consonant with our time. The problems of moral choice that Balzac's heroes solve are the problems of today. To understand and appreciate this choice means to develop your point of view.
Who to be? How to be? What to strive for? What to make the meaning of your life? What to accept and what to reject? We will reflect on these questions in today's lesson, analyzing the story "Gobsek", which deals with the power of money over people. The main character owns the words that make up the essence of the nineteenth century.
“All the forces of humanity are concentrated in gold. As for morals, a person is the same everywhere: everywhere there is a struggle between the poor and the rich, everywhere. And it is inevitable. "
The main problem of the work - the influence of the "golden bag" on the inner world of a person - is still relevant today. After all, we, as once the heroes of Balzac, live in an era of capital accumulation. Therefore, it is useful for us to take a closer look at the character, whose main and only passion has become profit, and those heroes who surround him.
3. Students' speeches with individual informant cards.
1 card - informant. The history of writing the story.
- Why did Balzac choose exactly this version of the name?
Balzac writes about his hero: "By an amazing whim of fate ... the old man's name was Gobsek (swallower)." Gobsek really consumes many human lives, like a spider weaves webs around a victim. He is a predator and does his dark deeds for personal gain.
4. Conversation of the teacher with the students on the content of the story, work on the image of Gobsek.
2 card - informant. Gobsek's appearance.
- If you painted a portrait of Gobsek, what tones would you prefer? What background would you choose for the picture?
Creation of the scheme-definition of Gobsek by metaphors from the author's text.
Prove One Of The Metaphors Is Best
- Does the portrait of Gobsek correspond to his essence? What is it, in your opinion?
Gobsek believes in the limitless power and power of gold. “You believe everything, but I don’t believe anything. Well, save your illusions if you can. I will now summarize your human life. What is considered a vice in Paris, is recognized by the Azar Islands as a necessity. There is nothing lasting on earth, there are only conventions, and in every climate they are different ... all our moral rules and beliefs are empty words ... So live with mine, you will find out that of all earthly blessings there is only one, reliable enough to cost a person to chase behind him. Is this gold. All the forces of mankind are concentrated in gold ... And as for morals, people are the same everywhere: everywhere there is a struggle between the poor and the rich, everywhere. And it is inevitable. It's better to push yourself than to let others push you. "
Thus, Gobsek argues that there are no absolute values \u200b\u200band truths in the world. Different peoples have their own morality, their own laws, their own concept of morality.
And only gold is the absolute truth and value in all countries and at all times. Only gold can give a person absolute, real power over the world.
- What do we learn about Gobsek's past? Find in the text evidence of the great trials that befell Gobsek.
“His mother put him on a ship as a cabin boy, and at the age of ten he sailed to the Dutch possessions of the East Indies, where he wandered for twenty years. The wrinkles of his yellowish face kept the secret of terrible trials, sudden terrible events, unexpected successes, romantic vicissitudes, immeasurable joys, hungry days, trampled love, wealth, ruin and newly acquired wealth, mortal dangers, when life, hanging by a thread, was saved by instant and, perhaps cruel actions justified by necessity. "
Before visiting Gobsec by Maxime de Trai, the usurer prepares his pistols, saying:
"... I am confident in my accuracy, because I happened to walk on a tiger and on the deck of a ship to fight in a boarding fight not to the stomach, but to death ..."
In a conversation between Derville and Count de Resto, the solicitor says this about Gobsek's past: “I don't know anything about his past. He may have been a corsair; may have wandered around the world, traded in diamonds or people, women or state secrets; but I am deeply convinced that no human soul has received such a cruel hardening in trials as he did. "
Reference to Theodore Gericault's painting "The Raft of Medusa" - 1818-1819
If you carefully read the work, seriously thought over the questions given to the house, then you will immediately feel the inner connection between Theodore Gericault's painting "The Raft of Medusa" and the story, for Gobsek was not born a usurer. He was once a knight of profit. He may have been a corsair.
- What moral lessons, ideals did Gobsek take from his stormy youth and adventurous maturity? What rules does he live by? What is his philosophy of life?
Gobsek is a product of his time, a true product of the bourgeois world. He lives by the laws of this world, accepts the established rules of the game and honestly (!) Fulfills them. It is no coincidence that Derville, in a conversation with Count de Resto, directly says about Gobsek: "... outside of these matters he is a man of the most scrupulous honesty in all of Paris."
Gobsek seems ruthless, but if he turns out to be magnanimous even once, he will go broke. It is no accident that Gobsek will forever remember how he once “spared one woman” and “trusted her”, and she “plucked” him well. Gobsek is a skeptic and a materialist, he has gone through a lot, therefore he does not believe in the inviolability of universal human values, for him there is no religion or morality. Perhaps he himself regrets this when "with affection" he notes that the seamstress Fani "... believed in something." And he doesn't believe in anything. Therefore, the hero creates his own teaching, where the main truth is gold. And in terms of power, he almost equaled himself with God. It is no coincidence that Gobsek says: "I have a gaze like the Lord of God: I read in hearts."
Doesn't like luxury; lives rationally; strives to be invisible. Retains a sense of inner freedom, but at the cost of the loss of high human content. Learned to suppress natural feelings and desires. Contempt for the rich made Gobsek unshakable, impassive, cruel.
5. Dramatization of the story (To better understand the essence of the main character, let's turn to the pages of the story)
Characters: Derville, Gobsek, Countess Anastasi de Resto, Fanny Malvo
- How does Gobsek behave in these situations? Define your attitude towards Gobsek.
The first impression of the image of Gobsek is sharply negative. This is due to his profession (usurer) and his defining character trait (stinginess). Balzac denounces the spiritual impoverishment of the hero, the desire to get rich at the expense of the weaknesses and misfortunes of other people. There is not a single positive feature in this image, therefore, neither the author nor the readers feel any sympathy for him.
Teacher.This, at first glance, seems to Gobsek. But his image is much deeper.
Let's try to understand this by creating a table of "contradictions" of the behavior and character of Gobsek.
The ambiguity of the image of Gobsek
Gobsek is a rich man. (only five people in Paris can match him in terms of wealth) | Eats a miserable existence. Afraid to advertise his wealth (did not raise the gold one) |
Misanthrope. Hates all his relatives. | Maintains friendly relations with Derville |
Concentrated in his hands the power over the world ("... I own the world without tired of myself") | At the same time, he goes to clients and humiliatingly collects payments. |
A hero devoid of any human feelings: “man is an automaton”; | A generous person: felt a "feeling of pity" at the sight of impending poverty threatening the Countess de Resto; Gobsek "almost touched" seeing the seamstress Fanny's room |
"Savage" (experienced "the vicious triumph of a savage who took possession of shiny stones" after purchasing the countess's diamonds). | An educated person: knows all the intricacies of jurisprudence, is well versed in politics, art (it is no coincidence that the author compares him with a statue of Voltaire - one of the most educated people of his time) |
The usurer. | "Gobsek is an honest man" |
Live in it "Curmudgeon and philosopher" he is "old man and child" "Vile creature and sublime" "old baby" |
So, Gobsek is a complex and contradictory person.
- How did Gobsek use his best qualities? Maybe he saved someone? Did you help someone? Or brought happiness, joy to others? Who won in the soul of Gobsek?
For Gobsek, everything is subordinated to one passion - money. The dark forces of his nature defeated. In the finale of the story, we see how it finally degrades. With his death, everything goes to dust. The wealth of Gobsek did not bring happiness to him or to others, his life was in vain.
Reading Gobseck's death scene
“He sat up in bed; his face stood out as clear as bronze against the white pillow. Stretching out his withered hands, he grabbed the blanket with his bony hands, as if he wanted to hold on to it, looked at the fireplace, as cold as his metallic gaze, and died in full consciousness, showing his gatekeeper, the invalid ... an image of alert attention, like the elders of ancient Rome , which Letiere depicted behind the consuls in his painting "Death of the Children of Brutus."
Well done, you old skvalyga! - the invalid rapped out like a soldier. "
Destructive power of gold on the inner world of man, on human feelings and addictions. At the same time, the writer emphasizes that a poor man can have nobility, virtues, and spiritual purity.
6. Word of the teacher.
The great realist Balzac showed all the social strata of the ruling elite.
Anastasi de Resto - a beautiful, intelligent woman - became an intriguer, burned securities, left children without inheritance.
Maxime de Trai is Anasthesi's lover, an egoist, a vile person. Lives for his own pleasure.
- Can a person resist the power of money?
The author's answer is yes. The proof of this is the images of Derville and Fanny Malvo. They have preserved human dignity, honesty, and nobility. Derville helped the children of the Count de Resto to preserve the inheritance and married Fanny).
Does it all come down to money? - this question sounds at the end of the story. What do you think about this? Let's check out our homework and listen to essays on this topic.
Students read creative work
7. The final word of the teacher.
This question is complex, and it is solved by everyone in a different way:
To devote all days to debauchery, entertainment, like Anasthesi and Maxim;
Lose your mind over the chests of gold, as happened with the Covetous Knight of Pushkin.
Better to be a victim than a tormentor;
It is better to give money than to get it dishonestly;
It is better to die without money, remaining a worthy person, than to die for them.
8. Grading the lesson.
9. Homework.
2). Prepare quotes for the theme "Artistic features of the story of O. de Balzac" Gobsek ".
In the 30s, Balzac turned entirely to the description of the customs and life of modern bourgeois society. At the origins of "The Human Comedy" is the small story "Gobsek", which appeared in 1830. Although outwardly it looks like a novel entirely of a portrait plan, a kind of psychological study, it nevertheless contains all the key points of Balzac's worldview.
The novella was, along with the novel, Balzac's favorite genre. At the same time, many of Balzac's short stories are not built around a certain center - although they sometimes narrate about very dramatic twists and turns - but around a certain psychological type. Taken together, Balzac's novellas represent, as it were, a portrait gallery of various types of human behavior, a series of psychological studies. In the general concept of The Human Comedy, they are, as it were, preliminary elaborations of characters, which Balzac later releases as heroes on the pages of his major plot novels.
And it is extremely significant that the first to appear in this gallery of types is Gobsek, the usurer, one of the key, main figures of the entire bourgeois century, as if a symbol of this era. What is this new psychological type? In our critical literature, unfortunately, the image of Gobsek is often interpreted one-sidedly. If you do not read the story itself, but read other critical judgments about it, then we will see the image of a kind of spider sucking blood from its victims, a person devoid of any mental movements, thinking only about money - in general, this figure, as you can imagine, depicted by Balzac with hatred and disgust.
But if you read the story itself carefully, you will probably be somewhat confused by the categorical nature of these harshly negative judgments. Because in the story you will often see and hear something completely opposite: the narrator, a completely positive and honest person, the lawyer Derville, says about Gobsek, for example, like this: “I am deeply convinced that outside of his usurious affairs he is a man of the most scrupulous honesty in all Paris. In it live two creatures: the curmudgeon and the philosopher, a creature insignificant and sublime. If I die, leaving young children, he will be their guardian. " I repeat, this is said by the narrator, who is clearly speaking on behalf of the author.
Let's take a closer look at this strange character. Gobsek is without a doubt ruthless to his clients. He tears off them, as they say, three skins. He "plunges people into tragedy," as it was said in the old days.
But let's ask a logical question - who is his client, from whom does he take money? The novel features two such clients - Maxime de Trai, a socialite, a gambler and a pimp who squanders his mistress's money; the mistress herself is the Countess de Resto, blindly in love with Maxim and robbing her husband and children for the sake of her lover. When her husband is seriously ill, his first concern is to draw up a will so that the money remains not for the wife, but for the children; and then the countess, truly losing her human appearance, protects the dying count's office with vigilant supervision in order to prevent him from transferring his will to a notary. When the count dies, she rushes to the dead man's bed and, throwing the corpse to the wall, rummages in the bed!
Do you feel how this complicates the situation? After all, these are different things - does the usurer Gobsek rob just helpless people in trouble, or just people like these? Here we must, apparently, be more careful in assessing Gobsek, otherwise, logically, we will have to pity the poor Maxim de Traya and the Countess de Resto! But maybe Gobsek doesn't care who to rob? Today he pressed the Countess and Maxim, tomorrow will he press a decent person?
We are assured that he almost drinks human blood, and he throws in the face of Maxime de Tray: "It is not blood that flows in your veins, but dirt." He tells Derville: "I appear among the rich as retribution, as a reproach of conscience ..."
Here, it turns out, what a Gobsek! But maybe this is all demagoguery, and in fact Gobsek rips off poor and honest people with the same pleasure? Balzac, as if anticipating this question, introduces into his short story the story of the seamstress Fanny - for her, Gobsek feels sympathy, passion.
You don't need to have any special instinct to see that the hero's speeches here are not hypocritical: they sound completely sincere, they were composed by Balzac in order to set off precisely the human essence of Gobsek! True, in the same scene, Gobsek, emotionally, almost offers her money on a loan at the minimum rate, "only 12%", but then changes his mind. It sounds sarcastic, but if you think about the situation, it is again more complicated. Because Balzac has no mockery here - on the contrary, the whole stronghold of Gobseck's existence is shaking here! He is a usurer, seemingly ruthless character, he is ready to offer money on credit, and he is so forgotten at the sight of Fanny that he is ready to demand the minimum percentage in his understanding. Isn't it obvious that here it is important for Balzac not to mock the sentimentality of Gobsek, but to emphasize precisely all his shock - clearly human, humane feelings began to speak in him! His professional instinct remained stronger, but it is curious that his rejection of this idea is due not to greed, but to skepticism, distrust of people: "Well, no, I reasoned myself, she probably has a young cousin who will make her sign promissory notes and clean out the poor thing! " That is, Fanny Gobsek alone was still ready to do good! Here we have not so much sarcasm or satire as Balzac's deep psychological insight, here the tragic sides of human psychology are revealed - even trying to do good to worthy people, he does not dare to take this step, because his whole psychology is already poisoned by distrust of people!
The entire plot of the story convinces us of the complexity of Gobsek's character, of the remarkable human resources of his soul. Indeed, at the end of it, it is Gobsek who trusts the dying Count de Resto to protect his children from the intrigues of his own mother! The count, therefore, implies in him not only honesty, but also humanity! Further, when Derville is about to found his own notary office, he decides to ask Gobsek for money, because he feels his friendly disposition. Another brilliant psychological detail follows - Gobsek asks Derville for the minimum amount of interest in his practice, he himself understands that it is still high, and therefore almost demands from Derville to bargain! He is literally waiting for this request - so that, again, he himself does not violate his principle (do not take less than 13%). But ask Derville, he will further reduce the amount! Derville, in turn, does not want to humiliate himself. The amount remains 13%. But Gobsek, so to speak, organizes additional and profitable clientele for him free of charge. And in parting asks Derville for permission to visit him. Before you in that scene again is not so much a spider as a victim of his own profession and his own distrust of people.
So Balzac, with the finest psychological skill, reveals to us the secret nerves of this strange soul, "the fiber of the heart of modern man," as Stendhal said. This man, allegedly carrying "evil, ugliness and destruction", is in fact himself deeply wounded in his soul. His shrewd, sharp mind is cold to the limit. He sees the evil reigning around him, but he still convinces himself that he sees only this: "Here you live with mine - you will find out that of all earthly goods there is only one reliable enough that it would cost a person to chase after him. This is gold."
Balzac shows us the path of thought that led the hero to such ethics, he shows us in all its complexity the soul that professes such principles - and then these words sound tragic. Gobsek is deeply unhappy; the surrounding evil, money, gold - all this distorted his basically honest and good nature, poisoned it with the poison of distrust of people. He feels completely alone in this world. "If human communication between people is considered a kind of religion, then Gobsek could be called an atheist," Derville says. But at the same time, the thirst for real human communication in Gobsek did not die at all, it was not for nothing that he was so drawn to Fanny with his soul, it is not for nothing that he is so attached to Derville and, to the meager extent of his strength, tries to do good! But the logic of the bourgeois world, according to Balzac, is such that these impulses most often remain just fleeting impulses - or acquire a grotesque, distorted character.
In other words, Balzac is portraying here not the tragedy of Maxime de Trail and the Countess de Resto, who fell into the clutches of a usurer spider, but the tragedy of Gobsek himself, whose soul was distorted, distorted by the law of the bourgeois world - man is a wolf to man. After all, how senseless and tragic at the same time the death of Gobsek! He dies completely alone next to his rotting wealth - already dying like a maniac! His usury, his tight-fistedness is not a cold calculation, but a disease, mania, a passion that engulfs the person himself. Don't forget about his vengeful feelings for the rich! And it is no coincidence, of course, that the whole story was put into the mouth of Derville, who tells it in a high-society salon - this story is clearly built on the fact that Derville is trying to dissuade his listeners, at least tell them the truth about Gobsek's life. After all, his listeners know this story from the same Gobsek victims - from the same Maxim, from the same Countess de Resto. And they, of course, have the same idea of \u200b\u200bGobseck as in the critical judgments I quoted above - he is a villain, a criminal, he brings evil, ugliness, destruction, and Derville, a lawyer by profession, bases his entire story on extenuating circumstances. And so, paradoxically, it is the fate of Gobsek that becomes the guilty verdict of bourgeois society - his fate, and not the fate of Maxim and Countess de Resto!
But realizing this, we are also aware of Balzac's serious artistic protest in this image. After all, passing a guilty verdict on mercantile ethics, Balzac, as the main victim and prosecutor, chooses, of course, a figure that is not the most suitable for this role. Even if we admit that there were such usurers, it can hardly be admitted that such a usurer's fate was typical. She is definitely an exception. Meanwhile, Balzac clearly raises this story above the framework of a particular case, he gives it a generalizing, symbolic meaning! And in order for the role of Gobseck as the public prosecutor to look legitimate, so that the author's sympathy for the hero looks justified, the author not only provides a subtle psychological analysis of Gobseck's soul (as we saw above), but also reinforces this with a kind of demonization of the image. And this is a purely romantic procedure. Gobsek is shown as an ingenious but sinister connoisseur of human souls, as a kind of researcher.
Balzac, in essence, raises the private everyday practice of the usurer to majestic proportions. After all, Gobsek becomes not only a victim of the golden calf, but also a symbol of enormous practical and cognitive energy! And here the purely romantic manner of portraying irresistible demonic villains, for whose villainy the world is to blame, invades the methodology of the remarkable realist. And not themselves.
Quite a little time will pass, and Balzac will become much more unambiguous and merciless in the portrayal of bourgeois businessmen - such will be the image of old man Grande. But now, in Gobsek, he is clearly vacillating on a very important point - on the question of purposefulness, the moral cost of bourgeois energy.
Creating the figure of the omnipotent Gobsek, Balzac clearly pushes into the background the immorality of the ultimate goal of usury - the siphoning of money from people that you, in essence, did not give them. The energy and strength of Gobseck interests him in and of themselves, and he is clearly weighing for himself the question of whether this practical energy is for the good. Therefore, he clearly idealizes and romanticizes this energy. Therefore, it is precisely in matters of the ultimate goal that Balzac seeks for Gobseck mitigating circumstances that mystify the real state of affairs - now in Gobseck this is a study of the laws of the world, then observation of human souls, then revenge on the rich for their arrogance and heartlessness, then some all-consuming "one single passion ". Romanticism and realism intertwined in this image is truly indissoluble.
As we can see, the whole story is woven from the deepest dissonances, reflecting the ideological fluctuations of Balzac himself. Turning to the analysis of modern mores, Balzac still mystifies them in many respects, overloading the basically realistic image with symbolic meanings and generalizations. As a result, the image of Gobsek appears, as it were, on several levels at once - he is both a symbol of the destructive power of gold, and a symbol of bourgeois practical energy, and a victim of bourgeois morality, and also simply a victim of an all-consuming passion, passion as such, regardless of its specific content.
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Gobsec (Nominative title type) Honore de Balzac
The story was written in 1830 and later included in the collected works "The Human Comedy".
The story "Gobsek" did not immediately find its final form and place in the "Human Comedy"; it belongs to the works, the very history of the creation of which sheds light on the formation of the titanic Balzac concept.
Initially (in April 1830) it came out under the title "The Dangers of Dissatisfaction" in the first volume of Scenes from Private Life. The first chapter of this work a little earlier, in February 1830, was published as an essay in the magazine "Fashion" and was called "The Usurer". In 1835, the story was included in a new edition of Scenes of Parisian Life and was entitled Papa Gobsek. And finally, in the landmark year of 1842, Balzac included her in Scenes from the Private Life of the first edition of The Human Comedy, entitled Gobsec.
Initially, the story was divided into chapters: "The Usurer", "The Lawyer" and "The Death of a Husband." This division corresponds to the main thematic episodes of which the work consists: the story of the usurer Gobsek, the years of apprenticeship and the beginning of the career of the solicitor Derville, the love drama of Anastasi de Resto, which in many ways led to the premature death of her husband.
Genre story
The story "Gobsek" belongs to the epic, since the story is the middle type of the epic, and not only for this reason.
1. The plot focuses not on one central event: the story of the life of Gobsec, connected with Derville and the de Resto family, but on a whole series of events covering a significant part of Gobsec's life, for example, his childhood and youth.
2. The epic, in turn, reproduces, captures not only what is being told, but also the storyteller, in this case it is Derville, the solicitor. This is a young man who made a career solely with his hard work and professional integrity. Derville is “a man of high honesty” (this is how the heroes of the work speak of him). He is a friend of Gobsek.
3. Free organization of time and space in the story. The author covers a significant part of Gobsek's life, taking him along with his readers to the places of his youth and childhood.
4. The story is written in prose, which is also characteristic of the epic.
The main theme is the theme of the power of money (eternal), which is precisely the same confirmed throughout the entire work not only by individual events (the Countess, instead of belated repentance, burned papers, thinking that this was her husband's changed will. After such scenes, you begin to understand why Gobseck hated their heirs.), and individual characters (Maxime de Trai, etc.)
In addition to the topic of the power of money, there are a number of other topics in the story, such as: the topic of seclusion and alienation of a person (Gobsek) from society, the topic of human and social vices, etc. etc.
The leading motive of the work is the motive of power
1. The motive of the power of money over people and society
2. The motive of the power of one person over the fate of other people (The power of the usurer over Anastasi, and in the future, her son Ernesto)
There are also motives:
· The motive of adultery
Countess Anastasi's betrayal of the Count with Maxime de Tray
Treasure hunt motive
"He tried everything to get rich, even tried to find the notorious treasure - gold, buried by a tribe of savages somewhere in the vicinity of Buenos Aires."
The motive of friendship between an old man and a young man
The motive of a person's loneliness
The motive of stinginess and other human vices
The motive-character of the philosopher
The motive-character of a hard worker (Fanny Malvo)
The motive-character of a beautiful girl (Anastasi de Resto)
The motive-character of the young man-tempter
The motive of human contemplation from the outside world
The motive of loss of mind
The problems described by the author in the story were so urgent and exciting that he repeatedly returned to them, gradually polishing his idea. The protagonist of the story is the usurer Gobsek, who profits from the fact that he gives a loan at interest.
The problem of O. de Balzac's story belongs to this type as a social one, namely the problem of the power of money over society and a person separately, but this is only part of the problematic, as a consequence of the first problem, the second, no less important, can be distinguished: the degradation of the human personality and morality under the influence of this very power.
It was an era of despondency in the best human traits, in normal human relationships built on trust and respect. The world and society were imagined by many French people of that time as a large mechanism ruled by money and power. It is interesting that the images of the story "Gobsek" are not one-sided. They were not unambiguous contemporaries of Balzac: many of them had an analytical mind, knew how to think independently, were a non-intersecting personality. Nevertheless, a large mechanism, a machine driven by gold, was launched, and in its millstones it was grinding the fate of people or the fate of entire families.
In his story, Balzac protests against this image of society. The writer rightly considers him to be erroneous, unnatural, unhealthy. Balzac emphasizes that neither relations with people, nor society, nor the state, and realistic images can be built on the basis, they assert the idea of \u200b\u200bobjection to the normal structure of society, where there are no people like Gobsek, and the idea of \u200b\u200bmoney and power, which, of course, should give way to - love, decency, nobility. We must retreat ... but, unfortunately, do not retreat.
1. Conflict between man and society
This is a conflict between "Daddy Gobsek" and the society in which he lives.
He is detached from him. This is a lonely person who, however, does not consciously strive for society. Gobsek takes extremely high rates of interest from his clients, taking advantage of their predicament, effectively ruining them. He does not believe in human honesty, decency, love and friendship. This characterizes Gobsek as a callous and heartless person.
2. Social conflict
The displacement of the nobility by the bourgeoisie and the disintegration of the family as a consequence of the power of monetary relations. (Gobsek-de Resto family)
3. Between a father and his children
“... But children! .. Let them at least be happy ... Children, children! ...
I only have one child! - exclaimed the count, in despair stretching his withered hands to his son. "
4. Family and household
Within the de Resto family
5. Ideological or philosophical
1. Dramatic
2. Tragic (personal)
The tragedy of the family of Count de Resto, his wife and their children
“This girl seemed like a fairy of loneliness.
In front of me, no doubt, was a girl who was forced to work without straightening her back - probably the daughter of some honest farmer: her face still showed the small freckles typical of peasant girls. Something good, truly virtuous emanated from her, I seemed to have entered the atmosphere of sincerity, spiritual purity, and somehow it even became easier for me to breathe. Poor simpleton! "
The story is life-like, since it lacks any fantastic elements, it is the story of ordinary people who lived at that time, the nobility being driven out by the bourgeoisie. People who have the inherent flaws and virtues of ordinary mortals who live their lives as part of society, who must work to survive ...
Balzac's realism manifests itself in the story primarily in the disclosure of the characters and phenomena typical of French society of the era of the Restoration. In this work, the author sets himself the goal of showing the true essence of both the nobility and the bourgeoisie. The approach to the depiction of the surrounding life in "Gobsek" becomes more analytical, as it is based primarily on the study of real life phenomena by means of art, and its conclusions regarding society as a whole follow from this analysis.
The artist shows the decline and decay of the old French aristocracy, (Maxime de Tray, Resto family). De Trai is shown as an ordinary gigolo, a man without honor and without a conscience, who does not hesitate to profit from a woman who loves him and his own children. “Instead of blood, you have dirt in your veins,” the moneylender contemptuously throws in the face of Maxime de Trai. Count Resto is much prettier, but in him the author also emphasizes such an unattractive feature as weakness of character. He loves a woman who is clearly unworthy of him, and, not surviving her betrayal, falls ill and dies.
Characteristics of the narrator and manner of presentation
a) The narrator does not pretend to be completely objective, since he expresses himself and his attitude towards Gobsek. Even more, they were buddies. Derville helps readers to understand legal terms and concepts mentioned in the work.
· Gobsek and Derville are people of the same profession.
· Thanks to Derville we see Gobsek as if “from the inside” (what he is like in everyday life, what are his human predilections and weaknesses, we learn his background and outlook on life).
· Derville is a decent person, so we can trust his opinion.
b) Derville's figure did not go beyond the scope of the story, the narrator did not interfere in the events, Gobsek was in the center of the narrative, and only Gobsek.
Story style
The style is expressive, since the story reflects the personality of the narrator: Derville is a solicitor. This is a young man who made a career solely with his hard work and professional integrity. Derville is “a man of high honesty” (this is how the heroes of the work speak of him). He is a friend of Gobsek.
The style of speech also expresses the personality of Derville, as an educated person who belongs to such a profession as a solicitor. A successful person, honest and decent.
The plot and plot of the story "Gobsek" coincide.
Plot type multi-line
Derville, Gobsek and de Resto family line
Derville and Viscountess de Granlier Line
The line of history and life of Gobsek himself
The plot is dynamic. External.
components of the plot:
2.exposure
3.binding
4.development of action
5. climax
6.junction
Plot organization techniques used in the story:
Retrospective reception
Receiving retardation
Ring organization reception
Reception of concurrency
Receiving forecasting
“I have no doubt that an outstanding figure will emerge from him. And when "this young man" is in power, wealth itself will come into his hands "
Composition of characters
One central (main) and minor characters
The work contains such types of chronotope as discrete and conditional
The species is specific.
Chronotopic space - near, open.
Chronotopic time - terrestrial, historical
The speech of this work is very rich and rich, expressive and accessible to every reader, there is also a huge number of expressive and pictorial techniques in the work, here are some of them
man-bill, man-machine, golden idol, painted handsome man, cold eyes, heartbreaking smile, lean legs.
Comparisons:
as if you set off like a minister of some nabob, like a dandy from Highway d'Anten, like a ferret, as if repented of his "talkativeness", as if swollen, as if they entered an atmosphere cold as ice.
Metaphors:
soundless laughter, a smoke of gaiety, Her eyes sparkled, energy beat in her, glory thundered, burning eyes, unbridled frankness.
Hyperboles:
a whole hundred smells mixed, and such a roar, as if a hundred voices were shouting at once, capable of
swallow a fortune of millions, huge interest, huge wealth, the most courteous and most harmless, the youngest dandy
Litoty: down to the smallest, smallest bank loan,
Metonymy:
who sleep on silk
Periphrase:
the clawed paw of Inevitability (i.e. horror and fear, despair)
a crowd of all servants (i.e. servants)
in all overt nakedness (i.e. in all its glory)
went with her pimples (i.e. scared)
Oxymoron:
soundless laughter
Lexical figures:
Professionalism: bill, solicitor, junior scribe, protest bill, tax
Figures in the story of O. de Balzac are very rare, unfortunately, I could not find them.
balzac gobsec story
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The writing
A difficult topic ... How to determine where are the mental values, where are the real values? Say, is gold a mental or real value? I am talking about gold, as the main character is a usurer. Gold is a mental value, since no one needs it at all: it cannot be eaten, it is not suitable for making an ax or a hoe. One philosopher who is now out of fashion suggested making toilet bowls out of it. And the philosopher argued that they had already begun to make this useful thing out of gold. Nevertheless - try to live in this world without gold or its paper substitutes. You will not eat money either, but without it you will not be full. So, is gold a mental or real life value?
Obviously, this meant that I would immediately speak about high human qualities.
For example, loyalty and appreciation. But I'm reading about the life of Countess de Resto. She betrayed her husband with Maxim, who is none other than the gigolo. For the sake of this scum, she almost made the Viscount de Resto a beggar ... From another part of The Human Comedy, we learn that she left her old father to the mercy of fate, as soon as he gave his property to his daughters-heirs. Let's finally decide if marital fidelity is a real value or not? Let's add maternal feelings there ... and daughters!
And back to thinking about gold, or money. The whole story set out in Balzac's story is the story of the search for money, their significance in people's lives. In relation to money, you can evaluate characters. Gobsek, for example, is none other than a priest of a long-standing pagan cult. He does not need a golden robe, or a golden tiara, or an adamant wand - behind him is the power of the Golden Calf, which has never been surpassed by anyone, he only distributes and collects gold, which accumulates in him the more the more he distributes it. Gobsek's clientele (and this is, so to speak, the color of France) there are rams in the stall, which will be stabbed when the last tuft of the golden fleece is cut from them by the dexterous hands of the Great Priest.
Nevertheless, they all pray to gold, making it the greatest value, the common equivalent of everything in their life. The narrator in the story is the lawyer Derville. Well done by the author, who transferred the responsibility for assessing the situation to the hero. When something is wrong, then let the wolf eat grass about him. But…
When dealing with money and a usurer, a lawyer cannot believe that everything in the world is based on money. There is something that cannot be bought with gold or silver. Derville's professional conscientiousness is beyond doubt, people cordially trust him with their money and destinies. Nevertheless ... Looking around me now, I am asking myself a bad question; maybe gold just hasn't been given its real price yet?
True, there are intimate feelings that are hard to count on money. For example, Fanny's love for Derville. But we see how Alastazi, having got into a new debt, buys for himself a little more love from Maxim de Tray. So, can you buy? And it's just the amount?
Or does the author deliberately put us in a situation where we must decide on our own what we will not sell in our life? And or is there something else that we did not sell for a glass necklace, how the Indians sold the island of Manhattan?
