The image of Lisa in the story “Poor Lisa” by Karamzin. Analysis of the story “Poor Liza” (N

The literary movement of sentimentalism came to Russia from France at the end of the 18th century and addressed mainly the problems of the human soul.

Karamzin's story "Poor Liza" tells about the love of a young nobleman

Erast and the peasant woman Liza. Lisa lives with her mother in the outskirts of Moscow. The girl sells flowers and here she meets Erast. Erast is a man “with a fair amount of intelligence and a kind heart, kind by nature, but weak and flighty.” His love for Lisa turned out to be fragile. Erast plays cards. In an effort to improve matters, he is going to marry a rich widow, so he leaves Lisa. Shocked by Erast's betrayal, Lisa throws herself into the pond in despair and drowns. This tragic end is largely predetermined by the class inequality of the heroes. Erast is a nobleman. Lisa is a peasant woman. Their marriage is impossible. But the ability to love and be happy do not always coincide. In the story, the author values ​​not nobility and wealth, but spiritual qualities, the ability to deeply feel.

Karamzin was a great humanist, a man with a subtle soul. He denied serfdom, not recognizing the power of people to control the lives of other people. Although the heroine of the story is not a serf girl, but a free peasant woman, nevertheless, the class wall between her and her lover is insurmountable. Even Lisa's love could not break this barrier.

Reading the story, I am completely on Lisa’s side, experiencing the delight of love and grieving over the death of the girl. Turning to the lofty theme of unrequited love, Karamzin understood and felt that the drama of human feelings cannot be explained only by social reasons. The image of Erast in this sense is very interesting, his character is contradictory; He has a gentle, poetic nature and is handsome, which is why Lisa fell in love with him. At the same time, Erast is selfish, weak-willed, and capable of deception; with cold cruelty he takes Lisa out of his house, but upon learning of her death, he could not be consoled and considered himself a murderer. The author emphasizes that no class superiority frees a person from responsibility for his actions.

What do we know about Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin? Among his contemporaries, he was known for his education, advanced educational views and propaganda for the spread of Western European culture in Russia. In addition, he was a multi-talented person. He traveled a lot, translated, and wrote works of art that were unusual at that time. It is with his name that the development of “Russian sentimentalism”, the discovery for literature of the concept of “psychologism”, the image of the “little man”, the so-called “smoothness” in prose and a new genre - the “sensitive story” are associated. For one person and one life, there are a lot of amazing and important discoveries. All of the above is reflected in the books of the greatest Russian writer, poet and prose writer. “Poor Lisa” should be read according to the school curriculum by eighth-graders.

Karamzin wrote the sentimental story in 1792 at the age of 25. Such a young age did not prevent the author from raising such complex themes in the story “Poor Liza”, social inequality, the eternal confrontation between city and countryside, the difficult fate of the “little man” and others. The writer pays special attention to love. For the first time he talks about the fact that people from different segments of the population, including peasants, can love. Next, he glorifies the beauty of this extraordinary feeling, which can transform a person and change his inner world. To come to such thoughts, Karamzin has to look inside a person, explore his secret thoughts of desire. Thus, he moves away from the civic themes characteristic of the Enlightenment and turns to sentimentalism, which highlights the experiences, sensations and moods of the characters described. And here it cannot be said that society rejected such ideas and innovations. On the contrary, they were welcomed, they were in tune with the trends of the times, and the story “Poor Lisa” became very popular and brought its creator unprecedented fame and recognition.

The main characters of Karamzin's “Poor Liza” are Liza, her lover Erast and the narrator of the tragic story, played by the writer himself. Lisa is a gentle and sensitive girl from the lower class. Her first love was cruelly betrayed, leaving her unable to see that the world was worth living. Her image is contrasted with Erast - a rich nobleman who leads a chaotic life full of pleasure and is not responsible for his actions. It was his image that opened the way for a new hero in Russian literature - the “extra person.” The text of the story can be read in full online or downloaded for free on our website.

Still from the film “Poor Lisa” (2000)

In the outskirts of Moscow, not far from the Simonov Monastery, there once lived a young girl Lisa with her old mother. After the death of Liza's father, a fairly wealthy villager, his wife and daughter became poor. The widow became weaker day by day and could not work. Liza alone, not sparing her tender youth and rare beauty, worked day and night - weaving canvases, knitting stockings, picking flowers in the spring, and berries in the summer and selling them in Moscow.

One spring, two years after her father’s death, Lisa came to Moscow with lilies of the valley. A young, well-dressed man met her on the street. Having learned that she was selling flowers, he offered her a ruble instead of five kopecks, saying that “beautiful lilies of the valley, plucked by the hands of a beautiful girl, are worth a ruble.” But Lisa refused the offered amount. He did not insist, but said that in the future he would always buy flowers from her and would like her to pick them only for him.

Arriving home, Lisa told her mother everything, and the next day she picked the best lilies of the valley and came to the city again, but this time she did not meet the young man. Throwing flowers into the river, she returned home with sadness in her soul. The next day in the evening the stranger himself came to her house. As soon as she saw him, Lisa rushed to her mother and excitedly told him who was coming to them. The old woman met the guest, and he seemed to her to be a very kind and pleasant person. Erast—that was the young man’s name—confirmed that he was going to buy flowers from Lisa in the future, and she didn’t have to go into town: he could stop by to see them himself.

Erast was a rather rich nobleman, with a fair amount of intelligence and a naturally kind heart, but weak and flighty. He led an absent-minded life, thought only about his own pleasure, looked for it in secular amusements, and not finding it, he was bored and complained about fate. At the first meeting, Lisa’s immaculate beauty shocked him: it seemed to him that in her he found exactly what he had been looking for for a long time.

This was the beginning of their long dates. Every evening they saw each other either on the river bank, or in a birch grove, or under the shade of hundred-year-old oak trees. They hugged, but their hugs were pure and innocent.

Several weeks passed like this. It seemed that nothing could interfere with their happiness. But one evening Lisa came to a date sad. It turned out that the groom, the son of a rich peasant, was wooing her, and her mother wanted her to marry him. Erast, consoling Lisa, said that after his mother’s death he would take her to him and live with her inseparably. But Lisa reminded the young man that he could never be her husband: she was a peasant, and he was of a noble family. You offend me, said Erast, for your friend the most important thing is your soul, a sensitive, innocent soul, you will always be closest to my heart. Lisa threw herself into his arms - and at this hour her integrity was to perish.

The delusion passed in one minute, giving way to surprise and fear. Lisa cried saying goodbye to Erast.

Their dates continued, but how everything changed! Lisa was no longer an angel of purity for Erast; platonic love gave way to feelings that he could not be “proud of” and which were not new to him. Lisa noticed a change in him, and it saddened her.

Once during a date, Erast told Lisa that he was being drafted into the army; they will have to part for a while, but he promises to love her and hopes to never part with her upon his return. It is not difficult to imagine how hard it was for Lisa to be separated from her beloved. However, hope did not leave her, and every morning she woke up with the thought of Erast and their happiness upon his return.

About two months passed like this. One day Lisa went to Moscow and on one of the big streets she saw Erast passing by in a magnificent carriage, which stopped near a huge house. Erast came out and was about to go out onto the porch, when he suddenly felt himself in Lisa’s arms. He turned pale, then, without saying a word, led her into the office and locked the door. Circumstances have changed, he announced to the girl, he is engaged.

Before Lisa could come to her senses, he took her out of the office and told the servant to escort her out of the yard.

Finding herself on the street, Lisa walked wherever she looked, unable to believe what she heard. She left the city and wandered for a long time until she suddenly found herself on the shore of a deep pond, under the shadow of ancient oak trees, which several weeks before had been silent witnesses to her delight. This memory shocked Lisa, but after a few minutes she fell into deep thought. Seeing a neighbor's girl walking along the road, she called her, took all the money out of her pocket and gave it to her, asking her to tell her mother, kiss her and ask her to forgive her poor daughter. Then she threw herself into the water, and they could no longer save her.

Liza’s mother, having learned about the terrible death of her daughter, could not withstand the blow and died on the spot. Erast was unhappy until the end of his life. He did not deceive Lisa when he told her that he was going to the army, but, instead of fighting the enemy, he played cards and lost his entire fortune. He had to marry an elderly rich widow who had been in love with him for a long time. Having learned about Liza’s fate, he could not console himself and considered himself a murderer. Now, perhaps, they have already reconciled.

Retold

Today in class we will talk about the story by N.M. Karamzin “Poor Liza”, we will learn the details of its creation, the historical context, we will determine what the author’s innovation is, we will analyze the characters of the heroes of the story, and also consider the moral issues raised by the writer.

It must be said that the publication of this story was accompanied by extraordinary success, even a stir among the Russian reading public, which is not surprising, because the first Russian book appeared, the heroes of which could be just as empathized with as Goethe’s “The Sorrows of Young Werther” or “New Héloïse" by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. We can say that Russian literature has begun to become on the same level as European literature. The delight and popularity were such that even a pilgrimage began to the place of the events described in the book. As you remember, this is happening not far from the Simonov Monastery, the place was called “Lizin Pond”. This place is becoming so popular that some evil-tongued people even write epigrams:

Drowned herself here
Erast's bride...
Drown yourself, girls,
There's plenty of room in the pond!

Well, is it possible to do it?
Godless and worse?
Fall in love with a tomboy
And drown in a puddle.

All this contributed to the extraordinary popularity of the story among Russian readers.

Naturally, the popularity of the story was given not only by the dramatic plot, but also by the fact that it was all artistically unusual.

Rice. 2. N. M. Karamzin () Here's what he writes: “They say that the author needs talents and knowledge: a sharp, insightful mind, a vivid imagination, etc. Fair, but not enough. He must also have a kind, gentle heart if he wants to be a friend and favorite of our soul; if he wants his talents to shine with an unflickering light; if he wants to write for eternity and collect the blessings of nations. The Creator is always depicted in creation, and often against his will. In vain does the hypocrite think to deceive his readers and hide his iron heart under the golden robe of pompous words; in vain speaks to us about mercy, compassion, virtue! All his exclamations are cold, without soul, without life; and never will a nourishing, ethereal flame flow from his creations into the gentle soul of the reader...", "When you want to paint your portrait, then look first in the right mirror: can your face be an object of art...", "You take up the pen and want to be an author: ask yourself, alone, without witnesses, sincerely: what am I like? for you want to paint a portrait of your soul and heart...", "You want to be an author: read the history of the misfortunes of the human race - and if your heart does not bleed, leave the pen - or it will depict to us the cold gloom of your soul. But if the path is open to everything that is sorrowful, everything that is oppressed, everything that is tearful; if your soul can rise to a passion for good, can nourish within itself a sacred desire for the common good, not limited by any spheres: then boldly call on the goddesses of Parnassus - they will pass by the magnificent palaces and visit your humble hut - you will not be a useless writer - and none of no good person will look with dry eyes at your grave...", "In one word: I am sure that a bad person cannot be a good author." Here is Karamzin’s artistic motto: a bad person cannot be a good writer.

No one in Russia had ever written like this before Karamzin. Moreover, the unusualness began already with the exposition, with the description of the place where the action of the story will take place.

“Perhaps no one living in Moscow knows the outskirts of this city as well as I do, because no one is in the field more often than me, no one more than me wanders on foot, without a plan, without a goal - wherever the eyes look - through the meadows and groves, hills and plains. Every summer I find new pleasant places or new beauty in old ones. But the most pleasant place for me is the place where the gloomy, Gothic towers of the Sin...nova Monastery rise.”(Fig. 3) .

Rice. 3. Lithograph of the Simonov Monastery ()

There is also something unusual here: on the one hand, Karamzin accurately describes and designates the location of the action - the Simonov Monastery, on the other hand, this encryptedness creates a certain mystery, understatement, which is very consistent with the spirit of the story. The main focus is on the non-fictional nature of events, on documentary evidence. It is no coincidence that the narrator will say that he learned about these events from the hero himself, from Erast, who told him about this shortly before his death. It was this feeling that everything was happening nearby, that one could witness these events, that intrigued the reader and gave the story a special meaning and a special character.

Rice. 4. Erast and Liza (“Poor Liza” in a modern production) ()

It is curious that this private, simple story of two young people (the nobleman Erast and the peasant woman Liza (Fig. 4)) turns out to be inscribed in a very broad historical and geographical context.

“But the most pleasant place for me is the place where the gloomy, Gothic towers of the Sin...nova Monastery rise. Standing on this mountain, you see on the right side almost the whole of Moscow, this terrible mass of houses and churches, which appears to your eyes in the image of a majestic amphitheater»

Word amphitheater Karamzin singles out, and this is probably no coincidence, because the place of action becomes a kind of arena where events unfold, open to everyone’s gaze (Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Moscow, XVIII century ()

“a magnificent picture, especially when the sun shines on it, when its evening rays glow on countless golden domes, on countless crosses ascending to the sky! Below are lush, densely green flowering meadows, and behind them, along the yellow sands, flows a bright river, agitated by the light oars of fishing boats or rustling under the helm of heavy plows that sail from the most fertile countries of the Russian Empire and supply greedy Moscow with bread.”(Fig. 6) .

Rice. 6. View from the Sparrow Hills ()

On the other side of the river one can see an oak grove, near which numerous herds graze; there young shepherds, sitting under the shade of trees, sing simple, sad songs and thus shorten the summer days, so uniform for them. Further away, in the dense greenery of ancient elms, the golden-domed Danilov Monastery shines; even further, almost at the edge of the horizon, the Sparrow Hills are blue. On the left side you can see vast fields covered with grain, forests, three or four villages and in the distance the village of Kolomenskoye with its high palace.”

It’s curious why Karamzin frames private history with this panorama? It turns out that this story becomes part of universal human life, belonging to Russian history and geography. All this gave the events described in the story a general character. But, giving a general hint of this world history and this extensive biography, Karamzin still shows that private history, the history of individual people, not famous, simple, attracts him much more strongly. 10 years will pass, and Karamzin will become a professional historian and begin working on his “History of the Russian State,” written in 1803-1826 (Fig. 7).

Rice. 7. Cover of the book by N. M. Karamzin “History of the Russian State” ()

But for now the focus of his literary attention is the story of ordinary people - the peasant woman Lisa and the nobleman Erast.

Creating a new language of fiction In the language of fiction, even at the end of the 18th century, the theory of three calms, created by Lomonosov and reflecting the needs of classicism literature, with its ideas about high and low genres, still dominated. The theory of three calms- classification of styles in rhetoric and poetics, distinguishing three styles: high, medium and low (simple). Classicism- an artistic direction focused on the ideals of ancient classics. But it is natural that by the 90s of the 18th century this theory was already outdated and became a brake on the development of literature. Literature demanded more flexible linguistic principles; there was a need to bring the language of literature closer to the spoken language, but not the simple peasant language, but the educated noble language. The need for books that would be written as people speak in this educated society was already very keenly felt. Karamzin believed that a writer, having developed his taste, could create a language that would become the spoken language of noble society. In addition, another goal was implied here: such a language was supposed to displace the French language, in which predominantly Russian noble society still spoke, from everyday use. Thus, the language reform that Karamzin is carrying out becomes a general cultural task and has a patriotic character.

Perhaps Karamzin’s main artistic discovery in “Poor Liza” is the image of the storyteller, the narrator. This is coming from the perspective of a person interested in the fates of his heroes, a person who is not indifferent to them, who sympathizes with the misfortunes of others. That is, Karamzin creates the image of the narrator in full accordance with the laws of sentimentalism. And now this is becoming unprecedented; this is happening for the first time in Russian literature.

Sentimentalism- this is an attitude and a tendency of thinking aimed at identifying, strengthening, emphasizing the emotional side of life.

In full accordance with Karamzin’s plan, it is no coincidence that the narrator says: “I love those objects that touch my heart and make me shed tears of tender sorrow!”

The description in the exhibition of the decayed Simonov Monastery, with its destroyed cells, as well as the crumbling hut in which Lisa and her mother lived, introduces the theme of death into the story from the very beginning, creating the gloomy tone that will accompany the story. And at the very beginning of the story, one of the main themes and favorite ideas of the figures of the Enlightenment sounds - the idea of ​​​​the extra-class value of man. And it will sound unusual. When the narrator talks about the story of Liza’s mother, about the early death of her husband, Liza’s father, he will say that she could not be consoled for a long time, and will utter the famous phrase: “...for even peasant women know how to love”.

Now this phrase has become almost a catchphrase, and we often do not correlate it with the original source, although in Karamzin’s story it appears in a very important historical, artistic and cultural context. It turns out that the feelings of common people and peasants are no different from the feelings of noble people, nobles, peasant women and peasants are capable of subtle and tender feelings. This discovery of the extra-class value of a person was made by figures of the Enlightenment and becomes one of the leitmotifs of Karamzin’s story. And not only in this place: Lisa will tell Erast that nothing can happen between them, since she is a peasant. But Erast will begin to console her and say that he does not need any other happiness in life except Lisa’s love. It turns out that, indeed, the feelings of ordinary people can be as subtle and refined as the feelings of people of noble birth.

At the beginning of the story another very important topic will be heard. We see that in the exhibition of his work Karamzin concentrates all the main themes and motifs. This is the topic of money and its destructive power. When Lisa and Erast meet for the first time, the guy will want to give her a ruble instead of the five kopecks Lisa requested for a bouquet of lilies of the valley, but the girl will refuse. Subsequently, as if paying off Liza, from her love, Erast will give her ten imperials - one hundred rubles. Naturally, Liza will automatically take this money, and then try through her neighbor, the peasant girl Dunya, to transfer it to her mother, but her mother will have no use for this money either. She will not be able to use them, since upon news of Lisa’s death she herself will die. And we see that, indeed, money is the destructive force that brings misfortune to people. It is enough to recall the sad story of Erast himself. For what reason did he abandon Lisa? Leading a frivolous life and having lost at cards, he was forced to marry a rich elderly widow, i.e. he, too, is actually sold for money. And it is this incompatibility of money as an achievement of civilizations with the natural life of people that Karamzin demonstrates in “Poor Liza.”

Despite a fairly traditional literary plot - a story about how a young rake-nobleman seduces a commoner - Karamzin still solves it in a not entirely traditional way. It has long been noted by researchers that Erast is not at all such a traditional example of an insidious seducer; he really loves Lisa. He is a man with a kind mind and heart, but weak and flighty. And it is this frivolity that destroys him. And he, like Lisa, is destroyed by too much sensitivity. And here lies one of the main paradoxes of Karamzin’s story. On the one hand, he is a preacher of sensitivity as a way of moral improvement of people, and on the other hand, he also shows how excessive sensitivity can bring disastrous consequences. But Karamzin is not a moralist, he does not call to condemn Liza and Erast, he calls on us to sympathize with their sad fate.

Karamzin also uses landscapes in his story in an unusual and innovative way. For him, the landscape ceases to be just a scene of action and a background. The landscape becomes a kind of landscape of the soul. What happens in nature often reflects what happens in the souls of heroes. And nature seems to respond to the heroes’ feelings. For example, let us remember the beautiful spring morning when Erast first sails down the river on a boat to Lisa’s house, and vice versa, the gloomy, starless night, accompanied by storm and thunder, when the heroes fall into sin (Fig. 8). Thus, the landscape also became an active artistic force, which was also Karamzin’s artistic discovery.

Rice. 8. Illustration for the story “Poor Lisa” ()

But the main artistic discovery is the image of the narrator himself. All events are presented not objectively and dispassionately, but through his emotional reaction. He turns out to be a genuine and sensitive hero, because he is able to experience the misfortunes of others as if they were his own. He mourns his overly sensitive heroes, but at the same time remains true to the ideals of sentimentalism and a staunch supporter of the idea of ​​sensitivity as a way to achieve social harmony.

Bibliography

1. Korovina V.Ya., Zhuravlev V.P., Korovin V.I. Literature. 9th grade. M.: Education, 2008.
2. Ladygin M.B., Esin A.B., Nefedova N.A. Literature. 9th grade. M.: Bustard, 2011.
3. Chertov V.F., Trubina L.A., Antipova A.M. Literature. 9th grade. M.: Education, 2012.

1. Internet portal “Lit-helper” ()
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Homework

1. Read the story "Poor Liza."
2. Describe the main characters of the story “Poor Lisa”.
3. Tell us what Karamzin’s innovation is in the story “Poor Liza.”

Literature of this direction really influenced reading people both in Europe and in Russia. The heroes of the works became objects of worship, they were sympathized with as real people, they were imitated both in behavior and in clothing, and they sought to get to the places where they lived. Readers were attracted by the inner world of the characters, the movements of their souls, the courage and frankness of the author, who is not embarrassed by his tears - a sign of sensitivity.
In Russian literature, the most popular sentimental story was “Poor Liza” by N. M. Karamzin (1792). It was a great success among readers. Since the author accurately named the location of the action, the Simonov Monastery and the pond, located nearby where Lisa died, became a place for walks for Muscovites and many visitors. Readers, like the author, shed “tears of tender sorrow” about Lisa.
The story is permeated with respect for man and fosters humanity. It reveals to readers their own souls, awakening compassion and other noble feelings. One of Karamzin’s contemporaries testified: “We felt all the sweetness of participation, and, despite the flowing tears, our heart secretly admired, seeing ourselves capable of this.”
The described tragic story was perceived as real, because its narrator personally knew the hero, who led him to Lisa’s grave. The author's introduction and conclusion set the reader up in a certain emotional mood, evoking empathy and sympathy from the readers. The story was also popular because Karamzin created life-like images of the heroes. Each of them, like living people, contains both good and bad qualities. They love, suffer, make mistakes, repent. Let us remember that heroes in the works of classicists were endowed with either positive or negative character traits. They often had meaningful first and last names.
The reader is presented with a magnificent landscape, the beauty of which is subtly felt. st and conveys the narrator, which testifies to the depth and richness of his soul. At the same time, by contrasting the city and the village, the author prepares the reader to perceive the images of the heroes. The transition from the summer panorama of Moscow to the autumn one sets one up for anxious anticipation and creates a sad mood.
Let's look at how the relationship between Lisa and Erast developed. What did the author say about Erast? This is “a fairly rich nobleman, with a fair mind and a kind heart, kind by nature, but weak and flighty. He led an absent-minded life, thought only about his own pleasure, looked for it in secular amusements, but often did not find it: he was bored and complained about his fate.”
What attracted Erast to Lisa? “Lisa’s beauty made an impression on his heart at the first meeting. He read novels, idylls, had a fairly vivid imagination, moved mentally to those times (former and non-existent), in which, according to the poets, all people carelessly walked through meadows, bathed in clean springs, kissed like turtledoves, rested under roses and myrtle trees and spent all their days in happy idleness. It seemed to him that he had found in Lisa what his heart had been looking for for a long time. “Nature calls me into its arms, to its pure joys,” he thought and decided to leave the big world, at least for a while.”
What do Lisa and her mother say about Erast? “He has such a kind face, such a voice...” the girl admires. Lisa’s mother perceives him the same way: “What should we call you, good master?” The author speaks of his hero as a kind, but frivolous person. And what character trait is hidden behind the words said about him: “...thought only about his own pleasure”? Of course, this is selfishness. At the same time, Erast understands that a man must bear responsibility for the fate of the woman he loves. He thinks; “I will not use her love for evil and will always be happy.”
Karamzin notes that Erast was influenced by bucolic poetry, common in the literature of classicism and sentimentalism. Moreover, one cannot help but note the author’s ironic attitude towards bucolic, or pastoral, poetry. The life of the virtuous villagers of Karamzin passes in works: “Father Lizin... loved work, plowed the land well and always led a sober life.” Lisa sold her handicrafts and flowers in the city and took care of her sick mother.
A meeting with a beautiful village girl selling lilies of the valley suited Erast’s mood. These flowers were the personification of her purity, modesty, dim beauty and defenselessness. Erast seeks to buy lilies of the valley for a high price. This is how the theme of money arises, the hero wants to buy the girl’s favor along with flowers. The reader is convinced that the character of the hero combines contradictory traits.
The inner world of the characters is revealed in their speech, gestures, actions, in the author's descriptions of their experiences, as well as with the help of the landscape. So, not having met Erast the day after they met, who promised to always buy flowers from her, Lisa throws lilies of the valley into the river with the words: “No one can own you!” In this act of the heroine, which has a symbolic meaning, both the strength of feeling and the state of her soul are revealed. Introducing Erast to her mother, Lisa “repeated this name five times, as if she was trying to solidify it.” Lisa's gestures convey excitement, joy, and embarrassment. For example, hearing that Erast would come to them every day, “she looked at her left sleeve and pinched it with her right hand.”
Nature is always in accordance with Lisa's state of mind. But the awareness of the tragedy that has taken place makes her feel at odds with nature: “Ah, Lisa! What happened to you? Until now, waking up with the birds, you had fun with them in the morning, and a pure, joyful soul shone in your eyes, like the sun shines in drops of heavenly dew; but now you are thoughtful and the general joy of nature is alien to your heart.”
Their dates continued; but how everything has changed! Erast could no longer be satisfied with just the innocent caresses of his Liza - just her glances filled with love - just one touch of a hand, one kiss, just one pure embrace. He wanted more, more, and finally could not want anything - and whoever knows his heart, who has reflected on the nature of his most tender pleasures, will, of course, agree with me that the fulfillment of all desires is the most dangerous temptation of love. For Erast, Lisa was no longer that angel of purity that had previously inflamed his imagination and delighted his soul. Platonic love gave way to feelings of which he could not be proud and which were no longer new to him.”
Having left the “big world”, carried away by a beautiful village woman, Erast prudently promises nothing to Lisa and forgets about his responsibility for her fate. He advises her not to tell her mother anything about their relationship. Lisa listens to Erast “with downcast eyes, with fiery cheeks, with a trembling heart.” She “could not take his hand away, could not turn away when he approached her with his pink lips... ah! He kissed her, kissed her with such fervor that the whole universe seemed to her to be on fire! But I throw down the brush...”
As researchers of Karamzin’s work note, this episode seems to be painted on the basis of the metaphors “fire of love”, “love burns hearts”. Erast's cooling off came because the girl had lost the charm of novelty for him. The habit of city life took its toll. His passionate speeches give way to cold prudence; he offers Lisa a hundred rubles for her sincere love. So the topic of money arises during both Erast’s first and last meeting with Lisa.
Erast could not live among simple, sincere people. Urban civilization corrupted him, killed his natural kindness, and made him calculating (he marries a rich widow). He did not restrain his intention to “not use” Lisa’s love for evil.

Essay on literature on the topic: Essay on the story “Poor Liza” by N. M. Karamzin

Other writings:

1. In the story “Poor Liza,” Karamzin touches on the theme of confrontation between city and countryside. In it, the main characters (Liza and Erast) are examples of this confrontation. Lisa is a peasant girl. After her father's death, she and her mother became poor, and Lisa was forced to take on Read More......
2. This story tells about the love of a peasant girl Lisa for a rich young man Erast. When Lisa's father died, she was 15 years old, she stayed with her mother, they did not have sufficient means of subsistence, so Lisa did handicrafts and work Read More ......
3. The literary movement of sentimentalism came to Russia from France at the end of the 18th century and addressed mainly the problems of the human soul. Karamzin’s story “Poor Liza” tells about the love of the young nobleman Erast and the peasant woman Liza. Lisa lives with her mother in the vicinity Read More ......
4. Karamzin’s story “Poor Liza,” written in the genre of sentimentalism, evokes a storm of emotions when read. This sad story cannot leave even the most callous person indifferent. Many works have been written in this genre, but “Poor Liza” is deservedly recognized as the best. This Read More......
5. Karamzin’s best story is rightly recognized as “Poor Liza” (1792), which is based on the educational thought about the extra-class value of the human personality. The problems of the story are of a social and moral nature: the peasant woman Liza is opposed to the nobleman Erast. The characters are revealed in the heroes' attitude to love. Lisa's feelings are deep, Read More......
6. Sentimentalism is one of the most significant literary movements of the 18th century in Russia, the brightest representative of which was N. M. Karamzin. Russian stories, the main content of which was a story about love, and the greatest value was sensitivity, appeared before Karamzin. But it was his Read More......
7. I. The relevance of N. M. Karamzin’s story “Poor Liza” at all times. II. True and false values ​​in the story. 1. Work, honesty, kindness of soul are the main moral values ​​of Lisa’s family. 2. Money as the main value in Erast’s life. 3. The real reasons Read More......
8. The story begins with a description of the cemetery where the girl Lisa is buried. Based on this picture, the author tells the sad story of a young peasant woman who paid with her life for her love. One day, while selling lilies of the valley collected in the forest on the street, Lisa met the young nobleman Erast. Her Read More......

Essay based on the story “Poor Liza” by N. M. Karamzin