Pushkin on people confronting statues – and vice-versa Introduction
FINAL/29.9.2020
N.B. SLIDE 1 = title page
Among Pushkin’s outstanding poetic creations, three works stand out. Their titles do not refer to living creatures - they indicate a statue or a sculptural image. And in each case the epithet denotes the material from which the statue or the sculpture is made. These works are the ‘Little Tragedy' “The Stone Guest”, the narrative poem “The Bronze Horseman” and "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel".
This phenomenon of statues in Pushkin's poetic output was pointed out for the first time by the distinguished philologist, Roman Jakobson, in his book “The Statue in Pushkin’s Mythology” (1937).
“The statue works” have other similarities. Their contents were derived from foreign sources. “The Stone Guest” lists amongst its sources Moliere's play Don Juan and Mozart's opera Don Giovanni.
The Bronze Horseman was initially started as a response to the poetic cycle of the Polish poet, Adam Mickievicz which was very hostile towards Peter the Great and his creation – St. Petersburg.
And in 1933 Anna Akhmatova established that The Tale of the Golden Cockerel was based on the American writer, Washington Irving's novella, "The Legend of the Arabian Astrologer" from his Tales of Alhambra.
In all three works the action takes place in capital cities.
The other remarkable feature common to the three works is that they were all written during the Boldino Autumns of 1830, 1833 and 1834.
“The Stone Guest” belongs to the rich harvest of the first Boldino Autumn (1830), “The Bronze Horseman” was the outstanding work of the second Autumn (1833), and “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” was the only work written during the last - and least fruitful - Boldino Autumn of 1834.
These autumn stays in Boldino village occupy a truly exceptional place in Pushkin’s life. The first stay was a consequence of his proposing to Natalia Goncharova in the spring of 1830, which had led to Pushkin’s father transferring part of the Boldino estate to him.
The stay of 1833 happened after the conclusion of Pushkin’s journey to the Volga and Ural provinces – these were the areas of Pugachev's Rebellion (1773-1775). [This journey resulted in Pushkin’s writing of a History of the Pugachev Rebellion in 1834.]
The last stay, in the autumn of 1834, was at a particularly unhappy stage in his life. Let me remind you of the events leading up to this, as Pushkin’s reaction to these events found both dramatic and poetic expression in The Tale of the Golden Cockerel.
At the beginning of 1834 Pushkin had been appointed to the Court post of ‘Gentleman of the Chamber’ (kammerjunker) “which is rather indecent at my age”, he wrote. Generally this post was reserved for men in their early twenties, and Pushkin was deeply offended by the Tsar's gracious “favour”. Indeed, he found it humiliating.
Worse was to follow. His letters to his wife were intercepted by the police, and one of them was passed to Tsar Nicholas I to read. The poet had written to his wife:
“I've seen three Tsars. The first commanded me to remove my baby cap [this was Tsar Paul I – Pushkin was less than two years’ old at the time]... The second didn't like me at all [this was Tsar Alexander I, who had sent Pushkin into exile]. The third ... made me a pageboy in my old age.”
This letter resulted in an official warning to Pushkin against showing “disrespect for the Sovereign”. Pushkin wrote in his diary:
“The police open a husband's private letters to his wife and bring them to the Tsar. And the Tsar (a well-brought up and honourable man) is not ashamed to admit it!”
Pushkin's response was to formally request Tsar Nicholas to relieve him of any official duties and to allow him to retire to the country. He only asked that the Tsar allow him to continue working in the State Archives so as to complete his “History of Peter the Great”.
The Tsar answered icily that he had no intention of keeping the poet in government service against his will, but that a private individual could not be allowed access to the State Archives. Pushkin had no choice but to retract his request for retirement.
His poetic response to this encounter with the Tsar was the poem “It's time, my love, it's time” // Пора, мой друг, пора! (1834). It is possible that the poem “May God grant that I lose not my mind // Не дай мне бог сойти с ума (1833 or 1834?) was also written in response to this encounter with the Tsar, although the precise dating of this poem is uncertain.
There is a clue to Pushkin’s mental and physical state in the 6th and 7th lines of Пора, мой друг, пора!:
Long have I dreamt of Eden – // Long have I, a weary slave, contemplated flight...
Давно завидная мечтается мне доля - // Давно, усталый раб замыслил я побег...
In the autumn of 1834 Pushkin went to Boldino hoping for another miraculous surge of creativity, but when he was there he had to state with sadness: “Poems no longer come into my head”.
So, during this - his last - stay in Boldino, Pushkin, still bitter from his encounters with the Tsar, wrote just one poetic work - “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel”. In this work he was able to give eloquent expression to the deep resentment he felt at the indignities he had suffered in the course of 1834 at the hands of Tsar Nicholas I and agencies of the Russian state.
I will now provide a brief outline of the plot in each of the three works – with particular reference to the ‘statue’ motif, which is our theme tonight.
The Stone Guest (1830)
Don Juan - who is described by other characters in the play as a ‘sly seducer’ («хитрый искуситель») and godless libertine («безбожный развратитель») –- has been sent into exile for having killed Don Alvaro in a duel. Don Alvaro is referred to in Pushkin’s work as the Comendador («Командор». The play opens with Don Juan’s unauthorised return to Madrid from exile.
With his servant, Leporello, he is hiding in a monastery, posing as a monk, when he encounters the Comendador’s widow, Doña Anna, in the cemetery attached to the monastery. She has come to visit the grave of her late husband, the Comendador. A large statue of the Comendador looms over his grave. SLIDE 2
Don Juan reveals to Doña Anna that he is not a monk but a nobleman called ‘Don Diego’ who has fallen in love with her. SLIDE 3 Doña Anna invites him to visit her at her house and leaves the monastery.
The first excerpt we’re going to read [from Scene III] starts at this point, opening with a conversation between Don Juan and Leporello.
Don Juan then arrogantly invites the statue of the Comendador to stand watch during his meeting with Doña Anna. SLIDE 4 The statue nods.
The final scene of the play [Scene IV] takes place during Don Juan's visit to Doña Anna’s house, and we will read most of this scene.
In the course of their meeting Don Juan reveals his true identity, proclaims his undying love for Doña Anna and kisses her. SLIDE 5
Suddenly, they hear the heavy steps of the stone Comendador. SLIDE6 Doña Anna faints.
The statue extends a hand to Don Juan, he boldly takes it. The statue tells Don Juan: 'It’s all over'// «Всё кончено», and they both descend through the floor. SLIDE 7
The Bronze Horseman SLIDE 8 [blank]
Many critics consider 'The Bronze Horseman' - along with Eugene Onegin - as Pushkin's greatest achievement.
In it, the poet addresses philosophical, political and social issues and highlights the enduring theme of Russian history: the uncompromising nature of the relationship between ruler and ruled.
The Bronze Horseman is simultaneously an ode to St. Petersburg and its creator Peter the Great, and a reflection on the place of the common man in history and a hierarchy in which the ordinary citizen has no say at all.
SLIDE 9
At the beginning of the poem Pushkin talks about the construction of St. Petersburg and about Peter the Great, under whose leadership the city was built.
Peter’s achievements are symbolised in his monument, which became known as “The Bronze Horseman”, [SLIDE 10] thanks to Pushkin's poem:
“What thoughts are pressing on that brow!
Within him, what unbounded force!” SLIDE 11
Какая дума на челе! Какая сила в нём сокрыта.
However, the main theme of the work is the situation of the "little man" - an ordinary resident of a big city.
In the first part of the poem, the author describes the greatness of St. Petersburg, its streets, bridges and white nights.
He then introduces the reader to his hero, Yevgeny. Pushkin does not even give him a surname, emphasising by this that Yevgeny could stand for any citizen of St. Petersburg at this time.
Indeed, Yevgeny is just another ordinary resident of St. Petersburg, a petty civil servant. He is in love with his sweet-heart, Parasha, and is going to marry her.
Parasha lives in a wooden house on the outskirts of the city.
When the historic flood of 1824 begins, her house is washed away and Parasha dies. Pushkin’s description of the flood is extremely powerful. SLIDE 12
The whole city is washed away, and many people die.
Only the monument to Peter proudly rises above flooded city. SLIDE 13
Yevgeny saves himself by sitting on top of one of two marble lions in front of a mansion overlooking Senate Square. SLIDE 14
Pushkin describes him sitting there, surrounded by water, and looking across at the statue of the Bronze Horseman.
However, all his thoughts are about Parasha only. When the flood subsides and he eventually finds out that her house has been destroyed and that Parasha has died, he is absolutely crushed by what has happened and loses his sanity.
The unfortunate Yevgeny forgets about his civil service duties and his rented room, and becomes a homeless vagabond.
One day, Yevgeny finds himself in the same place – in Senate Square – where he had been in the immediate aftermath of the flood. [The excerpt which Antony, and then Alla, are going to read from, starts at this point and will take us to the end of the poem.]
Yevgeny suddenly realises who the guilty one is - Tsar Peter, who had built the city in a place prone to floods. SLIDE 15
In a fit of rage, he threatens the monument to Peter the Great - the Bronze Horseman:
‘Miracle builder! – Now!’ he hissed,
‘Just you wait . . . !’
However, his weakened mind plays a cruel joke on him and it seems to Yevgeny that, in response to the insult, the Autocrat on the bronze horse gets off his pedestal and begins to pursue him. SLIDE 16
The story ends sadly - Yevgeny's body is found on the threshold of a little house, which had been destroyed by the flood, on a small island in the River Neva.
Throughout the poem, there is a contrast between Yevgeny and Peter the Great, between the insignificant "little man" and State power. While the sovereign leads the whole country forward, he has no business with - nor any time to care for - the fate of ordinary people.
And Yevgeny's quiet protest, expressed to the bronze monument, is a protest against such an attitude on the part of the autocratic State. But the fate that befell Yevgeny shows that, in Russia, even such an utterly harmless rebellion by an ordinary person is likely to attract a harsh response from the State.
Thus - in the view of Roman Jacobson - in Pushkin’s poem, the Bronze Horseman symbolises "Tsar Peter, the city of St Petersburg and the uncanny reach of autocracy over the lives of ordinary people."
The Tale of the Golden Cockerel (1834) SLIDE 17
Pushkin's tale is set in the land of Tsar Dadon, who is trying to protect his rich kingdom from hostile neighbours.
Besieged on all sides and unable to protect his country, he sends for an Astrologer, “the wise man and eunuch”, who seems to have the answer.
The Astrologer gives him a statuette of the Golden Cockerel, which, if set on a spire – in the event of any approaching danger – will crow and turn to face the direction from which Dadon’s kingdom is threatened. [shown by SLIDE 17]
The Tsar is so pleased that he promises to grant whatever wish the Astrologer has as if it were his very own.
The magic Cockerel proves to be the perfect guard for Tsar Dadon's kingdom, and bellicose neighbours are unable to invade. Two years pass.
The Cockerel then crows on three separate occasions.
On the first occasion, he crows to warn that an enemy army is advancing towards Tsar Dadon's land. The Tsar sends his elder son at the head of a mighty army to fight the approaching foe. The kingdom is saved, but the Tsar's son and army never return.
The Cockerel crows a second time, as another army is advancing to capture Dadon's land. This time he sends his younger son and another army. But once again, though the kingdom is saved, neither the son nor the army ever returns.
The Cockerel then crows for a third time, sounding the alarm that yet a third army is planning to invade. This time, Dadon himself leads an army to the farthest borders of the kingdom. On arriving there, he looks down a deep ravine and sees his dead army.
And, to his horror, he discovers the bodies of his two sons who - it would appear - have killed each other in front of a richly decorated tent. SLIDE 18
Tsar Dadon is overcome with grief. But suddenly the beautiful Queen of Shamakhan emerges from the tent. Dadon immediately falls in love with her. SLIDE19 He forgets the deaths of his sons and stays with the Oueen in her tent for seven days.
Then he and the Queen of Shamakhan leave together for his capital. [Starting from this point we'll read the Tale to the end.]
But in front of the capital's gates they encounter the Astrologer, who reminds Dadon of his promise and claims the enchanting Queen for himself as his reward. Tsar Dadon is enraged, and not only denies the Astrologer his reward, but strikes him with his staff and kills him. SLIDE 20
«Вся столица // Содрогнулась». The whole city, having witnessed the Tsar’s crime, trembled with fear.
The Golden Cockerel then flies down from its steeple and lands on Dadon's head. SLIDE 21
The statuette pecks Dadon to death for having killed its master, the Astrologer. SLIDE 22
General observations
Roman Jacobson noted that a common feature of all three works is the vivid description of the sound of moving statues:
“The heavy stamping of the Bronze Horseman corresponds to the heavy shaking of the right hand of the Comendador's statue and the heavy stamping of his steps...
The “light ringing” of [the Golden Cockerel's] flight resembles … the “hard-ringing galloping of the Bronze Horseman".
Jakobson also pointed out that in all three works the protagonist dies as a result of the intervention of a moving statue. In two of these cases, the statue itself embodied a deceased person:
the Comendador - in the monument above his grave; and
Peter the Great - in the Bronze Horseman,
In the case of the Golden Cockerel, of course, it was the owner of the sculpture – the Astrologer – who ‘became’ the deceased person.
So, in all these works, the statue can – to some extent – be seen as embodying death, and then putting to death those who [in one way or another] challenge it.
In the case of 'The Stone Guest', it was the rebellious Don Juan who challenged the statue of the Comendador – the champion of order and morality.
In the case of 'The Bronze Horseman', the ordinary man, the poor clerk, Yevgeny, loses his sanity and challenges Peter the Great's statue – the embodiment of State authority and of the State’s need to found a new capital.
Both 'The Stone Guest' and 'The Bronze Horseman' convey Pushkin's pessimistic view on what the future holds for people who dare to challenge society's moral code or who dare to raise their voice against the State’s empire-building priorities which override the life and happiness of its subjects.
The case of The Golden Cockerel is completely different.
The Cockerel is presented as an animated sculpture which can turn around and sound the alarm. It is a 'faithful defender' not only of the Tsar, Dadon, but also of all the ordinary people of his kingdom who, thanks to its intervention, are spared foreign invasion and can live in peace.
After Dadon kills the Astrologer, the lawless murderer, the Tsar, is punished for his crime by the Cockerel with death.
And in the last line of his tale the author warns all future holders of power to take care not to trespass against the Rule of Law:
This my tale, although not true, Сказка ложь, да в ней намёк!
Holds a lesson, folk, for you. Добрым молодцам урок.
It seems that Pushkin has never been so relevant to modern times as in 2020! SLIDE 23 - showing Putin and Lukashenko
STOP SCREEN-SHARING
We can see that in these three works by Pushkin all the protagonists are either rebelling or trespassing and that their rebellion or trespassing is thwarted or suppressed by the statue.
Pushkin leaves us with a number of meaningful hints for the "Tale of the Golden Cockerel". However, the poet disguised these hints with great care, for the addressee of the fairy tale is Tsar Nicholas I himself.
The quarrel between the Astrologer and the Tsar has definite autobiographical features.
The autobiographical hints are evident in Pushkin's manuscript. In a loose sheet, Pushkin had written: "But it is bad to quarrel with tsars."// Но с царями плохо вздорить. He suggested that such a quarrel could finish with the death of the Tsar's opponent.
In the published edition of the work, however, this line was changed, and shows clear signs of self-censorship:
“But it’s costly to fool with some people.” // Но с иным накладно вздорить.
These hints, as well as the ironic attitude displayed by the author towards the main character, Tsar Dadon, give reason to believe that "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel" is a none-too thinly veiled political satire – but one done with sufficient subtlety to get past the censor.
Overview of the three works
In conclusion, in these three works we have:
1.The tragedy of a man who rebelled against the strict mores of society;
2.An epic poem in which the founder of St. Petersburg – and the beautiful city which was his creation – are glorified, - but, at the same time, it is questioned whether such great achievements should be founded on the suffering and sacrifice of ordinary people;
3.And, finally, a subtle political satire which the censorship was not able to crack.
Tsar Nicholas forbade the publication of “The Bronze Horseman”. It was published only after Pushkin's death, with the editing which Pushkin’s friend, Zhukovsky, had to agree to, in order to get the work past the censor.
But “The Golden Cockerel” was published immediately on its presentation, with only some minor deletions being demanded by the censor.
And, in all three works, moving statues play the most significant role – they either quench the rebellion or deliver justice.
END
Short pause. Followed by:
Queen of Shamakhan aria - playing of recording by Julian Milone and Nadia Giliova
Readings from the three works