Time and History in Chapter 8 of ‘Eugene Onegin’ by A.S. Pushkin

Abstract

Relevance of this article is based on that artistic time continuum of Pushkin's novel "Eugene Onegin" is a topical matter. Incertitude in time coincidence of a row of narrative pictures is read out loud. Resolving of this problem is possible when considering it in correlation with the aesthetics of the poet. Methods of cultural and historical, biographical, and comprehensive analysis let to demonstrate that Pushkin's fiction is always supported by the facts of life, and generalizations retain the concrete content and possess life affirming sounding. It is proved in the article that the facts of life of the Russian nobility at the end of 1829 – beginning of 1830 described in Chapter 8 are not anachronisms and allow us to assume that the author parts with the novel protagonist in the spring of 1830. Like Pushkin himself, Onegin was not involved in the events of December 1825. The lyricism of the novel reveals the correlation between the images of the author and Onegin. The formation of both of them, shown against the background of the Russian history, clarifies the image of the main character as a fully-developed person. The sadness of the final lines of the verse novel is also caused by understanding the impossibility of the social realization of Onegin in the new historical conditions. Pushkin's novel is ‘timed by the calendar’: the fiction time of the narrative is presented in the context of the period of the novel creation, the poet's biography, the history of his times and – time of eternity. In the research, fairness of poet's declaration regarding narrative events is confirmed. Onegin's image appeared to be a generalization which cannot be narrowed down to the unique definition. Historically, the character arose as a prosperous person, loyal to his ideals but doomed for dramatic existence, which, as well as poet's biography, reveals Onegin's prominent potential, correspondent to the code of national life. These conclusions insert important details into interpreting of ideas and images of the novel.