“We plowed” is a popular expression that characterizes the actions of idlers who attribute to themselves the achievements of others. Its source is a work of the XIX century. But this phrase has not lost its topicality even after two hundred years. Dmitriev's fable "The Fly" is a small moralizing work, which, like other works in this genre, will always be relevant.
Russian fabulist
First of all, the surname Krylov is associated with the fable in Russian. But the creator of not only wonderful songs and fairy tales, but also instructive poems was the Fable "Fly" - this is one of his translations from French. Like other works created in a genre that has its origins in ancient literature, it is an adornment of the work of the Russian poet. The work is distinguished by a light language, which is more characteristic of the post-Pushkin era. Dmitriev's translation has free and smooth versification.
Satire and plot
Satire occupied an important place in the creative activity of this author. He, as a rule, sent it to mediocre writers of long odes. In the days of Lomonosov and Derzhavin, there were plenty of such graphomaniacs. But - and this is confirmed by Dmitriev's fable "The Fly" - a simple human vice does not change its face. Idleness, stupidity and boasting met in Pushkin's times and appear in the same form in modern people.
The fable tells how the bull-worker returns after hard work to a well-deserved rest. And a fly sits imperturbably on his horns. When she meets her friend, she boasts of the labors that she allegedly recently completed. The heroine of the fable throws the short phrase “we plowed” as if by the way, not only convincing her interlocutor, but as if she herself is confident that she is a participant in the work performed.
Translation of a work by a French author
It is known that Russian writers of fables drew plots in their work. There are several opinions on the basis of what primary source Dmitriev's fable "The Fly" was created. However, the authors who worked in this genre were united by the fact that their translations were distinguished by a free style. If we assume that Dmitriev's work is borrowed from the work of the French poet La Fontaine, then the content of The Fly is closest to the fable The Fly and the Travelers.
This work is also translated by Ivan Krylov. But in the performance of Dmitriev, the fly is not so intrusive and active. She carelessly placed herself on the horns of a bull returning from a plow after righteous labors. What the boastful heroine of the poem did before is unknown. But, having met her sister, to the question of where the path leads from, she casually throws the phrase: “Where from? We plowed." In these words self-confidence is hidden, the desire to ascribe to oneself other people's merits. The character of Krylov has a more restless character. Here the main vices are stupidity and excessive fuss.
Aesop's translation
Lafontaine was not the creator. He wrote his works on the basis of the writings of an ancient Greek author, whose existence is still in doubt today. This semi-legendary poet still owns the fable "Flies". It tells of greed that leads to death. The meaning of this ancient work can be reduced to the wise words of Petrarch: "Know the limit of lust." The fable "Fly" has a different moralizing purpose. Dmitriev put into his short poem a satirical look at the combination of such unattractive human qualities as cunning, stupidity, laziness, deceit, boasting. A mixture of these vices in one of his interlocutors met at least once every person.
The uniqueness of the fable
The fable "The Fly" is unique in content. Dmitriev may have translated the work of one of the French authors, who, in turn, used ancient Greek sources, but he did it very subtly and skillfully. Human imperfections are equally unsightly at all times. The Russian poet, thanks to his light style, conveyed such subtle shades that one can hardly find anything identical in world literature.
Dmitriev's style
Dmitriev's fable "The Fly" is very laconic. In order to convey the main idea, the author needed only ten lines. The moral of the fable "Fly" Dmitriev brought in one phrase. The poet in the moralizing ending says that this is often found in life. And, as if addressing the reader, he asks if he has ever heard self-praise that has no basis. He denounces bragging and laziness on the example of the behavior of his heroine, endowing her with exceptionally common human vices. Dmitriev formulated the moral of the fable "The Fly" in four lines, where he summed up his satire on people suffering from swearing and idleness.
More than eighty works in the moralizing genre were created by Ivan Dmitriev. The fable "Fly", despite the small volume, is one of the most striking. It should be said: this work has been translated into German, which indicates its uniqueness. Similar satirical poems took shape in French literature. But further development was received in the literatures of other countries.
Instead of an afterword
One of the creators of works in an original style, which can be conditionally called the "Russian fable" genre, is I. I. Dmitriev. "The Fly" is an essay that, along with the works of other Russian satirists, should be known to the modern reader. By ridiculing shortcomings, a short narrative performs an important moral function. After all, as long as there are people in the world who prefer not to act, but only to be close to those who work, Dmitriev's fable "The Fly" will not lose its relevance.
A fable is a short story of a satirical nature. For a long time, with the help of a fable, a person has been looking for an answer to the question: how to behave in a vast and complex world, how to build relationships with other people correctly. A fable is always allegorical in nature, and animals, plants, and things most often act as characters in it.
Ivan Andreevich Krylov - the great Russian fabulist. We have been familiar with his works since childhood. In his fables, he ridicules and criticizes the shortcomings of public life and human vices: cunning, greed, laziness, vanity, cowardice, stupidity, ignorance. And he does it simply and intelligibly, in an understandable language.
So, for example, Krylov is convinced that the basis of life is labor, and the well-being of society depends on the consistent work of people who work honestly and skillfully. What the lack of professional knowledge can lead to is shown in the Quartet fable. Once in the forest, the animals gathered to play a quartet. They took out the notes, took up the instruments
And sat down on the meadow under the limes
Captivate the world with your art.
They hit the bows, they tear, but there is no sense.
"Musicians" began to look for the cause of a bad game and decided that everything was due to the fact that they were sitting incorrectly. Several times they changed places, sat down "decently in a row", but this did not give the desired result. After all, the point is not how the artists sit down, but the ability to own an instrument, to perform musical works on it. Only the nightingale, which flew in to the noise, opened the eyes of the unfortunate musicians:
To be a musician, you need skill
And your ears are softer ...
And you, friends, no matter how you sit down,
All musicians are no good.
In a common cause, not only professionalism and skill are needed, it is very important to have agreement. The wonderful fable "Swan, Pike and Cancer" tells about this. The animals gathered to carry the cart, but each was so sure of his own right that he did not want to listen to the opinions of others. Each of them pulled the cart in his direction, so he did not budge.
In the fable "Pike" the author criticizes the judges for their immorality, cunning and resourcefulness. He no longer simply ridicules, but exposes the judges, who create the appearance of observing all the rules, but "judge by untruth". The moral of this fable echoes well-known Russian proverbs: "The laws are holy, but the judges are adversaries", "The court is direct, but the judge is crooked", which (as in fables) reflect the attitude of the common people to life phenomena. The author often relies on folk wisdom contained in legends, proverbs and sayings in order to make his conclusions (the moral of the fable) accessible to ordinary readers.
Ivan Andreevich Krylov earned national fame and gratitude. The works created by him have long gone beyond the borders of Russia, he became known both in England and in America. He is valued and revered along with the great fabulists of antiquity and modern times.
A fable is a short story of a satirical nature. For a long time, with the help of a fable, a person has been looking for an answer to the question: how to behave in a vast and complex world, how to build relationships with other people correctly. A fable is always allegorical in nature, and animals, plants, and things most often act as characters in it.
Ivan Andreevich Krylov - the great Russian fabulist. We have been familiar with his works since childhood. In his fables, he ridicules and criticizes the shortcomings of public life and human vices: cunning, greed, laziness, vanity, cowardice, stupidity, ignorance. And he does it simply and intelligibly, in an understandable language.
So, for example, Krylov is convinced that the basis of life is labor, and the well-being of society depends on the consistent work of people who work honestly and skillfully. What the lack of professional knowledge can lead to is shown in the Quartet fable. Once in the forest, the animals gathered to play a quartet. They took out the notes, took up the instruments
And sat down on the meadow under the limes
Captivate the world with your art.
They hit the bows, they tear, but there is no sense.
The "musicians" began to look for the cause of the bad game and decided that it was all due to the fact that they were sitting incorrectly. Several times they changed places, sat down "decently in a row", but this did not give the desired result. After all, the point is not how the artists sit down, but the ability to own an instrument, to perform musical works on it. Only the nightingale, which flew in to the noise, opened the eyes of the unfortunate musicians:
To be a musician, you need skill
And your ears are softer ...
And you, friends, no matter how you sit down,
All musicians are no good.
In a common cause, not only professionalism and skill are needed, it is very important to have agreement. The wonderful fable "Swan, Pike and Cancer" tells about this. The animals gathered to carry the cart, but each was so sure of his own right that he did not want to listen to the opinions of others. Each of them pulled the cart in his direction, so he did not budge.
In the Pike fable, the author criticizes the judges for their immorality, cunning and resourcefulness. He no longer simply ridicules, but exposes the judges, who create the appearance of observing all the rules, but "judge by untruth". The moral of this fable echoes well-known Russian proverbs: “The laws are holy, but the judges are adversaries”, “The court is direct, but the judge is crooked”, which (as in fables) reflect the attitude of the common people to life phenomena. The author often relies on folk wisdom contained in legends, proverbs and sayings in order to make his conclusions (the moral of the fable) accessible to ordinary readers.
Ivan Andreevich Krylov earned national fame and gratitude. The works created by him have long gone beyond the borders of Russia, he became known both in England and in America. He is valued and revered along with the great fabulists of antiquity and modern times.
The fable of I.I. Dmitriev "The Fly" is especially popular among the people. It contrasts work and idleness. There is no biting satire in the fable, it is written in a delicate manner. The plot of the fable was prompted by life itself.
The quiz on the fable of I.I. Dmitriev "The Fly" contains 11 questions. All questions have been answered.
Quiz Maker: Iris Revue
1. With what agricultural tool did the bull "trudge"?
Answer: with a plow
3. In what year was the fable "Fly" written?
Answer: in 1803
4. Who invented the plot of the fable "Fly"?
Answer: The fable goes back to Aesop and Phaedrus, then to La Fontaine ("Le Coche et la Mouche" - "The stagecoach and the fly"). And according to the bibliographer of the nineteenth century M.N. Longinov, the French writer Pierre Villiers stands at the origins of this fable.
5. What do you think, in the fable "Fly" I.I. Dmitriev contrasts:
1. diligence and idleness?
2. good and evil?
3. wealth and poverty?
Answer: 1. Diligence and idleness
6. Why do you think the Fly appropriates the work of the bull?
Answer: The fly took advantage of the opportunity. This fable is about those who attribute to themselves certain achievements only on the grounds that they were close to the authors of these achievements.
7. What expression from the fable "Fly" has become widely known?
Answer:"We plowed"
8. Do you think the fable has lost its relevance today?
Answer: the problems raised in the work have not disappeared even today. The fable is still modern
9. What fable by I.A. Krylov is close in content to I. Dmitriev's fable "The Fly"?
Answer:"The Fly and the Travelers"
10. Which fabulists, except for Krylov, have fables similar in content to Dmitriev's fable "The Fly"?
Answer: This fable was translated into Russian, except for Krylov, Sumarokov ("The Fly and the Carriage") and Khvostov ("The Fly and Berlin")
11. Mark the proverb that contains the main idea of the fable "Fly":
1. "Work feeds a person, but laziness spoils"
2. "He who eats quickly, he works quickly"
3. "Knew how to make a mistake, know how to get better"
Answer:“Work feeds a person, but laziness spoils”
