Prosper Merime Matteo Falcone characterization of heroes. "Matteo Falcone" main characters

France, 1829; On the eve of the decisive clash between two irreconcilable literary parties - the "classics" and the "romantics" - novels by Prosper Merimee began to appear in the press. Contemporaries noted in them precisely romantic traits: exotic material, the image of exceptional passions and "unheard of incidents." But, looking closely at the short stories, they found in the unusual "iron" logic, determined by the conditions of time and place. This is what Mateo Falcone remembered - the work of a romantic who overcame romanticism.

The name of Prosper Merimee (1803-1870) is of particular importance for Russian literature. “I read “Merimee Chronique de Charles IX” (“Chronicle of the reign of Charles IX” by Merimee), writes L.N. Tolstoy in his diary. “His strange mental connection with Pushkin.” This connection was two-way: Pushkin translated songs from "Guzly" Merimee (1927), Merimee translated Pushkin's poems and prose into French. Pushkin called Merimee "a sharp and original writer", and his works - "extremely wonderful and deep." Merimee, as I. Turgenev recalled, considered Pushkin the greatest poet of his era. What Mérimée praised Pushkin for is also inherent in himself: “While owning a wonderful instrument and being able to play wonderfully on it, he still never exchanged for variations, but always searched for a real melody”; "Its simplicity and ease is the result of exquisite craftsmanship."

The denouement of "Mateo Falcone" is incredible and terrible: the father kills his own little son. But it is not romantic passions that lead to disaster. It matures in everyday phenomena, becomes a natural consequence of a number of reasons.

Here is Mateo Falcone, a wealthy Corsican, going to poppies look at his sheep, and his son, ten-year-old Fortunato, remains to guard the house. father is human poppies, a mountainous area covered with dense, impenetrable thickets of mixed trees and shrubs. IN poppies, the abode of shepherds and fugitive robbers, the tribal way of life, rooted in ancient times, has been preserved intact. The rights of wealth here are relative, limited to the rights of the dagger and gun; but the force of custom is immutable here. Mateo Falcone is true to tradition and content with what he has. Amazing accuracy in shooting and a stern, adamant disposition serve the honor and glory of his family, and he does not need more.

What about Fortunato? His very name means “lucky”. They say about the boy that he gives “already great hopes”, they predict him: “You will go far.” Indeed, Fortunato is extremely dexterous, quick-witted, prudent. First of all, prudent. in the sun waiting for his father - what does he dream about? About a Sunday trip to the city to his uncle, a corporal: there gifts await him - the blessings of civilization. It is obvious that Fortunato is becoming crowded within the narrow confines of custom poppies. The aspirations of father and son - albeit in small things so far - diverge.

But shots are heard - not such a rare occurrence in the vicinity poppies. These shots herald a decisive test for the son, a decisive choice for the father. The wounded bandit Giannetto Sanpiero asks for asylum in Falcone's house: government shooters - voltigeurs - are chasing him on the heels. It is clear that if Mateo were at home, he would give Giannetto shelter without further ado - following the law of hospitality. And the son is bargaining: "... What will you give me if I hide you?"; He smiles not at the guest, but at the sight of a five-franc coin. For this fee, Fortunato hides the robber, but already an attempt to benefit from the sacred custom of hospitality is the first step to betrayal .

Fortunato will commit a betrayal - not out of fear (the boy is brave and only fears his father in the whole world), not out of stupidity (having been interrogated by the sergeant of the voltigeurs, the boy brilliantly fends off all his tricks and threats). Young Falcone was destroyed by the passion for commerce and the desire to excel. At the sight of a silver watch, which bribes his sergeant, Fortunato instantly loses all his mind and common sense. The sergeant's mockery becomes the argument that finished him off: "... Your uncle's son already has a watch... though not as beautiful as these... but he is younger than you." yields to criminal temptation.

Let us note what a storm of emotions the sight of the clock evokes in him: "His bare chest heaved heavily - it seemed that he would suffocate now ”; it was in this style that in the era of Merime they wrote about romantic passions. Looking at how the clock shines, Fortunato seems to discover for himself the alluring brilliance of the bourgeois world. But in order to rush to where he is attracted, the boy must transcend the laws patriarchal world, must become a traitor.

All this is guessed by the angry father - already after the voltigeurs take away the arrested robber. "Good start!" - Mateo Falcone says with formidable irony, making it clear to his son that he turned off the straight path that all his ancestors followed. “Is this my child?” Mateo asks his wife as he smashes the clock, payment for dishonor, on the stone. And, finally, the verdict sounds: "... This child was the first in our family to become a traitor."

“The first in our family…” - from these words it is clear that the murder of a son is not a whim of a villainous father, not a step of desperation, not an act of madness or even anger. Mateo Falcone simply had no other choice. He is responsible not only for his honor but also for the honor of the family; the good name of the ancestors - many, many generations - that is what is decided on this ill-fated day for the Falcone family. Spitting on the traitorous threshold of the Mateo house, the robber Giannetto has already deprived the Falcone family of the future; the business of the head of the family is to save the past from shame And this is possible only at the cost of sacrifice.

Having shot his son, Mateo utters a calm phrase: “We must tell my son-in-law, Teodor Bianchi, to move to live with us” - but what does this phrase mean? So what is the reason for the death of the one who was supposed to continue the Falcone family, what is the reason for the decline of the Falcone family? different worlds: a father - who remained in the world of patriarchal antiquity, and a son - who stepped into the world of bourgeois enterprise, - a clash that killed them both.

Questions and tasks

• Compare the words of Gogol's Taras Bulba: "I gave birth to you, I will kill you" with the words of Mateo Falcone addressed to his wife: "Leave me. I am his father!” With what intonation would you say these phrases? Which one is more romantic?
• Compare the characters of Taras Bulba and Mateo Falcone, Andria and Fortunato.
• Why did Fortunato commit treason? Is it random or natural? Justify your answer.
• Why did Mateo kill his son? Did he have a choice?
• Draw a metaphorical juxtaposition of the landscape poppies with the characters of Mateo and Giannetto.
• What is the metaphorical role of Sergeant Gamba's silver watch in Merime's short story?

Year of writing — 1829

Genre- short story

Novella- a small work about an unusual event in life with an unexpected ending, intense and vividly depicted action.

Main characters: Matteo Falcone, his son Fortunata, wife Giuseppa, fugitive Giannetto Sanpiero, soldiers and sergeant Theodore Gamba.

Issues- honor and betrayal

Time and place of action- the events of the story take place in early XIX century on the island of Corsica.

Subject: the murder of a traitor son by a father. The theme of the people as a bearer of high moral principles occupies a large place in the work of Merimee.

Idea: the superiority of moral principles over personal attitude

The main idea of ​​the novel by Prosper Merimee "Matteo Falcone": must be respected moral standards accepted in a given society, deviation from them is strictly punished.

Plot

The boy was alone at home when a man in rags forced him to hide him from the soldiers and gave him a silver coin for this. The boy hid it in a haystack. The sergeant was a relative of this boy, he asked to extradite the criminal and gave him a watch for this. The boy pointed to the haystack.
The robber was arrested, and at that time the boy's father returned. He learned about what happened.

Mateo Falcone, following the Corsican code of honor of those years, kills his only son for greed, betrayal and violation of the law of hospitality. It didn't matter that they had a criminal hiding that the police were looking for. The father did not even listen to his son, he told him to pray, and then shot a ten-year-old boy in cold blood, tempted by the promised reward from a police relative. And the mother could only cry about her son, she - a Corsican - obeyed her husband and accepted the harsh laws of society.

Literature lesson

on this topic

"The problem of honor and betrayal in the novel by Prosper Merime "Matteo Falcone".

6th grade

The purpose of the lesson:

Get to know the personality French writer P. Merime, his short story "Matteo Falcone", artistic features of the work

Form UUD:

Personal:

The ability to evaluate life situations people's actions in terms of generally accepted norms and values; perform self-assessment based on success criteria learning activities;

Regulatory:

The ability to determine and formulate the goal in the lesson with the help of a teacher; express your assumption (version) based on work with selective reading of the text artwork; make the necessary adjustments to the action after its completion, based on its assessment and taking into account the nature of the errors made; work according to the plan proposed by the teacher;

Communicative:

Ability to formulate one's thoughts orally; listen and understand the speech of others; be able to prove their opinion, arguing according to the text;

Cognitive:

The ability to process the information received: find answers to questions using your life experience, knowledge gained outside the course of the subject.

Planned results:

Subject:

be able to identify artistic detail in the work;

To be able to identify the semantic and ideological and emotional role of key words in a work;

Be able to evaluate the actions of heroes.

Personal: to be able to give self-assessment based on the criterion of the success of educational activities; evaluate life situations, people's actions in terms of generally accepted norms and values.

Metasubject:

Regulatory UUD: be able to define and formulate the goal in the lesson with the help of a teacher; express your assumption (version) based on work with the text of the textbook; make the necessary adjustments to the action after its completion, based on its assessment and taking into account the nature of the errors made; work according to the plan suggested by the teacher.

Communicative UUD: be able to formulate your thoughts orally; listen and understand the speech of others; be able to prove your opinion, arguing according to the text.

Cognitive UUD: be able to process the information received: find answers to questions using your life experience, knowledge gained outside the course of the subject.

Lesson objectives:

Educational: generalize the knowledge gained in the process of studying the novel. To form the ability to evaluate the actions of heroes.

To promote the development of coherent speech, working memory, voluntary attention, logical thinking.

To develop a culture of behavior during frontal work and work in pairs.

Lesson type: analysis of a work of art

Training and metodology complex:

Textbook "Literature" in 2 parts for the 6th grade of educational institutions. Author V.Ya. Korovin (part 2, section “From foreign literature»)

Presentation

Notebook

Individual projects (cluster)

signal cards

Basic concepts: short story

Space organization: front work, group work(in pairs)

Interdisciplinary connections: history, geography

Student actions: answering questions, working with a dictionary, reading with a commentary, retelling the text

Diagnostics of the results of the lesson (outcome of the lesson):

Complete the sentence: after reading the short story by P. Merime, I understood ..., felt ..., thought about ...; when I read the novel "Matteo Falcone", I wanted to ... (reception "Unfinished sentence")

Homework: a written answer to the question why the novella is named after Matteo Falcone

Equipment: text, computer, projector, screen, slides with illustrations for the work, a portrait of the writer, evaluation sheets.

Whoever manages to betray once, he will betray many more times ...

Lope de Vega.

During the classes:

I. Mobilization (inclusion in activities)

Teacher.

Hello guys! Glad to see you. Today we have unusual lesson, we have guests. Turn to them, smile and greet. Is everyone ready for active work in the lesson?

Look at the presentation slide. Read the writer's name. Is he known to you? Have you read his works? ( slide 1)

Students

Yes, at home we read his novel "Matteo Falcone"

Teacher

What work of which writer are we going to talk about today?

What are the main concepts that the writer talks about in his work?

Let's pay attention to the slide: before you is a poem by the Russian poet A. Yashin and the words of the Spanish playwright Lope de Vega ( slide 2). Let's read them out loud.

In our untold wealth

There are precious words:

Fatherland,

Loyalty,

Brotherhood.

And there is more:

Conscience,

Honor.

A. Yashin

Whoever manages to betray, he will betray many more times ... Lope de Vega

Why do you think we start talking about the novel by a French author with these lines?

name keywords these statements? (honor and betrayal) Can we apply these concepts to P. Merime's short story? Formulate the topic of the lesson.

(“The problem of honor and betrayal in the short story by Prosper Merime “Matteo Falcone” ( slide 3))

Write down the date and topic of the lesson

II. goal setting

Formulate the goals and objectives of the lesson, using the words "remember", "learn", "learn"

Students

Learn to analyze prose work, find the theme and idea of ​​the novel, express your thoughts about the characters of the characters and the reasons for their actions

III. Creation of a problem situation (realization of the insufficiency of existing knowledge)

Teacher

Did you like the novella? Was everything clear? What do you think, is it necessary to know about the writer in order to better understand the meaning of his works? Why? Let's listen to a message about P. Merima.

Student message

Before you is an outstanding French realist writer, master of the short story Prosper Merimee. He was born in Paris in the family of an artist and received an excellent and versatile education. Study literary work Merimee began already in his youth, turned to the genre of dramaturgy, then wrote historical works, but it was the short stories that brought P. Merimee the highest fame and popularity. ( slide 4.5).

IV. Communication (search for new knowledge)

Teacher

What genre brought P. Merimee the highest fame? (novella) What is a novella? (student answers) I suggest looking into the dictionary literary terms. (On the slide “Novella–”).

NOVELLA (ital. novella), small narrative genre, a kind of story marked by the severity of the plot and composition, the unusualness of the event and an unexpected ending. ( slide 6)

Choose synonyms for the word "unusual" (unusual, uncommon)

What is unusual, unusual in the plot of the short story we are analyzing?

In order to understand this, I propose to move to the 19th century. Today we will go to the island of Corsica in France. ( slide 7)

What is the setting of the novel? Find the description in the text.

In the depths of the island, among wild rocks and gorges, frequent shoots of trees cut down and burned by peasants form dense thickets - poppies. A person can pave the way in them only with an ax in his hands, and other poppies grow so much that they form an impregnable jungle (read up to mouflons)

Such is the place of action of P. Merimee's short story. ( Slide 8,9,10).

What kind of people live here and what character traits do they have? Who are the main characters in the novel? At home you did clusters, which revealed the character of the protagonist of the novel Matteo Falcone. How did you see him? (Groups protect their projects). (slide 11)

So, Matteo Falcone is a typical Corsican who knows how to shoot accurately, resolute, proud, brave, strong, respects the laws of hospitality and is ready to help anyone who asks her. We learn about this from the first part of the novel, we also learned that Matteo has a long-awaited, only and very beloved son, hope and heir.

What was the boy's name? (Fortunato is lucky).

What story that happened to Fortunato is the author telling us? (retelling)

In which episode did Fortunato's character traits manifest themselves most clearly? (story with Gianetto)

Read the dialogue that took place between Giannetto and Fortunato, by role. (slide 12)

Think about the words and actions of the boy. What traits of his character does the author reveal? (Smart; cunning; cautious; helped a person, extracting his own benefit).

What did the boy come up with so that the gendarmes would not notice the man he hid? (cat)

How does the boy talk to the gendarmes? (He behaves confidently, coolly, tries to confuse them, is not afraid, even laughs).

Why is a ten-year-old child so confidently behaving with gendarmes? (His father is a very strong and respected person, many are afraid of him. The boy feels his strength and protection, so he behaves like this with the gendarmes).

So, this is the first part of the story about the boy. Group work: Choose a title for the first part of the story about the boy. (Group reports).

What is the name of part 2 of the novel?

Group work: Choose a title for the second part of the story about the boy. (Group reports). (Betrayal).

Why did you name the second part of the story like that?

Do you condemn Fortunato's act? Why?

Would his father Matteo have done the same? Why?

How will the person with whom we met at the beginning of the novel react to such an act of his son (a man of dignity, honor, courageous, proud ...). Who does he think his son is? (traitor) From whose lips does the father hear this terrible word for himself? How are his feelings shown in the text?

(Student answers. Prove with the text).

Conclusion: the father was very upset by the act of his son, there had never been traitors in the Falcone family.

What do you think, how will the work end? How will Fortunato behave and how will his father behave after the incident? After all, the house of the esteemed Matteo is now the house of a traitor!

Group work: I propose to put forward their assumptions. How do you think the novel will end? (Group reports).

Watching the last scene of the film adaptation (21.20 and until the end)

Did you expect such a denouement?

A terrible thing happened: a father killed his only son, little boy who is only ten years old.

Do you condemn Matteo's act? (Student answers).

I propose to raise signal cards (slide 13)

Whoever believes that Matteo is right, and he could not do otherwise, raises a blue card.

Who believes that Fortunato does not deserve such a cruel punishment, who is on the side of the boy - red.

Let's try to take the place of the heroes and understand them. All those who voted for Fortunato and raised red cards make questions on behalf of Fortunato to their father Matteo.

Those who raised the blue - from the name of the father to the son

Held dispute-conversation.

Conclusion: Who is Matteo Falcone: a hero or a killer? .( slide 14) A person with huge force will, iron character, who managed to kill even his own son to punish betrayal ... or a cruel killer who, in order to maintain his good name, killed his little son?

(student answers)

This question will probably remain open forever. It has been covered many times in the literature. For example, M. Gorky in "Tales of Italy" told a story about a mother and a traitor son (slide 15)

Message-retelling

For several weeks now, the city had been surrounded by a close ring of enemies clad in iron... In the houses they were afraid to light fires, thick darkness flooded the streets, and in this darkness, like a fish in the depths of a river, a woman silently flashed, wrapped in a black cloak with her head.

A citizen and a mother, she thought about her son and homeland: at the head of the people who destroyed the city was her son, a cheerful and ruthless handsome man.

The heart of the mother of the person closest to him was losing and crying: it was like a scale, but, weighing the love for her son and the city, she could not understand what was easier, what was harder.

Once, in a deaf corner, near the city wall, she saw another woman: kneeling beside a corpse, motionless, like a piece of earth, she was praying.

The traitor's mother asked:

Son. The husband was killed thirteen days ago, and this one is today.

Now that he honestly died fighting for his homeland, I can say that he aroused fear in me: frivolous, he loved a cheerful life too much, and it was fearful that for this he would betray the city, as did the son of Marianne, the enemy of God and people, the leader of our enemies, be damned, and be damned be the womb that bore him! ..

Covering her face, Marianne walked away, and in the morning the next day she appeared to the defenders of the city and said:

Either kill me because my son has become your enemy, or open the gate for me, I will go to him ...

And here she is before the man whom she knew nine months before his birth, before the one whom she never felt outside her heart - he is in silk and velvet before her, and his weapon is in precious stones. Everything is as it should be; this is how she saw him many times in her dreams - rich, famous and loved.

The mother told him:

Come here, lay your head on my chest, rest, remembering how cheerful and kind you were as a child and how everyone loved you ...

He obeyed, knelt down beside her and closed his eyes, saying:

I love only glory and you, because you gave birth to me the way I am.

And dozed off on his mother's chest, like a child.

Then she, covering him with her black cloak, stuck a knife in his heart, and he, shuddering, immediately died - after all, she knew very well where her son's heart was beating. And, throwing his corpse from her knees at the feet of the astonished guard, she said towards the city: ( slide 16)

Man - I did everything I could for the motherland; Mother - I stay with my son! It's too late for me to give birth to another, nobody needs my life.

And the same knife, still warm from his blood - her blood - she plunged with a firm hand into her chest and also correctly hit the heart - if it hurts, it is easy to hit it.

V. Control

How are the stories told by P. Merime and the Russian writer M. Gorky similar and different? (similarity - murder due to betrayal, difference - mother kills herself) Why does mother kill herself? (loves his son, cannot imagine life without him). Doesn't Matteo love Fortunatto? Why, then, decides to kill?

Is it possible, according to P. Merimee, to forgive betrayal?

What turned out to be desecrated in these stories? What are the horrific murders for? (for the sake of honor)

People have thought about honor at all times, believing that it is main feature any person. The people reflected their views in proverbs.

What proverbs about honor keeps folk memory? (slide 17). Which of them can serve as an epigraph to today's lesson? Write it down.

Why is this great importance given honor?

Conclusion: the words of Yevtushenko ( slide 17)

Honor is the main feature of a person, it is the measure of his human dignity.

Teacher

Whose side is the truth on? The question remains open. At home, you will reflect on two statements: the French writer A. Dumas, who said that “the greatest, most divine thing in a person is the ability to regret and forgive,” and Lope de Vega, who believed that “whoever manages to betray, many times still betray ... "( slide 18) and answer in writing the question why the short story by P. Merime is named after Matteo Falcone. (slide 19)

Our lesson is coming to an end. Let's draw conclusions.

VI . Reflection:

Complete the sentence (slide 20)

After reading P. Merimee's short story, I understood..., felt..., thought about...,

When I read the novel "Matteo Falcone", I wanted to...

If you liked the lesson - attach the flower to the vase

I was interested in you. All worked well. See you soon! (slide 21)

The story of the French writer Prosper Merimee “Matteo Falcone”, written in 1829, seems to pave the way for the conflict that N.V. Gogol in the story "Taras Bulba". But more on that ahead. For it to take place, we need to understand what drives the actions of Matteo Falcone and his son Fortunato.

A shot from the film "Matteo Falcone" directed by T. Tagi-zade.
Azerbaijanfilm. 1961

This will be possible if we preparatory stage we will reveal to the children some features of the worldview of the Corsicans in the first quarter of the 19th century. Mountainous island covered with green poppies, modest but strong houses of shepherds, herds of goats and sheep, simple life. Harsh living conditions give birth to harsh, ascetic people. The main value for them is not even wealth (the wealth of the highlanders is very relative!), but freedom and honor. Justice that appeals to the law is not for them. Here everything is decided directly, on the spot. He who shed another's blood must pay for it with his own. And the relatives of the murdered person get the right to his blood. But only. Therefore, the criminal will not be handed over to the authorities (they are not very trusted). The law of blood feud is ancient and, from our point of view, wild, barbaric. But it arose long before the inclusion of Corsica in the civilized world, and therefore it was impossible to eradicate it overnight. Corsicans are sure that no one can give them freedom: it is inherent in them from birth, and therefore defending it is a matter of honor for everyone. In fact, Corsican traditions doom people to loneliness: every man for himself (or, more broadly, every family for himself). Non-interference is one of the unwritten laws of this way of life. Do not interfere, do not interfere, do not take sides, take care only of yourself and your family. But at the same time, do not interfere with the survival of others! And if a criminal needs food, give it: you will not become poor, and the criminal will not touch your house and your relatives, that is, he will not take more than he needs to survive. Not compassion, but reasonable calculation is the basis of such relationships. Yes, and no one knows their fate: tomorrow you can be outside the law.

It is about these traditions, which are stronger than laws, that Merimee informs his readers in the exposition of the novel. We can include these fragments in a correspondence tour of Corsica. Rereading the first and second paragraphs of the short story, let us pay attention to the ordinary intonation with which the narrator speaks about the criminals, about the attitude of the shepherds towards them, about the life of the Corsicans. Questions that help to include the text in the tour can be: “What is the purpose of the narrator in the introduction telling the reader about maquis? What did you learn from the introduction about the Corsicans?”

The novel has another interesting compositional feature: the narrator's point of view gradually narrows: from a panoramic view of the Corsican way of life, he moves on to the presentation of one Corsican, whose name is placed in the title of the novel.

How old is the hero at the time of the action? Re-read the description of Matteo Falcone's skin. What does his appearance tell you? What impression does Matteo make on you?

Before us, of course, strong man And not only physically, but also internally. But Merimee creates the image of Matteo not only with the help of a portrait: he draws the reader's attention to a number of details - the hero's lifestyle, his most striking qualities, the attitude of other people towards him, as well as the story of his marriage. It is to these details that we draw the attention of students.

Firstly, Matteo is “rich in places there”. But all his wealth is herds of goats and sheep. Secondly, the hero lives honestly, that is, for the last ten years he has not been involved in any bloodshed. Having married, Matteo no longer breaks the law, although he killed his rival without regret. The main quality of the hero, which the narrator tells us about, is his accuracy. Exceptional skill in the possession of weapons makes Matteo respected and independent: it is better not to quarrel with him! It is this dignity of the hero that largely explains the attitude of those around him: he good friend but also a dangerous enemy. However, even bloody story Matteo's marriage to Giuseppe does not characterize him as a bloodthirsty person. On the contrary, he lives in peace with everyone. Wealth did not make him stingy - he is generous to the poor. Before us is an almost exceptional hero: he is respected, no one encroaches on him, but this is not yet a reason for Matteo to forget about caution. The life of a Corsican is always full of dangers and surprises, because Matteo never leaves the house without a weapon and his wife knows how to load a gun. The life of a Corsican is life with a gun and under a gun.

And the last important detail: Matteo didn't have a son for a long time! Three daughters are already married, and the boy is only ten years old. The narrator mentions Falcone's rage caused by the birth of daughters. And the long-awaited son receives the name Fortunato. Such a reaction is quite understandable: the son is the successor of the family, the assistant, happiness, good luck for the father. But the name of the child is attached first of all to him. In ancient Roman mythology, Fortuna is the goddess of happiness and good luck. She also patronized childbearing. Literally, “fortunato” is translated from Italian as happy, lucky, successful. What evil irony fills this name at the end of the novel! Fortunato is a lucky man who got such a coveted watch, in general, for nothing: he did not earn it with hard work. But what turn out for the boy his success, his luck!

Having presented Matteo Falcone in the most general, but main features, Merime again changes the narrator's point of view: now we are transported into the past (at least two years ago, and possibly more) and find ourselves at the point of an event, the sad denouement of which the reader is already warned about. at the end of the exposure. We guess that the event will be associated with son Matteo, but it is absolutely impossible to predict the conflict and its outcome.

The focus of the narrator is now the son of Matteo, ten-year-old Fortunato, and overall plan the image changes to large. We start text analysis with problematic issues:“Who, according to the guys, is to blame for the fact that Fortunato betrayed Giannetto? Is it Fortunato's fault that he could not withstand the temptation?

Fortunato's act causes unanimous condemnation among schoolchildren, but they do not refuse him sympathy: the boy is ten years old, Sergeant Gamba seduces him stubbornly, persistently, and there is no one next to Fortunato who would help him overcome temptation. And at the same time, the guys remember that in fact Fortunato chooses not between a silver coin and a silver watch, but between life and death of the person to whom he promised help. Does Fortunato himself remember this? It is rather difficult to resolve this contradiction. But we invite students to try to find the answer to questions asked referring to the text of the novel.

With all the conciseness of the author and external simplicity art form novels, she has her own compositional secrets. They will help the teacher find an interesting form of lessons for students, overcoming the tradition of question-and-answer conversation. We have already discovered several secrets - this is, first of all, a change of plans, the scale of the point of view in the narrative - from panoramic to large. The second secret is the disappearance from the story of the hero whose name is included in the title of the novel: Matteo as actor will appear only in the denouement, and his son, Sergeant Gamba (a distant relative of Falcone) and the bandit Giannetto will become a participant in the plot, the development of the action and the climax. At the same time, the conflict between these characters is private, illustrating a more general conflict. And the beginning of the common conflict is attributed to the distant past of Corsica, to its traditions. The climax is terrible truth about the watch accidentally discovered by the boy's mother, Giuseppa, and Matteo's decision to punish the traitor son, and the denouement comes before our eyes with Falcone's shot and the death of his only son. There is also a tiny epilogue, spaced apart by Merimee in different parts of the text: at the beginning of the short story, we learn that the event described took place two years before the narrator was in Corsica for the last time, which by the time of his repeated stay on Falcone Island was apparently years fifty, that is, he was alive and well. And the short story ends with Matteo's words that his son-in-law should be called to live with them. Left without a son, Falcone is forced to accept his daughter's husband in this capacity.

Private conflict is also built in a peculiar way. Even before the start of the novel, the bandit Giannetto enters into it. This is a conflict between the authorities in the person of Sergeant Gamba and the criminal. Moreover, for Merimee it doesn’t matter what law Giannetto violated and how long he has been hiding in the poppies. The criminal Giannetto is one of many, his fate depends only on case, from Good luck. This case becomes in the life of the bandit Fortunato. Now the bandit comes into conflict with Fortunato (in fact, with Fortuna): he needs to overcome this conflict at all costs, resolve it peacefully, that is, win fortune to his side. The boy was drawn into this conflict by the will of the same case: his father and mother went to the poppies, leaving him to guard the house and without giving any instructions on such an unexpected occasion as the appearance of a wounded bandit. The boy comes into conflict not with the gangster Giannetto himself, but with the power in the person of the sergeant, on the one hand, and with the customs of his ancestors, on the other. He does not dare to take the side of power, as he suspects that his father would not approve of such a choice. But he also does not dare to help the bandit, because he is not sure that his father would approve of such a choice. There is no father, and it is impossible to shift the decision, and hence the responsibility, onto him. And then the boy, guessing in his heart what his father would have done, and pushed by the exclamation of Giannetto (“No, you are not the son of Matteo Falcone! Are you really going to let me be grabbed near your house?”), decides to help the wounded bandit. But he really wants to extract at least some benefit from this situation for himself. And this “but”, this wormhole, or perhaps just a childish weakness, a desire to receive a reward for good deeds, make Fortunato demand payment for salvation from a helpless person. It would seem that fortune smiles at the bandit: he has a coin for the boy, he is saved. And Fortunato honestly works out the payment, it is not without reason that the narrator speaks of the cunning of a savage. The choice made by the boy in favor of Giannetto draws him into conflict with the authorities, namely with the sergeant.

For a sergeant, a conflict with a child is a complication in the performance of his duty, which orders the bandits to be caught and brought to justice. But Gamba catches only helpless, poor bandits who have fallen into traps. As we know from the exposition, one can pay off the authorities. Only now you need more than one silver coin for this! Gamba, like Giannetto before, is not interested in developing a conflict with his son Matteo, but in overcoming it, in a peaceful resolution. Now the authorities are trying to win fortune to their side. And just as Fortuna is changeable, so is her son Fortunato. But the sergeant pulls the child into new conflict: the boy is again forced to choose, now between the word given to the bandit and the temptation in the form of Sergeant Gamba's watch. A ten-year-old boy is unable to find the correct solution from the point of view of an adult Corsican (the same Matteo). He is not able to analyze the situation, to foresee everything possible consequences his choice (his self-awareness is not yet developed!), especially since the clock is always in front of his eyes, and Gamba's promises sound convincing and are even confirmed by a public oath. The boy is essentially hypnotized by the sergeant with his watch! Fortunato makes a choice - and dooms Giannetto, perhaps even to death. To take one position and accept a fee for it, and then change it to the opposite one for a high price, even if refusing the fee paid earlier, is precisely called betrayal.

Gamba resolves his conflict without thinking about the consequences that await the child drawn into it. He goes to the end, not stopping before bribing the boy. Moreover, he consistently manipulates the children's minds, kindles ambitions and passions in Fortunato's soul. From the sergeant's point of view, he is doing his duty, and for this all means are good (again, the end justifies the means!). The only one he fears is Matteo Falcone, and therefore seeks to appease his father by praising his son. But Gamba, although a distant relative of Falcone, has long broken away from Corsican traditions, is alien to Corsican concepts of honor. Gamba's position reflects the view of the civilized world, which, unlike the wild world, has lost its idea of ​​true dignity. So Merimee brings the reader to the deep conflict of his short story - between different ideas of honor and duty.

The case drew the boy Fortunato into a global conflict between civilization and barbarism. Only now the author's sympathies are clearly not on the side of the first.

By collision, the novels lead to the most terrible conflict: Fortunato's betrayal separates father and son. And even a mother is not able to save her child from a harsh, but according to her ideas, just punishment. Matteo resolves not a private family conflict, but a universal one. His demands on his son and on other people are the same. The integrity of the nature of the Corsican is amazing: there is not a single crack in it. But his son is already affected by civilization, its temptations in the form of coins and watches. Matteo Falcone tries to keep his world together by pulling out weeds. And if the son is susceptible to illness, if its microbe has penetrated his soul, then there is only one way out - to kill the son along with the infection that has penetrated into his soul. The remedy is cardinal, cruel, but, according to Matteo, the only possible one.

Merimee nowhere openly expresses his position, leaving the reader to make his own choice: condemn Falcone for his cruelty or justify. But it is much more important to understand what caused such cruelty and why Matteo sees no other way out of this conflict.

So, the composition is based on a number of private conflicts, which are all the result of a romantic conflict between two worlds: the old, “wild”, but whole world of Corsicans - and the civilized world advancing on the island, eaten away like a moth by the desire to obtain material benefits.

At the rocks where the meeting will take place modern schoolchildren with the characters of the novel should reveal these contradictions. To feel what is happening with the characters of the novel, you need to put yourself in their place, look at the world through their eyes. But how to change your own view to another? Theatrical elements will contribute to this. We will shoot a movie based on the novel with the guys and rehearse or voice some scenes from the movie.

We highlight the episodes that will become central in the film. This is a plot in which the parents leave the son alone, and he hears the shots, and then sees the gangster Giannetto (group 1). These are episodes of the development of the action: an agreement with Giannetto (group 2), the first test of Fortunato, which he easily passes (group 3), and the second - for hours, which he cannot stand (group 4), the culmination that begins with the return of Matteo (group 5) and the denouement - the execution of Fortunato (group 6).

Create in class six creative groups, each working on one of the episodes. But in order to find a solution for their episode, the group needs to see the overall logic of the development of the action. That's why latest episodes we entrust to stronger groups.

Groups receive three instruction cards to help them organize their work on the text. On first card the tasks of the group at the first stage of working with the text are formulated: 1) characters; 2) the essence of the conflict between the characters; 3) the position of each character: his goal and the means to achieve it; 4) the general mood and color scheme of the episode; 5) the mood of the characters at the beginning of the episode; 6) changes in mood, feelings and the reasons for these changes; 7) the mood and feelings of the characters by the end of the episode.

On second card- tasks related to the interpretation of the episode in cinematography: 1) How to show on the screen the changes taking place with the character?
2) To whom and when do we sympathize? Why? 3) Who is unpleasant, when and why? 4) How can we express our attitude to what is happening and the characters by means of cinema?

On third card- a reminder of the language of cinema: 1) the content of the frame; 2) image plan (panorama, general, medium, large, detail); 3) angle, or point of view of the operator (straight, from above, at an angle, from below, etc.); 4) musical accompaniment; 5) noises; 6) light and color.

Each group is asked, in preparation for filming, to answer a series of questions that will help them understand the position of each character. We will immediately stipulate that the guys will have to voice the episodes (you can also choose a more complex staging technique), so they must decide in advance who will play the roles and think about the intonation with which the remarks will be pronounced.

Questions for group 1.How could Fortunato interpret the shots? What feelings did they evoke in the boy? Was he afraid of Giannetto? Who does the bandit see in Fortunato: an enemy or a friend? Who is more amazed and frightened: Giannetto or Fortunato?

Questions for group 2.What would Matteo have done in Fortunato's place? Why does Fortunato not want to immediately help the bandit Giannetto? What qualities of the boy can be learned from his conversation with Giannetto? What makes Fortunato help the bandit? Would he have helped Giannetto if he didn't have the coin? Why does Fortunato need this coin? Does he need her? Would that be what his father would have done?

Questions for group 3. What does his first dialogue with Sergeant Gamba reveal in the boy's character? What are the goals of the sergeant? Why is Fortunato not afraid of the sergeant and does not believe his threats? What advice is given to the sergeant by his assistants? Why is Gamba afraid of Matteo Falcone? What helped the boy pass the test of fear? Did this test require courage from Fortunato?

Questions for group 4. Why did the sergeant not give up his attempts to persuade the boy to extradite the bandit? What qualities of Gamba are revealed in this episode? How did the boy's feelings change from the moment he saw the watch to the moment he received it? What does he feel when he looks at the watch up close? Do you sympathize with him at this moment? What is the attitude of a sergeant tempting a ten-year-old child? Does Gamba think about the consequences of his action? Does he even think about the fate of Fortunato? Did Fortunato think about the consequences of his action? How does he evaluate it?

Questions for group 5.How did Matteo react to the news of Giannetto's capture? Why does Giuseppa not share his opinion? What does his reaction to his son's action say about Matteo? What caused Matteo's anger? Why doesn't he punish his son right away? How and why does Fortunato's behavior change upon his father's return? Does Fortunato repent of his act? What does the fact that he returned the money to Giannetto say about Fortunato?

Questions for group 6. What determined the fate of Fortunato? What shocked Matteo the most in his son's act? Why doesn’t the father forgive his son, why doesn’t he shift the blame on the sergeant who took advantage of the child’s weakness? Why is he punishing Fortunato? Can Matteo's act be called fair? Do all the characters in the story share Matteo's attitude towards his son's act? Why doesn't the mother stop her husband? Does Matteo love his son, leading him to his death? Does Falcone commit villainy?

Children prepare scenarios at home, and present their interpretations at the lesson. They can accompany them with sketches of individual scenes, slides, music, and be sure to present the voiced version of the episode. The presentation of each group ends with a collective discussion, advice, recommendations - at home it will be possible to make the necessary changes to your film adaptation.

The analysis of the text ends with the answer to main question:“Why did Matteo Falcone not take pity on his son, what caused his cruelty?” But even an objective answer to it cannot calm the reader's heart: after all, probably, Fortunato could become a good man, the realization of guilt would prompt him to atonement, to honest life. Isn't the price too high for the first, albeit terrible, mistake? This is the issue of today. And Merimee tells us about something else. And we are thinking about this with the guys at the final stage of work on the novel.

We live in different conditions, in a different world. We are accustomed to the fact that you can not be responsible for your actions, that “the first time is forgiven”, that meanness may not be known, and betrayal is already interpreted as a sound calculation. Right strong. But in the world portrayed by Merimee, Matteo is also strong and could shut up anyone who would dare to blame his son. Could. But it would not wash away the shame, but it would not restore Falcone's good name. And he can no longer rely on his son-traitor Falcone: “having betrayed once…”! Today, honor is bought and sold, and two hundred years ago it was valued above all else. Matteo is a “slave of honor”, ​​and he lives in a world where everything has its price, where a person always pays for his choice, not hiding behind the back of power, where he has no right to make a mistake. A harsh world, harsh laws, but a person who lives like this, remembering this, cannot grow up as a nonentity. Merimee, who at that time was looking for the lost ideal of man, finds him not in the civilized world of Europe, which is degenerating spiritually, but among savages, far from the achievements of civilization, but retaining the greatness of soul and spirit. And the savage Matteo is no more cruel than the semi-savage Sergeant Gamba, who played a terrible game with a child.

Composition

The name of Prosper Mérimée rightfully takes its place in the brilliant constellation of French realists of the second half of XIX V. The work of Stendhal, Balzac and their younger contemporary Mérimée became the pinnacle of the French national culture post-revolutionary period.

The writer wanted to give an idea of ​​the cruel customs of the XIV century, without violating historical accuracy.

In 1829, P. Mérimée began writing the novel "Matteo Falcone". Merimee's short stories amaze with their emotional expressiveness and conciseness. In the short stories, the writer is drawn to an exotic theme. The cruel life of modernity forced him to turn to the depiction of passions, which became a sign of human originality.

The central event of the novel - the murder of his son for betrayal - organizes all the plot material. A short exposition not only explains the origin of maquis, but also characterizes Corsican customs, local hospitality and readiness to help the persecuted. “If you have killed a man, run to the maquis of Porto-Vecchio… The shepherds will give you milk, cheese and chestnuts, and you have nothing to fear from justice…”

Matteo Falcone is a brave and dangerous man, famous for the extraordinary art of shooting, he is faithful in friendship, dangerous in enmity. His character traits are determined by the laws of Corsican life.

In the scene of Fortunato's betrayal, almost every word is weighty, as is the symbolism of the boy's name, which makes it possible to imagine how much his father expected from him. At ten years old, the boy "showed great promise", for which the father was proud of his son. This is evidenced by the intelligence and courage with which he made a deal, first with Giannetto, and then with Gamba.

Sergeant Gamba played the role of a fatal seducer, he is also a Corsican, even a distant relative of Matteo, although he has completely different personal qualities. He represents a world in which profit and calculation overwhelm all natural impulses. A silver watch with a blue dial and a steel chain became a symbol of commercial civilization. This thing took the lives of two people. In the death of Fortunato, one can safely declare Sergeant Gamba guilty. The specifics of Corsian life, as well as the internal tragedy of the event, are revealed by a sparse dialogue and laconic expressiveness of the action. Matteo, his wife Giuseppa, bandit Gianneto Sampiero, maca shepherds are people of the same world, living according to their own internal laws. This world is opposed by Sergeant Gamba, his yellow-collared voltigeurs - a sign of their oddity, the semi-mythical and omnipotent "uncle corporal", whose son already has a watch and who, as Fortunatto thinks, can do anything. The spatial border of these two worlds lies between the poppies and the field, while the moral border can be overcome at the cost of betraying the moral laws of your world, which is what Fotunato is trying to do.

His actions can be interpreted in different ways. On the one hand, he betrayed Corsican laws, violated moral norms; on the other hand, it is easy to understand him: he is still a child, he really liked the watch, and a zealous feeling of envy appeared, because the son of “uncle corporal” has such a watch, although he is younger than Fortunato. In addition, Gamba promised the boy that "Uncle Corporal" would send him good gift.

Matteo punishes his son for such an act with death. The fact that the sentence handed down by Fotunato's father was not the result of Matteo's personal exaggerated ideas about the honor of the family, but expressed moral attitude to the betrayal of the whole people, testifies the behavior of Giuseppa, with all her grief, realizing that Matteo was right.