Summary of Works
Polya Vikhrova came to Moscow to study after graduating from high school. She also has another purpose for this trip - to understand her father's personality. Her father Vikhrov was a well-known professor at the Moscow Forestry Academy. Due to the long-term separation from his wife and daughter and the constant criticism of his academic views, his personality made his daughter suspicious. Later, she learned the whole story of her parents' separation, understood her father's noble and upright character, and resolved the misunderstanding. When the Great Patriotic War broke out, Polya finally went to the front line with a clear heart. On the front line, she met her father's adopted son Seryosha. The two brothers and sisters defended the country bravely and had deep feelings. Vikhrov, a forest guard who had a rough life, won the final victory in forestry debates. His forest protection ideas were supported and understood by more and more people, and he finally completely restored his reputation and was appointed as the head of the Forestry Academy. Dean. The New Year is here, and on the bank of the Yanga River in their hometown, the Vikhrov family, who have gained mutual understanding, gather together in new hope.
Selected Works
Another month has passed, and the day of reckoning has arrived. Under the influence of Cheredilov's article, the Forestry Academy held a special academic defense meeting for Vikhelov. A special committee headed by Graziansky investigated the teaching activities of Ivan Matveich. It was rumored privately that after reading the sixty-three-page investigation report of the Communist Party of China, Tarakantsev said in the high-pitched voice of an old man the famous line in "Onegin": "He is dead." Everyone. I knew in my heart that Vikherov could not be saved as the director of the teaching and research section. The only purpose for people to attend the defense meeting is to listen to what the giants in the forestry world have to say, so as to get a glimpse of the future direction... It was once the academy auditorium where nobles danced the mazurka in the era of Empress Catherine. I was packed to the rafters again. Grazianski's men sat alone under the loggia on the left side of the back row. Their core figures Andrey Ichik, Eichik and Cheek sat in the middle with grim expressions. Chike was the oldest and the most vicious. He had two gray mustaches hanging down and wore a pair of wide-rimmed glasses. Mentioning the above three figures, Lin academic circles shudder, and even dare not joke about the accidental homophony of their last names. At the beginning of the defense report, Chick, a non-smoker, assumed the posture of a prosecutor, sat down in the front row and started taking notes. The other two "Chicks" retreated to the corridor, smoking and poking their heads, paying attention to the progress of the meeting. They exchanged glances, ready to make a move. Graziansky himself did not show up, and it was rumored before the meeting that he was in poor health and that his hemoglobin had dropped sharply.
This time, Ivan Matveich was very self-aware and completed his defense in only half of the allotted time. He did not talk about the work of the teaching and research section, nor did he clear up the various charges against him. Instead, he repeated his theory straight to the point. His attitude was calm and stubborn, and his language was simple and profound, just like giving a lecture to a child. He seemed not to be at all concerned about his own misfortune. Take it to heart. As he spoke, he wrote numbers and tables on the blackboard from memory. He knew that his credibility had plummeted, so he had to quote outstanding Russian figures on forests, and even quoted the words of Mendeleev, a chemist who did not engage in forestry: What we leave to future generations should never be less than what we received. Even though he was denounced as a criminal pessimist, he persisted in repeating how many years it would take before a plantation could grow that would produce five hundred cubic meters per hectare of ship-timber forests like those of Peter I's time. This made friends have to worry about him. Finally, he said that he was willing to listen to any positive suggestions put forward by the opposition and start discussions with them. This bold and nonchalant behavior not only aroused the anger of the enemy camp, but also made some members of the presidium chagrined and frustrated.
"When you are about to die, you should have some intention to change your evil ways and become good," Chike interjected from his seat and closed his notebook with a snap.
Then the report of the investigation committee is read out. In order not to make the audience feel boring, it dispensed with Vikhelov's "long and cumbersome" statistical tables and figures, but emphasized Vikhelov's conclusion that he opposed flat-cut felling, believing that it would destroy the ecological balance of plants. article. As a result, the investigation report concluded: Vikhelov believed that nature is a spontaneous force and that humans are conscious forces and therefore able to suppress or strengthen nature at will. In this way, Vikhelov regarded human beings and nature as antagonists, and human labor became the enemy of nature. The committee derived another conclusion from this: Since Vikhelov believes that it is impossible for human activities to be coordinated with nature and impossible to recognize natural processes, he must fall into agnosticism. Although Vikhelov advocated studying the laws of the forest and mastering the forces of nature, this point was ignored as a trivial matter... The investigation report went on to say that Vikhelov preached to students about human beings and nature, consciousness and spontaneity, The conflict between spirituality and materiality has very bad effects. In essence, it promotes religious superstition. To sum up, it can be seen that Vikhelov is obsessed with the remnants of Kant, Spencer's poison, Machism, and dogmatism. To a certain extent, he is willing to associate with the ignorant Vakula. Vakula Trepeleshchenko is the old watchman of the academy. He refuses to accept new ideas and firmly believes in the immortality of the soul... The ensuing debate was as lively and interesting as a concert performance.
Osminov gave a very restrained defense speech. Vikhelov's other defenders were equally intimidated.
Talakantsev also spoke. He pointed out that although permanent erosion leads to the alienation of plants, organisms, geography and communities, he still believed that alienation cannot be equated with degradation. After this, the other party released the first shirtless guy. He barked without scruples that Vikhelov demanded more and more benefits from the forest, reminding people of the Prussian landowners who advocated long-term forest management to turn the earth into an inexhaustible source of wealth. . In the Soviet Union, this was a concept that had long been rejected. This can show that Vikhelov has a strong interest in the anti-Soviet foreign socio-economic system... This guy also said that it would be of great benefit to carefully analyze Vykhrov's inextricable connections with the old world. In the past, this point happened to be ignored... His wife came from a family of female landowners in Pomeranian, Germany. It was this landowner family that caused the forests of the Yanga River in our country to be plundered. From this, it is not difficult to see that it is none other than Vikherov who is the culprit of deforestation. It is he who is trying to hinder the regeneration of forests and put future generations of socialism into dire straits. "This is an academic holy place, so let's not talk about Vikhelov's political motives, but this does not mean that there is no need to take urgent measures..." As soon as his speech ended, Chik jumped onto the podium. . He looked like a cannon. He was stocky and stout, and he staggered when he walked. There was a contemptuous smile in his mustache, as if to say: What a big deal, it was a waste of his precious time. The floor under Vikhrov's seat also creaked and trembled slightly with Chike's footsteps.
Chik joked at first, admitting that he had never been to the Russian forest, although when he lived abroad, he often roamed the so-called eternal forest area in Tyrol...but that was for travel. The purpose is definitely not out of fascination with ancient relics. What is a forest to our advanced age? It's just a beard on the mouth. Cheek asserts that forests as inefficient crops will soon give way to plants with shorter maturation times, such as flax and others. But what greatly pleased him was Professor Lame's lengthy wail in memory of the vanished broadleaf and coniferous forests, which reminded Cheek of Yaroslavna's lamentations and Daniel Zatochnik's diction. Gorgeous "Prayer".
"Let me tell you, the defense report we just heard was enough to make people angry," Chike said with a heavy breath and the air of a speaker who was pampered by the audience. "It shows, please forgive me, how poor the thoughts of this representative of forest humanism sitting before us are... Although in such earth-shattering times, our society will never compromise with his sentimentalism, let alone I would agree to regard ordinary logs as totems. He reminds me of another forest scientist in our country, Graf, who hugged each tree trunk one by one, although he did not drink alcohol when bidding farewell to the Great Anador Forest District. ...If you want to hear it, I can cite another more hilarious buffoon. He was a colonel of the Forest Guards who died in 1874. He was responsible for the management of the state forests of Tula Province and left a will before his death. , hoping to fill his coffin with fir branches and asking the trees to forgive him for this extravagant wish, hee, hee! ... I unfortunately have the opportunity to read Vikhelov's masterpiece. I'm sorry, I have completely forgotten the title of the book... But I couldn't help but be amazed by his enthusiastic cry and his indiscriminate admiration for any thinker. Oh, of course, Bernard de Clairvaux illustrates this by imagining oak and beech as his mentor. The moral level of his theory is very low. In addition, Foma Kembiski can only find inner peace in the deep mountains and old forests... However, the educators of our country's sensitive and beautiful young generation should know that in order to never stop seeking In the storm of liberation, we have long abandoned the vulgar tranquility. If the author has fallen to the point where he must sensationalize to the Soviet readers, then I advise him that he must not forget Confucius in the antiques he worships as gods, because I remember, Confucius also said something similar about the pines and cypresses! No, my doubtful colleagues, forgive us, abandon your moral preaching, and remove your unworthy dead from our highways. ,—Let’s start with Bernard, the instigator of the First Crusade! Without talking about the six hundred years of ancient history of the Varangians, we can fully understand what has happened that we have sovereignty over. Some chaotic forest conditions! ...No, my forest-loving colleagues, please allow me to tell you that it was precisely when humans fell from the trees to the ground, walked out of the primeval forests, and came to the open plains that they began to have the ability to think. That is to say, the destruction of forests is, if not a completely progressive phenomenon, at least completely regular in the history of cultural development... Western countries have long got rid of the forests that hindered their development. In 1665, Coligne predicted four years later that deforestation would bring irreversible disaster to their country... But so far, the lack of forests has not prevented them from living a prosperous life. Or challenge a big country that holds one-third of the world's forest reserves, oh, oh! ...Vikhelov compared the forest to the giant Atalanta, believing that the forest has been the pillar of the world economy for thousands of years. This reminds us of Atalanta's brother Prometheus. Although the latter's name is derived from Greek, it is more similar to the Indo-Germanic Prometheus, which means drilling wood to make fire.
It is not difficult to imagine that if Prometheus was lucky enough to be accepted as a disciple by the professor we rebuke, then the world would never be able to hope to ignite the fire of bourgeois progress! Likewise, if Mr. Vikhelov adopts this attitude towards the bourgeoisie, one can only imagine what he will do towards the progressive fire of our proletariat - if he only has the power! It should be noted that some bourgeois demagogues have more than once cursed us for suffering consequences because of our bold actions in history. We will never allow anyone to scare us with the "bare surface" lie. ?… Especially, as you can see, I am not a rich man of vegetation myself… or even quite the opposite! Chike said this and stroked his bald scalp. "But this doesn't make me feel any inconvenience...except in front of beautiful women...no matter what they say, they will never forgive me for not being as gentle as a wave." Your beautiful hair..."
"You are so shameless, you are so old and you still have such evil intentions! "Vikhelov sat there, shaking his head and sighing. At this moment, his bravery and fearlessness surprised everyone.
Chik pretended not to hear and poured himself a glass of water.
"This forestry madman who is calling us hoarse to retreat to the wild forest should indeed be properly accommodated," Chike said at the end of his speech. "I am not opposed to beauty and cheapness. I am just worried that an old, frail and fat person like me will not be able to sit safely on a branch, even if it is the most comfortable branch. It is conceivable that this rather unworthy colleague would highly value our sincere desire to free himself from the yoke of civilization, along with the position he occupies! Have a safe journey and turn back to the forest, in saecula saeculorum, bearded child of nature. "
In the highly condensed half-hour speech, Chike was like setting off fireworks, citing various quotes and making great stunts, but when he walked to his seat, he could not hear the applause. In his many years of experience, This was a unique time. Everyone looked down at their knees in embarrassment. Only the group of guys cheered for the sharp-tongued Cheek, but it was obvious that some of them were timid and guilty. "Chek" who was smoking outside the door saw that the situation was not good and did not show up at all. The audience unanimously cast their sympathetic eyes on the calm Vikhrov. At this time, Graziansky personally took action and joined the battle. He came in with the help of a proud disciple. His whole demeanor suggested that only a man of great wisdom and courage would come forward to perform his social and moral duties in a bad state of health. He seemed to be stumbling with every step. He walked through the silent audience with his chin hidden in a tightly wrapped woolen scarf. His expression was both sad and solemn. He only held a funeral for a person who had been ill for a long time and finally passed away. Even though Gradzianski lacks a large amount of hemoglobin, when he approaches his prey, the devilish spark of joy cannot stop shining from under his desperately drooping eyelids. came out, and became more and more intense. Since he attended the meeting almost dying, he went straight to the podium without waiting for the bewildered chairman to arrange a speech for him. There was silence. For a long time, Alexander Yakovlevich lowered his eyelids and remained silent, not knowing whether it was because of lack of energy or because he was lost in thousands of memories.
"Hello, Ivan... Where are you? Just promise!" "Finally, he spoke, his voice was so suppressed, and his eyes were so gloomy. He looked at the ashen-faced Vikhrov who was sitting diagonally across from him. The distance between them was no more than five steps. "Hello, once upon a time My brother, my former friend... As you can see, I was very ill, but the guilt caused by years of brotherly love made me struggle to get up from my lonely hospital bed. Well... it was not just to repent in public. The long-term relationship with you is first of all to say goodbye to you... We have been here together for decades. Although we cannot say that we are hand in hand, we are like heels! Please believe that my conscience is pure. I tried my best, hundreds of times, to save you from falling into the abyss... Oh, no, I don't mean just the Knyshev thing! ...but the abyss is so charming to you. I admit that the methods I adopted were sometimes too drastic, but for me, the social reputation of a friend is more important than his self-feeling... You must know that when dragging a drowning person from the whirlpool, people are Wouldn't consider keeping his hairstyle or even begrudge his hair. If you are willing to use your calories and physical strength, and your dangerous and endless energy for other goals, what a perfect book you will write, and you will make the advanced people here, ah... the beloved motherland. How the forest scientists rejoiced! ..." At this point, Alexander Graziansky's voice became extremely sad, and he let out a low whimper like a cello.
"Please talk about the topic, Graziansky... ..." Osminov mustered up the courage to interject. He even stood up, but immediately sat down again under the cold gaze of the other party.
"At this moment of farewell, Ivan, I still want to recall the serious differences that prompted us to part ways," Alexander Yakovlevich continued in a tone of honor for the dead. “After the modern cannibals like Panknishev effortlessly broke your spine, and further attempted to bring us all to the ground, you began to ostensibly advocate for the civil rights of the forest, but secretly you wanted to Free the forest from all civil obligations... Yes, we loved you... But how can we follow your advice and wait billions of years for the forest to fend for itself and eventually turn into anthracite? Open your mind, like a brother, and let us see what kind of barriers are there, and we can help you remove the root of the disease. Can you explain it to us ordinary people, you appeal to us. You have to think twice before cutting down a tree. What are the political considerations? Ivanushka, you are a clear-minded and knowledgeable person. You don’t know that there are lumberjacks in the Soviet Union. Millions, each person wastes one minute, which adds up to two years... Ivan, you who are on the edge of the abyss, can you finally tell us frankly that you are eager to use annual growth to hinder Soviet deforestation, in exchange for In other words, what is the ulterior motive behind trying to drain our five-year plan?"
"Hurry up and call the police...that's enough, clumsy performance!" Someone in the back row! shouted, but in a falsetto so as not to be recognized.
There was a commotion in the venue.
"The forest is like a source of water," Osminov couldn't help but interject again, "Excuse me, if there is no water... let the dry wind turn the turbine?"
" Don't make trouble at the citizens' memorial service! ..." Chike turned around and retorted. Then Alexander Yakovlevich's voice trembled as when a widow heard her head knocking on her dead husband's coffin for the first time.
"Yes, Ivan, we are all calling you with one voice, but you are indifferent. We say goodbye to you with great sorrow, and we will use our sacred labor to make up for your stubbornness until death. The losses caused. I took a handful of fresh soil and sprinkled it on your new tomb with emotion, for you who died young, for the joy and, ah... and the expectations that came to nothing. , I mean when you were young and when our *** were engaged in revolutionary struggles..."
When Alexander Yakovlevich walked off the podium, the people sitting in the front row! I even saw him holding a big, muddy teardrop, but maybe it was an illusion under the light. The guys immediately wrapped him tightly in a cloak and sent him home to restore his hemoglobin index... Unfortunately, the impressive results achieved by their group were immediately diluted by the secretary of the college's party organization. The secretary is a younger graduate student who is writing his graduation thesis in the Mechanization Teaching and Research Department. He is a rising intellectual within the party who came from the grassroots level of the Five-Year Plan and was promoted to a leadership position in social work. His profession had little to do with the ongoing forestry debate and he was not taking sides. But the defense meeting itself irritated this passionate, forthright, practical man. He did not want to defend Vikhelov's views, but sharply pointed out that the polemical methods used by Vikhelov's opponents were rare, suspicious, and incompatible with the identity of a communist builder, especially when it came to solving the problem. This approach is even more inappropriate when it comes to the most important tasks in national economic life. Although he had great admiration for Professor Grazianski's past, he had to say that the professor's speech just now was nothing more than an outburst of bourgeois sophistry. He believes that if you want to overturn the opponent's data, it is best to come up with the data yourself. Finally, he severely criticized Comrade Chik, because Chik had a vulgar and presumptuous attitude in his speech, and actually turned social criticism into a red-hot frying pan... He asked Ivan Matveich what he wanted to say Yes, the latter replied, not wanting to say anything more. In the evening, people heard that the stenographic minutes of the meeting were immediately taken away by the superiors.
People also heard that the director of Vikhelov’s teaching and research office would be re-elected the next evening, and even the secret ballot ballots were ready. At the same time, there were rumors that Vikhelov, who had been demoted, was going to take a post in a certain forestry district in Altai, and that Cheredilov would also serve as director of the teaching and research department, although everyone agreed that Cheretilov would be a funeral parlor manager. Not bad... But surprisingly, the election result was that Vikhelov received a majority of the votes. Cheretilov was removed from the Forestry Science and Technology Committee and expelled. In the morning, among the pile of congratulatory messages, Ivan Matveich discovered that there was also one from the panicked Graziansky. His name was signed after the guys. The cable enumerated the excellent character of Ivan Matveitch and said that there had never been any doubt about it. The above-mentioned memorable event occurred in 1936. It had no impact on Ivan Matveitch's health or social status, if not for the fact that he did not publish a single line for two years. However, on the eve of the war, his two-volume collection "Introduction to Forest Science" suddenly appeared. Graziansky believed that Vikhelov deliberately broke the armistice agreement. He exposed and criticized the book with tenfold force. At the same time, people began to rumor in earnest that Alexander Yakovlevich was about to be elected as a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences. Fortunately, this rumor did not come true.
(Translated by Jiang Changbin)
Notes:
The original text is Latin: In articulo mortis.
Tourist areas in Austria.
Yaroslavna, derived from the ancient Russian work "The Expedition of Igor", was written by Daniel Zatochnyk, a fourteenth-century poetry author.
Atalanta, a giant in Greek mythology, held up the sky with his head and hands on the orders of Zeus.
Latin: forever and ever.
Appreciation
In 1953, the famous Soviet writer Leonov published the novel "Russian Forest". In the Soviet literature of the early 1950s when "whitewashing reality" and "non-conflict theory" were prevalent, the birth of this epic work changed the monotonous and dull appearance of post-war Soviet novels, showing a fresh and impressive style with immeasurable influence. influence. It can be called the representative work of the writer's many creations, and brought him the honor of the first Lenin Prize for Literature.
This is a vast picture of the rise and fall of Russian forests. The scroll revolves around the protracted forestry debate against the background of history and reality. At the center of the picture are two forestry professors Vikhelov and Graziansky with opposing views and positions. It explores a series of philosophical and ethical issues and shows the changes in Soviet society and the lives of urban and rural people in more than half a century before and after the Soviet Patriotic War. In fact, this novel is difficult to classify. It can be regarded as an ecological novel or a philosophical novel. In the work, contradictions such as different moral values, outlook on life, ethics, as well as the inherited relationship between man and nature, and between generations, constantly appear and conflict - a wide range of life scenes and multi-layered complex structures make the work It is more like an ancient mansion full of winding stairs and outbuildings. The artistic methods of the novel are diverse, but at the same time, the writer combines profound morals and pungent satire with sometimes frank and passionate political commentary, sometimes delicate and rich lyricism, making this fresh and impressive creation express a lofty and commanding perspective. Panoramic momentum.
In terms of title, writing about forests is not new in Russian and Soviet literature, but what is unique about Leonov is that he not only writes about forests, but through the small fulcrum of the forest, he What is being pried up is a boulder that confuses contemporary mankind: What kind of pursuit can truly achieve a valuable and meaningful life? Is the ecological crisis a crisis of nature or a crisis of mankind itself? How can the growing contradiction between modern social progress and moral progress be alleviated? A series of questions raised make this seemingly simple novel about the forest become more than simple and become a work with the most modern significance.
The novel does not have much plot, and due to the repeated use of flashbacks, interludes and other techniques, its polyphonic structure makes more content appear to the reader like a montage of episodes. "Sightseeing" and imagining the journey. This excerpt from the academic defense meeting of forest scientist Vikhelov is an episode in the novel. Although "Russian Forest" is centered on the debate on forest protection methods, this is the only time the two forestry professors openly debated and confronted each other face to face. This is a turning point. It seems like an ordinary debate, but it tests two different life paths. The debate process about what kind of deforestation principles should be implemented is very interesting to write. Its personalized character language, ingenious plot structure and character allegory make it enjoyable to read. It is the shining point of Leonov's creative skills.
The defense meeting was like a concert. It started with the high-pitched voice of an old man reading. During the process, major and minor keys were played in unison, soothing and rapid music, which was really lively. The vultures thought they would win by pecking at Prometheus, but unexpectedly, the concert became more and more like a funeral for themselves. When Grazianski appeared on the scene, he "uttered a low whimper like a cello" with a suppressed voice and gloomy eyes, and then performed his sophistry with "a tone of commendation for the dead." Finally, he used a trembling voice " Ending her performance like a widow hearing her head bang on her dead husband’s coffin for the first time. It's a pity that such a hard-working performance caused the dying warlock to lose a lot of hemoglobin - the clever metaphors and teasing are very satisfying.
Leonov was good at portraying portraits. As early as the mid-1920s, he declared that it was his mission to create "eternal images of the world." He was undoubtedly successful. The various lifelike and flesh-and-blood characters in the work make the complex structure of the work have a clear context. In "Russian Forest", different characters' personalities and life experiences are used to mark the framework, so that no link in this novel will be forgotten, because every full-fledged character is very typical. For example, in this unique "concert" in the excerpt, Chike was "like a cannon, stocky and stout, swaying as he walked, with a contemptuous smile between his mustache, as if to say: What a big deal. , wasting his precious time." His words were full of gimmicks and sensationalism, and his half-hour speech seemed to be about to kill his opponents; the dying Grazianski acted as a devil who had been ill for a long time. , curled up in his cloak and shining with sparks of joy, ready to hunt his "good brothers" at any time - but Leonov did not let this poor performance succeed.
The author, who has the ability to explore psychology and thinking like Dostoyevsky, hid behind the scenes of the trial early on, sometimes making naughty jokes, sometimes scathingly sarcastic, and handing over the power of the trial to the impartial young secretary. As for Graziansky, who wears a veil of disguise to show off his knowledge, even if he performs a morbid sophistry that confuses people, no matter how sweet his voice is, it will be difficult to save the outcome of failure. At the end of the novel, the author unceremoniously describes it as a skin louse attached to a walrus, which is fitting.
The protagonist in the novel who carries important themes must have a tall image. As Hegel said, the epic characters have the whole of Mount Olympus in their hearts, and their hearts are filled with the power of a group of gods. Vikhrov is a portrayal of thousands of outstanding intellectuals in Russia, and is also the ideal figure in the author's mind. The book spends a lot of pen and ink to create an image of this character who always regards the destiny of the country and the interests of the cause as the highest principles, and uses social principles to exclude personal honor, disgrace and emotions, and devotes himself wholeheartedly to the cause. Perhaps his only shortcoming is his endless preaching, such as talking about the forest when proposing, and the topic of life philosophy when he met his daughter, etc. But in this academic defense meeting, this ideal character eliminated his only shortcomings, and Leonov allowed him to reach a more purified state of moral perfection: Facing the aggressiveness of Grazianskys, Vikhelov only shook his head and sighed. On a topic that had nothing to do with the forest, Di responded by pointing out that the other party had "bad intentions." The protagonist seems to be too naive and weak by indulging his opponents. However, strangely, his creativity does not fade because of this - this is the charm of the author's artistic image creation. From the overall structure of the novel, the episode of the defense meeting is obviously not the focus of Vikhelov's image creation. However, Graziansky, who is "overjoyed and impetuous", is both fantasy and reality, ambiguous and unscrupulous. The strike of retreating in order to advance reflects Vikherov's original image of a steady, uncompromising ideal scholar who "wanders in the deep mountains and ridges, wandering in nameless rivers and streams".
From here we can fully see the sophistication and exquisiteness of Leonov's artistic skills. The details may seem ordinary, but in fact they contain profound aesthetic considerations. Each part in the novel represents a specific world, and each character is the carrier of the author's philosophical thoughts and creative concepts: Creation and destruction, truth and hypocrisy, humility and pride - there is an organic connection between the images, and this The hub of connection is the novel’s biggest theme—the Russian forest. This is undoubtedly the most important symbolic meaning of the work, which embodies the author's poetic heart. Nature is the most just. In fact, the silent forest is the final judge of the defense meeting. In this debate, it is no longer a purely natural object, but a touchstone for identifying truth from falsehood, good and evil, and a mirror that can reflect the beauty and ugliness of human beings.
Bellow once said: "Art begins in the forest." The mystery and silence permeating the Russian forest created Leonov's deep and peaceful psychology, making "The Russian Forest" full of philosophical connotations. This novel with forestry issues as the main line touches on all areas of social life. Over a broad time span, history, geography, philosophy and ethics, social morality, forestry, and aesthetics are all-encompassing, and have a profound impact on human society, history, and survival. It has positive modern significance as well as philosophy. It is worthy of the reputation of "Encyclopedia of Russian Society in the 20th Century" and will benefit a lot from reading it.
(Luo Qiaoling)