Kazan university in the formation of L. N. Tolstoy's pedagogical views: criticism of the system and the influence of D. I. Meyer (based on the story «Youth» by L. N. Tolstoy)

The article examines the influence of the university period (1844‒1847) on the formation of L. N. Tolstoy's pedagogical views, reflected in his autobiographical trilogy, especially in the novella «Youth». The author analyzes the writer's criticism of the formalized education system, shown through the disappointment of Nikolenka Irtenyev's character in the learning process, the unfairness of exams and the meaninglessness of lectures. Special attention is paid to the role of Professor of Kazan University D. I. Meyer, whose pedagogical methods (individual approach, emphasis on the practical application of knowledge, dialogue) had a significant influence on Tolstoy. The meeting with Meyer became an impulse for the writer's self-education, his fascination with the ideas of Rousseau and the subsequent creation of his own pedagogical system based on freedom, moral education and critical thinking. Based on literary and journalistic texts, as well as memoirs of contemporaries, it is shown that Tolstoy's student years were not only a period of crisis, but also a time of formation of his pedagogical principles, which were later implemented at the Yasnaya Polyana school.