Year: 1852 Genre: a story made up of short stories united by the main character
Main characters: narrator
The work "Notes of a Hunter" presents a complete picture of Russia, the author shows the attitude to the land on which he grew up, shows the author's reflections on the present and future of the people. The main theme is a demonstration of protest against serfdom, which does not allow the talent and mind of the Russian people to reveal itself.
"Hunter's Notes" is a collection of stories, their total number is twenty.
The first story is "Khor and Kalinich"
The story is about a meeting with Polutkin, this man was a gentleman and a lover to spend time hunting. The narrator Polutkin offered to spend the night in his house. Since the road there was long, they stopped by the landowner Horyu, but he was not at home. Khor had six sons and one of them met and received the arriving guests. The next day, the narrator and Polutkin went hunting, on the way they took with them another friend of Kalinich. Its author describes cheerful, common man. After the hunt, Kalinich brought to show his apiary and feed him with honey. The next day, the narrator himself went hunting, as Polutkin went about his business. Further, the author shows a comparison between how people from the Kaluga and Orel provinces live. So, the first type has large and spacious estates, if you describe the appearance, it is clear that these people are tall, brave, in rich clothes. The Oryol man, on the other hand, has a small stature, a gloomy look and lives in ordinary aspen huts, he has paws on his feet.
Yermolai and the miller's wife
a story about the hunter Yermolai, who was 45 years old, he is thin and tall, wears a caftan and blue pants. He was a man who was not hired for any job, the only thing he could do was catch and bring partridges and black grouse to the landowner's kitchen.
County doctor
tells about a doctor who was called to the house of a not very rich landowner. There he had to save a young girl who was seriously ill, but in the end he did not succeed. After this incident, he could not forget about it for a long time.
Radilov ("My Neighbor Radilov")
a story about a landowner who lost his wife while she was giving birth. It was a very big blow and after this incident it was very difficult for him. But then he leaves with his wife's sister, and as it turned out, he was in love with her for a long time.
Ovsyanikov Odnodvorets
A story about the so-called "Russian Frenchman" who bears the surname Lezhen. He served in the army, which at one time entered Russia. But the peasants wanted to take revenge on him and drown him in the hole, but a man passing by saved him. This landowner took Lezhen to work as a French teacher. Soon he goes to work for another landowner, where he falls in love with his pupil. As a result, they got married, Lezhen went to the service and became a nobleman.
Lgov
tells how the narrator and his friend Yermolai go to the village of Lgov to hunt. This village was famous for its large pond, where you could find many ducks and hunt well. They take a boat and go hunting, on the way they meet and get acquainted with the guy Vladimir. He, in turn, tells them the story of his life, supplementing his story with special expressions. In conclusion, they swim from the hunt, but the boat could not stand them and began to sink. As a result, the hunters got out of the pond for a long time.
Burmister
The story is about the life of Penochkin Arkady. He is still a young landowner and a retired military man. He is very intelligent compared to the rest of the nobles. Arkady goes to Ryabovo to meet with steward Sofron. Upon meeting, the steward complains that he allegedly has little land. But, as it turns out in the end, the village of Shipilovka, according to the documents, is the property of Sofron, and not Penochkin.
Office
The narrator goes hunting, where he is caught in the rain, in the end he decides to wait out the bad weather in the nearest village. There he sees a large building called the headman's office. Nikolai Eremeich was in charge there. The author accidentally observes a quarrel between Yeremeich and the paramedic Pavel. The essence of the quarrel was that the paramedic wanted to marry Tatyana, and Eremeich prevented this. Later it turned out that they could not get married because Tatyana was sent into exile.
A picture or drawing of a hunter's note
In Evgeny Nosov's story "Varka" we are talking about a schoolgirl named Varka. She is everything summer holidays spends at the collective farm poultry house and helps in the cultivation of ducks
Shakespeare's early comedy As You Like It describes a very nebulous love story. But it is only a background for the triumph of virtue. The duke of a small French town fell victim to a conspiracy by his younger brother Frederick.
Russian literature is rich in excellent examples of socio-psychological works that make the reader not only think about the meaning of life, but also encourage action, struggle, and heroism.
One of these artistic works is Turgenev's "Notes of a Hunter", brief analysis which we will consider in this article.
Writer's childhood
It is impossible to start the analysis of the cycle “Notes of a Hunter” without getting to know its author. And indeed, only by understanding the worldview and thinking of the writer, one can appreciate his work.
Ivan Sergeevich was born in the autumn of 1818 into a family of wealthy noblemen. His parents' marriage was not a happy one. The father soon left the family and died, and the children were raised by their mother. The childhood of the future writer cannot be called cloudless.
His mother, due to her upbringing and life circumstances, was a complex woman, but at the same time well-read and enlightened. She often beat her sons, behaved imperiously with the serfs, but at the same time she read a lot, traveled, and appreciated modern Russian literature.
It was Varvara Petrovna who awakened in little Ivan a love for the Russian word and Russian literature. It was she who introduced him to priceless examples of Russian thinkers - the works of Zhukovsky, Karamzin, Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov ...
The issue of serfdom
He had considerable influence on the young Ivan and his serf valet. In general, the question of the peasantry was very deeply interested in Turgenev. He saw a lot and, more importantly, thought a lot.
The life of serfs was always before the eyes of a child. He spent almost all his childhood in the countryside, where he could see how the common people were enslaved, how they were mocked, how hard it was for those who are the backbone and foundation of the state - ordinary workers, villagers, farmers.
Having become independent, Turgenev traveled a lot in his homeland. He watched the peasants, their way of life and work. It is the reflection on difficult life serfs and prompted Ivan Sergeevich to create his famous work, “Notes of a Hunter”, the analysis of which we will now consider.
Why such a name?
The fact is that Turgenev was very fond of hunting, which was his real passion. He could for weeks, if not months, not let go of his gun, overcoming hundreds of kilometers in search of game. Among his acquaintances, Ivan Sergeevich was considered the most famous and successful hunter.
Throughout his life, he walked countless times on foot through the Tula, Oryol, Tambov, Kaluga and Kursk provinces. Thanks to his travels, the writer got acquainted with ordinary people who accompanied him in hunting amusements, served as guides or advisers.
The nobleman Turgenev did not hesitate to communicate closely with poor serfs. He liked to listen to them, ask them questions, observe their behavior. Ivan Sergeevich saw in them his brothers, his fellow citizens, and really wanted other rich and powerful people the same was true of the forced peasants.
That is why he published the cycle of stories “Notes of a Hunter”, which we will now analyze. He captured what he saw and heard. For example, he chose his frequent hunting companion, the peasant Athanasius, whose stories he loved to listen to, as the prototype for the protagonist of the Notes.
Briefly about the work itself
Before proceeding with the analysis of Turgenev's "Notes of a Hunter", one should get to know the work itself more closely. As an independent work of art, it was published in 1852. "Notes" consist of 25 stories or essays, each of which is new story, new acting characters. However, reflecting on the analysis of Turgenev's stories in "A Hunter's Notes", one can see that all these small essays are united by one theme - the theme of love for Russian nature and the Russian people.
A little about the author's style
The unsurpassed original style of the author is striking. He describes events simply and concisely, rarely giving an assessment of what is happening, without unnecessary dramatic and lyrical digressions. But the tragedy of the serfs runs like a red thread through all the lines of the work, sustained in the spirit of true realism.
In every sentence, in every dialogue, one can see the pain and sighs of the common people, weighed down by an unbearable burden. Without embellishment and exaggeration, the writer manages to portray to the reader the images of those who are forever imprinted in his memory as true heroes and representatives of the Russian soul. They, ordinary people, also have their own moral principles, they also have their own nobility, which is sometimes even higher and better than that of noble nobles.
Below we will analyze in detail several essays of the great writer. To realize the full depth and importance of the work, it is not enough to consider the analysis of one story from the Hunter's Notes. So, ahead of you is a detailed intriguing excursion through the pages of the Turgenev cycle.
“Khor and Kalinych”
We will begin our analysis of the "Hunter's Notes" with this work. In it, the writer creates two different images that accurately reflect the basic mindset of ordinary people.
And it all started with the fact that the narrator met a small landowner, Mr. Polutykin, and came to him to hunt. On the owner's estate main character and met two serfs.
It is noteworthy that in his essay, as in many others, Turgenev makes little mention of the nobles. All his attention is focused on the behavior and psychology of the peasants.
Here, in this story, it is much more interesting for the reader to observe the life of serfs than the life of their master.
Khor appears in the work as a prosperous and practical peasant. He lives separately, has a large well-maintained house and family, pays dues, but does not want to buy his freedom. This is precisely the whole primitiveness of the peasant. He is a businessman - a master of all trades, but he does not see the most valuable thing in his life. He is limited, uneducated, narrow-minded, and at the same time looks down on the master and secretly laughs at him.
Kalinich is Khory's bosom friend and at the same time his complete opposite. This man is romantic and thoughtful, impractical and soft-bodied. He has no family and is in great need. But at the same time, Kalinich has a great knowledge of nature, for which he is highly valued in the district. He subtly feels the beautiful, is able to reflect and analyze.
Based on reflection on the characters of Khor and Kalinich, one can see what the peasantry of Turgenev's time was like.
"Singers"
With this essay, we will continue the analysis of Turgenev's stories “Notes of a Hunter”. In the center of the plot is a competition between two village singers, started in one peasant tavern. The main characters are described briefly and briefly. Jacob is the 23-year-old son of a captured Turkish woman. He works in a factory, but is known for his creativity.
His rival, a hawker - a thirty-year-old man, a brisk and dodgy tradesman - spoke first. He sang a cheerful song, sang well, impressively. But he lacked something, although his skill was appreciated.
When Yakov began to sing, tremulously and intermittently, everyone froze. His voice - deep, exciting, sensual, made those present cry. It was amazing how adults, dexterous, sneaky and grasping, really shed tears under the influence of the worker's song.
It was evident that Yakov sang with the feeling that he was deeply concerned about the meaning of the rhymed lines.
Of course, those present unanimously came to the conclusion that Yakov won. But the essay did not end there.
In the evening, after the competition, the traveler again saw the “golden voice” of the village. What did Jacob do? He drank, drank self-indulgently, to unconsciousness, having lost all human appearance. And along with him, those who a few hours ago enjoyed his marvelous penetrating voice took part in the revelry.
It was hard for the traveler to look at such an ugly party, when everything that is good in people is destroyed - talent, feelings, soul. An analysis of The Singers (from Notes of a Hunter) shows how poverty and vice can affect even the most subtle and sensitive souls.
"Date"
The action of the essay covers only one dialogue that took place between the arrogant and heartless gentleman's valet and the peasant woman Akulina, innocently abandoned by him. A hunter-traveller, dozing in the shade of dense trees, becomes an accidental witness to the parting of these young people.
Why did the author place this seemingly lyrical and banal story of unrequited love in his “Notes of a Hunter”? An analysis of "Date" shows that deep life questions are raised in this work. And the point is not only that the valet of a wealthy nobleman played on the feelings of an inexperienced girl, took advantage of her innocence and love, and now abandons her indifferently. No. The theme of the essay is much deeper.
For example, Turgenev shows how much a person can forget himself, seduced by secular tinsel, and break away from his roots, from his fellows, considering himself higher and more significant than those with whom he is equal.
Using the example of a gentleman's valet, it also becomes clear how quickly people adopt the negative qualities of their masters and how easy it is to forget who you really are.
Analysis of "Raspberry Water" from "Notes of a Hunter"
Reflection on the work makes you think about how the serfs relate to their yoke. Not everyone, it turns out, yearns for freedom, not to fight for their independence.
In the center of the story is the story of one old serf, the butler of a ruined gentleman, who recalls with nostalgia the old days, when disenfranchised serfs were given to soldiers or flogged without measure.
However, injustice reigned not only before. Further, Turgenev describes the lordly cruelty and heartlessness, which he persistently denounces throughout the cycle.
Vlas is an old peasant who recently buried his son, who died after a severe long illness. The old man went to the master, asked him to reduce the quitrent, but he only got angry and drove the unfortunate man out. As you can see, the life of poor serfs and their circumstances never interested their rich masters. Those think only about themselves and about the profit they receive from forced people. What is the price of this tribute? Behind him are the lives and health of the unfortunate, doomed to eternal enslavement.
"Office"
It is noteworthy that this work exposed not only the enslavement of the serfs by the landowners, but also the bullying of rich peasants over their fellows. For example, the central character of the work, the chief lord's clerk named Nikolai Eremeich, does not hesitate to take bribes from his fellow villagers for some concessions and indulgence.
He uses his power with greed and shamelessness. Abusing his position, Eremeich tries to punish people who are unfit for him or those with whom he has ever quarreled. The behavior of the lady is also interesting, who could restore justice in her estate, but does not want to think about the life of her peasants and delve into their personal affairs.
For example, the landowner unfairly and heartlessly treats an innocent girl Tatyana, because of whom Nikolai Eremeich and the local paramedic Pavel quarreled. Instead of rationalizing and finding the guilty, the lady sends Tatyana away, destroying her life and the life of Pavel, who is in love with her.
As you can see, not only did the peasants endure and suffer from the oppression of wealthy owners, they were also shamelessly oppressed by their own brethren, who received any position at the master's court. Such suppression of the human will shattered destinies and had a negative effect on the mentality of people.
"Death"
This will be the final work, on the basis of which we will analyze the "Notes of a Hunter". In the center of the plot are short stories-memoirs of the author about how Russian people die, mostly peasants. They die easily and simply, as if performing an unremarkable rite. There is no fear of death in them, no desire to live and fight, but some kind of genuine indifference to their fate, to their life, to their health.
This can be seen in the example of a man burned in a barn and slowly dying at home. His relatives, and he himself, led everyday life, not at all worrying about the dying and not even trying to prevent death, not to mention alleviating suffering.
Vasily Dmitrievich is another miller by profession, indifferent to his life. He overworked himself in hard work, got a hernia, but did not want to be in the hospital and do anything for his recovery or relief. A man goes home to settle financial matters with his property and dies four days later.
There were other cases as well. For example, an old acquaintance of the main character from the university. Sick with consumption, living with strangers out of mercy, he does not think about his bitter fate, is not afraid of death, but lives on memories inspired by his comrade, and listens with enthusiasm to his stories. Ten days later he dies in agony.
Why did Turgenev describe these incidents in his "Notes of a Hunter"? Analysis of "Death" shows that the writer himself wonders where such indifference comes from. Most likely, this is a consequence of centuries of serfdom, absorbed by unfortunate people with their mother's milk, which became their second (if not the first and only) being. Their permanent hard labour, their difficult living conditions dull all other feelings and experiences in them.
Criticism and censorship
How did Turgenev's contemporaries react to his collection of short stories? Many literary critics of that time noted that almost all the works included in the cycle have subtle psychologism and realism, revealing to readers the true soul of the Russian peasant.
On the other hand, some critics believed that Turgenev's stories were written in an idealistic style, that they were far-fetched and banal, and therefore of no value.
How did the censors react? Prince Lvov, who allowed the collection of essays to be printed, was personally punished by the emperor for such a decision. Further publishing of the Hunter's Notes was prohibited.
Why did the authorities react to the work in such a way? Turgenev was charged with the fact that he made the serfs poetic, making them the main characters of his stories, revealing their soul and thoughts. The writer also earned the tsar's disapproval for exposing the oppression of the common people and proving that serfs would live better in freedom.
As you can see, the writer had great courage and love for the common people, as he was not afraid to displease the emperor. This is evidenced by the analysis of Turgenev's "Notes of a Hunter" given in this article.
Anyone who happened to move from the Bolkhovsky district to Zhizdrinsky was probably struck by the sharp difference between the breed of people in the Oryol province and the Kaluga breed. The Oryol muzhik is small in stature, round-shouldered, gloomy, looks frowningly, lives in wretched aspen huts, goes to corvee, does not engage in trade, eats poorly, wears bast shoes; The Kaluga quitrent peasant lives in spacious pine huts, is tall, looks bold and cheerful, has a clean and white face, sells oil and tar, and wears boots on holidays. The Oryol village (we are talking about the eastern part of the Oryol province) is usually located among plowed fields, near a ravine, somehow turned into a dirty pond. Except for a few willows, always ready for service, and two or three skinny birches, you won’t see a tree for a mile around; The hut is molded to the hut, the roofs are thrown over with rotten straw ... The Kaluga village, on the contrary, is mostly surrounded by forest; the huts stand freer and straighter, covered with boards; the gates are tightly locked, the wattle fence in the backyard is not swept away and does not fall out, it does not invite any passing pig to visit ... And it is better for a hunter in the Kaluga province. In the Oryol province, the last forests and squares will disappear in five years, and there are no swamps at all; in Kaluga, on the contrary, the notches stretch for hundreds, swamps for tens of miles, and the noble bird of the black grouse has not yet died out, there is a good-natured great snipe, and the bustling partridge amuses and frightens the shooter and the dog with its impetuous rise.
As a hunter, visiting the Zhizdrinsky district, I met in the field and became acquainted with one Kaluga small landowner, Polutykin, a passionate hunter and, therefore, an excellent person. True, there were some weaknesses behind him: for example, he wooed all the rich brides in the province and, having been refused by the hand and from the house, with a contrite heart he trusted his grief to all friends and acquaintances, and continued to send sour peaches as a gift to the parents of the brides. and other raw produce of his garden; he liked to repeat the same anecdote, which, despite Mr. Polutykin's respect for his merits, definitely never made anyone laugh; praised the works of Akim Nakhimov and the story Pinnu; stuttered; called his dog Astronomer; instead of however said alone and started French cuisine in his house, the secret of which, according to the concepts of his cook, consisted in a complete change in the natural taste of each dish: the meat of this artisan was reminiscent of fish, fish - mushrooms, pasta - gunpowder; but not a single carrot fell into the soup without taking the form of a rhombus or a trapezoid. But, with the exception of these few and insignificant shortcomings, Mr. Polutykin was, as has already been said, an excellent person.
On the very first day of my acquaintance with Mr. Polutykin, he invited me to spend the night at his place.
“It will be five versts to me,” he added, “it’s a long way to go on foot; Let's go to Khory first. (The reader will allow me not to convey his stutter.)
- And who is Khor?
- And my man ... He's not far from here.
We went to him. In the middle of the forest, on a cleared and developed clearing, the lonely estate of Khorya towered. It consisted of several pine log cabins connected by fences; in front of the main hut stretched a canopy supported by thin posts. We entered. We were met by a young guy, about twenty, tall and handsome.
- Oh, Fedya! Home Khor? Mr. Polutykin asked him.
“No, Khor has gone to the city,” answered the guy, smiling and showing a row of snow-white teeth. - Will you order to lay the cart?
- Yes, brother, a cart. Yes, bring us kvass.
We entered the hut. Not a single Suzdal painting covered clean log walls; in the corner, in front of a heavy image in a silver setting, a lamp was glowing; the lime table had recently been scraped and washed; between the logs and on the jambs of the windows did not wander frisky Prussians, did not hide thoughtful cockroaches. The young lad soon appeared with a large white mug filled with good kvass, a huge slice of wheat bread, and a dozen pickles in a wooden bowl. He put all these supplies on the table, leaned against the door and began to look at us with a smile. Before we had finished our snack, the cart was already rattling in front of the porch. We went out. A boy of about fifteen, curly-haired and red-cheeked, sat as a coachman and with difficulty kept a well-fed piebald stallion. Around the cart stood about six young giants, very similar to each other and to Fedya. "All the children of Khory!" Polutykin remarked. “All the Khorkas,” Fedya picked up, who followed us out onto the porch, “and not all of them: Potap is in the forest, and Sidor left with old Khor for the city ... Look, Vasya,” he continued, turning to the coachman, “in spirit somchi: you are taking the gentleman. Only at the jolts, look, be quieter: you’ll ruin the cart, and you’ll disturb the master’s belly! The rest of the Ferrets chuckled at Fedya's antics. "Help the Astronomer!" Mr. Polutykin solemnly exclaimed. Fedya, not without pleasure, lifted the forced smiling dog into the air and laid it at the bottom of the cart. Vasya gave the reins to the horse. We rolled. “But this is my office,” Mr. Polutykin suddenly said to me, pointing to a small low house, “do you want to come in?” - "Excuse me." “It has now been abolished,” he remarked, getting down, “but everything is worth seeing.” The office consisted of two empty rooms. The watchman, a crooked old man, came running from the backyard. “Hello, Minyaich,” said Mr. Polutykin, “but where is the water?” The crooked old man disappeared and immediately returned with a bottle of water and two glasses. “Taste,” Polutykin told me, “I have good, spring water.” We drank a glass, and the old man bowed to us from the waist. “Well, now it seems we can go,” my new friend remarked. “In this office, I sold four acres of timber to the merchant Alliluyev at a bargain price.” We got into the cart and in half an hour we were already driving into the yard of the manor's house.
Painting by L. I. Kurnakov “Turgenev on the hunt”
Very briefly
Wandering with a gun and a dog, the narrator writes down short stories about the customs and life of the surrounding peasants and their landowning neighbors.
The story is told from the perspective of a landowner and an avid hunter, a middle-aged man.
While visiting a Kaluga landowner, the narrator met two of his peasants, Horem and Kalinich. Khor was a rich man “on his own mind”, did not want to swim free, had seven giant sons and got along with the master, whom he saw through and through. Kalinich was a cheerful and meek man, he kept bees, was engaged in quackery and was in awe of the master.
It was interesting for the narrator to observe the touching friendship between the practical rationalist Khor and the romantic idealist Kalinich.
The narrator went hunting with Yermolai, the serf of his landowner neighbor. Yermolai was a carefree loafer, unfit for any kind of work. He always got into trouble, from which he always came out unscathed. With his wife, who lived in a dilapidated hut, Yermolai treated rudely and cruelly.
The hunters spent the night at the mill. Waking up at night, the narrator heard Yermolai calling the beautiful miller's wife Arina to live with him and promising to expel his wife. Once Arina was the maid of the count's wife. Upon learning that the girl was pregnant from a lackey, the countess did not allow her to marry and sent her to a distant village, and sent the lackey to the soldiers. Arina lost her child and married a miller.
While hunting, the narrator stopped at the Raspberry Water spring. Two old men were fishing nearby. One was Styopushka, a man with a dark past, taciturn and troublesome. He worked for food at a local gardener.
Another old man, nicknamed the Mist, was a freedman and lived with the owner of the inn. Previously, he served as a lackey for a count known for his feasts, who went bankrupt and died in poverty.
The narrator started a conversation with the old people. The fog began to remember his count's mistresses. Then the frustrated man Vlas approached the spring. His adult son died, and he asked the master to reduce his exorbitant dues, but he got angry and kicked the peasant out. The four of them talked for a bit and then parted ways.
Returning from a hunt, the narrator fell ill, stayed at a district hotel and sent for a doctor. He told him a story about Alexander, the daughter of a poor widow-landowner. The girl was terminally ill. The doctor lived in the house of the landowner for many days, trying to cure Alexandra, and became attached to her, and she fell in love with him.
Alexandra confessed her love to the doctor, and he could not resist. They spent three nights together, after which the girl died. Time passed, and the doctor married a lazy and evil merchant's daughter with a large dowry.
The narrator was hunting in the linden garden, which belonged to his neighbor Radilov. He invited him to dinner and introduced him to his old mother and a very beautiful girl Olya. The narrator noticed that Radilov - unsociable, but kind - is seized by one feeling, and in Olya, calm and happy, there is no mannerism of a district girl. She was the sister of Radilov's deceased wife, and when he remembered the deceased, Olya got up and went out into the garden.
A week later, the narrator learned that Radilov had abandoned his old mother and left with Olya. The narrator realized that she was jealous of Radilov for her sister. He never heard from his neighbor again.
At Radilov's, the narrator met Ovsyannikov, a one-man palace, who, with his intelligence, laziness and perseverance, resembled a boyar. Together with his wife, he helped the poor and settled disputes.
Ovsyannikov invited the narrator to dinner. They talked for a long time about the old days and remembered mutual acquaintances. Over tea, Ovsyannikov finally agreed to forgive his wife's unlucky nephew, who left the service, composed requests and slanders for the peasants, believing that he "stands for the truth."
The narrator and Yermolai hunted ducks near the large village of Lgov. Looking for a boat, they met the freedman Vladimir, an educated man who in his youth served as a valet. He volunteered to help.
Yermolai took the boat from a man nicknamed Suchok, who served as a fisherman on a nearby lake. His mistress, an old maid, forbade him to marry. Since then, Suchok has changed many jobs and five owners.
During the hunt, Vladimir had to scoop water out of the old boat, but he got carried away and forgot about his duties. The boat capsized. Only in the evening Yermolai managed to lead the narrator out of the swampy pond.
While hunting, the narrator got lost and ended up in a meadow, which the locals called Bezhin. There the boys grazed their horses, and the narrator asked to spend the night by their fire. Pretending to be asleep, the narrator listened until dawn as the children told stories about brownies, goblin and other evil spirits.
On the way back from the hunt, the narrator broke the axle of the cart. To fix it, he got to the Yudin settlements, where he met the dwarf Kasyan, who had moved here from the Beautiful Sword.
Having repaired the axle, the narrator decided to hunt capercaillie. Kasyan, who followed him, believed that it was a sin to kill a forest creature and firmly believed that he could take the game away from the hunter. The dwarf hunted by catching nightingales, was literate and treated people with herbs. Under the guise of a holy fool, he went around all of Russia. The narrator learned from the coachman that the childless Kasyan was raising an orphan girl.
The narrator's neighbor, a young retired officer, was educated, prudent and punished his peasants for their own good, but the narrator did not like to visit him. Once he had to spend the night with a neighbor. In the morning, he undertook to accompany the narrator to his village, where a certain Sofron served as steward.
On that day, the narrator had to give up hunting. The neighbor completely trusted his steward, bought him land and refused to listen to the complaint of the peasant, whom Sofron took into bondage, exiling all his sons as soldiers. Later, the narrator learned that Sofron had taken possession of the entire village and was stealing from his neighbor.
While hunting, the narrator fell into the cold rain and found shelter in the office of a large village owned by the landowner Losnyakova. Thinking that the hunter was sleeping, the clerk Eremeich freely decided his business. The narrator learned that all transactions of the landowner go through the office, and Eremeich takes bribes from merchants and peasants.
To take revenge on the paramedic for unsuccessful treatment, Yeremeich slandered his bride, and the landowner forbade her to marry. Later, the narrator learned that Losnyakova did not choose between the paramedic and Yeremeich, but simply exiled the girl.
The narrator fell under a thunderstorm and took refuge in the house of a forester, nicknamed Biryuk. He knew that the forester, strong, dexterous and incorruptible, would not allow even a bundle of brushwood to be taken out of the forest. Biryuk lived in poverty. His wife ran away with a passer-by tradesman, and he raised two children alone.
In the presence of the narrator, the forester caught a peasant in rags trying to cut down a tree in the manor's forest. The narrator wanted to pay for the tree, but Biryuk himself let the poor man go. The surprised narrator realized that in fact Biryuk is a nice fellow.
The narrator often hunted on the estates of the two landowners. One of them is Khvalynsky, a retired major general. He is a good person, but he cannot communicate with poor nobles as equals, and he even loses to his superiors at cards without complaints. Khvalynsky is greedy, but he manages the household poorly, lives as a bachelor, and his housekeeper wears smart dresses.
Stegunov, also a bachelor, is a hospitality and joker, willingly receives guests, and manages the household in the old fashioned way. While visiting him, the narrator discovered that the serfs love their master and believe that he is punishing them for their deed.
The narrator went to the fair in Lebedyan to buy three horses for his carriage. In a coffee hotel, he saw a young prince and a retired lieutenant Khlopakov, who knew how to please the Moscow rich and lived at their expense.
The next day, Khlopakov and the prince prevented the narrator from buying horses from a horse dealer. He found another seller, but the horse he bought turned out to be lame, and the seller was a scammer. Passing through Lebedyan a week later, the narrator again found the prince in the coffee shop, but with another companion, who replaced Khlopakov.
The fifty-year-old widow Tatyana Borisovna lived on a small estate, had no education, but she did not look like a small estate lady. She thought freely, communicated little with the landowners and received only young people.
Eight years ago, Tatyana Borisovna took up her twelve-year-old orphan nephew Andryusha - handsome boy with ingratiating manners. An acquaintance of the landowner, who loved art, but did not understand it at all, found the boy's talent for drawing and took him to study in St. Petersburg.
A few months later, Andryusha began to demand money, Tatyana Borisovna refused him, he returned and stayed with his aunt. During the year he grew fat, all the surrounding young ladies fell in love with him, and former acquaintances stopped visiting Tatyana Borisovna.
The narrator went hunting with his young neighbor, and he persuaded him to turn into an oak forest belonging to him, where trees that died in a frosty winter were cut down. The narrator saw how the contractor was crushed to death by a fallen ash tree, and thought that the Russian peasant was dying, as if performing a ritual: cold and simple. He remembered several people at whose death he was present.
Tavern "Pritynny" was located in the small village of Kolotovka. Wine was sold there by a respected man who knew a lot about everything that was interesting to a Russian person.
The narrator ended up in a tavern when a singing competition was being held there. It was won by the famous singer Yashka Turk, in whose singing the Russian soul sounded. In the evening, when the narrator left the tavern, Yashka's victory was celebrated there to the fullest.
The narrator met the ruined landowner Karataev on the road from Moscow to Tula, when he was waiting for replacement horses at the post station. Karataev spoke about his love for the serf Matryona. He wanted to buy her from the mistress - a rich and scary old woman - and marry, but the lady flatly refused to sell the girl. Then Karataev stole Matryona and happily lived with her.
One winter, while riding in a sleigh, they met an old lady. She recognized Matryona and did everything to bring her back. It turned out that she wanted to marry Karataev to her companion.
In order not to destroy her beloved, Matryona voluntarily returned to the mistress, and Karataev went bankrupt. A year later, the narrator met him, shabby, drunk and disappointed in life, in a Moscow coffee shop.
One autumn the narrator fell asleep in a birch grove. Waking up, he witnessed a meeting between the beautiful peasant girl Akulina and the spoiled, satiated lordly valet Viktor Alexandrovich.
This was their last meeting - the valet, together with the master, was leaving for St. Petersburg. Akulina was afraid that she would be given away as unlovable, and wanted to hear a kind word from her beloved in parting, but Viktor Alexandrovich was rude and cold - he did not want to marry an uneducated woman.
The valet left. Akulina fell on the grass and wept. The narrator rushed to her, wanted to console her, but the girl got scared and ran away. The narrator spoke of her for a long time.
Visiting a wealthy landowner, the narrator shared a room with a man who told him his story. He was born in Shchigrovsky district. At the age of sixteen, his mother took him to Moscow, enrolled him in the university and died, leaving his son in the care of his uncle, a lawyer. At 21, he discovered that his uncle had robbed him.
Leaving the freedman to manage what was left, the man went to Berlin, where he fell in love with the professor's daughter, but was afraid of his love, fled and wandered around Europe for two years. Returning to Moscow, the man began to consider himself a great original, but soon fled from there because of gossip started by someone.
The man settled in his village and married the daughter of a widow-colonel, who died three years later from childbirth with her child. Having been widowed, he went to the service, but soon retired. Over time, it became an empty place for everyone. He introduced himself to the narrator as Hamlet of the Shchigrovsky district.
Returning from a hunt, the narrator wandered into the lands of the impoverished landowner Chertopkhanov and met him and his friend Nedopyuskin. Later, the narrator learned that Tchertop-hanov came from an old and rich family, but his father left him only a mortgaged village, because he left with army service"out of trouble." Poverty embittered Tchertop-hanov, he became a cocky bully and arrogant.
Nedopyuskin's father was a one-man palace, who had become a nobleman. He died in poverty, having managed to arrange his son as an official in the office. Nedopyuskin, a lazy sybarite and gourmet, retired, worked as a majordomo, was a freeloader for the rich. Tchertop-hanov met him when he received an inheritance from one of Nedopyuskin's patrons, and protected him from bullying. Since then, they have not parted.
The narrator visited Chertop-hanov and met his “almost wife”, the beautiful Masha.
Two years later, Masha left Chertopkhanov - the gypsy blood flowing in her woke up. Nedopyuskin was ill for a long time, but Masha's escape finally knocked him down, and he died. Tchertop-hanov sold the estate left by his friend, and his affairs went very badly.
Once Tchertop-hanov saved a Jew who was being beaten by peasants. For this, the Jew brought him a wonderful horse, but the proud man refused to accept the gift and promised to pay for the horse in six months. Two days before the deadline, Malek-Adel was stolen. Tchertop-hanov realized that his former owner had taken him away, so the horse did not resist.
Together with a Jew, he went in pursuit and returned a year later with a horse, but it soon became clear that this was not Malek-Adel at all. Tchertop-hanov shot him, took him to drink, and died six weeks later.
The narrator took shelter from the rain on an abandoned farm that belonged to his mother. In the morning, in a wicker shed in the apiary, the narrator discovered a strange, withered creature. It turned out to be Lukerya, the first beauty and singer, for whom the sixteen-year-old narrator sighed. She fell off the porch, injured her spine, and began to dry out.
Now she almost does not eat, does not sleep from pain and tries not to remember - so time passes faster. In summer, she lies in a shed, and in winter she is transferred to heat. Once she dreamed of death and promised that she would come for her after petrovki.
The narrator marveled at her courage and patience, because Lukerya was not yet thirty. In the village she was called "Living Powers". Soon the narrator learned that Lukerya had died, and just in time for Petrovka.
The narrator ran out of shot, and the horse went lame. For a trip to Tula for shots, the peasant Filofey, who had horses, had to be hired.
On the way, the narrator fell asleep. Filofey woke him up with the words: “Knocking! .. Knocking!”. And indeed - the narrator heard the sound of wheels. Soon a cart with six drunk people overtook them and blocked the road. Philotheus believed that they were robbers.
The cart stopped at the bridge, the robbers demanded money from the narrator, received it and sped away. Two days later, the narrator learned that at the same time and on the same road, a merchant was robbed and killed.
The narrator is not only a hunter, but also a nature lover. He describes how wonderful it is to meet the dawn on the hunt, to wander through the forest on a hot summer day; how good are the frosty winter days, the fabulous golden autumn or the first breath of spring and the song of the lark.
- These are short stories about which the author tells us. Turgenev included twenty-five stories in his "Notes of a Hunter" and their summary will introduce you to these works of the author, helping to answer the questions asked by the school curriculum.
Turgenev Notes of a hunter polecat and Kalinich
So, Turgenev's first story from the Hunter's Notes is Khor and Kalinich. Here the protagonist was hunting in the Zhizdrinsky district, where he met with the local landowner Polutykin. This landowner was a good hunter and a hospitable host. Having met the author, he invited him to his home, and on the way to the landowner, the men stopped in Turgenev’s “Notes of a Hunter” to Khory, and after Turgenev in “Notes of a Hunter” introduces us to Kalinich. These are two men who served with Polutykin.
Khor lived in the forest in his hut, where he settled immediately after the fire. Many years have passed since then, Khor had already become rich, but he did not want to pay off the owner, because he believed that this was a waste of money. Then the men come to the estate, where they spend the night. The next day they go hunting, taking with them Kalinich, without whom the landowner never hunted. So the author gets acquainted with two completely different people who had different personalities. Khor was a rationalist, Kalinich was a romantic dreamer. But at the same time, they were good friends. During the three days that he lived with Khory, the author became attached to the peasants, but he had to go.
Notes of the hunter Yermolai and the miller
Now our hero has decided to go hunting with the serf Yermolai. Yermolai was a landowner's serf who was a neighbor of our hunter. Yermolai himself was carefree, had a wife who lived in hardships while he wandered somewhere. At home, Yermolai was a tyrant, but on the side he became the well-known Yermolka. Our heroes decided to hunt in a birch grove. They spent the whole day hunting, and in the evening they did not return home, but decided to spend the night at the mill. There the hunter got into a conversation with the miller's wife Arina, who had a difficult fate. Here we learn that Arina served with Count Zverkov, where it was a rule for all maids to be unmarried. But, one day, Arina turned to the owner with a request to allow the wedding. As it turned out, she suffered from the footman. The owners sent her to the village, and the lackey was given to the soldiers. Arina had to marry an unloved miller, and she lost her child.
raspberry water
And again our hero is on the hunt. It was a hot summer day, so our hunter went down to the source, which was called "Raspberry Water" to drink water, and decided to rest here. The hunter lay down and noticed two fishermen: Stepushka, whose past is unknown to anyone, and Mikhail Savelyev, who was a freedman. The hunter was talking to the fishermen and then they heard a rustle. Turning around, they saw a peasant coming from Moscow. After talking with him, they learn that he went to the master to reduce the dues, because after the death of his son, it will be difficult for him to pay him, but the master did not care. Soon the satellites went each in his own direction.
County doctor
It takes place in autumn. Returning from hunting, our hunter fell ill. At the hotel, he called the county doctor, who told our hero his story. Once a doctor came to the patient. It was a young girl. She was beautiful and liked the doctor. Every day the doctor spent with the patient, giving medicine from his own hands. But the patient did not get better. He perfectly understood that the disease takes the girl's life, and the patient herself understood everything perfectly. Once the patient confessed her love to the doctor and kissed him. The doctor could not resist the spell of the patient. Three days later, the girl dies. The doctor himself, after a while, married the embittered daughter of a merchant with a rich dowry.
Ovsyanikov Odnodvorets
Ovyannikov's single palace is a man who looked like a rich merchant. He was married, but lived without children. Radilov introduced our hunter to him. Our hero went to Ovsyannikov, where our heroes started talking in Turgenev's "Notes of a Hunter". We talked about past and present times. At the same time, Ovsyannikov did not praise the past. In the conversation, Ovsyannikov remembered the grandfather of our hero, spoke about his neighbor Komov. Ovsyannikov also told about Moscow life, where he saw many nobles. Then we talked about hunting, later Mitka, Ovsyannikov's nephew, and Lezhen, a landowner from Orlov, joined the men.
Lgov
The Story of the Lgov” tells us about how the author and Yermolai went on another hunt to one of the villages called Lgov. It is there that the lake is located, where the ducks were found. In Lgov, they met the former serf Vladimir, who received his freedom and now behaves like a man of refined manners. They also meet Bitch, who has not been to anyone in his life. He was a cook, and an actor, and a coachman. Now he is a fisherman. So they all went on a boat to hunt ducks. The hunt was a success, except that there was a boat with a hole. As a result, all the ducks went to the bottom, but the unlucky hunters had to ford to get to the shore.
Turgenev Hunter's Notes Bezhin Meadow
Here the author went hunting, but got lost. It was dark, so we had to navigate by the stars. Further, Turgenev tells about the meadow, which was called Bezhin. There he met peasant children who grazed and guarded a herd of horses. The hunter asked to spend the night at their fire and, pretending to be asleep, heard a variety of terrible stories. The boys talked about the brownie that lives in the factory, and about the mermaid that lives in the trees, and about how the neighbor went to the cemetery at night, and about the drowned man who was buried near the dam and other stories. The stories continued until dawn. Early in the morning, our hero said goodbye to the guys and hit the road.
Kasian with Beautiful Swords
Here the author was returning from a hunt in a cart and suddenly the coachman became nervous. As it turned out, a funeral wagon could cross the hunter's path, which was a bad omen. So they decided to drive the horses harder, but then the axle broke and they had to go to Yudin's settlements, where they repaired the cart. It was there that Kasyan met, a small dwarf of strange appearance, whom Turgenev asked to keep company, showing the way to the cut, where one could hunt black grouse. Kasyan agreed, on the spot he already said that the game must not be killed, it is a sin. As a result, they did not meet anyone, to which Kasyan claimed that it was he who took all the birds. While hunting, they met a girl, Alyonushka, who was an orphan. Kasyan called her a relative and doted on her soul. Upon returning to the village, the author drove home with the coachman.
Burmister
Once our hunter was going to Ryabogo, and Penochkin asked to join us in order to get to Shepilovka. The steward Sofron lived there, whom Penochkin could not praise enough. He said that under Sofron, the peasants did not have arrears. On this day, the author did not go hunting. Together with Penochkin they were invited to the steward. They all had dinner and went to bed. On the second day, Penochkin showed his possessions. Sofron accompanied them. All the way he cried that there was not enough land. Then they were approached, who began to complain about the steward. Penochkin was offended by the steward and did not talk to him further.
Office
One day, while hunting, the author was caught in the rain, so he had to go to the nearest village to wait there. Instead of the headman's dwelling, the hunter ended up in an office where he was sheltered by a fat man. He also told the author that Lisnyakova dominates everything here, and the fat man himself was the head of the office. Although the estate had a steward with a headman, everything was run by the lady, who signed all the orders personally.
After drinking tea, the author fell asleep, but two hours later he was awakened by conversations. The clerk and the merchant were talking in the office. As our hero understood, before getting to the mistress and making a deal with her, the merchants had to pay a bribe to the clerk.
Further, a scandal broke out in the office, the paramedic Pavel scandalized with the clerk. The whole conversation was about Tatyana, whom the clerk had slandered. Because of him, the girl was transferred to the dishwasher, forbidding her to marry. As a result, the lady leaves the paramedic and the clerk at home, but Tatyana had to be exiled.
Notes of a biryuk hunter
And again, another hunt, and this time the author was again caught in the rain. I had to hide under a bush. And then he noticed a local forester who was passing by. He invited the hunter to his hut. There was poverty in the hut, there was a girl rocking a cradle with a child. As the forester, whom the locals called the biryuk, later said, his wife left him, ran away, left the children. The author heard about the forester, about his strength and how everyone was afraid of him. It was impossible to bribe him, and it was also impossible to carry out even a small bundle of firewood.
Then the rain stopped and the men went outside. There Biryuk heard the sound of an axe. He ran towards the sound and saw a felled tree. And next to him stood a poor peasant. The forester grabbed him and tied him up. The hunter said that he would pay for the felled tree, if only he would let the peasant go, but the biryuk did not agree. They came back to the hut and there the forester untied the prisoner's hands and told him to get out on all four sides. And yet the hunter understood, Biryuk is a nice fellow.
Lebedyan
Lebedyan is a small village where fairs were constantly organized. Our hunter went there to buy horses for the carriage. Everyone there told how many gentlemen and princes came to the fair.
The hunter found two horses, but could not pick up the third one. He went to a coffee shop to have a snack and there he noticed the prince, who was playing billiards with the lieutenant. The rich liked the lieutenant himself, which was what the lieutenant used, replacing one patron with another.
On the second day, the hunter went up to the horse-dealer to buy a third horse, but the prince rode up to him, to whom the horse-dealer turned all his attention. The hunter went to some house, where they also sold horses. There the hunter bought a horse, inexpensive. But the horse, as it turned out later, was lame and driven. Nobody took the horse back, nobody returned the money. For our hunter it was a lesson.
singers
This time we get to Kolotovka - the village where the tavern "Pritynny" was located. Everyone visited the tavern with pleasure, since Nikolai Ivanovich worked there, who could interest and attract visitors. He was a good man, respected by his neighbors. He had a wife and children. Our hero went into the tavern, as he was overcome by thirst. I got into a tavern, just at the time when the local competition was organized in the institution. Yashka competed, who worked as a scooper at a paper mill, Morgach, who had previously been a coachman, then a clerk, then got free and became a rich man. Stupid also took part. This is a local bachelor, without whom not a single drinking party could do.
And so the singing competition began. Everyone sang in order, only the hunter did not sit down to the end. He left earlier. I found a place in the hayloft and fell asleep. In the evening in the tavern they were already celebrating the victory. Yashka is the winner.
Petr Petrovich Karataev
One day the hunter had to sit up at the post office, as there were no horses on which to leave. There he met Pyotr Petrovich Karataev, a landowner who had gone bankrupt and who was heading to Moscow to work.
But recently Karataev lived in his village. Once he met Matryona, whom he fell in love with. He wanted to ransom her and marry her, but her mistress, despite the fact that Karataev offered to buy her at any price, did not agree, and then completely sent her away.
However, Karataev did not stop, he found Matryona, stole it and brought it to his home. They lived there until at one time her former mistress saw Matryona with Karataev. Karataev started having problems. Seeing this, Matrena returned to Kukuevka, and the hunter did not find out what happened next with her. Karataev himself, a year after the meeting, met again with our author. He met him in Moscow in a coffee shop. His village was auctioned off, he himself rolled down, began to drink, walked around shabby. Our hunter never saw Karataev again.
Date
One fine September day, our hunter went out into the grove, where he fell asleep. When I woke up, I saw a girl about twenty years old nearby. She sat with a bouquet of cornflowers, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Suddenly steps were heard and the rich master's valet came out to the girl. He came to say goodbye to the girl forever, as he was leaving with the owner for Petersburg, he could not take her, besides, she was not a couple for him, since she was uneducated. The girl was afraid that they would give her unloved. I wanted to hear at least goodbye pleasant words from my dear, but I didn’t hear it. He turned around and just left. She was left to sob. Our author could not restrain himself, approached the girl, and she, frightened, ran away. The hunter picked up the flowers that he still has, and the image of Akulina, that very girl, is still stored in his memory.
living relics
Once the hunter and Yermolai went hunting and were caught in the rain again. Yermolai offered to go to the farm that belonged to the mother of our hero. Arriving there, they saw an old wing, where the author spent the night. The next day, wandering along the path, the author looked into the shed, where he saw a strange, as it seemed to him, creature. And it also called out to him. Coming closer, he saw a girl who no longer looked like a girl, skin and bones. All dried up. As it turned out, this is a former beauty, for whom our hero once sighed. She was in love and engaged to Polyakkov. But one day, the girl fell off the porch and after that she began to wither. No doctor could help her. And so she lay. In the summer in the barn, and in the winter - in the dressing room. The bridegroom abandoned her and married another. The girl lived, enduring daily pain. Waiting for her death. She even had a dream, where death named the day of death, and this would happen after petrovki. She rarely slept because of the pain. The hostess brought her medicine, but it ended. Our hunter realized that it was opium and promised to get it. She refused to go to the hospital. In the village, the girl was called "Living Relics", and no one ever felt anxiety from her. A few weeks later, the girl died, as she said, death came after petrovki.
So we examined Turgenev's stories from the Hunter's Notes in a brief summary, we hope this will help you in writing essays on the school curriculum.
Turgenev, Summary Hunter's Notes
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