Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, "The Captain's Daughter": analysis, theme, main characters. Historical novel "The Captain's Daughter"

Year of writing:

1836

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Description of the work:

Alexander Pushkin's work "The Captain's Daughter", a summary of which we invite you to read, was written by the famous Russian writer in 1836. This is one of his last works.

To more accurately describe historical events, Pushkin went to the Urals, where the Pugachev uprising took place, and talked with the Pugachevites. It is also known that Alexander Pushkin worked hard on “The Captain’s Daughter”, because as many as five versions of the story have survived to this day.

Read the summary of "The Captain's Daughter" below.

The basis of the novel is the memoirs of one person who wrote them when Emperor Alexander occupied the throne. This man is a nobleman, now he is fifty years old, and his name is Pyotr Andreevich Grinev. At the time he recalls, he was seventeen years old, and due to very strange circumstances, he became an involuntary participant in the events associated with the “Pugachevism.” This is what the novel is dedicated to.

Grinev is somewhat ironic in his childhood memories. He was a noble undergrowth. His father Andrei Petrovich Grinev was awarded the title of retired prime minister, and he remained to live in the village, marrying the daughter of an impoverished nobleman. Petrusha had many brothers and sisters, but none of them survived. Grinev writes that before he was born, he was already listed as a sergeant in the Semenovsky regiment.

From the age of five, Petrusha was entrusted to the supervision of the eager Savelich, who, thanks to his sober behavior, began to be called the boy’s uncle. Savelich supervised Petrusha's studies well, and he quickly learned both the Russian language with all its literacy and the intricacies of hunting. Soon Grinev got along with the new French teacher, whose name was Beaupre. This same Frenchman was engaged in another craft in his homeland - cutting hair, and in Prussia he was in military service. And although Beaupre had a contract, according to which he had to teach the young student French, German and help him comprehend other sciences, the Frenchman himself learned Russian from Petrusha. It ended with Beaupre being caught in drunkenness, dissolute behavior and failure to fulfill his teaching duties, as a result of which he was expelled.

Pyotr Grinev spends his youth having fun - chasing birds, playing with the neighbor kids in the yard, racing leapfrog. But at the age of sixteen, his father decided to send Petrusha to serve the Fatherland. Moreover, it was not about St. Petersburg - that’s too simple, but about the army in Orenburg. Let the young man find out what gunpowder is, and “pull the strap.” Of course, Grinev did not like such an idea, because his dreams were about have a fun life in the capital, and now boring days lay ahead in remote and remote Orenburg. Let's continue the summary of "The Captain's Daughter", because the most interesting things are just beginning.

Grinev goes to Orenburg together with Savelich, however, at the entrance to the city, they are caught in a severe snowstorm. On the way, they meet a man who helps the wagon get to the level, and at that time Pyotr Andreevich sees a dream that frightened him, where now Grinev, from the age of fifty, sees some prophetic features. And then he dreamed of a black-bearded man, who, according to Petrusha’s mother, was “the imprisoned father” and Andrei Petrovich, and he was lying in his father’s bed. This same man wants to give the young man a hand to kiss and then bless him. Then he begins to swing the ax, bloody puddles appear, but he tells the frightened Grinev that there is no need to be afraid, come on, they say, I will bless you.

The tent gets out of the snowstorm thanks to a random counselor, and Grinev wants to thank him. Moreover, the counselor is dressed lightly. Therefore, Pyotr Grinev treats him to wine and gives him clothes - a hare sheepskin coat, to which he hears words of gratitude and respect in response. Grinev remembered his appearance: age - forty years or so, thin build with broad shoulders, average height, black beard.

In Orenburg, Grinev must find the Belogorsk fortress to serve there. But the fortress is just a name. There are no formidable bastions, towers and ramparts there. This is a simple village surrounded by wooden fence. Several disabled people live there who cannot distinguish the right side from the left, and all the artillery is an old cannon, and it is filled with rubbish.

The commandant of the fortress is called Ivan Kuzmich Mironov. Although he is not educated, he is honest and kind. The commandant's wife, Vasilisa Egorovna, has taken over the management of affairs and even manages the service independently, as if running a household. Grinev fits in well with the Mironov family, and they almost consider him one of their own. The Mironovs have a daughter, Masha, a prudent and sensitive girl in the eyes of Pyotr Grinev.

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Grinev is not at all burdened by service, quite the contrary. He reads a lot, translates and writes poetry. In the fortress there is Lieutenant Shvabrin - the only person, in fact, who is educated in the same way as Grinev, of the same age and does the same thing. At first, the young people become close, but not for long. Soon there is quite a quarrel. It turns out that Shvabrin made attempts to gain the favor of Masha Mironova, tried to woo her, but the girl refused him. Grinev did not know this, and earlier showed Shvabrin small poems with a love theme, dedicated to Masha. The lieutenant, of course, reacted in a peculiar way - he criticized the poems, and even expressed his opinion about Masha’s “mores and customs” with dirty hints. As a result, Shvabrin and Grinev fought in a duel, in which Grinev was wounded.

While Masha is caring for a patient after being wounded by Grinev, the relationship between the young people grows stronger, and feelings of sympathy are mutual. They even admitted this to each other, and Grinev had already decided to ask for his father’s consent to the wedding, for which he wrote him a letter. However, the father turned out to be against this marriage, because the Grinevs have three hundred peasants, and the Mironovs are poor - there is only one girl Palashka. The priest’s prohibition is strict, and he even threatens to knock the “stupid” out of Petrusha’s head by transferring him to serve in another place.

Grinev experiences this letter from his father painfully, the environment around him seems dreary and unbearable, he is gloomy, and wants to be alone all the time. Suddenly, everything changes, because events occur that greatly change his life, as Grinev himself notes in his memoirs. You can’t tell everything in the summary of “The Captain’s Daughter,” but we will try to accurately convey the essence of the following events.

In October 1773, the commandant received a notification that the Don Cossack Emelyan Pugachev was impersonating the deceased emperor. Peter III. Having gathered a gang of villains, he caused unrest in the surrounding settlements, destroyed more than one fortress, which is why the commandant must be ready to repel Pugachev’s attack if the impostor shows up.

Pugachev was already on everyone’s lips, and soon they managed to capture one Bashkir man who had “outrageous sheets” with him, but he couldn’t be interrogated because the poor guy’s tongue was torn out. Everyone is waiting for Pugachev to attack the Belogorsk fortress.

Eventually, the rebels show up, but the fortress did not expect to see them so soon. Masha didn’t even have time to leave for Orenburg. The first attack - and the fortress is in the hands of Pugachev. The prisoners must swear allegiance to the impostor, for which they are lined up in the square. Grinev was also captured. First, the commandant is hanged, who refuses the oath, then Vasilisa Yegorovna is killed with a saber. It’s Grinev’s turn, but Pugachev leaves him alive. As it turned out later, there was a reason for mercy - Savelich told Pyotr Andreevich that the same tramp who met them on the way and helped them get out of the snowstorm was Pugachev, and yet Grinev gave him a sheepskin coat and wine.

In the evening, Grinev is received by the “great sovereign.” He reminds Peter of the mercy shown and asks if he is ready to serve him. However, here too Grinev refuses the robber, because his loyalty belongs to the empress. Moreover, Grinev even honestly admits that perhaps he will fight against Pugachev. The impostor is so surprised by the sincerity of the young officer that he decides to let him go home. Grinev goes to Orenburg to ask for help - he really wants to save Masha, who remains in the fortress. Popadya said that this was her niece, so no one touched Masha. But the most unpleasant thing is that now the commandant of the fortress is Shvabrin, who swore an oath to serve the rebel.

Orenburg soon also finds itself surrounded by Pugachev’s troops, a siege begins, and they refuse to help the Belogorsk fortress. Grinev accidentally reads a letter where Masha writes that Shvabrin threatens to tell the whole truth if she does not agree to become his wife. Unsuccessfully, Grinev asks the military commandant to help, but he again refuses him.

Grinev and Savelich have their own plan in mind, so they themselves go to help Masha, but the rebels manage to capture them. Pugachev and Grinev, by chance, come together again, and when the impostor learns the whole essence of the story, he himself becomes determined to free Masha and punish Shvabrin. While the officer and the invader are driving, they have an open conversation. It turns out that Pugachev understands that he is doomed and expects his comrades to betray him. He recalls a Kalmyk tale, from which it follows that it is better for an eagle to drink living blood at once than to be an ordinary scavenger for years. Grinev and Pugachev have different views on the moral side of this issue, because, according to the officer, it is precisely those who live by robbery who peck at carrion. Our portal site does not give ratings, leaving this for the reader to think about, read the summary of “The Captain's Daughter” to the end.

Be that as it may, Masha is freed, Shvabrin tries to show all his cards to Pugachev, but he calmly lets Grinev go, and Pyotr Andreevich decides to send the girl, as his bride, to her parents. The young officer himself remains in service for now in order to fulfill his “duty of honor.”

Military campaign ends, but Grinev is arrested, although at the trial he is calm and confident in himself, because he has many excuses. Here Shvabrin comes forward with false accusations of espionage against Grinev - allegedly Pugachev sent him to Orenburg. The court accepts these arguments and condemns Grinev, who now, disgraced, must go to Siberia.

The role of the savior is Masha, who is determined to ask the queen for mercy, for which she is going to St. Petersburg. In Tsarskoe Selo, when Masha is walking along the paths of the garden, she meets a middle-aged lady. The lady finds out what Masha is doing here and invites her to tell her about everything, which the girl does. It turns out that this lady is the empress herself, she shows mercy to Grinev in the same way as some time ago Pugachev showed mercy to both Masha and Grinev.

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In this article we will describe the work of A.S. A chapter-by-chapter retelling of this short novel, published in 1836, is offered to your attention.

1. Sergeant of the Guard

The first chapter begins with the biography of Pyotr Andreevich Grinev. The father of this hero served, after which he retired. There were 9 children in the Grinev family, but eight of them died in infancy, and Peter was left alone. His father registered him even before his birth as Pyotr Andreevich and was on vacation until he came of age. Uncle Savelich serves as the boy's teacher. He supervises the development of Russian literacy by the Petrushas.

After some time, the Frenchman Beaupre was discharged to Peter. He taught him German, French, and various sciences. But Beaupre did not raise the child, but only drank and walked. The boy's father soon discovered this and drove the teacher away. At the age of 17, Peter was sent to serve, but not to the place where he had hoped to go. He goes to Orenburg instead of St. Petersburg. This decision determined the future fate of Peter, the hero of the work "The Captain's Daughter".

Chapter 1 describes a father's parting words to his son. He tells him that it is necessary to take care of honor from a young age. Petya, having arrived in Simbirsk, meets Zurin, the captain, in a tavern, who taught him to play billiards, and also got him drunk and won 100 rubles from him. It was as if Grinev had broken free for the first time. He behaves like a boy. Zurin demands the allotted winnings in the morning. Pyotr Andreevich, in order to show his character, forces Savelich, who protests this, to give out money. After which, feeling pangs of conscience, Grinev leaves Simbirsk. This is how chapter 1 ends in the work "The Captain's Daughter". Let us describe further events that happened to Pyotr Andreevich.

2. Counselor

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin tells us about the further fate of this hero of the work "The Captain's Daughter". Chapter 2 of the novel is called "Counselor". In it we meet Pugachev for the first time.

On the way, Grinev asks Savelich to forgive him for his stupid behavior. Suddenly a snowstorm begins on the road, Peter and his servant lose their way. They meet a man who offers to take them to the inn. Grinev, riding in a cab, has a dream.

Grinev's dream - important episode works "The Captain's Daughter". Chapter 2 describes it in detail. In it, Peter arrives at his estate and discovers that his father is dying. He approaches him to take the last blessing, but instead of his father he sees an unknown man with a black beard. Grinev is surprised, but his mother convinces him that this is his imprisoned father. A black-bearded man jumps up waving an ax, dead bodies fill the entire room. At the same time, the man smiles at Pyotr Andreevich and also offers him a blessing.

Grinev, already standing, examines his guide and notices that he is the same man from the dream. He is a forty-year-old man of average height, thin and broad-shouldered. There is already a noticeable streak of gray in his black beard. The man’s eyes are alive, and one can feel the sharpness and subtlety of his mind in them. The counselor's face has a rather pleasant expression. It's picaresque. His hair is cut into a circle, and this man is dressed in Tatar trousers and an old Armenian coat.

The counselor talks with the owner in “allegorical language.” Pyotr Andreevich thanks his companion, gives him a hare sheepskin coat, and pours a glass of wine.

An old friend of Grinev’s father, Andrei Karlovich R., sends Peter from Orenburg to serve in the Belogorsk fortress located 40 miles from the city. This is where the novel "The Captain's Daughter" continues. The chapter-by-chapter retelling of further events occurring in it is as follows.

3. Fortress

This fortress resembles a village. Vasilisa Egorovna, a reasonable and kind woman, the wife of the commandant, is in charge of everything here. The next morning Grinev meets Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin, a young officer. This man is short, extremely ugly, dark-skinned, very lively. He is one of the main characters in the work "The Captain's Daughter". Chapter 3 is the place in the novel where this character first appears before the reader.

Because of the duel, Shvabrin was transferred to this fortress. He tells Pyotr Andreevich about life here, about the commandant’s family, while speaking unflatteringly about his daughter, Masha Mironova. Detailed description You will find this conversation in the work "The Captain's Daughter" (Chapter 3). The commandant invites Grinev and Shvabrin to a family dinner. On the way, Peter sees a “training” going on: a platoon of disabled people is led by Ivan Kuzmich Mironov. He is wearing a “Chinese robe” and a cap.

4. Duel

Chapter 4 occupies an important place in the composition of the work "The Captain's Daughter". It says the following.

Grinev really likes the commandant's family. Pyotr Andreevich becomes an officer. He communicates with Shvabrin, but this communication brings the hero less and less pleasure. Grinev especially doesn’t like Alexei Ivanovich’s caustic remarks about Masha. Peter writes mediocre poems and dedicates them to this girl. Shvabrin speaks sharply about them, while insulting Masha. Grinev accuses him of lying, Alexey Ivanovich challenges Peter to a duel. Vasilisa Egorovna, having learned about this, orders the arrest of the duelists. Broadsword, the yard girl, deprives them of their swords. After some time, Pyotr Andreevich learns that Shvabrin was wooing Masha, but was refused by the girl. He understands now why Alexey Ivanovich slandered Masha. A duel is scheduled again, in which Pyotr Andreevich is wounded.

5. Love

Masha and Savelich are caring for the wounded man. Pyotr Grinev proposes to a girl. He sends a letter to his parents asking for blessings. Shvabrin visits Pyotr Andreevich and admits his guilt before him. Grinev’s father does not give him a blessing, he already knows about the duel that took place, and it was not Savelich who told him about it. Pyotr Andreevich believes that Alexey Ivanovich did this. The captain's daughter does not want to get married without her parents' consent. Chapter 5 tells about this decision of hers. We will not describe in detail the conversation between Peter and Masha. Let's just say that the captain's daughter decided to avoid Grinev in the future. The chapter-by-chapter retelling continues with the following events. Pyotr Andreevich stops visiting the Mironovs and loses heart.

6. Pugachevshchina

The commandant receives a notification that a bandit gang led by Emelyan Pugachev is operating in the surrounding area. attacks fortresses. Pugachev soon reached the Belogorsk fortress. He calls on the commandant to surrender. Ivan Kuzmich decides to send his daughter out of the fortress. The girl says goodbye to Grinev. However, her mother refuses to leave.

7. Attack

The attack on the fortress continues with the work "The Captain's Daughter". The chapter-by-chapter retelling of further events is as follows. At night, the Cossacks leave the fortress. They go over to the side of Emelyan Pugachev. The gang attacks him. Mironov, with a few defenders, is trying to defend himself, but the forces of the two sides are unequal. The person who has captured the fortress organizes a so-called trial. The commandant, as well as his comrades, are executed on the gallows. When it’s Grinev’s turn, Savelich begs Emelyan, throwing himself at his feet, to spare Pyotr Andreevich, and offers him a ransom. Pugachev agrees. Residents of the city and soldiers swear an oath to Emelyan. They kill Vasilisa Yegorovna, bringing her naked onto the porch, as well as her husband. Pyotr Andreevich leaves the fortress.

8. Uninvited Guest

Grinev is very worried about how the captain’s daughter lives in the Belogorsk fortress.

The chapter-by-chapter content of further events in the novel describes the subsequent fate of this heroine. A girl is hiding near the priest, who tells Pyotr Andreevich that Shvabrin is on Pugachev’s side. Grinev learns from Savelich that Pugachev is accompanying them on the road to Orenburg. Emelyan calls Grinev to come to him, he comes. Pyotr Andreevich draws attention to the fact that everyone behaves like comrades with each other in Pugachev’s camp, and does not show preference to the leader.

Everyone brags, expresses doubts, challenges Pugachev. His people sing a song about the gallows. Emelyan's guests leave. Grinev tells him in private that he does not consider him a king. He replies that good luck will be for the daring, because Grishka Otrepiev once ruled. Emelyan releases Pyotr Andreevich to Orenburg despite the fact that he promises to fight against him.

9. Separation

Emelyan gives Peter the order to tell the governor of this city that the Pugachevites will soon arrive there. Pugachev, leaving, leaves Shvabrin as commandant. Savelich writes a list of Pyotr Andreevich’s plundered goods and sends it to Emelyan, but he, in a “fit of generosity,” does not punish the daring Savelich. He even gives Grinev a fur coat from his shoulder and gives him a horse. Meanwhile, Masha is sick in the fortress.

10. Siege of the city

Peter goes to Orenburg, to see Andrei Karlovich, the general. Military people are absent from the military council. There are only officials here. It is more prudent, in their opinion, to remain behind a reliable stone wall than to try their luck in an open field. Officials offer to put a high price on Pugachev’s head and bribe Emelyan’s people. A police officer from the fortress brings a letter from Masha to Pyotr Andreevich. She reports that Shvabrin is forcing her to become his wife. Grinev asks the general to help, to provide him with people in order to clear the fortress. However, he refuses.

11. Rebel settlement

Grinev and Savelich rush to help the girl. Pugachev's people stop them on the way and lead them to the leader. He interrogates Pyotr Andreevich about his intentions in the presence of his confidants. Pugachev's people are a hunched, frail old man with a blue ribbon worn over his shoulder over a gray overcoat, as well as a tall, portly and broad-shouldered man of about forty-five. Grinev tells Emelyan that he came to save an orphan from Shvabrin’s claims. The Pugachevists propose to simply solve the problem with both Grinev and Shvabrin - hang them both. However, Pugachev clearly likes Peter, and he promises to marry him to a girl. Pyotr Andreevich goes to the fortress in the morning in Pugachev’s tent. He, in a confidential conversation, tells him that he would like to go to Moscow, but his comrades are robbers and thieves who will betray the leader at the first failure, saving their own necks. Emelyan tells a Kalmyk fairy tale about a raven and an eagle. The raven lived for 300 years, but at the same time pecked carrion. But the eagle chose to starve rather than eat the carrion. It’s better to drink living blood one day, Emelyan believes.

12. Orphan

Pugachev learns in the fortress that the girl is being bullied by the new commandant. Shvabrin starves her. Emelyan frees Masha and wants to marry her right away with Grinev. When Shvabrin says that this is Mironov’s daughter, Emelyan Pugachev decides to let Grinev and Masha go.

13. Arrest

On the way out of the fortress, soldiers take Grinev under arrest. They mistake Pyotr Andreevich for a Pugachevo man and take him to the boss. It turns out to be Zurin, who advises Pyotr Andreevich to send Savelich and Masha to their parents, and for Grinev himself to continue the battle. He follows this advice. Pugachev’s army was defeated, but he himself was not caught; he managed to gather new troops in Siberia. Emelyan is being pursued. Zurin is ordered to take Grinev under arrest and send him under guard to Kazan, subjecting him to investigation in the Pugachev case.

14. Court

Pyotr Andreevich is suspected of serving Pugachev. Shvabrin played an important role in this. Peter is sentenced to exile in Siberia. Masha lives with Peter's parents. They became very attached to her. The girl goes to St. Petersburg, to Tsarskoe Selo. Here she meets the empress in the garden and asks to have mercy on Peter. He talks about how he ended up with Pugachev because of her, the captain’s daughter. Briefly chapter by chapter, the novel we described ends as follows. Grinev is released. He is present at the execution of Emelyan, who nods his head, recognizing him.

The genre of historical novel is the work "The Captain's Daughter". The chapter-by-chapter retelling does not describe all the events; we have mentioned only the main ones. Pushkin's novel is very interesting. After reading the original work "The Captain's Daughter" chapter by chapter, you will understand the psychology of the characters, and also learn some details that we have omitted.

« Captain's daughter" - a historical novel (or story) by Alexander Pushkin, the action of which takes place during the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev. First published without indicating the author's name in the 4th book of the Sovremennik magazine, which went on sale in the last decade of 1836.

Plot

In his declining years, landowner Pyotr Andreevich Grinev narrates the turbulent events of his youth. He spent his childhood on his parents’ estate in the Simbirsk province, until at the age of 16 his strict father, a retired officer, ordered him to be sent to serve in the army: “He’s done running around the maidens and climbing dovecotes.”

By the will of fate, on the way to his place of duty, the young officer meets Emelyan Pugachev, who was then just a runaway, unknown Cossack. During a snowstorm, he agrees to take Grinev and his old servant Savelich to the inn. As a token of gratitude for the service, Peter gives him his hare sheepskin coat.

Arriving for service at the border Belogorsk fortress, Peter falls in love with the daughter of the commandant of the fortress, Masha Mironova. Grinev’s colleague, officer Alexei Shvabrin, whom he met already in the fortress, also turns out to be partial to captain's daughter and challenges Peter to a duel, during which he wounds Grinev. Peter's father becomes aware of the fight and refuses to bless the marriage with the dowry.

Meanwhile, the Pugachevism flares up, which Pushkin himself characterized as “a Russian revolt, senseless and merciless.” Pugachev and his army advance and capture fortresses in the Orenburg steppe. He executes the nobles, and calls the Cossacks into his army. Masha's parents die at the hands of rebels; Shvabrin swears allegiance to Pugachev, but Grinev refuses. Savelich saves him from certain execution by turning to Pugachev. He recognizes the person who helped him in the winter and gives him life.

Grinev does not agree to the offer to join Pugachev’s army. He leaves for Orenburg, besieged by rebels, and fights against Pugachev, but one day he receives a letter from Masha, who remained in the Belogorsk fortress due to illness. From the letter he learns that Shvabrin wants to forcefully marry her. Grinev leaves his service without permission, arrives at the Belogorsk fortress and, with the help of Pugachev, saves Masha. Later, following Shvabrin’s denunciation, government troops arrest him. Grinev is sentenced to execution, replaced by exile to Siberia for eternal settlement. After this, Masha goes to Tsarskoe Selo to see Catherine II and begs for forgiveness to the groom, telling everything she knew and noting that P. A. Grinev could not justify himself before the court only because he did not want to involve her.

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Working on a book

"The Captain's Daughter" is one of the works with which Russian writers of the 1830s responded to the success of Walter Scott's translated novels. Pushkin planned to write a historical novel back in the 1820s (see “Arap of Peter the Great”). The first of the historical novels on a Russian theme was “Yuri Miloslavsky” by M. N. Zagoskin (1829). Grinev’s meeting with the counselor, according to Pushkin scholars, goes back to a similar scene in Zagoskin’s novel.

The idea for a story about the Pugachev era matured during Pushkin’s work on a historical chronicle - “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion”. In search of materials for his work, Pushkin traveled to Southern Urals, where he talked with eyewitnesses of the terrible events of the 1770s. According to P. V. Annenkov, “the compressed and only apparently dry presentation he adopted in “History” seemed to find a complement in his exemplary novel, which has the warmth and charm of historical notes,” in a novel “that represented the other side of the subject - side of the morals and customs of the era."

"The Captain's Daughter" was written casually, among work on the Pugachev era, but there is more history in it than in "The History of the Pugachev Rebellion", which seems like a long explanatory note to the novel.

In the summer of 1832, Pushkin intended to make the hero of the novel an officer who went over to Pugachev’s side, Mikhail Shvanvich (1749-1802), uniting him with his father, who was expelled from the life campaign after he cut Alexei Orlov’s cheek with a broadsword in a tavern quarrel. Probably, the idea of ​​​​a work about a nobleman who joined the bandits because of a personal grudge was eventually embodied in the novel “Dubrovsky”, the action of which was transferred to modern era.

Catherine II on an engraving by N. Utkin

Later, Pushkin gave the story the form of a memoir, and made the narrator and main character a nobleman who remained faithful to his duty, despite the temptation to go over to the side of the rebels. The historical figure of Shvanvich, thus, split into the images of Grinev and his antagonist - the “frankly conventional” villain Shvabrin.

The scene of Masha’s meeting with the Empress in Tsarskoe Selo was obviously suggested by a historical anecdote about Joseph II’s mercy to “the daughter of a captain.” The non-standard, “homey” image of Catherine, drawn in the story, is based on an engraving by N. Utkin from the famous portrait of Borovikovsky (performed, however, much later than the events depicted in the story).

Walterscott motifs

Many of the plot points of “The Captain’s Daughter” echo the novels of Walter Scott, as pointed out, in particular, by N. Chernyshevsky. In Savelich, Belinsky also saw the “Russian Caleb”. Comic episode with Savelich's account to Pugachev has an analogue in “The Adventures of Nigel” (1822). In the Tsarskoe Selo scene, “the daughter of Captain Mironov is placed in the same position as the heroine of the Edinburgh Dungeon” (1818), A.D. Galakhov once pointed out.

Publication and first reviews

“The Captain’s Daughter” was published a month before the author’s death in the magazine “Sovremennik”, which he published, under the guise of notes from the late Pyotr Grinev. From this and subsequent editions of the novel, for censorship reasons, a chapter about the peasant revolt in the village of Grineva was released, preserved in a draft manuscript. Until 1838, there were no printed reviews of the story, but Gogol noted in January 1837 that it “produced a universal effect.” A. I. Turgenev wrote on January 9, 1837 to K. Ya. Bulgakov:

Pushkin's story... became so famous here that Barant, not jokingly, suggested to the author, in my presence, to translate it into French with his help, but how would he express the originality of this style, this era, these Old Russian characters and this girlish Russian charm - which were sketched in the whole story? The main charm is in the story, and it is difficult to retell the story in another language.

Traditional Walterscott motifs were successfully transferred by Pushkin to Russian soil: “The size is no more than one-fifth of the average Walter Scott novel. The style of the story is concise, precise, economical, although more spacious and leisurely than in Pushkin's stories", notes D. Mirsky. In his opinion, “The Captain’s Daughter” more than other works of Pushkin influenced the development of realism in Russian literature - it is “realism, economical in means, restrainedly humorous, devoid of any pressure.”

Discussing the style of the story, N. Grech wrote in 1840 that Pushkin “with amazing skill was able to capture and express the character and tone of the middle of the 18th century.” If Pushkin didn’t sign the story, “one might actually think that it was actually written by some ancient person who was an eyewitness and hero of the events described, the story is so naive and artless,” F. Dostoevsky agreed with him. N.V. Gogol left an enthusiastic review of the novel:

Definitely the best Russian work in a narrative manner. Compared to The Captain's Daughter, all our novels and stories seem like cloying rubbish.<...>For the first time, truly Russian characters appeared: a simple commandant of the fortress, a captain’s wife, a lieutenant; the fortress itself with a single cannon, the confusion of time and the simple greatness of ordinary people.

Foreign critics are far from being as unanimous in their enthusiasm for The Captain's Daughter as Russians are. In particular, a harsh review of the work is attributed to the Irish writer James Joyce:

There is not an ounce of intelligence in this story. Not bad for its time, but nowadays people are much more complex. I can’t understand how one can get carried away by such primitive products - fairy tales that could amuse someone in childhood, about fighters, villains, valiant heroes and horses galloping across the steppes with a beautiful maiden of about seventeen years old hidden in a corner, who is just waiting that she will be rescued at the right moment.

Characters

• Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, a 17-year-old teenager, while still in the womb, enlisted in the Semenovsky Guard Regiment; during the events described in the story - ensign. It is he who leads the story for his descendants during the reign of Alexander I, peppering the story with old-fashioned maxims. The draft version indicated that Grinev died in 1817. According to Belinsky, this is an “insignificant, insensitive character” that the author needs as a relatively impartial witness to Pugachev’s actions. However, according to Yu. M. Lotman, in Pyotr Andreevich Grinev “there is something that attracts the sympathies of the author and readers to him: he does not fit into the framework of the noble ethics of his time, for this he is too human”: 276.
• Colorful figure Emelyan Pugacheva, in which M. Tsvetaeva saw the “sole character” of the story, somewhat overshadows Grinev. P. I. Tchaikovsky for a long time conceived the idea of ​​an opera based on The Captain's Daughter, but abandoned it due to fears that censorship “would find it difficult to miss such a stage performance, from which the viewer leaves completely enchanted by Pugachev,” because Pushkin portrayed him as “essentially a surprisingly sympathetic villain.”
• Alexey Ivanovich Shvabrin, the antagonist of Grinev, is “a young officer of short stature with a dark and distinctly ugly face” and hair that is “pitch black.” By the time Grinev appeared in the fortress, he had already been transferred from the guard for a duel five years ago. He is reputed to be a freethinker, knows French, understands literature, but at the decisive moment he betrays his oath and goes over to the side of the rebels. In essence, a purely romantic scoundrel (according to Mirsky’s remark, this is generally “Pushkin’s only scoundrel”).
• Marya Ivanovna Mironova, “a girl of about eighteen, chubby, ruddy, with light brown hair combed smoothly behind the ears”; the daughter of the commandant of the fortress, who gave the title to the whole story. “I dressed simply and sweetly.” To save his lover, he goes to the capital and throws himself at the feet of the queen. According to Prince Vyazemsky, the image of Masha falls on the story with a “pleasant and bright shade” - like a peculiar variation on the theme of Tatyana Larina. At the same time, Tchaikovsky complains: “Maria Ivanovna is not interesting and characterful enough, for she is an impeccably kind and honest girl and nothing more.” “The empty place of every first love,” echoes Marina Tsvetaeva.
• Arkhip Savelich, stirrup Grinev, from the age of five assigned to Peter as a uncle. Treats a 17-year-old officer like a minor, remembering the order to “look after the child”

There are times when you need to quickly get acquainted with a book, but there is no time to read. For such cases there is a short retelling (brief). "The Captain's Daughter" is a story from school curriculum, which certainly deserves attention at least in a brief retelling.

The main characters of "The Captain's Daughter"

Before you read the abridged story “The Captain's Daughter,” you need to get to know the main characters.

“The Captain's Daughter” tells the story of several months in the life of Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, a hereditary nobleman. He's passing military service in the Belogorodskaya fortress during the times of peasant unrest led by Emelyan Pugachev. This story is told by Pyotr Grinev himself through entries in his diary.

Main characters

Minor characters

Chapter I

Peter Grinev's father, even before his birth, enrolled in the ranks of the sergeants of the Semenovsky regiment, since he himself was a retired officer.

At the age of five, he assigned his son a personal servant named Arkhip Savelich. His task was to raise him to be a real master. Arkhip Savelich taught little Peter a lot, for example, to understand the breeds of hunting dogs, Russian literacy and much more.

Four years later, his father sends sixteen-year-old Peter to serve with his good friend in Orenburg. Servant Savelich is traveling with Peter. In Simbirsk, Grinev meets a man named Zurin. He teaches Peter how to play billiards. After getting drunk, Grinev loses a hundred rubles to a military man.

Chapter II

Grinev and Savelich got lost on the way to their place of duty, but a random passer-by showed them the way to the inn. There Peter examines the guide- he looks about forty years old, he has a black beard, a strong build, and in general he looks like a robber. Having entered into a conversation with the owner of the inn, they discussed something on foreign language.

The guide is practically naked, and therefore Grinev decides to give him a hare sheepskin coat. The sheepskin coat was so small for him that it was literally bursting at the seams, but despite this, he was glad for the gift and promised never to forget this kind deed. A day later, young Peter, having arrived in Orenburg, introduces himself to the general, who sends him to the Belgorod fortress to serve under Captain Mironov. Not without the help of Father Peter, of course.

Chapter III

Grinev arrives at the Belgorod fortress, which is a village surrounded by high wall and one gun. Captain Mironov, under whose leadership Peter came to serve, was a gray-haired old man, and two officers and approximately a hundred soldiers served under his command. One of the officers is the one-eyed old lieutenant Ivan Ignatich, the second is called Alexey Shvabrin - he was exiled to this place as punishment for a duel.

Newly arrived Peter met Alexei Shvabrin that same evening. Shvabrin told about each of the captain’s family: his wife Vasilisa Egorovna and their daughter Masha. Vasilisa commands both her husband and the entire garrison. And my daughter Masha is a very cowardly girl. Later, Grinev himself meets Vasilisa and Masha, and also the constable Maksimych . He's very scared that the upcoming service will be boring and therefore very long.

Chapter IV

Grinev liked it in the fortress, despite Maksimych’s experiences. The soldiers here are treated without much severity, despite the fact that the captain at least occasionally organizes exercises, but they still cannot distinguish between “left” and “right”. In the house of Captain Mironov, Pyotr Grinev becomes almost a member of the family, and also falls in love with his daughter Masha.

In one of the outbursts of feelings, Grinev dedicates poems to Masha and reads them to the only one in the castle who understands poetry - Shvabrin. Shvabrin makes fun of his feelings in a very rude manner and says that the earrings are it's more useful gift . Grinev is offended by this too harsh criticism in his direction, and he calls him a liar in response, and Alexey emotionally challenges him to a duel.

Excited Peter wants to call Ivan Ignatich as a second, but the old man believes that such a showdown is too much. After dinner, Peter tells Shvabrin that Ivan Ignatich did not agree to be a second. Shvabrin proposes to conduct a duel without seconds.

Having met early in the morning, they did not have time to sort things out in a duel, because they were immediately tied up and taken into custody by soldiers under the command of a lieutenant. Vasilisa Egorovna forces them to pretend that they have made peace, and after that they are released from custody. From Masha, Peter learns that the whole point is that Alexey had already received a refusal from her, which is why he behaved so aggressively.

This did not dampen their ardor, and they meet the next day by the river to complete the matter. Peter had almost defeated the officer in a fair fight, but was distracted by the call. It was Savelich. Turning towards a familiar voice, Grinev is wounded in the chest area.

Chapter V

The wound turned out to be so serious that Peter woke up only on the fourth day. Shvabrin decides to make peace with Peter, they apologize to each other. Taking advantage of the moment that Masha is caring for the sick Peter, he confesses his love to her and receives reciprocity in return.

Grinev, in love and inspired writes a letter home asking for blessings for the wedding. In response, a stern letter comes with a refusal and the sad news of the death of the mother. Peter thinks that his mother died when she found out about the duel, and suspects Savelich of the denunciation.

The offended servant shows proof to Peter: a letter from his father, where he scolds and scolds him because he did not tell about the injury. After a while, suspicions lead Peter to the idea that Shvabrin did this in order to prevent his and Masha’s happiness and disrupt the wedding. Having learned that her parents do not give their blessing, Maria refuses the wedding.

Chapter VI

In October 1773 very quickly rumor spreads about the Pugachev rebellion, despite the fact that Mironov tried to keep it a secret. The captain decides to send Maksimych on reconnaissance. Maksimych returns two days later and reports that there is unrest among the Cossacks enormous power.

At the same time, they report to Maksimych that he went over to Pugachev’s side and incited the Cossacks to start a riot. Maksimych is arrested, and in his place they put the man who reported on him - the baptized Kalmyk Yulay.

Further events They pass very quickly: constable Maksimych escapes from custody, one of Pugachev’s men is captured, but he cannot be asked anything because he does not have a language. The neighboring fortress has been captured, and very soon the rebels will be under the walls of this fortress. Vasilisa and her daughter go to Orenburg.

Chapter VII

The next morning, an armful of fresh news reaches Grinev: the Cossacks left the fortress, taking Yulay prisoner; Masha did not have time to get to Orenburg and the road was blocked. By order of the captain, the rebel patrolmen are shot from a cannon.

Soon Pugachev’s main army appears, led by Emelyan himself, smartly dressed in a red caftan and riding a white horse. Four traitorous Cossacks offer to surrender, recognizing Pugachev as ruler. They throw Yulay's head over the fence, which falls at Mironov's feet. Mironov gives the order to shoot, and one of the negotiators is killed, the rest manage to escape.

They begin to storm the fortress, and Mironov says goodbye to his family and gives Masha’s blessing. Vasilisa takes away her terribly frightened daughter. The commandant fires the cannon once, gives the order to open the gate, and then rushes into battle.

The soldiers are in no hurry to run after the commander, and the attackers manage to break into the fortress. Grinev is taken prisoner. A large gallows is being built in the square. A crowd gathers around, many greet the rioters with joy. The impostor, sitting on a chair in the commandant's house, takes oaths from prisoners. Ignatyich and Mironov are hanged for refusing to take an oath.

The turn reaches Grinev, and he notices Shvabrin among the rebels. When Peter is escorted to the gallows to be executed, Savelich unexpectedly falls at Pugachev’s feet. Somehow he manages to beg for mercy for Grinev. When Vasilisa was taken out of the house, seeing her dead husband, she emotionally called Pugachev “an escaped convict.” She is immediately killed for this.

Chapter VIII

Peter began to look for Masha. The news was disappointing - she was lying unconscious with the priest’s wife, who told everyone that it was her seriously ill relative. Peter returns to the old looted apartment and learns from Savelich how he managed to persuade Pugachev to let Peter go.

Pugachev is the same random passer-by whom they met when they got lost and gave them a hare sheepskin coat. Pugachev invites Peter to the commandant’s house, and he eats there with the rebels at the same table.

During lunch, he manages to overhear how the military council is making plans to march on Orenburg. After lunch, Grinev and Pugachev have a conversation, where Pugachev again demands to take an oath. Peter again refuses him, arguing that he is an officer and the orders of his commanders are law for him. Pugachev likes such honesty, and he lets Peter go again.

Chapter IX

On the morning before Pugachev’s departure, Savelich approaches him and brings things that were taken from Grinev during his capture. At the very end of the list is a hare sheepskin coat. Pugachev gets angry and throws out the sheet of paper with this list. Leaving, he leaves Shvabrin as commandant.

Grinev rushes to the priest's wife to find out how Masha is, but very disappointing news awaits him - she is delirious and in a fever. He can't take her away, but he also can't stay. Therefore, he has to leave her temporarily.

Worried, Grinev and Savelich walk slowly to Orenburg. Suddenly, unexpectedly, the former constable Maksimych, who is riding a Bashkir horse, catches up with them. It turned out that it was Pugachev who said to give the officer a horse and a sheepskin coat. Peter gratefully accepts this gift.

Chapter X

Arriving in Orenburg, Peter reports to the general about everything that happened in the fortress. At the council they decide not to attack, but only to defend. After some time, the siege of Orenburg by Pugachev’s army begins. Thanks to a fast horse and luck, Grinev remains safe and sound.

In one of these forays he meets Maksimych. Maksimych gives him a letter from Masha, which says that Shvabrin kidnapped her and forcibly forces her to marry him. Grinev runs to the general and asks for a company of soldiers to liberate the Belgorod fortress, but the general refuses him.

Chapter XI

Grinev and Savelich decide to escape from Orenburg and without any problems go towards the Bermuda settlement, which was occupied by Pugachev’s people. Having waited until nightfall, they decide to drive around the settlement in the dark, but they are caught by a detachment of patrolmen. He miraculously manages to escape, but Savelich, unfortunately, does not.

Therefore, Peter returns for him and is then captured. Pugachev finds out why he fled Orenburg. Peter informs him about Shvabrin’s tricks. Pugachev begins to get angry and threatens to hang him.

Pugachev's adviser does not believe Grinev's stories, claiming that Peter is a spy. Suddenly, a second adviser named Khlopusha begins to stand up for Peter. They almost start a fight, but the impostor calms them down. Pugachev decides to take the wedding of Peter and Masha into his own hands.

Chapter XII

When Pugachev arrived to the Belgorod fortress, he began to demand to see the girl who was kidnapped by Shvabrin. He leads Pugachev and Grinev into the room where Masha is sitting on the floor.

Pugachev, deciding to understand the situation, asks Masha why her husband beats her. Masha exclaims indignantly that she will never become his wife. Pugachev is very disappointed in Shvabrin and orders him to immediately let the young couple go.

Chapter XIII

Masha with Peter set off on the road. When they enter the town, where there should be a large detachment of Pugachevites, they see that the city has already been liberated. They want to arrest Grinev, he goes into the officer’s room and sees his old acquaintance Zurin at the head.

He remains in Zurin’s detachment, and sends Masha and Savelich to their parents. Soon the siege was lifted from Orenburg, and news of victory and the end of the war arrived, since the impostor was captured. While Peter was getting ready to go home, Zurin received an order for his arrest.

Chapter XIV

In court, Pyotr Grinev is accused of treason and espionage. Witness - Shvabrin. In order not to drag Masha into this matter, Peter does not justify himself in any way, and they want to hang him. Empress Catherine, taking pity on his elderly father, changes the execution to serving a life sentence in the Siberian settlement. Masha decides that she will lie at the feet of the empress, begging for mercy on him.

Having gone to St. Petersburg, she stops at an inn and finds out that the owner is the niece of the stove burner in the palace. She helps Masha enter the garden of Tsarskoye Selo, where she meets a lady who promises to help her. After some time, a carriage arrives from the palace for Masha. Entering Catherine's chambers, she is surprised to see the woman with whom she spoke in the garden. She announces to her that Grinev is acquitted.

Afterword

This was a short retelling. “The Captain's Daughter” is a rather interesting story from the school curriculum. Summary according to the chapters you need for.

8. Historical novel “The Captain's Daughter”

To put Walter Scott in his belt

Pushkin called a “novel” a certain historical action developed on the destinies of individual people. He worked on writing the novel “The Captain's Daughter” for many years. Somewhere in the mid-twenties, he was thinking about how to write a novel, and even predicted to one of his friends that he would outshine Walter Scott himself.

But, nevertheless, this was postponed from year to year, and Pushkin began writing the work that would later be called “The Captain’s Daughter” in 1832. So this work went in parallel with “The History of Peter” with “The History of Pugachev” and with other works.

The first edition of The Captain's Daughter was completed in the summer of 1936. And, having completed his manuscript, Pushkin immediately began to redo it. Why? In order to understand this, perhaps it would be worth starting from the beginning - with the epigraph. The epigraph to “The Captain's Daughter” is known to everyone: “Take care of your honor from a young age.” This, so to speak, is the main meaning, the main consideration contained in this novel.

Another thing is also known - that, in fact, the proverb itself, Russian, it is contained in the collection of Russian proverbs in the Pushkin library, is known to everyone, but, as always, the situation is not so simple. It turns out that Pushkin could know this proverb as a Latin one. Well, everyone knows Onegin’s lines: “In those days when in the gardens of the Lyceum // I blossomed serenely, I read Apuleius willingly, // But I did not read Cicero...” Apuleius is a Roman writer of the 2nd century AD. His work “The Golden Ass” is known, but in addition, he also wrote something called “Apology” - a speech in defense of himself against accusations of magic. In this work, he quotes this proverb approximately as follows: “Honor is like a dress: the more it is worn, the less you care about it.” And therefore honor must be protected from a young age. By the way, this “Apology” was published in Russian in 1835, and Pushkin could have remembered it or read it again while working on “The Captain’s Daughter.”

But one way or another, the novel was dedicated to the most pressing, most important problems of morality of that era, and not only that. The moral potential of “The Captain’s Daughter” has survived to this day and even deepened, becoming understood much more subtly and better. It is only important to understand that along with Latin proverb“The Captain’s Daughter” includes what Dostoevsky in Pushkin called “worldwide responsiveness.” That is, we are talking about the fact that the thing was written in line with not only Russian culture, but also world culture.

The author's path to the novel

The author's path to a novel begins very early. It turns out that a lot in the novel is based on the author’s own experience, personal experience. For example, he finds the name Grinev in 1830 in a bulletin about cholera in Moscow. There was a periodical that he read back in Boldino with concern for his loved ones - how were they doing there in the cholera city. So Pyotr Grinev is listed as one of the donors of money to help the victims. That is, he begins to have some positive associations with this name very early.

Or another example. When leaving Boldino, Pushkin was stopped by cholera quarantines. And, describing this detention, this forced stop, he draws a situation that we find in the missing chapter of “The Captain’s Daughter”, which will be discussed later when main character Petrusha arrives in his native village. He is also not allowed in at the Pugachev outposts, just as Pushkin himself was not allowed in during the cholera quarantines. That is, personal experience is always present in the text of the novel.

The same thing happens with heroes. For example, when Petrusha Grinev arrives at the Belogorsk fortress, he meets there with an officer exiled there, Shvabrin. And it is interesting to note that the portrait of this very Shvabrin: a man of short stature, somewhat dark, ugly, completely coincides with the description of Pushkin himself by memoirists, very many. Why did Pushkin suddenly give his appearance to the main negative character?

Probably, there was a moment here, as it were, of parting with youth, with the sinful inclinations of the young Pushkin. And, apparently, this is such a “scapegoat”, that is, he puts his sins into the biography and character of the hero and, thereby, parting with the violent beginning of his life.

One way or another, this is a novel from Russian life. AND life experience Pushkin is presented all the time. Well, for example, Father Gerasim is the priest and rector of the church in the Belogorsk fortress. And, in fact, why is this person called that? Because this is Pushkin’s memory of his lyceum teacher - Gerasim Petrovich Pavsky, who taught him the law of God and instructed him in moral life. Then he will be mentioned in Pushkin’s diary as one of our smartest and kindest priests. That is, we see how Pushkin’s own life experience is reflected on the pages of The Captain’s Daughter.

Pushkin's personal experience comes to the surface in the most unexpected places. We remember well how Masha, having arrived in St. Petersburg, did not actually reach the capital, but stopped in Tsarskoe Selo, in Sofia, and lived there in the house of the postal station superintendent. And it is from there that she goes out to the park in the morning, meets with Catherine... But all this is historically impossible, because the postal station in Sofia, near Tsarskoye Selo, was created many years later than the possible meeting of Catherine II with Masha. Pushkin describes the Tsarskoe Selo Lyceum, Tsarskoe Selo of the 19th century. That’s where Sofia is, and that’s where all this is happening, which is historically completely impossible. But when Pushkin needs to express character through historical circumstances, he distorts them quite easily.

Another episode is connected with the same episode. Why is Masha dating Ekaterina? Was this meeting accidental? After all, the day before, the owner of the apartment where Masha was staying takes her around Tsarskoye Selo, shows her the sights, talks about the daily routine of the empress, who gets up at such and such an hour, drinks coffee, walks in the park at such and such an hour, and has lunch at such and such an hour and so on. An attentive reader should have realized that Masha went to the park for a reason for a walk early in the morning. Walking is bad for the young girl's health, the old woman tells her. She goes to meet the empress and knows very well who she met. They both pretend that an unknown provincial woman is dating an unknown court lady. In fact, both of them understand what is happening. Well, Ekaterina understands because Masha tells herself: who she is and what she is. But Masha knows who she is talking to. And thus her audacity increases in meaning. She contradicts not any lady at all, but the empress herself.

“The Captain's Daughter” is perhaps not only the great beginning of Russian literature, Russian prose, but also a thing that has survived eras. For example, Tvardovsky, the first poet of other times, of another era, said that, perhaps, there is nothing higher in Russian literature than “The Captain’s Daughter”, that here is the source of all that literature for which our fatherland is famous.

One of the approaches to The Captain's Daughter may be a sketch of Pushkin's plan, known as “The Son of an Executed Archer.” This is also a kind of prototype of a future novel, unfortunately not written. The action there takes place during the time of Peter the Great. And here's what's interesting. The bearer of the main moral meaning of this thing is not the daughter of the executed captain, but the daughter of the executed archer - executed by Peter. That is, the main characteristic of one of the main characters is still observed in this sketch. But there is a complicated history of family relationships, the substitution of one person for another. A reconstruction of this novel is possible, but for us the main thing is that the main, so to speak, spiritual motives of the thing that we know from “The Captain's Daughter” have already been stated there.

Anachronisms of manor life

Something in the novel is explained by the fact that it was published in Pushkin’s magazine Sovremennik. The magazine was intended for non-service patrimonial nobles and their families. And, it would seem, the life of the estate will not come to the surface in this magazine, which gives readers some kind of global perspective of life. There will be foreign publications and some scientific articles. And suddenly “The Captain’s Daughter”! The reader is very familiar with estate life, and therefore it seems like why?

Meanwhile, it turns out that the life of the estate is very deeply and correctly reflected in “The Captain's Daughter”. This is an estate from the pre-Pushkin era and, in a sense, is an image of earthly paradise. The hero’s happy childhood takes place in this earthly paradise. He plays with the children in the yard and goes hunting with his father. They don't drink there, don't spend their nights playing cards, and only play nuts. This is the paradise that remains in the hero’s consciousness for the rest of his life, the paradise that he wants to reproduce later, becoming a free, non-service landowner himself.

Those. the landowner here acts not as a gentleman, but rather as the head of the old peasant community, for whom the serf men and women are the same family that he must take care of, and this is the meaning of his life, his existence. This is a world where receiving and sending a letter is an event. This is a world where chronology is counted not from a general calendar, but from local incidents, for example, “the very year when Aunt Nastasya Gerasimovna fell ill.”

It's narrow, wonderful beautiful world. The time and space of the manor's house are cyclical, closed, everything here is predictable, if not for the subsequent sharp turns of the novel's plot. True, the attentive reader realizes that in describing the noble estate of the Grinevs, Pushkin uses his personal experience, which is not always applicable and correct in Catherine’s time. Many details in Grinev rather betray Pushkin, i.e. a person after all from a different historical era.

This is especially evident when the Frenchman Monsieur Beaupre appears at the Grinevsk estate, who, in general, in the 60s of the 18th century still had no place in the remote provincial Volga estate of the Simbirsk province. Those. theoretically this is conceivable, but the influx of French tutors will come later, when the Great French revolution, when Napoleon is defeated and a mass of unfortunate French people go to Russia for a piece of bread, just to survive. This is the Beaupre whom Pushkin knows, but whom, of course, Grinev did not know.

Here the difference between eras is very clearly visible. It was in Griboyedov-Pushkin times that there was an influx of these so-called teachers “in more numbers, at a cheaper price.” And such details are very often found in The Captain's Daughter. For example, Grinev knows a lot of things that his real peer from a provincial estate could not know, including the French language, details of Russian history, which were not yet known before the publication of Karamzin’s main work. This is all Pushkin’s personal experience in estate life, which Petrusha Grinev does not yet have at her disposal.

Conflict of justice and mercy

But let’s return to the question: why did Pushkin suddenly begin to remake his novel, having just put the last point, having just completed it? Apparently, because he was not satisfied with the moral potential that turned out to be inherent there. After all, in the end, the potential of "The Captain's Daughter" can be described as a confrontation between two main principles - justice and mercy.

Here, the bearer of the idea of ​​justice, legality, and state necessity is old man Grinev. For him, the concept of state necessity, of noble honor is the meaning of life. And when he is convinced that his son Petrusha betrayed his oath and took Pugachev’s side, he does not take any steps to save him. Because he understands the correctness of the punishment that follows.

Apparently, in the first version this was not the case at all. After all, Petrusha, the old man’s son, fought with the Pugachevites in front of his father’s eyes - he shot at them. Well, the famous episode of leaving the barn. And thus, the old man was convinced that he had not betrayed any oath. And, therefore, he needs to be saved. Therefore, he is slandered. And, perhaps, in the first version he was the main character saving his son.

And, apparently, this situation did not suit Pushkin. Because, as always, women became the bearers of his mercy. The hero's bride Masha and Catherine II. This is who the bearers of mercy were. And at the same time Masha Mironova came to the fore - direct continuation Onegin's Tatiana, the bearer of justice, not state rules, namely mercy, philanthropy. This is what probably forced Pushkin to immediately begin remaking the novel.

It was clear to him that in the conditions of state-legal relations, neither the plot nor even the plot of the novel could survive. In the missing chapter, which was not included in the main text of the novel and remained from the first version, we find an extremely interesting difference between the first and second editions and the version, between the first and second editions.

For example, old man Grinev lets Masha go to St. Petersburg not at all because he hopes that she will bother for the groom. He took it out of his heart. He's gone. He simply lets her go with the parting words: “God give you a good groom, not a branded criminal.” And for some reason he lets Savelich go with her. This is Savelich’s departure from the estate, this gift from old man Grinev to Masha - he gives his eager serf ex-fiancée ex-son - completely changes the situation. It turns out that Masha is in conspiracy with Petrusha’s mother, with the old man’s wife; they both know that she is going to ask for a groom, but he does not know. He remains in his irreconcilability towards his son, in his distance from the corrupted Catherine’s court, which he does not consider a moral authority. That is, this is the character who was the main character in the first edition. But this is not the main thing in “The Captain's Daughter”.

And that’s why the two editions talk about two stages of Pushkin’s consciousness. He moved towards a completely different prose, towards prose where the main actors were “heroes of the heart.” This is his term, this is a line from his poem “Hero”, written back in the 20s. And the fact that people who are extremely authoritarian and state-minded, such as Catherine II or the peasant Tsar Pugachev, show heroism of heart, mercy, this becomes the basis. Here, perhaps, we somewhere find the features of Pushkin, what he would have been like in the 40s and 50s if he had lived to that time. Here you can see the edge of a completely different Pushkin, opposing statehood in many of its manifestations. That is, he does not cease to be a lyric poet, and here we must take this into account.

“Naked prose” and the female gaze

When, already in his very mature years, Tolstoy reread Pushkin’s prose, he noticed that it was, of course, beautiful prose, but it seemed to him somehow a little “naked,” devoid of a lot of life details. And apparently this is true. Because Pushkin, and this is clearly visible in “The Captain’s Daughter,” relieves the reader of landscapes, descriptions of clothing, appearance, and some weather conditions. It only gives the meaning of what is happening and what reflects the character of the characters. This freedom of the reader, who is free to come up with the picture that is proposed, is, perhaps, the main strength of Pushkin’s prose.

The second feature of The Captain's Daughter is familiar to us from Eugene Onegin. The bearer of the author's view of life and circumstances is a woman. In the first case, Tatyana, in the second case, Masha, Maria Ivanovna. And it is she who, at the end of the novel, ceases to be a plaything of circumstances. She herself begins to fight for her happiness and for the happiness of her betrothed. Even to the point that she rejects the verdict of Catherine II, who says: “No, the empress cannot forgive Grinev, because he is a traitor.” “No,” Masha answers, and thus acts with such strength of independence, which not only in the 18th century, but even much later - in Tatyana’s and Onegin’s times was not characteristic of Russian women. She insists on her own against the royal will. Which, in general, also expresses a certain understanding by Pushkin of the role of adviser to the sovereign, which he imagined for himself and which did not come true. Even no matter what we're talking about, this is a continuation of Karamzin’s idea of ​​​​an adviser to the king - “the king is a confidant, not a slave.” This is what Masha gives out.

Despite the fact that Pushkin himself understands that this is not historical truth, this is pure fiction. And, in parallel with “The Captain’s Daughter,” he writes an article about Radishchev, where he gives the most important considerations about the 18th century. The fate of Radishchev, he writes, is a sign of “what harsh people surrounded Catherine’s throne.” They carried nothing with them except state concepts.

And so Masha, who is ahead not only of her century, but also of the future century, becomes Pushkin’s ideal, becomes, as it were, a prototype of those heroes and heroines who, perhaps, would have populated Pushkin’s poetry and prose - in the 40s, but God willing , and in the 50s.

A cloud, a storm and the challenge of fate

The description of the snowstorm in the second chapter of “The Captain's Daughter” is textbook; at school you had to learn this episode by heart, it is so textbook and very famous. The coachman, driving Grinev across the steppe, says: “Master, would you order me to return?” We have already noticed that a cloud on the horizon foreshadows a storm, but not only a storm. In line with the biblical tradition, a cloud that fell to the ground has a completely different meaning - the meaning of a sign that God bestows on the chosen people, letting them know where to go.

This is a very strong tradition in Russian literature. For example, the same Akhmatova said that “Onegin is an airy mass,” and this also goes back to this biblical image of a cloud showing the way.

In The Captain's Daughter, a cloud on the horizon is like a challenge from fate. There is Savelich, who says: “Master, let’s go back, drink some tea, go to bed and wait out the storm.” And on the other hand, Grinev, who says: “I don’t see anything wrong, let’s go!” And they find themselves in this terrible storm, in which they almost die.

And the symbolic meaning of this storm, which turns the whole action, is obvious. Well, let's say they came back. What would happen then? Then Grinev would not have met Pugachev and would normally have been executed after the capture of the Belogorsk fortress. This is the first thing a blizzard does. Meeting Pugachev and avoiding execution is again a challenge from fate, which rewards a person who goes towards danger. There is a lot of Pushkin in this. This idea of ​​challenging fate runs through all of his work, but this is a separate big topic, which can only be touched upon a little here. And so the cloud predetermines everything that will happen next: love, unhappy love, the capture of the fortress, execution, further difficulties and horrors of the hero’s biography - it all begins with a cloud.

The motive for challenging fate can be heard further - in the duel with Shvabrin, in his behavior before the execution, which, fortunately, did not take place, in the noble silence in the Investigative Commission, where he does not mention the name of his beloved... This is all defined as a response to the challenge of fate. The same thing happens to Masha, the bride, who avoids mortal danger, but is ready to sacrifice her life for the groom, for his parents in the denouement of the novel.

The biblical cloud leads to the fact that in the end evil is defeated, retreats, and good triumphs. And, in fact, traditionally this goodness crowns the narrative. However, human happiness, according to Pushkin, still remains within the limits of the general exile of the earthly, and here individual destinies clearly begin to border on the fate of the people, with their history.

“In the rank of a historical story”

At the end of the story, Pushkin puts into the mouth of his hero an aphorism that relates, perhaps, to the entire national life, as they say, from Gostomysl to our days. “God forbid we see a Russian rebellion, senseless and merciless.” This maxim, perhaps, finally confirms Pushkin’s novel in the rank of a historical story. Historical not in the sense of material, but in the sense of the idea of ​​history, and especially Russian history, in its original and very typical form.

The historical on the pages of “The Captain's Daughter” sounds, I would say, loudly. This is especially audible where the author, willingly or unwillingly, deviates from real, so to speak, documented history. For example, in one of the versions of the story, Pugachev completely anecdotally offers Grinev to serve in his army, and for this he undertakes to reward him with the title of Prince Potemkin.

Clearly, the humor lies in the fact that Pugachev does not understand the difference between a family title and a government position. Pushkin refuses this option, apparently because someone points out to him a historical mistake: by the time of Pugachev’s execution, Catherine, perhaps, does not even know about the existence of Potemkin, these are two different eras– the era of uprising and the era of Potemkin favoritism. So he refuses.

But in principle, Pushkin is still right, because in both states, Catherine’s and Pugachev’s, favoritism equally flourishes, which is especially obvious in Peter’s and post-Petrine Russia. Pushkin may be historically wrong, but he is absolutely right in line with the philosophy of history. The logic of history triumphs over chronology, and this in no way detracts from the merits of the literary text.

The same applies to the details of the biography of Pyotr Grinev. Petrusha, in a conversation with the impostor, with Pugachev, reveals knowledge of the details of the fall of False Dmitry I at the beginning of the 17th century, i.e. details of the Time of Troubles. In general, catching a poet with factual inaccuracies is, as a rule, a pointless exercise. It usually indicates our misunderstanding fiction or, to put it another way, a lack of understanding of the figurative fabric.

Sometimes you hear that you can study Russian history using The Captain's Daughter. Well, you can, of course, but you just need to understand the nature of the features of this study. We must be aware that the novel depicts this story as a whole, in a highly artistic sense. The author often neglects the authenticity of detail in the name of the authenticity of the artistic whole. Therefore, using The Captain's Daughter, you can study the entire Russian history as a whole, but not the history of the Pugachev rebellion, because here the author neglects the historical truth of the episode in the name of historical truth the whole, the entire Russian history, taken as a great centuries-old unity.

It is on the pages of the novel, as well as in the scenes of “Boris Godunov,” by the way, that Pushkin often abandons facts in favor of the generalized historical truth of the entire past as a whole. He thinks that with this amendment we should accept the artistic fabric of “The Captain’s Daughter” as the work of a great historian.

Neither in “The Captain's Daughter” nor in his other works did Pushkin create a complete history of Russia. Yes, in fact, he probably did not strive for this. But his great talent in the field of history is beyond doubt. Pushkin's thought illuminates such dark corners of history that are perhaps inaccessible to a professional historian limited by known facts. And therefore, our best, main historians have always recognized this ability in Pushkin, which, perhaps, they themselves did not fully possess. This was understood by such scientists as Sergei Mikhailovich Solovyov, Vasily Iosifovich Klyuchevsky, Sergei Fedorovich Platonov and many, many others.

Their colleague, Evgeniy Viktorovich Tarle, our famous academician, summed up their thoughts. He used to tell his students that Dantes’s shot deprived Russia not only of a brilliant writer, as Pushkin had already become during his lifetime, but also of the greatest historian, who had only barely felt the taste of science.

From Apuleius: “Shame and honor are like a dress: the more shabby they are, the more careless you treat them.” Quote according to ed. Apuleius. Apology. Metamorphoses. Florida. M., 1956, S. 9.

Pushkin A.S. Alexander Radishchev.

Literature

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