The remarkable Russian writer of the 20th century V.V. very clearly builds the chronology of the novel and Pechorin’s path. Nabokov.
1. Around 1830, officer Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin received an appointment to the Caucasus in an active military unit. On the way from St. Petersburg, he stops in the small Crimean town of Taman. What happened to him became the plot of the chapter “Taman”. This is the third chapter of the novel.
2. Pechorin takes part in military operations against the highlanders, and “forays” - that’s what they were called then. After a certain period of service, he was entitled to leave, and on May 10, 1832, he came to rest “on the waters.” There, “on the waters,” in Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk, out of boredom, he tries to start an affair, and after an overheard conversation, he participates in the tragically unfolding events. They ended in a duel, and on June 17, 1832, he killed Grushnitsky in a duel. These events are described in the fourth chapter of “Princess Mary.”
3. In the fall of 1832, Pechorin arrives at a fortress located in Chechnya. He was transferred there on June 19. In the fortress, Pechorin meets staff captain Maxim Maksimych.
4. In December 1832, while serving in the fortress, Pechorin left for a Cossack village for two weeks. The story that happened there and which is the key to the theme of fate is described in the fifth, last story- “Fatalist.”
5. In the spring of 1833, Pechorin kidnaps a Circassian girl, hoping that this adventure will awaken in him an interest in life. Four and a half months later, the girl is killed by the highlander Kazbich. In December 1833, Pechorin left for Georgia, and then to St. Petersburg. These events take place in "Bel", in the chapter that opens the novel.
6. In the autumn of 1837, the narrator-traveler and Maxim Maksimych, heading north, make a stop in Vladikavkaz. By chance they meet Pechorin there, who is on his way to Persia. A touching scene takes place, which is described in the second chapter of “Maksim Maksimych”.
7. A year later, returning from Persia, Pechorin dies. The narrator-traveler posthumously publishes his journal, received from Maxim Maksimych. He mentions Pechorin's death in his preface (1841) to "Pechorin's Journal", which includes "Taman", "Princess Mary" and "Fatalist".
By breaking the chronology of events, the author realizes his creative plan - to reveal the history of Pechorin’s soul. He strives to emphasize the mystery of his hero, as well as to describe him comprehensively. It seems that the novel is finally completed: but note that Pechorin dies only according to rumors, and this remark leaves the ending of the novel partly open. Pechorin, even after his confession, even after stories from different points of view, remains a mystery to the reader. Features of the composition and ending help create such a performance.
1. Chronological sequence of events.
2. Mixing genres.
3. The meaning of the violation of chronology in the novel.
Accept the collection of motley heads,
Half funny, half sad,
She is simple relatives, ideal,
The careless fruit of my amusements,
Insomnia, light inspirations,
Immature and faded years,
Crazy cold observations
And hearts of sorrowful notes.
A. S. Pushkin
M. Yu. Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time” consists of five chapter stories. These chapters, in turn, are combined into two parts in accordance with the person on whose behalf the story is being told. In the first part, the narration is told from the perspective of the author and Maxim Maksimych. The second part is the diary of Pechorin himself, that is, a first-person story.
The arrangement of chapters in the novel does not coincide with the chronological sequence of events in the hero's life. Obviously, events developed this way. On the way to his destination in the Caucasus, Pechorin passed through Taman (chapter “Taman”). Some time later, after participating in a military expedition, Pechorin goes to Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk, where his duel with Grushnitsky takes place (chapter “Princess Mary”). Subsequently, by order of his superiors, Pechorin arrives at the fortress beyond the Terek under the command of Maxim Maksimych (head of Bel). Apparently, Pechorin was sent to the “line” for a duel. The bet with Vulich (chapter “Fatalist”) takes place in Cossack village, where Pechorin stayed for two weeks, leaving the fortress. After five years, Pechorin, who retired and is now idly traveling around the world, travels to Persia and in Vladikavkaz meets Maxim Maksimych (chapter “Maksim Maksimych”). Here the author of the novel had the opportunity to personally see the hero of his work. Returning from Persia to Russia, Pechorin dies (Preface to Pechorin's Journal).
It should also be noted that Lermontov’s novel is a complex fusion of elements from various genres. In “A Hero of Our Time” one can find the features of a novel describing morals, an adventure novel, a confessional novel, as well as features of a travel essay, a bivouac story, a secular story and a Caucasian short story. But let's return to the composition of the novel. Why did the author need such a bizarre game with time, when the events in the story do not follow each other the way they happened in real life? Time and its perception by the characters of the work in most cases are significant categories to understand the author's intention, the characters of the characters and the features of their life path. Lermontov's novel is no exception. On the one hand, the image of Pechorin embodied a number of typical features of the generation. Many situations described in the novel are also characteristic of a certain time, in particular the war in the Caucasus. But on the other hand, many of Pechorin’s deep experiences do not depend on the time in which this person lives. Boredom and thirst for activity, the desire to be loved, the thirst for power over others, admiration for the beauty of nature or the creation of a talented writer, impartial introspection - all this is timeless. And Lermontov sought not only to talk about the events that happened in Pechorin’s life, but also to show the features of his character, the movements of his soul, often invisible to others: “The history of the human soul, at least petty soul, almost more curious and not more useful than history a whole people..."
First, Lermontov shows his hero from the outside the way we all see the people around us. Maxim Maksimych communicated with Pechorin for quite a long time, knows about many of his oddities, while treating him with friendly affection. But, despite his sincere goodwill towards Pechorin, Maxim Maksimych does not understand him very well. This is not surprising - there is a big difference in age and social status, and most importantly, in worldview. The image of Maxim Maksimych is quite typical for his time and environment. This is an honest, executive officer, warm-hearted, a kind person, however, his range of interests is quite limited. In the eyes of Maxim Maksimych, Pechorin, a representative of secular society, adventurous and fickle in his hobbies, is a strange, mysterious person.
The complexity of the novel's composition was already evident in the first chapter of "Bela", which is built on the principle of a story within a story. This chapter-story plays the role of plotting: from it we learn about the main character of the novel. This is where it develops romantic story the love of an officer and the daughter of a Circassian prince, in which Pechorin’s character is clearly manifested: while there were obstacles on his way, his energy and ingenuity knew no rest, but as soon as Bela fell in love with him, he soon lost interest in her.
Maxim Maksimych narrates the external events of Pechorin’s life, which he witnessed; however, the staff captain does not understand the actions of his friend. Numerous questions that creep into the story “Bela” remain unanswered.
The author observed Pechorin for a much shorter time than Maxim Maksimych, and did not even communicate with him personally. However, Lermontov's view of his hero psychologically turns out to be deeper. The author not only knows a number of details of Pechorin’s life. He represents Maksim Maksimych better secular society, in which the hero of the novel revolved, so it is easier for him to understand the reasons why Pechorin’s character was formed in this particular way and not otherwise. The story “Maksim Maksimych” not only makes it possible to look at the hero through the eyes of a person who does not know him personally, and therefore free from any likes or dislikes, but also explains how the author of the novel got hold of Pechorin’s diary. In addition, this story clearly demonstrates Pechorin’s indifferent attitude towards the people around him, which he, however, does not deny in his notes.
The chapter “Taman” is a kind of mini-novel inside great work, romantic story about robbers, imbued with the spirit of an ominous and attractive mystery. This chapter reveals the driving forces of Pechorin's character - his thirst for activity, determination and courage, which force him to interfere in the lives of others simply out of curiosity.
The chapter “Princess Mary” is built on the principle diary entries— Pechorin indicated the date to which certain events and reflections related. In this chapter, significant space is given to the hero’s introspection. We not only become witnesses to events, but learn what prompted Pechorin to take certain actions, what he thinks on various issues, and even how he evaluates his own personality, his character, his purpose and the real state of affairs. The motive of Pechorin’s influence on those around him and on their destinies sounds even stronger. Close interaction with him forces people to reveal their true essence, but does not make anyone happier; on the contrary, it often becomes the cause of suffering.
The chapter “Fatalist” raises the problem of fate: is there predestination, can a person choose his own fate? Man’s opposition to fate, the motive of playing with fate and death have been repeatedly heard in literature. The theme of fate is undoubtedly not accidental in Lermontov's novel. Pechorin believes that he had a high purpose, but what is it? He never manages to find the answer to this question. At the end of the chapter "Fatalist" Pechorin returns to the fortress and tries to discuss the problem of predestination with Maxim
Maksimych, however, does not even understand the essence of the question. The narrative closes in a circle. The fortress to which Pechorin returns also appeared in the story “Bela”, with which the novel begins. The ring composition of the novel reflects the vicious circle of Pechorin’s search for the meaning of life.
At the same time, such a composition seems to make the hero immortal - the message about his death was lost somewhere in the middle of the novel, but after the long adventures narrated in Pechorin’s diary, the idea that this man had already died is relegated to the background .
The novel “A Hero of Our Time” is the first in Russian literature psychological novel, and one of the perfect examples of this genre. Psychological analysis The character of the main character is carried out in the complex compositional structure of the novel, the composition of which is bizarre in violation of the chronological sequence of its main parts. In the novel “A Hero of Our Time,” composition and style are subordinated to one task: to reveal the image of the hero of his time as deeply and comprehensively as possible, to trace the history of his inner life, since “the history of the human soul,” as the author states in the Preface to “Pechorin’s Journal,” - at least for the smallest soul, is almost more curious and useful than the history of an entire people, especially... when it... is written without a vain desire to arouse participation or surprise.” Consequently, the composition of this novel is one of its most important artistic features.
According to the true chronology, the stories should have been arranged as follows: “Taman”, “Princess Mary”, “Fatalist”, “Bela”, “Maksim Maksimych”, Preface to “Pechorin’s Journal”. Lermontov breaks the order of events and talks about them not in chronological order: “Bela”, “Maksim Maksimych”, Preface to “Pechorin’s Journal”, “Taman”, “Princess Mary”, “Fatalist”. This arrangement of parts of the novel, violating the chronological order, increases the plot tension, makes it possible to maximally interest the reader in Pechorin and his fate, gradually revealing his character in all its inconsistency and complexity.
The narration is told on behalf of three narrators: a certain traveling officer, staff captain Maxim Maksimych and, finally, Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin himself. The author resorted to this technique to highlight the events and character of the main character from different points of view, and as fully as possible. For Lermontov, these are not just three narrators, but three types of narrators: an outside observer of what is happening, a secondary character and participant in the events, as well as the main character himself. All three are dominated by the creator of the entire work - the author. We are presented not just three points of view, but three levels of comprehension of character, psychological revelation of the nature of the “hero of the time”, three measures of comprehension of the complex inner world extraordinary individuality. The presence of three types of narrators, their location during the narrative is closely linked to overall composition
In the story “Bela,” Maxim Maksimych begins the story about Pechorin: “He was a nice guy, I dare to assure you; just a little strange. After all, for example, in the rain, in the cold, hunting all day; everyone will be cold and tired, but nothing to him. And another time he sits in his room, smells the wind, assures him that he has a cold; the shutter knocks, he shudders and turns pale; and with me he went to hunt wild boar one on one; It happened that you wouldn’t get a word for hours at a time, but sometimes, as soon as he started talking, his stomach would rip from laughter... Yes, sir, he was very strange.”
Lermontov avoids local, dialect or Caucasian foreign words, deliberately using general literary vocabulary. The simplicity and accuracy of Lermontov's prose language were developed under the direct influence of Pushkin's prose.
Central to the story “Bela” is the story of Maxim Maksimych, included in the notes of a traveling officer. By putting the story of Pechorin and Bela into the mouth of the old Caucasian Maxim Maksimych, Lermontov highlighted the tragic devastation of Pechorin and at the same time contrasted him with integral character Russian person.
In the next story, “Maksim Maksimych,” the staff captain turns into a character. The narration continues on behalf of the author of the novel. Here is the only time in the entire book that the author meets the hero, Pechorin. This is necessary in order to realistically motivate detailed psychological picture Pechorin, included in the second story. The introduction of a second narrator into the fabric of the novel adjusts the focus of the image. If Maxim Maksimych views events as if through inverted binoculars, so that everything is in his field of vision, but everything is too general, then the officer-narrator zooms in on the image, translates it from general plan to a more enlarged one. However, as a storyteller, he has a drawback in comparison with the staff captain: he knows too little, content with only passing observations. The second story therefore basically confirms the impression made after reading the beginning of the novel: Pechorin is too indifferent to people, otherwise with his coldness he would not have offended Maxim Maksimych, who was so devoted to his friendship.
Pechorin is indifferent not only to Maxim Maksimych, but also to himself, giving the Journal to the staff captain. The narrator, observing Pechorin’s appearance, notes: “... I must say a few more words about his eyes. First of all, they didn't laugh when he laughed! Have you ever noticed such strangeness in some people?.. This is a sign of either an evil disposition or deep, constant sadness. Because of the half-lowered eyelashes, they shone with some kind of phosphorescent shine, so to speak. It was not a reflection of the heat of the soul or the playing imagination: it was a shine, like the shine of smooth steel, dazzling, but cold; his gaze, short, but penetrating and heavy, left the unpleasant impression of an immodest question and could have seemed impudent if he had not been so indifferently calm.” In the second story, the author, as it were, prepares the reader for the further “Pechorin’s Journal”, because he finds out how Pechorin’s notes fell into the hands of the author.
The second story is capable of irritating the reader’s imagination: what is true about Pechorin - is it an evil disposition or a deep, constant sadness? Only after this, having aroused an inquisitive interest in such an unusual character, forcing the reader, looking for an answer, to be attentive to every detail of the further story, the author changes the narrator, giving the floor to the most central character: as a narrator, he has undoubted advantages over his two predecessors, it’s not so easy knows about himself more than others, but is also able to comprehend his actions, motives, emotions, the subtlest movements of the soul - as rarely anyone can do this. Self-analysis is Pechorin’s strength and weakness, hence his superiority over people and this is one of the reasons for his skepticism and disappointment.
In the Preface to Pechorin's Journal, the author reports something that Pechorin himself could not report: Pechorin died while returning from a trip to Persia. This is how the author’s right to publish “Pechorin’s Journal”, consisting of three stories: “Taman”, “Princess Mary” and “Fatalist” is justified.
“Taman” is an action-packed story. In this story, everything is explained and resolved in the most ordinary and prosaic way, although initially Pechorin is perceived somewhat romantically and truly poetically, which is not surprising: Pechorin finds himself in an unusual and atypical situation for a noble hero. The poor hut with its inhospitable inhabitants on a high cliff near the Black Sea seems a mystery to him. And Pechorin invades this strange life of smugglers, incomprehensible to him, “like a stone thrown into a smooth spring” and “almost went to the bottom himself.” Pechorin’s sadly ironic exclamation sums up the truthful and bitter conclusion of the whole incident: “And what do I care about human joys and misfortunes, me, a traveling officer, and even on the road for official business!..”.
The second story, included in Pechorin’s Journal, “Princess Mary,” develops the theme of the hero of time surrounded by the “water society,” surrounded by which and in conflict with which Pechorin is shown.
In the story “Princess Mary” Pechorin appears to the reader not only as a memoirist-storyteller, but also as the author of a diary, a journal in which his thoughts and impressions are accurately recorded. This allows Lermontov to reveal the inner world of his hero with great depth. Pechorin's diary opens with an entry made on May 11, the day after his arrival in Pyatigorsk. Detailed descriptions of subsequent events constitute, as it were, the first, “Pyatigorsk” part of the story. The entry dated June 10 opens the second, “Kislovodsk” part of his diary. In the second part, events develop more rapidly, consistently leading to the climax of the story and the entire novel - the duel between Pechorin and Grushnitsky. For a duel with Grushnitsky, Pechorin ends up in the fortress of Maxim Maksimych. This is where the story ends. Thus, all the events of “Princess Mary” fit into a period of a little more than a month and a half. But the narration of these few days makes it possible for Lermontov to reveal with exceptional depth and completeness the contradictory image of Pechorin from the inside.
It is in “Princess Mary” that the hopeless despair and tragic hopelessness of Pechorin, an intelligent and gifted person crippled by his environment and upbringing, are most deeply shown.
Pechorin's past within the framework of "A Hero of Our Time" is of little interest to Lermontov. The author is almost not occupied with the question of the formation of his hero. Lermontov does not even consider it necessary to tell the reader what Pechorin did in St. Petersburg during the five years that passed after his return from the Caucasus and until his reappearance in Vladikavkaz (“Maxim Maksimych”) on his way to Persia. All Lermontov's attention is paid to revealing the inner life of his hero.
Not only in Russian, but also in world literature, Lermontov was one of the first to master the ability to capture and depict “the mental process of the emergence of thoughts,” as Chernyshevsky put it in an article about the early stories of Leo Tolstoy.
Pechorin consistently and convincingly reveals in his diary not only his thoughts and moods, but also the spiritual world and spiritual appearance of those with whom he meets. Neither the intonation of the interlocutor’s voice, nor the movements of his eyes, nor facial expressions escape his observation. Every word spoken, every gesture reveals Pechorin state of mind interlocutor. Pechorin is not only smart, but also observant and sensitive. This explains his ability to understand people well. The portrait characteristics in Pechorin's Journal are striking in their depth and accuracy.
Nature and landscape in “A Hero of Our Time,” especially in “Pechorin’s Journal,” are very often not only a backdrop for human experiences. The landscape directly clarifies the human condition, and sometimes contrastingly emphasizes the discrepancy between the hero’s experiences and the surrounding environment.
Pechorin’s first meeting with Vera is preceded by a thunderous landscape saturated with electricity: “It was getting hot; white shaggy clouds quickly fled from the snowy mountains, promising a thunderstorm; Mashuk's head was smoking like an extinguished torch; Around him, gray wisps of clouds curled and crawled like snakes, detained in their quest and as if caught in the thorny bushes. The air was filled with electricity."
Pechorin’s contradictory state before the duel is characterized by the duality of the images and colors of the morning landscape of the outskirts of Kislovodsk: “I don’t remember a bluer and fresher morning! The sun barely appeared from behind the green peaks, and the merging of the first warmth of its rays with the dying coolness of the night brought a kind of sweet languor to all the senses.”
The same technique of contrasting lighting is used in the description mountain landscape, surrounding the duelists who had climbed to the top of the rock: “All around, lost in the golden fog of the morning, the tops of the mountains crowded like a countless herd, and Elbrus in the south stood up as a white mass, closing the chain of icy peaks, between which fibrous clouds that had come from the east were already wandering, but I walked to the edge of the platform and looked down, my head almost started spinning; there, below, it seemed dark and cold, as if in a coffin: the mossy teeth of rocks, thrown down by thunderstorms and time, were awaiting their prey.”
Pechorin, who knows how to accurately define his every thought, every state of mind, restrainedly and sparingly reports about his return from the duel in which Grushnitsky was killed. A brief, expressive description of nature reveals to the reader Pechorin’s difficult state: “The sun seemed dim to me, its rays did not warm me.”
The last story of “Pechorin’s Journal” is “Fatalist”. The tragic death of Vulich, as it were, prepares the reader of “Fatalist” for the inevitable and near death Pechorin, which the author has already reported in the Preface to the “Pechorin Journal”.
In this story, the question of fate and predestination is posed by Lermontov on completely real, even everyday material. In idealistic philosophical literature, in stories, tales and novels of the 20s and especially the 30s, during the period of intensified European reaction, much attention was paid to this issue. The key to the ideological plan of “Fatalist” is Pechorin’s monologue, which combines the first part of the story with its second part, in which we're talking about about the death of Vulich. Pechorin’s reflections in this monologue seem to sum up the entire “Pechorin’s Journal” and even the novel “A Hero of Our Time” as a whole.
It was in “The Fatalist” that Pechorin soberly and courageously discerned the source of many of his troubles, saw the cause of evil, but not the nature of temptation: “In my first youth I was a dreamer; I loved to caress the alternately gloomy and rosy images that my restless and greedy imagination painted for me. But what does this leave me with? only fatigue, as after a night battle with ghosts, and a vague memory filled with regrets. In this vain struggle I exhausted both the heat of my soul and the constancy of will necessary for real life; I entered this life having already experienced it mentally, and I felt bored and disgusted, like someone who reads a bad imitation of a book he has long known.”
M. Yu. Lermontov worked on the novel “A Hero of Our Time” in 1838-1840. The idea to write a novel was born during the writer’s exile in the Caucasus in 1838. The first parts of the novel were published within one year in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski. They aroused interest from readers. Lermontov, seeing the popularity of these works, combined them into one big novel.
In the title, the author sought to justify the relevance of his creation for his contemporaries. The 1841 edition also included a preface by the writer in connection with the questions that arose among readers. We bring to your attention a summary of “A Hero of Our Time” chapter by chapter.
Main characters
Pechorin Grigory Alexandrovich- the central character of the entire story, officer tsarist army, a sensitive and sublime nature, but selfish. Handsome, superbly built, charming and intelligent. He is burdened by his arrogance and individualism, but does not want to overcome either one or the other.
Bela- daughter of a Circassian prince. Treacherously kidnapped by her brother Azamat, she becomes Pechorin's lover. Bela is beautiful and smart, pure and straightforward. She dies from the dagger of the Circassian Kazbich, who is in love with her.
Mary(Princess Ligovskaya) is a noble girl whom Pechorin met by chance and did his best to make her fall in love with him. Educated and smart, proud and generous. The break with Pechorin becomes a deep tragedy for her.
Maxim Maksimych- officer of the tsarist army (with the rank of staff captain). Kind and fair man, Pechorin’s boss and close friend, an involuntary witness to his love affairs and life conflicts.
Narrator- a passing officer who became a casual acquaintance of Maxim Maksimovich and listened and wrote down his story about Pechorin.
Other characters
Azamat- Circassian prince, an unbalanced and selfish young man, Bela’s brother.
Kazbich- a young Circassian who fell in love with Bela and became her killer.
Grushnitsky- a young cadet, a proud and unrestrained man. Pechorin's rival, killed by him in a duel.
Faith- Pechorin's former lover, appears in the novel as a reminder of his past in St. Petersburg.
Undine- a nameless smuggler who amazed Pechorin with her appearance (“undine” is one of the names of mermaids; the reader will never know the girl’s real name).
Yanko- smuggler, friend of Ondine.
Werner- doctor, smart and educated person, an acquaintance of Pechorin.
Vulich- officer, Serb by nationality, young and gambler, an acquaintance of Pechorin.
Preface
In the preface, the author addresses the readers. He says that readers were struck by the negative traits of the main character of his work and blame the author for this. However, Lermontov points out that his hero is the embodiment of the vices of his time, therefore he is modern. The author also believes that readers cannot be fed sweet stories and fairy tales all the time; they must see and understand life as it is.
The action of the work takes place in the Caucasus in early XIX century. Partially in this area Russian Empire military operations are underway against the highlanders.
Part one
I. Bela
This part begins with the fact that the narrator-officer meets on his way to the Caucasus the middle-aged staff captain Maxim Maksimych, who makes a positive impression on him. The narrator and the staff captain become friends. Finding themselves in a snowstorm, the heroes begin to remember the events of their lives, and the staff captain talks about a young officer whom he knew about four and a half years ago.
This officer's name was Grigory Pechorin. He was handsome in face, stately and intelligent. However, he had a strange character: he either complained about trifles, like a girl, or fearlessly rode a horse over the rocks. Maxim Maksimych at that time was the commandant of the military fortress, in which this mysterious young officer served under his command.
Soon the sensitive captain noticed that his new subordinate began to feel sad in the wilderness. Being a kind man, he decided to help his officer unwind. At that time he was just invited to a wedding eldest daughter Circassian prince, who lived near the fortress and sought to establish a good relationship with royal officers.
At the wedding, Pechorin took a liking to the prince’s youngest daughter, the beautiful and graceful Bela.
Escaping from the stuffiness in the room, Maxim Maksimych went outside and became an involuntary witness to the conversation that took place between Kazbich, a Circassian with the appearance of a robber, and Bela’s brother Azamat. The latter offered Kazbich any price for his magnificent horse, proving that he was even ready to steal his sister for him for the horse. Azamat knew that Kazbich was not indifferent to Bela, but the proud Circassian Kazbich only waved away the annoying young man.
Maxim Maksimych, having listened to this conversation, inadvertently retold it to Pechorin, not knowing what his young colleague was up to.
It turned out that Pechorin later invited Azamat to steal Bela for him, promising in return that Kazbich’s horse would become his.
Azamat fulfilled the agreement and took his beautiful sister to the fortress to Pechorin. When Kazbich drove the sheep into the fortress, Pechorin distracted him, and at that time Azamat stole his faithful horse Karagez. Kazbich vowed to take revenge on the offender.
Later, news came to the fortress that Kazbich had killed the Circassian prince, the father of Bela and Azamat, suspecting him of complicity in the theft of his horse.
Meanwhile, Bela began to live in Pechorin’s fortress. He treated her with unusual care, without offending her either in word or deed. Pechorin hired a Circassian woman who began to serve Bela. Pechorin himself, with affection and pleasant treatment, won the heart of the proud beauty. The girl fell in love with her kidnapper. However, having achieved the beauty’s favor, Pechorin lost interest in her. Bela felt a cooling on the part of her lover and began to be greatly burdened by this.
Maxim Maksimych, having fallen in love with a girl, how my own daughter, tried with all his might to console her. One day, when Pechorin left the fortress, the staff captain invited Bela to take a walk with him outside the walls. From a distance they saw Kazbich riding Bela's father's horse. The girl became afraid for her life.
Some more time passed. Pechorin communicated with Bela less and less, she began to feel sad. One day Maxim Maksimych and Pechorin were not in the fortress, when they returned, they noticed from afar the prince’s horse and Kazbich in the saddle, who was carrying some kind of bag on it. When the officers chased after Kazbich, the Circassian opened the bag and raised a dagger over it. It became clear that he was holding Bela in the bag. Kazbich abandoned his prey and quickly galloped away.
The officers drove up to the mortally wounded girl, carefully lifted her and took her to the fortress. Bela was able to live two more days. In her delirium, she remembered Pechorin, talked about her love for him and regretted that she and Grigory Alexandrovich were in different faiths, therefore, in her opinion, they would not be able to meet in heaven.
When Bela was buried, Maxim Maksimych no longer spoke about her with Pechorin. Then the elderly staff captain came to the conclusion that Bela’s death was the best way out from the current situation. After all, Pechorin would eventually leave her, and she would not be able to survive such a betrayal.
After serving in the fortress under the command of Maxim Maksimych, Pechorin left to continue it in Georgia. He gave no news about himself.
This is where the staff captain's story ended.
II. Maxim Maksimych
The narrator and Maxim Maksimych parted, each went about his own business, but soon they unexpectedly met again. Maxim Maksimych excitedly said that he had met Pechorin completely unexpectedly again. He learned that he had now retired and decided to go to Persia. The elderly staff captain wanted to communicate with an old friend whom he had not seen for about five years, but Pechorin did not at all strive for such communication, which greatly offended the old officer.
Maxim Maksimych could not sleep all night, but in the morning he decided to talk to Pechorin again. But he showed coldness and ostentatious indifference. The staff captain was greatly saddened.
The narrator, having seen Pechorin in person, decided to convey to the readers his impressions of his appearance and demeanor. He was a man of average height with a beautiful and expressive face, which women always liked. He knew how to behave in society and speak. Pechorin dressed well and without provocation, his suit emphasized the slenderness of his body. However, what was striking about his entire appearance was his eyes, which looked at his interlocutor coldly, heavily and penetratingly. Pechorin practically did not use gestures in communication, which was a sign of secrecy and distrust.
He left quickly, leaving only vivid memories of himself.
The narrator informed the readers that Maxim Maksimych, seeing his interest in Pechorin’s personality, gave him his journal, that is, his diary. For some time the diary lay idle with the narrator, but after Pechorin’s death (he died suddenly at the age of twenty-eight: having unexpectedly fallen ill on the way to Persia), the narrator decided to publish some parts of it.
The narrator, addressing the readers, asked them for leniency towards Pechorin’s personality, because he, despite his vices, was at least sincere in his detailed description their.
Pechorin's Journal
I. Taman
In this part, Pechorin talked about what he thought was a funny adventure that happened to him in Taman.
Arriving at this little-known place, he, due to his characteristic suspicion and insight, realized that the blind boy with whom he was staying for the night was hiding something from those around him. Following him, he saw that the blind man was meeting with beautiful girl, which Pechorin himself calls Undine (“mermaid”). The girl and boy were waiting for the man they called Yanko. Yanko soon appeared with some bags.
The next morning, Pechorin, spurred by curiosity, tried to find out from the blind man what kind of bundles his strange friend had brought. The blind boy was silent, pretending that he did not understand his guest. Pechorin met with Ondine, who tried to flirt with him. Pechorin pretended to succumb to her charms.
In the evening, together with a Cossack he knew, he went on a date with a girl on the pier, ordering the Cossack to be on the alert and, if something unexpected happened, to rush to his aid.
Together with Ondine, Pechorin boarded the boat. However, their romantic journey was soon cut short when the girl tried to push her companion into the water, despite the fact that Pechorin did not know how to swim. The motives for Ondine's behavior are understandable. She guessed that Pechorin understood what Yanko, the blind boy and she were doing, and therefore he could inform the police about the smugglers. However, Pechorin managed to defeat the girl and throw her into the water. Ondine knew how to swim quite well, she rushed into the water and swam towards Yanko. He took her aboard his boat, and soon they disappeared into the darkness.
Returning after such a dangerous voyage, Pechorin realized that the blind boy had stolen his things. The adventures of the past day entertained the bored hero, but he was unpleasantly annoyed that he could have died in the waves.
In the morning the hero left Taman forever.
Part two
(end of Pechorin's journal)
II. Princess Mary
Pechorin spoke in his journal about life in the city of Pyatigorsk. He was bored with provincial society. The hero was looking for entertainment and found it.
He met the young cadet Grushnitsky, a hot and ardent young man in love with the beautiful Princess Mary Ligovskaya. Pechorin was amused by the feeling young man. In the presence of Grushnitsky, he began to talk about Mary as if she were not a girl, but a racehorse, with its own advantages and disadvantages.
At first, Pechorin irritated Mary. At the same time, the hero liked to anger the young beauty: either he tried to be the first to buy an expensive carpet that the princess wanted to buy, or he expressed evil hints towards her. Pechorin proved to Grushnitsky that Mary belongs to the breed of those women who will flirt with everyone and marry a worthless man, at the behest of their mother.
Meanwhile, Pechorin met Werner in the city, a local doctor, an intelligent but bilious man. The most ridiculous rumors circulated around him in the city: someone even considered him the local Mephistopheles. Werner liked this exotic fame, and he supported it with all his might. Being an insightful person, the doctor foresaw the future drama that could occur between Pechorin, Mary and the young cadet Grushnitsky. However, he did not elaborate on this topic.
Meanwhile, events took their course, adding new touches to the portrait of the main character. A socialite and relative of Princess Mary, Vera, came to Pyatigorsk. Readers learned that Pechorin was once passionately in love with this woman. She also retained a bright feeling for Grigory Alexandrovich in her heart. Vera and Gregory met. And here we saw a different Pechorin: not a cold and angry cynic, but a man of great passions, who had not forgotten anything and felt suffering and pain. After meeting Vera, who, being married woman, could not connect with the hero who was in love with her, Pechorin jumped into the saddle. He galloped over mountains and valleys, greatly exhausting his horse.
On an exhausted horse, Pechorin accidentally met Mary and frightened her.
Soon Grushnitsky, with ardent feeling, began to prove to Pechorin that after all his antics he would never be received in the princess’s house. Pechorin argued with his friend, proving the opposite.
Pechorin went to the ball with Princess Ligovskaya. Here he began to behave unusually courteously towards Mary: he danced with her like a wonderful gentleman, protected her from a tipsy officer, and helped her cope with fainting. Mother Mary began to look at Pechorin with different eyes and invited him to her house as a close friend.
Pechorin began to visit the Ligovskys. He became interested in Mary as a woman, but the hero was still attracted to Vera. On one of their rare dates, Vera told Pechorin that she was terminally ill with consumption, so she asked him to spare her reputation. Vera also added that she always understood the soul of Grigory Alexandrovich and accepted him with all his vices.
Pechorin, however, became close to Mary. The girl admitted to him that she was bored with all the fans, including Grushnitsky. Pechorin, using his charm, out of nothing to do, made the princess fall in love with him. He couldn’t even explain to himself why he needed this: either to have fun, or to annoy Grushnitsky, or perhaps to show Vera that someone needed him too and, thereby, to provoke her jealousy.
Gregory succeeded in what he wanted: Mary fell in love with him, but at first she hid her feelings.
Meanwhile, Vera began to worry about this novel. On a secret date, she asked Pechorin never to marry Mary and promised him a night meeting in return.
Pechorin began to get bored in the company of both Mary and Vera. He was tired of Grushnitsky with his passion and boyishness. Pechorin deliberately began to behave provocatively in public, which caused tears from Mary, who was in love with him. People thought he was an immoral madman. However, the young Princess Ligovskaya understood that by doing so he only bewitched her more.
Grushnitsky began to get seriously jealous. He understood that Mary’s heart was given to Pechorin. He was also amused by the fact that Grushnitsky stopped greeting him and began to turn away when he appeared.
The whole city was already talking about the fact that Pechorin would soon propose to Mary. The old princess - the girl's mother - was expecting matchmakers from Grigory Alexandrovich from day to day. But he did not want to propose to Mary, but wanted to wait until the girl herself confessed her love to him. On one of the walks, Pechorin kissed the princess on the cheek, wanting to see her reaction. The next day, Mary confessed her love to Pechorin, but in response he coldly noted that he did not have any loving feelings for her.
Mary felt deeply humiliated by the words of her loved one. She was waiting for anything, but not this. The heroine realized that Pechorin laughed at her out of boredom. She compared herself to a flower that an angry passer-by picked and threw on the dusty road.
Pechorin, describing in his diary the scene of the explanation with Mary, discussed why he acted so basely. He wrote that he did not want to get married because a fortune teller once told his mother that her son would die from an evil wife. In his notes, the hero noted that he values his own freedom above all else, and is afraid to be noble and seem funny to others. And he simply believes that he is not capable of bringing happiness to anyone.
A famous magician has arrived in town. Everyone hurried to his performance. Only Vera and Mary were absent there. Pechorin, driven by passion for Vera, late in the evening went to the Ligovskys’ house, where she lived. In the window he saw the silhouette of Mary. Grushnitsky tracked down Pechorin, believing that he had an appointment with Mary. Despite the fact that Pechorin managed to return to his house, Grushnitsky is full of resentment and jealousy. He challenged Grigory Alexandrovich to a duel. Werner and a dragoon unfamiliar to Pechorin acted as seconds.
Before the duel, Pechorin could not calm down for a long time; he reflected on his life and realized that he had brought good to few people. Fate has prepared for him the role of executioner for many people. He killed some with his words, and others with his deeds. He loved with insatiable love only himself. He was looking for a person who could understand him and forgive him everything, but not a single woman or man could do this.
And so he received a challenge to a duel. Perhaps his rival will kill him. What will remain after him in this life? Nothing. Only empty memories.
The next morning, Werther tried to reconcile Pechorin and his opponent. However, Grushnitsky was adamant. Pechorin wanted to show generosity to his opponent, hoping for his reciprocity. But Grushnitsky was angry and offended. As a result of the duel, Pechorin killed Grushnitsky. To hide the fact of the duel, the seconds and Pechorin testified that the young officer was killed by the Circassians.
However, Vera realized that Grushnitsky died in a duel. She confessed to her husband her feelings for Pechorin. He took her out of town. In an attempt to catch up with Vera, he drove his horse to death.
Returning to the city, he learned that rumors about the duel had leaked into society, so he was assigned a new duty station. He went to say goodbye to Mary and her mother's house. The old princess offered him the hand and heart of her daughter, but Pechorin rejected her proposal.
Left alone with Mary, he humiliated this girl’s pride so much that he himself felt unpleasant.
III. Fatalist
The final part of the novel tells that Pechorin, on business, ended up in the Cossack village. One evening there was a dispute among the officers as to whether there was a fatal confluence of circumstances in a person's life. Is a person free to choose his own life or is his fate “predetermined from above”?
During a heated argument, the Serb Vulich took the floor. He stated that, according to his convictions, he is a fatalist, that is, a person who believes in fate. Therefore, he was of the opinion that if it was not given to him to die from above tonight, then death would not take him, no matter how much he himself strived for it.
To prove his words, Vulich offered a bet: he would shoot himself in the temple; if he was right, he would remain alive, and if he was wrong, he would die.
None of those gathered wanted to agree to such strange and terrible terms of the bet. Only Pechorin agreed.
Looking into the eyes of his interlocutor, Pechorin firmly said that he would die today. Then Vulich took a pistol and shot himself in the temple. The gun misfired. Then he fired a second shot to the side. The shot was a combat shot.
Everyone began to loudly discuss what had happened. But Pechorin insisted that Vulich would die today. Nobody understood his persistence. Disgruntled, Vulich left the meeting.
Pechorin walked home through the alleys. He saw a pig lying on the ground, cut in half by a saber. Eyewitnesses told him that one of their Cossacks, who likes to take a drink from a bottle, was doing this kind of weird thing.
In the morning, Pechorin was woken up by officers and told him that Vulich had been hacked to death at night by this same drunken Cossack. Pechorin felt uneasy, but he also wanted to try his luck. Together with other officers, he went to catch the Cossack.
Meanwhile, the Cossack, having sobered up and realized what he had done, was not going to surrender to the mercy of the officers. He locked himself in his hut and threatens to kill anyone who gets in there. At mortal risk, Pechorin volunteered to punish the brawler. He climbed into his hut through the window, but remained alive. The Cossack was tied up by officers who arrived in time.
After such an incident, Pechorin had to become a fatalist. However, he was in no hurry to draw conclusions, believing that everything in life is not as simple as it seems from the outside.
And the kindest Maxim Maksimych, to whom he retold this story, noticed that pistols often misfire, and what is written in one’s family will happen. The elderly staff captain also did not want to become a fatalist.
This is where the novel ends. Reading brief retelling"A Hero of Our Time", do not forget that the work itself is much more interesting than the story about its main episodes. So read this famous work M.Yu. Lermontov and enjoy what you read!
Conclusion
Lermontov’s work “Hero of Our Time” has remained relevant for readers for almost two hundred years. And this is not surprising, because the work touches on the most important life problems human existence on earth: love, personal destiny, fate, passion and faith in higher powers. This work will not leave anyone indifferent, which is why it is included in the treasury classical works Russian literature.
Novel test
After reading summary Lermontov's works - try to pass the test:
Retelling rating
Average rating: 4.5. Total ratings received: 15365.
The history of the human soul, even the smallest soul, is almost more curious than the history of an entire people. M.Yu. Lermontov
Still from the film "Pages of Pechorin's Journal", directed by Anatoly Efros; in the role of Pechorin - Oleg Dal. Photo source - TV channel "Culture"
The novel "A Hero of Our Time" was created between 1838 and 1840. It became a continuation of the novel "Princess Ligovskaya" written but not completed by Lermontov in 1837. The sources of “Hero of Our Time” were the “Caucasian” works of A.A. in Russian literature. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky (" Ammalat-bek", "Mulla-Nur", "Letters from Dagestan") and the poem by A.S. Pushkin " Prisoner of the Caucasus", V foreign literature- Alfred de Musset's novel "Confession of a Son of the Century" (in this case, even the ideological similarity of the names is obvious).
"Hero of our time" - the first psychological novel in Russian literature and, of course, Lermontov's most profound work. Genre The work sparked debate among critics of the 19th and 20th centuries:
A) Version by V.G. Belinsky: this is a socio-psychological novel, an example of psychological prose; the image and behavior of the hero are motivated by social reasons.
B) A.I. version Herzen: this is a “novel of thought”, philosophical novel, an example of intellectual prose: in the center of the novel is the hero’s confession, an attempt at self-knowledge, an attempt to answer critical issues the meaning of being and the existence of predetermination of fate.
IN) Version B.M. Eikhenbaum: this is not a novel, but a cycle of stories: each chapter is a plot-complete work with an independent genre nature; the stories are united only by the image of the main character.
G) B.T. version Udodova: "Hero of Our Time" contains signs polyphonic novel * . Main character In the novel, Pechorin is shown from several equal points of view - from the point of view of the narrator, from the point of view of Maxim Maksimych, from the position of the hero’s introspection, and also from the position of Vera: in his farewell letter(chapter “Princess Mary”) she gives an exhaustive description of Pechorin; besides, Pechorin has double heroes , parodicly reflecting some aspects of his character - these are Grushnitsky, Doctor Werner, Vulich. It is thanks to the listed characteristics that the image of the main character acquires a volume unprecedented in Russian literature.
Composition of the novel and violation of chronology
The whole trick of such a composition is to bring Pechorin closer to us over and over again, until finally he himself speaks to us, but by then he will no longer be alive.
V.V. Nabokov
The novel is structured in such a way that the reader gradually comprehends the character of Pechorin. The chapters in the novel are not located in chronological order, but in the “order of telling”. Lermontov's task is not to trace life path hero, but to draw his psychological portrait. Therefore, Pechorin is shown in five extreme situations, in which his human qualities are revealed with maximum strength. The novel has a chronology of events (in their logical sequence) and a chronology of storytelling (see table). Each subsequent chapter of the novel is more difficult than the previous one.: if the first chapter of “Bel” is of an adventurous nature, then in the last chapter “Fatalist” the “final questions” are posed and resolved human existence", and the image of Pechorin is given in the context not love adventure, but the most complex philosophical problems.
The narrative is determined not by external events, but by the logic of deepening into the character of the hero. Each chapter tells about some intense, critical moment in the hero’s life, when he overcomes mortal dangers and each time reveals new qualities of his personality.
“A hero of our time... is a portrait made up of the vices of our entire generation,” writes Lermontov. Pechorin, on the one hand, continues the theme of the “superfluous man” begun by Pushkin in the novel “Eugene Onegin”; on the other hand, Pechorin is an individualist hero with heightened self-awareness, with a great tendency for introspection and reflection (this was not the case with Onegin). At the core of his personality are egoism and doubt, and from them flow ethical principles hero. For example, Pechorin does not believe in friendship, believing that “in friendship one is always the slave of another”; does not believe in happiness, believing that it is nothing more than “saturated pride”; considers himself the creator of his own destiny and therefore the only judge of his actions. If Pushkin's Onegin was bored and mopey, then Pechorin strives to act without really thinking about the consequences of his actions for other people. Always ready to put his life at mortal risk, he does not spare others, be it his beloved Bela or his friend Grushnitsky. Being changeable in feelings, he does not think about what he means to others: to Mary, Vera, Maxim Maksimych.
Violating the chronology allows you to weaken the plot intrigue and be more attentive to the internal state of the hero. Already in the middle of the novel we learn that Pechorin died while returning from Persia. Therefore, the events associated with the attempt to kill Pechorin in the chapter "Taman", with the duel in the chapter "Princess Mary" or the capture of a drunken Cossack killer, predictably cannot end with the death of Pechorin: the reader already knows exactly how and when the hero of the novel will die, therefore more important acquire the motives of his actions and their introspection.
False in the novel open ending: the novel ends, as it were, in the middle, leaving the hero and the reader with the question of whether a person’s fate is predetermined or whether he controls his own life.
Following Pechorin gallery " extra people" continued Beltov (A.I. Herzen's novel "Who is to Blame?"), Rudin (I.S. Turgenev's novel "Rudin"), Lavretsky (I.S. Turgenev's novel " Noble Nest"), Oblomov (novel by I.A. Goncharov "Oblomov").
* WHAT IS A POLYPHONIC NOVEL?
The term "polyphonic novel" was introduced in the 1920s. the great Russian literary critic Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin. The polyphonic novel is based on dialogue of ideas and consciousnesses. Dialogue is the main form of ancient philosophical works, and therefore dialogue is the foundation of a polyphonic novel.
The word "polyphonic" means "many-voiced". A polyphonic novel, firstly, combines features of various genres. Secondly, in a polyphonic novel the author does not rise above the heroes: the author’s point of view is either hidden or sounds like one of equal rights. Thirdly, a polyphonic novel is distinguished by dialogical. Each idea put forward by the characters is tested in dialogue, in comparison with other ideas. This is how the writer brings the reader closer to knowledge of the truth. Fourthly, any there are no final conclusions in a polyphonic novel; its ending is fundamentally open. Fifthly, Bakhtin also identifies such a feature of the polyphonic novel as carnivalesque. Carnival is life in reverse. The heroes of the novels (like carnival kings who are first crowned and then beaten) try on roles that are unusual for them, and in the end they fail.
