The story of I. S. Turgenev "Kasian with a beautiful sword". Summary and analysis of the work

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

The collection of I. S. Turgenev "Notes of a Hunter" is called the pearl of world literature. As A. N. Benois rightly noted: “This is, in its own way, a sad, but deeply exciting and complete encyclopedia about Russian life, Russian land, Russian people.” This is especially clearly seen in the story of Kasyan with the Beautiful Sword: “You go up the hill, and there is a river, and meadows, and a forest. See far away, far away.”

Analysis of the product

The story "Kasian with a Beautiful Sword", with a summary of which we will get acquainted in this article, was written in 1851. In it, the author highlights another side of the life of the people - the search for truth, which was characteristic of that time. The serf system could not suppress the feeling of patriotism and love for the motherland in the peasant. Kasyan, who came from half of Russia, admires the beauty of the Russian land: he visited "Sinbirsk - the glorious city", went to"Moscow - the golden dome". He had to be on the "Oka-nurse", and on the "Tsna-dove" and on the "Volga-mother". Many "peasants in bast shoes" roam the world and "are looking for the right." And Kasyan ends his story, full of love for his native land, with the words that “there is no justice in man.”

The patriotic feeling of the protagonist merges with pity for the "good peasants" enslaved by the bars. And Kasyan imagines the places free, where "the bird Gamayun lives", the leaves there in winter "from the trees" do not fall, and the person lives "in contentment and justice." When he tells the hunter about his dreams, his speech becomes "deliberately solemn." As the analysis and content of "Kasyan with a Beautiful Sword" shows, Turgenev made "truth-seeking" the main theme of the work. Thus, he showed the anti-serf mood of the heroes, since it was impossible to speak about it in full voice.

But the truth-seeking of the people is inextricably linked with social injustice. Kasyan, who was relocated from Rodnaya Krasivaya Mechi for the reason that the master bought the land there, rejects the ownership of the land, believing that this violates God's laws. Therefore, he was distrustful of the hunter, the master, dressed in a "German dress" and was silent all the way. And, of course, Kasyan's love for nature does not go unnoticed, it takes on some sublime, religious character.

Narrative features

Along with the ideological content, "Hunter's Notes" have one more feature - the image of a hunter - a narrator, on whose behalf the narration is being conducted. He is not an outsideran observer of events, but their participant, who does not hide his attitude towards the characters and never remains indifferent to their behavior, which he shares with the reader, as if involving him in the ongoing events. The author does not tell the reader his name. Getting down to the summary of "Kasyan with a Beautiful Sword", let's call him the "narrator" conditionally.

Sad procession

Returning from hunting on a cloudy summer day, the narrator was dozing in a shaking cart. But then the restless movements of the coachman caught his attention - he pulled the reins and began to shout at the horses. Looking around, the narrator saw on a narrow path that crossed their road, a funeral procession. A priest and a sexton rode in the cart, four men carried the coffin behind the cart, followed by two women and the younger one, monotonously and hopelessly wailed.

The coachman drove the horses to get ahead of the procession, meeting a dead person on the road is a bad omen. But before we had gone even a hundred paces, the cart tilted. The coachman, waving his hand, said that the axle had broken. While he was adjusting the wheel to get to Yuda's settlements, a sad procession came up with them. After silently following them with his eyes, the coachman said: "Martyn the carpenter is being buried." Having adjusted the wheel, he suggested that the narrator get into the cart in order to slowly get to the settlement. But he, refusing, went on foot.

Yudina settlement

We continue the summary of "Kasyan with a Beautiful Sword". Six rickety huts in settlements were built, obviously, recently, since not all of them were surroundedwattle. There is not a soul on the street. The narrator did not find anyone in the first hut, except for the cat, and went to the second house. In the yard, in the very sun, lay a boy. Nearby, under a canopy, stood a thin horse. He approached the sleeping child and began to wake him up. He raised his head and, seeing the master, immediately jumped to his feet, asking: “What do you need?”.

Amazed by his appearance, the narrator did not immediately answer the question. In front of him stood a dwarf in his fifties with a wrinkled face, barely noticeable eyes, the look of which was as strange as their owner. Recovering, he explained to the dwarf that they needed to get a new axle. The strange old man, having learned that he was a hunter, said in a surprisingly young voice that it was not good to shoot birds. He does not have an axle, but you can go for it to cuts (for clearing). Reluctantly getting up, the old man went out into the street. The coachman, seeing the old man, said that Martyn the carpenter had died, and asked why he, Kasyan, had not cured him? The coachman harnessed Kasyanov's horse, and they set off.

Kasian

Summary of the work "Kasyan with a Beautiful Sword" the narrator continues with a description of their trip to the cut with Kasyan. The horse, surprisingly, ran quickly. Yes, and Kasyan walked nimbly, justifying his nickname of Bloch. Having reached the cuts, they managed to get an axle from the clerks. The narrator knew that grouse often live in clearings, and went hunting. Kasyan, who had been silent all the way, suddenly asked to go with the master. On the way, he picked some herbs, and with a strange lookhe glanced at his fellow traveler, who, forgetting about hunting, looked more and more at Kasyan. He called to the birds, and they, not at all afraid of the dwarf, circled over him. Not finding any game, the hunters went to neighboring clearings. Seeing the corncrake, the narrator fired, and Kasyan, covering his eyes with his palm, whispered: “This is a sin, a sin.”

Unbearable heat drove them into the grove. Since Kasyan was no interlocutor and was still silent, the narrator lay down to rest under a tree. To his surprise, the old man spoke first, explaining that it is a sin to kill a forest bird, a domestic bird is another matter, it is determined by God for a person. Kasyan's speech sounded solemn and strange, not like a peasant. He said that he catches nightingales for human pleasure, does not sell, but gives. Kasyan was literate, but without a family. Moved them here from the Beautiful Sword. He missed his native land very much. Sometimes he treats people with herbs, for which he is called a doctor, with which he categorically disagrees. He failed to save Martyn, because they turned to Kasyan too late - the carpenter was no longer a tenant. The old man visited many cities, and other peasants go around the world, looking for the truth. “There is no justice in a man,” he summed up and sang softly.

Annushka

Let's continue the summary of "Kasyan with a Beautiful Sword" with a meeting with Annushka. Kasyan shuddered and began peering intently into the thicket. The narrator looked around and saw a little girl in a blue sundress with a wicker box in her hands. The old man called her affectionately. When shecame closer, it became clear that she was 13-14 years old. She was just thin, small, slender and very similar to Kasyan: the same deft movements, sharp features and a sly look. When asked if this was his daughter, Kasyan casually replied that she was a relative. At the same time, love and tenderness were read in his whole appearance.

Erofey's story

The return of the hunters completes the summary of "Kasian with a Beautiful Sword". The hunt failed, and they turned to settlements. On the way Kasyan said that it was he who took the game away. The narrator failed to convince him that this was impossible. Yerofey was waiting for him at the settlements, dissatisfied with the fact that he could not get anything to eat. Annushka was not in the hut, but there was a box with mushrooms. The coachman adjusted the new axle, and they drove out of the settlement. Dear Yerofei told him that he had known Kasyan for a long time. He is a wonderful person, he worked with his uncles, then he began to live at home, but he couldn’t sit - “certainly a flea.” Either he is silent like an owl, then suddenly he will start talking about God knows what. But he sings very well. His Annushka is an orphan, and no one knows her mother. But a good girl is growing up, Kasyan does not have a soul in her, just look - she decides to teach literacy. On the way, Erofei stopped several times to pour water over the heated axle. It was already dark when they returned home.

Conclusion

What should be noted after reading the summary of "Kasyan with a Beautiful Sword"? Turgenev showed, through the image of Kasyan, that the peasant is characterized by love for nature, in which he draws his strength, she gives him dreams of a better life andfreedom. Kasyan has merged with her so much that even in the forest he behaves like in his own home: either he “plucked some herbs”, or “called in common” with the birds. This causes in such people an extraordinary strength of spirit, which a person who has fallen out of nature is deprived of. Therefore, Kasyan's deep aesthetic feelings are inseparable from freedom-loving ideals. He dreams of free places where there would be not only fertile land, but meadows, forests, fields and rivers. Like on a Beautiful Sword - so that the boundless distances open to the gaze.