The story of I. S. Turgenev "Kasyan with Beautiful Swords." Summary and analysis of the work

The collection of I. S. Turgenev “Notes of the Hunter” is called the pearl of world literature. As A. N. Benois rightly remarked: “It is a kind of sad, but deeply exciting and complete encyclopedia about Russian life, the Russian land, and Russian people.” This is especially evident in Kasyan’s story with Beautiful Swords: “You will ascend a hill, and then a river, and meadows, and a forest. Far away, far away. ”

Analysis of the work

The story “Kasyan with Beautiful Swords”, a brief summary of which we will meet in this article, was written in 1851. In it, the author highlights another aspect of the life of the people - the legal search, characteristic of that time. The serfdom could not suppress the feeling of patriotism and love for the motherland in the peasant. Kasyan, the outgoing half of Russia, admires the beauty of the Russian land: he visited Sinbirsk - the glorious city, went to Moscow - the Golden Poppy. He had to visit the Oka-Nursery, the Tsne-Dove and the Volga Mother. Many “peasants in bast shoes” wander around the world and “look for the right”. And Kasyan ends his story, full of love for his native land, with the words that “there is no justice in a person”.

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

But the justice of the people is inextricably linked with social injustice. Kasyan, who was resettled with his native Beautiful Swords 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 reacted with disbelief to the hunter, the master, dressed in a "German dress" and was silent all the way. And, of course, Kasyan’s love for nature doesn’t go unnoticed; it takes on some sublime, religious character.

Narrative features

Along with the ideological content, “Notes of a hunter” have one more feature - the image of a hunter - a storyteller, on behalf of whom the narrative is being conducted. He is not an outside observer of events, but their participant, who does not hide his attitude to the heroes and never remains indifferent to their behavior, which is what he shares with the reader, as if involving him in the events that are taking place. The author does not give the reader his name. Getting to the summary of “Kasyan with Beautiful Swords”, we will call him conditionally “storyteller”.

Sad procession

Returning from the hunt on a summer cloudy day, the narrator was dozing in a shaking cart. But here he was attracted by the restless movements of the coachman, - he pulled the reins and began to shout at the horses. Looking around, the narrator saw on a narrow path that crossed their path, a funeral procession. A priest and a clerk rode in the cart, four peasants carried the coffin behind the cart, two women followed, and the younger one voted monotonously and hopelessly.

The coachman drove the horses to get ahead of the procession, to meet the dead man on the road - a bad omen. But not a hundred steps left, as the cart tilted. The coachman, with a wave of his hand, said that the axle had broken. While he was adjusting the wheel to get to the Yudin's settlements, a sad procession caught up with them. Silently glancing at them, the coachman said: "Martyn the carpenter is buried." Adjusting the wheel, he invited the narrator to get into the cart to slowly get to the settlement. But he refused, went on foot.

Yudin Settlement

We continue the summary of “Kasyana with Beautiful Swords”. The six rickety huts in the settlements were apparently set recently, since not all were surrounded by wattle fence. On the street - not a soul. In the first hut, the narrator found no one but a cat, and went to the second house. In the courtyard, in the hot spot, was a boy. Nearby, under a canopy, was a thin horse. He went to the sleeping child, and began to wake him. He raised his head and, seeing the master, immediately jumped to his feet, asking: "What is needed?"

Amazed by his appearance, the narrator did not immediately answer the question. In front of him stood a dwarf of about fifty with a wrinkled face, barely noticeable eyes, whose eyes were as strange as their owner. Recovering, he explained to the dwarf that they need to get a new axis. The strange old man, learning that he was a hunter, surprisingly in a young voice, said that it was not good to shoot the birds. He has no axle, but you can go for cuts (cutting down) behind it. Reluctantly, 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 hit the road.

Kasyan

The narrator continues the summary of the work “Kasyan with Beautiful Swords” with a description of his trip to Kasyan and Kasyan. The horse, surprisingly, was running soon. Yes, and Kasyan walked nimbly, justifying his nickname Flea. Upon reaching the pounding, they managed to get the axle from the bailiffs. The narrator knew that black grouse often found on clearings, and went hunting. Kasyan, who was silent all the way, suddenly asked to go with the master. On the way, he plucked some weed, and with a strange look looked at his companion, who had forgotten about the hunt, looked more and more at Kasyan. He echoed the birds, and they, completely unafraid of the dwarf, circled over him. Not finding any game, the hunters went to neighboring clearings. Seeing the corridor, the narrator fired, and Kasyan, covering his eyes with his hand, whispered: "This is sin, it is a sin."

Intolerable 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 was the first to speak, explaining that it was a sin to kill a forest bird, a domestic bird is another matter; it is determined by God for man. 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 familyless. They moved them here with Beautiful Swords. He was very homesick. Sometimes heals people with herbs, for which he is called a doctor, with which he categorically disagrees. He could not save Martyn, because they turned to Kasyan too late - the carpenter was no longer a tenant. The old man has visited many cities, and other peasants walk around the world, they are looking for the truth. “There is no justice in a man,” he summed up and sang softly.

Annushka

We continue the summary of “Kasyana with Beautiful Swords” meeting with Annushka. Kasyan winced and peered intently into the thicket. The narrator looked around and saw a little girl in a blue dress with a wicker body in her hands. The old man affectionately called her. When she came closer, it became clear that she was 13-14 years old. She was just thin, small, slim and very similar to Kasyan: the same clever movements, sharp features and a crafty look. When asked if this was his daughter, Kasyan replied casually that he was a relative. At the same time, love and tenderness were read in his entire appearance.

The story of Erofei

The summary of “Kasyana with Beautiful Swords” returns the hunters. The hunt failed, and they turned to the settlements. Kasyan said on the road that he had taken the game away. The narrator failed to convince him that this was impossible. At the settlements, Erofei was waiting for him, dissatisfied with the fact that he was not able to get something edible. Annushka was not in the hut, but there was a box of mushrooms. The coachman adjusted the new axis, and they left the settlement. Dear Erofei told him that he had known Kasyan for a long time. He’s a wonderful man, he worked with his uncles, then he began to live at home, but he didn’t sit - “certainly a flea”. It is silent like an owl, then suddenly the bride will talk about anything. But he sings very well. Annushka is an orphan, and no one knows her mother. But a good girl is growing, Kasyan doesn’t want a soul in her , and look at that - she’s going to think of reading and writing. Erofei stopped several times on the way to pour water over the heated axis. Already after dark they returned home.

Conclusion

What should be noted after reading the summary of “Kasyana with Beautiful Swords”? Turgenev showed, through the image of Kasyan, that the peasant is characterized by a love of nature, in which he draws his strength, she gives him dreams of a better life and freedom. Kasyan merged with her so much that he behaves in the forest as in his own home: either he “picked some grass,” or “echoed” with the birds. This conditions in such people an extraordinary fortitude, which is deprived of a person who has fallen from nature. 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 Beautiful Swords - so that the vast expanses were revealed to the eye.