Leo Tolstoy in vain is considered a purely serious, "adult" writer. In addition to War and Peace, Sunday, and other complicated works, he wrote a number of short stories and fairy tales for children, developed the ABC, which he taught in literacy to peasant children. The story "Prisoner of the Caucasus" is included in it and has been of constant interest to all generations of girls and boys from the end of the 19th century to this day.
Genre and place of work in the writer's work
Researchers call the “Caucasian captive” of Tolstoy, a brief summary of which we will now consider, a short story or a large story. The confusion in the genre nature of the work is associated with its non-standard sizes, a large number of characters, several storylines and conflicts. The author himself defined it as "true", ie narration of real events and events. The story takes place in the Caucasus, during the war with the highlanders. It is worth noting that the topic on this for the writer was not completed, and Tolstoy's “Prisoner of the Caucasus” (a brief summary follows) is not the only work connected with it. “Cossacks” and “Hadji Murad” are also devoted to the description of military clashes, to the peculiarities of the relationship between people of different cultures and nationalities and contain many interesting observations and colorful sketches. The story was printed in 1872, in the magazine Zarya. From Soviet times to this day, it has been part of the curriculum of most of the former Soviet republics.
History of creation
What is the “Caucasian captive” of Tolstoy? Its summary can be correlated with real events, in which Tolstoy became a participant. He himself served in the Caucasus, was a participant in the hostilities and once almost got captured. Miraculously, Lev Nikolaevich and his comrade Sado, a Chechen by nationality, escaped. The sensations experienced by them during the adventure, and formed the basis of the story. As for the name, some literary associations are associated with it. In particular, with the southern romantic poem of Pushkin. True, Tolstoy’s “Caucasian captive” (a short summary of the story gives a complete picture of the writing method) refers to realistic works, but the corresponding “exotic” flavor is clearly felt in it. I would like to note another such detail. Tolstoy attached great importance to the story, because it was an example of his new prose, a kind of experiment in the field of language and style. Therefore, sending the work of critic to Nikolai Strakhov, I asked him to pay attention to this side of the work.
Plot and heroes
So, what did Tolstoy (the “Caucasian Captive”) tell us about? The summary of the story can be reduced to several storylines. A poor Russian officer Zhilin, serving in a remote fortress, receives a letter from an old mother asking him to come on a visit and meet. After asking for a vacation, he sets off along with the convoy. Another officer, Kostylin, is traveling with Zhilin. Since the train is moving slowly, the road is long, and the day is hot, friends decide not to wait for escort and overcome the rest of the way on their own. Kostylin has a gun, the horses under both are good, and even if they catch the eyes of the highlanders, they will be able to avoid a skirmish. However, due to Kostylin’s oversight and cowardice, officers are captured. Their behavior in
extreme situations gives a vivid idea of the nature and personality type of each. Kostylin is overweight and equally lethargic, clumsy internally. Having got into trouble, he resigns himself to circumstances, sleeps or grumbles, complains. When the Tatars demand to write a ransom request, the hero fulfills all the conditions. He is passive, phlegmatic, devoid of any enterprise. A completely different matter is Zhilin. Tolstoy clearly sympathizes with him. The “Prisoner of the Caucasus” (a brief summary allows to reveal the meaning of the title) is therefore named in the singular because this particular character is the main character, a real hero. Not wanting to burden her mother with debt, Zhilin signs the letter incorrectly, gains authority and respect from the inhabitants of the village, finds a common language with the girl Dina and organizes the escape twice. He does not lose heart, struggles with circumstances, does not abandon his comrade. Strong-willed, energetic, enterprising, courageous, Zhilin achieves his. With this, it’s not scary to go into intelligence. This is a reliable person, a simple
Russian character, who were always close and interesting to the writer.
It is in the charm of Zhilin’s personality, the entertaining plot, the simplicity and laconicism of the language that the secret of the story’s huge popularity lies.