The largest story, included in the novel, published in 1840, which was written by Lermontov - “Princess Mary”. The writer uses the form of a journal, a diary, in order to reveal to the reader the character of the protagonist, all of his inconsistency and complexity. The main participant who is in the thick of events tells about what is happening. He does not make excuses and does not blame anyone, he simply reveals his soul.
"Princess Mary", the summary of the magazine (for May 11, 13, 16, 21)Pyatigorsk
In Pyatigorsk, at the source, Pechorin meets a peculiar secular society, composed of the capital's nobility during the treatment on the waters. Here he unexpectedly meets a familiar junker, a former colleague wounded in the leg. Grushnitsky did not like Pechorin because of empty posturing; he was trying to impress the young lady, it is important to prophetic stupidity in French.
About the ladies passing by, Grushnitsky reported that it was the Ligovsky, the princess and her daughter Mary. As soon as the princess came closer, Grushnitsky spoke with pathos one of his empty phrases. Turning around, the girl held her serious long look at him. Later, the hero witnessed the princess secretly handed Grusnitsky a glass, which he tried to raise from the ground, leaning on a crutch. Junker was thrilled. Pechorin envied the young man, but admitted this only to himself, as he loved to annoy enthusiasts. All his life Pechorin passionately contradicted not only others, but even his heart or mind.
Dr. Werner, an old friend, shared secular news, saying that he saw a relative who had just arrived from the Ligovsky family - a young, pretty, sickly-looking blonde with a mole on her right cheek. Pechorin knew this lady.
Pechorin out of boredom enraged Grushnitsky and angered the princess. In the grotto at the well, he accidentally met the blonde Vera mentioned by the doctor, with whom he had once had a passionate affair. She reproached him for never receiving anything from a relationship with him, except for suffering, and asked her to start caring for Princess Ligovskaya in order to divert the attention of her second old and jealous husband from their renewed romance. Pechorin writes in a magazine that he never became a slave to a beloved woman, but on the contrary subordinated her to his will.
Grushnitsky brags about what happens to the Ligovsky and says that the princess hates Pechorin, to which he replies that if he wants, tomorrow she will win her favor.
"Princess Mary" magazine summary (for 22, May 23, 29 )
Pyatigorsk
At a ball in a restaurant, Pechorin witnessed how one of the ladies, who were envious of the beauty and grace of the princess, asked her gentleman, a dragoon officer, to teach a lesson to “this beautiful girl”. Pechorin invited the princess to a waltz tour and during the dance he apologized for his behavior. After the waltz, to the princess, at the instigation of the dragoon captain, the not sober gentleman, in a rude and humiliating tone, intended to invite him to a mazurka. Pechorin defended the young lady, pushed aside the offender, saying that she was already invited.
Princess Ligovskaya thanked the young man and invited her to visit their house. Pechorin began to visit the Ligovskys - on the one hand, for the sake of relations with Vera, and on the other, out of sports interest, to check his irresistibility on a young, inexperienced girl. Vera is passionately jealous of Pechorin for Princess Mary and asks to swear that he will never marry her, and even invites her to a long-awaited date at night.
"Princess Mary" magazine summary (for 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 of June)
Kislovodsk
Grushnitsky is also jealous of the former friend of the princess, the newly-made officer joined the party of ill-wishers Pechorin, led by a dragoon captain, who planned to teach him a lesson by summoning him to a duel and not loading his pistols.
Going down from the balcony of Vera, he was captured by Grushnitsky and the captain, was forced to fight back and fled. Grushnitsky was later called to a duel for gossip about the princess, as the rejected gentleman thought that Mary had Pechorin.
"Princess Mary" magazine summary (June 16)
Kislovodsk
The duel ended in favor of Pechorin. Grushnitsky died, and Vera was taken away by a jealous husband. After reading the note of his beloved woman, Pechorin, in an attempt to catch up with her, drives her horse and remains alone, suffering fruitlessly from love. Princess Ligovskaya makes an attempt to help her only daughter, save her from the suffering of unrequited love. She tells Pechorin that she is ready to give her daughter in marriage, because she does not care about wealth, but the happiness of her only child. In a conversation with Princess Pechorin, he explained that he could not marry her and would submit to any of her worst opinions about him. After the princess said that she hated him, he thanked him and left. Soon he left Kislovodsk forever.
It’s very difficult, after reading the summary (“Princess Mary”), to understand why Lermontov’s contemporaries called this novel strange. Each generation of new readers tries to solve its riddles, but for this you need to read the whole novel.