In the genre of historical tales, Yuri Tynyanov created a small masterpiece - the story "Second Lieutenant Kizhe."
This is not the first time in literature that they address the topic of a double.
RL wrote about this.
Stevenson, who has The Strange Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and
E. Schwartz with the Shadow story. You can make a long list. But we will now introduce the story "Second Lieutenant Kizhe." A summary of the chapters will allow you to get acquainted with the absurd character of Emperor Paul I.
Chapter one
The emperor was dozing, sitting at the open window. After lunch, he had an unpleasant dream. Actually, he was bored. From boredom I caught a fly. Someone under the window shouted: "Guard."
Chapter two
A young clerk wrote an order in the office. His predecessor was exiled to Siberia. The young man was worried and made mistake after mistake, rewriting the document again. If he does not have time for the deadline, then he will be arrested. When he came to the phrase "second lieutenants Stephen, etc.", the officer came in. The clerk postponed the work, not completely completing the word. He stopped at the “second lieutenant” and reached out in front of him, and then sat down and wrote “the second lieutenant Kizhe, Stephen, etc.”, in the same order he made another mistake: Lieutenant Sinyukhaev wrote to the dead. Before the order was left ten minutes. The young man began to look for a clean sheet. And suddenly he stopped. Another order, equally important, was spelled incorrectly. Decree No. 940 said which words could be used and which could not. The clerk immediately forgot about the error in the order and sat down to correct the report. Arriving from the adjutant to the newsman, he handed over the order with two errors with Sinyukhaev, whom he wrote down to the dead, and the lieutenant Kizhe invented. Then he continued, quivering, to write. So begins the story "Second Lieutenant Kizhe", a summary of which is outlined.
Chapter three
The adjutant at the usual time arrived at the emperor with documents. Paul still sat by the window with his back to the one who entered. He was angry. All yesterday we searched and were unable to find the one who was shouting under the “Guard” window. This was a violation of the established order once and for all and meant that anyone who he liked could be hooligan and would not be punished. It was necessary to increase the number of guards. Here are the shorn bushes, and it is not known who is hiding in them.
Without looking at the adjutant, the emperor held out his hand and began to carefully read the documents enclosed in it.
Then Pavel Petrovich again held out his hand, into which the pen was carefully put. The signed sheet flew into the subordinate. This continued until the sovereign studied all the documents. Suddenly, the emperor jumped up to him, scolded him for not knowing the service and coming up from behind, promised to knock out Potemkin’s spirit and let go of his subordinate. He began a great anger.
Chapter Four and Five (the fate of Kizhe and Sinyukhaev)
The commander of the Preobrazhensky regiment was confused when he received an order from the emperor demanding to send Lieutenant Kizhe to the guard. How much he did not remember, but could not remember who Lieutenant Kizhe was. I looked through the entire list of officers. This did not appear in him. The commander rushed to the adjutant in dismay, but he disgustedly wrinkled, ordered not to inform the emperor, but to send the lieutenant to the guard.
When the seedy lieutenant Sinyukhaev stood in service, he was horrified to hear the words of the order that he should be considered dead and retired from service. Sinyukhaev’s mind was clouded. After all, he is alive, holds the hilt of the sword, he even considered that by some mistake he was alive. Sinyukhaev stood a pillar and did not move and spoiled the whole view. The commander flew over him, wanted to shout, but remembered that there was no Sinyukhaev, and, not knowing what to say, he silently walked away. We continue to read Tynianov’s short work “Second Lieutenant Kizhe”. Retelling will not take much time.
Chapter Six - The Emperor
Pavel Petrovich was not just angry, but great. He walked around the rooms and looked around the gifts of the French royal couple, already beheaded. He did not touch them. He ordered the destruction of the things of his mother, the abductor of his throne, but her spirit still remained.
But there was fear in him. He was not afraid of anyone individually, but together all these courtiers, sons and dark people of his vast empire, whom he did not represent, were terrifying. And when the anger ended and turned into fear, the office of the criminal affairs and the shoulder affairs of the master began to work. And therefore, his environment was also in fear.
Chapter Seven and Eighth - Miserable Sinyukhaev and Second Lieutenant Kizhe
Lieutenant Sikhunayev looked around in the large square on which he stood, recalled what he usually did in the evenings, and before going to bed, how calmly and freely he lived, and clearly realized that he had died: he would never have anything from this.
And the adjutant came to Pavel Petrovich and reported that they had found out: “The guard” shouted the second lieutenant Kizhe. And he cried out of foolishness. The emperor ordered an inquiry, a lash and sent to Siberia.
Absurdity with Second Lieutenant - Chapter Nine
Necessary for a quick adjutant, the culprit of the sovereign's fear was found. He must now be sent to lawyers, and then to Siberia. A horse stood in the regiment before the formation, on which the second lieutenant was to be taken away. The commander shouted his name.
No one left, and the regiment left, watching how they had whipped an empty place. Only a young soldier could not forget this until night. He even asked the veteran what was happening with the emperor. After a pause, the veteran said he was substituted.
Chapter ten
The former Sinyukhaev returned to the barracks. He examined the room in which he lived and which now did not belong to him. By evening, a young man moved in here. He did not even look at Sinyukhaev. This new tenant made instructions to the batman and began to go to bed. And Sinyukhaev, having changed into an old uniform, left only new gloves on, since he heard that the gloves meant that he was still a lieutenant, and went to wander around St. Petersburg at night. He dozed, crouching on the ground, and left the city. He never returned to the barracks.
Such a meaningless life under Emperor Paul is shown by Yuri Tynyanov.
Chapter eleven
The news that a man was found screaming “Sentry” made an impression on the female part of the palace. One of the young maids of honor fainted. It was a pleasant young man who was supposed to come in, and she pressed her nose to the window, depicting a snub-nosed emperor nearby. Then the young man shouted, and now he is sent to Siberia. The young maid of honor told Nelidova about her grief. She promised to come up with something and turned for help to a powerful man at the court. He answered with a note so that they would not be worried, but he himself did not know what to do.
Chapter Twelve and Thirteen
Meanwhile, the guards led "it," as he was called, deep into the empire along the Vladimirsky tract and realized that they were leading an important criminal. An order flew after them. The emperor’s fear turned into pity at first to himself, the rootless, who had been abandoned by his mother and who had an unknown father. He heard something vaguely about it. He traveled through this vast silent country, drank water from the Volga, sullenly asked the peasants why they were looking at him. And everything around him was empty. He didn’t go anywhere else. Around was emptiness and treason. When the dignitary reported to him about the case with the cry of "guard", the emperor was amused and ordered to return the second lieutenant and marry that maid of honor.
Chapter fourteen and fifteen
Sinyukhaev came to Gatchina on foot to his father-healer. He told his story, and he was embarrassed to keep him at home and put him in the hospital and hung the sign "Accidental Death". But he went with a petition to Arakcheev. The Baron absentmindedly listened to the old man, asked where the dead had been for two days, and released him with nothing. He reported to the emperor that Sinyukhaev was alive. However, Pavel imposed a resolution that Sinyukhaev should be removed from the regiment's lists due to death. The baron personally went into the hospital and ordered to take away his uniform from Sinyukhaev and drive him out of the room.
Chapter seventeen
Returning from exile, Lieutenant Kizhe regularly carries out service, goes on guard, and on duty. He even gets married. Maid of honor, when she noticed that the adjutant was holding a crown over an empty place in the church, she nearly fainted, but dropped her eyes and turned her attention to the rounded tummy. The wedding took place safely. The groom was not present, and many liked this mystery. Soon, Kizhe had a son. Rumor had it that he looked like him. The Emperor completely forgot about Kizha. But once, sorting through regimental lists, he came across his surname and appointed him captain, and then colonel, since he was a good officer. He now commanded a regiment. Everyone is accustomed to being out of place often. Best of all was his wife. Her lonely life was brightened up by meetings with military and civilians, and her son was growing up. This is how the life of a successful officer changed in the story written by Tynyanov, “Second Lieutenant Kizhe”.
Chapter Eighteen and Nineteen
Lieutenant Sinyukhaev wandered through the Chukhon villages and did not look anyone in the eye. A year later, he returned to Petersburg and began to wander around him in circles.
The shopkeepers believed that he brings misfortune, and drove him away. The women, in order to pay off him, gave kalach. Rumors circulated around the city that the emperor would soon be over. People whispered about it both in the streets, and in the palace. It was scary to Pavel Petrovich. He changed rooms and did not know where to hide, even if in a snuffbox, the emperor dreamed. And he decided to bring a simple person closer to him.
Chapter twenty
Resigned, who did not get into his eyes, Kizhe was suddenly promoted to general. The emperor remembered with a smile a love story with a cry of "guard", smiled and decided that right now we needed a man who would scream at the right moment. He granted the general 1000 souls and the estate. They began to talk about him. The emperor did not order to give him a division; he would be needed for more important matters. Everyone began to recall his genealogy and decided that he was from France. So continues the story of Yu. N. Tynyanov, "Second Lieutenant Kizhe."
Chapter Twenty One and Twenty Two
When the general was summoned to the emperor, it was said that he was ill. Paul demanded to be hospitalized and cured. But three days later the general passed away.
His funeral was remembered for a long time. A regiment walked and carried rolled-up banners, a widow walked behind the coffin, leading the child by the hand. Pavel Petrovich looked out of the window at the procession and dropped: “This is the glory of the world.”
Last chapter
So went the general’s life, filled with love affairs and youth, the disgrace and grace of the emperor, the envy of the courtiers. It was everything. And the name of Sinyukhaev is forgotten, he disappeared, as if he did not exist at all. The emperor was rumored to have died of apoplexy in March of the same year as General Kizhe. So ends the story "Lieutenant Kizhe." The summary does not convey the charm of the author's speech. Also, unfortunately, it does not allow you to feel the historical atmosphere.
The book "Lieutenant Kizhe" was filmed. The music for the film was written by S. Prokofiev. He reworked it into a suite, according to which the ballet of the same name was staged.