Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev was not just a great Russian writer, but also a subtle connoisseur of the human soul. All his works breathe with love for the Russian people and a trembling sense of unity with him. The cycle of stories “Notes of the hunter” was no exception, a brief summary and analysis of one of which we will consider in this article.
Wrote I.S. Turgenev's “Notes of a Hunter”, a brief summary of which we are considering, is quite a long time: they were regularly published, beginning in 1847, in the journal Sovremennik, one after another, until 1851. The story “Singers” was published for the first time in 1850 and became the seventeenth in a row in the series “Notes of the Hunter”. A brief summary of it tells how in the poor village of Kolotovka, where everything was riddled with despondency: a dirty road, and skinny rockets, and rickety huts of residents, and a huge ravine across the street - there was a certain event that managed to wrest all of it for a moment participants from oppressive gloomy reality. This event was the inspirational singing of a simple guy Yashka, nicknamed the Turks.
One day in a tavern on the edge of the ravine, near the fat, swollen kisser Nikolai Ivanovich, a simple-looking peasant with sly eyes, a “merry” company gathered in every sense of the word: the low and fat lame businessman Morgach, the high-minded swag and abandoned by the owners A man stunned, clumsy like a bear, and the mighty Wild Barin, a scoop from a paper mill Yashka Turok, a city tradesman Ryadchik and a visiting nobleman-hunter (author of the story), who watched the whole group of men from the side.
The summary of the “Notes of the Hunter” tells of how out of idleness and excitement, two of these men (namely: Yashka Turok and Ryadchik) pledged to compete in singing and find out for sure who will sing. To decide which of them to sing first, the men in the tavern offer to cast lots. It falls to the first to sing to Ryadnik. He busily steps out into the middle of the tavern and, with his arms akimbo, sings a cheerful song with his lyric tenor. He sings with all diligence, with skill, making a great impression on the audience. Soon they begin to sing along and praise vying with each other when Ryadchik falls silent.
We read further “Notes of the hunter” ... A brief summary of the story “Singers” tells that the whole cheerful society of the tavern promises victory to Ryadnik, but Wild Barin orders the men to be silent, and Yashka Turku to sing. Yashka rejects everything and covers his face with his hands, after which it becomes pale and intense with him. With his amazing and penetrating voice, strong, young and sad and mournful at the same time, he sings a simple song, completely surrendering to it with all his hot and passionate soul. Such singing makes a hypnotic impression on everyone who is present in the tavern, including the hunter who accidentally came in and the wife of the kisser, who begins to sob quietly by the window. Yashka’s singing is so soulful and soulful that tears come to everyone’s eyes. When Yashka falls silent, the men rush to hug him and kiss him, and Ryadchik himself gives him the victory.
This story from the series “Notes of the Hunter”, a brief summary of which was set out above, shows us how in a rotten and wretched environment a spark of true talent, a spark of the Divine spirit, arises and flashes. This spark lights up only for a brief moment, but at that moment everyone who comes into contact with it becomes itself, exposing its true, spiritual essence.