The dystopian genre towards the end of the twentieth century gained unprecedented success, which still persists. Of particular interest to the authors are different ways of development of Russia. Among such anti-utopias is Tatyana Tolstoy's novel. In this article, we will consider in detail its summary. “Kys” is a work not only telling about the deplorable future, but also saturated with irony and sarcasm about the present.
About the novel
The work was written for fourteen years, from 1986 to 2000. According to the writer herself, four years from these years she did not write at all.
Having studied the summary of “Kys”, the reader will be able to make sure that this is a dystopian novel that describes the post-apocalyptic future of Russia. The work is saturated with sarcasm and irony. Often the world of the novel is perceived as a metaphor describing the post-Soviet chaos of the 90s. However, the original author’s intention was to satire on the Soviet system, which was based on the archaization of people's consciousness and relationships, the cult of the leader, the monopoly of the state.
Novel structure
Consider the structure of the work before describing its brief content. “Kys” is a novel divided into chapters, each of which is entitled by a letter of the Old Russian alphabet. Thus, the work is divided into 33 parts, which begin with “Az” and end with “Izhitsa”.
The world order of art space
The world that Tolstoy creates is very interesting. “Kys” (a brief summary will be given below) describes Moscow, which survived the explosion at the end of the 20th century. About two hundred years have passed since then. The capital is now called Fedor-Kuzmich, named after the head of the city and the Great Murza. Simple darlings are very grateful to Fedor Kuzmich, who invented the wheel, letters, rocker, and mouse to catch.
Those born after the explosion have Consequences: a body covered with ears, more or less fingers, “udder”, “one and a half faces”. After the explosion, the former ones, born before it, remained. These do not age and have been living for the third hundred years. These included the mother of Benedict, who died "having been poisoned," Main Stoker Nikita Ivanovich. There are Reborn, who have also remained since the old days, but they are used as a riding cattle. They themselves constantly swear and wear felt boots on their hands and feet: “you don’t understand whether they are people or not: the face is like a person’s face, the body is covered with wool, and they run around on all fours. And on each leg is a felt boot ... ”
T. Tolstaya, “Kys”: summary
Benedict woke up in the morning, put on his felt boots and went to work. From childhood, he dreamed of becoming a Stoker, so that everyone respected him, and his work was dustless. But mother insisted on the study of literacy - for three generations in the family of the intelligentsia there was “oneversetzky abrazavanie”. While his mother was alive, Benedict often asked why the explosion occurred, to which he received the answer that people with "weapons" had played out.
Most of all, the darlings are afraid of Kissi, who lives in the forest and can "stand on the back of a man: hop!" and teeth ridge: crunch! “And with the claw, he’ll feel and break the vein, and the whole mind will leave the person.” After that, the little darling cannot do anything on his own, the body lives, and the mind is no longer in it. But Nikita Ivanovich claims that there is no Kissi, all inventions.
Working hut
Very ironic in the novel "Kys" Tatyana Tolstaya, a brief summary helps to feel it fully.
In Rabochaya Izba, they are engaged in rewriting what Fedor Kuzmich composed, for example, about Ryaba and Kolobok, verses, “Schopenhauer”. Illustrates the book "Olenka - darling", "beloved beauty" from a noble family.
Old books have been preserved that were printed before Vzyrv, but from them there is a disease. As soon as the orderlies find out which darling has a book, they will come for him on Red Sledges, grab him with the book and take him away. And after that person no one sees. Mother Benedictova had such a book, but his father, as he learned, immediately burned it.
At the impact of the Beater, lunch sets in. Ducky go to eat soup from mice in the Dining Room. Together with Benedict, Varvara Lukinishna sits down, all covered with cockerels - "the consequence is this." She discusses what a “horse” is, Benedict thinks it's just a big mouse.
Fedor Kuzmich
The events of the novel “Kys” (Tatyana Tolstaya) continue to develop. The summary describes the arrival of Fyodor Kuzmich in the Working Izba. The description of the Great Murza is very expressive: small, Benedict knee-deep, puny, everyone reverently listens to his speeches, but his language does not differ at all from the speech of the other darlings, despite the books "written" by him. Suddenly, the fire goes out in Izba, Nikita Ivanovich comes, lights a fire and does not show any respect for Fedor Kuzmich at all. Benedict wants even more to become a Stoker.
Holidays
Many allusions to reality are made in his novel by T. Tolstaya (“Kys”). The summary tells about the holiday, which Fedor Kuzmich decided to celebrate on March 1 - New Year.
Benedict was well prepared for him: he caught mice, exchanged them for various delicacies. But he does not manage to enjoy shopping. At home, in the hut, it seems to Benedict that Kys was creeping up to him. At this time, Nikita Ivanovich is just entering. Benedict rushes to him and asks for help.
For a week our hero lay in a fever, missed all the holidays, and they ate them together during that time. Benedict begins to think about getting married, so that there is someone to look after him, if anything, to monitor the household.
There is a new decree - to celebrate the new "Babskiy Feast" on March 8. Benedict, as was ordered, congratulates all the women at work, including Olenka. She asks her hands and receives consent in response.
Barbara Lukinishna
The events that depict the novel “Kys” are ironic. The summary depicts the campaign of Benedict to his colleague in scallops Varvara Lukinishna. The protagonist believes that a woman has a liking for him. But she has other plans, she invited Benedict to talk about books and admits that she has one old-printed. Varvara Lukinishna says that there is no Disease from books, but Benedict does not believe this and runs in fear.
Nikita Ivanovich, pinning great hopes on Benedict, since his mother was educated, asks for help to cut Pushkin's article from wood. After all, Pushkin is our everything. Benedict is imbued with the idea, however, he does not fully understand these Forces with their incomprehensible words and deeds. Just in case, Benya cuts out six fingers to the statue - suddenly something goes wrong, and then you can always cut off the excess.
Wedding
The terrible Kys no longer comes to Benedict. The chapter summary does not at all abound with the appearance of this mythical creature. The life of the hero, on the contrary, is in a calm direction. He is slowly working on the monument, about to get married. But then peace is disturbed. It turns out that the tail that Benedict always had is a consequence, and it must be chopped off.
Benya is going to meet Olenka’s parents. It turns out that her father is the Chief orderly. Benedict is scared, and his father-in-law says that he is not from “ours”. But Olenka stands up for him.
After the wedding took place, Benedict moved to the tower of his wife's parents. Stopped going to work, carried away by reading. It turned out that the father-in-law has a huge library with old-printed books. But here the books end - Benedict in horror realizes that he has read everything. He is gripped by longing.
Revolution
The action climaxes in the novel "Kys". To read a brief description of how Benedict first appears in the ranks of the orderlies is very exciting. Now our hero is among the very people whom everyone is afraid of, and he is going to seize books. In a desire to seize another rarity, he accidentally kills a darling. Father-in-law reassures Benya, gradually he again begins to go looking for books. He comes to Nikita Ivanovich, but he does not give him anything.
Father-in-law begins to push his brother-in-law to the revolution - Fedor Kuzmich has a lot of books, but he does not share with anyone. As a result, they kill the Great Murza. The father-in-law becomes the General Sanitary, and the city will now be called in his honor.
The novel that Tolstaya wrote (“Kys”) is drawing to a close. A summary of the chapters ends with the Chief Medic ordering to execute the Chief Stoker as unnecessary. Beni's father-in-law emits a ray from his eyes, which gives a spark, from which Nikita Ivanovich, tied to Pushkin, lights up.
But the Stoker himself spews flame and sets fire to the whole city. Bene manages to escape from the fire in the pit. When the flame died, he crawls out and sees the living Nikita Ivanovich and his comrade, also from the Former. He asks why they were not burned, to which Stoker answers: "Reluctance." And the former, holding hands, rise to heaven.
Conclusion
This concludes the summary. “Kys”, as can be seen from the foregoing, is not only an anti-utopia, but also a novel based on postmodern techniques, which is quite natural, given the time it was written. The image of heroes who only partially resemble full-blooded people, a surreal plot. Especially the features of postmodernism were manifested in intertext methods - in the work there are many direct and indirect references to classical Russian works. And the image of Pushkin takes on a symbolic character, personifying forgotten spirituality.