The story “The Childhood of Theme” by Garin-Mikhailovsky was written in 1892. This is an autobiographical work in which the writer paid special attention to the period in which a person is most vulnerable, tender and helpless - childhood.
For a reading diary and preparation for a literature lesson, we recommend reading online a summary of “Childhood Themes” chapter by chapter. You can test your knowledge using a test on our website.
Main characters
Artemy Kartashev (Theme)– a lively, restless boy with a kind heart and an inquisitive mind.
Other characters
Nikolay Semenovich Kartashev- Tema's father, a retired general, a straightforward, honest, firm man.
Aglaida Vasilievna Kratasheva- Tema’s mother, a kind, sensitive, understanding woman.
Zina- Tema’s older sister, with whom he constantly conflicts.
Tanya- Tema’s favorite maid, a kind and friendly girl.
Vakhnov, Ivanov, Kasitsky, Danilov- Tema's classmates.
Chapter 1. Bad day
The morning of eight-year-old Tema began, as always, very joyfully. After hygiene procedures and breakfast, the boy went to the terrace, where he saw how “father’s favorite flower, which he had been fussing over so much,” bloomed.
“Tema’s little heart” trembled with happiness - he imagined how happy dad would be, and how they would go together to the head gardener of the botanical garden to show this wonderful flower.
Due to overwhelming feelings, Tema wanted to kiss the flower, but, unable to keep his balance, he fell and broke it. Looking with horror at the broken flower, Tema would give anything “for everything to suddenly stop” and the trouble to pass by.
The boy imagined how his father, having learned about what he had done, would terribly punish him. Unable to bear this torment, Tema decided to rectify the situation and stuck the stem of a flower into the ground. Hiding in the kitchen, he was relieved to learn that his parents were getting ready to leave - the punishment was postponed.
Seeing his parents off, Tema kissed his mother especially warmly, and she suspected that the boy’s conscience was not clear. The father decided that such an upbringing would turn his son into “some kind of nasty slobber.”
Left without parental supervision, Tema began to play pranks with all his might. He climbed onto a fast horse and, after galloping a little, fell off it. Then he began to quarrel with Bonnie and fight with his older sister Zina.
Left alone, Tema invited Ioska, the dishwasher’s son, to play with him in exchange for pieces of sugar. The boy was caught stealing sugar by a German woman and his sister. Now you definitely can’t escape your father’s punishment!
When the thunderstorm began, Tema remembered that he had not seen his dog Zhuchka for a long time. He rushed outside to look for her, and at that moment he ran into his father.
Chapter 2. Punishment
Having revealed the “complete failure of the system of raising his son,” the father decided to punish him. Tema suggested cutting off his hands or giving them to the robbers, but his father decided otherwise. He began to spank the boy, despite his pleas to stop. For the first time, rage and hatred awoke in the child’s soul, and he bit his father’s hand. Unable to bear the screams, the mother ran into the office and stopped the spanking.
Chapter 3. Forgiveness
The mother noticed “the small figure of Tema lying on the sofa with his face buried.” Aglaida Vasilievna decided not to disturb him and went to her chambers. The woman reproached herself for allowing her son to be subjected to corporal punishment. She believed that children should not be beaten, but explained, convinced and told - “this is the task of proper upbringing.”
Having learned that her son had not eaten anything all day, Aglaida Vasilievna was very upset. In the evening she prepared a bath for Tema and dimmed the lights. She knew that during the spanking Tema wet his pants, and ordered everyone to pretend as if nothing had happened.
Tema washed himself and, seeing the specially left bread, ate it. His beloved maid, the kind and friendly Tanya, invited the boy to say good night to his parents, and he reluctantly agreed.
Unable to bear the stress of the day, Tema cried bitterly, “hiding his face with his hands.” He told his mother about everything that had happened, and tears brought long-awaited relief to his soul. Aglaida Vasilyeva explained to her son that “being a coward and being afraid of the truth is shameful,” and he should have immediately confessed to what he had done - then there would have been no punishment.
Chapter 4. Old well
From his nanny, Tema learned that his favorite Bug “was thrown into an old well by some Herod.” The dog suffered, barked and squealed all day, but no one helped her. Tema had difficulty falling asleep, and in the morning he felt “some kind of painful languor.”
Overcoming his weakness, the boy went to an abandoned well to help Bug. From the pitiful howl of the dog, “Tema’s heart sank painfully.” With great difficulty, he went down to the bottom of the well and took out the Bug. Theme's strength left him and he lost consciousness.
Tema woke up “lying on his bed” and with ice compresses on his head. He was very sick and was on the verge of death.
Chapter 5. Rented yard
Tema fought the disease all summer, and only by autumn “the child’s body took over.” In order for Tema to quickly regain his previous strength, his parents allowed him to “run and play in the hired yard.”
A spacious rented yard adjoined the house where the Kartashev family lived and was separated from it by a solid wall. Nikolai Semenovich rented this place, useless to him, to the Jew Leiba, who, in turn, rented out the hired yard in parts. On the territory of the courtyard there was a shop, a tavern, as well as tiny apartments, which Leiba “rented out to all the city’s poor people.” There were many dirty, but healthy and cheerful children who “ran around the yard all day long.”
Tema plunged into this completely new life for him with great surprise and no less pleasure. The piles of garbage, of which there were a great many in the yard, represented “inexhaustible sources of wealth and pleasure” for local boys. Tema did not notice how the year flew by during fun games with his new friends. During this time, he noticeably “grew, became stronger and developed.”
One day the guys entered the slaughterhouse without permission, where they were attacked by an angry bull. Only by a miracle did the butcher manage to save Tema, and he “took his ears as a farewell.” The boy decided to repay this humiliation and threw a stone at the butcher, breaking his face. The general stood up for his son, while Aglaida Vasilievna was deeply outraged by Tema’s act.
Chapter 6. Admission to the gymnasium
Tema entered the gymnasium and “put on his uniform for the first time” - he was very happy. He did not deny himself the pleasure of walking around the hired yard in his new uniform so that everyone would notice his new status.
Tema agreed to go with the guys to swim in the sea, where his uniform was stolen by some old man. He had to walk naked through the city streets, and he could hardly endure this unheard-of humiliation. While they were sewing a new uniform, Tema was forced to sit at home, and he arrived at the gymnasium late.
There was an empty seat on the last desk, where the big guy, fourteen-year-old Vakhnov, was sitting. Because of him, Tema's first day at the gymnasium turned out to be extremely painful. However, he did not tell the director about Vakhnov, and he decided to expel him from the gymnasium.
The Kartashevs “went to explain themselves to the director.” At the pedagogical council, it was decided to leave Tema for an extra hour in the gymnasium for a week as a punishment.
Chapter 7. Everyday life
That same year, Zina also entered the gymnasium, and now brother and sister went to study together every morning. Tema loved to indulge in fantasies and was often late, for which he was constantly scolded by his teachers.
Vakhnov did not stop mocking the weaker and defenseless Tema, who invariably received bad grades for his behavior. Vakhnov bullied not only Tema, but also a weak German teacher who suffered from a “severe, incurable” illness.
Tema told his mother about the sick teacher, and they went to visit him. There they met Tomylin, a natural history teacher whom all the students loved. Aglaida Vasilievna expressed gratitude to him for his teaching methods, as well as for his sensitivity and desire to protect “the child’s self-esteem.”
Zina and Tema did their homework together, “always under the direct supervision of their mother.” They were very different in their attitude to lessons: Zina was a diligent, hardworking student, while Tema tried in every possible way to evade his responsibilities.
After lessons, Tema wandered around the house a little, and then went to bed, because early in the morning he had to go to school - so a series of “boring, dreary days” flew by...
Chapter 8. Ivanov
The German teacher finally died, and a new teacher took his place. Somehow, unnoticed by himself, Theme “got along with his new neighbor, Ivanov.” The quiet and calm boy had a great influence on Tema - thanks to a new friend, he became addicted to reading, and already in the second grade he enthusiastically read Gogol, Main-Reed, and Wagner.
Ivanov was an orphan and lived with relatives. Aglaida Vasilievna immediately liked him and felt sorry for him. Tema told his mother that a friend had invited him to relax in their village in the summer. Aglaida Vasilievna agreed, but only on the condition that Tema would safely transfer to third grade.
Chapter 9. Sneaky
However, Tema's plans to go to the village in the summer were not destined to come true. One day Vakhnov decided to take revenge on his French teacher and stick a needle in his chair. He told Ivanov and Tema about this, but instead of approval he heard that it was “disgusting muck.”
When the teacher complained to the director about the evil prank, he brought Tema to his office and forced him to name the prankster. Vakhnov was expelled from the gymnasium, and Ivanov was also expelled, who, even under the threat of expulsion, could not “do something mean.” After this story, Tema felt disgusting.
He told the whole truth only to his mother, and she suggested that he pray and ask God for “firmness and strong will in moments of fear and danger.”
Chapter 10. To America
Tema became friends with Kasitsky and Danilov - only these boys from the whole class took pity on him after the unpleasant story with Ivanov and Vakhnov. The new friends decided to sit at the same desk.
Danilov, like the true son of the port captain, “slept and dreamed of the sea.” He “had long been able to both row and steer,” and invited Tema and Kasitsky to take a boat ride. Soon, “walks by the sea became a favorite pastime of friends.” In winter, when the sea froze, they simply walked along the shore, listening to Kasitsky’s fascinating stories.
One day the guys decided to go to America. They began saving money and even built a boat. However, they were unable to sail away, but they were not too upset - important exams were coming up.
Chapter 11. Exams
During the exams, Tema confidently defended himself and told his parents that he was passing all subjects well. But it soon became clear that “he failed in three subjects,” and the parents had to personally appear to the director so that he would allow the careless student to retake.
Tema expected expressions of anger and reproaches against him, but his parents treated him with contempt for his poor knowledge, but most importantly, for his deception. Tormented by shame, he decided - “why shouldn’t he die?!” . Tema imagined how upset his parents would be, and an “evil, unkind feeling” stirred in his heart.
Without thinking twice, Tema carried out his plan and swallowed sulfur heads from matches. Fortunately, Tanya noticed Tema's intention in time, and he was saved.
The parents agreed with the director to retake the exams, and Tema “couldn’t tear himself away from the books” all week. After brilliantly passing all the subjects, the director noted that Tema, if desired, “could be the decoration of the gymnasium.”
Chapter 12. Father
The health of Nikolai Semenovich Kartashev began to deteriorate noticeably. “He became softer, more affectionate,” and more and more often sought the company of his family.
Tema shared his dream with his parents - to join the navy, and his father unexpectedly supported him. He began to tell the boy fascinating stories from his past military life, colorfully describing battles and relationships with comrades in arms.
Soon Nikolai Semenovich felt so bad that he went to bed and never got up again. The helplessness of the once brave general “pinched my heart and brought about involuntary tears.”
Before his death, Nikolai Semenovich managed to bless his children, and died at dawn. With the passing of his father, Tema’s childhood also ended...
Conclusion
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Vasily Vasilyevich Kapnist (1757-1823). "Sneak" - satirical comedy - late 18th century. Plot: the rich landowner Pravolov is trying to take away the estate from his neighbor, the landowner Pryamikov. Pravolov is a bastard, “he’s an evil sneak; that’s all.” He bribes officials, and is even ready to become related to the chairman of the citizens in order to achieve his goal. chambers. Honest Straight. encounters a gang of robbers. Dobrov (an honest clerk) characterizes the chairman of the Criminal Chamber as follows: “a true Judas and a traitor.” “The laws are holy, but the executors are dashing adversaries.” Pryamikov loves Sofia, the daughter of Krivosudov (chairman of the civil chamber). There is a song about “you have to take it.” Later it is used by Ostrovsky in “A Profitable Place”. In the end virtue triumphs. It must be said that Kapnist’s radicalism did not go further than the poetry of noble enlightenment. The comedy is written according to the canons of classicism: preserved unities, division of heroes into bad and good, 5 acts. First staged in 1798, it was then banned until 1805.
Vasily Vasilyevich Kapnist came from a wealthy noble family that settled in Ukraine under Peter I; Here in the village of Obukhovka, which he later sang in poetry, he was born in 1757.
About Kapnist
Kapnist's years of study were spent in St. Petersburg, first at a boarding school, then at the school of the Izmailovsky Regiment. During Kapnist’s stay in the regiment, he met N.A. Lvov. Having transferred to the Preobrazhensky Regiment, he met Derzhavin. Since the 70s, Kapnist joined Derzhavin’s literary circle, with whom he was friends until his death. Service activities occupied an insignificant place in Kapnist’s life. Until the end of his days, he remained a poet, an independent person, a landowner, alien to the desire for “the glory of this world.” He spent most of his life in his Obukhovka, where he was buried (he died in 1823).
Satirical comedy " Snitch", Kapnist’s main work, was completed by him no later than 1796, during the reign of Catherine II, but then it was neither staged nor published. The accession of Paul gave some hope to Kapnist. His aspirations were reflected in the dedication that preceded the comedy:
Monarch! having accepted the crown, you have truth on the throne
He reigned with himself...
I depicted the vice with Thalia’s brush;
Bribery, sneaking, exposed all the vileness,
And now I give it up to the ridicule of the world.
I am not vindictive from them, I am afraid of slander:
Under Paul's shield we are still unharmed...
In 1798, "Sneak" was published. On August 22 of the same year she appeared on stage for the first time. The comedy was a brilliant success, but Kapnist’s hopes for Paul’s patronage were not justified. After four performances of the play, on October 23, the highest order unexpectedly followed to ban it and withdraw printed copies from sale.
When writing his comedy, Kapnist used material from the process that he himself had to conduct with the landowner Tarnovskaya, who illegally appropriated part of his brother’s estate. Thus, Kapnist’s direct acquaintance with the predatory practices of the Russian judicial apparatus formed the basis of the plot of the comedy, and Russian reality served as material for the satire. The theme of “Sneak,” that is, the arbitrariness of the bureaucratic apparatus, has long attracted the attention of progressive Russian thought and served as the object of satire (Sumarokov, Novikov, Fonvizin, Khemnitser, etc.). The success of the comedy could also be facilitated by the fact that in the comedy one could see hints about the circumstances of Kapnist’s own court case. On Kapnist’s part, this was, as it were, an appeal to progressive public opinion, which was negatively disposed towards the bureaucratic apparatus.
The motif of a court hearing on stage is found even earlier in Racine’s comedy “Littles,” in Sumarokov’s comedy “Monsters,” in Verevkin’s play “It’s As It Should,” and in Beaumarchais’s “The Marriage of Figaro.”
In Beaumarchais's comedy it is revealed that the abuses of the court are based on its close connection with the entire system of public administration. Kapnist’s comedy is also permeated with the realization that judicial arbitrariness is not accidental, but inevitable, since it is based on the practice of power. At the end of the comedy, the Senate gives the guilty members of the Trial Chamber to trial in the Criminal Chamber. But all government agencies are bound by mutual responsibility. Foreman Dobrov consoles the perpetrators:
Indeed: he washes, he says, after all, a hand is a hand;
And with the criminal civil chamber
She really often lives with her friend;
Not so during any celebration
The manifesto will be moved under your mercy.
“The punishment of vice” and the “triumph of virtue” acquired an ironic connotation here.
The originality and strength of Kapnist's comedy lay in the depiction of the abuses of the judicial apparatus as typical phenomena of Russian statehood of his time. This was also its difference from Sudovshchikov’s comedy “An Unheard of Case, or an Honest Secretary,” which was in many ways similar to “The Whistleblower” and was written under its influence. The satirical element of Sudovshchikov's comedy comes down to exposing the selfishness of one person - Krivosudov, and not a whole group of people, not a system, like Kapnist.
“Sneak” is a “high” comedy; It was written, as expected in this genre, in poetry. However, from the classic example of comedies of this kind - Molière’s “The Misanthrope”, “Tartuffe” or the prince’s “The Braggart” - “Sneak” is significantly different in that it does not have a “hero”, there is no central negative character: its hero is a “sneak”, a court , judicial procedures, the entire system of the state apparatus of the Russian Empire.
The conventional form of high comedy with the observance of unities, with Alexandrian hexameter verse could not prevent the fact that internally, in the essence of the content, in “The Yabed” there is more from a bourgeois drama than from the comedy of classicist characters.
The traditional comedic motif, love overcoming obstacles, recedes into the background in Kapnist's play, giving way to a sharp picture of litigiousness, fraud and robbery. All the circumstances of the case, the fraudulent tricks of the judges, bribery, erasures in cases, and finally, the ugly court hearing - all this happens on stage, and does not hide behind the scenes. Kapnist wanted to show and showed with his own eyes the state machine of despotism in action.
There are no individual characters in Yabed, since each of the judicial officials is similar to Kapnist’s others in his social practice, in his attitude to business, and the difference between them comes down only to certain personal habits that do not change the essence of the matter. There are no personal comic characters in “The Snitch,” because Kapnist created not so much a comedy as a social satire, showing on stage a single group picture of the environment of bribe-takers and criminals, the world of bureaucracy, and sneakers in general.
In "Yabed" there is more horror and horror than comedy. The scene of the officials' drinking bout in Act III turns from an externally farcical buffoonery into a grotesque and symbolic depiction of the revelry of a gang of robbers and bribe-takers. And the feasting song:
Take it, there is no big science here;
Take what you can take.
What are we hanging our hands on?
Why not take it?
(Everyone repeats):
Take, take, take.
gives a gathering of drunken officials the character of a blasphemous rite, A. Pisarev, who read Kapnist’s “Eulogy” to Kapnist at the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature in 1828, placed “Sneak” even higher than “Undergrowth” and brought Kapnist’s comedy closer to the comedies of Aristophanes. With this rapprochement, he undoubtedly wanted to emphasize the political nature of Yabeda.
In his speech, he dwells on the accusations brought against Kapnist by his contemporaries. The main accusation was that it was not a comedy, but “satire in action.” "Sneak" did not meet the main requirement for a classic comedy: the funny was not predominant in it. This was especially noted by contemporaries in relation to the bold drinking scene. A. Pisarev gave the following description of this scene: “After a drinking session... a gang of greedy people appears without a mask, and the very laughter they excite brings some kind of horror to the viewer. Are you thinking of attending a feast of robbers..."
In “Yabed,” the life of Krivosudov and his family takes place on stage: they play cards, receive guests, get drunk, and do business. But the depiction of everyday life does not become an end in itself; the everyday external plan is always accompanied by another, internal, sharply satirical one, the development of which determines the need to introduce certain aspects of everyday life. Thus, in Act III, during a game of cards, against the backdrop of the players’ remarks, the discussion of the possibility of choosing the right law in order to take away the estate from the owner and transfer it to the litigant Pravolov sounds especially ironic.
His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Paul the First
Monarch! having accepted the crown, you have truth on the throne
He reigned with him: a nobleman in a magnificent valley
And the slave, in the sweat of his brow, eating the bread of the day,
As they are equal before God, they are equal before you.
You are an unfeigned image of our law:
Perun of power there, from the exalted throne,
You destroy villainy, slander, and partiality;
Here, with the scepter of generosity, you invigorate innocence,
You build truth, you reward merit
And thus you attract all Russians as employees.
Sorry, monarch! that I, with the zeal of grief,
My work, like a drop of water, pours into the deep seas.
You know different people with obstinate morals:
Some are not afraid of execution, but the wicked are afraid of glory.
I depicted a vice with Thalia’s brush,
Bribery, sneaking revealed all the vileness
And now I give it up to the ridicule of the world;
I am not vindictive from them, I am afraid of slander:
Under Paul's shield we remain unharmed;
But, having become your assistant to the best of my ability,
I dare to dedicate this weak work to you,
Yes, I crown its success with your name.Loyal subject Vasily Kapnist
Characters
Pravolov, retired assessor.
Krivosudov, Chairman of the Civil Chamber.
Thekla, his wife.
Sofia, his daughter.
Pryamikov, lieutenant colonel serving.
Bulbulkin, Atuev, Radbyn, Parolkin- Members of the Civil Chamber.
Khvatayko, prosecutor.
Kokhtin, Secretary of the Civil Chamber.
Dobrov, higher education officer
Anna, Sofia's maid
Naumych, Pravolov's attorney.
Arkhip, servant of Pravolov.
The action takes place in Krivosudov's house.
In the corner of the room there is a table covered with red cloth. There are three doors in the room.
Act I
Phenomenon 1
Pryamikov And Dobrov.
Pryamikov
Dobrov
Yes, sir, why did you turn into this house?
Is it really possible that you will be attacked for your sins?
Or did litigation, God forbid, drag you into this maw?
Pryamikov
That’s right: the process was imposed on the neck;
I tried my best to get away from him,
He made peace, gave in, but lost all his work.
And so the district and the upper zemstvo court
Passed where my adversary was not flattered,
The case has been brought before your Civil Chamber.
Dobrov
Pryamikov
My neighbor Pravolov got the hang of who knows what...
Dobrov
Who? Right?
Pryamikov
Yes he.Why are you surprised?
Dobrov
I’m amazed, really, how smart I am
Could you contact such a plague, sir?
Pryamikov
He is a cunning wrangler, but not dangerous.
Dobrov
Pryamikov
Already in two courts his work was in vain.
Dobrov
You don’t know, sir, what a fine fellow you are.
There is no other such a daredevil in the world.
In vain in two courts! Yes, they are just sorting it out,
But in Civil, they suddenly decide and carry it out.
What trouble does it matter to him that they blame him for those;
Only for him would there be harmony in the House,
Then he will suddenly receive both the right and the property.
Are you and Pravolov going to court? What audacity!
Pryamikov
Why is he so scary to me? Please tell me.
Having served in the army, I could not know my neighbors.
After the pacification, I asked for leave;
Only in the house - he fell on me with the process,
And then I learned from more than one
That he's an evil sneak, that's all.
Dobrov
That's all! So this is not enough?
You are a kind person, I’m sorry, sir, you are gone!
Your late father was my benefactor, -
I have not forgotten his kindness at all:
I remember that I ate enough of his bread and salt.
Seeing you in these networks is really very painful for me.
If you need anything, I am ready for your services.
Pryamikov
Thank you very much, my friend!
I must now sincerely confess to you,
That I don’t know how to get down to business.
First, tell me: why is my opponent so
Am I scared?
Dobrov
God! what a question!
He’s a sneaker: that’s all they’ve told you.
But so that, sir, you get to know him better,
So I’ll briefly outline it for you here:
In business, sir, the devil himself is beyond his capabilities.
I’ve been keeping minutes in the Civil Police for a long time,
So you can see all his tricks and sedition here,
Which, the mirror of judicial justice
Having presented himself, traits of innocence appeared in him.
And moreover, the voice of God is the voice of the people,
Forgeries, robberies, robberies of all kinds,
Counterfeits, assignments, bills of exchange.
The land suddenly grew there, separated
Here the upper mills and all the lower ones were sunk;
There two hundred dessiatines were dug up by two hogs,
Here the heir to the escheated villages was resurrected;
There, on the threshing floor, his dense forest was cut down;
He will file a lawsuit against his brother for abuse and dishonor,
And for this reason he asks the elderly for the dead;
There people caught him stealing,
The robbed merchants were found to be related
And they took what was only due to them by inheritance.
But it is impossible to retell all of his pranks:
It is enough that I told you a little.
Moreover, how he knows all the lawyers on the spot!
How to bend regulations, how to twist decrees!
How expertly he knows the climbs!
How to run to the judge from whose porch,
For some, a bunch of pieces of paper, for others, a bunch of silver,
Lose a six, a four or a three,
How to get someone to go to a party, to a drinking binge;
And, in a word, he knows a marvelous craft
You can clean a dark lie like glass.
So is it possible for you to compete with this fellow?
Pryamikov
And truly, I should be afraid of him.
But my cause is so right, it’s clear!..
Dobrov
Just as the sun is clear, it will be like darkness.
Pryamikov
But can’t you really rely on judges?
Is the owner here?..
Dobrov
(looks around)
Oh! I'm afraid to talk
But you won’t say, no one hears us.
If you please tell yourself, sir, you know that
What is the house lord, civil chairman,
There is the real truth Judas and the traitor,
That he didn’t directly do things by mistake,
Why did he fill his pockets with taxes out of deceit?
That he only catches lawlessness with laws
And without a cash document, he doesn’t judge cases.
However, even though he himself takes with all his fingers,
But his wife pays a great tribute:
Food, drink - there is no stranger before her,
And he just repeats: giving is all good.
Pryamikov
Here you go! Is it possible? And the members?
Dobrov
It's all the same:
They have everything set up for one saltyk.
One member is always drunk, and there is no sobering up, -
So what good advice is there?
His comrade before the persecution of the Russians
Passionate hunter: with him and a pack of good dogs
And the truth that came down from heaven can be reached.
Pryamikov
What about the assessors?
Dobrov
When it's not false to say
In one of them you know at least a little soul;
So what? It’s such a shame that you’re not good at reading,
Write and prepare, but stutter in words;
And so, although I would be glad, the hindrance is great;
Another has become so passionately addicted to the game,
That I would put my soul on the line.
In court, Pharaoh walks with him in hell,
And he only bends the corners of magazines.
Pryamikov
And the prosecutor? Is it possible that he too...
Dobrov
ABOUT! prosecutor,
To tell me in rhyme, the most significant thief.
Here is exactly the all-seeing eye:
Where something bad lies, it goes far away.
It will not bite only what it cannot reach.
For a righteous denunciation, for a false one he takes,
Tickles for missing things, for your voice, for suggestions,
For not resolving a resolved doubt,
For arriving late to court, for missing a deadline,
And even he extracts quitrent from the convicts.
Pryamikov
What about the secretary?..
Dobrov
A fool who wastes his word.
No matter how naked he is, he’ll grab something.
He knows the decrees like the back of his hand.
Extractor compose without periods, commas,
Clean up the protocol, or boldly add a sheet,
Or to steal a document - that’s all his business;
And he and Pravolov are good friends.
He'll screw you up, I'm quite sure.
And the little business, you know, he took to himself in secret,
At least it is not in my howl.
Pryamikov
You described this gang to me pretty well!
What a bastard!
Dobrov
I told you the truth
But for God's sake...
Pryamikov
Please, be calm.
But where should I start? I'm really so upset...
Dobrov
From my words, sir, you could understand,
That there is nothing to begin with but by giving and giving.
Pryamikov
(gives him a wallet)
You're welcome, my friend! Just like an ancient acquaintance...
Dobrov
(not accepting)
No way: thank you. I wish I had left the village long ago
I bought it when I bought it like many people do,
Until the resolution of matters, for the work ahead.
I shun such unrighteous gains;
With my wife and children I feed on hard work and truth.
And if whose right cause prevails
And the right one gives me gratitude for my work,
Then, I admit, I take it. My conscience does not blame me:
I accept the gift, the slacker forces me.
And I didn’t want to serve you out of profit,
I already said, sir, I ate your bread and salt.
Pryamikov
Well, how are you, my friend, offering me advice?
Which you yourself do not want to fulfill?
You are a poor man, you have a low rank,
You are a simple breed, not a prince, not a nobleman;
You have already served my house enough,
But you didn't take what I wanted to give voluntarily.
And you advise me that I should go give, -
Who? Equal to me! How can this be!
And how dare I humiliate him, destroy him!
Dobrov
Believe me, this shouldn’t bother you.
Before the clan, before the ranks, what is the need here?
Give it to those, sir, who take it.
And to protect them from destruction,
Then you just stick to multiplication:
So that you do not destroy your rank before others,
Then, if you please, they should only increase their ranks.
Pryamikov
But leaving them, what would they say about me,
When would money alone justify me?
Wouldn't my opponent also have the right then?
Should I say that I strangled my conscience in my wallet?
Dobrov
Let him lie then, whatever came into his mouth,
The matter would not have changed at all.
And you could say that this matter is right
You had to reinforce not only those
What the law required, but also the law's hands.
Pryamikov
No, no, I’m not into that kind of stuff.
Let my enemy get his hands dirty with gifts.
I think that this will darken my righteousness,
When I pay for it with a coin.
Dobrov
You sing a song too high for us,
And in Rus' they say: not every bastard fits the bill.
Pryamikov
But I’m still used to the truth, my friend, to scribble,
They can deprive me of all my estates,
But they will not forever force you to meanness and sneakiness.
Dobrov
Well, will this make you rich?
Pryamikov
Dobrov
Honor, sir, is not an honor, just as there is nothing to eat with it!
But you need to think no matter what...
Pryamikov
I think I'm right.
Dobrov
And are you really standing?
Stubbornly about it?..
Pryamikov
Dobrov
And you won't give it to them?
Pryamikov
I won't give you any sheleg.
Dobrov
However, your plaintiff
I think he sent his heavy luggage
And he’s already digging a tunnel under the court’s fortification.
Pryamikov
Dobrov
Well, how does he open a volley from his wallet,
It’s your right to walk in the air.
Pryamikov
Dobrov
(raising his shoulders)
Oh my God! give my lips a guard!
But at least think - and this, she, is not nonsense, -
What is the execution of the chamber's sentence
And that they will pluck you like kites pluck a tit,
And with the appeal, go naked to the capital.
Pryamikov
No, nothing will obscure my rights.
I am not afraid: the law is my support and shield.
Dobrov
Ah, good sir! Hey, the laws are holy,
But the performers are dashing adversaries.
The law wishes us all direct good,
But although we are all from the same rib,
But we are not all equally disposed towards good.
Look at the courts in the Mirror: Peter's features are sacred
They are ordered to judge the truth without compensation,
This is the divine judgment! Where can you find judges?
The law tries to instill new souls in us,
Habits to soften are depraved and harsh,
To the unselfishness of the desire to thrust
And as far as one can reconcile with the justice of judges,
He flatters them with rewards and threatens them with execution,
But nothing helps against sneaks.
You should be afraid of her, sir, otherwise the dew will
Until the sun rises and hits your eyes,
And so that you don’t lose your daily bread,
Then they have to get along with the sneak no matter what.
Pryamikov
That's right, my friend, but I'm out of my rules
I won’t go out even for a moment for any reason.
And I decided once; What can you say, everything is empty.
Dobrov
Pryamikov
Dobrov
I don’t know how to say: either an angel or a demon,
Having heeded the petitioners with a touching prayer,
He gave up all the places present as burnt offerings;
Why can’t you suddenly find houses like this here?
Where the courts could advantageously place,
Then our chairman placed a chamber in his house,
From the treasury, getting paid for it.
Pryamikov
So we accidentally wandered into the shrine?
Dobrov
But holiness, you know, sleeps in it, and the day is already on earth.
I marvel: for the holiday the hostess has a birthday
And for the conspiracy...
Pryamikov
Whose conspiracy?
Dobrov
They have one
Only the daughter. I heard in passing - they are melting,
Pryamikov
But for whom?
Dobrov
I don't really know. What do you care about that?
Pryamikov
Like what? But can I rely on you?
Dobrov
I am devoted to you, sir! There is no need to swear,
After all those secrets that you...
Pryamikov
So know, my friend,
That my spirit burns with tender passion for her.
In Moscow with her aunt, where she was brought up,
I saw her - she appeared to me;
He fell in love and was nice to her. But no matter how much I’m in love,
I was honorably forced to rush to war.
We said goodbye sadly. She swore to me
Love me to death. Then the war broke out.
I fought, excellent; and finally found out
That her father ordered her to be brought to this city.
I hurried here, but was delayed in the house by the process;
I arrived, I’m going to see her, I met you,
And I hear, “Oh my God!” But can this be?
Is it possible for her to forget her oath so quickly?
But for whom?
Dobrov
They are melting, sir, for something.
Yes, here is her maid coming to us.
Phenomenon 2
Pryamikov And Dobrov And Anna.
Pryamikov
Anyuta!
Oh! I'm so glad to see you!..
Anna
And I to you. Yes, when
Did God bring you?
Pryamikov
Wait, and first let me
Ask if the rumor spreading around the city is true,
Why is your young lady already getting married?
Anna
What is being given is probably lying to you,
But it’s not a lie, sir, that they give it away.
Pryamikov
Tell me sincerely, tell me everything you know;
Or are you leaving me sad?
At least calm me down with a word, Anyutushka! me.
Anna
No, sir, I always wished you well,
But it’s time to remember us long ago, long ago.
Like they sank into the water; where did you die and disappear?
To this day, sir, we didn’t know at all.
Pryamikov
How, you know that I was in the war.
But amidst dangers and between bullets, on fire
A kind image of the one I adore,
Haunted me; I wrote to her and had tea,
A hundred letters, but imagine, not a single one from her
I was not given even half a line of an answer.
I was in despair, and I am still in despair.
Anyuta, take pity on my fate:
At least with a word please her cruelty.
Anna
What can I tell you?
Pryamikov
Tell me, am I loved?
Anna
Although not entirely, sir, you are right yourself,
But I don’t want to hide the truth from you.
They love you, but the trouble is that they force us
To be the wife of someone who is not like you...
This is the fruit, sir, of campaigns and battles,
I can't give you any more explanations.
Pryamikov
For the first message I'm glad to kiss you,
And my heart began to rest somewhat.
Please go and tell her, Anyuta.
Anna
Yes, here she is.
Phenomenon 3
Sophia, Pryamikov, Anna And Dobrov.
Pryamikov
Happy moment!
I see you again, I see you with delight.
Sophia
Oh, where are you from?
Pryamikov
I'm in town just now
I have arrived, and my wish is heartfelt...
Sophia
You have forgotten us!
Pryamikov
Oh no! I remembered forever
And I carried you forever both in my mind and in my heart,
But do you want me?..
Sophia
I admit, you have always been nice to me.
Oh! what did I say?
Pryamikov
Why suddenly all those sorrows
Which have burdened my spirit hitherto,
It broke me too in this precious moment
Made people the happiest of all.
(Kisses her hands.)
Sophia
Where have you been for so long? Ah, my friend! you do not know
Our misfortune, everything you lose.
Pryamikov
Oh no! I have already learned that I tender our passion
Seeks to break parental authority,
But I'm flattered when they find out
That they are preparing only sorrow for you,
Then they will change their mind and give it to him,
Whom have you chosen after your heart?
Sophia
I wish that you are not flattered in vain
Pryamikov
Now I decided to open up to them about everything.
A conversation about the matter will give me a clue.
But who is the happy one?
Sophia
Here comes the father.
Phenomenon 4
The same And Krivosudov.
Pryamikov
(to Krivosudov)
Allow me, sir, to pay my respects.
I'm Pryamikov. My process for your consideration
Joined. I truly hope for your judgment.
Krivosudov
(To Sofia)
Why are you yawning here?..
Go to the restroom: you see, petitioner.
Sofia and Anna leave.
Phenomenon 5
Krivosudov, Pryamikov And Dobrov.
Pryamikov
I dare to tell you...
Krivosudov
A! mister policeman!
Dobrov
Happy Angel Day, sir, I congratulate you,
I wish you new blessings every day and hour.
Krivosudov
Thank you, my friend!
Pryamikov
I take courage...
About my business for you...
Krivosudov
Yes, I said I know.
How long will it take to come to our city?
Pryamikov
That's up to you to decide.
Krivosudov
We are glad to have a guest.
Pryamikov
Krivosudov
We'll look at it this week.
Pryamikov
But I wanted, sir, to explain to you first...
Krivosudov
You deign to work in vain:
We can see the matter clearly in the letter,
And you are in vain to want to warn us in advance.
Pryamikov
However, I ask...
Krivosudov
You have nothing to ask for:
We must do everything according to the laws.
We will acquit without asking, since your right is sacred,
And no matter how much you ask, if things are bad...
Pryamikov
I didn’t want to beg for an indulgence,
I would consider such a request dishonorable to you and me.
But that's an aside; I have something to say to you, I'm waiting,
I am alien to any process and any litigation,
The most important thing in the world for me.
Forgive me for revealing myself directly to you.
You know my house, breed and estates:
I am flattered, sir, that I will not dishonor you
And I will prove the sincerity of my actions,
When I thank you as a father,
What is your daughter's lovely beauty
I am mortally captivated by a happy fate
I would like to be your son and her husband.
You. You. Kapnist is a progressive, liberal-minded noble writer. Began lit. activity in 1780 " Ode to Hope", in which civil and political motives are visible. IN " Ode to slavery”, which appeared after the decree on the enslavement of the peasants of some Ukrainian governorships (K. was Ukrainian), expressed anti-serfdom ideas. Tears, grief, tirades against tyranny. When Catherine issued a decree where she allowed not “slave” but “loyal subject” to be signed on official papers (a big deal), K. wrote “Ode to the extermination of the title of slave in Russia,” where he praised Catherine in every possible way.
Entered friendly circle of Lvov together with Khemnitser, Derzhavin. The motifs of the poetry of the circle members are also characteristic of K.’s poetry: the glorification of peace, silence, solitude, the joy of communication with family and friends.
In the most significant work " Snitch» K. denounces legal proceedings, chicanery, bribery and other social vices. K. managed to reveal this social evil as a phenomenon typical. Lawlessness is the system of the entire bureaucratic state. The rampant tyranny and robbery of officials is the theme of “I.” K. himself had to face judicial procedures, which gave the comedy a vitally truthful character.
The rich landowner Pravolov, an “evil sneaker,” is trying to take away the estate from his neighbor, the landowner Pryamikov. Pravolov bribes officials of the Civil Chamber, even preparing to become related to its chairman in the interests of the case. Type of landowner Pravolov characteristic for Russian landowners. Honest Pryamikov encounters an organized and powerful gang of robbers. It seems that there is no fall on bribe takers - because the same rules reign in other institutions of Russia.
"I." amazed with its life's truthfulness. K.'s public indignation is especially evident in the scenes of the officials' drinking bout and the court hearing. At the end of the comedy, vice is punished - although this does not inspire bright hopes. The comedy was highly appreciated Belinsky.
"I." written according to the rules classicism: 5 acts, unity, strictly + and – characters, speaking surnames (Khvatayko, Krivosudov, drunkard Bulbulkin). Iambic verse and lively colloquial speech, aphorism, sayings. Realistic tendencies: satirical orientation and typically generalized images, language.
"I." was staged in 1798, but after 4 performances it was “highly” prohibited.
Brief retelling of "Sneak"
This stupid "Sneak" was found only in a slightly abbreviated version in a textbook, but excuse me. It is not available in its entirety either in the library or on the internet. Here, half is my retelling, half is a rewritten retelling of their anthology (just the missing actions).
Characters: Pravolov (retired assessor), Krivosudov (chairman of the Civil Chamber), Fekla - his wife, Sofia - his daughter, Pryamikov (lieutenant colonel, employee), Bulbulkin, Atuev, Radbyn - members of the Civil Chamber, Parolkin, Khvataykin (prosecutor), Kokhtin (secretary of the GP), Dobrov (police officer), Anna (Sofia’s servant), Naumych (Pravolov’s trustee), Arkhip (Pravolov’s servant).
Everything happens in Krivosudov’s house. Pryamikov and Dobrov meet. Pryamikov tells Dobrov that he came to this house because of his neighbor, Pravolov, who, when Pryamikov returned from the army, started a lawsuit with him. Pravolov has already lost in two courts, and now he has come to the Civil Court. And Dobrov tells him everything: that Pravolov is an evil sneaker, a swindler, a selfish scoundrel who knows who needs to be paid and bribed to get his way. Krivosudov is a bribe-taker and also a bastard. The members of the council are all drunkards, the assessors are gamblers, the prosecutor is “to tell me in rhyme, the most significant thief.” The secretary is also one of their gang, he “steals” any document. Pryamikov says that the law is his shield, and Dobrov says: “the laws are holy, but the performers are dashing adversaries” (in general, it must be said, the language in the work is aphoristic and pleasant).
Dobrov reports that Krivosudov has a double holiday today: his name day and his daughter’s conspiracy. Pryamikov says that he met Sophia and fell in love with her even before leaving for the army, at his aunt’s in Moscow, where she was raised. Pryamikov asks Krivosudov for his daughter’s hand in marriage, but receives an evasive answer.
Krivosudov and Dobrov are talking. K. says that he wants to find a groom for his daughter who will earn money, and he already has someone in mind. Dobrov says that three cases in three years were never resolved: one’s neighbors took possession of his property and burned his house, the landowner put some noblemen on a per capita salary, and another was beaten in the landowner’s yard for a land dispute; Krivosudov makes an excuse in the spirit that, they say, they did it themselves.
Pravolov and Naumych give gifts to Krivosudov; Pravolov is invited to dinner. Naumych starts talking about his “rival” - Pryamikov, who loves Sofia; Pravolov replies, looking at the gifts, that he has everything under control.
Then the chairman of the chamber, officials, and the prosecutor, bribed by Pravolov, during a drinking binge, decide to take away Pryamikov’s estate based on Pravolov’s false claim. The next morning, Pryamikov comes to Krivosudov to warn him about the trouble threatening the Civil Chamber for previous cases that were wrongly decided in favor of the snitch Pravolov. However, Fekla, who decided to marry Sophia to Pravolov, kicks Pryamikov out of the house. The assembled officials sign the wrong verdict.
Pravolov is brought the sent order: the Senate decided to take Pravolov into custody for robbery, robbery, dissipation, and conduct a strict search of all public places, and transport all other scoundrels to the public chamber. He runs away in horror. Then others read this document and are also horrified (only Dobrov is happy, he is kind). Then Thekla finds out about this and is indignant for a long time - they say, “Is it really only the court where thieves have settled in?” And then Pryamikov comes and says - you know, despite this whole situation, I haven’t stopped loving Sofia and I want to marry her. Feka and Krivsudov are already completely in favor. Happy ending - the culprits are punished, everyone gets married, but it is clear that in general nothing will happen to the scammers.
V. V. Kapnist’s comedy “The Yabeda,” created in 1796, at the end of the century, inherits the tradition of national drama in its entirety.
“Sneak” and “Nedorosl”: the tradition of prose
high comedy in the poetic variety of the genre
“Sneak” is specifically associated with the mirror of life in the minds of close contemporaries.
The general identification of theater and drama with a mirror by the end of the 18th century. became an indispensable reality of emerging aesthetics and theatrical criticism. It was the comedy “The Yabeda,” perceived by contemporaries as a mirror of Russian morals, that became a kind of semantic focus of Russian high comedy of the 18th century. What is obvious, first of all, is the closeness of the love story of “The Snitch” to the corresponding plot motif of “The Minor.” In both comedies, the heroine, bearing the same name Sophia, is loved by an officer (Milon and Pryamikov), who was separated from her by the circumstances of his service.
In both comedies, the heroine was brought up in an environment far from the material life of Prostakov’s estate and the crooked court house. In both “The Minor” and “The Yabed,” the heroine faces a forced marriage for the selfish motives of the groom’s family.
In both comedies, lovers owe their final happiness to the intervention of an external force
The pun word becomes the main means of differentiation of the figurative system and an artistic technique for recreating a world image split into an idea and a thing.
The functions of a pun word in the comedy “Sneak”: characterological, effective, genre-forming, world-modeling.
The word in “Sneak” begins to play with meanings, the word “Sneak” is a self-exposure of that “social disaster”, which means: “Sneak” - “I - trouble." The very name of the comedy marks the playful nature of its verbal plan, thereby forcing us to see the main action of the comedy in it.
The pun in “Yabed” has not only a playful, but also a functional purpose: it differentiates the figurative system of comedy; the first level at which it manifests its activity is characterology.
Being applied to “edible” and “drinkable” in the words of Fekla Krivosudova, it emphasizes the everyday, material perversion of the spiritual concept of “good”. It is used equally by all comedy characters; its meaning in a given speech characteristic becomes the main technique of the character’s general characterization.
A wallet can symbolize only one thing: self-interest, incompatible with the dignity of a human concept.
For Pryamikov, the main thing in litigation is not the material good (estate), but the spiritual good - right and love.
But for a group of Krivosudov’s characters, “good” and “good” are tangible material things, and the word “thank” means literally “to give good” - to give a bribe with food, clothing, money and material values
The pun “Sneak” emphasizes two functional aspects of the word, verbal and effective. Both of them are covered by the same verbal form, but at the same time the word means one thing, and the deed indicated by it looks completely different.
The semantic leitmotif of Kapnist’s comedy - the opposition of the concepts of “word” and “deed” - is realized in the stage action.
In “Yabed”, “word” and “deed” are absolutely opposite: Pryamikov’s right word and Pravolov’s deceitful deed.
The plot of “Sneak” is based on a trial, and therefore the concept of “case” immediately appears in the comedy in its two lexical meanings: action-deed and document. As for Pryamikov, in his understanding, a court case can be resolved by verbal action; attempts run up against the blank wall of irrevocability of the pure word in the material environment of the Krivosudovsky court house, where the material embodiment of the word in a written document, paper is preferable.
Features of the denouement and typology of the hero-ideologist in Russian high comedy.
“Sneak” has a double denouement: the first is internal, flowing from the very action of the comedy, the second is external, provoked by forces invading the comedic world image from outside it. The first denouement of Yabeda - the decision of the Civil Chamber in the Pryamikov-Pravolov case - is typically tragic. In the verbal and colloquial matter of Russian drama, deprivation of a name is tantamount to murder, and this is exactly what happens to Pryamikov in the court ruling, on paper; Moreover, deprivation of a name is complemented by deprivation of property.
Thus, by the decision of the Civil Chamber, Pryamikov was immediately erased from two spheres of reality of the 18th century: ideal, where a person is identical to his name, and material, where he is the owner of his estate; therefore, Bogdan Pryamikov is declared non-existent, which is functionally equivalent to violent death.
The second denouement of “The Yabeda” has also long and rightly raised doubts among researchers about their well-being. The Senate trial turns out to be nothing more than an “empty word” with no visible consequences:
The highest good of power and law, which in its everyday interpretation turns into its own punning antonym: the whim of tyrannical arbitrariness and judicial lawlessness.
The word “law” in the singular in “Sneak” is practically synonymous with the concept of “good” in the highest sense (goodness, justice, justice).
Already in these remarks, where the concept of “law” is translated into the plural of the word “laws,” the opposition of meanings is obvious: the clear unambiguity of the law - and the endless variability of laws, turning them into a plastic mass, obedient to the subjective arbitrariness of a selfish official.
A law that justifies the guilty and a law that ruins the just is no longer law, but lawlessness.
It is no coincidence that the quantitative opposition “one - many” has already been formed in “Sneak” by the confrontation between the law-truth and the laws-lie.
The potential associativity of the hero with the Gospel Son of God, the incarnate Word, the Logos, an integral attribute of which is his goodness and his truth, is steadily growing; this potential associativity is especially clearly manifested in the image of Pryamikov:
First of all, in “Yabed” it is unknown where Pryamikov came from to the settled life of the Krivosudovsky house
The motive for desecration of the highest truth and the nominal murder of Pryamikov: deprivation of name and property.
In one of the intermediate versions of the text, “Sneak” was supposed to end with a kind of “silent scene”, allegorically depicting Justice - the idea of the Last Judgment.
Most clearly, the tendency to synthesize the odic and satirical, ideological and everyday, conceptual and plastic world images was expressed in the lyrics, which are still especially clearly differentiated according to their genre characteristics.
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