Enchanted wanderer 11 12 chapter analysis. "The Enchanted Wanderer", analysis of Leskov's story, essay

History of creation and publication

In the summer of 1872, Leskov traveled across Lake Ladoga to the islands of Valaam and Korela, where the monks lived. It was then that the idea of a story about a Russian wanderer was born. By the end of the year, the story was written, entitled "Black Earth Telemak" and proposed for publication by the editors of the journal "Russian Messenger". However Chief Editor magazine M. N. Katkov refused, referring to the "dampness" of the work.

The story was first published in the Russkiy Mir newspaper, from October 15 to November 23, 1873, under the title "The Enchanted Wanderer, His Life, Experiences, Opinions and Adventures" and with a dedication to S. E. Kushelev (it was in his house that Leskov first read the story).

Artistic features

The narrative organization of the story is a tale - reproduction oral speech, an imitation of an improvisational story. Moreover, not only the manner of speech of the narrator, Ivan Flyagin, is reproduced, but also speech features the characters he talks about.

The story is divided into 20 chapters, the first is a kind of exposition, a prologue, the rest tell about the life of the hero and are separate, more or less complete stories. The logic of the narrative is determined not by the chronology of events, but by the memories and associations of the narrator (“whatever I remember, then, if you please, I can tell”).

Formally, the story reveals similarities with the canon of life: a story about the hero's childhood, a consistent biography, a struggle with temptations.

Summary of the story "The Enchanted Wanderer"

On the way to Valaam on Lake Ladoga, several travelers meet. One of them, dressed in a novice cassock and looking like a "typical hero," says that, having "God's gift" to tame horses, he, according to his parents' promise, died all his life and could not die in any way. At the request of the travelers, the former koneser (“I am a koneser,<…>I am a connoisseur in horses and was with repairmen to guide them, ”the hero himself says about himself) Ivan Severyanych, Mr. Flyagin, tells his life.

Coming from the yard people of Count K. from the Oryol province, Ivan Severyanych has been addicted to horses since childhood and once “for fun” beats a monk to death on a wagon. The monk appears to him at night and reproaches him for taking his life without repentance. He also tells Ivan Severyanych that he is the “promised” son of God, and gives a “sign” that he will die many times and will never die before the real “death” comes and Ivan Severyanych goes to Chernetsy. Soon, Ivan Severyanych, nicknamed Golovan, saves his masters from inevitable death in a terrible abyss and falls into mercy. But he cuts off the tail of the owner's cat, which drags pigeons from him, and as punishment he is severely flogged, and then sent to "an English garden for a path to beat stones with a hammer." The last punishment of Ivan Severyanych "tormented", and he decides to commit suicide. The rope prepared for death is cut off by the gypsies, with whom Ivan Severyanych leaves the count, taking horses with him. Ivan Severyanych breaks up with the gypsy, and, having sold a silver cross to an official, he receives a leave of absence and is hired as a "nanny" to the little daughter of a gentleman. For this work, Ivan Severyanych is very bored, leads the girl and the goat to the river bank and sleeps over the estuary. Here he meets the lady, the mother of the girl, who begs Ivan Severyanych to give her the child, but he is relentless and even fights with the current husband of the lady, an officer-lancer. But when he sees the angry approaching owner, he gives the child to his mother and runs with them. The officer sends the passportless Ivan Severyanych away, and he goes to the steppe, where the Tatars drive horse shoals.

Khan Dzhankar sells his horses, and the Tatars set prices and fight for horses: they sit opposite each other and whip each other with whips. When a new handsome horse is put up for sale, Ivan Severyanych does not hold back and, speaking for one of the repairmen, traps the Tatar to death. According to "Christian custom", he is taken to the police for murder, but he runs away from the gendarmes to the very "Ryn-Sands". The Tatars "bristle" Ivan Severyanych's legs so that he does not run away. Ivan Severyanych moves only by crawling, serves as a doctor among the Tatars, yearns and dreams of returning to his homeland. He has several wives "Natasha" and children "Kolek", whom he regrets, but he admits to the listeners that he could not love them, because they are "unbaptized". Ivan Severyanych completely despairs of getting home, but Russian missionaries come to the steppe "to establish their faith." They preach, but refuse to pay a ransom for Ivan Severyanych, arguing that before God "everyone is equal and it's all the same." Some time later, one of them is killed, Ivan Severyanych buries him according to Orthodox custom. He explains to the listeners that "the Asian must be brought to faith with fear," because they "will never respect a humble god without a threat." The Tatars bring two people from Khiva who come to buy horses in order to "make war." Hoping to intimidate the Tatars, they demonstrate the power of their fiery god Talafy, but Ivan Severyanych discovers a box with fireworks, introduces himself as Talafy, converts the Tatars to Christianity and, having found "caustic earth" in the boxes, heals his legs.

In the steppe, Ivan Severyanych meets a Chuvash, but refuses to go with him, because he simultaneously honors both the Mordovian Keremeti and the Russian Nicholas the Wonderworker. Russians come across on the way, they cross themselves and drink vodka, but drive away the "passportless" Ivan Severyanych. In Astrakhan, the wanderer ends up in prison, from where he is taken to hometown. Father Ilya excommunicates him for three years from communion, but the count, who has become devout, releases him “for quitrent”, and Ivan Severyanych settles in the horse section. After he helps the men choose good horse, he is famous as a sorcerer, and everyone demands to tell the "secret". Including one prince, who took Ivan Severyanych to his post as a koneser. Ivan Severyanych buys horses for the prince, but from time to time he has drunken “exits”, before which he gives the prince all the money for the purchases to be safe. When the prince sells a beautiful horse to Dido, Ivan Severyanych is very sad, "makes a way out", but this time he keeps the money to himself. He prays in church and goes to a tavern, where he meets an “over-empty-empty” person who claims that he drinks because he “voluntarily took weakness on himself” so that it would be easier for others, and Christian feelings do not allow him to stop drinking. A new acquaintance imposes magnetism on Ivan Severyanych to free him from "zealous drunkenness", and at the same time gives him extra water. At night, Ivan Severyanych finds himself in another tavern, where he spends all his money on the beautiful gypsy singer Grushenka. Having obeyed the prince, he learns that the owner himself gave fifty thousand for Grushenka, bought her out of the camp and settled in his house. But the prince is a fickle person, he gets bored with the “love word”, he gets sleepy from “yakhont emeralds”, besides, all the money ends.

Having gone to the city, Ivan Severyanych overhears the prince's conversation with his former mistress Yevgenia Semyonovna and learns that his master is going to marry, and wants to marry the unfortunate and sincerely loved Grushenka to Ivan Severyanych. Returning home, he does not find the gypsy, whom the prince secretly takes to the forest to the bee. But Grusha escapes from her guards and, threatening that she will become a "shameful woman", asks Ivan Severyanych to drown her. Ivan Severyanych fulfills the request, and in search of an imminent death, he pretends to be peasant son and, having given all the money to the monastery as a "contribution for Grushin's soul", he goes to war. He dreams of dying, but "neither earth nor water wants to accept", and having distinguished himself in business, he tells the colonel about the murder of a gypsy. But these words are not confirmed by the sent request, he is promoted to an officer and dismissed with the Order of St. George. Taking advantage letter of recommendation colonel, Ivan Severyanych gets a job as a "reference officer" at the address desk, but falls on the insignificant letter "fit", the service does not go well, and he goes to the artists. But rehearsals take place during Holy Week, Ivan Severyanych gets to portray the “difficult role” of the demon, and besides, stand up for the poor “gentlewoman”, he “pulls the whirlwinds” of one of the artists and leaves the theater for the monastery.

In the story "The Enchanted Wanderer" the author attempted a religious interpretation of Russian reality. In the image of Ivan Flyagin, Leskov portrayed a truly Russian character, revealing the basis of the mentality of our people, which is closely connected with Orthodoxy. In modern realities, he dressed the parable of the prodigal son and thereby again raised eternal questions, which mankind has been asked for more than a century.

Nikolai Semenovich Leskov created his story in one breath. The whole job took less than a year. In the summer of 1872, the writer traveled to Lake Ladoga, the very place where the action in The Enchanted Wanderer takes place. The author did not accidentally choose these protected areas, because there are the islands of Valaam and Korelu, the ancient dwellings of the monks. On this trip, the idea of the work was born.

By the end of the year, the work was completed and acquired the name "Black Earth Telemak". The author included in the title a reference to ancient Greek mythology and binding to the place of action. Telemachus is the son of King Ithaca Odysseus and Penelope, the heroes of Homer's poem. He is known for going fearlessly in search of his missing parent. So Leskov's character embarked on a long and dangerous path in search of their purpose. However, the editor of Russkiy vestnik M.N. Katkov refused to publish the story, referring to the "dampness" of the material and pointing out the discrepancy between the title and the content of the book. Flyagin is an apologist for Orthodoxy, and the writer compares him with a pagan. Therefore, the writer changes the title, but refers the manuscript to another publication, the Russkiy Mir newspaper. It was published there in 1873.

The meaning of the name

If everything is clear with the first version of the title, then the question arises, what is the meaning of the title "The Enchanted Wanderer"? Leskov invested in it no less interesting idea. First, it points to busy life hero, his wanderings, both on earth and within his inner world. Throughout life path he went to the realization of his mission on earth, this was his main search- Finding your place in life. Secondly, the adjective indicates Ivan's ability to appreciate the beauty of the world around him, to be fascinated by it. Thirdly, the writer uses the meaning "witchcraft", because often the character acts unconsciously, as if not of his own free will. He is led by mystical forces, visions and signs of fate, and not by reason.

The story is also called so because the author indicates the ending already in the title, as if fulfilling a destiny. The mother predicted the future for her son, promising him to God even before birth. Since then, he has been under the spell of fate, aimed at fulfilling his destiny. The wanderer does not walk independently, but under the influence of predestination.

Composition

The structure of the book is nothing but the modernized and composition of the tale ( folklore work, which implies an oral impromptu story with certain genre features). Within the framework of a tale there is always a prologue and an exposition, which we also see in The Enchanted Wanderer, in the scene on the ship where the travelers get to know each other. This is followed by the narrator's memoirs, each of which has its own plot outline. Flyagin tells the story of his life in the style that is characteristic of people of his class, moreover, he even conveys speech characteristics other people who are the heroes of his stories.

In total, there are 20 chapters in the story, each of which follows, not obeying the chronology of events. The Storyteller arranges them at his own discretion, based on the hero's random associations. So the author emphasizes that Flyagin lived his whole life as spontaneously as he talks about it. Everything that happened to him is a series of interconnected accidents, just like his narrative is a string of stories connected by vague memories.

It was not by chance that Leskov added the book to the cycle of legends about the Russian righteous, because his creation was written according to the canons of life - a religious genre based on the biography of the saint. The composition of The Enchanted Wanderer confirms this: first we learn about the special childhood of the hero, filled with signs of fate and signs from above. Then his life is described, filled with allegorical meaning. The climax is the battle with temptation and demons. In the end, God helps the righteous to endure.

What is the story about?

Two travelers talk on deck about a suicidal deacon and meet a monk who travels to holy places to escape temptation. People become interested in the life of this "hero", and he willingly shares his story with them. This biography is the essence of the story "The Enchanted Wanderer". The hero comes from serfs, served as a coachman. His mother could hardly bear the child and in her prayers she promised God that the child would serve him if she was born. She herself died in childbirth. But the son did not want to go to the monastery, although he was haunted by visions calling for him to fulfill his promise. While Ivan was stubborn, many troubles happened to him. He became the culprit in the death of a monk who dreamed of him and foreshadowed several "deaths" before Flyagin came to the monastery. But even this forecast did not make the young man think, who wanted to live for himself.

At first, he almost died in an accident, then he lost his lordly grace and sinned by stealing horses from the owner. For sin, he really did not get anything and, having made false documents, was hired as a nanny to a Pole. But even there he did not stay long, again violating the master's will. Then, in a battle for a horse, he accidentally killed a man, and in order to avoid prison, he went to live with the Tatars. There he worked as a doctor. The Tatars did not want to let him down, so they forcibly captured him, although there he got a family and children. Later, strangers brought fireworks, with which the hero scared the Tatars away and fled. By the grace of the gendarmes, he, like a runaway peasant, ended up in his native estate, from where he was expelled as a sinner. Then he lived for three years with the prince, whom he helped to choose good horses for the army. One evening he decided to get drunk and squandered government money on the gypsy Grusha. The prince fell in love with her and ransomed her, and later fell out of love and drove her away. She asked the hero to take pity on her and kill her, he pushed her into the water. Then he went to war instead of the only son of poor peasants, accomplished a feat, acquired the rank of officer, retired, but could not get a job. peaceful life, so he came to the monastery, where he really liked it. This is what the story "The Enchanted Wanderer" is written about.

Main characters and their characteristics

The story is rich actors from a variety of classes and even nationalities. The images of the characters in the work "The Enchanted Wanderer" are as multifaceted as their motley, heterogeneous composition.

Ivan Flyagin is the main character of the book. He is 53 years old. This is a gray-haired old man of enormous growth with a swarthy open face. This is how Leskov describes him: “He was a hero in the full sense of the word, and, moreover, a typical, simple-hearted, kind Russian hero, reminiscent of grandfather Ilya Muromets in the beautiful picture of Vereshchagin and in the poem of Count A. K. Tolstoy.” This is a kind, naive and simple-hearted person with an outstanding physical force and courage, but devoid of bragging and swagger. He is frank and sincere. Despite his low birth, he has dignity and pride. This is how he talks about his honesty: “Only I didn’t sell myself either for big money or for small ones, and I won’t sell myself.” In captivity, Ivan does not betray his homeland, since his heart belongs to Russia, he is a patriot. However, even with all positive qualities the man did a lot of stupid, random things that cost the lives of other people. So the writer showed the inconsistency of the Russian national character. Maybe that's why the character's life story is complex and eventful: he was a prisoner of the Tatars for 10 years (from the age of 23). After some time, he enters the army and serves in the Caucasus for 15 years. He deserves a reward for his deed George Cross) and officer rank. Thus, the hero acquires the status of a nobleman. At the age of 50, he enters a monastery and receives the name Father Ishmael. But even in the church service, the wanderer seeking the truth does not find peace: demons come to him, he has the gift of prophecy. The exorcism of demons did not work, and he is released from the monastery on a journey to holy places in the hope that this will help him.
Pear- a passionate and deep nature, conquering everyone with its languid beauty. At the same time, her heart is true only to the prince, which betrays her strength of character, devotion and honor. The heroine is so proud and adamant that she asks to be killed, because she does not want to interfere with the happiness of her treacherous lover, but she cannot belong to another. Exceptional virtue contrasts in her with demonic charm that destroys men. Even Flyagin commits a dishonorable act for her sake. A woman, combining positive and negative forces, after death takes the form of either an angel or a demon: either protecting Ivan from bullets, or embarrassing his peace in the monastery. So the author emphasizes the duality of female nature, in which mother and temptress, wife and lover, vice and holiness coexist.
Characters noble origin presented in a caricatured, negative way. So, the owner of Flyagin appears before the reader as a tyrant and a hard-hearted person who does not feel sorry for the serfs. The prince is a frivolous and selfish scoundrel, ready to sell himself for a rich dowry. Leskov also notes that the nobility itself does not give privileges. In this hierarchical society, they are given only by money and connections, which is why the hero cannot get a job as an officer. This important characteristic nobility.
Gentiles and foreigners also has its own characteristics. For example, the Tatars live as they have to, they have several wives, many children, but there is no real family, and, therefore, true love Same. It is no coincidence that the hero does not even remember his children who remained there, no feelings arise between them. The author defiantly characterizes not individuals, but the people as a whole, in order to emphasize the absence of individuality in him, which is not possible without common culture, social institutions- everything that the Orthodox faith gives the Russians. The writer also got the gypsies, dishonest and thieving people, and the Poles, whose morality is cracking. Getting acquainted with the life and customs of other peoples, the enchanted wanderer understands that he is different, he is not on the same path with them. It is also indicative that he does not develop relationships with women of other nationalities.
clergy characters severe, but not indifferent to the fate of Ivan. They have become for him a real family, a brotherhood that worries about him. Of course, they don't immediately accept it. For example, Father Ilya refused to confess as a fugitive peasant after vicious life among the Tatars, but this severity was justified by the fact that the hero was not ready for initiation and still had to pass worldly trials.

Subject

In the story "The Enchanted Wanderer" the main theme is righteousness. The book makes one think that the righteous is not the one who does not sin, but the one who sincerely repents of sins and wants to atone for them at the cost of self-denial. Ivan searched for the truth, stumbled, made mistakes, suffered, but God, as is known from the parable of the Prodigal Son, is more precious to God who returned home after long wanderings in search of the truth, and not to the one who did not leave and took everything on faith. The hero is righteous in the sense that he took everything for granted, did not resist fate, walked without losing his dignity and without complaining about heavy burden. In search of the truth, he did not turn to profit or passion, and in the finale he came to true harmony with himself. He realized that his highest destiny was to suffer for the people, “to die for the faith”, that is, to become something greater than himself. appeared in his life great meaning- service to the motherland, faith and people.
The theme of love is revealed in Flyagin's relationship with the Tatars and Grusha. It is obvious that the author cannot imagine this feeling without unanimity, conditioned by one faith, culture, paradigm of thinking. Although the hero was blessed with wives, he could not love them even after the birth of joint children. Pear also did not become his beloved woman, because he was fascinated by only the outer shell, which he immediately wanted to buy, throwing government money at the feet of the beauty. Thus, all the feelings of the hero turned not to an earthly woman, but to abstract images of the homeland, faith and people.
The theme of patriotism. Ivan more than once wanted to die for the people, and in the finale of the work he was already preparing for future wars. In addition, his love for his homeland was embodied in a quivering longing for the fatherland in a foreign land, where he lived in comfort and prosperity.
Faith. A huge impact the hero was influenced by the Orthodox faith, which permeates the entire work. She showed herself both in form and in content, because the book resembles the life of a saint, both in composition and in ideological and thematic terms. Leskov considers Orthodoxy a factor that determines many properties of the Russian folk character.

Problems

The rich range of problems in the story "The Enchanted Wanderer" contains the social, spiritual, moral and ethical problems of the individual and the whole people.

Search for the truth. In an effort to find his place in life, the hero stumbles upon obstacles and does not overcome all of them with dignity. Sins, which have become a means to overcome the path, become a heavy burden on the conscience, because he does not withstand some tests and makes mistakes in choosing the direction. However, without mistakes, there is no experience that led him to realize his own belonging to a spiritual brotherhood. Without trials, he would not have suffered his truth, which is never easy. However, the price for a revelation is invariably high: Ivan became a kind of martyr and experienced real spiritual torment.
Social inequality. The plight of the serfs becomes a problem of gigantic proportions. The author not only depicts the sad fate of Flyagin, whom the master brought to injury, sending him to the quarry, but also individual fragments of the lives of others ordinary people. Bitter is the lot of old people who almost lost their only breadwinner, who was taken into recruits. The death of the hero's mother is terrible, because she died in agony without medical care and any help at all. The attitude towards serfs was worse than towards animals. For example, horses worried the master more than people.
Ignorance. Ivan could have realized his mission faster, but no one was involved in his education. He, like his entire class, did not have a chance to go out into the people, even acquiring a free one. This restlessness is demonstrated by the example of Flyagin's attempt to settle in the city even in the presence of the nobility. Even with this privilege, he could not find a place for himself in society, since no recommendation can replace education, education and manners that were not learned in the stable or in the quarry. That is, even a free peasant became a victim of his slave origin.
Temptation. Any righteous person suffers from the misfortune of demonic power. If we translate this allegorical term into everyday language, then it turns out that the enchanted wanderer struggled with his dark sides - selfishness, desire for carnal pleasures, etc. No wonder he sees Grusha in the form of a tempter. The desire, once experienced in relation to her, did not give him rest in his righteous life. Perhaps he, accustomed to wandering, could not become an ordinary monk and come to terms with a routine existence, and he clothed this craving for active actions, new searches in the form of a “demon”. Flyagin - eternal wanderer who is not satisfied with passive service - he needs torment, a feat, his own Golgotha, where he will ascend for the people.
Homesickness. The hero suffered and languished in captivity in an inexplicable desire to return home, which was stronger than the fear of death, stronger than the thirst for comfort with which he was surrounded. Because of his escape, he experienced real torture - horse hair was sewn into his feet, so he could not escape all these 10 years of captivity.
Faith problem. In passing, the author told how Orthodox missionaries died in an attempt to baptize the Tatars.

main idea

The soul of a simple Russian peasant comes off before us, which is illogical, and sometimes even frivolous in its actions and deeds, and most terrible of all, that it is unpredictable. The actions of the hero cannot be explained, because inner world this seemingly commoner is a labyrinth in which you can get lost. But no matter what happens, there is always a light that will lead to the right way. This light for the people is faith, an unshakable faith in the salvation of the soul, even if life has darkened it with sins. Thus, the main idea in the story "The Enchanted Wanderer" lies in the fact that every person can become a righteous man, you just need to let God into your heart, repenting of evil deeds. Nikolai Leskov, like no other writer, was able to understand and express the Russian spirit, about which A.S. Pushkin. The writer sees a simple peasant, who embodied the entire Russian people, a faith that many deny. Despite this seeming denial, the Russian people do not stop believing. His soul is always open to miracles and salvation. To the last, she is looking for something holy, incomprehensible, spiritual in her existence.

The ideological and artistic originality of the book lies in the fact that it transfers the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son to modern author realities and shows that Christian morality knows no time, it is relevant in every century. Ivan also got angry at the usual way of things and left Father's house, only the church was his home from the very beginning, so his return to his native estate did not bring him peace. He left God, indulging in sinful pleasures (alcohol, mortal combat, theft) and sinking deeper and deeper into the quagmire of depravity. His path was a heap of accidents, in it N. S. Leskov showed how empty and absurd life is without faith, how aimless its course is, which always brings a person to the wrong place where he would like to be. As a result, like his biblical prototype, the hero returns to the roots, to the monastery, which his mother bequeathed to him. The meaning of the work "The Enchanted Wanderer" lies in finding the meaning of being, which calls Flyagin to selfless service to his people, to self-denial for the sake of a higher goal. Ivan could not do anything more ambitious and correct than this dedication of himself to all mankind. This is his righteousness, this is his happiness.

Criticism

The opinions of critics about Leskov's story, as always, were divided due to the ideological differences of the reviewers. They expressed their views depending on the journal in which they published, because the editorial policy of the media of those years was subject to a certain direction of the publication, its main idea. There were Westernizers, Slavophiles, Soil-Christians, Tolstoyans, and so on. Some of them, of course, liked The Enchanted Wanderer due to the fact that their views found their justification in the book, and someone categorically disagreed with the author’s worldview and what he called the “Russian spirit”. For example, in the magazine Russian wealth The critic N.K. Mikhailovsky expressed his approval of the writer.

In terms of the richness of the plot, this is perhaps the most remarkable of Leskov's works, but in him the absence of any center is especially striking, so that, in fact, there is no plot in it, but there is whole line fabula, strung like beads on a thread, and each bead in itself can be very conveniently taken out, replaced by another, or you can string as many beads as you like on the same thread.

A critic from the Russian Thought magazine spoke equally enthusiastically about the book:

A truly wonderful collection of lofty examples of virtues, capable of touching the most callous soul, with which the Russian land is strong and thanks to which the “city stands” ...

N. A. Lyubimov, one of the publishers of Russky Vestnik, on the contrary, refused to print the manuscript and justified the refusal to publish it by the fact that “the whole thing seems to him more like raw material for making figures, now very vague, than a finished description of something in the reality of the possible and the happening. This remark was eloquently answered by B. M. Markevich, who was the first listener of this book and saw what good impression she produced to the public. He considered the work to be something the highest degree poetic." He especially liked the descriptions of the steppe. In his message to Lyubimov, he wrote the following lines: “His interest is maintained equally all the time, and when the story ends, it becomes a pity that it has ended. It seems to me that there is no better praise for a work of art.”

In the newspaper "Warsaw Diary", the reviewer emphasized that the work is close to the folklore tradition and has a true folk origin. The hero, in his opinion, has a phenomenal, typically Russian endurance. He talks about his troubles in a detached way, as about other people's misfortunes:

Physically, the hero of the story - brother Ilya Muromets: he endures such tortures at the nomads, such an environment and living conditions that he is not inferior to any hero of antiquity. In the moral world of the hero, that complacency prevails, which is so characteristic of the Russian simple man, by virtue of which he shares his last crust of bread with his enemy, and in the war, after the battle, gives help to the wounded enemy on an equal basis with his own.

Reviewer R. Disterlo wrote about the peculiarities of the Russian mentality, depicted in the image of Ivan Flyagin. He stressed that Leskov managed to understand and display the ingenuous and submissive nature of our people. Ivan, in his opinion, was not responsible for his actions, his life, as it were, was given to him from above, and he put up with it, as with the weight of the cross. L. A. Annensky also described the enchanted wanderer: “Leskov’s heroes are inspired, enchanted, mysterious, intoxicated, foggy, insane people, although according to their inner self-esteem they are always “innocent”, always righteous.”

ABOUT artistic originality Leskov's prose spoke literary critic Menshikov, emphasizing, along with the originality, the shortcomings of the writer's style:

His style is wrong, but rich and even suffers from the vice of wealth: satiety.

It is impossible to demand from the pictures what you demand. This is a genre, and a genre must be taken by one measure: is it skillful or not? What are the directions here? Thus it will turn into a yoke for art and strangle it, as an ox is crushed by a rope tied to a wheel.

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The Enchanted Wanderer is one of the most famous works of the talented Russian writer Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov. The idea of the story came to the author during a trip along Lake Ladoga to the island of Valaam, where the monks still live. The first essays were written by Leskov under the title "Black Earth Telemak" at the end of 1872. And in September 1873, some time after the author returned from a trip, the story was published in the Russkiy Mir newspaper under the title The Enchanted Wanderer, His Life, Experiences, Opinions and Adventures. The work is included in Leskov's cycle of legends about the Russian righteous.

The analyzed work belongs to such a popular in the XIX century literary direction like critical realism. It is expressed in the author's desire to accurately portray all the difficulties of life. common man, without embellishment to describe the life of the Russian people. Leskov pays more attention to negative sides, rather than positive ones, to make the reader think about difficult things. "The Enchanted Wanderer" belongs to the genre of the story, as it draws a chain of episodes that make up the period of the life of the main character, and, unlike novels, has a single storyline. However, in this creation of N. Leskov, epic motifs are also traced. The composition of the work is linear, but the logic of the narrative is not based on the chronology of events, but on the associations and memories of the narrator. The story consists of several closed episodes, it is noteworthy that lives have the same structure, as well as adventure novels. Elements of both genres appear in The Enchanted Wanderer, which was an innovation by N. Leskov in late XIX century.

The writer's colorful language distinguishes his style from other Russian prose writers of that time. The colorful lines of the author, full of vernacular, are not at all like the classic literary devices Pushkin and Turgenev. Leskov wrote in the language that simple working people spoke: filled with all sorts of dialects, incorrect, harsh. And yet, his texts do not seem illiterate or empty at all, on the contrary, they have a special charm that enriches the Russian language.

The story "The Enchanted Wanderer" has a single storyline that is inextricably linked with the image of the main character. acting hero, Ivan Flyagin. For twenty chapters, into which the story is divided, the character goes through all sorts of trials, difficulties and temptations, grows spiritually. The result of all his adventures and hardships is the departure to the monastery, in which the hero found peace. Flyagin was cleansed of the sins of the past: the murder of a beloved woman and an innocent monk, although these crimes were not committed out of villainous motives. It would seem that evil fate haunted the protagonist throughout his life: this corresponds to the idea of N. Leskov to depict all the hardships of the life of a simple Russian person.

Ivan Flyagin is not perfect: in many of his actions, both recklessness and rudeness are read. Nevertheless, Leskov classifies him among the righteous. Despite their negative sides, this controversial character has high morality, piety, the ability to take someone else's sin upon himself - this is especially noticeable in the episode with the death of the gypsy Grushenka. The image of this heroine is also very interesting: using her example, Leskov was one of the first to talk about the lack of rights of women in Russia XIX century. tragic fate hot loving woman, who prayed to be delivered from the sin of suicide, cannot but arouse the sympathy of readers.

It is difficult to estimate the number of problems raised by Leskov in his famous work. The story gives answers to many moral and ethical questions about kindness and love, reveals national character Russian people, makes you think about the problem of finding happiness. No wonder it is considered one of the pearls of Russian literature.

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Which of us did not study the work of such a writer as Nikolai Semenovich Leskov at school? "The Enchanted Wanderer" ( summary, analysis and history of creation will be considered in this article) - the most famous work writer. It is about him that we will talk further.

History of creation

The story was written in 1872-1873.

In the summer of 1872, Leskov traveled along Lake Ladoga across Karelia to the Valaam Islands, where the monks lived. On the way, he got the idea to write a story about a wanderer. By the end of the year, the work was completed and offered for publication. It was called "Black Earth Telemak". However, Leskov was refused publication, as the work seemed damp to the publishers.

Then the writer took his creation to the Russkiy Mir magazine, where it was published under the title The Enchanted Wanderer, His Life, Experience, Opinions and Adventures.

Before presenting Leskov's analysis ("The Enchanted Wanderer"), let's turn to a brief summary of the work.

Summary. Getting to know the main character

Location - Lake Ladoga. Travelers heading to the islands of Valaam meet here. It is from this moment that it will be possible to begin the analysis of Leskov's story "The Enchanted Wanderer", since here the writer gets acquainted with the main character of the work.

So, one of the travelers, coneser Ivan Severyanych, a novice dressed in a cassock, tells that from childhood God endowed him with a wonderful gift to tame horses. Companions ask the hero to tell Ivan Severyanych about his life.

It is this story that is the beginning of the main narrative, because in its structure, Leskov's work is a story within a story.

Main character was born in the family of the yard servants of Count K. Since childhood, he was addicted to horses, but once, for the sake of laughter, he beat a monk to death. The murdered man begins to dream of Ivan Severyanych and says that he is promised to God, and that he will die many times and will never die until real death comes and the hero goes to Chernetsy.

Soon Ivan Severyanych quarreled with the owners and decided to leave, taking a horse and a rope. On the way, the thought of suicide came to him, but the rope on which he decided to hang himself was cut off by the gypsies. The hero's wanderings continue, which lead him to those places where the Tatars drive their horses.

Tatar captivity

An analysis of the story "The Enchanted Wanderer" by Leskov briefly gives us an idea of \u200b\u200bwhat the hero is. Already from the episode with the monk it is clear that human life he appreciates little. But it soon turns out that the horse is much more valuable to him than any person.

So, the hero gets to the Tatars, who have a custom to fight for horses: two sit opposite and beat each other with whips, whoever lasts longer wins. Ivan Severyanych sees a wonderful horse, enters the battle and beats the enemy to death. The Tatars catch him and "bristle" him so that he does not run away. The hero serves them by crawling.

Two people come to the Tatars, who with the help of fireworks intimidate them with their "fiery god". The protagonist finds things of visitors, scares them away with fireworks of the Tatars and cures his legs with a drug.

Coneser position

Ivan Severyanych finds himself alone in the steppe. The analysis of Leskov (“The Enchanted Wanderer”) shows the strength of the character of the protagonist. Alone, Ivan Severyanych manages to get to Astrakhan. From there he is sent to his hometown, where he former owner takes care of the horses. A rumor spreads about him as about a wizard, since the hero unmistakably identifies good horses.

The prince finds out about this, who takes Ivan Severyanych to his konesers. Now the hero chooses horses for a new owner. But one day he gets very drunk and in one of the taverns he meets the gypsy Grushenka. It turns out that she is the mistress of the prince.

Grushenka

Leskov's analysis ("The Enchanted Wanderer") cannot be imagined without the episode of Grushenka's death. It turns out that the prince planned to marry, and sent his objectionable mistress to a bee in the forest. However, the girl escaped from the guards and came to Ivan Severyanych. Grushenka asks him, to whom she has sincerely become attached and fallen in love, to drown her, because she has no other choice. The hero fulfills the request of the girl, wanting to get rid of the torment. He is left alone with a heavy heart and begins to think about death. Soon there is a way out, Ivan Severyanych decides to go to war in order to bring his death closer.

In this episode, the hero's cruelty was not so much manifested as his penchant for strange mercy. After all, he saved Grushenka from suffering, tripling his torment.

However, in the war he does not find death. On the contrary, he is promoted to officer, awarded the Order of St. George and retired.

Returning from the war, Ivan Severyanych finds a job at the address desk as a referee. But the service does not go well, and then the hero goes to the artists. However, our hero could not find a place for himself here either. And without having played a single performance, he also leaves the theater, deciding to go to a monastery.

denouement

The decision to go to the monastery turns out to be the right one, which is confirmed by the analysis. Leskov's "The Enchanted Wanderer" (summarized here) is a work with a pronounced religious theme. Therefore, it is not surprising that it is in the monastery that Ivan Severyanych finds peace, his spiritual hardships leave him. Although sometimes he sees "demons", he manages to drive them away with prayers. Though not always. Once, in a fit, he slaughtered a cow, which he mistook for the devil's weapon. For this he was planted by the monks in the cellar, where he discovered the gift of prophecy.

Now Ivan Severyanych goes to Slovoki on a pilgrimage to the elders Savvaty and Zosima. Having finished his story, the hero falls into calm concentration and feels a mysterious spirit that is open only to babies.

Leskov's analysis: "The Enchanted Wanderer"

The value of the protagonist of the work is that he is a typical representative of the people. And in his strength and abilities the essence of the entire Russian nation is revealed.

Interesting, in this respect, the evolution of the hero, his spiritual development. If at the beginning we see a reckless and careless dashing guy, then at the end of the story we have a wise monk. But this huge path of self-improvement would not have been possible without the trials that befell the hero. It was they who prompted Ivan to self-sacrifice and the desire to atone for his sins.

Such is the hero of the story that Leskov wrote. "The Enchanted Wanderer" (an analysis of the work also testifies to this) - history spiritual development of the entire Russian people on the example of one character. Leskov, as it were, confirmed with his work the idea that great heroes will always be born on Russian soil, who are capable not only of exploits, but also of self-sacrifice.

"The Enchanted Wanderer" is a story by Nikolai Semenovich Leskov, consisting of twenty chapters and created by him in 1872-1873. Written in a simple folk language, it reflects the range of feelings of a Russian person who does not stop before difficulties, but, overcoming them, goes to the intended goal.

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Chapter One: Acquaintance with Ivan Severyanovich

The first chapter tells how a ship is sailing on Lake Ladoga, among the passengers of which a monk, a “hero-Chernorizet”, who knows a lot about horses, is a bright personality. When asked why he became a monk, the man answers as follows: he opposed the fact that he used to do everything according to his parental promise.

Chapter Two: The Murdered Monk's Prophecy

Golovan - such a nickname was given to Flyagin Ivan Severyanovich, because he was born with a big head. The hero's father was a coachman named Severyan, but he does not remember his mother. The story of life, which Ivan tells, evokes mixed feelings, because the evil committed by Flyagin in childhood led to grave consequences. Ivan saw a peacefully sleeping monk, and whipped him with a whip, and he, out of fright, got tangled in the reins and fell under the wheel. And so the poor man died, and then he appeared to Golovan in a dream, prophesying "you will die many times and you will not die until real death comes, and then you will go to blacks."

Not much time passed, and Flyagin found himself in a situation similar to the one in which the monk he had killed was: he hung over the abyss at the end of the drawbar, and then fell down. He remained alive by a miracle, only because he fell on a block of clay, along which he rolled down, like on a sled. At the same time, he saved the owners from imminent death, which earned them their favor.

Chapter Three: Cruel Punishment

On new horses, Ivan returned home to his masters. And the young man wanted to have a dove and a dove in the stable. He rejoiced at the birds, and when they began to bring out the pigeons, the cat began to hunt for them. Vanya got angry and beat the harmful animal, cutting off the tail. The boy acted cruelly, and paid the price for it: he was mercilessly flogged and kicked out of the stable, and besides, he was forced to beat pebbles for the garden path with a hammer. Vanya became so annoyed that he decided to hang himself. It's good that the attempt was unsuccessful - out of nowhere, a gypsy appeared with a knife and cut the rope. The stranger offered Golovan to live with them, although he admitted that they were thieves and swindlers. So the fate of the young man suddenly took a different direction.

Chapter Four: Babysitting

Immediately, the gypsies forced Ivan to steal two horses from the master's stables. The boy did not want to steal, but there was nothing to do - he had to obey, and they raced away on horseback.

But the friendship between Ivan and the gypsy did not last long, they quarreled over money, and Flyagin went his own way. Once at the assessor, he told his story and took advantage of his good advice: for a fee, get yourself a vacation. So the runaway young man got the right to go to the city of Nikolaev and hire someone as a worker.

Ivan had to serve with one master as a nanny, although the boy was completely unprepared for such a position. Surprisingly, Ivan did a good job of taking care of the child (which, by the way, was taken from his mother). But one day the mother herself appeared and tearfully asked to give the little child. Golovan did not agree, however, he allowed her to see the baby every day. This continued until the woman's current husband, an officer, appeared. The mother of the child again began to beg Ivan to take pity on the baby to be with her.

Chapter Five: Golovan gives the child

However, Flyagin was adamant, even began to fight with the officer. And when a gentleman with a pistol appeared on the road, Golovan suddenly changed his mind. “Here you this shot! Only now, I say, take me away, otherwise he will hand me over to justice, ”he said. And he left with new masters. Only the officer was afraid to keep the "passportless" and gave him 200 rubles, sent him home.

Again the boy had to look for a place in the sun. He went into a tavern, drank, and then went to the steppe, where he saw the famous horse breeder Khan Dzhangar, who was selling his best horses. For a white mare, two Tatars even started a duel - whipping each other with whips.

Chapter Six: Duel

The last to be sold was a carrack foal, which cost a lot big money. And Ivan offered to fight for him in a duel with a Tatar named Savakirei, and when he agreed, using cunning, he flogged him to death.

Having escaped punishment for the murder, Flyagin went with the Asians to the steppe, where for ten years he treated both people and animals. The Tatars, so that Ivan would not run away in any case, came up with a cunning way to keep him: they cut the skin on his heels and, covering him with horsehair, sewed him up. After such an operation, the guy could not walk normally for a long time, but after a while he got used to it.

Chapter Seven: The Captive of the Tatars

Although Ivan did not want to live as a prisoner among the Tatars, he still had to live with Khan Agashimola. He had two wives - Tatars, Natasha, and from both children were born, for whom the hero did not have paternal feelings. He was disturbed by a strong nostalgia for Russia.

Chapter Eight: Requests for Help

The fellow travelers listened to the monk with great interest, and they were especially worried about the question of how he managed to escape from captivity. Ivan replied that at first it seemed completely impossible, but after a while, hope began to glimmer in his soul, especially when he saw Russian missionaries. They just did not want to heed his requests for help to rescue him from captivity. After a while, Flyagin saw one of them dead and buried according to Christian custom.

Chapter Nine: Release from Captivity

One day, people from Khiva came to the Tatars, who wanted to buy horses. In order to intimidate local residents they began to show how powerful their fiery god Talavfa was, and having set fire to the steppe, they disappeared. However, leaving hastily, they forgot to pick up the box where Ivan found ordinary fireworks. A plan for liberation matured in his head: he began to intimidate the Tatars with flames and forced them to accept Christianity. In addition, Golovan found caustic earth, which was how he managed to etch the horsehair on his feet. After that, the hero managed to escape. A few days later he went out to the Russians, but they also did not want to accept a person without a passport. The hero went to Astrakhan, but there he drank the money he earned, after which he ended up in prison, and after that he was sent to his homeland - to the province. At home, the count, who had already been widowed, whipped the wanderer twice and gave him his passport. Finally, Ivan felt himself a free man.

Chapter Ten: Change for the better

Ivan began an easier life: he went to fairs, offering peasants his help in choosing a good horse. For this he was thanked with money and treated. Having learned about Ivan's special gift, the prince hired him for three years as a coneser. Life was not bad for Flyagin at that time, only, it’s a pity, sometimes he drank heavily, although he really wanted to leave this vice.

Chapter Eleven: At the Tavern

Often Ivan was drawn to drink. One day, with the prince's money, he went into a tavern, where a man pestered him, who asked for vodka.

By evening, they were both already pretty drunk, despite the assurances of a new drinking buddy that he has magnetism and can get rid of cravings for alcohol. But, in the end, both lovers of fun were kicked out of the tavern.

Chapter Twelve: "Agnitezer"

At that time, Golovan could not even suspect that this was set up on purpose in order to lure money from him. "Magnetizer", meanwhile, tried to put the hero into a state of hypnosis as skillfully as possible, even giving the so-called "magnetic sugar" in his mouth. And he got his way.

Chapter Thirteen: Gypsy Pear

Through the efforts of a new friend dark night Ivan turned out to be near the gypsy house. Golovan sees that the doors are open, and curiosity leapt up in him. Later he regretted that he had entered, but it was too late: a gypsy named Grusha had robbed him to the bone. Ivan was seduced by her charms and beautiful songs, voluntarily gave all the money of the prince.

Chapter Fourteen: Conversation with the Prince

Magnetizer kept his promise: he turned Ivan away from drinking forever. But that day he did not remember how he returned home. Surprisingly, the prince did not strongly scold Golovan for the lost money, because he himself lost. Flyagin admitted that five thousand had all gone to the gypsy, and heard: "I'm just like you, dissolute." It turns out that once the prince gave not five, but fifty thousand for this same gypsy Grusha.

Chapter Fifteen: The History of the Prince

The prince, according to Ivan Severyanych, was a kind man, but very changeable. He zealously tried to get something, and then did not appreciate what he found. For a large ransom, the gypsies agreed to give Grusha to the prince. She lived in the house and sang songs to them with Ivan. But the prince's feelings quickly cooled for the gypsy, unlike this girl, who yearned for him. They hid from the gypsy that the prince had love on the side - Evgenia Semyonovna, who was known throughout the city and played the piano beautifully. From this love, a daughter was born to the prince.

Once Ivan was in the city and decided to call on Evgenia Semyonovna. The prince also unexpectedly arrived there. The woman had to hide Golovan in the dressing room, and he became an involuntary listener to their conversation.

Chapter Sixteen: Ivan is looking for Pear

It was about Yevgenia agreeing to mortgage the house, because the prince, who decided to buy a cloth factory and trade in all kinds of bright fabrics, needed money for this. But the smart lady understood the true reason for the prince's request: he wanted to give a deposit in order to win over the leader of the factory and then marry his daughter. The prince admitted that she was right.

After the first, a second question arose: where is the prince going to put the gypsy, to which it was suggested: he will marry the girl with Ivan and build a house for them. However, he did not fulfill his promise, but on the contrary, he hid Grusha somewhere, so that Ivan, already in love with a gypsy, had to search for her for a long time. But suddenly, unexpectedly, happiness smiled at Golovan: after he went out in despair to the river and began to call Grusha, she responded for no reason at all. Ivan did not suspect what bitter consequences this meeting would bring.

Chapter Seventeen: The Gypsy's Despair

Further conversation with Grusha did not bring relief to Ivan. It turned out that she was not herself, and came to the river to die, because she could not bear the betrayal of the prince, who marries another. The frustrated gypsy threatened to kill her rival.

Chapter Eighteen: Pear's Terrible Request

Grusha told Ivan that the prince forced the single-dwelling girls to guard her, but under the pretext of playing hide and seek, she managed to escape from them. So the gypsy ended up by the river, where she met Golovan, and after a short conversation, she suddenly ... asked to kill her, otherwise she would become the most shameful woman. Neither persuasion nor violent resistance helped. In the end, Golovan could not stand such an onslaught and pushed the gypsy off a cliff into the river.

Chapter Nineteen: At War

A sense of guilt for what he had done weighed heavily on Ivan, and when the opportunity arose to help two old men whose son was being recruited, Golovan volunteered to go in his place. And he spent fifteen years in the war. He even received an officer's rank for a feat: Ivan managed to build a bridge across the river, while attempts by other soldiers to do the same ended in death. But this did not bring him the desired joy. After some time, Golovan decided to go to the monastery.

Chapter Twenty: The Monk

So, the ordeal of the wanderer came to an end. The prediction of the deceased monk regarding him was fulfilled. In the monastery, Ivan Severyanych read spiritual books and prophesied about an imminent war. The hegumen sent him to Solovki for Prayer to Zosima and Savvaty. On the way there, Golovan met with those who had listened to him along the way. amazing story.

“The Enchanted Wanderer” - a summary of the story by N. S. Leskov

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