History of writing
The work was first published in the publication “Zarya” in 1872. The plot of “Prisoner of the Caucasus” is to a certain extent based on a real story that happened to the writer while serving in the Caucasus in 1853. Lev Nikolaevich, together with another soldier, the Chechen Sado, were ambushed.
An enemy detachment was catching up with them. Although Tolstoy had a hardy horse on which he could easily break away from the chase, he did not abandon his comrade in trouble. Sado was armed, but the gun was not loaded, but he still aimed menacingly at the enemy, trying to scare the enemy. The Caucasians did not shoot at the Russian fighters because they were trying to take them alive. Tolstoy and his friend managed to approach the fortress, from where the Cossacks saw them and rushed to the rescue.
The work is also based on “Memoirs of a Caucasian Officer” by Baron F. F. Tornau. His memoirs describe his experience of being a prisoner of the mountaineers, his friendship with a Kazakh captive girl named Aslan-Koz, his first unsuccessful attempt to escape, and his subsequent liberation.
Literary composition “Prisoner of the Caucasus” (Anniversary of M.Yu. Lermontov)
Reader14:
“This valley is a glorious place. On all sides there are impregnable mountains, reddish rocks, hung with green ivy and crowned with the domes of plane trees, yellow cliffs, streaked with gullies, and there high, high a golden fringe of snow, and below Aragva, embracing another nameless river, noisily bursting out of a black gorge full of darkness , stretches like a silver thread and sparkles like a snake with its scales.”
Presenter2.
The pictures of nature in “A Hero of Our Time” are exceptionally picturesque. At the same time, they are realistic. But nature in the novel is not only the setting in which events take place, but also serves as a means of revealing the inner world of the protagonist. Landscape sketches emphasize and highlight Pechorin’s thoughts and experiences. Pechorin is drawn to nature. In communication with her he finds peace of mind. He loves nature and subtly feels its charm.
Reader15:
“This time, more than ever before, I loved nature. How curiously I peered at every dewdrop fluttering on a wide grape leaf and reflecting millions of rainbow rays! How greedily my gaze tried to penetrate into the smoky distance.”
“Today at five o’clock in the morning, when I opened the window, my room was filled with the smell of flowers growing in a modest front garden. Branches of blossoming cherry trees look into my windows, and the wind sometimes strews my desk with their white petals. I have a wonderful view from three sides. In the west, the five-headed Beshtu turns blue, like “the last cloud of a scattered storm”; Mashuk rises to the north like a shaggy Persian stick and covers this entire part of the sky..."
Presenter1
. The Caucasus was one of the main themes not only of Lermontov’s poems, poems, and “fragrant prose,” but also of his numerous drawings, watercolors and several paintings, executed with great professional skill.
Upon returning from his first exile, in just two years the poet completed work on the poems “Mtsyri”, “Demon” and the novel “Hero of Our Time”, wrote such excellent poems as “Duma”, “Poet”, “Three Palms”, and others .
Reader 16: “Dispute”
Presenter2.
In 1840, Lermontov was arrested and put on trial for a duel with the son of the French envoy, Barant. And then, by personal order of Nicholas I, he was transferred to the Tenginsky regiment, which was located in the Caucasus in the area of fierce fighting. The royal decision was intended to place the restless, uncomfortable poet in conditions under which he would be in danger of death.
Condemning the war, the poet was forced to take part in it. In the combat log of the detachment in which Lermontov was located, under June 11, 1840, there is the following entry:
Reader17:
“Lieutenant Lermontov of the Tengin Infantry Regiment, during the assault on enemy rubble on the Valerik River, was instructed to observe the actions of the advanced assault column and notify the detachment commander about successes, which was fraught with the greatest danger for him from the enemy hiding in the forest behind the trees and bushes. But this officer, despite any dangers, carried out the assignment entrusted to him with excellent courage and composure, and with the first ranks of the bravest, he burst into the enemy’s rubble.”
Genre composition
Although in some cases literary scholars call this work a story, it still refers more to a story. This is indicated by the small volume, limited number of main characters, single storyline and first-person narration.
Tolstoy wrote “Prisoner of the Caucasus” in the direction of realism. The entire work of this writer was built precisely on this literary style, and this story was no exception . This is also proven by the fact that Lev Nikolaevich’s creation was based on a real story.
The writer in the work describes real military life, without romanticism and embellishment. The book has 6 chapters. The text contains standard structural elements that are inherent in the short story genre: plot, development of events, climax, denouement.
Composition of "Prisoner of the Caucasus"
Let's see how two opposite ways of developing action in “Prisoner of the Caucasus” interact. Having introduced us to the main character and the rather vague circumstances of his captivity, the author suddenly breaks off the narrative at an ellipsis: “And the young captive’s chest / was agitated with a heavy thought...”, after which the action is reversed. There follows a memory of the former life of a slave: “A long journey leads to Russia...”, ending with a return to the starting point of the narrative: “It is finished.../...He is a slave.”
The action develops, but we clearly see how it is deformed by romantic irony, the contrast of compressed time and extended space, a plot bridge between this life and that life. Next comes an acquaintance with a Circassian woman and a rapprochement between the young people. Now the time plan is stretching out. The first lyrical digression appears in the form of a graphically highlighted eight-line “Our youth will not suddenly fade...”, which is perceived as a completely independent poem, and, of course, also significantly interrupts the action.
A lengthy description of the prisoner's life, pictures of nature, and ethnographic details seem to return us to the exhibition and complement it. As a result, the action slows down extremely, slips, and almost stops. A kind of side storyline arises, and not just one, but five—characteristic episodes from the life of the Circassians are recounted...
Again, a throwback to the past and then a return to the present marks the end of Part I. Part II opens with an appeal to the “maiden of the mountains”, which imperceptibly turns into a conversation - the characters exchange monologues (this is a romantic “dialogue”). In the prisoner’s tirade, attention is drawn to the lyrical digression “How hard it is with dead lips... How hard it is to think about another!..”, which produces an ambivalent impression: the hero could not say this to his interlocutor, but he could think about it or voice his thoughts “in side" as on stage.
The development of the action resumes. The “conversation” scene ends a specific episode with a compressed time. Then it “liquefies” again: “One day a Russian prisoner hears, / A military cry was heard in the mountains...”. Aul is preparing for a raid. The specification of the action, however, is not carried out fully. The Circassian song, given in full, from the first to the last verse, sounds like a dissonant inhibitory factor. “So the maidens sang...” is an indication of the reality of its performance in the circumstances described: “...Sitting on the shore, / The Russian dreams of escaping...”.
Here the action again acquires a concrete, momentary character. The virgin comes to the prisoner with a saw and a dagger. The “footage” flashes rapidly: liberation - flight - death of the Circassian woman - our own! The denouement - and the epilogue, which has a very indirect relation to the topic: 1) about the muse, who “...for a wreath she picked / wild flowers of the Caucasus...”, 2) about the Caucasus, 3) about the past (Mstislav and Rededya), 4) about the present : “...Humble yourselves, Caucasus: Ermolov is coming!.. And the ardent cry of war fell silent...” until the very end. Not a word about the fate of the hero!
If we now try to reconstruct a plot characterized by fragmentation, fragmentation, and a shifted chronotope, it will be extremely difficult. The full-blooded plot of “Prisoner of the Caucasus,” as a typically romantic poem, is largely displaced and neutralized by the lyrical element.
Source: Fedotov O.I. Fundamentals of literary theory: Textbook. aid for students higher textbook establishments: At 2 o'clock - M.: Humanit. ed. VLADOS center, 2003. - Part 1
Summary
The plot of the work contains a story about officer Ivan Zhilin, who fought in the Caucasus. One day he received a message from his mother. She wrote that she was already very ill and asked to visit her to say goodbye. Zhilin, without hesitation, goes home.
The convoy walked slowly, so Ivan and another fellow traveler, soldier Kostylin, decide to go forward. But on the way they meet mountaineers. Due to the fault of Kostylin, who got scared and ran away with a gun, the unarmed Zhilin was captured and taken to the village. Here they put him in a block and locked him in a barn. After a while, the captive Ivan is informed that Kostylin was also caught, and the gun that the Russian soldier had misfired.
The fighters were transferred to settle the debt to Abdul-Murat. The new “owner” then demanded a ransom for them. Ivan, feeling sorry for his mother, knowing that she has no funds, sends a message to the wrong address. He and his friend have been in captivity for more than one month . During this time, Ivan managed to win the sympathy of local residents, in particular, the owner and his daughter Dina, who secretly brought him food. Kostylin is still waiting for an answer from the house, hoping for a ransom, and at this time Zhilin is digging a tunnel every night.
One day they climb out of the barn through a manhole. Trying to find the way to the fortress, the soldiers get very sore feet. Kostylin constantly complained of unbearable pain, so Ivan carried him on himself. Naturally, they didn’t get far, the mountaineers caught them and returned them to the village, then they put them in a hole and promised to kill them if there was no ransom in a week.
Kostylin’s health in the pit deteriorated greatly. Ivan developed another escape plan, persuading Dina to bring a long stick so that she could climb on it and escape. He tried to take his friend , but the latter did not have the strength to do so, so Zhilin escapes alone.
He goes all night to the fortress, but, already approaching it, he runs into the Tatars. With the last of his strength, the hero runs towards the Cossacks, asking them for help. They heard Ivan and helped him. Kostylin still waited for the ransom only a month later and returned to the fortress.
Summary for the reader's diary
Briefly, the plot tells about the times of the Caucasian War.
Officer Ivan Zhilin serves here. The soldiers' place of residence is a fortress. His mother sent Ivan a letter asking him to visit her. Here Zhilin leaves the fortress with a convoy.
Since the convoy is moving slowly, Zhilin and another officer named Kostili decide to go forward themselves. They meet the mountaineers. Kostylin abandons Zhilin and leaves. The mountaineers shoot Zhilin's horse and take him prisoner. Later Kostylin is also captured. They live in a barn.
A quote from the story describes the state of the characters: “Zhilin and his friend lived like this for a whole month. The owner keeps laughing. - Yours, Ivan, is good, - mine, Abdul, is good. “But he fed me poorly—he only gave me unleavened bread made from millet flour, baked into flatbreads, or even unbaked dough.”
At night, Zhilin makes a tunnel, but the idea turned out to be a failure. In the end, he managed to escape with the help of the owner's daughter Dina. He reached the Russian troops, and they subsequently saved Kostylin.
The work shows the life of the mountain people, their customs, tells how they lived, and also contains a description of nature, thanks to which you can better understand the experiences of the characters.
Description of characters
When creating the work, the writer used the technique of antithesis. Tolstoy contrasted Ivan and Kostylin to give contrast to the story. Due to this, the problems that the author raises are more understandable. Many rich people, like Kostylin, are cowardly, weak, lazy and helpless without money. Therefore, the nobility needs to look up to the inventive and brave Ivan. Only these men can the motherland rely on in difficult times.
The story has two main characters:
- Ivan Zhilin. A poor, principled and stubborn man. When the mountaineers forced him to write a message to his mother asking him to send a ransom of 3 thousand rubles, he insisted that no one would send this money, as a result they gave up and accepted his price. This is a brave hero, he did not give up in a difficult situation. He doesn’t expect a miracle, he only relies on himself.
- Kostylin. Rich nobleman. This is the opposite of Zhilin. He is clumsy and overweight, pampered by a serene life, not used to dealing with difficulties, so being in captivity is difficult for him. Unlike Zhilin, he is an unreliable friend. Seeing the enemy, he immediately abandoned Ivan himself. While in captivity, he simply resigns himself to his fate, does not take any action, only awaits the ransom.
What is the history of the creation of the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” by L.N. Tolstoy?
What is the history of the creation of the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” by L.N.
Tolstoy? “Prisoner of the Caucasus” by Tolstoy - the history of its creation?
The Russian writer L.N. Tolstoy wrote the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” based on real events of his life. The writer himself served in the Caucasus in his youth, participated in the war with the highlanders, in which, together with his friend, he miraculously escaped pursuit and avoided capture by the Tatars.
In addition, Lev Nikolaevich had to rescue his fellow soldiers from captivity among the highlanders.
The story was published in 1872.
The history of the creation of “Prisoner of the Caucasus” has real facts. Leo Tolstoy also served in the Caucasus and was almost captured when, while riding on horseback with other officers and a Chechen friend, they were attacked by Chechens, but miraculously managed to survive and not be captured. At the same time, like his hero Zhilin, Tolstoy did not leave his friend alone, although he could ride off on his fast horse.
“Prisoner of the Caucasus” is studied in the middle school curriculum; the characters of the main characters are very vividly described, one of whom is ready to give up under the pressure of the first difficulties, the second is fighting for freedom. Leo Tolstoy read the memoirs of Colonel Tornau in a Russian magazine called "Russian Messenger". The story was dedicated to the love between a Caucasian girl named Aslan Koz and a Russian officer who was captured by her relatives. Well, then the master’s pen created a masterpiece that is interesting to read at any age.
Main topics
In his work, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, using the example of the main characters of the story Kostylin and Zhilin, raises important themes - friendship, loyalty, responsiveness, comradely duty, courage, perseverance and good nature.
The writer touched on many topics; only the main ones can be briefly described:
- The theme of compassion is portrayed through the character of Dina. Unlike Pushkin’s story, Tolstoy’s heroine did not help the prisoner out of love, the girl was guided by more sublime feelings, she took pity on the kind and brave protagonist, was imbued with respect for this man and sympathized with him in a friendly way.
- Zhilin's courage and courage are considered as the strength of the Russian people. No matter what difficulties come their way, people can muster all their courage and get out of the most difficult situations. The opposite character showed what can happen if cowardice is given the opportunity to overcome.
- The theme of sincere friendship on the part of Ivan and “casual friendship” by Kostylin. If Zhilin defended his comrade as himself, then the latter abandoned him to the mercy of fate.
Disclosure of problems
The issues in the story are also broad and relevant. Lev Nikolaevich tried to raise the following questions:
- The Caucasian War lasted almost 50 years, many soldiers died during this time. But why? The writer raised the problem of senseless and bloody battles. War is beneficial only for the ruling circles; ordinary people have absolutely no need for it. Ivan, a native of the people, felt like a stranger in the village in the Caucasus, but did not feel hostility, since the mountaineers lived peacefully until they were conquered and began to enslave. The writer describes the positive character of the new “owner” Ivan Abdulla and his compassionate and good-natured daughter Dina. These are not animals, not fanatics, they are the same as their enemy.
- The problem of betrayal fully arises before Ivan. The main character was abandoned by his friend Kostylin, because of this man they are in captivity, because of him they were unable to escape the first time. Zhilin is a man with a huge soul; he easily forgives his comrade, realizing that not all people can be strong.
Theme and composition
The theme of “Prisoner of the Caucasus” is the war of the Russian Empire with the mountain peoples.
The outline of a story contains such structural elements as beginning, development of events, climax and denouement. The exposition is quite short, containing only a couple of sentences. She talks about how one officer served in the Caucasus.
Plot: Zhilin receives a letter from his mother and goes to visit her.
Development of events: Ivan is captured, later Kostylin joins him. Zhilin is planning an escape, but he cannot escape. The highlanders put officers Zhilin and Kostylin in a hole
The climax tells that officer Zhilin, thanks to Dina’s help, gets out of captivity.
Denouement: the escape was a success. Then the Russians brought Ivan to the fortress and saved Kostylin.
Meaning and idea
With his work, Leo Tolstoy tried to show that in any circumstances you need to be human, not be inactive and show only the best qualities. His main idea was to contrast two completely different characters to show what a certain behavior of an individual leads to. Ivan, who saw no obstacles and continued to act and fight, eventually achieved liberation, while the passive and constantly sad Kostylin, who only created even more difficulties, was barely able to survive in this situation.
The essence of the work is that a good-natured, persistent and courageous person will be able to cope with all the trials that await him on the path in life. Ivan was able to survive precisely because of these qualities. Using Kostylin’s example, the reader understands that wealth, titles and status in society cannot help in enemy captivity, and cowardice, baseness and meanness only aggravate the situation .
The writer in his work made his readers think about a lot. The main moral of the story is to never give up. This is exactly the plan that the main character had. Tolstoy is an adherent of the idea that hopeless situations overtake only a person who gives up and does not take any decisive action.
Also an important conclusion of the work is the idea that wars can never lead to something good. Capturing or killing a person because of his ethnicity is not only senseless - it is heartless, cruel and base. We must always remember that regardless of gender, race, religion, any life is priceless.
The problems that are shown and revealed in the work are still relevant today. Such creations as “Prisoner of the Caucasus” are required so that people, reading them, realize all the possible consequences of these actions and be able to learn from the mistakes of others, and not from their own.
L.N. Tolstoy "Prisoner of the Caucasus". Analysis of the work
Tolstoy and his friend Sado accompanied the convoy to the Grozny fortress, but moved very slowly. Getting bored, the friends decided to overtake the convoy and go a little faster. Having become separated from the others, the young people were ambushed by the Chechens. This story would have ended much worse if the Chechens had not planned to take their comrades alive and did not shoot. The horses under Lev and Sado were fast and were able to gallop away from the enemy. Unfortunately, one of the horsemen accompanying the convoy suffered a injury to a young officer whose horse was shot. The animal fell and crushed the young man with its body, and the Chechens who arrived chopped the horseman into pieces. The event that took place sank into the heart of the writer, and in 1872 the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” was first published in the magazine “Zarya”.
The main idea of the story is a vivid contrast between a brave, intelligent and optimistic man and his comrade - a passive man, self-pitying, quick to give up and lethargic. One hero remains a man in any situation, tries to find a way out of a terrible situation and, in the end, achieves his goal - he is freed from captivity. The second character surrenders immediately as soon as he is captured, and only a miracle helps him escape from captivity barely alive. Moral of the piece: you should never give up, we create the desired future only with our own hands.
"Prisoner of the Caucasus". Summary
The events of “Prisoner of the Caucasus” take place during the Caucasian War (1817-1864; military actions of the Russian Imperial Army associated with the annexation of the North Caucasus regions). Officer Zhilin receives a letter from his mother, in which the woman calls him home. You can’t just go out alone - you can easily get ambushed, so Zhilin goes home, accompanying the convoy along the way. Another officer, Kostylin, is traveling with him. The convoy travels slowly, with stops, the day is hot, and Zhilin invites his fellow traveler to go alone, unaccompanied.
Having barely left the convoy, the young people meet the mountaineers. Kostylin abandons his comrade and leaves, and Zhilin is captured. Having brought the prisoner to the village, one Tatar sells Zhilin to another - Abdul-Murat - now the Russian officer belongs to another “master”. Later it turns out that Kostylin was also captured. Zhilin bargains for himself the right to eat decently, live with his fellow sufferer and be free from the stocks at night.
