About the product
The story “Childhood” is the first work of Leo Tolstoy. First published in 1852.
Genre: autobiographical story. The story is told from the perspective of Nikolai Irtenyev, an adult who recalls individual events and deep experiences of his childhood.
The main idea: the foundation of character is laid in childhood; it is human nature to strive for improvement. To get acquainted with the characters of the story and the main events, it is worth reading a summary of Tolstoy’s “Childhood” chapter by chapter.
The material was prepared jointly with a teacher of the highest category, Kuchmina Nadezhda Vladimirovna.
Experience as a teacher of Russian language and literature - 27 years.
Other characters
- Nikolenka’s family – mother, father, brother Volodya, sister Lyubochka, grandmother.
- Natalya Savishna is a housekeeper, selflessly and tenderly attached to Nikolenka’s mother and her entire family.
- Karl Ivanovich is a home teacher. A kind and loving person for the Irteniev family.
- Mimi is the Irtenevs’ governess.
- Grisha, the holy fool . I visited the Irtenevs’ house.
- Sonechka Valakhina is Nikolenka’s first love.
- Ilenka Grap is an object of ridicule from her peers.
And we also have:
for the most impatient -
A very brief summary of “Childhood”
for the most sociable -
The main characters of Tolstoy's "Childhood"
for the busiest -
Reader's diary "Childhood"
for the coolest -
Read “Childhood” in full
Main characters and their characteristics:
- Nikolenka Irtenyev is a kind and sincere boy, he knows how to truly be happy and sad.
- Natalya Nikolaevna is Nikolenka’s mother, kind, and loves her children very much.
- Pyotr Alexandrovich - Nikolenka's father, strict and direct, a man of the last century, had great connections in the world.
- Karl Ivanovich is Nikolenka’s teacher, an elderly German, who loves his students.
- Nikolenka’s grandmother is an elderly countess, kind, loves her daughter, Natalya Nikolaevna, and her grandchildren.
- Natalya Savishna is an elderly nanny, sincerely devoted to the Irteniev family.
- Sonechka Valakhina is a wonderful girl, Nikolenka’s first love.
Summary
Chapter 1. Teacher Karl Ivanovich
A few days after his tenth birthday, Nikolenka Irtenyev, on whose behalf the story is told, was awakened early in the morning by his mentor Karl Ivanovich. Having dressed and washed, the hero and his brother Volodya, accompanied by Karl Ivanovich, go to “greet mother”.
Chapter 2. Maman
Remembering his mother, Irtenyev imagines her bright image, smile and wonderful childhood events associated with her.
Chapters 3-4. Dad. Classes
Having come to say hello to their father, the children heard that he had decided to take them with him to Moscow to study.
Nikolenka was worried about parting with all those close to him who were dear to him.
Chapters 5-6. Holy fool. Preparations for the hunt
The holy fool Grisha came to the Irtenyevs’ house for dinner, and the head of the family was dissatisfied with his stay in the house. On the eve of their departure, the children asked their father to take them on an upcoming hunt.
After lunch the whole family goes hunting.
Chapter 7. Hunting
Father sends Nikolenka to one of the clearings to guard the hare. The hounds drive the hare towards the boy, but he, in his excitement, misses the beast and worries about it.
Chapter 8-9. Games. Something like first love
The hunt was over, the whole company was resting in the shade. The children - Nikolenka, Volodya, Lyubochka and Mimi's daughter Katenka - went to play Robinson. Nikolenka tenderly watched Katenka’s every move with a feeling similar to first love.
Chapter 10. What kind of person was my father?
Talking about his father, the matured Irtenyev speaks of him as a man who had “the elusive character of chivalry, enterprise, self-confidence, courtesy and revelry.”
Chapters 11-12. Classes in the office and living room. Grisha
In the evening, the children drew at home and the mother played the piano. Grisha came out for dinner. The children wanted to see the chains he wore on his feet and snuck into his room. Hiding, they listened to the prayers of the returning wanderer, and their sincerity struck Nikolenka.
Chapter 13. Natalya Savishna
The narrator warmly remembers the family's devoted housekeeper, Natalya Savishna, whose whole life “was love and self-sacrifice.”
Chapter 14-15. Parting. Childhood
The morning after the hunt, the Irtenyev family and all the servants gathered in the living room to say goodbye. Nikolenka was “sad, painful and scared” to part with her mother.
Remembering that day, the hero reflects on his childhood. It is during childhood that “innocent gaiety and the boundless need for love are the only motivations in life.”
Chapter 16. Poems
A month after moving to Moscow, the Irtenyev brothers, living with their father in their grandmother’s house, congratulated her on her name day. Nikolenka wrote his first poems for the birthday girl, which she read out loud with pleasure.
Chapter 17-18. Princess Kornakova. Prince Ivan Ivanovich
Guests began to arrive at the house. Princess Kornakova has arrived. Nikolenka, having learned that she was punishing children with rods, was deeply shocked.
Her old friend Prince Ivan Ivanovich also came to congratulate the grandmother. Hearing their conversation, Nikolenka was deeply agitated: his grandmother said that his father did not value or understand his wife.
Chapter 19. Ivins
The Ivin brothers, relatives of the Irtenievs, and Ilenka Grapp, the son of a poor foreigner who was an acquaintance of my grandmother, came for the name day. Nikolenka really liked Seryozha Ivin, he wanted to be like him in everything. During the general games, Seryozha greatly offended and humiliated the weak and quiet Ilya, and this left a deep mark on Nikolenka’s soul.
Chapters 20-21. Guests are gathering. Before the mazurka
By evening, many guests had gathered for the ball, among whom Nikolenka saw the “wonderful girl” Sonechka Valakhina. The main character fell in love with her and was happy, dancing with her and having fun. “I couldn’t recognize myself: where did my courage, confidence and even audacity come from,” he recalls.
Chapters 22-23. Mazurka. After the mazurka
Nikolenka dances a mazurka with a princess girl, gets confused and stops. The guests look at him and he becomes very ashamed.
After dinner, Nikolenka dances with Sonya again. She suggests addressing each other as “you,” like close friends.
Chapter 24. In bed
Remembering the ball and thinking about Sonya, Nikolenka cannot sleep. He admits to Volodya that he is in love with Sonya.
Chapter 25-26. Letter. What awaited us in the village
One day, almost six months after grandmother’s name day, the father came to the children during lessons with the news that they were going to the village, home. The reason for leaving was a letter from his mother: she was seriously ill. The children found their mother already unconscious, and she died that same day.
Chapter 27. Grief
On the day of the funeral, Nikolenka says goodbye to her mother. Looking at the face, which had recently been beautiful and tender, the boy realized the “bitter truth” of the death of his loved one, and his soul was filled with despair.
Chapter 28. Last sad memories
“The happy time of childhood” is over for Nikolenka. Three days passed and everyone moved to Moscow. Only Natalya Savishna remained in the empty house, but soon she, too, fell ill and dies. The matured Irtenyev, coming to the village, always visits the graves of his mother and Natalya Savishna.
Brief summary of the story “Adolescence” by L.N. Tolstoy.
A brief retelling of the story “Adolescence” by L.N. Tolstoy
Chapter 1 – Long Ride
Nikolenka is a teenage boy from a noble family. He recently experienced a tragic event - he lost his mother. Together with his family, he goes to Moscow to visit his grandmother. The road is long, they travel for four days. The boy looks with interest at a large number of “new picturesque places and objects.” The moment he was allowed to control the horses, Nikolenka experienced real happiness.
Chapter 2 – Thunderstorm
After a hot day, a thunderstorm breaks out and catches Nikolenka and his family on the road. The boy hears thunder and becomes scared. Fear is mixed with interest and admiration at the sight of a violent and formidable element. After a thunderstorm, he feels the fresh air and is filled with a pleasant feeling.
Chapter 3 – A New Look
On the road, Nikolenka talks with Katya about her upcoming life in Moscow. Katya is wary about the move. From the words of her mother, she knows that the countess-grandmother has a difficult character, and the girl is traveling without a special mood. Nikolenka perceives this change as Katya’s distance. The girl notes that “you can’t always remain the same; We need to change someday." Speaking with Katya, he feels that there is another life outside of his family. The boy is faced with the fact that Katya and her mother are scared because they are poor.
Chapter 4 – In Moscow
The family is greeted by the grandmother-countess. She suffered the loss of her beloved daughter hard and grew old. Nikolenka feels compassion for her. The father lives in the outbuilding. He noticeably moves away from the children. Girls and boys are increasingly divided by interests, they have secrets.
Chapter 5 – Big Brother
Volodya is a little more than a year older than Nikolai, but in many ways superior to his younger brother. He is handsome, smart, and a great student. As children, the boys were friends, but as they grew older, they began to grow apart. Nikolenka not only admires Volodya, but also envies him. A quarrel arises between the brothers. Nikolenka turns over her brother’s table along with all his accessories. Volodya is not angry, he apologizes to his brother and wants to make peace with him. Nikolenka rejoices and goes to meet her brother.
Chapter 6 – Masha
Nikolai is no longer a child - he feels interest in the opposite sex. He is worried about a girl - the maid Masha, twenty-five years old. And here the main character is bypassed by his older brother, who pesters the maid. Nikolai becomes an involuntary witness to this scene. The boy envies Volodya's lively character and beauty. He cannot openly express his interest in a girl, because he is shy and has complexes about his appearance.
Chapter 7 – Fraction
Nikolenka is found to have a shot and immediately reports it to her grandmother. Although the shot is not dangerous, a strong scandal is being created. Under this pretext, the grandmother fires the tutor, Karl Ivanovich, a man who loved children with all his heart. She has long disliked this “guy,” and attributes Nikolenka’s presence of gunpowder to the tutor’s oversight. The brothers have a new tutor, Saint-Jerome, a Frenchman by birth.
Chapter 8 – The Story of Karl Ivanovich
The tutor is very annoyed that for his devoted attitude towards the boys he receives refusal and ingratitude in return. He says that he is always paid this way for his kindness. At parting, the former tutor told Nikolai the story of his life. He was originally from Germany. His real father was Count von Somerblatt. The father who raised him was not his own. He did not like little Karl, knowing that he was not his biological father. The boy felt like a stranger in his own family. As he grew older, he began to study shoemaking. He tried to win the love and respect of his stepfather, so he volunteered to join the army instead of his younger brother, who was his stepfather’s own son.
Chapter 9 – Continuation of the previous one
Soldier Karl took part in the war with Napoleon. He was captured, but a sergeant told him how to escape. And Karl was lucky to escape. Then he worked at a rope factory, where a kind man gave him a job. Everything was going great, but the unexpected happened. His benefactor's wife fell in love with Karl. Having decided not to pay for good with black ingratitude, having written a letter to the owner, Karl quietly left the house.
Chapter 10 – Continued
He did not see his family for a long time, about 9 years. When he came home, none of his relatives realized that it was Karl. Suddenly an unpleasant situation happened and he was forced to flee. Soon he met with the general and went to Russia with him. When the count died, Nikolenka's mother invited Karl to work as a tutor. Nikolenka loved Karl Ivanovich, who was sincerely attached to the children.
Chapter 11 – Unit
The Irteniev family is planning a holiday - sister Lyubochka's name day. On this occasion, guests were invited to the house: “Princess Kornakova with her daughters, Valakhina with Sonechka, Ilenka Grap and the two younger Ivin brothers.” The brothers can only join the guests after their scheduled history lesson. Volodya knows the topic of the lesson well, but Nikolenka was not prepared. And the teacher is also late. After slowly listening to Nikolai's answer, the teacher gives him a one, and Volodya gets a five. A bad grade can greatly affect Nikolenka. If they find out about the unit, he will not be allowed to attend the holiday. Volodya comes to his brother’s aid. When asked by the tutor about the grades for the lesson, Volodya says, although hesitantly, that Nikolenka was given a B.
Chapter 12 – Key
The father turns to Nikolai with a request to go to the outbuilding and bring sweets intended for the birthday girl. Nikolenka looks at the small key. He wonders what his father reveals to them. My father's briefcase with a small padlock catches my eye. Opening the briefcase, the boy takes out various papers. He experiences a complex state where curiosity and guilt are mixed. While closing the lock, the boy breaks the key. Returning with sweets, he hides what happened.
Chapter 13 – Traitor
The holiday is in full swing, and games are being played in the house. Nikolenka is nervous: not only did he hide the one, he also opened his father’s briefcase without asking. And he’s not very happy about the holiday. Nikolenka draws attention to the girl Sonya, who is interested in a completely different boy. Moreover, Nikolenka witnesses the scene when this boy boldly kisses Sonya right on the lips. The girl just laughs joyfully in response. Nikolenka ends up in a couple either with his sister or with the princesses, whom he does not like at all. Nikolenka feels annoyed and disappointed with the “traitor” Sonya. The girl never promised him anything, but Nikolenka called her exactly that.
Chapter 14 – Eclipse
The boy acutely feels the lack of love. He wants to attract attention to himself with all his might - to rage. Here the tutor learns about the unit received in the history lesson. Saint-Jerome tells Nikolenka to go upstairs. But the teenager protests, he does not want to leave and sticks his tongue out at the tutor. The enraged tutor threatens Nikolenka with rods and grabs the boy. Nikolenka hits Saint-Jerome in response, after which he is forced into a closet.
Chapter 15 – Dreams
Nikolenka, sitting in the closet, is filled with gloomy thoughts. The main character sincerely believes that no one needs him and no one loves him. The boy is struck by the thought that his parents are not his own. By this he explains to himself why he is treated so poorly. Nikolai imagines how Saint-Jerome will lament if he dies.
Chapter 16 – It will grind, there will be flour
The boy sat in the closet the whole night. He is taken to his grandmother only the next day. The Countess insists that the boy ask Saint-Jerome for forgiveness. The boy is adamant and refuses to apologize. Immediately after this scene there is a conversation with the father. Dad is outraged by the action of his son who opened his briefcase. The boy gives his word that this will not happen again. The boy complains, he asks his father to protect him from Saint-Jerome. His crying turns into convulsions. Nikolenka loses consciousness. Opening his eyes, he sees his family nearby. Everyone is scared and worried about him. The boy is forgiven, but the child hates the tutor.
Chapter 17 – Hatred
Nikolenka feels strong hatred for the tutor. The boy feels protest at Saint-Jerome's methods of humiliating a person. The teacher and student try not to have much contact.
Chapter 18 – Maiden
Before Nikolenka’s eyes, a love affair between Masha and Vasily develops. Watching them, the boy does not understand whether such rough relationships really constitute love? He admires Masha’s beauty and femininity, and he doesn’t understand why she fell in love with this drunkard. He has heard about the bitter story of their love - they cannot get married. Their marriage is banned, and the couple suffers greatly from this. Even though Nikolenka likes the maid, he wants to help the couple get married when he grows up.
Chapter 19 – Boyhood
Nikolenka’s thoughts are already completely different from the thoughts of a child. The main character thinks about universal human values. He is interested in issues related to universal human values. He reflects on happiness, death, and the destiny of man. It explores the theme of the immortality of the soul. Nikolai likes to be alone, to think about life. During this period he talks a lot. He develops the habit of analyzing life processes.
Chapter 20 – Volodya
Brother Volodya enters the university and passes his exams brilliantly. Having become a student, he already smokes tobacco and begins to lead an adult life. His acquaintances are gathering. Volodya has his own crew, he attends balls. Nikolenka looks at his success with envy.
Chapter 21 – Katenka and Lyubochka
It is surprising for the main character that Katenka and Lyubochka, two girls who grew up together, are so different. Katya is feminine and beautiful, but Lyubochka is not. My sister's only beautiful eyes are her big black eyes. But she is natural and simple, and Katenka strives to imitate. Lyubochka is only going to marry a hussar, but Katenka can’t stomach men, she’s not going to start a family at all.
Chapter 22 – Dad
Nikolenka began to see more of his father, who began to often drop in on his grandmother. He came in a cheerful mood. It turns out that this is because the father won a lot of money playing cards. One day, dad listens to Lyubochka play a piece on the piano that her late mother often performed. Looking at Lyubochka, dad began to cry. Nikolenka is surprised by some of her thoughts, cruel and incomprehensible about the father she loves.
Chapter 23 – Grandma
Grandmother is sick and weakening. One day, instead of lessons, the children are sent sleigh rides. Nikolenka, Lyubochka and Katenka are having fun. Approaching the house, they see the lid of the coffin and realize that the grandmother has died. Nikolenka comes face to face with death. He feels afraid that one day he will also die. Despite the mourning ceremony, no one regrets the death of the Countess, except the maid Gasha. There is talk in the house about how the inheritance will be distributed. It turns out that the grandmother bequeathed all her property to Lyubochka, whose guardian she appointed not their father.
Chapter 24 – I
Nikolenka is preparing to enter the mathematics department at the university. Saint-Jerome praises his student, and Nikolenka changed his attitude towards the tutor. Sometimes even he thinks that he loves Saint-Jerome. He continues to have feelings for Masha, but sees that she loves Vasily. Nikolai asks his father for help in the matter of Vasily and Masha’s marriage. The marriage took place, which completely healed Nikolai from his first love.
Chapter 25 – Volodya’s friend
Volodya's friends come to visit him, and Nikolenka likes to spend time in their company. Frequent guests to their house were Adjutant Dubkov and Prince Nekhlyudov. The main character compares both friends. Nikolai is interested in Nekhlyudov.
Chapter 26 – Reasoning
One day Nekhlyudov gave Volodya his theater ticket, and Volodya went to the theater with Dubkov. Nekhlyudov stayed at home with Nikolenka. They talk, touching on a variety of topics - about pride, about attitude towards oneself. Such a conversation might seem meaningless to outsiders, but for Nikolai and Nekhlyudov it was of great importance. Every thought inherent in one of them responded in the other. It became clear that they were interested in each other.
Chapter 27 – The Beginning of Friendship
Nekhlyudov and Nikolai continue to communicate. Nekhlyudov idealizes many aspects of life, considering it possible to destroy the evil and misfortunes of people. Although, their conversations are possible only when Nekhlyudov is left alone with Nikolenka. In the presence of other people, Nekhlyudov does not pay attention to Nikolai. One day, Nikolenka was offended by Dmitry, because he, having visited them several times, never talked to him. But the friends soon made up, having found out the cause of the quarrel.
