A very brief retelling of the story “The Old Genius.”
Some time ago, an elderly landowner loaned a dandy from St. Petersburg fifteen thousand rubles against the security of her estate. The heroine knew this man’s mother and trusted him. The agreed upon period had already expired, but the young man had no intention of returning the borrowed amount. Realizing that without this money the family could face terrible hunger and loss of housing, the old woman went to St. Petersburg in search of the debtor.
Everything went according to plan - the heroine won in court, the decision was made quickly and in favor of the prosecution. However, there was a serious hitch - the paper with the receipt never reached the dandy; quite influential people stood behind him. As it turned out, the debtor is listed in an apartment building, but lives with a certain lady. Therefore, it is simply impossible to deliver the document to him.
Everyone sympathized with the old woman only in words, but no one dared to help. The dandy borrowed from half the city, but never returned the money to anyone. But fortunately for the old woman, on her life’s path she met a person who offered to help. The man, calling himself a genius, offered to pay the old woman a sum of 500 rubles - 200 for himself and 300 for his assistant. The heroine had no choice but to accept this offer.
At this time, the debtor was getting ready to travel with the lady with whom he lived. On the day when the dandy was leaving the city, Genius’ assistant intercepted him at the station and provoked a brawl, giving the debtor several slaps in the face. The police intervened and both were arrested.
As soon as the victim identified himself, the police officer immediately gave him a receipt accusing him of non-payment of debt. The debtor immediately wrote out a check in the name of the old woman - if only she would be allowed to leave the site as soon as possible. So the main character received what rightfully belonged to her, and the Genius confirmed his nickname with a truly brilliant act.
Plot
One day, an elderly landowner, an unusually kind and compassionate old woman, decided to help her friend. He turned out to be a young St. Petersburg dandy who owed a large sum. The woman, who sincerely felt sorry for the young man, took out a loan of fifteen thousand rubles as security for her estate and gave all the money to him. She had no doubts about his integrity and was not worried about returning such a large sum.
In the meantime, the dandy left for St. Petersburg and stopped any communication with the landowner. The woman began to worry: if the money was not returned to her, she would have to say goodbye to the estate and she would have nowhere to live with her sick daughter and little granddaughter. Realizing that drastic measures needed to be taken, she went to St. Petersburg.
In the capital, the landowner went to court and won the case, but no one was in a hurry to implement the court decision. It turned out that that same dishonest dandy had serious connections and no one wanted to get involved with him. In addition, he owed money not only to the old woman, but to many other people, and no one could find justice for him. The officials advised the woman to forget about the debt, so as not to inadvertently get even bigger problems from this gentleman.
The landowner was not going to give up. She learned that in order for the court decision to come into force, it is necessary to catch the dandy and hand him a summons in front of witnesses. None of the officials took up this matter, even for a lot of money.
One day a woman met a certain mysterious Mr. Ivan Ivanovich, who undertook to solve her problem. He promised the old woman to give the scoundrel a summons for just five hundred rubles: he took two hundred rubles for himself for organizing the process, and three hundred rubles for the direct executor. The old woman decided to take time to think: she did not fully trust this man.
One day, a landowner met her debtor on the street. She grabbed him by the sleeve and made a fuss, but the police hushed up the matter. The woman learned that in the very near future her debtor would leave Russia forever, and she would be ruined. Without hesitating any longer, she turned to Ivan Ivanovich for help.
The detective found his assistant, a dashing participant in the Serbian-Turkish War, a “Serbian fighter,” gave him the money and explained the task. The next day, the whole trio appeared at the station, where the dandy and his mistress were already waiting for the train. The Serbian fighter cleverly started a quarrel with the debtor, and the police intervened in the matter. The dandy received a summons and, fearing that it would prevent him from going abroad, immediately wrote the old lady a check for fifteen thousand. So, thanks to the inventive genius of Ivan Ivanovich, the woman received the debt and returned the family estate.
Main characters and their characteristics:
Ivan Ivanovich (Old Genius) is a man with whom no one is closely acquainted and does not know his true identity.
Helps others, but takes a small fee for it. Responsive, responsible and honest, but modest and secretive person. He always does his job well and keeps his word. He does not give his real name, perhaps because he does not want to boast about his virtue and prefers to work anonymously.
The old woman is the main character of the story. A provincial landowner, kind and sympathetic, ready to help in difficult times (which is why she provides financial support to the dandy). A dandy is a young man of pleasant appearance who dresses fashionably, creating the image of a man who is handsome on the outside but ugly on the inside. Borrows from friends and never pays back, has influential patrons. Gambling - his problems with money are associated with card failures.
Contents of the story “Old Genius” by chapters
N. S. Leskov Old genius summary:
The story takes place in the second half of the 19th century.
One day, an elderly noblewoman decides to help her friend, who owes someone a large sum of money. An old woman takes out a loan of 15 thousand rubles secured by her estate and gives all the money to a friend. The man leaves for St. Petersburg, after which he stops answering the old woman’s letters. She is worried that because of this debt she will lose her estate. To resolve this matter, the old woman goes to St. Petersburg.
In St. Petersburg, an old woman goes to court and wins the case, but no one is in a hurry to implement the court decision. Officials are afraid to contact this gentleman because of his connections. It turns out that the scoundrel owes money not only to the old woman, but also to other people. However, no one can find justice for him. The officials advise the old lady to leave this matter so as not to get even more problems from this gentleman.
The old woman turns to higher officials, but they refuse to help her. They explain that it is impossible to catch the debtor and serve a summons, and without this it is impossible to collect the debt. The woman offers bribes to the officials, but they refuse. One day an old woman meets the mysterious Mr. Ivan Ivanovich. He admits that with the help of his brilliant ideas he can solve the most insoluble problems. The genius promises to hand over a summons to the scoundrel for 500 rubles: for his services, Ivan Ivanovich takes 200 rubles for himself (for the idea and leadership), and gives the remaining 300 rubles to his friend, the executor of the plan. The old lady takes time to think.
One day on the street an old woman sees her debtor. She makes a noise and grabs the villain by the sleeve, but the police punish her for disturbing the silence. In addition, the old woman finds out that her debtor is going to go abroad. The woman is worried that she will lose her property due to debt. She decides to resort to the help of Ivan Ivanovich.
The old lady gives Ivan Ivanovich 500 rubles. He turns to his partner, the “Serbian fighter” (a participant in the Serbian-Turkish war), and gives him his share, 300 rubles. The next day, the old woman and the men arrive at the station, where the scoundrel debtor is waiting for his train abroad. The “Serbian fighter” deliberately starts a quarrel with the debtor and hits him in the face. The police arrest both and serve the debtor with a summons for his debt. Fearing that he will not be allowed to go abroad, the gentleman immediately writes the old lady a check for 15 thousand. So, thanks to Ivan Ivanovich’s brilliant idea, the woman gets her money back. Apparently, the “Serbian fighter” remains under arrest for 3 months (for which he took his 300 rubles).
Minor characters and their characteristics:
The lawyer is a true professional in his niche.
He helps his grandmother win a difficult case in court, but only formally - she never achieves payment of the debt. He does his job honestly and efficiently, but, unfortunately, his powers are limited.
Narrator - tells the story, but does not directly participate in the events.
The old woman tells him about what happened, but the narrator is unable to help her. There is no information about his identity in the work.
The Serbian money-grubber is the assistant of the Old Genius, a mysterious person. Quite charismatic and ready to do a good deed. A former military man, he is addicted to alcohol. Representatives of the law are typical officials who are capable of overstepping moral principles for the sake of their own safety and preservation of status. They fear that by contacting the dandy's patrons, they will get into serious trouble.
Video summary Old genius Leskov
N. Leskov painted a vivid image of a suffering old woman and a clever swindler. The law is supposed to protect people, but in practice it can be stripped of all its force. Money and connections provide more opportunities. The old lady's innocence is impressive. She considered the dandy a good person, saw the good in him and did not wish evil. Ivan Ivanovich saved the old woman by lending her a helping hand when everyone turned away. The story teaches you to be attentive to others and do good. And justice will certainly prevail.
I am a certified specialist, Master of Philology (Russian/Ukrainian language and literature). I am interested in reading diverse literature, studying and analyzing texts, and writing articles on literary topics.
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Summary in detail on the chapters of “Old Genius”.
Chapter 1
A few years ago, an unpleasant incident happened to an elderly landowner. Being a sympathetic and good-natured woman, she decided to help financially one young man from St. Petersburg.
Author: Nikolai Semenovich Leskov
The old lady trusted the dandy because she knew his mother, and besides, he held a good position and belonged to a noble family - the heroine could not even think that something could go wrong.
Without thinking twice, the heroine mortgaged the estate in which she lived with her daughter and granddaughter and gave the young man the required amount.
The period for which the old landowner lent the money has almost expired, and the dandy seems to have disappeared without a trace. Realizing that there was no point in writing letters, the heroine collected the necessary things and went to the capital in search of the debtor, because the mortgage was coming to an end.
Chapter 2
At first, all the old lady’s efforts were quite successful: she got a good lawyer who knew her business, and the court ruled in her favor. However, when the time came to put the sentence into practice, it turned out that this dandy was a relative of a certain influential person, and it would not be possible to “restrain” him as an ordinary swindler.
He needed to personally hand over the paper with a receipt, but none of the bailiffs dared to do this. They all, as one, persuaded the old woman to forget about the debt and return home - the dandy had borrowed from half the city, and no one had yet waited for the borrowed funds to be returned. But the honest and kind old landowner hoped to the last that justice would still prevail and did not want to give up. She was asked to appeal to higher authorities.
Chapter 3
Communication with representatives of those same “higher authorities” turned out to be quite difficult for the heroine. They didn’t help her in any way, but only advised her to look for the debtor in order to serve the document herself. Although the old lady knew that he was in his own house every day, there was a problem, which was that this house did not belong to the dandy.
The house was registered in the name of his wife, with whom the young man also had financial troubles at one time, which even went to trial. The old lady was even ready to give a bribe to the highest authorities, raising it to 3 thousand rubles, but even for money no one agreed to pay a visit to the dandy to hand over the papers.
Desperate because the case had not progressed for a long time, the main character took unusual and desperate measures - she had to hire a detective. This man called himself a genius and promised to hand over the papers to the debtor for only 500 rubles.
The woman shared this whole story with the narrator, reporting her fears about the mysterious detective. Moreover, she knew nothing at all about him - only the name he introduced himself with: Ivan Ivanovich. Deciding to finally think everything over, the old woman asked the detective for some time.
Chapter 4
The old woman's position became more and more precarious every day. It's Christmas Eve, and the house where the heroine lived with her family is about to be put up for sale.
In addition, having met the debtor on the street, the woman desperately shouted that he owed her a round sum, but was only brought to justice for violating order in a public place. But the most stunning news for her was that the phantom was soon going to go abroad with “the lady of his heart” for an indefinite period.
Realizing that there might not be a chance to receive payment, the old woman again contacted the mysterious genius. Having borrowed 150 rubles from the narrator, which was missing for the fee set by the detective, the heroine met with the detective, in whom she felt inexplicable trust, although she did not know him at all.
Chapter 5
The narrator was extremely surprised when, just a few days later, the old woman returned the debt to him and announced that she was going home, showing a check for 15 thousand, and even with interest. The narrator asked: how did she manage to return the entire amount in such a short time? The heroine replied that all this was thanks to the merits of the venerable Ivan Ivanovich.
The heroine said that the detective found a certain “Serbian fighter” who helped him complete the job. In the morning, Ivan Ivanovich advised him to give his assistant some vodka, supposedly for courage. Trusting the detective with all her soul, the old woman did not ask him why this was needed, but dutifully completed the assignment.
Then all three went to the station, where her debtor was leaving on a trip. The old woman spotted him in the crowd and pointed him out to the “fighter.” He went to the swindler and his lady and walked past them several times, and then, turning to the dandy, asked why he was looking at him like that?
Perplexed, the dandy objected that he had not looked at him at all, but the “fighter” provoked a conflict by slapping the swindler several times in the face. The police came to eliminate the commotion and immediately arrested them. Having learned the name of the victim, the policeman handed him a paper with information about the unpaid debt. The dandy had no choice but to put his signature on it and write a check in the name of the old lady in order to leave the station as soon as possible.
So the old woman received the amount that belonged to her, and detective Ivan Ivanovich could rightfully be called a genius.
The Old Genius - a summary for the reader's diary of Leskov's story
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Today I reread short stories from my school days. And by chance I noticed Leskov’s work about the old genius.
The book is not big, I read it quickly. I was left with the deepest impressions and wanted to immediately share it with someone. Therefore, I decided that the next summary for the reader’s diary in this section of my site will be dedicated to this particular story.
reference Information
Title : Old genius. Author : Nikolai Semenovich Leskov. Year of writing : 1884. Genre : story. Main characters : The author is the narrator, the Old Woman is the landowner, Ivan Ivanovich is the genius.
Leskov’s story “The Old Genius” is presented here in a very brief summary. Summary of “Old Genius” is suitable for filling out a reading diary in eighth grade.
Human rights in Russia in the 19th century were excessively infringed, which is described in the story that will be discussed below.
Summary of “Old Genius” for a reader’s diary
The young man needed a large amount of money. The old woman trusted him because she knew his mother, so she mortgaged her house and lent him 15 thousand.
However, the guy was not going to return the money to the old woman. On the contrary, he went to St. Petersburg so that no one would find him.
Without a home, with a sick daughter and granddaughter, the woman found herself practically on the street. What could she do? She went to the capital court.
The authorities were on the side of the deceived woman, but since there was nowhere to deliver the summons to the dandy, and he did not receive it, then bribes from him were smooth.
He lived happily for himself, spending other people's money.
But a certain genius agreed to help the woman for 500 rubles. He even himself offered to help in this difficult matter with debt.
The genius asked his assistant to provoke a fight between the dandy, after which he was captured by the police. And after checking the documents and finding out who he really was, he was given a summons.
Now, in order to escape justice abroad, he had to first pay the bill.
My opinion
Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov’s story “The Old Genius” shows the cunning tricks of a swindler and the excessive gullibility of a poor old woman. A situation is described when connections reveal opportunities to avoid even fair punishment. The image of a simple-minded woman, trusting and kind, who gave everything only because the scammer’s mother was her old friend, is revealed. But there was a man who was able to outwit the dandy. Therefore, we must remember that we must be very careful with any person, but even in a difficult situation there will always be someone who will be ready to help.
Reader's diary based on the story “The Old Genius” by Leskov
Plot
An old woman mortgaged her house to help pay off an urgent debt to a rich swindler. He did not return the money to her, the house was put up for auction. The court ruled that the debtor was guilty. All that remains is to hand him a paper about this, but everyone is afraid of his title and connections. She is helped by a casual acquaintance, a poor official, a “genius.” He comes up with a plan, and the Serb soldier carries it out: he hits the debtor in the face. Both are taken into custody. And the policeman hands the debtor the paper. He is forced to pay.
Review
The story can be called Christmas. And the events happen around Christmas, and a miracle happens. The theme of justice, deception of trust, indifference of officials, shamelessness, misfortune and lack of rights of the “little man” (old woman). A simple, conscientious, resourceful and also poor man helped her. The genius of kindness and mutual assistance. It’s not a matter of age: he’s a man from the “old times,” when people worked together to help someone else’s misfortune. The old genius is a symbol of Russian character, a broad soul. The story teaches us to be kind, honest, stand up for those who are offended, help each other, and not give up.
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Contents of the story “Old Genius” by chapters
N. S. Leskov Old genius summary:
The story takes place in the second half of the 19th century.
One day, an elderly noblewoman decides to help her friend, who owes someone a large sum of money. An old woman takes out a loan of 15 thousand rubles secured by her estate and gives all the money to a friend. The man leaves for St. Petersburg, after which he stops answering the old woman’s letters. She is worried that because of this debt she will lose her estate. To resolve this matter, the old woman goes to St. Petersburg.
In St. Petersburg, an old woman goes to court and wins the case, but no one is in a hurry to implement the court decision. Officials are afraid to contact this gentleman because of his connections. It turns out that the scoundrel owes money not only to the old woman, but also to other people. However, no one can find justice for him. The officials advise the old lady to leave this matter so as not to get even more problems from this gentleman.
The old woman turns to higher officials, but they refuse to help her. They explain that it is impossible to catch the debtor and serve a summons, and without this it is impossible to collect the debt. The woman offers bribes to the officials, but they refuse. One day an old woman meets the mysterious Mr. Ivan Ivanovich. He admits that with the help of his brilliant ideas he can solve the most insoluble problems. The genius promises to hand over a summons to the scoundrel for 500 rubles: for his services, Ivan Ivanovich takes 200 rubles for himself (for the idea and leadership), and gives the remaining 300 rubles to his friend, the executor of the plan. The old lady takes time to think.
One day on the street an old woman sees her debtor. She makes a noise and grabs the villain by the sleeve, but the police punish her for disturbing the silence. In addition, the old woman finds out that her debtor is going to go abroad. The woman is worried that she will lose her property due to debt. She decides to resort to the help of Ivan Ivanovich.
The old lady gives Ivan Ivanovich 500 rubles. He turns to his partner, the “Serbian fighter” (a participant in the Serbian-Turkish war), and gives him his share, 300 rubles. The next day, the old woman and the men arrive at the station, where the scoundrel debtor is waiting for his train abroad. The “Serbian fighter” deliberately starts a quarrel with the debtor and hits him in the face. The police arrest both and serve the debtor with a summons for his debt. Fearing that he will not be allowed to go abroad, the gentleman immediately writes the old lady a check for 15 thousand. So, thanks to Ivan Ivanovich’s brilliant idea, the woman gets her money back. Apparently, the “Serbian fighter” remains under arrest for 3 months (for which he took his 300 rubles).
Nikolay Leskov - Old Genius: Summary
Epigraph: “A genius has no years - he overcomes everything that stops ordinary minds.”
Chapter 1
This story happened several years ago. The narrator is a witness to everything. A “good old lady” acquaintance, a landowner, the widow of an official, complained that she had been deceived by a young rich nobleman. She knew his mother - that's why she helped. She mortgaged her house, got out 15 thousand, gave it to him to pay off the debt. He went to St. Petersburg and stopped answering letters. And that house was all she had. And she lived there with her “crippled” (sick) daughter and little granddaughter. If you don’t return 15 thousand on time, the house will be taken away. She had to go to St. Petersburg to “trouble.”
Chapter 2
The court ruled in her favor, and the lawyer helped. It turned out that everyone was “tired” of the debtor, the police knew him, he had deceived many. But he has connections in high society. Who will agree to hand him a court decision against signature? Everyone is afraid. And the old lady will get it if she bothers him.
Chapter 3
She went for help to higher-ranking officials. But they pretended that they were happy to help - but no one knows where the debtor lives. But if the old lady herself finds the debtor, then they will hand him the piece of paper. The old lady understood that she “needs to be lubricated” (to give a bribe). She promised 3 thousand - they refused. The matter is a trifle, but a very unpleasant one. And the old woman is already saving on everything, eating “at the sower Vasily.” It was there that an assistant in her case was found. He introduced himself as Ivan Ivanovich with the rank of “fourteen sheepskins” (that is, 14th class). He said that for 500 rubles he would hand over the paper. He has a plan and “brilliant thoughts.” But we need a performer. Tom will receive 300 rubles. After all, he will have to spend time in prison. The old woman is toiling: maybe she’s some kind of swindler, or just one of the poor and drunkards. But there is no one else to rely on.
Chapter 4
Christmas is coming soon, the old lady's house will be put up for sale. In addition, she was punished for “breaking the silence” by chasing the debtor. Another thing is worse: the debtor is traveling abroad by train tomorrow with a rich lady. With tears, she borrows the missing 150 rubles from the narrator to give them to the “genius.” And he “did not disgrace either the faith or the forebodings of the good old woman.”
Chapter 5
On the third day after Christmas, she returns the narrator 150 rubles and shows a bank receipt for 15 thousand - and even more, with interest! And it all happened like this: they found a “Serbian fighter,” a ragged soldier. They gave him a drink and money for 3 months in prison. The three of us went to the train. The Fighter passed the debtor and his lady twice. And the third time he asked why the debtor was looking at him like that. He replied that he was not looking, but drinking tea. Then the warrior gave him three slaps in the face, shouting: “Here’s some lemon juice, sand and a piece of chocolate for your tea!” The police showed up and took both of them under arrest. The lady left alone. And the policeman heard the name of the beaten man - and immediately handed him a paper in front of witnesses. He paid off his debt by check - if only he would be allowed to go further. “So the truth has triumphed.” The narrator is sure that Ivan Ivanovich is indeed a real genius.
