Great L.N. Tolstoy wrote his famous story “After the Ball” in 1903, but it was published much later, in 1911, after the writer’s death. The history of the creation of Tolstoy’s “After the Ball” suggests that this work is based on real events that happened to the writer’s brother, Sergei Nikolaevich. Leo Tolstoy, while a university student, lived in Kazan with his brothers Nikolai, Sergei, Dmitry and sister Maria. There, his brother Sergei fell head over heels in love with Varenka, the daughter of the military mayor Koreysha A.P., whose estate was located next door.
The history of the creation of “After the Ball” (L. N. Tolstoy)
Sergei Nikolaevich very often came to visit them and more than once attended their social receptions and balls. But something will happen that will once and for all turn him away from his grandiose plans, extinguish his love and desire to marry his sweet beloved.
One night after the ball, Sergei Nikolaevich became an involuntary witness to how a fugitive soldier was being punished, and Varenka’s father himself supervised this terrible execution.
The story of the creation of “After the Ball” is quite intriguing, and therefore it is still better to familiarize yourself with the full content of the work itself in order to understand all the subtleties and essence of the event that took place. This incident shocked the writer himself, who later, many years later, decided to describe it in his work “After the Ball.”
Genre and creative method
So, L.N. Tolstoy presented “After the Ball” as a prose work written in the genre of a short story. It describes one episode from the life of the main character, from which he received a huge shock, which played a big role in his future fate.
The story “After the Ball” depicts the era of the reign of Nicholas I. And the author hints that many years later, in real life, nothing has changed in Russia. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was an idealist; he always opposed oppression and violence against the people. His story and almost all of the work of this great artist of words is connected with Russian realism in literature.
The story of the creation of “After the Ball” describes his serious suffering and torment on this matter, right up to the renunciation of the Christian faith, which he served for a long time. Tolstoy could not come to terms with reality. He did not want to accept the world as cruel and unfair.
A brief history of the creation of the story “After the Ball”
The famous story “After the Ball” was written by Lev Nikolaevich Tolstov in 1903. However, the work lay unpublished for several years. Only years later, in 1911, readers were able to see it.
The story "After the Ball" is based on real events. The actions described in the book took place with a close relative of the writer - his brother Sergei Nikolaevich. When the future great author was still a university student, he lived in Kazan with his sister and brothers. It was there that Sergei Nikolaevich met the charming Varenka. Leo Tolstoy's brother sincerely fell in love with the daughter of the military mayor A.P. Koreishi. The estates of the two families were very close.
Lev Nikolaevich's brother Sergei was a frequent visitor to the neighbors. In addition, he often became an invited member at social events and balls. However, soon an event occurred that completely changed his worldview. Sergei Nikolaevich “put an end to” his grandiose plans. His bright, sincere feelings faded away; he no longer wanted to tie the knot with the charming Varenka.
The history of the creation of the work “After the Ball” by L.N. Tolstoy intrigues and fascinates. Sergei acquainted his brother with all the intricacies of the event. The writer accurately captured the essence and tried to convey it to his readers. However, initially Lev Nikolaevich did not plan to create a book based on this event. This idea came to him only a few years later. Remembering his student years, Lev Nikolaevich tried to reproduce this story. The incident, which shook the great author to the core, is reflected in his work “After the Ball.”
It took L.N. a long time. Tolstoy to come up with the title. He quickly rejected the options that were spinning in his head. There were several working titles. However, over time, Lev Nikolaevich realized that “After the Ball” was the only right decision. Indeed, according to the author, this title accurately and clearly conveys the main idea of the story.
L.N. Tolstoy paid great attention to the behavior of the characters in his work. Why do some people act this way and not otherwise? What is considered normal behavior for one person is perceived by others as going beyond moral boundaries. The writer is deeply concerned with the problem of the influence of circumstances and society on the characters. Can a person make decisions independently, or is someone directing his actions? In his book, the author tried to answer these questions.
The story “After the Ball,” according to Lev Nikolaevich, belongs to prose works, the genre is short story. This book is quite small in volume. All attention is focused on the central episode of the work. After this incident, which left a significant imprint on the soul of the Tolstoy brothers, Sergei’s life completely changed. The main character made important conclusions for himself that played a certain role on his future path.
Lev Nikolaevich depicted in his work the life of people during the reign of Nicholas I. However, the writer, even many years later, hinted that society never saw any fundamental changes. L.N. Tolstoy was not a dreamer. He looked at things realistically. The great writer considered himself an idealist. The common people were always close to him. Therefore, the author was opposed to the use of violence and oppression. The work “After the Ball” can be attributed to the era of realism in literature.
When Lev Nikolaevich created his story, he experienced serious torment and suffering. The memories of his brother were painfully reflected in his soul. The great writer could not completely believe that these events took place. L.N. For a long time Tolstoy could not come to terms with the frightening harsh reality. Reality seemed to him unfair and extremely cruel. He didn't want to see the world like this. However, Lev Nikolaevich could not distort the facts.
Therefore, the author described in detail an example of how even one incident can change the fate of a character. There is no place for prejudice in this event. The young man was just beginning to live life to the fullest. But the picture that unfolded before his eyes extinguished his enthusiasm. The character has lost faith in the openness and sincerity of those around him. The feeling of injustice forced the hero to reconsider his values and outlook on life. It was this event that became the starting point of the work.
Main topics
The work “After the Ball” reveals the bleak side of the tsarist soldier and his twenty-five-year service in the Russian army, where there was complete lawlessness, constant drills and unbearable punishments in case of failure to comply with any order of the superior. But the main problem still became the issues of moral education of a person and the influence under which it is formed. Is all this simply influenced by chance or by some social conditions? The story of the creation of “After the Ball” describes an example of how one event turns the whole life of the main character, who immediately discarded all the class prejudices of that time. A young man who, like everyone else at this age, is very enthusiastic and impressionable, suddenly, because of a feeling of injustice that washes over him, abruptly changes his fate.
main idea
The story “After the Ball” describes the events that took place in Russia during the reign of Nicholas the First. It was one of the most severe eras. Frightened by the Decembrist uprising, he pursued a more brutal policy than his predecessors. It is obvious why Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy describes Pyotr Vladislavovich’s mustache and writes that it is similar to the mustache of Nicholas the First. This is a fairly clear hint at the general moral death of the country due to the bloody tyranny of the “gendarme of Europe.” The point of the story is to describe in one episode the nature of the government and the ruler of a country divided into two Russias: for the rich and for the poor.
Tolstoy exposes the falsity and emptiness of society, tears off the good-natured masks under which cruelty lies. The picture of the ball, and then the torture of the fugitive soldier, reveals the main idea of the work. The first part of the story shows a beautiful life, full of feigned good behavior, while the second part shows reality, where each hero is presented as he really is. The same characters contrast in the first and second parts of the story - Ivan’s love gives way to confusion and melancholy, and Pyotr Vladislavovich’s cordiality gives way to coldness, anger and indifference. The contrast between one Russia and another strikes the reader to the heart. But these were the historical views of the writer: he did not see a single country in Russia, because fellow citizens from different social strata considered each other enemies.
Idea
Systems of images and composition help to reveal the idea of the story “After the Ball.” The main characters here are the narrator Ivan Vasilyevich himself, the old colonel and his daughter Varya.
The history of the creation of Tolstoy’s “After the Ball” suggests that in the image of Colonel Tolstoy decided to expose the social conditions that distort the true nature of a person who is instilled with the wrong concept of duty.
The ideological content of the work is revealed through the main character, the internal evolution of his feelings and perception of the world. He thinks about the problems of responsibility for the entire world around him. The narrator Ivan Vasilyevich is different in that he partially takes on this responsibility for the life of society.
In the story, all the images and actions are described in very contrast: a luxurious ball and a scene of terrible punishment, the graceful figure of the slender Varenka and the soldier’s body, reminiscent of a bloody mess. Or Varenka’s father, who at first looked like a sweet and charming old man, and then turned into an evil despot, demanding that his orders be carried out with dignity.
Conflict
At the heart of the conflict, on the one hand, lies the duplicity of the mayor Pyotr Vladislavovich, and on the other, the disappointment of the narrator Ivan Vasilyevich. First, in his story, he showers the brightest compliments on the mayor, describing him as a handsome, stately, sweet, amiable and fresh old man who endeared himself to each of the guests. But after the ball, the picture was depressing, the colonel’s face was covered in a cruel grimace, Ivan Vasilyevich saw how he hit a short soldier in the face with his glove, who was trying to soften his blow on the back of the already suffering exhausted fugitive Tatar.
The history of the creation of the work “After the Ball” suggests that the image of Ivan Vasilyevich represents a person who cannot love only one person, he wants to love the whole world and accept it completely. Therefore, love for Varenka immediately turns to ashes because of her father’s act. Because of cruelty and injustice, there is no harmony, and in the end everything collapses. Of course, the young man is not able to change anything, but he can only agree or disagree with the terms of the evil in which he will have to participate in the future. This is what the logic of young Ivan Vasilyevich was based on, which is why he abandoned his love.
Essay on the topic “After the ball”
In his story “After the Ball,” Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, with his wonderful literary language, tells us about a big problem inherent in the upper class of that time, about hypocrisy and duplicity.
The hero of the story is a simple nobleman, a good person, not entirely well-educated, but having a decent upbringing and moral values instilled in childhood. He is an ordinary everyman of his era, constantly in a state of joy, revelry and love, without particularly delving into what is actually happening in the country where he lives and in the society in which he resides.
