About the product
Pushkin's story "The Snowstorm" was written in 1830 in Boldino. It became the last work of the prose cycle “Belkin's Tales”, published in St. Petersburg in 1831. The story “Blizzard” is written in the traditions of the literary movement of realism.
The events of the work cover the period of time from 1811 to 1816. It mentions the Patriotic War of 1812, the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon's capture of Moscow and the Russians' entry into Paris. The plot of “The Blizzard” echoes the plot of V. Zhukovsky’s ballad “Svetlana,” an excerpt from which was included by Pushkin in the epigraph of the story.
On our website you can read online a summary of “Blizzard”, which will help you prepare for a lesson or for a literature test.
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
- Vladimir Nikolaevich is a poor army ensign, Marya Gavrilovna’s lover, with whom she was going to get married in Zhadrino.
- Gavrila Gavrilovich R** is the father of Marya Gavrilovna.
- Praskovya Petrovna is the mother of Marya Gavrilovna.
And we also have:
for the most impatient -
A very brief summary of “Blizzard”
for the most sociable -
The main characters of Pushkin's "Blizzard"
for the busiest -
Reader's diary "Blizzard"
for the coolest -
Read "Blizzard" in full
Summary of the story “Blizzard”
We bring to your attention a brief summary of Pushkin’s story “The Snowstorm” from the cycle “Belkin’s Tales”.
The landowner Gavrila Gavrilovich R. was always known as a friendly and hospitable person. Guests visited his estate often, and the reason for this was his seventeen-year-old daughter Marya Gavrilovna, who was considered a rich bride. But Marya, brought up on French novels, fell in love with the poor military man Vladimir, who came to his village nearby on vacation. Of course, the parents did not approve of their daughter’s choice, but the lovers, wanting to be together at all costs, decided to get married secretly without the blessing of their parents. Then they would throw themselves at their feet, and those, touched by their strong love, would forgive them. This plan, invented by Vladimir, pleased Marya’s romantic nature.
Winter came. Having gone through many escape plans, the lovers finally set a day when everything was supposed to happen. Marya did not sleep all night - she had nightmares in which she saw either the dying Vladimir, or her father, who grabbed her just before the sleigh and threw her into some dark dungeon - a whole whirlwind of crazy dreams tormented her, and the whole day she felt depressed. In the evening, during dinner, Marya left early, citing a headache. There was a snowstorm outside. Marya could barely reach the sleigh - the wind and snow seemed to be trying to stop her. Vladimir’s coachman took her to the church in the village of Zhadrino.
Vladimir was on the road all day. He barely managed to persuade the Zhadrinsky priest to marry them, then he had to find witnesses. Finally evening came, and Vladimir went to Zhadrino alone, since the village was twenty minutes away, and he knew the road. But a blizzard broke out and led the young man astray - he wandered around the village all night and only reached the church at dawn, but it was locked, and Marya was not there.
In the morning, Marya Gavrilovna went to her parents as if nothing had happened and behaved as usual, but in the evening she came down with a fever. In her delirium, she repeated Vladimir’s name, and Marya’s mother, realizing that her daughter was deeply in love with the ensign, decided to talk to her husband. After consulting, they decided to consent to their marriage. They sent Vladimir a letter, but unexpectedly received a sharp refusal: he wrote that he would never appear in their house again, and asked them to forget him. Soon he left for the army (this was in 1812), and later Marya found him on the lists of the dead. Soon another tragedy happened - Gavrila Gavrilovich died, leaving Marya as heiress.
War is over. Marya Gavrilovna lived on the estate with her mother. She carefully kept all the things that reminded her of Vladimir, and was cold towards the numerous suitors who came to the estate. However, a certain hussar colonel named Burmin began to come to the estate next door - Marya distinguished him from other young people.
One day Burmin confessed his love to Marya, but stated that he could not be her husband, since he was already married. At the same time, he does not know who his wife is or what is wrong with her now. And the colonel told Marya a story about how at the beginning of 1812, while rushing to his regiment in Vilna, he got into a terrible snowstorm and, getting lost, arrived at some church. They literally dragged him inside, as if they had been waiting for him a long time ago, and performed a wedding ceremony with the girl. Due to some kind of frivolity, Burmin did not resist what was happening. When he should have kissed the bride, she, looking up at him, suddenly shouted: “Not him! Not him! – and lost consciousness. And he left the church and never saw her again. “So it was you!” - Marya Gavrilovna exclaims, and Burmin falls at her feet.
We hope that after this retelling you will want to read Pushkin’s “Blizzard” in its entirety.
Summary
End of 1811. Gavrila Gavrilovich R**, the owner of the Nenaradov estate, a cordial and hospitable host, often hosted neighbors, many of whom came to see his daughter, Marya Gavrilovna. Brought up on French novels, the girl was mutually in love with the poor ensign Vladimir Nikolaevich.
Marya’s parents were against their relationship, so the lovers met secretly and “were in correspondence.” According to the laws of French novels, they decided to get married secretly, and then throw themselves at the feet of their parents, who would be touched by their constancy, forgive and bless them.
By agreement, on the appointed day, Marya will have to go out into the garden through the back porch at night, sit in the sleigh already prepared by Vladimir and go to the village of Zhadrino, where her lover will be waiting for her in the church.
On the eve of her escape, Marya stayed up all night, packed her things, and wrote farewell letters to her friends and parents. Before dawn, the girl dozed off, but woke up from frightening visions: it seemed to her that her father had discovered the escape and thrown her into a dark dungeon as punishment, and then the girl saw a bloody, dying Vladimir. On the night of the escape, “there was a snowstorm outside; the wind howled, the shutters shook and knocked.” As agreed, the girl got into the sleigh sent by her lover and went to Zhadrino.
Vladimir spent the day before the wedding in business: he made an agreement with the Zhadrinsky priest, met with a friend and in the evening went to the wedding. However, in the field the hero was overtaken by a strong snowstorm, he got lost and went to Zhadrino only at dawn. The church was already locked.
The next morning, Marya, as usual, went to her parents. In the evening, the girl suddenly felt ill, “she developed a severe fever” and she “was at the edge of the coffin for two weeks.” No one in the house knew about the escape, “but Marya Gavrilovna herself, in constant delirium, expressed her secret,” however, her words were incoherent, so the mother only understood that her daughter was “deadly in love with Vladimir Nikolaevich.”
After consulting, Gavrila Gavrilovich and Praskovya Petrovna decided to approve the girl’s choice. The parents informed Vladimir of their consent to the marriage. However, to their surprise, the young man responded with a “half-crazy letter” in which he said that he would never appear in their house again and asked them to forget about him. Soon Vladimir left for the army. "This was in 1812." After what happened, Marya never thought about Vladimir, only once, seeing his name among the wounded near Borodino, she fainted.
Gavrila Gavrilovich soon died, leaving Marya as heir to the entire estate. The daughter and mother moved to the *** estate. “Grooms were circling” around Marya, but she gave no hope to anyone. The girl took care of everything that reminded her of her former lover, who by that time had died in Moscow.
After the brilliant Russian victory over Napoleon, the wounded Colonel Burmin arrives at the neighboring estate. The man begins to court the girl, their sympathy is mutual, but Marya cannot understand what is keeping him from confessing. At this time, all the neighbors had long been talking about their wedding “as if it were a matter already over.”
Finally, Burmin decides to confess his feelings to Marya. The man says that he is passionately in love with a girl, but he has a terrible secret that can become an “insurmountable barrier” between them: “I have been married for four years and I don’t know who my wife is, and where she is, and whether I should meet her.” some day".
As it turned out, in 1812 Burmin was traveling to Vilna to join his regiment. A strong snowstorm began at one of the stations, but “an incomprehensible anxiety took possession” of him, and he went into the very storm. On the way, the driver got lost and, guided by the light, they drove to a wooden church. In the temple, Burmin was mistaken for the groom and he, considering the bride pretty, agreed to get married because of his “incomprehensible, unforgivable frivolity.” However, when after the end of the ceremony they were told to kiss, the girl suddenly screamed: “Oh, not him! not him! and fainted. Burmin quickly left the church and drove away unhindered.
An excited Marya asked if he knew what happened to his wife, but Burmin did not even remember the name of the station from which he was traveling.
“- My God, my God! - said Marya Gavrilovna, grabbing his hand, - so it was you! And you don't recognize me? Burmin turned pale... and threw himself at her feet..."
Brief summary of the story “Blizzard” by Pushkin
The landowner Gavrila Gavrilovich was famous in the area for his hospitality and kindness. Marya Gavrilovna was of particular interest to his circle. She was of interest to the neighbors and their sons because she was a bride with a rich dowry.
After reading French novels, Masha fell madly in love with a man who was not part of her circle. The subject of her sighs was Vladimir, an army ensign from a poor family, who reciprocated her feelings. Parents, noticing their relationship, forbade the lovers to see each other.
The meetings between Masha and Vladimir continued secretly; they corresponded. Their letters to each other were filled with vivid epithets, confessions, complaints about their fate, vows of eternal love. Reasoning in this way, they came to the conclusion that the only way out was a secret wedding. After everything was done, they were going to throw themselves at the feet of their parents and obey. Mother and father, of course, will forgive the “lost” children.
After much hesitation, Marya Gavrilovna agreed. In the evening at the appointed hour, the girl and the maid must go out to the back porch, where the sleigh will be waiting for her. They will rush five miles to the village of Zhadrino, straight to the church, where Vladimir will meet her.
On the eve of the secret wedding, Marya Gavrilovna wrote two touching farewell letters - to her parents and to her friend. She explained her action by the power of love for Vladimir, asked her to understand and forgive. She considered the best moment to be when she would throw herself at the feet of her father and mother in repentance. Having fallen asleep only in the morning, she saw difficult dreams - a bottomless dungeon, Vladimir with a bloody body.
When everyone fell asleep, the girl sat down in the sleigh. Everything went according to plan, but the weather was turbulent - a snowstorm was swirling outside. Before the secret wedding, the army lieutenant spent the whole day traveling. He made an agreement with the priest, but it turned out to be a difficult task. The witnesses to their wedding, whom he found, were delighted with the upcoming “hussar pranks.”
Having released his coachman along with the troika, Vladimir got into a sleigh drawn by one horse and drove off. He knew the road along which it was a twenty-minute drive to the village. On the way, “there was such a snowstorm” that at one moment everything was completely swept away. Vladimir got lost. After unsuccessful attempts to fight the elements, the groom was unable to find the right road. Tears were rolling down his face. Having learned that the area he had visited was ten miles from Zhadrino, Vladimir froze, like a man preparing for death. He arrived in the village only in the morning, seeing a locked church.
The next morning, Masha went out to her parents and behaved as usual. By evening she felt ill. The doctor diagnosed fever, and for two weeks the girl’s body struggled with death. From the incoherent phrases of Masha, who was delirious, her parents only understood about her passionate love for Vladimir.
After consulting, they wrote a letter to the army lieutenant in which they approved of their marriage. To the surprise of his parents, Vladimir sent a “half-crazy letter” in which he asked them to never remember him. They soon learned that their daughter's chosen one had gone to war. The year was 1812.
Masha recovered without once mentioning her lover. One day she read his name in the list of those wounded near Borodino who distinguished themselves in battle. After this news, the girl fainted, but soon moved away.
After the death of Gavril Gavrilovich, Masha became a rich heiress. Mother and daughter moved to the *** estate. Marya Gavrilovna had a constant stream of suitors, but the girl did not single out anyone from them. She knew that Vladimir had died, but she sacredly cherished his memory: all the things that reminded her of her former lover.
The war with Napoleon ended in a brilliant victory. Russian women glorified the heroes of the fatherland. They gave preference to the military, pushing aside suitors in tailcoats. At this time, Colonel Burmin, who was wounded in battle, settled on a neighboring estate. A mutual feeling flared up between him and Marya Gavrilovna, but the man stubbornly remained silent.
Finally, he dares to explain himself to Masha, but he talks about an insurmountable obstacle. He has been married for several years without having any idea who his wife is.
After this confession, Burmin spoke about one unfortunate misunderstanding. In 1812, he was in a hurry to join his regiment stationed in Vilna. A blizzard was raging, and the driver, having lost his way, drove up to a church. Upon entering, Burmin found himself in the role of the groom. Seeing the pretty bride, he did not interfere with the wedding. Subsequently, Burmin complained about his own unforgivable frivolity. At the moment of the kiss, the misunderstanding was revealed. The bride screamed that it was not her groom, and Burmin hastily left the church.
Hearing his story, Marya Gavrilovna immediately grabbed his hand: “So it was you!” And you don’t recognize me?” And the colonel “threw himself at her feet.”
