About the product
The collection “Sevastopol Stories” by Tolstoy, written and published in 1855, is dedicated to the defense of Sevastopol. In his book, Lev Nikolaevich describes the heroism of the city’s defenders, and also shows the senselessness and mercilessness of the war.
For a reading diary and preparation for a literature lesson, we recommend reading online a summary of “Sevastopol Stories” chapter by chapter. You can test your knowledge using a test on our website.
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.
Plot of the story
A brief retelling of “Sevastopol in December” begins in a rather gloomy tone. It's cold and foggy from the bay. Periodically there is a roar of shots. The city continues to fight, and yet every resident is proud and respects his city.
But despite the ongoing fighting, Sevastopol continues its life.
It shows up in little things like this.:
- Traders offer everyone pies and drinks and other household goods.
- People were able to adapt to life in wartime by learning not to notice the horror happening around them.
- Everyone is engaged in daily activities, without which life in their homes is impossible.
At this time, protracted battles continued on the bastions. Soul-stirring events are happening around . The writer shocks with his description of how paramedics arrange the severed body parts of the wounded.
For example, in the corner there is a torn leg of a woman who was bringing lunch to her husband and came under bombardment. There are also the crippled hands of soldiers who had just had weapons in their hands. The war completely erased them from life. There are a large number of stretchers and wounded in the military hospital who need help.
Camp and peaceful life are intertwined together. Residents have become accustomed to not noticing the noise of gunfire and war. Everyone is proud that he is defending the great and legendary Sevastopol even in such difficult and difficult times.
Other characters
- Captain Praskukhin and Lieutenant Colonel Neferdov are representatives of the military aristocracy.
- Nikita is Mikhailov’s faithful servant.
- Vlang - cadet, comrade-in-arms of Volodya Kozeltsov.
And we also have:
for the most impatient -
A very brief summary of “Sevastopol in December”
for the busiest -
Reader's diary "Sevastopol Stories"
Summary
Sevastopol in December
In December 1854, Sevastopol is still not covered with snow, “but the sharp morning frost grabs your face and cracks under your feet.” The military morning begins with the usual “resonating shots”, changing of sentries, and bustle on the pier. The air is filled with the smells of “coal, manure, dampness and beef.” Retired sailors offer their services as ferrymen in their small skiffs.
When you think about being in Sevastopol, your soul is filled with “feelings of some kind of courage, pride.” Local residents have long been accustomed to the sounds of gunfire and do not pay any attention to them. They only indifferently comment among themselves on which area the shells exploded and from which “battery it’s firing now.”
There is a lively trade going on on the embankment, and right there on the ground, among traders and buyers, “rusty cannonballs, bombs, grapeshots and cast iron cannons of various calibers are lying around.” A visitor is immediately struck by the “strange mixture of camp and city life, a beautiful city and a dirty bivouac.”
The large Assembly Hall houses the hospital, upon entering which one can see “the sight and smell of forty or fifty amputees and the most severely wounded patients.”
The old, emaciated soldier feels his wounded leg, although it has long been amputated. Another wounded man lies directly on the floor, and from under the blanket one can see the pitiful remnant of a bandaged hand, from which a suffocating smell emanates. Nearby lies a legless woman - the wife of a sailor, who was bringing lunch to her husband and accidentally came under fire.
There is blood, suffering and death all around. When looking at the mutilated defenders of Sevastopol, “for some reason you become ashamed of yourself.”
The most dangerous place in Sevastopol is the fourth bastion: “here there are even fewer people, women are not visible at all, the soldiers are walking quickly, drops of blood come across on the road.” Not far away you can hear the “whistle of a cannonball or bomb” and the buzz of bullets.
An officer calmly walks from embrasure to embrasure and talks about how, after the bombing, he had only eight men and one operational gun left in his command. However, the very next morning he again fired from all his cannons.
The sailors servicing the guns look no less impressive. In their appearance and movements one can see “the main features that make up the strength of the Russian” - simplicity and stubbornness.
Sevastopol in May
Chapters 1-3
The war for Sevastopol has been going on for six months. During this time, “thousands of human pride managed to be offended, thousands managed to be satisfied and pout, thousands managed to calm down in the arms of death.” Diplomats are not able to resolve the conflict, but it is much more difficult to resolve it through military action. People who support and incite war cannot be considered rational creatures, since “war is madness.”
Staff Captain Mikhailov walks around the city, on whose face one can read “dullness of mental abilities, but at the same time prudence, honesty and a penchant for decency.” In addition to money and awards, he passionately dreams of entering the circle of the military aristocracy and being on friendly terms with Captain Praskukhin and Lieutenant Colonel Neferdov.
Approaching the pavilion with music, Mikhailov wants to say hello to representatives of the highest military society, but does not dare to do so. He is afraid that the “aristocrats” will simply ignore him, and thereby inflict a painful sting on his pride. The air in Sevastopol literally rings with vanity: it is everywhere - “even on the edge of the coffin and between people who are ready to die because of their high convictions.”
Chapters 4-9
Arriving home, Mikhailov begins to “write a farewell letter to his father”: soon he will have to go to the bastion, for the thirteenth time. He is tormented by bad premonitions, and he involuntarily lashes out at his old servant Nikita, whom he “loved, even spoiled, and with whom he had lived for twelve years.”
“Already approaching the bastion with the company at dusk,” the staff captain reassures himself that, if he is lucky, he will only be wounded and will remain alive.
Chapters 10-14
Mikhailov commands a company and soon receives from the general an order for redeployment, which Praskukhin conveys to him. During the company's movement, Mikhailov and Praskukhin care only about the impression they make on each other.
During the heaviest bombing, Praskukhin was killed “by a shrapnel in the middle of the chest,” while Mikhailov was “slightly wounded in the head by a stone.” Realizing that with “a wound, staying in business is certainly a reward,” Mikhailov refuses hospitalization.
After the battle, the flowering valley is covered with hundreds of corpses.
Chapters 15-16
The day after the battle, military aristocrats stroll along the boulevard as if nothing had happened, bragging to each other about their heroism.
“White flags are displayed between the warring armies,” ordinary soldiers communicate with each other without hatred. But as soon as the white flags are hidden, “the instruments of death and suffering whistle again, innocent blood flows again and groans and curses are heard.”
Sevastopol in August 1855
Chapters 1-5
At the end of August 1855, a cart with Lieutenant Mikhail Kozeltsov sitting in it was traveling along the Sevastopol road. The officer returns to besieged Sevastopol after treatment in the hospital. Kozeltsov was “not stupid and at the same time talented, he sang well, played the guitar, and spoke very smartly.” But his main feature is exorbitant pride.
The station is crowded: there is not a single free horse or cart. Many officers found themselves completely without money. They are offended that “it’s already so close, but they can’t get there.”
Chapters 6-7
At the station, the lieutenant unexpectedly meets his younger brother, seventeen-year-old Volodya Kozeltsov. The young man was predicted to have a brilliant career in the guard, but he chose to join the ranks of the active army. He felt “ashamed to live in St. Petersburg when people are dying for the fatherland here,” and he also wanted to see his brother, whom he was proud of and admired.
Mikhail calls Vladimir with him to Sevastopol, but he begins to hesitate. It turns out that the young man, like many other military men at the station, does not have free money, moreover, he owes eight rubles. The elder Kozeltsov pays off his brother’s debt.
Chapters 8-18
The brothers are on their way to Sevastopol. On the way, Volodya indulges in romantic dreams about what great feats he will accomplish together with Mikhail for the good of the Fatherland.
Upon arrival in the city, the brothers say goodbye and disperse to their regiments. Volodya is overcome by fear of the darkness, of impending death. He is tormented by the “thought that he is a coward.” The sounds of exploding shells are heard everywhere, and only prayer helps Vladimir get rid of his strong inner fear.
Mikhail Kozeltsov, “having met a soldier of his regiment on the street,” immediately goes to the fifth bastion. Mikhail finds himself subordinate to his longtime comrade, with whom he once fought on an equal footing. The commander is not very pleased with the arrival of his old friend, but still transfers command of the company to him. In the barracks, Kozeltsov meets familiar officers, and it immediately becomes clear that “they love him and are happy about his arrival.”
Chapters 19-24
Volodya meets the artillery officers and quickly makes friends with the cadet Vlang. Soon the young people are sent to Malakhov Kurgan - the most dangerous area on the battlefield. All of Kozeltsov’s theoretical knowledge pales in comparison to the realities of the battle, but he manages not to panic and carry out his direct duties.
Chapters 25-27
During the battle, the elder Kozeltsov, seeing the fear of his soldiers before the advancing French, decides to show them an example of courage, and rushes at the enemy with a saber. Mikhail “was sure that he would be killed; This is what gave him courage.” In battle, an officer is mortally wounded, but he is comforted by the thought that he “did his duty well.”
Volodya, in high spirits, commands during the assault. But the French go around him from the rear and kill him. Vlang tries to save his friend, but is too late. Together with the surviving soldiers, he leaves Sevastopol. Leaving the city, almost everyone experienced a heavy “feeling, as if similar to remorse, shame and anger”...
Sevastopol in May
The author discusses the pointlessness of bloodshed, which neither weapons nor diplomacy can solve. He believes it would be correct if only one soldier fought on each side - one would defend the city, and the other would besiege it, saying that this is “more logical, because it is more humane.”
The reader meets Staff Captain Mikhailov, ugly and awkward, but giving the impression of a man “slightly taller” than an ordinary infantry officer. He reflects on his life before the war and finds his former social circle much more refined than his current one, remembering his ulan friend and his wife Natasha, who is eagerly awaiting news from the front about Mikhailov’s heroism. He is immersed in sweet dreams of how he will receive a promotion, dreams of being included in the highest circles. The staff captain is embarrassed by his current comrades, the captains of his regiment Suslikov and Obzhogov, wanting to approach the “aristocrats” walking along the pier. He can't bring himself to do it, but he eventually joins them. It turns out that each of this group considers someone a “greater aristocrat” than himself, each is filled with vanity. As a joke, Prince Galtsin takes Mikhailov by the arm during a walk, believing that nothing will bring him greater pleasure. But after a while they stop talking to him, and the captain heads to his home, where he remembers that he volunteered to go to the bastion instead of a sick officer, wondering whether he would be killed or simply wounded. In the end, Mikhailov convinces himself that he did the right thing, and he will be rewarded in any case.
At this time, the “aristocrats” are talking with adjutant Kalugin, but they do it without the previous mannerism. However, this only lasts until an officer appears with a message to the general, whose presence they pointedly do not notice. Kalugin informs his comrades that they have a “hot business” ahead of them; Baron Pest and Praskukhin are sent to the bastion. Galtsin also volunteers to go on a sortie, knowing in his heart that he will not go anywhere, and Kalugin dissuades him, while understanding that he will be afraid to go. After some time, Kalugin himself goes to the bastion, and Galtsin on the street interviews the wounded soldiers, and at first is indignant that they are “just like that” leaving the battlefield, and then begins to be ashamed of his behavior and Lieutenant Nepshitshetsky, shouting at the wounded.
Meanwhile, Kalugin, showing feigned courage, first drives the tired soldiers to their places, and then heads towards the bastion, not ducking under the bullets, and is sincerely upset when the bombs fall too far from him, but falls to the ground in fear when near him a shell explodes. He is amazed at the “cowardice” of the battery commander, a real brave man who actually lived on the bastion for six months, when he refuses to accompany him. Kalugin, driven by vanity, does not see the difference between the time the captain spent at the battery and his several hours. Meanwhile, Praskukhin arrives at the redoubt where Mikhailov served with instructions from the general to go to the reserve. On the way, they meet Kalugin, bravely walking along the trench, again feeling like a brave man, however, he did not dare to go on the attack, not considering himself “cannon fodder.” The adjutant finds cadet Pest, who tells the story of how he stabbed a Frenchman, embellishing it beyond recognition.
Kalugin, returning home, dreams that his “heroism” on the bastion deserves a golden saber. An unexpected bomb kills Praskukhin and easily wounds Mikhailov in the head. The staff captain refuses to go for a bandage and wants to find out if Praskukhin is alive, considering it “his duty.” Having confirmed the death of his comrade, he catches up with his battalion.
The next evening, Kalugin, Galtsin and “some” colonel walk along the boulevard and talk about yesterday. The adjutant argues with the colonel about who was at the more dangerous line, to which the second is sincerely surprised that he did not die, because four hundred people from his regiment died. Having met the wounded Mikhailov, they behave with him as arrogantly and dismissively as before. The story ends with a description of the battlefield, where under white flags the sides are dismantling the bodies of the dead, and ordinary people, Russians and French, stand together, talking and laughing, despite yesterday's battle.
