I.S. Turgenev “Asya”: the history of the story

Asya prototypes

— Pelageya Turgeneva (Polina Brewer) is the illegitimate, only daughter of Turgenev and the civilian seamstress Avdotya Ivanova, who worked on his mother’s estate, with whom student Turgenev had a short-term affair in 1841. - Varvara Nikolaevna Zhitova - Turgenev’s half-sister, daughter of his mother Varvara Petrovna and the family doctor on the Turgenev estate Andrei Evstafievich Bers

If we compare the fates of Pelageya Turgeneva and Varvara Zhitova, then Asya’s character, inclinations, and life trials are more similar to the fate of Turgenev’s daughter than his sister

The history of the creation of the story “Asya”

The idea and plot of the story were born to Turgenev during his trip to Europe in 1856-1858.
• June 30 (July 12, New Style) 1857 - work on the story began in the German town of Sinzig
• November 15 (November 27) 1857 - end of work in Rome
• November 30 (December 15) 1857 - the text of the story was sent to the editors of the Sovremennik magazine
• January 9 (January 23), 1858 - censor P. Novesilsky approved the publication of the manuscript
• January 1858 - Sovremennik magazine published the story

Test based on the story by I.S. Turgenev "Asya"

Golubeva Alla Albertovna

GKOU boarding school for children with hearing disabilities

teacher of Russian language and literature

Test
"I.
S. Turgenev “Asya” Class:
10, deaf children (literature textbook 8th grade, edited by V.Ya. Korovina)
Questions on knowledge of the text

1. The action of the work “Asya” takes place:

a) in St. Petersburg; b) in France; c) in Germany; d) in Denmark.

2. Who is Mr. N.N.?

a) a Russian doctor living abroad; b) Russian student; c) a rich, intelligent nobleman; d) Russian artist.

3. Whose portrait is this?

“There are such happy faces in the world: everyone loves to look at them, as if they are warming you or stroking you. ... had just such a face, sweet, affectionate, with big soft eyes and soft curly hair”?

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4. Which character are we talking about:

“... for the first time I took a good look at... the face, the most changeable face... A few moments later it all turned pale and took on a concentrated, almost sad expression; the very features... seemed larger, stricter, simpler to me”?

__________________________________

5. Name the hero:

“...he was a very kind, intelligent, educated man - and unhappy.”

__________________________

6. Which character in the work “Asya” said:

“Go somewhere far away, to pray, to perform a difficult feat. Otherwise, the days go by, life goes away, and what have we done?”

a) Gagin; b) N.N.; c) Frau Louise; d) Asya.

7. How old is Asya?
a) 15;
b) 18; c) 17; d) 21. 8. Indicate the qualities inherent in Asya:

a) very sensitive; b) always dissatisfied; c) sad; d) honest, sincere.

9. What interested N.N. on a trip?

a) museums; b) beautiful landscapes; c) architectural monuments; d) new faces.

10. What attracted N.N. small German town?

a) the opportunity to meet a young widow; b) the possibility of privacy; c) many memories were associated with this city; d) you could have fun in this town.

11. What prevented Mr. N.N. marry Asa?

a) her young age; b) reluctance of this marriage on the part of N.N.; c) own indecision, fear; d) fear of ruining the girl’s life.

General questions

12. The work “Asya” is...

a) story; b) story; c) drama; d) tragedy

13. Complete the parts of the composition:

14. Why is the happiness of heroes impossible?_________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

15. Complete the sentence “ The work of I.S. Turgenev is dedicated to the topic_________________"

Opinions about the story “Asya”

- “If they told me that “Asya” was a great thing, I would be surprised - knowing what kind of mental disorder I was in when I wrote it - but I would believe it; and now I believe and even seem to see that it is unsuccessful and bad” (Turgenev’s letter to Tolstoy from Vienna, March 27 (April 8), 1858) - “Turgenev’s Asya, in my opinion, is the weakest thing of all that he wrote "(Tolstoy to Nekrasov, January 21, 1858) - "The story has a purely poetic, ideal direction, not touching on any of the so-called dark sides of life. Here, I thought, my soul will rest and be refreshed. And indeed, she was refreshed by these poetic ideals until the story reached the decisive moment. But the last pages of the story are unlike the first, and after reading the story, the impression left from it is even more bleak than from the stories about disgusting bribe takers with their cynical robbery...” (Chernyshevsky “Russian man at rendez-vous. Reflections on reading Turgenev’s story “Asya”)

Summary

Chapter 1

A 45-year-old socialite (Mr. N.N.) tells a story that happened 20 years ago. At that time he was “healthy, young, cheerful, money had not been transferred, worries had not yet begun.” The young man's first love turned out to be unrequited: the frivolous widow, who encouraged him in every possible way, went to another man, a Bavarian lieutenant.

In search of solitude N.N. leaves the country and settles in the city of Z., where he thinks about the soulless widow. One evening, sitting on a bench and looking at the river, he hears the sounds of a waltz from the opposite bank, where the city of L. is located. He learns from a passer-by that these are “students who have come for business.” Intrigued, he crosses to the other side.

Chapter 2

In the crowd of spectators N.N. meets two Russians who introduce themselves as brother and sister. N.N. immediately liked the good-natured Gagin. “There are such happy faces in the world: everyone loves to look at them, as if they are warming you or stroking you.” The girl Asya seemed pretty to the hero: gracefully built, “with almost childish cheeks and black eyes.” She didn't look like her brother. New friends invited N.N. to your home with a picturesque view of the Rhine.

At dinner, Asya was a little “shy,” but after a while she turned to N.N. The whole evening the girl behaved at ease, “sang in a low voice, often laughed.” Two hours later, Asya, citing fatigue, went to bed.

On the way home, the hero felt that he was happy, and already at home, falling asleep, he noticed how throughout the whole day he had never thought about his cruel lover.

Chapter 3

N.N. visited Gagin. He talked about how he would like to devote his life to painting. In response to N.N. told the story of his unhappy love. After the conversation, the young people went to Gagin to look at the sketches. They learned from the owner that Asya had gone to the “ruins” and went in search of her.

Chapter 4

The locals called “ruins” a black quadrangular tower that rose on top of a bare rock. On a pile of rubble, the heroes saw a female figure, whom they recognized as Asya. “She wants to surprise us,” thought N.N., “why is that?” What kind of childish trick is this?”

During a walk, Asya accidentally found out about the “lady of her heart”, Mr. N.N.

After the meal, Asya went to visit Frau Louise, and the young people were left alone. N.N. gradually became attached to the honest, truthful Gagin. “It was impossible not to love him: my heart was drawn to him.”

Four hours later, the friends headed to the house of old lady Louise, where N.N. said goodbye to Asya.

This time the hero returned home in a bad mood. He found one of the notes from the insidious widow, but did not even open it: the young man was thinking about Asa, “a capricious girl with a forced laugh...”. And for the first time I doubted that she was Gagin’s sister.

Chapter 5

The next day, watching the girl, he saw “no shadow of coquetry, no sign of a deliberately accepted role.” In the evening, returning home, the young man no longer dreamed of anything. However, as he was getting ready for bed, he thought: “What a chameleon this girl is!... But still, she is not his sister.”

Chapter 6

Two weeks passed. N.N visited the Gagins every day and always got to know Asya from a new side. She knew French and German and had a good upbringing, but it was obvious “that this little wild thing had recently been vaccinated.” One day, approaching the gate, N.N. I heard voices coming from the gazebo - Asya confessed her love to Gagin. N.N. I didn’t dare approach them and hurried home. On the way, he wondered why they had been deceiving him for so long.

Chapter 7

After a sleepless night N.N. headed to the mountains to be alone with his thoughts. He was absent for three days, and when he returned, he found a message from Gagin, in which it was written that he was very upset because N.N. I didn’t invite him to the mountains with me.

Chapter 8

The next day, at the Gagins’ house, our hero spoke about his adventures, however, the conversation did not go well. Asya did not participate in the conversation, but only “entered the room and ran away again.” Seeing off the guest, Gagin told him the story of his family.

He lost his mother early. His father raised him until the boy was 12 years old. Subsequently, his father’s brother persuaded him to take his nephew with him to St. Petersburg, where Gagin entered a cadet school, then was transferred to a guards regiment. The first time he saw Asya was 8 years later in his father’s house. She was agile and timid. Four years later, on his next visit to his home, Gagin learned from Yakov’s servant that Asya was the daughter of his parent and maid Tatyana. After her father's death, he took her to St. Petersburg to raise her.

Asya was embarrassed by her origin and in the first days she was even afraid of Gagin, but then, seeing that he accepted and loved her, she became attached to him. Since Gagin could not live with his sister, he sent her to a boarding school, where she studied until she was 17 years old. Then Gagin resigned and left his native country with his sister.

After the conversation, the young people returned to L.N.N. realized that in a girl he liked not only her unbridled temper, but also her soul.

Chapters 9-10

N.N. goes for a walk with Asya. The girl quotes lines from “Eugene Onegin” and says that she would dream of being Tatyana. With her characteristic openness, she asks N.N. what he likes in women, and then says: if they were birds, they would drown in the blue of the sky. N.N. notes that there are feelings that inspire and can tear you off the ground, but “it seems that he still hasn’t flown.” They are returning home. Friends are having fun until the evening. During a waltz with Asya N.N. for the first time he captures the features of femininity in her appearance. On the way back, the young man is overcome by feelings of incomprehensible anxiety and happiness at the same time.

Chapters 11-12

The next day, young N.N. I found Gagin, smeared with paints, in front of the canvas. In fits of inspiration, he actively waved his brush. Asya’s mood that day was changeable, sometimes she was sad and silent, sometimes she talked casually with N.N. and laughed merrily. She was worried that the young man might consider her frivolous, but she insisted that she had always been frank with him. Returning home, the young man thought: “Does she really love me?”

Chapter 13

This question worried the man the next morning. He went to the city of L., stayed in the Gagins’ house the whole day. Asya appeared for a minute, “pale, thin, with a bandage on her forehead,” and warned that she was not feeling well, after which she went to her room.

The next day N.N. in a semi-conscious state he walked around the city, thoughts about the girl did not leave him. Suddenly a boy called out to him and handed him a letter from Asya, in which the girl made an appointment for him at the stone chapel on the way to the ruins.

Chapter 14

Returning home, the young man read the note several times. Suddenly the door opened and Gagin entered, from a conversation with whom N.N. I found out that Asya is in love with him. She admitted this to her brother last night. The girl asked if he told N.N. her story, she was afraid that after this he would despise her. The girl tearfully asked them to leave this city together. Gagin decided to talk with N.N. before leaving. He was sure that our hero would not marry his sister. He, in turn, admitted: he likes Asya, and asked to give him time to think about everything. After Gagin left, the man wondered how to proceed. “To marry a seventeen-year-old girl with her temperament, how is that possible!” - he thought.

Chapter 15

N.N. I went to the meeting at the appointed hour. However, the boy who met him on the opposite bank said that “Fräulein Annette” had changed the place of the meeting and was waiting for him at Frau Louise’s house. Feelings struggled within him: happiness seemed to be very close, but he needed to keep his word to his brother. “I can’t marry her,” he finally decided, “she won’t know that I fell in love with her.” An old woman opened the door for him and led him up a steep staircase. On the third floor she showed him a small door.

Chapter 16

The girl was sitting on a chair near the window. She was trembling and afraid to look at the guest. There was something touching in the girl’s timid movements. N.N. has the determination to act according to the chosen plan. disappeared. He affectionately called her by name, Asya looked up uncertainly. “Oh, the look of a woman who has fallen in love, who can describe you? They begged, these eyes, they trusted, questioned, surrendered...” The man could not contain his feelings, bent down and pressed his hand to hers. “- Yours... she whispered barely audibly.” However, the thought of the promise given to Gagin sobered up the young man. He admitted to Asya that her brother knows everything, that N.N. I couldn’t help but tell him about them. Then N.N. began to accuse Asya of telling her brother everything herself. Asya listened to his speech, fell to her knees and sobbed, but suddenly “jumped up, rushed to the door with the speed of lightning and disappeared...”

Chapters 17-18

The man wandered around the city for a long time. “Did I really want such an outcome? Am I able to part with her? How can I lose her? Madman! Madman! - he repeated. N.N. again went to the house where Asya lived. Gagin met him and said that she had not yet returned from Frau Louise. The young people went to look for her. To find them faster, they decided to split up.

Chapter 19

N.N. I looked for her everywhere: I walked around all the streets in the city, stood at Frau Louise’s window, and returned to the banks of the Rhine. He shouted her name, admitted that he loved her and would never part with her. Asya was nowhere to be seen. Then he went to Gagin to find out if he had found her.

Chapter 20

He saw light in Asya's room. Her brother assured her that she was back and everything was fine. The young people said goodbye. Coming out, N.N. I was about to knock on her window, but decided to put off until tomorrow what I wanted to say. He wanted to propose to her.

He didn't remember how he returned home. He was carried by “some broad, strong wings.” “Tomorrow I will be happy!” - he thought.

Chapters 21-22

The next day the maid met him and said that the Gagins had left. She handed him a letter in which “there was not a single line from Asya.” Gagin wrote to him and asked him not to be offended by their sudden departure. “There are prejudices that I respect; I understand that you cannot marry Asa,” he wrote.

N.N. I learned from the hostess that they had boarded the ship at six in the morning, and went to the office where the Gagins bought tickets to Cologne. One thought warmed N.N.’s heart: it was imperative to find them. He walked home past Frau Louise's house. Suddenly, an old woman called out to him and handed him a note from Asya. “Farewell, we won’t see each other again. I’m not leaving out of pride, I can’t do otherwise. Yesterday, when I cried in front of you, if you had said one word to me, just one word, I would have stayed. You didn't say it. Apparently, it’s better this way... Goodbye forever!

One word... With tears in his eyes, he repeated it the day before, but he still couldn’t tell her!

That same day he sailed to Cologne, where he learned that they had left for London. N.N. went after them, but the search in London was in vain. He didn’t see them anymore, didn’t see Asya.

Concluding his story, N.N. admitted that he was young, and subsequently he had women, but the feeling awakened in him by Asya, “that burning, tender, deep feeling,” was not repeated.