Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin wrote his story “Poor Liza” in 1792, during the heyday of serfdom in Rus'. In this work, Karamzin emotionally, in colors and details, describes the story of the deep and unhappy love of a young peasant girl for the nobleman Erast.
We can safely say that this is the work in which human emotions and real life main characters surrounded everyday life, had a significant impact on further development Russian classical literature.
Introduction to the work
Karamzin's story "Poor Liza" can safely be called one of the brightest examples of sentimentalism in Russian classical literature. In his work, the author reveals inner world each of the heroes, shows the depth and versatility of the feelings experienced by Lisa and Erast. And the very concept of the work can be described as elevating human feelings to the rank of the highest values in life.
In addition, by conducting his narration on behalf of the narrator in the work “Poor Liza,” Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was able to show and describe all the versatility of life and nature surrounding the main characters. It is with a description of the outskirts of Moscow that the narrator begins his sad narrative, and the entire work seems to be permeated with detailed and vivid descriptions of the nature and life surrounding the main characters. And the realism of such descriptions allows the reader to find himself, as it were, “inside the work” and feel like a participant in the events.
In his work, Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin describes the events happening to the two main characters:
In addition to the main protagonists, Karamzin also describes other characters in his story.
- The narrator is a sentimental person who empathizes with Lisa and Erast, whose sad story he tells in the work. The narrator’s character is not just kind, he empathizes with tragic love with all his soul main character to Erast, considering what happened to be a real tragedy.
- Lisa's mother is an elderly woman, widowed and living with her daughter in a modest hut near a birch grove. Soft and kind woman, she dreams of marrying her daughter to a good, kind man.
The entire narrative can be divided into two main parts: romantic and tragic. Let's consider summary the content of each of them.
Poor Lisa
The author discusses how good the surroundings of Moscow are, but best of all is near the Gothic towers of the Sl...nova Monastery, from here you can see the whole of Moscow with an abundance of houses and churches, many groves and pastures on the other side, “further away, in the dense greenery of ancient elms, the golden-domed Danilov Monastery", and even further, the Sparrow Hills rise on the horizon.
Wandering among the ruins of the monastery, the author imagines its former inhabitants, but more often he is attracted by memories of the deplorable fate of Lisa: I love those objects that touch my heart and make me shed tears of tender sorrow! " Seventy yards from the monastery there is an empty, dilapidated hut Thirty years before this, the beautiful, kind Liza lived with her old mother. The father loved work and was a wealthy peasant, but after his death his wife and daughter became poor. They rented out the land and lived on this little money. The mother, grieving for her father, cried (for even peasant women know how to love). She was weak and could not work. Liza alone, not sparing her youth and beauty, wove canvas, knitted stockings, sold forest flowers in the spring, and Liza in the summer. was a very grateful and affectionate daughter.
Once in Moscow, while selling lilies of the valley, Lisa met a handsome and kind young man, who gave her a ruble instead of five kopecks, but Lisa refused and took what was due. The young man asked her where she lived. Lisa went home. She told her mother about what had happened, and she praised her daughter for not taking the money. The next day, Lisa brought the best lilies of the valley to the city, but did not sell them to anyone, but threw them away so that no one would get them if she did not find the old young man. The next evening the young man visited their poor home. Lisa treated him to milk, and his mother managed to tell him about her grief. The young man tells his mother that Lisa should only sell her work to him. This will save the girl from going to Moscow. For he will come from time to time and buy the products of her labor on the spot. The old lady agreed. The young man called himself Erast.
He was a rather rich nobleman, smart and kind. He led an absent-minded life and was often bored. Having met Lisa, he became seriously interested in the girl and decided to leave the “big world” for a while.
Lisa fell in love. She grieved that Erast was not a simple peasant. But soon he himself appeared, confessed his love to her and dispersed the girl’s melancholy. Lisa wants to tell her mother about her happiness, but the young man asks not to tell her anything, “because old people are suspicious.”
Young people see each other every day. Erast admires “his shepherdess,” as he calls Lisa.
A rich peasant wooes Lisa, but she refuses. Lisa and Erast became close. Erast changed towards his beloved, she ceased to be a symbol of purity for him, these feelings were no longer new to him. He began to avoid Lisa. One day they didn’t see each other for five days, and on the sixth he came and said that he was going to war; he left Lisa's mother money so that the girl would not go to trade in his absence. When they part, young people cry bitterly. Two months have passed. Lisa went into town to buy rose water, which her mother uses to treat her eyes. In the city she saw Erast in a magnificent carriage. Lisa caught up with him at the gate of the house and hugged him. Erast says that he is engaged and must get married. He gives the girl a hundred rubles and asks her to leave him alone. Erast lost, in order to pay off his debts, he is forced to marry “an elderly rich widow.” Lisa gives the money to her friend Anyuta so that she can take it to her mother, and she throws herself into the waters of the pond. She was buried right there, under the oak tree. The mother, having learned about her daughter’s death, also died. The hut was empty. Erast was unhappy until the end of his life. He considered himself the girl's killer. Erast himself told the author this sad story and led him to Lisa's grave. The author ends the story with the phrase: “Now, perhaps, they have already reconciled.”
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The year 1792 was significant for Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. And this is not surprising, because it was at that time that a wonderful sentimental story called “Poor Lisa” came out of his pen, which brought recognition and fame to the author. At that time, the writer was only twenty-five years old, and he was taking his first steps in the literary field.
Describing the difficult fate of a defenseless people, raising the problem of inequality between the poor and the rich, Karamzin tries to reach people’s consciousness and draw attention to the fact that they cannot live like this. The writer narrates in the first person.
The main characters of the story
Lisa- a simple Russian peasant woman, kind girl, loving nature and enjoying every day - until she fell in love with a rich nobleman named Erast. Since then, things have happened in her life sharp turn, which subsequently led to terrible tragedy.
Erast- a rich nobleman, a frivolous young man with a good imagination, but flighty. He thinks that he loves Lisa, but under the circumstances he leaves her, without thinking about the girl’s strong feelings caused by his betrayal. Becomes the reason for Lisa's suicide.
Old mother- a poor peasant woman, a widow who has lost her husband and is mourning him. A kind, simple, believing woman who loves her daughter immensely and wishes her happiness.
The splendor of nature, which the author contemplates
The outskirts of Moscow with its monasteries, church domes, bright green flowering meadows evoke delight and tenderness. But not only. Upon entering the monastery, the author’s soul begins to be overcome by bitter memories, and the sad history of the Fatherland appears before his mind’s eye. Most depressing of all is the incident that happened to one girl, poor Lisa, who ended her life tragically.
The beginning of Lisa's story
Why is this hut, located near the monastery wall, where there is noise? Birch Grove, is it empty now? Why are there no windows, no doors, no roof? Why is everything so sad and gloomy? An inquisitive reader can get an answer to these questions by learning what happened here thirty years ago, when those around them could hear the ringing voice of a girl named Lisa. She lived with her mother in great poverty, because after the untimely death of his father, the land fell into decay. In addition, the desperate widow fell ill with grief, so Lisa had to do the household chores alone. Fortunately, the girl was hardworking: she worked tirelessly, weaving canvas, knitting stockings, picking berries and picking flowers. Having good and loving heart, Lisa tried her best to console her sick mother, but in her heart she was very worried about the death of herself. loved one- her dad.
Lisa's nascent love
And then, two years later, he appeared - a young man named Erast, who completely captured the feelings of a young girl who wanted to love and be loved. And life began to play at first bright colors.
They met when Lisa came to Moscow to sell flowers. An unfamiliar buyer, seeing this beautiful girl, began to shower her with compliments and even, instead of five kopecks, offered a ruble for flowers.
But Lisa refused. She didn’t know that the very next day the young man would be standing under her window. “Hello, kind old lady,” he turned to the girl’s mother. “Do you have any fresh milk?” The stranger suggested that Lisa sell her works only to him, then there would be no need to be exposed to dangers in the city, being separated from her mother.
The old lady and Lisa happily agreed. Only one thing confused the girl: he is a gentleman, and she is a simple peasant woman.
A rich nobleman named Erast
Erast was a man with kind hearted However, the author describes him as flighty, weak and frivolous. He lived only for his own pleasure and did not care about anything. In addition, he was a sentimental and very impressionable young man with a rich imagination. The relationship with Lisa was supposed to be a new milestone in his life, a new interest that would diversify his idle and boring life.
Lisa became sad. Love rushed over the girl like an avalanche, and where did the former carefreeness go? Now she often sighed and was encouraged only when she saw Erast. And he suddenly... confessed his love to her. Lisa's joy knew no bounds; she wanted their meetings to continue forever. "Will you always love me?" – the girl asked. And I received the answer: “Always!” She came home in a joyful mood. And in a fit of feeling, she began to admire the beauty of nature created by God. Mom supported her daughter.
The image of an old mother
Lisa’s mother is portrayed by the author as a simple believing woman, loving God and admiring the beauty of His creation. “How good everything is with the Lord God! I’m sixty years old in the world, and I still can’t get enough of the works of the Lord, I can’t get enough of the clear sky, which looks like a high tent, and the earth, which is covered with new grass and new flowers every year. The Heavenly King must love a person very much when he has removed the light here so well for him,” she says. This poor woman remained a widow, but still yearns for her dear, untimely departed husband, who was dearer to her than anything else in the world. After all, “peasant women also know how to love.”
The old lady's love for her daughter is very strong. She, like any mother, wants only the best for her.
Lisa and Erast: love is gaining strength
Since then they saw each other constantly - every evening. They hugged, but did not allow themselves anything vicious. Erast also talked with Lisa’s mother, who told the young man about her difficult life. But suddenly disaster struck.
Bitter changes in fate
Lisa had to tell Erast that she was being married off to someone else - the son of a rich peasant. But he was very upset, again swore his love to the girl - and finally, feelings prevailed over common sense: at that moment the girl lost her innocence. Since then, their dates have become different - Erast began to treat his beloved no longer as immaculate. Meetings took place less and less often, and finally the young man announced that he was going to war.
Last meeting with Lisa
Before the journey, Erast decided to say goodbye - and to his mother (who, by the way, did not know about his love relationships with his daughter), and with Lisa. The farewell was touching and bitter. After Erast left, Lisa “lost her senses and memory.”
Erast's betrayal
The girl was in despair for a long time. Only one thing consoled her restless soul: the hope of a meeting. One day she went to Moscow on business and suddenly saw a carriage in which Erast was sitting. Lisa rushed to her beloved, but in response she received only a cold confession that he was marrying someone else.
Lisa throws herself into the water
The girl could not withstand such shame, humiliation and betrayal. I no longer wanted to live at all. Suddenly Lisa saw an acquaintance, fifteen-year-old Anya, and, asking her to take money for her mother, she rushed into the water in front of the girl. They were never able to save her. The old mother, having learned about what happened to her beloved daughter, died immediately. Erast is greatly depressed by what happened and will forever reproach himself for the death of an innocent girl.
Class inequality is the cause of many problems in society
At that difficult time, the environment played the main role in choosing a bride or groom. The lower class - the peasants - could not unite with the rich nobles. Lisa clearly understands this already at their first meetings, when her heart trembles with love, but her mind insists on the impossibility such a union. “But you can’t be my husband,” she says. And in despair he adds: “I am a peasant.” Still, the girl could not resist the impulse of violent feelings for the man whom she loved with all her heart (although at times she regrets that her fiancé is not a shepherdess). She either naively began to believe that later Erast would still take her as his wife, or simply for the time being chose not to think about the consequences of this kind of romantic dates. Be that as it may, Lisa’s reaction to the fact that the one she cannot live without is marrying another, a noblewoman from his circle, prompts her to a desperate act - suicide. She took a step into the abyss from which there is no way out. Youth and hopes are ruined. And Erast was left to live with an incessant feeling of guilt. This is how the story “Poor Liza” ended tragically. A reasonable reader will learn from it and draw the right conclusions.
“Poor Liza” - a summary of the story by N.M. Karamzin
3 (60%) 2 votesCreativity N.I. Karamzin in Russia marked the beginning of a new literary direction, sentimentalism. This movement replaced civic classicism and introduced emotionality and the inner experiences of the heroes and narrator into Russian literature. The new word in Russian literature met with a lot of responses and imitations. Karamzin began to be considered the founder of sentimentalism in Russia. Summary the story "Poor Liza", rightfully considered an example of Russian sentimentalism, will introduce the reader to storyline and the heroes of the work.
Moscow suburbs
Karamzin begins the narrative of “Poor Liza” with a description of the outskirts of Moscow, where he likes to take walks. The narrator likes the Simonov Monastery; standing on its mountain, you can see Moscow, reminiscent of a majestic amphitheater. The destroyed walls of the monastic refuge make the narrator think about the history of Russia. Motherland, withstanding numerous attacks by enemy troops, she could only rely on God.Next to the monastery there is a dilapidated hut; no one has lived here for a long time. A long time ago, here was the home of the unfortunate girl Lisa, the memories of whom make the narrator shed tears.
Lisa's life
Lisa's father, thanks to hard work and sobriety, was able to become a wealthy man. After the sudden death of the head of the family, the wife and daughter found themselves in dire straits. The lands cultivated by the mercenaries stopped producing crops, and the mother, who was constantly grieving for her lost husband, soon found herself unable to work. Lisa inherited her father’s hard work and was a craftswoman. The girl tried to earn a living by doing the most various jobs: weaved, knitted, picked flowers, berries, sold them in the city. The mother loved her daughter and asked God for a good fate for Lisa.Meeting with Erast
One day, having collected lilies of the valley to sell, Lisa was walking through the city and met a young man named Erast. The man liked the modest flower seller. He invited the beauty to sell flowers exclusively to him. Lisa, embarrassed, got ready to leave.The next day the girl went to the city again, but did not meet the young master. Refusing to sell flowers to other people, she threw them into the river.
A few days later, Erast came to Lisa’s house, met the girl’s mother, the young man impressed her pleasant impression. He asked Lisa to sell flowers only to him. Lisa was excited by the visit of the young master.
Erast was a rich and handsome nobleman; meeting Lisa instilled in him the confidence that she was his ideal. Having read idyllic novels, he strove for an immaculate brotherly relationship with her. It seemed to him that nature itself, in the person of Lisa, was opening its arms to him.
Declaration of love
Lisa lost peace; the image of the young master constantly haunted her. She tried to find solace in a morning walk to the river. Seeing a shepherd driving his flock, Lisa indulged in dreams about how wonderful it would be if Erast were not a gentleman, but an ordinary shepherd. Hearing that a boat was approaching the shore, she turned around and saw her Erast. The young lovers confessed their feelings to each other, and found peace in conversation and innocent hugs. Erast asked Lisa not to tell her mother about their relationship. The girl was surprised by such a request, but agreed to give in to her friend, although it was unpleasant for her to hide something from her mother.Every day Lisa went on dates with Erast, they became closer to each other. Often the young man came to visit his beloved mother, they had conversations, and she often dreamed that Erast would attend her daughter’s wedding and become her children’s godfather.
Fatal night
One day Lisa came to a meeting with Erast in tears. She said that her mother wanted to marry her to a guy from neighboring village to leave this world calmly. The young man convinced the girl that after her mother’s death he would take her to him and live with her in love and happiness. Lisa threw herself into his arms and gave him her innocence. After that, she began to cry, she was afraid that now everything in the relationship would change. Thunder rang out, Lisa was afraid that he would kill her for this sin. Erast swore that he would continue to love his Lisa always and would not leave her alone.Meetings between lovers continued, but there was no spirituality and purity, which Erast liked. He could not be content with a modest brotherly embrace. Having received everything that Lisa could give, he quickly became fed up with love. Therefore, over time, I began to visit Lisa much less often.
One day he announced to her that he had to leave to fight. Lisa tried to dissuade him, but Erast said that he had to do an important thing in the name of honor. Lisa was upset, but promised to wait for her friend. When he left, the girl wanted to go after him, but she was stopped by thoughts of her elderly mother who needed her.
Meeting with Erast in Moscow
After several months of anxiously waiting for Erast to return, Lisa went to Moscow to buy medicine for her sick mother. There she saw her lover, and insane joy overwhelmed her. He behaved sternly at the meeting: he took Lisa into the office and announced to her that he was engaged and would soon get married. During the war, playing cards, Erast squandered his entire fortune and was forced to woo a wealthy elderly widow in order to cover his debts. The man gave Lisa a hundred rubles and took her outside.Death of Lisa
Once on the street, the girl fainted from the shock she experienced. When she woke up, she decided that she could not live without the love of the insidious Erast. Lisa met a neighbor's girl, gave money to her mother, and asked her to convey a request for forgiveness. The poor girl threw herself into the pond and drowned herself. The girl ran to the village for help, but Lisa could not be saved.The mother could not bear the loss of Lisa and died of grief. The house in which they lived was empty. The peasants claimed that the hut was haunted.
The fate of Erast
Erast did not know happiness; all his life he blamed himself for Lisa’s death. He told the narrator a story tragic love Lisa.This is where it ends brief retelling the story "Poor Liza", which includes only the most important events from full version works!
The shortest thing I found.
Not far from the city of Moscow, next to the Simonov Monastery, there lived a beautiful girl with her mother and her name was Lisa. Her father died long ago. Once upon a time, during her father’s lifetime, they were quite rich, but after his death, her mother began to weaken and they became very poor. Young Lisa tried as hard as she could, and sometimes she didn’t even take care of herself at all: she made canvases, stockings, collected wildflowers and even cooked summer days she was not hiding in the shadows, but picking berries. Everything she could collect or make she sold in Moscow.
It's been two years since her father passed away.
Already in the warmer spring, she collected lilies of the valley and sold them at the market. One day she met a handsome, well-dressed young man who, as soon as he found out that she was selling flowers, decided to buy them from her and offered much more money than they were worth. But Elizabeth was a modest girl, and she refused such generosity from an unfamiliar citizen. He didn't insist, but in the future he asked her to pick flowers just for him.
Having run home, Lizonka told her mother everything, she was so inspired that she gathered the most best flowers and the next day she ran into the city, hoping to meet a wonderful stranger. But he wasn't there. Lisa was very upset and even threw the flowers into the river. A day passed and the stranger appeared on the threshold of her house. Lisa, seeing him, rushed to her mother. Elizabeth's mother greeted the guest with honor. That same evening, Lisa learned that the man’s name was Erast. Erast said that he really wanted Lizonka to pick flowers just for him, and that he didn’t have to go to the market, he would come to Liza’s house for them himself.
Erast had a great fortune, he was smart and kind, but he could not settle down, he was attracted to Savor and all the fun that goes with it. Once upon a time he was simply amazed by the innocence and beauty of the young lady. They often met and hugged, but their meetings were absolutely innocent.
The mother decided to give Elizabeth down the aisle, since quite recently a good young man with a sufficient fortune came to them to woo. Lisa understood that she had no future with Erast, since she was a peasant and he was a nobleman. In upset feelings, Elizabeth almost made a mistake in Erast’s arms, but soon pulled herself together. Lisa said goodbye to Erast.
They still met, but their meetings were not the same. Erast no longer saw purity in her, as he was overcome by platonic love. Lizonka noticed all this and this made her sad.
Erast was drafted into the army. That parting was very difficult for Liza, but Erast promised that as soon as he returned, they would never part.
Two months dragged on forever. One day Lisa went to Moscow. She saw her lover in the crowd and rushed into his arms, but Erast abruptly led her into his office and explained that life had taken a strange turn and he was getting married soon. Elizabeth was taken out of the house by servants.
The girl was very upset, she walked quietly, not noticing anyone or anything on her way. During this time, she had already managed to leave the city. When she woke up, she realized that she was next to a pond. Just recently she was happy here with Erast, but now everything is quiet and even the luxurious oak trees did not bring her any joy. Memories came flooding back to Elizabeth and she went deep into her dreams and fantasies.
A young girl was passing nearby. Lisa gave her all the money she had earned today at the market and told her to bring it to her mother and ask her to apologize for her actions. And not a minute later she threw herself into the pond.
Elizabeth's mother died of grief. And Erast married an elderly lady, since he had lost everything before. When he found out about Lisa, he realized that it was he who killed her and could not forgive himself for this.