The work “First Love” by Turgenev, reviews of which are given in this article, is a story by the great Russian prose writer, which tells about the emotional experiences of the young protagonist, his love, which is filled with drama and sacrifice. The book was first published in 1860.

History of creation

Reviews of the book "First Love" by Turgenev allow you to get a full impression of this work. The prose writer created it quite quickly. He wrote from January to March 1860. At that time he was in St. Petersburg.

The basis was personal vivid emotional experience, as well as events that occurred in the writer’s family. Turgenev himself later admitted that he portrayed his father in the plot. He described everything practically documented, without any embellishment. Later, many condemned him for this, but the realism of this story was extremely important for the author. This is also emphasized by many readers in reviews of the book “First Love” by Turgenev. The writer was confident that he was right, since he sincerely believed that he had absolutely nothing to hide.

Readers note in reviews of Turgenev’s “First Love” that the action takes place in Moscow. The year is 1833. The main character's name is Volodya, he is 16 years old. He spends time at the dacha with his parents. He has an important stage in his life ahead - entering university. Therefore, all his free time is devoted to preparing for exams.

There is a poor outbuilding in their house. The family of Princess Zasekina soon moves in. The main character accidentally catches the eye of a young princess. He is fascinated by the girl and since then he wants only one thing - to meet her.

A successful opportunity will soon turn up. His mother sends him to the princess. The day before, she receives an illiterate letter from her, in which Zasekina asks for her protection. But what it should consist of is not explained in detail. Therefore, mother asks Volodya to go to the princess and convey a verbal invitation to their house.

Volodya at the Zasekins

In the book “First Love” Turgenev (reviews especially note this) pays great attention to Volodya’s first visit to this family. It was then that the main character meets the princess, whose name is Zinaida Alexandrovna. She is young, but still older than Volodya. She is 21.

Having barely met, the princess invites him to her room. There she unravels the wool, begins to flirt with him in every possible way, but soon loses all interest in him.

Her mother, Princess Zasekina, did not postpone her visit. She came to Volodya’s mother that same evening. At the same time, she made an extremely unfavorable impression. In reviews of “First Love,” readers note that Volodya’s mother, like a well-mannered woman, invites her and her daughter to dinner.

During the meal, the princess continues to behave extremely defiantly. For example, she sniffs tobacco, fidgets noisily in her chair, constantly complains about poverty and lack of money, and tells everyone about her numerous bills.

The princess, on the contrary, behaves well-mannered and even stately. She speaks exclusively to Volodya’s father in French. At the same time, for some reason, he looks at him very hostilely. He doesn’t pay any attention to Volodya himself. Just before leaving, she secretly whispers that he should visit her in the evening.

Evening with the princess

Many readers love this work, and based on their impressions we will try to make our short review. Turgenev's "First Love" also contains a description of an evening at the Zasekins'. Volodya meets numerous admirers of the young princess there.

This is Doctor Lushin, Count Malevsky, poet Maidanov, hussar Belovzorov and, finally, Nirmatsky, a retired captain. Despite so many potential rivals, Volodya feels happy. The evening itself is noisy and fun. Guests play fun games. So, Volodya’s lot falls to kiss Zinaida’s hand. The princess herself does not let him go almost the entire evening, distinguishes him from others and shows preference.

Interestingly, the next day his father asks him in detail what the Zasekins had. And in the evening he goes to visit them. After lunch, Volodya wants to visit Zinaida, but the girl does not come down to him. From this moment on, suspicions and doubts begin to torment him.

Love's suffering

In reviews of the story “First Love” by Turgenev, readers note that the author paid increased attention to the experiences of the main character. When Zinaida is not around, he languishes alone. But when she appears nearby, Volodya does not feel any better. He is constantly jealous of everyone around her, takes offense at every little thing and at the same time understands that he cannot live without her.

Zinaida realizes almost from the first day that the young man has fallen madly in love with her. At the same time, in reviews of the story “First Love” by Turgenev, readers always emphasize that the princess herself rarely comes to their house. Volodya’s mother categorically does not like her, and her father rarely speaks to her, but always significantly and in a specially intelligent way.

Zinaida has changed

In the book “First Love” by I. S. Turgenev, events begin to develop rapidly when it turns out that Zinaida Alexandrovna’s behavior is changing dramatically. She rarely sees people and walks alone for a long time. And when guests gather at their house in the evenings, it happens that he doesn’t come out to them at all. Instead, he may sit locked in his room for several hours. Volodya begins to suspect, not without reason, that she is unrequitedly in love, but cannot understand with whom exactly.

One day they meet in a secluded place. In any brief review of Turgenev's "First Love" this episode is always given special attention. Volodya spends time on the wall of a dilapidated greenhouse. Suddenly he sees Zinaida walking along the road in the distance.

Noticing the young man, she orders him to jump off immediately if he really loves her. The young man, without hesitation, jumps. Having fallen, he loses consciousness for some time. Having come to his senses, he notices that the princess is fussing around him. Suddenly she begins to kiss him, but, noticing that he has come to his senses, gets up and quickly leaves, strictly forbidding him to pursue her.

Volodya is incredibly happy about this short moment. But when he meets the princess the next day, she acts as if nothing had happened.

Meeting in the garden

The next important episode for the development of the plot takes place in the garden. The princess herself stops the young man. She is sweet and kind to him, offers friendship and even bestows the title of her page.

Soon Volodya discusses this situation with Count Malevsky. The latter notes that pages must know everything about their queens and follow them day and night. It is unclear whether the count was speaking seriously or joking, but Volodya the next night decides to keep watch in the garden under her window. He even takes a knife with him just in case.

Suddenly he notices his father in the garden. Out of surprise, he runs away, losing his knife on the way. During the day, he tries to discuss this situation with the princess, but they are disturbed by her 12-year-old cadet brother, who came to visit. Zinaida instructs Volodya to entertain him.

That same evening, Zinaida asks him why Volodya is so sad. He bursts into tears, accusing her of playing with him. The girl consoles him, after a few minutes, forgetting about everything in the world, he plays with Zinaida and her brother and laughs sincerely.

Anonymous letter

A week later, Volodya learns shocking news. There was a quarrel between his mother and father. The reason is Volodya’s father’s connection with Zinaida. His mother learned about this from an anonymous letter. Mother announces that she is no longer going to stay here and returns to the city.

At parting, Volodya, who goes with her, meets with Zinaida. He vows that he will love and adore her until the end of his days.

The next time the young man meets the princess on a horseback ride. At this time, the father gives him the reins and disappears into the alley. Volodya chases him and sees him secretly talking to Zinaida through the window. The father proves something to her, the girl does not agree. At the end, she reaches out to him, but her father hits her sharply with a whip. Zinaida, shuddering, kisses the scar. Frustrated, Volodya runs away.

Moving to St. Petersburg

At the end of the story, Volodya and his parents move to St. Petersburg. He successfully enters and studies at the university. Six months later, his father dies of a stroke. A few days before, he receives a letter from Moscow, which makes him extremely worried and upset. After his death, the protagonist’s mother sends a large sum of money to Moscow, but the young man does not know to whom or why.

Everything falls into place only after 4 years. An acquaintance tells him that Zinaida got married and is going to go abroad. Although it was not easy, because her reputation was greatly damaged after the incident with his father.

Volodya receives her address, but goes to see her only after a few weeks. It turns out that he was late. The princess died in childbirth the day before.

In 1860, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev wrote the story “First Love.” It is interesting that the author treated this work with particular trepidation, because many of the moments described in the story were taken from the biography of Ivan Sergeevich and his own father. What is it about?

Here he describes his impressions of his first deep feeling and reveals the details of the family drama. How his own first love was reflected in the story, a summary, characters and the main idea is the topic of our article.

The images of the main characters of the work “First Love” are copied from real people:

• Volodya. This hero is the embodiment of the author himself in his youth. The experiences and feelings of Vladimir Petrovich can tell us what Ivan Sergeevich himself once experienced.
• Princess Zinaida Alexandrovna. This heroine also had a real prototype. This is Ekaterina Shakhovskaya, a poetess with whom the writer was in love.
• Pyotr Vasilyevich is the father of the main character. The prototype is the father of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev - Sergei Nikolaevich, who did not love his wife, entered into marriage because of the promise of material gain.
  His wife, Varvara Petrovna, was much older. During his lifetime, Sergei Nikolaevich had success with women, and a stormy romance with Shakhovskaya continued for a long time.

Interesting! The story was filmed four times, not only by Russian directors, but also by foreign ones. For example, a French film adaptation of the book was released in 2013.

Turgenev said that it was important for him to describe everything reliably. There was no resentment left against either the former beloved or the father. The author tried to understand their actions.

The beginning of the story

The action of Turgenev's story "First Love" takes place in 1833. The main character of the book, Vladimir Petrovich, is 16 years old.

The young man lives with his father and mother at a dacha in Moscow, preparing to become a university student.

Unexpectedly, an event occurs in the life of the main character that has a profound impact on him and the life of his entire family.

Next to the dacha of Volodya and his parents there was a poor outbuilding in which Princess Zasekina and her daughter settled.

Volodya accidentally encounters the young princess Zinaida, and he likes the girl. He dreams of getting to know her better.

This was helped by chance. The princess's mother wrote a letter to Volodya's mother. The message was not very literate and contained a request for help. Zasekina asked for patronage.

The young man’s mother was not indifferent to other people’s troubles and ordered the young man to go to the Zasekins’ house and invite him to dinner.

During this visit, Volodya met Princess Zinaida. It turned out that she was twenty-one years old. The princess initially flirts with the hero of the story, but soon stops doing so.

During dinner, it becomes clear that Princess Zasekina is not very strong in manners: she sniffs tobacco loudly, cannot sit quietly in a chair, and constantly complains about her difficult financial situation.

The daughter seems to be the complete opposite - she behaves with restraint, proudly. Zinaida Aleksandrovna communicates in French with Volodin’s father and at the same time looks at him incredulously. She shows no interest in Vladimir himself at dinner. And, nevertheless, before leaving, in a whisper she invites him to visit him in the evening.

The birth of first love

Arriving at the princess, the young man discovers that the girl has many admirers:

• poet by the name of Maidanov,
• Dr. Lushin,
• retired captain Nirmatsky,
• hussar named Belovzorov.

In this company the evening was very fun and noisy. The young man even manages to kiss Zasekina’s hand. The girl does not let Vladimir Petrovich leave her side even one step. The young man decides that he is also not indifferent to her.

The next day, Volodin’s father asks about the princess and family, and then he himself went to the Zasekins’ wing.

After dinner, the young man also goes to visit the princess, but she doesn’t even come out. From that moment on, the girl seems to ignore him, and because of this, the hero suffers.

When Zinaida reappears, she feels happy.

So the young man becomes dependent on the presence of his beloved and experiences a feeling of jealousy towards the girl’s admirers. She soon guesses about the hero’s feelings.

Zinaida Aleksandrovna appears very rarely in the house of Volodin’s parents. The young man’s mother does not like the princess, and the father sometimes communicates with the girl - little and restrainedly, in some language that the two of them understand.

Important! Wikipedia, in its article on the story, provides users with not only a summary, but also a lot of interesting facts about the creation of the work.

The Mystery of Zinaida

Suddenly the princess changes dramatically - from a coquette she turns into a thoughtful girl. He walks alone for a long time and often refuses to go out when guests come.

Vladimir suddenly understands that the princess is seriously in love. But at the same time, the hero has no idea who kindled this feeling in the princess.

One day the young man was sitting in the garden, on the wall of a dilapidated greenhouse, and suddenly saw Zinaida.

The girl also noticed Vladimir and ordered him to immediately jump onto the road to prove her feelings. The young man complied with this request, but fell to the ground and lost consciousness for a moment.

Because of what happened, the girl is very scared and, in a fit of emotion, even kisses the young man, but when he comes to his senses, he leaves and does not allow him to go with her. The young man feels inspired. True, the next day, when they meet, the princess acts distantly.

Later, Volodya and Zinaida meet again in the garden. The young man wants to leave, but the princess does not allow him to do so. The girl behaves kindly and sweetly, says that she is ready to be a friend and jokes that Vladimir can become her page.

This joke is picked up by Count Malevsky, who says that the young man is now obliged to know every little thing about his “queen” and be constantly nearby.

Vladimir attaches great importance to these words and goes to the garden at night to guard the girl, taking with him an English knife.

Suddenly he meets his father, gets scared, drops his weapon on the ground and runs away.

The next day the young man wants to discuss with his beloved what happened. But Zinaida cannot communicate face to face. Her twelve-year-old brother from the cadet school comes to visit the girl, and she asks the young man to entertain the boy.

In the evening, the princess finds Volodya in the garden and asks what happened and why he is so sad. He replies that he is dissatisfied with the fact that his beloved does not take him seriously. The girl asks for forgiveness. Volodya cannot hold a grudge against his beloved, so after a quarter of an hour he is already running around the garden with all his might with the girl and her brother and enjoying life.

Resolution of the story

The hero tries to communicate with his beloved as if nothing had happened, tries not to keep bad thoughts in his head and not to suspect the girl of anything. But a week later, returning home, he witnesses a scandal between his parents.

The mother says that her husband has a relationship with Princess Zasekina: an anonymous letter has arrived with information about this. The young man cannot believe it.

The next day, the mother announces that she is moving to another city and taking her son with her.

Volodya wants to say goodbye to his beloved before leaving, confesses his love to Zinaida, and says that he cannot love anyone else.

After some time, the young man meets Zinaida again by chance. Vladimir goes horseback riding with his father. Suddenly, his father gives him the reins and disappears.

The young man goes after him and discovers that he is communicating with the princess through the window, persistently says something to the girl, and Zinaida suddenly extends her hand. The father suddenly raises his whip and strikes. The girl is scared, but silently brings her bruised hand to her lips. Volodya is very alarmed by what he sees and runs away in fright.

Some more time passes. The hero of the story moves to St. Petersburg with his parents and becomes a university student.

Six months later, his father suddenly passes away unexpectedly: he receives a letter from Moscow and then dies of a heart attack. Afterwards, Volodya’s mother sends a substantial sum of money to Moscow.

Four years pass. Suddenly, Vladimir runs into an old acquaintance, Maidanov, in the theater.

He told him that Zinaida now also lives in the northern capital. She is married and wants to move abroad.

After the loud story with Volodya’s father, it was difficult for Zinaida to find a good groom. But since the girl was smart, she was able to do it.

Maidanov even tells the young man where exactly Zinaida lives. Volodya comes to the princess some time later and receives sad news on the spot. His beloved died in childbirth four days ago.

Important! Like Turgenev’s other works, this story can be read online for free on many resources.

What is the story about?

The story “First Love” almost completely reflects the difficult situation that occurred in the author’s life. It describes the details of a family drama. The work is written in an easy, simple language, and thanks to this, the reader can feel the experiences of the characters and better understand the essence of the work.

It is impossible not to believe in the sincerity of Vladimir Petrovich’s feelings and to experience with him the stages of his growing up - from passionate and enthusiastic first love to sympathy.

The work clearly shows how the relationship between Volodya and Zinaida changes, as well as how his attitude towards his own father changes.

The story also well reveals the image of Princess Zinaida Alexandrovna. We see how she transforms from a frivolous flirtatious young lady into a devoted and loving woman. In addition, here Turgenev reflects the deep feeling of Volodya's father.

He didn't love his wife, he married her for money. And he sincerely fell in love with Zinaida, but he had to suppress this feeling within himself.

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Let's sum it up

Despite what the main character had to endure, he did not hate either Zinaida or his father. On the contrary, he fell in love with his father even more.

The image of Zinaida in the novel “First Love”

I. S. Turgenev’s story “First Love” appeared in 1860. The author especially valued this work, probably because this story is largely autobiographical. It is very closely connected with the life of the writer himself, with the fate of his parents, as well as with beautiful and vivid memories of his first love.

The plot of the story "First Love" has much in common with "Asya". Both here and there the elderly man talks about his first feeling. Reading “Asya,” we can only guess who Mr. N.’s listeners were. In the introduction of “First Love,” both the characters and the situation are specified. In his work, Turgenev clearly traces the emergence and development of the protagonist’s love. Love is an amazing feeling; it gives a person a whole palette of emotions - from hopeless grief and tragedy to amazing, uplifting joy.

The narrative, in addition to the prologue, includes twenty-two small chapters. Their content does not exceed two or three pages - events and impressions change so quickly, the main character, Volodya, grows so quickly.

After describing the portrait of the young man, the author draws a portrait of the main character. Zinaida appears as a vision, all the more beautiful because before this the young hero indulged in a not very poetic hobby. He went out to shoot crows, and suddenly “he saw a girl in a pink dress and headscarf behind the fence.” Volodya observed her from the side and therefore the heroine appears to us for the first time as a sketch in profile: “... A slender figure, and slightly disheveled blond hair under a white scarf, and this half-closed smart eye, and these eyelashes, and a tender cheek under them.” Volodya found his neighbor more than one, and also engaged in a strange activity: “Four young men crowded around her, and she took turns slapping them on the forehead<…>gray flowers." A game that portrays childhood in the form of a heroine. And at the same time, one of the main features is revealed: youthful coquetry, the desire to captivate and conquer - “young people so willingly offered their foreheads - and in the movements of the girl<...>there was something so charming, commanding, mocking and sweet.” Volodya will instantly fall into the circle of young men, fascinated by her beauty.

Turgenev focuses not on the beauty of her features, but on their mobility, liveliness, variability, on “cute”, “charming” movements. Therefore, in the description of the portrait there are many verbs: “trembled”, “laughed”, “sparkled”, “rose”. The princess is very lively, relaxed, spontaneous, this is her charm, this is what makes her irresistible and desirable. Together with the girl, we find ourselves in some bright and joyful world, where everything blossoms and enjoys life; it is no coincidence that summer nature becomes the background of the portrait.

The image of Zinaida is the same as her portrait: the girl is always different, she is never the same, everything about her is constantly changing. At dinner with Volodya's mother (chapter 6) she is cold and prim, it is difficult to recognize her as yesterday's anemone; in playful games with her fans (chapter 7) Zinaida seems completely frivolous, but suddenly in chapter 9 we see her suffering, deeply sad , thinking with bitterness about her difficult fate. The absolute freedom of self-expression, of course, delights, but this only confirms that the girl’s character is entirely woven from deep contradictions that torment her; there are many mysteries in it.

The description of Zinaida testifies to her romance and youth; Vladimir sees a girl among the greenery, in the garden - this reveals Zina’s connection with nature, the harmony of her image. Everything about her is good, and Vladimir is ready to give everything so that “those fingers will slap him on the forehead.” Fans are crowding around the girl, who is not yet familiar to the main character; it is clear that she seems like a mystery to Turgenev, and he, perhaps, would submit to her will. Some time after meeting, Vladimir falls in love with Zinaida. The young man’s feeling is obvious: he is trying to stand out from the mass of fans in front of her, fulfilling many of her desires, which Zinaida unconsciously expresses; in the end, this is only his first love, and “what’s in the soul is on the face.”

Zinaida occupies an intermediate position between childhood and adulthood. She is 21. This is evidenced by her actions, which reek of childishness and thoughtlessness (playing forfeits or ordering Voldemar to jump from the wall). The love of her fans amuses her. She also treats Voldemar as just another admirer, at first not realizing that he has never fallen in love before, that his life experience is even less than her own.

Of course, the twenty-year-old girl looked down on the sixteen-year-old admirer. In a moment of affectionate frankness, Zinaida says: “Listen, I<…>could be your aunt, really; Well, not an aunt, an older sister.” No wonder she “entrusted me with her brother, a twelve-year-old cadet who came on vacation.” The coincidence of names - the boy who arrived was also called Volodya - speaks of Zinaida’s sisterly, protective feelings for both. Trying to analyze his feelings at that time, Vladimir Petrovich also repeats several times: “I was still a child.” In many episodes, Volodya actually shows childishness. Following the cadet, he happily “whistled” into a homemade pipe. To prove his love for the girl, he is ready, at her request, to jump onto the road from a height of “two fathoms.” Touched by his timid worship, Zinaida, partly playfully, partly seriously, “favors” him as her page. This recognition and the gift of a rose takes you back to chivalrous times, the times of knights and beautiful ladies. In Zinaida’s attitude towards her “page” there is a lot that is unsaid, contradictory, and sometimes cruel. To the fair reproach through tears, “...Why did you play with me?...What did you need my love for?” Zinaida responds with a confession: “I’m guilty before you, Volodya... Oh, I’m very guilty...” “She did whatever she wanted with me,” the hero sums up.

Zinaida sees this love; she is torn between Vladimir and his father, who is also infatuated with her. Turgenev emphasizes Zina’s ability to understand other people’s experiences, her prudence. She carefully weighs the situation before coming to a decision: to become the mistress of a married man, destroying his family, or to love his son, still a boy? Turgenev also conveys the torment before the choice, emphasizing her humanity and sincerity. “Everything disgusts me,” she whispered, “I would go to the ends of the world, I can’t bear it, I can’t cope.... And what awaits me ahead! .. Oh, it’s hard for me.... my God, how hard it is! ”

Zinaida, despite seeming more frivolous, is capable of suffering and serious feelings. She suffers from the “illegitimacy” of her feelings, this pushes her to unpredictable actions. This is the type of “Turgenev girl” - childishness, childish habits with the power of love and the feeling of an adult girl.

In the second plot scene, a cross-cutting and very important motif of light in solving the image of Zinaida will appear. Light shines through Zinaidina’s “sly smile on slightly parted lips,” and the light illuminates the princess’s quick glance at Vladimir. And “when her eyes, mostly half-squinted, opened to their full size,” the light seemed to spill over the girl’s entire face.

The feeling of emanating light from Zinaida’s gaze and face belongs to a young knight in love, deifying his ideal, who saw a woman-angel in front of him. But at the same time, the light is a sign of special purity, speaking about the inner purity of Zinaida, the purity of her soul, despite all the contradictory behavior of the princess.

The motif of light reaches its culmination in the portrait description of Zinaida sitting against the background of a window. “She sat with her back to the window, curtained with a white curtain; a ray of sunlight, breaking through this curtain, bathed her fluffy golden hair, her innocent neck, sloping shoulders and tender, calm chest with a soft light.” Enveloped in the window light, emitting light herself, she seemed to be in a cocoon of light, through which “her face seemed even more charming: everything in it was so subtle, smart and sweet.” “The eyelids quietly rose,” and the girl’s tenderly shining eyes seemed to reflect her soul.

With difficulty and tears, Zinaida enters the world of adults. It is in her character to love a strong person, “who would break me himself.” She is waiting for exactly this kind of love, she wants to submit to her chosen one. She is no longer satisfied with flirting with fans, she is “sick of everything,” and she is ready for a big, strong feeling. Voldemar is the first to understand that she truly fell in love.

In this sense, not only the image of the heroine and her fate are characteristic, but also the image and fate of Volodya’s father, Pyotr Vasilyevich. He, like Zinaida, is far from an ordinary person. In an effort to emphasize the significance of his personality, the writer even surrounds it with an aura of some mystery. He draws attention to Pyotr Vasilyevich’s characteristic lust for power, his despotic egoism. But Pyotr Vasilyevich, this strong and unusual person in his own way, also does not find his happiness, wasting his strength and abilities in vain.

At first one can guess about Pyotr Vasilyevich’s deep feelings only from these indirect evidence, but they are more eloquent than words of love. Why has he looked younger, why is his gait so light, why is he drawn to talk to a girl, bending low towards her? Why do the princess’s eyes rise so slowly? There is only one answer: they love and hide their criminal love, but the internal state of the heroes, their emotional experiences are revealed by an external gesture, a movement that makes a lot clear. This is a feature of Turgenev’s psychologism. (Psychologism is a depiction of the inner, hidden life of the human soul).

Of course, I remember the scene of the heroes’ spied meeting in a house by the river, in which the always calm and ironic Pyotr Vasilyevich loses his composure and hits Zinaida’s hand with a whip (chapter 21). The blow with the whip is an external manifestation of the internal state of Volodya's father. The writer does not tell us anything about the hero’s feelings that boil in the depths of his soul, but through this gesture we guess about them: a blow to the hand is something more than an expression of anger at Zinaida, who does not want to obey his decision. This is the hero’s protest against the circumstances of his life, which mercilessly separate him from the only one he loves; there is despair and pain in him.

The girl’s reaction is striking: “Zinaida shuddered, silently looked at her father and, slowly raising her hand to her lips, kissed the red scar on it.” A gesture filled with selflessness awakens repentance in the soul of the old egoist: “The father threw the whip aside and, hastily running up the steps of the porch, burst into the house...” Most likely, this day became a turning point in the life of Pyotr Vasilich and in his attitude towards people: “ He thought and lowered his head<…>. And then I saw for the first and almost the last time how much tenderness and regret his stern features could express.”

Before us is a new Zinaida, “with an indescribable imprint of devotion, sadness, love and some kind of despair.” This face, the dark, sad dress speaks of how difficult the life of a girl who sacrificed everything for her first love is.

At the end of the story, Turgenev again touches on the theme of time, again recalling how irreparably terrible it is to delay in love. Mr. N. could not catch up with Asya. Vladimir Petrovich was lucky enough to hear about Zinaida “about four years” later. The princess managed to arrange her life, despite secular gossip. This is how one can understand Maidanov’s polite omissions, from whose lips Vladimir learned about the further fate of Zinaida, now Mrs. Dolskaya. They can meet and meet the past. Moreover, she “has become even prettier” and, according to a friend, “will be glad” to see her former admirer.

“Old memories stirred up in me,” says Vladimir Petrovich, “I promised myself the next day to visit my former “passion.” The frivolous word “passion”, which Vladimir Petrovich used when speaking about his first love, instills anxiety in the reader. And indeed, the hero is not in a hurry: “But some things came up; a week passed, then another..." But fate does not want to wait: "...When I finally went to the Demuth hotel and asked Mrs. Dolskaya, I found out that she died almost suddenly four days ago<…>" “It was as if something pushed me into my heart,” says the hero. “The thought that I could have seen her and did not see her and will never see her - this bitter thought sank into me with all the force of an irresistible reproach.

It is also interesting why Turgenev called his heroine the name “Zinaida,” which was so unusual in those days. Having considered its meaning, it becomes clear that this name characterizes a girl like no other.

Zinaida (Greek) - born of Zeus (in Greek mythology, Zeus is the supreme deity); from the family of Zeus.

The name Zinaida means divine; belonging to Zeus, i.e. God's; from the family of Zeus; born of Zeus. A bright, light, cheerful and strong name. It sounds internal strength and concentration, demandingness and serious penetration. This name gives the impression of being armed and invulnerable, like knightly armor.

By mental make-up, Zinaida is a leader. But, when necessary, she will submit to a man. This woman with a constant desire for primacy, as they say, has character. A restless and always dissatisfied soul.

Zinaida is the “empress” in the company. In the sea of ​​life - like a fish in water. She is determined and even reckless. She will not compromise her interests, but she is not capable of vile acts. And if he makes a scandal, it’s over trifles and quickly cools down. She knows everyone's responsibility to society, to themselves.

Zinaida is somewhat cold, but men always pay attention to her. It fools their minds.

“Of all my female types,” Turgenev once said, “I am most pleased with Zinaida in “First Love.” In her I was able to present a real, living person: a coquette by nature, but a really attractive coquette.”

The story was written by Turgenev as an autobiographical plot. Zinaida was in his destiny. It was his father who became interested in the young lady. Therefore, Turgenev was able to publish his work only after the death of his mother in 1860. Criticism did not accept Turgenev's Zinochka unfriendly. DI. Pisarev wrote that he did not understand her character, but for Dobrolyubov she was Pechorin and Nozdryov rolled into one. “No one has ever met such a woman, or would like to meet one,” the critic concluded.

The main characters of Turgenev’s story “First Love”:

Vladimir Petrovich - bachelor. The main development of the plot occurs when Vladimir Petrovich was 16 years old. Then he first fell in love with his neighbor, Princess Zina Zasekina. He felt bliss when he was next to her, was insanely jealous of other men, and was sad when she was not around. Young Vladimir abandoned his classes, walks around the neighborhood, and stopped horseback riding.

Marya Nikolaevna, mother– I didn’t pay any attention to my son, despite the fact that he was my only son. She was jealous, constantly worried or angry.

Peter Vasilievich, father- a person who is exquisitely calm, self-confident and autocratic. He treated his son with indifference and kindness. He was 10 years younger than his wife and married her for convenience. He treated his son distantly and was almost not involved in his upbringing.

Princess Zasekina– 50-year-old woman. Judging by her manners, she was not born into a princely family. In the second half of the 19th century, marriages between wealthy merchants and industrialists and impoverished nobles were accepted. The noble class degraded. Princess Zasekina was not distinguished by secular manners, and was even an unpleasant woman

Zinochka, daughter of Zasekina- young lady 21 years old. Flirty. Her face was subtle, smart and sweet. Unlike mother, she was distinguished by her secular manners and tact. She was not without princely arrogance. She spoke French perfectly and read. Zinochka liked men, and she knew it very well, and took advantage of it. She quickly noticed that 16-year-old Vladimir was in love with her, flirted with him, teased him, spoiled him, and made fun of him.

“In her entire being, tenacious and beautiful, there was some particularly charming mixture of cunning and carelessness, artificiality and simplicity, silence and playfulness; over everything she did and said, over her every movement there was a subtle, light charm, a peculiar, playful force was felt in everything. And her face was constantly changing, playing too: it expressed, almost at the same time, mockery, thoughtfulness and passion. The most varied feelings, light and quick, like the shadows of clouds on a sunny, windy day, ran over her eyes and lips every now and then.”

Zinaida was dominated by an incorrect upbringing, she was surrounded by strange people; poverty and disorder in the house. She felt superior to people and enjoyed boundless freedom. All this, taken together, developed in her a certain carelessness towards everything and undemandingness. “Caprice and independence,” is how Lushin described Zinochka.

Zinochka made fun of the poet Maidanov, sympathized with him, and at the same time forced him to read Pushkin.

But of all the men surrounding Zinochka, she fell in love with Pyotr Vasilyevich, Volodya’s father. She fell in love so much that she was able to take a blow from him with a whip. This struck young Vladimir most of all.

Count Malevsky spoke with a slight Polish accent. He was a handsome and smartly dressed brunette with a mustache, expressive brown eyes, a thin nose and a small mouth. He was smart and handsome, but there was a falseness, something dubious about him. He earned himself a reputation as a hoaxer; he masterfully fooled people at masquerades. He had the cunning of a fox and an unconscious deceit that was absorbed into his entire existence.

Doctor Lushin was distinguished by truthfulness and straightforwardness. Vladimir Petrovich respected him for this trait. He knew Zinaida better than others, and probably loved her more than others. In words he was a cynical and mocking person.

Poet Maidanov - a tall young man with a thin face, blind eyes and long black hair. A cold man, like all writers, who lived in his own imaginary world. He assured Zinochka, and perhaps more so himself, that he adored her, sang her praises in his poems.

Retired Captain Nirmatsky, a forty-year-old man, incredibly pockmarked, curly-haired like a blackamoor, stooped, bow-legged.

Belovzorov, hussar, - the handsome hussar with bulging eyes and blond curls had a stately and even heroic build. As a military man, he always wore a uniform. He asked Zinaida to marry him. Zinochka called the hussar “my beast.” Belovzorov was incredibly jealous of Zinochka for everyone

The novel ends with the fact that 4 years after the events described, Zinochka dies during childbirth. Vladimir graduated from the University, and Zinochka married a certain wealthy Mr. Dolsky.

I.S. Turgenev had a huge influence not only on literature, but also on the perception of the world among his readers; it is not for nothing that the term “Turgenev girl” became firmly established in the speech of educated people and became a common name for the canonical female image in national culture. This author has created many diverse works, but they are united by deep poetry in every word. His “First Love” is also imbued with it.

In 1844 I.S. Turgenev met the French singer Pauline Viardot and fell in love. As it turned out, forever. They quarreled, made up, the writer followed his beloved everywhere. But this love was doomed, and at the same time selfless. It was this feeling that gave rise to a number of lyrical and philosophical stories with a tragic love plot, including “First Love,” published in 1860. In these works, feeling is a disease that affects a person and deprives him of his will and reason.

The book was written in January-March 1860. The plot collision was based on the real story of the writer's family: a love triangle between the young writer, his father and Princess Ekaterina Shakhovskaya. The author noted that he had nothing to hide, and as for the condemnation of Turgenev’s frankness by his acquaintances, he did not care.

Genre: short story or story?

A story is a short prose work that has a single plot line, one conflict and reflects a separate episode in the lives of the characters. A story is an epic genre, standing in volume between a novel and a short story, has a more complex and branched plot, and the conflict is a chain of episodes.

“First Love” can be called a story, since there are several main characters (usually one or two in a story). The work does not depict a single episode, but a chain of events connected by the development of a love conflict. Another genre feature of the story is that it is a story within a story. The narrator, who is also the main character, recalls episodes of his youth, so the introduction talks about the situation that led the narrator to memories: he and his friends were talking about the topic of first love, and his story turned out to be the most entertaining.

What is the work about?

In the company of friends, the narrator recalls his youth, his first love. As a 16-year-old boy, Vladimir was fascinated by his dacha neighbor, 21-year-old Zinaida. The girl enjoyed the attention of young people, but did not take anyone seriously, but spent evenings with them in fun and games. The heroine laughed at all her admirers, including Vladimir, and did not take life seriously at all. But once…

The main character noticed a change in his beloved, and soon it dawned on him: she fell in love! But who is he, the opponent? The truth turned out to be terrible, this is the father of the main character, Pyotr Vasilyevich, who married his mother for convenience, treats both her and his son with disdain. Pyotr Vasilyevich is not interested in the scandal, so love ends quickly. Soon he dies of a stroke, Zinaida gets married and also dies in childbirth.

The main characters and their characteristics

The description of the characters in the story “First Love” is dramatic and in itself gives rise to a conflict of interest. In a family where there is no harmony, love was perceived by men as a means to forget themselves, or to feel needed. However, in pursuit of personal happiness, they did not delve into the hidden depths of Zinaida’s personality, and did not discern her essence. She poured out all the heat of her heart into an ice vessel and destroyed herself. Thus, the main characters of the work became victims of their own blindness, inspired by passion.

1. Vladimir– a 16-year-old nobleman, still under family care, but striving for independence and adulthood. He is overwhelmed by dreams of love, happiness, harmony, he idealizes all feelings, especially love. However, for the main character himself, love became a tragedy. Vladimir forgot about everything, was ready to constantly be at Zinaida’s feet, was absorbed only in her. And after the dramatic denouement, he mentally aged, all his dreams of a brilliant future were shattered, and only the ghost of unfulfilled love remained.
2. Zinaida– 21-year-old impoverished princess. She was in a hurry and longed to live, as if sensing that there would not be much time left. The main character of the story “First Love” could not calm down all her inner passion; despite the large selection of men, there was no loved one around. And she chose the most unsuitable one, for the sake of whom she disdained all prohibitions and decency, and for him she was just another entertainment. She got married in a hurry to hide the shame, died giving birth to a child from an unloved... So a life ended, full of only one, also unfulfilled love.
3. Petr Vasilievich- the father of the main character. He married a woman who was 10 years older for money, ruled and pushed her around. He showered his son with cold contempt. The family was completely unnecessary in his life; it still did not give him satisfaction. But the young neighbor, having loved him with all her heart, briefly gave him a taste for life. However, he could not leave his wife, it would be unprofitable, and there would be a scandal too. That's why the hero simply abandoned his mistress to the mercy of fate.

Subject

• The main theme of the story is Love. It's different here. And the self-humiliating feeling of Vladimir’s mother towards her husband: the woman is ready to do anything just not to lose her husband, she is afraid of him, afraid to admit to herself that he does not love her. And Vladimir’s hopeless, sacrificial love: he agrees to any role in order to be close to Zinaida, even a page, even a jester. And Zinaida herself has a passionate obsession: for the sake of Pyotr Vasilyevich, she becomes the same slave as his son before her. And love by chance for the protagonist’s father: women liked him, the neighbor was a new hobby, an easy affair.
• The result of love becomes the following theme - loneliness. And Vladimir, and Zinaida, and Pyotr Vasilyevich are broken by this love triangle. After the tragic ending, no one remained the same, they all found themselves alone forever, they died morally, and then the failed lovers died physically.
• Family theme. Of particular importance in the work is the unfavorable climate in the home of the protagonist. It was he who made him beg for love. The complexes received from the cold rejection of his father were expressed in his attitude towards Zinaida. This slavish worship destroyed his chances of success.

Issues

Moral problems are revealed in the work in several aspects. Firstly, does Zinaida’s life, the crowd of fans around her, with whom she plays like pawns, deserve understanding? Secondly, can forbidden love, which violates all moral standards, be happy? The plot development of events answers these questions in the negative: the main character is punished for her disdain for her admirers by the devil-may-care attitude of her loved one, and their relationship inevitably leads to a break. And indirectly led to the death of both. However, the reader sympathizes with Zinaida, she is full of thirst for life, and this evokes involuntary sympathy. In addition, she is capable of deep feelings that evoke respect.

The problem of power in love is most fully expressed in the relationship between Zinaida and Pyotr Vasilyevich. The girl dominated her past gentlemen and felt very cheerful. But true love came, and with it suffering. And even suffering from a loved one is sweet. And no power is needed. Pyotr Vasilyevich hit her with a whip, and she gently brought the reddened place to her lips, because this is a mark from him.

Idea

The main idea of ​​the story is the all-consuming power of love. Whatever it is, happy or tragic, it is like a fever that suddenly seizes and does not let go, and if it goes away, it leaves devastation. Love is powerful and sometimes destructive, but this feeling is wonderful, you cannot live without it. You can only exist. The main character remembered his youthful emotions forever; his first love revealed to him the meaning and beauty of existence, even if distorted by suffering.

And the writer himself was unhappy in love, and his hero too, but even the most tragic passion is the best discovery in human life, because for the sake of those minutes when you are in seventh heaven, it is worth enduring the bitterness of loss. In suffering, people purify themselves and reveal new facets of their soul. Taking into account the autobiographical nature of the story, we can say that the author, without his fatal and sad muse, as well as the pain caused by her, would not have been able to penetrate so deeply into the essence of romantic relationships. The main idea of ​​“First Love” would be far from it, and it must be suffered and learned from one’s own experience, since only those who experienced it will write convincingly about the tragedy of love.

What does the story teach?

The moral lessons in Turgenev's story consist of several points:

• Conclusion: First Love inspires us to be brave in expressing our emotions. There is no need to be afraid of love, because the most unrequited affection is the most beautiful memory. It is better to experience happiness for a moment than to be unhappy all your life because you chose peace over mental anguish.
• Moral: everyone gets what they deserve. Zinaida played with men - and now she is a pawn in the hands of Pyotr Vasilyevich. He himself married for convenience, rejected his neighbor - died of a stroke, “burnt out.” But Vladimir, despite the tragedy, received the brightest memory in his life, and at the same time his conscience is calm, because he did not injure anyone and sincerely gave all of himself to tender affection.

“First Love” is over 150 years old. However, this work does not lose its relevance. How many people have had their hearts broken by their first feelings forever! But, nevertheless, everyone carefully stores these emotions in their souls. And the beauty with which this book is written makes you re-read it many times.

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