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An ordinary story. Ivan Goncharov - an ordinary story Contents of the novel Goncharov's ordinary story



Plan:

    Introduction
  • 1 History of creation
  • 2 Main themes of the novel
  • 3 Characters
    • Notes
    Sources

Introduction

"An Ordinary Story"- a novel by Russian writer Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov. The novel is the first in a trilogy with the novels “Oblomov” and “Cliff”.


1. History of creation

The novel “An Ordinary Story” is Goncharov’s first work, which he recognized as worthy of publication. This novel was written when Goncharov entered a mature period of life. In the early 1840s, he was an internally balanced, spiritually mature person, “an adult, an adult,” as Belinsky would say about him shortly after they met. Goncharov's spiritual maturity was reflected in its entirety in his first novel.

The novel “An Ordinary Story” was written by Goncharov relatively quickly, without the slowness and doubts that were characteristic of him later, while working on “Oblomov” and “The Cliff”. “The novel was conceived in 1844, written in 1845, and in 1846 I had a few chapters left to write,” Goncharov later recalled. Apparently, already in 1845, “An Ordinary History” was read by Goncharov in the Maykovs’ salon, and the author of the novel made some changes to his text, in accordance with the instructions of Valerian Maykov. Then the manuscript of “An Ordinary History” was in the possession of M. A. Yazykov for quite a long time, who, at Goncharov’s request, should have handed it over to Belinsky, but did not do this, considering the novel to be of little significance. The situation was saved by Nekrasov, who took this manuscript from Yazykov and handed it to Belinsky. Apparently, in the spring of 1846, Goncharov read the first part of “Ordinary History” in Belinsky’s circle in the Lopatin House.

Convinced that “Ordinary History” was a remarkable work, Belinsky suggested that Goncharov give this novel to the almanac “Leviathan,” which Belinsky intended to publish in 1846. On May 14, 1846, Belinsky wrote to his wife: “Tell Maslov that Nekrasov will be in St. Petersburg in mid-July, and ask him to deliver the letter enclosed here to the address, even through the Maykovs, if he does not know where Goncharov lives.” One must think that in this letter from Belinsky we were talking about “Ordinary History” for “Leviathan”. At the end of June - after Belinsky had left for the south - Nekrasov talked about this topic with Goncharov, but without any success. In the fall, the idea of ​​publishing the almanac finally disappeared, and “Ordinary History” was bought by Nekrasov and Panaev for Sovremennik. “We explained the matter about the magazine to Goncharov,” Nekrasov wrote to Belinsky, “he said that Kraevsky gives him 200 rubles per sheet; we offered him the same money, and we will have this novel. I also bought his other story from him.”

In February 1847, Goncharov, according to I. I. Panaev, “beams while reading his proofs and trembles with delight, trying at the same time to pretend to be completely indifferent.” “Ordinary History” appeared in the third and fourth (March and April) books of the Sovremennik magazine. In 1848, Goncharov’s novel was published as a separate edition.


2. Main themes of the novel


3. Characters

  • Alexander Aduev- a young nobleman, “a thrice romantic - by nature, by upbringing and by life circumstances.” Brought up in a patriarchal lordly spirit, Alexander Aduev goes to St. Petersburg to visit his uncle. Alexander, full of lofty dreams, love for all humanity and faith in his calling, hopes to fulfill his three dreams in St. Petersburg - to become famous as a poet and writer, to find “eternal love” and “unchanging friendship.” The hero’s encounter with tough and cynical Petersburg only at the very end of the novel convinces him that he must be just as tough and cynical and make “a career and fortune.” As a poet, he did not succeed - in St. Petersburg there were many mediocre poets like himself, and as a writer, he generally turned out to be mediocre - he wrote what had long been written by others and did not reveal any new secrets to the world. Having met his first love in St. Petersburg, Nadenka, Alexander was sure that this would be forever, and seriously intended to marry her, but after a year and a half, Nadenka exchanged him for Count Novinsky, who turned out to be an experienced man with a broad outlook - everything that Nadenka lacked in Alexander, and the latter was disappointed in love; He soon became disillusioned with friendship: he accidentally met on Nevsky Prospekt his childhood friend Pospelov, whom he had never seen after arriving in St. Petersburg and did not know that he was also already in St. Petersburg, but Pospelov, having invited him to his place, did not want to talk about anything love, neither about romance, nor about childhood and pranks, but only asked him about his service, career, etc. etc., and Alexander ran away from him. In the epilogue we learn that almost 15 years later he turned into a successful businessman, as cynical as everyone else, and in time he married a rich woman “with calculation.”
  • Peter Aduev- Alexander’s uncle and his absolute antipode “One is enthusiastic to the point of extravagance, the other is icy to the point of bitterness” (quote from the novel). A rich and famous man in St. Petersburg. Life was successful for him - “he found his own path.” He is contemptuous of people who are not adapted to the struggle of life, who do not know how to control themselves: “Delight, exaltation - here a person is least like a person and there is nothing to brag about. We must ask whether he knows how to manage his feelings; If he can, then he’s a man.” Having gone through a lot of life experience, he believes that friendship, love, poetry, fame are just beautiful words that do not exist in life and should not even exist, because all this is stupidity, whim and weakness, and there is nothing sublime in them for a person. And also, due to his life experience, he always gave Alexander bad (for Alexander) predictions, which always came true: he predicted that he would not become famous either as a poet or as a writer, because he had no talent; predicted Nadenka's betrayal to him a year before she cheated. In fact, almost everything that happened to Alexander in this story happened according to the scenario of his experienced uncle Pyotr Ivanovich.

Part one Alexander Aduev - "young gentleman". Having grown up in patriarchal and aristocratic ways, Alexander travels to his uncle Pyotr Ivanovich in St. Petersburg. Alexander has rich, lofty dreams, love for all humanity and faith in his calling, hopes to achieve three main dreams - to become a famous poet and writer, to find “Eternal Love” and “Indestructible Friendship.” Numerous clashes of the hero with the harsh and cynical life in St. Petersburg, Finally, they convinced him that he had to be just as cynical and tough in order to make his career and his happiness. He failed to become a poet, because it was discovered that there were many poets there and were too poor. At the meeting of his first love in St. Petersburg, named Nadya, Alexander was sure that it was forever and that he would marry her, but Nadya chose Count Novinsky, who turned out to be a veteran and like-minded person. Alexander was disappointed and soon his friendship was also disappointed: he clashed. childhood friend Pospelov, on Nevsky Prospekt. They had not seen each other since Alexander’s arrival in St. Petersburg, but Pospelov did not strangle him in his arms, but began to talk as if they had last seen each other yesterday. In the epilogue of the novel, we learn that after 15 years, Alexander became a successful careerist, cynical like everyone else, and that he married profitably “with convenience.”


Notes

  1. Panaev I. I. Memories of Belinsky: (Excerpts) // I. A. Goncharov in the memoirs of his contemporaries - feb-web.ru/feb/gonchar/critics/gvs/gvs-045-.htm / Executive editor N. K. Piksanov. - A series of literary memoirs. - L.: Fiction, Leningrad branch, 1969. - P. 45-47. - 282 s.

Wikisource has the full text novel “An Ordinary Story” - ru.wikisource.org/wiki/Ordinary_story_(Goncharov)


This novel first saw the light of day thanks to its publication in Sovremennik in 1847. The work is autobiographical. In its main character, Sasha Aduev, it is easy to recognize Ivan Goncharov himself at a certain period of his life, when all his free time was devoted to writing prose and poetry.

The novel “An Ordinary Story” is the first work that introduced the author to the public. In the poems written by Sasha, which combine romanticism and melancholy, causeless joy and reality, literary scholars see the true poems of the author.

Direction

I. A. Goncharov is a prominent representative of the literary generation, who tried his best to emphasize his hostility to the romantic worldview. A similar trend existed in the 1840s. It was a kind of self-rehabilitation of reckoning with a romantically inclined past.

Genre

The novel “An Ordinary Story” is a work that depicts the fundamental changes that have occurred in the character and worldview of its main character. This young man, typical of his time, began to look at the world differently due to everyday vicissitudes, as well as social changes.

Issues

The main theme of the novel “Ordinary History” is the question of the inevitability of changes in an individual under the influence of what is happening in society. This is the main idea of ​​the novel. However, the author’s attitude towards her is not at all clear. Already in the very title of the work one can discern a share of regret, bitter irony for pure and at the same time naive ideals. This leads to the second problem. It lies in the fact that a person who is perfectly adapted socially is not at all capable of becoming a guarantor of the preservation of simple life values ​​(moral satisfaction, physical health, family happiness) for himself and for his loved ones.

Main characters

  • Aduev Jr. is the beautiful-hearted young man Alexander, who matures and becomes more callous as the story progresses.
  • Aduev Sr. is Alexander’s uncle Pyotr Ivanovich, presented by the author as a “man of action.”
  • Lizaveta Aleksandrovna is the young wife of Uncle Alexander, who respects and loves her husband and sincerely sympathizes with her nephew.

Let's get acquainted with the summary of "Ordinary History".

Meeting a young man and his departure

In the first chapter of the first part of the novel, the author introduces us to the only son of a poor landowner, whose name is Anna Pavlovna Adueva. This is Alexander Fedorovich, who from the village of Grachi decides to go to serve in St. Petersburg. This is where the narrative of the novel “An Ordinary Story” begins. A brief summary of the work can give a complete picture of this blond twenty-year-old man, who is in the prime of health, strength and years.

Alexander's departure caused trouble in the house. The mother mourns the upcoming separation from her son. Yevsey goes to St. Petersburg with the master. This valet is the lover of the housekeeper Agrafena.

From the summary of “Ordinary History” given here, it becomes clear that the mother does not want her son to leave. She cannot imagine life without him and tries to dissuade Sasha from the decision he made. Anna Pavlovna asks her son not to go to St. Petersburg in search of happiness. After all, hunger and cold will most likely await him there. She persuades Sasha to marry Sonyushka, the daughter of Maria Karlovna. This will allow the young man to live in nature, enjoying its richness and beauty.

But Alexander, despite the fact that he is in love with a girl, the home world has become prohibitively small. Everything that awaits him ahead appears to the young man in the most rosy light. After all, in the future he will certainly have great love and glory. Alexander graduated from university, has versatile inclinations, writes poetry and dreams of becoming useful to his fatherland.

What does the summary of “Ordinary History” tell us next? The mother agrees with her son and in her last parting words tells him to attend church regularly, take care of his money and health, and be sure to observe fasts. Anna Pavlovna also promises to send Sasha 3,500 rubles annually. She advises the young man to marry only for love. However, Alexander promises that he will never forget his beloved Sofia.

The very brief content of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” we are considering further tells about the arrival of a neighbor, priest Anton Ivanovich, along with his wife Marya Karpovna and daughter Sofia. They sit down at the table after serving mass. Already at the moment of departure, Sasha’s friend Pospelov arrives. The young man traveled 160 miles. Just before leaving, Sofia gives Sasha a ring and hair. The mother of the valet Ephseus blesses her son. Anna Pavlovna says that if he serves well, she will certainly marry him to Agrafen.

Arrival in St. Petersburg

We continue to get acquainted with the summary of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” chapter by chapter. The next of them, the second, tells us about Alexander’s arrival in St. Petersburg. His uncle Pyotr Ivanovich Avdeev lives in this city, to whom the young man comes to visit. He, like Sasha, came to this city at the age of 20 on the instructions of his older brother, Father Alexander. And now he has been living in the Northern capital of Russia for the 18th year.

Pyotr Ivanovich is in the service. He is an official on special assignments and co-owner of a porcelain and glass factory. Thus, Uncle Sasha is a man with money. His nephew brings gifts for him. The mother gave her son a bag of dried raspberries and a tub of honey, jam and two pieces of linen, as well as 3 letters. One of them was written by a neighbor, Vasily Tikhonych Zaezzhalov, with a request to help resolve his case and litigation being considered in St. Petersburg. The second letter was written by the sister of his brother’s wife, Marya Gorbatova, who had long been in love with Pyotr Ivanovich. The third message contained a request from the daughter-in-law to take care of Sasha.

How did the uncle meet his nephew? The summary of “Ordinary History” also introduces us to this point. At first, Pyotr Ivanovich ordered the servant to tell Sasha that he was gone. Allegedly, the uncle went to the factory and will return only in three months. However, remembering how well his brother’s wife treats him, she immediately cancels this order.

What will we learn next from the summary of the novel “An Ordinary Story”? Having met his nephew, his uncle begins to teach him about life in St. Petersburg. He advises speaking more simply and not hugging. In addition, he warns Sasha that he should not ask his uncle for money. There is no need to impose yourself on him. Pyotr Ivanovich tells what rooms his nephew needs to live in, where and how to have lunch and dinner.

Further, from the summary of “Ordinary History” by Ivan Goncharov, we learn about Alexander’s first acquaintance with St. Petersburg. Walking around the city, the young man sadly notes the lack of space and nature, the monotony of houses and the indifference of people. Only the Bronze Horseman and the Admiralty building could reconcile the young man with reality. However, the uncle never tires of saying that Alexander came in vain.

Pyotr Ivanovich throws the ring and hair given to Sasha by Sofia into the canal. He advises to forget the girl, since, first of all, the matter should be done. Love, according to the official, is only pleasant entertainment.

What further do we learn from the very brief content of “Ordinary History”? The uncle found a place in the department for his nephew. At the same time, Alexander was given a senior salary of 750 rubles, and taking into account the reward - a thousand.

The uncle treats his nephew's poems with disdain. Instead of writing them, he invites the young man to start translating German articles, for which they pay 2,200 rubles. per month.

Becoming

How does the novel continue? The chapter-by-chapter summary of “An Ordinary History” includes information that in the next of them - the third - the reader sees Alexander matured. The young man learned his uncle's lessons well. He works in the department, translates articles, and also writes essays, stories and poems. At the same time, the young man dreams of a high feeling. A few months later, Alexander confessed to his uncle that he had fallen in love with Nadenka Lyubetskaya. At the same time, Pyotr Ivanovich advises his nephew to marry only with calculations.

Declaration of love

Further, from the summary of “Ordinary History,” we learn about Alexander’s daily routine. In the morning he serves in the department, and in the evenings he goes to the Lyubetsky dacha. On one of these days, he was able to retire with Nadenka in the garden and kiss her. They talked for a long time about their happiness together. The girl was afraid that it would never happen again. But Alexander assured her that their love was special.

Treason

Having become acquainted with the summary of “Ordinary History” chapter by chapter, we move on to the fifth of them. In it the reader sees a happy Alexander. The young man abandons his journal works and service. However, his uncle insists that he leave the trifles, warning him that he will not give money to his nephew. However, Alexander does not listen to him. He rarely goes to work and sits either with Nadenka or all alone at home, creating his own “special world.” The young man hid everything that reminded him of work as far as possible. He writes poems, which Nadenka then reads to him out loud, having learned by heart. He sends his creations to the magazine under other names. Alexander also decided to publish his comedy and story. However, the magazine editor returned them, advising the young man to work harder.

What continuation did the young man’s love adventures have? We can also learn about this from the summary of the story “An Ordinary Story.” After the girl’s probationary period, which lasted a whole year, had passed, Alexander decided to talk to Nadenka’s mother. But at this moment the courteous, young and handsome Count Novinsky turns out to be her guest. Alexander didn't like him. And the young man allows himself to behave unkindly and impolitely towards the count.

Nadenka often walks with Novinsky in the garden. She rides horses with him three hours a day. Alexander simply cannot seize the moment and explain himself to the girl.

Upon returning to the city, the Lyubetskys stopped inviting Aduev to visit. One day he came to them himself and asked Nadenka: “Has anyone replaced him in her heart?” The girl answered in the affirmative. Alexander was very sad to hear this. And he, standing on the stairs, burst into tears without tears, making sounds similar to the howl of a dog.

We continue to get acquainted with the summary of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” chapter by chapter, moving on to the sixth of them. In it, Alexander came to his uncle and asked him to be a second in a duel. However, Pyotr Ivanovich dissuades his nephew from this step. He says that the best duel is to gradually defeat the enemy's weaknesses, which must be done patiently, coolly and politely. This will allow you to show your opponent to your beloved as an ordinary person. The uncle’s wife also tries to console Alexandra like a woman.

Auntie's instructions

The following summary of “Ordinary History” describes the second part of the novel. In its first chapter, the author tells the reader that after a year, Alexander continues to despise the count and Nadenka. The aunt tries to console him as best she can, wondering whether her husband loves her. After all, Pyotr Ivanovich never told her about his feelings.

Alexander complains of melancholy, emptiness of soul and boredom. The young man compares all people with animals, which are characters in Krylov’s fables. At the same time, he considers himself devoid of all shortcomings. But the uncle accuses the young man of ingratitude towards him, his aunt and his mother, to whom he has not written for four months. Alexander begins to despise himself. The aunt instructs him, making the young man promise to create. But the uncle believes that he has no talent.

Petr Ivanovich's request

Further, from the summary of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History,” we conclude that Alexander does not understand himself. He decided to prove to his uncle that there was another life besides a career. That is why the young man writes stories and poems. However, Pyotr Ivanovich does not like these works. He sends the story to his friend who works at the magazine, putting his own name at the bottom. The professional's answer leads Alexander to stop believing in his talent. My uncle's friend criticized the story.

At the same time, Pyotr Ivanovich asks his nephew to make the widow Tafaeva fall in love with him. After all, his partner Surkov spends a lot of money on it.

New love

Next, a brief summary of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” introduces us to the widow Yulia. This is a young woman 23-24 years old. She is pretty, also graceful and smart, but weak-hearted. Having married the rich Tafaev, she lived with him for five years.

The young people liked each other, because their characters are very similar. The uncle thanked his nephew for successfully completing the task entrusted to him. Alexander is ashamed to admit, but he really fell in love with Julia. The young people decided to get married. However, two years passed, and Alexander stopped loving the widow. Nevertheless, she does not want to let him go and demands that the young man take her as his wife. The uncle helps his nephew explain things to his former lover and offers to get back to business.

Meeting with Lisa

We continue to get acquainted with the summary of the novel “An Ordinary History” chapter by chapter. In the next one, the author tells us that Alexander ceases to be interested in this world. He does nothing, lies there, fishes. In the morning he only goes to work, but does not achieve a career. He is completely disillusioned with the ideals of love and friendship, remembers Sonya and begins to think that it would have been better for him to stay at home and become the first in the district.

One day, while fishing, he met an old man and a girl. They were a father and daughter who lived nearby in their dachas. Alexander avoided communicating with Lisa, but she fell in love with him. Arriving at the girl’s second date, the young man finds her father in the gazebo, who drives Aduev away because he does not believe that he is noble. Alexander decides to jump from the bridge, but does not complete the job. The girl waited for him until late autumn.

Farewell to St. Petersburg

In the fifth chapter of the second part, Alexander confesses to his aunt that life has disgusted him. He thanks his uncle for his science and retires. The young man said goodbye to the city in which he lived for 8 years, but was unable to make a career. Petersburg took away his vitality and forced him to grow old faster.

Returning home

In the sixth chapter of the second part we see Anna Pavlovna, who is looking forward to the arrival of her beloved son. But the mother has difficulty recognizing her Sasha, since he has turned ugly and lost his beautiful hair.

Three months later, peace of mind returned to the young man. In his district he was the best and smartest. But after a year and a half of such a simple, simple life, Alexander began to yearn for St. Petersburg.

Epilogue

Alexander returned to the city on the Neva again. Four years later, he appears before the reader, plumper and balding. In his thirties, he received a cross and became a collegiate adviser.

Coming to visit his uncle, Alexander tells him that he married favorably. Pyotr Ivanovich is proud of his nephew, who followed in his footsteps.

The novel was conceived by the author in 1844. The work was first read in the salon of the Maykov family. Goncharov made some adjustments to his novel precisely on the advice of Valerian Maykov. Then the manuscript ended up with M. Yazykov, who was supposed to hand it over to Belinsky at the request of the author himself. However, Yazykov was in no hurry to fulfill the request, as he considered the novel too banal. The manuscript was handed to Belinsky by Nekrasov, who took it from Yazykov. Belinsky planned to publish “Ordinary History” in the almanac “Leviathan”.

However, these plans were never destined to come true. Goncharov received a lucrative offer: he could earn 200 rubles for each page of the manuscript. But Panaev and Nekrasov offered the writer the same amount, and Goncharov sold them his work. It was decided to publish the novel in Sovremennik. Publication took place in 1847. A year later, the novel was published as a separate edition.

Alexander Aduev, the son of a poor landowner, is going to leave his native estate. The young landowner received a decent university education, which he now wants to use in the service of his fatherland. Alexander leaves his first love Sonechka and his inconsolable mother Anna Pavlovna on the estate, who does not want to part with her only son. Aduev himself also does not want to leave his usual way of life. However, the high goals he has set for himself force him to leave his parents' home.

Once in the capital, Alexander goes to his uncle. Pyotr Ivanovich had lived in St. Petersburg for many years. After his brother's death, he stopped communicating with his widow and his nephew. Alexander does not seem to notice that his uncle is not too happy to see him. The young man expects care and protection from a close relative. Pyotr Ivanovich receives a letter from the mother of his nephew, who asks him to help his son get a good job. The uncle has no choice, and he takes on the active upbringing of his nephew: he rents an apartment for him, gives him numerous pieces of advice, and finds him a place. Pyotr Ivanovich believes that Alexander is too romantic and out of touch with reality. It is necessary to destroy the fictional world in which the young man lives.

2 years have passed. During this time, Alexander was able to achieve success in his service. The uncle is happy with his nephew. The only thing that upsets Pyotr Ivanovich is the young man’s love for Nadenka Lyubetskaya. According to the stern uncle, “sweet bliss” can prevent his nephew from further promotion. Nadya also likes Alexander. However, the girl’s feelings are not as deep as the feelings of her lover. Nadenka is much more interested in Count Novinsky. Aduev Jr. dreams of a duel with his opponent. Pyotr Ivanovich is trying with all his might to dissuade his nephew from his fatal mistake. Uncle never found the necessary words of consolation. Lizaveta Alexandrovna, the wife of Pyotr Ivanovich, had to intervene. Only the aunt managed to calm the young man down and dissuade him from the duel.

Another year has passed. Alexander has already forgotten Nadenka. However, not a trace of the former romantic young man remained in him. Aduev Jr. is bored and sad all the time. The uncle and aunt try various ways to distract their nephew, but nothing helps. The young man himself tries to lose himself in love, but he fails. Alexander is increasingly thinking about returning home. In the end, the young man leaves the capital. Life in the village has not changed, only Sonya, Aduev’s first love, got married without waiting for her lover. Anna Pavlovna is glad that her son returned from St. Petersburg, and believes that life in the capital undermines her health.

Fascinating city
But Alexander finds no peace even in his father’s house. Having barely returned, he is already dreaming of moving to St. Petersburg. After the capital's salons, the quiet life in the countryside seems insufficiently dynamic and vibrant. However, the young man does not dare to leave because he does not want to upset his mother. The death of Anna Pavlovna relieves Aduev Jr. of remorse. He returns to the capital.

Another 4 years have passed. The characters in the novel have changed a lot. Aunt Lizaveta became indifferent and indifferent. Pyotr Ivanovich also becomes different. From the former cold and calculating businessman, he turns into a loving family man. Pyotr Ivanovich suspects his wife has serious health problems and wants to resign in order to take his wife away from the capital. Alexander was able to get rid of his youthful illusions. Aduev Jr. makes good money, has achieved a high position and is going to marry a rich heiress.

Alexander Aduev

Romanticism and egocentrism are the main character traits of a young man. Alexander is confident in his uniqueness and dreams of conquering the capital. Aduev Jr. dreams of becoming famous in the poetic and writing fields and finding true love. Life in the village, according to the young man, is not for such a talented and exalted personality like him.

Alexander's dreams collapse one after another. Very soon he realizes that there are enough mediocre poets and writers in the capital without him. Aduev will not tell the public anything new. True love also disappointed the young romantic. Nadenka Lyubetskaya easily abandons Alexander in order to prefer a more advantageous game to him. The young man comes to the conclusion that the world that he lived in his imagination does not really exist. Thus began the degeneration of the romantic into an ordinary cynic and businessman, like Alexander’s uncle.

Aduev Jr. realized in time that he was unable to remake reality, force it to be different. However, he can succeed by reconsidering his views and accepting the rules of the game.

Peter Aduev

At the beginning of the novel, Pyotr Ivanovich acts as the antipode of his nephew. The author characterizes this character as a person who is “icy to the point of bitterness.” Thanks to his resourcefulness and composure, Alexander’s uncle was able to get a good job. Pyotr Ivanovich hates people who are unadapted to life, sentimental and sensitive. It is these character traits that he has to fight in his nephew.

Aduev Sr. believes that only those who know how to control their feelings have the right to be called a person. That is why Pyotr Ivanovich despises Alexander’s tendency to “delight.” All the predictions of the experienced uncle came true. His nephew was unable to become famous either as a poet or as a writer, and his affair with Nadenka ended in betrayal.

The uncle and nephew embody in the novel two sides of the author's contemporary Russia. The country is divided into dreamers, who bring no practical benefit to anyone with their actions, and businessmen, whose activities benefit only themselves. Alexander represents a “superfluous person”, unsuitable for the real business and causing a sense of irony even among close relatives. The “superfluous” will not benefit his fatherland, because, in fact, he himself does not know what he wants. Pyotr Ivanovich is overly practical. According to the author, his callousness is as destructive for others as the dreaminess of his nephew.

Some critics draw a parallel between “Ordinary History” and “Oblomov”, where the antipodes are Oblomov and his friend Stolz. The first, being a kind, sincere person, is too passive. The second, like Pyotr Aduev, is practical to the point of callousness. The title of the novel, “An Ordinary Story,” indicates that all the events described in the book are taken from life. Goncharov himself seems to admit that the story he tells is not unique. The transformation of romantics into cynics occurs every day. The “superfluous person” has only 2 options: leave this life, like Oblomov, or transform into a soulless machine, like Alexander Aduev.

Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov

"An Ordinary Story"

This summer morning in the village of Grachi began unusually: at dawn, all the inhabitants of the house of the poor landowner Anna Pavlovna Adueva were already on their feet. Only the culprit of this fuss, Adueva’s son, Alexander, slept “as a twenty-year-old youth should sleep, in a heroic sleep.” Turmoil reigned in Rooks because Alexander was going to St. Petersburg for service: the knowledge he acquired at the university, according to the young man, must be applied in practice in serving the Fatherland.

The grief of Anna Pavlovna, parting with her only son, is akin to the sadness of the “first minister in the household” of the landowner Agrafena - his valet Yevsey, Agrafena’s dear friend, goes with Alexander to St. Petersburg - how many pleasant evenings this gentle couple spent playing cards!.. Alexander’s beloved, Sonechka, - the first impulses of his sublime soul were dedicated to her. Aduev’s best friend, Pospelov, bursts into Grachi at the last minute to finally hug the one with whom they spent the best hours of university life in conversations about honor and dignity, about serving the Fatherland and the delights of love...

And Alexander himself is sorry to part with his usual way of life. If lofty goals and a sense of purpose had not pushed him on a long journey, he, of course, would have remained in Rooks, with his infinitely loving mother and sister, the old maid Maria Gorbatova, among hospitable and hospitable neighbors, next to his first love. But ambitious dreams drive the young man to the capital, closer to glory.

In St. Petersburg, Alexander immediately goes to his relative, Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev, who at one time, like Alexander, “was sent to St. Petersburg at the age of twenty by his elder brother, Alexander’s father, and lived there continuously for seventeen years.” Not maintaining contact with his widow and son, who remained in Rrach after the death of his brother, Pyotr Ivanovich is greatly surprised and annoyed by the appearance of an enthusiastic young man who expects from his uncle care, attention and, most importantly, the sharing of his heightened sensitivity. From the very first minutes of their acquaintance, Pyotr Ivanovich almost by force has to restrain Alexander from pouring out his feelings and trying to embrace his relative. Along with Alexander, a letter arrives from Anna Pavlovna, from which Pyotr Ivanovich learns that great hopes are placed on him: not only by his almost forgotten daughter-in-law, who hopes that Pyotr Ivanovich will sleep with Alexander in the same room and cover the young man’s mouth from flies. The letter contains many requests from neighbors that Pyotr Ivanovich had forgotten to think about for almost two decades. One of these letters was written by Marya Gorbatova, Anna Pavlovna’s sister, who remembered for the rest of her life the day when the still young Pyotr Ivanovich, walking with her through the village surroundings, climbed knee-deep into the lake and plucked a yellow flower for her to remember...

From the very first meeting, Pyotr Ivanovich, a rather dry and businesslike man, begins raising his enthusiastic nephew: he rents Alexander an apartment in the same building where he lives, advises where and how to eat, with whom to communicate. Later he finds a very specific thing to do: service and - for the soul! — translations of articles devoted to agricultural problems. Ridiculing, sometimes quite cruelly, Alexander’s predilection for everything “unearthly” and sublime, Pyotr Ivanovich gradually tries to destroy the fictional world in which his romantic nephew lives. Two years pass like this.

After this time, we meet Alexander already somewhat accustomed to the difficulties of St. Petersburg life. And - madly in love with Nadenka Lyubetskaya. During this time, Alexander managed to advance in his career and achieved some success in translations. Now he became a fairly important person in the magazine: “he was involved in the selection, translation, and correction of other people’s articles, and he himself wrote various theoretical views on agriculture.” He continued to write poetry and prose. But falling in love with Nadenka Lyubetskaya seems to close the whole world before Alexander Aduev - now he lives from meeting to meeting, intoxicated by that “sweet bliss with which Pyotr Ivanovich was angry.”

Nadenka is also in love with Alexander, but, perhaps, only with that “little love in anticipation of a big one” that Alexander himself felt for Sophia, whom he had now forgotten. Alexander's happiness is fragile - Count Novinsky, the Lyubetskys' neighbor in the dacha, stands in the way of eternal bliss.

Pyotr Ivanovich is unable to cure Alexander of his raging passions: Aduev Jr. is ready to challenge the count to a duel, to take revenge on an ungrateful girl who is unable to appreciate his high feelings, he sobs and burns with anger... Pyotr Ivanovich’s wife, Lizaveta Aleksandrovna, comes to the aid of the distraught young man. ; she comes to Alexander when Pyotr Ivanovich turns out to be powerless, and we do not know exactly how, with what words, with what participation the young woman succeeds in what her smart, sensible husband failed to achieve. “An hour later he (Alexander) came out thoughtfully, but with a smile, and fell asleep peacefully for the first time after many sleepless nights.”

And another year has passed since that memorable night. From the gloomy despair that Lizaveta Alexandrovna managed to melt, Aduev Jr. turned to despondency and indifference. “He somehow liked to play the role of the sufferer. He was quiet, important, vague, like a man who, in his words, had withstood the blow of fate...” And the blow was not slow to repeat: an unexpected meeting with an old friend Pospelov on Nevsky Prospekt, a meeting that was all the more accidental because Alexander did not even know about the move his soulmate to the capital - brings confusion into the already disturbed heart of Aduev Jr. The friend turns out to be completely different from what he remembers from the years spent at the university: he is strikingly similar to Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev - he does not appreciate the wounds of the heart experienced by Alexander, talks about his career, about money, warmly welcomes his old friend in his home, but no special signs of attention doesn't show it to him.

It turns out to be almost impossible to cure sensitive Alexander from this blow - and who knows what our hero would have come to this time if his uncle had not applied “extreme measures” to him!.. Discussing with Alexander about the bonds of love and friendship, Pyotr Ivanovich cruelly reproaches Alexander the fact that he closed himself only in his own feelings, not knowing how to appreciate someone who is faithful to him. He does not consider his uncle and aunt his friends; he has not written to his mother for a long time, who lives only in thoughts of her only son. This “medicine” turns out to be effective - Alexander again turns to literary creativity. This time he writes a story and reads it to Pyotr Ivanovich and Lizaveta Alexandrovna. Aduev Sr. invites Alexander to send the story to the magazine to find out the true value of his nephew’s work. Pyotr Ivanovich does this under his own name, believing that this will be a fairer trial and better for the fate of the work. The answer was not slow to appear - it puts the finishing touches on the hopes of the ambitious Aduev Jr....

And just at this time, Pyotr Ivanovich needed the service of his nephew: his companion at the plant, Surkov, unexpectedly falls in love with the young widow of Pyotr Ivanovich’s former friend, Yulia Pavlovna Tafaeva, and completely abandons his affairs. Valuing business above all else, Pyotr Ivanovich asks Alexander to “make Tafaeva fall in love with himself,” pushing Surkov out of her home and heart. As a reward, Pyotr Ivanovich offers Alexander two vases that Aduev Jr. liked so much.

The matter, however, takes an unexpected turn: Alexander falls in love with a young widow and evokes a reciprocal feeling in her. Moreover, the feeling is so strong, so romantic and sublime that the “culprit” himself is not able to withstand the outbursts of passion and jealousy that Tafaeva unleashes on him. Brought up on romance novels, married too early to a rich and unloved man, Yulia Pavlovna, having met Alexander, seems to throw herself into a whirlpool: everything she read and dreamed about now falls on her chosen one. And Alexander does not pass the test...

After Pyotr Ivanovich managed to bring Tafaeva to her senses with arguments unknown to us, another three months passed, during which Alexander’s life after the shock he experienced is unknown to us. We meet him again when he, disappointed in everything he lived before, “plays checkers with some eccentrics or fishes.” His apathy is deep and inescapable; nothing, it seems, can bring Aduev Jr. out of his dull indifference. Alexander no longer believes in either love or friendship. He begins to go to Kostikov, about whom Zaezzhalov, a neighbor in Grachi, once wrote in a letter to Pyotr Ivanovich, wanting to introduce Aduev Sr. to his old friend. This man turned out to be just the right thing for Alexander: he “could not awaken emotional disturbances” in the young man.

And one day on the shore where they were fishing, unexpected spectators appeared - an old man and a pretty young girl. They appeared more and more often. Lisa (that was the girl’s name) began to try to captivate the yearning Alexander with various feminine tricks. The girl partially succeeds, but her offended father comes to the gazebo for a date instead. After an explanation with him, Alexander has no choice but to change the place of fishing. However, he doesn’t remember Lisa for long...

Still wanting to awaken Alexander from the sleep of his soul, his aunt asks him one day to accompany her to a concert: “some artist, a European celebrity, has arrived.” The shock experienced by Alexander from meeting beautiful music strengthens the decision that had matured even earlier to give up everything and return to his mother, in Grachi. Alexander Fedorovich Aduev leaves the capital along the same road along which he entered St. Petersburg several years ago, intending to conquer it with his talents and high appointment...

And in the village, life seemed to have stopped running: the same hospitable neighbors, only older, the same endlessly loving mother, Anna Pavlovna; Sophia just got married without waiting for her Sasha, and her aunt, Marya Gorbatova, still remembers the yellow flower. Shocked by the changes that have occurred with her son, Anna Pavlovna spends a long time asking Yevsey how Alexander lived in St. Petersburg, and comes to the conclusion that life itself in the capital is so unhealthy that it has aged her son and dulled his feelings. Days pass after days, Anna Pavlovna still hopes that Alexander’s hair will grow back and his eyes will sparkle, and he thinks about how to return to St. Petersburg, where so much has been experienced and irretrievably lost.

The death of his mother relieves Alexander from the pangs of conscience, which do not allow him to admit to Anna Pavlovna that he was again planning to escape from the village, and, having written to Pyotr Ivanovich, Alexander Aduev again goes to St. Petersburg...

Four years pass after Alexander's return to the capital. Many changes happened to the main characters of the novel. Lizaveta Alexandrovna was tired of fighting her husband’s coldness and turned into a calm, sensible woman, devoid of any aspirations or desires. Pyotr Ivanovich, upset by the change in his wife’s character and suspecting she has a dangerous illness, is ready to give up his career as a court adviser and resign in order to take Lizaveta Alexandrovna away from St. Petersburg, at least for a while. But Alexander Fedorovich reached the heights that his uncle once dreamed of for him: “a collegiate adviser, a good government salary, through outside labor”, he earns considerable money and is also preparing to get married, taking three hundred thousand and five hundred souls for his bride...

At this point we part with the heroes of the novel. What, in essence, is an ordinary story!..

The story begins in the village of Grachi, where turmoil reigns in the estate of the landowner Anna Pavlovna Adueva: her only son Alexander leaves for service in St. Petersburg. In the village he leaves his beloved girl Sonechka and his best friend Pospelov.

In the capital, Alexander turns for help to his uncle, Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev, who forgot to even think about his nephew, but controlled himself and found him a good job as a translator and a decent apartment in the neighborhood. He is somewhat embarrassed by his nephew’s desire for everything sublime, but he rightly believes that life in the capital will change him.

After a couple of years, Alexander becomes calmer and more reasonable, he achieved certain successes in the service and fell madly in love with Nadezhda Lyubetskaya. His uncle is negative about his hobby and believes that this hobby will bring him unnecessary disappointment. And it turns out to be right: the selfish Nadenka prefers Count Novinsky to Alexandra. The hero is completely crushed, he loses interest in life and only his uncle’s wife, Lizaveta Aleksandrovna, manages to distract him a little and turn his grief into slight sadness.

A year later, Alexander faced a new test: in the capital, he accidentally ran into his village friend Pospelov. He has changed a lot: he has become a real resident of the capital, has become rich and clearly disdains Alexander’s company. For the hero, this is the last straw, because everyone around, in his opinion, has forgotten about love and friendship and is only interested in money and entertainment.

Alexander falls into depression, but his uncle decides not to stand on ceremony with him and claims that he himself is to blame for this: he did not write to his friend, forgot about his mother and sister, isolated himself from his past life and got the expected result. To dispel his melancholy, Pyotr Aleksandrovich asks him for a favor: to make Yulia Pavlovna Tafaeva fall in love with him, who distracts his companion Surkov from work, which has a bad effect on profits. Alexander agrees, but unexpectedly the feeling between the young people becomes mutual. The uncle is in a panic: again his nephew is teetering on the verge of an emotional breakdown, he tricks Yulia into leaving, and Alexander goes to Grachi out of melancholy.

In the village he was greeted very cordially, his life became calm again and his only entertainment was fishing in the local pond. It was there that he met a girl, Lisa, but the death of his mother prevented the development of a new hobby. Alexander even sighs with some relief: now there are no obstacles to his return to St. Petersburg.

There, life changed in many ways, his uncle resigned and went with his wife to live on his village estate. He, a notorious cracker and skeptic, oddly enough, decided to add a little emotion to his relationship with his wife. Now Alexander has no relatives left in the capital; he focused all his attention on his career.

A few years later he was already a collegiate adviser, began to earn an obscene amount of money and completely forgot about his mental torment of his youth. The hero is even ready to marry, but only to a girl with a rich dowry. This is such an ordinary everyday story.

Essays

“Goncharov’s plan was broader. He wanted to strike a blow at modern romanticism in general, but failed to determine the ideological center. Instead of romanticism, he ridiculed provincial attempts at romanticism" (based on the novel by Goncharov "An Ordinary Story" by I.A. Goncharov “The Loss of Romantic Illusions” (based on the novel “An Ordinary Story”) The author and his characters in the novel “An Ordinary Story” The author and his characters in I. A. Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story” The main characters of I. Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story”. The main character of I. Goncharov's novel "An Ordinary Story" Two philosophies of life in I. A. Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story” Uncle and nephew of the Aduevs in the novel “An Ordinary Story” How to live? Image of Alexander Aduev. St. Petersburg and the province in I. Goncharov’s novel “An Ordinary Story” Review of the novel by I. A. Goncharov “An Ordinary Story” Reflection of historical changes in Goncharov’s novel “Ordinary History” Why is I. A. Goncharov’s novel called “Ordinary History”?

Chapter 1

In the summer in the village of Grachakh, the only son of the poor landowner Anna Pavlovna Adueva, Alexander Fedorych, decides to go to St. Petersburg for service. This is a twenty-year-old “fair-haired young man in the prime of his years, health and strength.” In the morning everyone is busy in the house.

While getting ready, Anna Pavlovna mourns the separation from her son. Sasha’s valet Evsey, the lover of the housekeeper Agrafena, is leaving with the master.

Anna Pavlovna is trying to dissuade her son from the trip, she cannot imagine her life without him, so she asks him not to seek happiness in St. Petersburg, where cold and hunger await him, but to marry Marya Karpovna’s daughter Sonyushka, with whom Alexander is in love, to live in nature and enjoy it beauty and wealth.

But Alexander’s home world is small. The future appears to him in a rosy light, his name is glory and great love. He dreams of benefiting his fatherland. Alexander graduated from the university, he has versatile inclinations, and he also writes poetry.

In her last parting words, Anna Pavlovna tells Sasha to go to church, keep fasts, and take care of his health and money. The mother promises to send her son 2,500 rubles a year. Anna Pavlovna advises marrying for love, to which Alexander objects that he will never forget Sofia and promises to remember his mother.

Neighbor Anton Ivanovich, a priest, Marya Karpovna and her daughter Sonya arrive. After serving mass, they sit down at the table. At the moment of departure, Alexander’s friend Pospelov appears, having galloped 160 miles away. Before leaving, Sonya gives Alexander hair and a ring. Yevsey's mother blesses her son, and Anna Pavlovna promises to marry him to Agrafen if he serves well. Everyone is sad about the separation.

Chapter 2

Alexander arrives in St. Petersburg and comes to his uncle Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev, who 17 years ago, at the age of 20, was sent to St. Petersburg by his older brother, Alexander’s father. Pyotr Ivanovich is a man with money, serves as an official on special assignments, co-owner of a glass and porcelain factory. Alexander brought gifts from his mother to his uncle: a tub of honey, a bag of dried raspberries, two pieces of linen, jam, and also three letters: from his neighbor Vasily Tikhonych Zaezzhalov, who asks to resolve his affairs and litigation in St. Petersburg; from the sister of his brother’s wife, Marya Gorbatova, who had long been in love with him, with a reminder of a yellow flower that his uncle had once picked in the lake; from his daughter-in-law asking him to take care of her son.

The uncle first tells the servant to say that he has gone to the factory and will return in 3 months. But he remembers how kind his brother’s wife was to him and cancels his order. The uncle begins to teach his nephew about St. Petersburg life: not to hug, to speak more simply, not to ask his uncle for money, not to impose himself. The uncle also tells us which rooms to live in, how and where to have lunch and dinner. Pyotr Ivanovich decides not to give Alexander advice, but only to express his opinion.

Walking around the city, Alexander compares St. Petersburg with a provincial town and feels sad: there is no nature and space, the houses are monotonous, people are indifferent. But the Admiralty and the Bronze Horseman reconcile Alexander with reality. Uncle repeats the words in a refrain: “You came in vain.”

The uncle throws Sophia's hair and ring into the canal and advises them to forget her, because business needs to be done, and love is pleasant entertainment. The uncle found a place for his nephew in the department: “Look, read, study, and do whatever you are told to do.” Alexander arrives with a senior salary of 750 rubles, and with a reward of a thousand.

Pyotr Ivanovich is dismissive of Alexander’s poems: “Are you sure that you have talent? Without this, you will be a laborer in art...” The uncle tells his servant Vasily to cover the walls with them, and instead offers his nephew a “literary occupation” - translations of German articles on agriculture, which is two thousand two hundred rubles a month.

Chapter 3

Two years have passed. Alexander matured and learned his uncle’s lessons, learned to control himself. He continues to work in the department, translate articles about agriculture, write poetry, stories, and essays. But the young man dreams of love. A few months later, he admits to his uncle that he is in love with Nadenka Lyubetskaya. The uncle warns that one should marry not for love, but with calculation; love should not be wild, but rational. The uncle announces that he is going to get married this way: “A husband and wife are connected by common interests, circumstances, the same destiny...” Eternal love does not exist, you can live peacefully in the village, but in the city you need to do business.

Chapter 4

Alexander's day is divided into two parts: in the morning he works in the department and dreams of the Lyubetsky dacha, and in the evening he is at this dacha. One of Alexander's days is described. After 4 o’clock, having had a quick lunch, Alexander sailed on a boat along the Neva to the Lyubetskys’ dacha. An hour later he saw Nadenka, who was not a beauty, but had “an ardent mind, a wayward and fickle heart.” Her mother raised her herself, without a governess, very gently. Nadya had already been waiting for 2 hours and hadn’t even had lunch. Only in the evening the lovers were able to retire in the garden, where Alexander kissed Nadenka. They talk about their happiness. Nadya is afraid that this moment of happiness will not happen again. But Alexander is sure that their love is special. He, happy, sails away at dawn, having dined on sour milk.

Chapter 5

Alexander feels happy and abandons his work and journal works. The uncle asks him to leave the trifles and warns him that he won’t give him any money. Alexander says that he is satisfied, he believes that he is the only one in the world who loves and is loved so much. He is either at Nadenka’s, or sits at home alone, creating a “special world” of dreams, rarely goes to work, and does not go to the editor. He hid everything that reminded him of work away, writes poetry, which Nadenka rewrites, learns by heart and reads to him. His poems are published in a magazine, where he sends them under a different name. He does not see his uncle for months, although he invited him to dinner every day.

Alexander sends the story and comedy to the magazine, despite his uncle’s objections, but everything is returned to him with advice to work. Alexander doesn’t understand why work if you have talent.

The year designated by Nadenka as a probationary period has passed. Alexander decides to talk to her mother, but her neighbor is Count Novinsky, young, handsome and courteous. Alexander does not like him; the young man behaves impolitely and unkindly towards the count.

Several times Alexander finds the count at the Lyubetskys’, and once he sees from a boat how Nadenka is walking in the garden with the count. On Alexandra's next visit, the Count and Nadenka go horseback riding. Nadenka’s mother tells Alexander that the girl doesn’t even think about him, she’s been traveling with the count for three hours for a week and a half. Finally, in the garden, Alexander tries to explain himself to Nadenka and demands that the count not come. Nadya runs away in fright.

After returning from the dacha to the Lyubetsky city, Aduev is not invited. He comes himself and persistently asks if anyone has replaced him in Nadenka’s heart. After much torment, she answers in the affirmative. Alexander sobs so tearlessly on the last step of the stairs in the entryway that the janitor and his wife mistake his sobs for the howling of a dog.

Chapter 6

That same evening, Alexander comes to his uncle and talks about his grief, asking for help - to be a second in a duel with the count. The uncle dissuades him from a duel, because in our time a duel is different: you need to gradually discover and defeat your opponent’s weaknesses politely, calmly, patiently, without humiliating him, so that he appears to the woman as an ordinary person.

The uncle tells his nephew that his wife needs to be raised, but in such a way that she doesn’t notice. But my uncle's wife is listening at the door. The uncle assures that it is not Nadenka’s fault that she fell in love with someone else, advises him to get down to business and shames his nephew for crying. Auntie consoles Alexander like a woman.

Part two

Chapter 1

A year has passed. Alexander despises Nadenka and the count, Lizaveta Alexandrovna consoles him and thinks about whether her husband loves her, who never told her about love, but cares about the peace and wealth of her life. And Lizaveta Alexandrovna is ready to endure all the suffering of passion in order to live life to the fullest. She sees two extremes in her husband and nephew: “One is enthusiastic to the point of extravagance, the other is icy to the point of bitterness.”

Alexander complains about the boredom of life, the emptiness of his soul, and melancholy. He tells Lizaveta Aleksandrovna about his meeting with his old friend Pospelov, who seemed insufficiently cordial to him. Lizaveta Alexandrovna feels sorry for the “ardent but misdirected heart.” She was able to console her nephew in love, immediately denigrating Nadenka, but asks her husband to talk about friendship. An uncle asks his nephew what friendship is. The nephew quotes French novelists who present friendship heroically and love romantically.

Alexander compares all people to animals from Krylov’s fables. At the same time, he considers himself devoid of shortcomings. The uncle accuses him of ingratitude to his old friend, uncle and aunt, to his mother, to whom the son has not written for 4 months. Alexander deeply repents. Now he despises not only all people, but also himself. Auntie makes Alexander promise to create, uncle believes that he has no talent, but needs to curry favor, make money, marry profitably - and this is happiness.

Chapter 2

Alexander realizes that he still did not understand himself. He decides to prove to his uncle that there is another life other than a miserable career, so he works tirelessly, writes poetry and a story, but his uncle does not like it. Pyotr Ivanovich sends the story to a magazine to his friend under his own name. A friend believes that the story was written by a young man embittered at the whole world with a false outlook on life. Now Alexander does not believe in his talent, he burns all his creativity and even articles about agriculture: “I am free!”

The uncle asks his nephew for a favor: his companion Surkov is after the widow Tafaeva and spends a lot of money on her, so Alexander must make her fall in love with him. Alexander is not sure of a happy outcome, but agrees to help his uncle.

Chapter 3

The widow Yulia Pavlovna is 23-24 years old, she is weak-hearted, but pretty, smart and graceful. Julia was brought up on French novels, Eugene Onegin. She married Tafaev, an “ordinary husband,” but with rank, money, and a cross. She spent five years in a “boring dream.”

Alexander and Yulia liked each other because they are similar in character. Uncle thanks Alexander for a job successfully done, and Alexander is ashamed to admit that he fell in love with Yulia. Julia is a genius in love. Lovers have the same thoughts and feelings, they need love with stormy manifestations and immoderate tenderness, both love “sincere outpourings.”

In the summer, Alexander and Yulia decide to get married. In the fall, his aunt met Julia. Lovers are jealous of each other and seek solitude. After two years, Alexander got bored with this life, he stopped loving Yulia. She doesn’t want to let him go so easily and demands that he marry her. The uncle helps explain himself and again invites Alexander to get down to business.

Chapter 4

Alexander has not visited his uncle for several months. He lies there and does nothing. The uncle reminds him of a career, money, a higher purpose - nothing interests his nephew. He plays checkers with limited people and fishes. He’s been at work since the morning - and he’s happy with everything, although his subordinates pass him over for promotions. Uncle tries to speak to Alexander in his former wild language - but he has already become disillusioned with the ideals of friendship and love. Uncle washes his hands.

After breaking up with Yulia, Alexander does not believe in love, friendship, does not foresee joys and does not understand what life is for. Alexander thinks that he should have stayed at home, become the first in the district, and loved Sophia. Now he desires oblivion, the sleep of the soul.

Alexander becomes close to the degraded old man Kostyakov. One day, while fishing with Kostyakov, Aduev met an old man and a girl, whom he silently called Oedipus and Antigone. They turned out to be summer residents, father and daughter. Alexander avoids communicating with Lisa, which is why she falls in love with him, but Aduev does not reciprocate her feelings, although he comes to the gazebo on a date. On the next date, instead of Lisa, her father turns out to be in the gazebo, who drives Aduev away, not believing in his nobility. Because of his insignificance, Aduev decides to jump from the bridge, but does not follow through. Lisa is waiting for Aduev until late autumn.

Chapter 5

Alexander began to forget Lisa. One day, his aunt asked him to accompany her to a concert. Listening to the works of Paganini, Alexander remembered his bitter, deceived life.

After the concert, the aunt persuaded Alexander to come to her and challenged him to a frank conversation. Life is disgusting to him, he is looking for peace, sleep of the soul. He does not notice either people or himself: “Happiness cannot exist, and misfortune will not penetrate me.” Alexander understands that his uncle is involved in his melancholy, but does not blame him: “A man is happy with delusions, dreams and hopes; reality is not happy...” Alexander believes that by the grace of his uncle, at the age of 25, he grew old in soul: he lost faith in love, friendship, himself, and his talent. The uncle wanted to prove to his nephew that he needed to work, that rank and money were better than romance. Alexander is grateful to his uncle and his sensible school. But my uncle warned me that I needed to return home.

Two weeks later, Alexander resigned. According to his uncle, in 8 years he had neither a career nor fortune. Auntie cried all day. Leaving, Alexander says goodbye to the city, where he lost his vitality and grew old at 29 years old.

Chapter 6

Anna Pavlovna has been waiting for the arrival of her dear son for several days. After the thunderstorm, Anton Ivanovich appears. The landowner tells him a dream: Sasha comes to her sad, points to the lake and says that he is going there forever, but he came from a pool. Alexander arrives, and mother barely recognizes him, he has become so ugly, his beautiful hair has disappeared somewhere. Evsey presents Agrafena with gifts: bronze earrings, a scarf, several decks of almost new playing cards. They are happy for each other.

The lady scolds Yevsey for not taking care of the master’s health, but Yevsey makes excuses and tells Anton Ivanovich about life in St. Petersburg, about prices, about food. Anton Ivanovich assures Anna Pavlovna that the master has lost weight because of the high cost. After two weeks of increased nutrition, Alexander has not recovered, and his mother decides to talk to him frankly, suggesting that he see a doctor or get married. But Alexander asks not to worry. The all-night vigil also does not give him relief.

Three months later, Alexander gained weight and found peace of mind. There was no one better or smarter than him here. Memories awaken his soul. He is tired in St. Petersburg and is resting here in a simple, uncomplicated life, little by little composing, ordering books from St. Petersburg. A year and a half goes by like this. Alexander yearns for St. Petersburg. He writes a letter to his aunt that he is ready for activity, for a real path. He congratulates his uncle on the rank of full state councilor, on the position of head of the chancellery. Alexander realizes how childish his dreams were.

Epilogue

Four years after Alexander’s second arrival in St. Petersburg, the doctor advises his uncle to take his wife away from St. Petersburg for the winter, as she is a little unwell. Pyotr Ivanovich suddenly realizes that the dryness and methodical nature of his relationship with his wife has turned into tyranny over her heart. Her life is colorless and empty.

Pyotr Ivanovich decides to sell the plant, retire and devote his life to his wife. Alexander arrives, having gained weight, gone bald, received a cross, and at the age of thirty-something became a collegiate adviser. He announces that he will marry profitably, but the bride’s opinion does not matter to him. He considers his love and that of his uncle to be the mistakes of his youth. Alexandra's bride is very rich. The uncle is proud that his nephew is following in his footsteps, and allows himself to be hugged for the first and last time, and Alexander asks his uncle for money for the first time, because this is an unusual case.