N. G. Chernyshevsky. The text of the work. Nikolay Chernyshevsky. What to do? Story of what to do
Year of writing:
1863
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Description of the work:
The novel "What to do?" wrote the Russian philosopher, journalist and literary critic Nikolai Chernyshevsky in 1862-1863.
While writing the novel "What to do?" Chernyshevsky was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg, and the novel is believed to have been partly a response to Ivan Turgenev's Fathers and Sons.
We bring to your attention a summary of the novel "What to do?".
On July 11, 1856, a note left by a strange guest is found in the room of one of the large St. Petersburg hotels. The note says that its author will soon be heard on the Liteiny Bridge and that no one should be suspected. The circumstances are clarified very soon: at night, a man is shooting at Liteiny Bridge. His shot cap is fished out of the water.
That same morning, in a dacha on Kamenny Island, a young lady sits and sews, singing a lively and bold French song about working people who will be set free by knowledge. Her name is Vera Pavlovna. The maid brings her a letter, after reading which Vera Pavlovna sobs, covering her face with her hands. The young man who entered tries to calm her down, but Vera Pavlovna is inconsolable. She pushes the young man away with the words: “You are in the blood! You have his blood on you! It’s not your fault - I’m alone ... ”The letter received by Vera Pavlovna says that the person who writes it leaves the stage because he loves“ both of you ”too much ...
The tragic denouement is preceded by the life story of Vera Pavlovna. She spent her childhood in St. Petersburg, in a multi-storey building on Gorokhovaya, between Sadovaya and Semenovsky bridges. Her father, Pavel Konstantinovich Rozalsky, is the manager of the house, her mother gives money on bail. The only concern of the mother, Marya Alekseevna, in relation to Verochka: to marry her as soon as possible to a rich man. The narrow-minded and evil woman does everything possible for this: she invites a music teacher to her daughter, dresses her up and even takes her to the theater. Soon the beautiful swarthy girl is noticed by the master's son, officer Storeshnikov, and immediately decides to seduce her. Hoping to force Storeshnikov to marry, Marya Alekseevna demands that her daughter be favorable to him, while Verochka refuses this in every possible way, understanding the true intentions of the womanizer. She somehow manages to deceive her mother, pretending that she is luring her boyfriend, but this cannot last long. Vera's position in the house becomes completely unbearable. It is resolved in an unexpected way.
A teacher, a graduate medical student, Dmitry Sergeevich Lopukhov, was invited to Verochka's brother Fedya. At first, young people are wary of each other, but then they begin to talk about books, about music, about a fair way of thinking, and soon they feel affection for each other. Having learned about the plight of the girl, Lopukhov tries to help her. He is looking for a governess position for her, which would give Verochka the opportunity to live separately from her parents. But the search turns out to be unsuccessful: no one wants to take responsibility for the fate of the girl if she runs away from home. Then the student in love finds another way out: shortly before the end of the course, in order to have enough money, he leaves his studies and, taking up private lessons and translating a geography textbook, makes an offer to Verochka. At this time, Verochka has her first dream: she sees herself released from a damp and dark basement and talking with an amazing beauty who calls herself love for people. Verochka promises the beauty that she will always let other girls out of the cellars, locked up just like she was locked up.
Young people rent an apartment, and their life is going well. True, their relationship seems strange to the landlady: “nice” and “nice” sleep in different rooms, enter each other only after knocking, do not show each other undressed, etc. Verochka hardly manages to explain to the hostess that they should be a relationship between spouses if they do not want to annoy each other.
Vera Pavlovna reads books, gives private lessons, runs the household. Soon she starts her own enterprise - a sewing workshop. The girls work in the workshop self-employed, but are its co-owners and receive their share of the income, like Vera Pavlovna. They not only work together, but spend their free time together: go on picnics, talk. In her second dream, Vera Pavlovna sees a field on which ears of corn grow. She also sees dirt on this field - or rather, two dirt: fantastic and real. The real dirt is taking care of the most necessary things (the kind with which Vera Pavlovna's mother was always burdened), and ears of corn can grow out of it. Fantastic dirt - caring for the superfluous and unnecessary; nothing worthwhile grows out of it.
The Lopukhov spouses often have Dmitry Sergeevich's best friend, his former classmate and spiritually close person to him - Alexander Matveevich Kirsanov. Both of them "chest, without connections, without acquaintances, made their way." Kirsanov is a strong-willed, courageous person, capable of both a decisive act and a subtle feeling. He brightens up the loneliness of Vera Pavlovna with conversations, when Lopukhov is busy, he takes her to the Opera, which they both love. However, soon, without explaining the reasons, Kirsanov ceases to visit his friend, which greatly offends both him and Vera Pavlovna. They do not know the true reason for his "cooling": Kirsanov is in love with his friend's wife. He reappears in the house only when Lopukhov falls ill: Kirsanov is a doctor, he treats Lopukhov and helps Vera Pavlovna take care of him. Vera Pavlovna is in complete turmoil: she feels that she is in love with her husband's friend. She has a third dream. In this dream, Vera Pavlovna, with the help of some unknown woman, reads the pages of her own diary, which says that she feels gratitude for her husband, and not that quiet, tender feeling, the need for which is so great in her.
The situation in which three smart and decent "new people" have fallen into seems insoluble. Finally, Lopukhov finds a way out - a shot on the Liteiny Bridge. On the day this news was received, an old acquaintance of Kirsanov and Lopukhov, Rakhmetov, "a special person" comes to Vera Pavlovna. The “higher nature” was awakened in him at one time by Kirsanov, who introduced the student Rakhmetov to books “that need to be read.” Coming from a wealthy family, Rakhmetov sold his estate, distributed the money to his scholarship holders, and now leads a harsh lifestyle: partly because he considers it impossible for himself to have what a simple person does not have, partly out of a desire to cultivate his character. So, one day he decides to sleep on nails to test his physical abilities. He doesn't drink wine, he doesn't touch women. Rakhmetov is often called Nikitushka Lomov - for the fact that he walked along the Volga with barge haulers in order to get closer to the people and gain the love and respect of ordinary people. Rakhmetov's life is shrouded in a veil of mystery of a clearly revolutionary persuasion. He has a lot to do, but none of it is his personal business. He travels around Europe, intending to return to Russia in three years, when he "needs" to be there. This "specimen of a very rare breed" differs from just "honest and kind people" in that it is "the engine of engines, the salt of the salt of the earth."
Rakhmetov brings Vera Pavlovna a note from Lopukhov, after reading which she becomes calm and even cheerful. In addition, Rakhmetov explains to Vera Pavlovna that the dissimilarity between her character and Lopukhov's character was too great, which is why she reached out to Kirsanov. having calmed down after a conversation with Rakhmetov, Vera Pavlovna leaves for Novgorod, where she marries Kirsanov a few weeks later.
The dissimilarity between the characters of Lopukhov and Vera Pavlovna is also mentioned in a letter that she soon receives from Berlin. he had a penchant for solitude, which was in no way possible during his life with the sociable Vera Pavlovna. Thus, love affairs are arranged to the general pleasure. The Kirsanov family has approximately the same lifestyle as the Lopukhov family before. Alexander Matveyevich works hard, Vera Pavlovna eats cream, takes baths and is engaged in sewing workshops: she now has two of them. Similarly, there are neutral and non-neutral rooms in the house, and spouses can enter non-neutral rooms only after knocking. But Vera Pavlovna notices that Kirsanov not only allows her to lead the lifestyle that she likes, and is not only ready to lend a shoulder to her in difficult times, but is also keenly interested in her life. He understands her desire to engage in some business, "which cannot be postponed." With the help of Kirsanov, Vera Pavlovna begins to study medicine.
Soon she has a fourth dream. Nature in this dream "pours aroma and song, love and bliss into the chest." The poet, whose forehead and thought are illuminated by inspiration, sings a song about the meaning of history. Before Vera Pavlovna are pictures of the life of women in different millennia. First, the slave woman obeys her master among the tents of the nomads, then the Athenians worship the woman, still not recognizing her as their equal. Then the image of a beautiful lady arises, for the sake of which a knight fights in a tournament. But he loves her only until she becomes his wife, that is, a slave. Then Vera Pavlovna sees her own face instead of the face of the goddess. Its features are far from perfect, but it is illuminated by the radiance of love. The great woman, familiar to her from her first dream, explains to Vera Pavlovna what is the meaning of women's equality and freedom. This woman also shows Vera Pavlovna pictures of the future: the citizens of New Russia live in a beautiful house made of cast iron, crystal and aluminum. In the morning they work, in the evening they have fun, and "whoever has not worked out enough, he has not prepared the nerve to feel the fullness of fun." The guide-maker explains to Vera Pavlovna that this future should be loved, for it should be worked and transferred from it to the present everything that can be transferred.
The Kirsanovs have a lot of young people, like-minded people: “This type has recently appeared and is quickly spreading.” All these people are decent, hardworking, having unshakable life principles and possessing "cold-blooded practicality." The Beaumont family soon appears among them. Ekaterina Vasilievna Beaumont, nee Polozova, was one of the richest brides in St. Petersburg. Kirsanov once helped her with smart advice: with his help, Polozova figured out that the person she was in love with was not worthy of her. Then Ekaterina Vasilievna marries a man who calls himself an agent of an English firm, Charles Beaumont. He speaks excellent Russian - because he allegedly lived in Russia until the age of twenty. His romance with Polozova develops calmly: both of them are people who "do not rage for no reason." When Beaumont meets Kirsanov, it becomes clear that this person is Lopukhov. The Kirsanov and Beaumont families feel such a spiritual closeness that they soon settle in the same house, receive guests together. Ekaterina Vasilievna also arranges a sewing workshop, and the circle of “new people” is thus becoming wider and wider.
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On the morning of July 11, 1856, the servants of one of the large St. Petersburg hotels near the station of the Moscow railway were at a loss, partly even in alarm. The day before, at 9 o’clock in the evening, a gentleman arrived with a suitcase, took a room, gave his passport for registration, asked for tea and a cutlet, said that they should not disturb him in the evening, because he was tired and wanted to sleep, but that they would certainly wake him up tomorrow at 8 o’clock, because he had urgent business, he locked the door of the room and, making noise with a knife and fork, making noise with a tea set, soon calmed down, apparently he fell asleep. Morning has come; at 8 o'clock the servant knocked on the door of yesterday's visitor - the visitor does not give a voice; the servant knocked harder, very hard - the newcomer did not answer. Apparently, he was very tired. The servant waited a quarter of an hour, again began to wake up, again he did not wake up. He began to consult with other servants, with the barman. "Has anything happened to him?" “We have to break down the doors.” - "No, that's not good: the door must be broken with the police." We decided to try to wake up again, harder; if he doesn't wake up here, send for the police. Made the last test; did not wake up; sent for the police and are now waiting to see her.
At about 10 o'clock in the morning a police official came, knocked himself, ordered the servants to knock - the same success as before. "Nothing to do, break down the door, guys."
The door was broken. The room is empty. “Look under the bed” - and there is no passer-by under the bed. The police officer went up to the table - on the table lay a sheet of paper, and on it was written in large letters:
“I leave at 11 pm and will not return. I will be heard on Liteiny Bridge, between 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning. Don't have any suspicions."
So here it is, the thing is now clear, otherwise they couldn’t figure it out, ”said the police official.
What is it, Ivan Afanasyevich? the barman asked.
Let's have some tea, I'll tell you.
The story of the police officer has long been the subject of animated retelling and reasoning in the hotel. The story was like this.
At half past three in the morning - and the night was cloudy, dark - a fire flashed in the middle of the Liteiny Bridge, and a pistol shot was heard. Guard servants rushed to the shot, few passers-by came running - there was nobody and nothing at the place where the shot rang out. So, he did not shoot, but shot himself. There were hunters to dive, after some time dragged hooks, dragged even some kind of fishing net, dived, groped, caught, caught fifty large chips, but the body was not found and was not caught. And how to find? - the night is dark. It is already at the seaside during these two hours - go and look there. Therefore, progressives arose who rejected the previous assumption: “Maybe there was no body? maybe a drunk, or just a mischievous one, fooled around, - he shot, and ran away, - otherwise, perhaps, he is right there standing in the bustling crowd and laughing at the alarm that he has done.
But the majority, as always, when they reason prudently, turned out to be conservative and defended the old: "what a fool - put a bullet in your forehead, and that's it." The progressives were defeated. But the victorious party, as always, was divided immediately after the victory. Shot himself, yes; but why? “Drunk,” was the opinion of some conservatives; “squandered,” other conservatives argued. “Just a fool,” someone said.
"What to do?"- a novel by the Russian philosopher, journalist and literary critic Nikolai Chernyshevsky, written in December 1862 - April 1863, while imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress of St. Petersburg. The novel was written partly in response to Ivan Turgenev's Fathers and Sons.
History of creation and publication
Chernyshevsky wrote the novel while in the solitary confinement of the Alekseevsky ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress, from December 14, 1862 to April 4, 1863. Since January 1863, the manuscript has been handed over in parts to the commission of inquiry on the Chernyshevsky case (the last part was handed over on April 6). The commission, and after it the censors, saw only a love line in the novel and gave permission for publication. The oversight of censorship was soon noticed, the responsible censor Beketov was removed from his post. However, the novel had already been published in the journal Sovremennik (1863, Nos. 3-5). Despite the fact that the issues of Sovremennik, in which the novel What Is to Be Done? were published, were banned, the text of the novel in handwritten copies was distributed throughout the country and caused a lot of imitation.
“Chernyshevsky’s novel was not talked about in a whisper, not quietly, but at the top of his lungs in the halls, at the entrances, at the table of Mrs. Milbret and in the basement pub of the Shtenbokov passage. They shouted: “disgusting”, “charm”, “abomination”, etc. - all in different tones.
P. A. Kropotkin:
“For the Russian youth of that time, it [the book“ What is to be done? ”] was a kind of revelation and turned into a program, became a kind of banner.”
In 1867, the novel was published as a separate book in Geneva (in Russian) by Russian emigrants, then it was translated into Polish, Serbian, Hungarian, French, English, German, Italian, Swedish, Dutch.
The ban on the publication of the novel What Is to Be Done? was removed only in 1905. In 1906, the novel was first published in Russia as a separate edition.
Plot
The central character of the novel is Vera Pavlovna Rozalskaya. To avoid marriage, imposed by a selfish mother, the girl enters into a fictitious marriage with medical student Dmitry Lopukhov (teacher of Fedya's younger brother). Marriage allows her to leave her parental home and manage her life on her own. Vera studies, tries to find her place in life, and finally opens a “new type” sewing workshop - this is a commune where there are no hired workers and owners, and all the girls are equally interested in the well-being of the joint venture.
The family life of the Lopukhovs is also unusual for its time, its main principles are mutual respect, equality and personal freedom. Gradually, a real feeling arises between Vera and Dmitry, based on trust and affection. However, it happens that Vera Pavlovna falls in love with her husband's best friend, doctor Alexander Kirsanov, with whom she has much more in common than with her husband. This love is mutual. Vera and Kirsanov begin to avoid each other, hoping to hide their feelings, primarily from each other. However, Lopukhov guesses everything and forces them to confess.
To give his wife freedom, Lopukhov fakes suicide (the novel begins with an episode of imaginary suicide), he himself leaves for America in order to study industrial production in practice. After some time, Lopukhov, under the name of Charles Beaumont, returns to Russia. He is an agent of an English firm and arrived on her behalf to purchase a stearin plant from the industrialist Polozov. Delving into the affairs of the plant, Lopukhov visits Polozov's house, where he meets his daughter Ekaterina. Young people fall in love with each other and soon get married, after which Lopukhov-Beumont announces his return to the Kirsanovs. A close friendship is established between families, they settle in the same house, and a society of “new people” is expanding around them - those who want to arrange their own and social life “in a new way”.
One of the most significant heroes of the novel is the revolutionary Rakhmetov, a friend of Kirsanov and Lopukhov, whom they once introduced to the teachings of the utopian socialists. A short digression is devoted to Rakhmetov in chapter 29 (“A Special Person”). This is a hero of the second plan, only episodically connected with the main storyline of the novel (brings Vera Pavlovna a letter from Dmitry Lopukhov explaining the circumstances of his imaginary suicide). However, Rakhmetov plays a special role in the ideological outline of the novel. What it consists of, Chernyshevsky explains in detail in the XXXI part of chapter 3 (“Conversation with an insightful reader and his expulsion”):
Artistic originality
“The novel“ What is to be done? ”I was just deeply plowed. This is a thing that gives a charge for a lifetime.” (Lenin)The emphatically entertaining, adventurous, melodramatic beginning of the novel was supposed not only to confuse censorship, but also to attract the broad masses of readers. The external plot of the novel is a love story, but it reflects the new economic, philosophical and social ideas of the time. The novel is riddled with allusions to the coming revolution.
L. Yu. Brik recalled Mayakovsky: “One of the books closest to him was Chernyshevsky's What to Do? He kept coming back to her. The life described in it echoed ours. Mayakovsky, as it were, consulted with Chernyshevsky about his personal affairs, found support in him. What to Do? was the last book he read before he died.”
- In the novel by N. G. Chernyshevsky “What to do?” aluminum is mentioned. In the "naive utopia" of Vera Pavlovna's fourth dream, it is called the metal of the future. And this great future to date (ser. XX - XXI century) aluminum has already reached.
- The "lady in mourning" that appears at the end of the work is Olga Sokratovna Chernyshevskaya, the writer's wife. At the end of the novel, we are talking about the release of Chernyshevsky from the Peter and Paul Fortress, where he was at the time of writing the novel. He did not wait for release: on February 7, 1864, he was sentenced to 14 years of hard labor, followed by a settlement in Siberia.
- The main characters with the surname Kirsanov are also found in Ivan Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons.
Screen adaptations
- "What to do? "- a three-part teleplay (directors: Nadezhda Marusalova, Pavel Reznikov), 1971.
The action of the novel begins on July 11, 1856. In the room of one of the hotels in St. Petersburg, they find a message in which it is written that the author will soon become the cause of conversations on Liteiny Bridge and that there is no need to look for those responsible for this event. Soon it really becomes known that at night a man shot himself on the Liteiny Bridge. His headdress with a trace of a bullet was fished out of the water.
At this time, Vera Pavlovna is engaged in sewing in the house on Kamenny Island. A maid enters and gives her a letter, after reading which Vera Pavlovna begins to sob, pushing away the young man who entered her room with the words that he is to blame for everything.
The novel then goes on to tell the story that led to this outcome. Vera Pavlovna grew up in St. Petersburg. Her father managed a multi-storey building, and her mother gave money at interest. The main concern of the mother was to give Vera a profitable marriage, and for this Marya Alekseevna did not spare any means. Soon, the son of the owners of the Storeshnikov house drew attention to Vera. Mother, having learned about this, ordered Vera to be kinder to him, but Vera understands that Storeshnikov's true goal is not to marry her at all. Helping Vera out of this situation is Dmitry Sergeevich Lopukhov, a medical student invited as a teacher for Vera's brother Fedya. At first, he tries to find a place for Vera as a governess, and when he fails, he drops out of school, takes up private lessons and translates textbooks, and marries Vera. Vera has the first of a series of dreams. In this dream, she is talking to a beauty who is nothing but love for people. Vera seems to have been released from a dark basement, and she promises that now she herself will do everything to let other girls out of the basements.
Lopukhov and Vera settle in a rented apartment, the owner of which, looking at their relationship, is very surprised - the young people sleep in different rooms, always knock and wait for an answer before entering their spouse, and never go into the common room undressed. Vera explains to her that this is the real family life of spouses who want to experience love for each other as long as possible.
Vera Pavlovna not only runs the household and gives private lessons - she also decides to start her own business. Vera organizes a sewing workshop, taking girls as her assistants, who, like her, receive a percentage of the workshop's income. And after a short time, she sees another dream - a field on which ears grow. There is real dirt on the field, this is concern for what a person needs, ears of corn grow from this dirt, and fantastic dirt - care for an empty, unnecessary deed, and nothing grows from this dirt.
Alexander Matveyevich Kirsanov, Dmitry's friend, often comes to the Lopukhov's house. He spends a lot of time with Vera, and then suddenly disappears and returns again only when Dmitry falls ill. The reason for this disappearance is the love for Vera. Vera also feels that she loves Kirsanov. This is confirmed by her next dream, in which she reads a diary, which says that she does not love her husband, and feels only gratitude for him. Dmitry finds a way out of this situation - he goes to the Liteiny Bridge, and a shot is heard there.
Rakhmetov comes to Vera - one of Kirsanov's friends, "a special person." Once Rakhmetov was rich, but he sold the estate and distributed all the money. Now he leads an extremely ascetic life. Rakhmetov gives Vera a letter from Lopukhov. She reads the letter and calms down, a smile appears on her face. After that, she becomes Kirsanov's wife. The letter received says that Vera and Dmitry are very different people. The letter was written by a medical student who introduced himself as a friend of Lopukhov and reported that after breaking up with Vera, Lopukhov feels great.
The way of life of the Kirsanov family is no different from the way Vera got used to while living with Lopukhov. But she feels that Kirsanov not only loves her, but is always ready to listen and help. She has another dream in which she sees pictures from the lives of women at different times. In this dream, the beauty from the first dream reappears, explaining to Vera what gender equality and women's freedom are.
Soon, the Beaumont family appears among the people visiting the Kirsanovs' house. Having met with Charles Beaumont, Kirsanov realizes that this is Lopukhov. Soon the Beaumonts and the Kirsanovs decide to settle in the same house and run the household together.
I. Fool
The novel begins on the exact date - July 11, 1856. It was on this day that a young man settled in one of the St. Petersburg hotels. He ordered a modest dinner in the room and asked to be woken up early tomorrow, there are important things to do. However, the next morning the guest did not open the door, no matter how many people knocked on it. I had to call the police, who also could not get through to the room. I had to break down the door.
The room was empty, but there was a note on the table. It reported that the man left the hotel in the evening. Soon they will hear about him on the Liteiny Bridge, but no one should fall under suspicion.
The policeman realized that the hotel guest was exactly the same person who had shot himself that night on Liteiny Bridge. True, the fact of suicide has not yet been proven, and the body has not been found, but the shot cap has already been caught, and many have heard the shot itself.
II. The first consequence of a foolish deed
On the same morning, at the dacha of Kamenny Island, a young woman, Vera Pavlovna, was sewing a dress and singing a cheerful French song about workers. However, the mood of the woman was not the most rosy, she seemed to have a premonition of trouble. Soon this happened. The maid brought a letter to Vera Pavlovna, from which it became clear that the person dear to her had committed suicide.
At the woman's sobs, a young man entered the room, who immediately rushed to reassure Vera Pavlovna. However, she began to push away the comforter and blame him for the death of their mutual friend. Then she laid all the blame on herself.
Within an hour, Vera Pavlovna managed to cope with her emotions, and she decided to leave St. Petersburg. First to Moscow, and then to some large city where you can find a job as a governess. She announced this to the young man, assuring that it would be better for both. The farewell of young people was emotional and short.
III. Foreword
In the preface, the author, in a somewhat ironic manner, calls his readers the public. He talks about how ready society is for the perception of a serious work, do people need it? After all, the most popular are detectives and low-grade romance novels. Accepting this fact, the author knows that there are still people who stand above the rest in their moral and intellectual development. For the sake of such readers, he wants to create.
Chapter first. The life of Vera Pavlovna in the parental family
The main character of the novel is Vera Pavlovna Rozalskaya. Her childhood was spent in St. Petersburg, in a multi-storey building on Gorokhovaya Street, next to the Semyonovsky Bridge. Vera's father, Pavel Konstantinovich Rozalsky, worked as a manager in the house, and also served as an assistant clerk in one of the departments. Vera's mother Maria Alekseevna gave money on bail and made a small "capital". According to her, five thousand.
The woman brought up Vera in severity. Already at the age of fourteen, the girl sheathed the whole family. When Vera grew up, her mother began to call her a gypsy for her swarthy complexion. The sixteen-year-old girl often looked in the mirror and gradually came to terms with the fact that she was an ugly girl. Actually, it wasn't. Soon, Marya Alekseevna stopped calling her daughter a scarecrow and dressing her in rags. On the contrary, she began to buy her expensive and beautiful dresses.
And all because the prudent woman decided to find a rich groom for her Vera. At this time, there was a rumor that Pavel Konstantinovich's boss became interested in Vera. This option was quite acceptable for Marya Alekseevna, but the official thought for too long and could not take the first step.
Then Marya Alekseevna drew attention to the master's son, a young officer and social dandy Mikhail Ivanovich Storeshnikov, who sometimes came to their apartment. She instructed her daughter to be more affectionate with her boyfriend, even organized a trip to the theater, where Vera, Marya Alekseevna and the master's son with two friends ended up in the same box. However, Vera, citing a headache, went home. She perfectly understood the intentions of the young womanizer, who only wanted to seduce her.
But Marya Alekseevna did not want to deviate from her plan. She was firmly convinced that sooner or later Storeshnikov would marry her daughter. For this, an enterprising woman was ready to make every effort. Since then, life in the parental home has become unbearable for Vera.
Events unfolded in their own way. Mikhail Storeshnikov could no longer give up the idea of having the Faith. If she does not want to become a mistress, then let her marry him. Given the wealth and position of Mikhail Ivanovich, every girl from an ordinary family could not refuse such a profitable party. Storeshnikov was also pushed to marry by his French friend Julie. The demi-monde lady was sure that by marrying such a smart and beautiful girl, Mikhail would make a brilliant career.
However, Vera refused the offer, which further inflamed Michael's passion. He began to beg the girl so that she would not answer him with a categorical “no”, but would give him a chance to improve and earn her love. Vera Pavlovna agreed, although she warned Storeshnikov that she would not change her decision.
This situation continued for about four months. Maria Alekseevna, Pavel Konstantinovich, Verochka, Mikhail Storeshnikov and his mother Anna Petrovna have been waiting all these days: when will the matter finally clear up?
Chapter two. First love and legal marriage
A young man began to appear in the house of the Rozalskys - Dmitry Sergeevich Lopukhov. He was a medical student who worked part time as a private tutor. Since the nine-year-old brother of Vera Pavlovna Dmitry needed a tutor, Lopukhov was invited to help the boy in mastering some disciplines.
Vera met Dmitry not immediately. At first, she learned from Fyodor that his teacher is a busy man, pays little attention to women, even to such pretty ones as her sister. This information from her brother somewhat disappointed Vera, she decided that Dmitry was a rather boring person, although he was not bad-looking.
But soon a dramatic change took place in the relationship of the two young people. It happened at Vera Pavlovna's birthday party, where Lopukhov was also invited. There were few guests, because the birthday girl wanted to celebrate the holiday in a relaxed atmosphere. With the "official" groom, Verochka danced the first quadrille. And during the third quadrille her partner was Dmitry Lopukhov. The first frank conversation took place between the young people. During the evening, they talked a few more times and felt affection for each other.
Lopukhov told Vera that he lives in a rented apartment with his very close friend Alexander Kirsanov, who has dark blond hair and dark blue eyes. Kirsanov has already graduated from the Medical Academy, is considered an excellent doctor, although he has a small medical practice, and is more inclined towards scientific work.
The next day, Vera Pavlovna decided that Lopukhov could be completely trusted, so she told the student about her plight. Dmitry decided to help the girl and persistently began to look for a place for her as a governess.
Verochka's first dream
Around this time, Vera Pavlovna had her first significant dream, of which there will be four in the novel. In a dream, Vera breaks out of the stuffy basement in which she lay and was sick. She walks in the fresh air, in a beautiful field, where she meets a kind charming woman who helps everyone. Vera promises her new friend that she will also release women from dark and damp basements into the wild.
And the reality turns out to be that no one wants to take responsibility for a girl who is going to leave her parental home. Vera meets Dmitry at the appointed place, but each time the young man cannot tell her anything comforting.
Soon Dmitry clearly understands that in this way he will not be able to get Verochka out of his parental home and decides to marry her. Lopukhov proposes to Rozalskaya. Vera Pavlovna agrees, but immediately puts forward her own conditions, since the marriage is formal. They will not only sleep with Dmitry separately, but also spend most of the time in different rooms. In addition, Vera Pavlovna does not want Alexander Kirsanov to live with them.
Lopukhov agrees to all conditions, moreover, he tries to earn as much money as possible so that the new family does not need anything. Dmitry understands that he needs to rent an apartment for the first time. He manages to find decent and inexpensive housing on Vasilyevsky Island.
The newlyweds were married by a friend of Lopukhov, priest Alexei Petrovich Mertsalov, who had once completed a course at the Theological Academy. Before this sacrament, Dmitry invited Vera to kiss, so as not to feel particularly awkward during the ceremony. After all, there, too, you need to kiss, such is the church tradition.
After the wedding, Vera Pavlovna was no longer kept in her parents' house. All I had to do was talk to my mom. The girl decided that it would be best to inform her about this outside the house so that Marya Alekseevna would not force her daughter to hold her. Soon a suitable occasion was found. When Vera Pavlovna told her mother that she was going for a walk along Nevsky Prospekt, Marya Alekseevna volunteered to keep her company. Near Ruzanov's shop, Vera quickly informed her mother that she was leaving home, since she had married Dmitry Sergeevich. The girl quickly jumped into the first carriage that came across.
Chapter three. Marriage and second love
Three months have passed since Vera Pavlovna began to live in a rented apartment with Dmitry Lopukhov. The owner and mistress of the apartment were, however, surprised by the relationship of the newlyweds. "Pretty" and "pretty" slept in different rooms, entered each other only by knocking. They were always neatly dressed. Vera tried to explain to the hostess that such relationships guarantee a long family life, but she hardly agreed with her.
But things in the new family were going well. Vera Pavlovna also contributed to the family budget. She gave private lessons and soon opened a small sewing workshop. Julie helped her with this.
The second dream of Vera Pavlovna
First, Vera Pavlovna saw the eared field. Her husband and Alexey Petrovich Mertsalov were walking there. They had a philosophical conversation about dirt. From their judgments it appeared that dirt could be useful and harmful, from which nothing could grow. Everything depends on the movement. If it is not there, the dirt stagnates. And where there is stagnation, there is no life. Then the characters of the novel begin to remember their past. Mertsalov talks about a difficult childhood, about how his mother had to work day and night to serve a large family. Vera Pavlovna also remembered her mother Marya Alekseevna, who took care of her daughter, educated her, clothed her, fed her. Vera comes to the conclusion that her mother, although evil, did good for her daughter. And over time, evil people will become less and less, they will gradually be replaced by good ones.
The following is a detailed description of how Vera Pavlovna conducted business, organized work in her sewing workshop in a new way, and attracted all employees to actively participate in the production process. The girls, carefully selected by Vera Pavlovna, worked self-employed, but were co-owners of the workshop, receiving their own percentage of the income. Vera Pavlovna also took care of the rest of her wards. In their free time, they walked together, went on picnics. So successfully and comfortably flew three years of Verochka's marriage and the formation of the workshop.
Somehow, after one picnic, Dmitry Sergeevich felt unwell and turned to Alexander Kirsanov for help. Together they determined that Lopukhov had pneumonia. The disease is not yet dangerous, but measures must be taken. Since then, Alexander Kirsanov began to often visit the Lopukhovs' house, reprimanded Vera Pavlovna for the fact that she was very worried, did not sleep at night, which could cause serious harm to her health.
A few years ago, Kirsanov suddenly realized that he had tender feelings for Vera Pavlovna, but he immediately decided that he should not create problems for his friend. With an effort of will, he extinguished these feelings. He practically ceased to visit the Lopukhovs' house. However, now Kirsanov was afraid that a new spark might flare up. Indeed, in the relationship between young people, something has changed. They felt they were in love with each other. Both Kirsanov and Vera Pavlovna were well aware that the "fictitious" marriage of a woman with Lopukhov brings a comfortable and well-to-do life. But their hearts yearned for love.
The third dream of Vera Pavlovna
In this dream, the hidden feelings of Vera Pavlovna are manifested, much of what she was afraid to admit even to herself. Together with the famous singer Bosio, Vera Pavlovna reads her diary, which, by the way, she never kept in real life. From her notes, it becomes clear that a woman has many wonderful feelings for her husband: respect, gratitude, trust ... However, this list does not include the love that Vera Pavlovna feels for Alexander Kirsanov. A woman really wants to love her husband, but is unable to command her heart.
After some time, Vera Pavlovna decides to tell Dmitry Sergeevich her dream, and then writes a letter to her husband, in which she admits that she loves Kirsanov. Vera Pavlovna left this letter in Lopukhov's office, she wanted to pick it up, but did not have time. Dmitry Sergeevich was already mentally prepared for such a turn of affairs, therefore, after the recognition of Vera, he left for Ryazan, and from there to St. Petersburg, where he settled on July 11 in a hotel. Now it becomes clear who was the man who, at the beginning of the novel, shot himself on the Liteiny Bridge. But what happened to Lopukhov anyway? After all, they found only his shot cap.
Soon after Vera Pavlovna found out about what had happened and began to pack things for the journey, a friend of her husband and Kirsanov, student Rakhmetov, came to visit her. The following is a detailed story about this man, his relationship, lifestyle and many interesting character traits. The image of Rakhmetov is mysterious and unsaid, but all critics see him as a future revolutionary, and the author calls Rakhmetov "a special person."
At the time of the story, Rakhmetov is only 22 years old, however, he has already managed to see a lot. To develop his will and temper his character, the young man slept on nails, helped barge haulers on his journey along the Volga, and ate only beef to maintain his physical strength.
Belonging to a noble family and being a rich man, Rakhmetov easily parted with money in favor of the poor, led a Spartan lifestyle, spending only part of his income on himself. The image of Rakhmetov, as well as possible, personifies new people, to whom Chernyshevsky's novel is dedicated.
Rakhmetov's visit to Vera Pavlovna on that fateful day was not accidental. The student brought the woman a note from Lopukhov. In it, Dmitry Sergeevich asks his “darling” to obey this person in everything. Rakhmetov himself calmly and reasonably explains to Vera Pavlovna that Rozalskaya has many contradictions with Lopukhov. They have too different characters, so such a union could not exist for a long time.
Rakhmetov's words calm Vera Pavlovna, she fully agrees with such arguments. After some time, the woman leaves for Novgorod, where she meets Alexander Kirsanov.
Chapter Four. Second marriage
Vera Pavlovna receives a letter from Berlin from a man who calls himself a close friend of Lopukhov. In this message, the stranger allegedly conveys the thoughts of Dmitry Sergeevich. For example, that he and Vera Pavlovna are very different people. Breaking up was the best way out of their situation. Lopukhov analyzes all the circumstances of their strange family life.
Vera Pavlovna answers the letter. She analyzes in the same detail the actions of her husband, Alexander Kirsanov and her own. Relations within their triangle were distinguished by reasonable egoism, which corresponded to the lifestyle of her friends, and later Vera Pavlovna herself.
The family life of Rozalskaya and Kirsanov goes on as usual. The couple live on Sergievskaya Street, closer to the Vyborg side. Their house has neutral and non-neutral rooms, which are only allowed to enter after knocking.
Everyone is working hard because another sewing workshop has opened. However, Vera Pavlovna does not forget about herself, she leads a lifestyle that she likes. The husband is happy to help with this. He is keenly interested in all the affairs of his wife, her mood and well-being. In a difficult moment, Alexander Kirsanov is ready to substitute a man's shoulder. And the beloved husband helps his wife to study medicine. Vera Pavlovna sometimes goes to her husband to work, to the hospital. In the nineteenth century, women practically did not work as doctors, so Vera Pavlovna's decision was bold.
In a word, weekdays and holidays in the Kirsanov family are filled with interesting things and communication.
The fourth dream of Vera Pavlovna
This time, Vera Pavlovna sees historical pictures in her dream, in the center of which is the image of a woman in different eras and among different peoples. But, neither in Astarte, nor in Aphrodite, nor in any other female queen, Vera Pavlovna recognizes herself. She does not personify herself with a beautiful lady, for whom the knights fight in the tournament. Vera Pavlovna understands that love for a woman in the past was passionate, tender, sublime. But she was never free from violence, did not bring real happiness to a woman.
And suddenly Vera Pavlovna sees herself in the form of a goddess woman. Her face is lit up with the radiance of love. Then bright pictures of the future of Russia flash before the woman's eyes. There, happy people live in beautiful houses, who happily work, and indulge in wild fun in the evenings and on weekends. It is for the sake of such a future that we need to work fruitfully, endure all the difficulties and problems of today.
Soon, Vera Pavlovna, in tandem with her associate Natalya Mertsalova, opens her own store on Nevsky Prospekt. Women dream that in a few years they will have many sewing workshops, maybe even more than ten. A few more years went by like this without any special incidents.
Chapter five. New faces and denouement
At the beginning of the chapter, the author tells in detail about Katerina Vasilievna Polozova and her father, a retired captain who squandered his estate and retired. On a well-deserved rest, he decided to engage in trade and soon succeeded well in this business, becoming a millionaire. Then, however, he went bankrupt again, but Polozov still had some savings for a comfortable life.
The paternal feelings of the former captain for his daughter are somewhat similar to the feelings of Marya Alekseevna. Polozov is also not without tyranny, and many of his actions are aimed only at obtaining his own benefit. He forbids his daughter to meet with the secular womanizer Solovtsov, with whom Katerina Vasilievna is deeply in love.
On this basis, a serious conflict occurs in the Polozov family, as a result of which Katerina Vasilyevna had a nervous breakdown, and she was on the verge of death. Alexander Kirsanov helped the girl get out of this state, opened her eyes to a person who was not worthy of her love. At the same time, Kirsanov was able to convince Polozov that it was impossible to raise an adult daughter with such methods, that she should be given freedom of choice.
Meanwhile, life in the Kirsanov family goes on as usual. The work of sewing workshops brings not only a steady income, but also makes it possible to spend your free time interestingly. Many interesting people come to visit the Kirsanovs, among them, mostly young students, like-minded people. They are all hardworking, live by strict rules, and are practical.
One day, among the guests of the Kirsanovs is Katerina Vasilievna Polozova (now Beaumont) with her husband Charles, an agent of an English firm. The husband speaks excellent Russian, since he spent more than twenty years in Russia. The relationship between Charles and Catherine is based on mutual feelings, but it is quite rational, without unnecessary worries and passions.
It soon turns out that Charles Beaumont is the ex-husband of Vera Pavlovna Dmitry Sergeevich Lopukhov. On Liteiny Bridge, he only staged suicide so as not to interfere with the love of Vera and Kirsanov. Then Lopukhov went to America, where he became an entrepreneur and earned a solid capital.
Both families experience great joy from joint communication and spiritual closeness. They live in the same house, often receive guests, arrange holidays and picnics.
At one of these events, a lady in mourning appears. A strange woman is in the center of attention of the guests, she talks a lot, sprinkles jokes, sings and tells the story of her love.
Chapter six. Change of scenery
The last chapter of the novel is very short and shrouded in a halo of mystery. Two years have passed since the picnic. We again see the mysterious lady, only now not in black, but in a bright pink dress and with a beautiful bouquet. She goes to the "Passage" accompanied by familiar young men and a man of about thirty.
Critics evaluate this image in different ways. There are two main versions.
- A lady in mourning, and then in a pink dress - an image of the revolution from the dreams of Vera Pavlovna. A woman is transformed when her time comes.
- The mysterious lady is Chernyshevsky's wife Olga. When her husband was imprisoned, she wore black clothes, and when he was released, she put on a bright festive dress.
The end of the fifth chapter and the sixth are written in a special style, with allusions and omissions. The author, most likely, could not speak openly about the impending revolutionary moods. Perhaps he did not do this on purpose in order to make the reader think and decide on his own.