Who wrote the Caucasian captive story. Three "Caucasian captives" (Comparative analysis)

Introduction

In the history of Russian literature there are such facts when writers different directions, aesthetic positions refer to the same titles of their works. I was interested in three “Prisoners of the Caucasus” by A.S. Pushkin, M.Yu. Lermontov, L.N. Tolstoy. Why do authors name their works the same? Maybe this indicates continuity between the works? Or maybe they are polemically opposed to each other?

Purpose of the work: identify the features of the plot of A.S.’s poems Pushkin and M.Yu. Lermontov " Caucasian prisoner", story by L.N. Tolstoy "Prisoner of the Caucasus".

Tasks:

• Analysis of the plot of A.S. Pushkin’s poem “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, highlighting its structural elements;
• Determine the influence of Pushkin’s poem on the plot of M.Yu. Lermontov’s poem, finding common and different things in them;
• Study of the features of the Caucasian plot in the story of L.N. Tolstoy;
• Conduct a comparative analysis of three works.

Object of study- works by A.S. Pushkin, M.Yu. Lermontov, L.N. Tolstoy “Prisoner of the Caucasus”.

Subject of research: plots of these works.

Practical significance: The work can be used in literature lessons, as well as in preparation for olympiads and the Unified State Exam in literature.

Research methods: comparison, juxtaposition.

Hypothesis: We believe that the implementation of the plot about the Caucasian captive depends entirely on the author’s concept and literary direction, to which the author belongs.

Poem by A. S. Pushkin “Prisoner of the Caucasus”

“Prisoner of the Caucasus” is a romantic poem by Pushkin, written by him during his southern exile in 1822. The author set himself the goal of reproducing the character young man of his time, dissatisfied with reality and seized by a thirst for freedom. The hero, who has neither a name nor a past, went to the Caucasus - the land of strong and freedom-loving people - to find the freedom of spirit he desired and needed, but was captured.

In a romantic poem, the epic line (Caucasus, exotic life mountaineers, the arrival of Russian conquerors) is intertwined with the lyrical (the love of a captive Russian and a Circassian woman). Highlanders are “natural” people who live in harmony with the world. Stranger to the wild world, the captive brings destruction to him: because of him, a young Circassian woman throws herself into the abyss of the sea.

It is in the poem by A. S. Pushkin that one can highlight the main structural elements the so-called Caucasian plot, which were transformed in the works of the same name by M. Yu. Lermontov and L. N. Tolstoy.

Basic plot elements:

• Russian in the Caucasus;
• he is amazed by the beauty of the area;
• disappointed hero;
• love story;
• motives for capture and escape.

Poem by M.Yu. Lermontov “Prisoner of the Caucasus”

My romantic poem M.Yu. Lermontov wrote in 1828, when he was only 14 years old. The poem was created under strong impact poem of the same name Pushkin. It is clear that by giving the same name to your work, young poet consciously refers to the plot of the poem by A.S. Pushkin "Prisoner of the Caucasus". In his poem, he raises the same problems as his idol, showing the moral superiority of the “children of nature” over the “children of civilization.” To show that over time the problems raised by A.S. Pushkin, have not lost their relevance, Lermontov uses the technique of poetic roll call. Some of Pushkin’s poems were included in their entirety in the poem, others in slightly altered form.

The author of the poem is an aspiring poet who is trying to use someone else’s material to express his own moods, thoughts and feelings. By calling his poem this way, young Lermontov boldly strives to measure his strength with the greatest poet modernity, he wants to tell the story that excited him, captured him in his own way, to convey it somehow in his own way. Lermontov did not imitate, did not copy, but assimilated from Pushkin’s experience that which could contribute to the expression of his own creative individuality.

General and different in poems

Both poems are romantic. Like A.S. Pushkin, Lermontov’s hero is nameless. There is a lot of Pushkin in the depiction of the captive; the hero is a lonely wanderer. It is not surprising that certain features, such as proud loneliness, mystery, and ardent passion, unite the heroes of the two poems:
And the shine of his eyes is cold.../...Feelings, passions,

Burnt in the eyes forever/Lurking like a lion in a cave/Deep in the heart...
Plot-wise, Lermontov’s “Prisoner of the Caucasus” is close to Pushkin’s work of the same name, but Lermontov has increased the number of characters and their characters are different. The prisoner is devoid of the traits of disappointment and satiety with life. The hero yearns for his homeland and freedom, seeks the support of friends. The Circassian woman has more decisive character than Pushkin’s heroine, she demands the love of a captive.

In Pushkin’s poem, the captive invites the Circassian woman to leave with him:

“Oh my friend!” the Russian cried, “I am yours forever, I am yours until the grave.

Let’s both leave this terrible land./Run with me!”

The Circassian woman, knowing that he loves another, refuses to follow him and commits suicide. The prisoner happily leaves captivity.

Lermontov gives a completely different outcome. His heroine is a more decisive and courageous person. She says to the Russian:

“But you said / That you love, Russian, you are different.

Forget her, I’m ready / To run with you to the edge of the universe!

Forget her, love me / Your unchanging friend."

The prisoner cannot reciprocate her feelings. The Circassian woman helps him free himself from the chains, but the hero did not have to return to his homeland. Father of a Circassian woman ( new character, brought out by Lermontov), ​​kills the fugitive. The daughter, like a Pushkin heroine, throws herself into the river and drowns. Her father is tormented by remorse, unable to find peace of mind.

We see that in his poem “Prisoner of the Caucasus,” the young poet is looking for new plot points and depicts the characters of the characters in his own way, although the main structural elements of the Caucasian plot remain Pushkin’s.

The story of L. N. Tolstoy “Prisoner of the Caucasus”

Tolstoy creates realistic work with Pushkin’s title “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, starting from the same title, Tolstoy seems to be declaring his desire to write about the same thing in a new way.

“Prisoner of the Caucasus” by L.N. Tolstoy is a true story, the material for which was events from the life of the writer and stories he heard while serving in the Caucasus. The story was written in 1872 and is a realistic work.

We found out why Lermontov gave his youthful poem the title “Prisoner of the Caucasus.” But why does L.N. Tolstoy, almost half a century later, give his work the same name? Let's try to figure this out.

In the 60-70s, Tolstoy thought a lot about true purpose literature. Analysis critical literature By this work allows us to conclude that by the time L.N. Tolstoy himself began working on the story, he was finally convinced of the need to learn from the people their morality, their views on the world, simplicity and wisdom, the ability to “get accustomed” to any environment, to survive in any situation , without complaining and without shifting your troubles onto the shoulders of others. The writer at this time was entirely occupied with public education, he wrote the ABC for peasant children, everything literary texts in which they are simple, entertaining, and instructive.

"Prisoner of the Caucasus" was originally published in the magazine "Zarya", intended exclusively for adults, and then placed in the 4th book of "Russian children's books for reading", that is, the story was written by Tolstoy specifically for children. Tolstoy addresses children who have not yet been “spoiled” by social and national abnormal relations. He wants to tell us the truth, teach us to distinguish good from evil, help us follow good.

“The Prisoner of the Caucasus” by Leo Tolstoy is not just a story written specifically for children, and that is why it is so instructive. This was a sample of him new prose, a kind of experiment in language and style. Therefore, sending criticism to Nikolai Strakhov of the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” he wrote for children, Tolstoy explains: “This is an example of the techniques and language with which I write and will write for big ones.” This testimony of Leo Tolstoy is extremely remarkable. He, at that time already a famous author, “ Sevastopol stories", "Cossacks", "Childhood and Adolescence" and "War and Peace", as if learning to write again while working on a book for children. And at the same time he also claimed that he would write for adults in the same way, using the same “techniques of language.”

It is in order to emphasize the polemical nature of his position that Tolstoy gives his story the title “Prisoner of the Caucasus” - a title that evokes direct associations with the poems of Pushkin and Lermontov. With his story, he wanted to expose the “false” poetics of romanticism. IN romantic literature Tolstoy was irritated by many things: both the heroes and the situation that surrounds them. Tolstoy highly valued Pushkin's prose and spoke negatively about his poems. It was surprising to read in Leo Tolstoy’s diary dated June 7, 1856, where he wrote: “Gypsies” are charming<...>, the rest of the poems, excluding Onegin, are terrible rubbish"

Benchmarking works

General

In his “Prisoner of the Caucasus,” L.N. Tolstoy leaves the basic structural elements of the Caucasian plot intact:

· the Russian is captured by the highlanders;

· meets a Circassian/Tatar woman who brings him food;

· with her help he manages to escape. (In Lermontov’s poem, the hero was unable to reach his homeland: he was overtaken by a Circassian bullet).

But otherwise, Tolstoy’s story in all respects represents a complete antithesis to the other two “Prisoners of the Caucasus” by Pushkin and Lermontov.

Various

Subtitle

The very subtitle of the story (truth) contrasts the truthfully told story with romantic “fables”. It is known that the story is based on a real incident - an attack by highlanders on L.N. Tolstoy and four other officers who had become separated from the convoy.

Hero names

The heroes of both poems do not have names, with the exception of Giray, who delivered the prisoner to the village. (In Lermontov's poem). In Tolstoy’s story, all the main characters have names, and the main characters are given “speaking” surnames. (Zhilin and Kostylin)

Age

The characters of Pushkin and Lermontov are young men (typical of romantic poetry). Zhilin is an older man. We learn about this when we mention the old mother.

The reasons why the heroes ended up in the Caucasus

Pushkin's hero, disappointed in " unfaithful life" and "dreams of love", goes to the Caucasus to find freedom there, and is captured.

We know practically nothing about the motives for Lermontov’s hero’s stay in the Caucasus. Lermontov says that “in home country The captive “destroyed the holy hearts of hope.” But the reason that made him leave father's house, not named.

Zhilin serves in the Caucasus, sends money to his mother and plans to get married after leaving the service.

Thus, the romantic motives of escape from civilization and disappointment in love are contrasted with rational and completely prosaic motives.

Capture

All three heroes are captured. Neither Pushkin nor Lermontov see the reasons why this happened. For them, the very fact of loss of freedom is important. Tolstoy tells in detail how and why this happened. Zhilin is captured by the Tatars, among other things, because it is important for him to emphasize: Kostylin’s cowardice is to blame.

The hero of Pushkin - Lermontov is captured by a lone warrior who drags his captives to the village on a lasso. The situation described by Tolstoy is more realistic. A whole detachment attacks Zhilin and Kostylin, and the bound Zhilin is placed on a horse. Tolstoy draws attention to the everydayness of the prisoner’s feelings. “Zhilin sits behind the Tatar, sways, rubs his face into the stinking Tatar back. All he sees in front of him is a hefty Tatar back, a sinewy neck, and the shaved back of his head turning blue under his hat.”

The description is also emphatically unromantic appearance hero: “Zhilin’s head is broken, blood is caked over his eyes.” The heroes of the poems of Pushkin and Lermontov also suffered ( From Pushkin:“a cold and dumb prisoner, / with a disfigured head”;

From Lermontov:"pale face, washed in blood")

Captured

The heroes of both poems, brought to the village, “lie in heavy oblivion” until noon. Zhilin, on the contrary, maintains clarity of thought throughout the entire journey and even tries to notice the road.

The behavior of the heroes in captivity is completely opposite. The heroes of the poems mainly contemplate what surrounds them and indulge in fruitless hopes.

(from Pushkin: “The night follows the night; / He longs for freedom in vain.". The prisoners in the poems are absolutely inactive: passionately dreaming of escape, they do nothing to achieve freedom.

In captivity, Zhilin is constantly busy with some kind of “handicraft” and at the first opportunity begins preparations for escape. It should be noted that in Tolstoy's story great attention is given to the unromantic issue of ransom. In the poems of Pushkin and Lermontov this issue is not addressed at all.

All three characters observe the life of the mountaineers with interest. Tolstoy debunks the romantic idea of ​​the “free sons of the Caucasus,” showing readers that the Tatars are the most ordinary people.

In Pushkin, a “hopeless captive” often climbs a mountain near an aul, where “ magnificent paintings»: “Thrones of eternal snow, / Their peaks seemed to the eyes / A motionless chain of clouds, / And in their circle there was a two-headed colossus, / in a crown of shining ice, / Elbrus was huge, majestic, / White in the blue sky.”. Zhilin also climbs the mountain and sees the same landscape: “There is another mountain from the village, even steeper; and behind that mountain there is another mountain. Between the mountains the forest turns blue, and there are more mountains - rising higher and higher. And above all, mountains white as sugar stand under the snow. And one snowy mountain stands taller than the others.”. The description is emphatically not romantic: “white as sugar”, “stands like a head”.

The very idea of ​​climbing a mountain in chains to admire beautiful landscape, Tolstoy seems ridiculous. His hero climbs a mountain to choose a route for his future escape.

Heroines

In all three works The heroine helps the prisoner escape. In the poems of Pushkin and Lermontov, these are young black-haired, black-eyed beauties. ( At Pushkin's: “And a black wave falls / Her hair falls on her chest and shoulders.” At Lermontov's : “And the tears of the black-eyed maiden / did not touch his soul”.) Typical romantic heroines. Tolstoy, trying to exclude any romantic situation, turns his heroine into a “thin, skinny”, black-eyed girl of about thirteen with a black braid.

Circassian by own initiative brings a saw and herself frees the prisoner from his shackles. Zhilin escapes from captivity twice and each time the initiative comes from him. Tolstoy includes in his story the scene of the failed release from the shackles, when Dina tries to knock the lock off Zhilin’s block with a stone. “Yes, the hands are thin, like twigs - there is no strength at all. Threw a stone and cried".

Moon image

Young Caucasian captives leave the village moonlit night, without thinking about conspiracy at all. ( From Pushkin:“The pale light of the moon flashes through the white huts of the village”. From Lermontov: “And above him the golden moon / floated up on a white cloud”.) The moon also appears in Tolstoy’s story, but it causes nothing but trouble for the hero. “I began to approach the forest, a month emerged from behind the mountains - white, light, just like daytime. All leaves are visible on the trees. Quiet, light in the mountains". Tolstoy repeatedly emphasizes that on his first escape, when Zhilin could choose, he was waiting for a moonless night. “The moon had just begun - the nights were still dark.”

River image

In Pushkin and Lermontov, the river is an insurmountable barrier separating the hero from freedom. In both poems it is a mighty stream. Zhilin and Kostylin ford the river, barely getting their feet wet. “We went through the yard under the steep slope to the river, crossed the river, went through the ravine.”

Conclusion

Thus, having considered works of the same name A.S. Pushkin, M.Yu. Lermontov, L.N. Tolstoy, we can conclude that the implementation of the plot about a Caucasian prisoner completely depends on the author’s concept and the literary direction to which the author belongs.

In romanticism (Pushkin and Lermontov) the main ones are the disappointed fugitive and the ideal of a free, natural world, and in realism (Tolstoy) the description of war and military actions.

Based on the plot of the poem by A.S. Pushkin, the theme of the Caucasian captive subsequently passes through the plots of other works, enriching them and at the same time influencing them, that is, it appears as an invariant for all subsequent post-Pushkin plots.

Job prospects

Pushkin's poem opens the theme of the tragic confrontation between Russia and the Caucasus, a theme that, apparently, will never be exhausted. We would like to continue this work by examining the plot of the Caucasian captive using the example of works of Russian literature of the 20th century: the story by Vladimir Makanin “Prisoner of the Caucasus” (1995) and the documentary story by Irina Kolontaevskaya “Prisoner of the Caucasus” (2001)

Based on story of the same name Leo Tolstoy.

The plot of the film Prisoner of the Caucasus

The action takes place in the 1990s during Chechen war(in fact, this is the author’s parallel to the war in Chechnya in the 19th century). An old man from the village takes two prisoners Russian soldiers- Ensign Sanya and Private Zhilin, to exchange them for his son. Abdul-Murat’s son is also in Russian captivity. The exchange begins. Somewhat unsuccessful from the very beginning. Nobody trusts anyone. Sometimes the idea is ahead of life.

Develops in parallel love line– Abdul-Murat’s daughter Dina becomes attached to Zhilin.

For Bodrov, it is important that this story is a hundred years old. And what is it very human history. This is not a war in Chechnya - this is a war in the mountains

– As for “Prisoner of the Caucasus,” only the title has been preserved classic work, and the action is moved to the present day. There's a war going on in the Caucasus, but it is not specified which one. We all pretend that we are far from this, from this war. As Dostoevsky said, “a scoundrel gets used to everything.” So, I wouldn’t want us to get used to this,” says Oleg Menshikov.

Awards for the film Prisoner of the Caucasus

1996 – Nika Award in the categories “Best Feature Film”, “Best Director’s Work”, “ Best Screenplay", "Best camera work", "Best Actor".
1997 – nominated for an Oscar in the category “Best Foreign Language Film.”
1997 – nomination for the Golden Globe Award in the category “Best Foreign Language Film”.
1996 – Kinotavr Award in the categories “ Best Actor"(shared by Oleg Menshikov and Sergei Bodrov (junior).
1996 – European Film Awards for Best Screenplay.
1996 – award “ Crystal globe» festival in Karlovy Vary – Sergey Bodrov (senior).

Movie " Caucasian prisoner"received the Russian Film Press Prize for best film of the year, Grand Prix of the Stalker film festival in Moscow, Prize audience choice at the Sydney Festival.

S. Bodrov (Jr.) received a prize for best role together with O. Menshikov at the Sochi Film Festival, the film press prize for the best role together with F. Abdraimov and the prize for the best acting debut at the Baltic Pearl festival, became, together with his father, a State Prize laureate Russian Federation 1997 in the field of literature and art.

Interesting facts about the film Prisoner of the Caucasus

Bodrov Jr. I was on my way to film the movie Caucasian prisoner"as a laborer, but returned as the main character: despairing of finding a suitable actor, Sergei Vladimirovich succumbed to persuasion and tried his son. The film showed that Bodrov Sr. was not mistaken.

Movie " Caucasian prisoner"was filmed in Dagestan. Filming took place in the village. Richa, Agul district and village. Maraga, Tabasaran district, as well as in the old part of the city of Derbent. The scene of the mountaineers relaxing and preparing barbecue was filmed at the Khuchninsky waterfall.

– First, we came up with the village and house where the events of the film take place. And then they found both the village and the house, exactly as they had imagined. A house with a special yard, a barn, a balcony, swallow's nests, a wonderful two-story hut on the mountain. They built here in such a way that you can jump over the roofs and walk through the entire village. It is especially convenient to walk on roofs when it is raining, muddy, or snowing outside. The roof is a place where it is always clean and dry. In general, in the village it is better to walk on the roofs. And “roof” life is very important here. We have an episode in the film: the heroes try to escape, but they fail. Then they find wine, drink it, and dance on the roof,” says Boris Giller.

Before going to Dagestan to shoot a film "Prisoner of the Caucasus", director Sergey Bodrov with my son and Oleg Menshikov asked to take them to the Burdenko hospital to see the wounded in Chechnya. Consult.

Filmmakers "Prisoner of the Caucasus" They almost found themselves hostages.

Film crew of the film Prisoner of the Caucasus

Director of the film “Prisoner of the Caucasus”: Sergey Bodrov.
Actors: Oleg Menshikov, Sergei Bodrov Jr., Susanna Mehralieva, Dzhemal Sikharulidze, Alexander Bureev, Valentina Fedotova, Alexey Zharkov, Gadzhiali Gadzhaliev, Evdokia Vishnyakova, Niyazik Gamdullaev, Ruslan Khalilov, Alan Emirov.
Screenwriters of the film “Prisoner of the Caucasus”: Sergey Bodrov, Arif Aliyev, Boris Giller.
Cameraman of the film “Prisoner of the Caucasus”: Pavel Lebeshev.
Composer of the film “Prisoner of the Caucasus”: Leonid Desyatnikov.
Producers of the film “Prisoner of the Caucasus”: Sergei Bodrov Sr., Boris Giller, Carolyn Cavallero, Eduard Krapivsky.

Staying in mid-19th century in the Caucasus, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy became participants in a dangerous event, which inspired him to write “Prisoner of the Caucasus.” While accompanying the convoy to the Grozny fortress, he and his friend fell into a trap among the Chechens. The life of the great writer was saved by the fact that the mountaineers did not want to kill his companion, so they did not shoot. Tolstoy and his partner managed to gallop to the fortress, where the Cossacks covered them.

The key idea of ​​the work is the contrast of an optimistic and strong-willed person with another - sluggish, lack of initiative, grumpy and compassionate. The first character retains courage, honor, courage and achieves release from captivity. The main message: under no circumstances should you give up and give up; hopeless situations exist only for those who do not want to act.

Analysis of the work

Storyline

The events of the story unfold in parallel with the Caucasian War and tell the story of officer Zhilin, who at the beginning of the work, at the written request of his mother, leaves with a convoy to visit her. On the way, he meets another officer - Kostylin - and continues the journey with him. Having met the mountaineers, Zhilin’s fellow traveler runs away, and the main character is captured and sold to the rich man Abdul-Marat from a mountain village. The fugitive officer is caught later and the prisoners are kept together in a barn.

The mountaineers seek to obtain a ransom for the Russian officers and force them to write letters home, but Zhilin writes a false address so that his mother, who is unable to raise so much money, does not find out about anything. During the day, prisoners are allowed to walk around the village in stocks and main character makes dolls for local children, thanks to which he wins the favor of 13-year-old Dina, daughter of Abdul-Marat. At the same time, he plans an escape and prepares a tunnel from the barn.

Having learned that the villagers are worried about the death of one of the highlanders in battle, the officers decide to flee. They leave through a tunnel and go towards the Russian positions, but the mountaineers quickly discover and return the fugitives, throwing them into a pit. Now the prisoners are forced to sit in stocks around the clock, but Dina from time to time brings Zhilin lamb and flat cakes. Kostylin finally loses heart and begins to get sick.

One night, the main character, with the help of a long stick brought by Dina, gets out of the hole and, right in the stocks, runs away through the forest to the Russians. Kostylin remains in captivity until the end until the mountaineers receive a ransom for him.

Main characters

Tolstoy portrayed the main character as an honest and authoritative person who treats his subordinates, relatives and even those who captivated him with respect and responsibility. Despite his obstinacy and initiative, he is careful, calculating and cold-blooded, has an inquisitive mind (he navigates by the stars, learns the language of the mountaineers). He has a feeling self-esteem and demands from the “Tatars” respectful attitude to the prisoners. A jack of all trades, he repairs guns, watches, and even makes dolls.

Despite Kostylin’s meanness, because of whom Ivan was captured, he does not hold a grudge and does not blame his neighbor in captivity, plans to escape together and does not abandon him after the first almost successful attempt. Zhilin is a hero, noble towards enemies and allies, who maintains a human face and honor even in the most difficult and insurmountable circumstances.

Kostylin is a wealthy, overweight and clumsy officer, whom Tolstoy portrays as weak both physically and morally. Because of his cowardice and meanness, the heroes are captured and fail their first attempt to escape. He meekly and unquestioningly accepts the fate of a prisoner, agrees to any conditions of detention and does not even believe Zhilin’s words that he can escape. All day long he complains about his situation, sits inactive, and becomes more and more “loose” from his own pity. As a result, Kostylin is overtaken by illness, and at the time of Zhilin’s second attempt to escape, he refuses, saying that he does not even have the strength to turn around. He is brought back from captivity barely alive a month after the ransom from his relatives arrives.

Kostylin in the story of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is a reflection of cowardice, meanness and weakness of will. This is a person who, under the pressure of circumstances, is unable to show respect for himself and, especially, for others. He fears only for himself, not thinking about risk and brave actions, because of which he becomes a burden for the active and energetic Zhilin, prolonging his joint imprisonment.

General analysis

One of the most famous stories Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy's "Prisoner of the Caucasus" is based on a comparison of two extremely opposite characters. The author makes them antagonists not only in character, but even in appearance:

1. Zhilin is not tall, but has great strength and dexterity, and Kostylin is fat, clumsy, overweight.
2. Kostylin is rich, and Zhilin, although he lives in abundance, cannot (and does not want) to pay the mountaineers a ransom.
3. Abdul-Marat himself speaks about Zhilin’s obstinacy and the meekness of his partner in a conversation with the main character. The first optimist expects to escape from the very beginning, and the second says that escaping is reckless because they do not know the area.
4. Kostylin spends his days sleeping and waiting for a reply letter, while Zhilin does his handicrafts and does repairs.
5. Kostylin abandons Zhilin at their first meeting and runs away to the fortress, but during the first escape attempt he drags a comrade with wounded legs on himself.

Tolstoy appears in his story as a bearer of justice, telling a parable about how fate rewards the initiative and brave man salvation.

An important idea is contained in the title of the work. Kostylin is a prisoner of the Caucasus in the literal sense of the word even after the ransom, because he did nothing to deserve his freedom. However, Tolstoy seems to be ironic about Zhilin - he showed his will and broke out of captivity, but does not leave the region, because he considers his service to be fate and duty. The Caucasus will captivate not only Russian officers who are forced to fight for their homeland, but also the mountaineers, who also have no moral right to give up this land. IN in a certain sense Everyone here remains Caucasian captives characters, even the generous Dina, who is destined to continue to live in her native society.

It tells the story of a Russian officer captured by the mountaineers. Written for ABC, first published in 1872 in the magazine Zarya. One of the most popular works writer, reprinted many times and included in the school curriculum.

The title of the story is a reference to the title of Pushkin's poem "Prisoner of the Caucasus".

Story

The plot of the story is partly based on real event which happened to Tolstoy during his service in the Caucasus in the 1850s. On June 23, 1853, he wrote in his diary: “I almost got captured, but in this case I behaved well, although too sensitive.” According to the memoirs of S. A. Bers, the writer’s brother-in-law,

Tolstoy's daughter talks about in this case as follows:

While actively compiling The ABC, Tolstoy wrote a story about a Caucasian prisoner. Sending the story to N. N. Strakhov in March 1872, Tolstoy noted:

The story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” was published in the magazine “Zarya” (1872, No. 2). It was included in the “Fourth Russian Reading Book,” published on November 1, 1872.

Tolstoy himself highly appreciated his story and mentioned it in his treatise “What is Art? " in the following context:

At the same time, he defines the “second kind” of good art there as “art that conveys the simplest everyday feelings, those that are accessible to all people of all ages.” peace - art worldwide."

Commenting on this treatise, the philosopher Lev Shestov notes that “...he actually perfectly understands that his “Caucasian Prisoner” or “God knows the truth, but will not soon tell” (only these two stories of all that he has written, belongs to he to good art) - will not have for readers the meaning that not only his great novels have - but even “The Death of Ivan Ilyich.”

Plot

The action takes place during the Caucasian War.

Officer Zhilin serves in the Caucasus. His mother sends a letter asking him to visit her, and Zhilin leaves the fortress along with the convoy. On the way, he overtakes the convoy and meets Kostylin. Then they come across several mounted “Tatars” (Muslim mountaineers), when Kostylin sees the Tatars, he rides off, leaving Zhilin alone. And they shoot his horse and take him prisoner. Zilina is brought to a mountain village, where he is sold to Abdul-Murat. The same owner turns out to have Zhilin’s colleague Kostylin, who was also caught by the Tatars. Abdul forces the officers to write letters home so that they can be ransomed. Zhilin indicates the wrong address on the letter, realizing that his mother still cannot collect the required amount.

Zhilin and Kostylin live in a barn; during the day they put pads on their feet. Zhilin makes dolls, attracting local children and, above all, Abdul’s 13-year-old daughter Dina. While walking around the village and its surroundings, Zhilin wonders in which direction he can run back to the Russian fortress. At night he digs in the barn. Dina sometimes brings him flatbreads or pieces of lamb.

When Zhilin notices that the inhabitants of the village are alarmed because of the death of one of his fellow villagers in a battle with the Russians, he decides to escape. He and Kostylin crawl into a tunnel at night and try to get to the forest, and from there to the fortress. However, due to the slowness of the corpulent Kostylin, they do not have time to get there; the Tatars notice them and bring them back. Now they are put in a pit and the pads are not removed at night. Dina sometimes continues to bring food to Zilina.

Realizing that the mountaineers are afraid of the arrival of the Russians and might kill the prisoners, Zhilin once at nightfall asks Dina to bring him long stick, with the help of which he crawls out of the hole (the sick and soggy Kostylin remains there). He tries to knock the lock off the blocks, but cannot do this, including with the help of Dina. Having made his way through the forest, at dawn Zhilin goes to the location of the Russian troops. Subsequently, Kostylin, with extremely poor health, was ransomed from captivity.

Reviews

Film adaptations

• "Prisoner of the Caucasus" - a classic 1975 film adaptation; director Georgiy Kalatozishvili, in the role of Zhilin Yuri Nazarov
• "Prisoner of the Caucasus" - a 1996 film that uses motifs from the story, but the action is moved during the Chechen War of the 1990s; director Sergei Bodrov Sr. , in the role of Zhilin Sergei Bodrov Jr.

Audio performances

There are several audio versions of the story:

Vladimir Makanin's story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” (1994) in its title contains a reference to several works of Russian classics called “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, including Tolstoy’s story. Also in Makanin’s novel “Asan” (2008), dedicated to the events of the Chechen War of the 1990s, the main character’s name is Alexander Sergeevich Zhilin...

Having traveled around the entire line of troops from the right to the left flank, Prince Andrei climbed to the battery from which, according to the headquarters officer, the entire field was visible. Here he dismounted from his horse and stopped at the outermost of the four cannons that had been removed from the limbers. In front of the guns walked the sentry artilleryman, who was stretched out in front of the officer, but at a sign made to him, he resumed his uniform, boring walk. Behind the guns there were limbers, and further back there was a hitching post and artillery fires. To the left, not far from the outermost gun, there was a new wicker hut, from which animated officer voices could be heard.
Indeed, from the battery there was a view of almost the entire location of the Russian troops and most of the enemy. Directly opposite the battery, on the horizon of the opposite hillock, the village of Shengraben was visible; to the left and to the right could be discerned in three places, among the smoke of their fires, masses of French troops, which, obviously, most was in the village itself and behind the mountain. To the left of the village, in the smoke, it seemed like something like a battery, but with the naked eye it was impossible to get a good look. Our right flank was located on a rather steep hill, which dominated the French position. Our infantry was positioned along it, and the dragoons were visible at the very edge. In the center, where the Tushin battery was located, from which Prince Andrei viewed the position, there was the most gentle and straight descent and ascent to the stream that separated us from Shengraben. To the left, our troops adjoined the forest, where the fires of our infantry, chopping wood, were smoking. The French line was wider than ours, and it was clear that the French could easily get around us on both sides. Behind our position there was a steep and deep ravine, along which it was difficult for artillery and cavalry to retreat. Prince Andrei, leaning on the cannon and taking out his wallet, drew for himself a plan for the disposition of the troops. He wrote notes in pencil in two places, intending to communicate them to Bagration. He intended, firstly, to concentrate all the artillery in the center and, secondly, to transfer the cavalry back to the other side of the ravine. Prince Andrei, constantly being with the commander-in-chief, monitoring the movements of the masses and general orders and constantly studying historical descriptions battles, and in this upcoming matter involuntarily thought about the future course of military operations only in general outline. He imagined only the following kind of major accidents: “If the enemy launches an attack on the right flank,” he said to himself, “the Kiev Grenadier and Podolsk Jaeger will have to hold their position until the reserves of the center approach them. In this case, the dragoons can hit the flank and overthrow them. In the event of an attack on the center, we place a central battery on this hill and, under its cover, pull together the left flank and retreat to the ravine in echelons,” he reasoned with himself...
All the time that he was on the battery at the gun, he, as often happens, without ceasing, heard the sounds of the voices of the officers speaking in the booth, but did not understand a single word of what they were saying. Suddenly the sound of voices from the booth struck him with such a sincere tone that he involuntarily began to listen.
“No, my dear,” said a pleasant voice that seemed familiar to Prince Andrei, “I say that if it were possible to know what will happen after death, then none of us would be afraid of death.” So, my dear.
Another, younger voice interrupted him:
- Yes, be afraid, don’t be afraid, it doesn’t matter - you won’t escape.
- And you’re still afraid! Oh you, learned people, said a third courageous voice, interrupting both. “You artillerymen are very learned because you can take everything with you, including vodka and snacks.
And the owner of the courageous voice, apparently an infantry officer, laughed.
“But you’re still afraid,” continued the first familiar voice. - You're afraid of the unknown, that's what. Whatever you say, the soul will go to heaven... after all, we know that there is no heaven, but only one sphere.
Again the courageous voice interrupted the artilleryman.
“Well, treat me to your herbalist, Tushin,” he said.

"Prisoner of the Caucasus"- a story (sometimes called a story) by Leo Tolstoy, telling about a Russian officer captured by the highlanders. Written for ABC, first published in 1872 in the magazine Zarya. One of the most popular works of the writer, reprinted many times and included in the school curriculum.

The title of the story is a reference to the title of Pushkin's poem "Prisoner of the Caucasus".

Story

The plot of the story is partly based on a real event that happened to Tolstoy during his service in the Caucasus in the 1850s. On June 23, 1853, he wrote in his diary: “I almost got captured, but in this case I behaved well, although too sensitive.” According to the memoirs of S. A. Bers, the writer’s brother-in-law,

Tolstoy's daughter talks about this incident as follows:

While actively compiling The ABC, Tolstoy wrote a story about a Caucasian prisoner. Sending the story to N. N. Strakhov in March 1872, Tolstoy noted:

The story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” was published in the magazine “Zarya” (1872, No. 2). It was included in the “Fourth Russian Reading Book,” published on November 1, 1872.

Tolstoy himself highly appreciated his story and mentioned it in his treatise “What is Art? " in the following context:

At the same time, he defines the “second kind” of good art there as “art that conveys the simplest everyday feelings, those that are accessible to all people around the world - world art.”

Commenting on this treatise, the philosopher Lev Shestov notes that “...he actually perfectly understands that his “Caucasian Prisoner” or “God knows the truth, but will not soon tell” (only these two stories of all that he has written, belongs to he is for good art) - will not have for readers the meaning that not only his great novels have - but even “The Death of Ivan Ilyich.”

Plot

The action takes place during the Caucasian War.

Officer Zhilin serves in the Caucasus. His mother sends a letter asking him to visit her, and Zhilin leaves the fortress along with the convoy. On the way, he overtakes the convoy and comes across several mounted “Tatars” (Muslim mountaineers), who shoot his horse and take him prisoner. Zhilin is brought to a mountain village, where he is sold to Abdul-Murat. The same owner turns out to have Zhilin’s colleague Kostylin, who was also caught by the Tatars. Abdul forces the officers to write letters home so that they can be ransomed. Zhilin indicates the wrong address on the letter, realizing that his mother still cannot collect the required amount.

Zhilin and Kostylin live in a barn; during the day they put pads on their feet. Zhilin makes dolls, attracting local children and, above all, Abdul’s 13-year-old daughter, Dina. While walking around the village and its surroundings, Zhilin wonders in which direction he can run back to the Russian fortress. At night he digs in the barn. Dina sometimes brings him flatbreads or pieces of lamb.

When Zhilin notices that the inhabitants of the village are alarmed because of the death of one of his fellow villagers in a battle with the Russians, he decides to escape. He and Kostylin crawl into a tunnel at night and try to get to the forest, and from there to the fortress. However, due to the slowness of the corpulent Kostylin, they do not have time to get there; the Tatars notice them and bring them back. Now they are put in a pit and the pads are not removed at night. Dina sometimes continues to bring food to Zilina.

Realizing that the mountaineers are afraid of the arrival of the Russians and could kill the prisoners, Zhilin one day, at nightfall, asks Dina to bring him a long stick, with the help of which he climbs out of the hole (the sick and soggy Kostylin remains behind). He tries to knock the lock off the blocks, but cannot do this, including with the help of Dina. Having made his way through the forest, at dawn Zhilin goes to the location of the Russian troops. Subsequently, Kostylin is ransomed from captivity.

Reviews

Film adaptations

• "Prisoner of the Caucasus" - a classic 1975 film adaptation; director Georgiy Kalatozishvili, in the role of Zhilin Yuri Nazarov

• "Prisoner of the Caucasus" - a 1996 film that uses motifs from the story, but the action is moved during the Chechen War of the 1990s; director Sergei Bodrov Sr. , in the role of Zhilin Sergei Bodrov Jr.

Audio performances

There are several audio versions of the story:

Vladimir Makanin's story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” (1994) in its title contains a reference to several works of Russian classics called “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, including Tolstoy’s story. Also in Makanin’s novel “Asan” (2008), dedicated to the events of the Chechen War of the 1990s, the main character’s name is Alexander Sergeevich Zhilin.

Notes

Links

• “Prisoner of the Caucasus” in the Collected Works of Leo Tolstoy in 22 volumes (“Russian Virtual Library”)

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